Significantly shorter than the last one, but I think you'll be happy with it nonetheless. At any rate, let me know at the end with a review!

Tris awoke slowly the next morning, feeling dazed and sluggish. She was even more sore than she had been yesterday morning, but it was a different sort of pain. Less a sharp twinge and more a deep, semi-pleasant ache. She couldn't help but grin to herself as she recalled the night before. Not only had they had sex twice before falling asleep, but he had accidentally awoken her sometime in the early hours of the morning on the way back from the bathroom. His light, affectionate touches and tender kisses had turned into a third round of slow, sensual lovemaking that had made her head spin with the intensity of it.

Tris felt a grin spread across her face as she remembered, and she stretched languidly and rolled over to curl into his chest. She let her arm wind tenderly around his waist, fingers stroking down his side and across his waist before falling lower to his hip and leg. She felt his arm go around her waist and pull her flush against him, fingers stroking her hair gently. Tris took a deep, relaxed breath and let it out, perfectly content to stay just where she was. Suddenly his hand moved to grasp her own where it was still resting on his hip.

"You trying to start something already?" She froze when she realized she was probably teasing him and he chuckled. "Little minx."

Tris stretched again, groaning pleasantly as she did. It wasn't an unpleasant soreness, and it was completely worth it besides. She smiled again.

"You look happy," he said. She could hear the smugness in his tone and giggled.

"I could get used to this," she admitted.

"So could I," he returned slyly, rolling on top of her with a grin. "I can't get enough of you."

"You've got to be kidding me," she laughed. "Already?"

The only response she got was a quick, deep kiss that burned through her. Tris moaned low in her throat in response, winding her arms around his neck and kissing back. She had no idea what it was, but there was something about sex with Eric that always left her wanting more. Not in an unsatisfied way, but in the sense that she couldn't seem to get enough. Thankfully he seemed to be experiencing the same thing, which was perfectly fine with her.

She felt wetness coat her flesh and arched her back instinctively. The intensity of her body's responses still overwhelmed her, but she was learning to go with it instead of fight it or worry about it. Certainly, Eric seemed to know what he was doing when it came to her body.

"You ready baby?" He whispered in her ear. Tris gave a slightly out of breath moan in response, stretching herself to kiss him again. Eric braced his hand against her hip and pushed slowly into her, automatically waiting for her to tell him he could begin to move. He gave her a confused look when her face didn't pinch up, and she shrugged in response. He grinned when he realized that she was adjusting to him, kissing her passionately as he pulled back and thrust firmly back into her.

Encouraged by the pleased moan she responded with Eric repeated the movement, faster and harder than before. Tris's eyes fluttered closed as she moaned again, louder this time. Realizing that he wasn't hurting her Eric kept up with the fast, hard pace he had set, driving her crazy in ways he hadn't thus far. She was consumed by the passionate look in his eyes as he touched her and held her before he closed them and kissed her again.

He drove into her almost roughly, truly letting go of all restraint for the first time since he had taken her virginity only two days previously. Somewhere in the back of his mind Eric mused that maybe he had finally found a woman who could keep up with his libido, instead of having two or three women on his list at the same time.

Each thrust was met with a sharp, low pitched moan from low in her throat, and the sound was music to his ears as he picked up his pace, greatly enjoying the fact that she was ready and willing to handle a rougher pace as well as the slow, smoldering pace like what had happened in the middle of the night. She came in what was almost record time, so far at least, winding her legs around his hips and pulling him deeper as he too released, swearing roughly in her ear as he did.

Eric rolled off her and collapsed on his back, tugging her into the crook of his arm absently, enjoying the feel of her skin against his own. There was silence for several minutes as the pair caught their breath.

"God you're like a machine," Tris muttered to him in amusement. "I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to sex but I have a feeling this is above and beyond the norm."

Eric laughed out loud at her words. "It is," he admitted. "I have a pretty damn high libido. I'm always horny. So far you seem to be keeping up though," he told her with a wink.

Tris felt herself blush slightly at his words, but didn't deny them. It was true, after all. It seemed like any time he wanted to, she was perfectly happy to also.

"Is that a good thing?" She asked uncertainly.

"To me it is," he told her. "I certainly don't see how it would be bad."

Tris shrugged. "Sex just isn't very common in Abnegation," she told him. "Not like this anyway. I mean sure, to have kids and occasionally for anniversaries or something like that, but no one does very often. It's not really discouraged, but it's not encouraged either."

Eric tightened his arm around her. "Well obviously it's different here. And as far as I'm concerned, you have nothing to worry about." Eric regarded her carefully, and she got the sense he was considering whether or not to go on.

"What is it?"

Eric sighed before giving up and talking. "I don't know exactly what this may or may not be," he began slowly. "All I know right now is that you were unfailingly kind to me even though I've been horrible to you this whole time. I don't have the first clue what you might think of me, but like I said before. I underestimated you, and I'm sorry. And the more time I spend with you, the more I like you."

Tris felt her heart thump oddly in her chest at his words, and couldn't help but smile. "Well you're not so bad yourself," she said softly, resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes contentedly. "And whatever this is, I like it."

Eric smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'm glad," he told her. "I do too. And as much as I would love to stay here all day, I have work and you have training." Tris groaned slightly, wishing she didn't have to move.

Eric laughed good naturedly. "Trust me I know. Now lets get going baby."

Tris smiled at him as she got up. "I like that," she admitted with a blush.

"Then I'll say it more often," he grinned.

...

Christina caught up with Tris in a deserted hallway after training was done for the day, the sly grin on her face making Tris immediately wary.

"You slept with him didn't you," She asked immediately.

Tris gave her a confused look. "Well I stayed with him the last two nights and yeah I slept, so... yes? I don't know, I feel like that's not what you're talking about."

Christina rolled her eyes at Tris's predictable ignorance. "No it's not. Sleeping with someone is another term for having sex with them. Hence my question. You slept with him, didn't you?"

Tris would have loved to deny it and say no, but the pink flush in her cheeks gave her away. Christina giggled.

"I knew it!"

"How could you tell?" Tris asked her, bewildered.

"We learn to read body language in Candor," she reminded her. "I can tell by the way you act around each other." Tris gave Christina a quizzical look. "What?"

"I'm waiting for you to get mad or say something about how stupid it is or something like that," Tris admitted. "You hate him."

Christina shrugged. "Well he can be an asshole, there's no denying it. But a while ago Will and I were talking about it and he helped me realize that he's just doing his job as a leader. It's his job to make sure that we're ready to be Dauntless and to get rid of anyone who isn't up for it. That doesn't mean I like his methods, but I understand it more now. He has to be strict. I mean, we're basically military, you know?"

Tris nodded in agreement. "And he's a lot nicer in person," she admitted. "Kind of sweet actually."

"So are you, like, together or was it just a one time thing?"

Tris shrugged. "I'm not sure exactly what it is," she told her. "I know it's not a one time thing," she told her with a grin. "He..." Tris trailed off, not sure exactly what she intended to say.

"Is he any good? Does he know what he's doing?"

"Oh yeah," Tris giggled. "At least, it seems like it to me. Abnegation doesn't talk much about sex, it's mainly what we manage to hear at school but from what little I know, yes."

"When was the first time?"

"Two nights ago," Tris told her. "I don't even know why I did it but I hated seeing him so upset and just wanted to distract him for a while."

"And how many times since then?" Christina asked slyly. Tris blushed, her friend was too observant.

Tris turned and looked around, making sure they were alone and no one was coming before dropping her voice. "Four," she admitted.

"Four times, are you kidding me?"

Tris laughed again. "Nope. I told him today that even I know that's above and beyond normal."

Christina nodded. "I'll say. I hope you can keep up with him," Christina said with a wink.

"So do I," Tris admitted. "How are you and Will?" She asked.

Tris smiled indulgently as Christina began to talk, glad to get the spotlight off herself and whatever may or may not be going on with Eric. Whatever it was, she was content to just let it happen. She was beginning to discover that the cruel, malicious leader persona was just that, a persona, and the person underneath was someone she truly wanted to get to know.

The last day or so together he had treated her as an equal, as a friend and someone he trusted, and Tris could tell that wasn't something he gave to just anyone. She hadn't forgotten that he had essentially been forced into it, but the fact that he was continuing to open up to her instead of pushing her away spoke volumes, and Tris refused to forget it.