Thirty-Two

                                    

                                          
Slowly, Arthur dared to take your hand.
His touch felt rough, his hands were the ones of a man who knew nothing but hard physical work.
The tips of his fingers started to circle inside the palm of your hand.
Every movement, as small as it was, managed to send a shiver down your spine.
Your breath hitched.
"Arthur.", you locked fingers with him to pull him gently towards you. "Even if you're a bad man, you don't have to be lonely... I don't want you to be lonely."
He didn't pull away.
But he also didn't move in any kind of way.
All he did was stare at your hand, how his long fingers were tangled up with yours.
His thumb moved as if he tried to understand the feelings that crossed his eyes in that moment.
"Arthur?", you whispered, so soft, that he almost didn't hear it.
"I don't know if I wanna learn how to live a different life.", he said in a clam yet thoughtful voice.
Your lips moved. The words were already on your tongue.
But he was faster.
Without giving you a warning, he rushed forward to slide a hand into the back of your neck and pull you close.
A soft sound of surprise escaped you.
His face stopped mere centimetres before yours.
With your eyes locked, the two of you stared at each other.
His hand felt warm on your skin, just like his breath, that smelled of coffee, whiskey and cigarette smoke.
Arthur's gaze jumped over your face.
You could feel the harsh beating of your own heart pressing against your chest. It felt like it wanted to escape.
"Arthur?", you managed to ask hesitantly, still enchanted by his bright blue eyes.
He looked sad, exhausted.
But at the same time there was this expression in his eyes.
This hunger.
With bated breath, you withstood that expression.
But you couldn't help and feel like your body was on fire.
Your free hand rose to lay on his cheek.
Scratchy hair nestled into the palm of your hand. It tickled.
"I don't know if I'll ever have the pleasure to experience a different life than the one of a criminal.", he mumbled with a gentle smile on his face. "But I want to have a taste. Just to see how it would be."
In one swift yet soft movement, he put pressure on the back of your head and tilted his own.
It didn't happen quickly.
If you would have wanted to, you could have pulled away.
But you didn't.
You felt the need to know how it would be to throw a glimpse behind that wall of his.
"Arthur...", it slipped off your tongue as his lips met yours.
He didn't taste as harsh as his appearance had made you believe.
In fact, he tasted surprisingly fresh, of toothpaste and mint, with a subtle note of coffee beans.
The kiss was shy and even through he was the one who had asked for it, he didn't push his luck.
His body was stiff, almost tense, as if he was expecting you to change tour mind and reject him any moment.
Slowly, you grabbed his face with both hands and pushed into the feeling of his rough lips.
Your tongue brushed over the tender flesh, but didn't break into his mouth as a small crack opened as a soft groan slipped out of his throat.
Usually, you weren't the hesitant type.
But you didn't want to push your luck and maybe drive Arthur away from you.
His grip in the back of your neck loosened.
A cold shiver crawled down your spine, driven by the fear that he might break the kiss.
But instead of letting you go, he slid one hand underneath your bottom and the other into your back to pull you into his lap in one swoft movement.
All by themselves, your arms wrapped around his neck.
With greedy sounds exiting your mouth, you deepened the kiss.
A thin trail of saliva dripped from the corner of your mouth as you took the invitation he offered and started to explore his mouth with your tongue.
His own came to fight yours for a moment.
Breathing heavily, Arthur broke the kiss to catch some air.
His eyelids were lowered and his gaze darkened.
Your face felt like it was on fire.
Greedy for more, you wrapped your arms tighter around his neck and tried to capture his lips again.
He leaned back, his cheeks reddened and glowing.
You followed his movement.
As you did so, your middle brushed over his crotch.
Surprised, you sucked in a sharp breath.
"Apologies.", he mumbled and loosened his grip to give you the chance to slip away.
You shifted in his lap.
But instead of doing what he expected, you brought enough space between the two of you and lowered your hand to slide it between his legs to give it a gentle squeeze.
A low growl got stuck in his throat.
"A taste.", he said with a warning shimmer in his eyes. "I just wanted to have a taste."
With a challenging smile, you leaned into him to steal another kiss. This time, you teased him a bit more and nibbled at his bottom lip.
Your hand kept massaging his crotch.
A bulge formed and pressed against the stiff fabric of his jeans.
With a low groan and a bit out of reflex, he pushed into the palm of your hand.
"You can have it all, Arthur Morgan.", you breathed against his lips, beard stubbles scratching your chin.
"I don't know if that wouldn't scare me."
You stole another kiss.
"Life is scary, isn't it? You live a scary life already."
He hummed, eyes softer than before.
"I got used to it."
Letting out a deep breath, you grabbed his face with both hands so that he was forced to look at you.
"You can get used to me too.", you placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "If you want to."
His gaze lowered.
"I don't know what I want.", he returned the kiss to deepen it with such greed that the air almost got sucked out of your lungs. "Life never allowed me to want somethin'. But this..."