That Rush - - -

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

It was all she had heard about for a few days now. There was to be another formal fundraiser in the shape of a ball and her mother was on her back to bring a date along. Lexi rarely enjoyed these events, just because it was always full of fake people and those who had once bullied her acting as though they were her best friends. She was too much of a sweetheart to say anything to them, but played along in the role instead, hating herself for having no real sense of a backbone in the matter. She just wanted to keep the peace with everyone and try to forget that time of her life.

She had been arguing with herself since her mother’s request; should she invite Denver? She had been spending a lot of time with him and she loved being around him, but she had shared very little of what her life was like with all the galas and socialites. He probably wasn’t interested or comfortable with any of that and she didn’t want to drag him into it, not if it would ruin what they now had, thanks to a fly-away football. It was a fundraiser for the hospital where he worked, so he might already know about the ball. He might have asked someone else to go with him. Plus, there was every chance he might have to work anyway. Chelsea had seen enough of Lexi staring from the window with a glazed look in her eyes. “There’s no harm in asking the chump.” She said, rolling her eyes and snapping Lexi out of her thoughts again. She was right though. Not about him being a chump, in fact, Lexi wanted to cut the plug off her hairdryer for that remark, but there was no harm in asking. If he said no then they simply made other plans and carried on as they were…whatever that might be. They had hung out a lot, just the two of them, but she didn’t have a clue what their relationship was.

Lexi wasted little time in putting her shoes on, grabbing her bag and making her way to the garage where her car was parked. He wasn’t working all of today according to a text he sent her last night, but Lexi had been scheduled to have a meeting with a few professors, though they were long over by now and the afternoon was drawing to a close. She stopped by a coffee shop and picked up Denny’s favourite order that she knew off by heart; Caramel Macchiato, heavy on the whipped cream and caramel. She didn’t know how he could drink something so sweet, but nevertheless she bought it along with her own vanilla latte and then loaded them into the cup holders of her car before driving the rest of the way to Denny’s place, focused on the sign posts and landmarks she recognised. She hadn’t been to his place all that much and she hadn’t driven herself there before either, so she did feel a sense of accomplishment when she found his apartment building without driving around in a circle more than twice!

She crossed the parking lot and luckily there was already a guy opening the door, which he held open for her. Smiling her thanks, Lexi quickly realised that she had the element of surprise on her side now, knowing she didn’t have to buzz him or call him to let her in. When the elevator arrived at his floor she hopped out and took a second to flick her hair from her eyes and smooth her skirt before walking to his door, rapping on the wood and waiting for him to answer with a small smile on her face and butterflies in her stomach.

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• • •

TAGGED! Denver!
WORDS! 632
OUTFIT! Pretty Little Thing
LYRICS! That’s Where It Is - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

Work was good for once. There were no calls, no pages and no new patients with nothing more threatening than a light case of pneumonia. And with the crazy weather they’d been having, it was a wonder there weren’t more; not that he was complaining. It was a pleasure to work with those kids. The smiles even though some were very ill and the determination in their eyes, it gave him hope in the next generation. He did one last lap of rooms, checking to make sure everyone was alright and there was nothing needed, then he grabbed his things, stopped at the nurses’ station for a quick bye and headed out to his car and the fairly quick ride home.

He pulled into his parking space, cut the engine, gathered his things and headed into the building. He went through the usual routine of checking his mail before letting himself in. He took the stairs, having had no time to actually hit the gym that day. He let himself into his apartment, set his bag down by the door and dragged his sweater off, tossing it on the back of the couch as he moved further into the apartment. He needed a shower and food; in that order. He hated the sterile smell of the hospital and bringing that home with him.

He was about to start the shower when a knock sounded at his door. His brows drew together, wondering who it could possibly be. The building was a secure one, so it could only be someone who lived there right? And he only knew a handful of his neighbours. Shaking his head, Denver retraced his steps out to through the living room to the front door. He looked through the peephole to see if it really was one of his neighbours. Those pale eyes of his widened as he opened the door to find Lexi on the other side. A smile spread across his lips, brightening his eyes. He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. “Lexi! To what do I owe this surprise?” he asked, raising a brow at the drinks in her hand. “You came all this way to bring me coffee? That’s very sweet of you, come on,” he said, moving out of her way. He shut the door behind her and followed her into the living room.

Tag|| Lexi!
Words|| 395
Clothes|| Great Surprise
Music|| A Woman Like You- Lee Brice
Notes|| <3 <3 <3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Lexi’s life seemed simple to someone from the outside. She may not struggle for money or have to scrimp and save for the holidays, but that was literally just the surface of her life. The page six lifestyle meant that there was so much kept hidden by everyone that it was impossible to ever know if you were speaking to the real person or the persona they adopted for the potential cameras that would gather the hottest gossip for the next day press. Not that there was ever much. The last ‘grand’ event had been when Melinda’s husband had proposed to her during the New Year ball last year. That had been the biggest thing Lexi could remember, aside from when she had collapsed, but that had been kept out of the news, thankfully. The last thing she needed when potential employers ran a background check on her was for them to find an article about her health concerns.

She didn’t expect anything exciting to go down at the Masquerade in a few weeks, but she wanted to be able to enjoy it for a change, rather than sitting with her few ‘real’ friends in that world and complaining about how the rest of the people were embarrassing themselves, or hiding from those rich bachelors who thought they could smile and have the room of single women swoon. At least if Denny came, she might have a chance of spending most of the night laughing, rather than faking smiles and best wishes. She had to ask him first though!

A small grin took over her lips when he pulled the door open. She chuckled at his question and flicked the longer hair from her face. “Well, technically, you owe it to the nice man who held the door open for me so that I didn’t have to buzz up. That sort of would’ve taken the surprise out of my plan...”

[/color] She joked, tilting her head to the side slightly as though she was contemplating something. “And my mother always taught me that it’s rude to show up without a gift and I just so know that this coffee is one of the quickest ways to your heart.”[/color] Her smile stayed on her glossed lips as she held out his coffee to him. Hers was already marked by the pink tint of her lipgloss.

Moving into his living room, she turned back around to face him, her legs leaning against the back of his couch as she sipped her own vanilla latte. “And, I kind of came here to ask you something.”[/color] She admitted, biting the inside of her lip nervously as those butterflies returned. She had never asked anyone to one of the family events before and didn’t really know if there was some special protocol or way of doing this. Before she could panic, shy away and bottle out, she posed her question and quickly let it fall from her lips. “There’s a fundraising gala that is coming up for the hospital. It’s a Masquerade ball, thanks to my mom’s input and years of nagging for it, I guess. Um, I was wondering, y’know if you’re not working or already going with someone else, if, maybe you’d like…”[/color] She trailed off, biting her lip as that embarrassed blush flooded to her cheeks with a terrible vengeance. Of course she’d never be able to get this out in one eloquent motion! She let out a sigh and shyly flicked her dark eyes up to peer at Denver through her hair. “Will you come with me?”[/color] Lexi asked in a whispered, gripping the couch with her spare hand so that she didn’t run from the apartment and avoid him for the rest of time. She had messed that up from the start and now her cheeks were burning, she didn’t know where to look and she raised her coffee to her lips just to shut her up before she rambled on further, trying to save what had been a shambolic attempt to ask Denver to the ball.
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• • •

TAGGED! Denver!
WORDS! 718
OUTFIT! Pretty Little Thing
LYRICS! That’s Where It Is - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

It was odd having Lexi show up on his doorstep when he was thinking about calling her after he’d had that shower and maybe something to eat. But it was good surprise, like she’d somehow read his mind and just appeared with the over sugared caffeine his body really needed to get through the rest of the night. He shook his head, “That wouldn’t have ruined the surprise at all, Hon,” he said, pressing his free hand to his heart and felt the pulse there racing just a bit faster than normal. Whenever Lexi was around, his heart beat faster, and he could hear the blood rushing through his veins when she touched him and curled into his side. Denver tilted his head slightly and raised his brow, accepting the drink. He took a testing sip and smiled against the lid. “Perfect! One of my favourite people surprising me with one of my favourite things. What a great way to finish off the day,” he said, taking another sip.

Denver stopped a couple feet away from Lexi. She looked nervous, it was cute and he wanted to know why she’d come all this way to ask him something when she could have easily called him or texted him at any time. It was obviously important, though he didn’t know how. Denver leaned against the corner of the wall just as Duke decided it was his turn for a grand entrance. The dog was huge and yet, Den often forgot he was around since he didn’t go rushing to the door when Denver walked through. He just stayed wherever he was and got up whenever it suited him. Now though, Den had a sneaking suspicion the only reason his English Mastiff found his way from the room was because he heard Lexi’s voice. “Alright,” he said, patting his dog’s head before the devil mutt left his side for Lexi’s.

He wasn’t exactly making this any easier on the girl but she also had his dog attached to her hip. Denver’s brows drew together at the mention of the hospital. He hadn’t heard anything about it. He honestly didn’t know what she was talking about but it was cute watching her fumble through inviting. Her cheeks were flamed with colour and she was rushing through her words. He honestly just wanted to stop her, hold her tight and try his hardest not to laugh. When she was finished and looking pretty much everywhere but directly at Denver, he stepped forward, laying his hand on hers, lifting it free from the death grip she had on the back of his couch. The coffee was in his way, but he worked around that, barely holding it with his thumb and forefinger. Carefully, so he wouldn’t spill that coffee, he brushed the hair out of her face. “I’d love to be your date to this fundraiser. There’s no one else I’d rather go with,” he said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her against his chest. She was seriously pulling at his heartstrings.

Tag|| Lexi!
Words|| 510
Clothes|| Great Surprise
Music|| A Woman Like You- Lee Brice
Notes|| <3 <3 <3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

There wasn’t a lot of time these days in which Denver wasn’t in his mind some way or another. If they weren’t texting and making plans she was finding herself reminiscing about some of the things they had done and the places they had been or the jokes he had told her. She had zoned out once or twice when she was with friends and it was starting to become obvious to them that there was something she wasn’t quite telling them about. Lexi still didn’t want to spoil anything by being interrogated by people asking where she had been popping off to when she wouldn’t answer her phone or wasn’t in the apartment when they expected her to be. However, if he came with her to the ball it was only a matter of time before her mother and sisters ‘kidnapped’ her to get some answers in a clichéd bathroom session that Lexi would try her damn best to avoid.

She smiled and shook her head. “But I like catching you off guard. You dragged me out in my pyjamas without giving me a chance to prepare, so consider this karma, in a way.”

[/color] She giggled softly and bit back her smile. It was by no means the same circumstance, but if she had called up first then he would have had a moment or two to change, or do something that Lexi never had the chance to that day. Her slippers were still slightly dirty on the soles from where she had crossed the parking lot. She shrugged softly and smiled. Knowing that he was happy to see her and that she hadn’t interrupted anything or caught him when he was on his way out was a bonus to her good mood. “Well, you do know how to make a girl feel good.”[/color] She told him, still smiling as though it was her normal expression. It wasn’t uncommon to come home from an evening with Denver and realise just how much her jaw ached from smiling and laughing so much with him; he just brought it all out in her and it was impossible not to grin when he was around.

At Duke’s entrance, Lexi’s lips twitched again. She liked dogs, but Denny’s had captured a special place in her heart, much like his owner had too. Once he was settled at her side, the petite brunette wasted no time in reaching down to scratch his ears in the way she had learnt he loved. Still, she was anxious for Denver’s reply, the insecure part of her convinced that he was going to reject her or tell her that he was already going with some cute little nurse. The second his hand touched hers the sparks were there and she felt herself relax just a fraction, though she was still worried about his answer. His hugs were always reassuring, but his answer also almost tipped her into the giddy school girl mode and she had to bite her lip harder than normal to combat the blush that still lingered on her cheeks. At least now she could hide her face in his chest, inhaling the scent she associated with him now. Pulling back slightly, she left her arms wrapped around him, careful not to drop her own coffee. “It could be fun. It’s a masquerade ball and I’ve never brought anyone to one of the fundraisers before.”[/color] She admitted quietly, stepping slightly closer to him to tighten their hug. “My family always goes to them, but my dad told me that there were doctors getting invites as well, so you might know some people there anyway if it’s too much. Most of the people can be pretty fake and annoying, but nothing too bad ever happens and it’s only a few hours of the night.”[/color] She was rambling again, though this time it was a mixture of excitement and nerves. For some reason, she had never thought he would say yes.
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• • •

TAGGED! Denver!
WORDS! 701!
OUTFIT! Pretty Little Thing
LYRICS! That’s Where It Is - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

Sarah was starting to ask too many questions Denver didn’t have answers to. And she wanted to meet the girl that “Stole his heart right out from under him”. He just brushed of her comments and innuendos. But he did say she was welcome any time she needed to get away from Corner Brook, he would gladly foot the bill. The sixteen year old was acting much older than he cared for, but she was his sister and he would do anything for her; even answers questions he wasn’t entirely comfortable with her knowing the answers to. And Lexi showing up reminded him of a couple of those questions his darling baby sister had been asking the night before. Maybe it would be time for Sarah to meet the other girl who had Den wrapped around her finger. Because he would do anything to help Lexi out and see that brilliant smile of hers. “Then Karma it is considered,” he said, smiling down at her.

He supposed her showing up on his doorstep unannounced would have happened eventually anyway. After all, he did stop by there and whisked her off on some grand adventure of lazy day at his place. He didn’t regret that for a single second. He got to see Lexi unprepared with no makeup he didn’t think she needed in the first place, her hair messy; though he did feel a little bad about her slippers. He could have at least given her the minute it would’ve taken to slip into some proper shoes but that would’ve defeated the purpose of the surprise! He grinned behind the coffee cup, winking at her. “I try my best to get a smile on those lips,” he said, honestly. He’d joke with her, tickle her sides all to see a smile on that pretty face.

“Traitor,” he said to his canine companion, with a smirk and a shake of his head. Duke was absolutely smitten with Lexi and took to her quite quickly. The big old protector just couldn’t be calm when Lexi was around unless he knew she wasn’t upset; though by then, she’d already started rubbing the top of his head and Duke was a goner. Denny hadn’t even heard about the fundraiser for the hospital yet. He figured that the board wouldn’t get around to informing them until later; maybe when the invitations were sent out or something. Lord, he didn’t have the first clue about these things! But where was the harm in going, really? And if Lexi was saying that her parent’s attended these things all the time, it wasn’t a far stretch to assume Lexi had attended a few herself. It would be nice to see Lexi in her element, or at least another aspect of it, since he’d seen her when she got all passionate about history. “You’re rambling,” he said, chuckling, looking down into her eyes. “It’ll be a first for both of us, because I’ve never been to masquerade ball. And a couple hours in the company of a stunning girl in a beautiful gown will always win out over a night of yelling at Sarah on the phone and wasting my night on video games. Besides with you standing next to me, I’ll be the envy of every man there,” he said, playfully grabbing at her side with his free hand. He loved complimenting her, she blushed so much it was cute.

Tag|| Lexi!
Words|| 572
Clothes|| Great Surprise
Music|| A Woman Like You- Lee Brice
Notes|| <3 <3 <3[/quote]

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Lexi knew that the reason her mother had practically insisted on her bringing a date to the ball was because Chelsea had been gossiping. Of all the people in her life, Chelsea knew when Lexi was out or texting and calling Denver to arrange something. She also had come home early the night Lexi had been ‘kidnapped’ and the two sisters met in the hallway, Chelsea more than confused by Lexi’s pyjamas and lack of a phone or anything. She had kept the explanation brief, but Chelsea had jumped to her own conclusions and by the next weekend, her mother had been asking her persistently if she had met anyone or if there were any men in her life. Lexi didn’t have any answers to give her, not really, but she had been forced into a corner when this ball had been mentioned. She couldn’t avoid the questions forever or keep Denny all to herself and there really was no one else she’d ever invite to something like this.

She fixed her skirt so that it wasn’t twisted with her shirt and sipped at her coffee, glad that the drive to Denny’s apartment had given time for the drink to cool enough so that she didn’t burn her tongue the second she took a sip. That might have led to an even worse attempt to invite the charming man to the ball. “Well, you’ve not failed yet.”

[/color] She told him with a flirtatious sparkle in her dark eyes. Even just getting some silly old text message from him had her whole face lighting up and the girlish giggle escaping her lips. It was a little embarrassing when she was with other people, but she wasn’t caring so much anymore. Denver made her happy, always made her smile and there was nothing wrong with that!

A small chuckle slipped from her lips when Denver addressed his usually loyal companion. “I feel like I’ve done something I shouldn’t now.”[/color] She teased, though she knew Denny was just joking. “I’ll have to start bringing you biscuits, big guy.”[/color] She said, looking down at the dog with an admiring smile. She laughed softly at how docile the creature was and shook her head, her fingers brushing over his fur once more before she stood straight again, returning her attention to Duke’s handsome owner.
A deeper blush flooded her cheeks when he pointed out her rambling. The temptation to hide her face in his chest returned, but those light of his held her in place, a small smile twitching at her lips again. “I’ve been to balls, but never to a masquerade before.”[/color] She said. Her wardrobe was full of fancy evening dresses and gowns from recent years, but she was going shopping with Chelsea for their masquerade outfits next week. She predicted the blush before it came and she bit her lip, glancing down at the floor and trying to gather her thoughts into a coherent reply before her burning cheeks did the work for her. Looking down, she didn’t see Denny move to grab her side until it was too late and she squealed with laughter, twisting her torso to try and escape. With the sudden movement, she accidentally spilt the rest of her coffee down her white shirt. Glancing down at it, she laughed, surprisingly and then looked at Denver with a playful glare. “I bring you coffee, ask you out to a ball and this is how you repay me?”[/color] She said between fitful giggles, peeling the sodden shirt away from her stomach and looking down at the damage. “I’m such an idiot.”[/color] She said, laughing again as she dropped the fabric and looked at her now empty cup.
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• • •

TAGGED! Denver!
WORDS! 660!
OUTFIT! Pretty Little Thing
LYRICS! That’s Where It Is - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

“Good, then my record’s still perfect,” he said playfully tugging on her longer pieces of hair. Sarah had commented too many times for Denny to ignore them at this point. She had burst out laughing when he’d answered the phone when Lexi had been still at his house after he’d kidnapped her. The day had been seriously stressful and having Lexi by his side was more needed than he’d originally thought. By the time Sarah had called though, they’d managed to go through a few movies and had just ordered take-out. “Yes, you sure did! As soon as you walk through that door, he’s a soldier at attention. I can walk through, making a racket and he doesn’t even lift his head from his paws!” he said, sounding displeased with it all, though he really couldn’t be. Duke knew his owner well enough. And Denny knew if there was a real problem, the huge purebred would be on the intruder immediately. “You’ve already got him spoilt rotten, he doesn’t need treats, too,” he exclaimed playfully.

Denver had never been to anything bigger than a school dance really. There weren’t that many weddings where he needed to dress up, and aside from graduation, he hadn’t worn a proper tuxedo suit since his mother renewed her vows with his step-father when he’d been twelve. He’d known about it for a handful on minutes and already it seemed like his nerves were on the frazzled end of things. He had a feeling though, it was because he knew her parents, and sisters were going to be there and that meant he was bound to get twenty questions. Hopefully, though telling them he was nearly done his residency and preparing for his proper interviews and what not will keep them satisfied. For whatever reason, parents, especially mothers, seemed far too pleased to hear their child was seeing a doctor; and it didn’t matter what kind. He always figured parents should just be pleased their children were happy, but maybe that was just him and how his mother and step-father raised him. "This is exciting," he said, interpreting his nerves about the evening as excitement to see Lexi in her element and being to his first ball.

He chuckled at first, but slowly it faded, replaced with a single, cough at the sight of her near see-through top. “Better get out of those wet clothes,” he said his voice a little on the husky side, setting his own coffee aside. He had wanted to take things slow with Lexi, just having fun and being together had actually been enough for him. But he wasn’t so much a gentlemen, as much as he tried to be. And with Lexi, he hadn’t wanted to be like the other guys she knew. He didn’t want to be all about one thing, he wanted to know her. But they’d been hanging around together for a while, and though they hadn’t talked about what they were together, he wanted just a little more from this, from what they had. He was standing close enough to her still; he just had to reach out. His hand lifted to her side, tugging her closer to him as he bent his head to hers, using his free hand to lift her chin. He was nervous; and surprised by that. He didn’t he’d be nervous about kissing Lexi. But he was and a smile spread across his lips just before pressing them to Lexi’s hesitantly, like he was afraid she’d run or break.

Tag|| Lexi!
Words|| 589
Clothes|| Great Surprise
Music|| A Woman Like You- Lee Brice
Notes|| <3 <3 <3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Lexi pulled a face as he tugged on her hair and shook him away, giggling as she fixed her short locks back into place again. “Well, don’t let it inflate your ego too much.”

[/color] She teased, feigning annoyance for a moment before her laughter gave her away once more. Her dark eyes moved to Duke once more and Lexi grinned, scratching behind his ears again as Denver ‘scolded’ her. “Aw, is Denny a little jealous?”[/color] She said in a slight mocking tone as she turned her attention back to the tall doctor again. Her jaw fell slack and she stepped back, chuckling as her hand came to her chest in dramatic shock. “I haven’t spoilt him at all! Clearly, I’m just more charming than you.”[/color] She couldn’t say no to the huge dog and whenever he came near her now it was almost instinctive to give him the attention he sought. Growing up, the girls had had no pets and whilst Lexi adored her birds, it wasn’t quite the same as when Duke came out to greet her.

For Lexi, her life had been filled with balls and formal dinners since she was able to walk practically. There was an element of elegance to be upheld by the Ryanne girls and whilst Lexi didn’t often conform to the socialite life that her mother and sisters opted for, she still attended the balls and galas. They could be fun, in a way, and bringing Denver to this masquerade was actually quite a big step for the youngest Ryanne. No one else had accompanied her before and she never felt comfortable accepting a date to anything like this, so it was a huge leap for the once shy and reserved brunette. Still, she hoped Denny wouldn’t be overwhelmed by it all when the time came. She would do her best to keep her family at bay and would try to do what she could to keep their interrogation to a minimum. Really, it was her dad who would want to speak with the young doctor and try to scare the pants off of him. Lexi was hoping that her position of daddy’s little girl would win Denver a bit of leeway and not backfire and make her father run a background check or something. She giggled at his excitement and bit her lip. “I’m really looking forward to it now I’m going with you.”[/color] She confessed, secretly nervous and excited to show him a glimpse into the world she was born into.

She was busy looking at her soaked shirt when the cough distracted her attention and she looked up again, wide brown eyes fixed on Denver as she picked up on the husky undertone of his voice. Her top was thin to start with and now it was practically offering her no cover up whatsoever. She nodded, swallowing for a moment as she put the empty container down. “Yeah, I probably should.” Suddenly, the humour of the situation had faded and the room seemed thick and laced with tension. Her eyes were fixed on him and each of his movements, her breath hitched in her throat as he pulled her closer, his large hand warm on her side. A rosy blush filled her cheeks when she realised that his face was just inches from hers and her eyes fluttered closed just after she caught a glimpse of his smile. The second his lips touched hers she gasped, still surprised that this was happening. Her hands ran up his arms until they came to his shoulders and Lexi weaved her fingers behind his neck, toying with his soft hair as she pushed herself up onto her toes to kiss him back, smiling as she did so. Pulling away just for a moment, she looked at him and beamed. “I should spill coffee more often.”[/color] She whispered faintly before pressing her lips back to his softly.
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• • •

TAGGED! Denver!
WORDS! 697!
OUTFIT! Pretty Little Thing
LYRICS! That’s Where It Is - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

Denver sipped at the coffee, glad it was cool enough that he hadn’t burnt his tongue drinking from the foam to-go cup. His grin was boyish and wicked. “Don’t worry, maid, I won’t. Just enough, ya know, ta keep it at da size it’s accustomed ta,” he said, unable to hold back his laughter for long. Whenever Lexi was around, he tried hard to tone down his accent, so he was easier to understand. It didn’t matter that Lexi had grown up in New York City where every other person you came across had some sort of accent and she could probably understand him easier than those. It was getting harder and harder to remember to tone it down whenever she was around though. And he thought it was maybe so she could learn to understand him so he wouldn’t feel so bad when he did forget to lighten it up.

“Yes,” he said, automatically, laughing. Obviously he didn’t mean what he said. Like Sarah, Lexi was more than welcome to spoil the big teddy bear as much as she wanted. The closer his beast grew to Lexi, the safer she was with him around. Duke was very protective and Denver didn’t have to tell him twice to stay close. “I don’t know about bein’ more charmin’ den meself but ye come in at a close second,” he said teasing her. Den had grown up surrounded by animals. Despite living in the City and not out in one of the Cove’s, there were always animals around. The family had at least two dogs and any one time, a fat cat hiding under beds, away from the dogs. And when Sarah was old enough to have pets of her own, the house was overrun with bunnies, fish and hamsters. “I’m lookin’ forward ta da evening. Gettin’ ta see ya in a pretty dress, all dolled up,” he said and then a thought came to him that had him worrying about the night. He’d never met Lexi’s parents before, he hadn’t met anyone in her family. He’d been thinking about it too, and yet it only really made a demanding presence in his mind right then. He chuckled nervously, running his fingers through his hair. He didn’t want to say anything because he was excited about going to this ball, gala thing with Lexi and that overshadowed everything else he was feeling about the evening to come.

“In a minute,” he managed to mutter before he gave in to the need to kiss Lexi. They’d been seeing each other casually for a little while now and though Denny hadn’t jumped Lexi, or kissed her until then, he had really wanted to. He felt like a teenager with out of control hormones. Denny chuckled, low in his throat when she pulled away. “No, ya shouldn’t,” he said against her lips with a grin. Now that they’ve started this little dance, Denny didn’t want it to end; though he wasn’t willing to push her any farther than she was willing to go. And right now, these tentative kisses were enough. “Besides, we can come up wit’ better reasons ta be doin’ dis,” he said against her lips, not willing to move away right yet.

Tag|| Lexi!
Words|| 540
Clothes|| Great Surprise
Music|| A Woman Like You- Lee Brice
Notes|| <3 <3 <3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

She noticed the accent she remembered from their first meeting as it slipped through more prominently in his voice and smiled, rolling her eyes when he started laughing. “Or I might just knock you down to size. Might be safer.”

[/color] She said, arching her eyebrow and placing her hand on her hip. Physically, she knew she didn’t stand a chance against the tall man; most of their play fights resulting in him tickling her until she was begging for mercy! There was no one else she could be like that with and it was nice to just joke about and laugh as though there were no problems in the world for a few short hours when she was with Denver.

Laughing along with him, Lexi patted Duke once more and then smirked at the Canadian. “Do you want me to scratch you behind the ears instead?”[/color] She teased with a twinkle in her dark eyes. Feigning shock, she took a step back until her legs hit the sofa. “Well, you know what they say…first the worst, second the best…”[/color] She said in a sing song manner, reciting the childish chant as she pulled her eyes away from him and looked around the room, fighting back the grin that was dying to take over her face. The blush danced across her cheeks again, but she fought back more successfully this time around. “I have to find the dress first, but I’ll get to see you all suited up too. What girl could resist that?”[/color] She smiled, biting her lip. The shopping trip was coming up with her sisters, but Lexi already knew that she wanted something different from her usual gala dresses. She wouldn’t say it out loud, but she wanted to impress Denver on the night of the masquerade. Meeting her family was a bigger deal that she was making it out to be, but she didn’t want to scare him away. No guy the family didn’t know had been brought by Lexi to anything and she knew they’d pounce on him the second they had a chance. The least she could do was be there to pull him away, distract him and help him think of the night as more than just a terrifying encounter with her sisters. Plus, she was a little worried that the older Ryanne girls would outshine her and make her look as plain as she always felt around them.

She had to giggle, just the once. Her heart was racing and the butterflies had gone into overdrive at the realisation that after weeks and weeks of casually hanging out they were finally at this point together. She kissed him back, caring even less about her dampened shirt and what she should about it. “Can those reasons be entirely selfish and be just because we want to?”[/color] She asked in a whisper, pushing herself towards him, going right up onto her toes to kiss him again, this time with a little more passion. She never usually did anything like this, but she wanted to be closer to him and the thoughts that were filling her head were enough to send that crimson hue to her cheeks once more. Pulling away, she ran her fingers through her own dark hair, messing it up as she tried to put herself in line, remembering the sweet girl she had been raised to be. She didn’t want to ruin this. Her nerves were flying high, but her emotions were flying higher. Meeting his eyes with a darkened haze in her own, she pulled him closer by his t-shirt and crashed her lips to his. Lexi stopped worrying about everything and just gave into what she wanted most in this moment; Denver.
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• • •

TAGGED! Denver!
WORDS! 658!
OUTFIT! Pretty Little Thing
LYRICS! That’s Where It Is - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

Denny worried a little for the time when Lexi would meet Sarah. That girl couldn’t tone anything down and her mouth ran a mile a minute. But Lexi seemed to be able to keep up with him and that was all he could ask for. He nodded, chuckling. “It might be wise. If ya can take me, dat is,” he said, oh so casually, teasingly wrapping for her sides. Whenever Lexi was around, the world with all its problems just sort of melted away, leaving just them and the laughs they shared. He really did feel like he could stay this way forever, without a care in the world. But he had little children to look after, more and more since he was close to the end of his residency. Only two years left thanks to the fast tracking he did throughout college, then the test for certification and hopefully, the patients he took care of now would become fully his and he wouldn’t have to run to his supervisor to double check every single move he made. Soon it would all be over and the office he had at the moment would become permanent. He hoped that by then he would have a potential permanent position waiting for him at the hospital and wouldn’t have to search somewhere else and leave the city he loved so much; or the people in it.

Denny crossed his arms, “Well, yes, actually I do,” he said, lifting his chin and looking down at Lexi from the corner of her eye. But he couldn’t keep up that much of a charade and within seconds was chuckling again and running his fingers through his hair. Denny growled softly. “Second da best better start runnin’ ‘round da ‘ouse. ‘Cause I really am the worst,” he said, reaching out but letting his grabs fall short. He wasn’t sure if there was a child out there that hadn’t heard or sung that childish ditty themselves. He’d heard it countless times growing up, laughing about it and teasing the other kids good-naturedly with it. Denny’s smile was soft, sweet as he brushed a stray piece of hair away from Lexi’s face. “'opefully all but one so I won’t 'ave ta fight 'em off ta dance wit' ya,” he said, sincerely. “And you’ll be stunnin' in whatever dress ya decide on,” he added knowing it was true. Lexi would look amazing in a paper bag, and anything else would just make her unbelievable. He still had trouble believing that she was really in his life. He didn’t think he’d ever be so lucky.

He was trying to behave, but it was getting more difficult to do whenever Lexi was around. She was far too tempting to play the gentleman much longer. His mother would have his head if she ever found out he was anything but polite. Too bad she wasn’t anywhere near the front of his mind, beating the sense back into him. “Mm, absolutely,” he said against her lips, happily wrapping his arms around her waist to hold her close and keep her steady. But it was over again too soon and his breathing was rough, his chest expanding quickly to take in the oxygen his body needed. He was trying hard not to give into the temptation she provided. He was raised to be respect, take time; be a gentleman. Two of those three just didn’t want to register in his head at the moment. And they didn’t seem to be working with Lexi either. He took a step, helped along with the tug on his shirt and his lips were on a crash course with Lexi’s. Not that he could say he minded all that much. Without hesitation, Denny’s arms wrapped tighter around Lexi’s waist with a quick squeeze before his hands worked their way down. Carefully, keeping some wits about him, he picked her up, holding her closer than he could before.

Tag|| Lexi!
Words|| 658
Clothes|| Great Surprise
Music|| A Woman Like You- Lee Brice
Notes|| <3 <3 <3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

When it came to Denny, Lexi simply couldn’t get enough of him. His voice, his smile, his tales from his past…she could sit for hours in his company just doing nothing more than talking and fooling about. The latter was something Lexi had rarely found in life, thanks to the world she had been raised in, but Denver seemed to bring that playful side out in her when no one else had really allowed it. “Oh, I’m sure I can find some way to bring you down.”

[/color] She teased flirtatiously, holding his gaze and arching her eyebrow. He may have found her weakness in tickling her, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve too.

Laughing, she stepped closer and reached up to run her fingers through his hair, brushing playfully by his ear before she tugged on it, hopping back at his threat and putting on her best puppy dog expression. “But do you really want to hurt little old me?”[/color] She batted her eyelashes and smiled sweetly up at him. She loved their little games and knew that if half of her friends could see this they’d think that she’d lost her mind and gone completely insane. Denny brought out a side to her that no one else had done before and Lexi adored it. The soft blush floated to her cheeks again and she bit her lip to control her smile. “I won’t be letting them anywhere near you.”[/color] She said quietly, partly meaning it. She knew there would be girls there who would love to leave with a doctor on their arm, especially one like Denver. They were the conniving and backstabbing kind who Lexi had avoided with all of her strength, but at this kind of thing, she suspected they would sidle up to Denny when she was in the bathroom and try to lure him away; she had seen it happen all before. “But I want to make sure that you are sufficiently amazed by what I wear.”[/color] She said as a joke. In truth, she was still a little nervous that she would look plain amongst all the other girls there and Denny might wish he’d come with someone else. She kept telling herself that it was stupid, but there was always that little voice popping up to make her doubt herself. He was so incredible and Lexi found herself worrying from time to time that she wasn’t good enough for him.

Still, those doubts were not lingering in this moment. There were no doubts at all once his lips had found hers. Throughout her life, Lexi had fallen into the role of the good innocent girl, but there was a passionate side to her that spread beyond her love for history. Right now it was bubbling up after weeks of her supressing it, playing the lady to Denver’s gentleman. Lexi had known guys who only played the gentleman long enough to get what they wanted, always moving with an ulterior motive, but she knew that Denny was not one of them and that was what spurred her on right now; she knew that he wouldn’t just vanish into thin air afterwards. A breathless gasp escaped her lips when he picked her up and she kissed him harder as her legs wrapped around his waist and her fingers travelled through his dark hair. She didn’t care that her skirt was twisted with this new position or that her sodden shirt was sticking uncomfortably to her skin again; she just wanted more now that she had him. Pulling her lips away from his just slightly, Lexi opened her dark, clouded eyes and took a short second to catch her breath. “I could with some help getting out of this wet shirt.”[/color] Her whispered words were ragged from uneven breathing, but there wasn’t a doubt in her mind and she couldn’t keep the smile from her lips either.
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• • •

TAGGED! Denver!
WORDS! 696!
OUTFIT! Pretty Little Thing
LYRICS! That’s Where It Is - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3