AN: Okay, I hated my last chapter…so hopefully this one is better. There's some fluff and "a parting" in this one. I'm still debating whether I should hold the conference over two chapters or sum it up in one. It's not really anything significant; it's just a way for Jesse to leave. Once he comes home to Suze, things will pick up, I swear!

Happy reading!

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Chapter 4

I almost get us killed again while driving over to my apartment like a bat out of hell as Susannah describes it in-between kisses. I can't help it if I am distracted; Susannah's kisses are intoxicating, and she is giving me a lot of them. Once I pull into a parking space and shut off the car, Susannah grabs me by the collar and pulls me on top of her. Her legs wrap themselves around my waist, while I hold myself up on my palms. She leans up and pulls me closer with a mouth-melting kiss.

I don't know what has gotten into her, but I love it. It's enthralling! She is wrapped around me, kissing my lips like they are water quenching a dehydrated person's thirst. Querida can't get enough, and neither can I.

We make out for a couple of minutes, until we are interrupted by a knock on the car window. I look up through the passenger window and see my neighbor. Mrs. Backman's an old, frail woman, but can be stern when she wants to be. And one of those times, just ends up to be now.

"Jesse," she says curtly, "You are in my parking space!" I look around and see that I am in fact in her space. Apologizing profusely, I get up off of Susannah and back out of the space and pull into mine, which is right next to it. Both Susannah and I get out of the car. Susannah tries not to make eye contact, and even though I am extremely embarrassed I apologize to Mrs. Backman again, before rushing Susannah into my house.

Once we are safely inside, mi querida begins to giggle, while I feel my face blush profusely. Susannah looks up at me and my flushed face and laughs even harder.

"Susannah, it's not funny," I say while crossing my arms over my chest. I look down at her; her face is red with laughter and suddenly she pushes herself into my arms and plants a kiss on my lips.

She gasps, and I wrap my arms around her waist, and pull her into me some more. "Oh Jesse," she moans while I kiss her neck.

"Querida," I whisper huskily while she runs her hands through my hair. We tumble away from my front door and I push her up against a wall. Lifting Susannah up, she wraps her legs and arms around me and lets me kiss her collarbone freely. She moans my name over and over while running her hands through my hair. My lips are traveling all over her skin: lips, cheeks, neck, collarbone, breastplate. I take Susannah away from the wall and carry her into my bedroom. Her eyes widen when I place her down onto my bed and climb on top of her.

"Jesse," she says in a whisper. I stop mid-kiss and look up at mi querida's face.

"Do you wish for me to stop?" I ask her, my voice husky.

She shivers, while I run my hand down the side of her arm. Her "no" comes out a little choked. I pause for a moment, to make sure that she wants to continue, and when I am sure that she does, I let my lips wander over her.

Susannah chucks off my shirt, while I push her own to reveal her stomach. I pepper it with kisses and listen as she laughs. She squirms under me, but I pin her wrists above her head with one of my hands. I can see the anxiety in her eyes while she looks up at me. It flickers there, but then she relaxes and I trace the fingers of my other hands down her shoulder to her hip.

I look her in the eyes again and see that she is dying to be kissed. Smiling at her, I lean down and take her lips as my own. They are soft and gentle. I massage hers with my own and let her tongue slip into my mouth. Oh, the sin is great and beautiful.

Our kiss deepens and I let go of her wrists and my hands meander up her sides, while hers run down my back. I shiver as she pulls me on top of her fully and rolls us over. Susannah straddles my sides; I look up at her in pure surprise. She cracks a smile, and then leans down and kisses me so deeply that I don't even feel her fingers gently un-buttoning my pants.

Her lips suddenly leave mine, and she trails my neck down to my chest and then to my stomach. I shudder when she gets lower and then my brain snaps back from its vacation and I grab Susannah's shoulder and bring her up to me again.

"Jesse?" Susannah asks me while I hold her in my arms for a moment.

"I'm sorry. It's just, this is going way to fast, and you possibly couldn't be comfortable with this! Nombre de Dios!" I sigh and drag a hand through my hair.

Susannah slides off of me and lies next to me on the bed. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's not your fault, querida. We just got carried away."

"Yeah—" She says distantly.

Merde…I slap myself mentally and roll over on my side to face Susannah. "Querida," she looks over at me and I can see the tears outlining her eyes. "I don't want to pressure you. But you know my beliefs—"

"No sex, before marriage." Susannah says indifferently while her gaze floats up to the ceiling.

"Yes, but I guess I got a little carried away because we hadn't been intimate for a while…I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Susannah looks over at me, and for a second I think that she's mad at me. "Oh Jesse, I could never be uncomfortable around you."

I smile and wrap my arms around mi querida. She molds into me and we just lie there for a lifetime, soaking up each other.

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Susannah slips off into sleep and I hug her tighter to me. Pressing my face into the back of her head I inhale that soft scent of her. I shiver and push myself away from Susannah a little. I can't slip into that again. If I did there would be no telling of what I would push her into. I can't, plain and simple.

She stirs and then flips over onto her other side so I could see her face. Before she opens her eyes, I shut my own so she won't know I had been looking and yearning.

I feel the light touch of the pads of her finger tips on my face near my temple. She whispers my name, and just like that I feel the stir of passion within me. She brushes her fingers along my hairline and then sinks them in my hair and caresses my scalp. A moan almost escapes me, but I repress it just in time.

Susannah's other hand slips onto my arm and she weaves her fingers through mine.

"Jesse?" She whispers.

I ponder opening my eyes, or just enjoying this intimate connection between us.

"Jesse, I know you're awake…" Susannah whispers playfully into my ear—her breath tickling the back of my neck; I shift. "Ah hah!"

I open my eyes to see emerald green ones staring back at me. I smile and she snorts. "You are so full of yourself."

"I am most certainly not!"

"Oh really?" She asks with a smile on her face.

"No, I am—" She shushes me with the softest kiss to the lips I have ever received. Her lips are like a drug and I want more, much more than I should. I want more even when I know I shouldn't, for her lips will be the end of me.

"Oh Jesse," she moans and I tense. In her voice there is so much yearning. It makes my own yearning look substantially depleted. Our lips stay clashed together in a quiet embrace for a while. I can feel all of my nerves relax until I am completely vulnerable to anything she wants to do to me with those lips.

However, she doesn't take advantage of me but rather ends our connection and gets up off the bed. "I better get home."

I open my eyes to see her wringing her hands and looking at the floor. "Of course. I'll drive you."

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On her front porch, Susannah kisses me lightly and smiles up at me. But only her lips smile, her eyes stay sad.

She is about to walk into her house, when I grab her by the arm and pull her back to me. "Querida, what's wrong?" I ask while hugging her to my chest tightly.

She shakes her head. "Nothing."

"You're lying."

Susannah is still for a moment, and she I feel her shake. I look down at her face and there are tears streaming down her cheeks. Each one is a blow to my heart.

"I d-don't want you to leave, Jesse."

"I know," I whisper into her ear while my thumb brushes away the tears.

"What if something should happen? I know you said nothing would, but what if?"

"Susannah, there's no point in thinking about 'what if's' they are never ending. Just remember I am coming home to you just as I left, no matter what." I hug her tighter and she sighs.

"You're right."

I don't say anything; I just hold her to me so nothing can hurt her. The front door opens with a bang and Brad comes out of the house, "Suze! You need to set the table!"

I glare at him over the top of Susannah's head.

I'm about to say something, when Susannah spins around and says, "Yeah, I'm coming." Brad shoots a look at me and then walks back inside the house. Mi Querida looks back at me and sighs, "I'll call you, okay?"

I nod and then watch as she walks into the house and shuts the door.

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While I'm packing, Kate comes and visits me.

"What's going on Jesse?" She asks while I shove some boxers quickly into my bag.

"I'm packing."

"I can see that. What's the occasion?"

"I'm going to a conference for my friend over in D.C."

"Ooh!" Kate says while sitting down on the bed, her short skirt riding up a bit. "I went there for a pageant once."

"That's nice," I say a little distracted.

"What's wrong? Suze didn't give you what you wanted?"

Startled I drop my pair of jeans and look at her aghast. "W-w-what?"

"She afraid."

"And how would you know that?"

"I've been watching her. She loves you Jesse, she's just holding back because she doesn't kno—"

"You've been what?"

"I've been watching her. You obviously can't look after her all the time, so I thought I would. She doesn't know who I am. Actually, she doesn't seem to be able to see me. I thought you said she was a mediator like you."

"She's a shifter," I say and the mentally slap myself for sounding like Paul.

"Whatever. But I mean I walked like right by her and she didn't seem to notice."

Suddenly offended on Susannah's behalf, I say in her defense, "She probably has a lot on her mind."

"Or maybe she's not a shifter any more."

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AN: Okay, so I like this one better. Tell me what you think!