She lay in bed starring up at the ceiling. She could still feel his hands on her flesh; still hear the low growl that escaped his throat right before he came. Fire seared through her body, causing the room to spin. She hated the reactions the image of him caused, hated that she couldn't stop…didn't want to stop.

A light tap on her door drew her attention away from the memories. "El, you okay?" Marco asked through the slab of wood.

She nodded afraid her voice would give her away but he was on the other side of the door and couldn't see her. "I'm fine Marco." She called out her voice faltering slightly, "Just tired."

"Okay then," he replied. "Good night."

"Night," she mumbled turning back to the cracked ceiling. It was only a matter of minutes before she drifted off into a light sleep.

The phone rang at a quarter till one and she knew immediately who would be on the other end of the line. It was another ritual they'd started, another secret they kept to themselves. She felt a shiver run down her spine as she reached for the cell phone lightly humming on her beside table.

"What are you wearing?" He asked before she could even get out a hello.

She rolled her eyes looking down at the rumbled clothes she'd fallen asleep in. "The same thing I was wearing a few hours ago." She replied with a snort of laughter. "I fell asleep before slipping into my PJs."

"I have that effect on chicks," he teased and she could see that smug smile spreading across his face perfectly. "Fuck 'em so hard they're too tired for anything other than sleep."

"Your ego gets any bigger and you'll topple over." She chuckled sliding her hand across the patch of skin showing between her tee shirt and her pants.

"Want to know what I'm wearing?" He coaxed his voice dropping to a seductive level.

She could picture him sprawled out on his bed; sheets wrapped loosely around his bare waist, one arm angled back behind his head the other holding the phone to his ear. She gulped hoping it wasn't loud enough to travel over the phone line.

"Nothing," he continued. "I'm wearing nothing. Why don't you join me?"

"Jay it's late…" she started but her hands had already traveled to the button of her jeans.

She unfastened them slowly, pulling the zipper down prong by prong while she listened to his breathing. He said nothing because he knew she was cooperating. It was a sixth sense he had, part of what kept pulling the two of them together. Cupping the phone between her shoulder and her ear she wiggled out of the dark denim and tossed them to the floor.

"You're not wearing any underwear are you?" He asked already knowing the answer. The dark, laced panties she'd had on earlier were twirling around his finger. He'd found them underneath the Escort when she'd left.

"How did you…."

"Don't worry about it." He replied cutting her off. "Are you naked?"

She thought about lying, about leaving her shirt on. She felt less vulnerable with the thin cotton covering her torso but something prompted her on, pushed her to her boundary line. It's what Jay was good at, testing her, teasing her, pushing all of her buttons until she was so flustered she'd have done anything just to shut him up. She pulled her shirt off quickly blushing despite the fact that she was alone.

"Okay," she conceded switching the phone to her other ear. Her eyes were once again trained above her, not wanting to look down at her exposed skin. Her heart raced, pulse pounding in her ear drums.

"If I were there," he asked, "where would you want my hands?"

She swallowed around the lump in her throat, catching the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth. The silence that drifted between them was thick, hung heavy with tension and desire.

"On me," she finally muttered knowing he wouldn't let her get away with that.

"On you where," her prompted.

"On my skin, every inch of it."

"Pretend your hand is mine." He instructed. "Touch yourself as if I were touching you."

Ellie shivered in disgust at the thought of fondling herself for Jay's amusement. "I…I can't," she stammered.

"Come on, Red, you're already naked and I know you don't want me coming over there and waking up the roommates. I doubt they'd understand your perversion to fucking me."

She sighed, once again furrowing the corner of her lip between her teeth.

"Tick Tock, Red," he taunted.

Growling into the phone in irritation she slid her hand onto her stomach, felling the smoothness of her skin.

"Talk to me," he insisted. "Tell me what you're doing, what you're touching."

"My hands resting on my stomach," she explained. She could feel the heat burning in her cheeks, embarrassment changing the pigment of her skin.

"Slide it up, squeeze your tits."

She closed her eyes shut against his crude request but slowly inched her hand up to her left breast. Her breath caught deep in her throat and she heard a satisfied snicker from Jay's end of the line.

"Does that feel good?" He asked.

"Mhm," she mumbled into the phone, lightly massaging the round orb and rolling her nipple between her fingers.

"As good as when I do it?"

She shook her head no moving her hand over to her other breast without being asked to. Sighing in delight she continued to fondle them letting little noises float across the wire to Jay's ear. She knew he was getting off on it, picturing her naked, touching herself but she didn't quite mind. She almost enjoyed the cat and mouse games they'd begun after Alex left.

"Are you getting wet," He asked, his own breathing a little haggard from the image she was creating in his head.

Instinctively Ellie's hand went down between her legs, the embarrassment having been replaced with lust. She dipped her fingers into the moisture pooling there. "Yes," she mumbled in pleasure.

"I wish I could taste you," he muttered, his voice cracking in equal ecstasy.

"I wish you were here," she stated realizing only too late that she'd revealed more then she'd meant to.

"I can be there in ten minutes," he offered hopefully. She could picture his blue eyes sparkling with lust, lips twisted up into a smarmy grin.

She gasped lightly as her fingers hit her clit on her hand's ascent back to her stomach. She had a lecture at eight a.m. but was too worked up to sleep. The invitation was right on the tip of her tongue but she wasn't completely convinced. If Paige or Marco found out about their secret rendezvous it would be all over, the whole thing ruined.

"No one will know," he added quickly. "I'll sneak in and out before either of them bats an eyelash. I use to do it at Alex's all the time. Besides, you know you want me, Nash."

It was true. Despite the little voice in the back of her head that was constantly warning her; constantly trying to convince her that it was wrong she DID want him. A yawn escaped between her lips. "The key's under the doormat. Just…make sure you're quiet."