Lana POV

Oh God showers are pure bliss.

I stepped out of the shower for the second time today and toweled off. I wrapped the towel around me as I stepped out.

Grabbing a piece of paper towel from the rack, I quickly wiped down the mirror and looked at my reflection.

Now that's something I haven't seen in a while

Looking back at me was a Lana I hadn't had the pleasure of seeing in months. Her eyes were lit, her mouth was constantly on the verge of a smile and her eyebrows no longer had that ever present strained looked to them.

I smiled just to prove that I could and that this time, I actually meant it.

Quickly, I passed a comb through my wet hair and made my way to my bedroom at Chloe's house. I glanced into my room and found Clark sitting on my bed staring out the window. He seemed to do a lot of that. Just staring into nothingness and contemplating God knows what.

"Hey, your turn." I quietly said as I made my way to my closet.

Clark turned around and lifted his eyebrows at me.

"What?" I asked.

Clark shook his head. "Nothing. I just…I don't know. I figured you'd put on some clothing before coming out considering we're in Chloe's dad's house and all."

I quickly selected a pale blue tank top and blue jeans from the closet and set them down on the bed.

"Well, you saw the note downstairs. Chloe's out with Pete and Mr. Sullivan's working some overtime. So I guess there's nothing to worry about."

Clark smiled slightly. "Wow. Chloe and Pete. Never would have thought that would happen."

I grinned. "Weellll, judging by the conversation I had with Chloe on your cell phone a half hour ago, they're not exactly happening per se. It's more like they're testing the waters." I went to my chest of drawers and selected some underwear.

I pulled off the towel and delighted in Clark's reaction. His Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped and his eyes darted up and down over my body.

I lifted one eyebrow slightly. "Clark, it's not like you've never seen me naked before." I said quietly.

Clark's eyes shot up to my face. "I-I know. It's just feels like the first time….every time."

I felt my heart pitter-patter as I looked at the awed expression on his face. Slowly I stepped in front of him and raised his head with both of my hands. I bent over slightly and pressed a small kiss to his lips that quickly started to escalate to something more. Clark's hands were all over me, rubbing up and down my back and softly squeezing my ass cheeks.

Okay, no. Since when did I become sex obsessed. This is getting to be too much.

Quickly I pulled away from Clark, trying to catch my breath. Even quicker I grabbed my underwear and pulled it on and clipped my bra in.

Clark stood and lightly took my elbow. "Hey, what's wrong?" Concern laced his voice and his face took on a worried expression.

I tried a sorry attempt at a smile and turned around to face away from him and picked up my clothing.

"Nothing."

"Hey." He said again softly as he pulled me to him with my back against his chest, my jeans and top still in my hands.

He rested his chin on top of my head and wrapped his arms around me. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his warm breathe by my ear. "Whatever happened to being honest with each other? I know something is wrong."

I closed my eyes and rested against him. "I don't know Clark. I guess I'm just trying to have some semblance of control. I mean we had sex three times in hours. Not days. Hours. Not that it wasn't wonderful. But, I – I…."

Clark ran his hands up and down my arms slowly. "I understand. But you don't have to run away from me. I'll try my best to control myself too, if it makes you uncomfortable."

I sighed. God, the last thing I wanted was to let go of that passion that we alone seemed to evoke in one another. That second time in the field had been filled with nothing but pure emotion and had left me screaming and shuddering Clark's name.

But I had let my emotions and my body take over my better judgment. What Clark and I had done wasn't wrong. But the fact is something was going on here that went on a deeper level. Granted there was a connection between what was happening to us and sex but that didn't mean we could hump like animals in heat every chance we got. We weren't going to figure anything out with me on my back and my legs up in the air………..as pleasurable as that thought was.

I leaned even further into his embrace. "I'm sorry Clark. I don't want you to think I don't want to….."

Clark turned me around abruptly and tilted my head up. His face was a mixture of slight anger and impatience. "Don't you dare think for one second that I waited all this time to be with you just because I wanted to sleep with you and nothing else. If what's happening between us is making you uncomfortable so be it. We won't do anything anymore until you're ready. I fell in love with you a very long time ago Lana and it wasn't for the sex."

My eyes fluttered at his words as my heart gave a leap at Clark's blatant honesty. I was so used to the run around that hearing him speak so openly gave my heart a reason to jump a mile.

I nodded my head. "I know that Clark." I gently lowered his hand from my chin and laced his fingers through mine. "But quite honestly, as much as I want to control myself, I don't think I can for too long and that's what scares me the most." I slowly brought his arms around my waist and put my arms around his neck, my clothes still dangling from my fingers. "Standing this close to you is slowly driving me crazy Clark and I don't know what to do to stop it."

Clark's gave me a serious look, his eyes burning with a heat of an unspent passion. "I wish I knew. I wish I had the answer for you. All I can tell you is that I'll stand by whatever decision you make. Either way I still love you."

I smiled up at him. "I love you too Clark. Penis or no Penis."

Clark's startled look gave way to laughter. "You sure about that?"

I giggled slightly and pecked him on the lips. "No. Not really."

"Good. Because I happen to be quite fond of, er, him."

"Him?"

"Can we change the subject now?"

I gave him a tight squeeze while I sustained another round of hopeless laughter. "If you wish." I stepped away and quickly pulled on my jeans and t-shirt. "Now go take a shower so we can enjoy the rest of this weird day."

Clark looked down at himself. "I'm going to have to run home first to go get change of clothes. I might as well just take a quick shower there and run back here when I'm done."

I applied some lipgloss and looked at Clark in the mirror. "Okay. I'll be waiting."

Clark stood in front of me and gave me quick kiss on the forehead. "Be back in a flash."

He was gone before I could count to three.

Slowly my smile faded. We still hadn't resolved whether or not we were going to continue our sexual relationship or not. Clark was leaving it up to me to decide. He trusted whatever choice I made.

But the question was, did I trust myself?

I sat down on the same place Clark had been sitting moments before. I imagined I could still feel the warmth of his body emanating from the quilt. I passed my hand over the area slowly caressing it as if I was caressing him. I closed my eyes and imagined his smile and his laugh. How could I miss him already? He's only been gone five minutes.

I snatched my hand back up and placed it in my lap. The empty feeling that I was beginning to get whenever Clark wasn't with me washed over me and I didn't know what to do with myself. I yearned for Clark in the worst way and I didn't know why. I was getting scared. What was happening to me? Why couldn't I have a rational thought without Clark around?

I started to panic. My heart was pounding painfully in my chest.

Breathe Lana. Just Breathe.

I love Clark. I can deal with this. With us. I can handle whatever fate throws at us because this is what I want. This is what I've prayed for months about.

I lay back as I tried to get my heartbeat back to normal and thought back to mine and Clark's conversation from earlier.

"I mean…..I mean that there is so much I don't know Lana. What if at my age I'm supposed to, I don't know, meld with someone."

Meld.

One word that held so many possibilities. One word that could mean so much. One word that could be the key to unlocking all this.

But did I really want to know what could be in store for me? For us?


The truck driver leered at the pretty lady with the wild eyes sitting next to him.

"Only two more hours to Smallville, little lady." The truck driver grinned showing a dark space where his two front teeth should have been.

Alexa shuddered inwardly. On the outside she painted a flirtatious look, practically batting her eyelashes at him.

"Thanks ever so much for the ride. I appreciate it." Alexa's voice dropped to a low husky pitch.

The truck driver slowly licked his lips. "Anything for a pretty girl such as yourself."
His eyes slowly made their way from her face to the front of her shirt where her breasts were straining against the thin fabric of the scrubs she had stolen from the orderly.

Alexa gripped the sides of her chair until the knuckles were white. It was all she could do not to knock out the rest of this guys teeth. "You're so sweet."

The truck driver took one of his hands off of the wheel and slowly made his way to the top of her thigh. "I'm much more than that baby."

Alexa's gaze fell on the revolting hand intimately touching her.

If I break the fingers of this hand, would he still be able to drive the truck?

Surreptitiously, Alexa leaned sideways toward the truck driver as if to answer his comment and managed to pin his hand in between the outside of her thigh and the metal portion of the handrest.

"Ouch!" He quickly pulled his hand away and shook it in the air.

Bringing her hands to her mouth, Alexa made a sound of surprise. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that." She smiled sweetly at him a look of pure innocence on her face.

Still shaking his hand in the air, the driver gave her look of annoyance. "It's okay I guess."

"I'm such a klutz. My boyfriend can't stand it."

"You have a boyfriend? Is that who you're going to meet in Smallville?"

Alexa's sweet smile turned predatory. "Oh yes." She hissed. "He and I have some unfinished business to attend to."


End of Chapter Twenty - Two