A/N - I must apologize for how long this chapter has taken. I've honestly been working on this since chapter 19 went up in early December. It's come in bits and pieces and I'm very happy with it – but there are so many wonderful women to thank for it:

Pavarti, kennedymommy3, and Ynotjacob for pushing me with Writer's Challenges (you make me wanna be better! *hugs* I heart you);

TaylorsLizzie for always listening to me whine and taking time away from her busy life to read and offer feedback;

and then Shadowlynx for saving my butt and beta-ing the final product.

Love you Ladies – don't know where I'd be without you!

So finally: here's Bella and Jake's "big talk" about their kiss, and then some loving! (woohoo!) I'm so happy to finally have some goodness between them! I hope you enjoy!

And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead the way are blinding
There are many things that I would
Like to say to you
But I don't know how
I said maybe,
You're gonna be the one that saves me
And after all
You're my wonderwall
Today was gonna be the day
But they'll never bring it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you've gotta do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do
About you now…

Wonderwall - Ryan Adams

If Bella Swan had stopped to contemplate the Jacob-Black-inspired thoughts that were currently racing through her head, she might have been embarrassed by their intensity. His heat made her body tremble, and her insides had long since become shapeless puddles, like liquid lightening flowing under her skin. His large hands controlled her, his rough palms leaving goose bumps as they skimmed along the delicate ridges in her neck, to the firm lines of her shoulders, to the softness of her waist, pulling her hips into him. She gasped at the contact, her body automatically responding to the close proximity of his.

She shuddered, and the tension returned to his massive frame. But instead of pulling away, his fingers threaded through the silky strands of her hair, as if he were challenging her to attempt to escape their heady embrace. His mouth was hot and soft and for the first time, Bella realized that his kiss was not about claiming her – it was much more than that. It was about finding equal footing, discovering a level playing field; they were a true mated pair, and it was about realizing the truth, uncovering reality, coming home. This kiss, it was not about addiction or craving or obsession – it was about want, and Bella was overwhelmed by the simplicity of her desire for him.

She no longer desired perfection – for the very first time, she was whole.

He watched as her eyes slid closed, her lips still parted, wet and swollen with the pressure of his kisses. Her lashes fluttered, as if in time to silent music – but then the tears glittered on her skin, and he realized she was crying. He didn't move to close the few inches of distance between them, as he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the soft dance of the crystal liquid that was gliding down her porcelain cheeks.

"Oh honey… I'm so sorry…" he whispered, and she winced at his defeat laced tone.

"No, Jacob!" she gasped as forcefully as she could. Her head shook as vigorously as she could make it.

"I don't have the words to explain it to you, and God, I wish I did, but I know that… it can't be like it was with Ed- him." Her eyes opened again to see his brows draw together and the sadness creep into his expression. "No – that's not what I mean." She sighed, feeling frustrated with herself. "I don't want it to be like it was with him. I mean… he loved me, I know that. But… I didn't need to be saved. I mean, there were times that I did, but not that kind of saving. He always thought that I needed to be rescued from myself, that I didn't know what was good for me, and it's not supposed to be like that. I want to be me, I want to know that I can take care of myself… and then, with the accident… I finally had the chance to look at you, and look at him, without anything else getting in the way." She sighed again and risked a glance into his eyes and saw the confusion there. "Am I making any sense here?"

He smiled a little ruefully. "I'm not sure what makes sense right now. But before we take this conversation any further – because I desperately want to hear what you have to say - can I say something first?" She nodded, sucking her lower lip in between her teeth, gnawing at it nervously. He chuckled softly. "Don't be scared, honey – I have some things I need you to know before you pour your heart out to me about him." She nodded again, still anxious, but he blew out a quiet breath and continued. "I just want you to love me." It was a simple statement, and it shouldn't have surprised her; that Jacob was able to take her breath away with just a few words. But he knew how to cut to the quick of her, how to force her to reach beyond her own boundaries. It was infuriating, but so very Jacob.Bella blinked at him, her tongue lax in her mouth, completely unsure of how to respond to him. He smiled at her, and while it was sad, Bella also detected a sliver of hope, and it prompted her to attempt a small smile back at him. She felt his shoulders relax under her fingertips and she was glad that her tiny attempt at reassurance had worked.

"For awhile, I wondered if that was asking too much of you. Other times, it frustrated the hell out of me that you could be so damn blind to the fact that I've always been standing right in front of you. But now… I decided...Shit." He huffed out a breath and removed one hand from her waist to run it through his ragged hair. "Before you woke up, I told myself that I was going to let it all go, to be the friend that you needed. I thought I could forget about my anger, my resentment and my fears towards you and actually just be the buddy you'd always seemed to see in me." His eyes darkened and the muscle in his jaw jumped as his teeth ground together. "But you know what? Fuck that. I can't be your friend. I've been in love with you for so damn long that I can't even remember a time when I didn't love you. I deserve better than this, but I know I can't walk away from you. And I don't want to be mad anymore. What I want is an explanation. I mean, what the hell, Bella?" Her lower lip trembled and he fought the urge to take it all back, not wanting to hurt her, but he plowed ahead, knowing he would never find peace if he kept everything hidden away.

"Ever since you came to Forks, I've seen you look to others, not once taking care of yourself. You take care of Charlie all the time – which I know he appreciates. You've been wonderful for him. I haven't seen him this happy in years. But he's also your father." He raised an eyebrow at her meaningfully, and she looked away, knowing he was right. "I know that he's not that good with feelings, but he should be the one taking care of you. And I think he's realized that – how to be a good dad. Shit, Bells, you should have seen him while you were… gone. I thought he was going to fall apart, but he was so strong. That paternal side of him really came out – Billy and Sue were so proud of him. I was, too."

"And then Cullen." Bella's eyes snapped back to his face and she felt the beginnings of a glare form on her face. Jacob glared right back and she felt herself shrink under his gaze, unfamiliar with this side of him. "Now don't give me that look – I'm not going to say it. I think I've said how I felt about him enough times that you know it. We barely start becoming friends and suddenly you're so far up Cullens' ass that I started to wonder if you were planning on hibernating there for the goddamn winter, and just as fast, he's disappeared and you come running to me to pick up the pieces. I didn't mind being there for you honey, honest, I didn't. I was just happy to be a part of your life again." She felt the tears threaten against the surface of her eyes and she willed them away, trying desperately to stay strong – she refused to be weak.

But then he wasn't looking at her anymore, his eyes locked on the wall above her head, focused on a place that was far away from her hospital room. "But you looked to him and his family for every part of your happiness – you forgot about me and the guys, and even your friends in Forks, like Angela. I know she's been asking for you – Charlie says she's been calling. Jessica, too – I know that you two haven't been the best of friends, but it sounds like she was worried."

"So many people care about you, Bells. As much shit as you've been through in the last year – I felt like you should know that. You're never alone… don't you ever forget that, either." She felt her heart constrict as Jacob's eyes welled with unshed tears, but he kept talking, as if he didn't even know they were there.

"But looking back on it, that point in our relationship wasn't very healthy. I mean, I was so damn excited that you wanted to be friends again that I let you walk all over me. I should have stood up for myself – asked you to be the kind of friend I needed and not just the little bit you felt like giving me." A blush rose in her cheeks, embarrassed at her insensitivity and selfishness. Bella knew she had mistreated him, but it was agonizing to hear Jacob describe it. As if he sensed her pain, he said gently, "But don't feel guilty, honey – that's not what I'm trying to do here. Our relationship has been rather… unbalanced… these last few months. But I don't want you to forget that it wasn't really fair of me to do what I did to you, either. Yes, you needed a friend, but I should have been helping you learn how to put the pieces together, not being the one to do it for you. You needed to be strong – without me. You needed to be Bella without me – or Cullen."

Bella felt overwhelmed – this was not the way she had expected this conversation to go. She hadn't realized that Jacob had blamed so many of her mistakes on himself – when she truly didn't believe it was his fault at all. She opened her mouth to correct him, but he laid a soft finger against her lips, carefully shaking his head. He wasn't finished. "I want to be everything you have every wanted but I feel like I'm standing on the edge of an impossible choice – I've already given you everything that I am but I'm so afraid that it's not going to be enough for you. You've stretched me too thin – I love you, with every part of me. I'm not even sure where I end and you begin – but I've got to ask you this: is it enough? Am I enough for you? Just me – Jacob Black. There's only so much I can offer you – but it's all I've got left."

Bella's lungs felt tight. He sounded so heartbroken and it made her hate herself even more, and question whether or not she even had the right to ask to apologize to him. "I'll never have money like Cullen. I'm not going to be able to take you on fancy trips or shopping sprees. I can't buy you a big house or a Mercedes. But there is one thing that I can give you that he can't – "

"A life."

"It won't be a perfect one. I'm not even going to pretend that it will be. But it will be real. I want to build a home for you – with my own two hands. I've been dreaming about a big living room so we can have the pack and their families there – for dinners and holidays and princess birthday parties. I want a large bathroom so you can take those long baths you like so much. I want the kind of kitchen my mom used to talk about – one where you can domesticate me and teach me how to cook so I can take care of you sometimes." His words were filled with so much love that she felt like she was choking – but something about his tone also filled her with hope, with the conviction that they would be happy, and that maybe, if he could love her this much, she could forgive herself.

"And then I want to build a family with you – little kids with your eyes and your smile and your dry sense of humor. They'll be beautiful and feisty and moody, and if they're anything like me – they'll be stubborn and loud and pushy, but damnit – they'll be ours."

Bella couldn't stop the smile that crept across her face. "Oh, Jacob," she breathed, and her small fingers reached for his cheeks.

He pulled back from her, his expression pained. "Please don't," he croaked. "Just… don't. I can't do this with you looking at me like that." She nodded, trying to understand his frustration and ignore the shooting pain in her heart at his rejection. His breathing was ragged and she could feel him trembling against her. "I won't be able to handle it if you leave again. Last time… Italy… it wasn't, well… good, to say the least. I was so furious with you. I thought you'd finally begun to realize that this whole 'us' thing wasn't as one-sided as you convinced yourself that it was. I was hoping, God, I was hoping, that you'd finally realized that you loved me too. And then you left. You couldn't have hurt me much more than if you'd ripped out my heart and stomped on it, right there, next to Pixie Leech's car." A mocking glare rose again on her face at the sound of his crude nickname for Alice, and it forced a small chuckle out of him. She smiled at him, pleased that she could still make him laugh. "Shit, sorry, Alice. Right." He smiled back at her, and for a few short seconds, she saw that familiar spark dancing in his ebony eyes, catching glimpses of the man he was before.

Before before.

But then the heartbroken, pleading look reappeared on his face. Jacob reached down to carefully pull her small body closer to him before his grip moved to her cheeks, his calloused palms cradling her delicate skin. His voice was husky, rumbling with hope and pain and need. His breath was sweet and hot against her skin and she closed her eyes, letting his earthy, saccharine scent surround her. Pine, sunshine, salt…

"Please tell me that I'm not crazy. I need to know that that kiss meant something to you, too. I'm so far gone on you, honey, that I'm not sure if I can find my way back. You're inside my veins, Bells, buried deep in every part of me. You're it for me – screw the imprint. I loved you the first time you flung mud in my hair – I haven't looked at another girl. That may sound pathetic or something, but shit – if only I could make you see." She couldn't hold back the tears this time, feeling such intense relief her bones practically melted as the tension left her body. All the dust, ice, and stone that had been hiding her heart fell away, crashing painlessly into the depths of her soul and she was finally free. He made it so easy – it would be simple to love him. It would be effortless and natural and real and it would be perfect in the most authentic way possible.

Taking a deep breath to steady her frazzled nerves, Bella realized in wonderment that she could breathe for the first time in her life. It made her dizzy, her mind whirling with the heady intoxication of oxygen. It was almost unbearable, and she forced herself to take shallow gasps of air, bringing herself back down to earth, to focus carefully on what Jacob was saying, but she was so giddy she found it difficult to hide the slight trembling in her hands. She blinked, several times, watching as Jacob's handsome features sharpened and became clear in her vision again.

He was watching her, waiting expectantly, and she couldn't stop the smile that burst across her cheeks. He was so beautiful. "Have you ever just felt… like there's a part of you that's missing? That you're simply waiting? I feel like there's something that I should be doing, a place I should be heading to, but instead I feel utterly frozen. I am anxious and nervous and excited and I can't seem to get over how much I miss you… when it was never you that left. There's been such a distance between us and I feel lonely with you just a few feet away. I'm floating out here, like gravity has somehow forgotten that I exist. I've never been so lost before, but I've realized that… I'm glad. I don't want to be that girl anymore. I don't even know who she was." Bella exclaimed desperately, her eyes searching his for understanding.

"I was wrong before – so utterly and completely wrong that I can never begin to explain it to you. I'm not sure if it was me, or if it was him – wait. No, it was me. This was all my fault. I let my head do all of my feeling and it took me to a place I never want to go again. I'm just so – stupid. But I can promise you this – you will never have to question my love for you again. If it's the last thing I do – I will prove to you that you're the only one I want to spend my life with. Did you hear me, Jake? My life." The words left her lips as a whispered, quiet prayer, anxiously hoping for acceptance, forgiveness and solace.

And he gave it, as he always would, his mouth descending to meet hers in an exchange of comfort, love and hope that they could now exist in a world that was honest, real and open to the possibility of life and all the joys and hardships that it entailed. His tongue stroked hers softly, and a small whimpering sound escaped her. Her insides felt coated with honey, all slick and soft and warm and sweet and everything she didn't know she could be. She found herself wanting to touch him and get lost in the sensory experience that was their bodies and everything in between.

Jacob was the first to pull back, and her heart overflowed at the love in his eyes. "I'm yours, Isabella, always," he whispered gently, his thumbs rubbing soft circles on her heated cheeks. Bella nodded, a bit numbly, overjoyed and overwhelmed by their exchange. He chuckled softly. "Sleep now, honey. We'll talk more later." Her heavy eyes closed, and she felt his warm lips press a delicate kiss to her forehead. She snuggled deep into his chest, her ear cuddled above his heart, and let his gentle rhythm lull her into the most soothing sleep she had ever had.

No heels, no shirt, no skirt,
All I'm in is just skin.
No jeans, take 'em off,
Wanna feel your skin.
You a beast, oh,
You know that I like that.
Come on baby,
All I wanna see you in is just skin…

Skin - Rihanna

Oh god, oh god, I want you so much I can't even begin to describe it and yet I feel like this could be the strangest decision I've ever made in my whole life. How can one choice seem so right and wrong all at the same time? You make me feel everything, and I feel like you should have been the one to save me… and yet I can't decide whether or not I actually need saving anymore. I want to think that I've finally found myself, that I've dug my way out of this ridiculous hole I'd created. I don't know where it started or how I got here but I do know that I've finally realized that I don't have to drown in it anymore. I'm so relieved that you could be there, to watch and wait and remember and dream of me when I couldn't do the same for you. Why do you make me feel this way, why do make me feel this heat and this indecision and this effortless way of breathing? I don't need music to feel like dancing because you've created a pulse inside me that could not florish until the day you found me. It's a cold and broken hallelujah, but a joyous one all the same.

I'm free – do you hear me?

I'm free.

My body has been screaming – Come home, be home, don't let it chase you away, don't let it scare you off. I ache, oh, how I ache… haven't you felt it, deep inside my soul? It's cracked, brittle and burned around the edges, swaying in the breezes like ashes of burnt paper and I'm ruined and off and bright and beautiful and I feel your innocence creeping under my fingernails. You make me tight and pulsing in places I hadn't known existed…

You make my head hurt, because I can feel you inside me, melting into the cracks and crevices I thought I had filled and covered, and you're exposing my truths and all the disappointments I wanted to hide from you. It's always been like this, between us, and now I see it too - that it wasn't me who should have seen you, it's always been you who saw me.

You -

- Jacob.

A ragged gasp jolted her awake, her breathing heavy and deep. Her body felt swollen, languid, and Bella wondered a bit numbly if she was dreaming, but she was so damn hot.

Sweating.

She shifted against the sheets, feeling them cling to her warm thighs and her long hair was sticking to her scalp. As her skin slid along the cotton, she realized the radiating heat moved along her belly, from her waist to her hip, then resting softly against her stomach only to sink gently into the dip of her pelvis.

Bella froze.

A soft snuffling snore echoed in her ear and she realized that the source of discomfort was the large russet skinned man curled up next to her in what Bella now believed to be the smallest bed in the history of the world.

Intense, tantalizing fear gripped her, shallow breaths captivating her lungs. Bella quickly reassessed her body, taking note of the large hand that surrounded her left hip bone, while the other hand comfortably nestled between her thighs, inches from the one place on her body to remain completely untouched by a man. Her eyes slid carefully to the right, and seeing his sleeping face softened some of the tension in her shoulders.

Oh God, Oh God… Jake, hand, bed – Why am I not wearing more clothes? Bella's eyes widened in disbelief as she realized that she was wearing nothing more than a pair of cotton boyshorts and a tank top that accentuated more than it covered. She closed her eyes again, straining to recall how she came to be in such a compromising situation with a boy, who only days before, had confessed his everlasting, mystically induced love for her.

Hospital… Charlie… car ride? Bella's eyes flew open again as she remembered being released from the hospital earlier in the day. She had been so exhausted by the journey home that she had barely made it inside the house. Jake must have brought her upstairs to her room… but how did he wind up in bed with her?

His huge arms were wrapped around her, carrying her effortlessly up the stairs. She wrinkled her nose at the overwhelming heat in the room, her fuzzy gaze flicking to the sputtering radiator in the corner. "Window, Jake, hot," she managed to mumble incoherently, and Jake chuckled quietly. He placed her carefully down on the bed and then moved across the room to the window, sliding it open a few inches before turning to watch her haphazardly fling her bedding off the mattress.

"You're going to get cold, honey," he said thoughtfully as another blanket hit the floor.

"I have you, don't I?" she said archly, and her drug-addled mind balked at her mouth's forwardness. She frowned to herself, unsure which parts of her body were still connected.

Jake appeared just as shocked, his mouth falling open an inch or two before snapping shut again. "Uh, sure, honey – but I thought you'd want to sleep, or-"

She cut him off with a floppy wave of her hand. "Bed. Sleep. Jake, too." Her eyes were already half-closed, but she tugged at her pants as her back hit the mattress. "Help?" came her garbled plea, and she watched his skin flush pink beneath its' russet exterior as a few inches of her porcelain white hip came into view.

"Okay," he replied, but his voice sounded strangled. She heard his careful footsteps as they approached the bed, but she was feeling too uninhibited to care about the current state of her undress. She felt his warm fingers glide down her covered calves before gently sliding down her cotton pants. Bella gasped as contrasting temperature of her room and the breeze from window mingled against her skin, stimulating nerve endings she never knew had existed.

She heard Jacob's sharp intake of breath, and her foggy eyes opened to see his eyes dilate to an inky black pool of emotion her mind could not pinpoint in its' current foggy medically-induced euphoric haze. Bella felt her mouth open, her tongue working to formulate a somewhat coherent sentence, but her eyes closed against her will. Her head lolled to the side, her brain succumbing to the power of the sedatives she had consumed, seemingly anxious for any excuse to curb what was apt to be one of the most embarrassing and inspiring moments of her life…

Bella winced at the memory of the unabashed disposal of her clothing. It was the painkillers, she attempted to rationalize, but she couldn't ignore the part of her brain that whispered it wasn't. It was difficult for her to admit just how hot her best friend actually was. Good grief! Bella gave herself a mental slap in the face. What was wrong with her? She had technically been Edward's girlfriend up until a few days ago, and here she was, thinking inappropriate thoughts about a man she had once been firmly convinced was only her friend!

She had forced herself to ignore her attraction for Jacob, and it had worked for awhile, but then the heat crept further up her body as she recalled more than one dream that had involved her hot, platonic friend. She had lain out much more tonight than she had ever intended, but she couldn't help but wonder if it was time to let go of her fears and really give her relationship with Jacob the effort it deserved. Edward was gone – she had practically told him to leave – and here she was, panicking about sharing a bed with Jacob; an act she had so casually indulged in with Edward on numerous occasions.

Her eyes moved sideways again, and she felt a strange mixture of relief and disappointment flood her as she discovered that Jacob was still clothed in his typical uniform of cut-offs, and for Charlie's sake, an old t-shirt. Her gaze slid along the portion of his upper body that she could see from her current angle, lingering appreciatively on the solid mass of his biceps and defined curves of his chest.

She had seen Jacob sleep many times before, but that was beforebefore. It was different this time. It felt right to watch him now – before she felt like an intruder, only watching from the shadows. But now she was much, much deeper that she had ever imagined wanting to be, and it pleased her that the concept didn't frighten her.

His heavy breathing stuttered, as if he could somehow feel her gaze on him, and his thick fingers tightened on her hips. She clenched her lips together, fighting to keep in the hiss of air that threatened to escape. He can't wake up now!Bella felt a wave of panic swell up in her throat as she watched him shift against the pillows. But then his breathing resumed its steady pattern and she sighed, easing the tightness from her lungs.

Her eyes refocused and she found herself studying him again, barely controlling the urge to reach up and slide her fingers along the silken hairs that had slipped over his eyes. Why can't I want him? She wondered to herself. Why am I so afraid to be physically close to him? Tactile affection was not new in their relationship; he had always been touching her, holding her hand, giving her hugs, kissing the top of her head, cuddling her against him when she felt cold. Did it mean more now simply because she had admitted to feeling more for him than just friendship? Or was it misdirected projection of Edward's prudish and careful ways? Could she be flirtatious and initiate intimacy between the two of them?

Bella felt her cheeks flush pink – and she desperately wanted to believe it was embarrassment induced, but she didn't have time to decide before she heard a sleepy, husky voice in her ear. "What are you thinking so hard about, honey?"

She let out a surprised squeak and yanked her hands free from his embrace to slap them over her face. Her face flooded red and this time she knew it was from embarrassment.

Jacob laughed, and she felt its throaty tones tingle down her spine. She fought not to shiver, but she knew he had noticed when he asked, "Are you ok, honey? You aren't having chills, are you?" He began to lean away to examine her more thoroughly, when Bella's hand reached out to stop his movement, surprising them both completely.

"Wait…" she whispered. Before she could stop herself, her fingertips found the hem of his soft t-shirt. Bella's eyebrows raised in question, and he nodded wordlessly as he watched her hands disappear under the cotton. He felt her fingers hesitantly caress his hot skin, and his head fell back, his eyes closed, a soft hiss slipping from between his lips.

Her fingers froze, and he felt her uncertainty. He lifted his head to gaze at her, his eyes hooded. "Don't stop," he murmured thickly, and his tone sent delicious tremors down her spine.

"Can you…" her tongue felt heavy in her month, and she couldn't finish the sentence. But he nodded his ascent, reaching down to tug his shirt over his shoulders, tossing it away, forgotten in the darkness of her bedroom.

"I just want..." she tried again, but found that there were no words to describe the fluid, sticky-sweet state of her body.

But he understood, relaxing against the mattress. His hands collected the comforter into his palms, as if to anchor himself in place. "It's just me, Bells," he whispered softly, his tone rough. "It's just skin, honey."

Skin. Her fingers resumed their journey, delicately tracing the grooves of his abdominals, reveling in his iron silk texture. She stroked him, gently, unabashedly attempting to memorize every inch of his glorious body. She felt him tremble beneath her touch, and it made her bold, traveling upwards to his pectorals. She found one dark nipple, and circled it with one finger, mesmerized as she felt it pebble under her ministrations. A strangled noise crept out of his throat. "Do you want me to…" she trailed off, afraid to ask, afraid of the answer.

"God, no, honey," he rumbled. "It's almost too good..." his hands flexed on the blanket, and her gaze slid down, realizing that the heavy fabric hid his lower half.

"Oh," she squeaked out, feeling the heat flooding her body. Her instinctive reactions were frightening – it had never been like this with him.

Bella felt his hand grasp her chin, turning her eyes to his. "Don't, honey," he commanded, his eyes dark and swirling. "Don't be afraid of me." She nodded, a bit dumbly, confused and uncertain and swollen.

She blinked, and then found their positions reversed, her on her back, his hips settled firmly between her knees. She gasped in surprise, never ceasing to be amazing by his supernatural speed. She heard him chuckle at her expense, and her hand swiped at him in the darkness, a gentle smack as her palm found the heat of his chest. "My turn, honey," he whispered hoarsely, and Bella felt her heartbeat accelerate in anticipation. "Don't be afraid of me," he repeated, his large, warm fingers stroking delicate lines down her thighs. "It's just skin."

Skin.

"Close your eyes," he coaxed, and she obeyed, allowing her lids to close and her mind to focus on her tactile senses. He continued his gentle caresses, waiting for her body to calm under his touch. "Relax, Bells…" he murmured. "Relax…. It's just skin."

Skin.

She felt her spine melting into the mattress, willing her muscles to unclench, soaking in the warmth of his body against hers. His hands began to work, massaging lazy circles against her calves, tracing the sweet curves of her hips, tickling the softness of her belly. She gasped as his fingers moved upwards, sweeping the roundness of her torso, just avoiding the swells of her naked breasts.

Skin.

He outlined each arc of her ribs, the dip of her belly button, the curl of her hip. Goose bumps rose across her tender flesh and she arched into his touch, anxious for more. She felt foggy, disconnected from her consciousness, separate from herself, distanced from her fears and anxieties.

"Oh, Jake," she breathed, and it was exhaled like a prayer, a dream, a disembodied voice that was carried away on the breeze, and it made him smile.

Skin.