A/N: Thanks to 2furious4u, gothicluver13, Running-Wild22 (Hang in there!), MimeMoe, Ms. Lori Reznor, AllieKat21, Villana Del Amor (As you wish...), Straight Edge Queen, Trickster 707, tanya2byour21, My-Edward-1992, tar heels superstar, everfaraway (Mine!), LovingBlackParadise and for their reviews! 15 for one chapter, a new personal record...yay!
So I know it's been a while again. I bring good news and bad news. Good new is, along with this, I have the next two (at least) chapters written! Bad news is, it's all written on paper in my tiny messy writing, and I fucked up my wrist, so my typing is VERY slow. However, I will persevere!
I can guarantee you that the moment you've all been waiting for will be in the next 1 or 2 chapters, because I've already written it. I'll try not to make you wait too long.
Interesting bit o trivia: I wrote this on vacation, which was a whopper this year. These next couple of chapters were written in: Edinburgh, Paris airport, Chicago, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, San Francisco (where I hurt my wrist) and Amsterdam airport. Fun, huh?
As always, Review and Enjoy!
Rae woke slowly, warm and sated, and snuggled closer to the warmth at her side, giving a small hum of contentment. A strong arm wrapped around her, pulling her deeper into the warmth as it's fingers played over the skin of her bare shoulder.
"Mornin'," a sleepy voice rumbled, the low vibrations under her head shooting right to her core. She froze in realization at the sound.
Slowly she sat up, clutching at the sheets as the pooled around her waist. A pair of intense blue eyes watched her closely, waiting for her reaction.
"Vince, did we…?" she trailed off, heart thumping hard in her chest. She already knew the answer, the feel of those large, talented hands all too fresh in her mind.
"Cut it out, Rae. You know exactly what happened," he replied evenly, not moving from where he was propped against the headboard, his wide, bare chest above the sheets. He'd obviously been awake for a while, his eyes clear of sleep.
Rae blushed when she realized she must have been sprawled across him, her head pillowed on his chest. She closed her eyes in defeat, and tried to gather her thoughts.
She shifted to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Last night," Vince began, taking a deep breath.
"I know. It was a mistake. A huge, ginormous mistake," she finished for him.
There was a moment of silence, and Rae could feel his eyes on her bare back. She didn't dare turn around to meet his gaze.
"Actually, I was going to say last night was amazing," he growled, sounding a tad irritated.
Rae spun around in surprise at his words. She had been expecting a repeat of last time's outrage…not this. He was looking at her intently. There was anger in his eyes, but also something…softer. Acceptance? Intrigue? Resignation?
"I've wanted you since you got back," he said frankly. "I'm glad it happened."
She stared in shock before jumping up, her eyes blazing.
"Nonono! You don't get to do this! YOU told ME to get out the first time, you don't get to change your mind!"
Uncomfortable shame flashed on Vince's face as he shifted to stand.
"The first time…" he paused, looking uncertain. Rae had never seen him like this, it was freaking her out. "You were so young and…and a virgin. I felt like some creep taking advantage of you and—"
SMACK!
There. That was better. Angry Vince, she could deal with.
"What. The. Fuck. was that for?!" he growled, stepping towards her, his naked body tight with anger, his hand massaging the reddening mark on his cheek.
"You're an idiot, Vincent Martelli! You don't get to change your mind and expect me to just fall in your lap!" she snapped, taking a step back and hitting the wall.
"Sweetheart," he growled, planting a hand on either side of her head and crowding against her. "You already did," he grinned, none-too-pleasantly, nodding toward the rumpled bed beside them.
"That's my point, Vince," she replied, trying to ignore the heat of his body so close to her. "Last night shouldn't have happened. It was a mistake. One I'm not gonna make for a third time. Just leave it be."
"You can't tell me you didn't enjoy yourself," he rumbled, licking his lips.
Something jumped low in her stomach. She had to stop this soon. She considered telling him then and there, but she was mad, and it didn't seem the best way to break the news.
"I'm not saying I didn't, V. But I have things to think about. I can't just have guys popping in and out of my life, it's not fair on Bella. How many guys do you think stick around after they find out I have a three-year-old daughter? And the ones that do stay only hang around long enough to realize that she will always come first."
"What would happen if we carried this…whatever…on? Eventually, it wouldn't work out, and we'd still have to see each other everyday. Can you honestly see that working? I'm finally back and I don't want Ella to lose the love of the Team just because I didn't know when things were just too damn complicated," she replied in a rush, taking a big, deep breath as she finished.
Vince looked thoughtful, like he had actually listened to what she had said, but he still had that stubborn lock in his jaw. As he opened his mouth to respond, the sound of running water came from above, and Rae realized they weren't the only ones up.
"Shitshitshitshit," she muttered, pushing past Vince and rushing though the room to gather up her scattered clothes, then running to the downstairs bathroom.
Vince watched as she dashed through the room, watching unabashedly as the sheets slipped around her revealing little flashes of skin. He just leaned against the wall and watched as she rushed out of his room, the basement shower sounding a few moments later.
He frowned. He'd been wanting last night to happen since she'd arrived back in town, and he wasn't about to regret it now.
And she was so fuckin' sexy. He'd almost forgotten.
He didn't understand her irrational reaction, at least not at first. He didn't pretend to know what it was like to have a kid, but he knew that you didn't avoid living just because things might not work out right. It's not like he was proposing or anything, just trying to have a little fun.
Tossing on some clothes, he pulled on a t-shirt instead of his usual vests to cover the scratches and bite marks on his shoulders. Pausing in thought for a second, he grabbed a pair of clean running shorts and another t-shirt.
He quietly opened the bathroom door, a wave of steam billowing out at his as he moved into the room. He took a moment to admire the smooth dip of her back and the smooth curve of her ass. Under the hot spray of the shower she didn't hear him enter, and he kept quiet, gathering her clothes, but leaving her bra.
He placed his folded clothes on the closed toilet seat and took one last look at her, promising himself it wouldn't be the last time her saw her naked.
Rae had stared blankly at the folded clothes before angrily tugging them on. She didn't know what game he was trying to play, but she didn't like it.
She couldn't believe she made such a colossal mistake once again. At least she was on the pill now. She couldn't blame anything else this time. She wasn't some love-struck naïve kid, and he wasn't drunk and mad. They had been two consenting adults who knew exactly what they were doing.
She'd convinced herself she was over him, now she had to quit lying to herself.
When Rae came upstairs, Vince was already sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal. Letty and Mia were across from him nursing steaming cups of coffee as Brian cooked breakfast and Rome told him what he was doing wrong. It was Leon's turn to open up early, and as far as he knew, Dom was still asleep upstairs.
There was a clatter of pans from the kitchen followed but raucous laughter, and Vince grinned into his Lucky Charms as the two girls flinched at the sound.
"Rough night?" he asked them, receiving two death glares in return. Their attention shifted as Rae walked in wearing his clothes. Letty raised an eyebrow in question.
"What? You think I'm wearing my little red dress to breakfast?" she asked, rolling her eyes as she took a seat as far away from Vince as possible.
Mia just shrugged and sipped her brew, but Letty's eyes were wide with surprise. "I didn't know you were here," she remarked.
"You two were pretty wasted," Vince smirked. "She helped me get you home last night." He grinned at their blushes. "She crashed in Jesse's room again," he lied.
She shot him a surprised look, apparently surprised that he wasn't going to kiss and tell.
"Oh," Letty sighed. "Were we really that bad?"
"Well, you got into a drinking contest with on of Hector's grew at El Gato Negro – which you won – and Hector called here when the three of you started dancing on the bar," he replied, enjoying their embarrassment.
Three sets of blushing cheeks greeted him, although Letty looked rather smug at having won the drinking contest.
Rae stood suddenly, her chair screeching back on the hardwood floors. "Well, uh…I better get back to the hotel if I wanna be ready for this afternoon," she said. "We're still on, right?" she asked, biting her lip in excitement.
For the first time they were all being allowed to go visit Jesse at once, and the Doc wanted to talk to them about the possibility of him coming home. They all nodded, and the girls looked happy for the first time all morning. Vince sometimes forgot that Mia and Rae were Jesse's friends long before he joined the Team.
"I'll give you a lift back," he said, standing with a stretch.
Rae looked mildly panicked, but the others two didn't notice, still looking pensively into their cups. He knew what she was thinking. She didn't want to be alone with him, but she needed a ride. If she refused his offer, but asked on of the others, they'd know something was up between them, and it wouldn't take a genius to figure out what.
"Fine," she grumbled. "Catcha later, girls. Tell the guys bye for me."
Vince was already heading out as the other two called their goodbyes, as she rushed to catch up with him. She wouldn't meet him eyes as she slid into the passenger seat of his Maxima. She pulled her belt on silently, looking out of her window as she waited for him to start the car.
She heard the click of his belt, and then she felt his eyes on her but she refused to turn. After a moment he left out a gusty sigh and the engine roared to life. He drove quickly towards her hotel, and she wished she had the nerve to reach over and switch on the radio, but she didn't dare move. She they drove in heavy silence.
Her body hummed from his closeness and she couldn't stop her mind drifting over the night before, the feel of his body over hers, the touch of his rough fingers on her sweat-slicked skin. She thought she had washed the scent of his off of her skin, but trapped in the car with him, wearing his clothes, it was all around her. It seeped into her bones, relaxing her and exciting her at the same time.
She had to get out of that car.
As soon as the car stopped outside she slipped off her seatbelt and reached for the handle, but before her fingers could touch the black plastic he gripped her arm and tugged her to him roughly.
She ended up sprawled awkwardly over the gearshift and e-brake. But there was nothing awkward about the hot press of his mouth on hers as he kissed her hard. Her tenuous control shattered at the feeling, her hand curling into his thick hair and her tongue dueling with his. His powerful arms banded around her, pulling her against his hard chest, and she let out a small whimper of pleasure.
It stopped as soon as it started, and Rae flopped back in her seat, breathing deeply as her heart pounded in her chest. Vince was staring straight ahead, his knuckles white as her gripping the steering wheel, and a muscle was jawing in his clenched jaw.
"Dammit, Vince," she cursed. Fumbling with the handle and scrambling out of the car, she nearly missed his growled response.
"We're not finished."
She stood in shock as he peeled away and didn't move until he'd disappeared around the block in a squeal of tires.
She was so screwed.
