The others had gathered in the lounge room again, and although she got a few strange glances, nobody said anything. Someone had turned the music up and Ruby had dragged Aurora and Alice into a clear spot to dance, but Emma was not quite drunk enough for that just yet. Dropping down on the couch between David and Mary Margaret, she put herself fully into a conversation about all kinds of nostalgia - they'd all been friends for such a long time, and before long herself and Mary Margaret were in a fit of giggles while David shook his head at them, fighting a grin, as they reminisced about all the stupid things they'd done in their early teens.

Her cup ran empty far too frequently, but every time it did someone else was getting up to get a drink and she managed to plead them into getting one for her as well. When she finally had to use the bathroom as well, she drained her drink and stood up. Taking a step, she had to reach out and grab onto the closest thing - David - to stop herself from falling over. Apparently she was drunker than she thought, but she didn't mind. A couple pairs of hands pushed her into an upright position, and she stumbled off to the toilet, calling back at them that she was fine, just fine.

As she was washing her hands Ruby practically fell into the bathroom - she looked just as awkward on her feet as she felt, but at least Emma had taken her shoes off - Ruby still wore her heels. 'Oh, Emma. How are you doing?' she asked, only slurring her words a little.

'I'm great,' she said, and was proud of how much she actually meant it.

Ruby wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly. 'I'm so glad you're having fun.' A second later she pulled back, eyes wide. 'You should dance with us!'

Emma laughed. 'Um, not yet.'

Ruby winked at her rather exaggeratedly. 'Ah, I see. I haven't decided who you're really flirting with. Killian, or Graham?'

'Ruby!' She clasped her hand over her friends mouth and looked around wildly, but of course no one was nearby. 'Shh!' Lowering her hand, she grinned. 'Both?' she said, shrugging. Ruby's squeal made her wish she'd left her hand over her mouth, but Emma made do with just rolling her eyes. 'Don't you even think of saying anything to anybody, not even Victor, or I'll have someone smother you in your sleep tonight,' she warned.

'I won't say anything tonight, but you have to tell me all about it in the morning. I know they're both big flirts anyway, but I'm just glad you're having such a good time.' Ruby excused herself to the toilet and Emma headed for the kitchen.

Setting her empty cup on the bench, she opened the fridge to pull out the punch bowl, but found herself staring at an empty spot on the shelf. She frowned. Where the hell had it gone? Um. What?

She felt something brushing her shoulder, and spun around to find Killian standing in front of her with his arm reached out, his hand resting on the side of the fridge. Between his arm and the door, he'd practically cornered her up against the fridge, and all she could think was how close he was. He leaned his head in slightly and she found herself swallowing.

His free hand came up to twine in some of her hair that rested on her shoulder between his fingers. She looked down, watching his hand. 'So where's Cassidy?' he asked quietly, startling her when he finally spoke.

She looked back up at him and wondered at the look in his eyes. She couldn't quite read it, but she thought she could see genuine curiosity. 'Not here,' she said, not wanting to think about Neal. But then she wondered why he'd be asking. 'We broke up,' she elaborated.

Curiously, she could have sworn that he started to smile before his face ended up in a scowl. 'Are you okay? Did he hurt you?'

The words sounded almost like a growl, and Emma was already flustered enough by his proximity. And there was nowhere to run to. 'No. I mean, yes, I'm okay. No, he didn't hurt me. It was a good break up. Um, I mean, um, I broke up with him.'

She wasn't imagining it; he definitely smiled. But that was it - he backed off, pulling her away from the fridge and closing the door. It was only then that she realized just how cold her back felt, only then that she managed to get her breathing under control. Frowning, she walked past him to the breakfast bar. 'There's no more punch left,' she said helplessly, gesturing toward the bowl.

He followed her and picked up a cup next to the empty punch bowl. 'This is the last of it, sorry. You should have it.'

Emma took the cup from him and stared at it for a few seconds before she looked up at him. The intense look in his eyes from a few minutes ago was replaced by warmth, the faint smile at his lips apparent in his eyes. She wished he'd smile like that more often, genuine happiness rather than a smirk. And he was looking at her like that...

Wow, get a grip, Emma. Blinking a few times and shaking her head slightly to focus herself, she held it back to him, remembering their conversation from earlier. 'No, you poured this for yourself, it's yours.' She grinned at him. 'You have to let me drink your whiskey, remember?'

He stared at her blankly for a few seconds, then laughed. He started to turn around when someone else entered the kitchen, and they both looked up to see Graham looking at Killian sheepishly.

'What?' Killian asked slowly, looking worried.

Graham pressed his lips together and raised his eyebrows, looking between the two of them. 'Well. We may have possibly perhaps maybe drunk all of your whiskey.'

Killian frowned at his cousin, then turned back to Emma. 'Graham drank all my whiskey,' he repeated. 'You can -'

'It wasn't just me,' Graham interrupted, sitting down on the other side of the breakfast bar and resting his head in his hand, closing his eyes.

Killian just kept frowning at Graham for a few seconds, and Emma was about to ask him if he was okay before he walked off, leaving the two of them alone in the kitchen. Emma thought about going after him but before she could make a decision one way or the other he was back, pulling a bottle out of a brown paper bag. 'I have rum!' he exclaimed, a pronouncement of joy if she'd ever heard one. 'I bought some at the airport, I was going to drink it with Jeff while I'm staying here for the next few days.'

He was holding it out to her, but she held her hands up in front of her. 'I can't drink the rum that you bought to share with Jefferson,' she said, aghast.

Before either of them could say anything else, Graham's hand reached out and he snatched the bottle from Killian's hand with a speed that impressed Emma considering his apparent state of inebriation. 'Well I can,' he said, twisting the top off and tipping his head back, drinking straight from the bottle. When he was done he held it out to Emma. 'Now it's open, so you might as well.'

'You've still got the lid. I'm sure rum keeps,' she pointed out.

Graham looked down at the lid in his hand, then at her, at the bottle, back to the lid. Dropping it on the ground, he stepped on it, twisting his shoe against the ground to flatten it, then threw it in the bin. 'What lid?' he asked innocently, coming to lean against the bench beside Emma.

If she did anymore eye-rolling tonight she'd probably loosen something important up there. She looked at Killian who returned her amused expression and nodded, but before she could take a drink Mary Margaret and David came into the room. David was practically holding Mary Margaret up.

'There you are! Emma, our taxi's here, we have to go!' Mary Margaret spoke so quickly that the words kind of melded together, and it took Emma a minute to realize what she'd said.

When she did, she looked up hopelessly between Killian and Graham. 'I don't want to leave yet,' she said sadly, turning back to her friends.

Mary Margaret just looked at her blankly for a second. 'Oh. Well, that's, um... Give me a minute.' And she disappeared, heading back into the lounge room, dragging David behind her.

When she returned she had Ruby with her instead. 'You can stay here!' Ruby said excitedly. 'Philip and Aurora are going to split the taxi with Mary Margaret and David, and you can sleep in my bed! Shut the hell up, you two,' she said warningly to Graham and Killian, who had exchanged obvious looks and raised eyebrows.

'Are you sure that's okay?' she asked, looking between Mary Margaret and Ruby.

'It's fine, it's fine. I'll call you tomorrow,' Mary Margaret yelled over her shoulder as David pushed her gently from the room.

When she turned back to the Irishmen, Graham was holding the bottle out to her again. Smiling, she took a drink. The rum burned on the way down and she cleared her throat after she swallowed. 'I am going to have the worst hangover in the world tomorrow morning,' she said, handing the bottle to Killian. She was going to pay for all the drinks that she'd mixed.

'Probably not worse than mine,' Graham said, grabbing her hand with one of his and taking the bottle of rum from Killian in the other. 'Come dance with me, Emma,' he said, grinning down at her.

'What? No!' She tried to pull her hand away but she was laughing, and she was getting to the point that she didn't really care anymore. It was late, she was drunk, and hopefully no one would really notice if she made an absolute idiot of herself. The music was loud and everyone that was still here was dancing; Ruby and Victor, Jefferson and Alice. She was one hundred percent sure that Ruby had dragged Victor up there forcibly, but it was harder to tell with Jefferson and Alice - they were both as crazy as the other.

They danced as a group, Killian joining them as well after heavy encouragement from Ruby, the lot of them falling over each other and laughing constantly, Emma spinning between everyone, dancing with everyone. She found herself dancing with Ruby and somehow the bottle of rum was in her hand. Still moving to the music, she tried to take the lid off before remembering that there wasn't one. After she drank she offered it to Ruby, who opened her mouth for it and let Emma tip the bottle to her lips.

After a minute Emma leaned closer toward Ruby, yelling softly in her ear to be heard over the music. 'The boys look like they're having less fun if we're not dancing with them,' she said, pointing over to where the men stood a couple of metres away, swaying obligingly to the music but obviously not that into it.

Ruby grinned at her wickedly before pulling Alice toward them and repeating to her what Emma had just said. 'Should we give them a show?' she added at the end, looking between Emma and Alice.

Emma recognized the suggestive glint in Ruby's eye and laughed, grabbing her hand and turning her back to her, and pulling Alice in front of her. She positioned herself in the middle on purpose, knowing that Jefferson would probably find it utterly too disturbing to think his girlfriend grinding up against his sister was attractive. The three of them danced together to the music, moving their bodies together, their hands running over each other suggestively enough to get an audiences' blood pumping. And they had an audience, all right.

Emma could feel the eyes on her, on them, but she didn't look up. Trying to keep her eyes closed, she moved her lips to the words. After a minute she realized that Alice had left, but she continued to dance with Ruby, enjoying how powerful she felt as her fingers twined with Ruby's and they moved together.

'Keep dancing,' Ruby said in her ear before suddenly she was gone too. Emma didn't question her and kept her body moving to the music. The song changed. The music was a little slower but the beat was still steady, and Emma moved to the tune, losing herself in the music. It was almost therapeutic, and she started to run her hands over her own body, down her sides, up across her stomach and between her breasts, twisting in her hair.

She bumped into something hard and stopped moving, holding her hands out to try and regain her balance. Hands grabbed her waist, strong warm hands, steadying her. When she looked up and saw Killian holding her, her breath caught in her throat. 'Hi,' she said breathlessly.

He was looking at her so intensely, something hot simmering in his eyes. 'Hi,' he said. He spoke quietly but somehow she still heard him over the music.

She was glad that he was here. She put her hands on his chest to hold herself a little steadier. It must have been him that she'd just bumped into. 'Are you having a good time?' she asked him loudly. When he just smiled slightly she frowned. 'You should be having fun. Tonight should be about you. Why aren't you having fun? It's good that you're home.'

His smile spread as she spoke. 'I'm having fun, I promise. But tonight isn't about me, it's about you.'

Emma frowned at him. Had he been talking to Ruby? 'Did Ruby tell you that we're celebrating?'

'No. But I'm glad that you are.'

She smiled up at him shyly, but after a moment the smile faded. Their bodies were swaying together slightly. When had he gotten so close? 'Oh, ok,' she said, stepping backwards and holding her hands up between them. 'I think I need some air,' she said, letting her breath out slowly.

There was that concerned look again. 'Emma, are you all right?'

'Yeah, I'll be fine. Just give me a minute.' She turned and started walking toward the back door.

He was walking beside her, with his hand on her lower back. 'I'll come out with you,' he told her.

Emma stopped in her tracks. 'No, you can't come!' she said adamantly. 'When you're close, the air goes away. That's why I need to go outside.' Wasn't it obvious?

He looked confused but let her go. She closed the door behind her and leant against it - she only needed a minute to cool down, then she'd be all right. Some explanations from the world would be nice as well, while she was at it.

Killian usually flirted with everyone, but he'd never made anything close to a pass at her before. She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling that he'd actually been acting a little interested. Did a childhood crush constitute real feelings for someone when you were grown up?

Damn right it did, if her feelings right now were anything to go by.

She was well aware of exactly how much she'd drunk, in so far as that she couldn't actually remember how much she'd drunk, but the cold night air was settling her thoughts a little. Had she seriously just told him that she couldn't breathe around him? Still, the topic of whether she had real feelings for Killian Jones was something that could be addressed tomorrow. Right now, it was probably time for bed.

Suddenly the night was quiet, and Emma turned around to see Killian turning off the sound system through the glass sliding door. Pulling it open, she stepped through and accepted the glass of water that he held out for her. Smiling at his thoughtfulness, she went to take a sip, and didn't stop drinking until the glass was empty.

Killian was smiling at her, almost a smirk. 'Thirsty?' he asked.

'Mmm,' she said, looking around. 'Where did everyone go?'

He followed her gaze around the empty, messy room. 'I'm guessing they went to bed. I didn't see Jeff and Alice go, but Victor pulled Ruby away from you rather forcibly.'

'Oh.' She was supposed to sleep in Ruby's room. 'I guess it's the couch for me, then.' It's not like she hadn't slept on it before.

Killian frowned apologetically. 'Yeah, about that.' Taking her hand, he pulled her around the couch. Graham chose that moment to let out a loud snore. Emma started to laugh but the sound quickly died in her throat.

'I guess I'll be pulling up a nice piece of comfy carpet,' she said, trying to not sound too dejected.

'Don't be ridiculous.' His hand still holding hers, he started leading her through the house, flicking the lights off as he went. 'You can sleep in the spare bed. I'll sleep on the floor in the lounge room.'

'That's hardly fair,' she protested as he led her into the spare room. She'd slept here plenty of times, too. There was an open overnight bag in the corner that she guessed belonged to him.

He let go of her hand and stepped toward the door. 'Good night, Emma,' he said.

Emma bit her lip, thinking quickly. 'Wait,' she said, just before he closed the door. He opened it again enough to poke his head through. He was just looking at her, and she realized that she had to say something else but she didn't really know what words to use. 'It's a big bed,' she settled with eventually.

A few expressions settled on his face for a few seconds before his face settled into a smirk. 'Are you inviting me to your bed, Emma Swan?' he asked her, grinning, before ducking under the pillow that she threw at him.

'To sleep!' she emphasised, pulling back the covers. 'And bring back that pillow.'

He came back into the room, slowly closing the door behind him. 'Are you sure?' he asked her, all jesting forgotten.

Smiling faintly, she nodded. She went to kick off her shoes before realizing that she wasn't wearing any, then her hands gripped at her dress. 'Shit. I don't have anything to sleep in. I could borrow something of Ruby's...'

Killian raised his eyebrow at her as he walked further into the room, moving to stand on the other side of the bed. 'I wouldn't do that, if I were you,' he warned her. She remembered about what Killian had said about Victor dragging Ruby away, and the whole reason why she was sleeping in here in the first place, and found herself heartily agreeing with him. After a moment he moved across to his bag and opened it, digging inside before pulling out a shirt. 'Here, sleep in this.'

He tossed it across to her, and she caught it and held it up against herself. It was long enough to reach her mid-thigh, which was hardly worse than the dress she was wearing, she guessed. 'Thank you,' she said, reaching for her zipper. She paused, biting her lip. 'Turn around?'

He grinned at her and started unbuttoning his shirt. 'You as well then, love,' he said, twirling his finger in a circle to indicate she should spin around, too.

Turning around quickly, she reached awkwardly for the zipper at her back and managed to slide it down without help, but she looked quickly over her shoulder to check if he was peeking before she slid it off. She caught a quick glimpse of his bare well-muscled back before she turned her back on him again, quickly sliding off the dress. She hesitated before removing her bra as well, knowing that she should probably keep it on for decency but she always woke up sore if she slept with a bra on, and as long as he kept to his side of the bed he wouldn't even notice.

Folding her dress roughly and tucking her bra underneath it, she turned back to the bed just in time to see him slipping beneath the covers, and just caught sight of his torso, his toned stomach and his chest covered with a decent amount of dark hair before his body disappeared under the blanket. Moving to the door, she flicked off the light before feeling her way back to the bed, slipping under the covers. Her reflex was to spread out, grateful to be lying down after a big night, but she kept as close to the edge of the bed as possible.

Neither of them spoke. She'd felt so tired not that long ago, but now she was wide awake, her blood pumping loudly in her ears, which were ringing slightly. At least the room wasn't spinning, she thought. After a little while she heard Killian's breathing even out, and she shuffled in a little bit, worried that if she actually fell asleep so close to the bed, she'd fall over the edge in her sleep.

There was a small digital clock on the bedside table on Killian's side of the bed, and it threw enough light that after a while Emma's eyes adjusted enough that she could vaguely make some things out in the darkness. Lying on her stomach, she propped her head up on one arm and tried to study him as best as she could, which was not very well in the dim light. She could kind of see his shape, but that was just about it.

She was about to turn her back on him and try to get some sleep when fingers brushed hers where they lay spread out between them, and then his hand closed lightly over hers. She held her breath, wondering if he was moving in his sleep, but when his thumb starting stroking at the back of her hand, she let it out slowly.

Slowly, she turned her hand around so that her palm was facing upwards, and he clasped her hand properly, twining their fingers together.

They lay like that for a little while, before Emma's curiosity got the better of her. She shifted slightly on the bed, little enough that she could have just been moving in her sleep, but enough to get her a closer to him. And his hand tightened on hers slightly.

It was a few minutes before he moved in, shuffling over in my the same way that she had, and she used his movement to spur one of her own, coming in a little closer again. Emma could see his shape so close, even if she couldn't make out any of his features, and she could feel his breath against her lips.

A part of her still thought that maybe he was asleep, or that she was. Even when their noses brushed together, she knew that this could only be happening in her dreams.

She sucked in her breath when a hand touched her cheek, but relaxed into his touch, the movements causing their noses to brush again. His hand moved across her cheek, his thumb rubbing against her skin as his fingers spread out over the back of her head, twining through her hair. She knew without a doubt that she wanted him to pull her in and kiss her more than she'd ever wanted anything before, but he kept the distance between them, just massaging her scalp gently with the tips of his fingers, and she knew that the next move was hers.

She should lean in and kiss him. God, she wanted to. She wanted to know what he tasted like, what his lips felt like on hers, how his skin felt under her fingers. God, she wanted to have a feel of those muscles that she'd seen on him before she'd turned the lights out. But she was drunk, he was drunk, and he was a friend... Well, kind of. He was her friend's friend. Or, her friend's brother's friend. If he didn't really want this, if she woke up with regrets, it could change the group dynamic for good, and she'd only just put herself fully back into it again...

But oh, how she wanted him.

The closeness between them was tantalizing, but it wasn't enough. Taking a deep breath, she leaned in and - slowly, softly - pressed her lips against his.

The kiss was nothing like she'd imagined, and although she'd never told anybody - even Ruby - she'd imagined kissing him plenty of times over the years. His lips were softer than she'd expected, and he pressed them to hers gently, almost chastely. Closing her eyes, Emma slowly brought her hand up to rest on his cheek, enjoying the feel of his stubble underneath her fingers.

Drawing on the new found confidence that had spurned her on all night, she trailed her hand around to the back of his neck, pulling him a little closer as she parted her lips slightly. He responded immediately, tightening his grip on her as well as she felt his teeth nip lightly at her bottom lip, requesting entrance, and she couldn't have denied him if she tried. Her mouth fell open slightly in a silent moan and he took the advantage, deepening the kiss.

His tongue tasted like rum, and she wondered if she tasted like that too. While her one hand held his head to hers, she let the other trail over his body. Starting at his cheek, she smoothed her hand over his shoulder, his arm, his chest. She was so glad he'd come to bed without a shirt on - she only wished she could see him. And all the while he still kissed her, deeply but still slowly, as if he was savouring it. She knew she was. Both of his hands were on her face and she longed to have him touch her more intimately. She wanted to feel his body pressed against hers, and although he was kissing her eagerly enough, she felt like he was holding his body back.

Maybe he was waiting for her move again. She let her hand drift lower, running it lightly across his stomach and enjoying the way she felt the muscles tense under her touch. When her fingers found the hem of his underwear - was he seriously just wearing underwear? - she felt his hand tight around her wrist. Finally breaking the kiss, he groaned softly, bringing her hand up to kiss her wrist. 'Emma,' he murmured against her skin. 'I should leave to the lounge room...'

She froze, a little stunned. Did he really not... I knew it was too good to be true. But Killian hadn't stopped kissing her wrist, pressing his lips to her skin again and again, and after a moment she felt his hand close around hers, twining their fingers together. He kissed his way slowly along her upper arm, using their joined hands to pull her arm over his shoulder as he did so to pull her closer. She shivered when he licked across the inside of her elbow. 'Tell me to stop,' he whispered, his breath tingling against her wet skin.

Fuck. He was trying to be a gentleman?

How the hell was she supposed to tell him to stop when he was torturing her so wonderfully?

'No,' she whispered, wishing she could see his eyes in the darkness.

He seemed to hesitate, then continued his way up her arm, pushing up the sleeve of her - his - shirt, before skipping the shoulder. She gasped when she felt his stubble rubbing against the sensitive skin at the base of her neck, and couldn't stop a low moan when he parted his lips against her, biting gently before running his tongue across her skin. 'Bloody hell, Emma,' he said breathlessly, and she heard the same desperation in his voice that she felt all throughout her body.

She didn't care what might happen tomorrow - she knew that she was too turned on to be able to look at him the same way ever again anyway. She could tell that he wanted it as much as she did, in the moment, anyway, and she wasn't going to let herself play it safe anymore.

With the hand that still held the back of his neck, she drew him toward her, kissing him passionately as her other arm pulled free of his and wrapped around his waist. She rolled onto her back, pulling him with her until he lay practically on top of her, partially between her slightly parted legs, the space between them finally completely closed. He returned her kiss hungrily, pressing her into the mattress, and finally - finally - she felt his hands on her body. One hand held him up while the other ran up her side before finding its way to her breast, squeezing it and then tugging at her nipple through the thin material. Her back arched involuntarily and her hands gripped at his shoulders as he played with her through his shirt.

Breaking the kiss, he returned his attention to her neck once again, giving her the same nipping kisses that he had before as he moved his hand down her body. She shivered when she felt his hand caressing her bare thigh, and she realized that his shirt must have ridden up at some point at the same time that she realized she didn't care. His hand caught her under her knee and she let him bend it, drawing his body in closer to hers, and then it was almost too much. He ground his hips slowly against hers and she could feel just how much he wanted her, pressed right up against her core, nothing separating them but two thin pieces of underwear. Killian swore when she lifted her other leg as well and angled her hips, moving her hips up in time with his.

His mouth was covering hers again, pushing the air out of her, but she didn't need it anyway. His hand slid between them, pushing her shirt up and running his hand across her stomach before slipping it underneath her underwear. He lifted off of her slightly but when she felt the rough pad of his thumb pressing against her clit, she forgave him immediately. He rubbed at her gently, kissing her all the while, swallowing her cry when he slipped a finger inside of her.

It was too much. But not enough, nowhere near enough. 'Killian, please,' she moaned, pushing against him restlessly.

She could almost feel him grinning in the dark, the smug bastard, but she didn't have it in her to care. After a few seconds he withdrew his hands, but only far enough to pull down her underwear, moving away from her as he did so. She felt more than saw him move away from the bed in the darkness, and was about to ask him what the hell he was doing when she heard a rustle and the sound of a packet tearing. Quickly shedding the shirt, she felt the bed dip slightly again after a short pause, and dear god, he was kissing his way up her leg.

By the time he got halfway up her thigh she was trembling uncontrollably, and as much as she wanted his mouth on her, she wanted to feel him more, to have her arms around him and hold him against her. Pulling him the rest of the way up her body, she spread her legs wider, letting him settle between them, and felt her hips rise automatically.

God, he was right there, and she could feel his hard length press against her core. Needing to feel him, to touch him, she reached down and took him in her hand, enjoying the way that his hips bucked forward slightly and he sucked his breath in quickly when her hand closed around him. She lined him up and was about to push her hips forward when -

'Emma,' he whispered, and his tone made her pause. It's a bit too late for second thoughts now, Jones, she was about to say, but then he was kissing her fervently, pressing into her.

He slid into her with one slow, smooth motion, filling her and stretching her. Her hands clutched at his arms, fingers digging into his biceps as she did her best to subdue her moan. He gave her a few seconds to adjust to his size before he began to move, pulling almost all of the way out of her before slowly pushing back in.

She was so highly strung, wound so tightly that soon she realized that it still wasn't enough. Unable to get enough of him, she let her hands roam his body, not truly believing that she was really here with him. She was determined to commit every part of his to memory, but couldn't help but get caught up in the tightness of his biceps, and the way that the muscles in his shoulders moved under her hands when he thrust into her. She wished that the light was on so she could see them, watch him, but she wasn't leaving this bed for anything.

Her hands roamed over his back, holding him tightly against her, and by the time they reached lower Killian's pace had increased, his breathing becoming louder. One arm stayed around his waist, gripping onto his back while the other moved down to his ass. She raised her hips with each of his thrusts, and now she used her grip on his to encourage his faster pace.

He swore heavily when she moaned, feeling her orgasm start to build. 'Fuck, Emma. You feel so good. You're so wet for me. I never thought - oh, god.' He cut off with a loud groan when Emma closed her lips around his neck, determined to make him fall over the edge with her. His hand gripped at her thigh tightly, changing the angle as his thrusts became shorter and slightly erratic, and he groaned again when she sucked at his skin. 'I always knew you'd feel this good,' he whispered against her shoulder.

Her arms tightened around him as she felt herself nearing her peak, trying to smother her moans against his shoulder now that they were escaping her with every thrust. She didn't realize she was moaning his name until a strangled sound came from him. 'Oh, god, Emma. Oh, Emma, Emma.' And there it was, she fell apart as he thrust desperately into her. He swore as she felt her inner walls fluttering around him, and then she pulled him over the edge with her, feeling his whole body stiffen above her as he stilled, all except for the feel of him throbbing inside of her.

Emma felt boneless. After a little while Killian leaned back a little, kissing her forehead, her cheek, her neck, her jaw. She could feel him going soft inside her but he didn't pull out just yet. When he reached her lips she kissed him slowly, thoroughly, revelling in the simplicity of the action and how good his weight still felt above her.

Too soon, he pulled away, rolling onto his back with a heavy sigh. She only had half a moment to mourn the loss before he pulled her toward him, guiding her so that she lay tucked into his side as he relaxed on his back. Resting her head on his chest, she flexed her fingers through his chest hair, smiling against his warm skin when his arm came around her to hold her close to him, his hand settling on her waist. His other hand brushed her hair away from her face and then cupped her cheek as he pressed his lips to the top of her head, before he reached down to pull the blanket up to them, settling it over her shoulders.

The sound of his breathing evening out lulled her to sleep.

The first thing that Emma was aware of was the hard body pressed against her back, and she leaned into the warmth. An arm tightened around her waist slightly, holding her closer, and she felt lips on her shoulder, stubble scratching her skin. 'Killian?' she mumbled, trying to roll over to face him.

'Shh, love.' He kept her where she was, and after a second she relaxed into his arms. She could feel his whole body pressed against her from behind, and it felt too good. 'It's still early,' he whispered, his breath tickling her neck. 'Don't wake up yet.'

'Mmm.' His hand brushed against her stomach and then started to rub gently up and down her side, and although even that simple touch threatened to set her blood afire, it was also relaxing, and she was still so tired. She dozed off again.

When she woke again the warmth was gone, and she rolled over, reaching out for Killian. When she felt nothing but the blanket she reluctantly opened her eyes, heart sinking a little as she realized that she was alone in the bed. Rubbing at her eyes, she looked around the room, now unsurprised to find it empty.

Trying not to let it bother her, Emma shuffled across to the other side of the bed, pulling the other pillow to her chest and pressing her face against it. Yep, it smelt like him. She hadn't imagined everything. Although, she didn't really have another explanation for waking up naked in Killian's bed. She stretched out her limbs slowly, taking a little pride in the slight ache that she felt everywhere.

She remembered waking up. Surely he wouldn't have still been holding her if he was planning on running away. Right?

And the sex itself... She'd only been with Neal before, and she was starting to wonder what she'd been missing out on. Not that he was bad in bed, not really, but she'd never felt the passion that had been so apparent between the two of them last night. It wasn't just about taking their pleasure from the other, but rather, giving it. It was the best sex she'd ever had.

And what he'd said to her.

I always knew you'd be this good.

Had he imagined this before, too?

She wanted nothing more than to lie spread in Killian's bed all day, but her head was starting to pound. She needed coffee. And food. Wondering how well Ruby's cupboards were stocked today - it was always a bit dubious when her parents were away - she pulled herself from the bed.

Perched on the edge of the bed, she stared at the clothes strewn on the floor. Was it worse to emerge wearing the dress that she'd been wearing last night, or a man's shirt that everyone would know didn't belong to her? Slipping on her underwear and bra, she picked up Killian's shirt and pulled it over her head. It wouldn't be so hard to believe that he'd leant her a shirt to sleep in, right? It was the truth, anyway, she thought with a smile, and the shirt did cover her probably better than the dress.

Rubbing the tips of her fingers under her eyes to hopefully remove as much of her likely panda eyes as possible, and running her hand quickly through her hair to attempt to tame it, she opened the bedroom door and quietly made her way to the kitchen.

Graham, Victor and Alice sat at the breakfast bar, identical expressions of misery and exhaustion on their faces. Ruby stood at the opposite counter, pouring coffee into mugs. 'Morning,' she mumbled to everyone, heading straight to the coffee. Grabbing a mug, she looked up to see Ruby staring wide-eyed at her neck. 'What -'

'Geez, you need a hairbrush,' Ruby said, pulling at Emma's hair and resettling in over her shoulder, raising her eyebrows and looking pointedly down at her neck.

Dear god, she had a hickey. Why hadn't she thought of that? Grateful that Ruby's back was to the others so they hadn't seen what she was looking at, Emma gave her a small smile of thanks before moving past her to sit next to Graham at the breakfast bar. She wouldn't be able to leave the house without telling her absolutely everything.

Taking a long drink of her coffee, she looked up when she set the mug down and realized everyone was staring at her. Ruby's grin was absolutely wicked. 'What?' she asked, sighing heavily.

'Just appreciating your choice of attire,' Graham said smugly, waggling his eyebrows in a fair imitation of Killian.

She could feel the blush spreading across her cheeks, but forced her embarrassment down. She was about to put this on Ruby, but when Victor snorted into his coffee she targeted him instead. 'This is your fault,' she accused, leaning forward and pointing her finger at him past Graham. 'Not only did I have to find somewhere else to sleep, but I had to find something else to sleep in.'

'And just how much sleeping did you do?' he asked her, his grin practically splitting his face in two. She wanted to throw something at him.

'She did plenty,' a voice came from the doorway and Emma spun around to see Killian walk into the kitchen followed by Jefferson, both of them carrying bags. 'I have to say that the floor was less than comfortable, though.' Walking past her to set his bags on the counter, he turned to wink at her.

Feeling everybody's eyes on her, Emma lowered her gaze. 'Um. Sorry.'

'Never mind, love. I'm always a gentleman.'

Graham groaned loudly from beside her. 'Oh, here we go.'

Jefferson and Killian had bought a ridiculous amount of pancake mix, and they'd apparently decided that a night of partying wasn't enough time together - they were all having a movie day. The idea of a movie day suited Emma fine considering how little she felt up to doing today, but she was nervous about spending the day with Killian when they hadn't had a chance to talk about what had happened the night before.

The guys seemed determined to provide breakfast for the girls. Ruby pulled her away to her bedroom under the guise of finding her something normal to wear, but Emma saw through her immediately. As soon as the bedroom door was closed Ruby turned on her. 'Well?!'

Emma shrugged, playing dumb. 'Well what?'

Ruby groaned loudly, then went to her wardrobe. 'Don't make me drag it out of you, Emma, because you know I will!'

A little comforted by her friend's lack of judgement - so far, anyway - Emma pulled on the jeans she'd worn yesterday and accepted the tank top that Ruby passed to her. A little reluctant to take Killian's shirt off, she sat on the bed. After a second Ruby joined her. 'Killian maybe didn't sleep on the floor,' she said slowly, waiting for Ruby's reaction.

Ruby squealed - actually squealed - and gripped her into a hug. 'Emma, this is awesome! Jefferson made me not tell you, because none of us wanted to make it more awkward than it was because of Neal, but Killian's had eyes for you since forever. Was it good?'

Emma laughed, unsurprised by Ruby's curiosity but feeling a little overwhelmed by what else she'd said. 'Ruby, we've always said that Killian was sex on legs.'

'Yes, but what was the sex like in bed?'

'You can't say anything,' she warned, waiting until her friend nodded emphatically before continuing. 'It was... incredible.'

Emma let Ruby gush over her some more. When she pulled Killian's shirt off, Ruby started laughing. 'What?' she asked her, frowning.

'Oh, Emma. You can't wear that tank top.' Grabbing her by the shoulders, she led her across to the mirror. Emma stared at her reflection, taking in all the small, dark marks that covered the base of her neck and her shoulders. After a moment she started laughing, too.

A knock at the door quietened them, and Emma quickly pulled Killian's shirt back on. 'Yeah?' Ruby called, throwing Emma a hairbrush.

'Breakfast,' Killian called from the other side of the door. Ruby practically ran to the door, opening it quickly. Ruby grinned up at Killian blatantly. He glanced across at Emma, then back at Ruby, and a slow smirk spread across his face. 'What, Ruby?'

Ruby crossed her arms across her chest. 'Emma needs to borrow your shirt for a little while longer,' she said cheerfully.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked back at Emma. 'Okay,' he said slowly.

'Good. I'll give the two of you a moment.' Winking at Emma, she fled the room before she could say anything, pushing Killian a little into the room as she did so.

The two of them stared at each other from opposite sides of the room. Emma wanted to look away, starting to feel awkward, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. After a few seconds he pushed the door mostly closed and took a few steps toward her. 'Is there a reason why you need my shirt?' he asked her, eyebrow raised.

The humour in his voice made her relax, and she pulled the neck of the shirt down to reveal the marks that he'd left on her. 'Apparently Ruby doesn't own anything that's not low cut,' she joked.

Killian came closer again until he was standing right in front of her. 'Sorry,' he said softly, but she caught the twinkle in his eyes.

'Are you really?' she asked, grinning, and he laughed.

'Well, no. But are you?' Angling his head back, his fingers ran across his own neck, pointing out marks on his skin that she hadn't noticed before.

For some reason, the fact that she'd left her own mark on him made her extremely proud. 'Not really,' she admitted.

His grin faded into a slightly more intense look as he stepped closer again, lifting his hands to rest on her waist, rubbing at her sides gently through the thin material. 'I like the look of you in my clothes,' he told her. Their faces were inches apart, his lips so close.

Needing something to hold onto, Emma reached up and gripped his shoulders, swallowing when she remembered how much she'd wanted to watch his muscles move when he held himself above her last night.

'Emma,' he began, then hesitated, moving back slightly. 'Emma, I don't want you to regret last night.'

He was worried about that? That had been her biggest fear since she'd woken to find him gone. 'I don't,' she told him quickly. 'I don't want you to, either.'

'I don't,' he said, leaning in toward her again.

'Wait,' she said, looking away. He stopped, his body tensing, and she made herself look back up at him. His expression caused a heaviness in her stomach, and she really hoped he'd understand what she had to say next. 'I don't regret it, and I'd very much like to have a repeat performance,' she paused, smiling at him, but his answering smile didn't reach his eyes, 'but -'

'But you only just got out of a relationship,' he said slowly.

'A long one. And a hard one.' She felt her smile falter completely. 'I need to be fair to myself, Killian. I shouldn't just jump back into the same thing.'

Was that anger that flashed in his eyes. 'I am not the same as him,' he growled, then looked away for a moment, taking a deep breath. 'I'd never treat you like that,' he said quietly.

Was that quick anger a show of protectiveness of her? She remembered what Ruby had said earlier, and how tender he'd been with her last night. Had she really been that blind for so long? 'I know,' she whispered.

When he looked back at her, she was surprised to find him smiling, all traces of anger and hurt gone. 'Have dinner with me. Let me take you out. We don't need to jump straight into anything, let's just go on a date and take it slow. Easy,' he said, grinning proudly.

She smiled up at him uncertainly. 'I think we've already failed at taking it slow,' she said, reaching up to gently rub her fingers across the marks she'd left on his neck.

He smirked. 'Perhaps.' His hands slid to her waist again. 'You'll have to tell me how slowly you want us to go in that regard, Emma, because I won't be able to keep my hands off of you.'

And she didn't want him to. Twining her arm around his neck, she pulled his head down and kissed him, smiling when he responded immediately by tightening his grip on her and deepening the kiss. She had no idea how much time passed but when they finally broke apart, they were both gasping. 'I'd love to have dinner with you,' she said breathlessly. 'Just... you're not going to leave again, are you?'

'No, love. I'm staying right here.'

They joined the others for breakfast, ignoring the curious looks that they got from everyone but Ruby and Jefferson. She wondered how much Killian had told him on their trip to the store. After breakfast everyone made their way to the lounge room. Emma visited the bathroom first and when she joined them, she was mostly unsurprised to see that the other seat left was between Killian and Ruby, with Victor on Ruby's other side. Jefferson and Alice were stretched out atop a pile of pillows on the floor, and Graham was leaning back in the recliner. She narrowed her eyes at everyone, wondering who had set that up, before sinking into the couch beside Killian.

She was incredibly conscious of every spot their bodies touched, his leg and arm pressed against hers. Toward the end of the first movie Ruby pulled a large blanket from somewhere and threw it over the four of them. As soon as their bodies were covered Killian's hand gripped hers, squeezing it gently. He seemed to understand her need to keep it a little quiet and not make a big deal just yet, and she squeezed his hand back, relaxing a little more on the couch.

Jolting, Emma sat up straighter and looked around her. Everyone else was watching the movie with varied states of alertness, but the movie had changed, and - recognizing the scene - she realized that she'd dozed through half of it. Killian's hand was still loosely holding hers, and she realized that she'd been sleeping on his shoulder. He was watching her, and she wondered whether he'd just looked across when she'd jumped awake or whether he'd been watching her longer than that.

'Sorry,' she whispered, trying to sit up straighter. Her head was pounding, her hangover only getting worse.

'Don't be silly,' he told her, slipping his arm around her waist and guiding her to rest her head back on his shoulder. She hesitated for a moment but then relaxed into him, and his hand slipped underneath her shirt, coming to rest on the skin at her side. His touch was too distracting for her to fall asleep again, but she didn't mind one bit, snuggling closer to him.

Later that afternoon, Emma had to return to reality and headed home. She'd just pulled into her driveway when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, and pulled it out to see a txt from Killian.

I'll pick you up at 7 tomorrow?

Biting her lip, she stared at the message for a full minute before typing her reply.

I'll see you then

AN: Hope you enjoyed part 2! It was a little refreshing writing something so light hearted. This story spawned from the feeling in that drawn out almost kiss. It's also partially based on real experiences from years ago (mainly the break up and the type of relationship Emma and Neal had, and the feeling of freedom that came from that).

Reviews are always welcomed :) (and gushed over, and loved to bits :D)