Bella smirked. "I already said I was only doing your face. No need to tell me twice," she said, leaning forward to make sure she'd gotten the dirt out of his scruffy beard. "Unless," she said, pulling back to gently smacking the cool rag against his chest, "this is some backwards way of challenging me to do so."

Some ladies might find the dirt-coated look alluring, but Bella was not one of them. Jamie was alluring enough without the dirt, however, that he was not completely repulsive—but still. She dragged the rag up his throat and around his ears, appalled at how much dirt coated his skin. She thought he was a dragon-keeper, not a coal miner!

"Unfortunately, dirt does not accentuate existing features," she said, mindlessly running a hand across his jawline. "It only obscures them." The unspoken words that hung in the air: And I don't like that.

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

Jamie frowned at her, a fake frown but still a frown, as she slapped his chest with the wet towel. "No challenge," her responded gruffly, crossing his arms over his chest so that she couldn't slap him with the rag again, "I don' want ye anywhere near any of my other bits if yer to do that sorta nonsense."

He fell silent after that though, a bit surprised at just how serious she was taking this cleaning of him. It felt good. Perhaps, too good, and he found himself reaching up to still her hand as she ran it across his jawline.

"I think that might be good enough," he said, softly but in a bit of a hoarse voice. Anymore of that and he'd have an aching need to be fulfilled and one that he wasn't quite prepared to try and take from her.

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Yay Bree Set!

Bella's chest shook with a silent giggle. His reactions were always so dramatic, tempting Bella to go against his wishes for the sake of riling him. However, watching his eyes flutter and muscles relax at her touch, she found it hard to imagine doing anything else. She continued with her cleaning until he abruptly caught her wrist, and, using the most gentle—almost pleading—voice, requested for her to cease her efforts.

Her gaze flickered to where his hand met hers, surprised to find that she'd relaxed, not stiffened, under his touch. His hand so was large, so dirty, she noticed, causing the giggle to finally escape her lips.

"Now I'm going to have to wash myself," she teased, obliging him by gently pulling her hand away. She folded the rag, revealing the clean side, and gently brushed it across the dirt prints he'd left across her wrist. "I'll feed you, but you need to do something about that," she added, motioning to his arms and hands as she stepped away from him. "I should think that a man is capable of washing his own hands, no?"

The moment she turned her attention back to the kitchen counter, her cheeks flushed. She was all too aware of her feelings—or at least her attraction to him—and all too aware that she didn't want him to be aware.

Lord help her.

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

Jamie wasn't sure what to think. Things were getting a bit precarious. Feelings and emotions were things he wasn't all that familiar with dealing with. He avoided them at all costs usually but she was making it increasingly hard.

So he simply nodded, not really trusting his voice if he were to open his mouth and speak. Once she'd stepped away, he stood up himself but didn't wander to the sink in the kitchen. He instead went to the small washroom he did have in the shack and proceeded to give himself a good scrubbing over. It was nothing like a bath back at the MacFusty house but he couldn't always follow through with that luxury. He did, however, make a point of heating the water with his wand so as to not scrub with cold water. By the time he was done, the water in the basin was far from clear and he couldn't help but to smirk at that realization. He had been far dirtier than he'd anticipated. His bedding would definitely have to be washed.

He left the small room then and headed back into the kitchen. Settling back in his chair, he sat back to watch once more without saying a word of his re-entrance.

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Yay Bree Set!

By the time Jamie had returned, Bella had recovered from her embarrassment—and also had something akin to a meal. The vegetables were not fresh, nor was anything Jamie kept in the house, but she'd made sure to throw out anything that was distinctly wilting or moldy. She glanced over her shoulder, nodding at him approvingly.

"Much better," she said with a cheeky grin. "I'm not sure how you manage to get so filthy anyways. Are you forced to sleep in a dirt pit?" Despite her teasing tone, she really was curious; Jamie had shown her the dragons once or twice, but she'd never seen him in action.

Bella placed their plates on the table before taking a seat opposite of Jamie. The distance was good, she rationalized. There would be fewer temptations to touch him, even if she'd be tempted to peek up at him.

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

Jamie kind of enjoyed the idea of having a meal made for him, especially as he came into the kitchen and could smell it. He rarely made himself full blown meals and tended to just graze on whatever it was he had in the house. In a bind, he'd just pop off to the MacFusty house and get something there. He had a way with cook and always managed to fanangle something to eat out of her.

He shouldn't think about things like that though. Bella wasn't some little housewife he could bring about when he wanted. It wasn't fair to her. Or to him, for that matter.

"Sometimes," he answered, grateful for the distraction to focus his mind elsewhere, "There's a one room shack available but it isn't always close enough to where we need to be. And you saw Dagda, sometimes there's wrestling with the bastards." He winced as he realized his mistake of coarse language.

"Sorry," he said before he started to eat the food she'd placed before him, "And thanks. I don't make much by way of food round here." Which, she'd probably figured by the state of his cupboards.

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Yay Bree Set!

Bella nibbled on a piece of bread, wincing as she realized it was a bit more stale than she'd initially thought.

"I'm shocked that you don't have at least one servant," she said. "You obviously need assistance." And now with her and the pups, there was more than one person who benefited from a clean home.

"I would do more, of course," she continued, "but Mac and Immie have a way of keeping me busy. If I'm not helping one of them, little Isobel has me fighting imaginary dragons with swords made of sticks," she explained, smiling to herself a the memory. Immie and Mac's sons would soon be old enough to chase after their elder sister, but Bella often wondered if she'd still be around to see it.

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

Jamie nearly choked on the food in his mouth as she mentioned how he needed assistance and should have a servant. He coughed to clear the food before he regarded her with a shake of his head and a raised brow.

"I'm just fine," he said simply, "There's no reason for one because I live alone and I don't entertain." It seemed pretty straight forward to him. It wasn't as if he had a family or anything. And he rarely had people at his house. Bella was the only one that had ever come over with such consistency. But, he knew, that once wolves were old enough and she could take Frideswide with her, she wouldn't be coming back. She'd take the wolf and leave and never look back.

And that thought hurt more than he cared to admit. Enough so that he hardly paid attention to what she'd had to say about Mac and Immie's kids. No longer hungry in the slightest, appetite abruptly gone, he shoved the plate away. "The pups need worked," he said gruffly, before standing to his feet and letting out the short and sharp whistle that drew Frideswide's attention and began to make his way outside with the pups quick at his heels.

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Yay Bree Set!

Jamie's change in demeanor made it obvious that she'd said something wrong, but she couldn't figure out what she'd said—and more importantly, why it had upset him. Her teeth dug into her bottom lip as she pondered on whether to follow him or give him space, but in true Bella fashion, she took off after him.

"You entertain me," she said as she caught up to him, "or you are least tolerate me. I'm not sure which one right now," she said, unable to change the topic until she found her answer. She wrapped her fingers around his forearm, partly to catch his attention and partly because he was walking too fast for her.

"I don't think you realize how much more you smile now that you have someone checking in on you every now and then," she continued in a ramble, struggling to walk with the pups nudging her. "And I'd hate to think of you becoming a total recluse once Mac no longer has need of me."

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

Jamie needed some distance, needed some space from her. He hated that he could so quickly get lost in whatever it was between the two of them and it all clouded his judgement. He wasn't that type of a guy. He never had been. He didn't give in to lust or anything of the like. He'd bedded plenty of women, of course, but they'd been the sort that wouldn't continue coming around. He might pick a favorite every now and again but there were still never any expectations. And even then, it wasn't as if he was a frequent visitor of brothels or anything similar. He liked to save his money, after all. Why? Who really knew, but he still saved more than he spent by a great deal.

But she was following after him. Preventing him from getting the space he felt he needed and soon enough she wast touching him. Slender fingers were wrapping around his forearms and only barely slowing his walk. He'd at least managed to get outside but the cool and brisk air did little to calm his slight panic he was feeling.

"You don't get it," he said gruffly, unable to meet her gaze but he did eventually stop walking as the pups began to frolic about outside, "I don't entertain you. You come because you feel like you have to. The pups are your focus and always have been. They need you checking in on them. Not me." And while it wasn't quite the truth, it sounded better than anything else he could even think of to say.

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Yay Bree Set!

Shes continued struggling to meet his steps until Jamie came a halt. Surprised by the forcefulness of his words, she gripped his arm tighter, as if she was afraid he'd disappear if she let go. His ramblings made no sense from her perspective, but he obviously believed them to be true. Her, only there for the pups! It was ridiculous!

"I don't think it's your place to tell me how I feel," she scolded, tugging his arm with hopes that he'd meet her gaze. "I come here because I want to see you. Of course I love the pups, but you're mad if you think they're the only reason I visit." Surely he had more sense than that! She'd first come to see him before he'd even found the pups—what did he think her reasoning was then?

"Next you're going to tell me that I only got into bed with you because you compelled me to." she continued, aghast by his assumptions. "Or that I do your laundry because I don't think you're capable. If you don't want me visiting you anymore, just say the words—but don't ever assume my motivations," she finished with a hmph, releasing his arm and taking a step back.

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

Jamie wouldn't, couldn't, meet her gaze still no matter how hard she tugged on his arm. Her words hardly registered in his mind, having already stubbornly decided himself how she felt and how he wasn't the main reason for her appearances at his shack. It didn't make sense what she was saying even if he chose to believe it. Why in Merlin's beard would she want to see him? He was an arrogant ass that yelled more than anything. She didn't even know him.

He felt her release his arm and take a step back, even heard her hmph about it all. He shook his head and ran his hands down his face. This was a disaster. It never should have come to be such a thing. He never should have kissed her.

"Why in the hell would you want to see me?" he found himself questioning even if he didn't really know if he wanted to hear the answer. "I've hardly been a gentleman," he started, finally turning to look at her so the anger and anguish was more than apparent on his face, "I took your fucking virtue for Merlin's sake!" She shouldn't want to see him, not at all. It was absurd and crazy but why did it bother him so much?

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Yay Bree Set!

Bella studied his features while she simmered. She fidgeted in place: her arms crossed and then uncrossed, she rolled her eyes, moved her weight from one leg to another, and then folded her arms across her chest once more. Then, as he raised his voice and his language went foul, Bella finally snapped.

"I want to see you because I like you, Jamie!" she replied, red-faced as she took a step towards him. "Is it so difficult to believe someone might like you? If I wanted a gentleman, I would have run off with—." She froze, letting out deep breaths through her teeth as she tried to find the right words.

"It's not like I've been a proper young woman, either! I gave you my virtue—you didn't take it!" she argued, taking another step closer, her brows knitted in frustration. "And I gave it to you because I like you! Don't you understand? Am I making any sense?" she added, poking him square in the chest.

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

There was an obvious bit of shock on Jamie's face as he regarded her, as her words began to sink in to him. It still didn't make sense. She still didn't know him enough to like him. She might like how he looked or the idea of him, but she wouldn't if she really knew him. He was sure of that. He just.. wasn't a likable sort.

His brow did raise when she almost divulged more information than she wanted to about whoever it was she might have run off with before prior. He couldn't really dwell on it though. It was enough of a mess as it was and he didn't need more aggravating him.

But, of course, she proceeded to aggravate him and even poked him in the chest. He was quick to capture her hand in his own when she went in for another jab. He all but growled at her as he yanked her forward, his other hand going to her waist to hold her against him in the process. "Don't. Poke. Me," he growled again before he captured her lips with his own.

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Yay Bree Set!

Bella had dealt with Jamie's aggression before, but it had always been verbal, not physical. She gasped as he yanked her towards him, and barely had a chance to collect herself and take a deep breath before he pulled her into a kiss. Torn between the urge to kiss and fight him, she did both; she bit on his lip and laced her fingers in his hair, digging her nails into his scalp as she pulled him closer.

Moments later, she came to her senses and pulled her head back. "I'll poke you if I want to," she retorted through raspy breaths, keeping her arms locked tightly around his neck.

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

Jamie growled into the kiss, only bringing to mind the age old lore of not poking a bear. The bite of his lips and the feel of her nails on his scalp did things to him that weren't wholly right when it came down to it. She likely couldn't have known it was cause such a reaction but it had.

"It's better if I do the poking," he said with a smirk, though there was still a hint of that anger from before in his eyes and in his voice as he made no move to release her.

"This isn't normal, Bella," he added quickly, knowing talking only caused to them fighting but something had to be figured out, "You shouldn't like me." And he still felt very strongly about that.

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Yay Bree Set!