miserable at best || LEWT

[Lewt McConnell]

As the sun enveloped his broad shoulders, unclothed body he dove easily into the murky water. As he felt the coolness of the water emerge him, he felt a sense of delight. As he broke up into the surface of the water, he shook his head. Bright blonde locks dripping with cool water, he looked up eagerly in the direction of Rio. He had heard what she had to say previously, and he smirked to the very thought. Rio being modest was something he could hardly imagine. She was a outlaw. It was unheard of a outlaw being so set in old fashioned morals. He easily made his way to the muddy bank of the watering hole as he watched her with pleading eyes. “C’mon in, love. The water is oh so delightful. I reckon, it migh’ jus’ bother the livin’ hell out of ya to see me nude.” He watched rose flush her freckled, sun kissed cheeks and he laughed heartily. There was nothing more adorable than watching her blush.

“An’ ‘bout that stayin’ with ya situation, I am. Ya jus’ can’t lead a fella on, now freckles.” He tilted his head slightly to the side. He watched her stand. Her deep pool of ocean eyes staring at him. He could remember when they first met. Those many days ago on the main street of Del Fuego. Lewton could hardly believe he had convinced himself she looked like a young man. As she stood before him she looked beautiful. Not a typical beauty. Natural. She was golden to Lewton. Her strong-willed nature and her natural beauty.

“I’d never think ya were weak, freckles. Never at all. Lik’ that time I met ya down in ol’ Del Fuego. Though’ ya mighta overdone yer toughness a bit but I knew ya were a strong gal. Ain’t many ‘round these parts.” He spoke gently, clinging onto the bank of the watering hole. “I ain’t gonna comment ‘bout your horse trainin’ skills.” He smirked. Before she could respond he dove underneath the surface of the water. Gliding easily beneath the water, he made his way to the opposite earth wall.

He broke through the rippling surface, pushing himself to the farthest bank from Rio. He shook his head vigorously. “What ar’ ya scared of? Ain’t know how to swim, darlin’?”

-- (Sorry about the length!)

[Rio Daniels]

She was not going to take off her clothes. Not all of them anyway. She was thankful for the undergarments that she had chosen for today for they would keep her covered for the most part. Well, they would keep the important things covered anyway. Blushing as he dived into the watering hole, Rio busied her hands on his saddle. She undid the cinch, letting his horse relax without he burdensome tack on his back. Lifting the rather heavy saddle with easy, her lithe muscles allowed her to perch the object against one of the rocks lining the area. Knowing that the horse wouldn't go anywhere, she patted his muscled neck and peered over him to the man swimming in the creek. It was hot and Rio definitely needed to cool off, especially because of her state of being. It would definitely make her feel better. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled softly and then heard his words, blushing profusely. "Uh, I'm comin'. I'm just makin' certain that yer horse is tended for." She excused herself quickly, hoping he wouldn't see right through that excuse but knowing he would.

When she could stall no longer, she shuffled around to the front of the horse, looking at Lewt's broad shoulders in the water. Gosh he was good looking. Feeling overwhelmed already, Rio sighed softly and removed her hat. Placing it on one of the other rocks, she reached for her shirt, pulling at the hem of the white fabric. Hesitating for only another moment, she pulled it off of her, exposing the top undergarment. It wasn't anything fancy, the black coloring standing out against her skin. Her tan lines were visible and dark, but she tried not to think about the other marks on her body as well. He'd see her scars and that worried her. Furrowing her brow, she listened to him speak up again. "I reckon yer right. Wouldn't be fair to leave ya alone in yer bed." Winking playfully, she tried to keep up her brave facade. Still, she knew he could tell how nervous she was. It wasn't like they were going to do anything. They were swimming. It was as easy and as safe as that. Huffing to herself, she realized she was already shirtless in front of him, so what was the big deal? Although she wasn't fully bared, she might as well be.

Suddenly a smile broke out on her pretty features as he spoke about their first meeting. Fixing him with a defiant glare, she spoke up, her voice teasing and rough. :Yer just sore after that punch, ain't ya? I was surrounded by a buncha drunks. I had to be rougher than normal." She admitted quietly, watching him for his reaction. Half of that statement was true. She was more brutal than she normally was because the men had been drunk. She wasn't one who dealt with that kind of thing well and that made her into a hypocrite, especially in this moment. She had just been completely, out of her mind drunk. She had fallen off of her horse for goodness sake's! Trying not to hate herself too much, she shook the thoughts from her mind and was soon kicking off her boots. Standing in only her pants, she let out a whoosh of air and was suddenly standing in front of him in only her undergarments. Crossing her arms over his chest, she nearly danced to the water's edge, her hot body cooling instantly as soon as she dove in. Coming up to the surface now, she pushed her brunette hair back from her face and looked to him with a cheeky grin.

"It ain't the water that bothers me, cowboy." She told him playfully, letting him know that she was feeling better and wanting to joke around with him again. It was something that she looked forward to. She loved his playful side. It wasn't always something that he let show, especially in front of the men. But she loved when he showed it to her. Smiling at that thought, she dove under the surface of the water once more, feeling refreshed and rather clear headed for the first time all day. Unable to hold her breath any longer, she came out, appearing just to the right of him. In another moment she propelled herself forward, her hands going to his torso, touching his abdomen and traveling up to his chest, only to stop at his shoulders. "Thank you for this Lewt." She told him honestly then leaned forward and placed a sweet kiss upon his lips. Pulling away after a moment she leaned back and then suddenly sent a tidal wave of water splashing his way, her laughter filling the silence that surrounded him. This was exactly what she needed to take her mind off of things.

[Lewt McConnell]

Lewton eyed Rio with curiosity. His ideal woman was before him yet he hadn’t had the nerve to seduce her. It was traditional, his hopes for the future. He knew that this was very well more than any other occasional fling he had ran into. Lewt had the gut feeling that this was potentially more. As she stood before him, he watched her solemnly, his lips pursed. Rio’s ocean pool of blue eyes glowed brightly in the heavy streams of sunlight. He knew that this very could be the woman he’d marry. Even if at that moment he’d refuse to come to terms with it. He saw something in her that was more than a woman that he could easily use. He was almost twenty-six, his days for a wife were nearing. He hadn’t thought about “settling down” quite yet. Hell, he’d wait for that. His wild streak still remained untamed.

Lewton’s cornflower blue eyes watched hers narrow. She was studying him. He observed as she grew flushed soon after. “That’s righ’, darlin’. I refuse t’ be alone.” He exclaimed dryly. Shaking his head, long blonde locks causing large droplets of water to fly. It was adorable in the way she held herself as she struggled to remain tough. Perhaps, she had never been so secluded with a man before. Perhaps, he was the first man to see her in such a state. He studied her with interest as she stripped her shirt from her body. Temptation set in and he couldn’t even help it.

He laughed heartily as she recollected their time at the main street of Del Fuego. It seemed so long ago. However, if he could remember it had been less than two months. He held onto the murky edge of the bank, shaking his head. “Ain’t I have a reason to be?! Hell, ya got a mean hook.” His eyebrows rose as he enthusiastically explained himself. “Came outta nowhere that throw of yers, caugh’ me by surprise.” His heavy Kansas drawl explained vividly. His cornflower blue eyes lit as she neared towards the edge of the water. In two large strokes of his arm, he made his way to her side, holding onto the bank. His eyes carefully sculpting down her slender legs. “Wha’ ya scared of, freckles? Ain’ scared of me, ar’ ya?” He looked up at her tauntingly.

He watched her dive gracefully underneath the water’s surface, then rise. He turned his body, paddling himself to keep himself up. “Oh, hm. So I see ya can swim” He grinned. His smile wry. As she dove under the water once again and came to touch his torso, he looked down. Curious and tempted as ever he watched her as she rose. Until her hands were placed on his shoulders he exhaled his deep breath. He was struggling to fight the temptation. His hands made his way to her slender waist, and rested under the water. “Of course. I figured ya needed it. Any time ya want, freckles, any time ya feelin’ blue...jus’ come down here. Trus’ me it will make you feel a hell of a lot better.”

[Rio Daniels]

She couldn't believe the situation she was in at the moment. She was terrified that he would somehow realize that she had never been with a man intimately before and therefore would lose interest in her completely. She wasn't some veteran when it came to the bedroom. Rio had had a choice when she was growing up on her own. She could have used her body to get what she needed to survive, but her mother and father would have never wanted that for her. While they wouldn't have chosen a life as an outlaw either, she found that to be much more pleasing than the life of a prostitute. She couldn't fathom the idea of having a variety of different men expect that of her. Shaking those thoughts from her mind for the moment, her bright, now wide, blue eyes stared at the form of the man in the watering hole.

When he announced that he refused to be alone, she fixed him with a defiant look and crossed her arms over her chest. Eying him with a glare that was about as frightening as a kitten, she realized that this wouldn't work. Of course she was going to spend the night with him. She had asked him simply because she needed his company. Rio wasn't the type to ask anyone for anything. She was independent, she was solitary, and she was used to doing things on her own. She simply was not the kind of woman to rely on people for anything, especially men. Her defiance and her wild spirit had gotten her this far without any outside help because she had a drive and a will to survive. Her father had sacrificed his life for her, as had her mother. She wasn't going to throw his efforts away by dying. She just was too stubborn and too proud to ask for help. The fact that she had asked Lewt for something showed that she trusted him and she cared about him. This man had somehow managed to work in past her strong defenses and she was now left standing in awe that she was with him.

"Well fine. I'll stay with ya." She had twisted it in a way that it seemed he has asked her to stay and that only served to bring a smile to her face as she stood there. When he spoke about her punch, that only brought a bigger smile to her face, and she actually laughed in response to his statement. Rio's laughter was hard to come by, but he seemed to be doing a good job in cheering her up. "Ya ain't makin' excuses now, are ya Lewton?" She teased, knowing that wasn't the case at all. But hey, she loved teasing him and she knew that he loved teasing her. It was something different about their relationship, something that she knew she appreciated beyond belief. Sighing softly, she finally worked up the courage to stand in front of him with barely any clothes on. Feeling his eyes on her, she threw him a look as he asked her if she was afraid of him, and then simply dove in the water as a response. When she surfaced, she raised an eyebrow. "Please, ya don't scare me, ya big softy." She egged him on playfully and then found herself in his arms. It was where she wanted to be more than anything and that thought alone both scared her and excited her.

"I can swim. Had to learn." She said with a shrug, not being very clear as to why. If he wanted to know he would ask, and she would tell him. It was as simple as that. Sighing softly, she leaned into him now. Hearing his next words, Rio pulled back only slightly to study his expression. Her hand lifted from his shoulder and went to trace his lips, traveling softly down his jawline as she explored his features. She had never been this tender before and it shocked even her, but she was done questioning the way that this man made her feel. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to be with him for as long as he would have her. This was something that she had never felt or experienced before but she didn't want it to stop. Looking up at him now as she dropped her hand, she spoke up honestly. "You make me feel better Lewt." She said it quietly, the blush rising in her face as she spoke the truth. Trying to retain her tough exterior, she spoke up once more. "I still don't understand why ya want me. You can have any other girl out in Del Fuego..."