Masked Love

by Samolu Pearl

  “You seem like you’ve got an idea about how to deal this…?” asked Peter to Venus and she looked at him.

  “I might… But I don’t know how far it’s reliable…” Venus hesitated.

  “Let’s hear it out… and decide…” said Rey and Venus sat straight on the chair.

  “I would require the detours they’d be using and the ways they’d be travelling to get an idea first…” said Venus and Mia immediately hurried towards the shelf to take out a map from it. She placed it neatly in front of the others and everyone leaned closer as Rey marked the ways and detours they’re expected to take.

  “Hmmm…” sighed Venus and then looked at the map… explaining her thoughts… “I still don’t know how far reliable it is…”

  “We’ll just find it out in two days…” smirked Rey.

  “What? You’re going to follow her…? This is crazy…” seethed Lilly.

  “Lilly… Let’s just try it out… You know Rey always have some back up plans…” retorted, Peter.

  “So you’re going to let her join us as well…?” she asked angrily and the others shook their head at her in disagreement.

  “Good… Because, I don’t want her getting her neck in trouble and lagging us down…” Lilly smirked, cruelly at Venus.

  “Actually, Lilly, I don’t think I’d need any help getting my neck out of trouble because I won’t let that happen…” Venus said, frowning, while the others sighed.

  “Oh… let’s see about that…” said Lilly as she suddenly lunged forward to hit her across her face, but Venus, even though was shocked, was faster to hold her fist and twist it away.

  “Ouch!” cried Lilly and massaged her hand, glaring at Venus as she let go off her hand.

  “That was… brilliant!” said Peter and Mia clapped. “Man… How did you learn to act so fast like that…?”

  “Well… when you’ve lived a major part of your life alone… like me… you’ll learn it gradually, as it’s the only way you could… you know, keep yourselves breathing and well… safe.” Said Venus with a forced smile and the others looked at her with worried expression. “Hey come on… I was just kidding!” she said.

  “So… you know how to defend yourself…” stated Rey and only Venus noticed the playfulness in his voice and the smirk on his face. “I wonder why you couldn’t use it on me though…” he pretended to be thinking. Venus blushed furiously as her mind flashed her some of the scenes with Rey where she really should have used the self-defenses… but couldn’t!

  “Er… I think I must get back to my room…” she said standing up, but Rey pulled her back.

  “I’ve seen how defensive you could get the day I kidnapped you…” he smirked and Venus felt both anger and embarrassment creep up her face.

  “Oh…? So, you want to mock me…?” she asked furiously and Rey raised both his hands in mock defense.

  “Come on Venus… Don’t try your techniques with him… He’s the best in our group…” smirked Peter, and Venus felt even more anger bubble inside her making her snort. “Hey… Why don’t you guys have a go at it…?” he asked suddenly, making the others turn to look at him. “Yeah… I mean, just for fun… Come on you guys…” said Peter and Mia smiled.

  “Alright… But to add to the fun, let’s have a wager…” Rey raised his eyebrows at Venus.

  “What? This is crazy… I’m not-” Venus started.

  “Scared…?” Rey interrupted.

  “What should I do…?” asked Venus scowling at him.

  Rey moved a bit closer so the others could not hear him. “Do you… really want to know…?” he breathed, his eyes lingering over some parts of her body, licking his lips and Venus felt herself rooted to the spot as her color changed to furious red.

  “I meant…” she stammered. “What’s the game…?”

  “Wait… Let’s think…” said Peter and his eyes fell on Rey’s back pocket. “The golden dagger…” he snapped his fingers. “Yeah… it’s really precious to Rey… He never lets anyone touch it… Get it from him in any way possible…” smirked Peter.

  Rey smirked at Venus who was also thinking about the night at her house, when Rey walked in to get the dagger back. She cleared her throat. “So… What’s the wager…?” she asked.

  “Let’s decide it after the game…” said Rey and his tone however, was not a good sign for Venus. But she nodded anyway.

  “Alright… The plan is this… between you two… whoever has Rey’s dagger in their hands at the end of five minutes, wins…” said Peter, raising a small sand clock from nearby stand and placing it before them.

  “Your time starts now…” he said. The others stepped back, while Rey and Venus stood face to face. She looked at the dagger’s handle peeking out from his pants’ pocket. He stood there still, smirking down at her, his hands folded on his chest.

  Venus lunged forward to reach his back pocket… but he moved away swiftly. She stomped her foot in frustration and Rey couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s… cute…” he said, making her scowl.

  She raised her fist to hit him, but he held her hand and turned her around, her back completely leaned against his front. Rey gently moved her hair back with his other hand, making sure to run his fingers tantalizingly over her neck. Venus felt a sudden shudder but she managed to pull away from him, making him chuckle. The others were watching them, but wasn’t really paying attention to the things really going on there, except for Lilly, who had her eyes narrowed at Venus, with an unreadable expression on her face…

  Venus looked at him with a scowl, watching him smile, before moving her eyes towards the dagger again.

  She moved towards him with her hands reaching out, but again… Rey caught hold of her hand and pulled her close… breathing over her face, before pulling her close to his body, making her feel all of him… She let out a gasp as she felt his hand creep up her body, slowly and caressingly, moving upwards from her thigh… waist… side of her stomach… towards her… curves… Venus let out a sudden breath as his hands brushed over the underside of her breast…

  She looked at him smiling down at her. “That’s…” she managed between her breathes. “Unfair…”

  He chuckled as he pulled her more close to him. “No rules, remember!” he leaned closer, breathing over her neck… Venus swallowed before pulling away from him.

  ‘No rules…’ she thought as her eyes took in Rey’s smirking face. ‘Let’s see who’s smirking in a minute…’ a small smile curved her lips that Rey missed to notice…

  She raised her hand again and Rey smirked as he got ready to hold her hand and pull her close again. But his eyes widened as he felt her fingers touching his cheek instead…

  Venus ran the tip of her fingers over his face… and Rey had hard time fighting to control the urge to moan… Her hand moved towards his neck and slowly walked its way to the back of his neck. Venus fisted a handful of his hair and pulled him close, all the while staring at his parted lips and closed eyes. Rey’s breathing turned labored as he felt her other hand move over his chest… gently stroking and caressing him over his light shirt.

  Peter and the others were staring at him, without understanding what is going on there. All they could see was Rey’s unusual expressions as he gave in to his feelings at the moment.

  “Is that even allowed…?” Peter breathed, but Mia just shushed him with a smile. She knew something like this would happen soon… The spark between those two was visible to her as clear as the day.

  Rey’s labored breathing and wild heartbeats made her hands shiver. By the time she reached his strong abs, Venus almost forgot what she was actually supposed to do, as she ran her hands over him, feeling the hard muscles and the expanse of his chest… Rey was leaning closer to her every second and the look in his eyes when he opened his eyes to look at her made her swallow hard for a moment.

  “He’s going to lose it for sure…” said Peter and Mia couldn’t help but chuckle at the double meaning of his words. The sudden nois
e brought Venus back to her senses. She realized that her hands were over the waistline of his pants now… and she raised her eyes to meet his and was shocked by the intensity in them…

  “Venus…” he breathed huskily as he stooped his head. It jolted her back and she realized what she was supposed to do… Her hands moved to his back and slowly dipped into his pocket, retrieving the dagger out.

  “Almost time…” Peter warned.

  “I’m going to make you stay away from me…” she whispered with a smirk, tilting her head at his dazed face filled with pure passion… desire… and even lust at the moment. But suddenly, hearing that made him snap back to his senses. Rey ran his hand along her arm and before she could realize it, he had tugged the dagger off her hands.

  “Times… up!” Peter yelled and everyone walked closer to see Rey standing there with the dagger in his one hand and Venus’ arm in the other. His face broke into a smirk. Venus’ expression was pure shock… She was so close!

  “Umm… I guess Rey wins…” Mia said with a smile and Venus pulled away from Rey, not quite meeting his eye. She knew his looks will be glazing down at her with the little trick she just tried. Well… she was just trying to get some space from him… But, there goes her chance!

  “So, what’s the wager…?” Peter asked.

  Rey looked at Venus and raised his eyebrow, his face breaking into a slow, mischievous grin that made her knees go weak, for some reason. “I’m yet to decide…” he whispered.

  Venus shook her head with a scowl and walked towards her room with Mia following her.

  “That was really close…” Peter said as he sat beside Rey. Rey had to snap back from some of his thoughts at the moment as his mind was busy thinking about her touches and the way it made her feel… If she didn’t bring up the ‘make him stay away from her’ subject, he would’ve really lost it to her. “You never let anyone touch the dagger… So what happened this time…?”

  “I-don’t know…” Rey whispered. “I had never felt anything like that before…”

  “I can clearly see that…” Peter chuckled. “I’ve never seen you so much out of control with any other girl before… Hang on to her bro…” Peter smiled. “She’s good for you!”

  Rey nodded with a smile. ‘If only she could realize it too… Man, she’s ready to run away from him the minute he turns his back on her… And, just a few minutes ago she mentioned something really unforgivable… That she’d make him stay away from him… How dare she…?’ Rey stood up his fists clenching as he walked out of the living room.

  Venus was sitting on her bed, thinking about Mia’s words. “Rey had never been like this with any other girl before…” she had said. “It must be because he was feeling close to you… really attached… He wants you to recognize it Venus…” she had told her. “You won’t believe how jealous he got when Peter was close to you when you first got here…” she had chuckled. “He’s a nice person… And, I’m sure he’ll take good care of you…” Mia had told.

  Venus knew Mia was right… She knew it even before Mia told her all these. But is it the right thing to do…? To fall for him, in spite of her mind’s warnings…? When she knew about what might happen when Jellal gets to know all these… No, it would only end up bad for him… and the others. She’d never risk their life for her selfishness… Venus squeezed her eyes shut.

  But, there was a sudden noise, as if the door closing, and she raised her head in shock, to see Rey storm in, closing the door behind him. He leaned against it, staring at her and Venus felt panic run through her at his blazing eyes.

  “Rey… What-?”

  “What was all that about…?” he whispered, strolling towards her dangerously. Venus immediately leapt to the floor and stepped back cautiously. “What was all that about Venus…?”

  “Rey… No, listen… You started it…” She backed away nervously watching him move forwards. “I was just playing along…” she tried.

  He looked at her, his eyes blazing ominously. “So… You want me to finish it then…?” he whispered and Venus felt her body shudder at his tone.

  “What? No… Rey, it was j-just a game…” she moved back further more and stopped as her back hit on something. She turned to look at the wall she was leaning against and was about to turn again when she felt it… Rey’s breathes over her neck. He had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply, taking in her wild flower scent.

  “Rey…” But he opened his eyes and his look stopped her. She swallowed hard and Rey’s eyes took in the slight nervous gesture, excitedly. Venus immediately tried to move away, but Rey was faster. He held her hands and pinned them above her, leaning closer to her, so she couldn’t even move a muscle even if she struggle hard. “Rey… What are you…?”

  “You wanted me to stay away from you…?” The question came out harsh and hurting. She felt it burn her heart. His eyes, Venus noticed, reflected a strange sadness. “I’m sorry, Venus…” his eyes glittered ominously. “But that’s never going to happen!” he breathed as he squeezed his hand between the wall and her head and pulled her close by the nape of her neck. “You’re mine!” He crushed her lips with his… Venus’ eyes widened in shock, but she couldn’t pull away… or fight him. The kiss was harsh… as he ravished her mouth with his, all the while squeezing her waist… He licked her upper lip and took it into his mouth, sucking and nibbling at it before giving the same attention to the lower lip.

  His lips slowly trailed down her neck, sucking and nipping at the smooth skin there. Venus moaned, squeezing her eyes shut and leaning on the wall, which gave him more access to her throat. Rey went for it without hesitation, and worked his magic on her throat… sensually kissing and grazing the skin there… He looked up to see her reaction and it caught him off guard… Her eyes were half open and her breaths were turning heavy with the pleasure he was inducing in her at the moment.

  Rey groaned against her lips as he took them into his mouth again, all the while running his fingers over her stomach and waist… Rey was so caught up in the moment that he let go off her hands and pulled her close by her waist and held her in his arms. Venus was suddenly woken to her senses. She pulled away from him and moved towards the door. The look he gave her frightened her to death…

  “Where do you think you’re going…?” he growled as he pulled her into his arms again. Venus tried to pull away from him, but in her struggle her leg tripped and she fell back on the bed. Before she could straighten herself, Rey was over her, forcing her down on her back with his weight over her. “Enough with the masking Venus… I can see right through it.” He growled as Venus struggled in his vice like grip.

  “Let-go…” she whimpered, but he leaned in close and shut her out with another forced kiss.

  Rey’s hands fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, and he furiously ripped it away, before leaning closer to her still.

  “You were brave enough to touch me a few minutes ago…” he growled, staring into her shocked eyes which darkened further at his words. “Do it now!” It was like an order, and she shook her head to say ‘no’ but he had already taken her hand in his and placed on his bare chest.

  Venus swallowed as she felt his hard chest under her hand, and she couldn’t help as her hand moved over him on its own accord, feeling him shiver under her fingers. He squeezed his eyes shut as he fought for control… but nothing could hide his excitement as Venus was feeling him turn hard every second.

  “Rey…” she tried, but he looked into her eyes and that silenced her. He leaned closer and kissed her again, trying to gain access to her mouth… But she was lying there simply, as shocked as ever… never before felt any of these feelings before. Suddenly, she felt his hands smooth up her stomach to her breasts and a gasp escaped her. Rey didn’t wait for a second call. He drove his tongue in her mouth… feeling and caressing every contours of her mouth. His tongue teased hers in a sensual manner that left her moaning under him.

  “I love it… when you moan like that…” he breathed aga
inst her lips, kissing the corner of her mouth. Venus’ hand was feeling his abs now and Rey jerked as it neared his waist line.

  He looked at her for a full minute, taking in her darks eyes filled with nervous excitement… her beautiful dark hair fanned out beneath her… her red lips swollen from their kiss… She was breath takingly beautiful… and she was…his!

  Rey groaned as he trailed his lips down her neck… to her collar bone, kissing the hollow of her neck. He pushed the blue dress she was wearing down her shoulders… sensually kissing and grazing his lips against them… Venus nearly bucked off when she felt his lips over her upper chest… He sucked and licked on the skin there before looking into her eyes with intensity. “Do you want me to stay away…?” he asked. She just lay still, breathing heavily. “Do you want me to stay away, Venus…?” she gasped as his hands squeezed her.

  “No!” she whispered shakily and he smirked, leaning to kiss her lips.

  “What do you want me to do…?” he asked pulling at her dress, almost exposing her curves. “Tell me, Venus!” he growled, making her feel his excitement again as he pulled her close.

  “I… I want…” she stammered, her eyes glassy. His fingers were swiftly moving over her curves making her arch her back.

  Rey pulled at her dress again and something snapped behind her ominously. He leaned closer staring at her heated eyes, tilting his head...

  “Rey…?” They both froze at the sudden interruption. It was Peter. Rey fell on her, breathing heavily and swearing at the same time.

  He gave her another furious kiss before backing away from her. “Later!” he whispered as he walked to her door. “Don’t forget… you have to pay me the bet…”

  Venus looked at him in shock. “I… t-thought I j-just settled it.” She whispered shakily.

  “You thought wrong, honey!” he winked as he walked out with a smirk.

  Venus lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. ‘I can never stay away from him…’ she sighed. ‘He’d never let that happen!’ But why is she excited about it?