I don't own these characters. They are the sole property of Stephenie Meyer. I only borrow them. No humans are permanently harmed through my actions, though I do confess to harassing, annoying, torturing, and exasperating them – just because it's fun. I make no money from my little stories, sad day. I only play in the sandbox, I didn't build it.

Author's Note: I've got at least two more Seth/Abby chapters written. And Seth is twenty-five in this one. I've got outtakes planned for all of the kids. I've got a Sam outtake written but I probably won't post it until I've posted the Seth/Abby outtakes. Abby kind of owns me right now. :p

# 49 It's Always the Quiet Ones

Abby stared at herself in the mirror, taking an objective inventory. She had been dating the delectable Seth James for almost a month now and had still to lure him into her bed. It was not for a lack of trying. Two nights ago, they had been on her couch, their hips moving and putting all the right things in all the right places, and she had been sure that it was finally going to happen. Then Seth had politely put an end to it, claiming an early meeting and left her to take matters into her own hands. Which she had done. Twice.

If she hadn't felt rampant proof of his attraction to her, she might have thought she just didn't "do it" for him. But it was obvious that, whatever her downfalls might be, what she did have was enough to get Seth worked up.

She considered herself a patient person –

Wait, okay that wasn't really true. Still, she had been patient. For her at least.

Nevertheless, after twenty-five days, she was ready to move it to the bedroom. Or the couch. Or over the dining room table for that matter. Hell, at this point, she'd settle for up against a wall, quick and dirty.

Seth was due to arrive soon. He had ended up buying a house about ten minutes away from her apartment. He was closing on the house next week but had said he was going to stop by there for a quick look at the fence before coming to her place. It was older, in need of some TLC, but it had big, airy rooms and was in the middle of a lovely, family oriented neighborhood. Abby liked what that indicated about Mr. James and his future plans. She fully intended to be a part of that future, a very big part.

The plan for this evening, however, was for them to go bowling, grab some dinner, and then maybe hit the batting cages where she would hand TDH his ass. Instead, Abby decided that she was going to get her hands on that ass, and not just through a frustrating layer of denim.

No, she was done with that. Tonight she was going to get TDH out of those low-slung jeans of his and right into hers. Abby was a woman with a plan and that plan was going into effect now.

She added a bit more eyeliner, nothing too extravagant or he would know something was up, a hint of shimmer to her lips and then pulled her thick, straight hair back into a clip just to give him something to do later. Besides, being up for a while would give her hair a nice bounce. Men were big fans of bounce.

She adjusted her robe, knowing that wearing nothing but the robe and a pair of panties was kind of cheating. But desperate times called for drastic action and Abby was all about results. Excuses were for the weak. Action was for the strong.

About fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang. Seth was punctual, as usual. She took a moment to get to the door and then assumed a confused expression before opening it. Seth looked at her robe and frowned.

"Oh God!" Abby said, clutching at her robe, and pushing her boobs up in the process. "Did I get the time wrong?"

Seth, always the gentleman, immediately took the blame. "No, I probably got here early."

Abby would have smirked but that would have given the game away so she just smiled sweetly and let him in. "Whatever the reason, I'm glad you're here. It won't take me long to get ready."

Seth's eyes bounced to her breasts and then he looked down at his feet and swallowed hard. So far, so good.

"You want something to drink?" she asked, heading into the kitchen. If her man's eyes were where she thought they were, he was getting the newsflash that she was wearing a pair of bright red excuse-for-panties. They showed quite nicely through the thin silk of the robe.

She turned and -

Yes, his eyes were exactly where she wanted them. His eyes shot guiltily back to hers. "Uh yeah..." He cleared his throat. "Whatever you've got."

Abby picked up the remote she had strategically placed on the little breakfast bar and clicked on the television as Seth sat down. Exactly as she had planned, the movie "Love Actually" was on. Well, she had checked the guide after all. A girl had to plan spontaneity sometimes.

"Oh," she said with a little laugh. "This is one of my favorites!"

She brought him a beer and sat down on the couch, seemingly engrossed in the movie and distracted from getting ready. "I love these older movies, don't you?"

Seth's eyes were on the slight gap in her robe where the flesh of her thigh was revealed. He didn't even hear her question, Abby thought with satisfaction. She let it slide and settled back into the corner, her eyes on the screen.

She heard Seth take a gulp of his beer and then his hands were clutching at the beer bottle like a lifeline while he kept darting glances her way. After about fifteen minutes of torturing the man, Abby looked at him and snuggled close. "Would you mind if we just watched this and then went out to dinner? I'm not really in a bowling mood, if that's okay with you."

Seth nodded jerkily and kind of squirmed on the couch. He grabbed a pillow and put it in his lap, making a big show of resting his beer bottle on it. That might have been convincing except Abby had seen his erection. She had discovered a few weeks ago that her man was proportionate – in every way.

If that didn't restore a woman's faith in true love and soul mates, then what could?

She sighed happily and put her head on his shoulder. He gulped down the last of the beer and leaned forward with a grimace to put the empty bottle on the coffee table. "You okay, babe?" Abby asked with concern, even though inside she was giving herself a mental fist bump.

"I'm good," Seth said in a strangled voice.

Abby pulled him in for a kiss, a perfectly innocent kiss with a minimal amount of tongue. It was Seth who escalated it, and Abby considered that a very good promise of things to come.

She had been sure it would take more work to get him in the position she wanted him in, which was horizontal and either over or under her. Instead, Seth surprised her again and took the initiative and it wasn't very long at all before she was tucked beneath his big, warm body and her hands down his pants squeezing his ass.

The man had a spectacular ass. She could spend days worshipping it.

After several long minutes, Seth pulled back, breathing hard. His shirt was undone and Abby got an eyeful of washboard abs and the hint of a dark happy trail leading to the promised land. She twirled her fingers in that hair and felt the ripple of his muscles. "Abby?" he croaked.

"Take me to bed already," she groaned and latched onto his mouth. Seth gave an approving moan and lifted her up. She helped by wrapping her arms and legs around him. The position conveniently put his erection right where she wanted it most. Well...almost.

They both were panting by the time he crashed into the bedroom door. Abby giggled as her back hit it, and then reached down and twisted the knob. Seth carried her to the bed and they fell onto it together.

"God I want you so fucking bad," Seth said as he slipped the robe from her shoulder. "You've been teasing me," he accused and then his lips closed around a nipple and Abby promptly forget whatever brilliant comeback she had planned.

"Get naked," Abby ordered.

Seth got to his feet and smirked. Then he slid his shirt off his shoulders and let it drift to the floor. He nudged his shoes off and damn if his feet weren't sexy too. That was simply unfair. She had already undone his belt, so he just whipped it out of the loops and gave it a little toss. Abby watched in amazement as she realized that Seth was giving her a little show.

It was always the quiet ones who surprised you.

His thumbs hooked in his jeans and he stopped, giving her the smile that had moistened her panties and made them an unnecessary hindrance. His eyes narrowed as he stared at her on the bed. Nothing shielded her from his eyes but the red scrap of cloth between her legs.

The jeans slid down his long, long legs, revealing powerful thighs with a dusting of dark hair. Only his boxer briefs remained, and they were tight enough to give Abby an eyeful. Oh my yes, her boy was packing.

Seth reached in and grabbed his impressive package and Abby licked her lips, her eyes darting to his. She might have whimpered. Slowly, tortuously and agonizingly slowly, the boxers followed the jeans.

Then Seth was standing before in all his glory, fully erect and jutting out proudly. This time she was sure she whimpered. He knelt on the bed, his hand lazily stroking his dick. Seth in bed was a revelation. He wasn't shy between the sheets.

Abby got to her knees and pressed herself against him. The moan he gave reverberated through both of them in all the right ways. He reached up and freed her hair, delving his hands into it and twisting it around his fingers. He gave a little tug that had her writhing and shaking. God, the man had a magic touch. Her hands closed around his dick and he gave her the lead. "Oh yeah, baby..." he said softly. She kissed the space between his collarbones and he gave a hiss of appreciation. He thrust into her hands slowly, languidly.

His fingers trailed down her belly and slipped beneath her panties. "You're so wet for me," he murmured. Apparently, Seth was only shy out of the bedroom, Abby thought with dazed amusement. Then he tugged at the panties and she shifted for him and the panties were history.

Suddenly she wondered exactly who had done the seducing. Once more, his long fingers were between her thighs, moving slowly, exploring every inch of her. "You're so beautiful," he whispered.

Seth lifted his fingers to his lips and licked at them. "And you taste like heaven," he added.

Abby knew she was a goner.

Slowly, Seth urged her back on the bed and then gave her a light push and cushioned her fall so that she landed in his arms. His mouth trailed up her throat and he gave careful attention to every bit of skin he could reach. "I want to be inside you, Abby," he said.

"I want you inside of me too," she managed to gasp. "Now."

"You covered?" Seth asked, his fingers toying with her, stroking, sliding, teasing. He slowly inserted one finger and stroked, then added another. Abby felt herself teetering on the edge.

"I'm safe," she said.

"Me too," Seth replied. "But I've got a condom in my wallet. Let me get it."

For a moment, she felt a little disappointed. But when Seth reached over and grabbed his jeans, then withdrew the wallet and got a condom, he gave her sheepish smile. "I've always used a condom, but my last partner was..." He shrugged. "Just before I moved here so only about six weeks ago."

It really was the quiet ones who fooled you.

"Are you still...?" Abby had to know.

"Oh God, no!" Seth explained. Then he smiled. "There's only you. That's...it was more friendly than anything else."

"Good enough for me," she said and grabbed the condom from his hand. She had it opened in a heartbeat and then she settled it over the tip of his cock. "May I?" Abby asked teasingly.

Seth just groaned and thrust his hips forward.

Abby rolled it down his length and then they were back on the bed and Seth was settling between her thighs. His hand was guiding his dick to her entrance. He paused there. "I'm not going to last the first time. I've been thinking about doing this since the first time I saw you. I wanted to bend you over that fucking desk and see what kind of panties you were wearing before I buried my cock inside of you. So this is going to be fast and furious, love. I'm too worked up, baby."

"So we'll go for longevity in round two," she hissed, feeling like she couldn't catch her breath. The images his words evoked had her worked up even further. Damn, the man knew how to talk the talk. His words were as much a seduction as his luscious lips and dangerous fingers.

Seth laughed but it turned into a groan as he thrust into her, apparently unable to wait any longer. He threw his head back, revealing the strong, masculine lines of his throat. A moment later, he was pistoning back and forth, his powerful lunges making Abby feel delicate but cherished, as if he was well aware of the power of his body but only wanted to use it to bring her pleasure. Then he lowered his head and licked and sucked at her breasts. He knew her favorite spots already, she thought.

That was pretty much her last coherent thought.

"Can't...wait..." Seth ground out between clenched teeth. "Please...Abby..." His mouth lowered again.

He nipped at her breast, a light clamping of his teeth accompanied by a powerful suction, and that was enough to send Abby rocketing over the edge. He felt her squeezing him and he followed with a shout.

The quiet ones weren't so quiet in bed, Abby thought with a smile.

Later, cradled in his big arms, Abby ran her fingers over his chest. She knew that the scars were from the accident that had almost taken his life when he was a teenager. They were a reminder that life could be short and you had to take happiness when and where you could. Seth made her happy. She intended to make him happy too.

He was sleeping now, worn out from round two, which had lasted longer, much longer. She traced his scars as he slept, thankful that he had made it. She couldn't imagine her life without Seth in it.

Somehow, between S. James walking into her office and Seth James taking her body, he had claimed her heart. She kissed one of the scars over his ribs and closed her eyes.

She gave a little snort of laughter as she remembered Seth's lack of shyness when it came to sex. Her man, the sex god.