I want to thank everyone so much for the reviews from the last chapter! Things between Aria and Ezra are never easy, but they're always worth it in the end. I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter. Please let me know what you think.

Ezra cleared his throat several times, ill at ease to begin the conversation. He shifted in his seat awkwardly, his mouth unwilling to form the words that he knew he had to say. Glancing over at Aria, she sat there, poised on the edge of her seat as if at any moment she was ready to take flight. Is she that afraid of me now?

"We obviously need to talk about last night. And we also need to make some plans as to what happens from here." His voice sounded stilted to his own ears.

Aria's breath caught in her throat. Make plans from here? Could he actually be saying that he wants to pursue something with me?Her heart flittered at the idea that maybe, possibly, he was actually interested in her.

Meeting her expectant gaze, he took a deep breath and plunged ahead before he lost his nerve. "I want to start out by apologizing for last night."

With that single statement, a sheet of ice encased all Aria's hopes. Obviously he was regretting what had happened between the two of them.

"I knew it was a mistake for us to sleep so close, but there seemed to be no alternative. Or maybe I just didn't give it enough thought. I should have come up with something," he muttered, berating himself under his breath. When she continued to just stare at him with her large, expressive eyes filled with hurt and... were those tears? he rushed to continue, "that's no excuse for my actions. It was wrong. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. If I made you uncomfortable," he repeated, laughing without mirth. "How could I not have made you uneasy... being accosted by one of your teachers while you slept. It's inexcusable."

Aria's head dropped down, the wispy tendrils escaping the clasp cascading around her in a soft cloud. "It... it wasn't like that," she said so softly Ezra almost didn't hear.

"I know. We were both asleep, and not really in full control of what we were doing, but that's no excuse. I want you to know that I'm not trying to make excuses for my actions. When I became aware of where my... and the fact that I was..." He let the sentence fall off awkwardly, his cheeks growing flushed as his mind flashed back to his erection pressed tightly against her and the sensation of her firm nipple rubbing against his palm. Forcing the erotic thoughts from his mind, he hurriedly continued, "I just want you to know that I'm so sorry that I violated your trust in me as your teacher."

Shaking her head slightly, Aria licked her lips and raised her eyes to gaze nervously at him. "I wasn't exactly thinking of you as my teacher at the time. I wasn't totally innocent either."

Somewhat shaken by her admission, Ezra didn't really know where to go with that statement. Had more happened than he knew? Had she done something to him? His stomach dropped at the thought of things having gone further between the two of them than he knew. And yet, a small part of him, quivered at the idea of this girl locked in his embrace.

Shaking his head once again to clear the random and dangerous thoughts loose, he continued. "So, are we okay? I don't want there to be any misunderstandings before we go back to Rosewood."

Nodding in agreement, Aria hesitated before responding. "Are you... are you concerned about your girlfriend finding out? I won't say anything, I swear."

"No, it's not that. I don't have a girlfriend," he said dismissively. "I'm concerned about the school board, the principal, your parents," he said, staring at her pointedly.

With the confirmation that he had no girlfriend, Aria felt as if her heart had been suddenly liberated. So he wasn't thinking of someone else last night. Does that mean he was thinking of me while his hands were on my body? Is that why he's so upset, because he's attracted to one of his students and thinks that he shouldn't be? The very idea gave her a glimmer of hope. If the only obstacle between them was the fact that he was finding it difficult to get past the idea that she was his student, all she had to do was help him temporarily forget. Am I crazy to think that he might actually care?

Realizing that he was waiting for her to speak, she flashed a reassuring smile at him. "As I said yesterday, as far as I'm concerned, this weekend is just between the two of us. Whatever may happen here, no one ever needs to know."

Ezra cocked his head slightly to the side, his brows drawn together in puzzlement. There seemed to be more to her statement than what appeared on the surface, but he wasn't sure what she was implying. "Okay," he responded slowly, "I agree."

Aria's smile began to unnerve him, as if she knew some secret he didn't. "Well, with that out of the way, the next thing we need to talk about is where we go from here."

"Hmm, do you have something in mind?" she asked hopefully, taking another sip of the bitter, hot coffee, looking at him over the rim.

"We have a couple of options." Gazing out the kitchen window, he frowned as the rain continued to pour down the sides of the roof. "This rain doesn't look like it's letting up any time soon. Unfortunately, neither of us have an umbrella or rain coat."

"True that," Aria replied, content to stay right where she was. Whether or not he was actually interested in her, the idea of spending more time with him definitely appealed to her. When would she get another opportunity like this?

"So, option one is, since neither of us is getting cell service, I hike back to town and arrange for a tow truck and rent a car for the weekend."

"There's a problem with that plan," Aria countered. "No car rental agency in town. Trust me, I know."

"Okay, well, I can always arrange for the tow truck and I can pay him to pick me back up or deliver the car to me on Tuesday once it's fixed."

"Possibly. If you're lucky enough to find somewhere that's open on the holiday weekend. It's a pretty small town. What happens if you hike all that way for nothing? It has to be at least fifteen miles from here."

Perturbed at her shooting down his idea, he changed directions. "Okay, then there's option two. We both leave here and I walk you to your cabin. That way you can enjoy the rest of your weekend in, I'm sure, a much more comfortable cabin where there's central heat, and all the amenities you need."

"Um," Aria looked at the sheet of rain covering the panes. "It's pouring and I'm not thrilled at the idea of getting wet again, and if we do go, we're not even sure how far the cabin is from here. I'm pretty sure that it's even farther away than the town is. Right?"

"Then what do you suggest," Ezra asked grumpily. "Instead of just shooting down my ideas, why don't you come up with one of your own?"

"Okay," Aria said, scrunching her brow, deep in thought. "I know it's not what either of us originally planned, but I think we should just sit tight, stay here, at least until this rain is gone, and make the best of it."

"And what if it rains all day?" Ezra countered.

"Then, I guess I'll stay the night again," she said slowly, her gaze locked onto him.

Ezra stared at her, mortified at the idea of having to spend another night alone in this cabin with her. They'd already had one close call. There was no way he could sleep beside her again. They both should have learned that lesson.

"You've got to be kidding," was all he said.

Feeling a little hurt by his rebuke, but refusing to be swayed by his response, Aria continued, "what are the odds of it actually raining all day?" Of course, if Aria had her way, it would continue raining so hard that Noah would be out chopping wood for his ark. She had never been so happy to see rain. As long as it was coming down, she could use it as an excuse to stay here. And as long as she was in this cabin, isolated with Mr. Fitz, the possibility existed that maybe something could spark between the two of them. Her mind flashed back to the feel of his body pressed against her, his hand on her breast. If there was a chance that she could get that back, she had to try.

Ezra wasn't thrilled with Aria's suggestion, but logically he knew it was crazy to attempt to walk to her cabin when they had no idea the actual distance from here. "Okay, we'll wait a little while and see if the rain lets up," he agreed reluctantly.

Pleased, Aria sat back in the chair, sipping her acrid coffee. She wrinkled her nose slightly at the bitter taste. She preferred hers with lots of hazelnut creamer and sweetener.

Hoping to bring a little normalcy to their situation, Ezra walked over to the couch and pulled out his laptop. "If you don't mind, I'm going to try and get a little writing done. That was my whole point in coming out here."

"No, that's fine with me, Mr. Fitz. I can..." Aria looked around the small cabin, attempting to find something that she could occupy herself with while he worked.

Realizing what she was doing, he pulled a book out of his bag. "I can't offer you any options, but you're welcome to borrow my book. And as long as we're here, I guess you can call me Ezra."

Reaching out, Aria took the book, allowing her fingers to brush against his. "Thanks... Ezra," she said slowly, tasting his name on her tongue. "Wuthering Heights," she read out loud, cocking her brow as she looked up at him.

"Yeah, I know. It's not very original, but it's one of my favorites. Every once in a while I pull it back out to read."

"No, I love it," she hastily said. "It's one of my favorites too. I'm just surprised, that's all."

Tilting his head, his blue eyes locked onto her. "Surprised? Why?"

Meeting his gaze, her lips curled into a sensual smile. "I just didn't know you were such a romantic."

Clearly flustered and embarrassed by the sudden electric charge in the atmosphere around them, Ezra turned and headed back to the kitchen table. "I just like the imagery," he muttered under his breath.

Chuckling lightly, clearly not believing him, she opened the well-worn cover to chapter one and sat down on the couch, curling her legs under her as she settled into the book.

Stretching his neck, Ezra looked down at his watch and was surprised to see that several hours had passed since he sat down to write. He had wondered if he'd even be able to concentrate with Aria around, but was pleasantly surprised to find that she had been engrossed in the book and hadn't said a word to him since he had started working.

Looking over at the couch, his lips turned up into a soft smile as he saw her curled on the couch, the book laying open at her side. Her eyes were closed, long, dark lashes brushing her cheeks as her chest rose and fell softly and slowly, clearly signifying the fact that she had fallen asleep.

Rising from his position, Ezra went over to stand in front of the couch. He gazed down at her, raking his eyes over the long, softly curling locks that had come free from her pony tail. He fought against the sudden impulse to reach out and twine one of those wayward tendrils around his finger. Her sweet full lips were curled into a small, half smile. Clearly she was having a pleasant dream. He flashed back to last night and the dream he had thought he was having that had crashed into this reality. Somewhat disturbed by the remembrance of last night and the desire he had to reach out toward her, he turned his back to stare at the ashy remains of last night's fire.

Looking down at the small pile of wood on the side of the hearth, he knew that it wouldn't last the night. Plus, with the rain and cloudy conditions outside, he knew that it would be getting chilly inside before too long. He had noticed a fairly large pile of wood on the front porch, but with the blowing rain, the wood would be damp and difficult to burn. The first thing he needed to do was move some of it inside so it could dry out.

Walking over to the door, he was met with a gust of wind as he opened it and stepped out onto the porch. It didn't take long before he could feel the rain soaking through his shirt as he picked up several pieces of wood and carried them back into the cabin. He repeated the process several times until a comfortably large pile was located on the floor next to the hearth.

Staring down at the stack of wood, droplets of water cascaded off his shirt and pooled around his feet. Realizing that his other T-shirt was now available to him since Aria wasn't wearing it, he stripped the wet one off and set it by the fireplace so it could dry out once the fire was started.

"You're wet... yet again."

Ezra slowly turned around, surprised to find Aria awake. She lay exactly as she had before, except now her large eyes were open wide, traveling down from his own startled glance, taking in the full expanse of his broad, bare chest. Standing before her with her gaze raking over his body, Ezra suddenly felt very exposed. Not only that, but his body immediately tensed as his eyes lowered and locked onto her parted lips. An overwhelming urge rolled through him to take the two necessary steps to sever the distance between them and gather her in his arms.

Squeezing his hands tightly into fists, and using all his willpower, he turned away from her, quickly grabbing the dry T-shirt and slipping it over his head. "Yeah, it's still coming down pretty heavily out there," he said casually, attempting to ignore the tension that seemed to fill the small space between them.

Sitting up, Aria looked down at her hands, fighting the disappointment she felt as he walked away from her. Her eyes watched as he crossed to the kitchen, opening cupboards as he took out a small pan and filled it with water.

Rising slowly from the couch, Aria made her way over to the kitchen, perching on the table as she watched him moving around, keeping himself busy. Reaching beside her, she grabbed the abandoned scotch bottle from last night, unscrewed the cap and took a deep swallow before lowering it. Wiping her mouth, she looked beyond Ezra at the gloomy dusk outside.

"Well, with this relentless rain, it looks like we're stuck together again tonight," she said, attempting to sound nonchalant.

Ezra looked over at her, his eyes lowering to the bottle clutched in her hand, but he refrained from commenting on it. What did it matter? He had already condoned her drinking last night. How could he now turn around and tell her she shouldn't do it?

"Yeah, you might be right," he said, gently pulling the bottle out of her hand. He tilted it to his lips and felt the heat of the amber liquid pouring down his throat. Smiling at her, he set it back on the table before holding up the package of Ramen Noodles that he had pulled out of his bag earlier. "It might not be gourmet, but we haven't had anything to eat. How about an early dinner of peanut butter crackers and cooked noodles?"

Laughing at the strange combination, she nodded. "Well, I had that last night too, but I guess I can stand it again."

"Technically, we didn't have any dinner last night. Whatever you ate at the diner, was long before dinner time."

"Well, that would be just a cup of coffee that I was thought was pretty bad until I tasted yours this morning."

"Hey!" Ezra said, grabbing the bottle and taking another taste before continuing. "it wasn't that bad."

"Not at all, if you were going to tar the roof with it," she replied, smiling as she grabbed the bottle back and helped herself to another large shot. By now, she was starting to feel the mellow effects of the alcohol as it coursed through her body.

"I'm offended. I offer to share my meager rations with you, and this is the thanks I get," Ezra replied, pretending to be offended.

Aria giggled slightly as she titled the bottle back for another swallow. Some of the liquid splashed out and dripped from her mouth and down her chin. Before she could react, Ezra impulsively reached out with his thumb and wiped it away. Aria sat frozen, unable to breath, as she stared up at him, shocked by his unexpected touch.

Ezra was just as surprised as she was. He had had no intention of reaching out. His fingers had acted of their own volition. And yet... he seemed incapable of removing them. His eyes were riveted to her mouth as his thumb traced over her plump lower lip. Slowly raising his eyes, he locked onto her hungry gaze, and, like a moth to a flame, he found his head lowering toward her until his mouth hovered above hers. Part of his mind was screaming at him, Stop! Back away! Run while you still have the chance! and yet, he was powerless to do so.

Almost as if he was a bystander to his own body, Ezra could see himself softly pressing his lips to hers and immediately, a powerful current pulsed through his body as they connected. Aria's mouth was warm and supple beneath his, and when she willingly parted her lips, his tongue immediately darted in as he deepened the kiss.

Her hands reached up and around his neck, pulling him closer to her. She felt an uncontrollable urge to press her body as tightly against him as she could, to feel every contour of his body against her. Her head was swimming as she drowned in the sensations ricocheting through her. She wasn't sure if it was from the alcohol, Ezra's touch, or both. The kisses were growing in intensity as their tongues entwined, the taste of scotch heavy between them. She brazenly wrapped her legs around his waist, trapping him tightly against her, as her hands gripped fistfuls of his shirt, tugging it up slightly, eager to feel the bare skin of his back.

Ezra's long tapered fingers curled around Aria's neck, twining in the escaping locks of her hair, crushing her to him as he kissed her repeatedly. Finally releasing her swollen lips, his mouth traveled down her cheeks to her neck, peppering kisses from one side to the other, before resting at the juncture between her neck and shoulder, licking and sucking the spot as her nails dug into his back. His other hand curled around her back, pulling her tightly against him, grinding his pelvis against her.

Wantonly reacting to the bulge Aria felt pressed against her inner thighs, she rotated her hips, her body attempting to connect to his in the most basic and primal way. A low, deep moan escaped her throat as she threw her head back, reveling in ecstasy as he continued devouring her neck with his caressing tongue.

As Ezra's brain processed the sound of Aria's cries and moans, his body wanted nothing more than to react in the most carnal way. His fingers itched to tear off her clothing, to expose her body to his view and his heated touch. He wanted to bury himself within her, and pleasure both of them until neither one of them would be capable of walking. And yet, when she cried out, Ezra's mind registered the fact that he was here, in the woods, and the woman wrapped in his arms was none other than one of his students.

His lips raised from her soft, silken skin and he tore his body away from her as if he'd been burned, backing up unsteadily as they both regarded each other from the growing distance. They were both breathing heavily, eyes wide with shock and desire, as they stared at each other, both unable to speak.

Seeing Aria sitting there, her legs still slightly parted, chest heaving with her deep breaths, eyes darkened with her desire, Ezra felt sick to his stomach. How could I have done this? His mind was wracked with guilt over his actions. How could you not have done this? Whispered another part of his mind as his eyes roamed over her face, settling on her swollen mouth.

As she bit her bottom lip, his eyes locked onto hers. "I'm so sorry," his voice cracked with pain and regret as he suddenly rushed past her, tearing open the front door and disappearing out into the darkening woods, quickly obscured by the downpour.

Blinking rapidly several times as she attempted to wrap her mind around everything that had just happened, Aria sat there immobile. Slowly her hand reached up to touch her lips, lips that were still swollen and tender from his crushing kisses. She had always wondered and fantasized what it would be like to kiss him, but the reality went far beyond anything she could have imagined. Her body had reacted to his all on its own. With every touch, every kiss, she wanted more. Even now, an emptiness was surrounding her, as if a part of her was missing. Despite how wrong the entire situation was, it had felt so right. And she knew he had thought so too.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Aria jumped down from the table, walking briskly over to the door. Peering out into the gloomy twilight, she could barely make out the darkening silhouette of a lone figure walking briskly down the drive away from the cabin. How far would be actually go? Would he really walk all the way back to town just to get away from me?

Despite the heavy downpour, Aria stepped off the porch, immediately finding herself soaked by the relentless rain. Disregarding the pelting drops stinging her face, she found herself sprinting down the drive, desperately attempting to catch up with Ezra before he disappeared from her sight. She couldn't escape the feeling that if she let him walk away from her now, she'd lose him forever.