Ray unlocked his apartment door completely noiselessly. He hung his key on the hook and kicked off his shoes at the entrance, last thing he needed was trudge anything through his place. He looked around, the main room was empty and the balcony was clear.

"Lex?"

He immediately started towards his gun as he padded through to the bedroom, but his hand eased on his weapon as he saw Lexi. She was fast asleep in his bed, beneath his sheets, and he could just see her bare, perfectly manicured toes peeking out from beneath the end of the covers. Ray smiled, his heart feeling a surge of warmth. She had never been here, she had never been in his home or in his bed.

He unbuttoned his shirt and dropped his pants as he crossed to sit on the edge of the mattress beside her. Her tan skin glowed against the white cotton sheets, her dark hair rolled out in waves over the pillows. She had rested a bag of frozen peas over her face to reduce the soreness, but even with that, he was sure she had never looked so beautiful to him as she did then. Her bare shoulders hinted at her naked form, and Ray sneakily lifted the sheets to see that she wore nothing at all.

He kicked his legs up and lay back beside her, careful not to touch her or disturb her. His hand was behind his head on the cushions as he gazed at her shapely shoulder bones and the nape of her neck that begged him to kiss it. He smiled, unable to resist, and rolled onto his side, putting one protective arm around her waist and pulling himself close to her. He wanted to feel the connection of his body against hers, just for a minute, and he buried his nose in her hair as he inhaled her intoxicating smell. She smelled of soap and lemons, a stark contrast from the bleach scent on Ray's own hands.

"It's all done now, Lex," he whispered breathlessly against her ear. The palm of his hand ran against her stomach and he was suddenly overwhelmed with sadness. Last time they had lain in bed together, she was beginning to feel just that tiniest bit rounder to him. She had been laughing, they had talked about her getting fat. He felt a tear sneak into the corner of his eye at the memory, he would have loved that.

"Gentle."

He blinked his eyes open as he heard her voice, light and barely audible. She leaned back, rolling against him, and repositioned his hand against her torso, moving it away from the bruised areas. She gave him a half-hearted smile as she lifted the ice pack. Ray ghosted his hand away as he looked over her face, her black eye and swollen lip.

"I know, I look like shit, right?"

He laughed, barely able to believe she was able to joke about it. He shook his head, not sure what he could say.

"You look like a fighter to me," he said. He wanted to ask her all about how she had got mixed up with that asshole, how she had ever let him put a hand on her, but it felt like wasting time. "Jesus, I've missed you."

Her lips twitched into a nervous sort of smile and she nodded as she looked at him. "I've missed you too," she whispered softly. "What... happened? Back at his place?"

Ray pursed his lips, he wasn't about to give her details of Avi's cleaning detail, or the body they had buried out in the desert. "It's all sorted, don't you worry about that." He stroked her hair, desperate to tell her that he'd never let her be alone again. "Lex, I-"

She had already started shaking her head. With a sad smile, she murmured, "How's your wife?" Ray had to laugh, she always asked him that same damn question.

"Don't talk about her," he replied, just as he always did. Lexi opened her mouth to object but he pushed a kiss onto her lips, strong without being forceful. Lex whimpered, it hurt but at the same time, it felt wonderful. She twisted toward him a little more and her arm snaked around his neck, pulling him a little closer as she sought his kisses. She craved them, every brush of his tongue was healing for her, fulfilling her every need.

Ray wrapped his leg around hers, pulling her hips to his as they kissed frantically, desperately. He could hear the soft, pained murmurs against his lips but she seemed so intent on his caressed that they melted away. His hands got up into her hair, his fingernails gently scratching against her scalp as he pulled her into another kiss and another kiss, he could never get enough.

"I need you," he whispered with a strange sense of urgency. Alexia could feel it too, a desperation to connect with him. She nodded, barely, and Ray pushed his erection against her, writhing his hips to hers and teasing her clit with his hard on. He could see Lexi's eyes roll back, a mixture of pleasure and pain overtaking her body as he teased her, trying not to put too much pressure on her body.

Ray slipped along the bed, his lips leaving a wet trail along her body as he pushed the sheets away. He wound his way through the bruised islands of her skin, careful not to hurt her, and settled lower, his lips nibbling her hip tenderly. He looked up at her for assurance, maybe even permission, as he extended her leg to the side and kissed along her inner thigh. His nose grazed her intimately and he heard her gasp, the breath rushing through her lungs as his tongue lapped at her. He felt like velvet, soft and luxurious against her, and electric impulses flooded her body.

Ray held her hips, he loved to her feel her pleasure but he needed to give her more, he wanted to give her everything. She whinnied gently as he slipped his finger into her, building on the rhythm of his tongue and making her heart race faster with every little movement. They needed this, they'd needed this for too long.

"Come here," he insisted as he prowled over her, letting her taste herself as he kissed her lips ardently. Lexi moaned into his mouth as he suddenly grabbed her hips and lifted her ass, allowing himself to slide into her. He felt bigger, thicker, somehow, and she arched her back to accommodate him. It was like she had forgotten him. Everything hurt, every inch of her body, but it didn't matter for a second. Ray was there.

"Make love to me," she whispered, her golden eyes flashing at him as she looked up. It was all Ray wanted to do as he slowly, gently rolled his hips against hers. Lexi purred contently beneath him as she leaned up on her elbows, her flat stomach crunching as she kissed him again and again and again, every movement perfectly timed with a connection of their lips with each other.

Ray felt the overwhelming need to protect her, all of her, as the brief glimpses of her bruises settled in his mind. His arms pinned her body in place beneath him and he growled softly as he felt the sweat beginning to build on his skin. Her flesh was wet, her torso and breasts writhing against his because of the heat from their interaction.

"You're the only one," he muttered, his voice dark as he said it. "Nothing is real without you, Lex."

She smiled at that, how she always felt the same way she couldn't even begin to explain. Her hand stroked his cheek lovingly and she nodded, she was sure of the same thing.

She could feel him building, he was growing impossibly hard inside her, making her ache with every movement. Ray wiped the sweat from his forehead and leaned down, pressing his brow to hers. She smiled, leaning up and giving him the sweetest little peck on the lips. It was so innocent and unexpected, Ray let go with a roar that he didn't even know he was holding inside. Lexi giggled as he punched the bed in annoyance, he had wanted to hold on for her.

"Don't," she said softly, wrapping her hand around his fist. "It felt good, you feel good." Ray scowled, he had wanted to share that orgasm with her but she looked so content in his arms, a genuine smile playing on her lips. He couldn't be mad for long though, the way her lower lip was protruding made his heart soften as he carefully picked himself off of her and tossed himself on the mattress beside her.

"Gives me an excuse to stick around," he shrugged. "Even up the score." He could see her looking at him with the longing he felt too. He stroked along her body, a leisurely move that made her squeeze closer to him. "And I will stick around," he added softly.

Lexi closed her eyes and nodded. She wanted to believe that, she wished that that were true but instead she simply kept her silence, still unsure.

"Just be here for now," she replied softly. "That's all I'd ever ask of you, Ray, you know that."