Disclaimer: As always, this story was written for entertainment purposes only and no copyright infringement was intended.

A/N: This is definitely an M-rated fic, people… Consider yourself warned. Thanks Liz (lizook) for lending me your mad beta-ing skills! You're the best!

…

Give and Take

Though it had been almost two weeks since he'd found himself in his partner's bed –they'd barely left it since then— he was still in awe over this new phase of their relationship. He'd wanted her for so long, longed to be with her, dreamed of her, fantasized about her… But he never dared to hope that it would actually happen.

Looking down at her sleeping form, he marveled at how peaceful she looked. The worry and angst –remnants of her painful past—that were etched on her face during the day, had vanished. If possible, she looked even more beautiful in the early morning light. He carefully tucked a lock of her auburn hair behind her ear and she stirred, snuggling closer to his body. His chest constricted –almost painfully— with the overwhelming flood of emotion that washed over him.

Unable to resist, he leaned forward and placed a tender kiss to her forehead –frontal bone, she would have corrected. Smiling to himself, he did the same to her temple and then to her cheek. As his warm breath tickled her neck, she wriggled almost imperceptibly and he knew: she was awake or, at least, waking up. The knowledge sent a thrill through him, inevitably settling in his groin.

He nuzzled and kissed her neck and a smile ghosted her lips. Bingo. As he continued to place sucking kisses up and down her neck, he allowed one hand to lightly trace the side of her body. A soft sigh escaped her lips. That was another thing he loved about her; she was responsive to even the lightest of his touches. Still, she resisted opening her eyes.

He nibbled his way along her clavicle and brushed light kisses to the tops of her breasts. Those breasts had been tantalizing him for years, peeking out from beneath her lab coat, calling to him as she leaned over an exam table, teasing him while barely contained in that damn Wonder Woman costume. And now that he actually got to experience them for himself… well, it was definitely worth the wait.

His mouth continued its exploration, dipping into the valley between her breasts. He felt, rather than heard, a purr deep inside her chest. She couldn't resist much longer.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," he crooned. Her grin widened and she forced one eye open.

"What do you want?" she asked wryly.

He chuckled. "You."

"You already had me. Last night. Several times, if memory serves. And the night before that. And-"

Laughing, he cut her off. "So you can see why I want you some more."

She quirked an eyebrow at him, deciding. He mustered up his most dazzling charm smile and waggled his eyebrows in response. Her laughter bubbled up, unbidden, and she gave him a playful shove. "Booth!"

Booth rolled onto his back with a hearty guffaw. To his surprise, his partner was suddenly straddling him with a mischievous grin on her face. "Good morning," she greeted huskily.

"Mornin'," he responded, his eyes roving over her creamy flesh appreciatively. He watched, mesmerized, as her tongue darted out to wet her lips and a predatory expression settled on her face. Uh oh. He knew that look by now. Bones was feeling frisky.

Without another word, Brennan leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Booth needed no further encouragement before twining his fingers in her hair and running his tongue along the perimeter of her lips. With a strangled gasp, she opened her mouth and allowed her tongue to play with his.

Despite being a self-proclaimed alpha male, Booth had no problem letting a woman take the lead in the bedroom, especially when that woman was Bones. They'd always had a give and take relationship and sex was no exception. She could do things to his body that he never knew were possible and she seemed equally impressed by his prowess. To say they were compatible was an understatement. Booth was pretty sure they were made for each other.

Tearing her lips away from his, Brennan kissed her way along his prominent jaw and found the spot on his neck that drove him crazy. As she lightly gave him a nip, he shuddered, grasping her hips desperately and trying to urge her into position.

"Uh uh," Brennan scolded, continuing to explore his neck. She moved downward, laving his chest with her velvety tongue, paying special attention to the fresh scar above his right pectoral.

Twisting the sheets in his clenched fists, Booth's head fell back in helpless pleasure. Nearly delirious with desire, it took every ounce of his willpower to keep from seizing control. Not that she'd ever relinquish control before she was good and ready…

Dipping her head even lower, she teased him, running her lips along his navel, eliciting a strangled groan from deep in his chest. "You like that," she stated simply.

"God yeah, Bones. I like that." Before he could brace himself, Brennan had taken him into her mouth and was inflicting her own brand of torture on him. "Shit-" he ground out.

Brennan liked sex. Rationally speaking, it provided the perfect release of endorphins that helped clear her head in a way nothing else could. While being on the receiving end was the quickest way to achieve the desired release, she had no problem reciprocating. Sex had always been something of a business agreement in her mind, a means to an end.

Things were entirely different with Booth though. He'd taken her no-nonsense approach to sex and turned it upside down. Not only had he shown her that taking it slow could be really passionate, but she was also discovering that the intense emotional connection they shared could be expressed physically. She wanted to make him feel the way he made her feel.

As much as he was enjoying the attention of her skilled mouth and nimble hands, it was about to send him thundering right over the edge. "Jesus-" he gasped, grabbing her arms and trying to haul her back up to face him. "You gotta stop that, Bones, or this is all gonna be over really quickly."

Giving him one last slow, deliberate lick and a sly grin, Brennan obliged, climbing back up to straddle him again. She allowed him to guide her into place. Their gazes locked for one heart-stopping moment and she sank down, taking him in easily. They built up a steady rhythm, and in no time, Brennan felt her walls begin to tighten and the world swam as her vision grew hazy.

Before her climax had even subsided, Booth flipped them over and pinned her to the mattress. Her startled gasp quickly gave way to a delighted moan as he continued their urgent pace, barely breaking stride. She took the opportunity to trace the muscles of his arms and chest, reveling in the barely-restrained power therein. Her hands glided over his back as he drove into her, finally coming to rest on his ass and giving him an encouraging squeeze.

"Come for me again," he whispered into her neck, pulling her earlobe into his mouth.

"Make me," she taunted with a shuddering breath.

He groaned, her challenge nearly shoving him over the brink. Galvanized into action, his hands were everywhere, touching, stroking, teasing. When his fingers found her sensitized nub, she gasped as another violent orgasm overtook her.

Booth may have been strong, but he wasn't that strong. He managed a few more erratic thrusts before letting go as a primal roar was ripped from his chest. Her answering cry was almost too much to bear.

"Bones, Temperance… love you… mine…," he babbled incoherently.

He'd never said the "L" word to her before… Sure, he'd felt that way for longer than he could remember, but had never actually vocalized it. Unsure how she would react to his accidental admission, he resolved to shut his trap before he blabbed something else.

When the room finally stopped spinning, Brennan rolled onto her side to look at him. She smiled at his worried expression and tenderly cupped his face in the palm of her hand.

"I love you too, Booth," she confessed.

"Yeah?" He could hardly believe his ears. He'd always hoped they would get here someday, but he never expected it to happen so effortlessly.

"Definitely," Brennan replied, a slow grin dawning on her face as the truth sunk in for the first time. She had never been more sure of anything in her life.