A/N: Remember me? Probably not, its been a really long time! My muse died for awhile, then I got caught up in school-work and such, but it's summer now and I don't like leaving things unfinished, so here I am. I hope you enjoy the update, please R&R!

Chapter 8

"I lied," Bo started. She waited for Lauren to say something, but she remained quiet, waiting for Bo to continue. "Obviously," she added.

"I assumed so, when you said my hypotheses were correct."

Bo studied Lauren for any change in expression. She looked into her eyes, hoping they'd express any feelings of betrayal, but either she didn't care or she'd mastered the art of apathy. Bo suspected it was the former, considering she was studying law and admitted how well she could read people.

If she could read people, she would know how to make herself unreadable. Still, it frustrated Bo. She wanted to have some lead on how Lauren was feeling before she said anything else. The heavy silence weighed on them both. Lauren sat with her back against the armchair, hands folded in her lap and chin forward, completely still like a sculpture in The Louvre.

Bo cleared her throat. "Yeah, well. I'm not dating Tamsin." She paused. "I don't even think Tamsin likes girls," she forced a laugh. "But who knows. I.. when you told me Nadia was your girlfriend, I didn't believe you at first. Not because I thought you couldn't get a girlfriend," she clarified. "Because the way you acted at work wasn't the way someone in a relationship typically acts. But I guess I was sort of right. Anyway.." she paused again to study Lauren, but predictably, the blonde remained unreadable. "The girlfriend thing with Tamsin.. it just sort of came out. And I felt like if I went back on it, you'd think I was a liar."

"Don't you think when I told you about Nadia, it would've been a good time to tell me?" Lauren raised an eyebrow.

"In retrospect, yes, but I wasn't thinking at the time. I was a little drunk, you know," she laughed again.

"Just a little," Lauren added, joining Bo with a soft chuckle.

"So you're not mad?" Bo tested.

"No," Lauren hesitated for a moment, as if she still expected Bo to say more, but when Bo didn't, she continued. "How could I be mad with the way I acted on my first day? I deserve every lie you throw at me, now and forever."

"True," Bo grinned.

"The only reason I believed it, is well.." she paused, her expression conveying uncertainty. She was clearly hesitant about saying what she wanted to say.

"Say it," Bo urged.

"Tamsin likes you."

Bo laughed. "That's ridiculous." But she noticed Lauren's expression and tone was serious. "Really?"

Lauren nodded. "I think so. I mean, I kind of know so because I'm me, but," she laughed. "I said that for your benefit. I notice the way Tamsin acts around you. When you said she was your girlfriend, she froze up and when you talked to me, she showed telltale signs of jealousy. All the signs are there."

"Wow." Bo blinked. Tamsin had acted weird (weirder than usual, at that) over the whole fake-girlfriend thing, the kind of stunt that she'd normally be ecstatic to pull. She'd probably have come up with it. Still, even though there was a significant chance that Lauren was correct, Bo wasn't going to give her the satisfaction that easily.

"You know what I think," Bo stood up from her spot on the couch, feeling the grip of her leather pants on her toned legs as she did so. She walked over to the armchair that Lauren had selected, and sat on the wide arm, lowering her face so it was inches away from Lauren's ear and speaking in almost a whisper. "I think you made it all up because you're jealous of Tamsin."

Lauren swallowed. Her voice increased in pitch. "Jealous? Me? No. I don't get jealous."

"You sure about that?" Bo raised an eyebrow, continuing to encroach on Lauren's self-acclaimed personal bubble.

"Friends," Lauren said, her lips stumbling over the word. "I.. that's what I said. We should be friends. I need friends." She seemed to hedge away from Bo as she spoke.

"Right. Friends." Bo repeated, getting up and returning to her spot on the couch. "I guess we should keep watching TV, then? That's what friends do?"

"And talk about the hot boys on it," Lauren reminded her.

"I don't think we're going to do that," Bo said quietly. She admired the way the thin fabric of Lauren's t-shirt clung to her breasts, imagining what her mouth would feel like under it.

"I'm up here," Lauren commented.

"Right." She switched on the television, immediately changing the channel from the porn station to something that appeared relatively tame. Another couple was arguing, but considering it was on ABC she was fairly certain nothing explicit was going to happen, and she could sit comfortably, sipping her drink and attempting to forget the object of her fantasies sitting only a few feet away from her.

Lauren watched Bo. She didn't even attempt to hide her gaze. She had no interest in the sitcom, and she knew Bo was only feigning interest.

"What?" Bo said, noticing Lauren from the corner of her eye, despite her attempts to look anywhere but there.

"You're not really watching this crap," Lauren laughed.

"Yes, I am, actually. It's not crap! Jackson was going to propose, and then.."

"Shh," Lauren interrupted. "Look how forced it is. Their expressions.. the way they touch each other.. the way they communicate. It's terrible acting."

"Is not," Bo pouted, but Lauren got up and rejoined Bo on the couch, taking the remote from her and clicking it off.

Bo raised an eyebrow. "What do you expect us to do then? I um.." she lowered her voice. "It's hard for me to be in the same room as you without distraction."

"Me too," Lauren admitted, and Bo's stomach jolted. What was Lauren doing to her?

Bo lifted her palms and Lauren did the same, the two of them matching their fingers and palms together and staring at how well they fit, how their veins flowed into each other's like rivers, connecting and breaking off at the same places. Bo once again felt the warmth of Lauren's hands. They warmed her entire body, and it scared her. Her feelings were growing faster than anything she remembered in the past, and she needed to put a stop to it. She swallowed. "I.. don't know if I can do it. The friend thing."

"I don't know if I can either," Lauren whispered.

Bo's insides jolted again as silence followed their statements. The severity of silence paralyzed the room and locked her jawbone. She could almost hear the whisper of the wind through Lauren's large, glass, perfectly polished skylight. The clouds overhead moved only to make room for the slowly approaching moon. Staring into Lauren's dark eyes felt like tumbling into her world, and Bo was in so deep that she was unsure if she could maneuver herself out anymore. She felt the rhythm of her breath in sync with Lauren's, the warm heat from their lips like engines, emerging and dying together.

Bo's heart thrummed, loud enough that she was fairly certain Lauren could hear it. Waves of energy circulated through her body, and she fought to keep herself still. Any movement would break the fragile glass wall of friendship that the two had begun to create, but she wasn't sure if she cared. In her mind, she went through all the reasons why this was wrong. Lauren had recently gotten out of a serious relationship. Lauren was her co-worker, and it could mess-up the dynamic at work. Lauren was only here for the summer. Lauren made it clear that she didn't want this, even if her actions spoke otherwise.

None of that mattered at the moment though, as she stared entranced into the blonde's eyes and wondered how she was able to exercise so much self-control.

She hated to admit it, but she admired Lauren. Her beauty was evident and her intelligence was sexy, but it was the softer side of her that she'd shown Bo the other night that really had her hooked. Her fragile interior continued to expose itself tonight, and even if she'd only shown Bo small glimpses, touching her hands and feeling the fire of their connection told Bo a lot more than needed to be said. She inhaled deeply, and Lauren did the same.

"So, um," Bo began, taking the initiative to lower her fingers and fix the strap on her shirt. "How about.. a game? Like a drinking game? Never have I ever?" she offered weakly.

"That's better with more people, isn't it?" Lauren raised an eyebrow.

Bo sighed. "I'm trying, here. This is hard. I'm really, really attracted to you." She admitted. She felt a wave of attraction wash through as she spoke it.

"Stop trying," Lauren said, unable to fight it any longer. She grabbed Bo's hand with her own, gently pushing her back onto the couch and pressing their lips together. Bo nearly gasped in shock, but relented and moaned through her lips as she felt the power of Lauren's overwhelm her entire body. Her lips hungrily fought for more as her hands grasped onto Lauren's hair, pulling her closer. She could feel Lauren's breasts hover over her body, inches away from her own, the rest of her also hovering over Bo and causing her thoughts to mush together. "Get. It. Off." Bo gasped as she grasped onto the sleeves of Lauren's shirt, pulling and pulling then tossing it aside and fumbling with the strap on her bra.

With one hand, Lauren removed her own bra in the matter of a second. "Was that your plan?" she reluctantly removed her lips from Bo's to question.

"Oh, shut up," Bo breathed, fighting for Lauren's lips again and attempting to shift their bodies so she could claim her spot on top, but Lauren was stronger, pinning her down and grappling for the button on her pants, removing it with her thumb then grabbing and pulling. And pulling. And pulling.

"My God, did you glue these on?"

Bo laughed, gently pushing Lauren aside and standing up, removing them in one swift motion to reveal a laced black thong hugging her curves. Lauren's mouth went visibly cry.

Bo smiled smugly as she began to regain control, ready to pounce.

..When the doorbell rang.