Chapter Three

Waking Up and Intimacy

No, it was too soon for him to wake. The morning rays of light seemed to have found their way through the thick-black curtains. Gold outlined the bottom of his eyelashes while he tried to squeeze them shut. It was too early. He couldn't have slept for more than five minutes.

Something moved upon his chest. It was soft and gentle. His hand went to move, only to find out that his arm was wrapped around something beside him. Taking in the feeling, it sort of felt like silk. A shiver ran through his body when something warm contacted him.

The light that was casting through the window was shifting, illuminating the open living room below. He eyes drifted down. Surprise took his mind back slightly. The silk feeling he had felt was the fabric of her night gown. The gentle touch had been her hand upon him, running lightly from his shoulder to the center of his chest and back up. She was still asleep, clearly not knowing what she was doing.

His eyes fell closed again. Waves. Heat waves courses through him. She was against him. He was holding her against him. His one arm laid wrapped around her back with his other hand tucked under the back of his head.

A spark shot through him with a slow yet hard gasp of breath. The intoxicating feeling only served to heighten his emotions more. Her leg—her long lean tight leg—was overlapped with his. The feeling of it between his was nothing like he could have thought. If she rolled just the smallest amount, she would be on top of him, straddling him.

An ache, it hurt. It was too much, way too much. Her scent, her touch, her warmth—it was all too much for him to handle right now. Wanting to but not wanting to, he wiggled his way out of her embrace. The cold breeze as he stood up from the bed was a harsh chill. His eyes cast down to her. Heavy, his lungs were expanding and contracting with a pain.

She was still calmly sleeping. Her hand ran over the spot he had been laying moments before. Watching as she stirred, his eyes cast down when he noticed her shoulders tighten from under the sheets. She could sense his lacking presence even as she slept? Did she really want to be lying with him?

Groaning slightly, he shook his head. It didn't matter if she meant it or not. It didn't matter that he wanted it. They didn't know each other. They weren't in love. They had no business embracing each other like that.

Turning around, he headed for the closet. It couldn't be more than a little after seven. He had to get dressed, had to get out of these pajamas. The sweat that seemed to have come over him when he woke up was causing the pants to feel uncomfortable.

Closing the closet door behind him, he locked it from the inner handle. The dim light from the ceiling was enough to allow him to see what he was rummaging through. Grabbing a pain of black jeans, he also pulled out a tight shoulder cut black shirt. His D.P.S. attire was a habit now. Everything had been black, seeing how he mostly only worked during the night shifts. "Let the humans work the day." His boss had always told him.

The soft sound of the bathroom door closing told him that she was up. Moments later, the sound of running water followed. She was taking a shower. Yeah, that's what he needed to think about right now. Kagome naked, her flesh dripping with water droplets. Eyes falling closed, he could practically see it—taste the sweet flesh of her skin mixing with the—

He growled at himself. Again, he was dazing himself in un-needed thoughts. If he wanted to survive the next couple of weeks, he couldn't be like this. He was suppose to be her guard, protector, even if she really didn't think she need it.

Tugging the pajama pants off, he tried not to waist time getting the new set of clothes on. The jeans were a little tighter then his other pair, but they were still fitting. The shirt was comfortable. The nice cotton feeling was warm, blocking the still chilled air from him.

His mind began to wonder back to the bed when he woke up. It was warm. Her body heat against him under the black silk cover was desirable. Gentle breaths, soft caress, she was embracing him, holding him.

Unconsciously growling, he exited the closet. She was willing to be near him, and he had moved, panicked. What the hell was wrong with him? Any demon, any guy, would have given anything to at least be in the same bed with her. There he was, in the same bed, under the same sheet, with her so close, touching him—he growled—and he pulled away. What kind of an idiot was he?

He dropped into the chair his jacket was draped across. Swiftly pulling a pair of black socks out of the first dresser drawer, it slammed closed with a force. He was stupid. He was a fool. He was a stupid fool. The sound of his heal hitting the floor as he tugged his boot on was louder with his anger.

Who the hell in their right mind would pull away from someone like her? He pulled on his other sock, accidentally cutting himself with his claws. "Shit." The curse muttered. Wiping the small amount of blood away, he swiftly tugged on his last boot.

Who the hell was he kidding? Shoulders easing, his head dropped into the palm of his hands. How can he curse himself when he knew she didn't mean to do it? What kind of a girl would want to be with a demon like him? No one but his brother and boss knew his secret. He was a hanyou. A man with demonic abilities, he was trapped between two worlds.

His eyes drifted to the bathroom door when the sound of the water shut off. Did she know? If she did, would she except it? No one excepted it? Humans hated demons, and demons hated humans. That's the way it is and always has been. Looking more like a demon than a human, he could better live with the demonic side of the city than the human. He liked it that way in the most part. Humans were too emotional and dramatic anyway.

The loud obnoxious ring of the phone drew his attention. Sighing, he reached an arm out to grab it. "Hello?" Silence. "Hello?" He tried again.

"Who the hell is this?" An angry tight voice questioned, clearly a male demon by the sound of the low growl that followed.

Eyes narrowing, Inuyasha tried to hold back his temper. "Who the hell wants to know?"

The man on the other side of the phone barked out in irritation. "This is the number the office gave me for Kagome! Where is she, and why are you there?"

"Feh. Like hell I'm going to tell someone I don't even know." He huffed, a cocky voice forced to cover the anger rising inside him.

"Why you—" The growl following was a pure mix of irritation and building rage. "WHERE THE HELL IS KAGOME?"

"Kouga?" Her soft voice questioned.

Looking up, he didn't even notice the sound of the bathroom door opening or the smell of the water steam slight escaping it. "Kagome!" The loud yell coming from the phone caused Inuyasha to jerk it back a bit. "Put Kagome on you ass!"

He was ready to protest, but couldn't when she yanked the phone out of his hand. She didn't seem very happy. "Kouga?" She spoke tightly.

"Thank god." The man's voice breathed out. "Where the hell are you, and who the hell is the guy?"

For the first time, Inuyasha noticed that she was barely wearing anything. A tan towel was wrapped around her chest coming to her knees. Her raven-hair was damp. She apparently heard the conversation from the bathroom, and came out without finishing up.

He watched as her eyes cast to him for a moment. Spinning on her heals, she motioned into the closet. The soft click of the door latch closing came, followed by her voice a moment later. "Where am I?" She echoed into the phone, her voice low and tight. "Where the hell were you? You disappeared five months ago, and I haven't seen or heard from you since. What gives you the right to ask where I am?"

Inuyasha could hear the panicked stammering of the man on the phone, but it was too soft for him to make from the distance and closed door. Standing up, he pressed an ear against the wood. "You know I love you, Kagome." Inuyasha's heartbeat stopped at the soft confession filtering through the phone to her ear. "You're my woman. I can't stay away from you for long. You ought to know I can't."

"Kouga." Her voice whispered out.

Inuyasha pushed away from the door. She had someone already? She wasn't mated, but the guy said she was his. Where they going to be mates? His neck cracked when he cocked it. Rounding his shoulders for a moment, he decided to head for the stairs.

The soft jazz that had continued through the night was now irritating. The magnet holding the entertainment door shut clicked when he opened it. Grabbing the first CD he could, it went in with the electric slider. Rock filtered out: hard and strong.

His hand flexed. She was to be mated. Why didn't she tell him that? Feh. Why would she tell him? Its not like they knew each other. They just met last night. He was only going to stay for a few weeks to protect her in the public. After that, he was gone, heading back to the D.P.S.

Finding his way to the kitchen, he eyed the coffee he had forgotten about when they first entered the place. Grabbing it, he poured it down the sink. Caffeine? Is that really what he needed right now? No. He needed something with as little strength as can be. If he had anything like coffee right now, who knows what he'll mutter out when she comes down.

Speaking of which—her soft footsteps were louder with the addition the heels made. Not wanting to turn around or see her at the moment, he opened up the refrigerator. The cold draft it brought to him was a welcoming feeling against his tempered mind.

"Inuyasha?" She questioned softly to him, trying to draw his attention.

His hand squeezed against the handle. Her voice sounded so innocent. Why was she still so nice? Her secrete was out. She was mated or promise to be mated. Why was she still having some sort of power over him. His eyes closed slowly, taking in a deep breath before turning around to her.

She was perched upon a bar stool. The tight low-cut white shirt upon her made her really look like an angle. The sleeve fluttered down past her fingertips. "Something wrong?" She asked. Somehow, he knew she was questioning him on Kouga.

His hand behind his back clenched. "Keh. Didn't know you were mated." He muttered, instantly cursing himself for it.

Her eyes dropped in both guilt and calmness. She was still upon her seat. Figuring she didn't have anything to say about it, he straightened. Ready to turn back to the refrigerator, she spoke up. "He's not my mate."

The confession was steady yet annoyed. Looking back over to her, she was staring at him. Her brown eyes fixed themselves upon him. "What his he then?" He asked softly, feeling a little relieved yet confused.

She sighed. The sound of her footsteps coming around the column to the kitchen entry door, she leaned her side against the frame. Her legs crossed at the knees as she support her weight on her shoulder. He drifted his eyes over the dark blue jeans, over the curves of her tight exposed stomach, up the white shirt that covered her chest, to her eyes. Her brown gaze was fixed upon him, watching him.

"He's a friend." She confessed softly, crossing her arms at her chest. "Six months ago, Sango assigned him to be my protector like she had you. Being a smooth talker, he figured he could use it on me." Inuyasha's fist clenched at his side. "We dated for a month, and then, he disappeared without another word until this morning."

Heading to take a step towards her, he stopped himself. "He said he loved you."

"And he probably does." She stated, still just as calm and confident while leaning against the wall.

"He said you were his woman." He muttered, knuckles turning white.

She wasn't reacting. Relaxed against that fucking wall, she stared at him. He was angry, and she was calm. Her gaze was confident, telling him the truth. "And he probably believes that too."

Growling low, he forced his gaze away from her. She wasn't making any sense. Did she love Kouga? Was she Kouga's? What the hell was she saying? His hand gripped the refrigerator handle, yanking it open with a rattling sound from the items on the shelf. Ignoring the law, he grabbed a beer and popped the top off with his claw.

Her movement caught the corner of his eye. His head falling back as he took in the cold bitter fuzz. Stepping in front of him, she reached up to take the bottle away from his lips. Hesitating when he let out a growl, her eyes narrowed. The glass container was ripped out of his hands, catching his front teeth with a yanking pain.

"Damn it!" He growled out. The loud slam of the bottle hitting the counter echoed throughout his sensitive ears for a moment.

"Why don't you just ask me what's really bothering you, Inuyasha?" She yelled at him, matching his narrowed gaze.

"I did." He growled out, reaching for the bottle. With a force from her arm, it slid down the counter, smashing into a mix of glass and yellow liquid as it struck the wall. "Damn it, woman!"

"You're an idiot, Inuyasha." She grumbled tightly. Eyes fixing down to hers, his hand gripped her shoulder harshly. "What? Your going to attack me?" Her voice questioned knowingly.

Growling out, he spun on his heals. The refrigerator door slammed open and closed in a blur. Heading out of the room, he popped the new bottle of beer open. He growled when she leapt over the bar. Her straight form coming to stand in front of him.

She reached for the bottle again. Rage shot through him. Irritably trying to keep it in his hands, he squeezed it. The glass shattered in his grip. The beer flowed down his forearm, dripping off his elbow. Amber eyes shooting to her, she was staring at him with that same calm-anger mix in her depths.

He growled, turning around once again from her. "Damn it, Inuyasha." She yelled, running to be in his path again. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"I did." He spoke, the growl in his chest rumbling it while he stepped around her.

Yelling with annoyance, her hands shot over her head. "No, you didn't." She bellowed. The loud slam of her palms contacting the bar shook through her arms and his ears. "You danced around the question."

"I didn't dance around anything." He yelled, spinning around to glare at her. "I asked a question. You answered it with some shit of an answer."

Her shoulders tightened. "You didn't ask anything." She bellowed at him. "You were muttering about stuff that you heard Kouga say."

"Yeah." He growled out. "Those were my questions."

"That's bullshit." Her knee slammed upon the bar seat, giving her another good few inches closer to him.

"No, its perfectly fine." He growled stronger, his hands spaced upon the counter.

Their faces were at each other. The hard counter only added to the fire in their eyes. Exhaling, inhaling, their breaths were heavy and strong. His eyes shook with hers. Warmth, it cascade over the room.

"Inuyasha—" Her words caught.

Not bothering to think first, he grasped her wrist. The sound of the stool under her hitting the floor was unheard. He pulled her across the counter in a single movement. Her body collided with his. The cabinets behind him shook as his back hit them. His lips took hers.

Heaven? Was that what you would describe this? Pleasure? Yes, pleasure—sweat heavenly pleasure. Her legs wrapped themselves around his waist. His arms pressed her closer, wanting, needing her to be closer.

The scent of lavender filled him. Her sweat aroma was intoxicating. Deeper and deeper he took her. His tongue delving between her lips as she moaned. The muffled sound heightened his need. Her fingers entwined within his hair, keeping him from pulling away, but he wouldn't dare.

This was more than he could ever have thought. The warmth of her body around him, embracing him like she had done before, was far more than he could have ever thought possible. She was giving it to him. She was loving him willingly. But why?

Moving his lips from her mouth, they traveled down her jaw line. The creamy silk of her flesh drew his tongue out passed his lips. He licked the crook of her neck. Her heartbeat was racing against him. The sensations coursing through her sent waves into him.

"Inuyasha." She whispered out, bring her forehead against his shoulder.

Breathing hard, he let her drop from around him. Her fingertips ran slowly from behind his neck. They felt feathers against his chest. Her eyes were hidden from him under her bangs, but he could tell they were closed. The music softened into a love ballad, something about forever and only one.

She stepped back. Her gaze finally lifting up to him. She was scared. Why? He knew why he was scared, but why was she? "Kagome—"

"I don't love Kouga." She muttered before he could speak. "I'm not his either." The scent of salt was breaking into the room. "What have you done to me, Inuyasha?"

He stared. Confusion was far from what her questioned brought him. "I—"

Shaking her head, she took another step back. Her resolve seemed to be flowing back into her. Back straightening, she breathed in a calming breath. "Forget it." She spoke, bring a professional smile to her lips. "No need to talk about it. Pardon me." She muttered, leaving the kitchen.

What just happened? He kissed her. She kissed him back. What went wrong? His eyes drifted to the stair when her footsteps tapped lightly against the wood. What had she meant? 'What have you done to me, Inuyasha?' her words repeated in his mind. "Kagome?"

The bathroom door closed gently. His eyes darted to the stereo when the ballad ended, followed by an obnoxious yelling. Growling low, he strode over to it and shut the thing off. She confessed she didn't love Kouga, and that she wasn't his. His body collapsed upon the coach.

"What have you done to me?" He echoed her words out softly. His eyes drifted up to the bedroom and the unseen bathroom door. Wasn't that question the same thing that had been bothering him? Wasn't that the same question that answered it all too.

His head fell against the arm of the chair with his feet propped up on the other. This feeling inside him—it triggered so many emotions at once. There was pain, aching hurt, happiness, joy, comfort. What did it mean? Where was it coming from. He never felt it before—not until he had met her. Was it her? Was she the reason he was feeling like this?

His mind went back to the kiss. Her warm legs had wrapped themselves around his waist. Her graceful fingers were demanding as they laced within his hair. She didn't fight him, though. She embraced it. She encouraged it. Why? Did she want it too? Was she feeling the same thing he was? Was she aching inside like he always seems to be now when she was away?

A loud knock drew Inuyasha's attention to the door. It was loud and obnoxious. The pounding didn't seem to want to end. Growling low, he strode towards the door. The main lock clicked towards the right, followed by the handle lock before he opened the door.