Mmmm, that feels so good...just like that, right there...oh my god, how does he do that with his tongue...tastes so good...more, oh just a little harder...So tight...getting close, so close...

Booth and Brennan moved together, their thoughts intertwined as much as their bodies. Lips met, hands caressed, and hips met in a primal rhythm as they got closer and closer to an explosion. The only thing heard between them was the panting of breath and small moans, their thoughts swirling into a crescendo as they tipped over the edge, falling apart in each others arms.

Brennan panted, her arms locked around Booth as he barely held his weight off of her. She watched as a drop of sweat slid down his nose before falling off and onto her. Their eyes locked and she smiled at him. It was ridiculous that they had put off having a relationship for so long if this was the result.

"You okay baby," Booth asked as he rolled onto his side and pulled her with him. Temperance let out a satisfied sigh and settled her head onto his chest as he tightened his arms around her.

"I find that was quite a satisfying performance." Booth chuckled a bit at her word choice.

"Just satisfying huh? I think I'm losing my touch."

"If that was you losing your ability to please a woman, then I'd love to see you in top shape." The pair grinned at each other before Booth leaned his head down to kiss her on the lips.

"Well, you know what they say, sex is like golf. Even a bad game is good." Booth glanced at Brennan, smirking as he watched her frown just a little bit.

"That makes no sense Booth. If the sex were bad then why would you want to repeat the process again?"

"Never mind Bones. What do you say we get a little sleep and see where the morning takes us?" He kissed her again and tightened his grip on her as he closed his eyes. He was completely satisfied, and not just from being intimate with Temperance. He'd dreamed of being in this position for so long, in the arms of the woman that he loves that there was no way to wipe the smile off of his face. The world was as it should be to him. The feeling of contentment intensified, and he inhaled a breath and let it out slowly.

"Booth?"

"Yeah baby?"

"Do you feel that?"

"Yeah, I do feel it."

"I think that I like knowing that you feel the same way that I do."

"I like that too baby. I love you Temperance, you know that, right?" She was quiet for a few minutes, enjoying the way that their combined emotions felt. Finally she sighed and looked up into Booth's face.

"Is this the way that love feels to you?"

"Yeah Bones. This is how it feels for me, but only the way that it feels for you. Does that make sense?"

"I don't think I understand." Booth rolled a bit to his side so he could better look at Temperance. He ran a hand through her hair and looked into his eyes.

"I love you, and Parker, and I still hold a place for Rebecca in my heart, but the way that I feel about you is different than what I feel for anyone else, so what we're sharing here is just for you. I couldn't feel that way about anyone else." Temperance leaned up and kissed him slowly, the shared emotions intensifying the sensation and deepening their connection even more.

XxXxX

"Pay up Tex. I let you go long enough without paying and my boss ain't too happy about that." Booth looked at the loan shark's lackey and stepped into the man's personal space. After what he'd seen during his time in the military, this man certainly didn't scare him. He wasn't intimidated in the least.

"Yeah, and what are you going to do about it huh? You really think you can take me?" The other man shrugged just before a baseball bat crashed into Seeley's back. He fell forward onto his knees, curling up a bit to protect himself from the heavy blows.

"Where's the money huh? Where's the money? You want us to go after that little blonde thing you're seeing? I don't care where it comes from. You don't pay up, then you'll pay some other way, got it?" The man kicked Booth hard in the ribs, a loud crack resounding as a couple of his ribs cracked. "I'll give you a week to pay up, Tex. After that you'd better get that little blonde of yours out of town, got it?" Booth groaned as pain washed over him. He tried to breathe, but the pain from the cracked ribs made it difficult to do. The man kicked him one last time before leaving with his buddy, calling over his shoulder. "You better have that money, you hear me?"

Booth lay still for a while, trying to work the nerve to get up. He certainly couldn't stay here, but knew it was going to hurt like hell to get up and make his way to a hospital. Finally he managed to get to his feet and staggered to his truck. Rebecca was going to hate this when she found out. Maybe he could say that he'd gotten hurt chasing a suspect. That might work.

It was hours later when he finally made it back home. Though he wasn't supposed to drive while on his pain medication, he wasn't about to call his girlfriend to come get him. He had to tough this out on his own. He and Rebecca were in a tight enough spot with her recent discovery that she was expecting and subsequent dismissal of his proposal. It was with the proposal in his mind that he made his way silently through the apartment and into the guest bedroom closet. He rummaged around through several boxes, his teeth grit in pain until he found what he was looking for.

Booth flipped open the box to the antique ring and looked at it. When he'd proposed to Rebecca, he'd shown her the ring and had hoped to put it on her finger. Instead, she'd turned him down and now it sat in the closet collecting dust. Booth pocketed the ring and headed out of the apartment once more. There had to be a pawn shop open somewhere. He could get the money he owed by selling the ring, especially once the owner found out the history behind it.

XxXxX

Temperance lay awake as the sun began to peek over the horizon. It was still early, and she had at least an hour before she needed to get out of bed, but going back to sleep was out of the question. The dream she'd had was odd to say the least, mostly because it didn't feel like a dream. She frowned, wondering if what she'd experienced was related to the implanted chip in her head.

Booth shifted a little bit as he slept, his arms tightening around Temperance and pulling her closer to his body. Brennan reached out a hand and ran it whisper soft on his cheek. He mumbled something and leaned into her touch as he slept on. Temperance thought back to the odd dream, her forehead crinkling as she frowned a little. Last night he'd had that unguarded thought about a ring, and then she'd dreamt about him selling a ring with some sort of significance to it. What was the significance though?

"Bones, go back to sleep. You're thinking me awake." Temperance looked at him as he lay next to her with his eyes still closed.

"Sorry. I'll try to think quieter." Booth chuckled and opened one eye to look at her.

"You're beautiful this early in the morning, you know that?" He watched her cheeks pink up a little as she smiled brightly at him. Jesus she's stunning when she smiles that way.

"I must say that I find the rougher quality to your voice quite stimulating." Booth growled and pulled her down to him, capturing her mouth with his. When he broke off the intense kiss, he looked at her with a heated expression.

"Baby, we need to work on your pillow talk. It's a good thing I'm so fond of you." Brennan quirked up an eyebrow as she leaned down to kiss him again.

"I'm sure I can do something that will make you even more fond of me."

"Yeah, and what's that?" When she encircled him with her hand, Booth grunted and pushed his hips up to her, extremely glad that she'd managed to wake him up early.