Gwen woke first the following morning, a soft smile alighting the moment she saw Dean's sleeping form next to her. Her brain replayed the previous evening, starting with Alex-the-dickhead and ending curled against Dean's side. She never would have guessed that Dean felt the same for her as she did for him. She'd spent so much energy burying her attraction and avoiding him that she'd been blinded to all the signs. Or maybe she'd noticed a few but couldn't bear the thought that she might be wrong and so she ignored them; convinced herself that there was nothing there and it was all in her head.

But here he was, lying next to her. Could this really be happening?

He began to stir, rolling away from her onto his back before blearily opening his eyes and blinking slowly. Yawning softly, he turned his head and noticed her watching him. He smiled. "Good morning."

"Morning," she replied with a smile of her own, eyes dancing merrily. "You know, I've never done that before."

One brow arched up, "Did something happen while I was sleeping?" Fingers plucked up the sheet, green eyes flicking to look beneath. "Not that I'm complaining. Well, maybe a little. I mean, if something is going to be happening, I'd like to be awake for it."

A short laugh burst from her, even as she shook her head. "Just what are you implying, Winchester? You think I'm the type of girl to take advantage?"

He looked at her innocently before a wicked smirk altered his expression. "One can hope."

She laughed again, slapping his arm playfully, "Nothing happened, perv. That's not what I was talking about. I just meant that I'd never woken up with someone before. And certainly not someone who I hadn't slept with."

"Actually, I haven't either. Woken up next to someone, I mean. … But we could always fix that second part..."

Her eyes rolled before she turned over to climb from the bed, "Spoken like a true perv."

He caught her wrist, pulling her just enough so that she tumbled against him. His other arm wound behind her, pulling her close. "You're just going to have to forgive my perverted behavior. Especially when it's your fault."

"My fault?" She raised her eyebrows incredulously. "You've got to be kidding, Dean. How can you possibly blame me?"

"How can I not? Seriously, have you seen yourself?"

She rolled her eyes again, to which he responded by crushing his body against hers, the evidence of his lust pressing into her thigh. Her body instantly responded with heat, heart rate picking up, breath quickening at the tightening in her core. Mouth dry, she tried to swallow. Her eyes were locked with his, and she was lost in his intense green gaze.

When he spoke again, his voice was low and longing. "You're everything I've ever wanted in every way imaginable. I spent weeks dreaming that one day you could be mine, imagining the taste of your lips, and yes, envisioning just how amazing it would feel to lose myself inside you. … Now I've held you in my arms. I've tasted the sweetness of your kisses. And still I want you so badly I can't think of anything else. Can you really fault me for being so wrapped up in you?"

Gwen drew a shaky breath, eyes wide from the severity of his admission. Nerves fluttered in her stomach as she scrambled for the right words to say. Lower lip caught between her teeth, a shiver ran down her spine as she fought to control her breathing. "I have wanted you from the moment you walked into the Foxxy Lady."

A slow smile broke out over his features and he kissed her like he was a drowning man and she were oxygen. Her heart pounded when his hand brushed down her back, curving over her ass and pulling her even tighter against himself. She lost herself for a moment when lust clouded thinking, pushing out everything except desire.

Not even a minute had passed when she came back to herself, pulling back to break the kiss. They were both panting, gazes glassy and filled with arousal. "Dean, wait."

It took every ounce of willpower he had to not suck her bottom lip into his mouth and nibble until she moaned. It had been over a month since he'd last had sex, longer than he'd ever gone before. But it wasn't just pent up frustration that had his fingers itching to slide into her folds. Everything about her was like an aphrodisiac to him. From her slightly swollen, heavily kissed mouth to the half-lidded gaze burning with desire to the sleep mussed chocolate locks that tumbled about her face so seductively. He'd wanted her for so long, and here she was in his arms.

"I just," she paused, almost afraid to finish her thought. "I need for this to be different."

His lust-addled brain didn't catch her meaning. "What?"

She tried to scoot away from him, to draw some cool air into the charged space between them, but his hold didn't relax and she wasn't able to move far. A deep breath moved through her lungs, fighting to slow the rapid pulse. "We're not exactly known for having an amazing track record with relationships."

"And that's why this is different?"

She shook her head, "No, I need …" Another deep breath, "I don't want to ever feel like just another girl to you."

Dean blinked in confusion, "That's not possible."

"And I don't want you to ever feel like just another guy to me."

He pushed himself up onto one elbow and she sat up, shifting so that she faced him but had managed to squeeze a bit of space between them. Taking a moment to breathe, she felt her heartbeat begin to even out, "The past however many years have been about one night stands and 'just passing through' and excuses to slip out in the middle of the night. For the both of us. And I just … I can't bear the thought that it could feel like that between us, even for a second."

"Gwen, what I feel for you … there's nothing 'one night' about it."

"No, I get that. I do. Because I feel the same way about you. But I'm just afraid -"

"You want to wait," he interrupted.

She paused, eyes downcast. "No … but yeah. I guess I just want to make sure that everything about this is different than what we've experienced before."

Dean gently gripped her chin between finger and thumb, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I've waited 27 years for you. And if you need me to wait longer so you can feel completely comfortable, I would happily wait another 27 years. As long as I can be with you, I'll be the happiest man on earth."

Tears flooded her eyes as he gently brushed his lips against hers. How had she gotten so lucky?

"You're not … gonna wait 27 years are you?"

She burst into peals of laughter, shaking her head. A breath whooshed from him, filled with relief. It only made her giggle more. He kissed her again, wanting nothing more than to spend the rest of his days wrapped up in her. Except that wasn't going to work during this whole "waiting" thing.

His throat cleared when he pulled away. "I, uh … I'm just gonna -"

He rolled out of the bed, muttering to himself as he padded towards the bathroom, "Cold shower."

Gwen couldn't stop the giggles that followed behind him.