A/N: Again, I am floored by the support. More than 1,500 views! 27 follows and 24 reviews is great for starting the story and only 1 update. This is update number 2. Like I said last time, it will be awhile before they are together, but after this chapter the sexual tension should start to build.

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Veronica Roth's "Divergent" or any business, places, etc. that are referenced in this story.

Warning: Please only read if you're of an appropriate age. Story contains content for mature audiences only due to explicit language and sexual content.

Chapter 6 - Collecting on the Bet

-Tris POV-

As I'm walking away, I hear Four say, "I'm going to grab my gym bag out of my truck. I'll meet you at the apartment."

I get home and, first things first, I start some coffee. God, I need coffee. I'm anxiously awaiting the dripping dark brew when I hear a knock at my door. "It's open," I yell.

I'm still standing at the counter, staring at the coffee maker and tapping my fingers, when Four goads, "A little addicted to caffeine, are you?" I turn to see him smirking at me.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, I wasn't the one lamenting the fact that there was no coffee this morning." With that, I grab the coffee pot and pour out what has already been brewed into a cup. I stick the pot back in the maker to continue its work. I then turn and smirk back at Four when I say, "You can wait for your cup. I'm going to take a shower." I grab my coffee cup and run into the bathroom.

I quickly take a shower. After I dry off, I comb my hair and twist it up into a quick bun. When I ran in here with my coffee, I didn't think about the fact that Four is here, so I didn't bring any clothes in with me. Oh well. I wrap a towel around me and exit the bathroom. I'm surprised to see Four leaning against the couch looking right at the bathroom door while drinking a cup of coffee.

"The bathroom is all yours. Oh, I have to apologize. All I have is vanilla scented shampoo."

Four just smiles. He lifts his gym bag and says, "I have some spare clothes as well as soap and shampoo. I usually shower at the gym."

"Okay," I say as I head into my bedroom. I quickly get dressed in a t-shirt and sweat pants, then head back to the kitchen to get more coffee. I'm staring at the food in my refrigerator when Four comes out of the bathroom. I have only seen him in button up shirts, but now he is in a tight fitting t-shirt. A very tight fitting t-shirt. Damn is he put together.

I clear my throat from the lump that just formed there. "Would you like something to eat?"

"Sure. What do you have?"

"Well, a little bit of everything. My grandma fully stocked this place. I think she assumed that I would cook for groups of ten or something."

"Eggs?" Four asks.

"Yeah, I can do that." I dig into the fridge and gather bacon and eggs. I set these on the counter and turn to grab the bread when I hear the clank of a pan. I turn to see Four putting bacon in a pan. "You can cook?" I ask.

"Well, yeah. I have to eat. And, it is just bacon and eggs."

As he is standing there, I realize that I can see parts of a tattoo on his neck, just barely poking up from the back of his shirt. The tattoo is hidden by the collar of the shirts that he normally wears. The fact that he has a tattoo surprises me. "What's your tattoo of?"

Four jerks in surprise and rubs the back of his neck. "Uh, um, nothing much."

I just nod. It seems that he doesn't want to share so I try to change the subject. "How do you like your eggs?"

He shrugs. "It doesn't really matter."

"Yes, it does," I say. "First, runny yolks or hard?" I see him start to shrug again so I add, "Yes, it matters. Which do you like better?"

"Okay, okay. I like either, but I prefer runny."

"Good," I say grinning. "Once the bacon is done I will make you some basted eggs."

Four stops turning the bacon in the pan and looks at me. "What are you talking about? What are basted eggs?"

"They are the BEST eggs ever. And, so easy." As Four finishes up the bacon, I get a plate set out with paper towels on it that he can set the bacon on to drain. When he is done, he steps back with a bow indicating that the stove is mine.

"These will actually cook really fast. Why don't you start some toast while I do this?"

He just nods and grabs the bread. As I start working on the eggs, I can see him watching me out of the corner of his eye. I pour most of the bacon grease out of the pan and then set the pan back on the stove. I crack four eggs into the pan and they start to sizzle immediately. I salt and pepper them then grab a cup and fill it with just a splash of water. I dig under the counter and pull out the lid to this pan. I then dump the water into the hot pan and immediately cover the pan with the lid. I grab two plates and set them next to the stove. I then turn off the burner and lift the lid. Taking the spatula, I set two eggs on each plate.

"Is that toast done yet?" I ask as I turn toward Four. He is looking at me in wonder.

"How did you cook eggs that fast?"

"The water turns to steam and cooks the tops allowing them to finish quickly." With that I grab a slice of toast and a couple of pieces of bacon and sit down at the table. I cut my eggs up getting yolk over everything. Oh, so good.

Four just shakes his head and sits down.

"What? It's hot. I don't like cold eggs."

At this Four chuckles. I somewhat impatiently wait until he tastes his eggs. "These are really good," he tells me.

"Yeah, I love the yolks, plus to make really good scrambled eggs takes forever. Thanks for making the bacon. I don't usually have the patience for that."

"How can you ride horses, show jump even, and not have patience?" I assume that he is teasing me, but when I look up I see that he looks genuine in asking.

"Well, first horses and food are two widely different things. I like to eat and when I'm hungry I don't want to wait. How about you? You seem like you would rather be by yourself all the time and not be bothered by anything. How do you put up with training horses?" I keep looking at him when I ask this. I figure that he opened the door so I should take advantage of it.

"It's simple," he answers. "I don't like most people, but I like horses. They're usually honest and almost never violent for the sake of violence."

When he's done talking, he just kind of stares at his plate. I get the feeling that he said more than he meant to there. Before the silence can stretch into being uncomfortable, I ask him, "Do you want some more coffee?"

"No, I'm good. This is my second cup," he tells me.

I get up and set my dirty dishes in the sink. I then turn and start to clean the counter and put the remaining food away. Before I can stop him, Four starts washing the dishes. "You don't have to do that," I tell him. "I'll get them in a while."

"Hey, it's the least I can do for letting me get cleaned up and feeding me."

"Well, you did help cook. Really, you're making me feel bad." I try to stop him, but pushing him out of the way is like moving a tree. It just isn't going to happen. Finally I give in and just start drying and putting away the dishes.

He smirks down at me. "Did you really think you could shove me out of the way? I mean really?"

"Shut up." With that I put the last dish away and turn back to him. He is leaning with his back against the counter looking better than anyone has a right to. When he sees me looking at him, he says, "Well, I should get back to work. Thank you again for letting me take a shower and giving me coffee."

Without thinking about it, I say, "Anytime."

Four's eyes go wide when I say that. It then hits me. "I mean not 'anytime' anytime. Just let me know if you need... ... You know what. I'm going to quit while I'm somewhat out of the hole."

Four just laughs at this and grabs his gym bag. He walks to the door and nods at me as he leaves.

\~\~\~\~\

It's finally Saturday night. I need to collect on my bet with Four. I drive into town and head to the local bar. I walk in and glance around. Most people smile at me and a couple of guys throw me winks. I am looking for someone though. I don't see Four, but I see Zeke behind the bar again. I sit over near where Four sat last week. When Zeke glances at me, I nod and ask for a beer. He slides a full mug over. Grabbing it, I quickly take a long drink.

"So, how was your week, Tris?"

"It was interesting. I got working on stuff for my grandma, got some serious studying in, and had an adventure with an injured yearling."

"Oh, yeah. Four told me about your impromptu camping trip. He told me you did real well out there."

I'm surprised at this. "Really? What did..."

Before I finish what I was saying, a guy behind me asks, "Would you like to dance?"

I turn and look at him. He is kind of good looking and seems nice enough. I glance at Zeke and don't see him flashing me any warning signs, so figure what the hell. "Sure," I say. I get off my barstool and let him lead me to the dance floor.

I quickly learn that his name is Edward and he grew up here. He is only back for the summer since he goes to college at ASU. After that dance I thank him and head back to the bar.

Before I make it back to my waiting beer, someone else grabs my hand. Without even asking me, they pull me to them and start to dance. Where Edward seemed nice enough, this person is pushing my boundaries though, thankfully, not crossing them. He tells me his name is Eric and insinuates that we should hook up. I manage to keep space between us for the rest of that song and then break away. I don't give him a chance to grab me again.

As I near my waiting beer, I see Four sitting on the barstool next to it. I sit down and take large drink. After swallowing, I turn to Four and grin. "So, when are you going to sing for me?"

Zeke looks between us, glancing back and forth. After a couple of moments when neither of us speak, Zeke finally breaks the silence and asks, "Sing? Four doesn't sing? He barely talks."

At that I snort and tell Zeke, "Four lost a bet and has to sing a karaoke song tonight."

"Four lost a bet?" Zeke asks incredulously. "He never loses. At anything."

Four doesn't say anything, he just stands up, pushes himself away from the bar, and walks to the stage where the karaoke machine is. He stands there flipping through the song book looking like he is bored with life. After a couple of moments he must find a song that he likes because he takes the book over to the DJ and points to something on a page. The DJ nods.

Once the song currently playing ends, the DJ calls out to the bar, "Tonight will be open mike karaoke. Starting us off is Four!"

There is instant silence in the bar as everyone in the bar stops talking and turns to look at him. The crowd in this bar never changes. Everyone knows him. They all look stunned. But before the crowd can completely register what the DJ said, the music starts. After the lead in Four starts to sing.

When I thought up this bet, I really just wanted to humble Four. He thought I was this little girl that needed help and couldn't do anything on my own. I have also done karaoke a couple of times and figured that on the slim chance that I lost, that it wouldn't be hard to pay up. However, I never thought that Four would march up, stop the normal music, and break into song. I also never thought that he would be a good singer. Boy was I wrong.

Four has a deep, rugged, almost raspy voice that is also clear and easy to listen to. Who am I kidding? He sounds sexy as hell. Judging by the looks of the female population of the bar, I'm not the only one who thinks so.

The song ends and Four just puts the mike down and walks off the stage. Everyone in the bar yells, hoots, and claps. Four doesn't acknowledge any of it.

I don't know what I expected him to do next, but him walking straight up to me, grabbing my face with both of his large hands, and kissing me was not it. It wasn't just a peck on the lips. No, this was a deep, hard, passionate tongue massage. When he finished, he still didn't say anything, but just turned around and left. Well, almost. When he was about halfway to the door, he turned around and asked Zeke, "You'll make sure she gets home safe, right?"

Zeke kind of stutters a "Yes" while he looks dumbfounded. With that, Four quietly walks out of the bar. The bar that had been completely silent once Four had kissed me. Everyone was watching him walk to the door. Once the door shut behind him, every eye in the bar turned toward me.

I turn from all those eyes. "I need a stiff drink," I manage to stutter out while still trying to catch my breath from that kiss.

Zeke starts to walk away to make me something when I stop him. "Stop. I can't drink anything else. I drove here and need to be able to drive home."

Zeke turns back to me. "After that," he waves toward the stage and then to me. "You need a drink. Hell, I need a drink!"

I shake my head no. Zeke steps in front me and says, "Tell you what. Drink, enjoy, and you can come home with me."

I quickly look up at him and start to sputter when he stops me. "I didn't mean it like that. Not only do I look at you as a friend in need, but I value my life. I wouldn't dream of stepping on Four's toes. I have a spare bedroom that you can use."

I'm now confused. "What do you mean stepping on Four's toes? Just because he kissed me doesn't make me his."

Zeke laughs. "Whether you want him or not is up to you to decide, but he has staked his claim."

I am even more confused now and it must show. Zeke mixes me a drink and sets it in front of me on the bar. He then leans forward and states, "Look at everyone else in the bar."

I turn on my barstool and survey the bar. While everyone is talking in their small groups, the women in the bar glance at me every now and again. Most of them have glares or looks of disgust on their faces. None of the guys in the bar will meet my eyes.

I look at Zeke and ask, "What is going on?"

He simply responds, "Four."

"Zeke, I need more. Are you taking lessons from him on explaining things with the fewest number of words possible?"

Zeke chuckles at that and then explains. "Four kissed you."

"Again," I say. "I need more. It was just a kiss." Well it was more than that based upon how damp my underwear now feel, but I'm not going to tell Zeke that!

"No, you don't understand. Four doesn't do that. Even in high school when we had girlfriends, he never did more than kiss her on the cheek. Since high school he hasn't had a steady girlfriend and if he went on dates, which were very rare, you never saw any public affection."

Before Zeke can continue, he gets flagged down by another patron. Zeke walks over to them and fixes them a drink. Once they are settled he comes back to me and says, "Four staked his claim on you and let everyone in this bar know it. That kiss wasn't just a kiss it was a statement to everyone to leave you alone."

I think about that and then ask, "Is that why none of the guys will look at me now? When I came in they were flirty and now it's like I don't exist."

"Yep."

I think about this and I would be lying if I said that it didn't thrill me a little. Staking a claim. Mean come on. It's Four. But, then I think about the whole 'possession' thing and I start to get mad. "It's not up to Four. It's my decision whether I'm with someone or not."

"Yeah, I agree, but Four is Four. There isn't anyone in this town that will stand up to him." Zeke says. "They respect and fear him too much."

Before I can start to rant, Zeke pushes my drink closer to me. "It's a Long Island Iced Tea. Drink it. Then you can tell me what you did to actually win a bet against Four. You might be the first person in history to do that."

At that I laugh and remember the stupid look on his face when I crossed the finish line from my barrel run. "Okay," I say grinning.

By the time my drink is done, Zeke is laughing his ass off at my explanation of how I hustled Four. "Boy, I would have loved to witness that!" Zeke keeps laughing, shaking his head. "Four must have thought that the world fell off its axis."

Once he stops laughing he asks me why I did it. "He always just assumed things about me. How I was a city girl and didn't know anything. I thought it would be fun to beat him at his own game," I explain.

"So," Zeke asks "You have been riding for a while?"

"Yeah. I started just pony club stuff when I was about 6 and then moved on to show jumping when I was 10. Although I usually rode western when I wasn't training or showing, it wasn't until college that I got into barrel racing."

This makes Zeke start laughing again. I raise an eyebrow in question to him and he explains. "Not only did you beat him at his own game, but you have been riding for many more years than him. Four didn't start working with horses until high school. He got a part time job at your grandparent's place. He started at just doing odd jobs, but he tended to gravitate to the horses and they responded to him. Your grandmother was the one to encourage him to start riding and training."

"I have to say in all of my time around horses, I have rarely, if ever, seen a man who approaches a horse like he does. His movements are so smooth and calming that the horse instantly responds to him. A lot of men like being around horses because they get this thrill out of controlling a large beast. I'm not saying all of them, but I've met my share. It's almost a domineering thing with them. With Four it's completely the opposite. He seems to approach it as a partnership or even that he is accepting what they are willing to give to him. I can see why he is a good trainer. Maybe not a good barrel racer, but a good trainer," I say with a smirk.

Zeke and I keep talking through the night. He stays busy working the bar, but usually close enough that we can maintain our conversation. The more I get to know Zeke, the more I like him. He seems crazy at times, but he really is a good guy.

I have another drink or two and while I think I can still walk straight, I am not getting behind the wheel. I help Zeke with his close up duties and follow him out of the bar as he locks up for the night. He tells me that my car will be fine in the parking lot and we walk over to his. It is a short drive over to his apartment.

It's well after 2:00 am and I'm beat. Zeke seems to realize this because as soon as we are in his house, he shows me where the bathroom is and then where the spare bedroom is. I quickly thank him and get ready for bed.

I've finally pulled my pants and bra off and crawled into bed when I hear Zeke's phone ring. While it isn't my intention to eavesdrop, unless I put the pillow over my head and hum, I can't help but hear Zeke's side of the conversation. "Hey, dude you left early tonight. I figured that you would already be asleep." I'm guessing it's Four on the phone.

"Yeah, I know she isn't home yet. She just went to bed." And, even though Zeke is out in his living room, I swear that I hear a loud voice coming through the phone.

"What?! No, not like that! She is in my spare bedroom."

"…"

"Well after you bailed we got talking. She had some drinks so she couldn't drive home. By the way, I heard the whole story about how you were out ridden by a girl." Whatever Four says after that just makes Zeke laugh. He finally catches his breath and tells Four, "Nope, you got hustled man. She beat your ass! Serves you right for underestimating her."

"…"

"Well, like I said, we talked. I heard all about your 'training lesson' and barrel race."

"…"

"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that. But after that we got talking about experiences growing up, college, you know life-stuff."

"…"

"No, I'm not hitting on her. I guy can talk to a girl without hitting on her. You should actually try it sometime. You might learn something instead of assuming things that then make you look stupid." This brings a small chuckle to my lips.

"…"

"Not fair. That was Karen and that was like 6 years ago. Fuck you, dude." Zeke's voice gets weaker. I guess he is walking away and then I hear the fridge door open and close and a beer bottle open. Apparently he comes back into the living room because his voice is loud again when he asks Four, "So what was the deal with that kiss?"

"…"

"Yeah, she's asleep."

"…"

"Nope not a good enough answer. You have never pulled anything like that. Hell, I was starting to think that you didn't know how to kiss since I never saw you lock lips with anyone before."

"…"

"No, I don't want to watch! Dick! I meant it was more than a little out of character. Everyone else in the bar thought so too. You could have heard a pin drop when you walked out."

"…"

"Well I don't know. When she wakes up, she can do what she wants. She's a big girl."

"…"

"Yeah, I can call you when she leaves. Night."

Zeke apparently hangs up his phone because it is quiet. Then out of the blue I hear Zeke yell, "Tris, did you get all that?"

Without thinking I yell back, "Yep." I then proceed to fall asleep with a smile on my face.