Hello everyone! This was posted for Curio Cherry, winner of a contest in my other IchiRuki story, Summer Girl.

Originally, this was supposed to be part of a full-length story but I have yet to get the rest of the story where it needs to be so here is just one chapter, shaped and cut to be a standalone :) I hope everything is clear enough. Enjoy!

Cast:

Rukia Kuchiki - Bodyguard for Kuchiki Inc., currently assigned to Ichigo Kurosaki and playing the role of girlfriend in public so as not to arise concern.

Ichigo Kurosaki - Japan's biggest soccer star, currently under threat from an unknown source apparently hoping to eliminate Japan's only chance at winning the World Cup. This threat must be kept secret so as not to panic the rest of the team and the public.

Renji Abarai - Head of the branch of Kuchiki Inc. that deals with the Japanese government, often calling in Rukia to perform assassinations when it is convenient.

Toshiro Hitsugaya - Head of security and technological genius employed by Kuchiki Inc. Close friend to Rukia Kuchiki.

Byakuya Kuchiki - President of Kuchiki Inc., a company that generally does whatever people pay it to do and gets away with it by doing the government's dirty work. Brother of Rukia Kuchiki.

Rukia's Target - Poor foreign fuck that was a puppet to a government that tried to intimidate the Japanese government.

Dr. Aizen - World-renowned surgeon and medical genius. Often works with Byakuya Kuchiki and the Japanese government.

Rukia closed the door quietly behind her and began walking down the hall. Renji was waiting in the stairwell and visibly relaxed when Rukia nodded, letting him know the job was done.

They walked down one flight of stairs and then down the hall to the Renji's room. He swiped the key card and they entered. Rukia remained in the entryway while he retrieved a briefcase and handed it to her.

"Put all your clothes in here and leave it in your room tomorrow. I'll have someone dispose of it for you."

"Yes, sir." Rukia responded simply. Her lifestyle rarely rubbed against her moral conscience but the target tonight hadn't been a bad person. His fat smiling face burned in her mind when she closed her eyes.

Renji placed a hand over hers as she took the briefcase. "You know, if you wanted, my offer still stands. You're welcome to spend the night here."

Rukia studied the man in front of her and he squirmed slightly under her stare.

Could she really have sex with this ruthless, power-hungry man?

The thought was repulsive but how could she return to her own room and face Toshiro and Ichigo? It was too soon.

She pulled away, a cool expression covering her face. "Byakuya wouldn't approve."

The redhead laughed and stepped closer. "It's my understanding that you regularly do things your brother wouldn't approve of," he spoke in a low voice.

His eyes were hungry and Rukia let him take her hand into his and kiss the back with his eager lips.

He would be an obedient lover, Rukia knew, constantly trying to please her. He drew his mouth down to kiss and play with her fingers.

But that wouldn't satisfy her tonight. Rukia took her hand back. "Renji, please."

She tried to be gracious though all her muscles were itching to escape. "I really should be returning to my room now."

"Of course," Renji cleared his throat and straightened up. "Well, good night, then. As always, it's been a pleasure."

"The pleasure's mine. Good night, Sir."

And with that, Rukia turned and moved out of the room as quickly as she could while still maintaining decorum, briefcase in hand.

.

.

She entered the room she and Ichigo shared to find both men still awake. Ichigo stared listlessly at the television screen while Toshiro had set up at the small table in the corner, monitoring the security system on his laptop.

Upon her arrival, the white haired genius began collecting his things. Ichigo watched her put the briefcase in the bathroom and then wait for Toshiro near the door.

"Nothing showed up in security." He spoke simply, obviously tired.

Rukia nodded. "Thank you."

"You ok?"

Rukia felt her heart swell with her friend's concern. Of course he would see right through her.

"I'm fine." Rukia glanced at the man sitting on the bed. His focus was back on the television.

She sighed, looking into Toshiro's gentle eyes, before admitting softly, "I almost slept with Renji."

Only minor surprise registered on his face. "I could've stayed a bit longer."

Rukia's flat expression told Toshiro that he had misunderstood. He shrugged in defense.

"Everyone copes their own way. I'm not going to tell you who you can and can't fuck."

Toshiro's last statement seemed to draw Ichigo's attention. Rukia rolled her eyes.

"Good night, Toshiro."

The shorter man smiled. "I am glad you have some standards though. Night." Then, he waved before heading out the door. "Night, Ichigo."

"G'night."

The computer whiz gave Rukia one last look before closing the door behind himself and Rukia smiled at her friend's comment despite herself. Stretching, she walked into the room.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" she asked the man on the bed.

He looked up at her and his expression seemed unchanged. Rukia was relieved that he didn't seem to think of her differently now that he knew fully what she was capable of.

"It'll make it easier to sleep on the train tomorrow." He responded.

Rukia decided not to argue. It wasn't like she would be sleeping anytime soon either.

She picked her pajamas out of her suitcase and went back to the bathroom to change. She carefully slid her dress off and folded it so to fit in the briefcase. There was still room so Rukia laid her shoes on top but kept her undergarments.

Renji would have enjoyed that too much.

She took a cold shower to calm her mind and then slipped on her dark silk tank and shorts. She set the briefcase on the corner table, grabbed a couple files, and sunk into the plush comfort of the large bed.

Ichigo was watching a rerun of today's game, unsurprisingly.

He raised his eyebrows at her choice of nightwear but Rukia didn't seem fazed.

"We're supposed to be a couple. It'd look strange if I wore my work clothes to sleep."

Ichigo almost pointed out that pretty much all her clothes were her work clothes but decided against it.

"Whatever you say, dear."

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Those are cute."

She was trying to tease him about his green boxers decorated with flaming soccer balls. Ichigo wasn't sure what about them had appealed to him but he certainly didn't appreciate her poking fun at his underwear.

So he was wearing a white sleeveless shirt and cotton boxers to sleep. They were comfy; it wasn't like he was trying to impress anyone.

"You ready to go to sleep?" He tried to change the topic.

Rukia now noticed the exhaustion in his posture and his face. This was only natural after playing the match that morning and then going out earlier.

Still, Rukia couldn't force herself to lie down.

"You go ahead. I think I'm going to read over some of the files again."

"Is everything ok? You seem kind of tense."

Rukia almost laughed at the understatement.

"I'm fine. You should sleep," she suggested gently.

"I'm not tired." He protested.

Rukia rolled her eyes at the obvious lie and the pair lapsed into silence until Ichigo spoke again.

"What's that?"

Rukia was still skimming through a folder on the whole team and didn't bother looking.

"What's what?"

"That."

She felt his index finger trail gently along the side of her hip and her arm jerked to reflexively swat him away before she caught herself.

"It's nothing." Rukia shifted away from his touch and pulled at the silk top to cover the thin scar.

Beside her, Ichigo became very pensive, a serious expression covering his face.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I… I didn't know."

He was referring to their outing with a few of Ichigo's friends from the team on one of the guy's private yachts. Naturally, all the girls were wearing skimpy bikinis while Rukia was in a one-piece. Ichigo reminded her that his girlfriends usually wore more revealing suits but Rukia had insisted.

Now Ichigo understood why she couldn't expose her torso.

"It's really nothing. Don't concern yourself." Rukia said, trying to end the conversation. She was still fighting against her racing mind and excited muscles to sit still and Ichigo's distractions were not making her reading any easier.

"How'd it happen?"

Rukia let out a long sigh. This guy had a knack for asking exactly the wrong questions.

"It was a long time ago. You should sleep."

Ichigo turned onto his side to study her face. Rukia focused on the information in front of her intently, wondering how apparent her thoughts were on her face.

"Talking about it might help."

What it would help, Rukia wasn't sure but she didn't want to ask. Instead, she found herself voicing her thoughts as she tried to remember the event.

"It was one of my first jobs. I was only… 18." She paused. Officially, she had started working for her brother's company when she became a legal adult but she imagined Ichigo had already figured out it had actually been years earlier.

"I was part of a team selected to escort Dr. Aizen while he was in Tokyo for some sort of government meetings. This was during the huge scandal and many… important people blamed him for the loss of their fortunes."

Rukia glanced at Ichigo. To her surprise, he was still watching her, actually listening to her story.

"Well, a small protest started while we were in the train station and one man pulled out a knife and tried to stab him in the commotion. Fortunately, the man missed and we were able to arrest him and the Doctor made it safely through Tokyo."

"What do you mean 'fortunately'? You could've died!" Ichigo frowned.

Rukia almost smiled at his outburst. "Dr. Aizen's life is much more important than my own. My assignments are always top priority, over everything else."

Ichigo shook his head. "That's insane," he mumbled.

Rukia shrugged in response. She hadn't expected him to understand. She hoped he might, but that was obviously too much.

Finally, the agitation in her body grew to be unbearable. Rukia almost leapt off the bed and walked across the room to distract herself by sorting her files and papers.

"You ok?" Ichigo watched her warily.

Rukia knew she should control herself. She considered returning to Renji's room to burn her fitful energy but any unnecessary movement would be suspicious.

"I'm fine. Just too many thoughts."

"Why don't you come sit down and I'll give you a neck rub or something?"

Rukia looked at him as if to ask 'Seriously?'

"Just come here." Ichigo motioned to her half of the bed.

Intrigued and unused to his tone, Rukia obliged.

He grinned, shifting so that he was behind her. The usual cockiness seeped into his voice as he continued, "I'm kinda famous for my massages. When I was allowed to have girls over, it only took a few seconds before they melted completely."

Rukia rolled her eyes. She knew that was a stab at her rules she put in place to protect him but she didn't bother arguing.

She inhaled sharply when she felt his hands on her shoulders. Rukia cursed herself for the reflexive response and she could almost picture Ichigo smirking behind her.

His warm hands gently ran down from her neck to her shoulders and then back up. He slowly applied more pressure, working the tight muscles with more and more force.

"Let me know if it hurts." There was a sincerity in his voice that made Rukia uncomfortable.

This was probably a bad idea.

Instead, she scoffed. "I doubt you could hurt me."

Ichigo let his hands trail lightly down her back. Then, he pressed with both thumbs into the soft muscle under her shoulder blades.

She gasped and flinched away in pain.

"As a professional athlete, I actually know the different muscles pretty well." Ichigo laughed behind her. "As you can see."

Rukia forced her mouth shut against the curses she wanted to spit out at the orange haired idiot. Ichigo put a hand on her shoulder again and she pulled away.

"Oh, come on. I'm sorry."

She ignored him, turning and lying down. While her back was still smarting from the sharp force after the strenuous work out earlier, Rukia was more embarrassed about being proven wrong.

"Can you ever forgive me?" Ichigo's voice was teasing and he laid a hand in the center of her back.

Rukia turned her head so she could look at him. "That hurt."

The words didn't have as much bite as she had intended. Ichigo started kneading the sore area, relieving the tension, and the pain slowly dissipated.

His hands moved up and down the length of her back and Rukia found it difficult to protest even though she knew this was against what Byakuya would want.

Why is he doing this?

"I don't feel like putty." Rukia said spitefully.

Ichigo smiled down at her. "Just give it a minute."

Rukia watched his face and he continued to massage her. His eyes were a dark, melted chocolate color and a small crease formed between his eyebrows in concentration.

This was definitely a bad idea.

Then, Ichigo stopped and frowned again. One hand slipped under her tank top and she felt him run his fingers over another scar.

Rukia wanted to hit her head repeatedly against the soft pillows.

"You were shot."

She wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question but she stayed quiet, avoiding his sad eyes.

"How many do you have?"

Rukia chuckled dryly before answering. "From bullets or in general?"

She knew her question was more caustic than Ichigo deserved but his pity rubbed her the wrong way. She didn't need anyone to feel sorry for her.

His thumb traced around the raised circle almost subconsciously and Rukia turned and sat up to make him stop.

He was closer than she had realized. She tried to make her face blank as she studied him, attempting to figure out what was going on in his head.

"You know I didn't mean it like that." Ichigo spoke softly.

Rukia could feel his breath against forehead; why did he have to be so damn tall?

She looked away. "Please. Don't concern yourse-"

Suddenly, his hand was at the back of her head, pressing her against his warm lips.

A swirl of emotions and sensations filled Rukia's mind and when he finally pulled away, she had to search for words.

"What…" was all she found.

Ichigo met her gaze evenly. "You don't have to be formal with me."

His hand had continued to rest on her neck, gently tangling his fingers in her hair.

"Ichigo." It was a simple statement but he understood the warning.

But of course, Ichigo Kurosaki was not one to listen to caution.

He leaned in slightly, more slowly than before, waiting for Rukia to meet him.

Ichigo could feel her hesitation. He expected her to pull away but, instead, he soon felt her soft lips moving against his own.

Cradling her head in both hands, Ichigo stretched up so that he was standing on his knees. He had intended to lay Rukia down and take the dominant position but she pushed him backwards as soon as he was upright.

She ran her hands through his messy hair and worked his white shirt over his head. Ichigo didn't bother to see where she discarded the shirt. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist and rolled over so that she was under him.

He could feel her smile against his lips and he took both of her wrists in his hands, holding them above her head, when she tried to shift their position again.

Rukia nibbled on his ear as he sucked on her jaw and let his lips run along her neck. Ichigo grunted when she held his waist between her knees and pushed him onto his side.

He tried to pull her back to him and they wrestled for a moment, both demonstrating their strength. Ichigo smirked, imagining that that must somewhat resemble lion cubs, tussling and play-fighting.

Ichigo managed to regain the top position and Rukia noticed how close they had moved to the other edge of the bed. After allowing him to move one hand under her tank top and barely brush over her hard nipple, Rukia moved deftly, rolling both of them over and off the bed.

She started to laugh at the shocked expression on Ichigo's face under her but he quickly sat up and lifted her in his arms. An excited sound escaped from Rukia's mouth as Ichigo put a hand under each of her thighs and scooped her up, pressing her against the wall.

Rukia wrapped her legs around his waist to support herself and took advantage of her extra height by taking his face into her hands and kissing him deeply. Ichigo kept one arm around her waist but used the other to gently massage her breasts.

Rukia moaned softly and he ran his tongue along her open mouth. She raised her arms as he pulled her silk top off and then intertwined his fingers with hers, holding her arms up so that he could kiss and nip at her collarbone before going lower.

Ichigo let his hot tongue slide over Rukia's pale skin, making her breathe heavily. He took one nipple in his mouth, swirling his tongue around the hardened skin and sucking gently. Rukia moaned and worked her hips against the stiffness in his boxers.

Finally, Ichigo took his hand from around her waist, pressing her more forcefully against the wall. He slipped his hand under the waistband of her silk shorts.

His fingers began to slide in and out of her wetness slowly. The stimulation was difficult to maintain as Rukia was now holding herself up and there was little room between them for Ichigo to move his arm.

As if reading his mind, Rukia loosed her hands from his grip and leaned forward to put her arms on his shoulders. Her breasts were now centimeters from his face but Ichigo was distracted by her legs tugging on his boxers.

Eager to speed up the process, Ichigo assisted her and stepped out of his boxers, keeping her between him and the wall. Rukia reached down and Ichigo made a low noise as her fingers rubbed and stroked his length.

She guided him into her and then relaxed back against the wall so that he slid deeper inside. Rukia sighed blissfully and Ichigo began kissing her breasts again while rocking his hips against hers.

When Rukia realized Ichigo was close to climaxing, she moved forward and took the base of his member between his thumb and index finger. She waited until he was on the edge before squeezing and delaying his peak.

Ichigo's body shook and Rukia pushed against him, feeling his tight core and back muscles tense up against her moist skin, finally reaching her own climax. Her head fell back against the wall and her breath hitched.

Ichigo let her ride out her orgasm before taking her in his arms again and bringing her back to the bed. He laid her down, the gentleness from before now replaced with strong passion and desire, and climbed on top of her.

He found his way inside her again and took advantage of the new position, thrusting harder and faster. Rukia moaned softly and he covered her open mouth with his own. Her fingernails gripped the skin on his back and shoulders tightly, pulling him into her.

Rukia arched her back so that he could penetrate her deeper and her fast, shallow breaths told Ichigo that she was close to climaxing again. He didn't slow his pace and soon he felt her entire body shudder. Her walls tightened around him, bringing him to his own orgasm.

Rukia wrapped her legs around his waist and held him there so that he released inside her. When he had finished, she let him relax against her, his head resting on her chest, their limbs intertwined.

Her fingers gently brushed his hair away from his forehead and that was the last sensation Ichigo remembered before drifting off into a blissful and contented sleep.

.

.

Rukia's eyes flickered open. The room was still dark and the television had never been turned off. She decided it must be some time in the early morning.

Light fingers tenderly traced patterns along her stomach and side. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized what Ichigo was doing.

Sometime during the night, they had taken to spooning with Ichigo behind her, his nose and mouth nuzzled into the space where her neck met her shoulder. The tickling feeling of his breath against the sensitive area normally would have been incredibly erotic but something was distracting Rukia.

She returned her breathing pattern to normal, not wanting him to know that she was awake. His middle finger slid along her ribs, feeling another line of raised skin. This one was thicker than the one he had asked about before and when he reached the end, he let his lips press against her neck as softly as a feather caressing her skin.

After searching for a moment, Ichigo's hand found the matching scar to the one he found on her back earlier left from a bullet. He felt the spot, absorbing every bump and imperfection, and then kissed her again.

Rukia wanted to cry. But instead, she shifted, as if moving in her sleep, and Ichigo stopped running his hand along her torso. He protectively wrapped his arm around her, taking her hand, and kissed her again, assuming that she was having another nightmare.

She closed her eyes tightly against the cold tears that would have been an admission of weakness and listened to the rhythmic breathing behind her. Ichigo was so warm, so safe.

Even though she knew Byakuya would never approve, and that there would be hell to pay if anyone ever found out, Rukia decided that her and Ichigo's current situation could wait to be addressed in the morning and snuggled further into the illicit, protective embrace.

Oh, forbidden love! How tragic :(

So, tell me what you think! And congratulations again to Curio Cherry! I hope this was everything you hoped for :)