This is a sequel to my fic "Next to You." I highly recommend reading (and leaving reviews on) that first.

It had been nearly three weeks since Booth and Brennan decided to give the whole dating thing a shot although they hadn't a whole lot of couple time. Booth had Parker for a week when Rebecca went out of town on a business trip. Meanwhile, Brennan was hard at work at cases from Limbo and dealing with reorganization at the Jeffersonian. Dr. Goodman had come back from his sabbatical and Cam had decided to take another position back in New York where her sister had just had a baby. With all this disorder, the only time Booth and Brennan had alone together was in the car on their way to and from crime scenes – hardly a romantic setting. The only difference in their normal routine were the late night dinners at Wong Foos tucked away in a back booth instead of at the bar and a few stolen kisses.

Finally, they found a Sunday afternoon to spend together away from work and with no cases to discuss. The partners found themselves in Brennan's apartment, setting up her new TV.

"I can't believe you talked me into getting a television," Brennan called from the kitchen, getting them both something to drink.

"Welcome to the real world, Bones." Booth sat on the living room floor, hooking up the DVD/VCR. "It's an exciting place."

"I don't need a television to have excitement in my life," she said, entering the room, carrying two glasses of iced tea. "I'm a forensic anthropologist working with an FBI agent."

"An incredibly, handsome and charming FBI agent, you mean." He smirked, joining her on the couch and dropping a kiss on her lips.

"Of course," she smirked back, trying to disguise the butterflies in her stomach. It unnerved her how easily he fit into her life, her home. She wasn't used to have men around to fix her electronics or really be around at all. And, as fiercely independent as she was, it was never something she regretted yet having Booth around felt natural and seemed to fill a void she didn't even know was there.

"Let's test it out, shall we?" He clicked the TV on with the remote and started channel surfing. "Ooh sweet, Sportscenter."

"Nuh-uh, no sports on my new TV." She reached across and attempted to snag the remote from his grasp but he moved it away. She made another grab for it but he held it out of her reach. "Come on Booth, it's my remote!" She lunged for it again, making a wild grab for his hand and they tussled playfully for a moment until Brennan got Booth's arm pinned against the back of the couch. Only then did they realize the compromising position they found themselves in.

Brennan was sprawled across Booth's lap, straddling one of his thighs, and her breasts were pressed against his chest as she strained for the remote. His large hands rested on her waist where he had been trying to push her away from her prize. However, when their eyes locked and they realized how close their bodies were, he stopped trying to push her back and instead pulled her closer. Brennan let go of her grip on Booth's arm and wrapped her arms around his neck, her breathing suddenly shallow. Booth's hand slid up her spine and gently tugged her down for a kiss. His mouth brushed over hers, barely touching, just taking in the softness of her. The good doctor suppressed a moan and kissed him harder, pressing her body forward in a sinuous wave.

Booth pulled her lower lip between his teeth, nibbling gently before soothing the minor hurt away with his tongue. Brennan opened her mouth to his, sliding her tongue along his, caressing wetly. Booth groaned, one large hand coming up to tangle in her auburn hair, holding her close. The heat built between them and Temperance could feel it settling low in her stomach, between her thighs. She felt like they were two high schoolers making out in the back of a car – not that she knew from personal experience. She had never done anything like this in her youth, but she had heard stories from the popular girls whispering in the hallway.

Brennan's nimble fingers found the edge of his t-shirt and pulled it up, breaking the kiss to pull it all the way off. Tossing it aside, she trailed her fingers up over his defined stomach. She ran her hands over his skin, exploring his contours with delight. She had always been interested in the skeletal system, so much so that she became an expert in it. Bones were her life's work but with Booth she found herself fascinated by muscles and flesh. His skin stretched over his well developed chest and arms, just waiting to be caressed and licked.

Booth watched her through heavy-lidded eyes as she pressed her lips to his left pectoral before moving up and kissing his throat. As she sucked at the corded muscles of his neck, the agent's strong capable hands slipped underneath Brennan's sweater and smoothed up her back. His fingers traced wandering circles over her sides, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

"Booth," she whimpered as he traced the outline of her breasts over her bra. "Booth, maybe we should take this to the bedroom." He kissed her gently, then captured her hands which were moving dangerously close to his waistband.

"No."

"No?" She was confused and, he could tell though she tried to hide it, a little hurt.

"Not yet. You said you wanted to take things slow and we have. We haven't told anyone that we're seeing each other and we haven't talked about where this is going and that's fine. Slow is fine. But slow means not yet." Temperance shook her head at him.

"Going slowly doesn't have to mean that." She punctuated her words with a kiss. "We'd just be satisfying a biological urge…releasing serotonin…even burning calories." Her voice was low and husky although her words were clinical and the deep kisses she gave him between each reason made Booth barely able to follow her train of thought. "We're both consenting adults. It's healthy and natural. It doesn't mean we're moving too fast." Booth tried not to frown. He had known she felt this way about sex, but some part of him had been hoping to make a romantic out of her.

"It's not that I don't want you. You know I do." Brennan nodded, she could feel the evidence of his desire for her straining against his jeans. His dark eyes met her crystalline blue ones and he tenderly tucked a loose strand of auburn hair behind her ear. "But for me, with you, going slow means waiting. Because it couldn't just be recreational for me even if it was for you." Brennan found in the intensity of his eyes the strength of his conviction and could only nod once more. She knew this wasn't an argument she could win. She slid off his lap and he pulled his t-shirt back on.

"It's getting late. We both have work in the morning," Brennan said after a few beats of silence.

"Yeah, I should head home." She walked him to the door and he kissed her lightly before leaving.

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Booth woke up to his phone ringing and rubbed his eyes groggily. It was still early, barely 11, but he had dozed off in front of an old Western on TV. He groped for his phone on his night stand and picked up.

"Booth."

"It wouldn't be for me either."

"What? Bones? Are you okay? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about what you said earlier. About it not being recreational for you."

"Bones, you don't have to…" He had crossed a line that they hadn't been near since the night they had started to date; he had opened the conversation on his feelings for her. Yet he wasn't going to pressure her to do the same.

"I want to. I want you to know that it wouldn't be just recreational for me either." Her low voice washed over him in the dark of his bedroom and he grinned. To hear her admit in not so many words that they would be making love, not just having sex meant a lot to him. Yet he didn't know what to say that wouldn't scare her off her new-found emotional awareness so he simply said,

"Okay."

"Okay." He could hear the smile in Temperance's voice and knew he had said the right thing. "Good night, Booth."

"Good night, Bones."