The Beast's Possession
97: Another first.

**Aife pov**

Funny how growing up, I hated it when my parents chose outfits for me to wear. Back in those days, I thought of their behavior as controlling and unreasonable as I couldn't express creativity or show my character wearing something I didn't like.

But now, sitting on the bed, I watched Bane go through the closet with a smile across my lips. He fussed and hissed about everything - this was too short, this wouldn't keep me warm, and that wouldn't flatter me the right way.

No matter what he grabbed, nothing was good enough for me. And then, when he focused on what he would be wearing on our first, real date, Bane was worried he wouldn't look good enough to be seen with me. Not the other way around, not me fitting the role, but him.

Watching Bane, I thought if breaching the topic about my parents would be something I wanted to do. I didn't want to ruin the moment, but I also was curious about their whereabouts.

Just as I decided to ask, Bane cheered and left the closet. "I found everything. Fucking finally."

Slowly, I stood up and reached my hand for the little pile of clothes he was holding for me. But instead of handing me everything, Bane shook his head. "No, I will help you get dressed. No more hiding in the bathroom, no more stolen glances and embarrassment. I've done plenty of awful things, and now, I will fix my mistakes. I'm not here to ridicule you, and while I still stand by my promises not to force you to do anything before you're ready, I will praise your body like I should have done that ages ago."

My cheeks burned and my throat instantly went dry. I couldn't even think of the words I should say, let alone actually utter any.

Bane walked closer and placed the clothes on the bed. His hands ran over my body as he helped me undress. While his touch was gentle and seemed calculated, I noticed the slight tremble of his hands.

"Beautiful, you're so beautiful," Bane muttered as he dropped the last piece of clothing and left me standing in nothing but my underwear.

His hands, that were on my hips, slowly traveled down my legs as he kneeled before me. "Breathtaking," Bane muttered and reached for the clothes he chose.

My mind was completely blank as he told me to step into the skirt and slowly pulled it up. He buttoned it up and then got back to his feet again. Next, followed by a beautiful plain blouse and some accessories I hadn't seen earlier. When he was happy about my outfit, he quickly dropped his clothes and changed into new ones. Only when Bane got dressed I realized he had chosen a very similar style for both of us.

My skirt was black, classic, and his slacks looked the same. My blouse was white and his shirt was the same color. Honestly, both looked the same. Even the accessories he wore were the same color as mine.

"Did you just come up with a couple outfit?" I asked, wide-eyed.

Bane chuckled. "Yes, I did. I know this isn't something super comfortable meant for an active day at the carnival, but I wanted to look alike, so we will have to live with what we have at hand. Shopping after carnival?"

Placing my hand on his chest, I smiled. "Let's see if any of us will be up to any shopping after we're done with the activities, okay? I want to get as much experience as I can."

Bane nodded, stepped closer and pressed his lips to my forehead. "Anything you want, literally anything you want."

His words ignited fire within me. The little things Bane did and said made me feel like he was just as passionate of a lover as he was a warrior. Maybe, just maybe, we could make this work.

Without any words, Bane grabbed my hand and led me out of the room and then downstairs. He grabbed his car keys, we slipped on our shoes, and left the house.

As a true gentleman, Bane opened the car door for me and only then got in the driver's seat. "Seatbelt, sweetheart," he mumbled as he started the car.

My eyes widened, just a little, and I was about to protest, but he had none of it. Instead of listing the reasons why he wanted me to buckle up, he just leaned over and did it for me. Bane caught the chance to press his lips to my cheek quickly and then focused on driving as if nothing had happened.

During the drive to the nearest city, he held my hand or placed his on my thigh. For the entire time, we enjoyed comfortable silence while I couldn't stop thinking about his inability to keep his hands off me. One way or another, he had to have physical contact between our bodies.

Somehow, I lost myself in my thoughts until the car came to a stop. Bane hopped out, ran around the car and opened the door for me. Even before I could reach for the belt, he bent inside and unbuckled it. Once again, he pressed his lips to my cheek and grinned.

He held out his hand for me, so I took it as I got out of the car. Bane didn't just hold my hand, he let go and wrapped an arm around my waist to keep me as close as possible. From there, he gladly did everything I asked. Starting with cotton candy he promised to even playing the silly games to win me some plush animals.

I had so much fun with the rides, bright lights and loud music that I didn't notice how Bane kept staring at me during every experience we shared. When I felt too tired to keep going, he carried me to the nearest bench and left me sitting. Bane moved around like he was a man on a mission and never left my side, so when I realized he wasn't sitting next to me, I grew a little uneasy. More so when someone else sat next to me and tried to talk me into taking a sip from their drink.

"Come on, you're no fun. It's regular beer, it won't kill you," the guy chuckled.

I came up with so many snarky remarks, I was struggling to choose which one could fit the situation better, but thankfully, I didn't have to because the hand that landed on my shoulder was too warm for me not to know who was standing there.

"Beer won't kill her, but her boyfriend surely will kill you," the growl that laced his words nearly shook the whole place.

The corner of my mouth twitched as I caught the danger of the aura that surrounded us. Stranger next to me had lost all the color to his face and dropped the plastic glass he was holding, but he didn't move. The guy had to be frozen in fear. Just to avoid possible consequences of Bane going on another killing rampage, I placed my hand over his and looked over my shoulder. At first, he didn't notice my actions and gaze, clearly too caught up in his anger, so I blurted out the only thing I could imagine to calm him down.

"And where's my kiss?" Although the boldness of my words caught even me off guard, I still pointed my finger at my lips, expecting Bane to act on it.

And boy, did he. Bane didn't hesitate to pull me to my feet, wrap his arm around my waist and assault my lips with his. His tongue darted inside my mouth, exploring it, savoring the taste. A loud, satisfied growl left him and honestly, I was sure the kiss didn't look like just a kiss for those who were watching us.

I could be bold enough to say Bane openly tongue fucked my mouth right before everyone. If the passion behind his actions weren't a way to claim me publicly, I didn't know what it was. When he pulled away, I was struggling to catch my breath.

His eyes weren't focused on me when he whispered, "carnival experience, check. Another first. Next time I see another dick hitting on you, sweetheart, I will kill him. No hesitation."