The thin strap of leather dangles from two fingers. The breeze catches it, tugs it, the tie tickling her skin.

But she doesn't feel it.

All she can feel is the warmth of his hand against her cheek. All she can see is the warmth in his gaze as he looks down at her. He pulls her gently, tilts her cheek to face him.

Remi exhales through parted lips, shocked by the sight of his smile and the boldness and ease of his statement. Affection turns the skin of her cheeks rosy. The urge to close the distance taunts her.

It would be so easy.

All she had to do was jump.

"... Lance.."

LANCE VOLLANS

Her name on his lips had always been a strange combination of nauseating and exhilarating. Old, unforgotten feelings come to the surface, and her hand rises to meet his. Fingers curl around his own, holding him against her cheek.

"I want to be selfish."

But her brows tremble and come together in concern. She continues to watch him, studying the unfamiliar expression he casts down on her.

This is wrong, she knows. Mere moments ago he had confessed the death of his wife, of someone he had loved endlessly. It had been selfish, then, to fall in love with him.

And it was selfish now to beg for a taste now.

But he doesn't move away, and the way he whispers her name carries meaning and longing similar to her own. His facial hair comes to her as a focal point, distracting her, temporarily, from the urge to kiss him.

LANCE VOLLANS

Remi's eyes widen further, scar tissue stretches, grotesque. He leans closer, whispers softly. He is real and reassuring and warm.

But dread creeps quietly down the back of her neck, it prevents her from breathing, from moving.

calla mccoy's voice whispers to her now. Encouraging her to take him, telling her that she could have whatever she wanted if she just took it. But she had run, then. Calla's advice had become a double-edged blade. Her words were wicked, her actions cruel.

She hadn't wanted Remi to be happy.

His fingers twine through her own. He holds her steady, gaze unwavering.

The fear that holds her back as well as the guilt and bitterness crumbles.

Her kiss is shy and sweet, absent of the rage and the hunger she so often displays.

LANCE VOLLANS

Remi would be the first to break away from him, realization and guilt leaving the taste of her lips against his bitter and uncomfortable. She leans away, pushing him with the flat of her hand and shaking her head.

"This isn't right."

But was that true? Why couldn't it be?

THEO BECKETT

"Are you doing this out of pity?"

Her first response is to deflect and raise suspicion. Remi swallows, staring hard at him through guarded eyes. What did he want? What had that kiss meant?

"Did it even mean anything?"

LANCE VOLLANS