As they walked to the decadent restaurant, Inuyasha's mood continued to sour. As much as he hated to admit it, Miroku had been right about at least one thing: other men were taking notice of Kagome. As she walked, the simple yet alluring dress magnified the way her hips moved in a delicious and hypnotic sway seemingly entrancing any and every man walking within a 100-foot radius. It was sickening. He couldn't help the low growl that vibrated through his chest every time his amber eyes found another drunk ass drooling over Kagome like she was the salt to rim their fucking drinks.

Worse still, Miroku was far too busy lapping up Sango's attention. 'At least,' Inuyasha thought to himself for a moment, 'I'll win the bet soon.'

Begrudgingly, Inuyasha let his gaze drop to the woman by his side who was… chuckling. But it wasn't a cute or serene laugh, it was maniacal and sprinkled with deviousness, something like a witch's laughter instead of what he was used to from her. Kagome was biting her lip, sapphire eyes fixed forward, watching Miroku and Sango fawn over each other with a glint that would have concerned even Hades.

"What's so funny?" Inuyasha asked flatly, his clawed hands scratching at the inside of his pockets and resisting the urge to pull the wisps of raven hair out of her face that the wind had picked up.

"Hmm?" Kagome hummed, slowly turning her head, her eyes following a moment after her face was already angled toward Inuyasha.

"What. Is. So. Funny?" He repeated, lifting a single black brow as he watched her bottom lip free itself with more attention than he should have.

"Oh just those two," she answered, smiling innocently back up at him.

"Right…"

"What? You don't think it's funny that they are clearly in love with another?!" Kagome whispered yelled, looping her arm through his and leaning closer to him so that her voice wouldn't carry and so that she could feel the warm, sturdy line of his body against hers.

"Funny is not the word I had in mind…" He sneered, looking back over at the way Miroku's hand hovered just above Sango's ass, his fingers twitching from the sheer strain of holding back. 'Okay,' he smirked watching Miroku's hand convulse in front of him, 'that is pretty fun to watch.'

Kagome grinned to herself, watching Inuyasha's scowl melt into something close to a smile. She wasn't sure what he was looking at, but it was a far more welcome sight than the tense scowl he'd had on while they were in the room together.

Not long after, each slid into the booth at the restaurant, where amber locked with mulberry reigniting an intense staring contest between the two friends.

"Having fun?" Sango purred playfully, twirling the straw in her drink while toying with Inuyasha again.

"So much," he replied dryly, his grip around his liquor tightening as his smile failed to reach his eyes, only causing Sango more joy. "You and Miroku look like you're having a great time."

For the briefest of seconds, Inuyasha could have sworn there was a flash of irritation in her gaze, but it quickly fell away, replaced by a look of intrigue. Sango didn't verbally respond, instead, she looked away and nodded her head as if pointing. Inuyasha turned in time to see a tall, tanned demon sauntering toward their table, his eyes locked on Kagome as she spoke animatedly with Miroku.

His fake smile morphed into a snarl as he watched the flea-bag waltz right up to Kagome. Up close it was so much worse. The demon was toned and not the ugliest fuck Inuyasha had ever seen. Worse still was the look on Kagome's face as her gaze caressed every plane of the man in front of her, her mouth slightly parted and breath caught in her throat before she looked up at him with wide, grateful eyes and fluttering lashes.

The bitch was smitten.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, shoving down the growl in his throat because he knew Sango was watching.

"Hey." It was a simple introduction, nothing like the complicated pick-up lines that Miroku enjoyed using to hit on women. Regardless, it had clearly been more than enough to get Kagome's attention. Her entire body angled away from the table, a hideous blush marring her cheeks as she looked up at him through her sultry lashes.

"Hi," she practically purred in a heated tone that only encouraged the stranger.

"Are you all here on Spring Break?" The demon asked, gesturing toward the group without taking his eyes off Kagome.

"Yes," Miroku responded dryly before pursing his lips, silently contemplating how this might impact his running bet with Inuyasha. He didn't like it one bit.

"Did you just get here?" The guy asked, pressing forward and letting his ice blue eyes dip for a moment, confidently taking in Kagome's full figure.

Kagome nodded before breathily muttering her response, "yeah. You?"

He nodded, his broadening smile almost blinding Inuyasha and Miroku. Miroku, who then whipped his head around, glaring intently at Inuyasha and mouthing at him to "fucking do something already!"

Inuyasha growled, but not at the creep like he wanted to. He growled at Miroku who had started kicking him under the table.

"We should hang out," the demon suggested, his voice like fucking velvet.

"I think I would like that," Kagome giggled in response, eyes half-lidded and drinking him in like he was the last man on the planet.

As if he had anticipated her receptive response, the demon immediately pulled out a pen from somewhere and wrote his name and number down for her. "Text me," were his last two words before he waved and walked back toward the group of men across the restaurant that had been watching the entire interaction.

"Hi," Inuyasha mocked in a fake breathless tone. "For fuck's sake, Kagome. Just go back to his room with him." He sneered before tossing back the rest of the liquid in his glass and letting the burn propel him.

"Excuse you," Kagome snapped, spinning in her seat to face him. "At least he would appreciate my company!"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha hissed.

Kagome waved a hand flippantly toward the half-demon, looking down at the piece of paper with the new man's number and his name, 'Koga.' She stashed the paper in her purse before taking a long drag on her drink.

"Uh, hello?" Inuyasha growled.

"What?" Kagome mumbled, turning back to him, her gaze briefly landing on Sango who was making kissy faces at her and pointing to Inuyasha who wasn't paying attention to Sango in the slightest, his full ire on Kagome. Kagome rolled her eyes toward Sango before bringing them back to Inuyasha, swallowing down her nerves.

Kagome slid along the booth they both sat in, depleting the space between her and her friend, the sides of her legs pressed up firmly against his. She looked up at him through her lashes, pulling her lip between her teeth seductively as she faced him, barely an inch's space left between them as she moved closer. Kagome watched as he did his absolute best to maintain a totally disinterested expression while she ran the pads of her fingers along his shoulders and tilted her head, his pupils dilating at the image and causing her to smile more deeply. "I'm sorry," she breathed, taking on the same heady tone as a moment prior, "are you… jealous?"

"As if!" He hissed, gaze narrowing and firmly wrapping his arms over his chest lest they get the idea that they were free to reciprocate, which they were not. Nope. Inuyasha turned away from her, needing to get the image of her lips and eyes and the magnificent pink on her cheeks out of his mind. He picked up his empty glass, intent on sipping at the melted water needing any distraction he could come by.

"Because… if you were…" Kagome continued, lowering her voice and tilting her head so that as she spoke puffs of warm air burned at the tips of his ears, "I could make sure you knew exactly how much I prefer you…"

Being the graceful demon that he was, Inuyasha choked on the little droplets of liquid in his glass, his gaze flitting over to Miroku expecting… well he wasn't really sure what he was expecting but finding Sango sitting in his lap while Miroku's lips were precariously close to her ear was not it. "What the hell," he muttered, blinking rapidly and physically shifting away from Kagome.

Kagome swallowed hard, her smile deteriorating in less than a second as she felt the chill of air rushing in to occupy the space that Inuyasha had just been in. He had moved away from her. It both made her cheer because obviously she had been right that he didn't have feelings for her, but it also made her feel suddenly sick, an unwanted shiver creeping along her previously burning skin now knowing he didn't have feelings for her.

Impulsively, Kagome pulled out her phone and texted the demon, Koga, who had given her his number earlier then slid the phone back into her purse. Even if she wanted to spend the night with Inuyasha, she didn't want to spend the entire week pining after someone who clearly didn't have any interest in returning her affection. She'd do what she needed to do to win the bet. That was all. And if Kagome had some causal fun with a demon that made her belly ache with carnal desire in her downtime, where was the harm?

The rest of dinner remained… spirited. Miroku was sitting on his hands while his eyes violated every part of Sango that she so uncharacteristically offered up to him. After Inuyasha had pulled away, Kagome remained relatively 'normal' while he had tried desperately to reign in the ever-growing collection of provocative images of Kagome in his mind.

"Fuck," Kagome muttered when they were back in the hotel.

He was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about his brother in short shorts or something else utterly ridiculous and penis inverting to keep his mind and eyes from drifting back to the woman pacing the room in her dress that he would have paid his soul to rip off her before pinning her on the floor and well… god… where would he even start? Would he go slow? Fast? Mix it up and do both at different intervals? Which surface would he start with her on? Because really that was more important because there would definitely be more than one-

Inuyasha forced his eyes shut, tightly, a clawed hand clenching and unfurling repeatedly at his side. "Would you stop fucking pacing?!" He snarled, turning to face her, letting the anger mask the borderline uncontrollable urge he had to do things that would forever tarnish their friendship.

Kagome turned toward him, hard and fast, her shoulders slumping. "Well then can you help me?!" She bit back.

"With what?" Inuyasha sighed, forcing himself to sit up.

"My zipper is stuck."

He swallowed hard, chewing on his cheek. This was like the start to every bad porno he'd ever seen. All he was missing was pizza or some other garbage. "So?"

"So?" Kagome exclaimed, rolling her eyes and placing her hands irately on her delicious hips. "I can't just live the rest of my life in this dress! It needs to come off!"

His mind immediately filled with his prior fantasy of ripping the dress to tatters and running his hands along every warm, soft, fleshy bit of her. "Okay and? How the hell would I help with that?"

His voice was so callous and strangled as he spoke it barely sounded like him. Kagome frowned, "dude, are you okay?"

"Fucking fine," he hissed, grimacing at his own gruffness.

"Are you going to unzip me or not?" Kagome growled, her patience running out.

"No," Inuyasha answered immediately. He wanted to… that wasn't the problem. The problem was more that he wasn't sure he could bring himself to pull his hands off her once he started. "That's a girl thing. Get Sango to help."

"Are you serious?!"

"Yes," he spat, lowering himself back onto the bed and immediately trying to conjure up images of Sesshomaru in a speedo.

Kagome's face twisted into an angry pout as she shook her head. Inuyasha hated telling her no, but it was still the right call. After all… he couldn't lose the bet on the first night over a goddam fucking zipper. That would have just been pathetic.

"Fine," Kagome bit out, turning on her heel and storming out of the room.

Inuyasha sucked in a fast and heavy breath of relief, quickly making a decision to find some sort of release and hopping off the bed then into the shower. He needed a… minute. Okay, he needed a few.

Kagome knocked loudly on Sango's door, chewing on her lip with her hands curled into fists next to her. She was mad at him, 'I mean seriously, he can't even help me with a freaking zipper?!' Kagome thought angrily to herself, hearing Sango make her way to the door. 'But… maybe… maybe I have been making him uncomfortable…'

"Hey," Sango answered, holding the door open and eyeing Kagome. "What's up?"

"I'm stuck. Can you pull my zipper down?" She muttered.

"Oh, what didn't want to ask Inuyasha?" She teased, gesturing for Kagome to spin.

"I asked him and he was… dismissive," Kagome answered, her voice soft and vulnerable as she spoke.

Sango nodded, gripping the zipper in one hand and the dress in the other. "He was a little grumpy after dinner."

"A little?" Kagome scoffed.

"I think the hot demon rubbed him the wrong way," Sango suggested, yanking down the zipper.

Kagome stood in silence, relieved as the fabric loosened around her. She crossed her arms over her chest to hold up the front part, then turned her head so she could see Sango for a brief moment. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"No problem," she smiled.


Kagome let her head roll to the side, noticing, not for the first time that morning, how far Inuyasha was sitting from her on the beach. In the row of towels and chairs lined up in the sand, it went Kagome, Sango, Miroku then Inuyasha. He had literally positioned himself as far away from her as possible while still being part of the group.

Worse, it had been intentional. How did Kagome know that? Because Sango had made a comment, pointing out to Inuyasha that there was plenty of space near Kagome. He'd scoffed and continued to set up his things on the other side of Miroku.

Kagome sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. He'd been weird from the moment she returned the prior evening and all throughout the morning. First, he'd taken almost an hour-long shower before finally letting Kagome into the bathroom when her bladder was on the verge of exploding. Then, Inuyasha had practically ignored her all morning, refusing to look at her and barely acknowledged her presence when she walked around in what she had thought was a very tasteful bikini…

She turned her gaze toward Sango and Miroku. Both of whom looked like they were having a great time. It was more nauseating than normal. Their eyes were constantly locked, mulberry and violet swirling together in a sickening brilliance as they spoke with nothing short of utter fascination between each other. Their voices were husky and breathy, the sexual tension far worse than it had been before their trip and practically hung around them like a visible fog of lust.

Kagome shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. She was happy, genuinely, that her plan to get Sango and Miroku to realize their true feelings was working. It just kind of sucked to be… well… it kind of sucked to be Kagome. Her best friend was so uncomfortable with her recent actions that he was sitting as far as possible away from her and didn't want to talk to her.

'I'm not sure winning is worth this,' Kagome thought idly to herself. 'This… hurts.' She sighed again, sinking into her beach chair, letting the bitter taste of defeat and disappointment wash over her. She had been a little optimistic about the bet, wondering, hoping, that it would win over Inuyasha. It was to her sincere disenchantment that Kagome was realizing that they were just friends.

"Oh hey," Sango murmured, pulling herself off Miroku to look at Kagome. "Looks like mystery man is back."

"What?" She asked, barely paying attention but following Sango's eye line to see a tall, tan, familiar demon traversing through the sand toward their little group.

Kagome swallowed down her previous discontent, her mouth practically watering at the mere sight of him. She knew he was attractive because well… she'd seen him the night prior but seeing him shirtless was a totally new form of appreciation.

She ignored the loud huff of indignation from Inuyasha at the other end of the line.

"Hey again," he purred walking up to Kagome after briefly waving at the rest of them. "How are you today, Kagome?"

Her smile exploded across her face as she looked up at him, delighted that he had remembered her name. "Good, thanks! And you, Koga?"

Saying his name had a similar effect, causing his confident smirk to spread, revealing a disgustingly adorable dimple. "Better now," he replied.

"For fuck's sake," Inuyasha groaned, rolling his eyes.

Koga's gaze flitted over to him but otherwise paid the half-demon no mind.

"You know," Miroku murmured, leaning over toward Inuyasha as Koga continued to chat with Kagome. "If you're interested in her… you can just say so or go after her… the bet really isn't that big a deal."

"Oh fuck off," he snapped, glaring at Miroku. "You just want me to call it off because Sango has been all over you since we got here and you're about to crack!"

"That is not true!"

"Which part?" Inuyasha sneered.

Miroku narrowed his gaze for a moment before raising his hands in truce. "Okay, whatever you say."

They both turned, watching Kagome speak to Koga with wide, appreciative eyes that were practically licking him up and down in admiration of his form. Miroku loudly slurped from his water bottle, dragging out the noise until Kagome faced him and glared.

Koga raised a single brow in response to the childish distraction, before looking back at Kagome. "I'll let you get back to your friends. Text me though!" He called, slowly turning away.

"Will do!" She replied readily and excitedly, biting her lip and staring as he sauntered back over to the group of guys he had been with at the restaurant.

"Get a room already!" Inuyasha hissed.

"That's a great idea," Kagome replied sarcastically, "you mind staying with Sango and Miroku for an evening?"

"Are you kidding?!" He roared, "you're going to sex-ile me?! On Spring Break?!"

"I thought that was half the point of coming to Florida…" Kagome continued to jest.

"As much as I enjoy being between the two of you as you bicker, ignoring the obvious, I think I'm going to go into the water. Miroku? Want to join me?" Sango asked dryly.

"Yes," he nodded enthusiastically and quickly, stretching out the word and peering over his sunglasses at the beauty in front of him. "That sounds much better than this."

"Cool. You two should think about taking a dip," Sango muttered as she began to walk toward the ocean, putting distance between her and the quarreling friends, "you know? Take a minute to chill out and all that."

Miroku stood, smiling to himself as he watched Sango and her supple rear saunter toward the water, thoroughly enjoying the view. "We should talk about re-negotiating certain terms in the bet," he mumbled offhandedly, running a hand through his hair resisting the urge to let out a long, drawn-out whistle in appreciation.

"Yeah right," Inuyasha snapped, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. This bet was getting him nowhere good other than closer to his grave. The only upside of it had been watching Miroku struggle just as much if not more than him while pushing off the inevitable, which was clearly his unyielding attraction for Sango.

"Suit yourself," he muttered, shrugging off the rejection then finally going after Sango.

Kagome sat in her chair listening carefully to the exchange, wondering if she could make out what they were saying. She was desperate for some inkling as to what had Inuyasha in such a grumpy state. Even if it would confirm that she had made him that way, at least it would have killed the doubt.

But that wasn't what she heard… Her mouth slightly parted and her head tilted to the side, watching Miroku walk off. She had barely made out what Miroku had basically whispered to Inuyasha but she was sure she heard the word "bet."

Without thinking, Kagome stood and walked, the cogs in her mind turning slowly as her face contorted into a mix of irritation, suspicion, and confusion. Her deep blue gaze shifted, taking in Miroku and Sango's forms as they played in the water while she took a seat directly next to Inuyasha and leaned in toward him ignoring the way he leaned away from her at the same time. "So…"

"What?" Inuyasha sighed already over his friends and contemplating how much trouble he'd be in if he just up and left in the middle of the night.

"What were you and Miroku talking about?" Kagome asked, finally looking at him, eyes narrowed and searching his.

"Nothing to concern yourself with," he sneered, leaning back in his chair and huffing.

"Inuyasha," she continued, leaning in closer, her voice firm and unwavering. "You and Miroku… you have a bet going on?" Kagome watched him closely, the corners of her lips tugging into a winning smirk as his mouth opened then promptly shut, his eyes blinking rapidly and gaze lifting to the sky as he tried to think of some excuse or something to tell her. But the real giveaway was his ears. They pinned back against his head like they did whenever he was caught doing something he knew he shouldn't have been.

"Uh, um, er," he sputtered, refusing to look at her.

Kagome leaned forward, her face in his face, causing him to swallow thickly when his eyes finally fell to hers. "Inuyasha," she purred, "what… bet?"

Her scent surrounded him like a fog, blurring his thoughts and heating his blood. He couldn't think with her right there, looking at him like she was seconds from ripping his sanity out from him, mouth first, sapphire eyes peering up through lashes that fluttered barely more this his heart was in his chest. Inuyasha loved when she was that close, because, really, she was all he could see and she was the best view in the entire goddam world.

"Inuyasha," she repeated, her brows coming together and gaze narrowing. "What the fuck did you and Miroku bet on?"

"You and Sango," he blurted, immediately forcing his eyes shut and biting down on his cheek as fear, shame, and an overwhelming feeling of dread chilled every centimeter of heated flesh.

"I-I don't understand… what about me and Sango?" Kagome pressed, a hand coming up and tugging on one of his ears, eliciting a quick snarl before staring him down.

"It-It was a drunken bet!" He explained, his voice higher and more panicked than normal as he pulled his ear free, fearing that if he let her hold on to it she would rip it clean off when he got to the end.

"Oh please, continue," Kagome snapped, sarcastically.

"Miroku was being annoying about us! He-he kept saying shit! And I said that he couldn't last a week without touching Sango-and-and-and-"

Kagome's mouth hung open as the pieces came together in her mind, "and he bet you that you couldn't go a week without touching me."

"Yeah, but it's not like I wanted to touch ya! I just wanted him off my back!" Inuyasha began, a litany of weak and half-baked excuses tumbling from his mouth before he could think to stop them.

Kagome's gaze hardened and his mouth snapped shut, wincing in anticipation of the smack that Inuyasha was sure was imminent.

"That conniving little," Kagome murmured, turning away from Inuyasha and his abject look of horror and embarrassment to glare at their two friends. She watched suddenly hyper-aware of how Sango was doing all the chasing and that Miroku wasn't touching her like he normally did. It all clicked into place and singed her cheeks as another realization dawned on her.

Miroku had made a bet with Inuyasha that required Inuyasha not to respond to her advances. "When did you make this bet?"

"Uh, the-the night before we left…"

"For fuck's sake," she grumbled, realizing that, literally, every advance hadn't mattered, but it did explain his overly surly attitude. Even if he did enjoy it, he wasn't allowed to let her in on it or risk losing. Inuyasha wasn't a words guy. Miroku could flirt and whisper sweet nothings to keep Sango's attention. That was not a skill set her favorite half-demon possessed.

"Kagome-" he began quickly, still deathly afraid of her reaction and anticipating a brutal response any second.

"Sango made a bet with me," Kagome replied, turning back to him.

"Wait… what?"

"She made a similar bet with me," she repeated, biting her lip.

Inuyasha glowered down at her, a low growl forming and breaking free as he pressed his forehead against hers, "that's why you've been all over me?!"

"Hey! Don't act like you're the one in the right here! You did the same thing!"

"No, I bet that I wouldn't act! You literally made a be to lead me on! That's worse!"

"I think comparing immoral actions is a bad idea!" Kagome snapped, pressing back against his forehead. "I think we have bigger fish to fry."

"Oh do you?" He spat.

"Yes, I think we should team up," Kagome suggested, pulling away from him and grinning over at Sango and Miroku.

"Why would we do that?" Inuyasha sneered.

"Let's make those two think they've won the bets," she replied. "But… we won't actually lose our bets."

"Yeah that's great in theory but…"

"But what? You can't pretend to be attracted to me?! Sorry I didn't realize that was such an imposition!"

He rolled his eyes, a dead-pan expression replacing his earlier irritation. "No… because how are you supposed to win when I literally can't touch you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not allowed to touch you," he repeated, lifting his hands and wiggling his fingers for emphasis.

"But Sango and Miroku-"

"Sango's been doing all the touching… Miroku's been sitting on his hands. Literally."

"So then sit on your hands and pretend to be interested otherwise!"

"Really? That's it?" Inuyasha scoffed.

"Yeah, Sango or Miroku will crack eventually. We'll make them think that they are on the brink of winning and we'll both win our bets! Stick it to both of them while also proving our point! It's a win-win-win…win?" Kagome beamed, thinking herself smart while she wiggled her eyebrows at Inuyasha.

"So… your brilliant plan is to… fake… it?"

Kagome sighed in frustration, irritated at his density. "It's not fair that those two keep teaming up and whispering in our ears to manipulate our actions!" Inuyasha nodded in agreement. "So…," she continued. "Why not play their game and beat them at it?" Kagome breathed, bringing up a hand and letting the pads of her fingers gently run along his jaw.

Inuyasha swallowed thickly, both hating and loving her touch, wanting it all over him and off him right fucking now.

"We can fake it… because nothing is going to happen between us, right?" She murmured, maintaining that breathy tone that invigorated every single one of his dirty fantasies while simultaneously inspiring at least a dozen more.

"R-right," he meagerly agreed.

"So, we have a deal?" She asked, pulling away from him and speaking in a normal tone.

"Fine," Inuyasha growled, his mind reeling from how quickly she could just snap out of it while leaving him dangling over the edge of his restraint to claw his way back to something akin to normal and platonic even while his dick didn't get the fucking memo.


"Okay, how are we actually doing this?" Inuyasha asked, laying on the couch, staring up at the mundane ceiling, pretending not to be fixated on or hear the fabric as it caressed her skin, sliding along flesh he knew was soft and supple, as Kagome changed out of her bathing suit.

It had been surprisingly simple and refreshing how quickly both he and Kagome had fallen back into their usual roles after each realized that the other's actions were being manipulated by a dumb bet. Inuyasha no longer felt compelled to force distance between himself and Kagome, and Kagome was happy to have him at her side again. Though she still hit on him for appearance's sake, things felt less strained between them.

Still, nagging thoughts ate, individually, at the back of their minds.

Inuyasha had unceremoniously realized every time she touched him or whispered something in that thrilling, racy tone that it was… fake. Even if it sounded more than real enough to haunt him, it pained him to think that he'd never actually get that from her unless it was coerced by Miroku and Sango's ridiculous antics.

Kagome, though a little relieved to have learned that he wasn't responding entirely as a result of his genuine aversion to her advances, wasn't entirely elated at their situation either. As much as she genuinely enjoyed touching him and whispering to him in that way that made his pupils blow out, now she had to wonder how much of his responses were sincere. It was… jarring and confusing to say the least.

"Do you not know how to flirt?" Kagome laughed from the other room, adjusting her bra before slipping into shorts and a tight top.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and shook his head, "I mean shouldn't we establish, I don't know, boundaries of some sort?" He could and pretty regularly had imagined their little side agreement going awry many times. As much as he would have loved for it to result in genuine "sexy time," a boner shrinking fear Inuyasha had was the thought that he'd incidentally cross a line that would cause irreparable harm in their friendship and that was not a chance he wanted to take.

Kagome walked out of the bedroom, hands on her hips with a single brow raised. "Why?"

He sneered, sitting up to face her and totally not staring at the red lace bra that was completely visible through her thin, white shirt. "I don't know what you're comfortable with!" Inuyasha exclaimed, "it's not like there's a guide for not fucking up your friendship when attempting to fuck over your friends that are conspiring to get you and said friend in bed together!"

"So you want to know what my limits are… like… sexually?" Kagome giggled. He gave her a dry look, but her mind was already running rampant with thoughts. Unconsciously, she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, abruptly flipping through a variety of scenarios as she tried to think of things that he could do that would make her uncomfortable and/or that would be unwanted. The problem was, none of them were making her uncomfortable. Each one was… exciting.

Her mind ran wild with the prospect of all the things that he could do to her. Even if he couldn't use his hands… that hardly seemed like a problem as long as she got to hear him say dirty things in her ear with that heady, just-woke-up style rasp in his voice that she totally didn't think about when touching herself.

Inuyasha sat there, tensely waiting for her to respond, amber eyes glued to her as her own gaze hardened and she bit down on her bottom lip dragging his gaze downward right before his nose twitched, catching the subtle shift in her scent from its normal sugary sweetness to something with more… spice. A kick that had a deep, rumbling growl forming in the base of his chest.

"K-kagome!" He coughed out.

"Hmm?" She murmured, suddenly remembering that she was in the room with him and that he had been trying to have a conversation with her.

"Boundaries. What are they?" He growled.

"I don't think we need to establish any, unless… you have some in mind? After all… I'm the one that has to do all the…" she paused, trying to think of a more delicate way to phrase the impending groping she was anticipating, planning, and looking forward to. "Touching," Kagome finally settled on.

He swallowed hard, forcing his eyes closed and trying not to let himself get too excited at the prospect of her hands all over him. "Uh, don't… don't touch my…"

"Pecker?" Kagome snorted. "Joystick? Meat sword?"

"Stop," he growled shaking his head and looking away from her. "But yeah… let's… let's leave that off the table, 'kay?"

"Sure thing. No fondling the family jewels," Kagome teased. "Alright, now that we have ground rules established, shall we go put on a show?"

"I guess," he groaned, lifting himself off the couch, briefly contemplating making a quick stop at a local church to pray for a speedy death, as he walked up to her by the door. Inuyasha put effort into taking long, deep breaths, noting that the provocative heat in her aroma hadn't dissipated entirely but was still edging into her scent. He wanted to smash his face into that scent over and over but instead chewed on the inside of his cheek, standing behind Kagome waiting for her to get a goddam move on. He needed air.

"Oh, wait!" Kagome exclaimed, stopping abruptly and turning, practically crashing into him.

"What?" He bemoaned, leaning down to look at her, hyper-aware of the lack of space - and air - between them.

"I need to know about the parameters of your bet," she asked, cheeks flushing as she looked into his molten gaze.

"No hands… I said that already." He responded, not unkindly, just bluntly.

"But like… hands are just… one… thing…"

"I'm not following," Inuyasha murmured, his head tilting to the side as her blush darkened into a delicious crimson color that was both adorable and delectable.

"Like… okay fine… no hands but… you have lips and-and there are other ways to-to reciprocate…" She dragged out the word, sapphire eyes dropping to the floor as she pulled at her fingers, before shyly flickering her gaze back up to his.

"Um…" He blinked rapidly, feeling a heat burn along his own cheeks. "Th-that was never discussed…"

"Okay," Kagome announced more forcefully than she needed to. "Then, you and Miroku need to flesh that out later, yes?"

"Probably," he mumbled, swallowing down the budding and exploding desire he suddenly had to show her exactly how he wanted to 'reciprocate' with his lips and other 'things.'

"Awesome," she squeaked, twirling on her heel to put some distance between them and tripping over her own feet to open the door. She laughed nervously, briefly looking up at him, gripping the handle on the door like it was all that stood between her and certain death, before exiting the hotel room, seeing both Miroku and Sango already standing by the elevator waiting for them.

"Ready for dinner?" Sango asked, mulberry eyes narrowing as she closely observed the noticeable blushes that painted both Kagome and Inuyasha's faces.

"Yup," Kagome smirked, sapphire gaze igniting into a thrilling flame as she looked back at Sango with nothing short of cheeky anticipation for the evening. "Let's go, because I'm famished," she replied in a breathy spell, running a hand down Inuyasha's arm while placing another directly over his heart.

Sango looked over Kagome quickly, confused and skeptical of the exhilarated richness in her voice that was uncharacteristic and surprising. Even on a good day with Hojo, Kagome had never spoken with such a robust excitement embedded into her tone.

Inuyasha swallowed thickly, waiting for either Sango or Miroku to hit the button for the elevator when neither did he reached around them and pressed it, hard, the tip of his clawed finger going white while he gulped down every terribly debaucherous idea forming in his head.

Miroku snorted, "this is going to be so fucking fun. I love Florida man."


Sango gaped, mulberry eyes wide, food hanging off her fork, hovering between her plate and mouth as Miroku whined next to her evidently upset that she was no longer assaulting him but was instead too fucking surprised to move. Everyone had been fine walking to the restaurant and even through appetizers, but once the cocktails starting emboldening Kagome it was… staggering how quickly the mood had shifted from playful banter to oh-my-god-I'm-trying-to-eat.

"Sango, it's rude to stare," Miroku teased, even though he had also been sneaking glances over at them.

Her mouth snapped shut, food still suspended in air, as Sango swallowed on air.

"You know, a picture will last longer," Miroku sneered jealously, sighing as he sat back in his seat next to her in the booth.

Though there was food in front of them, neither Kagome nor Inuyasha had touched anything after the appetizers. Despite her being "famished," Kagome hadn't so much as looked at the food the server had placed in front of her. She was entirely too busy and overly thankful for the booth that Sango had picked out. It had let her swing her legs over Inuyasha and press herself into him, one hand sifting through his hair while the other gripped onto his shirt, holding him as close to her as she could get him, speaking to him with her lips millimeters apart from his, eyes half-lidded and just non-stop giggles erupting as she murmured conversation points to him.

In truth, Kagome's entire body was on fire. Her heart was quaking in her chest and a deep-seated ache pooling in her belly, as she burned from the inside out. Kagome was terrified that he could feel the heat and prayed that if he could that he would attribute it to alcohol or the climate or something other than her very, very real inclination to never let him go.

It had been surprisingly easy and felt unbelievably right to be speaking to him like he held all the oxygen in the room, while Kagome ran her hand through his hair, occasionally twirling a small piece in her fingers while she blithely sucked on her bottom lip thriving on the way he would lean in ever-so-slightly more every time she did that.

Honestly, the only thing she was hungry for at that moment was his fucking touch. But… like the good little player he was, Inuyasha kept his hands firmly in his pockets. Though Kagome wasn't aware of the way he was digging his claws into his thighs to keep them at bay.

Inuyasha was actually, genuinely hungry, but he'd gladly starve to death to keep Kagome on him like that. He was a smidge impressed at how well Kagome seemed to play her role, internally screeching at how much he enjoyed her and fighting down the urge to scream because he wasn't sure how much of it was… fake. Her scent… surely that couldn't be faked, right? It was intoxicating and so much worse than it had been in the hotel because she was right fucking on top of him. It was so bad, her scent so heavy around him, that he couldn't even smell his food and he'd have to look down at the table occasionally just to remember that he'd ordered.

But those glances were brief, milliseconds he would berate himself for wasting on something as ridiculous as food when Kagome was right there looking wanton and sounding every bit as amorous as she fucking looked. If Inuyasha hadn't been hooked on her before, he definitely was now.

"Are you two even going to eat?" Snapped Sango.

"Hmm?" Kagome hummed, slowly, at an exaggeratedly unhurried pace, pulling her eyes off of Inuyasha to look at Sango. Her head tilted to the side, her hands, still on him, as she feigned a look of complete innocence. "What's up?"

"Food," Sango muttered, "some of us would like to leave at some point… and you haven't even touched your meal."

"Oh, I guess I haven't," Kagome giggled. "We can just wrap it to go though…"

"Awesome, then I'll call our server," Sango bemoaned.

"What's wrong?" Kagome purred, sapphire eyes dancing in unfettered amusement. "Not having fun?"

Sango flashed a fake grin, finally putting the morsel of food in her mouth and chewing it. Swallowing slowly, she responded. "I'm having a fabulous time," then began to drag her hand from Miroku's knee upward, ignoring the way his violet eyes exploded next to her.

"Good," Kagome murmured, turning back to Inuyasha, about to whisper something along the lines of how she wanted to taste every inch of him instead of whatever was on her plate, when her phone vibrated in her pocket, against his hip. "Oh," she jolted, bouncing and not expecting that.

"What the fuck was that?" Inuyasha asked, genuinely caught off guard.

"My phone," she mumbled, pulling her hands away and sliding off him to grab it.

"Wha-" Inuyasha definitely did not whimper as she swung her legs over, returning to a normal seating position, fishing out her phone.

"Sorry, it could be mom or Sota," Kagome answered, unlocking the screen.

"Who is it?" Miroku teased, noticing the scowl that formed on Inuyasha's face and the exaggerated manner in which he rolled his eyes after peering at her phone.

Kagome stared at the phone, a bemused and giddy smile breaking out while her fingers crisscrossed the screen.

"Doesn't look like your mother or Sota," Sango whispered, bending forward across the table, leveling her heavy stare at Kagome.

Kagome looked up, then narrowed her gaze back at Sango. "Don't worry about it."

"Something tells me you might have your appetite back now," Sango sneered, slowly leaning back. Her mulberry eyes spotted their server and she rose her hand, quickly asking for the check.

As they walked back to the hotel, Kagome's eyes remained glued to her phone, a playful smile dancing on her lips occasionally broken up by a snort or a small laugh. Sango walked between Inuyasha and Miroku, all three letting Kagome trail behind them, listening in silence as her bag of leftovers - otherwise known as her entire meal that she didn't touch - knocked occasionally against her leg while walking.

"Who's she texting?" Sango asked, looking up at Inuyasha who had been suspiciously quiet ever since Kagome had untangled herself from him.

"Koga," he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"The wolf demon with a body like Adonis?" Miroku jested, quickly finding that neither Sango nor Inuyasha responded kindly to his attempt at a joke. "Tough crowd," he muttered, turning his head and looking back at Kagome. She was clearly having fun with her text exchange, but it wasn't… Kagome didn't look at the phone the way she had looked at Inuyasha earlier. Sure, she looked excited and intrigued but she wasn't enamored.

"Is she going to spend the whole time texting him?" Sango asked quietly.

"I don't think so," Miroku commented, turning back to face forward. "He's new and shiny, she's momentarily intrigued. I think the more she talks to him though, the less she'll be compelled by his luster."

"He's a person… not a thing," Sango commented flatly.

"Yeah, Hojo was a person too, but his luster also faded."

"After like two years," Sango responded, waving a hand in the air and rolling her eyes.

Miroku chuckled, "please Kagome was over him before that, but he was nice and treated her well. Took her a while to realize that it was okay to end things solely because she didn't want to date him any longer. She learned that lesson. Koga will show her a good time, probably some rough, wild sex, and she'll be back."

"Can we not," hissed Inuyasha, growling and tightening his arms over his chest in overt irritation, "talk about Kagome having sex with him?"

Miroku pursed his lips into a fine line rolling his head on his shoulders until his gaze met Sango's who looked just as frustrated as Inuyasha.

Sure, she had been a little… surprised by how intimate Kagome and Inuyasha had been at dinner, but now Sango was regretting making her comments because meeting and texting a different demon was not part of the goddam plan! Kagome was supposed to be flirting with Inuyasha! She was supposed to be seeing what Sango had to watch in gross, overly close proximity! Kagome was supposed to see that Inuyasha looked at her with nothing less than a desire to give her his entire life, soul, heart, body, and fucking breath! That he pined for her just as much as she did for him! It was supposed to be fucking obvious!

'But noooo,' Sango thought bitterly, looking back at Kagome briefly and growling at the way Kagome's face lit up every time a reply flashed across her screen, 'she had to go and text Koga.'

"Yeah, I agree with Inuyasha, I would prefer not to think of her and Koga together," Sango grumbled.

Inuyasha snorted, shaking his head. 'At least at this rate… Kagome and I definitely won't lose the fucking bets.'


The giggling and incessant smiles didn't stop once they reached the hotel room. Kagome shoved her food into the fridge and plopped down on the couch, totally and completely absorbed in her phone.

Inuyasha's entire body itched. It was a strange and very unwelcome sensation, but the idea of her going out with Koga, of-of being close to the wolf the way she had been with him at dinner was causing a very real, very visceral, physical reaction. He hated it with every fiber of his goddam being. Inuyasha wanted her pressed against him, her soft skin and tantalizing touch branding him with her affection. He wanted that scent of hers that slowly corroded his willpower and sanity to fill his nostrils until he fucking suffocated on it.

Instead, it sat in the other room, her fingers tapping on the screen of her dumb phone in an annoying tip-tip-tip that had him growling and mere seconds from ripping his own ears off.

"Hey!" She called, suddenly standing in the doorway to their bedroom. "I'm going to go out for a bit. Gonna get some drinks with Koga."

To say that he rolled his eyes would not have done Inuyasha's reaction justice, as his entire body seemed to recoil with overt annoyance at her statement. "Seriously?" He sneered, watching her walk over to him, a single brow raised in question at what she deemed an overly dramatic response to her saying she was getting a drink.

"What's wrong?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest while standing before him.

"You're never going to win your stupid bet or stick it to Sango and Miroku if you're off fucking Koga," Inuyasha growled.

She sighed loudly, blue gaze dragging over him. He was tense, his whole body stiff and his stare was hard, but not heated. At least, not heated in a that-look-makes-me-wet-and-reckless way but heated more in a you're-a-fucking-idiot-and-so-is-he way that was slightly condescending and definitely displeased with her plans. "Is that what you're worried about? The bets?"

"Y-yeah," he stammered, blinking quickly still scowling at her watching as she smirked and leaned in toward him.

"Don't worry," she purred, whispering in his ear, her warm breath kissing the tips and making his entire body tingle with a carnal fever. "I'll be good. I won't compromise our pact."

Immediately after lighting his senses on fire, Kagome stood back up and sauntered out as if she hadn't just caused his brain to fucking melt with a mere whisper. He waited until he heard the front door shut before he released a loud, guttural groan and flopped backward onto his bed.

"She's definitely going to kill me," he whined, closing his eyes and attempting to think about Sesshomaru clipping his toenails or manscaping as a means of stopping the incessant racing of his heart and quell the hard-on that seemed to just perpetually be present whenever she entered his personal space.

A loud knock broke him out of his spiral of self-pity. He opened a single gold eye, looking through the doorway to the front door and just staring at the space. The only person he wanted to see walk back that way was Kagome, but she had a key card.

"Open up! Come on man!"

'Miroku…'

"What do you want?" Inuyasha replied, not so much as lifting his head off his bed.

He heard a heavy sigh from the other side of the door before Inuyasha felt his phone vibrate next to him. He shook his head but checked his text messages all the same. "Coming," Inuyasha called, rolling off his bed and grabbing his wallet and key card before opening the door.

"Awesome," Miroku exhaled, relieved.

"What, Sango feeling up all over you not the dream you expected it to be?" He sneered dryly, walking to the elevator with Miroku.

"It's certainly an unexpected twist in events," he murmured.

"That's the understatement of the fucking century," Inuyasha grumbled, watching the doors close as the elevator took them down. "Did you have a bar in mind?"

"Yeah, there's one across the street. I figured it was easy and looked cheap."

"What's Sango doing right now if you're coming out with me, specifically to avoid her?" Inuyasha asked, grinning at his friend. As they put distance between them and Sango, he could see the way Miroku's body was shedding a tension that hadn't been there at the start of their trip. His shoulders relaxed and his breathing became less shallow as if Sango's presence alone was inciting some hidden anxieties.

"I assume she'll hang out with Kagome," Miroku answered offhandedly, walking out as the elevator doors opened.

"Guess again," the half-demon grumbled, following Miroku through the lobby. "Kagome is out with Koga."

He turned briefly, raising an eyebrow while giving Inuyasha a once-over. It took all of two seconds for Miroku to see exactly how much Inuyasha disliked even just the concept of Kagome hanging out with Koga, let alone the reality that she was actually spending time with him. Inuyasha's gaze was narrowed as he looked out in front of him, glaring at nothing in particular, while his claws grated against his palms, a nervous tick that he did every time he was upset.

Miroku sighed, looking back to see where he was walking. "Well, then."

"Seriously, I mean, what does she even see in an arrogant prick like that?" He sneered, bringing his brows together and letting a clawed hand flick around in annoyance.

"Probably walking sex, honestly," commented Miroku, as he led the way toward the bar. "Tall, dark, and handsome."

"I thought she was into like fucking boring, rice cakes or some shit," he bemoaned, ignoring Miroku's semi-bored expression.

Walking up to the door and pausing before entering, Miroku turned to Inuyasha. "Why would you think that she's interested in rice cakes?"

"Hello?" He asked flatly, "because she dated Hojo for two years and he's the human equivalent of a rice cake."

Miroku frowned, "so… because he was nice to Kagome he's a rice cake?"

Inuyasha grunted as they took seats next to each other at the counter of the bar. He paused, trying to think of the best way to describe it. He had thought that comparing Hojo to a bland, safe food with no spice or zest for life would have made it pretty clear what Inuyasha thought Kagome was into; banal. Yeah, thinking that Hojo didn't have a zest for life probably was going too far, but what Inuyasha was trying to convey was that her relationship with him had lacked… something. Looking in from the outside, Inuyasha had felt that Hojo lacked a certain… substance or zeal. Like a rice cake!

Hojo was a great snack and there was nothing wrong with snacks! They just… they just weren't meals. They wouldn't fulfill you. They would tide you over until the next thing, but you never left a snack feeling satisfied.

Inuyasha couldn't put his finger on it. It wasn't the type of relationship he had thought she was interested in, not the type of guy he thought Kagome was interested in. However, when Kagome started going out with him, Inuyasha had merely begun to think that maybe he had been projecting on Kagome what he wanted her to like, which was him…

But telling all of that to Miroku was… too much of a mouthful and not really something he wanted to engage in.

"I just-I just didn't know she was into that!" He finally exclaimed.

"You didn't think… that… Kagome was into… men who… respect her?" Miroku asked, a small smirk forming as he watched one of his closest friends flounder and flail for words that made sense and didn't make him sound like an utter ass for not having been as supportive as he probably should have been for Kagome's relationship with Hojo.

"That's-that's not what I mean!" Inuyasha hissed.

"Why don't you explain to me the type of guy you think Kagome is looking for? Because… I see a few commonalities between the men that she's dated that I think you might be overlooking…"

"Such as what?" Scoffed Inuyasha as he angrily grabbed at a drink menu.

"Well, for starters… both Hojo and Koga were open about their feelings…"

Inuyasha pressed his lips into a fine line, glaring above the cocktail list for a moment before bringing his gaze to Miroku. "Fine," he ground out. "I may… have… a small… almost non-existent crush… on Kagome."

A knowing, cocky, smirk that was almost worse than death formed on Miroku's face as he placed his hand on his friend's back. "Awesome, so… let's talk about this bet… because… I think we need to… modify some terms."

"Nope!" Inuyasha exclaimed, putting down the menu abruptly and grinning cockily back at Miroku. "No way. We are not re-negotiating now!"

"Why not?" He pouted, "you like Kagome and you're going to tell her-"

"No, I'm fucking not!" He barked in alarm. "Are you joking?! She's literally on a date with another guy!"

"Yeah because she doesn't know you're an option!" Miroku felt like he was going to pop a blood vessel as he spoke to Inuyasha. He had been proud of his friend finally admitting out loud his feelings for Kagome. He had thought they were making progress!

"Even if that is true, no. We made a bet," growled Inuyasha. "But… we do need to… clarify… some of the terms."

"I'm listening…" Miroku murmured, leaning in toward his friend with a devious smile, utterly excited at the prospect of what he might be offering.

"The bet was 'hands off'…" Inuyasha began, swallowing down the blush he could feel beginning to heat his cheeks from beneath the surface.

"Yeah, and?"

"Just hands?" Inuyasha bit out, pointedly avoiding Miroku's gaze and the wicked grin he could feel his friend giving him.

Miroku's eyebrows rose, unabashedly impressed with the boldness of the request and the implications that followed. "I think…" He began, his smirk continuing to expand across his features, "I think the bet was really clear… hands… off."

"Understood," Inuyasha replied, gaze dropping back down to the cocktail menu.