Not long after Connor and Julie left, Murphy and Jayne decided to head over to the apartment. She had allowed him to shirk on the wager enough so that he could wear his coat home, but she kept the shirt, putting it on as they went outside. Both a little tipsy, they stood outside the apartment door, Murphy fumbling with the key to get in. Jayne started laughing loudly at his frustrated grunts. He shushed her just as he got the door open. Grabbing her wrist gently, he pulled her inside and shut the door.

Still grinning, Jayne leaned back against the wall, raising her eyebrows in approval as Murphy pulled off the coat and tossed it aside. He stepped closer to her, brushing his lips against hers and over her jawline as he started pulling his shirt off of her. Once it was gone, he covered her mouth with his, kissing her deeply enough that she moaned, trailing her nails down his back. He shuddered, hands running up her thighs and under her skirt to tug at her underwear.

She pulled away from his kiss with a throaty chuckle. "Now who's being forward?"

"Ye know ye love it," he whispered against her neck, starting to run his tongue gently across her skin.

With an approving groan, she started to undo his belt. He grabbed her rear and lifted her straight off the ground and she obligingly wrapped her legs around his waist. Easily carrying her toward the bedroom, he laid back on the mattress as she straddled him. With a smirk, she pulled off her top. He paused a second to take in the sight of her above him, flowing honey-blonde hair taking his breath away.

" Mon bel ange ," he whispered gently, combing his fingers through her hair and down her bare skin.

Her face lit up slightly even through her devious smirk. " Mon démon élégant ."

Murphy's eyes widened a little as he propped himself up on his elbows. "Ye know French?"

"A little," Jayne answered, running her fingers over his stomach. "Took four years of it in high school. There was this gorgeous French foreign exchange student…"

"I don' want ta hear about it," Murphy shook his head, smiling as he laid back down. "Ye have an Irishman in yer bed now."

"Mm-hmm," she replied, leaning down to kiss him deeply. He combed his fingers through her hair again as she leaned back enough to smile at him. "One that tastes like beer and cigarettes and sex. Mmmm… delicious."

He pulled her back down for another kiss, hands sliding her skirt down her hips. She leaned up enough that he was able to pull them completely off her as her fingers pressed his jeans and boxers down around his thighs until he could kick them off himself.

---

Julie woke up the next morning on the pull-out couch, Connor snuggled up close behind her. She was still dressed, with his arm slung loosely around her midsection. The gentle rise and fall of his chest let her know he was still asleep. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. It was almost ten in the morning. Glancing down at herself, she saw how wrinkled and worn her clothes looked. Her eyes turned to Connor beside her. He was shirtless, head laying peacefully against the pillow.

As she looked over him, Julie could see all the tattoos and scars on his upper body. Encouraged by his unconsciousness, she leaned back on the bed facing him. Her fingers brushed fleetingly over the Virgin Mary. They traveled downward over the scar on his upper left arm, another he had gotten from her father. Special attention was paid to the one on his chest, over his heart. She had sutured it for him one of the first nights she had stayed with the boys. Her lips itched to kiss it, like it would make it all better for him.

Connor shifted onto his back, snapping Julie out of her daze. She froze, waiting for him to open his eyes and scold her for touching him. But his eyes never even fluttered as he rested his arm across his chest. Not wanting to take any more chances, Julie got off the mattress and headed for the kitchen. The dogs were yipping outside at the far corner of the yard again as she leaned outside to feed them.

Moving into the bathroom, she washed the make-up off her face and stripped down to her undergarments before pulling on a bathrobe. Then, back into the kitchen where she readied the coffeemaker for Connor. As she scooped the grounds into the filter, she heard the footsteps behind her.

"Mornin', love," Connor said through a yawn, coming up behind her to peer over her shoulder. "Makin' coffee, are ye? What a sweet lass."

"Well, I do try, Connor" she smiled, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"And yer damned good at it," he nodded, kissing the back of her neck and sending a shiver up her spin. Then, he gave a gentle chuckle. "Ye remember anythin' from last night?"

"I remember nearly taking a guys hand off," she said thoughtfully, starting the coffee and pushing it safely back on the counter. "And Jayne beating Murphy at pool."

She turned around to see his smiling face. "D'ye remember what ye were callin' me all evenin'?"

Shaking her head in confusion, she tried to think. Then it came to her, making her grin broadly. "Connor-kun."

"Aye, tha's right," he glared playfully. "An' I've a mind ta pay ye back fer it."

"Why," she laughed. "It's cute. Maybe not your style, but cute."

"Still," he retorted. "Ye shouldn't be callin' a man those kinda things in public. I don' care if ye were pretendin' ta be me date."

"Pretending to be your date," Julie scoffed with a smirk. "If I recall correctly, I asked you to pretend to be my date. You couldn't have gotten a date with me on your best day."

"Oh really now," he replied smugly, taking it as the joke she meant. Then, he jabbed a finger playfully into her side. With a laughing yelp, she backed into the counter, giving him a disbelieving look.

"Connor, no," she warned, pointing at him.

"No, what," he smiled, poking her again.

Another yelp, and she raised her hands in defense, laughing. "No, please no!"

Then both Connor's hands were on her, tickling her sides wildly. Julie started screaming in laughter, twisting and contorting against the counter. She tried pulling away, but Connor moved in even closer blocking her escape as his fingers assaulted her. He chuckled evilly along with her.

"Stop," she cried, laughing almost too hard to breathe. "Please Connor, stop!"

"Promise ye won't call me Connor-kun again," he warned, not even pausing in his tickling.

"I promise," she screamed out, grabbing his shirt and tugging at it.

The movement sent him falling forward, and he had to take his hands off her and grab the counter to keep from falling to hard into her. She had quit begging, and her breathing was coming out labored. He felt her hot breath against his cheek and it was too much for him.

Without warning, he tilted his head and caught her lips with his. She trembled against him a moment before letting her head fall back. Her lips parted for him, and he took the invitation to slide his tongue gently inside, tasting her mouth hungrily. Her gentle moan made him shiver as her hands latched onto him, fingers combing through the hair on the back of his head as the other grasped at his shoulder desperately. He deepened the kiss even further, locking their lips together as he tried devouring her from top down, her tongue meeting his, timid and sweet.

His hands found their way inside her bathrobe, grasping her hips. She felt his fingers slide gently down her rear and over her bare thigh, lifting her knee to his hip as he forced her back against the counter. He grinded his hips against hers a little, and she could feel how excited he was even through his jeans. It made her moan softly again, dragging her nails down his bare back. And she was grateful for the weight of him against her as he knees began to shake.

She was finally allowed to breathe as his lips left her, greedily kissing down her chin and neck as he undid the bathrobe. His lips were at her collarbone when she was compelled to hoarsely whisper "Connor."

"Christ, Julie," he breathed heavily against her skin, grip tightening on her as he ground against her one more time. "Ye can call me anythin' ye want ta if ye keep kissin' me like tha'."

She smiled gently, eyelids drooping a little from the passion as she cradled his head against her neck as they caught their breath. Connor let her knee down slowly, but still held her hips impossibly close to his. His lips trailed back up her throat and over her jawline, passing over her lips again softly. He brought a hand up to brush his fingers over her cheek, looking into her eyes.

"Julie, I…" he began in a wavering voice, licking his lips. "I…"

There was a loud knock at the front door and the bog began to bark loudly outside. Connor and Julie both stiffened as if they had been caught doing something wrong. Julie was the first to shake off the surprise, remarking "Murphy and Jayne wouldn't knock."

"Aye," Connor replied, shaking his head as he reluctantly backed away from her. He walked toward the living room. Glancing back, he ran his eyes over Julie's form as she retied her bathrobe. She looked to see his face almost stricken with disappointment as they both headed for the door.

---

Mon bel ange... My beautiful angel.

Mon démon élégant... My handsome devil.

Simple request. Take a deep breath, and please review.