Author's Notes:

If you've arrived here from anywhere other than the T-rated Bruised & Battered story, you're going to be very confused. I highly suggest reading that first, then coming back here when you get to chapter nine if that's what you decide.

Then again, who am I to tell you what to do? If you want to dive right in, I'm not going to stop you! :)

Bruised & Battered,
Chapter Nine

She woke up to the sound of soft snoring coming from somewhere perilously close to her right ear. She opened her eyes slowly, momentarily blinded by the bright sunshine slashing through the thin fabric shade covering the window.

She blinked in confusion as she tried to get her bearings. The last thing she remembered was settling down on the couch in the living room, book in hand, Fifty-Nine snoring loudly next to her. Speaking of which...

She turned slowly, fully expecting to come face-to-face with her bed-hogging, covers-stealing, pillow-appropriating dog, only to discover the source of the snoring was actually her partner.

A slow grin spread across her face as she studied his sleeping form. While she had no memory of this, Jimmy was obviously responsible for her waking up in her comfy bed instead of on the lumpy couch in the living room.

She briefly marveled at the fact that she'd managed to sleep through his coming home. Until now, she would never have believed anyone could not only sneak into her place without her knowledge, but also carry her into the bedroom and put her to bed, all without her waking up.

Then again, Jimmy wasn't just anybody.

He was the one person in the world she trusted implicitly.

She trusted him with her life.

Not to mention with her heart.

Still, it really was a shame she'd slept through it all; They could have picked up where they'd left off, making the night much more enjoyable. No matter, she was awake now, and she had every intention of making up for lost time.

First things first, though, she told herself as she slipped out of bed, careful not to wake her partner. She tiptoed her way to the bathroom, ever-so-quietly pulling the door shut behind her.

After taking care of some rather pressing matters, she lingered in front of the shower enclosure, staring longingly at the massaging showerhead. While she was itching for a twenty-minute shower to wash away the grime of the past twenty-four hours, the noise of the running water would surely wake her sleeping partner. She wanted to avoid that if at all possible, as she had a number of ideas on how to rouse him, none of which involving her clanky old pipes.

After one last longing look at the shower, she stepped up to the sink for a quick brush and rinse. A minute later, feeling all minty-fresh and intent on finishing what they'd started the night before, she made her way back to the bedroom after a quick detour to the kitchen.

She studied her sleeping partner, absent-mindedly chewing on her bottom lip as she pondered her next move. She and Jimmy were certainly no strangers to morning sex, and while she couldn't deny that those rushed early-morning couplings had always been thoroughly enjoyable, a quickie wasn't what she was after this time.

There would be absolutely no rushing to the finish line this morning...

After settling on a game plan, she stripped down to her bra and panties, then slipped under the covers, taking care not to disturb its sleeping inhabitant.

"Jimmy, you awake?" she asked in a barely audible voice as she dropped feather-light kisses along the side of his neck. He mumbled something she couldn't quite make out, shifting his position slightly to allow her better access, but didn't actually awaken.

She grinned, feeling a perverse thrill at having her way with him like this. Not that he'd object, were he awake, but still...

She slowly worked her way down, nipping at his collarbone as she undid the first button of his shirt, then the second, her actions eliciting a low - albeit still-sleepy - moan from her partner. She took her time with the remaining buttons, lavishing kisses on every inch of bare skin she encountered as she lazily made her way down his stomach.

Having liberated him from his shirt - or at least as much as she could while he was laying on his back - she turned her attention to his lower half. Those jeans needed to come off, now! After deftly undoing the top button and fly - amazing how easy that was when she wasn't distracted by her partner's roaming hands and lips - she tugged at the waistband, managing to get the pants off with remarkably little effort.

Tossing the jeans aside, she straddled his amazingly-still-sleeping form, licking her lips as she studied her handy work. The man certainly did look good enough to eat...

She toyed with the waistband of his boxer briefs and she weighed her options. While part of her was tempted to see just exactly how far she could get before he awakened, a bigger part of her just wanted to him to wake up already!

"Need any help?" Jimmy asked in a suspiciously sleep-free tone of voice, startling her.

"You're awake," she said accusingly, glaring at him. "You just let me go on, believing you were asleep!"

"Well," he explained as he tried to keep from laughing. "You were so focused on the task at hand," he added as he propped himself up to a sitting position, hands coming to rest on her hips. "I didn't want to break your... concentration."

"You could still have said something," she argued half-heartedly, distracted by the feeling of his right thumb tracing lazy circles on her stomach. "I missed you," she admitted, "which is stupid, I know, because you were right there, but-"

"I know," he said in a low voice as he slid his hands up slowly, stopping when he encountered the scalloped edge of her lacy bra. "Victoria's Secret?" he asked, clearly amused at her selection.

"Moment of weakness," she replied, trying rather unsuccessfully to suppress a moan as her partner traced the edge of the cups with his fingertips.

"For me?" he queried, playing with one of the straps.

"Well, you always did love to take these things off me," she responded with a small shrug. "I understand it's a required step in getting me naked," she added, fingers skimming the edge of his briefs, "but you always did seem to enjoy it a whole lot, certainly more than as just a means to an end..."

"Think of it as getting a gift," he explained as his thumb came to rest on the front closure. "Just because I want to see what it is doesn't mean I can't appreciate the beautiful paper," he continued, toying with the clasp, "or savor the act of slowly unwrapping it to get to the treasure inside..."

She sucked in a sharp breath as he finally released the clasp, causing the lacy fabric to scrape against her sensitized flesh as the cups fell away from her breasts. Feeling her control slipping away, she tugged at his briefs in an effort to get them past his hips, craving the feel of his naked body - all of it - against hers.

"Not yet," he said as he immobilized her busy hands. "Slow unwrapping, remember?" he whispered into her ear before before trailing kisses down the side of her neck.

"Uh-uh," she moaned, arching against him in an attempt to get closer.

Releasing her hands, he slipped the strap off one shoulder, laying down a trail of kisses in its place, then proceeded to to the same to the other one, causing her to squirm in his lap.

His hands shot to her hips, fingers digging into her flesh, in an effort to keep her from moving. "As much as I'm enjoying that," he gasped, fighting to get himself under control, "you really need to stop squirming."

"Sorry," she mumbled against the side of his neck as she, too, tried to regain a modicum of control. "You're not exactly making it easy, you know?" she added with a strangled laugh. "I love foreplay as much as the next girl but, right now, what I'd really like is to throw you down on the bed and ride you until you're screaming my name."

Her statement was met with silence, making her wonder if she'd said too much. Jimmy never had a problem with her taking the initiative when they were together but, then again, that was a long time ago. It was possible he'd come to dislike assertiveness in bed, though certainly hoped that wasn't the case. "Jimmy," she said, thinking she might as well find out now if this was going to be a problem, "you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just... trying to find a reason why I shouldn't let you do just that."

"Oh," she said, heaving a sigh of relief. "For a second there, I thought that maybe-"

"Maybe I didn't appreciate you wanting to take control?"

"Yeah..."

"I know exactly who you are, Annie," he reminded her as he released his grip on her hips and tilted her chin up. "I have absolutely no problem with you taking charge, be it out in the field or at home in bed."

"Okay... So, then... Where were we, exactly?"

"I believe you were about to ravage me," he reminded, grinning wickedly as he reached for her...

"Right," she said as she gave him a playful shove, causing him to fall back onto the bed. She quickly relieved him of his boxer briefs, relishing the feel of his bare skin under her fingers. "Nice," she said, licking her lips appreciatively as she nodded towards his rather impressive erection.

"Entirely thanks to you, I assure you," he replied hoarsely, once again struggling for control. "Um, not to rush you or anything, but... condom?"

"I planned ahead," she told him as she reached for the dresser, grinning broadly as she brandished a strip of prophylactics.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you," he said as he let out a sigh of relief, taking the strip from her and hastily tearing off one of the packets.

"Uh-oh," she countered, snatching the condom from his hands. "I get to do that."

"Boots," he started, something very close to fear stealing over his features as he watched her tear open the wrapper with undisguised glee. "It's going to be a very short ride if you get your hands on me right now..."

"Don't worry," she replied with a wolfish grin. "No hands, I promise..."

He continued staring at her with now-undisguised fear, eyes darting between her face and her hands.

"You don't have to look so scared," she whispered as she crawled down his body, nipping at the heated skin along the way. "It's not gonna hurt..."

"Pain isn't really what I'm worried about just now," he said shakily, watching helplessly as she positioned the hot pink condom in her mouth, leaving the outer ring to rest over her lips. "You look like you're about to blow bubblegum," he said inanely as he watched her, fear slowly giving way to curiosity. "A definitely very adult game of blowing bubbles, mind you, but blowing bubbles nonetheless..."

She grinned up at him, reminding herself that laughing with a mouthful of latex would not be the smartest thing to do. After one last look at her partner's face, she bent down, wrapping her lips around the head of his now-very-erect member, lazily twirling her tongue against the tip.

He let out a strangled gasp, hips thrusting upwards, his body instinctively seeking deeper contact with the moist heat of her mouth. Not wanting to prolong the torture for longer than absolutely necessary - at least not this time around - she used her tongue and lips to unroll the condom down the shaft as she took him fully into her mouth.

She heard him mumble a string of unintelligible words, his control further slipping as he grabbed fistfuls of bedsheets in a desperate attempt to keep his hands off her.

She smiled - as much as her current activity allowed, at any rate - and ever-so-slowly worked her way back up, applying just enough suction to make him squirm a bit, grazing the head with her teeth before releasing him.

"There," she said as she slithered up his body, grinning like a Cheshire cat as she molded her body to his. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Depends on your definition of bad, I guess," he said haltingly, struggling to get his breathing under a semblance of control. "It certainly beats self-service, though," he conceded as he reached out for her, pulling her in for a long, slow kiss. "Bubblegum?" he asked as they broke apart, running his tongue over his lips.

"Ever tasted regular lubricated condoms?" she asked, her face scrunched up in disgust. "That stuff is nasty. Bubblegum is a much nicer alternative, trust me..."

"I think I'll just take your word for it," he said with a laugh before capturing her lips again. "Where did you pick up that little trick from, anyway?"

"Party trick," she said much too quickly.

He arched an eyebrow at her, clearly not buying her line.

"Just because I never brought guys home doesn't mean I was celibate," she admitted reluctantly. "Is that going to be a problem?" she asked, watching his face carefully. She now realized that while she and Jimmy had always been close, they'd never discussed their sex lives. Easy to see why, in retrospect...

"I'm hardly in a position to complain about other sex partners. Besides, I don't care about what you did with other guys," he said as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "That's the past, over and done with. What I care about is what's happening now, with us," he added, kissing her yet once again, "and about what's going to happen next. Speaking of which..."

He slipped an arm around her waist and before she'd even realized what he was doing, he'd flipped her over. She watched a most-decidedly wicked smile steal over his features as he contemplated what he was he was going to do next.

Or, more specifically, what he was going to do to her...

Her imagination obligingly supplied her with a number of possible scenarios, each one more erotic than the last, causing heat to pool in her belly as her arousal grew.

"My turn," he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "Turn-around is fair play, wouldn't you say?"

"Uh-uh," was all she managed, all higher brain functions having seemingly abandoned her for the time being.

"I absolutely do want to be fair," he continued as he licked, nipped and kissed his way down the side of her neck, "so I promise not to use my hands either..."

She craned her neck, watching breathlessly as he bent his head down over her left breast, tongue flickering out to tease the sensitive nipple. She whimpered at the sensation, arching up into him in an attempt to prolong the contact with his raspy tongue.

Having obviously picked up on her none-too-subtle body language, her partner obliged by first lapping at the stiffening bundle of nerves, then taking it into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the tip while simultaneously applying suction.

She cried out in pleasure, knuckles turning white as she gripped the sheets in an attempt to keep her eyes open. Part of her wanted to screw them shut and enjoy the ride, but a bigger part of her - a part she hadn't known existed until just now - just wanted to watch him as he kissed, licked, sucked, and god-only-knew-what-elsed her into orgasm.

"No hands," she moaned as she watched him run his thumb over her right nipple. She felt more than heard him chuckle in response, the resulting vibration instantly transmitted to her core, causing the heat pooling there to spread outwards. "You promised," she reminded him hoarsely, squirming under him as she tried to find a more comfortable position.

Or, if not more comfortable, then at the very least a whole lot more enjoyable...

She felt him stiffen - quite literally - as she managed to angle her hips just right, though her satisfaction was short-lived as he pinned her to the bed, barring her from further movement.

She was about to protest when he turned his attention - not to mention his oh-so-very-skilled tongue - to her thus-far ignored right breast. All coherent thoughts temporarily vacated her brain as he teased the nipple,

alternatingly licking, sucking and nipping at the hardening peak, setting every single one of her nerve endings on fire.

"Jimmy," she whimpered as she blindly reached for him. "Please," she begged, her voice raw with need.

"Not yet," her partner answered as he kissed, licked and nipped his way down her stomach, stopping only when he encountered the top of her lacy underwear. "I'm not done unwrapping my present," he added before dipping his head lower.

She could feel his breath through the lacy underwear, ripping the very last of her self-control to shreds. "You know," she said haltingly as she unconsciously spread her legs wider, "sometimes it's okay to just rip off the packaging..."

"Good point," he readily agreed, hooking his thumbs under the edge of her panties as he pressed a kiss onto into the apex of her thighs.

She shuddered violently at the sensation, throwing her head back as stars swam into her field of vision. She rocked her hips back and forth, desperately trying to find release before being thwarted yet once again by her partner.

"Wait for me Boots," he plead as he slid the undergarments over hips and down her legs, carelessly tossing them onto the floor before making his way back up her body. "I love you," he whispered against her mouth as he settled in between her legs.

"I love you too," she replied as she pulled him down for kiss, gasping into his mouth as he slid into her, inch by tortuously slow inch.

He established a maddeningly slow rhythm, teasing her with deep leisurely thrusts, refusing to be rushed no matter how much she begged.

After what seemed like hours of merciless teasing, repeatedly bringing her to the brink only to pull back at the very last moment, she noticed his thrusts were coming faster and harder, his control slipping as he approached orgasm.

She tilted her pelvis down, changing the angle of entry ever-so-slightly. She cried out in pleasure, senses instantly going into overload as the new position allowed for the top of his shaft to rub against her engorged clitoris with each and every thrust.

She felt herself starting to come undone, waves of pleasure radiating out from the pulsing bundle of nerves at her core. Jimmy's movements were becoming increasingly erratic as he strove to bury himself ever deeper inside her, unconsciously responding to the instinctive drive to procreate hardwired into his brain by millions of years of evolution.

"Can't hold on much longer," her partner told her in a strangled voice as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm right there with you," she whispered, pulling him down for a slow open-mouth kiss.

Mumbling something that sounded vaguely like thank you, he thrust into her one final time, letting out shuddering gasp as he came deep inside her, sending her tumbling over the edge right along with him. Crying out his name, she arched up into him, nails digging into the flesh of his back as she rode through her own climax.

Time passed, though she had no idea how much, as she waited for her vision to clear and her heart rate to return to non-stroke-inducing levels. Once she was reasonably sure she'd regained control of most of her cognitive and motor functions, she kissed Jimmy again, reveling in the sight, taste, and feel of him.

"Not that this is in any way intended as criticism of past performance," she said after releasing him, "but... Holy shit, Jimmy..."

"Holy shit indeed," he agreed as he rolled onto his side, bringing her along with him.

"I think I may owe Nathalie a word of thanks," she said with a laugh, realizing only too late what she'd just said.

"Nothing to do with Nathalie," he replied without missing a beat, "or with any other woman I've been with, for that matter." He paused, studying her face for a moment. "It's you, Boots," he said softly, stroking her cheek with his numb. "Only you..."

"I'm sorry," she said, sighing. "We need to talk, don't we?"

"Later," he told her. "For now, all that matters is you and me. Everything else can wait. Okay?"

She nodded her agreement as she relaxed into his embrace, knowing he was right.

It could wait.

Besides, she could think of a number of infinitely-more-pleasant things they could be doing instead of talking.

She shared the activity at the top of her list with Jimmy who, it turned out, was only too happy to oblige...