Disclaimer: Don't own Bones.

A/n: I know you all remember this is a collab with pal Dispatch who will be posting soon. Enjoy!

Dangerous Exposure

"Well done, everyone," Cam toasted, raising her beer. "A very impressive job on a totally bizarre case."

"Well, I certainly strive to be impressive," Daisy offered in that patented tone that repelled and fascinated. Much like a train wreck, no one wanted to gawk, but it was impossible not to stare in disbelief and then cringe. "Just like Dr. Brennan, I always attempt to—"

"Well, I will admit, I was particularly impressive on this one," Hodgins cut her off unceremoniously. "I mean, do you know how many different types of granite there are?" Everyone groaned, but he didn't care. "No, seriously. That I was able to identify the particulates on the clothes as pink granite specifically from Pike's Peak? I mean, really people, I am King, baby!"

"Okay, settle down there, squint," Booth suggested, pointing his beer at Hodgins. "There's this little thing called a confession. And I believe my partner and I were responsible for that. Tell him, Bones."

"We were." Brennan nodded solemnly. "We used the classic interrogation tactic of good cop, bad cop, quite effectively."

"Oh yeah?" Angela inquired curiously. "Were you bad cop, Bren?"

"No, Booth wouldn't let me." She threw her partner a disgruntled frown.

Angela gave a suggestive smile that went right over Brennan's head. "Well, maybe if you ask really, really nicely next—"

"Hey, how's the baby doing, Ange?" Booth cut in, prompting smirks from nearly everyone around him, only Daisy and Brennan remained oblivious. "I'm sure you and Hodgins can't wait to get home to your little bundle of joy. I totally understand."

"Actually, we should be getting home," Hodgins acknowledged, smirk still in place. "You ready, Angie?"

"Yeah," she nodded, giving Booth one of her patented, you're-not-fooling-anyone looks, but getting up and taking her husband's hand. "Have a good weekend, everyone."

Soon, everyone had followed Angela and Hodgins' lead and Booth was left looking at his partner across an array of empty beer bottles.

"I want to be bad cop next time, Booth." It was a near whine and he chuckled at the demand she had repeated twice already.

"But look at you, Bones," he argued, just because Booth knew it would drive her crazy. "All big blue eyes and pretty jewelry, how are you going to be bad cop?"

"That's sexist," she accused, giving him a disdainful look. "I will play the role of bad cop next time." It wasn't a request, it was a decree. "And I'll do it better than you."

"You seem to be forgetting that I taught you everything you know."

"Students often surpass their teachers," she informed him loftily. "And I have a very steep learning curve, you know."

"I do know," Booth murmured, fingers tensing on his beer bottle at the thought that there was a hell of a lot he now knew about her.

Like the way she tasted …everywhere. Because I licked every inch of her that night.

Like the way her eyes went nearly indigo when she came. I'm pretty sure the color's gonna give me a hard-on for the rest of my life.

Like her tendency to use those sharp little nails of hers in abandon. It took two days for the scratches to fade and I damn well want more of them.

For just a moment, their eyes met and he wondered if she was remembering too all the things she'd learned about him. And if she was as eager for another go at him as he was for the chance to touch her again.

For a week, they had been focused on the case and utterly professional, but now, his ability to compartmentalize was breaking down alarmingly fast.

"I should get home," Booth said, setting his beer down. "I have Parker this weekend and I have to get up early to pick him up. Do you want a ride?"

"No, I'm going to finish my wine," Brennan replied calmly, raising the glass to her lips. "I'll call a cab to take me home."

He hesitated, disliking the thought that she was going to stay behind, alone. For his own peace of mind, if circumstances allowed, Booth liked to watch his partner turn the lock on her door with his own eyes. Experience had taught him that with her, trouble was always just around the corner. But forcing the issue would just net him an argument and arguing with her right now seemed especially dangerous.

"All right," he accepted reluctantly, getting up from the table. "See you on Monday."

-x-

Except she didn't see him on Monday.

Brennan fiddled with her cell phone and frowned at her office door. It was nearly the end of the workday on Tuesday and she'd yet to see or talk to her partner since Friday night. The week before they had seen each other every day—likely because they had a case— but still, they had been able to interact normally without ever bringing up that night.

That night. It was ludicrous, but it was how Brennan constantly thought of it now.

That night when she lost her mind and crossed that very defined line in their relationship they were always careful to respect.

That night when the only thing she cared about was having every inch of him.

That night when she realized years of waiting and fantasizing had been absolutely worth it.

She'd give almost anything for another night; except even Brennan wasn't clueless enough to believe she could have sex with Booth again and then pretend it hadn't happened. In fact, she was working hard on convincing herself that just because she'd given in to temptation once did not mean she had damaged her relationship with her partner.

Nothing has changed, Brennan reassured herself.

If nothing has changed, a little voice intruded, then why have you been contemplating your phone for an hour, instead of actually making the call?

In an attempt to silence her aggravating internal voice, she pressed the call button.

"Booth."

"Hi, Booth," she greeted without preamble. "Would you like to watch a movie?"

"Um, a movie?"

"Well, it doesn't have to be a movie," she clarified, worrying her bottom lip. "I just know that you enjoy movies. But we could also get a drink or engage in any other such suitable activity."

"You saying you wanna hang out?" he deduced, a little unsure.

"Yes, though I never understood that phrase," Brennan complained, automatically going on a tangent. "I mean, it's not as if we will be hanging in any sense of the word. Maybe if we were attending an execution …" she mused and Booth knew it was time to get her back on track.

"Bones, focus," he said quickly. "I have a bunch of movies you've never seen. Why don't we get some dinner and we'll pick one of those." Booth smiled a little. "We'll fill in that pop culture gap of yours that never fails to amaze me."

"I'm a forensic anthropologist, Booth," she reminded haughtily. "Explain to me how being well versed in popular culture will make me any more proficient than I already am at my job."

"So, see you at seven, then," he replied instead, unwilling to have the pop culture argument with her over the phone. For some reason, he never won this argument unless they had it face to face.

By the time 7 PM rolled around, Booth had picked up a pizza—half veggie, half meat lover's—and was waiting for his partner to arrive.

He'd be lying if he didn't admit that having her come over worried him a little. Okay, a lot. But the fact was that no place in his apartment was free from her, they had sex in nearly every room. Shit, every time he walked by his kitchen, he saw her spread on that counter, coming on his mouth.

This was not a good idea, Booth realized, fingers trailing anxiously over his stack of movies. He paused on Shrek, but then decided there were too many references she wouldn't get so the movie wouldn't be that funny for her. Finally, he settled on Pirates of the Caribbean because if anyone ever mentioned Captain Jack Sparrow to her, she should know they weren't talking about an actual member of the military.

His body responded to the knock on his door in exactly the same way as last time; his heart stopped and then raced. Booth took a deep breath, reminding himself that this was different. She was here for pizza and a movie, not mind-numbingly delicious sex. Ah, damn, and it had been so freaking delicious. Best. Damn. Sex. Ever.

Better forget about it, Booth reminded himself. One night. Just one night. He knew the score, he wasn't going to change the rules on her now, no matter how much he wanted to open that door, pick her up, and make love to her all over again.

"Hey," he said, a lot more cheerfully than he was feeling. "You hungry?"

"Yes, I did not have lunch today."

"Aw, Bones," he chastised, closing the door behind her. "You have got to stop doing that. Aren't you the one always telling me it's important to have three meals a day?"

"Yes, three well balanced meals," she emphasized, giving him a pointed look. "You always seem to forget that part."

"Well, at least, I don't go around skipping lunch," Booth defended. "C'mon, dig in, you must be starving."

Brennan smiled and happily dug into her side of the pizza. "What are we watching?"

"Pirates of the Caribbean. It's about—"

"I've seen it." Brennan took a napkin from the stack on the coffee table. "Very amusing."

Booth's jaw nearly dropped. "You're kidding."

"No." She gazed up at him, blue eyes absolutely earnest. "I went to visit Russ for his birthday and Amy had given him the movie as a present, so we watched it after the girls went to bed. Apparently, Russ loves that movie."

"Well, yeah," Booth grinned. "Captain Jack Sparrow is awesome."

"The actor did a tremendous job of projecting rakishness and sexual appeal even while adopting relatively effeminate mannerisms."

"The actor?" He couldn't believe her. "It's Johnny Depp, Bones, he's only like one of the … you know what, never mind." Snagging a slice of pizza, Booth pointed towards his movie collection. "Why don't you have a look see and tell me what you want to watch."

Booth smiled when he saw her grab another slice and take it with her to peruse the movies. He settled back on his couch to watch her and his gaze followed the curve of her back dipping down to her rounded bottom, showcased to perfection in a pair of tight, dark jeans. The urge to circle her waist and cuddle her into him battled with the desire to peel off those jeans and pump her from behind in long, lazy strokes.

All right, he wasn't keeping his cool, at all. Maybe, he should just talk to her. They were adults, right? And this whole I-touched-every-inch-of-you-but-now-I'm-gonna-pretend-I-didn't thing wasn't really working out. They should talk. They already kept so much inside; this should not be one of those things.

"Um, Bones?"

Brennan turned around, the serious expression on her partner's face making her heart pound. Something was obviously on his mind and she wondered if it was the same thing that had been on hers since she walked through his door.

His lips parted and she followed their sensual shape with her gaze. But before he could even utter a word, his phone began to ring loudly. What looked like impatience flashed in his eyes and he looked at the phone with a frown. It was clear that he was considering not picking up, but ultimately his sense of responsibility was too strong.

"Booth," he answered abruptly and after a few seconds he looked around for something to write. "Yeah, give me a sec."

"We have a case, don't we?" Brennan whispered, handing him a pen and he only nodded, writing down the address of what was surely their crime scene.

Brennan went to collect her lightweight jacket, feeling strangely relieved and disappointed at the same time.

-x-

Just like last time, they solved their case in just a little over a week, much to Cam's delight. And after their post case drink, they went their separate ways. That was two days ago and Brennan looked at her phone again, wondering if she should call him. She did receive a text from him yesterday, reminding her that he still owed her the movie of her choice.

Except watching a movie was not what she wanted to do. Not even close. For almost anyone else, Friday night, as the end of the workweek, was to be greeted joyously. But the way her day had gone, Brennan wanted to greet the end of the week with a knife to the jugular, not any damn joy.

She battled with herself only a few more seconds, before discarding her lab coat and grabbing her car keys. She knew exactly where she was going and why. One part of her brain was rational and sternly demanded she turn the car around. The other part told that one to shut the hell up.

Just once more. If he wanted. If he even realized what she needed and was willing to give it to her. Just one more chance to feel his hands all over her. To forget her frustrating day and have him inside her again.

She would stop after tonight, she would. She had excellent self-control. Just … not tonight.

Tonight, Brennan didn't want to pretend she didn't want him, didn't need him. She didn't care how far gone she was. It wasn't far enough.

-x-

"Bones."

She nodded and swept inside without saying a word.

Booth raised an eyebrow when she threw down her purse on his table with some force. She stepped out of her heels next and walked, barefoot and aimless, around his apartment.

"You want a beer?"

"No."

"Some food?"

"No."

O-kay. He followed as she drifted into the kitchen, eyes scrutinizing her up and down. Booth almost asked her if she wanted to watch that movie now, but he was sure she would give him another one of those curt one word responses.

He could see the stress radiating off her; her spine was ramrod straight, her jaw set in what could only be annoyance. She didn't say a word, just placed her hands flat on the counter.

Right. No beer, no food, no conversation, he was pretty sure she wasn't there for any of that. Stomach clenching, Booth stepped behind her, hands resting on the counter on either side of her hips and bracketing her in his arms.

"Rough day at work?" It was whispered softly, so softly, into her ear, hands settling carefully at her waist.

Still silent, her answer was to place her hands over his and move them up her body. When he cupped her breasts, she groaned and on the sound, Booth gripped her blouse and tugged. Buttons pinged against the counter and floor as the fabric ripped all the way down until it disappeared into the waistband of her skirt. He worked the material down, just past her shoulders and then did the same to the bra straps marring the flow of smooth skin.

His mouth kissed a straight line from just below her ear to the curve of one shoulder. When he moved to the other side, she growled and pressed back against him. Impatient, Brennan hiked up her skirt and Booth got the message, shoving down a lacy pair of panties. The material rested just below the curve of her perfect ass and it hampered the spread of her thighs. He realized it almost at the same time she did and before her impatience could escalate, Booth ripped the lace from her body.

The thought flashed in his head that he was glad she wasn't wearing cotton panties because those would be impossible to rip. But that was his last coherent thought before he was pushing down his pants and pushing into her. Brennan moaned and fell forward and he sheathed himself to the hilt, curling his fingers around her hips.

"D-don't stop," Brennan gasped, the cool counter against her torso making her ache for the heat of him to drive into her and shatter her into a million fiery pieces. "Please, don't stop,"

Stop? When he'd been dying to be inside her again? No freaking way. Booth shuddered, discovering that her heat and perfect fit hadn't been a product of his imagination.

"Only way I stop now is if you tell me this is not what you came here for."

Her silence was all the answer Booth needed and he thrust forward, building up a hard, smooth rhythm that had her moaning harshly.

"Yes. Oh my God, yes." She pled and demanded, all in one breath. "More, please. Ohh, Booth, don't stop."

Brennan closed her eyes and absorbed everything. The cool ceramic against her cheek, his warm hands cupping her hips. But, most of all, the hard length of him driving inside her, again and again, without pause. She could feel the release building and she tightened around him, fingers curling into fists. With a deep moan, she pushed back, eager to meet his movements, telling him she wanted it as hard and rough as he could give her.

Booth growled and gave her everything he had, pounding her until she went liquid around him. He kept thrusting as she came, letting her ride the orgasm and then shot inside her, hot and wet and so damn hard, he could do nothing but collapse forward, his cheek resting between her shoulder blades.

A soft sound escaped her lips and she squirmed a little, making Booth realize he was crushing her. Moving off her, he smoothed her skirt back down, eyes going wide as she turned and he saw her ruined blouse.

"I, uh … I'm sorry about the blouse …" His voice dropped to a near whisper. "And, also, the underwear …"

"I really don't care, Booth," she said quickly, amazed that he was concerned with something so mundane. Brennan was feeling too sated to worry about anything, but if he was concerned with ruined clothes, then he would probably be concerned about the lack of protection, so she felt it necessary to reassure him. "We didn't use a condom, but you should know I am healthy and very conscientious about my birth control."

"Oh god," he breathed in shock. "Shit, Bones, I'm so sorry, I …" Booth scrubbed his hands over his face. "I'm clean, I promise."

"I'm not worried, Booth."

"Still, I'm sorry, Bones," he said again, shaking his head at his utter lack of control. "I should've … damn, I know better, but I couldn't even think and hell, I'm sorry …"

"I've already said it's not a problem, Booth." She regarded him steadily. "I assume we're currently engaging in sex only with each other. If that assumption is incorrect then—"

He stopped her with a glare. "You know damn well that assumption is not incorrect."

"Very well, then." Brennan gave him a serene smile. "Then I don't see the need to worry about it."

Booth nodded, forcing himself to relax. It still didn't sit well with him that his control had pretty much gone out the window, but if she didn't want to worry about it, he'd follow her lead. He trusted her and was pleased that she trusted him also. In fact, it made his chest tight, thinking of how much she was trusting him and he couldn't help raising his hands and cupping her face.

"You can trust me," Booth said earnestly, locking his eyes on hers.

"I know. I've always trusted you." Her voice went soft, as well. "You can trust me too."

"I do." Letting his hands fall to his side, he felt a little awkward and unsure about what to do next. "Do you, um, you wanna stay for dinner?"

"I should go home."

"Right." Booth shrugged, trying to take it philosophically. Sex. Just sex. Stress relieving, so damn hot, I-wanna-have-it-every-day-sex, but sex all the same. He had to remember that.

"I need another top and new underwear." Brennan reached down to retrieve her ruined panties. "You can come over for dinner at my place. If you want, that is. I haven't purchased groceries in a while, so I'm not sure what I have in my fridge, but I'm sure I can come up with a fairly nutritious meal. Of course, there's also take-out. That is often convenient, although not very healthy …"

Booth's eyes narrowed, she sounded suspiciously like she was rambling. "Sure," he said casually. "Take-out sounds good, Bones." He backed out of the kitchen, clearing his throat. "I'll, uh, meet you at your place."

"Yes." Brennan collected her purse and made sure to use one hand to keep her blouse from gaping open. "I'll see you soon."

-x-

Unable to really agree on what to order, Booth and Brennan defaulted to Thai food, as they often did. The meal was consumed mostly in silence and Brennan didn't so much eat as push around the noodles on her plate. Booth knew lack of appetite indicated she was still thinking about her crappy day, so he waited her out.

When they were done, he helped her clear the table, taking the plates to the sink.

"Just leave them," Brennan instructed and as she walked by him, he grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.

"You gonna tell me about it?"

"Tell you what?"

Booth gave her one of those looks that said he knew she knew exactly what he was talking about. "Bones …"

Brennan sighed. "I had a difficult day," she admitted. "But there's no point in complaining as it won't actually change anything. It's over."

"Okay, but telling me about it might make you feel better."

She frowned in consideration. "How so?"

"Well, because, I'll be on your side."

"On my side?"

Booth gave a small smile at her puzzled tone. "Yeah, you know, that's how it works. You can vent, that means complain, by the way, about everything that went wrong today and I'll listen and commiserate and tell you everyone else sucks."

He could practically see her mind processing and considering. "You will?"

"Sure." Booth's arms automatically circled around her waist in a loose hold. "Give it a try."

Her hands landed on his chest and she traced the design on his T-shirt, mind whirling. Where to start? "All right … " Brennan settled on a chronological order. "Well, right after lunch, Hodgins conducted one of his ill-advised experiments and we had to evacuate the lab for almost two hours. Even after we were allowed back in, the noxious odor that lingered made it difficult to concentrate."

"That idiot," Booth said promptly. "Want me to slap him around next time I'm at the lab?"

Her lips twitched at the offer and she gained confidence, thinking this idea of venting had merit, after all. "Then, I received a message from my publisher, wanting to move up the deadline for my next book by two months."

Booth frowned. "That seems like a lot."

"It is!" Brennan hissed. "Utterly outlandish. I spent over an hour arguing with them about it. They just refused to listen to reason, Booth."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to submit my book by the original deadline, just like my contract states and I told them any further discussions on the issue could go through my lawyer."

"Nice." Booth had to admit that, at times, he enjoyed that uncompromising attitude of hers. She wasn't going to let anyone push her around and she was going to let you know it. "You dealt with it, Bones. Don't let it stress you out. I'll bet they'll be too afraid of your lawyer to bring it up again."

"I do have an excellent attorney," Brennan noted in satisfaction, before remembering that the disagreement with her publisher had not been the most annoying part of her day. "Right after I hung up, Cam came into my office and demanded I participate in some ridiculous Jeffersonian documentary featuring the lab."

He winced. "Well, that was poor timing." Booth was sure Cam was going to have her hands full getting his partner to cooperate.

"She didn't even let me use my get out of jail free card," Brennan groused and Booth had no idea what that was, but he knew Cam was going to have a recalcitrant Brennan on her hands for the duration of this documentary. "Cameras in my lab, Booth!" she grumbled, getting annoyed just thinking about it. "Do you know how disruptive that will be?"

Yeah, good luck, Cam, he thought ruefully, but unable to muster much sympathy for his friend when he had a clearly distressed Bones in his arms.

"Very disruptive," he agreed quickly.

"Of course, Daisy was on rotation and she spent all day talking about it. I thought, after Maluku, that I had built a tolerance to her, but I found out today, I was sorely mistaken."

"I don't think even Sweets has built a tolerance to her," he concluded, cupping a hand around her nape and massaging gently. "Hey, how about this … whenever she annoys you, just send her over to Cam."

"That seems vengeful."

"Well, if you have to deal with cameras in your lab; then she can deal with Daisy, right?"

"Right." Brennan smiled, pleased with his logic. "You're very devious."

Booth chuckled. "I aim to please."

Her hands moved from his chest to wind around his neck and she pressed her body against his. "You were right." Soft lips landed against his jaw, lining tiny kisses over him. "Venting did make me feel better."

If he was surprised at the soft touches, Booth didn't show it. "Do you want me to help you, um, vent some more?"

She moved her head back to look at him. "Is that a euphemism for—?"

"Yeah, Bones, it is," Booth replied on a near groan, lifting her in his arms.

Brennan buried her face against the curve of his neck, sucking lightly on the warm skin there. He carried her to her bedroom, setting her on the bed and removing the strappy tank and comfortable sweats she had changed into for dinner.

Booth nearly smiled at the cotton panties and he slid them down her legs, running his hands up her body as he settled over her.

"You're wearing too many clothes," Brennan murmured, sneaking her hands under his T-shirt and tugging it off him. She pushed on his shoulders and he moved to his back, letting her straddle him and remove the rest of his clothes. When she had him naked, she stroked her hands over his chest in a wide arc, nearly purring in contentment. "You're extremely pleasing to look at and touch and stroke and kiss."

He was nearly speechless at the way she was moving over him, her lips following the path of her hands in sucking kisses and nipping bites. Between them, his erection was stiff and more than ready to rock into her, but she just rubbed herself over him, her wet folds gliding against his shaft.

A low moan escaped his lips and he stroked his hands up the curve of her back. Her breasts were pressed flushed against his chest as her mouth trailed over his throat and the side of his neck in a storm of hard kisses. Her touch was just frenzied enough to tell him that she was still on edge and he grabbed her hips, moving her over his cock.

"Bones, c'mon," he encouraged, raising his head a little to press his lips against the beating pulse at her throat. "Just take what you need, baby."

She sank down into him with a soft cry and Booth groaned, her body enveloping him in liquid heat. Bracing her hands on the mattress next to his shoulders, she rode him, her gaze locked on his. He cupped her bottom, feeling her rocking glides, watching her lips part in a satisfied moan when the orgasm rushed through her in one clean wave. She collapsed against his chest and he closed his arms around her shuddering frame.

"Booth," she gasped softly, heart still thundering. "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I want you, I want you so much and you've let me …" Her voice faded and she raised her head to be able to look at him. "You've been very generous with your body and …" Her voice lowered, almost shy and uncertain. "Thank you. I just—"

"Bones …"

"I should have said it before, I … I know this is difficult for you and you didn't have to—"

Booth captured her lips and rolled her under him. He was still hard and buried inside her and his hips rocked forward between her thighs. "You know, I'm glad you can recognize my self-sacrifice," he whispered huskily against her lips. "I mean, touching every inch of your beautiful body has been such an imposition. I don't know how I've been able to endure it, but somehow, I have."

"Booth …"

"And let's not forget how terrible it is to sink inside you and find myself surrounded by the most deliciously tight, wet flesh … oh, god, so damn difficult," he moaned, pumping into her with increasing force. "I can't believe you're making me suck your pretty little nipples like this …" His head lowered, mouth opening against the tip of one breast and sucking. After a few minutes, the other one got the same attention and she arched into the suction, gasping his name. "I can't believe I have to slide between your soft thighs and bury myself inside you until we both come."

"Stop talking," she begged, her skin felt overheated and his words were coiling up the tightness in her belly so much, it left her nearly afraid to find out what would happen when she shattered. "Booth, oh god, oh god, ohhhh …"

"I have not been generous," he breathed, completely serious now. "And this has not been difficult. Do you understand me?" Booth couldn't help leaning down and kissing her fiercely. "I've been hungry for you and falling into your arms has been so damn easy because for so many years, there's only one thing I've wanted more than I've wanted to breathe and that thing is you."

Brennan tensed beneath him, arms going tight around his body as the climax hit her; he was the only solid thing in the rush of pleasure even as he was the one creating it. Booth rasped her name and shuddered almost violently, emptying inside her in explosive relief.

There was nothing but silence and ragged breathing as he shifted on the bed, raising the sheets over their cooling bodies. Booth's body curved over hers, his chest pressed snuggly against her back and his arm around her waist. Her fingers laced with his over her stomach and Brennan felt his lips brush the back of her shoulder in a silent caress.

Their eyes closed and there were no more words. It was late and too much had already been exposed anyway.

-x-

Brennan wasn't sure what woke her up, but maybe it was the lack of warm, male body in her bed.

"Booth?" she called sleepily and he froze in the act of buttoning up his pants.

"Hey." Coming out of his trance, Booth zipped the fly of his jeans and collected his T-shirt from the floor. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you? I tried not to …"

"You didn't, Booth." Brennan watched him don his shirt and sit on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes. "I tend not to sleep in very often. I guess you don't, either."

Booth cleared his throat. "Actually, if I don't have Parker, I do sleep in on the weekends." Twisting a bit, he looked at her on the bed and his throat constricted. "Usually, I mean. But a few days ago, some guys from work told me they were organizing a pick-up game, um, hockey, and even though it was in the morning I said maybe I'd join," he explained.

"Oh."

He couldn't read her expression, which was crazy because usually she was an open book to him.

Ask me to stay and I will. Hell, just give me a hint here what you want from me, Bones and—

"Have a good game," she finally said and Booth tried to hide his disappointment.

"Thanks," he sighed, rising from the bed. "I guess I'll just … go." Booth felt like an idiot and the last word was barely audible as he turned for the door.

"I don't want things to change between us," Brennan blurted out suddenly, stopping him in his tracks. "Our partnership … our friendship, they are important to me, I don't want to damage them."

He spun on his heel, facing her again. She bit her bottom lip and he knew the gesture usually indicated anxiety. "You know they are important to me too." Booth hesitated for a moment before walking forward and sitting on the bed again. This time, he braced one hand on the mattress and leaned over her sheet-clad body. "You are important to me, but Bones, look, the fact is things have already changed."

Brennan swallowed, terrified that he was right. "I … I don't do well with change. You know that."

"Maybe that was true once, but I don't think that's true anymore," he whispered quietly, but she still looked so uncertain and worried that Booth pressed a light, comforting kiss against her lips. "But if you want, we can just, you know, forget about it. If that's what you want, Bones, I'll do it."

Even as the words left his mouth, Booth knew they were ridiculous because he sure as hell wasn't going to be forgetting anything. Even if he never touched her again, he was going to remember it for the rest of his life.

Brennan was sure he was trying to alleviate her anxiety, but his words only made her more apprehensive. When he said they could forget about it, she knew what he was offering and she was torn between the part of her that warned her to take his offer and stop the madness and the part that felt like it might go mad if she did.

What would happen to their partnership if she didn't stop going to him? What would happen to her if she did? Where Booth was concerned, it seemed she was always making the wrong choice and Brennan knew this time around there could be no more mistakes. For both their sakes.

"Booth … I … I don't know …" she confessed gravely, the confusion naked in her eyes.

He nodded, accepting her struggle. "Why don't you think on it," he suggested gently, leaning forward and brushing a kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you later, okay."

Booth was almost to the door of her bedroom, when she called out softly. "Tomorrow, Booth. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure," he agreed, turning the knob on the door and smiling in relief. However long it took her to process, at least he knew she wasn't going to keep him at a distance while her mind whirled. "Tomorrow, Bones."