Author's note: Have I ever told you how amazing you all are :)

Chapter 24

Hook walked in the park with the woman he'd met at the diner, Chloe or Courtney or something, pretending to be interested in what she was saying. He'd asked her out purely due to her looks, knowing full well that that would make Emma jealous. Chloe/Courtney was the type of woman he'd wooed back in his pirate days, the type that he wouldn't hesitate to spend the night with. But that was back before he met Emma.

All he could think about was how much better this night would be if he was spending it with Emma. He could even imagine her sarcastic reaction to his carefully planned evening, the way she'd stick out her tongue and roll her eyes when she saw his picnic, but how she'd inevitably end up enjoying it. And unlike Chloe/Courtney, she'd actually eat the food he'd set out, as Emma wasn't afraid of food like a lot of other women were.

"So yeah, California's pretty cool this time of year." She was saying.

"Mmm." Hook said. What the bloody hell was a California?

Just then, he heard loud footsteps behind him and he turned around to find an angry looking Emma, Ava trailing not far behind.

Chloe/Courtney was pushed aside. "Hey!" She protested. "Who do you think you are?"

"Swan…" He gasped. "What're you…" He was interrupted by Emma, who marched up and cut him off with her lips, pressing up against him and kissing him urgently.

"I can't do it." Emma said, backing up with a vulnerable expression on her face. "The whole friends thing. I can't."

She bit her lip uncertainly as Kilian just blinked at her, looking somewhat dazed. Had she been too forward? What was she thinking, just going and interrupting his date?

Finally, a slow, semicocky smile crossed his face. "I knew you'd come around."

They found little excuses to touch each other on the way back to the apartment. Hands bumping, feet "accidentally" stepping on each other's, coat sleeves rubbing together as Killian carried an almost catatonic Ava back. Despite the ice cream she was out cold.

"What were you thinking, taking my three year old daughter out at this hour?" He asked as he came walking back into the living room after tucking Ava into bed. He didn't seem angry, just amused.

"Ava seemed fine with it. Practically begged me to take her."

Killian stared at her. "You expect me to believe that she begged you to take her out for ice cream."

"Yeah. Kid sure loves her sugar."

"Somehow I don't believe you, Swan." With every word he stepped closer and closer to her.

"Well maybe you should."

"Here's what I think." Killian said. He was so close now that Emma was practically pressed against the wall. "You couldn't stand the idea of me going out tonight. You stared at that clock on the wall all evening." He gestured blithely in the direction of the clock mounted on the wall. "And with every passing moment it was killing you. You just had to know what I was doing. So you picked up my young daughter and took her out, using ice cream as a bribe, which is bloody brilliant by the way, and decided to spy on me."

"You're wrong." She said defiantly. "It wasn't intentional. Ava was being extra good so I decided to take her out as a treat. And it's completely coincidental that we passed by the park where you happened to be."

"Right. It wouldn't have to do with the fact that I mentioned to you where I'd be." He had her, he knew it, though of course her face betrayed no emotion.

"Nope." She gave him that familiar shit-eating grin.

He took one last step until they were pressed up against each other. "You, my dear, have always been a terrible liar."

"Hey Killian?"

"Yes?"

She smiled. "Shut up and kiss me already."

He felt a familiar flutter of excitement. "As you wish."

Two seconds later, his hands were in her hair and his lips were over his and they were kissing, touching, and stumbling towards the couch, practically falling onto it as things got very heavy very quickly.

God. Every inch of her body was vibrating with pleasure and all she wanted was to press every inch of her body against his. If this was what it felt like to kiss him she should've kissed him a lot more. When he'd come over for grilled cheese. Or even better, the day they'd met.

"Wait." Emma said breathlessly, pulling away from him.

He let go, desire clouding his eyes. "What? What's wrong? Do you not want…?"

"No. I mean, I do. But Ava's in the other room."

"She's asleep." Killian said as he attempted to get back to what they were doing. "Sleeps like a bloody log."

"Still." Emma wriggled out from underneath him, sitting up on the couch. "We can't just...you know, while she's sleeping. The walls are pretty thin."

He nodded, though he looked thoroughly disappointed as he did so. "You're right."

She yawned hugely, and stretched. "It's been a long day. I should probably go to bed."

"Alright."

Emma stood up and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'm gonna go take a shower first. And who knows? I might forget to lock the door." She said, suggestively running her hand down his arm before heading down the hall.

"I thought you said the walls were thin."

"They are." Emma turned to face him, unable to keep from smiling. "But not in the bathroom. Especially with the water running."

"Well, I'm glad." He said, his voice soft as he reached underneath the blanket and wrapped his arm around her bare stomach.

She shivered as goosebumps graced her skin; this was new, actually talking with a guy after sex. Normally she either left right away or promptly fell asleep. And most of the time she was drunk.

A sigh escaped her lips as she let her body relax against his, his chest pressing up against her back. She could feel the steady thumping of his heart as it slowly started to lull her to sleep. As her mind did every night before she fell asleep, she began to cycle through the events of the day.

Just then, something occurred to her, causing her to sit up. She slowly turned to face him. "You knew I was coming didn't you?"

"Sorry. Come again?"

"At the park. You told me where you'd be because you knew I'd come after you."

He grinned. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Smug bastard. "How did you even know I'd do that?"

He grabbed hold of her, pulling her down on top of him and hugging her close. "Like I have always said, love, I know you better than you know yourself."