Chapter 9

AN: Hi everyone! Thanks for the reviews and sorry about the problems accessing the chapters. There is something funky going on with the site, and I don't know what it is. We all have to grin and bear it... Please see the note at the end of the chapter, okay?...

Derek stared at her for just a moment. She could tell he was breathing heavily, like he was warring in his mind. When he spoke, his voice was husky, heavy. "Do I still want to kiss you?"

"Yes," she said softly.

"Do you want me to kiss you?"

She sighed disappointedly. That was the last thing she wanted to hear. It made her uncertain, it made her doubt what she heard, and she hated feeling that way. She hated questioning herself.

Come to think of it, she didn't know why she always questioned what she felt with Derek...

That wasn't true. She knew exactly why- She loved him. With Morgan, if she made the wrong decision, there was so much to lose, much more than with any other person on this earth.

But this being on the fence, this indecision he seemed to have with her, was driving her crazy. Either he wanted her or he didn't. It was that simple.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Look, I-"

The last thing she heard was a low growl, and then he was on her, his mouth was on hers, completely devouring her. He was obviously starving for her; the intensity of his kiss was breathtaking. He was pressed hard against her, nearly on top of her, his hands pushing on the back of her seat bracketing her shoulders. She couldn't move, she could barely breathe, and, oh! It was glorious.

Sliding his tongue between her lips, he scalded her with his heat. She opened, drawing him deeper into her mouth. She feasted on him, too. After all, she was just as hungry as he was. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, the only place she could reach him, and held tightly, savoring each sinewy muscle she could touch.

The heat and passion was radiating off of him as he ripped his mouth away from hers. "Do I want to kiss you?" he muttered. "That's the stupidest question I have ever heard. I've wanted to kiss you for six fucking years."

He didn't let her reply. Instead, he continued his strategic attack on her senses. He moved his hands up to cup her head, diving in her curls. When she gasped, his tongue took possession of hers again. He slanted his mouth across hers for greater access, deeper thrusting. This wasn't a gentle kiss like what was on the dance floor, nor an exploratory one meant for teasing into arousal. This was a predatory kiss, meant for claiming, mastering, unlike any kiss she'd ever had before. With that kiss, Derek was saying she was his.

She didn't doubt it and she sure as hell wasn't going to fight it; she wanted to be his forever.

She kissed him back, sucking his bottom lip between hers and raking her teeth against it before releasing it. He groaned, and she felt him as he shuddered under her hands. God, she wanted this. She wanted this for as long as she could remember. She'd dreamed about this, about doing exactly this to him for so long. Now that she was doing it, it was so, so... awesome. There was no other words for it.

Still, as he leaned harder against her, trying to get the feel of his chest against her breasts burned on her mind indelibly, she realized something. It wasn't enough, not nearly enough. She didn't think it would ever be enough. She was so, so ready for more.

Penelope reached her hand down between them, felt the throbbing heat of his arousal through the tight denim he was wearing. She gave a squeeze, molding her hand against him.

He reached his hand down to her wrist to stop her from continuing her caresses. "Hell, no, Baby Girl. Don't."

"Why?"

His eyes were glittering, feral in intensity. "I am so close to flipping you on your back and taking you in the back seat. If you touch me, I won't stop."

She smiled slowly back at him. "I don't want you to stop."

A flame jumped in his eyes and he growled over at her, before quelling it. "Damn it." He sat back in his seat, closed his eyes, and ran a hand over his face. He gripped the steering wheel, so hard his knuckles were white, and faced her. "What about Reid? He... Damn!... I can't... ." He shook his head and looked back at the steering wheel, cursing yet again.

She watched Morgan, watched his every move, his every expression, and her heart beat accelerated. It was pounding hard in her chest. Derek looked angry, but beneath that anger was such hurt. It was obvious to her he wanted her, but no matter what he said, no matter how angry he seemed to be at Reid, he didn't want to hurt him, either. He was waging a war inside himself with his conscience; she could literally see what he was thinking. It broke her heart; she never wanted him to suffer.

It was definitely time to come completely clean. "Derek, Reid and I are friends. No, closer than friends. Like brother and sister."

Derek stiffened, thinking of what she said to him earlier, that they were like that. "Meaning?"

"Siblings, honey," she said. "Not at all what we are together."

He stepped out of the car, opened her door, and helped her out. He leaned closer, his eyes hot, dark, his hand bracing against the side of the truck. "What are we together, angel?"

AN: Alright folks, here is the big question: What do you want? The M rated or the T rated ending? Let me know and I will post it tomorrow! Love, Kricket