Killian's fuzzy mind began to register a very pleasurable sensation as he emerged from sleep the next morning. When he realized what it was, he awoke with a gasp.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Emma grinned, stroking her hand along his already hard cock. "Although, it doesn't seem like there's anything very sleepy about this head," she added, giving it a squeeze.

"Holy hell, Emma," he groaned, his voice gruff and low.

"What? You don't like being woken up this way?" she asked with feigned innocence.

Killian growled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to himself. It was when her bare skin met his that he realized she had already removed her shirt. "Mmmm, eager this morning, are we, Swan?"

His gravelly voice in her ear raised goosebumps on her skin. "I just thought it was about time you got…up," she teased with another squeeze, which earned her several seconds of having his scruffy chin rubbed over the sensitive flesh on her throat and along her collarbone.

He loved hearing her giggles, but was determined to coax other sounds out of her, so he started soothing the reddened skin with his tongue and lips. It didn't take long to get the effect he wanted, as her laughter turned to moans and gasps.

Her hands moved up his back to tangle in his sleep-mussed hair. "Killian," she breathed.

"Yes, Love?" he asked against the hollow of her throat.

"I love you."

He immediately stopped what he was doing and pushed himself up to look into her face. Her eyes held a hint of hesitance, as if she was wondering if he had changed his mind about her overnight. He leaned in to kiss her, pulling back after a few seconds to whisper against her lips, "I love you, too, Emma." Then he crushed his mouth to hers, tongue begging for entrance, which she granted at once.

Killian rolled onto his back, taking her with him. Her knees came to rest on either side of his hips, positioning her core directly over his stiffened cock, twin groans coming from their mouths.

Emma found the friction her body was craving by rubbing her nipples against the hair on his chest and grinding her center down on him, all the while continuing to kiss him deeply. His hands reached around to grab her ass, squeezing and caressing it, which pushed her neediness even higher.

When he began rutting against her, she panted into his mouth, "Make love to me, Killian."

His hooded eyes looked into hers, his pupils so dark with desire she could barely see the blue surrounding them. "Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded and to verify her answer, he shifted to bring his hand between them, feeling how soaked her panties were. "Aye, Sweetheart. You are very ready."

"I…I dreamed about you," she admitted almost shyly. "I dreamed you were…we were…making love and, when I woke up, I was…so wet."

"Well," he chuckled lowly, "let's make your dream come true, shall we?"

Emma disposed of her underwear while he retrieved a condom from the drawer. She took it from him to open the package, allowing him time to remove his sleep pants. When he held out his hand to take the condom back, she shook her head. "Let me."

The look in her eyes made him swallow hard, knowing without a doubt that she intended to be in control. "As you wish," he agreed, watching the smile stretch across her face.

"Put your hands above your head," she commanded, straddling his thighs after he complied. She looked up at him through her lashes, then wrapped her hand around his shaft, slowly stroking him without breaking eye contact.

Killian pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, his breathing fast and shallow as he felt Emma's hand move over him. Her smirk told him she knew she had him completely under her spell, and he found he didn't mind at all.

When she swiped her thumb over his slit, she felt a bead of moisture leaking out. As her hand moved back down toward his base, she bent forward, placed her lips over his tip and sucked, while her tongue darted out to taste him.

"Fucking hell, Swan," he ground out, his eyes closing in pleasure.

"Want me to stop?" she asked playfully.

He lifted his head off the pillow to look at her. "Do you want to stop?"

Emma's heart melted a little at his question. In the short time she had known him, she noticed he always put her needs and wants before his own. He claimed to be a gentleman, and had yet to show her any evidence to the contrary. In answer to his question, she wrapped her mouth around him again, letting her tongue trail up the vein on the underside of him.

If her intent was to wreck him, Killian knew she was well on her way. His cock was aching and he could hardly wait to be inside her hot, tight sheath, but as long as she was enjoying what she was doing, he would allow himself to enjoy it, too.

She encouraged him to spread his legs and she knelt between them, continuing to stroke him with her hand, while she ran her tongue over his balls. His muttered curses and moans of her name had her smiling, but her core was getting wetter by the second and she didn't want to tip him over the edge without getting to feel his steel shaft inside her body.

Sitting up, her eyes scanned over his form, taking in his hands gripping the headboard, his mouth open and huffing out short gasps, and his eyes tightly closed. She moved to straddle his hips, sliding one hand up his chest to pinch his nipple. He jerked in response, opening his eyes, which were hazy with desire.

Emma slid her slick core over his cock and he repositioned his hands on her hips to guide her. After several passes, he gripped her tighter, stilling her movement. "Emma, please…I need…"

"Yeah," she said breathlessly, "so do I." She scooted back far enough to roll the condom into place, then lined herself up and sank down around him. When he was fully seated, they both closed their eyes and took a deep breath, trying to get themselves under some semblance of control.

"Killian, I…I…don't think I can move," she panted.

"Do you want me on top?"

She nodded her head furiously, the ends of her hair tickling his chest. "Okay, Love, let me just…" He tugged her down against him and rolled over, momentarily slipping out. Her responding gasp and groan had him scrambling to get back inside of her as quickly as possible.

Once he plunged back into her and their fingers intertwined above her head, he brushed his lips against hers before whispering, "Tell me how you want it, Emma."

Her eyes opened and he was nearly floored by the feelings he saw in the emerald depths. "Fast," she uttered, "and hard. Make me see stars, Babe."

Grinning, he kissed her again. "Aye, Love. I think I can do that." Lifting her hips, he pushed himself up on his knees, and grabbed a pillow to shove underneath her. Her legs wrapped around him and she locked her ankles behind his back.

Killian set a fast pace, driving into her over and over, mesmerized by her bouncing breasts and the way she was panting out his name, while her head thrashed back and forth. When her hands started plucking at her nipples, the sight drove him wild.

He felt her walls begin to tighten around him, so he reached down to rub her sensitive nub. She cried out his name, her legs gripping him as her body spasmed. Gritting his teeth to push through it, he gave her a moment, then began thrusting again, her throbbing channel beckoning him to join her in pure bliss.

She had no time to come down from the high of her first orgasm before she was well on her way to another, thanks to Killian continuing to pound into her. He was obviously taking her request very seriously and she had no doubt she would see stars popping behind her closed eyelids soon.

Emma raked her nails down his back and started pushing her pelvis up to meet his on every thrust. "Harder," she ordered. "Killian, fuck me harder!"

His arms slid under her to grip her shoulders from underneath and he slammed into her, his words punctuating each thrust. "Come on…Emma! Come…again…for me! Please come!"

The stars burst behind her eyelids as she climaxed, coming with a shudder and shout, triggering his orgasm, too. His ragged breaths were hot on the skin of her throat and his hips continued to rut against hers, adding a little extra pressure to her clit each time.

"Killiannnn," she whined, and he wondered if she had at least one more left in her.

Swiveling his hips, he ground into her, sucking her nipple into his mouth at the same time. Her legs tightening around him and her moaning gasps gave him the answer he wanted. He felt her hands gripping his hair and sucked harder, while his hand found her other breast and squeezed, pinching the nipple between his finger and thumb. Releasing her with a pop, he growled, "One more time, Sweetheart. Come for me one more time."

Helpless to do anything but obey, her body shuddered again mightily. "Yes! Yes, Killian! Fuck yes!"

This time, he let her come down slowly, softly stroking her skin and pressing sweet kisses to her throat and collarbone. He remained inside of her, unwilling to vacate her throbbing walls just yet.

When her eyes finally opened, they were met by gorgeous blue ones, his brows raised high on his forehead as he asked, "Are you alright, Love?"

"Mmmhmmm," she hummed, a smile curling her lips. "That was…amazing."

"You're amazing, and I'm the one lucky enough to love you…and be loved by you."

Her fingers slid lazily through his sweaty strands of hair, sweeping them back off his forehead. "I really hate that we only have a few hours left before I have to leave you," she sighed.

He kissed her forehead before pulling out of her with a groan and shifting to lay beside her, propped up on his elbow. "Let's not think about that, right now. Let's just focus on the time we have together until then, yeah?"

Her smile still held a hint of sadness, but she nodded. "Okay. I guess we should probably get cleaned up and eat some breakfast."

Killian plucked his phone off the bedside table to check the time. "It's only eight-thirty. After all of our physical activities yesterday, I thought you would sleep in later," he said with a wink.

"I told you I was dreaming about my hot, sexy boyfriend. I had to wake up to see if it was all just a dream or if you really existed."

"You doubted I was real?"

A flush crept up her throat into her cheeks. "Well, you have to admit this whole thing is a little hard to believe. I mean, I've hardly dated in years, and now after only three days, I'm in love with a fantastic guy who just gave me three orgasms!"

His laughter rang through the room, before he snuggled close to her, tangling his legs with hers and smirking, "Well, if you need me to prove again that I'm quite real…"

She tugged lightly on his chest hair and when he yelped, she grinned. "I think that proves it."

"You're lucky I love you, Swan," he said, trying and failing to look stern as he rubbed the spot on his chest.

She stretched up to kiss him. "Yeah, I am," she whispered.

xxxxxxxxx

Not wanting to miss a single minute of the time they had left with each other, they showered together, then sat on the couch after breakfast to finish their coffee, chatting comfortably. They took turns asking numerous questions about their likes and dislikes, places they had traveled, their high school and college days, and a variety of other subjects to get to know one another better. After a couple of hours, it made the attraction between them even stronger.

"Where do you plan to live when you move to Boston?" Emma asked. "With your brother or your uncle?"

"Uncle Nemo is getting quite temperamental and set in his ways as he ages. That's why Liam moved out a few months after I went to college. They argued quite frequently and Liam didn't want their relationship to be ruined because of it, so I'm not even considering that option. Liam's apartment isn't very big and he recently started dating a librarian named Belle. I don't want to be in their way, if you know what I mean," Killian said with a wink. Twisting strands of her hair around his finger, he added, "I can hardly wait to introduce you to him."

Emma was quiet for several seconds. When she spoke again, he could hear the hesitance in her voice. "What if he doesn't like me?"

He kissed her temple. "What's not to like?"

"I'm serious, Killian. He probably has high expectations for who you date, and I'm sure a girl without a family, raised in the foster system, wouldn't meet them."

He shifted on the sofa to look at her. "Nobody has the right to judge you for circumstances beyond your control, Love, least of all another orphan who would have been in the same situation, if it weren't for Uncle Nemo." He saw her beginning to say something else and hurried to reassure her. "But if Liam somehow finds a reason not to approve of you, it won't matter to me. I love you and nothing is going to change that. I will always put you first."

"I wouldn't want to come between you and your brother."

"Sweetheart, you're worrying for nothing. Liam wants me to be happy and when he sees that I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life, he's going to love you. Not as much as I do, but he'll still love you."

"I hope you're right."

Cradling her face between his hands, he kissed her tenderly before whispering, "I know I am."

Emma sighed contentedly, her forehead pressed to his. "So if you're not planning to live with Nemo or Liam, where are you going to live?" she asked quietly.

"Graham and I have been looking at some apartments online."

"The two of you plan to keep living together?"

"Aye. We get along well and it's much more affordable that way."

"Do you mind showing me the ones you're considering? Maybe I can go see them in person, then FaceTime you so you could see how they look."

"That would be great, Love." He crossed the room to collect his laptop off the small desk in the corner and took it back to the couch, where he opened it and searched for a map of South Boston.

Emma pointed out the block where her apartment was located and they discovered it was six blocks away from Liam's place. Then he brought up his bookmarks and they began looking at the possibilities. She was pleased to see that most of them were within walking distance of her building.

He sent the links for the five most promising options to her phone so she could set up appointments to see them after she returned home. Next, they ordered some Chinese food to be delivered. By the time the food arrived and they ate, it was nearing twelve-thirty. Their time together was winding down.

He stretched out on the couch and pulled her down on top of him, wrapping his arms around her belly. "Emma?" he murmured, rubbing his chin back and forth against the crown of her head.

"Hmm?"

"Will you…can I…make love to you one more time before I take you back to the hotel and pick up Graham?"

Just hearing him say the words had her heart pounding in her chest. Turning over and kneeling between his legs, she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. When she finally ended it, she murmured, "In case you're not sure, that was a yes."

He grinned and pressed his lips to hers again. "I figured that out, Love." Dropping his right leg off the edge of the sofa, he nudged her with his left and she scrambled to stand up, tugging him up behind her.

"Well," she said, with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, "we've christened the bedroom, living room and bathroom. Should we try the kitchen this time?"

His brows shot up and his mouth opened in surprise, before his expression morphed into a sly smirk. "Is that a challenge? Because I love a challenge."

She laughed. "Ruby told me she and Graham were trying to have sex on every surface in the hotel room and wanted to know how many rooms we christened Tuesday night. I know she's going to ask me once she finds out we… did it…."

"Ah, so how about the kitchen counter then?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Seems a bit unsanitary to have sex where you prepare food, doesn't it?" she giggled.

He grinned. "Perhaps I'd like a reminder of you everywhere in this apartment."

"So you're saying when you're mixing up pancakes beside the stove, you'll be picturing me sitting there naked?" she asked with a smirk.

He put his hands on her hips and tugged her to him. "Naked, clothed, wearing that tantalizing swimsuit - doesn't matter. I'll be thinking about you non-stop, until I finally have you in my arms again."

She sighed happily, his words melting her. "Come on," she said, taking his hand, "let's skip the kitchen. I'd rather be comfortable in your bed."

Following her willingly, he said, "That's fine with me. I'm hoping your scent will stay on my sheets until I'm ready to move."

She wrinkled her nose as she looked at him. "You don't plan to wash your bedding for a month?"

"Don't judge me, Swan. I'll risk being a bit unhygienic if I can go to bed and be surrounded by your fragrance."

Stopping in her tracks, she turned to face him and ran her hands up his chest. "God, I love you so much."

He hoisted her up into his arms and she wrapped her legs around him. Just before fusing his mouth to hers, he whispered, "I love you too, Emma," then carried her into his room to show her just how much.

xxxxxxxxx

It was a quiet ride to the hotel, Emma and Killian both lost in their thoughts. She kept her hand on his thigh as he drove and he squeezed her fingers reassuringly from time to time. When they were a few blocks away, she called Ruby to let her know of her arrival and could hear the melancholy in her friend's usually upbeat tone.

The other couple met them in the lobby and Graham excused himself to go to the restroom before leaving for work. Emma noticed Ruby's lip trembling and put her arm around her.

"How am I going to survive almost two months without him?" the brunette asked sadly.

Emma had never seen her roommate so miserable. "I know, Rubes, but once he moves, you two will be together again…and I'll have to invest in a good pair of noise-canceling headphones."

Her attempt at a joke earned her a chuckle from Killian and a slight smile from Ruby. "Until then, I'll have to be the one using the headphones," she said. "You are not gonna convince me that after all the touchy-feely stuff you guys had going on yesterday, you didn't go back to his apartment and bang each other's brains out."

Emma's cheeks filled with color as Killian scratched vigorously behind his ear. Ruby observed them for a few seconds before exclaiming, "Ha! I knew it! I knew you couldn't go back home without having some hot, steamy sex with this stud muffin!"

"Jeez, Ruby, can you say it a little louder?" Emma hissed. "I'm not sure M's and David heard you in Boston!"

Ruby was laughing when Graham came back. "Feeling better, Red?" he asked, slipping his arms around her from behind.

"I'm still devastated to leave you, but finding out these two lovebirds did the deed last night…"

"Ruby! Cut it out!" Emma commanded, her face turning an even deeper shade of red.

Graham's laughter was cut short when Killian checked the time on his phone. "We need to leave in a couple of minutes, mate." The other man groaned and buried his face in his girlfriend's neck. "I'll wait for you out by the car," Killian continued. "Have a safe trip, Ruby."

Taking Emma's hand, he led the way through the hotel doors to the parking lot. When they reached the car, he pulled her into his arms. She was taking deep breaths, and he could tell she was trying not to cry. "Four weeks, Love. Less than thirty days. We can do this, and then we never have to be apart again."

"I'm going to…m-miss you so much," she choked out.

"I know, and I'll miss you, too, but I'll call and text every chance I get. We'll make it work."

She placed her hands on both sides of his face and looked into his eyes. "You won't put your number in anyone else's phone, will you?" she asked, trying for some levity.

His eyes, filled with honesty and love, bore into hers. "That was a one time thing, Emma. There's only one woman I've ever wanted to meet so desperately that I would stoop to doing such a thing."

"I know," she rushed to assure him. "I…I was just teasing. I trust you, Killian."

His lips sought hers, attempting to pour all his feelings into the kiss. She returned it with just as much ardor, her arms moving around his back to tighten her hold on him. When he finally pulled away, his lips trailed down her throat, then back up behind her ear, where he murmured, "I love you, Emma."

"I love you, too," she whispered, blinking back tears.

Gathering all his willpower, he gripped her arms and put some space between them. "Text me when you get to the airport, okay? And then before you board and after you land."

"I will." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Graham exiting the hotel. "I better let you go, so you can get to work."

"No, don't. Don't ever let me go."

She managed a tiny smile. "I won't. I promise. I…I'll talk to you soon." She leaned in for one more kiss, then turned and walked away.

Killian watched her go, stopping to say goodbye to Graham, who squeezed her hand before continuing toward the car. "Ready to go?" he asked Killian, who was still staring at the hotel door where Emma had disappeared.

"No. Remind me again why we can't move to Boston right now?"

"We don't have an apartment there yet, Phillip is counting on us to finish out his lease, we've been hired to work for a few more weeks…"

Killian sighed and unlocked the car, sliding into the driver's seat dejectedly, while Graham did the same on the passenger side. "Those are all logical reasons, but I feel like my heart is on its way to Boston without me."

"I know exactly what you mean," Graham commiserated.

xxxxxxxxx

Emma and Ruby packed in relative silence, but Emma could hear her friend sniffling as she shoved clothes into her suitcase. She didn't know what to say to help her feel better, because she knew nothing Ruby could say would make her heart feel any less heavy.

They loaded their luggage onto a rolling cart from the lobby and double checked the room to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything, before taking the elevator downstairs. Just as the doors opened and they began wheeling the cart out, the Uber app on Ruby's phone dinged to notify them that their car had arrived.

When they got to the airport, they went through the motions of checking in. As soon as they reached their boarding gate area, Emma pulled out her phone and texted Killian, not really expecting a response, since he was working.

E: Made it to the airport. I miss you already.

Much to her surprise, the reply bubbles popped up within a few seconds.

K: I miss you too.

E: Aren't you working?

K: Coaster is down and mechanics are working on it. I only have a minute while they fix it.

E: Enough time to tell you I love you.

K: I love you too. Have a safe flight. Gotta go.

Emma sent three heart emojis, then locked her phone, slouched in her seat, and dropped her head against the top of the chair. Looking to her right, she could see Ruby wiping her eyes with a crumpled tissue. She didn't think she had ever seen her friend cry as much as she had today in the entirety of the five years she'd known her.

Reaching over, she took Ruby's hand and twined their fingers together. "Hey, we had a great vacation. We need to think about all the happy memories we have from it. It's not like we'll never see them again. Think about how happy you'll be when Graham moves to Boston."

"I…know," Ruby sniffed, "but I…I just can't right now. I know you think I'm crazy, but I honestly think I'm in love with him. He's my soulmate."

"I don't think you're crazy," Emma responded. "I…I told Killian that, too."

Ruby turned red eyes toward her. "That he's your soulmate?"

Emma shook her head slightly. "No, that I love him."

It was a testimony to how sad Ruby was that she didn't make some sort of obnoxiously loud noise. "You guys belong together," she stated simply.

"So do you and Graham. I've never seen you as happy as you are when you're with him. He seems like a great guy, Rubes."

"He really is," she sighed. "I feel like we were in Vegas instead of Florida, because I believe I hit the jackpot."

Emma felt a grin tugging at the corners of her lips. She knew the next few weeks would test their new relationships, but she was confident her feelings for Killian were just going to deepen with each passing day.

Pulling out her phone again, she scrolled through the pictures from their vacation, chose one Ruby had taken of her and Killian at Raglan Road, and set it as her lock screen.

xxxxxxxxx

The direct flight was uneventful and when they landed 3 hours later, Emma and Ruby collected their luggage as quickly as they could and ordered an Uber. While they waited, they texted their boyfriends.

E: Plane just landed. Waiting on Uber now.

She tried not to be disappointed when she didn't get an immediate answer. Killian was working, after all.

Their driver was maneuvering through the streets of Boston by the time she got a response. As soon as she felt her phone buzz in her hand, she opened her messages, a smile crossing her lips as she read what he sent.

K: Wish it was bringing you TO me instead of AWAY from me, but glad you made it back safely. Sorry I didn't answer sooner. On my break now, only two more hours of work. Can I call you when I get home?

E: You better! LOL!

K: I promise I will. Can't wait to hear your voice.

E: Gotta go. Getting close to our apartment. Talk to you soon.

K: Okay Love.

xxxxxxxxx

"Whew! I love being on vacation, but I hate the before and after part of it!" Ruby exclaimed once they wrangled their luggage into their apartment.

"Ugh, I know what you mean," Emma agreed, collapsing into a chair. "I guess we should let M's know we made it home."

"You do that, while I tell Granny the same thing. You know how she worries when I travel."

Emma nodded. "Uh-huh. Tell her I said hi." Ruby's grandmother had raised her, and she considered Emma and Mary Margaret her granddaughters, too. She ran a diner in a town not far from the University of Maine, and all of them worked for her during their college summers.

When their calls were made, they placed one more for takeout, then Emma concentrated on unpacking, while Ruby took a shower to clean off the 'airplane stink'. After they ate, Emma helped clean up the dinner mess, then showered and put on her pajama shorts and the Aerosmith shirt she had stuffed into her duffle bag when Killian wasn't looking. She thought it was only fair for her to keep a shirt that smelled like him, if he got to sleep on sheets containing her scent .

It was only nine o'clock when she bid Ruby goodnight, her friend gave her a knowing smirk. "Going to bed pretty early, aren't you? Planning on having phone sex with your hot boyfriend?"

"No," Emma stated emphatically. "I'm just wiped out and want to get comfortable."

"Well, that's too bad. Hope you don't mind if I do when Graham calls. Just hearing his sexy voice is probably going to give me an orgasm."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Do whatever you want, just try to keep it down."

"I make no promises," Ruby grinned.

Shaking her head, Emma went into her bedroom and closed the door. She checked the time on her phone and saw that Killian should have gotten off work ten minutes ago. Allowing him time to get to the locker room, meet Graham and drive home, she figured it would be at least another half hour before he called.

She sighed and climbed into bed, picking up a book from her bedside table. Her phone dinged with a notification before she finished reading one paragraph, and she eagerly checked it.

K: On our way to the car. Be home in twenty minutes. Love you.

E: Drive carefully. Love you too.

Her attempts to read were in vain because she was checking the time every couple of minutes. She finally gave up and scrolled through her social media feeds instead.

When her phone screen finally showed an incoming Facetime call from Killian, she hastily swiped the Instagram app away and hit the green 'accept' button. "Hey, Babe."

His face appeared onscreen, his striking good looks making the breath whoosh out of her. "Hello, Beautiful."

"I have a confession to make," she said.

"Most women do," he joked.

She tilted her phone so he could see the shirt she was wearing. "I'm a thief."

He chuckled. "I was wondering where that went! I find that I don't mind being in love with a thief. Besides, it looks much better on you than it does on me."

They talked for an hour-and-a-half, and in the moments when conversation lagged, they were content just to look at each other. When Emma began stifling yawns behind her hand, Killian reluctantly admitted it was time to end the call.

"Is it okay if I call you tomorrow morning before you go to work?" Emma asked.

"Sweetheart, you never have to ask if it's okay to call me. I'll take every opportunity possible to hear your lovely voice and see your gorgeous face."

She blushed at his statement before replying, "The same goes for me - call anytime. If I can't take the call at that moment, I'll send you a text. I've got unlimited everything."

"So do I." He took in her drooping eyelids and said, "Sleep well, my love. I'll talk to you in the morning."

"I'm sure I won't sleep as well as I did last night, when I was in your arms, but hopefully I'll dream about you. Goodnight, Killian. I love you."

"I love you, too, Emma. Goodnight."

Both of them waited another few seconds before Emma finally touched the button to end the call. Then she placed her phone on the nightstand, turned off the light and rolled onto her left side. Remembering how wonderful it felt having Killian's arm wrapped around her the night before, she heaved a deep sigh. Despite being exhausted from her day of travel, it took nearly two hours of tossing and turning before she was finally able to fall asleep.

xxxxxxxxx

Ruby and Emma returned to work the next week, making it a little more difficult to find time to talk to the guys, but they managed to squeeze in every minute they could. Emma set up appointments to see the five apartments she and Killian had discussed, Ruby accompanying her for two of them, when she was able to work it into her schedule.

She toured the fourth one on Thursday, FaceTiming Killian while the realtor was in the other room looking up answers to some questions Emma asked.

"I'm pretty impressed with this one, Babe. It has windows that let in a lot of light, plenty of closet space, a great walk-in shower and is only a block away from my building. What do you think?"

"It seems to be the best one so far," he agreed. "The rent is a little higher than the others, but Graham and I would be able to afford it. Does it appear to be well maintained? Is it in a good neighborhood?"

She was just getting ready to respond, when a tall man with curly brown hair walked through the open door into the living room where she was standing. He looked around a bit, then extended his hand toward her. "You must be the realtor. Ashley, is it?" he asked in an accented voice.

Emma shook her head. "No, I'm not the realtor. I'm here looking at the apartment for my boyfriend."

The man adjusted his stance, straightening to his full height and crossing his arms over his chest. "Oh? Well, I have an appointment with Ashley because I'm very interested in this apartment for my brother."

Emma's eyes narrowed as she took in his ocean blue eyes and noticed his ears were similarly shaped to Killian's. Recognizing his Irish accent, she began to put two and two together. "Your brother wouldn't happen to be Killian Jones, would it?" she asked.

His mouth dropped open in surprise. "How…how do you…"

Emma held up her phone and turned it so the man could see it. "Killian, do you know this guy?"

His deep laugh came through the device as a wide smile stretched across Liam's face. "Aye, that's my git of an older brother," Killian confirmed.

Liam looked back at her. "Ah, so you must be Emma Swan, the lass my brother has been telling me about for the past week," he said, stepping closer to her.

She smiled warmly. "Yeah, I am. It's very nice to meet you, Liam." She held out her hand, but he pulled her into a hug instead.

Hearing a small cough, they separated and turned to see the realtor, who had just returned from the kitchen. "This must be your boyfriend," she said smiling, offering him her hand to shake.

"No, actually. We just met," Emma said. "He's my boyfriend's brother."

"Liam Jones," he introduced himself. "I think I must be your next appointment."

Ashley looked confused. "And…and you both came to look at this apartment on the same day…without knowing the other was going to be here?" she asked.

"Aye. Quite a coincidence, isn't it?" Liam chuckled.

"We've been experiencing a lot of those lately, haven't we, Killian?" Emma said, turning the phone back toward herself.

"You can say that again," he laughed.

Ashley's surprised look slowly turned back into that of a woman ready to talk business. "So, what are your thoughts about the apartment?"

"We'll take it," three voices chorused back at her.

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The closer it got to the second week of August, the more excited Emma became; but if she was being completely honest with herself, she was a little nervous, too. Her conversations with Killian allowed her to get to know him even better and she knew the same was true for him. She was just hoping nothing he learned made him rethink their relationship.

She hadn't seen Liam since that day at the apartment, but was relieved to learn that he was flying down to Florida to drive back with Killian. Getting all of his belongings in his car wouldn't be difficult because he sold or threw out almost all of the furnishings he used while in college; he and Emma planned to go shopping once he got home. In the meantime, he was going to sleep on an air mattress and use a card table and chairs, until he was able to buy what was needed.

Their month apart was drawing to a close and Emma could hardly wait to be in his arms again.

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The first Friday in August, Killian battled heavy traffic to pick up Liam at the airport. When his brother emerged with his carry-on bag, Killian greeted him with a hug and led him to the lot where he parked his car.

Once they were away from the congestion around the airport, Liam began asking questions about Emma. Killian had already endured the berating Liam gave him over the phone upon finding out how he met her; being told it was 'bad form' and that he should be ashamed of himself. Killian had expected as much and would have been shocked if he hadn't received that treatment from his older brother. After he calmed down and listened to Killian's reasons, Liam was a little more understanding, especially when he heard the happiness in his brother's voice - a happiness he hadn't heard since before their mother's death.

Liam had been curious about some things ever since he met Emma, but his brother had a maddening habit of giving him short, succinct answers over the phone. He hoped Killian would be more open with him in person. "So, tell me more about this lass who seems to have captured your heart, little brother."

Killian side-eyed him. "Please don't call me that in front of Emma. You know how much I hate it." Liam chuckled, causing Killian to huff out an exasperated breath before asking, "What do you want to know?"

"Does her family live in Boston? What does she do for a living? Have you fallen in love with her?"

Killian brought his car to a stop at a red light and glanced over toward the passenger seat. "She was raised in the foster system after her parents failed to take adequate care of her." Liam's face showed a flash of surprise, before he gave a slight nod of understanding. "To answer your second question, she's a sports writer for a couple of college websites. As for the last one, yes. Head over heels."

The light turned green and Killian focused his attention back on the road, so he missed Liam's broad grin, evidence of how happy he was for his younger brother.

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The brothers planned to make the trip over a two day period since it was nearly a twenty-one hour drive from Orlando to Boston, but the more miles they drove, the more anxious Killian was to get there. It was after midnight before Liam finally convinced him to pull into a roadside rest area just outside New York City to get a few hours of sleep. After waking up, they stopped for an early breakfast at an all-night diner and were back on the road by six-thirty.

Emma wasn't expecting Killian to arrive until late Sunday afternoon, so when her phone buzzed with a text at 10:45, she figured he was letting her know how much longer it would be until they arrived. What she saw instead almost made her drop the phone.

K: I'm here. Outside your building. Can you bring down the key to my new place?

Her screech of "Ohmigod!" brought Ruby running out of her bedroom.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her eyes wide with alarm.

"Killian is here! He's outside!" Emma shouted, turning around in a circle as she tried to decide what to do first.

"He is? Well why are you still inside then?"

"I haven't taken a shower yet, I'm still in my pajamas, my hair is a mess…" Emma babbled.

"The man has seen you with morning bedhead, all wet and completely naked. He's not gonna care."

"But I'm not even wearing a bra!"

"So? He'll just be taking it off later anyway," At Emma's despairing look, she grabbed a sweatshirt off the back of the couch and tossed it to her. "Fine, put this on."

"Thanks," Emma mumbled from inside the hoodie.

"Now get out there!" Ruby said, pushing her friend toward the door. As it slammed shut behind her, Ruby muttered, "Guess she didn't realize she's not wearing any shoes," then moved to the window to watch the reunion of the couple.

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Liam leaned against a lamp post, yawning as he waited for Emma to emerge from the building. His brother was pacing back and forth like a caged tiger and Liam was chuckling at his obvious impatience to see his girlfriend for the first time in a month.

Killian sang her praises all the way home and by the time they arrived, there wasn't a doubt in Liam's mind that the woman had his brother wrapped right around her lovely finger. All he had ever wanted for Killian was for him to be happy; Emma seemed to be instrumental in making that wish come true.

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Killian felt like it took ages until the door of the building opened and Emma came bursting through, her hair thrown up in a disheveled bun, barefoot and wearing a pair of pink sleep shorts and lime green hoodie with a picture of Tinkerbell. Despite the fact he was bleary eyed from having just driven nearly 1300 miles, he was astounded once again by her beauty.

He hurried down the sidewalk and caught her as she launched herself at him, jumping into his arms and peppering his face with kisses. He cupped the back of her head and guided it until her lips connected with his, then proceeded to kiss her with all the pent-up passion from the past thirty days.

"God, I missed you," she panted into his mouth.

"I told…you, Love…Killian…will do," he quipped between small kisses to her cheeks and forehead.

"You're an idiot," she laughed, her words filled with pure joy.

"But you still love me," he smirked.

"Yeah," she said on an exhale, "I do."

He tightened his hold on her and buried his face in the crease of her neck, breathing her in. "I missed you so much, Sweetheart. That was the longest trip of my life. All I could think about was seeing your gorgeous face again."

"I look terrible…"

"That's an absolute lie," he interrupted. "You're the most beautiful sight I've ever seen."

"I haven't even taken a shower or anything. How did you get here so soon?"

"We practically drove straight through, instead of staying in a hotel last night. We only pulled over at a rest stop and slept in the car for a few hours."

"If he had his way, we would have kept going," Liam said, stepping up beside the couple, "but we had both driven for several long hours through hellish traffic and needed the rest."

"Hi, Liam," Emma greeted, keeping her arm around her boyfriend's waist as she turned to face his brother. "Thanks for helping him drive back."

"Your ears must have been burning for the last twenty-eight hours because my li-" a glance at Killian had him quickly rethinking his words, "um, younger brother talked about you non-stop the entire way back."

Emma turned her face up to Killian's, her smile both bright and smug. "Is that so?"

"No, it is not," he defended with a twinkle in his eye. "I didn't say anything while I was sleeping."

"Don't believe him, Lass," Liam said, trying and failing to suppress a smile. "He talked in his sleep."

Emma laughed as Killian grumbled good naturedly, unable to be upset while he held the woman he loved in his arms.

"Are you ready to go to your new apartment, Brother?" Liam asked. "I'd like to get everything unloaded, so I can go home and collapse into bed."

Killian looked down at Emma. "As soon as I get everything into the apartment and take Liam home, I'll be back. It should only take about an hour."

"Okay, I guess I can survive that long without you," she sighed dramatically. "That will give me time to get a shower and look a little more presentable."

They were so wrapped up in each other, they hadn't noticed Ruby coming out of the building. "Hey, handsome," she said, tapping Killian on the shoulder. "If you're moving into your apartment today, this might come in handy." She gave him the key Emma had left on their kitchen counter.

"Oh, yeah," Emma said, her face getting red. "I guess I forgot to grab it before I came downstairs."

"And you must be big bro Liam," Ruby said, approaching him with a toothy grin. "I'm Ruby Lucas, Emma's roommate."

"Ah, yes. Killian has told me about you. It's a pleasure to meet you." He reached forward to shake her hand.

"Don't believe everything you hear. I'm probably far worse than the stories he told," she said, making Liam laugh.

Killian released Emma and moved to pull Ruby into a hug. "Graham said to give you this, and to tell you he misses you madly. His words, not mine."

"Ugh, I miss him so fucking much," she moaned into his shoulder. "I can't believe I have to wait another three weeks to see him."

"He's chomping at the bit to be here with you. At least he'll be flying back instead of driving," Killian said, releasing her.

"Yeah," she sighed, "but it's still gonna seem like forever."

"I understand that completely," he sympathized, turning his eyes toward Emma again.

"You better get going. I think Liam is about to fall asleep on his feet," she said. "Let me know when you get back and I'll come over." She ran her hands up his chest and pushed to her tiptoes to give him another kiss.

He watched the girls go back into their apartment building, before turning to start down the sidewalk towards his own place, catching Liam's smirk along the way and choosing to ignore it.

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Forty minutes later, Emma got his text, and was out the door before she even finished reading it. When she reached the top of the stairs on Killian's floor, he was waiting outside his apartment and immediately went to embrace her. He steered them inside and kicked the door shut behind them.

"Do you…do you like the apartment?" Emma asked as he trailed kisses down the side of her throat.

"It's great, Love," he assured her, continuing his pleasurable path. "Thanks for helping me choose the right one."

"Well," she said, pushing away from him far enough to look into his face, "I have very good taste."

"Just in apartments?" he grinned knowingly.

"Oh, definitely in men, too." She pecked his lips and gave him a beaming smile. Looking around the room, she saw a card table leaning against a wall with two chairs folded up beside it, and a single, large box sitting in the middle of the floor. "Is this all your stuff?"

"I have a couple boxes in the kitchen and two in the bedroom, along with my clothes and shoes, of course. I don't own that much."

"Yeah, I don't either. When you grow up with few possessions, you find out you don't need much." His arms tightened around her at her statement and he brushed a kiss across her temple. "Do you want me to help you unpack?"

"Actually, I could really use some sleep first. Will you…would you mind staying with me?"

"Why, Killian Jones - are you asking me to sleep with you?" she teased. He tried to wink seductively, but she could see the weariness in his eyes, so she hurried to reassure him, "Don't worry, Babe, I know you're tired, so I won't attack you…yet."

"Let me get a few hours of sleep, then you can have your wicked way with me, Swan."

Giggling, she took his hand and led him toward the bedrooms. Peeking into the one across from the bathroom, she saw it was empty and continued on to the one at the end of the hall. "I guess this is yours?"

"Aye," he affirmed. "The window in here faces your building."

Her heart thumped a little harder knowing he took that into consideration when choosing his room, especially since the other one was more spacious.

There were two more cardboard boxes in the corner and a deflated air mattress in the middle of the floor with a pump sitting beside it. "I see you haven't blown up your bed yet," she observed.

He sighed. "Yeah, I forgot about that. Let me just…"

"Why don't you take a quick shower, while I take care of it? I'm assuming you didn't get one this morning since you didn't stay at a hotel."

"No, I didn't. That would be great. Thanks, Love." He went over to one of the boxes, opened the flaps and dug around for a few seconds until he located a bottle of body wash and a towel. Then he unzipped one of his suitcases to find shorts and underwear.

Emma watched him go out the door, then began the task of filling the mattress with air. She located some sheets, a blanket and his pillow and proceeded to make his bed once it was finished inflating. She also draped a second blanket over the curtain rod to darken the room a bit.

While searching for the bedding, she melted a little upon finding a framed picture of the two of them at the waterpark, especially considering the lack of photos she noticed in his Florida apartment.

When he stepped into the bedroom after his shower, he eyed the queen size air bed. "That looks like heaven right now," he said. "I think the exhaustion is starting to set in."

She moved to him, unable to keep her eyes and hands off of his body. Wiping away a drop of water that was making its way down his neck, she said, "Let's get some sleep, then."

"Emma, you really don't have to stay if you have other things planned…"

"The only plans I had were pacing the floor and checking the clock five thousand times until you got here," she informed him. "You saved me the trouble of doing that, so now I'm free for the day. And truthfully, I barely slept last night knowing I was going to be seeing you in just a few hours, so I could use a nap."

She linked their fingers and crossed the room with him in tow, dropping down onto the mattress when she reached it. Carefully moving over on the wobbly bed, she made room for him and he gratefully joined her. Gathering her into his arms, they shared a lazy kiss, then she pulled up the sheet and blanket to cover them both, snuggling into his chest. "I'm so glad you're here, Killian. I love you."

He yawned, exhaling an "I love you, too," and was asleep within minutes, happily holding the woman of his dreams once again.

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It was late afternoon when they slowly emerged from the best sleep either of them had had since she left Orlando. Emma's eyes blinked open first, realizing the two of them had barely moved, which she attributed to a combination of finally being in each other's arms again and sheer exhaustion.

She studied his handsome face, still relaxed in sleep. Lifting her left hand, she traced his sideburn with her finger, then ran it over the faint scar on his right cheek. She wondered how he got it and made a mental note to ask him. She loved that they still had so much to discover about each other and would be able to do just that, now that they were back together for good.

Contemplating the implication of those two words - for good - she found they didn't scare her at all. In fact, her heart raced with excitement just thinking about being with him every day, and hopefully, just as many nights. She was so caught up in her musings, she missed the change in his breathing that signified his waking.

Her fingers were absently sifting through the fringes of the hair at the base of his neck when he opened his eyes. She was staring off into space with a faraway look, a smile curving her delectable lips. He took a few seconds to just appreciate being with her again, before he spoke. "What are you thinking about, Sweetheart?" he asked, his voice low and rough with sleep.

Her smile widened as her eyes met his. "How happy I am that you're here. It's like a dream, and I don't ever want to wake up."

He leaned in to kiss her, then wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. "I love you," he rasped into her ear.

She worked her hands up his back to squeeze his shoulders, pressing her lips to his left one at the same time. "I could get used to taking naps with you in the middle of the day."

"I know what you mean. I guess I need to have you in my arms to sleep well."

She giggled, "I am more than okay with that, but right now, I'm not interested in sleep."

"No?"

"Not at all."

He looked at her with a playful glint in his eyes. "So, I'm guessing you want to help me unpack, right?"

She kissed up his neck and sucked his earlobe into her mouth. "Nuh-uh."

"You, uh, you want to show me around the neighborhood?"

"Nope."

Her touch was distracting him in all the best ways, but he continued to tease. "Are…are you hungry? Do you want to get something to eat?"

"Oh, I'm hungry, alright," she purred, "but not for food." Her hand snaked between them to reach into his shorts, finding his semi-hard cock and giving it a firm squeeze. "Now this can definitely satisfy my hunger."

His hands found their way inside her T-shirt, tickling up her sides and lifting the cups of her bra above her breasts. "Well, I would never want you to be unsatisfied, my love."

Their foreplay lasted several minutes as they rediscovered each other's body - the places that made them moan with pleasure and whine with need. When they were finally ready and aching with desire, Killian cursed and started to climb off the mattress.

"Wh-where are you going," Emma asked breathlessly, her hands clutching at him.

"To try to find a condom. I have no idea where I put them when I packed," he said disgustedly.

"Hey, don't worry about it…"

"I'm not going to be careless just because…"

"No, Killian, listen. I…I went to my doctor and got birth control. We're covered."

He glanced back at her over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Now get back here and finish what you started," she demanded.

"If the lady insists," he smirked, climbing on top of her.

They made love passionately, their ecstasy pushed higher than ever before since they were able to feel each other without any barriers between them. When they were thoroughly sated, Killian withdrew and rolled to the side, promptly slipping off the edge of the air mattress.

In between her giggles, Emma heard him grumble, "I'm buying a bed as soon as humanly possible."

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Emma didn't have any games to cover on Wednesday, so they arranged to meet at a furniture store a few blocks away from their apartments after Killian returned from finalizing his class schedule at BU.

As soon as she entered Wizard of Oak, she was approached by a man dressed in a brown three-piece suit. "How may I help you today, lovely lady? My name is Walsh Ozman and I'm the owner of this magnificent store. I'm sure I'll be able to meet all your needs." He moved closer, his eyelids halfway closed in what he must have thought was a sexy expression, but only served to make Emma uncomfortable.

Emma eyed him unamusedly and with a bit of wariness as she moved away from him. "Oh…Ozman…Wizard of Oak, I get it. Cute."

"Why, thank you," he beamed, completely missing her sarcasm. "Now, what may I show you today?"

"I, uh, I really just want to look around until my boyfriend gets here, if that's okay," she said, trying to get rid of the skeevy salesman.

She caught a brief flash of disappointment across his face, before he schooled his features and replied, "Yes, of course. I'll be available whenever you need me."

"Which will be never," Emma muttered under her breath, as he slinked away.

She browsed for a few minutes, until Killian came rushing in the door and gave her a kiss. "Sorry, Love. I couldn't find a parking spot." Quickly scanning the store, he pointed towards the back and said, "I'm going to the restroom. I'll be right back."

He was returning when he walked by two salesmen who were chatting with each other and caught part of their conversation. "...sure has a nice ass on her, though. I'd like to get a piece of that."

Turning his head slightly, Killian was able to see it was a man with shaggy brown hair in a brown suit making the crude remarks. He followed the man's line of vision and realized the woman he was talking about could only be Emma, since she was the only customer at the front of the store.

Killian saw red, his fists clenching, but realized it wasn't worth getting charged with assault to punch the guy. Using every ounce of self-restraint he could muster, he continued walking to where Emma was examining a tall chest of drawers.

Putting his arm around her, he leaned in and kissed behind her ear, then whispered, "I'm not buying anything from this store. One of the salesmen was saying lewd things about you and we either have to leave or I'm going to shut his mouth with my fist."

His protectiveness made her heart swell with love. No one had ever been willing to fight for her before.

"The one in the ugly brown suit?" she asked.

"Aye, that's the one."

"He was trying to flirt with me when I first got here."

Killian looked over his shoulder and saw the man approaching them. "Here he comes. Let's go before we have to talk to him."

Taking her hand, he brought it to his lips for a kiss, then wrapping an arm around her waist, they walked out the door, leaving a frowning Walsh in their wake.

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Over the next couple of weeks, Emma and Killian established a routine of sorts. His classes and subsequent assignments kept him busy most days and two evenings during the week, and she was occupied attending sporting events for work. They compared schedules every day to see when they were free to spend time together. Sometimes they met for lunch or he would bring her dinner while she was covering a game. Many nights were spent at his apartment, unless they had early morning plans. Waking up in each other's arms was too cozy and a very big temptation to engage in activities that were certain to make them late.

They were aware that once Graham arrived in Boston, it might take some creativity to make everything work with two couples, two apartments, and four different schedules. They couldn't help but be excited for the other couple to reunite, though.

On Saturday morning, three weeks after Killian returned to Boston, he, Emma and Ruby took the Blue Line to the airport to meet her wolfman. She could hardly contain herself on the train as she chattered on and on, full of anxious energy.

Once they arrived at Airport Station, they rode a Massport shuttle bus to the terminal and waited in the arrivals lounge. It was another twenty minutes before Ruby received the text from Graham that he was off the plane and on his way to baggage claim. As soon as he entered the lounge, wrangling two large rolling bags with a carry-on slung over his shoulder, Ruby ran to him, shouting his name. He dropped everything to catch her as she leapt into his arms, tears of happiness pouring down her face, while he tried to kiss each one away.

Emma and Killian smiled at the reunited lovers, completely understanding the feelings the other couple was having at that moment and grateful they were there to witness it.

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The following Saturday, Killian and Graham, along with their girlfriends, hosted a party in their newly furnished apartment. It was a small gathering with David, Mary Margaret, Liam, Belle, and a few other friends.

As the evening wore on, Emma found herself sitting on her boyfriend's lap in the comfortable recliner they had chosen together. He was engaged in conversation with David, giving her an opportunity to look around the living room. Her heart was full seeing all the people she cared about most in one room. Her one wish growing up was to have a family, and even if it wasn't in the conventional sense, now she did. Laying her head on Killian's shoulder, she sighed.

"Everything alright, Love?" he murmured into her ear, before placing a kiss beneath it.

"Yeah," she replied, turning to brush her lips against his. "Everything is perfect."

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