Killian sat alone in his bedroom as he stared at the wall opposite his bed. It had been a few days since he'd seen Emma, and he was beginning to wonder if he'd made a mistake in pressuring her to make things official.

He didn't feel like he was asking her for much, but he should have known that she would react that way. She seemed to like things the way there were – no strings attached. But he wanted, maybe even needed, more from her.

He wanted to be the one that she talked to about her day, the one that she came running to when she had good news, her friend, her boyfriend, not just some guy she only sought out when she wanted a quick lay.

Deciding that this train of thought wasn't going to get him anywhere, he chose to get out of bed and walk over to Granny's. It had been a while since he'd cared for her lawn and he knew that she was due for another mowing.

He didn't call any attention to himself when he got there. He simply went into the shed and pulled out the mower so he could get to work.

Emma was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the distinct hum of the lawnmower. She went downstairs and peeked out the window by the front door to see Killian outside, pushing the mower over the grass.

She sighed as she watched him work, needing to go out and talk to him, but not wanting to make things worse. She'd done enough.

She walked over to the stairs and sat down on them as she thought about her situation with Killian. Sure, she liked him, but was that worth the imminent heartbreak when she would have to go back home to New York?

Ruby came running down the stairs, but stopped as she approached a roadblock – namely, Emma.

"Hey, dudette," Ruby greeted Emma cheerily as she sat on the step behind her, resting her elbows on her knees. "What's up?"

Emma sighed before turning her head to look at Ruby. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Wait, you've been hooking up since the bonfire? Emma, that was like, a month ago!"

"Shhh!" Emma silenced Ruby as she waved her hand frantically, not wanting to alarm Granny, who was downstairs in the kitchen. She scurried across their bedroom and closed the door, so as not to take any chances. "Yes, since the bonfire. I didn't tell you because I didn't think it was a big deal. I mean, I was only out to have a good time, but now he wants more."

"So, when is your date?" Ruby asked giddily as she looked at Emma with eager eyes.

"What? Never. There's no date, Ruby." Emma sighed as she walked over and sat on the bed, scooting over when Ruby came over to join her.

"Why not?" Ruby looked at Emma with concern in her eyes, silently asking to be let in.

Sighing once again, Emma tucked her bangs behind her ear. "I am only here for around ten more weeks. What's the point in starting a relationship just to end it?"

Ruby raised one eyebrow at Emma and shook her head incredulously. "That's your only reason? Seriously?"

"Uh, yeah, and it's a good one." Emma defended herself but then knitted her brow as she took a moment to think. "Isn't it?"

Ruby smiled and nodded as she took Emma's hand. "Sure, I guess. But like you said, you have six weeks left. Why would you waste this time avoiding him? You may be missing out on something great."

Emma nodded as she stood from the bed and walked over to the door. Before she left the room she turned back around and smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Ruby. You're the best."

When she got outside, Killian was just putting the lawnmower in the shed. She waited in front of it for him to come out and when he did, she smiled shyly at him. "Hey, Killian."

"Hi," he nodded at her as he turned around to lock the shed. "How are you?"

Emma rolled her eyes at the distance in his voice. "Look, Killian, I want to tell you that I was wrong to push you away. I want to go on a date with you. It was wrong of me not to consider your feelings, and I'm sorry."

He gave her a wide grin as he looked at her and walked over to her, taking her into his arms and kissing her deeply. "Good. Because it's only been four days, and I've missed you like mad."

She giggled to herself before rising up on her tiptoes to kiss him again. She hummed against his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck, finally feeling some inner peace after the past couple of days she'd had.

They continued to kiss each other until they were interrupted by the exaggerated sound of a throat clearing. They broke apart and both looked toward the house where Granny was staring at them, her hands on her hips.

"What fresh hell is this?" Granny asked as she looked at the pair, who had yet to separate.

Emma turned back to Killian, and they looked at each other for a moment before they both burst into fits of laughter.

Later that night, Killian returned to Granny's house and knocked on the door. He only waited for a few moments before Ruby came running up to the door to let him in.

"Hi!" She greeted him in her usual giddy manner, leaning up against the door as she looked him over. He was wearing a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of dark-washed jeans.

He felt his cheeks begin to burn as he rocked back onto his heels nervously. "How are you, Ruby? Is Emma ready yet?"

Ruby didn't answer, just cocked her head to the side as if she wanted to look at him from a different, or perhaps better, angle. "Uh-huh," she remarked absently as she continued to take inventory of the outfit he wore.

"Is something wrong, lass?" He asked, looking down at himself before looking back to her.

Ruby shook her head and gave him a reassuring smile. "No, nothing's wrong. Don't worry. You're gonna have an amazing time. Even if you had to borrow David's clothes." She burst into a fit of laughter as Killian's face turned beet red.

"Come on, Ruby. I wanted to make sure I wore the right thing." He fidgeted nervously and adjusted the collar of the shirt. "And besides, this isn't David's, it's mine."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at him and raised an eyebrow. "Killian, I know that's David's shirt."

"No, it's not!" Killian protested petulantly. "He gave it to me."

Ruby smiled at Killian and tried to stifle her laughter. "That is so adorable. Did you trade him for something? Like maybe a pair of earrings or a bracelet?"

Killian rolled his eyes at Ruby. "Ha-ha. You're a riot. Just don't tell Emma, okay?"

"Don't tell Emma what?"

They were interrupted when Emma finally came down the stairs, wearing a knee-length summer dress with her hair pulled back into a high ponytail. "Did I miss something?"

Killian had already forgotten what he and Ruby were talking about as Emma walked out of the house and stepped onto the porch. She looked more beautiful than usual, and he could see that she was even wearing makeup for the first time since they'd met.

"Emma," he breathed, "you look – absolutely stunning, love." He leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek, smiling against her skin when it began to flush.

"Geez, I guess I ought to leave you two to your night," Ruby announced loudly as she closed the screen door. She stood behind it and quickly stuck her tongue out at Killian before closing the front door.

He chuckled and rolled his eyes as he and Emma made their way off of the porch.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" Emma asked as she took his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together.

Killian smiled at the gesture and lifted her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it as they strolled along. "Well, we have options. We could go to the beach, I could try to cook you something at my house, or we could just skip all of that and go right to bed."

With her free hand, Emma smacked him on the shoulder. "I thought the point of this was to put all of that on hold, mister."

He laughed and freed his hand from her, putting his arm around her shoulders. He kissed her on the top of her head. "Yes, that last one was a test, and you passed."

She put her arm around his waist as she shook her head at him. "Oh, right. Anyway, I like option number two."

"Alright," he agreed as a broad smile crept onto his lips, "let's go."

"Okay," Killian sighed as he looked over the pantry in his kitchen, "there is a lot in here that we could make. There might also be a pizza in the freezer, if that's your thing."

"Ooh," Emma cooed delightedly, "that sounds lovely."

"Pizza it is," Killian announced as he walked over to the freezer and pulled out the box. He read its instructions before he preheated the oven and turned to find Emma seated on the island behind him.

"My, what a lovely centerpiece you'd make, my dear," he joked as he walked over to her and stood between her parted knees, letting the fingers of one hand dance over the skin of her thigh while the other rested at her side.

Emma wasn't quite sure how he did it, but as always, even this simple touch sent her heart racing. She spread her legs just a little wider so that he could stand between them. The added height from the counter had him at eye-level with her chin as she looked down at him.

His hand was still tracing idly over her skin when she brought her hands to his shoulders and massaged them briefly before trailing them up his neck to his face. She cradled it in her hands, taking a moment to admire the deep, reflective blue of his eyes before she leaned in and kissed him softly.

Killian sighed against her mouth as if some great pressure had been lifted off of him, just by being able to kiss her. He stepped in closer to her, letting his hands roam over her body. He moved his mouth away from her and dropped kisses along her jaw, neck, and collarbone, and she rolled her head back to allow him better access.

She raked her fingers through his hair as he worshipped her skin, absently grinding herself against the bulge in his jeans. He chuckled at her apparent need for him and brought one of his hands back down to her thigh, squeezing it and massaging it as his hand went higher and higher up.

Just as he reached the waistband of her panties, the oven behind them beeped, pulling them out of their little bubble and back into the present.

They looked at each other for a few moments as if they'd forgotten where they were. It was Emma who came down first.

"I think that's your cue," she chuckled as she pointed to the oven over his shoulder.

"Ah, right you are," Killian remarked as he turned around and hustled back over to the oven, slipping the pizza inside and setting the timer. "Alright then," he said as he offered Emma his hand and helped her down off of the counter, "we have twenty minutes to kill. How do you suggest we do that?"

Emma smiled at him and quirked an eyebrow upward, knowing that he already knew what was on her mind.

He smiled at her and took her in his arms, kissing her to lower her guard before hoisting her up and over his shoulder as he turned and made a beeline for the stairs.

Emma erupted in a fit of giggles as she was suddenly upside down, but granted an excellent view of Killian's ass. She squeezed it as he ran them up the stairs, and she laughed at the surprised shout that sounded from him.

When they got up the stairs, he kicked in his bedroom door and walked over to his bed and threw Emma down onto it, laughing just as much as she was.

He got onto the bed and laid down beside her, clutching his sides in an attempt to quell the ache that their laughter had caused. When he looked over at her, she was still laughing, and he could swear that he'd never seen a more beautiful sight.

"Emma," he said her name, but she was still laughing so hard that she hadn't heard him. "Emma," he repeated a little louder, this time grabbing her attention.

"Yeah?" she asked, smile wide as she tried to stifle her giggles.

"I'm going to kiss you now," he warned her and only waited for a second before he leaned in and made good on his promise. He pulled her closer by the waist and then trailed his hand up to her jaw, where he rested it and held her in place.

She broke the kiss and leaned her forehead against his, grinning at him like a Cheshire cat. "I'm sorry, Killian," she started, "I just – I can't stop smiling."

He laughed and kissed her again before he answered. "No worries, I rather like you this way."

They looked at each other for a few moments more before he leaned in and pressed their smiles together.

Emma hummed happily against his lips as he kissed her and pulled away so that she could sit upright and undo the buttons on his shirt. He offered no protest and helped her, starting at the bottom of the shirt and meeting her hands in the middle.

Once they'd removed his shirt, she let her eyes rove over his naked chest and her hands acted on their own accord, raking through the hair there as she moved to straddle his hips.

Killian's hands were then under her dress, lifting it off of her in one fluid motion before heading right back to the clasp on her bra, opening it and tossing the offending garment onto the floor with the rest of their clothes. She kissed him passionately as his hands palmed and kneaded her chest, drawing a strangled moan from her lips when he pinched her nipples.

He wrapped one arm around her and rolled them over so that he was poised over her. "Emma," he panted out her name as he looked into her eyes, "you are the most beautiful girl I've ever known." He smirked as the compliment caused her cheeks, neck, and chest to flush adorably.

She pulled him back down to her and kissed him, hoping that the gesture could convey all that she felt but wasn't sure how to say.

He inched down her body, making sure to pay some attention to her breasts before sliding down even lower and tugging her panties off of her. He settled between her legs and kissed her thighs, delighting in the throaty moans that left her at the touch of his lips to her sensitive skin.

He then turned his attention to the apex of her thighs and cursed under his breath before kissing her quickly on her aching bundle of nerves before taking it into his mouth and sucking it gently.

Emma moaned and rocked her hips upward into his touch, gasping for air as he slipped two fingers into her. She brought her hand down to his hair and held him in place as he worked, grinding her hips in time with his movements as she felt her orgasm begin to creep up on her.

"Killian, stop," she panted, breathing shallowly as he raised his head to look at her, his brow furrowed in confusion.

He crawled up her body and kissed her once, trailing his fingers over her jaw as he looked down at her. "What's the matter? Did I hurt you?"

She shook her head at his concern for her and smiled shyly. "No, I just… I want you. Now."

A wolfish grin came over his face as he nodded in understanding and rolled over onto his back so that he could take off his pants. Once he'd kicked them to the floor, he reached over to his nightstand for a condom and rolled it on.

He resumed his position on top of her and kissed her soundly, letting his mouth consume her wanton cry as he slipped into her.

"Oh, fuck," she sighed when his lips left hers, rolling her lips to meet his as he began to thrust in and out.

He didn't say anything, only bit his lip to keep from groaning as he rocked in and out of her tight and wet sheath. He had missed feeling this closeness with her, but this time it felt like maybe there was something else there. Not just the desire or the need. This time he felt something. Something that had not been present every other time that they'd been together like this. Something that he knew would only frighten her if he spoke of it aloud.

So, for now, he pushed it aside, locked it up in a back corner of his mind and tried to focus more on Emma as her cries got louder and louder.

He picked up the pace as the sound of their skin meeting echoed through the room. Emma pulled him down to her and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders so that they were pressed together from chest to hip.

She lifted her hips, which caused him to graze her clit as he thrust into her, making her walls flutter around his cock. She bit her lip to stifle a moan and buried her face in his neck. "Oh, Killian, I'm so close."

He doubled his efforts, thrusting into her just a little bit faster as her walls clenched and squeezed him. With a broken shout, he came hard, spilling himself into the condom.

He moved off of her and removed the condom, then rolled onto his side so that he could look at her. She was really something else. Even after what they'd just done, he could say that he'd never wanted her more.

She turned her head to look at him and smiled bashfully when she noticed him staring at her. "What is it?"

Killian knew that what he was about to say might not go over well, but it needed to be said. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak, inwardly praying that he wouldn't scare her off. "Listen, Emma, I—"

He was cut off by a loud, shrill beeping that echoed through the entire house – the smoke detector.

"Shit! The pizza!" Killian shouted as he jumped out of bed and into his jeans, running out of the room and down the stairs to find the entire kitchen filled with smoke. He ran over to the oven and opened it, unleashing a cloud of thick, dark smoke as the door swung open

"Oh my god, what do we do?" Emma asked as she ran into the kitchen moments later, dressed only in the button down shirt Killian had been wearing earlier.

"Fire extinguisher!" Killian shouted to no one but himself as he dashed over to the pantry and found his solution on the floor. He ran back over to the oven and sprayed the fire extinguisher inside.

After a few moments the smoke cleared enough for them to see inside. Their pizza had been burned to an unrecognizable crisp while they were otherwise occupied.

Emma walked up and stood behind him, peeking her head around him so that she could see into the oven. "So, what now?"

Killian laughed at her comment – not because it was all that funny, but because he was glad he wasn't going to have to explain to his father how the entire kitchen burned down while he was in bed with a girl. He looked at Emma and shrugged. "Now, we improvise."

Deciding that it was probably better that they not cook anything else, Emma suggested that they make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They sat on stools at the island as they made a mountain of sandwiches – more than either of them could eat – and took the tray up to his room.

He set it down in the middle of his bed and she climbed onto it, sitting at the head, resting her back against the headboard, and he laid at the foot, bending his elbow to rest his head on his hand as he reached for a sandwich and looked at her. "So," he started after taking a bite, "how was this for a first date?"

Emma smiled as she reached for a sandwich and took as big a bite of it as possible. "Sorry, Killian," she tried to speak through her mouthful of food, "I'd answer you, but I don't want to be impolite."

He laughed at her playful attitude and followed her lead, stuffing his mouth full as well. "Okay," he started, already struggling to speak, "then I won't tell you what it does to me to see you wearing my shirt like that."

Emma covered her mouth to try and keep from choking as she laughed at his flirtatious rebuttal.

He crawled up the bed and kissed her chastely, making them both laugh hysterically.

"We probably look like idiots," she said as she tried to chew with her mouth at full capacity.

Killian settled in on his side as he looked up at her, finally managing to swallow all the food he'd shoved into his mouth. "If that's the case, I'm willing to bet you've never been so happy to be an idiot."

She was going to protest, but he was right – she'd never been this happy in all of her life.

Later that night after he walked her home, Emma ran up to her room and grabbed a postcard, jotting down a quick note to her mother:

Hey Mom,

Remember when I told you that boy I met was trouble? I was right.

Love, Emma.

Thank you guys for reading! This story is not finished, the rest should be coming later on this week! See you lot next chapter :)