A/N: Hey, so I'm back for now :). I'm on my Spring Break and I managed to find time to write this chapter in between seeing all of my friends and family. Talk about being busy! So yeah, this is the second to last chapter and I actually don't think it's that bad. Definitely better than the first chapter lol. Ok, enough from me - go read!

Caught by surprise, Miley let out a small scream as the lights went out and the house was thrown into darkness. Without her sense of sight, her other senses seemed to have intensified, making her hyper-aware of everything around her. The falling rain echoed loudly in her ears; a steady beat of drums to match with her pounding heart. The plants gave off a rich, earthy scent that mixed with some heavenly spiced cologne Jake was wearing. She could feel his warm breath upon her cheek, throwing her into memories of the two of them together in her bed and she could feel her pulse race even more quickly than before. Knowing that she needed to get away from this man before she did something she regretted, Miley quickly rose from the couch, mumbling nervously as she attempted to reach the kitchen safely.

"I'm sure there is a flashlight or candles around here somewhere…"

Reaching the kitchen in one piece, she deftly felt her way around until she reached one of the cabinets. Opening the doors, she began searching for candles and matches, using her cell phone as a flashlight. She gave a triumphant yell when she found them and turned around to place them on the island in the center of the kitchen, nearly dropping them when she came face to face with Jake.

"Oh! God, Jake, you scared me half to death! Don't do that!" He chuckled as she slapped him playfully on the shoulder and moved past him.

"Sorry, I just wanted to see if I could help with anything." Miley laughed heartily as she struck a match, watching as the fire quickly engulfed the head of the stick.

"I should be ok, thanks," she lit the wick of the candle and watched the flame dance merrily before turning to Jake, "Besides, I'm sure the power will come on soon…"

Her voice trailed off as she noticed Jake staring at her again with that special gleam. The fire reflected in his eyes, making them seem to glow in the darkness. She felt the air fly out from her lungs as his normally golden hair was now a fiery halo surrounding his handsome face. The soft light emitted from the candle had cast a dark shadow across his face, giving his features more contrast and making him look as if he were carved from marble. This was the man that had plagued her dreams for five years. This was the man she was still in love with.

Miley tried to control her breathing, not wanting Jake to catch on to the fact that her heart was racing at nearly the speed of light. She needed to find something to occupy herself with in order to remain sane, so she quickly moved past him once more toward the cabinet with the candles.

Jake silently watched her as she searched for more candles in the dim light, captivated by how it seemed to make her hair shine and glow. He held back a groan when she reached for a candle on a high shelf, causing her shirt to ride up and expose the smooth skin leading to her rear. The jeans she wore fit her so well, outlining each and every one of her delicious curves and making Jackson's pants seem a bit too tight.

Trying to control his arousal, he moved behind her and reached up to grab the elusive candle, not realizing that this would, in fact, worsen his 'situation' down south. He shut his eyes when he brushed against her behind, trying desperately to keep the guttural moan from leaving his lips, and nearly buckling when she accidentally pushed herself into him.

'Damn this woman! Damn her to hell!'

When she felt Jake move behind her, Miley nearly collapsed onto the counter from shock and put a hand out to brace herself against it. She could feel the well-defined muscles of his chest against her back and let out a silent moan when she felt his arousal pressing into her behind. Unconsciously, she pushed back against him, trying to minimize the space between them as much as possible. Memories flashed through her mind once more, causing her face to heat up and her panties to become damp.

'Damn this man! Damn him to hell!'

Realizing that the candle was still in his hand, Jake brought his arm down and placed the candle on the counter next to Miley's hand. Brushing against her one last time, he backed away before things became even more awkward than they already were. With shaking hands, Miley picked up the matches and struck one, making sure not to burn herself. She lit the candle and silently watched as the flame flickered back and forth, desperately trying to avoid eye-contact with Jake. She swallowed audibly when she heard him clear his throat, praying that he wasn't going to call her out on what had just transpired between them.

"I, uh…I guess I'll just take this to the living room then…"

Miley sighed in relief when she felt his presence leave with the candle, giving her time to keep her emotions and hormones in check. There was no way she'd be able to last through this sexual tension much longer, but she didn't want him to leave her. It had been five years since she had seen him last, yet he still managed to make butterflies go berserk in her stomach. She couldn't let him back into her life, could she? Sure, she still loved him, but that didn't mean he could just waltz back into her life just to disappear again. She didn't want to lose him again. She didn't think her heart could take it a second time.

Miley was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Jake return to the kitchen. Only when she felt eyes on her did she turn around, forgetting her attempt to avoid eye-contact with the man. Her heart constricted at the look in his eyes.

'I have to make him stop before he makes me go into cardiac arrest…'

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

Jake was taken aback by her tone, not expecting her to snap at him. He stuttered a reply back to her.

"I…I don't know. I'm not really sure how I'm looking at you…I thought I just was." Uncomfortable, Miley looked everywhere but at him.

"Well, just stop, ok?" Jake frowned slightly, a confused expression on his face.

"I'm not really sure how to…" Annoyed, Miley snapped at him once more.

"I don't care how you do it. Just do something else – anything else!" Taking her advice, Jake did the only thing he could think of.

He kissed her.

His eyes closed as he drowned in her taste, loving just how much he felt at home again. Their kiss was exactly the same as it had been when they were teenagers – full of passion and love. This was what he had been missing for the past five years. This was what he had come home to find.

Miley gasped when his lips attached to hers, causing her knees to weaken and her mind to fog. It was exactly as she remembered and damn was it good. She instantly relaxed in his embrace, allowing him to pull her closer and deepen the kiss.

All too soon the kiss was broken and they breathed in much needed air. Green looked into blue, neither one knowing what to do yet wanting to maintain the peaceful silence. Ever the curious one, Miley needed to know what this meant for them – whether this was real or something done for old-time's sake.

"What…what was that for?" Jake blanched. That was not exactly the response he was expecting after a mind-blowing kiss.

"I…uh…I don't know…it just seemed like the most natural thing to do, I guess."

Miley blinked a few times, unsure as to whether that was a good or bad response to her question. Did that mean he got caught up in old memories and doesn't actually feel anything for her anymore? She looked everywhere but his eyes, unable to meet them without fear of unleashing tears.

"Oh…I see…" Although he was confused by her sudden change of emotion, he saw that she was upset and grasped her face lightly in his hands, forcing her to look at him.

"I would never intentionally hurt you and I'm sorry if you took what I said as a bad thing. It wasn't meant to be. Miley, you know I loved you, don't you?" Miley felt tears welling up in her eyes at the word 'loved'. 'Loved', meaning past tense, "In fact…I don't think I ever stopped." All of the air left Miley's lungs as his words reached her ear and her heart pounded heavily in her chest.

"You…you mean…"

"I still love you, Miley Stewart."