Where is it gonna lead?

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina and Alistair Holmes had been training together for hours now. She was in her typical workout gear of shorts and a sports bra, with her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. With all of the recent AMA activity, both of them had seen an increase in hours, and this training was as necessary to keep skills honed as it was to release the tension of the prolonged working hours.

    Selina had always enjoyed her sessions with Alistair from the beginning, pushing herself to her limits with an opponent who constantly challenged her to be better. She couldn’t have wished for a better partner and trainer. Selina had improved at an impressive rate over the past three years and much of that was thanks to Alistair.

    Selina was currently feeling the strain of their sparring practice, but she didn’t mind in the slightest. She’d gained a sense of familiarity with how Alistair fought, though she was still learning. Selina wasn’t fond of the consequences of underestimating the man... She moved in quickly to take advantage of an opening in his guard, when she suddenly found herself flat on her back and pinned to the ground.

    Selnia panted underneath of him and tried to figure out what happened. When she met his gaze, she found herself temporarily frozen. His hazel eyes were piercing, clear and holding her down with as much power as his physical strength. Heat curled in her stomach as her pupils dilated slightly and she was suddenly intensely aware of their position. Selina maintained eye contact with him as her hips shifted causing a delicious friction that she wasn’t quite unaffected by. It could’ve been accidental…

    There were ways to fight pins and to regain an advantage, but fighting was the furthest thing from Selina’s mind right now. She’d never had any trouble with keeping that sense of professionalism while training, and even after she’d started flirting with him recently, it hadn’t affected their training in the slightest except for maybe a few comments after. But this was different, and she wasn’t exactly keen to shove aside her baser nature. Did she care that they were in a public facility? Not in the slightest. Besides, they were the only two here. Most people were sound asleep by now.

[Alistair Holmes]

Training had slipped into the witching hour without Alistair's notice, although this was nothing unusual; Both he and Selina often trained late into the night, mostly since it was the only time they could steal from their waking hours that were not spent working. Alistair's attire was starkly different from his usual well cut suits, because they were simply impractical for training; A dark grey gym vest and long gym shorts covered him, his arms displaying the cobwebs of scars that were etched over the majority of his body, ranging from what once were deep lacerations to smaller cuts sustained while honing his ability.

The bodyguard watched Selina's movement with piercing intent, each step she took or shift in her stance being noted and calculated. His companion had improved drastically over the years, her ability to judge her opponent and premeditate attack patterns matched only by his own; She was a natural... But recently, since their work hours had clocked up significantly and in turn their time spent honing their skillsets, Alistair had noticed the occasional mistake or poorly judged movement which was very unlike the usually highly capable bodyguard... That that it effected her work, but it was enough that Alistair's keen eye noticed.
With no injury to place the blame on, nor lack of practise, Alistair had come to the conclusion that recent events were having a harsh effect on the young woman beneath her steeled surface; Her friend had been brutally attacked, and AMA were gaining vigour... It made sense that it would all begin to weigh heavily on his companion. He took a step to give her a false opening, although he didn't shift his weight, allowing Alistair to easily sweep the young woman to the ground when she attempted to take advantage in one flowing movement, and pinning her there.

He was taking in deep, rapid breaths, a smirk plucking at his lips and stretching out across his expression, his hazel eyes fiercely locked to her own. He felt her shift beneath him, the momentary contact of her hips stirring a fluctuation of intense heat somewhere in his stomach; Still, he maintained his gaze, his strength remaining firm, slowly moving closer to his companion and whispering softly beside her ear. "... You're gettin' slow, Miss.Taylor," He teased. "... And you and I both know ya can get yourself out of this."

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina had noticed Alistair’s scars when she started sparring with him three years ago, the same way she'd noticed the muscles under his skin and the way his hair fell. It was merely another part of him, as her own scars were just another part of herself. Selina’s most visible scar was the evidence of where she’d been stabbed by the man she’d killed. It seemed her body remembered trauma as well as she did. The line three inches across her collarbone stood out but she’d stopped noticing or caring about it in the recent years, particularly when training. Sometimes Selina’s fingers would run over the scar absently as she read or as she was concentrating, but other than that it had faded from her mind… most of the time. Her other scars though numerous, were less prominent and they were far from her mind as she stared up at her friend and mentor.

    Selina felt a small shiver of excitement run through her as he whispered in her ear, the heat within her only intensifying. It felt like her entire being was responding to his voice alone. She then smirked and quite purposefully shifted so that her hips moved against him once more, “So the question becomes whether or not I want to get out of this,” Selina replied with a wicked grin, her voice low and thick with suggestion. This was far more physical than she’d ever gotten with him before, in terms of banter anyway. Her previous play had always been almost purely verbal.

    Selina suddenly wondered if she’d pushed him too far… but then he could have gotten up a long time ago and the way he’d spoken, she didn’t think he’d mind too much. Selina knew he wasn’t completely unaffected by her and she wondered if he fully realized much he could influence her. Usually she was the one kindling a fire in others... it was rare for someone else to have such power over her and she loved every second of it. With little effort on his part, he could entice her with an ease that she knew she should probably be more wary of.

    He also matched her, both physically and intellectually in a way that she wasn’t sure anyone else in Kalispell could claim. Selina truly valued her relationship with him too much to risk anything… but then she’d always found herself playing with fire far more often than she should. The heat was tantalizing enough for Selina to risk getting burned.

[Alistair Holmes]

Alistair had long noted the little imperfections Selina's body displayed, the physical displays of her strength now permanently etched into her skin; and the bodyguard knew those scars, each delicate thin line to the ragged mark cut across her collarbone... That each one left a imprint far deeper then her flesh. Selina was made up of everything she'd been through, and each mark left her more resilient then perhaps even she realised; She could overcome more then she was allowing herself to. Out of fear? That some dark hollow within her would swallow what happiness she'd managed to gain for herself if she allowed herself to face and own what she'd been through?
She was far, far stronger then she gave herself credit for.

Alistair's gaze drifted to the scar which ran along her collar bone, starkly white against the tanned shade of her heated skin. He was finding himself very aware of the warmth ebbing from his companion, her tone low, heavy and intense, the teasing shift of her hips against his own doing little but feed the burning in his stomach; Which was threatening to creep throughout his entire being. Alistair prided himself on remaining controlled, on remaining calm and collected in situations which violently attacked his resolve; And yet, despite his years of training, his hour upon racked up hour dealing with people and strengthening his resilience... Selina Taylor could reduce him to a war within himself in one simple movement. A war he couldn't help but wonder why he was fighting...
He kept his strength, his eyes now locked to hers as he slowly leaned in closer, so that his lips almost brushed hers when he spoke. "... And here I thought you were goin' soft on me, Miss.Taylor," He spoke lowly in return, slipping the same teasing heat into his own voice. "And I think that's enough trainin' for tonight, kid... We keep this up and you're ganna be run ragged."
Alistair didn't specify himself, but the sheer amount of work hours Drew was piling on the pair of them teamed with them stealing what hours from the day, and often night, they could to hone their skills... Well, the bodyguard knew there was only so many ends of the candle you could burn before exhaustion took it's toll. "Unless you think you got the endurance to go all night, eh?"

Then with a wicked grin, one which only Selina seemed to be able to draw from him, and fighting more resistance then he'd care to acknowledge, Alistair removed himself from her and got to his feet, offering his hand out to his companion to help her up. "Ya did good, but you ain't watchin' for motive," He commented casually, inwardly hoping the distraction of discussing the session would help quell the intense heat still making itself very much known. "I purposefully left myself open, kid, and you took it... Which ain't like you... So tell me. Somethin' botherin' ya, Selina?"

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina felt the heat within her flare when he got so close... Goddamn it, he knew how to rile her up didn’t he? She was ready to take him right here in the middle of the gym at this point... And as he questioned her endurance, Selina smirked, “Oh, I know I do, my worry would be whether or not you could keep up,” she replied, her eyes filled with heated promise.

    She felt him start to pull away and threw caution to the winds as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his before he could truly leave. He was so incredibly close it merely took a slight tilt of her head… and he deserved it for teasing her so. Besides, she’d wanted to do this for a long time and it felt heavenly to finally give into impulse, even if it was only for a brief instant. Surely she hadn’t read him wrong… Selina halted and glanced up at him, wondering if she’d truly gone too far. His friendship meant far more to her than any physical fling ever could. Had she just ruined that? But then, he hadn’t exactly been innocent in all this, and she’d never have done it if he’d given her the impression that he wasn’t interested.

    As he finally got up she felt a sharp sense of disappointment, but she hadn’t really expected any less. He was a professional, and she’d known that from the start… it was part of why she’d held him in such high regard, and perhaps why she felt so free in flirting with him now. At his question Selina looked him in the eye, “Other than the fact that you’re not still on top of me?” she asked with a crooked grin. Selina quickly realized that now was probably as good a time as any to bring up her new business venture… but she was worried how he would respond. He’d been with the Conners for so many years, and he was so close to them… would he see this as some sort of betrayal on her part for not staying by them in these rocky times? His reaction was the one that she cared about the most. The Conners were merely her employers regardless of how much she liked them, but Alistair was a close and trusted friend. 

    Selina sighed and sat up taking his hand to help herself stand. She then absently ran a hand through her hair as she thought about his question… and about how to word her answer, “AMA is a big enough worry as it is, not to mention the fact that it was a friend of mine who got injured by their stupidity,” she added, spitting out the last word with a vehemence that she reserved for those she hated. That was honestly enough, in and of itself, to throw her off and it was also a great way to stall for time until she could figure out what she really wanted to say.