It hadn't been a surprise. I'd pretend it was, but from the very second that I heard Piper's voice this afternoon, I'd known this was how we'd end up. When I'd looked at her there had been an instant rush, an undeniable tension in the air that had all but written it in the stars to happen. As soon as I'd touched her bare skin I'd accepted our fate.

There wasn't any point in stopping it, really. Any thoughts of the sort that dared to flutter past my consciousness were instantly rejected.

Letting Piper kiss me, and more to the point, actively kissing her back was, in theory, a complex issue. Three simple juxtaposing truths that fought against each other.

The first; I loved Megan. I didn't want to hurt her.

The second; I was betraying her in the worst possible way, undoubtedly causing her the hurt I didn't want to bestow.

And the third; no-one else in the world made me feel how Piper did. I didn't care who that hurt in the process.

In reality though, nothing was simpler. Because while the first two truths were undeniably true, the third was the truest.

I loved Megan, but not enough. I had loved Piper more.

I didn't intend to hurt her, but even after everything we'd been through – all the ups and downs, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't do it one hundred times over to be with Piper.

Even in the cloud that Pipers lips were enveloping my judgement in, I knew that to be true. Given the chance I'd choose Piper over and over and over again. She was my crutch. My weakness. A flaw in my personality.

Infuriatingly, the only thing really getting in the way was Piper because she'd never been able to make up her mind about what she wanted, but there was something different in her now. Something that sparked the possibility of a brand-new life for us. If that spark hadn't been there I wouldn't have allowed this to happen. Piper might be my biggest weakness, but I wasn't foolish.

Something was different. The biggest being that Piper had finally gotten the guts to leave Larry. That was something I definitely didn't see coming. She'd moved out to live on her own, she'd found herself a career. She looked vibrant, refreshed. She dressed better, carried herself differently. Hell, she'd even decided to get a tattoo all on her own and instantly gone through with it. Not in the same silly, excitable way she had gotten her first one. That tiny little infinity symbol hidden away on her ribcage, but in a deliberate move, without a worry of what people might think.

That was the thing that had made this inevitable.

The taste of her lips on mine sealed our fate.

Eventually that kiss had to break. I needed oxygen and by the way Piper inhaled as soon as our lips broke I'd say she needed it too. Cheeks pleasantly blushed, noses still delicately touching, Piper smiled at me. The kind of smile that said to me, 'we both knew this would happen, and I'm not sorry for it'.

"I did tell you I had a girlfriend, right?"

"You did." She said, placing a soft kiss on the corner of my lips.

"We shouldn't be doing this."

"Shouldn't we?"

The confidence. It was so fucking hot. She tilted her head to the other side and kissed me again.

"A lot of shit has happened between us, Pipes." I said, not in protest, I just needed to hear that she was as willing to go through with this as I was and for the right reasons.

"I know. I do." There was still little space between us, and she kissed me again. Her hand still on my cheek. The other gently placed on the nook of my neck. "I know this is a fucked up situation." She spoke softly. Like what she was saying was only for me and no one else to hear. Not that there was anyone else there to hear it. "I know we're not perfect together and I don't think we ever will be… but I am not sorry this is happening. Ever since I lost you something has been missing and I didn't realise - or I couldn't admit - that it was you I was missing until that night when I got out of my mind drunk and called you. I thought I was over you. I really did. But then talking to you and seeing you…" she gave a little shrug, "I realised I wasn't. I'd taken all those feelings I had for you and turned them to anger when you went way. I got mad at you and somewhere along the line I forgot that I actually never was. It was just easier to be mad at you than to admit I still cared."

I understood completely. Everything she was saying… it was as if she'd plucked them straight from my own head. "I care about you too." I knew I should have said more. I knew that there was still issues we needed resolved. Stuff we needed to talk about that couldn't be ignored. But that talk wouldn't happen tonight. It couldn't. I was too transfixed on the moment to think clearly. Too lost in her eyes and the sweet scent of her. Too caught up in the thick, almost palpable sexual tension to be able to think up something coherent to say.

"If you don't want this I'll go. I swear. I'm not doing this to ruin your relationship. I just needed you to know that this is what I want." Those blue eyes flicked down to my lips and back again. "Just tell me what you want."

I didn't bother. I didn't have to. It was easier to show her and after standing so close to her, after kissing her, feeling her hot breath on my lips and her gentle touch graze my skin, I was done with talking. I needed to touch her. To grab her. To lay her on that reclining tattoo chair and do all the things we haven't done in far too long.

With one quick smile and while my hand slid down the curve of her back, I kissed her. Properly. Softly at first. Slowly. Taking my time to bathe in how good those lips felt and how wonderfully they tasted.

And then, blood rushing fast through every inch of me and the temperature in the room swiftly rising, the kisses very quickly became more passionate. More desperate. Deepened as soon as Piper's lips parted enough for my tongue to make its way into her mouth with a welcoming hum.

Her hands were tangled in my hair now. Nails gliding over my scalp and the back of my neck. I shivered. Pulled her tight to me.

There was a hunger in our kissing now. Not just in our kissing, but in the way we clung to each other, the way our hands spread over each others' bodies, desperate to touch whatever was in reach, and in the sounds we made. It reminded me, strangely, of that first really good meal I had once coming out of prison. It was so good that while I savoured the taste, I ravished it just like I'm ravishing her. Just like she's ravishing me. There was something primitive about it. Wild, almost.

With her hand cradling my jaw, she bit and tugged at my lip. We drew apart in a rush of breath but only for a moment. Once together again I slipped my hand under her shirt, feeling the instant warmth of the skin on her back. She hummed against my lips again and I couldn't help but smile back.

I'd nearly forgotten how easy it was to get her going.

With ease I slipped off her top while walking her in the direction of the chair and threw it somewhere to the side. My hands found their way up to her breasts where they rubbed against the lacy fabric before travelling down to unbutton her pants. All the while I directed her towards the chair with the intention of having her on her back, her body laying open for me to play with however I wanted but somewhere along the way she got the upper hand, switched us around and with a push I was on the chair and seconds later Piper was on her knees above me.

She was proud of herself for that. I knew it as soon as I opened my eyes and saw her grinning down at me. "What the fuck just happened?"

"I like being on top." She replied, removing my glasses with both hands and gently placing them somewhere to the side. "Don't you remember?"

"I'm starting to." I leaned forward and with Pipers help my top was swiftly pulled off and within seconds my lips hungrily captured hers again. I held her by the hips, tugging at her jeans to inch them down as much as I could while I kissed down her neck and cleavage. As soon as there was enough space, I slipped my hand down the front of her pants.

The moan Piper gave as my hand cupped her warmth was delicious. She rocked her hips into it and I slipped her panties to the side to let my fingers properly feel her.

"Fuck… Alex," she breathed into my ear, nails gripping my shoulder as her hips continued to rock against me.

"Slow down, baby." I said, stilling her with my other hand. Sure by the noises she was making and how wet she was that if she continued those movements she'd be coming sooner than I wanted.

Piper might be on top but I was still in control of that, at least.

"I need you." she purred, teeth nibbling on the flesh of my ear lobe. Her hands trailing down my chest to cup my breasts and tease at my nipples. Her thumbs rolling over them in sync and then nipping them. Pain and pleasure devilishly mixed together.

"Shit." The words came out with a rush of breath as my head hit the back of the chair. A throbbing between my legs aching to be tended to. I squeezed my thighs together to try to ease some of the building pressure, but it just made things worse and for a second I thought maybe I'd be the one coming first.

Or maybe not. Because in the few seconds I'd taken to relish in the pleasure, Piper had used for her advantage. Riding her way to her own orgasm.

That couldn't happen. I sat forward. Clutched her hip again and pulled my fingers from her.

"What the fuck." She complained, catching her breath and trying in vain to push herself towards me. Dirty blonde hair all out of place, dark, lustful eyes staring deep at me and cheeks beyond flushed. "I was so close."

"I know." One brow flicked up at her. "I could tell."

I saw a hint of a grin on Piper's face before she could hide it. "You're such an asshole." She said, in the same way she's told me numerous times in the past. The kind of way without a hint of venom. The kind that said 'you're being an asshole, but I fucking love it."

I kissed her again. I had to. Her lips were a shade or two redder than they were before, beautifully swollen and completely irresistible. "I've missed you." I said with lips still pressed onto hers.

And then across her cheek. And then down her neck.

Little kisses. Some placed at her shoulder and some directly on her throat where they felt the vibration of her moans.

Driven by the kind of lust I hadn't felt in so long I nipped at her skin. Sucked and bit and sucked some more. Leaving marks on her neck and some on her chest.

Marks that I was allowed to leave now because there was no-one she needed to hide them from.

Further down my lips travelled until they reached the hard nipple under that lacy bra. I drew a circle around it with my tongue before releasing her flesh from the material. Held the weight of her with one hand, squeezing her while I took as much of her breast into my mouth as I could, continuing to play with that hard nub with my tongue.

Led by Pipers hand, mine found its way back down her pants and this time I didn't hold back. My fingers slipped instantly and easily inside her. My thumb curled its way around her clit and Piper welcomed its touch with another moan of my name.

God I'd missed that sound.

But I needed to feel her, too. The heat between my legs couldn't be ignored any longer so I unbuttoned my pants and took her hand just as she had taken mine and slid it down.

"Yes." I said, somewhere between a sigh of relief and a moan. I didn't even care that she wasn't doing much with it, too lost in her own pleasure to focus on anything else at all. I just needed to feel her and that was enough.

No longer bothered with slowing her down, I let Piper ride my fingers. Moving and curling them perfectly in time with her thrusts. It may have been years since we'd done this, but it didn't feel like it. We both still knew exactly how to turn the other on.

She came crashing down around me a few minutes later in a flurry of moans and curses.

I watched it. I watched the way her face changed as it succumbed to the strokes of my hand and the way her body shook and then went rigid as it soaked up the release flowing through her veins.

It was worth it, I thought as I watched her come down from her high, still softly working my fingers between her legs.

Whatever storm this encounter was going to bring it was worth it, because this – being with her, not just fucking her but actually being with her, was like coming out of the rain. It was like the weight of the world being lifted.

Bring on the shit-storm motherfuckers, because this was the way it was meant to be.