A/N: Sorry about the evilness. I got this up as soon as I could to spare you all the suffering of waiting. However, you may still hate me at the end of this chapter.

Additional Disclaimer: I can't write a love scene to save my life. Please be kind. Don't judge me. By the way, this chapter starts the reason that the story is rated M. You have been warned.

It took Ryan about three full seconds to realize that Calleigh was kissing him. It took him another five for the realization that Calleigh Duquesne was actually kissing him to completely sink in. Once he had realized it, however, it took him approximately half a heartbeat to kiss her back.

He brought his hands up to cup her face and moved his lips slowly over hers. He wanted to worship her, to show her just how much she meant to him, just how much he loved her. He wanted to savor everything about her, from the faint fruity smell of her shampoo to the feel of her soft skin to the sweet taste of her lips. He wanted to remember everything about this moment, because this was without a doubt the single greatest moment of his entire life.

He wanted to take things slow, but she undermined him. She ran her tongue along the seam of his lips, which parted easily in response. He responded in kind, stroking his tongue out to touch hers. She lightly sucked on it, and jolts of electricity shot through his body and settled south of the border. Sweet Jesus, she was good at this – at kissing. He never wanted to stop kissing her, and he only pulled away when his lust-addled brain dimly registered the fact that he was running out of oxygen.

Ryan reluctantly broke away and rested his forehead against Calleigh's. His heart was pounding in his ears, his pulse was racing, he felt dizzy and lightheaded. He must have looked like he was going to pass out, because Calleigh asked, "Are you all right?"

He took several gulping breaths, trying to steady his heart rate. Then he nodded and said, "I'm good," and captured her lips once more.

Somehow, Calleigh managed to not only unlock her door but also open it while kissing Ryan. Actually, it was more like the door fell open as Ryan tried to pin Calleigh against it. They stumbled through the open door and into Calleigh's apartment, mouths fused and hands everywhere. Ryan was vaguely aware of Calleigh stretching out her leg in order to kick her door shut, but he was otherwise occupied as he wrenched his lips from hers so that he could suck on the smooth skin of her throat.

"Ryan," Calleigh said. It came out as a breathless moan – unmistakably the most arousing sound he had ever heard – and fueled his desire all the more.

He'd never prided himself on his upper body strength, but he effortlessly lifted Calleigh and pinned her against the door. She squirmed against him, obviously trying to get down – Calleigh liked to have the upper hand, he knew – but he responded by pressing her harder into the wood. His hands gripped the underside of her thighs, practically forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist. She locked her ankles at the small of his back. He moaned into her mouth and unconsciously thrust against her.

She pulled away, and he damn near whimpered in protest, until he realized that she had only pulled away so that she could place a kiss at the spot where his shoulder met his neck. She moved her lips up his throat to his ear. Then she trailed her tongue along the shell of his ear and lightly sucked on the lobe. His knees buckled, and he had to let go of her thighs so that he could brace his hands against the door in an effort to remain standing.

Almost as soon as he released her thighs, her feet were on the ground and her lips were back on his. She pushed him towards the center of the room, near the sofa. He felt the back of his legs hit the edge of her couch, and he tumbled over the arm. He grabbed Calleigh to steady himself, but only succeeded in pulling her with him. He landed on his back, smacking his head off the other arm, and she landed on top of him, straddling his hips.

There was a glint in her eye as she lowered her head to once more capture his lips with hers and ground her hips against his.

"Fuck, Calleigh," Ryan said. The words came out in a hiss. The sight of her on top of him like that, even fully clothed, was almost enough to make him come right on the spot. Holy shit, was this really happening? Was Calleigh Duquesne seriously sitting on top of him, grinding against him?

Calleigh pulled away again, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "What do you say we take this into the bedroom?"

Fuck.

Ryan's mind went totally blank. At the moment, he didn't think he could remember his own name. Had she really just said that? Or had he hallucinated?

Shit, she's looking at you. Say something, you idiot!

But he couldn't say anything. His tongue, which had moments ago been performing admirably, suddenly decided to rebel against him. It lay motionless in his mouth, thick and useless. He couldn't say a word.

The glint faded from Calleigh's eyes. She seemed to be second-guessing her suggestion, which was the last thing he wanted her to do. "Of course," she said, "if you think we're going too fast…maybe we could wait…"

She started to slide off of him, but Ryan hooked his fingers through the belt loops on her jeans to prevent her from moving.

Say something, damnit!

His voice was hoarse and unrecognizable, but at least he was finally able to talk. "I think we've waited long enough, don't you?"

Calleigh's smile threatened to split her face in two. "Come on, then, gator bait," she said. "Show me what you're made of."