A/N: As promised, the slow burn has finally led to something. Rating on ffnet upped to M. Our boy can only resist temptation for so long, especially when that temptation has finally decided to force a confrontation. Enjoy the smutty goodness! Also, please excuse errors. I don't use a beta and I was trying to edit while the kids were running around. I just wanted to get the darn chapter up already!

Despite promises to Charlie to take some time to wind down, Monroe still felt like he'd been burning at both ends over the next several weeks. After that night she'd kissed him, he spent as much time worrying about keeping himself under control and preventing a repeat of that evening as he did worrying about the Republic. It had thrown him off balance for several days. As much as he wished it meant something, he couldn't let it. That didn't stop him from spending more time than he ought to wondering exactly what it had meant, however.

So, he'd fumbled around her for a day or two, avoided her for a few more and ultimately moved his private quarters to the floor above hers, just to make sure he kept himself put at night. The temptation to confront her about it at inappropriate hours was just too much to risk having her so close. Of course he didn't want to make it seem like he was running away from her, so he'd simply expanded is office take over all three rooms.

When she'd questioned him, he'd simply told her that if she wanted him to stop working at some point, he needed to separate his living space from his work space and that his office was so crowded it was making him feel claustrophobic with so many people running in and out all day. In his mind, there was no way she could argue with that logic. It was bullshit, but he'd never willingly admit that he was essentially terrified of a woman half his age or his increasingly complicated feelings for her.

Charlie let him get away with that excuse for almost two weeks before she decided to confront him on it. She'd been tossing and turning in bed all night. Every time she was almost asleep she'd hear him moving about above her. This was the fourth night in a row she'd suffered through his movements and was quite simply fed up.

He was sitting on the couch in his front room. His bare feet were up on the coffee table, a glass of whiskey in one hand and a stack of reports in his lap. When she barged in the door, he didn't even have time to hide the paperwork. "Ah ha! I knew it!"

Monroe looked up at her, refusing to act guilty. After all, it was the middle of the night and she was in his private quarters. She was the one who should be in trouble, not him—or so he kept telling himself. "You do realize it's like two in the morning, right?" His words slurred just a little. He'd been drinking since retreating shortly after dinner, but had yet to have enough to keep both the state of the Republic or her out of his mind so he could sleep.

She shut the door and crossed the room to stand in front of him, "Actually it's closer to three, so you're the one who's lost track of time." She hadn't actually been inside his new quarters and she had to make a concentrated effort not to be impressed by them. They were actually quite a bit bigger and nicer than his old ones, if this room was of any indication. "What happened to I'm only moving so I can go off-duty at night?"

Monroe narrowed his eyes at the way she mimicked him. If it were any other circumstance, he might have found it funny. As it was, her presence now served to only make him a little nervous and had the unwanted side effect of sobering him instantly. How was he supposed to keep his head straight when she stood there before him, her hands on her hips, clad in only a thin tank top and an old pair of sweatpants? "I was—I mean, I…"

"Save the bullshit. You moved up here so we wouldn't catch you doing this," she snapped as she gestured to the half empty bottle and a second stack of papers that sat on the coffee table. "You're supposed to stop the twenty-hour work days before you drive yourself nuts."

Yeah, because work's the only thing doing that, he thought to himself. Monroe snatched the bottle up before Charlie had a chance to take it from him. He could tell that's where this was headed. It was a childish move on his part to be sure, but if it saved him his whiskey so be it. "Back off, Charlie. I've told you before; I don't have time to take a break."

She just glared at him. The shadows under his eyes were getting darker by the day and the stress was still taking its toll. She knew it and so did Harris. If the rest of the higher ups started to pick up on it, it could spell disaster—especially when there was already dissension in the ranks. "You're burning out. Can't you see that? You can't do it all."

She sat down next to him on the sofa, picking up a folder to get it out of her way. "You brought me here because you needed help. I'm not a politician and we both know it. Your problem has never been the past coming back to haunt you or that you're not fit to rule—that's just an excuse. Your problem is that you can't handle the stress of it, and you're too proud to admit it." Her tone had softened considerably. "No one could handle this all on their own. You don't need an advisor or a chief of staff. You need dozens of people to help run all of this. That's how Texas works and from what I've read, that's how the old U.S. ran as well.

"But, you're surrounded by enough backstabbing idiots that you can't delegate the work out, I get it." Reaching out, she took a risk and reached up to touch his cheek. "Trips to Austin aside, this is why I'm here—you have to slow down, because this is what's going to turn you back into him."

He wanted to lean into her touch. He craved it like he craved another drink or his next breath, but Monroe couldn't let himself go down that road. Instead of giving in to that urge he pulled back from her—but not before hesitating just long enough for Charlie to see through the act. "I brought you here to help me straighten out this mess and to be an emergency successor so Connor didn't get any bright ideas. I didn't write to you because I needed a babysitter," he insisted.

Charlie shook her head. "Give me some credit, Bass. I'm smart enough to read between the lines, so cut the crap. When you wrote that letter, you were tired and lonely and you just wanted someone in this with you that gave a damn." She inched closer to him. "Your exact words were that you needed an advisor that wasn't afraid to speak candidly. This is me doing exactly that. I'm your friend—let me help you."

When Monroe's fight or flight instincts typically kicked in, he almost exclusively reacted with the former, but her proximity had him retreating out of self-preservation. He slowly scooted further towards the end of the couch, "What- what are you doing?" he stammered when Charlie followed him. He was almost sitting on the arm rest now and had nowhere else to go unless he got up completely. He wasn't willing to look like a total coward—yet.

"Why do you always back away from me? It's like you slip up and let me in and then run away as fast as you can. Why are you trying so hard to act like you don't want something more? Haven't we gotten past that?" The look in her eyes and softness of her voice made her look so wounded and vulnerable.

He swallowed nervously. He needed to do something with his hands to keep them from reaching out of their own volition, so he reached for the bottle of whiskey, almost knocking over in the process. He poured himself a drink, his hands shaking a little. He had only one defense left in his rapidly diminishing playbook: lie. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said as he downed the contents of his glass.

"Bullshit," she said as she took the glass out of his hand, setting it on the coffee table. "It's like after the night I dragged you out with me. One minute we were dancing and you were actually having fun for once. The next, you clammed up, but when you walked me to my room when we got back and for a second there…" He what? Did you imagine it? "Why did you back off like that?"

"I… Listen, we were both drinking that night. I didn't want to take advantage of you. That's not why you're here. I have more respect for you than that." Is this really happening?

Charlie shrank back just a little, her ego slightly deflated. "So you really don't think of me that way?" She was beginning to have her doubts about this mess she'd just created. In her experience when a man said something about having respect, it was usually a nice way of letting a woman know he wasn't interested—the guy version of the friend zone.

Keep your mouth shut. She just gave you an out, take it stupid! "You have no idea how hard it is to not think of you like that— and I swear you go out of your way to make it an uphill battle." He started to panic the moment he realized what he was saying. What are you doing, dummy? Why did you say that?

His ill-timed confession gave her all the encouragement she needed. Charlie leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his. Monroe's eyes shut of their own accord and for a few minutes their lips moved gently together and the rest of the room seemed to fade away. He let it go on just like that, not deepening the kiss, just savoring before he broke it off. His eyes fluttered open and were immediately captured in her gaze.

"Charlie, I don't… We can't… Fuck." The last of his willpower dissipated and he yanked her across his lap. Hand cupping the back of her head, he pulled her lips to his and gave in to almost three years of yearning. Her gasp of surprise gave him the opening he needed to delve in and he didn't let it go to waste. The instant their tongues met, his brain stopped working and instinct took over. He tangled his hands in her hair, groaning as he tasted her and explored her mouth with all the desperation he'd been trying so hard to hide.

Charlie kissed him back with everything she had, twisting in his arms to straddle his lap. She rested one hand on his chest, feeling his heart hammering beneath it. She could feel the hardness growing under her and she ground down on it, whimpering as she did so.

Monroe slid one hand down her back, fingers digging in and massaging her until it rested at her waist. Encouraged and anxious to remove all barriers between them, she found the bottom of his tee shirt. She started to yank it up. He leaned forward and broke away long enough to work it over his head, tossing it aside.

Charlie took this as the perfect opportunity to remove her own. Once feed from the offending material, they came together again. Panting and chests heaving, their lips melted together briefly before he moved down, pressing his lips down the column of her neck, tasting the skin as he worked towards her breasts, groaning at the sight of her.

His calloused palms moved deliciously along her soft skin and she arched her back, encouraging him further. She moaned as his tongue ran across one pert nipple and then the other. "Beautiful," he murmured before drawing one into his mouth and suckling gently. Her sharp intake of breath at the stimulation had him sucking harder, lightly scraping it with his teeth, overwhelming her senses. He flicked her nipple a few more times with his tongue and then slid his hands to her hips, lifting her off of him.

Charlie swayed a little on her feet, her eyes glazed with passion. Monroe couldn't help but grin in satisfaction. He bent his head to pressed light kisses on her flat stomach as he eased her pants down; her panties following quickly after. She kicked them away and stood before him completely nude and waiting for him to touch her, her skin flush with her arousal.

He parted her folds and found her entrance. She soaked his fingers as he plied her. He looked up at her and saw how she watched, entranced by the sight of his hand caressing her intimately. He waited until she looked into his eyes and held her gaze. With his free hand he supported her at the small of her back and he rested his head against her, his beard ticking her belly.

With each breath, Charlie let out a low moan. She moved over his hand and closed her eyes, allowing herself to just feel. When she thought her legs might buckle under her, she stepped back and grabbed his hands and pulled at him. Taking the hint, Monroe slowly stood, his arms coming around her and mouth lowering to hers. Her hands went to his belt and she began to undo it frantically, fingers fumbling in her haste. When she finally worked it free she moved on to undo his pants.

She shoved them down along with his boxers and they fell to the floor. He stepped out of them, groaning as her hand came up to find his throbbing length. She wrapped her hand around it and began to stroke him, running her palm over the tip each time she reached it. He thrust into her hand several times. Deciding enough was enough; he pulled her hand off of him before he embarrassed them both and began to pull her towards the door that led further into his quarters. "Bedroom," he moaned against her lips.

They slowly made their way across the room and into the next, a small room that he'd converted into a study. They made it only to the far side of the room when he backed her into a small table by the door. Rather than taking her further into the bedroom, he simply lifted her by the waist and set her on top of it.

Charlie wrapped her legs around him, gasping in anticipation as he pressed up against her. Foreheads resting together, their eyes locked again as she reached down to guide him home. With one thrust he filled her. The instant he felt her tight walls gripping him, the thick haze of passion cleared just enough for him to realize the meaning behind what was happening.

Monroe kissed her tenderly and stood there, completely still inside her. Time lost meaning as they stayed that way, locked together. Finally when she could take it no longer, Charlie began to strain against him; he slowly pulled back out and then slammed into her. She flung her arms around his neck and dug her heels into his ass, encouraging him and meeting him each time he surged forward to fill her.

He wrapped an arm around her, his hand resting at her waist and braced himself on the wall with the other so that he didn't crush her against it. They stared into each other's eyes in the dim light of the lamp he'd left burning in as they moved together, breaths hitching and hearts pounding.

As she got closer Charlie's gasps and moans grew louder and she brought her hands down to his ass, joining her heels in trying to hold him deep inside her. He began to grind against her, remaining deeply within, his pelvis rubbing exquisitely against her clit as he moved in a slow circular motion.

He felt everything tighten around him, telling him she was almost there. He was getting closer himself and didn't know how much more he could take as he got closer to the inevitable. "I want to come inside you," he practically begged as she started to come apart. He knew it was a stupid idea, but if he was going to hell, he might as well go all the way.

She dug her nails into his flesh, "Yes. Do it," she moaned. Now totally lost to anything other than her, Monroe's lips sought hers again and he pulled back, thrusting rapidly and taking them both the rest of the way. Charlie shuddered and quivered in his arms, letting his name escape her lips.

Knowing she was finding her release, he let himself go. He slammed into her a few more times and then and he exploded, shooting himself inside as she continued to clamp down on him, riding out there rest of her orgasm. As he came, he tightened his arm around her and dug his fingers in, letting out a growl of satisfaction.

He slumped against her, completely spent. For several minutes they stayed this way, his hand still braced next to her head on the wall, still buried inside her. Charlie only could just sit there, leaning back limp and sated. Panting, he tried to catch his breath while he came down from the high of it enough to move. "Sorry. Bedroom was too far," he said as he pulled out of her and picked her up. He carried her the rest of the way and deposited her gently on the bed.

He stood there for a moment and watched her as she smiled up at him, her eyes half closed and hazy. When she held her arms open to him, he practically dove into the bed to join her. He leaned over and kissed her again. Charlie brought her hand up to caress his cheek as their lips moved together. The kiss was slow and tender. When it ended, Monroe rolled onto his back, taking her with him.

She settled herself in his arms, turning to rest her head on his chest. She could hear the steady beating of her heart, the pace of it still elevated from their lovemaking. Monroe tipped her chin up with gentle fingers and searched her face, trying to read what she was thinking. "About time you finally made a move," she mocked as a smile spread across her face.

He had to laugh at that. This woman would never cut him any slack, that was for sure. "I was working my way up to it," he insisted lightly.

"Sure you were. If that's true than it's official;" Charlie rolled her eyes at him, "glaciers move faster than you do."

He bent his head forward and silenced her with his lips and tongue. "Learn to be more patient," he whispered against her temple as he placed one last kiss there before settling back down against the pillow.

She couldn't help but tease him. "What happened to the cool and confident womanizer? The stories I've heard, and from what I saw in Texas: the infamous romantic exploits of Sebastian Monroe."

"You have a very strange definition of pillow talk," he muttered with a shake of his head.

Charlie moved to look at him. "In all seriousness, why did it take so long to get us here? I've seen you pick up a woman less than an hour after meeting her, but I've been waiting for you to figure it out for almost six months now."

"Well, it's different, I guess." He sighed as he tried to come up with the words to explain it. "You have an itch, so you scratch it. As long as she's pretty and clean and willing, it's all in good fun."

"Really?" she drew the word out as if she was challenging him somehow.

He stroked her arm lightly with his thumb as he continued, not even aware really that he was doing it. "But this—when it means something…"

Charlie felt her heart skip a beat. She hadn't expected him to answer like that. "What does it mean?" She could feel him tensing up a little at the question. Worried that she may have pushed him a bit far, she rolled off of him, propping herself up on one elbow to study him. He was staring up at the ceiling, his brow furrowed as he considered her question. "I'm sorry; you don't have to answer that."

"No it's…" hesitating again, he rolled over and faced her, his position mimicking mirroring hers. "It's no secret that I wanted you. Hell, according to Harris, there isn't a person on the compound that hasn't figured it out yet. But I care about you—in a lot of different ways. I've been driving myself crazy trying to not think about doing this."

"Yeah, how'd that work out for you?"

"Mixed results." He laughed at the absurdity of her interruption. "Do you want to hear this or not?" He waited for her to don a more serious demeanor and nod for him to continue.

"You're my friend Charlie and what's weird is that you're probably one of the best friends I've ever had." He sounded almost incredulous as he said it, as if he was just coming to that realization himself. "I'm a hopelessly flawed man, but somehow you still accepted me when no one else did and gave me the benefit of the doubt—even Miles wouldn't do that. I don't want this to ruin that. It's very important to me and that's one of the main reasons why I've tried to pretend I didn't want this so badly."

He leaned forward and kissed her again, his intent quite clear. Not to be one to let a man lead, Charlie climbed atop him, determined to take control. They went slower this time, working each other up and finishing one right after the other. By the time she slipped off of him, they were both out of breath and boneless.

"If I'd have known that this was all it took to get you to stop working, I'd have shown up in the middle of the night months ago," she said as she nipped playfully at his ear.

Monroe rolled over on his side, pulling her to him and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Oh, so this was just all for the greater good?" he asked with a tired laugh.

She sighed in contentment as she snuggled in. "Altruism has its own rewards."

"If you benefit from it, it's not altruistic," he murmured into the side of her neck, his lips lightly grazing her below her ear. "Now quit squirming and go to sleep."