Thank you to all who reviewed and asked for more! A special thanks to QuasiOuster and Daitanro for their lovely reviews! Of course I wasn't going to leave the story like that! That'd be a horrible ending! NONONO! Haha so here's the second part! There will be a third part, but it's to be posted tomorrow, to match the story timeline!

Wrote this sitting by the Christmas tree listening to Christmas music, relaxing. Sooooo love vacation and the holidays!

Jo had long since given up going back to her warm tea and cozy fire. No, there was only one place she wanted to be right now, and it wasn't in her house. She wanted to be with Zane so bad, the need almost turned tangible. She wanted, no, needed to be in his arms tonight. The feeling of abandonment and neglect overwhelmed her so much, that for a moment she despaired of ever having another fulfilling relationship with anyone at all. This disheartened her so much that her mind conjured up an image of Zane as a forbidden figure of whom she was unworthy. Suddenly so scared she might never have a chance at all with him, her mind disregarding what had happened not fifteen minutes ago, Jo made up her mind and promptly didn't think about it. She was afraid that if she examined the situation at all for any longer, she'd lose the courage for what she was about to do.

For once in her life, Josephina Lupo was going to follow her heart.

Zane walked the two blocks back to his small house slowly. It was basically blizzarding silently outside, so his thoughts turned to a small blue house behind him in which lived a very hot, very demanding, very…everything woman with whom he was in love with. He'd finally admitted it to himself that yes, yes he did indeed think Josephina Lupo was the hottest, sexiest, scariest, shortest (well one of the shortest), most passionate woman he'd ever met. And now apparently she wouldn't give him the time of day, though he couldn't stop thinking, dreaming, breathing, her. The kiss they had only just shared had stirred up a thousand emotions he couldn't even name within him. He'd never felt this way before about anyone and frankly, he didn't know what to do. She'd basically all but rejected him, though he still needed her. Remembering the sensations she had awoken in him and the fire and arousal that had sparked between them sent shivers down his spine that had nothing to do with the chilly weather. Damn was that goddess named JoJo amazing!

Finally reaching his house, he was amazed to find himself there, as the storm had picked up while he'd been traversing both the route and his thoughts, and visibility was almost nil. Stamping the snow from his boots, he glanced up at the sky once before walking inside and shutting the door. Sighing softly, he glanced around his messy, dark, small, one-bedroom apartment. There wasn't anything up to indicate that it was Christmastime, but Zane no longer cared. As long as Lupo had cut him out of her life, again, he felt there was no reason to celebrate. Tripping over something in his hallway when a sound scared him, Zane cursed and limped to the lightswitch. Flipping it on, he turned around to growl at whatever it was, but froze instead. There, standing at the entrance to his messy apartment, looking small, apologetic, and frightened (not that he'd know what it looked like on her, since he'd never seen her with that expression) was Jo. He'd no idea how she'd gotten in, since she was a freaking ninja, but then, that explained the noise that had scared him.

He opened his mouth to demand why the hell she was there, he'd already had enough rejection from her to last a lifetime and did she come to rub it in or something, but he never got the chance to speak. Taking the opening he'd unwittingly created, Jo flew across the room and essentially attached herself to him, her soft lips yielding to his, molding to fit. After a few seconds she backed off and stood looking at the ground.

"I…I didn't mean what I said," was delivered in a voice barely above a whisper as she suddenly found her shoes fascinating.

Zane reached for her chin and pulling it up so that she had to look at him, answered in a voice equally soft. "Then what did you mean, Josephina?"

Jo searched his eyes as though asking permission and hesitantly replied. "This." She leaned forward and pressing her hands against his chest, gave herself a boost up as she gently touched her lips to his.

This kiss only lasted a few seconds, but that was all it took to melt Zane's resolve about never wanting anything to do with her again, ever. He'd already tried four times and was about to completely give up on the hottest thing on the planet, but now that she was here, in his house, kissing him, he decided against that. That would have been too costly a mistake that he wasn't sure he could have afforded anyway. Luckily, Jo swayed him. Well, her and her soft lips and that absolutely hot body that was currently trying to mold itself into him.

Jo put everything she was trying to express to him in that kiss. Regret, dread, depression, despair, happiness, passion, love, and most importantly, hope. Zane accepted it and added his own emotions into the mix. She tried to pull away, to explain everything to him, but he wouldn't let her. After roughly two and a half years of nothing but rejection, Zane finally had Jo exactly where he wanted her, (well, almost where he wanted her) and he wasn't about to let her go.

He deepened the kiss, his hands pushing her closer to him and wrapping possessively around her slim waist as he realized just how short she actually was compared to him. She was the perfect height, as he only had to reach down a few inches to meet her face. Her arms had wrapped around his neck and slowly slid down and she enjoyed the kiss. Her eyes had nearly shut, taking on a heady glaze as she was swamped with desire for him. His now dark blue eyes watched her, searching for the moment when he could ask for more.

She was as close to him as she could get, and yet Zane still felt it wasn't close enough. He was pretty sure she could feel the scorching patterns she was currently drawing on his back and her hands were slowly slipping to the bottom of his shirt, leaving trails of fire in their wake. One of his hands slid down her curves to grab her ass and she moaned into his mouth, the most erotic and sexy moan he'd ever heard. She really was driving him crazy. A week ago, he wouldn't have ever imagined that Jo would be at his house, let alone making crazy hot noises as their tongues tangoed. But now, Zane was startled to realize, some of his hottest fantasies might just be coming true.

Unable to resist a bit of snarking, Zane untangled only his mouth from hers and said teasingly, "You know, you could have just told me that you wanted me this much," and winked suggestively at her as his hands slid lower.

Jo, narrowing her eyes at him in mock anger, said "Less talking, more doing," and pulled his head back to hers.

The heat started to build between them as both got more and more passionate as they touched everywhere they could reach and devoured each other's faces. Jo's soft, breathy moans had aroused Zane to the point of no return and he wanted her like he wanted air to breathe.

He broke apart from her for a moment and he leaned his forehead on hers, looking down into her eyes.

"Jojo, I have to know if you really want this, because if you don't…" Zane trailed off with a questioning look in his eyes.

Jo, as a response, reached up and kissed him on the nose. "I do," she answered looking at him with raw honesty in her eyes.

Zane returned the look with a twinkle in his eyes, "Well in that case darlin'," and dived back to her lips, if only to make her moan again. He backed her up against one of the hallway walls and brought a knee between her legs. Caging her in his arms, he thought that she'd been doing too much running off lately and he was determined not to let her go this time. She momentarily broke free from his lips that just trailed down the side of her face and onto her neck, fixating on that one particular area behind her ear that drove Jo wild as she wrapped her legs around his waist. When did she become barefoot? Was one of Zane's last coherent thoughts before his entire train of thought centered around figuring out how best to have Jo make those sounds he loved to hear.

Jo moaned into Zane's ear as he sucked on her neck, marking her as his property. She didn't know how to tell him to just get on with it already. She was so wet and needed him now.

After affirming that this was really what Jo wanted Zane pressed kisses up to her ear as he whispered, "Why don't we take this somewhere else more comfortable?"

Jo just nodded as she was so heady with desire, not much else was registering except for him, and his presence both over her body and back in her life.

Zane picked her up easily, as she was already mostly attached to him anyway and tried to resist his immediate urge. Growling, he focused on the fact that she was waaaaaaaay too light and nearly hissed in her ear as he carried her to his bedroom (where he'd wanted her all along), "you are going to eat more sweetheart. Starting tomorrow."

Jo, so uncomfortable with her restricting clothes pulled tight, just nodded as he set her down on his bed and proceeded to strip Zane.

When she had gotten his shirt off, she literally had to stop and take in the view. She almost, almost, whistled. He had definitely been working out lately and had the most gorgeous six-pack she had ever seen. Staring in awe, she almost missed the near-silent question he asked her as he nosed the shell of her ear and licked languidly down the side of it. She glanced at him, and he noted that her eyes were almost completely devoid of any brown, having been swallowed up by the wide pupils that were dilated, and he offered again. "If I may?" he breathed in her ear and without letting her answer, slid her sweater and shirt over her head.

Taking in her breasts in the red silk and black lace bra she was wearing, he smirked and covered how horny the sight truly made him by asking, with a bit of incredibility, "You kept them?"

For it was the last remaining set of lingerie that hadn't been destroyed in her old house and she told him so. Nearly drooling, Zane made her a promise, before diving in.

"Tomorrow, you'll get twenty new sets," he guaranteed before divesting her carefully of the silk masterpiece and sliding her jeans out of the way to reveal matching panties and those too, were carefully tossed aside. Then all inhibitions were tossed at out the window as Zane and Jo began to relearn and learn trust from one another, while Zane did all he could to drive Jo up a wall and vice versa. There was love spilling forth and passion, anxiety, stress, possessiveness, and much hope. Zane teased Jo causing her to take her frustrations out on him, her nails leaving deep gouges on his shoulders, but he was beyond caring. He thoroughly ravished her, lips and elsewhere, sating both of their vicious appetites. Jo wasn't one to sit back and let him do all the work and so traded push for shove while Zane became absolutely fascinated with her lips. They had become swollen and very red, standing out wonderfully next to her dark complexion. Tan and white rolled together into one as neither held anything back. It was hot, passionate, yet slow and exploratory at the same time.

Once they had completely and utterly relearned each other, and made fervent love, Jo curled up next to him, watching him as he watched her. Glancing momentarily at the bedside clock, Zane smiled a true smile at her and softly told her "Merry Christmas, Jo" before pulling her to him and kissing her softly on the forehead. She whispered it back to him and pulled the blanket higher over her. She shivered once and Zane pulled her to him more before rolling so that they were spooning and she was wrapped in his warm embrace. Whispering the three words she never thought she'd hear again, Zane said "I love you Jojo." She sleepily answered him with, " I love you Zane" before drifting off.

Zane watched her fade away, the dark circles under her eyes concerning him. He stroked her hair softly, as he watched over her. He never believed he would have ended up this way, with her body next to his, entwined under the sheets, her, a naked goddess with him, a mortal man. He still didn't believe he was good enough for her, but as long as she wanted him, he would gladly comply. Making a mental promise to Jo, he swore to take care of her as long as she would stand him. Even though she was a weapon unto herself, and thus making his promise somewhat ridiculous, he didn't care. There were other things to keep her away from and they both worked in a dangerous area, her head of security and him a scientist prone to blowing things up. Plus the fact that their facility was Global Dynamics didn't help much. But for now, he could safely keep the object of his desires out of harm's way and that satisfied him for the moment. Content with that thought, he wrapped his arms around Jo's waist and buried his face into her hair to try and sleep.

Eh, so not exactly happy with the way that last half went, but whatever. Next chapter will be up tomorrow and Merry Christmas yall!