My Mind Was Frozen In Your Love

Chapter 7:

Red prepared breakfast while Lizzie showered. When they had realized that it was Christmas day and no one from the power company was likely to be out fixing whatever lines the storm had downed, Red remembered that the cabin was equipped with an emergency generator. He had managed to start it, so they had power again, and he had also restocked the woodpile next to the fireplace so they would be comfortable later when they had to turn the generator off to conserve power.

While the water heated up, she gazed at her face in the mirror. She didn't look any different, but she felt different since last night, since this morning. A blush crept up her neck as she recalled her wanton abandon this morning. She smiled to herself, running a finger down her neck, over her breasts, remembering. She shivered. It was so much better when it was Red doing this. She shook her head. There would be time for that later; she needed to shower; she was dying to taste the baked french toast Red had promised her.

When she was dressed in dark jeans and a navy tank top, her hair tied back in a loose ponytail, she followed the intoxicating scents of cinnamon and vanilla to the kitchen to find Red clad in a untucked black button-down, sleeves rolled up the elbows and jeans that hugged his backside, a kitchen towel draped over his shoulder. He pulled a casserole dish of french toast from the oven, sprinkling more cinnamon on top and setting it on top of the stove to cool.

"That smells divine," Lizzie complimented him, climbing onto a bar stool at the counter separating the dining room from the kitchen proper. She rested her elbows on the bar in front of her, looking at him expectantly.

"There should still be some hot water left, if you want to shower," she suggested.

Red served up a generous helping of french toast for her, adding a dollop of homemade whipped cream on top and passed the plate to her, dropping a quick kiss on her the tip of her nose, before heading to the bathroom.

Lizzie gave a little moan of delight, eyes closing, when she bit into the decadent breakfast, flavor exploding on her tongue. She was so, so lucky to have him. She knew she had never felt so spoiled and she wondered how so much could have changed in the course of just one day. Is this what life would be like, she wondered to herself? If she did abandon the idea of exoneration and simply ran with him, truly becoming his partner, adapting to his lifestyle; it wouldn't be all jets and gourmet meals, she knew. There would be hiding and the stress of avoiding detection, dealing with criminals and operating at times on the wrong side of the law. Although, she reminded herself, Red had managed to carve out quite the luxurious lifestyle for himself. He was always perfectly tailored, effusing effortless sophistication. He would ensure she was protected, provided for.

She shook her head at her thoughts. None of these musings really mattered, she knew. There could be no turning back for her now, whether they were to spend the rest of their lives in palaces or hovels or caves. She was completely in love with Raymond Reddington. She couldn't leave him even if he wanted her to. The only question now was whether or not she would have to convince him of that.

She finished her breakfast and washed her plate, staring out the window over the sink into the winter wonderland stretching out before her into the forest surrounding the cabin, lost in her thoughts. She jumped when she felt a strong pair of arms slide around her middle, drawing her close, his face nuzzling her jaw.

"Where are you?" he asked, drawing her out her reverie.

"Right here," she sighed, relaxing into his embrace. She wasn't ready to talk about the future again yet. She didn't want to scare him away; he was already so nervous about their tentative plan and she was clinging so tightly to it. She couldn't lose him now.

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"There isn't much to do, unfortunately, when in hiding. It's important to stay busy and keep your mind active. Dembe and I usually play chess. Would you like to read for a bit?" he asked her.

"I think I'm going to paint my nails," she told him, pulling a bottle of dark red nail polish from the pocket of her jeans. "This was in my toiletry kit," she said by way of explanation.

"That's a lovely color," Red offered. "What's it called?"

"Oh my god!" Lizzie exclaimed, turning the bottle upside down. "It's 'called Come to Bed Red'!" she laughed. "Did you know about this?"

"My, my, that is a coincidence. Lauren did mention that she was doing some consulting for the polish industry....I guess she's branching out from lipsticks," he reasoned, a wry smile on his face.

Lizzie quirked an eyebrow at him; only he would have a growing line of cosmetics named for him. "Well, that's fitting," she smiled.

She propped her feet up on the coffee table in front of her and unscrewed the bottle's cap.

"Come here," he held out his hand. "Allow me."

She looked askance at him, "Really?" a hint of doubt in her voice.

"Don't you trust me?" he asked in jest.

"Implicitly," she stared into his eyes, that one word heavy with meaning.

"Well, then..." he prodded after a moment.

Lizzie swung her legs onto the couch, resting her feet in his lap. She leaned forward to hand him the bottle of crimson polish and then reclined against the armrest to watch him work.

"Did you know that nail polish originated in China?" Red began, carefully painting the toes of one foot. "It was used to denote different classes of Chinese society. The lowly could even be executed for using it."

She relaxed into the plush cushions, tucking one arm behind her head. As if watching him paint her toes wasn't sexy enough, she was going to get to listen to his gravelly voice rasp over her, too? Bliss.

Red continued painting, stopping occasionally to fix a mistake or wipe a smear of paint from the edge of her nail.

"Women would dip their hands into an amalgamation of bees' wax, gelatin, and egg whites that had been colored with flower petals. They would sit for hours to achieve the look that you are now getting with just a few short minutes of work." He smiled up at her, lifting her other foot and replacing the first against his leg.

She watched him through lowered lashes, his voice making things curl luxuriously deep in her lower abdomen. God, his voice! She began to lose herself in the sensation of his hands gently gripping her foot, the deep resonance of his voice.

"Now, if we were in Paris, I could pick up a bottle of Black Diamond King for you. It's the most stunning lacquer you've ever seen!" he explained excitedly. "It's infused with 267 carats worth of black diamonds and costs a staggering $250,000."

Lizzie's eyes grew wide at the price. "Surely you could think of better things to do with that kind of money than buy nail polish?" she teased.

He smiled coyly, as if spending a quarter of a million dollars on her toes was not entirely out of the question, and raised her foot higher to blow on the paint.

When it was dry, he tipped her foot up for her approval. "What do you think?" he asked.

"Beautiful," she smiled. "Definitely my new favorite color."

Red had trouble focusing when Lizzie began absentmindly stroking him through his trousers with the bottom of one foot, her toes curling to grip him as he grew beneath her touch.

He groaned, "Now, now, you'll smear your polish," he admonished her.

Lizzie smirked at him safely from her end of the sofa. "The storm's lifted," she pointed out.

"So it has," he twisted his head around to glance out the front window. "We'll be on our way by this time tomorrow."

"Really?" she asked hopefully. She had enjoyed their time at the cabin, but she would feel even more relaxed once they were out of the country.

"Mmm, yes, it will take that long to dig the car out," Red rolled his tongue around inside his mouth, a nervous habit she had noticed.

"Where will we go next?" Lizzie was curious and anxious again.

"Cuba first, then Belize," he shared.

Lizzie paused thoughtfully for a moment, "Both of those countries have extradition treaties with the U.S." she reminded him.

"Yes, well it isn't exactly ideal, but I have ways to move unnoticed throughout most places in the world if I choose to be unseen," Red was letting her in, more and more, bit by bit; she was grateful for his honesty.

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Lizzie," Red began, cupping her foot in his hand more firmly to remind her of his presence. "I would never let anything happen to you."

"I know that....." the worry refused to leave her eyes.

Red studied her for a moment. She said she knew, but she really didn't. He would try to make her understand.

He took a breath, "I have lived in this world for a very long time, nearly all your life. I know where to go and how to remain unseen. I have spent years cultivating relationships with powerful people in every relevant nation in the world and a few irrelevant ones as well, just for good measure. I have spent decades building an empire that both protects me from the unsavory characters of the underworld and keeps them reliant on me for their own business ventures. I have surrounded myself with people who are both well-trained and well-paid to protect me and my interests. I have killed men who needed killing and I have sent others to prison for the rest of their lives. I have power, Lizzie, power that I have created and stolen and built. I have put plans into motion whose results will not come to fruition for years, but when they do, they will indeed come to bear righteous fruit that the unholy who have wronged us will be forced to sample. And all of that, I lay at your feet, my offering to protect you and to keep you safe. Because I love you, Lizzie, more than my own life, more than anything else in this world." He paused, "And remember, I am insanely wealthy!" his eyes crinkled on his last comment, teasing her and pulling a smile into her eyes as well.

"Yes, well, you know how much I wanted that quarter-million-dollar bottle of nail polish," she quipped, to show him he had succeeded in lightening the mood.

Red smiled at her teasing, lifting her foot to his mouth and pressing a tender kiss against her insep and suddenly the atmosphere in the room had changed, their gentle banter and teasing replaced by something far more primal and predatory.

The breath caught in her throat as she watched him, all sensual grace and oozing sexiness from every pore. There was something both tender and voracious in his gaze; as if he hadn't really decided whether to worship her or devour her. Maybe both.

She had been worshipped by him, now she wanted to him to devour her.

Slowly, he traced the tip of his tongue along her arch, trailing that wet heat to the tip of her first digit. His eyes on hers, he slowly slipped her toe into his mouth, sucking gently. Lizzie's eyes rolled back in her head and she sank down into the couch, a whimper easing out from between her lips. he continued down her foot, dipping his tongue between each of her toes delicately, sending shivers of heat racing straight to her center, spreading the flames of desire, igniting her passion for him again.

Her eyes fluttered open slightly when she felt his mouth leave her body. His eyes were dark with need, focused on her face. Red leaned over her, swiftly unbuttoning her jeans and peeling them down her legs, dragging his fingertips over her as he went.

Lizzie was mewling softly by the time he began to kiss his way up her leg, from ankle to hip, sweeping his tongue across her flesh until he was angled above her, spreading her knees with his hands for his access.

He pressed his face to her mound, covered by a delicate layer of peach lace. He breathed her in deeply, relishing her secret scent. Putting his tongue to good use, he licked her through the lace, feeling her gasp. He settled into the cradle of her legs, sliding his arms beneath her and bringing his hands to rest on the outsides of her things, dragging her body closer to his mouth.

He lathed his tongue over her clit through the fabric of her panties endlessly, wringing cry after cry from her lips. She was wet and ready for him before he even finished her. Finally, he couldn't hold off his own need to bury his tongue inside her; he grasped the delicate lace in his hands and pulled, the fabric shredding in his grip. Flinging the impeding scrap of fabric aside, Red plunged his tongue fully into her core, stroking upwards when he reached her center, his teeth scraping over her clit and that was all it took.

She exploded around his mouth, her hips arching off the cushions, her hands wildly seeking his. She clutched at him, her fingers winding around his.

She was stunning in her abandon, all breathless and wanton release. He sank into her again and again with his tongue, riding out wave after wave of her orgasm with her on his lips. He continued to thrust into her until she begged him to stop.

He smiled against her, releasing her from the sweet torment. It pleased him that he could make her feel like this.

He slid up her body to taste her lips. She clutched him to her violently, the force of her arms around him speaking her gratitude for his attentiveness. She kissed him passionately, plunging her tongue deep into his mouth, tasting herself on his lips. She moaned for him, her fingers seeking the front of his jeans, scrambling to release him. Resting his forehead against hers, he sank into her with a groan.

He paused just long enough to allow her to adjust to his size before he began to move inside her. She moaned low in her throat, the sound sending a heady arrow straight to his loins. He shoved the fabric of her shirt up to bury his face in her breasts. She helped him, tugging her bra down so they spilled out over the top of the soft lacy confines. His mouth closed over one nipple, drawing it sharply against his teeth, forcing her head back in a gasp, her hips rocking against his.

"Sweetheart......please," she begged him and it was all the encouragement he needed.

He straightened his back, hips arching into hers. His hands clasped her waist, pulling her to him. Lizzie folded her legs around his waist, raising up to meet him. Red increased the pace and depth of his strokes until he felt her trembles begin to reverberate through her entire body. He thrust powerfully into her tight sheath, stretching her with abandon, losing himself as she reached her climax. He pulsed wordlessly inside her, letting her unravel around him, melting in his hands.

Red looked down the length of her body while his breathing steadied, taking all of her in, committing the look of her like this to memory; her face flushed from their exertions, limbs akimbo, one arm thrown across the back of the couch, the other above her head; a fine sheen of sweat cooling on her skin, the sight of his body joined with hers at the juncture of her sweet thighs; and buried deeply inside her still-clenching walls, his seed slipping slowly from his body and into hers. The thought moved him profoundly, the possibility of them reaching into his consciousness in a way he hadn't truly dared to consider.

She slowly lifted her eyelids to catch him staring intently at her with the most serious expression on his face.

"What is it?" she worried, her own brow furrowing in concern.

Red shook the somber thought from his head, his sedate features replaced by a playful smile smoothing across his lips.

He inclined his head at an angle in that way she loved, his smile beginning to crinkle the edges of his eyes.

"I was just thinking that this is a much better way to pass the time than playing chess with Dembe," he teased, leaning over her to touch his lips to hers.

Lizzie chuckled into his kiss, winding her arms around his neck and squeezing her legs around his waist.

She looked into his eyes between kisses and softly uttered, "Merry Christmas, Red."