Disclaimer: If interested in reading my disclaimer for this story and summary, click on the link to my profile.

Chapter Two

They quickly found Ricky's car parked in the mass of guests cars. He unlocked the doors with his electronic key chain then opened the passenger side door. Ashley sat down and smoothed the lines of her dress to give her shaky hands something to do. After a moments hesitation, she reached for the seat belt. but found that it was in his hand. He bent into the car and buckled her. She blushed as his fingers trailed from the seat belt buckle across her mid section. He placed his right hand on the dash and the left on the seat inches from the side of her face.

"You have any particular place in mind, you want to go?" He asked amused as he observed the faint blush on her cheeks, jaw line, and upper neck. He smirked.

"You choose." She stated as she demurely smiled, but she looked at the dimples on his cheek instead of making eye contact like she normally did.

"You might live to regret saying that." He stated playfully as he took his right hand off the dash and under her chin effectively making her look him in the eye.

"I might not." She retorted quietly. Her breath hitched as the grip of his hand on her chin tightened and his face descended toward her own.

She stopped breathing when his mouth was half of an inch away from her own. Her eyes slightly widened. His eyes left hers and followed the angle of her nose down to her full lips. His hand trailed from the underside of her chin to the left side of her jaw. He cupped her left cheek and slightly pulled back only to return to the same distance that he was before pulling back. He returned his hand to the underside of her chin.

He sighed in defeat or surrender. He was not yet sure which one it was. He kissed her jaw an inch from her mouth. She made a movement to turn her head into a kiss, but he slightly tightened the grip of her chin to prevent her from doing so. He moved from the spot where he had kissed her to just beside the right side of her face. He whispered against her hair into her ear."We're going to get burned."

She shivered in response. He pulled away from her, but did not take his eyes off of her until he was seated next to her in the driver seat. They were silent as he drove. She looked out the window watching the scenery. She realized where they were going before they arrived there. She began to slowly fidget her hands in her lap. She picked at her clean unpainted nails. She stopped when he broke the silence as they stopped at a stop light.

"Hey," He spoke just before he grabbed her slightly shaky left hand from her lap. He held her hand firmly effectively stilling the outward tremors, but inwardly she was still shivering. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." She replied immediately as she thought to herself that she didn't trust herself.

"Stop worrying." He suggested. "We're gonna talk."

"Okay." She replied. The light changed, he started to drive one handed, as he continued to hold her hand.

Neither spoke until the car was parked in his usual parking spot at the side of the building that housed his apartment.

"Ashley." He began hesitant then asked a question. "Are you ready?"

She realized that he was not just asking her whether or not she was ready to get out of the car, but whether or not she was ready to go upstairs to his apartment to talk and possibly more.

"Are you?" She retorted.

"No more games, Ash." He declared then repeated his question. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, but seriously are you?" She answered as she held his gaze.

"I've been waiting on you." He retorted. She looked away and gently extracted her hand from his. He took the key out of the ignition and got out of the car. He opened her door and she quickly stepped out. She smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress just before her right hand was abruptly captured into his left. Her heartbeat sped up. He led her into the building and up the stairs. He unlocked the door to the apartment, turned the door knob, and guided her inside. He let go of her hand and jerked his silver and gray plaid tie off. "Make yourself comfortable."

"Would you like a Coke?" He asked as he made his way to the kitchen. She sat on the sofa.

"No, thank you." She replied.

"Water? Anything?" He asked as he was still in the kitchen.

"No, thank you." She repeated. He came out of the kitchen drinking a bottle of water. He sat beside her inadvertently brushing his knee against hers. Both were silent for several minutes. He stared at the rim of the bottle of water and she stared at him. He broke the silence between them.

"You're parents want to talk to me in the morning." He stated.

"Okay." She replied. "Why?"

"They saw us talking at the reception." He stated.

"I didn't realize talking was a crime." She retorted dryly.

"It isn't." He paused then changed the subject. "You never mentioned what Grant said to you during your dance."

"It doesn't matter." She stated uncomfortable.

"To me it does." He replied. He sat the bottle of water down on to the coffee table. "If he said something to hurt you, because we were talking-"

She interrupted him. "We were eye fucking." She paused and blushed. Ricky arched an eyebrow in both confusion and amusement. "I mean," She paused again then took a deep breath. "Grant said that you and me were eye fucking."

"If I'd known that was what we were doing, I would have made it more worth your while." Ricky stated teasingly. "I thought we were making out."

"Ricky this isn't funny." She declared as tears threatened to fall.

"Hey," He said soothingly. "Don't cry. Ash, what else did he say."

"He called me a slut." She whispered as she wiped away the tears from her cheeks and cursed them from materializing in the first place.

"He fucking didn't." He said outraged then stood. "I'm going to kill him."

"Ricky." She stated as she grabbed his hand in the attempt him from doing what he threatened. "He isn't worth it."

"He called you a sl-sl-slut." He stuttered not being able to clearly say the word where it concerned her. "Of course, he's worth it." He proclaimed, took a deep breath, then continued. "Fine, I won't kill him, but I'll hand him his ass."

"Ricky, for John's sake, don't." She pleaded through her tears. "Grant's not worth it."

"Fine." He relented as he sat down. He took a deep breath, turned on the sofa so that he was facing her. "I'm sorry." He stated then repeated it again as he reached to hug her. One arm was wrapped around her shoulders while the other her lower back. She laid her head on his left shoulder as she softly cried. Abruptly, she attempted to pull away from the embrace, but Ricky held her firmly. She was able to pull her head away from his shoulder and look at him. "What's wrong? He asked as he inwardly winced at the moisture in her eyes and on her cheek.

"Why do my parents want to talk to you in the morning?" She asked. "I know you said that they saw us talking, but we've always talked."

"Ash, they know." He stated slowly.

"There isn't anything to know." She replied smartly.

"Not yet, but we both know that it will." He pointed out.

"I'm not going to sleep with you." She stated vehemently shocking herself, but not him. He slightly smiled at her outspoken statement

"I'm not expecting you to." He stated not messing a beat. "As a matter of fact, ain't I the one that has been telling you not to have sex."

"Because I'm too young." She stated in disbelief as she rolled her eyes at the hypocritcy.

"It isn't even that anymore, Ash." He stated. "You're smart, funny, and beautiful. I respect and care about you." He revealed. Her mouth slightly opened in a bit of shock. She knew that she must have meant something to him, because of what he had told her about him and his situation when he was younger, but for him to actually put it into words shocked her. "You've became my best friend. I don't want to put you in the position of you being in danger of becoming pregnant. Don't get me wrong," His voice crackled in emotion. "I love my son very much, but neither me or Amy were prepared to become parents. I was and still am at times terrified."

"I don't see why you should talk to my parents about us." She stated. "There isn't anything here."

"Ashley, there is something here and you know it." He stated. "Don't deny it because it cheapens it."

"You've already denied it." She stated remembering the argument between him and her dad when Ricky had taken her furniture shopping for her new room.

"I'm not going to anymore and you shouldn't either." He conceded then added. "Just because we've decided not to have sex doesn't take away the fact we care about each other."

She managed to put more distance between her and him when he loosened his grip of the embrace, but was not successful in exiting the embrace entirely. He removed the arm from her lower back, but kept the arm around her shoulders.

"You're presuming that I care." She retorted in the attempt to be aloof of the topic.

"I know that you care." He stated then revealed. "I knew you cared about me when you didn't rat me out when I went skipped town to look for my biological mother."

"I knew I should have squealed." She stated dryly.

"Ash, stop withdrawing from me." He pleaded not understanding the reason why she did. "What do you want?" She was silent. He asked another question. "What's stopping you?"

"I don't know." She answered unconvincingly.

"Don't start lying to me." He demanded. "Is it your parents? Amy? John?" He

"My family's opinion of me matters, but not to the point where I would let it ultimately control me." She confessed.

"Then what is it?" He asked genuinely confused.

"Um." She began to speak, but then decided against it.

"Um, what?" He urged her to continue.

"Sex." She stated clearly.

"Ah," He said in realization. "I thought we went over this."

"Ricky, I can't and won't ask you to start a relationship with me, when I won't put out. It's unfair to you." She stated shocking herself by putting her thoughts into words and him by even thinking the statement.

"Let me be the judge of what's fair and not." He stated then continued. "I appreciate honesty. I've always been honest with the girls I've been with." He paused in realization. "You don't think I'll be faithful to you, do you?" He accused although he did not want to believe it of her.

"Ricky, I know that you'd be, that's not the problem." She answered looking him in the eye.

"I think it is the problem." He retorted. "You know I'd be faithful to you and that scares you. Doesn't it?"

"This whole thing scares me." She confessed as she looked away and refused to met his gaze.

"Why?" He asked concerned

"Because I'm scared that I won't be good enough." She revealed embarrassed and almost ashamed.

"If anyone isn't good enough, it's me." He retorted then sighed. "If this scares you so much, we won't talk about it anymore and will let it progress as it is."

"You must think I'm a naive little child acting this way." She stated.

"No, I think you've shown more maturity than many I know. You've learned from others mistakes and have incorporated those lessons in your every day life. You know what you want and what you don't. You don't compromise yourself or your morals to get or not to get whatever it that is."

"I've learned so much from everyone else's mistakes that I've not been able to make my own." She stated regretfully. "I want you, but I can't have you."

"Ashley," He sighed. "There isn't anything stopping you from having me. Will there be obstacles? Hell yes. You're family will be the number one. Sex won't be an obstacle unless you make it one. I have no problem waiting. Sex hasn't been a factor in our friendship and it won't be the most important in our relationship."

"But will it be a true relationship without sex?" She pondered.

"I've never had one without it." He stated truthfully then added capturing her gaze momentarily before she looked away again. "But that doesn't mean that it is not possible. With you it will be because I trust, respect, and care about you. I'm attracted to you, but sex won't be make or break. If it makes you anymore comfortable, look at it this way, we can always reevaluate the sex issue at a latter date, okay."

"Okay." She replied almost shell shocked at his response. She brought her left hand to his right jaw and caressed it. Her green eyes met his brown then gasped at the emotion within his. Her mouth slightly parted. She leaned toward him then paused as if second guessing herself. She lightly bit her bottom lip. He watched her. She slowly leaned toward him again and found that he had also.

At first their lips gingerly met in an almost butterfly kiss as they softly caressed each other's jaw. She quietly moaned. He angled her mouth to deepen the kiss. His tongue touched her bottom lip where she had bitten it just as he took the plump lip in his mouth and gently sucked on it. She gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck. She touched her tongue to his upper lip. He groaned and let go of her bottom lip. He lightly bit her probing tongue before taking it into his mouth and controlling the kiss. She melted against him and relinquished control. She followed his lead. Whatever he did to her mouth, she experimentally did it back to him. His hands found her hips. Softly he squeezed them then more firmly repeatedly alternating his grip. She gasped as one hand trailed from her hips at her waist up to the underside of her left breast. His mouth left hers and trailed open mouthed kisses down her neck which she arched her neck for better access, he then trailed back up to her mouth. She moaned approvingly. She'd made out with Grant a few times, but nothing had been this intense physically or emotionally. The pent up frustration, confusion, want, and need were expelling from them. They couldn't stop, but they both knew that they would have to, because had they not just had the discussion of no sex in their relationship.

Author's Note: Thank you all to those who read this and the previous chapter. Also, thank you to Rashley Shipper, bengalcatz729, and soren919 for reviewing. I appreciate your thoughts and comments regardless of whether or not they perfectly match mine, because I do not expect them to. :)