OK, so this is my very late contribution to the Charloe fic gift exchange. This is for Banneg, who I must apologize to for the lateness of it. December was the busiest one I've ever had at my job and it left me little time to write. And after being away for so long, I have to admit the writing mojo was almost non-existent. But I finally got it together and this is what came out. I've had the idea for over a month, it just did not want to be written. And major thanks to Lemon for being there the whole time I was struggling with writing and for giving this a look over. Also thanks to all the Charloe book club, you know who you are, and you were also a great help by giving your support.

Banneg, so sorry you had to wait so long for your gift fic. I realize it is SO far past Christmas, but hopefully, this story will offer a little bit of cheer during the long winter months. I do hope the holidays were good for you and yours and that the new year is treating you well.

Banneg requested someone searching for a perfect gift for Bass and Miles being okay (but not TOO okay) with Bass dating his daughter. I hope this satifies some of what you were looking for. :)

I do not own anything of Revolution, just borrowing it. But I promise I'm taking care of Charlie and Bass.

I don't care too much for money

Money can't buy me love - Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles

"This has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever let you talk me into," Bass said, staring at himself in the full-length mirror in his bedroom. "I look ridiculous."

"You look fine," Miles said, patting his best friend on the back. "Besides, it's for charity. Remember, you're one of the good guys now."

Bass shot him a look worthy of the dictator he'd once been. He understood the hardships the war had brought upon the town. And with Christmas right around the corner, he knew there were some families who were going to struggle finding food for the holiday, let alone getting presents for their children. Considering he knew he had a lot to make up for, he'd agreed to go along with Rachel's bachelor auction. "Shut up. You sound just like your girlfriend now."

"Drop it," Miles muttered. In the six months since the end of the two-year long Patriot war, they'd been working on repairing their friendship, Rachel being the only remaining point of contention between the two. Both found it easier to ignore the situation rather than start a fight. Still, even Miles couldn't argue that Bass had been trying his best to get along with her, even to the point of accepting a spot in her latest scheme.

Bass studied his reflection, his fingers straightening his bowtie. "I can't believe that of all the stores rifled and destroyed after the Blackout, Willoughby just happened to still have a tuxedo rental joint."

"Well, think about it," Miles said, plopping on the edge of the bed. "What good was a bowtie or top hat going to do anyone after the power went out?"

Bass couldn't argue with that. It had been so long since he'd worn a tuxedo that he looked like a stranger to himself. Plus, the entire combination was odd; his full beard and longish, curly hair was an obvious product of the post-Blackout world, but from the neck down, he looked like a man on his way to a black tie affair. "You know the last time I wore a monkey suit like this was Ben's wedding."

Realizing what he'd said, his eyes caught Miles's in the mirror. A thousand words were exchanged in that glance; apologies and regrets swirled with memories of the past.

"Yeah, me too," Miles said, glancing away.

"Well, I'm guessing every other poor schmuck Rachel conned into this is going to be dressed up too, right?"

Miles chuckled at Bass's attempt to change the awkward subject. "For the first time ever, the tuxedo store has been pillaged. But they had formal dresses too. The girls were excited about that. Even Charlie's dressing up for tonight."

"Charlie?" Bass asked, his interest piqued. During the war, he and Charlie had been partnered up quite a bit. Part of it was Miles and Rachel's dislike of being separated; part of it was Bass's growing enjoyment of fighting alongside Charlie. And he had to admit, since the end of the war, they'd been getting along...actually quite well. "Rachel got her to agree to this?"

"Of course not." Miles scoffed. "Look, I love her, but Rachel's enough of a control freak that there's no way she'd let some random guy bid on her daughter for the night."

Bass shook his head. "I knew it. She's playing matchmaker, isn't she? This is Rachel's way of getting single people dates."

"Bass..." Miles started but was quickly cut off.

"I knew we should have just passed around a hat and taken donations, then gone up to Austin for supplies for the town. But no, she's got to make it into some Christmas party-slash-bachelor-auction." He knew he was ranting, but sometimes, most of the time, Rachel's hair-brained schemes really got under his skin.

"Bass...first off, think about it...why would Rachel care about hooking you up with anyone? She's not too concerned about your love life, pal," Miles said.

No, not concerned about him finding true love with someone, more like concerned about him spending too much time with a certain someone. While nothing had happened between the two of them, he and Charlie had been hanging out quite a bit as of late, a point which had surely not gone unnoticed by Rachel Matheson. "She's not worried about me getting a date, Miles. I think she just doesn't like my choice of company lately."

He didn't see the look that crossed Miles's face. "What, Charlie? Yeah, we've all noticed that you guys have been...hanging out. But it's not like anything has happened there."

Bass shrugged.

"Right, Bass? There is nothing happening there?" Miles studied him from under hooded eyes. "You two...there's nothing..."

"No, there's nothing, Miles." Bass's tone all but ended the conversation. If there was anything between him and Charlie, it was all just in his mind anyway. "Let's go. Let's just get this over with."

As he headed for the door, he missed the small smirk on his best friend's face.

The town hall was decorated to the hilt; even Charlie had to admit that Rachel had gone all out this time. Two Christmas trees sat in the front corners of the town hall; well, they were more like Christmas bushes really, far squatter and shorter than Charlie was used to. But Rachel had made certain they were decorated to the hilt, with red bows and little candles. Speaking of candles, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen so many in one place before; she lost count after hitting 100. They were on all the tables, on the windowsills, on every free surface she could see. The setting was intimate, romantic even given the event scheduled for tonight, but the sensible part of Charlie hoped a fire didn't break out.

Her attention was immediately drawn to the door when Miles and Bass stepped through. Miles hadn't really dressed for the occasion; although his shirt was free of wrinkles and it did look like he'd drawn a comb through his hair. Chuckling, Charlie was certain her mother had insisted on at least that much. Still, he wasn't the one who really caught her eye.

Considering she'd grown up in a rough and tumble world, she'd rarely seen men dressed to the nines. Tonight, she'd seen several; men who were going to be "auctioned off" for Rachel's charity effort. But none of them, not one, wore their suits with the confidence and elegance that Bass did. He appeared every inch the president he once was, albeit a far more genteel, refined one. But he also looked like one of the old movie stars Aaron used to talk about. Charlie had seen a few pictures of those famous people going to something called the "Oscars". Bass certainly would have fit in there.

As always seemed to happen with them, his eyes locked on hers, his own widening when he saw the way she was dressed. For the first time that night, self-consciousness hit her. She liked the little blue dress she wore, but would he? Leave it to him to make her feel so unsure of herself. Which sort of pissed her off. Since when did she care what Bass thought anyway?

As he and Miles headed in her direction, anxiety gave way to nervousness in the pit of her stomach. Since when did she care? Since they'd started spending all sorts of time together at the end of the war. As much as she'd tried to fight it in the beginning, she and Bass had become good friends. And she'd be lying if she said she hadn't been having other thoughts about him over the last few weeks.

"Wow, Charlie, you look...your mom let you out of the house that way?" Miles asked.

Ripping her eyes away from Bass, she finally set her concentration on Miles. "I'm a grown up. And I'll have you know this is a very tasteful dress."

"I'll say," Bass muttered.

Catching the mumbled words, Charlie fought back the smile threatening to form. Suddenly, she was very happy she'd picked out the dress; royal blue in color, the sleeveless, strapless bodice fit her snuggly, while the full skirt hung to just below her knees and ended in little points. Her mother had called the fabrics taffeta and chiffon; she was more a fan of the latter and the way it flowed like silky water down her legs. Small stones that looked an awful lot like diamonds accented the skirt and one side of her waist. Charlie couldn't believe anyone would waste good money to decorate a dress, but Rachel had insisted they were rhinestones and not worth a thing. Low heels completed the outfit and felt far easier to walk in than those stilts Drexel had made her wear.

"Well, you look...beautiful," Miles said. Charlie smiled at the begrudging compliment, especially given the recent change to their relationship. They'd gone through a rough patch after Rachel had come clean about her true parentage, but they'd come out stronger than ever on the other side. She'd lost one father but gained another she loved just as much.

"Thank you."

"You really do." Bass's voice was low and deep, the raspy tone of it sending shivers up her spine.

"You too." When their eyes connected, she swallowed. More and more, he'd been doing this to her; playing complete havoc with her entire body.

Miles stood there for a few moments before clearing his throat. "Uh, Bass, don't you have to go backstage and get ready?"

"Huh?" He tore his gaze away from Charlie. "Oh yeah. Guess I should...go do that."

He turned to leave, but Charlie stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Some lucky lady's going to get you tonight, Bass. Good luck."

Nodding a thanks, he headed off to the backstage area. She sighed, reaching a hand into the subtle, small pocket in the skirt of her dress. There were diamonds there, but not a whole lot. And she wasn't so sure she had the nerve to go through with her plan anyway. If she bid on Bass, it would all be out in the open. How she felt about him, how her heart had changed for an ex-dictator her mother still considered the destroyer of their family...she wasn't sure she was ready for the consequences that would come with that. But in all honesty, she really didn't want anyone else to buy a night out with Bass either.

She was startled out of her reverie when she felt Miles reach for and grasp the hand that was in her pocket. Lifting it out of the garment, he pulled it up enough for his other hand to cover it. Then she felt a smattering of diamonds fall into her palm. Shocked, her head shot up, blue meeting brown in a questioning gaze.

"Bass is well-liked in town these days, Charlie. And, well, women always found him irresistible anyway...the dickhead." At her continued confused stare, he offered a rare smile. "I caught wind that there was more than one woman planning on bidding on him tonight. Thought you could use a bit of help."

Glancing down at her hand, then back up at him, she studied him closely. "Are you...are you telling me to go after Bass? I mean, are you giving me permission to date your best friend?"

Miles shrugged. "Charlie, I've known the guy all of my life. And one thing I can always tell is when he's gone on a woman. Not wanting to just get in her pants but literally fallen for her. It hasn't happened often. You're actually only the third."

"Me?"

"Kiddo, he's lost to you. And I'd much rather Bass go crazy over you than go back to that insane general we found a few years ago." He sighed. "I don't want to lose my best friend again."

The two had really patched up their relationship, something Charlie was very happy to see, and both men seemed better for it. Plus, it irritated the hell out of her mother. And she, Miles, and Bass had a field day with that. But her mind was still reeling from the knowledge that Bass had a thing for her. "He likes me?"

"Were you listening to me?" Miles shook his head. "We've moved way past "like", Charlie."

She exhaled. "I..."

"You had to know, kid. Or at least suspect. It's not like the feeling's not mutual." He held up his hand before she could speak. "Don't even try to tell me it's not true."

When had she ever really been able to keep anything from Miles? Finding out about his affair with Rachel, finding out he was her real father, had really put a strain on their relationship for a while. But she loved him too much to stay away. And she wasn't stupid enough to lose another father, especially just out of spite. "He's-he's not the same as he was. He's..."

"A lot closer to the Bass he used to be." Miles stared at her for a minute before turning his eyes to the stage. "You have that ability. To make people better."

"I don't know if that's true, but thank you anyway." Shaking the stones in her hand, she closed her eyes in relief. She now had 10 diamonds as opposed to the measly 4 she'd been able to scrape together. Some part of her suspected Rachel had an inkling that her feelings for Bass had changed and had somehow roped him into the auction to keep him away from her daughter, hoping maybe something would spark with another woman. Not to mention, Rachel knew there would be no forth coming assignments from Texas during the holidays, which meant Charlie had to budget herself for the month. She'd volunteered time instead of money for the charity so far.

But tonight, she was going to treat herself.

"Now if anything...if you two...if anything, uh, happens, I don't want to know about it. Ever." Miles said, setting off another chuckle from her. Typical father move right there. "Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it." Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Miles."

"Well, I've been searching for the perfect gift for him, but it's been impossible. Then I realized the perfect gift," he glanced down at her, "might just be you. And maybe he's your perfect gift too."

A huge smile bloomed on her face, as her eyes were drawn to the stage. "Wait, there's Mom."

"Yeah, we can't, uh, tell her about this." He motioned to the diamonds in her palm.

"You mean we can't tell her that you're not only basically setting me up with Bass, but you're also giving your blessing?"

"That is exactly what I mean." He scoffed. "Unless you want the rest of both of our lives to become a living hell. Your mother...she knows how to hold a grudge."

"Ya think?"

Rachel started the auction with one of the cute, young ladies from town. The girl fetched 6 diamonds, which her mother seemed pretty satisfied with. The next two bachelors each earned 7 diamonds for the charity, while the second bachelorette got 9.

When Bass walked out onto the stage, Charlie's heart leapt into her throat. Here it was, the moment when everything would change. After this, everyone, including Bass, would know Charlie had a thing for him. She'd never discussed it with him, never told him how she felt; all she had to go on was Miles's gut feeling and her own courage.

Even though Miles had suggested sitting down, she'd insisted on lingering in the back. There were two reasons for that. One, she was far too antsy to sit, and two, she wanted the element of surprise on her side.

"Next up, Sebastian Monroe," Rachel said, from her place on the stage. Although she hid it pretty well, both Charlie and Miles could hear the animosity in her voice. Exchanging a look, Miles gave her a slight nod, and she could almost hear his voice telling her to ignore her mother and go for what she wanted. "Shall we start the bidding at 2 diamonds?"

It had been the standard starting bid, and Bass got it quite quickly, racking up to five diamonds in just a few seconds. When he reached 6, Charlie's blood began to pulsate through her veins. Miles was right; there were quite a few women going after Bass. At 7 diamonds, she made her move.

"10 diamonds."

No one had reached that high a bid so far, and the sound of a new voice brought murmurs from the crowd. Heads whipped in her direction, eyes focusing on her. But only one set of eyes mattered as they locked on hers. She saw surprise in them, but she also saw what she was looking for...delight. A tiny smirk formed on her lips, and he returned the gesture.

Rachel, however, was less impressed. "Uh...10...do I have 11? 11 diamonds for...a war veteran."

When a voluptuous blonde stood up in the front and shouted 11, Charlie's heart fell. She'd used all the diamonds Miles had given her on that one bid, assuming it would be enough. All eyes turned to her, waiting for her reaction. Shooting Bass a look of regret, one he instantly seemed to understand, she prepared to lose him for the night. But then she felt a few more diamonds slip into her hand. Closing her eyes, she silently thanked Miles for coming through once again.

Stepping forward, she called out her bid in a loud voice. "15 diamonds."

A gasp echoed throughout the room. Charlie pierced the shapely blonde with a hard look, silently daring her to go further. But the woman sat without another word. Returning her gaze to Bass, she caught the longing in his eyes, the hunger. But there was something more there too. Affection, tenderness, other things she wasn't even sure she could name. No one had ever looked at her with such devotion before.

Her mother was none too happy. Frantically, she tossed out an even higher bid for a man she still hated. "Uh...16? Do I hear 16 for Sebastian Monroe? Come on, ladies, he's a...keeper...16? Anyone?"

But everyone knew it was over. No one had even come close to that amount, and a bid like that could only mean one thing; there was a lot more than a charity auction involved. Rachel knew it too; the resignation in her voice was obvious. "Going once? Twice? Sold to Char-Charlie Matheson for 15 diamonds."

Satisfied, Charlie returned to her place beside Miles, leaning against the back wall. Before he left the stage, Bass shot her a mega-watt grin. Now all she had to do was wait for the auction to be over to claim her prize.

As soon as the bidding ended, Charlie rushed away from Miles to pay the diamonds she owed. Almost as soon as she'd gone, Bass stepped into the place she'd just vacated, leaning against the wall beside Miles.

"You set this whole thing up," Bass said, eyes on Charlie as she spoke to Aaron at the payment table.

"Why would you think that? This is Rachel's thing."

Bass finally turned to Miles. "Because you talked me into this. Rachel asked me and I said no. But then you were the one who kept telling me it was for charity, for a good cause. I said yes because you convinced me to."

"It is for a good cause."

"You gave Charlie the diamonds, didn't you?"

Miles finally met his eyes. "I wasn't always the best friend I should have been, Bass. I know that. But you were always my brother, and I want you to be happy. Both of you. Now, I'm giving you my only daughter. Don't make me regret it."

"I assume you know how I feel?"

"Of course I do." Miles said, his voice dead serious at his next words. "Why do you think I set the whole thing up?"

"Then you know I'd do anything and everything to keep her safe and happy."

"I know."

Before Bass could say another word, Charlie came bounding over to them, stopping short when she saw her date standing beside Miles. At the sight of him, her mouth got dry, her heart slamming in her chest. Their gazes locked, blue swirling into blue.

"Yeah, alright, that's enough for me," Miles said, cracking his knuckles and pushing away from the wall. "Have fun...but not too much fun. Or...don't tell me about the fun. I don't want to know."

"Miles," Charlie said, stopping him. "Thank you."

He nodded, his eyes falling on a spot behind Charlie. "I gotta run interference now. You guys better get the hell out of here."

Bass caught sight of Rachel stomping in their direction, the look on her face leaving little to the imagination. He was a dead man if they didn't get out of there. One way or another, Rachel would find a way to blame him for this. Grabbing Charlie's hand, he pulled her towards the door.

Trailing behind Bass, she saw Miles grab her mother around the waist to keep her from following. The sound of her mother calling her name was the last thing she heard as she and Bass slipped out into the night.

Once they'd put a little distance between them and the town hall, he stopped, turning to her. They stood there for a minute, staring at one another, like two wild animals sizing each other up. Bass finally broke the silence. "You know, I thought this night was going to suck. I figured some woman I couldn't stand would 'buy' me, and I'd be stuck with her. You could have saved me a lot of trouble and just told me you were planning to bid on me."

"What, and spoil that priceless look on your face when you realized I was the one with the highest bid?" For a minute, his gaze remained stoic, then he broke into a huge smile. It was the same look he'd given her when they'd been tied up in the pool and she'd insulted him; the only difference this time was the smile reached his eyes, lighting them up to the clearest shade of blue she'd ever seen. "Anyway, I did almost lose you there for a minute."

"That's impossible, Charlie. You can't lose me." She smiled and glanced away. "But you could have just told me before. And I could have said no to this auction...because I would have been already spoken for. At the very least, I wouldn't have had to wear this tux."

"I like the tux," she said slyly, trailing a finger down the front of his lapel.

His eyes raked up and down her body, setting off butterflies in her stomach. "I like the dress."

Breathing was becoming an issue, and she suddenly realized she was in way over her head. "Bass, I-"

He cut her off, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her body tightly to his. His mouth descended on hers, lips crushing hers in a fiery kiss. Running his tongue along the seam of her lips, she opened, allowing him access to her mouth. Dipping in, his tongue tangled with hers, punishing yet tender at the same time. A muffled moan escaped her at the sensations running through her. Never in her life had she been kissed like this. Although it felt like so much more than just a mere kiss. Devouring, he was devouring her. And she never, ever wanted him to stop.

But it did stop. After another moment, Bass softened the kiss, drawing back and staring into her eyes. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

"About as long as I have?" Staring into those eyes, she had no idea how she'd ever thought him nothing more than a monster. He was a rough man, a hard man, but there was so much more to him than that.

"I doubt it." He nipped at her lips again. "Charlie, I've wanted to do that since you stepped between Strausser and your brother in Philadelphia."

Confusion colored her eyes. "What? Why?"

"Because you were the most rebellious, defiant, gutsy woman I'd ever seen." He smiled at her, resting his forehead against hers. "It was like watching a tiger. You were wild and fierce and glorious. You flustered me, Charlie, and that is a hard thing to do. Without even realizing it, I've been chasing after you ever since."

"Son of a bitch," she whispered, grabbing his head in her hands and pulling him in for another kiss.

This one was lazier, exploring each other with lips and tongues. When she finally pulled away, her heart took one final step. "I know the auction was just supposed to lead to a dinner date, but I want to be with you, Bass. Take me home."

He studied her, probing her with those eyes. "Charlie, are you sure?"

"More sure than I've ever been of anything."

Kissing her gently, he reached for her hand, leading her in the direction of his house.

They were on each other the second the door closed behind them. Spinning her around, he shoved her against the wall, lips claiming hers in a heated kiss. But Charlie gave as good as she got, attacking his mouth with a newfound passion that she'd never felt before. Wanting her as close as he could get her, his hand slid down her leg, lifting it up and over his hip, his tight grip holding it there.

It felt like she was floating, like she could just drift away into the atmosphere. Wrapping her arms around Bass's neck, she held on for dear life, certain that he was the only thing keeping her on the ground. His lips slipped down her neck, and she giggled as his beard tickled her neck. At the sound of her mirth, he let out a chuckle, thrilled that he could make her feel so light, so happy.

"Bass..."

"Hmmm..." he mumbled, nipping at her throat with teeth.

"Do you think we could make a fire?"

Pulling back to look at her, he caught her line of vision focused on the thick, fur carpet in front of his fireplace. The very thought of laying her naked on the rug, her skin glowing in the firelight, made him hard as a rock. "I can do that."

Undoing his bow tie, he yanked it off, flipping it to the couch; his jacket followed, then his shoes. Slipping out of her heels, Charlie watched him work, admiring the way his muscles tensed under his shirt. He had the fire going in no time, and he rejoined her, kissing her again before tugging her towards the hearth. The light from the flames caught the highlights in her hair, turning them into burnished copper. Her eyes sparkled as she stared up at him.

"You're beautiful, Charlie."

"You're not so bad yourself." He was the most handsome man she'd ever seen. In the past three years, she'd gotten to know him so well. And she almost couldn't remember the time when she'd thought he was a sociopath who cared for nothing or no one. She'd once called him dead inside, but nothing could be further from the truth. Bass was filled with a warmth, an earnestness that few ever really had. He was brutally honest and viciously loyal. And somewhere in the middle of it all, all the fighting, all the battles and struggles, she'd fallen in love with him.

"I like this dress." He grinned, fingers running through the fluid material of her skirt. "It makes your eyes look even bluer. And since this is such a nice dress, let's not ruin it. I'd like to see it on you again."

With a smirk, she turned her back towards him, then turned her head to gaze at him over her shoulder. His hand reached out, slowly drawing the zipper down her back, never losing eye contact with her. The garment slipped off, pooling at her feet, and leaving her in just her bra and panties. She stepped out of the circle of the skirt, her hand reaching out for his. He took it and led her to the soft carpet, guiding her down to her knees, joining her on his.

They faced each other, leaning in for another kiss; Charlie's hands ran up his chest, lithe fingers undoing the buttons of his shirt as quickly as she could. When she had them open, he ripped the material off, tossing it out of the way. Eyes riveted on her face, he reached behind her, unsnapping the strapless bra and letting it fall away. Exposed to him, she felt no embarrassment, no fears like she thought she might. She belonged there with him; she'd never been more certain of anything in her life.

Unable to resist any longer, his head dipped down, mouth capturing her right nipple. Alternating between sucking on it and lashing it with his tongue, he smiled against her skin when she uttered a low moan. Switching sides, he gave the same attention to her other breast, loving the taste of her, the sweetness of her.

"Bass..." Her fingers threaded through his hair, clutching at the curls as he continued his onslaught. "Feels so good..."

Satisfied with the pleasure in her voice, he nipped his way back up her chest to her jaw, nuzzling over to her ear and pulling the lobe into his mouth. He'd been hard since they'd gotten to his house; hell, he'd been semi-hard the second he realized she was the one bidding on him, but when he felt her small hands unbuttoning his pants, liquid fire shot through his veins. God, he wanted her with every fiber of his being. He pulled her to him, arching her back and laying her down on the rug.

"I wanted to wait, Charlie. I wanted to go slow, take my time with you, but I can't...I just can't."

"Good." She smiled at him, eyes locked on his. "I don't want you to."

Thrilled with her answer, he slipped out of his pants, pulling away only long enough to slide her panties down her legs. Covering her body with his, he relished being skin to skin with her at last. He wasn't lying when he'd told her he'd been chasing after her since they'd met in that room in Philly; subconsciously, he'd been seeking Charlie out for a long time. When he'd found her laying naked in that field with his son, he'd felt a jealousy rush through him that startled even him in its viciousness. But now, he finally had her exactly where he wanted her.

Spreading her legs for him, she sighed when she felt his hard cock rub against her thigh. "Now, Bass."

Wanting to make certain she was ready for him, he pressed a hand against her mound, pushing his middle finger through her folds and sinking inside her. "Damn, Charlie, you're so wet."

"I have been most of the night, Bass."

He didn't think it was possible to get even harder than he already was, but at her sultry words, he did. If he didn't sink inside of her soon, he might just lose his mind...again. Pulling his finger out, he slipped the digit into his mouth, licking her juices off it. She watched him, fascinated, tasting herself when he slammed his lips against hers, plunging his tongue in to dance with hers. Taking his cock in hand, he lined up with her entrance, driving into her in one smooth stroke.

"Bass..." Charlie purred his name as he groaned out hers.

Finally joined, he withdrew almost all the way before slamming home once again. After a few more extreme strokes, he steadied the pace, determined to bring her as much pleasure as he possibly could.

Charlie's legs wrapped around his waist, her heels digging into his ass and tugging him closer on every down-stroke. Her hands ran up and down his back, caressing his shoulders, fingers gripping his hips as he moved within her. The friction was delicious; Bass was big, and he hit every sensitive spot inside her. When his thumb unexpectedly passed over her clit, she arched up, driving him deeper, and clinging to him, whispering his name.

Sensing she was close, he picked up the pace with both thumb and cock, pounding into her harder, rubbing her clit faster. Her breathing changed to quick grunts as her body strove to find release. When it hit her, she cried out for him over and over, his name on her lips as shudder after shudder echoed through her.

The clamping of her walls on his dick pushed him closer to his own orgasm, even quicker than he'd expected. God, she felt so good, so tight, and the need to come was imperative. All but slamming into her now, it hit him almost before he was ready; his ass clenched when it hit, and he yanked out of her at the very last minute, his hot seed spilling over her stomach and thighs.

He thought he might have lost consciousness for a few minutes, because he slowly became aware that he had dropped down on top of her, his head pillowed on her breast. She was softly stroking his hair, her fingers twisting in the curls. Lifting his head, he gazed up at her. "Charlie...that was..."

Contended, she sighed. "Amazing?"

"That works." He was pretty certain he'd never come so hard in his life. "I promise we'll go slow next time. I'll take my time with you."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Just give me a few minutes to recover, and we'll get started." Realizing she was bearing all of his weight, he shifted. "I'm probably heavy. Let me get off of you-"

"Don't you dare. Stay right there. I'm comfy."

Chuckling, he dropped his head back down on her chest. "I'm comfy too."

"Bass...you know when I said I wanted to be with you?" He mumbled a yes. "I meant more than just tonight."

Staring into the fire, he smiled. "Good. Cause this is just the beginning, Charlie. I could never give you up now."

Pleased with his answer, she tilted her head towards the patio doors that led out to his fenced-in backyard, her eyes widening when she saw what was outside. "Bass?"

"Hmmm..."

"I think it's snowing," she said.

"Charlie, we're in Texas. It doesn't really snow." He laughed softly.

"Well, I grew up in Wisconsin. I'm pretty sure I know what that white stuff falling outside your window is."

Craning his neck back, he saw it. "Holy hell."

"Told ya."

Sitting up, he pulled her against him as they stared out at the snow. "Well, you're here in my arms. We're both naked...we've just made love...maybe hell has frozen over."

"Maybe." Grinning, she looked at him, pressing her palm against his cheek, their eyes connecting like they always did. "Tell you what though, I'd go through it all again, just to be here with you now."

"So would I, Charlie." He kissed her again. "So would I."

A/N: So I checked and I realize Austin gets almost no snow, but I did read where there were a few cases of light snow. I figured Bass and Charlie should get a least a dusting for their Christmas celebration. ;)