(Now) Brody: Hot Lava Tag

Here is the promised bonus post.  This is just a random date, it doesn't continue the storyline or add much to the story besides more Brody and Liv.  It's written from Brody's perspective, per the request of some lovely commenters!  Hope you enjoy :)
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I sat in my office with the door shut, my chair swiveled so I faced the windows.  I rocked back and forth in it, looking absently out at downtown Denver, thinking about Liv.  I wasn't getting anything done today.  I'd never had a woman so completely consume my mind the way Liv does.  I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text: "Hey beautiful.  Dinner tonight?"  I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to see her.

She texted back right away: "Yes please!  What time?"

I surveyed the piles of folders of papers on my desk, and cast my eyes towards my computer screen, where the unread emails in my inbox were multiplying by the minute.  If I could focus the rest of the day, I could maybe get out of here around 7.  "7:30?"  She texted back and confirmed that 7:30 would work, and I tossed my phone at the chair on the other side of the office.  Have to focus.  The last thing I needed was another scathing email from my dad about my "productivity." 

I managed to clear most of the files and papers off my desk by about 6:50.  I looked at my email again, then decided I'd work on those until 7:05.  I went through, deleting most of them, replying to the ones that required it.  At 7:06, I shut it down and stood up.  I walked into the bathroom that adjoined my office (not really that much of a perk.  I'm pretty sure it's so I'm less likely to get distracted on my way to the bathroom down the hall.  My dad did handpick this space and this office for me) and looked at myself in the mirror.  My shirt was wrinkled and my hair was seriously mussed.  I changed into the casual button down and jeans I usually kept here and used a little water to tame my hair. 

I grabbed my jacket and my cell phone and walked out of my office, locking the door on my way out.  The halls were empty.  I was the last one here, except for the security guard whose desk was at the end of the hall.  I checked out with him, wished him a good night, and jogged down the 8 flights of stairs to our underground parking area.

The benefit of leaving the office at 7:15 is that traffic is a piece of cake.  Liv smiled broadly when she pulled the door open for me.  Even now, that smile kills me.  She could ask me for anything in the entire world, and if she smiled at me like that, I'd give it to her.  I wondered if she knew the kind of power she held in that smile.

"Hi," I said.  "You look beautiful."  She blushed.  That killed me too.  There was something seriously attractive about a girl that has no idea how attractive she is. 

"Thank you," she said, rising up onto her tiptoes to kiss me.  I slid my hands around her waist and kissed her back eagerly, feeling the now-familiar tingle of electricity when our lips met.  My mind quickly drifted to what we could do if we skipped dinner, but my train of thought was broken before it got too far by Liv pulling away.  "I'm starving, where should we eat?" she asked.  Guess there would be no skipping dinner.

We debated for a minute before settling on a nearby restaurant.  As much as I loved my home in the foothills, out of the bustle of the city, I also really loved Liv's neighborhood.  It was nice to have so many places to eat so close, plus the easy commute to downtown.  It was a really nice night, so we decided to walk. 

Liv fidgeted through dinner, and I assessed her mood.  I had learned that being restless wasn't something that was terribly unusual for her, and sometimes it just meant that she had a lot of energy, but sometimes it meant she was anxious or in a bad mood.  She seemed fine tonight, and I guessed she was just feeling all the pent up energy from being trapped at her desk all day at work. 

After we had finished eating, I looked at her.  "Do you want to walk before we head back?" I asked.

"I would love to," she said, smiling at me.  We wandered around the brightly lit streets hand in hand for awhile before venturing into a residential neighborhood.  A couple blocks in, we spotted a park and walked towards it.  Liv immediately grabbed onto the bars on the side of the jungle gym and pulled herself up, easily climbing up to the top without benefit of the steps or ladders.

"That was impressive!" I called up to her, surprised.  "We should get you on the side of a mountain and see what you can do there."

"Um, no thanks!" she said with a laugh.  "But I did have the distinction of being the best hot lava tag player at my elementary school.

"Hot lava tag?" I asked, confused.  "That some weird Wisconsin game?"

"You've never played hot lava tag?" Liv responded in surprise, shaking her head.  "I'm sorry to report that your childhood was wasted!" 

I laughed.  "I think you'd better teach me so I don't waste any more of my life."  I listened as she explained the rules.

"So, the person who is 'it' is the lava monster and can't touch the walking surface of the playground equipment," she explained.  "The person or people who are not 'it' can only touch the actual ground for 10 seconds at a time, otherwise they will burn in the lava and become the new 'it'."

"Sounds easy enough, except then how does the person who's 'it' tag people?" I asked, still a little confused.

"By being creative!" she said.  "Climbing, usually.  Like this!"  She jumped down, then demonstrated the ways that 'it' could get close to the people on the playground equipment.  Her face was alight as she taught me how to play, and I loved that she got so excited about teaching me a childhood playground game.  Some people might find it a little silly, but I say that those people take life too seriously.

When she was finished, I said, "I think we'd better play so we can get the full experience."  She laughed and volunteered to be 'it' first, her eyes glinting in the dark.

I was surprised at how hard it was to evade her.  She climbed the equipment as easily as a monkey would and made leaps to the ground that would have terrified some grown men.  "Please try not to break an ankle," I called over my shoulder as I escaped after one of her more nerve-wracking (for me) jumps from the top of the structure to the ground.  She just laughed.  This was a side of Liv that I hadn't yet had the pleasure of meeting, and I loved it.

Finally, she cornered me at the top of a tunnel slide.  I had to brave a sprint across the ground no matter which way I went.  As I debated which would be the safest, Liv hopped up on the top of the rounded, covered slide and began to climb up towards me.  Making a quick decision, I slid into the slide that was definitely not made for an adult my size.  I was halfway down when she jumped off, and I knew she'd be waiting for me at the bottom.

Sure enough, there she was, leaning into the opening at the bottom and grinning devilishly at me.  "End of the line," she taunted me as I used my feet to slide to a stop just inches out of reach of her fingers.  I assessed my options quickly.  I was way too tall to turn around and climb back up, so short of me sitting here forever, she was right. 

"Not bad for my first time though, huh?" I asked, letting myself slide the rest of the way down to meet her.  When she reached out to tag me, I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards me.  She laughed in surprise as she tipped forward and landed on me.

"Not bad for your first time," she murmured back in agreement, before I kissed her.  She sighed softly into our kiss as I pushed a tangle of her blonde hair away from her face, tucking it gently behind her ear.  I let my fingers linger on the side of her neck, stroking softly, hoping to earn another sigh.  Instead, I was rewarded by her hands sliding beneath the hem of my shirt, her fingers skating across my sides to rest lightly against my lower back.

I tightened my arm around her waist, trying to pull her even closer to me.  She moved her lips off mine and shifted precariously in the small space, pressing her hips against mine.  I groaned, pressing my face into her neck.  "Maybe we should head back," I breathed against her ear.  She nodded, but made no move to go anywhere.  I brushed my lips against her neck and her fingers tightened on my lower back.

"If you want me to go, you'll have to stop that," she said.

"Stop what?" I teased quietly.  "This?" I pressed my mouth to her neck, swirling my tongue against it lightly before gently nipping at the spot.  She moaned softly and I felt her nails on my back.  I grinned against her neck and moved my lips to her throat.  Her nails raked across my back as she shifted away.

"We have to go," she said breathlessly, wiggling backwards out of the slide.  We walked back to her house in record time and she barely let me close the door behind me before pushing me down on the couch and climbing on top of me.  Apparently our trip to the park had brought out her aggressive side, and that alone turned me on.  I let her pull off my shirt before wrapping my hands around her legs and standing, lifting her with me as I walked towards the stairs.

Once we were up there, none of the rest of our clothes lasted very long.  After, we laid curled together for nearly a half hour.  Reluctantly, I sat up.  Liv rolled over and blinked at me sleepily.  "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I have to go home.  I didn't bring any clothes for work tomorrow."  She frowned, wrinkling her nose.

"Okay," she said.  "Are we still going out tomorrow?"

I leaned down and kissed her, first on the lips, then on the tip of her still wrinkled nose.  "I was planning on it," I replied.

"Good," she said, her face relaxing into a smile.

"Goodnight, beautiful," I said, kissing her one more time.  "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight," she murmured back, eyes already closed.  I paused and ran a finger down the side of her face before leaving.  She turned her head just slightly towards my hand, which made me smile.  Finally, I pulled myself away.  I looked at my watch as I walked down the stairs.  It was after 11:30, and would be nearly midnight by the time I got home, but it was worth every second with Liv.