A/N: In case you guys haven't forgiven my absence yet, here's a DOUBLE POSTING. SURPRISE! Well. Not really, if you follow me on Tumblr (cough cough, hint hint lol) but still SURPRISE! Lol.

Thanks again for reading! Muah!

Chapter 8

A soft grunt in her ear roused her just as the sun filtered in through the large picture window in the room. Emma was warm, even though it appeared she'd kicked off the blanket sometime in the middle of the night. She didn't feel overwarm, which was an unexpected relief in the fairly hot summer they had been having. She went to snuggle back into her pillow and fall back asleep for another hour or so, when she felt something solid moving behind her, a steady push and pull, almost like… breathing? Emma stiffened slightly and a weight she hadn't noticed until now across her waist tightened around her before relaxing again.

She wasn't sure when it had happened, but the pillow barrier that Killian had laid out had disappeared to who knows where and he was now pressed directly against her back, arm slid under her baggy t-shirt to rest on the bare skin of her stomach. If the steady rhythm of his breathing was anything to go by, Killian was fast asleep and Emma, in what she would later chalk up to a sleep-addled moment of weakness, decided to revel in the feeling of just being held.

Neal was rarely physically affectionate with her, outside of when he wanted in her pants. There was no cuddling, no hand holding, none of that towards the end. Sure, it had been there at first, but nowhere near the level that Killian was affectionate with her in the short time since they had begun their arrangement. It was… nice. She hadn't known she was a cuddler until this very moment. But the way, his breath tickled the hair at the back of her neck, how his hairy legs tangled with her soft and smooth where their pant legs had ridden up, the rise and fall of his firm chest at her back, the insistent arousal pressed into her backside… wait, what? Well it was nice until that.

She should have moved. She should have disentangled herself from him and left the room. But she wasn't quite ready to give the fantasy up. So, she snuggled back into his embrace carefully, as if done in her sleep - just in case - and gave in to the moment. What would it be like to wake up every morning like this? Wrapped safe and loved in someone's arms? The empty spot inside her heart where loneliness had taken up residence for so long felt like it was getting smaller and smaller. Killian sighed and snuggled closer to her in his sleep, unconsciously burying his face into her hair and another part of his anatomy further into her rear.

Emma bit her lip, her hips moving back against his automatically in response and drawing a low rumble from his chest. His arm tightened around her middle and his hips rocked forward slightly again. The thin cotton fabric of his pajama bottoms did very little to hide the impressive size of the erection that was now twitching against her through their layers. She really needed to get out of this bed.

She tried to rock away from him, but that only further pressed her backside into his hips and he let out a quiet groan this time from parted lips.

"Emma," his voice growled from behind her, shocking her still. A snort and a sigh a moment later confirmed that he was still asleep. But why would he say her name? Was he dreaming about her? Emma decided that if she stayed in bed a moment longer, she was really going to be getting her money's worth and she needed to leave. Now. Whether it woke him or not. She rolled away from Killian, throwing her legs on the floor and standing up more gracefully than she knew she was capable of. Unfortunately, it still wasn't as graceful as she would have liked because Killian was now awake as well.

"Emma?" His voice was thick with sleep still as he popped his head up and rubbed his eye, squinting at her with the other.

"Uh, bathroom," she made the excuse and fled the room before he could realize why she was really leaving. Later, she would just tell him that Henry got up early, which he would, he always did at these things, and that's why she didn't return. That would work. But first, she really did need the bathroom.

She headed downstairs after handling her business to hear laughter coming from the kitchen. She checked the large grandfather clock in the living room for the time on her way through the great room and scowled at what she saw. 7:15 am. Too ungodly early for anyone to be awake, let alone laughing in the kitchen, on vacation.

But it was Mary Margaret and David, who were used to being up with the birds as a teacher and ranch owners. Circadian rhythm was a hard thing to break. They didn't seem to mind. Henry and Leo were up already, sitting at the table playing with Hot Wheels over the placemats so they didn't scratch the rustic wood table. Mary Margaret was pouring them both orange juice and David was standing at the stove, dish towel flung over his shoulder, making pancakes.

"Mornin'," Emma said as she came into the room.

"Good morning, Emma!" Mary Margaret chirped as she turned to place the pitcher of juice on the center island. "Did you sleep well?" She smiled at her knowingly and Emma blushed, thinking of the state she'd left Killian in. Thankfully, David was more than happy to butt in.

"Pancakes? Who wants pancakes? I'm making pancakes!" he blurted, cutting off his wife's train of thought. Emma smirked and made her way over to her son and nephew.

"Say 'pancakes' again," Emma teased and David gave her an embarrassed half smile. She turned her attention to the small boys at the table, kissing them each on top of the head. "Good morning, boys."

"Morning, Mom!"

"G'morning, Aunt Emma!"

They both spoke at the same time, Henry hugging her arm fiercely from his seat before releasing her and going back to playing with their race cars. Emma took her seat and Mary Margaret slid a coffee cup in front of her, made just as she liked it, and took a seat with one of her own directly across from her.

"Good morning, all," Killian's voice rang out in the kitchen as he and Liam entered the room, both fully dressed in dark jeans and grey t-shirts, their outfits oddly almost coordinated except for the different shades of grey. Emma wondered briefly if they had planned it, and hid a smile in her coffee cup. "That smells amazing, Dave."

"Thanks. Secret family recipe," David replied with a hint of pride. The oven timer dinged and he opened it, unleashing the heavenly scent of bacon into the room.

"What's so funny?" Killian's voice was low in Emma's ear as he bent down to kiss her on her cheek. She forced herself not to react with anything but a smile, knowing Liam was watching. She hummed a noncommittal sound in response.

"Good morning, Emma," Liam said, the first words he had spoken since he walked into the room, taking Emma by surprise. Apparently, it had taken Killian by surprise as well, given his less than receptive behavior the day prior, and he quirked a brow at his brother as he sat himself next to Emma and put his arm over the back of her chair. Liam sat down next to Killian, giving her a tentative smile, and Emma realized this was him trying. She smiled a soft genuine smile back at him.

"Good morning, Liam, sleep well?" she asked and he nodded.

"Aye, quite well. That is possibly the most comfortable sofa bed I've ever slept on." He smiled at Mary Margaret next who beamed back at him. Mary Margaret launched into a detailed description of the couch brand and how they had had to replace the mattress not long ago. Liam was a good sport about it, listening and responding appropriately.

"What was that with Liam? Should I be jealous?" Killian said, his voice teasing, but his eyes simmering with heat.

"Are you?" Emma asked, looking up at him through her lashes and she heard his breath hitch at her tone. Where the hell did that come from?! She darted her eyes away and took another drink of her coffee, and involuntary hum of satisfaction working its way from her throat. Killian's tongue swiped out salaciously over his lip.

"Perhaps," he murmured, leaning in closer to her ear, sending goosebumps erupting over her skin. "You keep making those noises and I may end up in the same state you left me in this morning." Her breath caught in her throat.

A loud clatter was heard as David noisily dropped a plate of pancakes right in front of them, causing them and everyone at the table to jump.

"Sorry, slipped," David deadpanned, his eyes fixed to Killian, clearly disapproving of his proximity to his sister. Mary Margaret made a noise of irritation and followed her husband back around the table and past the island, him finishing the pancakes and her gathering plates and silverware for everyone.

"Hello," Elsa greeted, breaking the tension. A chorus of "good mornings" rang back at her and Liam stood abruptly, the wooden chair scraping roughly and noisily over the floor.

"Elsa. Good morning," he said anxiously, testing the waters to see if she was still cross with him. Killian chuckled under his breath.

"Looks like I have nothing to be jealous about, love," he whispered in Emma's ear again and Emma bit her lip to hide a smile at his brother's reaction.

"Good morning," she returned coolly, making her way to sit on the opposite end of the table from Liam across from the boys. She looked at Emma to see if everything was alright this morning and Emma smiled gently at her friend, Liam sinking back into his chair in the background.

"So, Liam, I hope you brought swimwear. After breakfast, we usually get ready to go out on the lake," Emma said pointedly to him, tearing his eyes from Elsa. Understanding blossomed in his eyes that she was extending the olive branch in front of her friend to assure her everything was okay.

"Aye, lass, I did. And I am sorry again about last night," he said genuinely, causing Killian to look down at her, brows furrowed in confusion.

"What happened last night?" he asked, now on edge. His concerned blue eyes looked between his brother and his… Emma. Emma nearly panicked when Elsa cleared her throat to speak.

"It was just a little misunderstanding, Killian. Protective big brother. They got it sorted," she said and both Emma and Liam visibly relaxed. Killian didn't. His head whipped around to his brother.

"What did you do?" he asked, a quiet angry undertone to his voice. Emma needed to distract him. She put a couple of fingers under his chin and pulled his gaze back to hers.

"Hey, it's fine. Liam loves you, he was just wary of the mystery girl you'd been hiding. We talked it out. It's okay, I promise." Her green eyes bored into his blue. He must have seen the honesty in her words because he nodded, and without thinking, Emma leaned her chin up to put a soft peck on his lips.

"Ewwwww," twin small voices said across the table, making the other adults in the room chuckle. Emma paled slightly, thinking about what she had just done. Not only had she initiated a kiss with Killian for the first time, she had done so in front of her son. She looked over at the two boys and they were already preoccupied with the plates being set in front of them by her sister-in-law, kiss forgotten. Emma breathed a sigh of relief until she looked back to Killian, who was still staring at her in wonder. They had kissed before, a couple of them much more intense than the little brush of the lips she had just done, but he looked at her like she had just presented him with the most rare and precious gift she could have ever given him. She could only smirk and shrug, feeling her face heat slightly and she looked back to where Mary Margaret was putting plates around the rest of the table. David joined them shortly thereafter with the rest of the food and they all ate in comfortable conversation about the day.

Ruby- and therefore Victor- didn't leave the room until nearly eleven. Ruby was ready to go, grabbing a cold pancake from the fridge and stuffing it in her mouth as she passed it, her hips swinging in the denim cutoffs she was sporting. Victor's eyes shamelessly roamed her body through the white mesh top she was wearing that barely concealed her red bikini top, making Emma want to cover Leo and Henry's eyes. Not at the way Ruby was dressed, it was just a bathing suit, but she hoped that she and her boyfriend could actually keep their clothes on the whole day. Shortly after breakfast, they had all gone to their separate rooms to change into their swimwear, Emma changing in the bathroom and Killian in the bedroom. Not because she was avoiding him, but because Henry needed her help. Sure, that was it. She didn't see the rest of the group again until they were all headed out the door, and even then, she didn't have time to look him over for long, because both the boys were out the door like a shot as soon as it opened, Mary Margaret and Emma chasing after them and calling them back for sunscreen before they got in the water.

Once the kids were secured in their water wings and slathered head to toe in the protective lotion, clad in their matching shark swim trunks, Mary Margaret stripped down to her modest floral printed one-piece and led them into the shallow water near the dock, she and David having been the only ones with the foresight to apply their sunblock before heading outside. Henry and Leo were both good swimmers, thankfully, and Mary Margaret was more than capable of handling them on her own for a moment while she did the same.

Emma settled the large beach blanket into place, Elsa and Ruby helping her tack it down with heavy rocks they found along the beach line, not that it was much of a beach. Nothing like the beaches Emma took Henry to on the ocean near Boston, but there was sand, a few rocks, and some greenery leading up to the water. The freshwater lake was crystal clear, blue water stretching for miles across. One of the perks about the cabin was that they had no neighbors for at least five miles in any direction, making this stretch of water almost completely their own. Every now and again, there would be a speedboat in the distance, some other people enjoying time on the lake as well, but no one came very close to them. It was very peaceful.

The men got to work unloading volleyball equipment, setting it up on a wide patch of sand not too close to the water but a little farther up the beach from the blanket. Killian and Liam still wore their grey t-shirts but they had changed into sandals and trunks, Killian's dark blue, reminding Emma of his eyes, and Liam's red, reminding her of Baywatch. She giggled to herself at the thought of the boys running in slow motion along the beach. David was clad in a plain white shirt and black and grey striped swim trunks of his own but Victor had already stripped down bare chested and wearing neon green swim trunks that made his peroxide tinted hair look even brighter in the sunshine. Once the poles and net were firmly secured, the men looked back to where the ladies were finishing setting up the blanket, umbrella, and cooler full of drinks. David turned red as a stop sign and immediately looked over to the water, before saying something Emma couldn't hear at that distance and making his way to Mary Margaret. The rest of the guys didn't even comment as he left, clearly distracted by something. Or rather, someone.

Emma looked back to where her friends were sitting behind her and Ruby had now stripped down to her swimsuit, the red top and black bottoms fitting her just enough not to be truly indecent in front of the children, and she was applying sunscreen, starting with her long tanned legs, then moving her hands up over her stomach and chest. Killian, Liam, and especially Victor, who was unashamedly tilting his head and biting his knuckles, looked like they could have been attacked by a bear at that moment and wouldn't have been able to stop looking. Emma felt hot jealousy curl in her belly, though she knew she had no right. She had no claim to Killian; he could look at whoever he pleased. She only hoped no one else noticed.

"Emma, can you get my back?" Ruby asked, holding out the tube of lotion and turning around on her knees, pulling her long brown hair over her shoulder. "I can get yours, Elsa, while she's doing mine."

"Oh great, thanks. I burn so damn easily," she grumbled and then stood, shimmying off her t-shirt and leggings to reveal a periwinkle blue halter top and royal blue boy short bottoms. Liam looked like he was going to spontaneously combust. The other two women seemed oblivious to the attention. Well, Ruby was probably used to it, but Elsa usually didn't know when a guy was staring at her, or even hitting on her, until he was asking her out, and she almost always turned the date down because she was so busy with school. Victor clapped Liam on the back and laughed, and Liam looked back to the volleyball net, testing its elasticity, but still watching the women over his shoulder. Emma caught Killian's gaze, his eyes regarding her expectantly. Emma felt a smile creep up her face and she felt like the Grinch who stole Christmas when he got his wonderful, awful idea.

"Give me just a second, Rubes," Emma said and stood, stripping off the white terrycloth wrap she had been wearing over her swimsuit. Killian's eyes tracked the cloth as it fell, revealing the burgundy two piece she was wearing. The top was ruffled, tube top style, ending just at the bottom of her bust, held in place by two thin spaghetti straps, and the bottoms had vertical stripes on them, elliptical cut outs accentuating her hips. Emma was proud of her body. Sure, there were a few silvery lines around her hips and lower belly from when she had carried Henry, but nothing too noticeable. Her tummy was soft but flat, her breasts were full, she had curves in all the right places; objectively, she thought she looked pretty good.

Killian seemed to agree, perhaps a little more so than she herself even, judging by the way his jaw slowly dropped into an open mouthed smile, his thumb coming up to rub at the scruff under his bottom lip. Emma smirked when she saw his expression, exactly the one she wanted, and sank to her knees behind Ruby, beginning to rub lotion into her friend's skin. Ruby was already rubbing cream into Elsa's shoulders. Elsa turned on her knees to face Ruby when she was done, accepting more lotion into her hands, followed by Emma, and the two of them rubbed down their fronts as well.

"MERCY!" Victor screamed and threw himself face down in the sand in front of the blanket, pretending to sob dramatically. Ruby scoffed and rolled her eyes, throwing a flip flop at him, the wide grin on her face betraying her true giddiness at his behavior. Emma chuckled and looked back down at herself, making sure there were no white streaks on her skin.

"I'll do you if you do me," Killian's husky accent murmured into her ear, innuendo obvious, making Emma jump slightly. She hadn't even noticed him sneak up behind her. Liam was rummaging through the cooler and took out two bottles of water, walking a few steps away and draining a bottle in one go. He walked back to Elsa and offered her the other, settling into the sand beside her but with a distance you could park a bus in.

All thoughts of Liam flew from her mind when Killian curled his hand around her loose blonde hair and pulled it over her shoulder. The the contact of the cool lotion (and not at all the slightly roughened hands that the lotion was on) on her skin made her gasp softly. His palms kneaded at her, starting at her shoulders and neck, fingers stopping to rub into her ears, before moving down over her shoulder blades. He let his fingers slip under the thin straps of her top and smoothed one wide palm under the wide band of the back to reach the skin there. He stopped briefly to reapply and Emma sucked in fresh oxygen, not realizing she'd been holding her breath until that point. And the air in her lungs evaporated again as his fingers and palms traced down her sides, followed by his thumbs massaging firmly into the flesh of her lower back.

He drew away after what felt like forever, and yet no time at all, the coup de grace to her sanity being a parting kiss to her bare shoulder, causing an audible "oh!" to escape her lips. He chuckled smugly against her skin and puckered his lips again to kiss the spot beneath them again before pulling his head up. He knew exactly what he was doing, of course he did. It was his job to know how to touch women. Well, she may not be an escort, but she knew a few tricks herself and two could play at this game, mister. She put on a sugar sweet smile and turned around, shaking her hair out over her shoulders.

"Mm, thanks," she said, glancing over her shoulder to make sure everyone was still occupied, especially her son. Henry and Leo were happily splashing around in the water with Mary Margaret and David, their shrieks of joy reaching her ears all the way up the beach, making her smile softly. Liam was rubbing his own suntan lotion on, his shirt gone now, the coppery curls on his well built chest now exposed to the sun, chatting with Elsa, who was refusing to make eye contact with him but replying politely. Victor and Ruby were relaxing, each of them having retrieved a beer from the cooler, Ruby on her stomach catching some rays while Victor sat next to her leaning back on his hands, looking out over the lake. She turned her attention back to Killian, who was smiling down at her suggestively.

"Your turn," she said looking down at the t-shirt he was still wearing. He only broke eye contact with her when the cotton sliding over his face prevented it any further.

Her eyes unabashedly roamed his chest, taking in the toned muscles and dark dusting of hair across his chest and trailing down his abdomen before disappearing into his low slung shorts. A tattoo in script reading "A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets" wrapped in two rows around his left side. The V cut of his hips stood out, though he wasn't overly defined as far as muscles went. He had just the right amount of mass for Emma to see the bumps and ridges of the individual sections under his skin. On his right bicep was a tattoo she hadn't seen before, an anchor and a few letters and numbers she didn't understand, she assumed to signify his time in the navy, given Liam's matching one in the same spot. When he shuffled around on his feet, more inky designs were revealed, constellations charted on his shoulders, and a compass rose entwined with actual roses in the center. Swallowing, she poured a generous amount of lotion in her hands and warmed it between her palms. When her hands hit his skin, he shuddered, making her bite back a grin.

"Cold?" she asked, continuing to massage into his back, taking the same path his hands had taken on her.

"Aye, a little," he lied, and Emma hummed in response, continuing to swipe white streaks over the ink on his back. By the time she made it to his lower back, she realized just how badly this had backfired. Her thighs were clenching together and she was sure she had just about chewed her lip raw with each pass of her palms over his smooth skin. She immediately felt the loss when she removed her hands from his back. Killian shifted for a moment before turning around. His face was schooled into a carefully relaxed expression, but his eyes were blazing with blue fire, clearly as affected as she was by the simple act.

"Maybe I should…" she started, unable to tear her gaze from his, both of them sitting on their knees in front of one another. He grinned and stood abruptly, grasping her wrist in his hand and pulling her to her feet. "Killian, what-"

Her words were cut off by her own shriek as he scooped her up into his arms bridal style and began to march towards the water as quickly as he could, laughing out loud the whole way. He was submerged up to about hip level, goosebumps exploding over his skin at the temperature of the lake, and dipped Emma slightly so she was hovering just above the water.

"You wouldn't." She glared at him, clinging to his neck.

"Wouldn't I, love? Seems we both need to cool off a tad," he replied, loosening his grip slightly and making her squeal again and scramble for purchase on his shoulders. She had to distract him. So, she did the only thing she could think of.

And that's how for the second time that day, Emma ended up pressing her lips to Killian's. Except this wasn't an innocent peck, and thankfully the kids were a good 30 feet away from where he had led them. Her tongue swiped over his bottom lip and he opened for her on a sharp inhale, responding only seconds after she dipped in to taste him. His grip tightened on her thighs and around her back as he kissed her with fervor, drawing away only after she pulled back first. They hovered in each others space for a moment, catching their breath.

"Thank you for that darling, but it won't save you," he said and promptly dropped her in the cold water of the lake. Emma reared up out of the water, pulling her sopping hair out of her face and gasping for breath, feeling the water slosh around her waist. Killian's laughter was farther away now, and he was swimming closer to where David and Mary Margaret were still playing with the kids. David was glowering at Killian, but he didn't seem to notice.

"You," Emma gasped, flinging her wet mass of hair back behind her, "are so dead." She dove into the water after him, gliding only close enough to graze his ankle. She popped back up only briefly for air, then headed after him again. She got closer and closer, as Killian was losing speed through his laughter and trying to trudge against the lapping current before she gave one final launch and dunked him under the water. He came back up and looped his arms around her waist from behind, shaking his hair like a dog and flinging water everywhere, making Emma squeal and laugh out loud.

"Alright, I deserved that, Swan," he said, relaxing his hold on her waist, but keeping his arms where they were. "Truce?"

"Okay, truce," she agreed and wiggled out of his embrace. The only warning they got was a shriek from Ruby before looking up and seeing the rest of their friends running into the water.