A/N: All right guys, you know the drill. Thanks to everyone still reading this, and big thanks to you reviewers. Love you all, but you already know that...lol. Here's the next one. Just six more after this one, plus the epilogue. Hope you enjoy.

...

"Ok, everybody, listen up," a very buzzed Brooke called out to the crowd spread out in various areas of the large house. The party was already in full swing, and many of the teens, like Brooke, were at least half way to intoxicated.

Brooke raised her plastic cup in a toast. "Is everybody having fun?" she asked.

The crowd roared and someone was heard yelling to put the music back on.

"As soon as I make this toast," Brooke stated in response. "First, yay to summer vacation, it's finally here. For those of us who don't have to go to summer school, that is," she added, stealing an amused glance at Nathan.

Nathan rolled his eyes good-naturedly. He couldn't be the only one at this party who'd be stuck in school this summer.

"Second, to all my friends who were with me in the boiler room, this party's for you. Have fun, get drunk, have sex, and forget all the bad stuff because you deserve it. We all deserve it. So, what are we waiting for? Crank up the stereo and let's get on with this thing!"

Loud cheers were heard all around, until the blaring music drowned them out.

"Great speech," Peyton said as she came up to Brooke. "Were you always so deep?" she joked.

"Shut up," the brunette returned. "Tonight is about having fun. So are you? Having fun?"

"Sure," Peyton answered dully. "And it would be a lot more fun if my boyfriend wasn't ignoring me."

"Ugh, still?"

"Yep."

"Want me to slap him?"

"And deprive me the privilege of doing it?" Peyton scoffed.

"We could each take a cheek," Brooke replied with a careless shrug.

"Let me think about that," Peyton replied with a giggle. "But seriously, Brooke, this dress you put me in isn't living up to the hype," she complained, referring to the attire Brooke had nearly forced her to wear, assuring her it would make Nathan's eyes pop right out of his head. "I swear he hasn't even noticed."

"Oh, you're kidding, right?" Brooke scoffed. "Did you see the way he looked at you when he first got here? Trust me, he noticed. And so have a ton of other guys," she added with a soft giggle.

But Peyton didn't care about the other guys. They could ogle her all they wanted and she still wasn't interested, except for the fact that it usually drove Nathan mad with jealousy. That was why she'd come to Brooke's earlier in the day while Nathan was at Community Service. Brooke had talked her into this mini-dress, guaranteeing its success, and Peyton knew, at the very least, being the object of many guys' lustful stares and come-ons would spark that possessive side her boyfriend was so famous for. Or so she'd thought.

It was true his own eyes had filled with lust when he'd first arrived and spotted her. She couldn't deny that. In that moment, he had wanted her and she'd been glad she'd followed her best friend's advice with the dress.

But then the rest of the evening, or so far at least, he avoided her completely, leaving her to wonder if she'd imagined his initial reaction. "Well, it's either he hasn't noticed or he hates the dress," she lamented.

"Umm, no, impossible," Brooke denied. "No guy hates that dress, and Nathan is very much a guy's guy."

"Then why is he ignoring me, Brooke?"

"I have no idea, but just flirt with one or two of these other boneheads and Nathan'll come running. You know it's true."

"I don't want to play games," Peyton said. "That's the whole reason Damien thought I was interested in him in the first place, because I was mad at Nate for flirting it up with other girls so I flirted with Damien."

"Yeah, I have exactly two things to say to that. Damien's a psycho, you actually love playing games even if you won't admit it, and I haven't seen Nathan flirting with anyone tonight."

"That's three things," Peyton pointed out.

"Hmm," Brooke shrugged indifferently. "But I'm right on all three counts."

"I'll give you two out of three," Peyton said.

"Which two?"

"Damien's a psycho, and no, Nathan is, surprisingly, not flirting tonight." He had, in fact, spent most of the evening drinking and hanging out with the guys. Peyton knew they'd get a basketball game going if Brooke had a hoop. Or a basketball, for that matter.

"See?"

"See what?" Peyton questioned, not really understanding why her friend sounded so smug, like she'd just made her point.

"He's not just ignoring you. He's ignoring the entire female population."

"Yeah, that doesn't really help, Brooke. Just proves even more that he's not himself." As much as she hated her boyfriend's natural 'friendly' tendencies with anything in a skirt, it was very much him, and anything other than that, well, wasn't. And she also saw it as another sign of his general disinterest since she knew he often times flirted with others simply to get a rise out of her. He couldn't even bother to do that tonight.

Oh God, what was wrong with her? To actually be standing here wishing her fiancé would chase other girls? But no, that's not really what she wanted. Unless it was just to get her attention, letting her know he was still hot for her, as he'd always been. Despite all the troubles in their relationship, the one thing that had remained constant was the sexual pull toward each other. She'd never had to worry that one day he wouldn't want her.

Until now. Even this sexy dress she'd adorned just for him hadn't managed to catch his eye. Or rather, hold his interest. She had no idea how to deal with this, except to swallow down the contents of her cup and go to the keg for a refill.

...

Nathan glanced over at his girlfriend bent over the keg, and he swallowed hard before downing his own drink. Fuck, she looked hot tonight. She always did, but that little dress she had on right now left little to the imagination. It showed off her long, sexy legs while at the same time revealed a generous amount of cleavage, both serving as visible feasts to his hungry eyes.

His body pulsated with the desire he'd been trying so hard to suppress over the last few weeks.

Why? Why did she have to wear that? Didn't she get how hard all this already was for him? Did she have to tempt him further with that little piece of cloth?

Damn her. How was he supposed to hold himself in check if she was going to show him so much skin? Clearly she hadn't thought about him when she'd put that dress on, or if she had, she was intentionally firing him up. That was even worse when she expected him to maintain the 'hands off' approach. How the hell was he supposed to do that?

Yes, he was angry at her. In fact, he was furious. He couldn't help it. She had to know what that dress would do to him, but she'd donned it anyway, and he doubted there was a guy in the room that hadn't noticed how sexy she looked in it, which only increased his fury tenfold.

He turned his gaze away, vowing not to look at her again for the rest of the night, though he knew that would be impossible.

But still, he tried. Oh, how he tried.

Another hour passed as he continued to ignore her presence. The alcohol he consumed in that time helped since it made everything in the room blurry. But it wasn't enough, for what his eyes couldn't see, his mind plenty made up for.

He spotted Haley near the door talking to some of the Rivercourt guys, and he made his way over to her.

"Hey, I'm glad you came," he told her once he stood unsteadily before her.

"Hey," Haley greeted back. "Thanks. Me too."

"You think we could talk for a second?" he asked her.

"Umm, yeah, sure," she replied.

"Like, in private?" he requested when Skills, Junk and Fergie remained rooted to their spots. Apparently they weren't letting her out of their sight this time.

"Outside?" Haley offered, to which Nathan nodded agreeably.

"Ahh, baby girl," Skills began reluctantly, "you sure that's a good idea?" he protested, despite the truth of everything having already come out.

Drunk Nathan was annoyed by the guy's apprehension, not to mention the suspicious looks he received from all three of them. The truth was known, yet people didn't forget. Not even these three who'd been in the boiler room and had heard Damien's confession firsthand. "What do you think I'm gonna do?" he asked irritably.

"Hey, hey," Haley interfered before anything could even begin. "Guys, it's fine," she told her friends. "Nathan, outside," she ordered, pulling him along with her, him staring daggers at the other three males as they passed them.

...

"Hey, Luke," Peyton greeted enthusiastically. Perhaps a little too much so. Clearly she'd been going heavy on the alcoholic beverages.

"Peyton," he greeted with a hint of a smile over her condition. "A little drunk, are we?"

"Oh, no," she denied. "A lot drunk. And really mad too."

"Why mad?" he questioned.

"Nathan...never mind, it's not your problem."

"You can talk to me, Peyton. It's ok," he told her. "What did my little brother do?"

"Nothing," she replied in exasperation. "That's the problem."

"Ok," he returned in confusion.

"He wanted me to come to this party," she lamented drunkenly. "He said it would be good for me to go out and have some fun."

"I can agree with that."

"Yeah? Well, I'm not having fun, Luke."

"No? Does Nathan know that?"

"He doesn't care."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"It is, and you know how I know that? Because he won't even look at me," she said, not giving him the chance to answer.

"Now, I know that's not true," Luke replied. He'd been talking to Nathan earlier and the younger Scott kept getting distracted as his eyes constantly drifted to his girlfriend during the conversation.

"It is," Peyton insisted. "He's avoiding me."

"Why would he do that?"

"Good question. I was hoping you'd have the answer."

"Sorry."

"Well, I think I know what it is," she went on. "It's this dress. He hates it."

Lucas eyed her up and down, highly doubting that Nathan, or any other guy would hate that dress. "Why?" he asked. "Is it attracting too many eyes for him?"

"Oh no. He's not jealous tonight, like at all. He doesn't even care who looks at me tonight, probably because he thinks I look awful."

Lucas shook his head at the drunken girl who wasn't making a whole lot of sense at the moment. "If he thinks that, then he's either blind or he's an idiot, or both," he said. "I, for one, think you look amazing."

"Aww, thanks Luke," she replied appreciatively. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"I'll take that as your version of a compliment," he accepted.

"But Nathan," she went on, "he may be an idiot sometimes, but he's not blind, usually. I wish I was though cause then I wouldn't have to see how hot he looks, like he always does, while he ignores me."

Lucas chuckled at her slurred, senseless speech. "Maybe you should stay away from the keg for a while," he advised.

"Nuh, uh," she refused. "This is the only thing keeping me sane tonight."

"You sure about that?"

"Yep. Hey," she said as her eyes narrowed at something across the room. "Is that Haley he's talking to?"

He being Nathan, of course, Lucas knew. He turned in the direction she stared. "It is," he replied.

"Are you okay with that?" Peyton asked him. "Cause I don't think I am," she added sulkily.

As much as Lucas wanted to say otherwise, he couldn't honestly say he was either. Ever since Haley had had that much needed talk with Nathan that one day in his room, the two of them had become much friendlier, and Lucas had to admit, at least to himself, that he much preferred it when they hardly spoke.

"If they hook up again, I am soooo done with him this time," Peyton threatened.

Lucas wasn't worried about that. He knew Haley would never do that to him, but still he couldn't help but remember the past and all the times Haley had openly stated how attractive she found his brother. Of course, that was well before they'd gotten together, but that was beside the point. Yes, Lucas had a bit of a jealous bone. Clearly Peyton did as well. They both watched the duo step outside into the evening air.

"Do they honestly think we can't see them?" Peyton huffed. "I mean, come on, big open window right there."

"I don't think they're trying to hide," Luke said as he noticed them stop almost right in front of the window Peyton had pointed out.

"So you think they're gonna do it right in front of us?" she asked, appalled.

He chuckled once again. "No. I think they're just talking and nothing's gonna happen," he said reasonably. "We have to trust them," he added.

"Right," Peyton scoffed, gulping down the rest of the contents of her cup. "Do you seriously know how many times Nathan's cheated on me? Like a bagillion, if that's even a number."

"Why stay with him then?" Lucas wanted to know.

"I love him," was her simple reply.

"Ok, well do you know how many times Haley's cheated on me? None."

"That you know of," Peyton returned evenly.

"You're very cycinal, you know that?"

"So I'm told."

"Well, FYI, I trust Haley with my life."

"Ok, but do you trust her with my boyfriend? Cause I mean, just look at him. Girls throw themselves at him all the time and they don't even care if he's taken."

"Haley's not like that."

"Are you sure?" Peyton questioned sardonically. "You know she finds him hot, don't you? She's said so herself."

"Uh, yeah, I know she has, thanks," he replied, not thrilled with the reminder.

"And he thinks she's cute too," Peyton went on.

Lucas met her gaze, his eyes squinting. "Did he say that to you?" he asked. It was one thing Haley telling him when they were still just friends, but Nathan telling Peyton was another story entirely and would be a dick move on his brother's part.

But Peyton shook her head vigorously. "No, he told the guys, and Damien told me."

"That figures."

"Yeah, but even if nobody told me anything, I'd still know because, I mean, he wouldn't have been able to sleep with her that night if he wasn't attracted to her at all, right?"

Luke chuckled. "Let me tell you a thing about guys," he jested. "It doesn't take much to turn us on."

Now Peyton giggled. "Well, good thing you trust Haley, huh?"

"Yeah, good thing."

"And I totally trust Nathan too," she suddenly stated firmly.

"Sounds like it," Lucas muttered dryly.

"No, I do, I do," she insisted. "See, things are different now and he doesn't cheat anymore. I forgot about that."

"Is that right?"

"Yesss," she over-emphasized. "But don't tell him that, ok? He gets really mad when I forget"

"My lips are sealed."

"But I do wish I knew what they were talking about though," she added with a frown marring her features. "It's ok to wonder about that, right?"

"Yeah, I think that's ok," he replied. "We could go outside and ask them," he suggested, feeling the same pull of jealousy that Peyton clearly was.

"What for?" Peyton asked. "Nathan will just lie. No wait, I think he doesn't do that anymore either," she amended. "Ok yeah, let's go out there. Great idea, Luke."

...

Meanwhile Haley glared at Nathan, put off by what could have easily turned into a fight inside. Sure, it wasn't just Nathan, it was her friends too, but he just happened to be the one standing in front of her right now. "So?" she asked bristly. "You wanted to talk?"

He nodded as he debated talking to her when she already looked so pissed off. "I just had a question, actually," he informed her. "But it's kinda personal so...I don't know, you might not want to answer."

Running her fingers through her hair impatiently, she snapped at him. "Why don't you ask your question and I'll let you know if it's too personal, ok? Ok."

He eyed her a moment, still unsure, but she wouldn't have that. "Look, you dragged me out here so ask away."

"Actually, you dragged me..."

"Not the point," she returned hotly. "I pulled you away so you wouldn't start a brawl with my friends in the middle of Brooke's living room."

"It wouldn't be the first time I start a brawl in her living room," he remarked, grinning sheepishly.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" she asked more to herself than to him. "And for the record, it's not really something to brag about."

He shrugged insolently. "This time wasn't my fault," he defended himself. "They were the ones acting like you need protection from me. They do realize what actually happened that night, right?"

She sighed now. Yes, they knew. They were just being idiots.

"Sorry," he said earnestly. "I'm just sick of people still looking at me like I'm a rapist. It's fucking frustrating."

"Yeah," she said in understanding. "I'm still the girl who cried rape so, trust me, I get it."

He nodded, realizing her position too. "It'll blow over eventually," he assured her.

"So I keep hearing," she replied. "So, what did you want to ask me?" she pressed.

He gave pause once more but when she threw him a stern look, he went ahead, though he still fumbled through the question. "It's about sex," he said.

She chuckled. "Oh. Umm, no, I'm not going to sleep with you again," she said in jest.

He took it seriously. "No, I don't mean you and me," he was quick to say.

"I know, Nathan. Calm down."

That's when he realized she was joking, and he felt stupid for not catching on. "Ok, sorry." He emitted a deep sigh while she stared at him expectantly. "All right, here's the thing," he tried again. "You know how I kinda raped you?"

"Is that a trick question?" she asked. "Because I distinctly remember telling you I don't see you as my rapist."

"No. No, I get that. And I'm past it. Really."

"Good."

"But still you were raped. Yes?"

"Yes," she had to confirm.

"And I'm really sorry about that..."

"Another apology," she admonished. "You should buy'em in bulk if you're gonna hand'em out that often."

"Right. Sorry...I mean...ok, all I wanna know is how long did it take afterwards until you...you know...until you were ready to...have sex again? I mean, it doesn't have to be an exact day. Ballpark is fine."

"You're asking the wrong girl," she told him. "I never had sex before that nor since. You might recall I was a virgin?"

"Yeah, I know," he agreed. "But I thought you and Lucas were together now."

"We're a couple, but I haven't changed my mind about waiting till marriage. Luke understands and supports that."

Nathan nodded. "Ok, so you don't really know how long it would take then?"

"I know it depends on the girl and the situation," she told him. "When I was in group counselling, I met some girls who weren't ready, even years later and..."

"Years," he repeated with dismay.

She had to laugh at the horror-struck look on his face. "And then there were others who talked about how they had sex right away, some of them with various people, just so they could have that bit of control back. So, you see? I can't really give you a time frame. No two girls are going to experience it the exact same way, or react the same. I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's cool," he said, though he was clearly disappointment by the lack of a solid answer. She made sense though and he understood it, even if he didn't like it.

"I take it Peyton's been holding back?"

"She was a few weeks ago," he answered.

"And now?"

He shrugged uncertainly. "I haven't tried since then. I don't want her to think I'm pushing her if she's not ready."

Haley tossed him a genuine smile. "You really are a good guy, you know that?"

"I have my good days," he boasted.

"I always thought you were such an ass before."

"Mostly bad days," he said in return.

"No, I know better now," she said. "I don't buy all that b.s. and blunder anymore. Underneath that tough exterior lies a genuinely nice guy."

"Gee, thanks for calling me ugly," he joked. "I actually thought we were getting along."

"Haha, I think we both know you're anything but ugly."

"So, you're saying I'm hot," he teased.

"I didn't say that."

"Oh yes you did," he argued amiably. "Even in court, you said it," he continued, cocky smirk in place. "I kinda think that's why the judge threw out the guilty verdict."

"Oh and here I believed it was because no real proof was provided, like he said," she joked back.

"Well, he had to come up with something."

"Oh, ok. Well, how 'bout you take this charm of yours over to your girlfriend where it might actually get you somewhere?"

"Hot and charming," he said, tongue in cheek. "Looks like I'm two for two."

"Ok," she chuckled. "I think I'm gonna find a bathroom."

Grinning boyishly, he teased her some more. "Can't handle all this sexy, huh?"

"My knees are buckling as we speak," she replied airily, cooling her skin with an imaginary fan.

He let out a deep, hearty chuckle at her silliness. "Anyone ever tell you you're kinda goofy?"

"Great, you get hot, I get goofy."

"Hey, don't knock it. Goofy's good. I like it."

"Are you flirting with me?"

"Maybe."

"Well, stop it."

"Why?"

"Like you need a reminder," she chastised. "And besides, I have this nagging feeling that you're only doing it because Peyton and Lucas are over there flirting, and yes, I realize that sticking it to them is how they do things in Nathanland, but I'm not going to do that. And didn't you learn anything from the last time you did?"

"Ok, whoa, chill man. I gave you a fucking compliment, ok? No need to go all mean girl on me. It's not like I grabbed your ass."

She ran a hand through her hair once more. "Right. Sorry."

"It bothers you, doesn't it?" he questioned. "Them flirting," he elaborated.

"Of course not. Don't be silly."

"Ok, just me then, huh?" he stated. "Cause I'm seriously thinking of beating his ass again."

Haley shrugged. "Ok, well, bitch slapping her may have crossed my mind for a second or two," she admitted sheepishly, causing a deep roar of laughter from him.

"Damn, didn't know you were a badass. That is hot," he teased.

She rolled her eyes at the comment. "Of course you'd think so."

"I wouldn't try it though," he warned. "As skinny as she is, she'd still lay you out. My girl's as badass as they come," he bragged.

"You say that like it's a good thing."

He grinned now because yeah, even though he probably shouldn't, he liked it when his girlfriend's claws were out. "It's definitely a turn on," he admitted.

"Is that why you flirt with other girls so much?" Haley asked him. "To see her go all 'mean girl' and possessive?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes," he confessed.

"Well then, you're in luck cause here she comes, and she's looking a little like I'm trespassing on her property."

He turned and, sure enough, there approached his girlfriend, a fierce scowl on her face as she stared her friend down. Lucas, right behind her, wasn't looking too pleased himself.

Peyton stopped short at Nathan but held her gaze on Haley. "Sorry, are we interrupting?" she asked icily just as Lucas snaked an arm over Haley's shoulder.

"No," Haley answered freely. "We were just talking."

"Uh huh," Peyton replied dully. "'bout what?" she asked with feigned enthusiasm.

"About how bad pay back sucks," Nathan answered her.

"No, that's not..." Haley began before Luke cut her off.

"What does that mean?" he asked his brother.

Nathan shrugged insolently. "You were flirting with my girl so I flirted with yours," he openly admitted. "Doesn't feel so good, does it?"

"No, wait," Peyton objected. "We were only flirting because you guys were."

"Yeah, I don't think so," Nathan argued. "Cause we just started."

"He just started, actually," Haley amended. "I definitely didn't flirt."

"Oh, don't lie, Haley," Nathan returned in amusement. "You can't say I'm hot and make your knees weak and not call that flirting."

Haley's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "I was being sarcastic," she defended as Nathan just laughed.

"I actually believe that," Peyton said.

"Ha," Haley threw in Nathan's face, which only made him laugh harder.

"See? Goofy," he commented lightly.

"Come with me," Peyton ordered harshly, pulling him roughly along with her by his arm, not stopping until she'd found a fairly empty corner of the house. She whirled on him then. "Ok, why did you ask me to come here?" she demanded to know.

His brows lifted curiously. "Because Brooke's your best friend, and it's a party, and I thought it'd be fun," he answered.

"Fun for who? You or me?"

"Both of us."

"Yeah? So tell me Nathan, how is being ignored by my boyfriend all night supposed to be fun for me?"

He sighed heavily. He hadn't meant to ignore her. He hadn't planned to. She just looked so damn sexy, he couldn't handle it. He gazed at her shamefully, but didn't offer her the explanation she was waiting for. "I'm sorry," he said simply.

"Don't give me that," she fired back. "Tell me why, even dressed like this, I still can't your attention?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, he answered. "Look, Peyton, maybe I have been ignoring you..."

"Maybe?"

"But, trust me, you've had my attention all damn night," he went on as though she hadn't spoken.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you look hot as hell right now, ok? And that's why I've been avoiding you. Because it's not fair, Peyton," he said, growing angry again. "It's not fair for you to look like that when you expect me to wait however long to have you again."

"Nathan..."

Oh fuck, that sounded so bad. But what the hell, he was pissed. "It's not that I mind waiting," he said first off. He didn't want her thinking that's what he was mad about. "You need time and I get that. I've been trying really hard to give you that time. It hasn't been easy because...well, because I fucking want you so bad...but I'm doing it. But that's not good enough for you. You can't just be happy with that. You have to go and do stuff, like dress like that, to make me want you even more. A fucking tease is what you are and it's pissing me off. You want me to respect you?" he went on. "Then respect me back. Cause this," he said, indicating her scanty attire, "is fucking cruel."

She stared at him open-mouthed as he yelled at her. She could be angry over the spiteful remarks he was making, but she found that she wasn't. All she really took from his angry spiel was that he wanted her. Brooke was right. He'd only been giving her space to heal. And he was mad because he thought she was playing around while he tried to be the good, respectful boyfriend he'd never been in the past. He thought she was literally poking fun at his honest attempt to treat her with kindness and dignity.

If that was how he felt, then she couldn't blame him for being furious with her. But he had it all wrong.

She tried to show him so by getting on tiptoes and gracing his lips with her own.

He took in a sharp, angry breath and pulled away. But when she came right back, he couldn't help but respond to her. His hands came to rest on her hips while his lips pressed harder, forcing hers to open, and darting his tongue inside, probing, taking control.

Her own tongue danced with his, her senses instantly aflame. When his hands slid from her hips to her ass and pulled her flush against him, she vaguely wondered how she could have possibly thought he wasn't attracted to her anymore. As of now she could feel the proof of his attraction right through his jeans.

She broke the kiss only to nibble on his lower lip. He groaned in response. Oh, how he'd missed this. Craved it.

"Let's go upstairs," he heard her say in his ear before nibbling on that too.

He swallowed hard. "You sure?" he croaked.

She nodded almost imperceptibly, but he caught it. "I'm ready," she told him breathlessly.

...

Just fifteen minutes later, in the bedroom they'd found unoccupied, she sat sobbing violently as he held her tightly in his strong embrace.

"I'm sorry," she told him with a loud sniffle. "I really thought I was ready."

She'd been so sure she could follow through this time, but the more he touched her and the more shallow his breath became, the more those dreaded, vivid images of Damien panting above her became. She'd tried to brush them off, she really had, but they'd somehow taken over her mind, her entire being.

And then Nathan had backed off.

"Shh, babe, it's okay," Nathan whispered soothingly, stroking her arm gently as he held her against him.

"It's not," she cried. "I said I was ready and I know you're horny, and I feel like the big tease you said I am."

"Stop it. You're not." He shouldn't have ever said that.

"I am," she argued. "I want to be with you, Nathan, and I don't understand why I can't."

"It's okay," he repeated. "It's normal."

"Not for us," she continued to cry. "What if I just..?." she began as an idea struck her. She bent her head toward his crotch, wanting to give him at least some form of pleasure and release after turning him on so bad.

He stopped her, pulling her back up toward him. "You don't have to do that," he said. As much as he enjoyed oral sex, it wouldn't be fair if she couldn't partake in the pleasure too, especially if she'd only be doing it out of guilt.

"You don't want me to?" she asked sullenly.

Want her to? Hell, that wasn't in question. But that would be selfish, and that was a bad habit he was trying to break. "Not if you're only doing it cause you feel like you have to," he replied, realizing he was being completely honest.

"What if I want to?"

He sighed deeply, not believing that, in this particular instance, she actually wanted to. She just felt bad for getting him fired up and being unable to finish what she'd started. That was not a reason to take what she currently offered, no matter how badly he wanted to. "How 'bout we just sit here for a while? Okay?"

"If that's what you want," she spoke softly. "Nathan, I'm so sorry," she said again. "I really thought I could."

"Stop apologizing. It's fine."

"You're being so good to me," she said, nestling against him.

He shrugged his shoulders in response. "Yeah, well, I figure it's about time," he replied, pulling her closer and placing a tender kiss to the top of her head, ignoring the pulsating lower part of him that literally ached to be inside her right now. "Everything's gonna be ok, Peyton," he said. "One day you won't think about him anymore and we'll get back to how we used to be." At least he hoped they would.

"You promise?" she asked in an innocently child-like tone.

He nodded against her. "I promise."