Hey everyone! Welcome back!

Like I said in the last chapter, there will be no sexual assault in this story. I try to avoid it in all of my writing, and if it does happen, it's never in detail. Usually an implication or it happened in the past.

Anyway, on with the show!

Chapter 12: Hands Off My Girl

Man, what rotten luck.

Raeger slipped the keys back into his jeans pocket, running a hand through his hair. He was really counting on that shipment, and it was already two days late. He could manage, of course, but it was annoying.

More than that though, he needed an excuse to get away from Maya.

Not that he wanted to. As a matter of fact, he wanted quite the opposite. Today was the best date he'd ever had- Raeger was used to flirting, laughing, having fun, but he'd never been so comfortable with a woman before. Never so… happy. It took everything in him not to grab Maya and kiss her as hard as he could.

He needed a break, just a quick one, to get his thoughts together. Then he would be fine. He had to be.

Having accomplished what he said he would, Raeger made his way back to the door. Maya didn't look particularly happy about hanging out in an alley, so he didn't want to leave her there for longer than he had to.

She'd feel better when they were on their way home. The movie had been a spur of the moment decision, but Raeger was glad he made it. Normally, he hated leaving Maya's company. Right now? He'd do absolutely anything to spend more time with her.

He was falling, hard, and there was no denying that now.

Raeger shouldered the door open, schooling his features into his usual cheer, preparing a grand entrance speech, but the words turned to ash on his lips as he surveyed the scene in front of him.

At first, Raeger wasn't quite sure what he was seeing. Maya was there, of course, as he'd expected her to be. But there were tears streaming down her pale face, a scream on her red lips, and, most interestingly of all, a man pinning her to the wall of the alley.

There was a second, just one split second of shock, and then Raeger felt a rage like he'd never felt before bubble in his throat. Maya caught sight of him then, and her wild eyes blinked in what looked like relief as the man turned towards the sound of the door banging shut.

"What the fuck?" The man cursed. He was older, in his fifties at least, but he was wiry and strong. He shoved Maya away from him, sending her sprawling to the ground. Raeger lunged to catch her, only managing to grab her hand before her knees collided with the pavement. She cried out in pain, her fingernails digging into the skin of Raeger's outstretched hand.

Raeger saw her scarf in a dirty puddle, her teal clutch thrown against the opposite wall.

Her sweater askew.

As calmly as he could, he helped Maya to her feet. Gingerly, every movement slow and deliberate, taking care to position her as far out of harm's way as he could, planting himself directly between her and the man. Once she had her balance, Raeger turned.

He hadn't meant to punch him. Not at first, anyway, but the quiet whimpering that was coming from the woman behind him fueled a protective instinct so powerful that Raeger felt he had no choice. Before he could stop himself, his fist was crunching against the man's jaw.

"Fuck!" The man hollered, cradling his face between his two hands. "You little fucking-!"

Everything happened so fast after that. Raeger barrelled into the bastard, shoving him against the wall. The man tried to swing back, but Raeger was faster- or angrier, he wasn't quite sure- and instead of making contact, he only succeeded in knocking himself to the ground.

Maya cried out for them to stop, and if it wasn't for her panicked voice, Raeger wasn't sure he would've been able to. As it was, the fear in her hoarse cry reminded him that he had more important things to attend to- like getting her the fuck away from here.

Raeger stood, giving the man a hard kick as he tried to follow, and grabbed Maya's purse and scarf. He handed them to her, wrapping his arms securely around her shoulders, and led her out of the alley and back onto the street.

They walked a solid block before either of them spoke, Maya trying to quell her sniffles, Raeger trying to calm his fury.

"Wait," Maya hiccupped eventually, pulling Raeger to a stop. He brought up as soon as he heard her voice, almost like he'd forgotten she was there. He turned to her, took in her fearful expression, and pulled her into the fiercest hug he could.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured into her hair, rocking her gently in his embrace. "Maya I'm so sorry."

She shook her head against his chest, her hands pressed flat against his torso. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs as Raeger held her, his hands brushing soothingly through her hair.

"Thank you," Maya whispered, collecting herself as much as she could. "If you hadn't- I don't know what I would've- what he would've-"

"Hey," Raeger hushed, leaning back to look her in the eye. "It's ok. I would never have let anything-"

Except he did, didn't he?

Raeger bit back his words, an overwhelming guilt mixing with the adrenaline pumping through his veins.

None of this would've happened if Raeger hadn't left Maya alone to check on that stupid parcel. He shouldn't have left her there. He should've brought her inside. Fuck getting in trouble, nothing he avoided was worth putting Maya through-

"Raeger?"

He hadn't realised his eyes were closed. He forced them open, startled to find their faces much closer together than he'd thought they were. There was a moment of clarity, one that told Raeger that if he didn't do something, and do something right now, then he never would.

Raeger's lips crashed into Maya's taking her breath away in a startled gasp.

She wasn't sure why they were kissing, but it hardly mattered to her. Raeger tangled his fingers in her hair, securing her to him, and deepened the kiss with an aggressive tongue. Maya whimpered, wrapping her fingers in his jacket.

What happened? One moment she was frightened for her life, the next she was clinging desperately to her rescuer, and now they were kissing. If Raeger's mouth didn't taste so damn good, her head would be reeling.

All too soon, Raeger broke free of her, taking two overcompensatingly large steps backwards, nearly tripping into the road.

"Jesus," he cursed, pushing his hands through his thick hair. Both of their chests were heaving, the cold night air burning Maya's throat as she tried to catch her breath. "I- I'm so sorry, Maya, I-"

As her heart began to slow, Maya realised she'd been pressed firmly against the side of the building they were passing. She peeled herself away from the brick, her hair and the fabric of her sweater catching on the rough surface.

"I don't know what came over me," Raeger was mumbling, his hair standing wild atop his head. Maya was barely listening, her lips tingling with the remnants of the consuming kiss. "I didn't mean to- I was just so worked up when I saw him with you and I-"

He stopped again, feeling rage bubbling in his throat. Images of the scumbag with his hands on Maya's waist flooded his mind, making him see red. Raeger squeezed his eyes shut, his fists trembling.

He'd wanted to do so much more than hit the guy. Raeger had wanted to destroy him, make him suffer for the disgusting way he treated his girl. But that was just the problem, wasn't it? Maya wasn't Raeger's girl. And yet he'd acted like a football player on steroids in a seedy bar, picking a fight with the leering guy in the corner of the room. And then he'd kissed Maya, without asking her. Hell, he was no better than the fucker he'd just condemned.

Lost in his turmoil, Raeger started when Maya's palms found his cheeks. His eyes flew open, only to find her hovering mere inches from his face. A deep blush spread across his skin.

"Stop it," she whispered, her voice hoarse from screaming. Raeger swallowed another surge of anger. "It's okay."

Maya's gentle touch traced the line of his jaw to his hairline, her fingers tugging the sensitive strands on the back of his neck. Raeger sighed, his eyes closing again and giving into the soothing sensation just as she pressed her soft lips against his.

A quiet sound escaped the back of his throat, returning kiss after kiss as if she were his very life force. Maya pressed herself against Raeger's body, his arms encompassing her waist and securing her in his embrace. They kissed again and again, soft, gentle kisses that he began to feather over her neck and collarbone, stopping only when her breathing began to hitch.

"Are you alright?" He whispered, his lips hovering against the flushed skin of her neck. Maya nodded, her hands sliding down Raeger's chest and gripping his jacket once again. Her heart was pounding nearly as loudly as his.

"Thank Christ," he sighed, releasing the valve on the breath he'd been holding. His shoulders were tensed with a possessive anger that scared him, but he felt himself relaxing the longer he held Maya in his arms. She was here. She was safe.

"Take me home, please?" Maya asked quietly, trying to calm herself. Raeger's kiss lingered, much like it had the last time they'd kissed so passionately. She was having trouble clearing her head, but she knew one thing. All Maya wanted was to be in Raeger's room, wrapped in his embrace- it didn't matter what they were doing. She just wanted to be close to him.

"Of course," Raeger nodded, pulling away from Maya at last. It nearly hurt him to do so, but he needed to adjust his hold on her while they walked. There was no way in hell he was letting her out of his sight until they were safely back home.

.

"Do you want anything before I lie down?"

Raeger folded Maya's scarf gingerly over the recliner in the corner of his bedroom. He'd been on edge since they left the city, every muscle and nerve in his body taut and sore. Maya hadn't fared much better- she was shaking the entire walk home, and now she curled herself into a ball on his bed.

She shook her head in answer to his question, rubbing her knee with her palm.

"Want me to look at it?" Raeger offered, nodding to her leg. Again, Maya shook her head.

Raeger's heart thumped. He felt like more than a fish out of water- like a fish out of water who'd been asked to drive a transport truck. He had no idea what to do, what he could do. He wanted to help, that much was clear, but… how?

Maya's shoulders shuddered, and it was like a light bulb went on in his head.

Raeger made his way over to the bed and sat beside her, pulling his shoes off with as much care as he could. Maya watched him, almost emotionlessly, as he arranged the bed to his liking. When he was satisfied, he laid back against the pillows and held his arms open to her.

She fell against him almost immediately, and Raeger smiled. He'd finally done something right.

Maya buried herself in his embrace, her face nestled in the crook of his neck. Raeger wound his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him. Should he say something? Words of encouragement? Of comfort? He peered down at her quizzically. No, nothing at all was probably better.

They stayed like that for a long time, long enough that Raeger's leg started to fall asleep. He didn't want to move though. Maya had stopped shaking, and he wasn't about to ruin it for the sake of his own comfort.

"Raeger?"

Maya's soft voice caught him off guard. He tilted his chin down a bit too quickly and came nose to nose with her, her glossy eyes blinking back at him in surprise.

"Sorry," he murmured, a quiver in his throat. Being this close, he couldn't help but remember the taste of her, the way her touch brought his body to life. It would be so easy to kiss her again; so, so damn easy…

His lips brushed hers almost lazily. Not quite a kiss, just a light caress. Raeger's heart jolted- he hadn't meant to do that- but Maya didn't pull away. Her eyes darted from his to their touching lips, and then she kissed him back.

It was a gentle kiss, not much more than a chaste peck, but it was so much heavier than that. Raeger ventured another, deeper this time, and harder. Maya responded in kind, and soon they were beginning to trail their hands over one another, neither bothering to stop and think about what they were doing.

Until, that is, one of them did.

"This… uh," Raeger swallowed, his fingers absently toying with her curls. They fell against his skin like angel wings, tickling him in the most delightful way. "This doesn't mean anything… does it?"

"No," Maya answered too quickly, hating the dismissal but afraid to ruin the moment. "No, it doesn't."

"Okay," Raeger nodded, the answer both relieving him and forming a knot in his stomach. He forced himself not to think too hard, pulling Maya's lips back to his in a sweet, lingering kiss.

A soft sigh escaped her throat as she leaned into him, all the tension her body melting away under his touch. Raeger's hands slid slowly down the curve of her spine, over her hips, resting just below the swell of her rear. Wherever his palms trailed they left a stream of tingling warmth, and Maya found herself tightening her grip on his jacket.

With a gentle push, Raeger rolled them, keeping his hands on the backs of Maya's thighs to steady her. She fit beneath him so damn perfectly- just small enough that he had to hold some of his own weight not to hurt her. She writhed against him, adjusting herself and getting comfortable as their breathing got faster and their kissing grew deeper.

It was suddenly too hot to keep his jacket on. Raeger leaned up just enough to shrug out of it, Maya leaning with him so as not to break their string of heated kisses. After a suspenseful minute his arms were free again, and his hands immediately went back to her skin, like a magnet.

She was so soft. He cursed under his breath, his palms finding her hips and working their way down the smooth fabric of her jeans. He had no idea what the hell he was doing, but it didn't matter for now. Her kiss was sweet and intoxicating, and her body was warm and alive and sparking beneath his fingertips.

Their kiss broke so they could both catch their breath, Raeger's mouth inching slowly down the slope of Maya's neck, settling in the hollow above her collarbone. A soft gasp met his ears as he began to suckle, praying that he could make her do that again.

"Raeger," Maya sighed breathily, her fingers tangling in his hair. She let her head fall back against his pillow, revelling in the sensations coursing through her body. This wasn't like the drunken time they'd almost had sex- heated, desperate, sudden. No, this was gentle, loving, and slow, comforting in ways she never thought physical touch could be before.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Raeger mumbled, reluctant to take his lips away from her skin. His right palm found the back of her thigh again, coaxing it up and over his hip, settling himself between her legs in the closest way he could manage. She molded to him, raising her hips to meet his in a gentle thrust. Raeger groaned.

"How far are we going?" She asked, tracing delicate patterns across his flushed skin. Raeger thought about it for a moment; he wanted nothing more than to go all the way- he'd never been this close with her before- but something made him pause. Would that be best? Not just for him, but for Maya too?

"How far do you want to go?" He asked instead, his lips now pressed against her ear. Maya shuddered, feeling a wave of desire wash over her.

"How far do I want to go or how far do I think we should go?" She fired back, fighting the urge to grind herself against the growing stiffness in Raeger's jeans.

"Are they two different answers?" Maya felt Raeger's smirk against her skin, flushing as she pictured what kind of thoughts must be running through his mind.

With all the strength she could muster, Maya placed her palm against Raeger's cheek and guided his face back to hers.

"I like it when you kiss me," she whispered honestly, satisfied when her confession resulted in him doing just that. Raeger's tongue caressed hers, muddling her thoughts and lighting a fire under her skin.

"Then I'll kiss you," Raeger promised, his words muffled by the action, "until you tell me to stop."

Maya was reminded again of the last time they did this, the night of Raeger's party. He'd said something similar to her then, promising to hold her close throughout the night, never letting her go until she told him to. At the time, she hadn't taken him seriously. Now…

His hips pushed into her, involuntarily she guessed, as a startled moan escaped her throat. She could feel his want for her pulsating between her thighs, and the need to rub herself against it almost overtook her completely. Raeger sensed her hesitation though, and pulled his hips back.

"Maybe that's a bit too much for right now?" He smiled, pushing Maya's hair away from her face. She nodded, her lips swollen from kissing, her eyes hooded with arousal. Raeger's stomach tightened; he wanted her so damn badly, but he knew it wasn't right. They were both still a little uncertain, and the last thing he wanted was for Maya to look back on their time together as a mistake.

But he couldn't resist just one last brush of their lips.

Raeger poured everything he could into that kiss- every thought that was coursing through his mind, every feeling he had for her, everything he wanted.

Please don't regret this.

You're so beautiful.

I need you so much.

I wanted this night to last forever.

Please don't pull away from me.

You mean so much to me.

Please.

"I love you," Raeger whispered against her lips, fear gripping his heart as soon as the words left him. Maya didn't react, and he soon realised that he'd been too quiet, the sentiment coming out as only a faint murmur in a string of heated breaths.

"I should go cool off," he said instead, finally pulling himself away from Maya. She nodded, agreeing that was a good idea, and volunteering herself to do the same in the second bathroom downstairs.

"No," Raeger smiled, "you take mine. I'll go downstairs."

Maya wanted to argue, but her emotions were in such a state that she didn't know what to say so she simply accepted his proposal and disappeared into the small room.

When the door locked behind her, it hit her all at once what they'd just done.

"Oh God," Maya groaned, burying her face in her hands. What the hell was she thinking? The night had escalated so fast- the kiss in the city, and then back here at the restaurant, and then they were on the bed, and everything felt so good and so right and-

Where did she go wrong? Or did she go wrong? She loved Raeger, she knew that now without a shadow of a doubt, and maybe this little episode meant there was hope for them yet. Maybe this didn't have to mean nothing, maybe it could mean something.

And if it didn't? Would she be ok with that?

Maya thought back to how she'd felt while they were entangled with each other, how she'd felt being caught in Raeger's embrace. She suddenly realised she was smiling, her heart just as warm and full as it had been moments ago.

Yes, she decided firmly, even if this meant nothing at all, she would be perfectly okay with that.

.

He wasn't sure exactly when she'd fallen asleep, but it was before he'd returned from the bathroom. Raeger had ascended the stairs to find Maya, having borrowed a T-shirt of his and a pair of loose boxers, curled snugly in his bed. It was the cutest damn thing he'd ever seen.

Not quite tired himself, Raeger slipped into bed beside her and turned on the TV. He wasn't watching it really, just giving himself some time to process what had happened tonight. He wasn't planning on doing what they did, it just sort of… started. But he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

Being with Maya felt better than anything else he'd ever done. They fit together like perfect puzzle pieces, and he prayed that he wasn't the only one who felt that way. Maya hadn't seemed upset when he left, and she certainly didn't feel the urge to turn tail and run, so that had to be a good sign, right?

Raeger smiled to himself, fighting the residual fear hovering at the back of his mind and instead pawing for the remote while trying not to disturb his slumbering friend.

Raeger's mouth twisted into a dissatisfied frown. Thinking of Maya as only his friend felt wrong. He couldn't begin to guess what they actually were, but 'platonic' was becoming increasingly harder to argue for, especially after tonight.

His fingers grasped the remote- which had slipped under the bed- and Raeger turned the television off. In the newly blackened room, Raeger struggled for his eyes to adjust until he could make out the faint outline of Maya's peaceful features in the dark.

The frown on his face quickly faded, replaced with a fond smile. Her fingers were caught in his shirt, clinging to him, with her nose pressed tightly against his chest. Raeger found himself wishing morning would never come, so they could stay like this as long as they wanted.

Collecting Maya securely in his embrace, Raeger attempted to relax his racing heart enough to sleep. More and more he was afraid that Maya would notice how quickly his heart pounded when she was close to him, but to his knowledge she hadn't yet.

Raeger was in love with his best friend. If he didn't know it before, which he did, then the feelings that coursed through him tonight proved it. The thought bothered him, maybe more than it should've. He wasn't opposed to falling in love, after all. It was new, and he didn't expect it to happen so soon, but he'd always pictured falling hard for someone one day, falling hard enough to make an honest man out of him. He only wished it was with someone that actually loved him back.

But, didn't she? She certainly acted like she did. Maybe-

Raeger sighed, stealing one more glance at Maya's face. The corners of her lips were upturned in a soft smile, giving her the impression of a sleeping angel.

And just as quickly as it came, the hope in his heart died. Maya twitched in her sleep, maybe dreaming, maybe not, but the brief scrunch of her nose triggered a memory in him. His mind flashed to another expression on her face, one far less sweet.

He remembered her face when he said Iris's name.

He remembered her face on the morning of Eda's passing.

He remembered her face when he rejected her.

He remembered her face in the alley.

Raeger remembered each and every ounce of pain he'd seen in Maya's eyes, and each and every time, he'd been at the root.

His heart jumped into his throat. Raeger caused Maya nothing but pain; he hurt her so much, so many times. Why did he think he could be a good boyfriend? Why did he think he could make her happy? He'd done everything but.

The blood chilled in his veins. After everything- everything that happened between them- Raeger could never deserve Maya's love. He was too inexperienced, too afraid. He didn't trust himself, and if he couldn't trust himself, how could he ask Maya to?

The simple answer? He couldn't.

Raeger's nose began to sting. He fought it back, burying his face in the sweet scent of Maya's hair. If this was the last time he could hold her like this, he'd have to savour it. He could never abandon her, would never abandon her, but it was about time he stepped aside and let Maya be happy- truly happy- with someone who could give her the world.

He never should've pushed her away from Klaus.

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