Sorry for the long delay, I'm trying to get chapters out as my muses have just returned from their vacation. And yes, the steam returns.

Good girl, Aubrey, Super Max, CamFan: Thanks bunches!!!

FLW: The language thing will be covered soon…couldn't figure out how to cover it here.

Angel Spirit: I really do hope to see more of Shipwrecked soon (again, I have no patience). smiles I know what you mean about the pairings, why do you think I write so many different ones? I've never been good with patience or decisiveness.

Mad Slash: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you like this story. I'm trying to make the chapters longer.

Chapter 10: Answers to Questions

I wake when I feel someone's lips on my own. The kiss is chaste, since I'm just waking up. I don't open my eyes yet, letting my other senses tell me what I need to know. There is a body next to me, an arm draped around my middle and a head on my shoulder. His breathing is calm and even. Who knew that the mixture of various bike things and the faintest hint of vanilla could smell so damn good?

My eyes are open and I'm looking down at the sweetest sight. Hunter appears to be sleeping. But looks can be deceiving since his eyes are now open. And before I can move, he's on top of me.

"Did I wake you?" he asks smugly.

He knows that he did. He wanted to, after all. I just place a hand on the back of his head and pull him down so I can kiss him. I deftly slide my tongue in his mouth, exploring. He tastes like chocolate. I'd smile if my mouth weren't busy. I can't help but moan a bit when he pulls away, again lying next to me.

"Did Shane come by?" he asks.

"Yeah," I answer, a bit reluctantly.

This isn't the discussion I want to have now. I don't want to have any type of discussion now. But when Hunter's determined, nothing stops him.

"What'd he have to say?"

"He's cool with us."

"And?" he asks, his eyes squinting a little.

Damn, I hate it when he does that.

"He kinda freaked 'cause he didn't know about me earlier. And he kinda… liked me… a long time ago."

His eyes narrowed a little more. "Liked you as in more than a friend liked you, I'm guessing."

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"He's completely over it, man. Ancient history, over it."

"So I have nothing to worry about?"

"Nope, nothing at all."

I really hope he believes me. Remembering that actions speak louder than words, I crawl on top of him, straddling his thighs. I sit up, but he's pinned to the bed. He's wearing that trademark smirk, something I'm eager to kiss off of him. I slowly lean down, my hands by his head. I run the tip of my tongue along his lips, which part for me. I go about exploring again, this time a hint of mint is mixed in with the chocolate.

His hands are under my shirt, roaming up and down my back. I pull away enough for him to strip me of the shirt, then he lets me take his off. His hands reach up, going to the back of my head. He pulls me down and our lips meet again.

I wake a while later, almost completely unable to move. My body feels happily heavy as I remember what Hunter had done to me, and what I'd done to him. He's lying next to me, sound asleep with an arm curled around me. Feeling no need to stay awake, I fall asleep quickly.

The sounds of things banging together startles me awake, and I see that I've only been asleep for 15 minutes. After the noise, the second thing I notice is that Hunter's not in bed. Groaning, I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed. I find my boxers first, and pull them on as I scan the room for my jeans. Once those are on and fastened, I go out to investigate the noise. I quickly see that Hunter is in the kitchen, busy stirring something at the counter. Quietly, I walk up behind him and wrap my arms around his waist. I lean in to lightly kiss his bare shoulder before resting my chin on it.

"I was hoping to make you dinner in bed," he said.

"Dinner on the couch works well too," I reply.

We both laugh, then I move to help with dinner. We eat on the couch, then watch a movie. It's late by the time it ends, and we end up in the bedroom. But neither of us have sleep on our minds. And yet again, I'm thankful for ninja staminas.

It's much later by the time we fell asleep. He was out first, his head on my chest. I ran my fingers through his blond hair, feeling his breath against my skin. And now I remember what I wanted to ask him and tell him. All that can wait until morning. I'm feeling much too good to ruin this now.

The next time my eyes open, I turn to see that it's mid-morning. The bed is empty, but I'm still to groggy to think about much of anything. The faint scent of vanilla is all I have to lull me back to sleep as I wonder where Hunter is.