It was dark by the time they reached his house in Newport. Ryan opened the door and stepped aside for Marissa to enter first. She walked in the door and stopped dead. It was perfect. Cosy furnishings all around She felt at home as soon as she entered. Not at all what she was used to. Everything that Julie touched was glitz and glamour. Looking around Ryan's home she knew that the feel of this house was not accidental. It was exactly how he wanted it – it was beautiful and yet it felt like home as soon as you walked through the door.

He led her into the lounge and told her to make herself comfortable while he went and ordered the pizzas.

"What about you're cooking for me?" she teased.

"Maybe another night. I don't want to scare you off on the first night, you might never come back." He laughed "Are you still a pepperoni fan or is there something else you would prefer?"

"No I haven't changed." She added thinking that was true in more ways than one. She knew that the attraction she felt for him in high school had not gone. If anything it was stronger than ever. But she didn't know if he felt the same way. Still she was happy that he didn't seem to think that this was a one off. He'd just indicated that he would want to see her again and cook for her and she was already looking forward to that.

Ryan ordered the pizzas and opened a bottle of wine. He picked up two glasses and the bottle and made his way over to join her. He hesitated not sure where to sit. There was plenty of room beside her or maybe he should just sit in one of the armchairs. He picked up the remote and turned the fire on low, more for the scenery than the heat and then placed the glasses on the coffee table and filled them. Picking them up he turned to her and handed her one and then stopped unsure of where to sit.

Marissa noticed his hesitation and wasn't sure whether he was just being considerate in giving her plenty of space, (much more than she wanted) or whether he maybe wanted to keep his distance and she realised that this was the perfect opportunity to give him a little encouragement and try to see if he was interested in her as more than a friend or not.

"Why don't you sit beside me, I promise not to bite." She said with a big grin on her face.

"Maybe I was hoping that you would." He smiled looking at her as he sat down leaving plenty of room between them.

"That can be arranged." she replied, laughing to try to lighten the moment as he relaxed back against the soft cushions.

Just then her phone started to ring and it managed to break the awkward moment between them. She looked at the display and answered.

"Hey Summer what's up?" she asked, all the time watching Ryan as he continued to sip his wine while watching her.

"Just wondering how things went?"

"Yeah good."

"That really paints a picture but I can wait. I want a blow by blow recount tomorrow. By the way Jake wasn't too impressed that you weren't at cast drinks I'm telling you he has a real thing for you so just watch out."

"Okay but I'm sure you're overreacting." Marissa stated.

"Maybe but I don't think so. Anyhow, I was wondering if you wanted to do something tomorrow night? Seth and I thought we might go to a new club that's just opened downtown."

"Uh. Thanks for the invite but …..."

Before she had a chance to finish Summer said "I know, I know. You try to avoid those sorts of things because you get mobbed. But it is an A-list club. There should be heaps of security and it is invitation only. We managed to wangle a couple of invites through the studio. Although I'm sure you could get in without any trouble. And, Seth was going to see if Ryan might like to come too, so maybe you two could 'chat' some more" Summer smiled as she mentioned Ryan's name knowing that it would get Marissa's interest..

Marissa smiled, obviously Summer and Seth had no idea that they were still together.

"It sounds good Summer but um ….Can I get back to you tomorrow? I'm a bit busy at the moment. I'll call you in the morning". Marissa said wanting to end the call as soon as possible.

"Hang on. Why the big rush? ..…..You're not still with him are you?" Summer asked.

"Um Yeah. Gotta go." And she hung up.

"Summer?" Ryan asked as she closed up her phone and turned it off, not wanting to be interrupted again.

"Yeah. She and Seth wanted us, I mean you and I, not 'us', cause there isn't an 'us', is there, um to go to a club with them tomorrow night." She finally managed to get out.

"Do you want there to be an 'us'?" Ryan asked looking at her and holding his breathe as he waited for her reply.

"Do you?" she asked scared to be the first to verbalise what was actually happening here.

"Well….. I'd like to give it a go…….if you'd like to that is…….I mean we don't have to …we can just stay 'friends' if you'd rather… I mean I know we've tried before and it was a long time ago but if you'd like to give it another go ……..well I'm game if you are… I mean maybe we could just take it really slow and see what happens" he said. He knew he was rambling but his brain seemed to have ceased to function. If any of the people who worked for him had heard that sentence they would have died of shock he was usually so decisive and exact about everything he did but she seemed to send his brain into mush.

"Really slow sounds good…… because all I know for sure is ... that right now, I'd rather be here with you than anywhere else in the world."

He looked deep into her eyes and it seemed that the world stood still. He could see his own hesitation reflected in her eyes. There was no doubt the attraction was still there but they had both been hurt and neither wanted to go through that pain again…...

Just then the door bell rang.

"That'll be the pizza. I'll be back in a minute."

---

He returned with the pizzas and they sat there for a few hours eating, drinking and talking easily. What was strange was that the conversation was mostly about current events. It was as if they had silently agreed that if they were going to take this slow then they didn't want to talk about anything personal that may have the potential to hurt them.

But it was actually good. It wasn't a conversation they would ever have had at high school. They were mature adults now with some, worldly experience and it showed they were the same but different. They both had a different dimension to them than when they knew one another before. Time flew and it was getting late but neither one had noticed the passage of time until Ryan went to refill Marissa's wine glass and the bottle was empty.

"Shall I open another?" Ryan asked.

"Only if you are going to join me. It's no fun drinking alone."

"I'd better not or I won't be in any fit state to drive you back to the hotel."

Marissa looked at her watch "Sorry, I didn't realise how late it had got. I guess you should take me back now or you won't get any sleep."

"Yeah It's pretty late or early really, already….. You know, you could always stay the night? I've got plenty of spare rooms and then I can just drive you back in the morning."

"Sure. If that's okay with you, sounds great to me. I'd much rather stay here than in the hotel. I've seen enough of them in the past few years to keep me going for the rest of my life."

"Okay. So if that's the case, do you want me to open that other bottle of wine or are you ready for bed?"

"Actually what I'd really like is a shower if I could. I feel a bit icky. I didn't get a chance to have one earlier what with all the dramas with the paparazzi. Maybe we could finish our conversation in the morning?"

"Sure. Come on and I'll show you to your room."

---

Ryan led Marissa up the stairs and turned left. He stopped at the first door and opened it, turned the light on and stood back for her to enter.

"Will this one do?" he asked.

"It looks great." She said looking around the room. "Thanks. "

"No problem. There's an adjoining bathroom and there should be towels and everything in there. If you need anything else just let me know."

"Okay. I'm sure I'll be fine. Thanks, I'll see you in the morning."

"Sure" he smiled and turned and closed the door behind him and made his way downstairs to finish up.

---

Marissa quickly stripped off her clothes and made her way into the shower. While she was in there she rinsed out her underwear and her blouse and hung them over the shower to dry so that she could wear them again tomorrow. She couldn't help but smile to herself thinking back over the way the evening had gone and what was even better was that she would get to see him again tomorrow. Maybe she would have to thank the paparazzi after this, because without them they wouldn't have ended up here together. She felt like a little girl the night before Christmas. She was just excited about what tomorrow might bring.

She felt they had made some huge strides tonight in trying to get their friendship back. But was friendship all it would ever be? They both obviously still had some reservations, so it would be good to spend some more time together and see if there was any chance of building on the obvious attraction they still had for one another.

---

When Ryan had finished downstairs he locked up and then made his way back upstairs. He hesitated at the top of the stairs and glanced at the thin strip of light coming from under Marissa's closed door. He realised he could hear the sound of the shower going. His imagination ran wild thinking of Marissa naked, with the water running over her body. He reached down and rubbed his groin as he felt the stiffening in his pants. Shaking his head to try to rid himself of the image he turned in the opposite direction and made his way to the end of the hall and opened the door to his bedroom. He turned on the bedside lamp and proceeded to strip off his clothes until he had just his boxers left on and he looked at the enormous hard on he had from just thinking about her. He thought about having a cold shower but from the ache in his groin he knew that tonight that would not be enough so he walked to the bedside table and got some lotion and a few tissues to try to find some relief the only way he knew how. He pushed his boxers down and closed his eyes allowing the image of Marissa in the shower to come back in to his mind as he started to use his hand to find some relief.

---

When Marissa had finished in the shower she wrapped one of the thick white towels around her and made her way back into the bedroom. She contemplated going to bed naked but decided that she would probably have trouble sleeping. She knew it was going to be hard enough already to get to sleep with Ryan on her mind but if she was naked it would make it almost impossible, so she decided to go and find Ryan and borrow some boxers and a t-shirt. She made sure the towel around her was firmly in place and then she opened her door and looked down the hall. The only light was coming from a room at the other end of the hallway. She walked towards the light, her footsteps muffled by the thick carpeting and as she got to the open doorway she looked inside and stopped dead at the sight in front of her.

She knew that she should turn and go back to her room before he realised she was there and yet her feet seem to be glued to the floor. She stood there and took in the vision in front of her of Ryan, eyes closed with just a pair of boxers pushed down, working his hand up and down his hardness.

She could barely breathe, her body aching to touch him. She knew he hadn't heard her yet and her brain was telling her to leave while she still had time but her body seemed to have taken over. She took a step towards him and entered the room. "Do you need a hand?" she laughed, trying to take some of the awkwardness away.

---

Ryan's eyes flew open and he stood there for a second trying to regain his senses. He went bright red and turned away as he realised what was happening. He quickly tried in vain to pull up his boxers and cover himself, but the elastic got caught on his now even larger erection. There was no way he could pretend that he was really doing something else. He wasn't sure what to say. There was no way to bluff his way out of this.

"Um.. What?... Sorry.. .NO." He said as some blood finally seemed to have returned to his brain and tongue from other parts of his body. "Um…. I'm fine" he had to laugh there wasn't much else he could do.

"Yes… you are…better than fine" Marissa smiled trying to lighten the moment.

"Don't look at me like that….. after all …… it is all your fault." He smiled while finally succeeding with pulling up his boxers. Not that it helped much with the tent pole still evident in them.

"I didn't know I could still have that affect on you." She smiled, slowly making her way towards him.

"You have always had that affect on me." He said staring at her and finding it almost impossible to breathe. Their eyes locked. Suddenly all the humour of a minute ago lost.

"Well then I think it's only fair that I help." She replied as she made her way over and turned and sat on the end of the bed. She grasped Ryan by the hand and pulled him towards her and then pushed his boxers to the floor.

"Riss you don't have to." he gasped as he felt her tongue start to work on him. "I was just j..o..k..ing. " he gasped as she took him in her mouth.

She pulled back "Ry I've been wanting to touch you for 7 years." She said resuming where she had left off.

He pulled back and gently tugged at the edge of the towel that was wrapped around her and as it fell easily onto the bed he gazed at her. She was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She looked up at him and he gently pushed her back on the bed and lay down beside her. She slid up and put her head on the pillows and he rolled over and reached for his bedside table to get a condom but Marissa grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Ry. You don't need one. I'm on the pill."

He looked at her deeply, a million questions still between them "Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm on the pill? Yeah." She smiled knowing that wasn't what he was getting at.

"No. Sure about what's going on here…. What we're about to do?"

"Uh huh ….." He saw her answer in her eyes and he lent forward to kiss her gently, their tongues stroking one another. He pulled back to look at her again scared that she may have been having second thoughts, not wanting to rush this, only to have her crash her lips into his. There was nothing gentle about this. It was as if they had been starving for one another. They couldn't get enough of each other. Their hands and tongues were everywhere. He started to kiss down her shoulders to her perfect breasts and as he was about to go lower he could feel Marissa grinding herself against him, her wetness seeking his hardness. She was urging him on and then stopped and gasped "Ryan… please…now… I need you."

He didn't need further encouragement and pulled back and entered her. He couldn't believe how good she felt. He had to stop for a moment to try to regain control. When he had regained some composure, he started to move within her. He started slowly but Marissa urged him on until his thrusts were hard and fast. Marissa met each one with an urgency of her own, lifting her hips to meet him until she could take no more and she cried out in release as Ryan finally let himself go and collapsed on top of her.

---

Minutes later after their breathing had returned to normal, Ryan moved to lay beside Marissa keeping an arm wrapped firmly around her not wanting to let her go.

She looked up at him and smiled "I really just wanted to borrow some clothes to sleep in because mine are wet."

"Well as it turns out you won't be needing any." he laughed.

---

He laid there holding her, almost unable to believe what had just happened. She was really there in his bed. He had dreamt of this so many times. He had never admitted to anyone, other than himself, that when he had built this house, he had let himself dream that he was building it for her.

"So much for really slow." He said as he lent and kissed her gently on the tip of her nose.

"We'll do it much slower next time." She added smiling and reached over and began to run her hands over him again.

"Wait." He grabbed her hand and stopped her. Something was troubling him and he didn't know how to ask her. Summer had told him that she didn't have anyone special in her life, like a boyfriend, but if that was the case why was she on the pill? When Julie had told him all that time ago that Marissa had moved on, he figured that meant she had found someone new and he had lost countless nights of sleep thinking about her with someone else. He didn't want to do that again. He couldn't do that again. It hurt too much. He knew if there was someone else then hard as it might be, he had to stop this now.

If there was ever going to be anything between them then they needed to communicate well and that was what they were trying to do last night, but they hadn't talked about anything personal. Maybe it was too early. He was just confused.

"What's wrong?" She started to panic. Maybe he hadn't wanted to do this at all. Maybe she'd misread the signals and he really did just want to be friends. Maybe she should have just gone back to her room while she still could have. Maybe ….

"It's just." He looked for a way to tell her what was troubling him.

"Ryan what is it? You're scaring me."

"Well Summer told me you don't have anyone special in your life. You know … a boyfriend or anything but if that's the case, well why are you on the pill?" he asked.

"Is that all?" She relaxed. "So you're not regretting what we just did?"

"No. Well, not unless I'm just another notch on your belt." He gave her a puzzled look.

"Relax. A couple of years ago, I had some problems with acne and the doctor prescribed the pill as a remedy. It works great. So, I have just stayed on it to make sure it doesn't come back."

"Acne hey?"

"Yep. It doesn't look too good on a model." Marissa stated. "Were you really worried that I may have had another man in my life?"

"Um. Yeah. Well. You are pretty gorgeous you know."

"Well you're not too bad yourself." She replied reaching over and running her hands over him again. She had dreamt about being able to touch him for years and she didn't know what tomorrow might bring but for right now, she was with him and she was going to make the most of it. She ran her hand slowly over his chest and abs and then reached lower surprised that he seemed ready to go again already. He looked at her and smiled. She said nothing just smiled back and lent over and kissed him, slipping her tongue inside his mouth, recalling just how much she enjoyed kissing him, their tongues entwining while their hands moved over one another's bodies…touching…feeling. She rolled on top of him and lifted herself up and then lowered herself onto him, moaning as she felt him enter her. He stroked her breasts and then used his hands on her hips to guide her. Slowly this time. They seemed to be totally attuned to one another and they reached a perfect rhythm rocking back and forth until they climaxed again. She fell asleep on top of him with him still inside her, his arms wrapped around her, cocooning her.