Day 8 of EC Week! It is whatever topic I choose and I was super disappointed when Arranged Marriage wasn't voted for. So here you are! And boy oh boy three stories in one day, I hope you guys are happy lol!

His gaze out the window was only interrupted by the scuffling of feet as his door swung open and several unfriendly voices were brought to his ears. A variety of voices that did not exclude the one belonging to the beautiful brunette being shoved inside to join him. He watched curiously as the guards boomed at her and she hissed back. It was a short exchange and then the door was closed and the brunette glared at the door for a moment or two longer before her head swivelled and her eyes found his.

Her pretty mouth was pulled in to a small scowl and her dark eyes threatened murder should he approach her the wrong way. He could only laugh. It was quiet with his breath as he walked up to her and she scowled deeper and leaned away from him just enough for him to notice. But it didn't stop him as he pulled his coat from his arms and carefully set it around the shoulders of this fiery brunette. She only seemed confused by the gesture but her furrowed brow only furthered her look of displeasure, "it is a little cold in here for what you are wearing, m'lady," he smiled as he slid his hands down her upper arms before letting them fall back to his side.

Yes perhaps she was growing cold in the thin silk of the long sleeved night gown they had demanded she wear. But she hadn't said she wanted this gesture, "yes well they were likely expecting we'd be warm enough in no time at all," she bit back. Her tone smooth and effortless but full of spite and poison. This man merely smiled at her again.

"Yes I believe that that is exactly what they were thinking," he nodded and then his amused smile softened in to a gentler and more serious one as he looked her straight in the eye, "I will not so much as look at you in that regard unless you wish it from me," he promised kindly and quietly and he watched the confusion settle a little deeper in her.

Only when he turned his back to her did she allow her face to relax. She believed him. She was still confused and thrown off but she slipped her arms in to his oversized leather coat and begrudgingly felt gratitude for the warmth of the fur lining. "You are the first man who hasn't forced his tongue down my throat," she commented and he continued stepping away from her back to his place at the window.

"Well you are quite a pretty little thing," he nodded as he turned on his heels and leaned his back against the stone wall next to the window and folded his arms, "but I am rather attached to my penis and would hate to have it cut off," he sighed out with a gentle smirk and was delighted to see a grin purse the brunette's lips as she dropped her eyes to the floor with her hands clasped behind her back. "What is your name?" He questioned with a little laugh in his words.

She cleared her throat gently and suddenly didn't hate that she couldn't wipe the stupid smile off her face as she looked back at him. She was beginning to like this man, "Regina."

"Well, Regina, you are the first woman who hasn't jumped at me the moment the door closed behind her," he told her in return and he couldn't stop himself from smiling at her, "it is quite refreshing."

"It is indeed," she agreed with an easier smile and a nod of her head.

David gave a short him in satisfaction and then look the to hearth between them, "shall I start a fire?"

"I feel like that would take you a great deal of time that could be spent seeing if there is any validity to this arrangement or if we should dispose of it as we have our others."

"It seems to have become a sport for us hasn't it," David stated regrettably and she shrugged a shoulder but her smile faltered just a little.

"Keeps the boredom at bay."

"True. Does nothing for the loneliness though," he countered and she remained silent. Only the corner of her mouth lifting in a sadder smile. "However you have taken a liking to my jacket and I am growing rather cold so I am going to build us a fire," he smiled and made his way to the hearth.

"Why not call a servant?"

"And ruin the dynamic of our company?" He replied as he crouched down in front of the hearth. He didn't get his hands in there before a small ball of flame shot past his side and the hearth was suddenly filled with a hot and crackling fire. It caught him by surprise and when he looked up to the woman on his left she was watching him as though nothing had happened. But he already knew better of her. Underneath that mask of indifference there was a worry that he would disapprove. But he didn't.

He simply looked back at the fire and then back up at her, "well isn't that convenient," he chuckled lightly and a smile pulled at her lips once again.

...

It was the first night in a long line of nights that either of them had found themselves laughing such honest laughter. They sat side by side in front of the fire atop various pillows and blankets with their backs against a large trunk as they told each other their stories. Most were sad, several were happy, many made them laugh, and a select few had them laughing until they were wiping away tears. It was the best night any of them had had in far too long to remember.

"You did not!"

"I did!" She promised and his head fell back in another bout of uncontrollable laughter, "the man was an absolute pig! It was only fitting that he laid with his kind. Swap the apple for his hard cock and you have an entire dinner table appalled at the behaviour of the prince and a king quickly dismissing you with the promise of calling off the wedding should I swear to keep the incident quiet," she laughed and he tried to find breath within his fit of laughter, "my mother was entirely less than pleased with that particular magic trick of mine."

"Oh I only wish my endeavours had been so epic," he laughed and wiped the tears from beneath his eyes.

"Give me your craziest broad," she laughed as she adjusted herself so she faced him better and he laughed with a groan that told her there were too many to choose from, "the one that was just the most bizarre."

There was a pause as he thought and the only sound in the room was the cracking of the fire and the low laughter rumbling in Regina's throat. The combination was something he could listen to for the rest of his life and never have a complaint. "Oh! Okay. Her name was Griselda which is not exactly a promising start," he noted and with the crease of her brow as she laughed and shook her head, it seemed Regina agreed, "so she comes in the room and I'm like alright this could go either way. But then it goes a thousand wrong ways all at once! She's got this crazy blonde hair that is super curly and at least five times the size of her head, right?"

"Okay," Regina laughed and listened attentively.

"So it's not my favourite but really not the end of the world. I'm keeping an open mind. I have never wished for a trap door beneath my feet so bad in my entire life the moment she let her robe fall to the floor, I swear to god," he lifted his hands and she let out a rich laugh from that beautiful mouth. "She was the skinniest thing I have ever seen, her body was scarred with these wild patterns that looked to be done with a knife in her own hand, her nails were filed to a point and painted red to match her crazy bloodshot eyes, one of which was lazy I might add, and she had three nipples."

"There is no way that that is all true!" She argued with a roar of laughter.

"Regina, I swear every word of it is true!" He laughed and she shook her head with her hands over her laughing mouth, "I don't know what the hell kind of devil worshiper or whatever bullshit that was but I have never run out of this room faster!"

"Okay but that cannot be the end of the story! I know better than anyone that you can't just say no to these marriages and they go away," she laughed and he sucked in a breath through his teeth and let it out as a laugh.

"Yeah well when she came at me with those claws, I quickly ducked away and told her that the prince was late and I would go fetch him for her. I then proceeded to send in one of the king's guard to act as me and when the king and I walked in on them in my bed, both Jacob and I played dumb and George promptly sent the woman away. Never to be seen again. And Jacob had enough gold to feed his family for an entire year for his suffering," he laughed and Regina gave a good sigh of laughter to try and regain the ability to breathe properly. His ribs were sore he had been laughing so hard this evening. They had been at this for hours.

"How many have you gotten out of?" She asked curiously, a laugh still lingering in her words as her smile softened pleasantly.

"Nine," he answered on a breath and then shrugged, "they haven't all been terrible. Most of them were just boring or clueless. How about you? How many have you managed to escape?" He nodded at her and she shrugged a shoulder.

"Fourteen," she replied and he hummed shortly but his smile never faded in to pity which was something she truly appreciated. She felt like his equal and that gave her peace, "they've all been hopelessly cocky bastards who couldn't care less about what I have to say or what I feel. It really makes for poor conversation," she smirked a little and he laughed and nodded.

"I unfortunately am quite aware of how they all are and you are not missing out. They are poor for conversation in general," he assured and she laughed through that brilliant smile of hers, "it will be nice though."

"What will?"

"When we can finally stop running from the crazies, the airheads, and the despicable and just settle down with someone good. Someone that makes us happy. It'll be quite a relief and well worth the trouble of running from the rest," he elaborated and she hummed softly in agreement. It was the thing that sent them both in to silence. Oddly enough for the pair of them, it was a very comfortable silence. Very peaceful and easy.

His focus on the fire only switched to her when she pivoted and carefully straddled his lap, settling there with a slow exhale. She was still wearing his oversized jacket and that made him smile. She was even more beautiful this close and her dark eyes were soft and warm just as her posture was. It was so much different than what she had been when she had first been tossed in to his bedchamber. He refrained from touching her just as he promised her he would and simply sat and waited for her to make her intentions and desires known.

"If I asked you to runaway with me," she started quietly and focused on the bright blue eyes that smiled back at her, "would you?"

"Yes."

"If I asked you to stay with me," she inquired and his smile lifted a little more, "would you?"

"Yes."

"If I asked you to let me go," she spoke just a little quieter and watched carefully as his eyes flicked back and forth between hers as his smile fell just a fraction, "would you?"

"...Depends."

"On?"

"Your reason."

That answer quickly had a smile pulling at the corners of her lips before she could stop it. He smiled in return and she drew in a slow breath through her nose and let it out as a gentle and thoughtful hum as she leaned a little further in to him as her eyes dropped down to her fingers pulling at the waist of his pants. She could feel his steady breath against her lips and she had to bite back her smile at his smirk as she peeked inside his pants. He was considerably long and thick while he was soft. "Very promising," she complimented and felt a huffed breath of laughter against his lips before she looked up with a smirk of her own and a tilt of her head, "I can work with that."

"Glad to hear that," he replied with a hopeless grin in his amusement of this bold woman as she smoothed the waist of his pants back against his skin.

"You may kiss me now," she allowed quietly with a growing grin.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she chuckled softly as she leaned in a little closer while he teased.

"You don't have a little knife hidden in that dress or something?"

"Promise," she laughed and bumped her nose against his.

"Because you do know exactly where he is now," he grinned and laughed a little when her laughter blew across his lips.

"Shut up," she laughed and then kissed him herself. He didn't disappoint her in this regard either. His kiss was warm and soft and respectful but didn't leave any guessing room for what he truly wanted. It made her heart skip and her stomach flutter and as his fingers tangled gently in her long hair, hers settled on his chest. When she broke it off softly, he made himself wait. She could feel his desire for more and his restraint only made her want him more.

He tipped his head forward to rest his forehead against hers and his slightly unsteady breath was matched by hers. He had never wanted any woman more than her and he had only known her a few hours. But he had felt so much in that single kiss. "May I kiss you again?"

"You needn't ever asked me again," she breathed and smiled. Then she was being kissed again. A little firmer, a little needier, a little more desperate but no less kind or respectful and she reciprocated in the same manner.