Chapter Ten

"Oh, um…Yuki. Is Kel here?"

"I was just leaving," Yuki said after letting Dom in. She turned to Kel. "Think about it," she said in Yamani and then left, leaving Dom and Kel standing alone in an awkward silence.

Dom took a deep breath. "W—we need to talk." Why did he have to stammer? Why? He never used to. He always knew what to say. She nodded. "Look, Kel I—" But he cut off. He had no idea what to say—what could he say?

She looked him in the eyes. "What did you mean by it?" He just looked at her, confused. "When, you kissed me. What…."

He'd never taken this into consideration. Did she think it was a prank of some sort? Why was it so hard for her to believe that someone might actually care about her—might love her? He searched her face but couldn't read anything, not because of her usual Yamani mask, but because so many emotions were flashing over her features he couldn't determine between them.

He gave an inner sigh. Raoul was right, she should have the right to decide for herself. "Ok. Kel—we've known each other for a long time."

"Six years."

"Right. The thing is—sometime in those six years…" he stopped. "Before I say anything, I want you to promise me something." She raised an eyebrow. "I want you to promise me that, no matter what happens, we'll still be friends." He shifted from foot to foot—he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

She nodded, "I promise." That alone was a huge relief for Dom, but it didn't make him any less nervous.

"So…" he continued, "sometime in those six years I…well I came to like you. No, well—I mean—I always liked you. I mean ….like you like you." He grimaced and ran his hand nervously through his hair. "I'm really bad at this."

She gave the tiniest of smiles. Encouraged, he went on. "All I know is that…for some time now I've—I've been thinking about you a lot. A lot a lot. And…well…." He ran his hand through his hair again. He still couldn't tell what she was thinking. "You know, it'd be great if I had some sort of indication as to how this is going over." He smiled in attempted humor.

She smiled a little larger, but still didn't say anything. Of course she wouldn't say anything—she was Yamani, what did he expect? He crossed the room until he stood right in front of her and took her hands in his. He took a deep breath, there really was no going back now. "I love you." Her eyes widened and he held his breath, waiting for her response.

Timidly, Kel reached up and brushed her lips against his, then pulled back uncertainly. Dom smiled broadly. "Is that an 'I love you too, Dom'?"

She returned his smile. "I love you too, Dom." He covered her mouth with his and kissed her warmly, pulling her close, but he pulled away suddenly.

"I'm in the Own," he said, worry filling his eyes. Understanding filled hers. So she's thought of this, too, he realized. "I can't promise anything, but…I'd—I'd still like to try. But I'll understand if—"

She cut him off by putting a hand over his mouth. "I know. But that won't be an issue for a while, right? And…I'd like to try, too."

He smiled faintly. "Are you sure?" She nodded, and he kissed her again, his arms wrapped purposefully around her, as if he had no intention of ever letting go. Her own arms wrapped around his neck. Her heart was beating rapidly—he could feel it—and she trembled pleasantly in his grasp.

Dom had only once held the lady knight in his arms, but this was as different as it possibly could be. This time she was there because she wanted to be, not because she was grieving. Her lips were every bit as soft as he remembered, and he gently caressed them with his own.

It was so natural, so right. His entire body tingled. Dimly, he became aware that his fingers were busy. Through the fog of his mind he realized he was unlacing her tunic, and she was fumbling with his. A strange, buzzing excitement filled him, along with the faintest drop of fear. It took every ounce of will to still his hands. He placed them over hers, pulling away just enough to rest his forehead against hers, breathing heavily.

"Not yet," he whispered breathlessly, knowing she'd be feeling the same way right about now. He didn't know how he knew—but he knew. "I want to do this right. I want to do this slowly." The slower we go, the less chance she'll have of getting hurt, but he kept that much to himself.

She nodded, equally breathless. "Slowly—yes. Slow is good."

"It's getting late," he observed. Indeed the light had faded from the window. He kissed her swiftly. "I should go."

She brought his lips to hers again. She didn't want him to go, but knew he was right. "I know," she said when they broke apart again. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it." He laughed.

"No it doesn't." He kissed her again, but he broke away laughing again.

"What?"

"Yuki was here."

"So?"

"So she probably told a certain Meathead husband of hers." Kel grinned, laying her head on his chest. "Neal is going to kill me."

"Will it make you feel better if I say he'll wish he hadn't?"

"Oh, and you can arrange that?"

"I think I can."

He kissed her again—he couldn't get enough of her sweet taste. "At least now I can die happy. Meet you for breakfast tomorrow?"

"You might persuade me," she said with another grin. He kissed her one last time and left.

A/N: So there you have it: they're together! But no, that's not the end. I've still got plenty of ideas for future chapters. R&R please! Hope you all liked it!