Hello my lovelies.

I'm so sorry I dipped. If I could escaped to a deserted island to finish this story, I would.

Thank you for sticking with me so far. I really do appreciate and love you all!

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Please forgive any mistakes.

Chapter 19

Ichigo was annoyed. Thoroughly annoyed.

He had woken up with Rukia in his arms, thinking that nothing would destroy his mood.

And yet, here he was, at Mizuiro's birthday party instead of the date he wanted to take Rukia on.

He had barely seen her since she'd left his apartment, and now he had to watch Keigo keep her attention.

He himself could help but stare. She looked beautiful, as she always did, in a short white dress that clung to her shape. He itched to put his hands on the silky material. Instead, he shoved his hands into the pocket of his jeans and continued to watch her like he had the first time they were at a Mizuiro affair.

How different things had been between them then.

'Ichigo?'

Orihime's voice interrupted his thoughts. Ichigo groaned inwardly.

'I haven't seen you since that time at the rooftop,' she told him, her eyes wide and expectant.

'Er, I've been busy.' Ichigo was running out of ways to reject her without hurting her feelings.

'Ichigo, I-' she gripped his forearm with both hands.

And it was at that moment, that Rukia turned to look at him. Keigo gave him a thumbs up. Ichigo wished he could smack him. Rukia flicked her gaze from him to Orihime, her expression revealing nothing. Then she turned away from him and she and Keigo resumed their conversation.

'Orihime,' he firmly, pulling his arm away. 'I can't feel that way about you. I'm sorry.'

He didn't wait for her to respond before he looked to Rukia again, but she was gone.

He scanned the room and saw her just as she left the party. He made his way to the door to chase after her but he was stopped by Tatsuki.

'Ichigo, you son of a-'

'Yeah, yeah I know,' he said and pushed passed her.

By the time he made it out Rukia was gone.

Fuck.

His phone buzzed and it was text message from her.

Had to leave. See you later?

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't running from him. She just wanted to go home.

Immediately, Ichigo got to his car and drove to her.

He knocked and when she opened the door, she was still in her silky dress, smiling widely.

Ichigo couldn't help himself.

He clutched her waist and kissed her. She responded immediately, her hands looping around his neck. He kissed her slowly, like he had all the time in the world, savouring the way her lip felt against his, the way her skin felt warm through her dress.

'I have wanted to do that all night,' he said, leaning his forehead against hers.

'All day too. I was going to sneak you into a supply closet but then you ran off with Ashido.'

'I didn't run off. I had a job to do.' She playfully smacked his chest and untangled herself from him to close the door. Ichigo sat on the armrest of her sofa so that his legs would give out from the sheer weight of what he felt for her.

It didn't help when she came to stand between his legs and started fidgeting with the collar of his shirt.

'I'm sorry left so suddenly. I didn't like seeing you with Orihime,' she confessed, eyes fixed on the collar.

He lifted her chin so that she was looking at him.

'I don't have any feelings for Orihime. I never did.'

'No, I know-I just. Shit, this is what you meant about Ashido, huh.'

Ichigo laughed, and circled his arms around her waist, one hand clasping the other wrist at her back.

'And Mizuiro, and Keigo and that jerk Hisagi.'

Rukia rolled her eyes and it made his heart skip.

'I wanted to take you out tonight,' he said, pressing a kiss to her collarbone.

'We would have gone to a nice restaurant; then a night-time stroll.' He kissed her throat.

One hand skimmed up her body, stopping at her ribs, his thumbing moving just beneath her bra.

'And then?' she asked, her voice barely a whisper against his jaw.

'Up to you,' he said, brushing his nose along her neck.

In response, she caught his face between her hands and brought his mouth to hers. She kissed him like she needed him to breath, just as he needed her.

She slid a hand down to his chest and began unbuttoning his shirt. She got to the third button when his stopped her. Slowly, he pulled his lips from hers. She frowned, unhappy at the distance, small as it was.

'Rukia, we don't have to rush things,' he said. He had wanted this for so long but he had wanted to do it right. He wanted to take her out, spoil her, dote on her, then carry her to his bed where he would worship her.

She guided his hand to her back and said, 'We've wasted enough time. Unzip this.'

And he did. He would so anything thing she asked.

He watched, mesmerized, as the garment fell to the floor. His mouth went dry at the sight of her in a black lace, strapless bra and matching underwear. Rukia undid the rest of his buttons, then grazed her fingertips across muscles of his stomach, as if she were equally stunned by him as he was by her. Before her fingers reached his chest, his lips on were on hers again-hungry and devouring. He gripped her waist so hard he was sure he left his fingerprints on her skin.

Rukia's was burning from the inside out. Kissing Ichigo like this would be the death of her. She couldn't understand it; how she could she could have him so close but still want him closer. She pressed into him and he groaned, the sounded reverberating through her.

Then his hands gripped her thighs and he stood, hauling her up with him. She locked her ankles around his waist, relishing in the feeling of his skin against hers.

Without breaking the kiss, he walked them to her bedroom. In her excitement, she pushed herself against the hard muscled of his stomach, the lace of her underwear already wet.

Ichigo faltered, and pushed her against the wall for balance.

'Fuck,' he muttered, catching his breath.

She smiled against his mouth, then bit his lip, coaxing him into another kiss.

He obliged, pressing into her until there were no spaces between them.

She couldn't take it anymore. She needed him and she needed him now.

As if sensing what she wanted, he backed away from the wall and finally found her bed where he gently set down. She reached for his belt, and quickly unbuckled it, then undid his pants as his shirt fluttered to the floor.

And then he was above her, kissing her throat, then scars on her arms. He then he kissed the scar on her ribs, once then twice. Then he went to the first scar he stitched-the scar she had come to love. He ran his tongue across the thin line on her skin, then trailed kisses down to the scar on her thigh.

Tears stung her eyes as she realized what he was doing.

But they soon disappeared when he took the sensitive skin on her inner thigh in his teeth. She gasped at the sensation. The he kissed a pathway back to her mouth. She arched against at him, desperate for the release only he could give her. She could feel him, ready and willing, but still he made her wait.

A hand slid beneath her and unclasped her bra. She reached between them and yanked it out, pushing her breasts hard against his chest.

'Rukia,' he moaned her name. She slid her mouth across his jaw to kissed his pink ears. He kissed the spot where her neck met her shoulder.

Finally, he pulled her underwear down, and then his own.

And when they collided, Rukia knew that nothing in her life would ever be as right and her and Ichigo together.

Rukia was glad she had the day off.
She was certain that she wouldn't be able to think of nothing else other than the sleeping man beside her and all the things he made her feel last night.

Ichigo had an arm slung across her waist and she lightly traced a finger over his veins. She giggled when grabbed her hand and set it in his hair.

'Good morning,' she whispered.

'Morning,' he mumbled against the pillow with one eye opened. 'Day off?'

She nodded and he pulled her against his chest and kissed the top of her head.

'Me too.'

They stay like that until the sound of Rukia's front swinging opened had them both immediately upright.

'Rukia?' came Rangiku's sing-songy voice.

'Shit,' Rukia swore as she jumped out of bed and quickly pulled her underwear on, then she grabbed a dressing gown from her closet and made it out of her room, just as Rangiku entered the hallway.

'Hey,' Rukia said, running a hand through her hair.

'Hey,' Rangiku narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 'You left the party early so I wanted to see if you're okay.'

'I'm fine. I was just tired.'

'Right. Why was your dress on the floor?' She held up it like evidence.

Rukia could only blink stupidly, the ability to lie suddenly leaving her.

Rangiku moved passed Rukia and opened her bedroom door to find a shirtless Ichigo with one leg in his pants and the other hovering off the ground.

Rangiku gasped, loudly and dramatically.

'Oh. My. God.'