Kagome let the water run over her shoulders, the steam feeling cool against her still-flushed skin.

She'd slept with Sesshoumaru.

Several times.

She doubted there was any part of her body that he wasn't intimately acquainted with, the thought making her blush as she doused her face with the harsh spray.

"What's wrong with me?" she mumbled. She was a grown woman, and here she was, acting like an innocent teen. And there had been nothing innocent about what they'd done.

Regret was the furthest thing from her mind, she'd reached for him almost as many times as he'd reached for her, but what happened now? He'd said it wasn't a one-time thing, and the desperation in his touch made her believe him, but where did that leave them?

Would things change once the storm passed?

She shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. The towels were soft, gliding over her skin as she dried herself, but she sighed when she realized her clothes were still on his bedroom floor. Wrapping a towel around herself, she opened the door to the ensuite, all thoughts of propriety leaving her as her eyes landed on Sesshoumaru.

He'd moved from the bed to the window, a pair of pyjama pants hanging low on his hips, alabaster skin glowing in the moonlight. There was a mug in his hand, the steam condensing on the glass before he turned towards her.

"Was there enough hot water?"

She nodded, swallowing slowly, unable to stop her gaze from roaming over his body.

"There is freshly brewed coffee in the kitchen—"

"I half expected you to join me," she said, fingers tightening around the top of her towel.

The look he gave her was feral. "I thought perhaps you required a break," he replied, voice low.

Kagome licked her lips, heat already pooling between her legs. "Do you?"

The shake of his head was barely noticeable, the placement of his mug on the side table less so, and she released her towel, the plush fabric pooling at her feet. Sesshoumaru's pupils dilated at the blatant invitation, and she was in his arms a moment later.

Consciousness seeped into her brain, and she tried to turn over, wanting to bury herself further into the blankets to shut out the light but found herself trapped. Kagome tugged at the blankets, then realized it was the arm around her waist keeping her from adjusting her position.

Sesshoumaru's arm.

He'd finally let her rest after her voice had gone hoarse, the reason why making her blush even as a smile tugged at her lips. She was half sprawled on his chest, the soft rumble of his breath enticing her back to sleep, but she forced her eyes open.

There was something about seeing a man sleep that altered any underlying perception, and this moment was no exception. It had been the same when he'd been unconscious, but his skin had been waxy and covered in dried blood, and she'd been distracted with keeping him alive.

Now she was free to explore the lines of his face, the planes of his chest, and she quickly found herself mesmerized.

How many others had had the luxury of seeing him in such a vulnerable position? A pang of self-doubt settled in her heart, but she quickly dismissed it—this wasn't about revenge, no matter how much he'd appeared to dislike her before. One time would've been enough for him to turn around and raise his chin at her.

Instead, he'd come at her like a man starved.

Kagome shivered, reaching up to check the bandages before succumbing to the need to touch him, fingers tracing his jawline as his eyes fluttered open. There was still heat in her cheeks when his eyes settled on her, but she smiled all the same.

"Good morning."

His arm automatically tightened around her waist, plastering her against his side. "Is it actually morning?"

Kagome glance out the window. It seemed lighter than before, but the violet clouds of the storm were misleading. "I don't know. It felt like the appropriate thing to say."

"I can think of other things that would be more appropriate," he said, turning on his side before nuzzling her neck.

She hummed softly, body already responding. "You mean you haven't tired of me yet?"

"I will never tire of you," he said into her hair. "Not now that I know how it feels to have you below me, to be inside of you." One hand slid down her spine to her thigh, hoisting her leg over his hip as he rocked against her, tearing a moan from her lips.

How was he able to create such an intense yearning inside her with one touch?

He was already straining between them, her body as pliant as it had been each time prior, and she arched against him, encouraging his movements.

"You make it sound like you're in love with me." She'd meant it as a joke, but Sesshoumaru's body stiffened, face still buried in her hair. Kagome's eyes widened, and she pulled back to look at him, but he refused to meet her gaze.

Refusing to deal with any pretense, she climbed on top of him, hands grabbing his hair as she forced him to look at her. "Are you in love with me?"

The vulnerability in his expression when he'd been sleeping was nothing compared to what it was now. "Since the moment I met you," he whispered.

"What? How?" she demanded, hands still gripping his hair. "You snubbed me when Inuyasha introduced us!"

A dark flush stained his cheeks. "I was scouring my mind for something intelligent to say. I could not find my tongue," he confessed.

"And every time we got into a fight after that?" There was no way she'd imagined the ire he'd shown her after that initial meeting.

"You are the one who instigated the disagreements," he said, pulling his hair free of her fingers. "I was only defending myself."

Kagome opened her mouth to retort before it snapped shut. He was right. She'd assumed that his silence came from him being stuck up, not his inability to speak around her. How long would they have danced around each other if he'd been able to voice his feelings? If she hadn't jumped to conclusions?

Her groan bled into laughter as she remembered an earlier conversation, and she suddenly found herself on her back, a fierce glare on his face. "It is not a laughing matter."

"But I was right!" she said between giggles. "On the chairlift! You are in love with someone, and you were worried that all those stories in the tabloids would bother them. Bother me."

He eyed her for a moment, the tension in his muscles keeping his hands clenched in the bedsheets. "You are not rejecting the notion?"

Kagome's expression softened, hands sliding up his chest before cupping his face. "Why would I do that?"

"You have been very vocal about your distaste of Tatsumaki's advances—"

She rolled her eyes. "That's different. He's not you." She squirmed at his raised eyebrow. "You know what I mean."

Sesshoumaru settled between her legs, leaning into her hands. "Do I?"

"You're the one who has communication problems. I'd probably have said yes if you'd asked me out instead of walking away."

The feral gleam returned to his eyes, his body finally relaxing against hers. "And now?"

"Guess you'll just have to ask me and find out." The seductive smile she gave him was all the invitation he needed, her laughter turning into a gasp as he slid inside her. She made a mental note to bring it up later if he forgot, but she knew neither of them would be able to talk about much of anything for the next little while.

And she was more than fine with it.