Disclaimer; I do not, nor claim to own any of Kelly Armstrongs characters or locations apart from my own etc. Although Kelly's books do rock!

Not as raunchy as the last chapter (I ment and 'did' put a disclaimer heading the chapter, but FFN didn't decide to put it up lol).

4. Morning

Come the morning, Belle and Nick had moved up the stairs to his bedroom. It looked more like a studio flat, the floor space alone could have easily swallowed Belle's entire apartment. Being softly awoken by a shake in the bed springs, she turned over to see him sitting up on one elbow looking down at her.

"Morning." He whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead.

She gave a dozed smile. "I'm getting a strange sense of de ja vu. Haven't we done this before?"

Nick gave a lazy shrug. "Gets better every time though." Flashing his teeth in a grin, he rose from the bed naked.

Belle listened to Nick walking into his en suite, turning the taps on in the shower. She stayed wrapped up in the sheets for a while, just listening to the familiar sounds and remembering the previous night's antics. How often had it come to this? Sporadically meeting up with Nick, and each time ending the same way? Belle had had partners in the past, quite a few in fact – yet none had held quite the same appeal as what she had for Nick, and because of that - they were never long lasting relationships.

Belle couldn't tell if she loved Nick, not letting herself even contemplate the very notion she knew too well it would only add further pain. She had learnt that the hard way with the Pack. After the incident of Nick's first change all those years ago, the following day she found out the Pack had left in the middle of the night; leaving a devastated Belle behind.

It was only by sheer chance one of Clay's first teaching jobs was at the campus Belle had been attending, and much to his annoyance she hadn't stopped hounding him until he passed on a message. After that, Nick had turned up at her house the next day waiting for her after a lecture - and they didn't leave her room for the next Forty-eight hours. Nick only having to leave because, there was an incident that needed the full Pack's cooperation.

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Reluctantly surfacing from the bed she tip-toed across the room and admired the black bass guitar Nick had resting against the wall, remembering his secret love of music - she pondered her thoughts, running her fingers instinctively over the strings. She couldn't resist the urge to enter the bathroom, where Nick stood in the shower – steam and condensation building up in the enclosed space.

"Did you have a good sleep?" He asked grinning at her as he washed remnants of shampoo from his hair.

Belle gave a flirtatious half smile, watching the water cascade down his form, wrapping her arms around herself. "Cant say I slept that much."

Nick laughed and leaned down to give her a kiss pulling her towards him under the water.

Already feeling himself harden, he pulled her too him in a fierce kiss, tangling his fingers in her hair.

Belle let out a mock growl, much to Nick's amusement as he laughed against her skin tracing his fingers down her stomach, as she snatched his hand away.

Without saying another word she stepped back from the shower, Nick cocked his head in confusion as she gave him a flirtatious look, taking his hand and lead him back to the bedroom.

She stood him in front of the bed and kissed him softly before roughly pulling away and pushing him back on the bed hungrily pushing him into her.

An hour later, as they lay on the bed, Nick dozily played with a strand of Belle's hair, coiling it around his fingers as she lay in the hollow of his shoulder. "You know, I could get used that."

"And what would that be?" Belle asked raising her head.

Nick shrugged giving one of his casual smiles. "Having you put me in my place…" He took a deep breath in a satisfied sigh.

Belle rolled her eyes shaking her head as she sat up to hear his stomach growling. "Food?" She asked looking down at him, rubbing her hand across the skin above his navel.

"Sounds good. Just grab whatever you can find." Nick replied stretching out as she pulled on one of his shirts, buttoning it up to just over her bust, and left the room.

Being a Saturday morning, Belle needn't worry about work. She did worry however about fixing breakfast, every cupboard was virtually empty. "I suppose that's the result of eating six meals a day." She muttered to herself. Eventually finding a box of some dried waffle ingredients and a waffle iron she set to work. Upon kneeling down to grab some plates she felt a presence behind her. Looking around she saw Nick standing behind her with his head at an angle inspecting her rear.

Belle shook her head and stood up to her full height, barely reaching Nicks shoulder and shoved some plates into his hand.

Ten minutes later Belle followed Nick into the dining room, and within a split second both of them stopped dead in their tracks. Sitting at the end of the glass table sat a man who looked close enough in age to be Nick's brother.

"How long have you been home?" Nick stammered.

Antonio flicked his eyes up on the couple, lasting a second longer than necessary on Belle's exposed legs as he set his mug of coffee down. "Long enough, to know we have company." He said coldly returning to look at his newspaper giving it a shuffle.

Nicks gaze drew to Belle as he took her hand and glanced down at her lack of clothing. "I'm uh, just going to go and… get dressed." She said quietly and quickly trotted down the hall and up the stairs to retreat to Nick's room.

Nick put the plates of food down on the table with a little more force than necessary. "Help yourself." He stated and walked away to follow Belle.

"Here, I brought your dress up." He said as he came into the room as Belle sat curled up in the bed. "More than I can say for these..." He paused lifting up a torn piece of clothing that were once a pair of knickers, and pulling a face.

Belle failed to hear the joke. "Did he say anything?" She asked worriedly biting a nail.

Nick shook his head and sat down beside her, taking her hand in his. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him."

"Don't bother… we both know what he's going to say. 'It's too dangerous for me to be around you. We'll be putting the security of the Pack at risk'. All of it, because I know what you are." She placed her head into her hands. "It's not like we haven't heard it all before!"

"You don't know that, it could be different this time." Nick comforted pulling her into him.

"Nicky," She stated lifting her head. "I think we both know for a fact that is what they are going to say… just like every other time we meet up and are in exactly the same situation." He couldn't reply, nor could he look her in the eye. "Let's just call it what it is and… and I'll make a quick exit." She sighed getting to her feet and snatching the dress off of him.

Averting eye contact Nick got to his feet and dressed. "I'll come with you; I need to pick my car up." He said, equally cold.

Nick still couldn't say anything to comfort her, only managed to help her get her possessions from the living room and share a taxi back to her apartment.

They said their goodbyes at her door, leaving with just a hug and murmured apologies as he left to collect his car.