Chapter Two : I have always depended on the kindness of strangers

She offered no resistance to his kiss. He'd thought that she might, and the fact that she didn't surprised him. He would have let her go if she'd given any sign that she didn't want this, he was almost certain he would have.

Instead she opened her lips under the certain pressure of his kiss and allowed him to slip his tongue into her mouth to savour her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and reached up on tip toe to meet his kiss. He could taste the warmth of alcohol, but not enough that she didn't know what she was doing, or what he was doing.

He felt her heart racing as her body pushed against his, and his hands tightened their hold on her. He knew that he had crossed a line by taking her into his arms. He wasn't sure when he had decided that he wanted this – wanted her – only that he knew he should end it, but he couldn't.

His hold on common sense and reason was slipping away like sand through his fingers. His desire was dominating his behaviour and he slid his hand to cup Rose's breast, deliberately stroking against her nipple as it hardened into wanton arousal under his touch.

The Doctor knew what he was doing was wrong, but Rose was soft and yielding and tasted of something he could not name but craved with a growing insanity. He also knew that if he didn't stop soon then he wouldn't be able to. Propriety be damned, he'd lower her to the floor, push her up against a wall, or set her on the bar, he didn't know which, but however it happened he knew that he would take her, claim her, make her his. The how wasn't really important, it was the when that consumed him like a fever. The thought of making her his sent fire through his blood, and he couldn't help but imagine how it would feel – being deep and tight inside her as she rocked against him.

Rose moaned softly into his mouth as one of his hands stroked over the curve of her behind, tugging her up against him and in no uncertain terms letting her know exactly where they were heading.

She squeaked in surprise as she felt him hard at her hip. She pulled back abruptly and stared up at him, his message received and quite obviously understood. She was breathless, and her lips were bruised and full, but she said nothing, she just looked at him with eyes that were as heavy with promise as his own.

He brushed a hand down her arm and his thumb stroked against her wrist as they watched each other. He knew that there was no way of stopping this, but he had to slow it down. He swallowed hard. "So, what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" he asked.

Rose laughed and shook her head. "You might have the moves, but your chat up lines need work."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she affirmed, although as she stared back into his eyes she was no longer sure.

"What makes you think I'm chatting you up?" he asked, his manner almost teasing as he leant into her, and promises of all that ever could be danced between them.

Hardly daring to breathe, Rose swayed towards him. "Aren't you?" she murmured softly as her eyes fluttered closed and she waited with anticipation for his kiss to return.

And perhaps he would have kissed her again, but a sudden burst of loud cheers and wolf-whistles off to one corner of the room intruded upon the spell of enchantment that they had fallen into. Almost immediately Rose put her head against the Doctor's chest to hide her embarrassment, as he shot a dark and warning glance to a group of heckling women. Like scolded children they quietened at once and went back to their drinks, but they kept a watchful eye.

"Friends of yours?" he whispered against Rose's hair, his arms still holding her.

She looked up and nodded her head, although she seemed a little unsure. "Sort of. They're from work – Henricks." Her voice lowered as she explained further. "It's Maxine's birthday. I shouldn't have come. I don't even like her."

"Then why did you?"

She held his gaze and after a moment she shrugged. "Couldn't face another night in front of the TV with mum, or down the pub with…" She stopped suddenly, glanced away.

"With who?" he pressed, although he already knew the answer. She had a boyfriend, of course. He tried unsuccessfully to quell the stab of jealousy that stirred within him at the thought of her with another man.

She shook her head. "No one," she said blithely, and beamed a smile at him. "Anyway, I'm glad I came. Wouldn't have met you if I hadn't."

"I suppose not."

A silence grew around them, and it was as if the music and sounds of the bar had faded into nothing more than white noise. Eventually Rose reached out to touch the buttons of his leather jacket, in what she hoped was a casual manner.

"You gonna buy me a drink?"

"That wouldn't be a very responsible thing for me to do now would it? You're underage, remember?"

She lifted her chin. "You said I was old enough."

His eyes darkened as he looked at her. "For some things."

A reckless impulse rushed through Rose. "What things?"

The Doctor didn't answer, instead he took her hand in his and with purpose he led her from the dance floor, quickly finding a secluded corner that shielded them from curious eyes of the Henricks girls. Rose stood with her back against the wall and looked up at him, obvious invitation in her eyes.

His body was too close to hers, he knew it, but didn't step back.

She licked her lips. "You're not from around here."

"No."

She wrinkled her nose as she contemplated him. "You're from somewhere up North," she told him.

He nodded. "Something like that."

She grinned, amused by his evasive manner. "Man of mystery, you are."

"Sort of, yeah."

"So you're just passing through then?" She tried and failed to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"Travelling," he explained. "It's what I do."

She let out a breath. "Never been anywhere, me. Except Wales with mum, when I was little, an'… I went on a school trip to France once. It rained."

He looked at her, almost soul deep. "You hungry?"

She stared at him, surprised by the question, and then she smiled. "Yeah," she said, holding his gaze. "I'm hungry."

His eyes trailed slowly over her body, and she let him look, wanted him to look. Eventually he met her chocolate brown eyes again and leant in close, his voice at her ear, low and dark, made her tremble.

"Don't wander off."

She couldn't help but smile at the insane idea that she would do such a stupid thing as to leave his side – ever.

"I won't," she told him and watched him head off to the bar and retrieve her shoes. He came back and knelt down in front of her. As he slipped her shoes back onto her feet, his cool fingers absentmindedly caressed her ankles then slowly he slid his hands up her legs. A thumb stroked the back of her knee before he stood up and faced her again.

"Come with me," he invited, and held out his hand to her.

For a moment Rose stared back at him, this strange man whom she knew nothing of, and then she reached out and slipped her hand into his.