Chapter Text
It was late by the time they drove up to the bed and breakfast and what a trip it had been. They’d managed to be civil to each other when Ransom picked her up from Heathrow but halfway through the 6-hour drive to the house Harlan owned in the English countryside the rain had turned the road to an undriveable sludge and they both agreed it was best to stop somewhere for the night.
By this point their patience with each other had worn a little thin. Although Marta could never figure out why they made each other so antsy. They were both adults… who occasionally got snippy with each other. It seemed to stem from their very different perspectives on how to treat his ailing grandfather but there was something under that flimsy reasoning that Marta didn’t dare prod. That particular pandora’s box could stay shut.
He handed her their IDs and passports so she could go in first while he grabbed both their bags. The girl at reception -Anne- was a teenager with a cute smile and sunny disposition.
“We’re pretty full this weekend,” she told Marta. “But I can definitely find you something. Just give me two minutes.”
She drummed her fingers on the counter while Anne ran her search. A few minutes later she heard the telltale sounds of Ransom cursing and grunting while he wrangled their luggage into the foyer and dumped them on the carpet.
Anne glanced up from the computer without stopping her typing and gave Marta a small smile, “Is that your boyfriend?”
Marta turned to look at Ransom with a startled glance. Just in time to watch him lift the bottom of his drenched t shirt and try to squeeze out the excess water. A move that exposed just enough of his abs to make both female onlookers turn a bright shade of red.
“Where’d you find him?” Anne giggled.
“Err,” Marta shook herself slightly. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Of course,” Anne drawled with a little more sass than was probably necessary.
She was saved from doing more protesting by Ransom sidling up beside her and flashing Anne his most winning smile. “You turning us back out into the rain, sweetheart?”
“Of course not, sir.” She responded with a sober professionalism she hadn’t really shown Marta. She made a small noise of triumph and turned to grab a brass key from the sparse wall of them behind her.
“You’re in luck,” she said sliding the key toward them. “We’ve got one nice room left.”
Ransom’s brow furrowed even as he palmed the key, “We were kind of hoping for two.”
Anne’s smile was a little too bright, “I’m sorry, sir. We’re full up this weekend.”
“Let me guess,” Ransom gave her a grim smile. “It’s got one bed.”
“Well,” Anne coughed even as Marta felt her own ears start to burn. “It’s quite a large bed.”
Anne had more bad news as she perkily helped them with their strangely heavy bags to their 1st floor room.
“The roads have been washed out so our restaurant is closed,” she said when she’d put down the bags. “Not to worry though. We’ve got room service dinner arranged for everyone.”
Ransom groaned even as he tugged a 5-pound note from his wallet to give to Anne, “I’m assuming you guys are out of alcohol too?”
“Oh no, Sir.” She said moving to allow Marta to take a seat on the plush couch. “We’ve got plenty. Just ring down to reception and I’ll be happy to include anything you like. I hope you enjoy your stay.” She gave them a little wave before gently shutting the door behind her.
“Nice kid.” Ransom said shrugging out of his jacket.
“I thought she’d be getting an earful about the room situation,” Marta said reaching down to unzip one boot.
He gave her a mildly disbelieving look while he hung up his jacket, “To what end exactly? She’s not going to build us another room in the next 30 minutes, is she?”
“I’m just saying. I’ve seen you be short with people at hotels before.”
“Oh well if you want to see me be short with someone-“
They glared at each other for a whole 5 seconds before Ransom sighed heavily. “Can we just not tonight. It’s been a long ass day.”
“A truce it is then,” Marta said moving toward her luggage and tugging open the lid. “Oh God!”
“What now?”
“All my clothes are soaked!”
Ransom’s luggage was soaked too. Rainwater had leaked through both their suitcases and everything they’d brought was uncomfortably damp. The whole situation prompted a call down to Anne who showed up five minutes later with a two large laundry bags and a little cart piled with sandwiches, fruit and a bottle of red wine.
“I’m sorry you guys are having such a bad time,” she said tying up the tops of the bags with their clothes while the two of them shivered by the radiator. “I’ll have these back in a couple of hours at least. The power’s been iffy.”
When Anne had left them, Ransom turned to rummage through his laptop case. “Why don’t you take the first shower? I need to call Harlan and let him know we’ll be late.”
“You sure about that?” Marta asked even as she started for the bathroom.
“Yeah, go ahead,” Ransom muttered absently.
The shower was blissfully warm and she tried not to just linger beneath it while her travelling companion was probably just as cold and tired as she was. She did however snag what appeared to be the only bathrobe and left him the large fluffy towel.
When she came out of the bathroom, she found him sprawled on the couch, and swirling a glass of red wine…shirtless. It was kind of hot.
“All yours,” she said moving slightly to let him past.
“Lemme guess,” he drawled pausing next to her and drawing the fluffy belt between two of his fingers. “There’s just one of those.”
Marta swallowed hard. His heat and proximity making thinking a little difficult, “I left you the big towel.” She said lamely making the corners of his mouth twitch and his cornflower blue eyes twinkle.
“Mhmm,” he said heading for the bathroom with an inscrutable expression on his face.
Marta headed straight for the red wine. She’d already poured herself a generous helping sitting on the edge of the bed when she heard the shower turn on. She heard him curse slightly; the metallic clank of his belt buckle making her think about him naked. She took a large gulp of wine that only let her imagination run wild with visions of him soaping himself up. Starting with his chest, then abs, then-. Nope! Not going there. Downing the rest of the glass she reached for a ham sandwich and downed it in a couple of bites.
About five minutes later she heard a slightly worrying thud and a hissed Jesus Christ. “Are you okay?” She called.
“I’m fine,” Ransom called back. “I just walked into the shower door. Hand me my glasses wouldja? I can’t see two feet in front of me.”
Supressing a smile it didn’t take long for her to locate the prescription glasses he’d gotten a couple of weeks ago.
“Ai dios mio, Ransom,” she’d exclaimed when he’d shown her the prescription from his last eye appointment. “You’re almost blind.”
“Oh, fuck off,” he’d muttered snatching the paper out of her hands and making her giggle. “I’m gonna look like a such a dork.”
Of course he hadn’t looked like a dork. Well, he did. But a cute dork. No not a cute dork. A studious lumberjack. It was a good thing he wore contacts most of the time because something about those glasses were really doing it for her. She blew gently on the lenses and wiped them with the sleeve of her robe. Just in time for Ransom to open the bathroom door a crack and for her to put them on the sink.
She’d gotten started on her third sandwich when the bathroom door opened and Ransom stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist.
“By the way,” he said frowning at her from behind his slutty little glasses and damp in all the best/worst ways. He was so tall and broad there were muscles everywhere she looked. “Did you tell Harlan you liked the last draft of Dire Enigmas?”
Marta shrugged even as she tried to keep her eyes off his damp chest hair and glowing pecs. (Seriously, fuck this guy!), “I thought the plot was compelling.”
“Oh yeah,” He strode forward and deliberately stole a sandwich right out of her hand just to be an asshole. “Even that ending?”
“It was romantic,” Marta said making Ransom groan. “Carina gets to be with the man she loves.”
“He murdered 2 people.” Ransom said sitting down heavily beside her and jostling her slightly. “God why are you always such a girl?”
Marta sighed, trying to act like the sight of him all dewy and glistening and muscly wasn’t affecting her. She really needed to find herself a man. Any man. But for her own sanity not this one. He was too pretty to look at but touching him could be catastrophic for her sanity.
“Can we not fight tonight? I’ve been on a plane for hours and I just want to sleep.”
“Just sleep?” the tone was light, mocking, absent of any real heat.
She turned to look up at him with a pursed lipped look of disapproval. But he was a lot closer than she first realised, their thighs brushing and only protected by the terrycloth material of what weren’t even clothes, really. The teasing look on his face unexpectedly melted into something warmer. Somewhere in the distance thunder cracked, startling them both and then…the lights went out.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
“You’re cheating.”
“At Uno, Ransom? Really?”
Anne had found them a pack of cards (after apologising that they probably wouldn’t be getting any dry clothes for a couple of hours) and the two of them had been leaned up against the foot of the bed playing for the last 30 minutes. ‘
The only lighting in the room were a few candles they’d found and Ransom had accused her more than once of taking advantage of his not great vision by lying about the cards. Under normal circumstances the atmosphere might be considered ominously romantic but the last half hour bickering with Captain Sore Loser had dissuaded her entirely.
They’d both won an even number of games and the end did not appear to be in sight. When Ransom reached to shuffle the cards again Marta decided she’d had enough.
“Ransom,” she whined moving to stand. “Please let me go to sleep.”
“Fine,” He stood with her, cards forgotten on the floor. “I’ll let you sleep if you beat me at rock, paper scissors.”
Marta groaned even as she moved her hands into position. They’d played before on multiple occasions usually to settle one of their many petty squabbles. Ransom always played paper first so she made a conscious choice to play rock. Hoping this minor loss would allow her to finally go to bed.
It worked…kind of.
“Ha.” He said triumphantly his large palm hovering over her closed fist. “I win.”
That should have been the end of it. Except his bigger hand curled over hers and he tugged her close. She went willingly, teeth sinking into her lower lip even as he brushed some of her damp hair away from her face.
“Hi,” he said eyes dark.
“Hi,” Marta said swallowing tightly. She watched mouth dry as he gently pried her tight fist open, thumb stroking along her palm until he could press it flat to his chest. The thump of his heart beneath her hand widened her eyes even as her toes wanted to curl.
Ransom looked like…like he wanted to eat her. His other hand came up to gently cup her face and Marta felt her brain go quiet.
And when his thumb ghosted slowly over her lower lip, she decided she’d waited long enough to find out what he tasted like. Clearly, they were sharing their last two braincells because he was already lowering his head when she pushed up on her tip toes.
His lips felt soft and she pulled back after a brief peck almost startled by this strange new familiarity with this man she’d known for so long. When he slid an arm around her waist and hauled her up against his chest for a deeper kiss Marta realised, she’d been right. He was going to eat her.
The kiss had turned from sweet to frantic in seconds. The two of them pawing breathlessly at flimsy terrycloth barriers that lay on the floor in seconds. Marta gasped at the sudden feel of all of him. He was warm and smooth. The dark hair on his chest and legs only making his movement against her all the more erotic and exciting. He drew his mouth away from her lips only so he could lick a slow hot line to her collarbone where he sucked a sweet little bruise into her delicate skin.
“Ransom.” She said suddenly panicked even as her hands found purchase on his broad shoulders. “Ransom, I-“
He must’ve heard her because his mouth left her skin and he pulled back so he could hold her gaze in the flickering candlelight. “Do you want to stop?” He whispered.
“What?”
“If you tell me stop. I’ll stop. No harm. No foul” he breathed, pulling back so that his enormous frame wasn’t touching her or invading her personal space, her body, her senses, maybe her heart. “.” He cupped her face in both hands, thumbs brushing over her cheeks.
Marta stared for a minute. The vulnerable uncertainty on his face was cute. He was giving her an out. To change her mind if she wanted. But there was a voice in her head (one that sounded suspiciously like her sister Alice the bad influence) that told her if she wanted this man, she should take him now. All of him.
She shook her head and his grin was almost beatific.
Marta slid her arms around his neck and kissed him harder this time. Her tight nipples dragging along his chest and his big hands slid lower on her body. Pressing over her ass and to the backs of her thighs. She let out a little laugh when he lifted her to wrap her legs around his waist in a move that was ripped right from the dirty romance novels she’d liked to hide under her mattress.
“I want you to tell me what you want.” He said huskily as he carried her to the bed like she weighed nothing. “The things you like.”
Oh!
“I just want you.” She said letting the desperation she’d been trying to conceal seep into her voice even as liquid desire seeped between her legs. Her admission made a pleased hum escape him as he planted a knee on their double bed. He lay her against the pillows and slid up beside her so they were chest to chest, legs tangled together.
This time when they kissed it was slower more languid like they had all the time in the world. Ransom only pulling back to place his askew glasses on the nightstand. And for a little while they just made out like a pair of teenagers. Hands exploring places they hadn’t dared to before. Eventually he rolled on top of her jamming his hands beneath her shoulders so she didn’t have to strain to kiss him.
He kissed her sweetly now. On her lips, her chin, the hollow of her throat…
When his mouth found one of her taut nipples, she couldn’t look at him, giggling slightly and putting a hand over her eyes. What the fuck was she doing?
Suddenly she felt him slide up her body again. “Hey,” he said tugging her hand away from her eyes, face inches from hers. “You good?”
“Yes,” she said, one hand sliding up his chest and over his shoulder. “I’m very good. It’s just…”
“Yeah?”
“It’s been a little while.”
He grinned, “Like a few months or…”
Realising he wasn’t going to let this one go she rolled her eyes, “Like 3 maybe 4 years.”
“Which one is it? 3 or 4?”
“Asshole,” she muttered, smacking his shoulder and making him laugh. He caught her wrist and pinned it none too gently to the bed.
“For the record,” he said, pupils blown as he loomed over her. “I’m not surprised. You’re adorable but you have zero game. I’ve been trying to fuck you for months but I had to literally throw myself at you for you to get the picture.”
“That was you flirting?” Marta said, smirking now. “Are you twelve?”
“Be a good girl for once and don’t try to distract me,” he said nuzzling her nose with his.
“I’m always a nice girl.” Marta whispered back.
“I know. I love it and it drives me nuts.”