AN: Thanks to Bellabun, 9ud9ir190ne6ad, brennanmars, DBFan2005, SnoopGirl69, mendenbar, bonesgirl01, xoSnickersxo, chipmunk2376, Caramelchan, jadefrye's freedom saraha gold, Halfpastdead001, ilovepeterpetrelli, xAbiVx, seeley's sweetheart, canadianagurl, katiedid531, SquintSquad10, caroldpb, Becca Hilpz, sqauddleduck, Lifeguard, a911chic, sidleidol03, JanaStar and titelex for your reviews of Chapter 13; each review was like chocolate for the soul. :)
A special thanks to sidleidol03 for insisting they go dancing.
As much as I liked jadefrye's suggestion of having them do it in chapter 'sexteen', I couldn't wait that long, so the last part of this chapter is rated M. If you don't want to read that section, stop when you see a row of M's.
"Goodbye Agent Booth, Doctor Brennan," Dr. Porter said as Booth slid into the wheelchair that would lead him down the halls of the hospital and out the door to freedom. "Enjoy your night out."
Booth turned to wink at Brennan, who was standing at his side. "Oh, we will."
Seeing the mischievous glint in his eye, Dr. Porter added, "Remember what I said about taking it easy for the next few days."
"I remember," Booth said. But I can't promise that I'll do it. Tonight's our first real date, and I intend to enjoy every minute of it.
As Booth and Brennan rolled/walked down the hall, several doctors and nurses waved to them and wished them well. They had all grown very fond of the agent and the scientist over the last few days. After all, it wasn't every day that they saw a couple so much in love.
Temperance recognized one of the smiling faces as Jenny, the woman from the bathroom who had called Booth 'Agent McHottie'. Jenny's smile was a little too enthusiastic for Brennan's liking. After one glare from the ass-kicking anthropologist, however, Jenny stopped smiling and lowered her eyes to the floor.
"I can't wait to eat real food again," Booth said as they approached the hospital exit. "Where do you want to have dinner tonight?"
"It doesn't matter to me," Brennan answered. "We're celebrating your release from the hospital, so you should pick."
They were at the door now. Booth stood up slowly and put his arm around her shoulders. He didn't really need to lean on her, but he was happy for any excuse to touch her. Together they walked through the sliding doors and into the parking lot.
"No, you pick. Anyplace you like is fine with me," Booth said. "As long as I can spend time with my Bones, I don't care where we go."
"Your Bones?" She pretended to be upset with him, but inside she was grinning. She liked the idea of being his Bones. "Alright, my Booth, how about that Thai restaurant we got take-out from a couple weeks ago?"
"Perfect. Then after dinner I want to take you dancing."
"Sounds great. And maybe afterwards...no, it's too soon after your surgery. Never mind." She turned away from him, but he gently put a knuckle under her chin to turn her face back to his.
"What, Bones? Go ahead, spit it out. You know that you can say anything to me."
"Okay..maybe we could have each other for dessert again? But only if you're up for it, of course."
Booth's smile put the Cheshire cat to shame. "Bones, for you I'll always be up for it."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After stuffing their faces at Bangkok Bistro, Booth and Brennan headed to a nearby club. The dance floor was crowded, but the couple confidently worked their way towards the center of the floor. Booth put his left hand on her shoulder and took her left hand in his right. As they moved to the music, the rest of the world forgotten, Booth's mind recalled the first time they danced together.
"Do you remember when we did this in Aurora?" he asked. "When all those guys were throwing themselves at you?"
"They weren't 'throwing' themselves at me, Booth," she argued. "They were asking me questions about the case."
"Come on, Bones, they were practically tripping over each other to get to you. They were like fraternity brothers fighting over the last slice of pizza. It was disgusting."
"Did you just compare me to a slice of pizza?"
"It's a metaphor, Bones. You're a writer, you should appreciate that."
"Actually, it was a simile. Similes are typically introduced by the words "like" or "as", and you said they were like fraternity brothers."
"Fine, it's a simile. It doesn't change the fact that I'm right."
"And that's why you stepped in, because you thought they were objectifying me."
"Yes...and I wanted a taste for myself," he said with a wicked smile.
"And how do I taste?" She asked suggestively.
"You're delicious." He punctuated his statement by kissing her.
"We should go back to Aurora sometime," she suggested. "Incidents of cannibalism aside, it was really a nice little town. Do you remember Charlie, the overnight guy? He said he would teach me to ski."
"I'll teach you how to ski, Bones. You don't need him."
"You don't have to be jealous, Booth."
"I'm not jealous. I just don't want you to run off with the overnight guy like..." he stopped himself. He wasn't sure he was ready to go there yet.
"Like what?" She prompted.
"Like...you almost ran off with Sully," he completed sheepishly. "I don't know what I would have done without you, Bones."
"But you told me to go."
"I know, but I didn't want you to. It was so hard to see the two of you together, but I wanted you to be happy."
"I am happy, Booth-- I'm happy when I'm with you." They smiled at each other and shared another kiss.
"You know, it wasn't easy for me to see you with Cam," she admitted. "I thought that you had some feelings for me, but then you two started dating again."
"I'm sorry, Bones. I only dated Cam because I thought I couldn't have you."
"That's funny. I only dated Sully because I thought I couldn't have you."
"You do have me, Bones. All of me. Always."
She moved closer to him, eliminating the small space between them. She put her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. He moved his arms to their familiar resting place on the small of her back. For several minutes they held each other contentedly.
"I'm really hot," Brennan said eventually.
Booth chuckled. "Yeah, you are."
"I mean in terms of my body temperature." She looked around the dance floor, almost surprised to see that she and Booth weren't the only ones in the room. "There are a lot of people here generating a lot of body heat."
"I'll get you a drink," Booth offered. "What would you like?"
"Just some water. On the rocks."
"You got it. Be back in a few minutes." He gave her a quick kiss before walking towards the bar.
Not long after Booth left, a man approached Brennan. "Hey, baby," he said, his breath reeking of alcohol. "Lemme buy you a drink."
"No thanks. My partner...I mean, my boyfriend is getting me a drink right now." It felt strange to refer to Booth as her boyfriend. Strange, but nice.
"Oh, come on, baby. Give me a chance," he said as he advanced towards her.
Brennan took a step back and assumed a defensive stance. "I said NO."
"You don't know what you're missing. I'll show you." He grabbed her arm roughly and leaned in to kiss her. Brennan broke free of his grasp and delivered a sharp kick to his groin.
He groaned in pain. "You bitch," he spat. He swung his arm back, preparing to hit her, when Booth dropped the drink he was holding and tackled him to the floor.
"You sonofabitch!" Booth growled, his hands around the man's neck. "You like hitting women? You think that makes you a real man? You're pathetic. You're a waste of skin. If you ever come near my girlfriend again, I will blow your fucking head off. But why wait? I should do humanity a favor and end your miserable life right now."
"I'm sorry!" The man whimpered. "I'm really sorry. Please don't kill me, man."
Everyone in the club was watching the two men, wondering what would happen next. Brennan feared that he really would kill him. He would be suspended from the FBI–perhaps permanently. He might even go to jail. She couldn't have him ruining his life because of her. "Booth!" Brennan shouted. "Booth, let him go! He's not worth it!"
Grudgingly he released Brennan's would be suitor. As angry as he felt, he knew that she was right. The guy was a jerk, but he didn't deserve to die. "Get the hell out of my sight before I change my mind." The man happily complied, sprinting off the dance floor.
"You didn't need to do that, Booth. I can defend myself."
"I know you can, Bones. I was just acting on instinct."
"I've never seen you that angry before."
"When someone threatens you or hurts you, Bones...all my self-control goes out the window." You think I was angry just now? You should have seen me when I slammed Vega onto a table after he said you were going to die underground. Or when I put a gun in Ortez's mouth and told him that if he didn't call off the hit on you I would kill him. "I'm sorry if I overreacted."
"It's classic alpha male protective behavior," she said. "Very sexy."
"Really?" She would never cease to surprise him.
"Really." Her eyes shone with lust, and if they hadn't been in the middle of a crowded dance floor, he would have taken her then and there. "So, you ready for dessert?" She asked.
"I'll race you to the car!" He answered.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
The ride to Temperance's apartment was torturous, but Booth wasn't eager to get into another car accident, so he forced himself to keep his hands off his partner while she drove. As soon as they were inside her apartment, he barely waited for the door to close behind them before he started taking off her clothes. He had never wanted anyone as much as he wanted her right now. Raw desire consumed him, driving every other thought out of his head. Apparently she felt the same way, because she was yanking off his clothes just as feverishly. They almost tripped on the pile of discarded clothes, but somehow they made it to her bedroom without further injury.
Booth was on top of her, drowning her in kisses. Now he was sucking on her left breast while his hand massaged her right. If there is a Heaven, she thought, it can't be any better than this. Then he was kissing her stomach, then the inside of her thighs. Even through her haze of bliss, she couldn't help but notice that he was breathing a little too heavily. Maybe we shouldn't be doing this. He just got out of the hospital today; what the hell was I thinking? "Booth? Are you okay?"
"I'm...fine." He said between kisses.
"Honestly? Because we can stop if--"
"No! I'm good." He felt a little weak, but he wasn't going to let that stop him.
"I don't believe you. Rest for a few minutes; I'll take over." She flipped him onto his back, stopping for a moment to admire his well muscled body before using her tongue to blaze a trail down his torso. "You're really okay?" She asked again.
Booth smiled. "I'm much better than okay. I promise."
"Alright," she said as she impaled herself on his fully erect cock, earning a satisfied moan from her partner. His hands on her hips helped her maintain a slow, steady rhythm.
"I'm well rested now," he declared several minutes later. Their bodies still joined, he flipped her over and began to move inside her, slow at first, but then faster and faster until they both achieved their release.
Booth's breathing was very heavy now, and Temperance's anxiety grew with every labored breath. "Booth?" She held his hand and looked at him expectantly. "Please tell me I didn't kill you."
He laughed weakly. "You didn't kill me. But I'm not at my full strength yet. I won't be able to give you multiple rounds of inspiration tonight. I'm sorry, Temperance. A man shouldn't stop until his woman is satisfied."
"Don't beat yourself up, Booth. You've satisfied me more than any other lover I've ever had. I don't want more sex tonight; all I want is for you to hold me."
"That I can do." He brought her into his arms, and they talked and laughed until sleep overcame them.
Thanks for reading; all comments are greatly appreciated and loved. The next chapter will be the last one.