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Wanted: Someone Who Cares, Part 7

Her eyes closed. An electrical feeling raced through her as her lips melded against his. "…So gentle…"

"Soft and warm," he thought as he moved his mouth against hers. His other arm wrapped around her waist, his fingers moving lightly over the skin of her back.

Her hands rested against his collarbone before tentatively sliding up and around his neck. She felt his grip on her tighten. She felt his tongue sliding against the seam of her lips, urging them to part. Complying, her lips parted under his.

When her mouth opened under his, he let his instincts guide him. He pressed his tongue into her mouth, slowly stroking hers. He felt her rapid heart beat against his chest. She tasted like sweet innocence; although he was sure she had been kissed before. It had been awhile since he kissed a girl, but she wasn't like the others. She was different. None of them made him feel the way that she did. The kiss matched his feelings for her.

There was no way to mistake the possessive quality of the kiss, nor the seductive motions of his tongue. She had been kissed before, but not like this. Not with the same degree of intensity or intimacy. Kisses never made her feel like she was burning up or having a consuming desire race through each nerve ending. She pushed her body into his and shyly kissed him back, arching herself willingly into his muscular frame.

When her own tongue moved against his, he slid his hand into her hair, gently tugging the pins out and letting lock by lock spill over his fingers and her back. They were dropped to the floor. He tilted her head to the side, his mouth still moving over hers, not wanting to leave the snug wetness of her mouth. His senses were tickled by the scent of the coconut shampoo she used as he threaded his fingers through her tresses. Not completely finished with her mouth, but still, he left it, trailing his open mouth down her chin to the smooth skin of her neck.

Her body went limp. Her hands tightened on the back of his neck. They dug into his skin as he gently sucked on her neck before placing light kisses on every inch of it. She felt his fingers move down the back of her neck again to rest over the tie of her dress. Her insides jumped as he slid his hand underneath it. Her breath caught, as she felt gentle tugging.

Thad could feel the ties starting to give. He heard her breath catch and then a soft whimper vibrated against his lips. He kissed the spot where he pulse raced before moving to her earlobe. He nipped at it before running his tongue along the delicate shell.

Chords of heat shot through her, making her gasp. She had never felt feelings like that before. There was pulsing warmth in her abdomen and her breasts were tingling in response. "Oh my."

Pulling the knot loose, he let the ties dangle against her shoulder blades. His hand squeezed the back of her neck before sliding into her silky hair, angling her head back. Raising his head, he looked down at her upturned face. Her green eyes were sparkling like brilliant jewels and her skin was flushed a pale shade of pink. She was watching him. He bent his head again and kissed her lips once again.

Penny felt the brush of the ties against her back. The dress was loose in the front now, but it wouldn't fall since their bodies were pressed so tightly together. Her fingers loosened on the back of his neck as he kissed her, softly, tenderly…lovingly. They stroked the warm skin above his shirt collar before daring to smooth over his hair on his nape. It felt soft as she ran her fingers through it before sliding them down the sides of his neck again. He felt like he was burning up too and her fingers ran over the crisp material of his shirt, stretched over his broad shoulders before managing to get them between their bodies. It seemed almost instinct as her fingers tugged the buttons from their holes. Then they touched skin. Hot…muscled…skin.

 There was just something about the shy, hesitant way she was touching him, that made his control snap. He drew her deeper into the kiss, making her gasp against his mouth. The hand that was on the back of her neck, caught one tie and pulled it forwards as he did the other one.

She felt the dress beginning to slide forwards. Out of reflex, her hand fisted in the material to keep it from sliding over her breasts at the same time she tugged her mouth away from his. Her eyes immediately sought his. She felt feel her heart knocking against her ribs, threatening to break through. He was watching her with heavy lidded eyes. Those icy blue eyes of his were smoldering. She could still feel his hand resting on the lower part of her back. She glanced away and took a small step back. It didn't make him release his hold on her, but it gave her the space she needed. Everything was moving so fast that it was blurring. Green eyes lifted to his again.

Those eyes of hers. The way that she was looking at him. There was innocence, confusion, and want. He dimly realized that he was moving a lot faster then he should, but he couldn't stop the tide of emotions she seemed to evoke in him. A soft smile touched his lips as he lifted his hand to her face, tracing over her cheekbone with his fingers. Her skin was so smooth. They trailed down to her jaw, gently stroking before going down the side of her neck. His fingers paused for a moment as they felt her surging pulse before continuing down the side of her neck. They trailed over her shoulder and down across her collarbone. Her eyes were still watching him as his hand covered her hand that was still clutching the dress. His thumb roved over her knuckles.

She felt faint. There was a more tender expression on his face as he touched her. She didn't look away as his fingers danced across her skin. There was more then just desire in his eyes. There was that need, the need to be touched…to be cared for, that's what his eyes were mirroring. Deep inside her heart, she knew he loved her, just like she knew…she loved him. She felt his hand lightly grasping hers. She closed her eyes and let her hand release the dress. It fell in a gossamer froth about her ankles. Just out of her sheer innocence at this kind of intimacy, her arms reflexively crossed over her chest. 

Stepping forwards, he wrapped his arms around her. He rubbed his hands up and down her bared back as he bent his head over hers. He kissed the top of her head before nuzzling her ear with his nose. She responded by turning her head and meeting his lips with hers. Her kiss was sweet. It was then; he swept her up into his arms and carried her from the room to his bedroom. He set her down on the bed and shrugged out of his shirt. He looked at her. Too many times in the previous week, he found himself thinking of her in his bed, but none of those fantasies quite compared to this. Her skin seemed to glow in the pale moonlight. Her lips were parted ever so slightly. The soft mounds of her breasts gave way to the narrowness of her waist and the generous curves of her hips. And this time, black satin panties with lacy thigh high stockings. It was far, far better than any fantasy. He leaned over her. "You're so beautiful."

Her heart tripped as he said those words. She felt his hand come to hold hers. Her eyes traveled over him as well. The muscles in his arms were made prominent as he held himself over her. She could see the sculpted muscles of his chest and stomach. Her heart beat faster. She wanted to touch him. Reaching out with one hand, her fingers glided over his collarbone and over his shoulder. His skin was warm and resilient to the touch. She wanted him to hold her in his arms again, so with no hesitation, she lifted her other arm away from her chest and wrapped it around his side. "Hold me."

There was no way he could say no to her words and he gathered her into his arms again. Her breasts pressed against his chest, almost making him lose his control on his sanity, but he held her tight. He reveled in the feeling of her skin against his. Once again, she tilted her head back and she kissed him. Her plaint lips parted against his as he slowly lowered her back onto the bed. He nipped at her lips. "Penny," he murmured against her lips before sliding his tongue inside her mouth. One of his hands ran up and down the curve of her waist.

Her hands clutched the back of his neck and back as they kissed. Their kiss was growing hungry and demanding, her body wanting to feel more and more.

He tore his lips away from hers and ran them down the side of her neck. This time, it wasn't as gentle. He sucked her skin against his teeth, hard enough to leave marks on her skin. The taste of her, the feel of her was driving every rational thought out of his head. His hand ran between their bodies and captured one breast. It fit his palm just like he thought it would. He applied soft pressure to it, making her gasp against his hair.

"Oh!"

Nibbling on her collarbone, he teased the puckered nipple between his fingers. He was rewarded with several more breathless gasps and catches in her throat.

The sensations coursing through her were incredible. Her back arched as he rolled her sensitized flesh between his fingers. Her hands rubbed up and down his back before wandering up his neck to thread through his hair. The combination of his lips and hands were taking their toll on her sanity. She felt like she was being tugged into oblivion. "And if it is, I don't want to return," she thought as she sighed this time as his touch gentled ever so slightly. She felt his finger languorously circling her nipple before he touched it ever so lightly.  She shuddered.

Moving his lips across her skin, he leisurely kissed the hollow of her throat before slowly trekking down her breastbone. He felt her body shift under his, her trim legs coming to loop about his hips. He could hear his heart thudding in his ears as she pressed up against him. He could feel everything. She was hot. Growling softly against her skin, he removed his hand from her chest and let it wander down to the back of her leg. He could feel the play of muscles under the skin as she held him tighter. His mouth moved further down as his hand slid to the inside of her thigh.

A ripple of pleasure went through her as she felt his hand stroking her inner thigh. His open mouth was traveling over her skin, moving lower and lower as his hand moved higher. The ache inside her was increasing as his hand moved closer to where her body wanted it. "No one has ever touched me like this or made me feel like this before in my life. Not even Anthony…" Her eyes snapped open. "Anthony! Oh my God, what am I…" "Thad! Stop!"

Crystalline eyes popped open at the sound of her voice. A panic laced voice. He felt her legs unlock and he pushed himself away. He looked down into her face. Her eyes were wide. "Penny…"

She crossed her arms over her chest as she sat up. "Oh God, what I am doing? What are we doing?" she cried as she buried her face into her hands.

Guilt raced through him. "Penny…What's wrong?" Her left hand moved over her face. A ring on her left ring finger caught the light. A sick feeling began to fill him.

"I can't! I can't! Oh God, what have I done!"

More guilt poured over him like acid. He sat on his heels in the middle of his bed as she cried into palms. He reached out to touch her, but she pulled back when she looked up. "I'm…"

Penny avoided his touch as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and ran from the room. "What have I done?" she sobbed.

Thad sat there for a moment, running a frustrated hand through his hair. His brother's words rang in his head. "One word of advice though, Thad. I would watch what you do with Penny. She's a nice girl, not Julia…" Vaughn's warning look and words flashed in his brain and before his eyes.  Hunching his shoulders, he ground the heel of his hands into his eyes. He felt like a heel. "DAMMIT!" He got off the bed and grabbed another shirt as he ran out of his bedroom. He saw her leaving. She was running. "Penny!"

She ran even though she could hear him calling her. She felt sick inside. She betrayed him. Tears ran down her cheeks, blurring her vision as she ran down the stairs.

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Vaughn sat up. He glanced down at Veronica, who was sleeping with her head nestled on his shoulder. They had come here after Penny and Thad left. Ripples of strong emotions were coming from Penny and Thad. And they weren't the good kind. He had been able to feel them all evening, but he hadn't given much thought to them. He centered his attention on Veronica. He gently moved away from her and swung his legs over the side of her bed and pushed his feet into his shoes. The hem of his jeans brushed against the floor as he went over to the door and opened it. He heard the pounding of feet overhead. He frowned. Something was most definitely wrong. He shut the door behind him and went further down the hall. The sound of someone running and the faint sound of tears reached his ears. He put his hand up against the wall. He had felt dizzy for a moment. "That only happens when someone is under great emotional stress," he thought as he waited for the moment to pass. He lifted his eyes to the approaching footfalls and found Penny at the end of them. She looked thoroughly debauched. "Penny?"

Her head snapped up as her cousin stood in front of her. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision. They stared at each other before her face crumpled and she launched herself into his arms.

Shocked at her tears, he wrapped his arms around her. Lightheadedness assailed him again. It was she. His eyes narrowed as the cause of it came down the stairs behind her. Gritting his teeth, he gave Thad a hostile once over. Unbuttoned shirt. Messy hair. Flushed face. He looked down at Penny again. Her hair was tumbling over her shoulders in disarray. "Penny, look up at me," he said softly.

She lifted her head to gaze into amethyst eyes.

He scowled as he noted her swollen lips. He caught her chin between his fingers and he found pale bruises marring her ivory skin. Cold angry eyes shot back at the older man in front of him before he gently tucked her head against his chest again, allowing her to soak his white tee shirt some more. "What the hell did you do?"

Thad glanced away from the furious eyes in front of him. "I didn't…"

"The hell you didn't! What happened?"

"None of your business, Winner."

"The hell it's not! She's my cousin! I will damn well make it my business!"

"Nothing happened."

Vaughn's jaw clenched tight enough to make his teeth hurt. "That's bullshit."

"What's going on?"

"Veronica, what are you doing home?"

"Never mind that," replied Veronica as she rubbed her eyes. They bounced between Vaughn, Penny, and Thad. "What's going on?"

"Your cousin did something to her."

Sapphire eyes shot towards Vaughn with his clipped voice. They went back to Thad. "You didn't? You weren't supposed to do that, you idiot! I didn't get her to wear that dress for…" she trailed off when amethyst and ice blue eyes stared at her. She covered her mouth with her hand. "Oops."

Thad fisted his hands. "You set me up, didn't you? Didn't I tell you not to meddle, you baka Yuy!"

"I thought I was doing you a favor!" Veronica retorted as she crossed her arms over her pink tank top and Vaughn's jacket. White pajama bottoms completed her outfit. "I didn't mean for you to go THAT far!"

"I didn't!"

"Dammit, Veronica, I told you to leave it," sighed Vaughn as he cradled the back of Penny's head in his hand.

"I didn't mean for this to happen!"

Thad growled angrily. "The hell you didn't."

Veronica blanched when she heard Penny's muffled tears against her cousin. Remorse raced through her. "Oh."

Thad turned his attention to Penny. "Penny, I'm…"

Vaughn pushed her behind him. "No. No more. Veronica, take Penny to my car. I'm taking her home."

"Vaughn…"

"Now, Veronica," he snapped as he turned to look at her. He touched her hair briefly. "We'll talk about this tomorrow," he said as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Now take Penny to my car. I'll be there in a minute."

"Ok," she replied as she shrugged off his coat and placed it over the weeping girl's shoulders. "Come on."

Penny nodded her head as she allowed the older girl to guide her down the steps. Her eyes glanced over at Thad before they turned away.

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Thad watched her go, his heart aching with sadness and remorse. "Penny," he whispered.

Vaughn turned his eyes towards Thad again. "Now, I'll ask you again…what the fuck did you do to her?"

The older man looked back at the younger one standing in front of him. He knew it took a lot to make a Winner angry, Quatrina being the exception. He had never been a witness to Vaughn's temper before, but he had heard it could be as formidable as Jonathon Maxwell's and Miles Barton's. "I didn't do what you're thinking."

Clenching his hands into tight fists, violet eyes narrowed even more. "You don't even want to know what I'm thinking!"

Thad's own temper snapped as he looked away and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I didn't make love to her! Is that what you want to hear, empath! Give me some credit!"

"I give you none."

Crystalline eyes shot back to Vaughn.

"You don't deserve anything at all, least of all her after what you just pulled! Dammit, Thad, what in Allah's name were you thinking? She's someone else's girlfriend! You know how she feels right now! DO YOU!"

The eldest of all the children glanced away from the fury in one of the younger one's eyes. "I don't have to be an empath to know, I can see it," he said softly.

"Well you should be because then you'd feel as miserable as she does! I can feel what she's feeling, and frankly, its' so strong it makes me dizzy. She feels guilty because she just went and betrayed the man she wears the ring for! It's making her hate herself because she loves him…but she also loves you! It's ripping her apart from the inside out!"

"Dammit, Vaughn! Don't you think I know that! I saw the look in her eyes! You think I don't feel bad enough for what I've done!" Thad snapped back.

"I think you feel worse, as well as you should. She's a child and you knew that!"

"She's not a child, as much as I tried to convince myself that she was." He squeezed his eyes shut. "It was what kept my hands off of her for so long…but that wasn't a girl that walked down the stairs earlier…it was a woman. A desirable woman that I was in love with and I tried my hardest not to take advantage of, but when she looked at me the way she did at dinner…I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass me by!" His eyes opened again. "And I'll pay the price for it."

The empath's hands clenched even tighter, his nails digging into his skin.

"I'm always going to pay the price for what happened tonight…but…"

Vaughn's face was beginning to burn red.

"…Because she wanted to kiss me too…" Suddenly Thad found himself slammed into the wall behind him, and Vaughn's hands twisted in his shirt. His eyes widened.

"You fucking idiot! You think you're going to pay the price for this! She'll be paying it back ten fold! And get it through your head…she's a child. A nineteen-year-old child, whose innocence you almost took! Dammit, you bastard, you should've known better to take advantage of it!"

Stunned by the young blonde's burst of temper, he could only stare at the younger man in disbelief. He had never known that Vaughn could've moved that fast and be strong enough to slam him into a wall, knowing that he outweighed the shorter man by thirty some pounds.

Rage still burning in his blood, Vaughn growled and leaned closer to the other man. "I seriously hope you think about what you've done! I don't care what you say or do; you won't find forgiveness in me for this debacle. I knew how you felt about her as I knew how she felt about you, but I didn't push or meddle because I know all too well how that could end up. But…remember her face, her tears when you sleep tonight. She'll carry more guilt then you will even though it made her have that moment of happiness and nothing…and I mean nothing is worth her tears…especially if you give a damn about her…so think really, really hard about that tonight when you close your eyes and see the tear streaked face of the GIRL you claim to love." With that, he let go and took a step back.

His head fell forwards as Vaughn's words rang in his ears. They made so much sense and he had tried to validate it before…but he couldn't in light of what the younger man had said. The knowledge of knowing of how she felt and what she would walk around with…and knowing her tears were because of him… "I…"

Turning towards the stairs, Vaughn stopped and glanced back. "Oh, yes, and there's one more thing…"

"And that is?"

"This."

Thad's head snapped sideways from the impact of the slender balled up fist.

"I feel better now. And if you knew what was good for you…you should stay away."

The older man could only nods as he listened to the footsteps fade away. He could taste blood in his mouth. "I didn't know that Vaughn could punch that hard either," he murmured. His jaw throbbed from the impact. He shut his eyes, but they shot open again. All he could see was her tear stained face. "What was I thinking? Was it worth her tears?" he whispered as he stood there, staring at the floor. He shook his head. "No…it wasn't…" His voice cracked with remorse as he slowly turned and went back up the stairs.

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Penny sat in Vaughn's car quietly. Veronica was standing silently by the car, her body wrapped up in her jacket she had pulled from the hall closet. She felt miserable. She heard the door open and her cousin come out. He carried a blank expression as he pressed another kiss on Veronica's forehead before getting in beside her. She glanced at him. He was still angry. She could see it in his eyes, but she didn't say anything as he started the car and drove down the driveway. She pulled his jacket around her and huddled into it. Her eyes were itchy and she absently rubbed them with her left hand. The feel of the cool metal of her ring made another lump rise in her throat, but she pushed it down. "How could I have let this happen? Why did I let it happen? I shouldn't of let him kiss me, it was a mistake…a huge mistake…" she thought as she stared out the window. She looked down at her lap again. Her fingers twined together. Her eyes filled with tears again as they concentrated on the ring on her finger. She didn't realize that they had arrived back at his home when he came around and opened the door for her. She took his proffered hand and was grateful for his arm coming to rest about her shoulders as they walked up the steps and into the house. He didn't say anything to her as he walked her to her room. When he pushed the door open, she turned to look at him. "Vaughn…I know you're angry…but it isn't Thad's fault…it's mine…I knew better…." She stopped when his finger pressed against her lips.

Vaughn shook his head at his young cousin. "No. It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself. HE should have known better to take advantage of you and how you felt about him…and that's my fault because I told him how you seemed to feel about him. But I stayed out of it…I've seen how much meddling can cost someone…It's not your fault, Penny. Don't blame yourself. Thad should've known better since he's also older."

She shook her head as well. "No, don't blame yourself and don't blame him either…"

Waving his other hand, he let the other one rest on her cheek. "Don't let this eat you up inside. No one will tell anyone what happened tonight. I know you don't want to put the blame on him, but like I said, he should have known better to take advantage of your feelings for him…I know you feel guilty over what happened because of Anthony, but if you want to talk about it to make you feel better, you and I will stay here instead of going to Sunday dinner at the Maxwell's house tomorrow. You won't have to tell him to absolve anything. I'll do it for you…I'll take some responsibility for this. I won't let you do it."

"But Vaughn…"

"No, Penny. Let me. Let me make sure you'll be ok."

There was a pleading look in his eyes now. She lowered her head and stared at the floor. She didn't want to tell Anthony and maybe this way, she wouldn't have to. She nodded her head. "All right."

Smiling, he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "All right then. Right now, get some sleep ok…and don't cry anymore…he's not worth crying over after what he's done to you," he said softly as he gave her another gentle smile before turning away and walking down the hall to his room.

Penny stared after him. "That's not the entire reason I'm crying, Vaughn. I'm crying because I love him and I know…I know nothing can change that, but I made my choice long ago…and there's no going back. That's why I cry now, because I…can't…" she whispered as she closed the door and her tears rain down her face, and to the floor.

A/N: Now, weren't you glad I made the last part a cliffhanger? Now, I'll leave you to ponder what's going to happen next…maybe the entrance of Anthony? You'll have to read to find out! XOXO!!