Happy New Year! Worked on this chapter all day yesterday :)

As always, reviews/comments are always welcomed!

"Shine your flashlight up there," a smoker-raspy voice called out. "The batteries in mine have crapped out."

Raph didn't have to wait long for the second man to speak.

"Where? I can't see a damn thing in this rain."

"Straight ahead. About twenty feet."

A single beam of light played over the tent, mere inches above their heads. Brooke went rigid underneath him, her muscles so tight she'd likely ache later. That assumed she'd survive the night. Seconds ticked by with only the patter of the rain falling on earth and vegetation - and canvas. Would the men notice the different sounds? Would they come investigate?

Finally, a disgruntled voice answered. "There's nothing there."

"I'm sure I saw something."

The light zigzagged back and forth across the tent. Raph curled his fingers around his Sai, hardly breathing.

A snort of disgust cut through the rain. "Well, if you did, whatever it was vamoosed. Which is what I'm about to do."

"Sergei said we can't leave till we find them."

"Sergei can kiss my ass. I didn't sign on for damn near breaking my neck tripping down that cliff and hiking miles through the bush."

"We won't get paid if we quit now."

"We won't get paid, period. They got away."

A loud, drawn-out curse followed that pronouncement. "I need the cash, man."

"Come on, I'll buy you a beer. Then you can cry in it."

The lone beam of light grew dimmer as the men tramped back through the woods.

Raph eased his hand off his Sai and relaxed his tense muscles. That had been close. Too close. Without the tent, they would have been discovered.

"Think it's safe to leave?" Brooke whispered in the dark.

"Let's wait a bit." The conversation they'd overhead had sounded genuine, but it could be a ploy to get them to reveal themselves. They weren't moving until he was sure of Sidorov's men were gone.

Brooke stirred, and his body hardened in response. With his mind no longer consumed by danger - past or present - he was exquisitely conscious of her nearness. What he'd felt at the warehouse was nothing compared to the lust he was experiencing now. His body urged him to make real his raunchy fantasies, but she had been put through enough tonight. She shouldn't have to fend him off, too. He shifted as far away from her as he could.

The rain slowed to a light sprinkling, the soft patter creating a cozy atmosphere.

"Come back here," she murmured.

Had he heard her right? Or was he imagining what he wanted to hear?

Bemused, he shuffled sideways, stopping when his thigh bumped against hers. She stirred again, and he realized she wasn't fidgeting- she was shivering. The temperature had dropped, and her clothes, like his, were soaked from the rain.

"That's better," she said. "I got cold when you moved away."

Damn. She wasn't after his body, only his body heat. On the other hand, at least she needed something from him.

"Give me ya hands," he said.

When she did, he was shocked by her chilled fingers. "Imma put my arms around ya," he said. "The heat will transfer faster that way."

She didn't object. In fact, she snuggled up close, facing him this time. He looped his arms around her and massaged her sides, his fingers digging in to help with circulation. She groaned softly.

He eased off. "Too hard?"

"No... that feels good."

Good was an understatement. Her breath puffed against his neck. Her scent shot up his nostrils. Her tight nipples poked against his front plastron. He was torn between the desire to hold her and the desire to shove her away. He wasn't an electric blanket, dammit. He wanted to do more than wrap himself around her. He wanted to kiss her hard and deep. He wanted to peel off her wet, tissue-thin shirt. He wanted to slip his hands under her jeans. And that was just for starters. He wanted to fuck her. Bad.

Giving free reign to his base instincts would be a surefire way to warm her up. He was getting hot just thinking about the things he wanted to do to her. The reality would be incendiary.

What about Brooke? What did she want? Was she simply being practical by tolerating his proximity to ward off the chill? Or was she as turned on as he was?

It was too dark to see her face, much less read her expression. "Still cold?" he murmured roughly, voice thick.

"Not so much." She wasn't shivering anymore. In fact, the area between their bodies was downright toasty.

"Glad to be of service." Except the service he wanted to provide was much more than heat transfer. His lower body hardened further, aching for him to release. While his lower plastron protected his manhood, the heat from his desire was sure to get Brooke's attention if not already. She had to feel his heat; he was cradled between her thighs. If she didn't want him there, she only had to move away. Unless she couldn't because she was trapped by his weight.

"Am I too heavy on ya?"

This was her chance. A single word, and he'd back off.

"I don't mind."

What did that mean? Was it ambivalence or subtle encouragement? Maybe she was having trouble admitting she wanted him. Only one way to find out. He lowered his head. Bumped against her nose.

She laughed softly. As her stomach muscles contracted against his belly, he suppressed a groan. She was killing him. And didn't even know it.

"I hate the fucking dark," he muttered, but this time he had a whole new reason for it.

"What?"

"Nothin'." His next effort to home in on her mouth resulted in a touchdown. Her lips were full and sweet. He nibbled at them, coaxing her to make a pass of her own. She was soon doing exactly that. He savored her taste as she tangled her tongue with his. Then she changed angles and dived back in with a champion's determination. She didn't let up, and he vowed never to criticize that stubborn streak of hers again. Raph's body felt like it was going to explode. He never thought he would get to this point with a human and now he's in a position to go even further. Further as in having her moan his name, using those nails to mark him as hers. Even though this was technically their second kiss and have spent a lot of time together, Raph felt like at any minute Brooke would come to her senses and shove him away. Yell out 'Freak' and run far away from him. Brooke's hand skimming up his arm interrupted his solemn thoughts, and he pushed them back. It doesn't matter what she does later, but now...now she wants him. Her small moans and the way her body arched to meet his proved she wasn't disgusted with him.

After a while, he craved more than kisses. A change in the playbook was called for. Levering himself onto his forearms, he licked a path down her throat toward her breasts. She was wildly responsive, arching her back and panting as if she were running flat out for the goalpost. The darkness magnified touch and sound. Her legs spread wider, and he sank in with a groan. The urge to penetrate her pulsed in his body, in his blood. It wouldn't take but a minute to rid her of her jeans and him relaxing to release his manhood. Then he could go deep and send them both over the finish line.

His foot caught in the canvas, jarring him into awareness of their surroundings. Did he really want their first time to be in a soggy tent in the middle of nowhere? He thought of the fancy linens and scented candle up at the warehouse. He didn't know if the trappings of romance mattered to Brooke, but she certainly deserved better than this tent. When he finally got her naked, he'd make sure a big, soft bed was nearby. They'd be able to stretch out and roll around as much as they wanted without the risk of knocking down tent poles. And there would be no bumping noises because it was too damn dark for him to see. There would be light. He didn't care if it was sunlight, artificial light or candlelight, just as long as he could feast his eyes on every lovely inch of her. When he stroked her secret places, he wanted to watch her eyes darken with desire and her skin flush with passion. And after she came apart, he wanted to revel in the dazed expression on her face and know he was responsible for it. For that scenario to play out, he had to ignore the clamoring of his raging hormones.

Untangling his legs from hers, he eased back. "I think it's safe to go."

A soft fingertip traced the top of his plastron. "Let's wait another couple of minutes."

If she continued with those tantalizing touches, his good intentions were done for. "The rain's stopped. It makes sense to leave before it starts up again."

Her hand fell away from his plastron, just as he'd intended. So why did he suddenly want it back again?

"Why so antsy?" she asked.

"I think things are headed out of control."

"What things?"

"You and me, Blondie."

"Ah." He detected a smile in her voice. "Those 'things'."

Her levity irked him. Didn't she realize she was playing with fire? "We're stoppin' now 'cause if we don't, we ain't goin' to."

"Hey, we were only kissing."

"The kind of kissing could lead to me fuckin' ya."

She responded tartly to his bluntness. "You've got some ego, Raphael."

"It ain't ego. It's honesty," he muttered, trying to calm the ache between his legs.

"No, it's fantasy, because I wouldn't have let you go that far."

"You want me, Blondie. Otherwise you'd have pushed me away, whether ya were cold or not."

When she didn't deny it, he gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "We'll start ova once we're somewhere nice and dry and have protection."

She shrugged off his hand. "No. We won't."

"If this is cold feet, I know how to warm them - and you."

"Thanks, but dry socks are all I need."

Her haughty tone didn't change the fact that she had been the one reluctant to leave the tent a few minutes ago. "Remember the first time we kissed?" he said. "You backed off then, too, and acted cool as a cucumber when moments before you had been a red hot chili pepper."

"I'll admit you're attractive and I was tempted."

It was his turn to smile. She'd just handed him the perfect ammunition... and she announced what he was hoping to hear. She's attracted to him. "Ain't you tempted to know what it would feel like to go all the way together?"

She hesitated a heartbeat too long. "I'm okay with not knowing."

"Wouldn't ya rather be satisfied by knowin'?"

A long exhalation. "It's crazy for us to get involved sexually..."

"We already are."

"I've only known you for two days."

"Two long, eventful days," Raph pointed out, eyes searching for what she truly wanted in her eyes.

"I can't disagree with that assessment."

"I saved ya life. If ya can think of a better character reference, I wanna hear it."

Silence. He'd finally stumped her.

He shifted closer and bent his head until he touched soft skin. Her cheek. "Ya have some pretty sexy moves. I especially liked the way ya arched ya back and wrapped those legs around me."

"The dark loosened my inhibitions," she admitted, realizing she was getting uncomfortable.

He detected surprise - and relief - in her voice. As if she hadn't believed her actions possible and was grateful to discover otherwise. A crazy thought occurred to him. "You ain't been with a man since ya got injured...?"

"Okay, that's it. Time to go."

She struggled to get up, but he kept her pinned. Her impatience to leave confirmed his suspicion. She needed the dark to relax enough to become aroused. Why? Because the dark concealed what she couldn't accept about herself. The irony. Raphael wanted the light to see Brooke, but was raised from the darkness his whole life. Now the tables are turned.

Had Brooke experienced rejection at the hands of a lover?

The thought enraged him. She had trained to be a cop. She had put her life in danger for others. She shouldn't feel inadequate because of a few scars. He wanted to tell her so but sensed she'd misinterpret his words as pity. The ultimate insult. It'd be preferable for her to think he was just plain horny.

"Move it," she said, smacking his shoulder.

"Why so antsy?" he asked, throwing back her earlier words.

"I'm tired of you talking nonsense."

"It aint't nonsense. I'm finally startin' to understand ya."

"You don't understand anything about me."

Ya wrong 'bout that. I understand ya been avoiding sex 'cause ya body ain't perfect."

"It was NEVER perfect," she shot back.

"Ya splittin' hairs. Most women would be happy as hell to look like ya."

"You haven't seen me minus my clothes," she muttered.

"We can fix that. I promise I won't faint from shock. In fact, I can guarantee Imma enjoy the sight very much."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I won't be stripping for you."

"Or any other man, right?"

Her sharp intake of breath told him he'd hit the bullseye, but his intent wasn't to score points. It was to make her reevaluate her self-doubts.

"Are ya goin' to want sex with the lights out for the rest of ya life?" he asked with his accent quietly.

"Of course not."

"If ya don't get rid of this hang-up soon, it's gonna lay heavy on ya chest and ya gonna struggle to break free."

"Not your problem. According to my fiance, doing it in the dark adds a sense of mystery."

The mention of a fiance caught him off guard. Had he jumped to wrong conclusions about her? Did she have a lover? His temper soared like a kite in strong wind, twisting to break free. Why the hell had she let him kiss her, touch her? Had she got him all worked up just to see if she could?

No, the passion had been intense and mutual. She was blowing smoke to protect her pride. Someone like her wouldn't want to admit it to any weaknesses.

"I seriously doubt ya fiance enjoys fuckin' in the dark. Men, like us, are visual creatures. They get hot by what they see, especially their lover's body."

"That's quite the generalization."

"It's a scientific fact, at least that's what Don says," Raph sneered.

"Oh really, from the turtles who must have so much experience to add to the conversation," Brooke joked, dryly.

He decided to change tactics. "I see ya ain't got a ring on."

A long pause. "We split up." The fact that she'd admitted the fiance was past history was a triumph of sorts, and he took a moment to savor it.

"I know what you're thinking," she said, her tone defensive, "but it was for lots of different reasons. Not just because the sex wasn't great."

That last bit was music to his ears. Raph smiled slowly, and looked at her with appreciation. "I can help ya get ova' ya body issues."

She scoffed. "I don't need your help, Raphael."

"Oh yes, ya do. Ya just need some time to come to the same conclusion."

"I won't be "cumming" to any kind of 'conclusion' with you."

He grinned at her innuendo. Brooke seemed to have forgotten one small detail. She wasn't the only stubborn person in this tent. When Raph wanted something... someone, he goes after it. "Oh it's gonna happen, alright."

"Don't hold your breath. On second thought, go ahead. I'll enjoy the silenced until you give up."

His elbows were starting to go numb from bearing his weight. "We both know a more pleasurable way to get me breathless, Blondie."

She turned her head away. "In your dreams, ninja guy."

"I'd wish ya sweet dreams," he said, as he finally shifted off her, "but I'd ratha' ya had sweaty ones involvin' me"

As she scrambled out of the tent, he could swear he heard the gnashing of her teeth.