Chuck had seen a lot of beautiful women in his time. He had seen every inch of them. But, for the life of him, in that moment, he could not recall even one of them coming anywhere near the perfection that was Blair Wardolf.

She lay across his bed, brown hair flowing around her shoulders like a curtain of glimmering chocolate silk, her skin smooth and unblemished as it glowed with its own inner luminescence, lit only by the dim light from the fireplace. Her lips, glistening with moisture and slightly swollen from his kisses, were so full and plump and exquisite, barely parted as they waited in anticipation for the return of his mouth. Her breasts were generously sized, alabaster globes that rose and fell with the elevated breath that hitched in her chest every time she heard him move.

He couldn't contain his smile as he watched her, trying to wager on how long she would last before she called out to him.

He hadn't said a word to her, not touched her at all since tying the blindfold around her eyes and securing her long, lovely arms over her head with a scarf attached to his headboard.

He took her in as she fought against her urge to squirm and he knew what this new situation was probably doing to her.

Blair was not a woman that liked not being in charge of her surroundings. Her amazing control was one of the things that she held so very dear to her. It was one of the things he loved about her.

And yes, he had to admit it, at least to himself, even if he couldn't tell her, he loved her. He loved every inch of her, every fiber that made her who she was. She liked to pretend that he didn't know her as well as he thought he did. But they both knew it wasn't true. He knew her better than he knew himself sometimes.

He knew everything little detail about her. He knew all her dreams and her desires. And he knew that he loved her, because a part of him, a part that was growing larger everyday, wanted to make all her dreams and desires come to life.

It was a part of him, in fact, that was beginning to take over his life.

Not many people challenged him. He was smart, smarter than most actually, and shrewd. That was a quality that he had learned from the best.

Bart Bass had made him the man he was. He knew that. He understood that with perfect clarity and he was beginning to understand why he had done it. His father had sought to prepare him, in the best way he knew how, for the life that would ultimately be Chuck's.

But Blair, his smile turned whimsical. His father had never prepared him for a woman like Blair. He had never taught him how to deal with a woman that made him want to be better than the man he was taught to be.

Maybe it was because Bart Bass had never had a woman like Blair in his life. Had never had a force in his life that made him want to be more, to be better, to be something that deserved the kind of love she had to offer him.

But that was exactly what Blair did to him. She confused him, unsettled him, made him question everything about himself and the way he was.

She turned his arrogance into uncertainty. She took away his pride and confidence and replaced it with something less than dignified and absolutely nowhere near confident.

At times, like this one in particular, she turned him into a bumbling idiot who suddenly didn't know just what to say, just what to do. She unnerved him and turned his perception of the world completely on end.

The moment she walked into the room, he was out of control and everything around him faded besides her.

She was dangerous to his well being. Made him unable to think, unable to be Chuck Bass. When she was in his vision, he found himself no longer wanting to be the cold, calculating, arrogant son-of-a-bitch that everyone expected him to be.

He was becoming addicted to her. Her heat was her power. The only woman in the world hot enough to thaw his coldness. The warmth of her smile, when it was real and genuine, was enough to turn him to a puddle of water at her feet.

He was Frosty the fucking Snowman in the Sahara Desert around her.

The thought made him unconsciously chuckle and she turned her head, trying to ascertain exactly where he was.

He wasn't sure he liked his new game after all. He knew she needed it and it was something he could give to her. A chance to be completely and utterly out of control. But the lack of her startlingly, blazingly beautiful eyes was throwing him off his game.

He wanted to watch her watching him. He could almost see the unsureness of the situation in their brown fire. But under that unsureness, there would be trust and love. A love touched with a purity and devotion that he knew he absolutely did not deserve.

She told him she didn't trust him, but he knew it was a lie. She trusted him like no one else ever had. Her position on his bed proved that.

What he couldn't, would never, understand was why. He had certainly given her no reason to trust him. He couldn't count the number of times he had hurt her. Used words that he didn't mean against her as if he were brandishing a knife.

And yet, somehow, she understood. Somehow she know that the hurtful jibs and insults weren't real. Knew it was just him trying his best to keep her at arms length.

Or maybe there was another reason he hurt her. His eyes narrowed as he considered that possibility. Perhaps he was testing her, unconsciously, of course, but testing, all the same. His heart working on its own to ensure that she knew the asshole that he was and wasn't going to tire of him and take off running in the opposite directions.

It was an absurd thought when it came right down to it.

Blair was the one person in the world that knew him, knew what he was capable of, knew all about his ruthlessness and cruelty. And she also knew that deep down it was a perfect match to her own.

Because there was no question that Blair could be just as cruel and cold as he was. The difference was the warmth that lay under all those layer in her. The warmth that he didn't possess. It was that warmth that let her know when her inner urge to hurt was cutting too deep, doing too much damage.

Blair had a conscious. She hid it well most of the time. But it was there. And the worst part was that it was rubbing off on him.

That was her power over him. She was the voice in his head that said he was going too far, his line in the sand.

He took a deep breath and watched her wiggle against her bindings as she tried again to search him out with just her ears to guide her.

" Chuck," She whispered finally. "Where are you ?"

He draped his jacket over a chair and sauntered over to the bed. Sinking down beside her, he let his breath brush against her cheek as he whispered, " I'm right here."

" Where did you go ? Why haven't you said anything ?" She asked.

" I"m sorry. I got a little lost." He answered as he guided his hand over her thigh slowly.

" Lost ? In your own house ?" She smiled.

" No," He breathed with his lips against hers. " I was lost in you."

Her entire body shuddered under his hand at hearing his words. And she raised her head, seeking to capture his lips.

" No, no." He chided as he moved away. " You don't get to make the decisions tonight. All you get to do is lay there and feel."

She shuddered again, but didn't attempt to move any more. " I don't think I like this game, Chuck." She whispered.

His fingertip moved over her thigh, across the curve of her hip and up to her navel. He circled it languidly, before continuing in a straight line up the middle of her chest, over her neck, across her chin, not stopping until he reached her lips. Once there, he traced their outline carefully, before slipping it into the wetness of her mouth. " Why not ? You aren't scared of me, are you ?"

She sucked on his finger for a moment, before he removed it and made the trail back down her body again. " Of course not." She answered with a shaky voice.

" Maybe you should be afraid of me." He told her. " God knows, I've hurt you before."

" But not like this." She said, quickly, dispelling the self-loathing in his tone. "Never here, like this."

" You grant me too much forgiveness." He answered as his lips dipped down to rake across her shoulder.

" That's ridiculous."

He shook his head, before nipping at her collarbone. " No, it isn't. No one else on Earth could ever forgive me the things you have."

She raised up this time, pushing against him with her chest. " Are you saying you think I should hate and walk away ?"

He laughed and pushed her back to the bed with a gentle hand on her shoulder. " I'm saying anyone else would."

" You say you know me better than I know myself. Do you think that only goes one way ? I've known you all your life." She told him, somehow facing him directly despite the blindfold.

Suddenly, he needed to see her eyes. Needed to watch the fire dance in her gaze. He reached up with one hand and yanked the scarf away from her eyes.

She blinked rapidly for a few seconds, before continuing on as if nothing had happened. " I know who you are, too. I know everything about. I can tell you exactly why you do the things you do even when you can't."

" What does that mean ?" He asked, sitting back from her slightly as he reveled in the feel of her eyes on him.

" It means that I know you never purposely hurt me. When you push me away, lash out at me, annoying me just by being you, I know it isn't me you're talking too. Not really."

He stared at her for what seemed like forever, searching for some insight, some truth in her words. When he found it there, deep down inside himself, he was surprise. He hadn't expected it at all.

" My, Ms. Wardolf," He ran the back of his curved fingers down her smooth cheek and gave her a half-hearted smile. " You are more insightful than anyone would have guessed."

She returned his smile, only hers was smug and self-satisfactory. " I know. Sometimes I amaze even myself."

He leaned closer and finally let his lips brush against hers. " You amaze me all the time."

" Chuck," She whispered into his hair as he turned his head and began to nibble at her neck.

" Hmm," he answered, not bothering to look up at her as he continued to taste her.

She tugged against the bindings still around her wrist. " Let me go."

He did look up then with a quizzical expression on his face. " I thought you said you weren't afraid of me."

" I'm not afraid of you. I trust you." She struggled again as he dropped his head back to her chest and trailed his tongue over the skin between her breast.

" Then why do you want me to let you go ?" He asked, quietly.

" Because, I want to touch you." She admitted with another tug at the scarf.

" No," He said finally after a long moment of silence. " This isn't about what you want." He took one of her nipples into his mouth and rolled his tongue around it, causing her to groan and arch her back into him. " It about what you need."

" And," She panted. " What is it that you think I need so badly ?"

He moved to the other breasts and captured its nipple in the same way. Then he nipped gently, bringing a gasp out of her. " To not be in control." He told her, letting his breath gaze her hardened pebble. " To have absolutely no control, in fact. What you need is to relax and let me be in control for a while."

She shuddered again and he could see from the look in her eyes how much the thought of that appealed to her. Lowering her head back to the pillow, she took a deep breath and stilled under his exploring hands.

She let go and it amazed him. Shocked him even. He hadn't expected her to accept her position so easily. Didn't think she really trusted him as much as she proclaimed to.

He raised up, taking in her eyes as they followed his every move. Then he slowly kissed around the sash on her wrist, all the way down to her shoulder before gliding over her collarbone and taking the same trip with her other arm.

His hand moved over the bed, finally finding the discarded blindfold, he grabbed it and carefully slid it back into place over her eyes.

Once it was secure again, he went back to her nipples, devouring each of them as if they tasted of the most perfectly blended Scotch.

Her back arched again, but she still made no other move to struggle. His lips turned up in a smile as he moved off the bed.

" You aren't leaving me again, are you ?" She asked quietly at feeling him pull away.

" No," He whispered as he went to work on the buttons of his shirt. " I'm just getting more comfortable."

Apparently she heard the shifting of the material of his shirt as he slid it off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. " If you let me go, I could help you with that."

He chuckled. " I've got it. I've been dressing and more importantly, undressing myself for quite a while now."

She slid one of her long, perfect legs along the length of the other tantalizingly. " But I do it so much better than you."

" I agree. You do." He smiled. " Next time, I promise."

" You are always so sure there is going to be a next time. You know, one of these nights, I'm not going to leave with you." She announced.

He hovered over the bed for a moment, looking down at her in completely disbelief. She was right. One of these night she would have enough of him and he would lose her forever. The thought sobered him completely and he fought against the urge to wail in protest.

What the fuck had she done to him ? What pathetic creature had she turned him into ? Something so small and meaningless as a stupid, off handed, empty threat from her turned him into a puddle of emotional goo.

Dan Humphrey wasn't even this pitiful.

" I didn't mean it." She breathed at sensing his hesitation. " You know I didn't mean it."

He sat beside her like a heavy weight was on his shoulders. " This is not going to way I expected it to go." He sighed.

" Seems like things between us never go the way we expect them to go." She answered knowingly.

He agreed. Nothing ever went as planned when they were together. Or at least that was how it seemed. They had been doing this... thing, whatever it was for almost three months now. They kept it between themselves. It wasn't public knowledge. In fact, he was pretty sure that Serena, Dan and Nate were the only ones that knew about their secret intimate rendezvous. Knowing they couldn't possibly be together in the normal sense of the word, yet unable to stay away from each other, they had worked out the unspoken arrangement between them. They kept it casual, all with the understanding that it wasn't supposed to mean anything. They filled a need in each other through these encounters. That was all. It wasn't supposed to be more than that.

But it was and they both knew it. It was so much more that it was becoming harder and harder to pretend anything else as the months went on. They loved each other. Couldn't stand to be away from each other for very long. Needed to be together, more than they needed anything else.

As far as Chuck was concerned, the whole thing was getting way too far out of hand. He needed to put a stop to it before they reached a point of no return.

But looking down at her, searching her face and hearing her telling him that one day she wouldn't' be there for him, he knew. He knew they had come to that point long ago and the thought scared him to death.

Chuck was not a man that relied on others. He had learned long ago that the only person you could really rely on was yourself.

Then Blair happened and once again, his childish notions were tossed into the air and trampled on. He could rely on her. All he had to do was tell her how he felt about her, how he really felt and there would be no getting rid of her.

Hell, he wasn't even sure anymore what was stopping him. Was it the fact that he had never spoken those particular words out loud to another soul in his entire life ? That seemed silly. He was sure he had never spoken a lot of words out loud before. There were, after all, so many in the English language. He surely, hadn't gotten around to all of them yet. What was it about that magical combination of letters and sounds that terrified him so utterly ?

Was it the meaning behind them ? No, that couldn't be it. He certainly felt it. He felt it every time he looked at her. His chest was so overcome with emotions when he looked into her eyes that it felt as if he were drowning in them.

So what was the harm in telling her that ? What could be so wrong with letting her know the effect she had on him ? How much she meant to him. How much power she really had over him.

Ah, he thought as the answered came into his head. He lowered himself to the bed and let his hand brush over her flat, toned stomach.

That was it in a nutshell. Neatly wrapped up and presented to him with a huge 'Duh' attached to the bow. She had too much power over him and he didn't trust her enough to let her know it.

But how could he not trust her ? Had she ever done anything to him to show him that she couldn't be trusted ?

No, that was his part to play. Constantly he pushed her just to see how far he could go and still hold on to her. So many times he felt as if, finally, Finally he had gone too far. But she forgave him and granted him the gift of allowing him to touch her once again.

And it was a gift. He knew that with certainty. But nearly as magical a gift as the one she gave him every time she looked at him with those eyes that said she loved him with everything inside her. Eyes that said she would never, ever leave him, never abandon him. Eyes that proclaimed her dedication and loyalty to him far more than any words could come close to saying.

She was his. Always would be. She told him that every time he looked down at her, with her legs secured around his waist and his body completely encased in her and her hair falling around her shoulders like a beautiful halo. The way her small, delicate hands clung to his shoulders. The way her lips quivered as such enormously exquisite words tumbled from them. Every touch, every sound, every whisper, all told him that she loved him.

He wondered if she saw the same thing looking back at her. Did she know ? She had just proven how incredibly insightful she was. Aware of things he wasn't even aware of about himself. She was past all his walls and pretenses. She saw the best and worst of him and yet here she was, struggling against the scarf so that she could touch him.

Not get away, but hold him tighter.

What the fuck had she done to him ? More importantly, what the fuck had he ever done to deserve her?