"Hey."

"Hey yourself," he sighed, sporting that killer smile and clad only in a pair of flannel pajama pants with the waistband of his boxer briefs showing. This was gonna be harder than I thought.

I entered his house, carefully slipping past him and avoiding contact with him. "I'm not staying," I announced bluntly.

Paul leaned against the back of the door and looked confused. "O...kay? Did you get caught sneaking out or something?"

I stood in the middle of the living room with my arms folded over my chest. "Sort of...actually my dad was waiting for me."

"Oh?"

"What have you been telling my dad?"

Paul blinked quickly. "I asked your dad if you could stay the night. He said it was fine."

"And?"

"And what?" he asked, sounding mildly irritated.

"Are you messing with my dad's head?"

"How would I be doing that?"

"Did you tell my dad that you wanna be with me?"

Paul glanced down at the floor for a moment and sighed. "Your dad asked me, a while ago, what was going on between us. I said we were friends, but he didn't buy it," he paused and swallowed thickly. "He asked me if I wanted a relationship with you."

"What did you say? Paul...what did you tell him?" I asked, my temper flaring.

Paul clenched his jaw and scowled. "Did you want me to lie?"

I advanced on him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. "What did you say?!"

"Yes, Rachel! I said yes...I want you. Of course I want more!"

I backed away slowly, shaking my head. "How could you do that?"

"What did I do...other than tell the truth?"

"This is what I'm talking about...messing with my dad's head. So you guys were plotting together to get me to stay here...to quit school?"

"I never asked you to do that. I never would! I know what getting your degree means to you. I would never keep you from your dream, Rachel," he said, his tone softer now. He approached me cautiously, reaching for my face. I jerked away and sat on the couch, needing the space to think.

He gave me a frustrated sigh as he sat on the arm of the couch, his feet on the seat. I felt his fingers in my hair and I leaned toward him. "I didn't mean...I don't even know what I did wrong," he breathed, pulling me close to him.

"My dad has been trying to get me to be with someone on the reservation. He wants me to have ties to the tribe so I won't leave. I have a plan and I'm not changing it, for anything. I will graduate from college."

"I want that for you, Rachel. There was nothing sinister going on between me and your dad. I had no idea that's what he was planning," he explained, smoothing my hair with his fingers.

"What about what I want? Why doesn't anyone care what I want?" I shrugged away from him and he sighed loudly.

"So you're saying you don't wanna be with me?" he asked sadly.

I stood and faced him now. "I told you from the beginning, that we're just friends...and you're a kid. You're too young...I...I can't get serious about you."

He stood, his face contorted in anger. "So what have we been doing this summer? What was all this?"

I shrugged and sneered at him. "Flirting?"

"Stop lying, Rachel. You know it was more than that."

"No, I'm not," I lied. "You called it from the get-go...you were my boy toy, a distraction for the summer...and that's all."

"No way..."

"Did I ever kiss you? Did I ever make plans for us after the summer? Did I ever say we would be together after today?" I asked angrily.

"Why are you doing this?" he demanded, grabbing my hips.

"Why are you?" I challenged. "This seems like an awful lot of trouble...just to get a piece of ass."

He clenched his jaw angrily. "I can get a piece of ass whenever I want. Hell, I've turned down plenty of ass this summer."

"So? Am I supposed to believe you?"

Paul reached over to the answering machine and pressed play. "Paul? Hey...this is Candy. Remember me? Well I was wondering... if you were gonna be home tonight. I thought we could..." He stopped the recording and gauged my reaction.

My skin prickled at the sound of her voice. I guess I deserved this. I came over here to hurt him and now I'm hurting. "I never stopped you from being with anyone else this summer," I replied shakily. "I never asked you for any commitment."

"I don't want her. I don't want anyone else but you, Rachel. Don't you get that?" he pleaded, cradling my face in his hands.

I twisted away from him and headed toward the door. "Well I'm leaving tomorrow, so you can have all the ass you want," I replied, my voice cracking.

As I reached for the door, Paul spun me around and leaned in close to me. "So let's test your theory."

"What theory?"

Paul smirked at me as he backed me up against the door. I watched his eyes as he lifted his arms and trapped me. "The theory that you don't want me...that we're just friends...and I'm just some kid you can't see yourself ever getting serious with."

"And?"

"So prove it," he challenged, his eyes dark and serious.

"How do I prove I don't want you?"

He leaned in close to me with that smartass smirk on his face and breathed, "Kiss me."

"No."

"Why not?" he challenged. "Are you scared?" He raised his hand to my cheek, his fingers brushing lightly against my skin.

"I don't have to prove myself to you," I replied, yanking his hand away from my face.

"Then prove it to yourself. If you kiss me...and you don't feel anything for me, then you can walk away, knowing you were right," he reasoned.

My eyes darted back and forth, searching his gaze. I couldn't win. I couldn't kiss him without revealing how much I want him. And I couldn't walk away without proving that I'm too scared to find out how I really feel. All I could do is run. That's all I've ever done...it's all I know.

I shoved him back, flinging the door open and fleeing down the porch steps. I made it to the bottom step before I realized that I was sick of running. I was sick of playing it safe. He wasn't the enemy. And neither was my dad. Having people want me in their lives was not a bad thing, but running away was.

I walked back into the house to find Paul standing where I left him, staring at the floor. He raised his head, his expression full of questions. "Did you forget something?"

I nodded slowly, reaching for his face. "Just this."

I held his face in my hands and lightly pressed my lips to his, but only for a second before I pulled away and looked into his eyes. He was holding his breath and shaking a little. I leaned in again, this time tipping my head to the side. I gave the kiss a little more pressure and let my hands wander to the back of his neck. I toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck as he walked me back to the door.

He pushed his body insistently against mine as I raked my nails over his neck and across his shoulders. Lightly, I ran my tongue over his lips and they parted slightly. I gasped when I felt his tongue touch mine. He slid his fingers into my hair and I got tingles everywhere when he pulled gently. "Fuck," I heard a voice say. It was my voice, but it didn't sound like me.

When Paul pulled my hair, I tipped my head back, exposing my throat. He sent a trail of kisses down my neck and swirled his tongue in the hollow at the base of my throat. He lowered his hands to my neck and ran his thumbs along my jawline. Then I felt his lips crush against mine. I wasn't in charge anymore. He had taken over me.

I moaned into his mouth as his tongue darted in and slid under mine. I slipped my hands under the waistband of his pajama pants and pulled him closer to me. He gasped when I sucked his tongue into my mouth and grazed my teeth over the tip. He spun us around, forcing his back to the door. I pressed my body as tightly as I could against his, loving how we fit together.

When I nibbled on his lower lip and pulled, I could hear the hitch in his breath. Finally, he backed away breathlessly and waited for me to look into his eyes. His face came into focus and I sighed. "Just say it...I know you've got something real smartass to say, so let's hear it," I finally managed to say once I caught my breath.

He ran his finger down my neck, between my breasts, over my stomach, coming to rest on the waistband of my sleep pants. I held my breath in anticipation. "All I wanted to say was...damn, that was worth the wait."

......

A/N: finally they kiss! Worth the wait?