I recently discovered the work of Saniika on DeviantArt (as she has discovered me, somehow!) and after viewing her gallery, I just had to write this out, real quick. Lest I melt into a little, slushy puddle. Track her down, and please for the love of all that's holy, make sure you have her deviation "Secretly" there when you read this.

So, this is messy, and rushed and there is SO MUCH MORE I COULD WRITE, but I don't quite know what the limits are for this site, so I won't. But hey, if anyone would care to help me out there, I'd be happy to write more... wink wink. Oh my. I'm off for a cold shower now.

It was late, and hot, and the air conditioner had rattled out its final breath several hours before, leaving the whole flat in a state of breathless humidity. Sarah had been washing dishes, which made her even more uncomfortable and sweaty than she already was. She had scraped her hair over her shoulder, to keep it off her back, and she now stood back from the sink and sighed, hanging her head forward. The heat was wrapped around like a wet blanket, and she felt a droplet of sweat from between her shoulder blades running down her back.

Suddenly, a not-sound­ came from behind her, a surge; a shock-wave of pressure that seemed to dampen all noise and light for just a moment. It caused her to stagger just slightly, and then it passed by, leaving her ears humming.

She knew it was him, before she even turned around, before she even opened her eyes. She could feel him; feel the shape of his form in the air, the waves of unearthly power that flowed around her like cool water. Smiling ever so slightly, she made as if to turn, and was stopped by the slightest touch of a hand on her back. Cool leather on skin made her shiver just slightly, as long, gloved fingers ran down her spine.

As she opened her mouth to speak, her indrawn breath was halted midway when a second hand joined its mate, and slid ever so slowly back up her spine, leaving thin trails of fire where they touched her. Her eyelids fluttered once, then closed again, and she realized she had forgotten to finish breathing in. She couldn't have turned now, even if she had wanted to, her feet were already frozen to the floor. She could feel the blood slowing in her veins, almost thickening, hear heart barely beating. Time itself ceased to matter – no longer could she hear the ticking of the clock on her kitchen wall, or the voices drifting up from the street through her open window. All she could hear was the humming in her ears, the slow beat of her heart. All she could feel were the cool fingertips barely touching her neck.

A shaky breath in, and out again, was all she could manage before those hands, sure of themselves now, slid underneath her hair, pulling it back over her shoulders. The slightest stirring of a breath on the side of her neck was enough to restart her heart, which she thought had faltered briefly and stopped. Again, a sigh of breath, on which she fancied she heard her name, was whispered in her ear. She could smell him now, he was so close... all she had to do was take a step backwards, which, if she was able to move, she would have done.

His hands slid down the outside of her arms now, palms lightly touching her skin, laying fire behind him as he went. Finally he reached her hands, and slid his fingers over hers, twining them together, and stepped in closer. She could feel him now, feel every inch of his body that was pressed against hers, his lean, muscled form, feel him burn through her clothes as though they didn't even exist. If she could only breathe in deep enough, surely she would sink into him, become part of him, and dissolve all the borders between them. But she couldn't.

Again, this murmur of breath that echoed her name sighed against her ear. She turned her head slightly, felt his lips touch the side of her face, his breath drawn in through his open mouth, and felt her lips part slightly in response. Just a fraction closer he leaned, hands still entwined in hers, body flush against her own. He was linen and leather and muscle and heat, and cool-hot breath against her skin. She was melting, and burning, and had forgotten entirely to breathe.

And she never opened her eyes.