Disclaimer: Don't own Bones.

A/n: Thank-you all for all the awesome words, it always makes it so much easier when I have plenty of options! Word comes courtesy of Dr. Madness.

JASMINE

"I had a nice time tonight."

"So did I," Booth replied politely. She looked at him expectantly and he bit the bullet. "Mm … do you want to come up?"

She smiled and nodded and he realized that he couldn't avoid this anymore. He wasn't cheating on anyone by having sex with this woman and it was time to stop acting like he was.

They walked through his front door and she turned to him, stepping close and brushing her lips across his jaw. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, determined to enjoy this. She was a good kisser and he ignored the little taunting voice that reminded him that good was a long way from magical.

They walked backwards until they hit his couch and she divested him of his jacket. He landed on the cushions and she was quick to straddle him, rocking slightly against him as her lips nipped playfully on his. The scent of jasmine enveloped him and he hesitated momentarily. Something was wrong, but he couldn't even explain it. Jasmine was certainly a pleasant smell, nothing wrong with it, but it didn't make him want to close his eyes and inhale.

She started unbuttoning his shirt with one hand, while the other brushed against the front of his slacks. He jerked in surprise and she rubbed a little harder, trying to get his body to respond.

"What's wrong," she whispered, pressing down against his half-hearted erection. "Are you not in the mood?"

God, he should be in the mood. He hadn't had sex in so damn long and he had a beautiful, eager woman in his arms who made him laugh. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Nothing's wrong," he assured, slipping his hands under her blouse to prove it to them both. She arched into his touch and he rubbed his thumbs over the hardened nipples pressing against her bra, willing his body to get it together.

"Seeley," she breathed and he swallowed painfully at the use of his first name.

Shit, that had definitely sounded wrong. Any number of women had called him by his first name in bed, but for a long time now he had been dreaming about hearing his last name instead. One particularly husky voice whispering his last name, to be precise; moaning it over and over again in mind-numbing pleasure.

Stop dreaming, buddy, taunting voice helpfully pointed out. Just prove what you set out to prove and get this over with.

Grabbing her by the waist, he flipped her under him on the couch and settled between her legs. He breathed in that jasmine scent again as his lips landed on her neck, his hands sliding under the flirty skirt she'd worn on their date. She moaned slightly and he raised his head at the sound, looking down at her.

The eyes looking up at him were now aqua-green instead of blue and shiny brown tresses spilled over his couch instead of raven black hair. Booth went rock hard between her legs, even as he gasped in outrage.

"Son of a bitch," he cursed, jumping up from the couch as if he'd been burned.

"W-What's wrong?" Catherine asked, voice startled, automatically adjusting her skirt as she sat up on the couch.

"I'm sorry, Catherine," he apologized sincerely. "I'm really sorry, it's just … damn … I can't do this."

"You can't?" She looked at his erection in clear confusion. "It looks like you can. Was it … was it something I did?"

"What? No!" he reassured, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "You're beautiful and smart and funny and damn near perfect." Almost ruefully, Booth added, "And you actually get my jokes."

She had been looking confused, but at his last sentence, her eyes widened in understanding. "Right. Dr. Brennan," she whispered softly.

"I'm a mess," he said, unsurprised by her words even though he had never talked about it. "And I have no business starting anything with anyone until I get my act together. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lead you on, I really did hope …"

"Relax, Seeley," she sighed, rising up from the couch. "I'm a woman, I knew you were in love with her the moment I saw you two together."

"You did?" he asked, bemused. "Then why did you ask me out?"

"Because you're an attractive, smart, seemingly decent man," she answered pragmatically. "And I'm a woman and no matter how smart we are, we always think we can be the one."

"The one?"

"Yeah, you know," she chuckled ruefully. "The one that's going to change things, the one that's going to make him realize he really does want kids, or marriage, or in my case, the one that's going to make him forget he's in love with someone else."

Walking over to where she had dropped her purse, she shook her head self-deprecatingly. "You would think we'd know better by now."

"I'm sorry," he said again, miserably.

"Stop apologizing," she ordered, walking over and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "It's been a nice few months. You're a very nice man and I hope Dr. Brennan realizes what she has because I have a feeling you're really not going to be happy otherwise."

Booth watched her walk out the front door and flopped down on the couch, staring at nothing.

Well, Seeley, you really are fucked and not in a good way. You just had to go ahead and fall head over fucking heels for your partner. You knew from the very beginning, from the goddamn first kiss, that she was absolutely dangerous to your heart and you still ran headlong …

The knock on the door interrupted taunting voice's diatribe and Booth wondered how long he had been sitting there, listening to his ranting inner voice. He considered ignoring the door. He looked around to see if maybe Catherine had left something behind, but when he didn't see anything, he figured it probably wasn't her and whoever it was could just go away.

The insistent pounding went unabated and he rose from the couch in a huff, whoever was on the other side was going to get a piece of his mind. He wrenched open the door without bothering to check who it was and because God clearly had a sense of humor he found himself face to face with his partner.

"Hi, Booth," she greeted in that husky voice of hers. Oh yeah, that's the right name, the right tone, the right smell, taunting voice purred, pissing him off to no end.

"What is it, Bones?" he demanded a little more harshly than intended, but he stepped aside and she walked in.

"I'm sorry, is this not a good time?" she asked hesitantly, taking in his jacket, still lying on the floor and his still half opened shirt. "Are you .. are you not alone?"

"I'm alone," he said, closing the door and turning to her, arms folded across his chest. "What's going on?"

Instead of answering, she took a step forward, eyes narrowing as she breathed in. "You smell like jasmine," she accused, nose wrinkling in what could only be distaste.

"Is that a particularly offensive smell to you, Bones?" he asked casually, refusing to back down. He didn't owe her any explanation, Booth reminded himself, chin tilting up stubbornly.

"I don't like it," she admitted starkly, involuntarily taking a step forward. "I don't like to smell it on you."

He should be used to her bluntness by now, but somehow she still managed to catch him by surprise.

"It's really none of your business, though, is it, Bones?" The words were low and angry because how dare she play the jealousy card now after she had made it clear that she could care less.

"Did you have sex with her?" Brennan couldn't believe she was asking the question and from his inhaled breath, it seemed he couldn't believe it either.

"You're unbelievable," Booth breathed, unsure whether he wanted to kiss her or throttle her. "And that it's really none of your business."

"You smell like jasmine, your shirt is undone, and your jacket is on the floor," she assessed as clinically as possible. "So I guess the question answers itself."

"You are the most infuriating woman," he growled, arms shooting out and gripping her shoulders. "You think you have all the answers, don't you?"

"Well, the evidence speaks for itself."

"Oh, that's right, the evidence," he mocked softly, their bodies so close together now, they were breathing each other's air. "So I guess my answer really doesn't matter, does it, because you already have all the evidence."

"I really hate this goddamn smell," she growled just as angry, hands fisting in his shirt. "You shouldn't smell like her."

"Who should I smell like, Bones?" he taunted and her answer was to plaster herself to him and kiss him savagely.

Oh yeah, this is what it should feel like. More, more, more. Inner voice had gone from taunting to purring and Booth wrenched himself away from her, furious at the way she made him weak just by breathing.

"No," he panted, taking one unsteady step back. "You cannot do this to me, Bones." His voice was angry and turned on as he accused, "You're messing with me and I don't appreciate it. If you don't want me, you can't get pissed just because someone else does."

"What?" Brennan gasped, horrified that he actually thought this had anything to do with her not wanting him. "Of course I want you, Booth!" The words were wrenched from her throat in a near scream. "I've always wanted you … god, it's never been about that … it's me, you know it's me … I'm not good enough, I don't deserve you, I can't make you happy …"

"Are you out of your damn mind?" Booth gasped the words as he closed the distance between them again and this time he curved an arm around her waist, whirling her around and pressing her against the door. "Don't you know that you make me happy even when you're making me miserable? Don't you know that I'm the one who doesn't deserve you, but I don't even care anymore because I need you so goddamn much."

"No, that's not true …" she whispered, eyes closing.

"You think you need all the evidence, you think the evidence will always give you the right answer, but sometimes the evidence doesn't give you the true story." His hand fisted in her hair and he challenged, "Ask me again if I slept with Catherine."

"It's none of my business."

"Ask me."

"I don't want to know."

"Ask me."

Her eyes opened on his steely brown ones and she trembled. "Did you?"

"No," Booth answered without hesitation. "No, because all I could think about was how she smelled wrong and she sounded wrong and her hair and her eyes weren't the right color." Eyes wide, heart pounding, she listened to his searing voice. "No. Because how can I move on when I know it would mean giving up the chance to be truly happy. How often do we get that, Bones? The possibility to be not just content, but to be happy, one hundred percent, disgustingly happy. You're the scientist, Bones. What is the probability of getting that chance more than once in a lifetime?"

"What if I hurt you?" she whispered in a terrified voice.

"I'm willing to take the chance." His lips brushed over hers as he asked, "Are you willing to take the chance that I won't hurt you?"

Silently, her hands finished undoing his buttons and she pushed the shirt off him, resting her lips over his heart. It beat wildly under her mouth as she placed a deep, sucking kiss over his skin.

"Bones?" he asked hoarsely, tensely waiting for her answer.

"Yes," she responded, raising her arms above her head.

His knees went weak in relief as his hands swept up her light summer dress and it hit the floor next to his shirt. His pants followed and then her cotton bra and matching white panties. His hands glided reverently down her body, quickly followed by his lips.

"Booth," she breathed huskily and he smiled against her stomach at the sound. Discarding his underwear, he spanned her waist and boosted her up against the door. Her legs wrapped around him, head falling back as he slowly worked his hard length through satiny slick folds.

"Say it again," he murmured, gasping at the warmth spreading from his groin to every part of his body. For months he'd been freezing cold and he hadn't even realized it. "Say my name just like that, Bones."

"Booth …" Her fingers gripped his shoulders, surging blissfully into the slow rhythm of his body.

"Again," he begged, pressing his lips to her shoulder and breathing in sunshine. "Over and over again."

"Please … Booth, oh, that's perfect," Brennan gasped, eyes going blind as she chanted his name. "Booth, oh god, BoothBoothBooth."

Yes! Perfect, perfect, perfect, inner voice gasped ecstatically. So much better when there's magic.