Looking up from my phone as the passenger door opened, I spotted a familiar pissed-off face who stood with her arms crossed over her chest.

"What's this all about?"

I glanced back down at the device in my hand.

"Hello?" TJ snapped her fingers. "You have me standing out here in this dark-as-fuck alley just so I can watch you text?"

"Get in."

"Excuse me?"

The corner of my lips turned upwards hearing her tone as I placed my phone in my jacket pocket. "Get in the car," I told her slowly, ensuring she heard every word this time. "Unless you'd rather keep standing there in the cold and walk back to your little friend, then by all means."

Her lips parted slightly and her eyes widened, clearly taken back by the way I was speaking to her. That expression was only held for a brief second before she recovered back to her narrowing glance. "Fine," she gritted through her teeth.

TJ climbed into the car and sat down on the leather seat without another word. She ran a hand along the material of her dress as she crossed one leg over the other, pressing it against mine. My eyes travelled up her bare skin, to her dress, and finally, meeting her glance.

"Are you coming home with me?"

She leaned forward. "Is that what you brought me here for?"

"It certainly wasn't to discuss politics." I raised my hand and gently gripped her chin. "So, is that a yes?"

"Well, I'm here. Aren't I?"

My thumb grazed her bottom lip. "I need to hear you say it."

"Yes."

"Good."

I dropped my touch and turned my head forward and gave Mike, who sat in the front next to the driver, the signal of a simple nod. As the engine of the SUV roared to life, I raised my hand towards the car's roof and pressed a button on the control panel. The partition began to rise, isolating the two of us from the driver and Mike in the front - a romantic gesture of privacy to set the mood, of course.

I turned my attention back to TJ. "Who was that guy you were with?" I asked, running my hand up her stretched-out leg.

"Why? Did he make you jealous?"

"Is that what you were trying to do? Make me jealous?" I leaned closer towards her. "Isn't that a tad pathetic for your style?" My lips had barely touched her skin and yet, I already heard an audible gasp escape from her. "Desperate?" I whispered against her neck, resting my hand on the inside of her thigh.

"Well, obviously you were," she snapped. "You couldn't take your eyes off it."

I leaned my head back, amused by her anger. "I just felt bad for the guy." My hand slipped under her dress. "Trying so hard when," moving in-between her legs I whispered, "You unravel with such an easy touch."

I could see her restraining as my finger ran along the material of her underwear. Her hand grabbed hold of my wrist.

"Is this why you got your bodyguard to interrupt my night? So you could call me pathetic and desperate?"

"First of all," I raised a brow, "I did not interrupt anything. If you wanted to be with that guy, you wouldn't be in the back of this car, dripping from just my hand resting in-between your legs. Second, I didn't call you that. I said your tactic was. Instead of just going after what you want, you always try to play a game. Tell me what you want."

TJ stayed quiet, appearing to be fighting back an urge to respond.

"Tell me what you want, Baby," I said, using her nickname without realizing it. "I know what you want. Tell me and I'll give it to you."

I could see it in her eyes, the slow realization that she was coming to. She wasn't in control.

"If you already know, what's the point?" Her voice was a mere whisper as she spoke.

"I want to hear it come from you." The hand that was not busy in-between her legs, went to her neck and gently grasped. "Look at that," I mumbled, stroking the mark on her skin with my thumb, "What a sad attempt he made."

Hearing the quickness of her breath and seeing her fall apart with barely touching her, brought a twisted grin to form. "Use your words."

Her tongue swiped across her lower lip. "I want you."

"To do what?" I teased, seeing the frustration build on her expression.

"I want you," she said softly, "To fuck me."

Once those words slipped from her lips, my mouth latched onto her neck and the two fingers under her dress pushed inside her. TJ's hand went to the back of my neck. I roughly sucked against the skin, causing a loud moan to escape as she pulled on my hair.

I could feel her body become restless under my touch, begging for more. Her hips began to grind against my hand as she whispered, "Faster."

I smirked against her skin, running my tongue over the now evident mark that was left. A trail of wet, sloppy kisses were left up to her ear.

"Eager?"

"It's been a while," she panted.

I raised a curious brow. "When was the last time?"

"Carter, the last guy I fucked was you," she said in-between heavy breaths, "If that's what you're trying to get at." TJ licked her lips. "I think you ruined me for anyone else."

I was unable to tell if there was any honesty to what she was saying. Or, if she was just trying to inflate my ego. Either way, I quite liked hearing those words leave her mouth.

TJ whimpered as I suddenly withdrew my hand from in between her legs. 

"Sit on my lap."

She quickly followed my instructions without any objection, clearly eager to regain my touch. Straddling my waist, it didn't take long before she began moving her hips back and forth against my thigh.

I gripped her chin. "You're making a mess."

"I'm sorry," she pouted her lower lip, "Are you going to punish me?"

"Something tells me you would enjoy that too much."

Before giving her a chance to respond, my two fingers pushed back in, eliciting a moan to escape from her lips. I raised a brow as her arms moved to her back, unsure of what she was doing. It clicked once her dress loosened in the front. She needed more. And I was happy to help.

My lips explored the newly exposed skin, finding their way to one of her breasts while my hand worked on the other. While a pinch of her nipple earned a loud yelp, my finger fingers spreading and circling inside her earned a loud moan, which was quickly followed by a few chants of "oh fuck" and other swear words.

I pulled my head back. Her eyes were closed as the curses continued to tumble from her lips and her arms, positioned on either side of my head, gripped the seat. I could feel her clench around my fingers, telling me she was close.

"Mmmhm," she mumbled out in a moan.

"That's it, baby," I coaxed as my thumb began to move in circular motions, increasing the pressure.

"Close," she whispered.

Not much long after and another spread and circle of the fingers sent her over the edge. I slowed down my movements gradually, helping her ride out the high. She collapsed forward against my chest and I could feel her rapid breathing.

The car slowed down to a stop and two knocks against the partition signalled that we were home. I zipped her dress back up before slowly moving her off my lap and back into her original seat.

I brought my fingers to my mouth and quickly licked them clean. "Fix yourself up," I dryly told her.

I opened the car door and exited without another word. Was I acting poorly? Yes. Would I normally act this way? No. But tonight was different. It was for one thing. Entering the house, I heard her following right behind. I felt slightly relieved that I hadn't completely turned her off from being here.

"Bedroom?"

Her question caused a pit in my stomach. I didn't want her in my bed. Her scent would linger for too long and be another reminder that she wasn't around. Even kissing her properly was a dangerous move. This was just sex. Fucking her out of my system one last time.

"No time," I said, pushing her against the dining room table.

Her eyes gleamed with desire, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. It was painful. I didn't like how that look of hers caused my knees to weaken. I placed my hands on her hips, turning her around so I was faced with her backside. Pushing the front half of her body down, one hand went to her neck to hold her in place, the other pushed the material of her dress to bunch at her waist.

TJ whimpered in anticipation. She did like it a little rough; that was made evident in New York. I pulled at her underwear, letting it slide down her bare thighs and pool at her ankles. I held back a groan seeing how wet she still was from the car.

I quickly undid my belt and unzipped my pants. Without warning, my full length pushed in. A loud cry came from TJ, her hand gripping the edge of the table. Finding a rhythm, my hand tightened around her neck. Her lips curved into her famous smirk. I quickened my pace, giving her little time to adjust, wanting to wipe that look off her face.

"You like that?"

"Oh, fuck, yes," she purred.

God - she was perfect. Even like this. And yet, I still wanted to try and fuck the pleasure out of her. It was a twisted desire I had. The old me would have ravished at this moment. But even now I was still fighting off him. Although it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

My hand moved from her neck to the back of her head; my fingers tangled in her hair. The sweet sounds of pleasure she was making only increased as I tugged on her hair. I worried I may have taken it too far there, until she erased any doubt by uttering, "Again."

My baby liked it rough, that was for sure.

I drew my full length out, before thrusting fully back in. Changing up the speed, while giving her little time to adjust. The table was shifting, scratching against the wooden floor. Her hands were gripping the edge of the table so tightly, her knuckles were beginning to turn white.

"Carter," her voice moaned out.

"Tell me what you want."

"You," she breathed.

I grinned, wanting her to beg for whatever she desired. It was a turn-on when she did that. Before I could ask, I heard her say,

"You're the only one I want, Carter. Only you."

How twisted must I be to want to hear you say I'm the only one for you.

Catching that look in her eye caused the possessive control that had taken over my body to begin to fade. A feeling of warmth returned in its place. It was as if the old Carter was replaced by the new Carter again.

"Stay with me tonight."

TJ nodded her head, replying with a quiet, "I will."

I leaned my head down, capturing her lips in mine for the first time tonight. She hungrily responded, her tongue tangling with mine. A spark jolted through my body. Our kiss broke, allowing me to spin her around. I did not want a second to pass without seeing that look in her eye.

TJ rested against the table and spread her legs. As I went in for another kiss, I could feel her hand realigning ourselves down below. Her lips parted from mine, letting a gasp escape as I pushed it into her. It was much slower this time. I no longer wanted to quickly fuck her out of my thoughts; I wanted to savour this moment.

One of her legs hooked around my waist, drawing us closer. A hand went to the back of my neck and gently tugged on my hair as I began building my speed, thrusting into her with more force. As our eyes stayed fixated on one another, I wondered if she also felt the difference her words had.

Feeling myself getting close, I whispered, "Say it again. Tell me what you want."

"You. Only you."

Her head rolled back and her eyes squeezed shut. With the way she was clenching around me, I knew she was close.

"I'm about to cum," I grunted against her lips, "Do you want me to pull out?"

She never did. However, considering we weren't on the best of terms, I thought it was only polite to check. TJ responded with a quiet "no" to my question. With one last cry of a moan, she found her release. I kept her firmly in my arms as she rode out her high. After a few final strokes, I released mine.

I pressed my forehead against hers. The sounds of our breathing, which we were both trying to catch, were the only noises that filled the room. TJ pulled her head back slightly, wearing her trademark smirk.

"What?"

Her arms wrapped around my neck. "I like it when you get rough with me," she whispered against my lips.

"Do you?"

"Yes, very much," she hummed in response. "I've been a bad girl, haven't I?"

I bit back a smile, sensing where this was going. "You have."

"I think you should punish me."

"And how do you think I should do that?"

She shrugged her shoulders, giving me an innocent look. "We still have the rest of the night ahead of us. I'm sure you could think of something before it ends."

Hearing her words was all it took for me to dive in for a kiss. There was a wild sense of passion in the way we kissed. I guided her off the table as my hands blindly found their way to the zipper of her dress, pulling it down to let the material fall from its scrunched-up position around her waist.

I pulled back briefly, tapping her thighs and instructing her with a simple, "Jump."

Her arms wrapped tightly around my neck as she did what I said, hooking her legs around my waist. I was thankful she had moved her lips to my neck, allowing my eyes to see where I was actually going. I struggled with the way she sucked and nibbled against my skin, causing us to not make it to the bedroom before fucking again. This time was against the wall with her arms pinned above her head; the image of her looking so innocent while asking me to choke her harder would be forever ingrained in my mind.

Clearly, the two of us couldn't get enough of each other because it wasn't long after that we went for round three. I had broken both rules I set out for myself by kissing her and now fucking her in my bed. But I didn't care anymore. When she said those magic words to me, all the rules flew right out the window.

By the time we had reached the showers, our bodies were both spent in the most wonderful way. I could tell she was unsurprisingly tired and sore, as she leaned the back of her body into my front. I took my time washing her off, wanting to ensure her muscles relaxed enough under the hot water. I washed her hair, using my fingers to gently massage her scalp.

"Hmm," she said softly, "You're going to have to do this every time."

Neither of us acknowledged what her comment meant. I don't think either of us had a clue.

Once we had finished and dried off, I opened my drawer to find something for her to wear. She picked a t-shirt and slipped it on, the size of it consuming her small frame. It was quite funny to think how we started this night compared to ending it. And here I was still trying to convince myself I had fucked her out of my system as we climbed into bed.

"Did you mean it when you said I was the only one?"

"Yes," she whispered.

Even if it's not true, hearing it could take the pain away.

"You're the only one, Carter," she said, leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on my lips.

Her head rested against my chest as she cuddled into my side. We fell asleep with our arms wrapped around one another. I slept better than I had in a while; it was comforting and peaceful.

That feeling quickly vanished by morning.

Reaching to the side in my half-awake state, my arm landed on the mattress. I opened my eyes to see that the other side of the bed was bare. I silently prayed she was in the bathroom - the open door and lack of noise told me otherwise.

I got out of bed and quickly tossed on the first pair of sweatpants I could find. I looked around the room. All of her things were gone.

I picked up my phone and dialled her number as I walked out of my bedroom and down the hall. "We're sorry," a robotic voice said on the other end. "The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected or is no longer in service. Please hang up and try again."

I stared at the device in disbelief. Dialling her number again, I walked towards the kitchen, ignoring the two people that were sitting in the living room. "We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach-"

No - this couldn't be happening.

I dialled again.

"We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach-"

"FUCK!" I shouted, throwing my phone as hard as I could towards the wall. I rummaged through the cabinet under the sink, grabbing the one bottle I had securely hidden away. Lifting the bottle to my mouth, I chugged its contents as quickly as possible, ignoring the instant burn that hit the back of my throat.

"This is way worse than I thought," I could hear Jeff say behind me. "Ryan, get Doctor Khan on the phone. Tell her it's urgent."