AN: Hey guys. A warning: this chapter leans more toward M. I haven't changed the rating of the story yet for it's not full blown M, but it's definitely a "lime." The rating will likely change when/if it reaches such a point. Thanks so much for reading.

Helplessly melting as I stand next to the sun

As she burns me, I am screaming loud for more

I drink every drop of liquid heat that I've become

Pop me open spill me out onto the floor

-Woman, Maroon 5

Heated silk. Just as she thought.

Liquid fabric skin against grazing lips, prodding and tasting autumn colored skin. Her kisses skimmed his jaw, lowering to the throat column. It had to be a sin for a man as strong and wild as Kouga to have skin velvet smooth and bonfire warm.

And if it were, she liked the taste of this sin.

Using lips and hands, she discovered the overlooked ridges of his body, running fingers across his cheek while her lips dragged along his neck, then back up to the jaw. Her senses were sharp, all her wits securely in place, and yet she acted like a dam had broken loose and all the suppressed desires flooded out.

Every kiss she placed on him, each draw of her hand across his body… she did it because she wanted to. She couldn't forge insanity when each hungry breath that escaped her lips was accompanied by a clear thought and fresh course of action.

She wanted this man, and she was going to explore him.

As Kagome's mouth and fingers made their quest across his body, his hands writhed through her shirt, holding her in place. At one point the shirt had been tucked within her skirt, but the fabric bunched up as he drew it into his fists, massed it high across her ribcage. His fingers rolled up and down her waist and released the shirt to slide across her bare skin.

Kagome's explorations paused, his touch distracting her. She blew out a muffled groan, the sound of plead and need foreign to her lips. The rush of feelings, falling in dam bursting rivers, were new to her. Not even Inuyasha had inspired this hot of a fervor in her. Inuyasha was the one that left her shaky with frustrations over what he couldn't give. Kouga only made her tremble with anticipation, curiosity, pleasure.

"Settle down, Kouga, I'm running the body here," He murmured.

Kagome tensed. "What are you talking about?" she asked, wary.

"My wolf instincts," he said, voice tight. "They like to burst forward sometimes. Dominate."

His tone sounded strained. Was he struggling against his instincts in something? And if he lost that inner battle…

"What do you mean?"

"That I'm fighting basic instincts just to keep this chaste," Kouga explained. He held her tight to him as she'd begun to wiggle away. "But don't fret. I am in control."

Her gaze shifted over him, feeling soothed with just a tad bit of wariness. Kouga breathed heavily, but definitely looked in control. No red washed out the whites of his eyes, no sharp claws flinging out to scrape and cut her down. It was something she feared since she'd run into it enough; the dark demon nature bursting out of control, consuming the person's soul. It'd happened to Inuyasha so often during their travels and she'd hurt herself many times dragging him to his senses. Too many close calls. Didn't want another. And it wasn't like she had sit command to protect her.

Of course Kouga would never intentionally hurt her, but how well did she know him?

Her legs looked narrow against the wide muscles ridges of his thighs and she felt shielded in his arms; just where she wanted to be. Protected. Maybe Kouga was different. He was full demon after all, so he had better hold of himself than Inuyasha ever had when his eyes went red and he operated on full instinct. Right?

She began to ask him when his tongue flicked across his bottom lip as if to capture the ghost of flavor from their recent kiss. That little action shot knee-weakening desire straight to where Kagome had seldom felt anything jolt before. She flattened her palms on his thighs and fought some basic instincts of her own. Holding back when all she wished to do was lean in and revive that ghost on his mouth, remind him of how she tasted.

Kouga stimulated nerve endings she'd thought in hiding. But it wasn't just her body that he revived with just a sultry look or touch, but her heart. It sparked like a roused beast, clawing against the cage of her chest as if to leap out and make a home in Kouga's arms.

Kagome knew how fast this was – and how crazy the thought that her heart actually needed his was – so she smashed it down and warned herself not to get too excited. She was only now facing these feelings, suspicions that she just might have some interest in Kouga beside friendship. Well okay, the confirmation that she was interested. But it didn't mean she'd let her heart run off without her.

Keep it light, she told herself. One baby step at a time.

But as she stared down the endless inches of warm skin and the bright eyes dancing across her as if he couldn't believe he finally had her there, she wanted to trip forward fast. Forget being careful and dive in.

Sliding back a little on his body, her eyes widened when her backside bumped against something firm. She drew forward an inch, face sheepish. He really was struggling to keep this chaste. That core spot in her came alive, throbbing and tightening as his hands skid against her bare skin.

He was her mountain-dwelling hero, feudal perfection, and she couldn't rest a finger on why. Was there something in the water or was it old-fashioned wolf demon genetics that made him so tantalizing? What made her so drawn to the man lying below her, so much so that she'd buried the feelings under piles of indifference and friendship for years just to avoid it?

But, credit ocean eyes and tans all she wanted, there was something alluring about the passion that broiled under that skin. Mystical. His fervor burned within everything he aimed dedication toward. The man had zeal, and she admired it.

The way he'd sought Naraku across the countryside, chasing down revenge that appeared impossible to enact.

The way he never gave up on loving her, giving her space and allowing her the choice, but never giving up.

Even with all her shrugs and plastered smiles, his fire never patted down its flames. They simmered in the foreground seeking the hour when the blaze could reach out and singe her. Well, each moment she spent with him now was like burning. Inch by inch, she felt those flames charring her. But at the same time, she was afraid. She feared the rate at which she was going, how quickly all the once dormant affection for him awakened. What if her passion swallowed her whole? Burned her to an infatuated, Kouga-loving crisp?

Kouga rotated his gaze across her face as if to memorize every part of it. When he caught her staring down at him, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip with her puzzled thoughts, he muttered a completely desirous noise that didn't sound like any human language.

"It drives me mad when you do that," he said, voice edging on a growl.

"Do what?" Kagome asked, her bite deepening with her confusion.

Now he really was growling.

"That."

He reached up and drew her face down to his. She gasped as his tongue traced the shape of her lips, loosening the bite. Her mouth slackened against his, lips pushing forward to meet his in a kiss, sparking another session. As his hips flexed under hers, that sturdy bulge within his lower region continually pressed into her bottom. Something about the rocky movement of that hard… anatomy rippled desire through her core. She gasped against his lips, her hips moving to the beat of his, swaying and undulating against his body. Kouga's grumble vibrated into her body, quivering her harder than his chuckles had when she'd lain on his chest.

Kouga turned their bodies so that she lied flat against the grass and he hovered above her. He kept his forearms locked around her, weight held so not to crush her though they still remained flush together, his bare chest brushing against her clothing. Why did the idea of ridding of this fabric barrier sound so good?

They relaxed there for a moment, their harsh breaths filling the shared space between their lips.

As their breaths began to gentle, Kagome stretched her form across Kouga's like an awakening cat, the tips of her toes nudging his. As their feet tangled together, Kagome felt like purring. Their contact felt so bare and intimate and not intimidating at all. Comfortable, like they'd been doing this for all their lives.

Kouga watched her from lazy eyes, and as his lips lowered to her face, her eyes shifted close. A careful kiss touched her cheek. His mouth parted slightly against her cheek and his tongue darted out, lapping her face. She giggled, slapping him away, but as he started kissing up and down her cheek and to her throat, her giggles were replaced with deep breathing and barely suppressed moaned.

"We should head back," Kouga murmured against her cheek. Kagome couldn't process the words for the tickle of his voice against her face felt oh so good.

"Hmm?" she asked. Kouga's lips stretched against her skin, a smile.

"I said, we should head back."

"Oh," Her lip slipped into an unexpected pout and she corrected it before he could see. He could think logically enough to head in, but here she was, mentally already planning on spending all day in this field, exchanging kisses and touches. She pushed up against his body to right herself, feeling bashful at her thoughts. Kouga moved up with her, his hand seizing the small of her back.

"Not so fast," he said, falling back to his hind legs. He folded her form into his so that she straddled his legs.

"But you said—"

"Yes, but I'm not that anxious to stop our play."

His hand swirled into her hair, serving as the pulley he used to bring her lips to his again. The words softened her chest, ridding of her pity doubts.

"Okay."

He joined their lips again.

"Alright." And again.

As if trying to outdo the other, their lips connected and detached, neither one willing to actually end the session. But as Kagome drew her eyes up beyond his shoulder, taking in the sky that'd centered itself in the sky sometime between all of their rolling around, she restrained his last kiss with her hands on his chest.

"We really should head back. The den might wonder where you've been." How embarrassing would it be if they needed their prince and tracked him down here to find the two of them rolling about in the grass? She couldn't even imagine it for too long; the thought made her want to curl her knees to her chest and hide.

Kouga's hands softened on her, resignation in his half smile.

He pulled them to their feet and each began to ready themselves. Kagome pressed down on the wrinkles in her top and tucked the ends back into her skirt. Kouga had turned his back to her, but she could see his hands shifting around with the waist. Smirking, she sauntered over to where he was, catching him just as he worked on whatever issue he was having with his furs. Or perhaps what lay beneath it.

"Problem?" she asked.

A light flush colored Kouga's face and neck.

"Uh, no. Just twisting my coverings to lie in the right direction," his throat cleared repetitively as he spoke.

Kagome left him to it with a laugh behind her fingers, and headed over to where Kouga's armor chest lay. The armor was light but thick, cool on the frontal side and heated on the inner shell where Kouga's skin rested most the time. She was surprised it still hummed with warmth; it'd been abandoned from his chest for so long. The chest that had been against hers for so long.

Just the thought made her knees bend. She wavered, knees dropping to the grass. Kouga's ears twitched, the soft thump had catching his demonic hearing's attention.

"You alright?" he asked, twisting around.

Kagome was kneeled with a caught expression on her face, and Kouga's mouth brewed with laughter that he buried down with a smile.

Aha. This was definitely punishment for laughing at his problem.

"Here." She drew the armor toward him.

Kouga walked over, fitting on the armor with one hand and tugging her up with the other. Both dressed, they faced one another. Kagome fidgeted with her fingers in the silence.

"So… ready?" she asked.

Kouga nodded, turning around and bending to let her climb on his back. As she did, the press of her body against his felt different from when she'd first latched onto him. He made a sighing sound under his breath and she knew he felt it too.

They ran back to the mountains without a word. Her chest sunk into his back, wrists slung around his neck and legs wrapped around his body with his hands locked around them. The closeness whispered with a fresh intimacy that might have been there all along if only she'd listened. Well, her radio was tuned now, the satellite humming, receptive. The rush of wind filled her ears, each pound of Kouga's feet adding to the music of the run.

They deepened into the mountains, the den a quick shot ahead. Kouga leapt against the cliffside until surging up and landing on flat terrain. As his feet touched the flat of rock that oceaned around the cave entry, he loosened his hold on Kagome, helping her off his back.

She shook out her legs to gain a feel of the vertical world again, then waited for Kouga, who was staring at the cave mouth with intent eyes, before she headed in. Kagome watched as he moved forward, his eyes still on the cave as he paused beside her.

"Hey," she said. He didn't answer.

"Hello? Earth to Kouga," she sang, waving a hand in his face.

"Kagome…" Kouga caught the hand, seeming to crack out of whatever reverie that'd fallen in. He stared at her intently as he asked, "Would you like to bathe together?"

Wide-stretched brown eyes, face tipped to the side with hair curtaining her cheek, the once level breath falling in jagged sheets.

Kagome was adorable when she wanted him.

But despite what she figured, bathing together was not what he meant. Well, he wouldn't mind washing her back. And front. But what he really meant was for them to wash up, whether in separate springs or together.

Because their arousal scents blared loud and clear.

The scent of one recently involved in sensually exciting activities was distinct; a mix of both parties' aroma with a hint of a natural aphrodisiac meant to fuel love making. The more aroused the parties grew, the stronger the scent grew and lingered.

And earth knows both parties had been quite aroused. Riding fast through the wind hadn't done anything to leave their aromas behind; the smell clung to their clothes and skin strong as it almost radiated like a sun's glow.

Even if Kagome's human nose ignored it, the wolves inside the main den couldn't and were likely scenting it now. No wonder they didn't pour out of the cave to greet him when he arrived as they usually did. He imagined a lot of them, big grins on their faces as they waited for Kouga and Kagome to come in disheveled and flushed.

Try again, pups. As much as he'd liked to wear their bumping scents like a badge, he couldn't do that to Kagome. It was good enough that the men would know he'd been intimate with her. The scent wasn't the same as if he'd actually taken her completely, but it was enough to say they'd been quite close. It wasn't exactly the bane of choice to deter the other males, but it was a start, a telling sign that Kouga was seriously pursing this woman and that if they didn't want their necks snapped, they'd stay away. No matter how alluring the cute, feisty human could be, he wasn't sharing.

"You want to bathe now?" Kagome asked, bringing him back to awareness, her hand still encased in his. He kissed the top of her palm and she sigh a little. Satisfaction brewed within him. She was still wavering under the affects of their recent couplings. He wished to always keep her this way, on the verge of pleasure. When they officially mated, he'd make so much love to her that every glance in her direction would be a sign for her to take off her clothes again and get ready.

"Now would be good. A nice bath may erm, help us appear more decent."

Kagome paused, then with a little nod met his eyes.

"I like that idea."

Kouga noted that direct gaze. Was she really starting to want him? Not just a fluctuation in judgment, but a clear-eyed decision? With all the recent lashes Inuyasha had whipped at her heart, surely he still lingered close to mind. Kouga only hoped his attentions could be enough to keep his woman from falling back and letting the long-gone half-dog wedge a barrier between them.

Before he could worry too much, he moved toward the stone that wrapped around the cave lip, leading her by the hand around the wrapping path. Kouga's hurried steps and ramming heart moved them fast, and they reached the outer entrance of the hot springs shortly. Kagome kept up easily, her own quick breaths leading him to believe she was anticipating this as much as he was. Still, he hadn't a vision where this would go.

Would they bathe together or should he allow her space? If he played out the fantasy he'd had involving her and the hot spring just that morning, she might run away screaming. With his shoulders firmed, he made the decision to merely help her undress just as she pushed over the stone–damn, that thing is a bit hefty, how'd she move it so easily?

They walked in, Kouga sealing the stone behind them. As the rock shifted in place, he watched the tension take hold of Kagome's form, little trembles rising up and down her shoulders. He approached from behind, running his hands up and down her arms.

"Nervous?" he asked her, breath at her ear. Her little form shook again, and he chuckled. He loved making her like this. On edge for him, trembling with want of him. Burku definitely had some good romancing advice.

Working his hands to the front of her body, he tugged her shirt loose from its refines of the dress, undoing the layered fabric. His touch was light, and he did his best to keep from feeling, but once his hand made contact, he couldn't ignore it; the swell of her breast against his palm.

He gnawed back on the urge to cup the soft flesh and drew its round weight under his hands. Still, sensations hardened his lower region at the touch accompanied by the thought. He drew away the slightest, letting go. The shirt sloped down her shoulders as he released it, limp at her waist. Her back boasted of gentle bones under cream skin.

As if mesmerized, he stepped forward again. So perhaps he could touch her a little more, but that was it. He wouldn't get carried away. His wolf was already going wild in its cage. He traced his fingers along the narrow ridges of her exposed back. She flexed into his touch, exposing more skin under his skin. The steam of the hot spring hoarsened their breaths, intensifying their aroused scents. His eyes flickered close as the concentrated cognac filled his nose. The wolf within him rose on its haunches and howled.

"You're teasing, just touching me here," Kagome breathed. Her voice was husky, sparking heat into his belly.

"I am trying to keep from doing more."

"But I want mo-more," she murmured.

It was all he needed to hear. That breathless plea from his willing woman. Kouga obeyed it, doing what he'd been aching to do. He wrapped his hands to the front of her, gently brushing his rough palms across her nipples. Kagome moaned, back arching so that her buttocks settled against his hard arousal. Kouga hissed from the twin pleasures of her nipples beneath his palms and the shove of her pressing behind on his manhood. He used one hand's fingers to pluck her left nipple and the other hand to surround her whole breast, squeezing and molding its form with a curious hand.

Kagome rocked under his touches, her moans swallowed by the stone walls. Her hands reached behind her, blindly, eagerly. She finally launched hold of Kouga's waistband and pulled her to him, so close now they were practically on top of one another. Kouga's erection encircled her buttocks and the sheer dig of his toes into the stone kept him from rocking into her. Even with all this pleasure, he didn't wish to hurt her. Would not hurt her.

Still, she made it hard. Each of her carnal cries made his mind fuzz. Her wandering hands stroked the top of his waistline, moving lower and lower…Kouga pinched her nipple to distract her focus from the enlarged body part that she so wanted to touch. Her hands paused from their play at his waist, settling there. He just couldn't handle her travelling hand. Once she touched his central heat, surely he'd lose all sense of civility. Control was necessary if he wanted to please her without taking things to a higher level.

Rolling her nipple, he flickered and played, and she melted under his hold, her body wilting into his like a fainting flower.

"I've got you, Love." He held her upright with his body.

"Kouga this…feels so..." She murmured, shaking her head back and forth.

"Does it feel good?"

He seized her other nipple and her gasp was music to his loins.

"So good," she cried.

He savored how the right nipple pearled under his plucking fingers. He wished to turn her around so he could see how those breasts appeared, trembling with her body. He wished to know the full shape of the breasts, the tint her nipples had flushed under his attentions.

He cupped both breasts, rotating them in his hands and loving the sound of her purring moans in his ears. Definitely round, full… his hand stroked her nipples, thumbing them for a moment. Her nipples pointed out in either direction. When they mated, he would enjoy laying her down and swooping his mouth from one side of the bed to the other, the better to get a full taste of her between his lips.

"May I…may I turn you around to see how you look, Mate?" Kouga asked. He wished with all might she'd say yes, but was willing to take what he could from her, even if it meant merely groping her breasts from behind and guessing at how they looked.

She stilled, slowly turning around. Her arms were layered across her breasts, concealing the full beauty of them. He almost groaned in protest from the teasing peaks of skin her barrier arms provided.

Even with her lips silent and breathless, her eyes shone on his, ferocity there. One narrow eyebrow was cocked, the smallest of smiles on her lips. His love was teasing him, the little vixen.

"Haven't you already seen these?" she asked.

Kouga cocked his head, eyes narrowed. "When?"

A hundred scenarios flashed through his head and none of them pleasing. Had someone walked in on her, someone she confused with himself? He didn't like the idea of that. He didn't think another man should be allowed to see her when he hadn't had the chance himself.

"The other day, when you just showed up in the bath out of nowhere."

Remembrance struck him, feeling the unlovely scenarios dissolve.

"Actually, the water was too thick even for my eyes. So no, I did not."

"Aha."

Kouga stared at the arms blocking his view, willing them to melt away and reveal the lush mounds beyond. As much as his fingers inched to move them himself, he would not. Kagome needed to him access before he stole such a sight.

Her little laugh brought his eyes back to her face. But unlike before, her smirk wavered.

"I think I'm a little afraid to show you," she said, her head dipping down. "Afraid it won't…meet your standards. Despite how fast this is moving, I've never exactly…I mean, I've never intentionally shown anyone this part of me."

Her fears sobered Kouga. His eyes crinkled, concern filling them. Looking straight into Kagome's eyes, he removed her hands from her chest. Her pounding heart drummed through his ears, but with a steady gaze on her eyes he assured her that he wouldn't look. Instead he brought her hands to wrap around his neck, drawing her forward so they were chest to chest. She trembled against the metal armor on his chest, its smooth surface sliding against her breasts.

"Believe me when I say that you are beautiful everywhere. I will love every form of you, every shape and color and form of your body. Besides that, you do not need to show me anything until you're comfortable."

Her lip trembled, affected by his words; he bent down to kiss first her nose, then her lips. He savored the feel of her steam-softened mouth against his own, gasping into his. She tasted so good, so sweet. He could make love to these lips for the rest of his days and be satisfied. His hands rested on the flare of her waist, stroking up and down. Surprised jolted his eyes open when one of her hands left his neck and manually moved his to rest on her breast.

He took the hint and squeezed the globe, working small circles across her breast, the other hand leaving her waist to grasp her hip. She sighed into his mouth, the sound nudging a whine from his throat. Damn, he must have sounded like a pup. But he wanted her so bad. So much that he was shaking with it, his lips moving more fiercely across hers, almost violent.

The wolf in the back of his mind howled, its excitement so fierce that a puddle of drool surrounded its paws. Instincts blazed. This was the exact reason few wolves could casually touch. It almost always led to the next step, more finalizing measures. His kisses surged up and down her neck, fierce, intent, and her wanting moans only fueled him own. Now his lips were pulling back, his canines sharp and ready, tongue lapping at her throat to prepare for the…

"Ouch," Kagome muttered, her hand reaching out to clutch her neck as if a bug had nipped her.

But what bugs …oh no.

It was him. His canines were depressing against her pliable skin, trying to pierce. His wolf trying to mark her. Claim her forever.

Stop. I need to stop.

Kouga teeth pulled from Kagome's neck, eyes wide as he surveyed her. No blood, he thought with relief. Two browns marks on the pale flesh. He'd merely pressed, not pierced. The wolf was growling in his head, angry that Kouga had stopped him. He had to slide back before it got the better of him with its begging and he used his speed to get away from Kagome. Fast.

Steam rolled between them, hiding her from view. It was enough to get him back to his senses with the desired object at hand hidden. With his wolf instincts so high to the surface, he now knew exactly what was happening. The wolf instincts were declaring its dominance, coming forward to finish what Kouga had started; unite with his mate. And since Kouga wholeheartedly agreed with the plan his mind began to act on the desire, despite his head knowing it wasn't time.

No matter how much he was ready and willing, it shouldn't happen this way. He'd want her fully undressed and against his soft bed, not standing up in a steamy hot spring that didn't even allow him to see her fully. Besides, she was still sorting out her feelings and hadn't even accepted to be his mate yet. That would have to happen before he took her, claimed her.

He just hoped it was soon for the beast inside was as ready as he was, and with them both in accord, it'd be hard to touch her again without raging with the desire to couple. He'd have to increase his willpower to keep things, as he'd said before, chaste.

From the steam, he could vaguely make out Kagome outline. He sniffed the air, shifting for an emotion. No fear in the air, but from her jagged movements, he knew she was disorientated, confused.

"Where are you?" she called out.

After feeling he was gathered into his senses enough to approach her, Kouga set off forward, reaching her swiftly. He captured her by the forearm.

"Here I am."

Cloth touched his skin for she had put her shirt back on. The thought disappointed him a little, but he knew their fun had to end. He couldn't engage in their play again so soon. Not after such a close call. He needed to recuperate so it wouldn't happen again unless he willed it. She looked at him with furrowed brows.

"What was…what was that?" she asked, gnawing her lip.

"My wolf instincts were trying to claw out and get the upper hand, and you know," he looked a bit sheepish as he said. "Bite your neck. I had to hose him down, in a sense."

The look on her face made his stomach ache. Terrified and intrigued blended in one, and he didn't know what to make of it. But the terror definitely overrode the latter emotion. From that look, she definitely wasn't ready to mate. There was still too much fear there.

He captured her shoulders.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll take better hold of my impulses; keep them under my mind's dominance. We won't have such a problem again."

Kagome nodded, but her eyes glanced away. Unconvinced. She ran her hands up her arms and sighed, glancing over at the hot springs.

"Speaking of hose down, I suppose we better bathe now."

Kouga's eyes glazed over. Already a vision of her bare form pressed against his back came to mind, soft against him as he washed her. He shook his head out of it, though. It was back to their purpose here. He'd come to wash off their aroused scents but instead they'd created more. And with the way his wolf had nearly seized control, being in a tub with her would do no good for him gaining the upper hand again.

"I believe separate baths are called for," Kagome said, taking in the distracted expression on his face.

Kouga gained hold of himself, nodding.

"Oh, of course. Enjoy your bath, love."

He pecked her cheek and turned away swiftly before he could do anything rash. Heading towards a spring on the other side of the room, he'd travelled far and fast enough so that his wolf wouldn't send him racing back in her direction. He would keep his mind in control. When one occupied a man's form, impulse and instinct were sometimes forced to come second.

He undressed, settling into the bath with the heat hissing against his skin. His ears listening to Kagome washing from the other side of the room. With steadying breaths, he cleaned himself and returned his wolf nature's passion and his mind's will to a calm balance. Kouga drifted into a half state of consciousness as he taught his mind and body how to stabilize its urges while also experiencing the pleasure of his woman's presence. If he taught it this, he could enjoy her close company all he wished without slipping control to the wolf.

Drifting so far in his meditations, he didn't realize when the sounds of Kagome's washing stopped altogether, replaced with the fussing on a girl hurriedly dressing under the steam cover. He didn't hear her feet as they padded across the floor, the groan of rock as she pushed its barricade aside and fled out of the hot springs.