Author's note: Welcome back and sorry for the wait; I've been prewriting a bunch of stuff for the upcoming July event, Klarosummer Bingo! I also published a new Klaroline story, A Good Bet, that I hope you'll check out!

Warning: Klaroline sexytimes are back!

The orange and pink anal beads kept clacking together, making Caroline grit her teeth and accidentally bite Klaus' lip in the process. "Oh, sorry," she winced, "it's just that..." she gestured helplessly toward the trails of bead hanging in swooping arcs along the top of the bed. These days, she was sleeping in a bed that had anal bead curtains. Life was weird.

"It's just that the bothersome clinking of anal beads the size of one's fist is a bit distracting," Klaus finished for her, laying back on the bed with her in a huff of irritation.

Distracting didn't begin to describe what it was like living with Kol. She snorted softly, flicking her gaze up to the guest bed's canopy where red neon lights outlined a pair of gigantic boobs. It was impressive how quickly Kol had managed to turn the neighbor's tastefully appointed mansion into the tackiest bachelor pad in history.

"My offer stands — I will get you a new house — wherever you like."

She rolled her eyes. This again. Ever since he'd rescued her, Klaus kept trying to buy her a new place to live. It was flattering — and maddening that he seemed to be trying to plan her life for her. She'd been angry at first, but it wasn't difficult to spot the way he'd flash to her side if she didn't answer him right away, or how his hands sometimes trembled when he touched her. Her kidnapping had made him afraid. That probably didn't happen very often, so she tried her best to be understanding.

Taking a breath, she reminded him, "Kol doesn't say it, but I think it makes him feel better to have everyone here — at least for now." When Kol wasn't trying to feed her every type of beef jerky ever invented, he was constantly trying to rub her feet. Kol may have been an irritating little shit, but he also was surprisingly sweet. Not that he was alone in his concern — all of the Mikaelsons were coping with her recent trauma in that charming yet suffocating way they all shared.

Klaus kept reading to her from baby books and then muttering that Dr. Spock was an insufferable braggart who wouldn't shut his bloody trap about his rowing prowess. Rebekah bought the entire baby line from the exclusive Markos collection and screeched at the delivery guy until he nearly peed himself when his foot accidentally crossed the threshold. Elijah had commissioned the London Symphony Orchestra to create numerous playlists of classical music for the baby to listen to. She adored her found family and their murder fluff quirks, but their overprotectiveness was so excessive, she was flanked by at least two of them every time she checked the mail.

Klaus rolled to his side, his gray eyes suddenly serious. "I keep offering to buy you a house because I..." He trailed off, jaw twitching nervously as he revealed, "I was hoping to live there with you, if you'll have me."

"You want to move in together," Caroline asked, scarcely believing what she was hearing. She'd never been the one. But now she had someone in her life who looked at her like she was worth so much more than she'd ever thought of herself. Like she was everything. Overwhelmed, she reached over to caress his cheek, blinking back tears as she thought back to when she was in the cave.

"I thought of you when Tyler and Damon trapped me in that cave," she blurted out, heart racing as she rambled "you were a condescending asshat that first time we spoke on the phone, and even worse when you showed up on my doorstep. I don't know how it happened, but in between insults and crazy expensive gifts and Warren Buffett for fuck's sake, yougavemefeelingsdamnit and now IthinkIaminlovewithyou."

Klaus looked stricken, blinking as he seemed to process her jumbled confession. Slowly, a smug grin spread across his face as he replied, "I never imagined that a romantic confession invoking Warren Buffett's name could feel so perfect."

He leaned forward, kissing her cheek as he told her, "You are bold and fearless." He moved to kiss her other cheek, adding with a smirk, "and quite possibly the most aggravating and terrifying human I've ever encountered." Pressing their foreheads together, he whispered hoarsely, "And I'm in love with you too, my fierce little protector."

Their kiss contained all the sweet passion Caroline could've asked for, and she found herself clinging to him as though afraid it was a feverish dream and she was still trapped in the cave. Her nightmares had gotten better, especially since Klaus had practically moved into the guest room with her, but sometimes a chill would come over her and she could still see the malice in Damon's eyes and hear Tyler's cruel laughter.

It would get better. She had all the time in the world...and a limitless supply of more time if she wanted. Klaus and his family had tread carefully on the subject of immortality, but the unspoken knowledge that it was a possibility filled her with a serenity she'd never known before.

She broke away, finding Klaus' needy whine immensely satisfying. But what she had to say next was too important to wait. Placing a palm to his chest, she told him, "I want this to work between us, and I'd like to take things slow, Ok?" Biting her lip, she added hesitantly, "The contractors are nearly done fixing the mess you guys made of our house, and I want to move back in with Rebekah — for awhile at least."

At first, Caroline was worried that Klaus wouldn't understand, but from the softness in his gaze, she saw that her worries had been unfounded. "A slow courtship it is, sweetheart." His hand stilled on her thigh as he asked teasingly, "But does that mean you desire me to move slowly in other...areas of our courtship as well?"

"No! Fast is good," she hurriedly told him, blushing a bit as she mumbled, "Although slow works well in other places too."

With a rumble of pleasure, Klaus bent to kiss her collarbone. "How fortunate then that fast and slow are specialties of mine." He moved his hand boldly along her hip, pushing up the edges of his Henley that she'd thrown on after her shower. His touch always was electric, scattering sparks along her skin. Caroline leaned into his warmth, a small sigh escaping her lips as Klaus pushed her thighs apart. Brushing his fingertips across her slick center, he purred, "Slow to start, hmm sweetheart?"

At her enthusiastic nod, he favored her with a sexy smirk before ducking his curly head. His tongue. Fuck. He used his tongue to swirl and dip and spin her into a panting frenzy, pausing briefly to murmur, "Wicked thing, laying on this bed in nothing but my shirt. Surrounding yourself in my scent until my wolf begs for a taste."

Wolf. Right. Because he was an immortal ancient Viking wolf-vampire that she'd been sleeping with for months now without knowing. How much of who he was had he felt the need to hold back? Superior strength for sure, but was there other stuff too? Things he felt like he was missing out on because he was with a human? What if she wasn't enough for him? Caroline tensed as old insecurities came rushing back, and Klaus immediately sat back at her obvious anxiety.

"Love," he began uncertainly, "forgive me — I didn't mean to upset you with such talk. I meant to ease you into my world and after what you've been through, it's natural that you'd be wary."

Tears welled up, and Caroline cursed her stupid hormones. How did she get so lucky with this smug, surprisingly gentle asshat? She slowly rocked back into a sitting position, her swollen belly nearly making her tumble right off the side of the bed. She'd never felt less sexy in her life. But also ridiculously, hopelessly, horny. She held his face in both hands, searching his intense gaze. "Klaus, listen to me: I'm all in. Fuck, I think I was all in even before I knew there was this whole other world just below the surface."

She placed a gentle kiss on his lips, blue eyes blazing as she commanded, "Show me what you are. I can take it."

Klaus' breath seemed to hitch at her boldness, a flare of gold in his stare that made her shiver in delight. When his black veins and curved fangs emerged, Caroline's heart begin to race. "Beautiful," she whispered in awe, "every damn part of you."

No longer sensing her hesitation, Klaus flashed her a wicked smile, yanking off the Henley and lightly pushing her back on the bed. As he settled between her thighs, he smirked, "Then allow me to remind you of just how you can take it."

His tongue was warm and soft against her slick flesh, continuing her delicious slide into delirium. But then there was a sharpness that made her gasp in surprise. His fangs. Those were the points of his fangs on her. In her. Her ecstatic cry at the sweet pinch seemed to drive his movements, stroking her walls through every spasm. She rode his tongue through every marvelous, aching moment, and when Klaus raised his head, she spied a bit of blood on his lips.

Something in Caroline snapped at the sight of her blood on her lover's face, and she lunged forward to deliver a primal, messy kiss that had them both moaning at the taste of her arousal.

"Fuck me...bloody...fucking bloody hell," Klaus choked out, his gaze flooded with gold as he possessively studied every line of her trembling body. He scooped her up, flashing her to the enormous headboard bedecked with gaudy rhinestone silhouettes of erotic poses. Fortunately, Klaus' powerful body behind her provided the perfect distraction to the potential mood killer of Kol's tacky guest room.

The clinking sound of his buckle was exciting, and she coyly looked over her shoulder to see him watching her intently. When Caroline gave him a flirty little wiggle with her hips, Klaus rewarded her with a smack on her ass cheek, impishly nipping at her curves. "Naughty little minx," he rumbled, placing a teasing finger at her entrance as he stroked her slickness once more. She pushed back against him, loving the raw strength she sensed along with the animal-like growls he seemed helpless to control.

Suddenly, his cock took the place of his fingers, the stretch of him still leaving her breathless despite his very skillful tongue and fingers. "Yes, fuck!" She cursed, biting her lip as he ground against her, delivering a sensual pressure right where she needed it. Her skin was on fire everywhere he touched, molding her curves as he went deep inside her with a thundering roar. She was close once more, hurtling toward that peak just as Klaus began to shudder and moan against her.

They tumbled down together, clinging to each other in a sweaty heap on silk sheets. Leopard print silk sheets. Of course. Because Kol's bachelor pad is where good taste came to die. Klaus and Caroline exchanged amused glances, but soon turned to lust once more. Her skin quivered under his insistent kisses, and she dragged her nails along his back.

The bedroom door suddenly banged open, Kol standing at the threshold with one hand plastered over his eyes and a large water bottle in his other hand. He shook the bottle, admonishing, "Nik! Caroline needs to hydrate; she's drinking for two!"

Kol really was sweet...and still an irritating little shit.