Addictive

Who: Ransom and Charlotte
When: After school
Where: Charlotte's house

As had been the plan, Charlotte had come home from school, and was waiting for Ransom to stop by. She wasn't totally grounded - her mom was taking pity on her for being a first offender, at least, though Charlotte somewhat suspected that her mom was having trouble holding onto her anger and knowing at the same time that she'd just been a kid that had wanted to see her dad again. Still, no car for a while, but she was allowed visitors, and Charlotte hadn't pushed much more after that. It wasn't like she had ever gone out all that much anyway.

After dropping his brothers and sisters off at home, Ransom grabbed a quick snack and a jar of pumpkin preserves, then headed over to Charlotte's. He didn't know if he'd be allowed to stay or not, but he was hoping he could spend some time with her. They'd had lunch together, but he'd mostly let her sleep, since she'd been up half the night driving. Parking the truck out front, Ransom headed up to the door and knocked. It was funny how he was getting used to the scents around her house, but kind of nice, as it allowed him to know if anything had changed or not. Right now, all seemed safe.

Indeed, at the moment, all was safe. Valen was at work, and she'd managed to convince her mother she wasn't a flight risk, so her mom had gone back down to church. Charlotte was much happier having the house to herself, mainly because she knew no one could embarrass her this way. Not counting embarrassing herself, which she seemed to do well enough. The dogs didn't bark when there was a knock, so Charlotte took that to mean it was Ransom. She wasn't expecting anyone else. She headed to the door and smiled as she opened it for him. "Hey."

"Hey," Ransom smiled back. "Am I gonna need to bribe your mom?" he asked, holding up the jar. Her house seemed so quiet, the opposite of his. There was so little privacy there, where kids were running about and everyone had the hearing to hear through thin walls. Any little change in temperament and the whole family could tell. Being with Charlotte was relaxing in so many ways. Plus, there was her. Nice and quiet as her house was, it wouldn't be worth it without her there.

Charlotte grinned, and reached out for his free hand to tug him inside. "She said I'm allowed visitors." she said. "And anyway... she's not here." she added. "So apparently I'm still trust-worthy. Who knew." She joked about it, but it had been a horrible experience having her mother mad with her. She was going to have to try to not get in trouble again. Or not get caught.

Ransom slid an arm around her as he stepped inside, leaning down to give her a quick kiss. "It's the first time you've ever done anything your mom wasn't happy with, mostly cause she was probably worried about your safety. It's not like you've taken up doing drugs or something. Don't run off again and she'll get over it," he grinned. He couldn't see Charlotte as a problem child. Then again, he was the bad influence, so maybe he shouldn't be giving her advice! "Where'd she run off to?" he asked, shutting the door behind him.

"That's the plan." Charlotte agreed. "I have enough to deal with in Marquette." She was still waiting to see what came of the ghostly situation, and still just has baffled as she had been when her mom first told her. "Church. She'd kind of living there right now. She stuck around for a bit but I convinced her I didn't need a baby-sitter."

"You don't have any ghosts hanging around here, do you?" he asked. He'd not seen any lingering outside, but he never knew when one would pop up. "My whole family's freaking out. Especially the kids. You'd think a family of werewolves would be okay knowing there's ghosts out there, but it's different when you see 'em, you know?" Ransom wasn't excluded from the freaking out. He just preferred not to make himself sound scared when it was more just... uneasy.

"No, I think we're pretty much ghost-free. Valen thinks the house is too new." Charlotte answered. She wasn't as freaked out by the ghosts as she felt like she should be, though seeing them was still... extremely uncomfortable. It had been the hardest for her at school, seeing teenage ghosts. She felt very awkward around them, and she couldn't say why. And anything more gruesome... she couldn't stand to look at. "Your house?"

"There's none in the house, thank God, but there's some out in the woods. There's been pack land up there for so long, it wouldn't surprise me if there's a cemetery or two, or even some unmarked graves. It's mostly just creepy," he said, making a little face. He was most afraid that the ghost of the werewolf they'd killed would wander over to his house, but it had yet to happen yet. Hopefully it never would, that there wouldn't be a ghost at all. "So... other things. Non-ghost things," Ransom laughed. "Jessalyn asked me about Gabe yesterday. She wants to talk to him, tell him what she is. You think that'd be okay?"

Rather than just stand in the hall, Charlotte lead Ransom into the living room so they could sit down. She didn't answer his question right away, as she wanted to really think about the answer. Would that alarm Gabe? "...I... think it'd be okay." she ultimately decided. "I still haven't had a chance to talk to him to tell him about you." she added. Perhaps she'd text him later and make plans for tomorrow. "But it's hard to imagine Jessalyn scaring him."

That had exactly been Ransom's line of thinking, that Jessalyn wasn't frightening when it came to werewolves. He really thought that Cassandra's freaking out had to do more with Cassandra having never run into another werewolf before and her own personal discomfort. And lack of knowledge. The fact that Charlotte was helping Gabe meant Gabe had to know at least some basics on werewolves. "That's what I thought," he said, taking a seat next to her on the couch. "She scented him at the party and he didn't freak out. Just thought she was weird, probably. I thought she might be better than me, since Gabe seems kinda alpha-like and... I dunno, sometimes it's easier."

Charlotte had to smile a bit, amused that Ransom had the same opinion of Gabe that she did. "Well when it comes to you, I'll be... I dunno, a buffer?" Jeez, that sounded weird. "Hopefully it shouldn't be too bad. I think he'll take it well." Knowing that you were surrounded by your own kind had to be a good thing, right?

"Good plan," Ransom grinned. "You know how awesome it is that you know something about werewolves?" He didn't expect an answer and he wasn't looking for one. He just wanted her to know how much he appreciated that he could be himself around her, that he could be what he was without trying to hide it. "You've got three of us now," he teased. "I've gotta include Jess, since I know she likes you."

Charlotte grinned back. "Are you going to out me from your pack if you meet up with too many weres?" she asked, teasing him lightly. She liked being surrounded by werewolves, even if Gabe had become one under unpleasant circumstances. Even if she did feel a bit like the inferior species around them sometimes, she didn't mind it.

"No way!" Ransom laughed. "You are my first, and only official, pack mate. No one can take your place, not even other wolves." While they were just playing, he really did feel like this was the case. Ransom couldn't imagine anyone replacing Charlotte, were or not.

She couldn't help but just beam at him, even if they were kidding around. It was good to hear either way. She wrapped her arm around his waist and snuggled in close, finally allowing herself to be stupid and clingy like she'd wanted to for a while now. "Good." she said, nuzzling his neck. "Coz I'm not leaving."

He was just find with clingy and wrapped his arm around her as he kissed her temple. Until he'd met Charlotte, he couldn't quite imagine anything like this, and now he didn't know how he could live without it. She might not realize it, but he was just as clingy, just as eager to spend time with her after their time apart. "Wouldn't like it if you tried," he said softly, enjoying the closeness.

Charlotte kept smiling as he spoke, and then planted a little kiss on the side of his neck. She felt very comfortable, and she couldn't help but think about how terrifying and foreign this would have been just a few weeks ago. "I wouldn't." she said. "I might have slept in my car in Auburn Hills, but I couldn't really deal with being away for that long."

Rather than freaking him out, that statement made him feel all warm inside, tied to her as closely as she seemed to be tied to him. He knew they should be able to go a few days without seeing each other, but he didn't want to. "If I thought you'd be sleeping in your car, I'd have gone with you," he admitted, the hair on the back of his neck rising with each little kiss. In return, he nuzzled back, his hand rubbing slowly up and down her side. "Not that Anna isn't capable of scaring people off, but I have a louder bark."

Charlotte giggled at the idea, having no trouble at all imagining it. "I wouldn't have wanted to take you away from your family, anyway." she said. "Anna wouldn't have liked it, either. I'm much happier to be back here." Though the thought of camping out with Ransom was alarmingly appealing. Probably wisest to keep that thought to herself.

"My family could go for a night without me," Ransom said, a bit surprised that he believed it. Generally, he didn't like to be away from his pack, but his definition of pack was shifting a little, away from family and towards something of his own. Seeing as how Charlotte was in the middle of that, it shouldn't have come to much of a shock that he'd rather be with her, but it was also a first.

"It's done now." Charlotte said. "Though it means a lot that you would have gone with me." She wanted to make sure he knew that part. She kissed his neck again for it, just below his ear. She couldn't help but think that it should feel wrong to be so comfortable while God knows what was happening in the world, but she couldn't bring herself to be bothered at the moment.

Wow. That was... nice. And really ruled out all reason for thought at the moment as Ransom leaned down to steal a real kiss. He knew it was hormones talking, knew that he needed to watch himself or he'd get carried away, but it just felt so good to be close to her. Holding her in his arms, he could forget about how crazy things had been and just... be happy. No one made him quite as happy as Charlotte.

She was happy to kiss him, and felt like it had been a long time for it, even if it hadn't. She brought her hand up to rub the back of his neck as she held back a happy sigh. Okay, she was hopeless, but she was okay with that. It was hard to imagine her life before. It seemed like he had always been there.

In another form, his tail would have been wagging, always happy to be petted. He liked that Charlotte was comfortable touching him and he liked to return it, lightly tickling her back as his lips parted hers. The world around them drowned out, so he could listen to her heartbeat, take in the scent of her hair and skin. Even if he'd already memorized them, it was always better in person, the memories tied to that specific moment. Some things he'd never forget.

Shivering in failed attempts to avoid squirming as he tickled her, she broke away for just a moment to giggle before going back in to kiss him again. She felt like she could have done that for hours, even if it was highly improbable. But she loved the closeness, and the feel, and the way he tasted... it was kind of addictive.

"Ticklish?" he asked softly in the one moment she broke away. When she moved back to kiss him again, Ransom switched techniques, instead lightly rubbing his fingers up and down her back. As he deepened the kiss, they moved into her hair, careful not to pull. Try as he might, he found his own heart rate racing eventually, followed by the first hints of arousal. He refused to give her up, however, wishing he could make this last all night. At least they had till someone got home, a privacy he couldn't offer at his own house.

"A little," she murmured, grinning faintly and not pulling away from him to say it. His hand in her hair felt so nice, and her heart rate kicked up a little as she sucked on his bottom lip. She wasn't really trying to reign herself in at the moment, like she usually might have. Her guard was down completely, and she felt safe in losing herself in the moment, more than she ever had before.

His mind drifted as she began to suck on his bottom lip, allowing himself to feel how nicely she fit against him. As his fingers slid down her neck, they traced the collar of her shirt, feeling the warmth of her skin and the rapid pace of her pulse. She smelled amazing, tasted like nothing else, so uniquely Charlotte, and it was easy to completely forget about keeping himself in check when he was with her. He'd never had to do it before and he was just so comfortable with her that he didn't worry about it, even if he should have.

Whoa. His fingers trailing across the skin on her neck made her feel almost like he had sent a low volt of electricity through her. She found herself kissing him a bit harder, and wanting to move closer, and a host of other physical reactions she had been nowhere near prepared for. She pulled back, but only an inch or so, not actually wanting to stop at all. She felt a bit like she had forgotten to breathe for a while and it was catching up to her.

That little increase from her sent Ransom practically through the roof, kissing back with equal enthusiasm as his hands moved back down to her waist, unconsciously urging her closer. He wasn't prepared to get what he wanted, and should she move too close he'd probably embarrass himself, but he couldn't help but want to close the distance between them. It was probably a bad idea, but when she pulled back, Ransom lowered his lips down to her neck, seeking out her pulse and sucking lightly. The desire was there to do much more, to mark her has his, even temporarily, but he forced himself to hold back, not entirely sure Charlotte would appreciate it.

That... was evil. And also pretty amazing. She couldn't help but tilt her head to the side for him, even if he was making everything she was feeling so much worse. She wasn't really sure what she was feeling, she'd have to figure it out later. When her brain was working better. She had to try hard not to groan, which she'd immediately told herself was completely forbidden. But he wasn't making it easy. Her hand had slipped up into his hair, but she wasn't sure when.

Okay, so maybe... maybe she wouldn't mind the littlest mark. Very lightly, his teeth grazed the skin of her neck, followed by a swipe of his tongue and another round of kissing. She tasted so good, which left him wondering what it would be like to taste her other places, and there was a thought he should have stayed away from. With her fingers in his hair, the sound of her breathing competing with the sound of her heart, he knew he'd completely lost control and he just couldn't care less. Not at the moment.

Now that was interesting. Exhilarating, actually, as a small part of her was still very aware of what he was. She was never afraid though, and that in itself was enough to alarm her. She trusted that he knew what the limit was, and that he'd never turn her - accidentally or otherwise. Now she did groan, the sound out of her mouth before she could stop it, though she bit hard on her bottom lip to stop it. Her hand momentarily clenched in his hair.

It never crossed her mind that a bite might be a concern for her because Ransom knew his bite couldn't turn anyone. There was no curse in his blood, the magic running through his veins of a different sort, and the only reason to mark her was a sign of possession. He had no intention to do so with his teeth though, even if he would occasionally scratch and nip at the skin. Mostly he took to sucking, deviating specifically to get a reaction out of her, anything to get another little groan. His hand slid down then up, just under the back of her shirt, to rest on her back, her skin soft and hot to the touch. He knew he would have to stop eventually. Soon. But not yet. He didn't want to let her go when she made him feel so incredibly good.

If touching her neck had been bad, that was absolutely criminal. Her heart rate went up again, to the point where she was certain he would have been able to hear it even if he weren't a were. He sent another rush through her, like everything inside of her was trying to respond to him and reach out for him. She needed to back away. Soon. Five minutes ago. But before she could do that, she moved a bit to sit on her knees next to him, and redirect his face to bring his lips to hers again.

He wasn't sure where she was moving to, but he wanted her closer, the hand on her back encouraging that fact. And was it just awful that he wanted to touch more of her skin? He knew that he'd lost control, had to have been visibly aroused, but he couldn't not be with the way she was responding. Every part of him wanted to claim her, the little hickey on her neck not near enough. It did please him though, enough that he moaned softly as he met her lips again. The kiss didn't even start off soft this time, already eager for more than he could have. The hands beneath her shirt moved just a bit higher as he pulled her in, not ready to give her up, even if he should.

The sound he made shot straight through her, and she suddenly felt like the temperature in the room had spiked ten degrees. She kissed him with matching enthusiasm, though the little voice in her head screaming about what he was doing to her body finally started to win control a minute later when she pulled back again. "We really need to stop." she forced out, surprising herself with how breathless she sounded.

The sound of her voice wedged reality back into place and Ransom pulled back, ignoring his body's screams to do differently. "Yeah," he said, just as breathless as he nuzzled her neck, mentally trying to calm himself down. It was almost frightening how easily that happened, how he didn't seem to have an ounce of control around her when he really, really should have. Ransom knew better, and yet... all he could think about what how badly he wanted to keep going. When he thought he could speak again without sounding completely out of breath, he kissed her jaw, then rested his forehead against her own. "Sorry," he said with an embarrassed little smile.

Charlotte returned the expression, starting to feel embarrassed herself. She had never felt like that before, and she couldn't help but feel shy about it. "Me too," she said, already flushed cheeks going a little redder. But it had felt so good. Again, she felt absolutely and entirely unprepared for this. She was supposed to be in control!

She wasn't the only one blushing, nor the only one who felt like they'd completely lost control. Ransom wasn't entirely sure how to force his body to rapidly calm down, but he wished there was a way to do so. Instead, he focused on her, her expression, her swollen lips. He gave them one more light kiss as he slid his hands out from beneath her shirt, realizing that would definitely help. "You're beautiful," he said softly. He'd always thought so, but right now she looked more beautiful than ever.

Her eyes shot up to his and she just watched them for a moment, finding it easy - and perhaps, less dangerous - to completely lose herself in the blue. It seemed like hearing that should have just made things worse, but it didn't. While she did really want to kiss him again for it, something about it was very grounding. She wrapped her arms around his neck and grazed her lips over his. "So are you." she murmured, and meant it.

The way her lips brushed his and she wrapped her arms around him easily let Ransom fall back into that comfortable zone, where he wasn't worried about things getting out of hand. Her words made him smile and he held her against him, closing his eyes as they cuddled. As good as the passion they'd just shared had been, he knew this was far more acceptable. "You're gonna get me in trouble," he said with a teasing little smile.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I just pulled us out of trouble." Charlotte replied, voice soft. She had a smirk on her face though, as she shifted a bit to get more comfortable with him. It was a bit awkward, and probably would have been easier if she just crawled into his lap, but that was so behind off-limits Charlotte couldn't even fathom it.

"Okay, you're right," Ransom laughed softly. "But I wouldn't be so tempted if you weren't so sexy." It was something he never fathomed himself saying to a girl, except it was so very true. And he was teasing. He hoped she could tell, since it was so much more than that. Charlotte had a beauty that he thought radiated about her, much more than just the physical, even though there was that too. "I just got carried away," he said, biting his bottom lip.

Even if he was kidding, Charlotte's face still went bright red. Just hearing him say that did stuff to her. "Me?!" she sputtered out. "Need I remind you that you're the bad influence here? That was all on you." she insisted, which was just her way of saying he was the sexy one. God knew she'd never be able to actually say that. Her head would explode. Though it was close to doing that anyway when he bit his lip. Crap.

The real problem with Charlotte being turned on was that Ransom could tell. He knew it would embarrass the crap out of her, but it was just one of the things that came with being a werewolf. He could sense the hormones and they only made his that much stronger, making it harder to calm down. "So you want me to stop?" he asked, little smirk still in place. "Never do that again?" He knew she'd liked it, otherwise he wouldn't have risked asking.

Charlotte opened her mouth and closed it several times, no words coming out. Well, crap. "No," she finally answered, face still pink, and threatening to go red again. "Don't you dare." With that she kissed him again, in attempts to distract from the serious blushing that was going on.

If there had been a way to capture her expression, Ransom would have done so in a heartbeat. Instead, he'd just have to rely on his memory and hope he didn't forget how adorable she'd looked in that instant. "I couldn't," he murmured against her lips. He'd have to learn to control himself, but he really hoped that wasn't the last time he got to kiss her like that.

Whether or not they needed to be more careful, Charlotte would have hated if that never happened again. She still felt like she was coming down from it all. And kissing him right now was probably more dangerous than ever, but she was much more aware of herself than she had been half an hour ago. She didn't let it go too far before she pulled back again, even if she felt a little pouty at having to do so.

This was what Ransom had meant a few nights before when he'd said she would drive him crazy. He just didn't know how much until now. He'd never wanted a girl like he wanted Charlotte. And the things he wanted were far worse than a little bit of kissing. Amazing kissing, yes, but it was still just kissing with minimal petting. That had been enough to get his body ready for things he couldn't have. It left him frustrated, but he couldn't complain. He wouldn't. He just kissed her when she allowed it, realizing that if neither of them ever pulled back this would probably end up moving past kissing.

After pulling back Charlotte sighed and bit her bottom lip, and hid her face in the side of Ransom's neck as she breathed in deeply. If she was really trying to hold on to her control she knew she should probably get him, and move away from the boy, but really... that seemed impossible. She didn't want to. It interfered with the clingy. This was going to be a lot more difficult than she had ever anticipated.

Ransom knew he could do this for a while, but if they kept it up he was going to get unbearably uncomfortable. It wasn't something he could ever mention, since it would not only embarrass Charlotte but it would mortify him, which put him between the sort of rock and a hard place that he wouldn't dream of complaining about. "No one's ever made me feel like you do," he quietly admitted as he rubbed her back.

He shouldn't have been allowed to say things like that when she was trying not to kiss him. She moved a little so she could see his face, which meant partially leaning over his lap and letting her head rest on his shoulder. Feeling the need to be touching him somehow, she reached up to run her fingers through his hair. Just hearing that made her heart beat do silly things. "I know what you mean."

Oh, more with the petting... Ransom doubted he was ever going to be able to calm down with that going on, but he enjoyed it too much to ask her to stop. Instead, he shifted to face her, careful to make sure his shirt was tugged down over his lap. "I wish I could just... be with you. all the time," he said, biting his lip again before smiling at her. "You'll tell me if I'm being too clingy, right?"

Charlotte smiled up at him, glad she wasn't alone in that either. She nodded and kissed his shoulder, even if he couldn't feel it through his shirt. "I thought I was the clingy one." she admitted. "I think you're safe there. As long as you'd tell me."

Part of Ransom knew that most guys didn't jump into relationships like this. He knew that most guys would see this as clingy and weren't all for all the cuddling that he enjoyed. He even had the impression that most weren't looking for a serious relationship by any means. And he knew he was different than all of them. The only way he could explain it was that he was a werewolf and they weren't, but he wasn't positive. He just knew how things felt, and currently Charlotte had become the center of his universe. "Of course," he answered, reaching up to brush her hair out of her face. His fingers trailed down, lightly touching the red mark on her neck and he smirked a little. "Got you," he teased softly.

She closed her eyes as his fingers trailed, and opened them again when he teased her. She blinked up at him, a little confused, before she put her hand over his. She obviously couldn't see for herself without the aid of a mirror. Her cheeks flushed and she smiled a bit. "Do I have something I'm going to need to hide?"

"Maybe," Ransom grinned, then leaned in to kiss her. He knew he shouldn't be so happy about it, but... she was his. There was physical evidence of it. It wasn't enough that she smell like him, since that would fade by morning, but now she had a little love bite on her neck as well. "Sorry about that," he said, not sorry at all, and she would probably know it.

She did. He didn't look at all repentant, and she didn't really mind. Hiding it from her mom would be an interesting challenge though. She smirked up at him, quite liking his playful side. "I forgive you." she said, sighing dramatically. How could she not? He was too cute like this.

"Good," he said, quite unable to stop from smiling. It felt like everything around them was going haywire, and yet he was the happiest he'd ever been. As he finally began to calm down, he snuggled closer to her on the couch, content to spend the entire evening there with her. It didn't matter what else they spent their time doing, since it was the company he cared about.