A/N: Hey guys! REAL quick - I uploaded a few pictures of our time at Phoenix Comicon FanFest over on my Instagram (username Vyntastic) - go check it out! :D

Since views seem to be coming in a little bit slower than normal (always happens around the holidays, I understand xD) I think I'm going to be uploading this 'scene' (which rolls over into the next two chapters) slower than what I anticipated. I WAS previously going to upload the last chapter, this chapter, and the next two chapters all at once, so you guys had the whole scene in one piece, but... I figured I'd take it a bit slower. I'll likely upload the next chapter tomorrow, depending on if you guys enjoy this scene a buttload or not.

But for now, I must warn you guys that the rating for this story is now changed to M...

Enjoyyyy~

Song Listened To : Let It Breathe - Treasure Town

*Chapter 134*

Tessa raised her eyebrows, though as if she was quietly scheming just what she had gotten herself into, she almost tried to backtrack and make Zed believe she didn't really call his name to lure him deeper into the room. She set an almost defensive look of coy in his direction, as if she desperately was attempting to change her mind about this silent ballet they partook in, though she was surprised to suddenly see Zed accept her challenge and, ever so gently, take one small step deeper into the room. Tessa froze and felt a sense of nervous goosebumps plague her entire existence; she wasn't sure whether or not it was because she was totally exposed to the cool room, or the fact that she was nearly totally exposed to someone she had been dying to hand her soul over to, for months now. Though this moment was something she had replayed a billion times over now, the fact that it was very slowly being revealed for her, she almost didn't want it, purely out of nervousness, a painful anxiousness for not knowing totally what to expect.

Zed honed his whole entire attention to her and, as if this was purely an art that needed years of study, he attempted to master reading Tessa's cues in the small minutes they had of this rare situation. He knew he was completely flying blind, though he pushed his nervousness away and dared to take yet a second step closer to her. The closer he got, the more nervous she looked, though he was delighted that she was attempting to make it clear that, despite looking near terrified, her body language that faced him head on, was still welcoming. He tread lightly, however, and wondered just when he needed to retreat, he exhaled a faltered breath and desperately looked for the tiniest change in attitude, so not to hurt her feelings or seem pushy towards something she wasn't ready for.

He furrowed his eyebrows as his steps became more confident, though they still held the molasses pace he had been going. He tilted his head, just barely, and was totally taken aback by this new aura she was releasing into the atmosphere, as if she was quietly telling him to not come any closer, though at the same time, her heart screamed at him to end all their worries, all their questions, right now. Once he was finally within arms reach of her, he realized just how real all of this was. He knew, from here on out, he was going to have to be extremely, painfully patient if he were to win over the heart of the princess. The way her nervous hands drew tighter up her chest, to cover herself up more, he glued his eyes to her and almost squinted, as if to question if this coy display of 'don't touch me' was a genuine concern of hers, or potentially just a trembling worry he could finally put to rest.

He held eye contact with Tessa, as if she could somehow telepathically tell him just what she wanted. He knew women were a mystery, always trying to get you to guess what they wanted, though he had no clue it ran this deep. He felt as if he was suddenly placed in a country where the natives didn't speak his language, as if he had to now find his way around simply by looking and learning. As tenderly as he could, be budged into her bubble and relaxed. He peered down at her, through the softest gaze he could muster. He almost wished he had a white flag he could wave around, to show her that he was indeed surrendering, in hopes of her finding her white flag and dusting it off, as well. He just barely cocked an eyebrow and dared to give her the smallest of smiles, a daring smirk, as if to wonder if he could potentially pursue her further, though his heart nearly pulsed a third beat as her voice suddenly pierced their honey sweet silence.

"Don't tell me," Tessa said just above a whisper, a smile finally graced her freckle-kissed cheeks. She wrinkled her nose, shook her head and glanced at Zed's strong, broad, masculine bare shoulders, "There's... There's one dance you forgot to teach me?"

Zed finally gave her a full smile, one of bashful knowing, though he also gave her a look of surprised delight and, so not to make this situation all about her nervousness for said, unfolding situation, he humbly closed his eyes and dared to let his hands outreach to her.

"Pretty sure you could teach me a thing or two, this time around," Zed's deep voice glossed over her, his hot breath coated her cheeks, though just as she noticed him reaching for her, her girly display of unfolding charm began to lightly tuck away again, as if even the snail-like pace he was going was too quick for her.

Zed raised his eyebrows in growing surprise and froze his hands, the backs of his tender knuckles held to the tips of her fingers, as well as the soft fabrics of the blanket that was squished to her body. He swallowed hard and knew he had to somehow win this battle. He knew she was merely toying with him, for the sake of her nervousness. He had to keep reminding himself that, if she were genuinely uncomfortable, she would have definitely made it known by now. He knew she was the ultimate master at playing hard to get, and that he was quick to feel uneasy, throw in the towel and hope for better luck next time, though he knew, if the two were going to get anything settled, once and for all, he had to show his dominance a little harder. His eyes glossed her bare shoulders and collar, just past her twinkling eyes in his peripheral; he could swear she was silently asking, over and over, just what he was going to do next, as if she was going to take note of every inhale and exhale.

"Y'remember, that one time..." Zed started as he continued to keep his eyes glued down to her shoulders, he just barely squinted as he continued on with his politely sarcastic notion, "... We... made the ultimate game jump?"

Tessa raised her eyebrows and, though she just barely opened her mouth to reply, she suddenly realized that all of the above was rhetorical. She finally exhaled a faltered breath and glanced at Zed's mouth. His strong, bare chest expanded softly as he began to continue on.

"We came to a game that wasn't even ours?" Zed eased, though his eyes still continued to idly scan her beautiful skin; Tessa felt the heat rise higher and higher as his charming voice pressed on, "We did things that measly gamers would only dream of doing, back in the arcade.."

Tessa scrunched her fingers on the fluffy blanket, on her chest, though she felt her heart jump in an anxious dip of terror as Zed's hands ever so gently began to grapple for the blanket she hid behind. She could feel every vein, every artery, every single strand of existence in her fresh, new body practically shiver as he dared to begin to slide the blanket away from her beautiful bare body. She raised her eyebrows in growing, delirious surprise and, as much as she wanted to grip the blanket tighter and never let him into her bubble of ultimate secrecy, she somehow allowed him to freely slide the blanket out of her grip, albeit cautiously.

"We made sweet love into the dark hours of the morning," Zed's deep voice continued, though his eyes politely scanned Tessa's shoulders as he was nearly successful in swiping the blanket away from Tessa, for good; she remained frozen, as if she was now totally victim to his flawless display of taking her down in one foul swoop. She felt her head nearly swim as his deep voice croaked into delightful, silent darkness, "... Until we couldn't, any longer..."

Tessa nervously let her fingertips find Zed's bare chest as he, once and for all, let the blanket fall from her figure. He noticed her eyes hold solid to the tendons on his neck, the gnarly bruises that boasted just how much cruelty he'd take for her, and how much he'd endure for her love. She raised her eyebrows in cold nervousness as she could practically feel Zed's eyes scan her gorgeous body, once and for all. As much as she wanted to run away, hide in shyness, she cocked an eyebrow and suddenly felt as if camaraderie was now a thing they had achieved at the same time, and he, too, was hiding behind a veil, as if now it was her turn to torture him; she kept her hands still though, for the time being.

"Where we were once opposed codes," Zed carried on, even though he was near certain he was about to fall backwards with how surprised he was, how taken aback this moment had made him feel. He felt his face get hot as he so desperately tried to hide the tremble in his voice, though he finally pierced his pleading gaze into Tessa's and furrowed his eyebrows in growing anticipation he was certain was bound to make the room explode. The two held contact for a second, though he pressed on as softly as he could, "The blood between us was the same, for one night..."

Tessa suddenly felt a wave of certainty come over her, though with that, she felt the back of her knees just barely buckle, as if she was holding more mental weight than she could even think about. She slumped into Zed's bare chest, with a gasp of a bashful noise, though Zed largely grappled his arms around her upper back and let her bare body come against his with much ease. He raised his eyebrows in growing surprise, though he kept his curious gaze to her, as if this whole entire process was something he had never even properly prepared himself for.

"Zed," Tessa urged quietly, with drained charm, as if to finally demand him to knock it off.

"Yeah?" Zed finally wondered, though his teeth showed through a bashful, elated smile that he was currently trying to keep under control.

"Yeah," Tessa pleaded through a sharp sigh.

Zed raised his eyebrows a little higher and froze, and even though he knew that one, desperate sigh was his ultimate cue to throw Tessa down and finish their wonderings, once and for all, he suddenly felt alien. He knew, somehow, the two always got interrupted, wherever they were, no matter what motive they had for their delirious squirmings. He could practically feel the veins in his neck pulse harder and harder, though just as he could feel Tessa's nervous, needy hands slip into the tip top of the fluffy towel, that hugged his hips, he bit his bottom lip in determination and finally felt purpose rush to his muscles. As quickly as he could, without startling her, he gripped Tessa's upper arms and pushed her back towards the bed. With half of his effort to push her back, and half of her effort to catch herself on her elbows and bend her knees, so to close her legs, Zed quickly pushed onto the fluffy bed with her.

Tessa gasped and took one solid scoot backwards, closer to the headboard, though she was floored to feel Zed push closer onto her. She could suddenly feel the weight of this important act as his attitude slowly slipped from unsure, coy remarks, to tender, dominant, purposeful actions. She felt goosebumps riddle her legs as his strong, large hand slid up her lower leg, to her knee and finally to the side of her thigh. Before she could teasingly display that Zed would, indeed, have to invite himself to this mess, he gently let his strong knees find the bed underneath her thighs, and in doing so, he slid between her legs, once and for all. His heart nearly stopped altogether at the mere sight before him, something he was certain he'd have to wait for an eternity to have a front row seat to. As if he could hardly believe it, he began to lean his head down to Tessa's center, and as if to show the utmost appreciation, he let his powerful hands find the small of her waist, and his soft kisses find the skin just under her belly button.

He exhaled hot, hard breath through his nose, onto her skin as he began to trail firm kisses up her center. His hands squeezed the dip of her small waist and, much to his delight, she arched her back and let her little hands grip his wrists. With a small, innocent giggle and a mess of hair dipped back into the downs underneath, she let her demeanor read of already pleased delight, as if to convey that he was well on his way to pushing all of the right buttons. With the squeeze of her hands on his wrists, he dared to squeeze her body a little harder and was floored to find that grippy hands was something she desired; something he dutifully noted. He almost relished this raw moment, the calm before the storm. He knew they'd let a tidal wave hit the room, though in the moments prior, he was excited to find out everything her secretive heart desired, through her innocent body language.

"I feel like I've waited for this moment my whole life," Tessa rushed through a soft exhale as she let her delirious gaze hit the ceiling, though she nearly giggled as she could feel Zed's hot breath trail kisses up her rib cage, between her breasts.

"I won't let you down," Zed's voice softly croaked, he could feel Tessa's left hand unwillingly let go of his right wrist, though he began to feel a shiver of cold nervousness fall down his spine as he reached for the towel that still tightly hugged his hips.

Zed finally began to push firmer, more needy kisses into the bones of her sternum and collar, he largely furrowed his eyebrows in growing, needy anguish and clumsily swiped the towel away from him once and for all. Tessa mumbled a small noise of brimming anxiousness, though she began to feel as if it were being pushed to pure restlessness, as if this slow paced show of parking lot donuts was getting old. She finally slid her hands to Zed's upper arms and squeezed his muscles in a draw of showing the ultimate amount of need. She patiently spread her legs a little wider, to welcome him a little bit more, though with one glance down in between them, she felt as if all of the air had left her lungs, and in the long, ogling glance she had of Zed's entirety, she suddenly began to worry if she was going to even survive this mess. She knew she was simply a house of shaky, flitting cards as he eased his firm kisses to her throat and onto her ear, though she was positive she was wholly doomed as he exhaled his conclusion onto the side of her head.

"I promise," He breathed; she could practically hear him grinning.

Tessa gasped a small noise, a plea, a worry, a question, she knew nothing coherent could possibly come to mind in this moment. With Zed's larger body caving in on her, she knew she had to somehow let her stubborn front come down, once and for all. As much as she wanted to believe she was still winning this game of cat and mouse, she didn't want to tell herself she had failed miserably. As if finally falling victim to all of Zed's hard work, she relaxed her spine and prepared herself for the nonsense. Through this mess, she was still floored to feel every single one of Zed's movements, words, grabs, and impending notions still hold just as much politeness as the next one. She wondered just how much his demeanor would change in the act of raw love, as such, though the fact that his warm and tender side still shone through the rugged, man handling throw around, had her secretly beaming to the ceiling.

Tessa firmly bit her bottom lip and felt her skin nearly unglue as he, with one hand, steadied their impending connection, though with his other hand, he tightly gripped the small of her waist, as if to somehow steady her, ease her worries and prepare her fragile soul all in one go. He grimaced as he finally began to slowly budge into her, once and for all, though his heart nearly jumped clear out of his chest as Tessa's figure practically went rigid. She arched her back slightly and grappled for Zed's wrist, in which was still mindfully gripping the inner curve of her waist. Zed coughed a small noise of stunned surprise and, as if to rightfully rush to her aid, he ever so gently let his upper body hang over hers, though his lower body finished the impending deed. Tessa inhaled a sharp breath through her grit teeth and scrunched her face in delightful agony. Once there was nowhere left to go, he rested his weight on his elbows, on either side of her arms, and tenderly pushed his forehead to hers, once and for all. Tessa's chest heaved just barely, she winced and, with firmly curled toes of pure, writhing delight, she spread her legs a little wider, as if she was previously certain Zed's under-compensating humility was just him being painfully polite.

Zed heaved a hard, shaky breath on her lips and let the two sit in this moment; he knew they needed it. He let his eyes lull closed as he took in every single raw feeling, every single muscle that gripped to him and begged him to stay. He felt an angry shiver travel his spine, as if to prep him for what is to come; he could practically feel every single blood vessel in her body surrender to him. He felt Tessa's center rise and fall in growing anticipation, as if she was possibly getting ahead of herself. Her nervous hands gripped the tops of his shoulders, as if to beg him to take it easy on her, as much as they wanted to just ravage each other. He remained frozen, as if to answer her reverse plea; every single one of her anxious commands, he knew he would obey no matter what. It wasn't until Tessa finally scoffed a small, bashful breath of a laugh did he let a smile surface his blushing cheeks as well. She lovingly held his jaws in both of her hands and kept him close.

"If you won't kill me with your coding, it'll definitely be something else," Tessa said through a few breaths that she tried to catch, though she was certain that by the end of this mess, she'd need resuscitation.

"Should we stop, then?" Zed croaked with a lingering smile as he began to share said smile with the hot skin on her neck. Tessa largely rolled her eyes and beamed. As much as she wanted to latch her arms around his neck, she refrained, so not to hurt his massive bruises.

"No," Tessa urged quietly, though with Zed's growing, sarcastic notions, she knew she had set herself up for the ultimate teasing.

"Well, would you just lookit this," Zed started through a hard laugh, though Tessa slapped her legs around the backs of his thighs, in hopes of keeping him trapped. She largely giggled and let her fingers grip the skin on his arms as he continued, "Can you believe it? All that additive is gone and I STILL love you!"

"Zed," Tessa bashfully laughed and, as much as she didn't want to admit that he was right, she let him have his fun. He remained solid still, though it was obvious the two were near the breaking point.

"Crazy, that someone can fall in love with you and, what's this?" Zed's voice was largely sarcastic, though he held true to his kind, matured, knowing smile, "Nothing can change it? Not even faulty programming? Wow, who woulda'thunk!"

"Zed, please," Tessa kindly urged through a bashful giggle as she just barely squirmed. She gripped his lower arms and gave him a knowing, pleading look of seduction.

"Hmm? What do you want?" Zed wondered as he largely gave her a playful look of pure confusion; he couldn't help but laugh along with her.

"Fine, you win, I get it... I believe you," Tessa loudly urged in his face, her cheeks were bruised with an overload of hot blood to her beaming, sunkissed face, "J-just, just... Give it to me, please!"

"Whatdoyah need?" Zed lazily wondered, though Tessa heaved a hard groan through an urgent giggle.

"You! I-I need you," Tessa's playful demeanor kindly sloped as she lovingly squeezed Zed's skin, "Zed, I love you..."

"I love you more," Zed dared as he glanced down at Tessa's neck, as if to prepare to soak her with more of his hot kisses.

"Prove it," Tessa snapped.