Chapter 17

In the quiet darkness of the car ride home, Booth glanced back in the rearview mirror to see Jared passed out against the window, his mouth hanging open as he snored. In the glare of the passing headlights, Jared looked just his age, his brow unwrinkled by worry and sleeping with the ease of a child.

The passing weeks had chased the shadows from Jared's eyes, and that meant the world to Booth. A sense of contentment suffused through him as he felt Brennan's hand slid across his lap from the passenger seat, finding his hand and winding her fingers through his.

They had spent the day at their new friend Jack Hodgin's mansion, swimming, grilling and whiling the afternoon away with foot races and basketball games. When Brennan had arrived late in the afternoon, she had nearly blown his goddamn mind with her creamy, lacy bikini and sun-tousled hair. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since, and there she was next to him, wearing a pretty blue sundress over that damnable swimsuit. She had her eyes closed as she leaned back against the headrest, but he knew she wasn't asleep. Her thumb lazily stroked his palm, causing his other hand to clench on the steering wheel.

When they pulled into the driveway at his newly rented townhouse, Booth shot her a dark look full of promise as he shut off the car and reached behind the seat to gently shake Jared's knee.

"Wake up, Buddy. We're home."

The townhouse had been a wonderful find by Hodgins. The appliances were old and the stairs creaked, but it was in a neighborhood that wasn't serenaded by sirens every night, and it had two bedrooms, so Booth counted his lucky stars every time he pulled up to the door.

Partially dragging his half-asleep younger brother, Booth helped him inside and to his room on the first floor. Jared tossed his flip flops off his feet and dove into bed, still in his swim trunks, but Booth decided to let him be. Between the sun, the water and the foot races, Jared was out like a light.

As Booth turned and shut Jared's door, he caught sight of Brennan standing at the front, carefully placing her delicate sandals next to Booth's haphazard pile of footwear. In that moment, his breath caught, seeing that blue dress and knowing what kind of curves were beneath it, and catching those bright, intelligent eyes trained on him, and god damn, the sight of their shoes mixing together like they lived here together. He was pathetic and in love and before he knew it, he had marched over to her and pushed her against the door, protecting her head with his hand in her hair as he kissed her.

She gasped against his mouth, the sound barely escaping as he caught it and shut his eyes against the pleasure of her body against his. Her skin was sun warmed and a little pink, the residual heat scorching his palms as he ran a hand down her body to rest at her waist.

Brennan responded with such enthusiasm that Booth smiled against her lips, a happy half laugh that he barely recognized drawn from him. She slid her hands under his loose t-shirt, and grinned back at him. "Tonight, Booth. Now." She stood on her tiptoes and caught his ear gently between her teeth. "I don't want to wait any longer."

At those words in that firm tone-the one that usually meant that he hadn't studied his Biology flash cards well enough-Booth let out a shaky breath. He took a step back, held out his hand and led her upstairs to his room.

Once upstairs with the door firmly locked, Booth turned to the girl who had twisted his entire life around and caught her before she could kiss him again.

"You're everything, Bones," he said simply, caressing the nickname with all of the unfamiliar and pent up feelings coursing through his body. "I mean it. This is it for me. You're it. Everything I want. More than I deserve."

His voice caught as he gazed down at her, pure and bright and so right for him. She drove him crazy, she challenged him, she made him laugh and the fact that she was standing in front of him, about to give him everything that she had, everything she hadn't trusted to any other guy both terrified him and filled him up with a warm wash of pride and love.

"I love you, Bones," he finished, his eyes soft as he looked at her.

"I love you too, Booth," she said, her eyes crinkling up at him in a smile. Her cheeks were flushed with a pink sunburn, and he noticed a new spray of freckles across her nose. He couldn't help grinning back. The freckles were so damn cute.

And then, his breath left him in a rush as she stepped back and tossed her dress over her head. "Enough talking, Booth." Brennan's confidence rose as she saw his warm brown eyes furiously scan her bikini-clad body and darken with lust and single-minded intent. She turned around and glanced back over her shoulder, unable to help the grin that slide across her face. "Help me out of this suit?"

With a growl that made her jump, Booth took a huge step forward and pulled her toward him, her back against his front. He kissed her neck leisurely, fingers splayed across her stomach.

Brennan let her head drift back against his chest, enjoying the feeling of his taut body behind hers. His fingers drifted lazily across her stomach as his kisses worked from her neck up to her ear.

She felt liquid everywhere he touched her, her breath coming in slow, shallow pants. When his talented fingers suddenly glided even lower, slipping deftly under her bikini bottoms to find her center with unerring accuracy, she let out a soft cry of surprise and pleasure.

She grabbed his wrist as he moved him fingers in lazy circles on her, his dark chuckle in her ear sending an even greater rush of pleasure through her suddenly taut body.

"B-Booth," she stammered out as he increased the speed of his fingers. Her next statement was cut off mid sentence in a groan as he dipped a finger into her wetness and sped up his movement.

He was painfully hard against her, and she knew that despite the smile she could feel on her neck, that he wasn't as in control as he appeared.

Her breaths were coming short and fast as she stoked his strong wrist, her head restlessly tossing against his chest.

"Come for me, sweetheart," he whispered against her ear, doubling his efforts stroking her. Between the words and the feel of his hard cock nestled urgently against her bottom, Brennan stiffened, her fingernails digging into his wrist as she came around his fingers with a wordless cry.

After a minute, she collapsed against him, and Booth let out a shaky breath. He hadn't even gotten her out of her bathing suit and he was already more turned on than he'd ever been in his life.

She spun in his arms, looking at him with wonder. "That was incredible, Booth," she said with a pretty flush on her face and a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Now your turn."

Before he could stop her, she'd grabbed the loose waist of his swim trunks, carefully pulling them out and around his hard length and letting them drop to the floor.

He raised his eyebrows at her as he stood there with a hard on and a t-shirt, but she shyly took a step back and tugged on the string of her bikini top. It dropped soundlessly to the floor.

His jaw might have dropped a little as he took her in, the light flush of tan and sun from the day outside emphasizing the pale creaminess of her pretty breasts.

"Bones," Booth swore, forgetting himself in that moment. "You're fucking perfect."

Drawn like a moth to light, Booth couldn't resist her a second longer, pulling her toward him and down onto the bed. He tugged her swimsuit bottoms down as his kisses grew more and more frantic. In between messy breaths, Brennan managed to yank his shirt over his head until there was nothing between them but sun-warmed skin.

His cock nestled against her entrance and they both sighed, their kisses slowing until they stopped completely. Booth couldn't stop staring into her blue eyes. He raised himself onto his elbows, his jaw tensing as the position teased his cock even closer to her warmth.

"Are you sure, Bones?" he asked softly, catching a strand of her soft hair in his fingers.

"Always, Booth," she said. Her hand stroked his back, the previous urgency still there, but muted by the overwhelming power of the love and affection she saw shining through him as he looked at her.

Never breaking eye contact, he slid home, his jaw tensing with worry as he saw her stiffen in pain. He stayed achingly still, stroking her hair and murmuring words of love as she grew accustomed to him inside her.

After a few moments, she sighed and the creases on her forehead lessened. He began a tentative rocking and breathed a sigh of relief when she let out a soft gasp of pleasure.

He couldn't look away from her, those intelligent eyes that had baited him and enticed him from day one, those damnably cute freckles that had sprung up out of nowhere after a day in the sun. The pleasure rocking through his body as he slid in and out of her was incredible, but he still couldn't even get out of his own head. The trust she'd given him. The gift. It staggered him. It humbled him.

His Bones, he thought, a rough gasp wrenched from his body as she lightly scratched her fingernails down his smooth back. He was close, and he could see Brennan shutting her eyes against the pleasure, stiffening below him.

When he felt her walls tighten around him, he came with an embarrassingly loud groan, emptying himself into her.

As they stilled, sweat cooling on their bodies, Booth pulled her tight into his embrace, unwilling to let her go just yet.

"That was..." he couldn't even find the words.

"Enjoyable," she said from her position against his chest.

"Only enjoyable? Not life-changing, amazing, sexual-coma inducing?" He smiled at her, tickling her side gently with his fingertips. He groaned a little as her naked body wiggled against him in reaction. Jesus Christ, was his cock showing signs of life again?

Temperance Brennan was going to be the death of him.

"Sexual comas aren't a scientific phenomenon, Booth," she said, using that starchy, tutor voice that never failed to turn him on-even though he knew she wasn't trying to do so.

He waggled his brows at her. "Oh yeah? Let me prove you wrong."

She giggled against his chest, the sound high and bright and like a balm to his soul.

Happiness. He hadn't even known he'd been missing it until she stumbled into his life, all snarky banter and intelligent eyes. And now that he had it, he was never letting go.

WHEW! Finally finished. Can I offer my sincere condolences for the YEARS I kept you guys waiting? I can never thank all of the readers and reviewers enough. Your messages prodded and pulled me forward against all odds. Thank you for sticking with me, and thanks for sticking with this story. I hope the ending delivered! Just like Booth delivered. *insert cheeky wink here.*