Last Chapter y'all. I love Baron, okay? I am Baron Corbin T-R-A-S-H. Insert usual disclaimers and what not.

Chapter 3

There wasn't much talk between the two of them while they were in the shower. There was however the sounds of their quick, but passionate tryst. It was the first time they had been intimate in a few months by Brennan's estimation. And the meeting of their bodies wasn't a gentle, tender joining; it was raw, emotional and borderline animalistic in a short amount of time. She had the faintest of light purple marks forming on her hips from Tommy's tight grip from both of the positions they had been in; up against the granite and when he roughly took her from behind. There was the blooming beginnings of hickies along the tops of her breast and her neck was rubbed a shade of pink from his beard. Meanwhile his back was sporting the after effects of her short nails scratching his skin; his thighs and forearms were lightly decorated in crescent moon shaped indentations. Both of them had kiss swollen lips and mildly sated expressions on their faces. It was just enough to take some of the edge off.

After soaping up then rinsing off, he helped her into the bath; the water was still surprisingly warm as he joined her. The tub was large enough for Tommy's legs to be straight out in front of him, on either side of Brennan's hips; her feet were in his lap.

She was tired. The water from the tub relaxed her sore muscles. He watched her as she closed her eyes and slipped lower into the water, just so it covered the tops of her shoulders. He was absently massaging her right foot and ankle. She sighed as she opened her eyes then straightened herself.

"First you feed me, then you dick me down now you rub my feet? How in the hell did I get so lucky?" The teasing lilt in her voice matched the sleepy, but teasing glint in her eyes.

He chuckled, shaking his head as he switched to her left foot and ankle.

She watched him intently. He wasn't looking at her. He was more focused on the distorted image of their bodies under the water. She knew that look. He was thinking; thinking of how to express himself without her potentially flying off the handle at him. She was relaxed. He could set the bathroom on fire and she didn't think she'd move.

"Are you ready to talk about why you really asked me to come over?" She spoke quietly after a few moments. With her already struggling to stay awake, she didn't want to wait until the morning to talk. They could do this now and it would be like ripping off a band aid and then they could work on fixing what may or may not be broken.

He exhaled deeply through his nose before speaking, "I'm scared as hell being with you."

"What?" She was awake now. What the hell did that even mean? Her mind didn't get to finish jumping to conclusions before he started speaking again.

"Ever since the day I finally approached you in the bar, I never thought I'd have a chance to be more than just a friend. A woman like you had to have men lining up to be with her. There was no way you could ever be into me. I tried to tell myself all of these things even as I approached you, but then we talked and started hanging out and somewhere along the way I just knew you and I were inevitable. Even with all the shit that went down in the beginning." He sighed before continuing, "And then I fell in love with you. And all of a sudden I felt like I was drowning; like I was going to have to fight every person that ever looked your way. Like any little thing would drive you away. And I couldn't stop feeling this way. I couldn't just flip the switch and turn it off. I felt like if I did, I would stop caring altogether and if I stopped caring, you'd notice and you'd be gone and I didn't and still don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

She rapidly blinked her eyes, her eyebrows creased in confusion. Why didn't he understand? What more could she do to make him see? Was she not loving enough towards him? Did she not express all the ways she felt about him clearly enough? Did he feel like she was neglecting him and his feelings?

"You think I don't feel the same way about you? You work with a girl that you used to hook up with. And then what about the crazy one that couldn't take a hint? You travel all over the country with women willing to do God knows what to be with you. You don't think I worry that you'll find someone else out there? When have I ever given the impression that I was ever going anywhere?" She pushed herself up slightly, before leaning forward, somewhat crawling towards him to straddle his waist, "I'm here, Tom. I've been here for awhile now. I'm not fucking going anywhere unless you're done with me. I fucking love you and it kills me to know that you feel like I would leave you after all we've been through. I wouldn't. I'm not. You're stuck with me until you decide you don't want to be anymore. And if that time is now, you can end us... And if it's not the end, you can just continue on this ride with me."

"I'm not fucking letting you go anywhere." He wrapped his arms around her, his left hand reaching up to grip the back of her neck, pulling her forward so her forehead would rest on his. "You're mine, B. And I'm yours as long you want me, baby. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm terrified of losing you. I'm freaking out about the distance and the time we aren't getting to spend together. I don't want it to drive a wedge between us." He pecked her on the lips, still holding her close as he closed his eyes.

She was savoring the way their bodies felt together. The way he was peppering kisses on her anywhere he could.

"I'm way stronger than you give me credit for." She chuckled albeit wryly. "We'll make it work, Tommy. We always we do. We just gotta keep this up. We have to keep talking, even if we do need a simmering down period to sort our thoughts. Stop scaring the shit out of me and making me wonder if we've made it to the end of us." She rested her hand on chest lightly running her palm up and down above his heart, "Besides, you're probably the only man on the planet with the balls to be with someone like me." She pulled back slightly to look into his deep brown eyes, kissing him on the bridge of the nose before engaging in a passionate kiss.

He spoke against her lips, "You were made for me, I feel that in my soul."

She pulled back, "That scares you too, doesn't it?" She cupped his cheek in her right hand, as she gently ran her thumb along his skin, his beard lightly poking at her pinky.

"A little bit." He quietly admitted as he really focused in her face.

She leveled and matched his gaze, he was a heartbreaker. She honestly could not get it through her mind how he could be so rugged and bad ass and still at the same time be as cuddly and comforting as a teddy bear. It definitely was that softness in combination with the dimples he rarely showed others and the abundance of freckles across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose that did the trick; it was a strange balance.

"It's nice to know I'm not alone." She finally responded just as quietly as he had admitted.

"You'll never be as long as I'm around. We'll make this last. We both know better than to let a good thing go."

A half smile graced her lips which made her own dimple make an appearance. She leaned in closer to his lips, "I love..."

Her words were cut off by another passionate kiss from him. It stole her breath away. The flutters in his heartbeat as they kissed and the quiet giggles they shared were clear indicators. She could feel it pooling inside of her; the familiar, yet calming warmth of the spark between them. A small part of her wondered if he felt it too. After a few more shared kisses, the look on his face and his body language told her all she needed to know. He felt it too. And she felt the release of the anxiety she had been holding on to.

Sometimes shit gets rough in relationships. They knew that their relationship was no different. And in some situations like theirs, love, communication and compromise aren't enough to keep a couple together, but it was for them; those were some of the cornerstones to them. They were lucky in that respect And despite all the other outside interference from former lovers and them being too damn stubborn for their own good, they were still together and more committed to each other than ever. They were going to be okay. Even if they had to have another long night session of do it yourself therapy to make it last.

Yay? Nay? Cheesy? (A little bit, I think, but whatever.) I'm going to post the picture that inspired this little story on my tumblr if anyone is interested. As always thanks for reading and please please leave a review. I like reading your thoughts.