Jane: Thank you for liking this and them together :D Took them a while, but I think they are perfect for each other ;)

Guest: I am very excited about Tammy and Rufus as well! Can't wait to get started!

Guest: Aaaaahw thank you! That means a lot! You're actual favourite? :O That's huge! Thank you so much for the compliment :)

HugsforEden: Hehe, they had a lot of time to make up for XD What a night for them! Very, very glad you liked it! But it ain't over yet!

Also, fluff alert. They need some love after all this time!

Chapter 257

I was still curled up in the same position when I woke, and still in Reno's embrace. A firm chest was pressed into my back, making me feel secure and safe. Then I noticed the subtle hint of breath that was caressing my face, playing with my hair. Was that what had woken me? Suddenly, his voice was right beside my ear, whispering to me.

"..Are you sleepin'..?"

His voice was so sweet and gentle, still layered with sleep and last night's passion. The sound of it made me feel so fulfilled that I didn't want to move, or open my eyes. All I wanted, was to stay like this forever, feel his warmth wrapped around me.

His fingers stroked my hair, brushing it aside to expose my neck. A soft sigh teased my bare shoulder, followed by an even softer kiss. The fingers ran down my arm, tips dancing across still sensitive skin, causing goosebumps to arise all over my body. Then his hand moved along my side, over my hip and back up again. I couldn't help but faintly moan at his touch, unable to prevent my body's response. He was watching me, I could feel it, and as much as I wanted to roll over and touch him, I resisted. I just hoped he knew what he was doing, but he always did.

"Wake up for me, babe..." he whispered again, and he placed a few more kisses to my shoulder and neck. He sighed again, more audible this time. Suddenly, it gave off an entirely different vibe. It was the same sense of uncertainty I had felt with him before. Was he still-?

"Will you be gone tomorrow?" he then asked quietly, as if afraid someone might hear him. My heart skipped a beat at his question. "Are we nothing more than –" He broke off and I opened my eyes, ready to reach out and reassure him, but afraid he might not continue. "...Don't say this was a mistake, babe..." he pleaded, almost inaudible. "Not this time. Not anymore. Just sleep, and when you wake up – Tell me we're good." His lips graze my skin, making me shiver involuntarily. "I know I'm a low-life and a thug, and I can't measure up." His voice was still soft, his gentle whispering soothing. "Babe… Stay with me..."

I couldn't take his begging anymore. My mind raced, searching desperately for things to say, but I came up with nothing. Nothing would ever do him justice. All I knew, was that I almost exploded with joy at his words, even though he seemed to be struggling with what to say. And maybe it was too much to ask for him to confess these things to me while I was awake, but it didn't matter. He meant the world to me, and he deserved to know it.

"Reno..." I breathed, and I heard his breath hitch at my sudden awareness.

I shifted in his arms to look at him over my shoulder, thinking he was the most beautiful sight I had ever woken up to. His hair was a mess, but it didn't matter, it only added to his raw and untamed personality. Besides, the cute blush that was on his cheeks more than made up for it. He opened his mouth to say something, but I pressed my index against his lips to shush him. Lips that were still puffy from kissing.

"I won't be gone tomorrow." I caressed his face, searching his eyes with my own. I needed him to believe me. "And I won't say this was a mistake." I wiggled onto my back, pulling him half on top of me so I could touch him properly. "Reno, I'm not good with these kinds of things..." I admitted, unsure of what to tell him. We were both noobs when it came to this apparently. "But how many times do you want me to tell you? No one can compare to you. You're not a low-life. Yes, you're a thug, but you're my thug. You're not just a mistake, you're –" I almost choked on my words, feeling cheesy and insecure. But he needed me to say it, he needed me to tell him we were good. He was looking down at me, his turquoise eyes wide and expectant as he let me talk. "…You're my everything."

He groaned in relief and dropped his head onto my chest. I couldn't help but laugh with glee at his response, cradling him to me. He looked up, and the look in his eyes couldn't be any different from mere ten seconds ago. They gave me nothing but scandalous mischief.

"I think you deserve a treat for that," he cheeked, instantly heating me up.

What was it about him that he managed to do these things to me? His lips found my neck again, tongue trailing up until his teeth caught on my ear playfully. His hand was already exploring, stroking my belly.

"Tell me what you want…" he breathed into my ear while his hand suggested he already knew exactly what he was going to do.

Gods, he was so shameless. Yes he was a thug, and a tease, but I could get used to him whispering sexy words to me in the dark. He surely knew how to turn a girl on. His hand dipped lower, a soft moan leaving me when his fingertips teased me.

"Is this what you want…?" His voice was becoming husky again.

"It's a start." I tried to keep my voice steady, but failed to prevent the slight tremble of excitement.

He rewarded my response with a genuine chuckle. "A start?" he asked me, sounding fairly impressed. "Sounds like my little minx is expectin' a big treat. Not that big though, Little Reno needs a bit more recovery time."

I gasped indignantly. "You are a thug—ng!"

He silenced me with his mouth, though he grinned against my lips. My fingers curled around his bicep as I kissed him back. When he pressed himself further into me, my body responded feverishly to his closeness. I arched into him unintentionally, instincts once again taking over control of my movements. I felt that Little Reno was very much awake, but the last thing I wanted was kill the man I loved with too much of a good thing.

"Tell me what you want, babe," he said again, and I realized he actually meant it.

He was so freaking hot. It made me feel uninhibited and saucy.

"Tie me to the bed," I challenged him, only half serious.

"Don't say shit like that, coz I will," he replied darkly.

I grinned wickedly at the look in his eyes, though there was nothing funny about it. The very thought alone made me go crazy. Guess he hadn't been lying when he said he'd imagined tying me up. I always liked having something to look forward to.

He nudged my cheek with his nose, pressing for an answer. I was considering saying that all I wanted was him – for us to be together for real, but when his fingers slid down a little further I knew this wasn't the time for talking anymore.

"This..." I replied after a hiss, unable to think of anything else to say. "I want this – and you."

I turned onto my side again, and reached back around to run my fingers through his hair. My behind ground into him, my hips angling towards his touch. It started with tiny shocks of pleasure, right where he was touching me, but they grew in intensity, and soon I was once again completely intoxicated by him. His teeth grazed the skin of my neck, his arm snuck underneath my head and he dug his fingers into my hair, trapping me against his body and keeping me in place.

I moaned when he changed his technique, and I shuddered when a jolt shot through me. Now I wanted more, I wanted it to never end. He reached down a bit further and groaned in my ear when he slipped his inside and felt my desire coat his fingers. I groaned along with him, my body desperately trying to force him to slip deeper, but he was as cruel as he was skilled. He knew exactly where to touch, how to stroke and soon I was writhing against him, whimpering like a helpless kitten.

My breathing faltered, my body quivered. By now my fingers were gripping his hip, my own hips pushing into him like they were begging for a ride. A spark had lit up inside him as well, the stimulation provoking his own body to react. I wanted to roll onto my back, to give him better access, but he wouldn't let me, holding me in place with a hand in my hair and attacking the tender skin of my neck with a shower of kisses, hot tongue, and nibbles. I was losing myself in him again, and I wanted to hold him, to touch him, but he was in control now.

A husky moan burst from me when I felt myself floating closer to the edge. As if waiting for that very signal, he slipped in again, the ball of his thumb pressing down onto my sweet spot, and I crumbled with another moan that came drifting out on the breath that had hitched in the back of my throat. He groaned in my ear again, the sensuality of the sound giving me an extra nudge into the deep.

"Screw it, I changed my mind," he said, his voice dark and layered with heat. "I'm recovered."

A gasp of surprise and new pleasure left me when he suddenly entered me, rolling his hips into mine. His fingers grasped my hip, digging in the tips to hold me in place. His breathing picked up, and my sounds of rapture seemed to spur him on. Of course, his own enraptured noises were doing the same to me.

Then he rolled us both onto my stomach, and before I new it, I was hauled up onto my knees by the hips and clutching the sheets beneath me. With this sudden new position, I cried out when he hit me deeper unexpectedly, unsure whether out of pain or pleasure. Maybe it was a bit of both. He pulled me up into his chest, wrapping his arm around me.

"Sorry 'bout that, babe," he said while I let my head fall back against his shoulder.

"Shut up," I breathed, not caring about a bit of pain.

His hands roamed across my body, and I stretched my arms out behind his neck, arching into him while he continued his steady rhythm.

His breath was in my ear, the intimacy of our act making me burst with love for him.

He groaned softly when he grabbed my hips. "Your body fits right in my hands." His fingers wrapped around the flare perfectly. "Feel that?"

How could I not feel that? I felt everything when it came to him, was aware of every detail, large or small. From his perfectly enticing scent, to the huskiness of his voice, to the feel of his body. I even felt the rapid thumping of his heart against my back, felt him tremble.

He palmed my chest, securing me as he slowly picked up pace and intensity, drawing more moans from my gasping lips. My body was on fire for him. I angled my head back and kissed him, reveling in his taste and the feeling of his soft lips.

Then he let go and suddenly pressed me forward, bending me over into the mattress so swiftly I had to catch myself. His hands once again gripped my hips, though this time a little more aggressively. He was becoming increasingly more audible, his breathing rough and uneven. Even his movements were getting rougher, his thrusting firmer.

There was a familiar feeling building up in the center of my lower abdomen, a feeling he managed to summon from within me each and every time he tried, it seemed. I squeezed my eyes shut and reveled in the sensation, biting my lip as I worked towards another climax. Then he pressed me all the way down onto the bed, and I welcomed his weight on top of me. Once again, he cradled our hands together as he drove into me, his groans caressing the side of my face. It added to the building sensation inside me, and without warning, all my senses exploded, setting my nerve endings on fire with a sizzling electricity that ran through my every cell.

I buried my face in the sheets, panting hard from such an intense release. Reno was gripping my hands tightly, and I knew this to be a sign that he was close to his own climax, though he'd already used up a lot of stamina. I tilted my hips underneath him and lifted my behind off the bed, with positive results. He moaned and sped up, my body moving with every forceful thrust. I gasped at his sudden assertiveness, thinking I loved each and every side of him. Then he buried his face in my neck and he inhaled sharply, his breath coming out in starts. I squeezed his hands tightly when I felt his body begin to shudder. I lifted my rear a little higher, pushing it back into him as he gave a final heavenly thrust, and then his sweet moan ripped through my very soul, warming me to the core. It was almost enough to make me want to go again.

I was seriously going to kill this man.

All of his weight landed on me, pressing me down into the bed. He was panting hard, breathing into my neck. Tiny sounds of exhaustion lefthim on every exhale.

I felt sorry for him.

He was still clinging to my hands, holding them tightly in his grip. After a deep sigh, he recollected himself a little. He pressed a kiss to my shoulder and rolled off of me onto his back, still breathing hard. When I looked at him I saw his chest heaving up and down.

I slid over to him and pressed a kiss to his temple, murmuring against his skin. "That was a good treat." I flopped down next to him while he lay grinning. "I think I'm gonna be a good girl from now on, I like getting rewarded."

He rolled into his side and grabbed my jaw between his fingers, kissing me sweetly. "I think you'll enjoy getting punished just as much." He kissed me again, more sensually this time. "Maybe even more."

I closed my eyes and softly moaned as I stretched. "..Don't get me started again..."

He smirked and lay back down, folding his hands under his head. I propped my head onto my palm and watched him while he lay gazing at the ceiling. What was he thinking? My own mind was still trying to digest everything that had happened since last night, and for now it was still too much information. I simply couldn't wrap my head around the fact that someone could be so amazing. Sure, he wasn't perfect and he'd been an asshole to me more than once, but he was also so very, very, sweet. He was more than that, of course. He was resilient, and stubborn, and so tremendously loyal. Not to mention skilled and smart. Funny, obviously, and even some of his lesser sides were appealing to me. Like his insecurity. It was so cute it made me want to cuddle him. But he was also dedicated. If he set his mind to something, he would go to any lengths to get it, or it exploded in his face. And of course, once he was really done, getting him on your side was a bigger challenge than stopping Meteor from falling. But, I'd done it. He was such a softy underneath.

"Tell me what you like about me." I asked him out of the blue, startling him from his daze.

"Huh?" He looked at me in confusion. "You wanna know what I like about ya?"

"Yeah," I nodded. It wasn't such a strange question, I knew I wasn't the easiest person in the world. I wasn't even the easiest person in this bed. "People always tell me that guys don't want me because I'm stronger than them. Don't you want to feel like you can keep a girl safe and protected?"

"Didn't I?"

His matter-of-fact words took me aback. Yes, he did. It finally dawned on me. He'd been keeping me safe and protected for years, because he had always been there for me. Had always come to my rescue when I needed him. It didn't matter that I was stronger. That wasn't the point at all.

I brushed a hand through his hair tenderly. "Yes, you did." I whispered, loving him more by the second.

He rolled over onto his side, meeting my gaze. "You're insane, babe," he said. "Like me." He grinned at that, making me laugh. "What ain't to like?"

I scoffed at him. "Don't give me crap, Reno. I know I'm far from perfect."

"Sure," he chuckled. "But… You came for me when Corneo took me. All the way across the world."

"So did Rude," I pointed out, remembering how the badass Turk had made for the chopper before the order was even issued.

"Yeah, but he's my partner, that's his job."

"I'm your girlfriend, it's my job too." Too late I realized what I had just said. Was I? I felt a little embarrassed having said that, and hoped he didn't tease me for it.

He smiled at me devilishly. "You're my girlfriend, huh?"

Of course I had to admit, that I loved the sound if that. Would he ever call me that? Would he introduce me as his girlfriend? In a way, I felt like I was way ahead of him here, but on the other hand, we'd been going back and forth for years. We'd been so much more than friends for so long that I didn't even remember when this had started.

"If not, that's an awful lot of trouble to go through for a lay."

Reno laughed heartily, the sound of his voice echoing around the room. "Yeah, but it was a good lay though."

"Uhuh, good enough to get your throat slit over in your sleep?"

He leaned in closer, his lips brushing mine ever so slightly. "Definitely…" he whispered, making my body heat up all over again.

Reno was still sleeping when I woke up. The clock showed a little past twelve, and the city below us had come fully alive. After pressing a kiss to his shoulder, I tucked the sheets a little tighter around him and slipped from the bed.

Once I'd found his bathroom, I treated myself to a long shower. I was in dire need of one.

When I was done, I tiptoed back into the bedroom, finding Reno was still asleep. He'd rolled over in his sleep, and he was once again sprawled on his back, arms and legs sticking out. There was something boyish about the way he lay there and it made me smile.

His condo came with a walk-in closet, and I quickly located one of his white shirts. After putting it on and enjoying his scent on it, I tiptoed through the bedroom again and made my way to the kitchen. Contrary to his claims of having coffee in the office, he did actually own a coffee machine, so I made some and took it outside onto the terrace.

The sun was bright in the sky, and the sounds from the city below were like music to my ears. I loved the peace and quiet of Whiterun, but only now did I realize that I'd always felt isolated there. Having grown up in an apartment in Junon, I was a city girl, and this place reminded me of home.

I rested my arms on the balustrade, holding the coffee cup between my palms and looked at the streets below. The people down there went about their business, cars drove along the streets, young children were screaming with glee. I wondered if they'd forgotten all about the Geostigma, or whether humans were really this resilient. It dawned on me that I had forgotten about it too, how ill I'd been back then. It all seemed like a million years ago. Maybe it was the same for them.

"You look a lot better in that than I do."

I smiled to myself at the sound of his voice and turned around, leaning back against the rail. Reno was standing in the doorway, a pair of dark gray sweats hanging low on his hips. Other than his necklace, that was all he was wearing. My mouth watered at the sight, so I quickly took a sip of hot coffee to distract myself, but I still couldn't keep my eyes off of him.

"I know," I replied cheekily. "You look better like that."

A smirk appeared around his lips, amusement making his eyes sparkle. "Is that right?" He slowly walked over to me, wrapping an arm around my waist and stealing the coffee from my hand. "Damn." He made a face and stared into the cup after taking a sip. "Are ya tryin' to kill someone with this?"

"Then don't steal my coffee, Turk." I took the cup out of his hand and brought it to my lips.

"That ain't coffee," he pointed out, making me chuckle. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my neck. "You smell nice… Did you sneak into my shower?" He shook his head when I nodded and tsked teasingly. "That's too bad, babe, really wanted to take a shower together."

I didn't see any reason why we couldn't, but my attention was caught by something else before I got the chance to express that thought. "I think your phone's ringing," I said instead.

He pressed himself closer to me, now snaking both hands around my waist and pulling me into him. "Let it ring," he whispered before he kissed me.

He easily had me convinced, I kissed him back without objection, already running my free hand over his bare back. His hands were warm through the fabric of his shirt, as was the rest of his body. The coziness of bed was still lingering on his skin. Still, the ringing was persistent, stopping only to start again, over and over again as we busied ourselves with each other.

I pulled back from Reno's divine lips when I was no longer able to ignore the sound. "That sounds important, though."

"What could be more important than you wearing nothin' but my shirt?"

I grinned as he kissed me again, but still the ringing continued.

"Argh, dammit…" he grumbled something inaudible and walked back inside, leaving me to finish my coffee before it got cold. I didn't get long however, because twenty seconds later, he was back in the doorway. "They've located Milla," he said, all traces of his sensuality of a minute ago gone. "We're headin' out now."