A/N: Sorry guys, I spent a lot of time trying to find "uploading for dummies" to tell me how to put one chapter in the M section, but couldn't find anything. There's loads about putting the whole thing there and I could have maybe done it as a one-shot with a different title but that would have screwed the following chapters, so I gave up and edited it to 'T' material, hopefully. I am in total awe of those of you who know how to do 'all that shit', as Molly would say. Chapter 12 will see her putting Lauren back in her box before having to be honest and explain things to CJ … Thank you for your feedback, and I really hope that no-one is too disappointed that this is not as smutty as it could have been if I wasn't such a muppet with technology ….

Chapter Eleven

"What?"

"Nothin' nothin' at all ….." She wound her arms round him and twined her fingers into the soft short hairs where they curled on the back of his neck, loving the way that his head started moving at her touch.

"I'll have you know that I don't on a first date, so there's nothing for you to worry about"

"Don't you? I do" She giggled to make it obvious that she wasn't being serious, well not about that anyway, not with the first dates she'd had, in fact most of them had been the first and the bloody last "Anyhow this isn't a first date, is it? That was yesterday"

"Oh yes, you're right it was, lovely, in that case ….."

She slid slowly down him until her feet were buried in a squashy bedside rug, the soft warmth made her toes curl up in it as he looped his arms round her back and then smiled into her eyes, a smile that faded rapidly as their gazes locked together, the chemistry between them unmistakeable. The eyes gazing into hers looked almost black in the little bit of light from the open door, his pupils were huge so that she knew how he felt without him having to say a word and she could only imagine that hers were telling him pretty much the same, that she wanted him very badly. There was no mistaking how much he wanted her, the light pyjama trousers hanging low off his hips made it pretty bloody impossible for her to miss just how much he really wanted her and she no longer cared if this was going to turn out to be some sort of one night stand…

And then his tongue was sliding over her bottom lip caressing it before brushing it against hers and she screwed her eyes tightly shut and moved her body against him enjoying the sound of his involuntary low moan as his hands cupped her arse and pulled her tightly into him making her nipples pebble and beg for his touch, for him to put his mouth on her.

"Jesus" He pulled away slightly, eyes hooded as he moved in again to kiss her hard until they were both so desperate for air that he had to raise his head before lifting her hand to his mouth and kissing her finger tips one by one, staring deep into her eyes as he did it. He closed his own eyes briefly as he drew a finger slowly up her spine before resting his hand on her neck in exactly the same spot that Jamie had done in front of him at the karaoke the night that he'd been so utterly miserable and jealous, not that he could remember much of that now, all he could think about was how it felt to have her body against him as he slid his fingers slowly up into her hair. She felt tiny and fragile and dwarfed by him as he lifted her onto the bed and started whispering against the skin of her neck that she was beautiful, that every inch of her was perfect, how he had known that she would be, before lifting her football shirt over her head and tossing it on the floor, swallowing hard as she pressed her naked body tightly against him.

"You've been driving me bloody crazy, you know that don't you, ever since that first moment I saw you"

"Just kiss me"

He seemed to make her wait forever, his lips just hovering above hers while he chewed at his bottom lip and gazed down into her eyes, breath soft and warm on her skin as she began to run her hands up and down the silky skin of his back where it stretched across his muscles, absolutely loving the way that her touch was making him shiver. His muscles felt the way that she'd known they would feel when she'd been sitting in that pub and checking him out the first time she'd ever seen him, the night that she'd started to go off Jamie.

He dragged his lips from hers and began to kiss a trail down to her breasts then looked up at her face before taking one of her taut nipples in his mouth to drive her nuts by teasing her with his tongue and teeth and sending urgent messages straight down to between her legs as he teased the other one with the rough pads of his fingers. The heat that was building between her thighs was damp and needy as she surrendered to sensation when he moved his hands slowly down her body.

She could hear the little whimpering noises that she was making as his hand moved between her thighs and he increased the pressure that was building in her, pushing her to the edge so that she strained towards him, wanting him desperately, her body needed him as she started to clutch at the sheets and her insides began to clench with pleasure. And then she hit the top of the rollercoaster arching her back as her orgasm flooded through her with an intensity that she couldn't remember happening before, but it had been a very long time since she'd made love to anyone, a very long time.

He held her without moving while she came back to planet earth and then drew himself up her body so that his erection was pressing hard against her hip. She laughed softly then ran her hand down across the taut muscles of his stomach and slowly undid the button on his pyjamas before hooking her thumbs in the sides and sliding them down over his hips. She left him to shuffle his legs about and kick them off his feet as she curled her hand round him and then ran her thumb lightly round the tip, making him gasp as she spread the moisture that was beading there. His sharp intake of air as she touched him made her squeeze him tighter and move her hand slowly up and down the length of him, until he gave another of his soft involuntary moans and quickly put his own hand down to still her before murmuring "Give me a moment ….."

And then he was kissing her again, tongues tangling together and bodies straining against each other until they had to break apart because it was becoming impossible to breathe and kiss at the same time. Still breathing heavily into one another's open mouths he moved his knee between her thighs to push them apart and she instinctively lifted her legs to wrap them around him pulling him down onto her. His body was heavy, surrounding her as she started to strain towards him again, but his fingers touching and stroking were no longer enough, she wanted more …

"Condom"

His voice was a hoarse whisper as he dragged himself away from where he'd lined himself up, he was only the tiniest fraction away from where she wanted him to be so badly when he stilled himself and made an obvious effort to stop, to exert some sort of self-control. Molly was desperate to tell him that he didn't need one, that she was on the pill and that she hadn't been with anyone else for well over a year. Even when she'd been living with Liam their sex life had dwindled to absolutely bugger all because he was nearly always pissed out his nut or in the boozer or he'd bring other bloody pissheads into their home, and she hadn't fancied him when he stank like a pub floor with a stale ashtray on top, when she was worried that he might throw up on her but he hadn't often been capable anyway …. but she didn't know about Charles. For all she knew he might have been with … well, she didn't want to think about it, not right now….. She didn't think he had somehow, but that could be wishful thinking and he was being responsible so it was up to her to be sensible even if her will-power seemed to have buggered off somewhere.

He held the foil packet in his teeth as he ripped it open and then rolled the condom on the swollen length of him never once taking his hooded gaze away from her face. His hips brushed against her thighs again as he paused before gently easing, pushing himself inside and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut again and concentrated on the feel of him and then on the sensation he was creating as he put his finger down and started to move it in small circles until she cried out and buried her head in his neck. He started to moan softly as his smooth rhythm got more and more erratic and his breath hitched in his throat so that she knew just how close he was to peaking and clenched herself tightly around him until he gave a soft oath and held his breath, his whole body then lying heavily on her as they held each other tightly in silence. Their breathing had slowed and their heart rates had returned to something nearly normal when the scalding hot tears of emotion began to spill from her eyes and slide down her cheeks.

-OG-

Laying there with him still on top of her it was very hard for her not to get carried away. Lauren had been right when she'd reckoned he would be brilliant at it, but having brilliant sex didn't mean that she was Cinderella or that he was her Prince Charming, no matter how good looking he was, and she was not living in a fairy tale. She didn't do 'love' except for the nice little fantasy 'things' that she'd had with the likes of Jamie when she'd needed something nice to dream about, things or people that were never going to come to anything but this was different and it scared her. She'd given up on it after Liam and for bloody good reason, it wasn't worth it, none of it, it was too fucking painful for a start. She put her hand up to dash the tears away and did her best to smile at him, a reassuring smile that was designed to show him that she was fine, to pretend that everything was fine as he looked down into her face concern written all over his and eased himself off her to deal with the condom.

"Hey, come on, my … , don't cry, tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothin', there's nothin' wrong, don't be silly, honestly I'm fine"

Charles stretched himself out next to her and pulled her into his arms, then tucked her into him so that her head was resting under his chin, her hair fanning out across his chest and tickling him as she blew strands up off her face. He knew without the smallest shadow of a doubt that she was lying and that everything was very far from fine, but he also knew that she wasn't going to tell him no matter how often he demanded to know, or how bossy he got, he'd just get the 'long story' bit, but he also didn't care how much she protested or tried to shut him out, he was determined that he wasn't going to get it wrong again.

He'd been careless before when he'd taken things for granted, when he'd had let the love he'd shared with Rebecca pour through his bloody fingers like sand, but this felt like it was a second chance to be happy even with all his baggage and he had a lot of that. He just hoped that it wasn't that, because none of it had anything to do with the way that she'd crept into his heart, but whatever it was that was wrong, he wasn't going to let it go without a real fight no matter how much of a clusterfuck they found themselves in.

"Are you still taking me out tomorrow? Still gonna take me to see Shirl so we can get some'ing decent?"

"Of course, mind you it depends what you call decent, she's definitely not" He laughed softly and pulled a face "You have to promise that you'll protect me from her, Oh and that you'll eat something" He smoothed her hair back from her face "And only if you promise to ask me in for coffee afterwards"

"Hate to tell you some'ing Bossman" She giggled against his chest knowing that it got to him when she called him that, even when she used it as a pet name "This is your place ….. and it's your bloody coffee 'n all"

"I know, but I've told you before, inviting me for coffee is a euphemism"

"Yeah, okay, right, I can see that" She pretended to be considering what he'd said "It's gonna be that sort of date then is it?"

"Oh, I bloody hope so …. and stop calling me that"

-OG-

Molly did not sleep well, there wasn't a great deal of the night left anyway but she wasn't used to sleeping with someone who spooned against her back, in fact she was no longer used to sleeping with anyone full stop so that what felt like every two minutes or so she'd open her eyes and wonder for the moment where the hell she was before she'd allow herself to close them again and drift off to the comforting sound of his soft and even breathing.

Judging by the amount of light coming through the curtains it was broad daylight when he woke her up getting back into the bed next to her. She was still wrecked, tired and heavy eyed with an absolute certainty that she was going to be bloody knackered by lunchtime and would have a hard job to stop awake all afternoon so that her first thought was to just turn over and go back to sleep. She'd throw a sickie, she hadn't had one for a while so it wouldn't look like she was taking the piss, and maybe she could even get him to phone into work and lie for her, although that was a bit unlikely, he was a bit too ….. sort of a rules person for that.

Shit, what time was it anyway? She had no real idea, but it felt like it was a lot later than he'd said he'd have to get up and leave for work.

"What time is it?"

"Good morning gorgeous, I'm sorry, did I wake you up? It's almost seven"

"You're gonna be well late, thought you said you had to be there at the crack of dawn"

"I know, I lied, and anyway I'm the boss so I'm allowed to be late, they can do their run without me" He looked at the clock "Actually they'll be almost finished by now"

"Shit, what time do they start?"

"Hours ago"

Molly peeped under her lashes and took her first real look at his face since she'd woken up, for some reason she felt desperately shy. But he was still the same insanely good looking bloke even with his messy hair and the heavy dark stubble on his chin, the chocolate brown eyes that were looking at her were alight with laughter and full of something else, affection maybe which she thought would be nice, if a bit unlikely.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I'm not used to sleeping with anyone, especially someone who sleeps in the middle of the bed, how about you?"

"Sorry" He leaned over and kissed her on her forehead "Glad you're not used to sleeping with anyone, and why wouldn't I sleep well?"

Molly could think of a thousand reasons why not, most of them to do with regretting something you've done … or someone but decided not to go there, she didn't want to put ideas in his head.

"What time do you have to be at work?"

"Was gonna throw a sickie" Even as she said it she had this horrible clear picture in her head of Lauren going round telling the bush telegraph why she hadn't shown up at work "But I'm awake now so I'll get up in a minute"

"I'll take you"

"Make you even later"

"I'll phone and tell them that something came up and no-one is going to ask me what came up or put me on a charge"

"Just as well they're not gonna ask what came up, innit?"

"Oi, Stop it, stop it" She was shrieking and giggling as he growled and started holding her down and then held her wrists over her head to kiss and stroke her before letting go so that she ran her hands over the faint tan lines on his chest and arms and nipped his nipple lightly with her teeth making him shout before he lifted her on top of him and then neither of them was laughing anymore.

"What 'appened?"

She was brushing her finger tips gently over the raised dark pink scar on his belly and despite his sated sleepy satisfaction her action made gooseflesh pop us across his body making him want to grab hold of her hand and stop her, but it was a case of 'stop it, I like it'.

"Someone did a bit of target practice on me, got my leg as well" He looked into a pair of green eyes that were full of horror "Souvenir of the Taliban, Molly, it was a while ago now, so it's not a problem anymore"

"You could of been dead Charles, shit, whoever he was he could of killed you"

"But he didn't, I'm still here, so stop looking like that"

"I know, but …."

Her flood of horror was mixed with a deep desire to protect him, she couldn't bear the thought of him being hurt so that her first instinct was to get herself up out of that bed and run away as far and as fast as she could. She'd promised herself that she was never going to let this happen again, that the worry and the pain and the fear that she'd had for him that had governed her life since Liam was not going to happen again.