Hale's POV

I've waited a hundred years
But I'd wait a million more for you
Nothing prepared me for
What the privilege of being yours would do

~Sleeping At Last, Turning Page (song)

When I woke up the next morning we were twisted and intertwined in each other. My shirt had disappeared somewhere across the room when I threw because of the heated night. Kat's head rested on top of my bare chest and whenever she breathed in her stray locks would tickle my chin. Her shirt had hiked up to reveal her flat tummy, which was pressed against mine. Our legs were interlaced and my arms were wrapped securely around her—keeping her close to me unconsciously.

For a moment I just stared up at the ceiling. I was utterly content with just lying there listening to Kat's heartbeat in time with my own. For now she would be close to me—close enough that I could feel her skin and hear her soft breaths.

But I wanted more. I wanted to wake up with her in my arms and know that she was mine forever and always. I wanted to be her husband and for her to be my wife. I wanted something permanent and lasting—not some wonderful moment lost in a whirl of confusion and heartbreak.

Slowly I would somehow win her back. She would be mine someday; slowly, but surely, and that was a promise.

She groaned softly and stretched her body against mine. I don't think she even realized what she was doing to me.

"Hale?" she said with a voice heavy with sleep.

"Yeah?" I murmured as her hands unconsciously decided to travel the planes of my chest.

Her ocean blue eyes flickered open at the sound of my voice and she gave me a wan smile that immediately turned into a frown.

"Ow," she said like a perturbed child while clutching her head. I quickly untangled myself from her body and reached for the aspirin and glass of water on the nightstand.

She took it gratefully and immediately popped the small pill into her mouth and chugged the water.

After she was finished she handed me the glass and flopped back down on the bed. I smiled at her actions and set the glass down, fully intending to fall back asleep with her beside me.

"It doesn't feel too bad," Kat commented as I lay back down. She snuggled closer to me, and we faced each other.

"Huh?" I whispered distractedly as I pulled strands of hair away from her cheeks. My hand trailed down to her neck and she shivered when I reached her collarbone.

"My hangover," Kat stated in a breathless voice, "I think I got the worst of it out yesterday."

I should have been mad at her. I should have been disappointed in her for getting drunk. But I wasn't. I was just happy to have this stolen moment with her. We were still on pause. We were stuck in a lull that I never wanted to escape from. For now everything was fine—perfect even. And I was greedy enough to take advantage of that.

So I just continued to trace her body all the way to her hips that moved so seductively last night. Kat didn't say anything after that, she just watched me watch her.

My palms slid down to her bare thighs—stopping right before her knees. I squeezed and glanced up at Kat.

She was stared back at me through her eyelashes and something inside of me snapped. My willpower was shot and my hands strayed upwards until I reached her waist.

I pulled her towards me as my lips crashed against hers in a frenzy of desire and want. She responded enthusiastically to my burst of passion and her own hands were drawing me closer and closer to her beating heart. Her lips moved against mine in slow deliberate way that had me on the brink of insanity. My lips tasted her and she fisted her hands in my hair as she arched her back. I wanted more more more. I swiftly flipped us over so I was on top of her.

She gasped as I attacked her mouth with a new kind of fervor; eliciting deep moans of satisfaction from her full lips. I wasn't in control as my hands danced across the crest of her hips, her stomach, her navel, her ribcage—up up up. I couldn't think straight—it was like I was back in the club. Only this time, we were in the privacy of my mansion.

I bit her bottom lip and I thought I heard her whisper my name that jolted something deep within me that threatened to unhinge me.

When we both were panting for oxygen I pulled away and dragged my lips down her jaw and towards her throat. My teeth scraped her pulse points and I growled against her scorching hot flesh. We were carnal, wild, sensual, and neither of us held back. I wanted her in a way that could only be expressed and shown.

By the time I got to the hollow of her neck, Kat was having a hard time catching her breath. But still I peppered her with soft kisses as I descended downwards, my fingers lightly tugging on her shirt—no, wait, my shirt. It took a moment for me to realize in my foggy haze that she was only clad in my clothes. She was literally wrapped in me.

"Hale," Kat choked out—effectively interrupting my train of thought.

"Mmm," I groaned against her neck.

"Hale, no wait. Stop," her small hands pushed against my chest and I froze—hovering above her. Her chest was rising with each breath, and she looked so tempting. But that's when I really looked at her.

Or rather, I looked at her left hand pushing against my chest.

Her fingers were bare. Completely, and utterly bare.

I pulled away quickly—her confusion turning into shock as I propelled myself off the bed entirely.

What have I done? More importantly what was I going to do?

It wasn't supposed to be like this. None of this was supposed to happen. We were unmarried and so many things were still unspoken. I can't believe I almost let that happen.

My hands pulled at my hair in frustration as I slumped against the wall. I vaguely heard Kat calling out to me but it seemed distant. She was always distant and hard to reach.

She was like fire crackling with life, and energy. She was enticing in the most dangerous sense; if you reached out you would inevitably get burned. She had kindled something inside of me.

And then she had singed me right down to my core. Eventually I had become an inferno myself.

"Hale?" Kat questioned, her voice timid as she crouched down to my level. I never even realized that I slid down to the ground.

My eyes met her concerned blue ones and I clenched my eyes tightly. I didn't want to see them stare at me anymore—I couldn't bare to look at her; I don't know if it was from embarrassment or heartbreak.

"I can't do this anymore," I said, my eyes still tightly closed. I don't know if I was talking to Kat or myself.

"What do you—?"

"Why didn't you accept my marriage proposal?" I asked frustratedly, my eyes snapping open to finally meet hers.

She frowned and fiddled with her bare fingers.

"Kat," I warned with a hint of annoyance. I wasn't going to wait any longer for an explanation from her. This was it. If she truly didn't want to marry me I would force myself to pack my things and leave her behind. For good.

"You mean so much to me, Hale," Kat finally said, her deep blue eyes flickering up to meet mine.

"Wha—?"

"I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because you married me," Kat interrupted.

"What do you mean?" I breathed, never breaking eye contact.

"Hale, you left your old con life behind. But I...I haven't completely left it. I've made a lot of enemies being a thief, and if you were my husband...then you'd be the perfect target to get to me. What if something happened? I-I was afraid," Kat finally explained as she brushed hair out of her eyes.

I stared at her for a second before I pulled her into my lap. She gasped as I crushed her to my bare chest in a tight embrace.

"You don't need to protect me," I whispered quietly as I stroked her hair. "It'll be okay as long as you're with me. As long as we're together..."

"I'm so s-sorry," Kat mumbled into my shoulder, but I abruptly shushed her.

"It's okay," I soothed as I rubbed her back. I pulled away slightly to see her bent head staring down at her hands.

"Kat," I said, while tipping her chin up so I could see her beautiful eyes. They welled with unshed tears but I ploughed on, "will you marry me?"

This broke the dam and she was shaking as I kissed the tears that ran down her cheeks.

"Of course," Kat replied with a warbled voice. She gave me a shaky sort of smile through her tears and in that second she was so beautiful.

And me? I was smiling like a complete idiot. I felt giddy with her acceptance, and I just wanted to shout it on a rooftop. We would finally be married.

I quickly stood up with Kat still in my arms as I got the ring from my nightstand. Slowly I gripped her hand and slid the ring onto her ring finger, and Kat beamed up at me. Her blue eyes were shining and for a moment we just stared at each other.

"I love you," she whispered.

I kissed her gently,trying to convey my deep feelings, but she had other plans in mind. Instead she tackled me onto the bed and jumped on top of me.

This time we were both shaking from laughter.

A/N: Yahoo! It's finally done! :D That's it folks, I'm done with this mini-series. Let me know if you've enjoyed it (who knows, if you guys like it enough I might do a quick chapter on their wedding :P). Oh and I'm sorry this got a little...cheesy and/ or sightly M-rated XD. I managed to keep it clean though! :P

Oh and it's like 11:41 PM right now. Sorry for my terrible delay but I promise the Kat/ Hale playlist will be up next chapter! I'm just too lazy right now and I want to go to bed. It's become a habit for me to write Kat and Hale chapters late at night. It seems like the perfect time/ atmosphere.

Anyways in other news:
1) Band Camp will be starting on August 7th (Tuesday) so if I seem a bit inactive on FF that's the reason. Plus, after that school starts for me.

2) I published a story on Fiction Press (which is the sister site of Fan Fiction where people can publish original stories)! I'm going to post a little excerpt at the end of this long A/N! It would be awesome if you took the time to check it out. :)

3) I think I'm going to try to write the Uncommon Criminal fistfight scene in Hale's POV. I've been putting it off for far too long! XD

Review Challenge: Who are you rooting for on the 2nd YA Sisterhood Crush Tournament? (I'm rootin' for Patch. The guy is a total hottie. Too bad he's ficitonal) Favorite summer memory? Cantaloupe or Watermelon?

Hope you're all enjoying your last days of summer,

Pickles

Fiction Press story is called "Tug Of War" and is under the same username: AMessofPickles.
Quick Link: fiction (space)press (d.o.t) com /s/3046711/1/Tug_Of_War

Excerpt:

The road itself was quiet and empty and the street lights helped guide me towards the Laundromat, which was cast in an orange glow. It looked like it was the only shop open besides the 24-hour grocery store next door. When I got to the store I let out a relieved sigh as I opened the door and stepped in.

Almost immediately I crashed into something hard.

"Oof—"

And that's when I realized that the hard wall was actually sort of fleshy. Stepping back, I noticed that the person I had bumped into was wearing a simple white v-neck shirt and jeans.

My eyes traveled higher to see a strong jaw line, and soft lips. His nose was slightly crooked and a pair of beautiful brown eyes regarded me intensely. His dark brown hair fell into his eyes messily. He looked like he was around my age.

In Nikki's words: Day-um.

"Are you all right?" he asked while I practically swooned. Even his voice was a sexy, deep sort of rumble. I almost blushed at his words but I caught myself in time before I acted completely foolish.

Meanwhile he was giving me a thorough once over—his brown eyes lingering on my bare legs, torn shorts, and slightly damp hair (luckily the warm summer night had erased most of the evidence of my dip in the pool). And then his eyes met mine, and I instinctively straightened under his heavy gaze.

"Yeah, sorry about that," I replied stepping away from him.

If you want to read more, just check out the link! :D