She was down, stepping twice, enough that the door was able to swing close with that hollow, metallic sound RV doors tended to make. He started to speak; she wanted nothing more than to cover his mouth with her hand. She knew all too well how stupid and childish she'd been acting, like she was 12 all over again; and the first time around had not been a spectacularly thrilling time in her life to begin with. If anyone thought she was awkward now? Oh boy, they should have seen those pre-teen years.

"Wait...." she held a hand up, shaking her head slightly.?I have no intentions of running Levi. But, I need to take care of things. ?Her head canted slightly to one side, if she tried to lie about what she was doing, it would only be seen, and she knew it. Levi had a knack for spotting a lie, one of the many things that made him so good at what he did.

"Mark has got to let me grow up, he's got to let me have some kind of a life.? She was beginning to think he was using her as a shield, something to avoid having a life of his own. He had used her as an excuse on many occasions to avoid close personal relationships with other people. "Plenty of people take the bus every day, and nothing happens to them... nothing will happen to me either. I'll only be gone a short while, but I promise, I'm coming back..." as much as she was facing things, she still couldn't look at him directly. That was far too much to ask

He was still at a good enough distance that she could easily step down and he wouldn't be in her hard as nails protective bubble she had constructed. And no wonder: guys like Levi and Mark were known to lather on the bullet proofing around girls like Billie. They were special and to be treasured, pampered and sheltered against harm at all costs. He was as much to blame for the misery that her life was.

"Let me take you. I promise you can choose the radio station this time." He watched her eyes in that pre-dawn light. They were dark to the point of almost black, but still held so much emotion. That was where her heart was visible. At least to him it seemed that way.

"I want to try, Billie. Go out with me, on a date or a few dates or a lot of dates. You've loved me for a long time, Billie. Give me a chance to catch up, if it's there."

Invisible fingers combed wisps of hair before her face. The light breeze carried with it the scent of a storm. Being able to 'smell' oncoming weather was something many of those spending so much time on the open road learned to do, Billie was among them. She always knew then there was a storm coming. There was something about the energy in the air that whispered up the back of her neck.

Billie was set to take the place of what her mother had been, of what she would have still been had she been alive. A sort of moral compass when so many seemed to be lacking one all their own. Pops had known this about her early on simply by watching his daughter. He knew it by the way she treated animals, her kindness to strangers and those that other people wouldn't have taken a second glance at. She cried for the downtrodden, the poor and disenfranchised souls that lived homeless on the streets. It had been Pops that had drilled it into Mark's head to protect her when he wasn't around. Over and over... it was a small wonder that Mark hadn?t grown to resent Billie, a testament to the true nature of Mark's soul. Just like Levi had, Mark had put others before himself.

It took a moment for those words to reach her. She had stopped breathing; her heart had moved up into her throat and was pounding a loud rhythm she was sure he'd have been able to hear. "A date...." she was trying so hard not to smile. Even in the shadows of early morning, the sweep of color across her cheeks clearly gave her answer. "..A date..." she said again, it seemed to be the only thing she could say. There came a giggle, a nervous tweet of sound... and then... that distance that he been between them was breached quicker than soldiers storming a castle wall. She threw her arms over his shoulders in a rather enthusiastic show. "Yes, yes yes yes yes..."

Levi watched her face, trying to gauge what she might be thinking. Billie would have been a poor poker player. She didn't have the ability to hide her feelings, at all. So when that smile lit up on her face, he blew out a relieved sigh and smiled right back at her. She kept repeating the word, over and over until she was squealing and giggling and hugging his neck.

She said yes! He held her close, laughing with her and cradling her head to his shoulder. She said yes! And he was truly glad of it. "Billie," he pulled his head back and looked into her eyes. "Dating, not married, ok? I didn't expect you to have grown up. I thought you'd still be twelve," he smiled and then leaned to kiss her softly on the mouth.

Levi was going to have the worst sort of case of blue balls ever recorded. He just knew it. And though she used the excuse of people waking up and the possibility of Mark finding out, he could see the fear in her eyes. Tenderly, he held her cheek in his palm and placed a slow, lingering kiss to her lips. He tried to convey reassurance; she had nothing at all to be afraid of.

"I'll just repack my stuff for the trip." The fact that he was going to take a very hot shower and then a very cold shower was left unmentioned. She didn't have to know that he was going to use the only place to get any sort of privacy for some much needed privacy. "I'll fix breakfast, you go ahead.?
When he exited the RV he was oblivious to the looks the other girls were giving; he had trained himself to not take notice of how he was looked at. His duffle was thrown into the trunk of the Civic before he walked over towards the circle of campfires. There was a crowd there, always was. Food was reason to gather and tell stories, talk about the plan for the day and to share news and gossip. Levi obtained a plate of pancakes, bacon and maple syrup as well as a big mug of coffee. He sat down at a table amidst a bunch of giggling girls.

Billie didn't have a lot of friends. Never hand. Just him and Mark for the most part. She didn't fit in with other girls. The lost of contacts of her phone were all of five friends, and several businesses. Since she had been instructed to Text Mark, she took this moment to do such as she leaned against the civic. Sure, she looked up to follow Levi. Now, why did he do that..? Instead of sitting at the tables with the boys, he sat with the girls. Was he trying to make her jealous..? The idea made her grin and for some reason, it amused her in some odd with. Pushing off the car she slowly made her way towards the table and did her best to try and ignore the giggles and strange looks she was getting.

Levi hadn't even thought about it. The table was the first he'd come to and he was hungry. It was easy to ignore the gigglers. It was something that he learned in law school. Ignore the emotion and stick to the facts. And just one look from him shut down the entire giggle factory. Looking up, he smiled when he saw Billie making her way over. He scoots on the bench to give her some space. "Pancakes are excellent," he chuckled before taking a sip of coffee. "But the coffee is stale," he choked.

She sat down with her back to the table. "Dammit... my phone isn't working, the text won't go through and I forgot to send a message to Mark last night.? She bit her lip slightly. "Yer phone working..?"
She could smell the pancakes and we all know how she had a sweet tooth. Oh God, was the really her stomach making all that sound? Hungry, sure... but Billie wouldn't eat in front of Levi. "When you get a chance, will you shoot him a message and let him know my phone is acting up..? Please.." She looked at him with those big, round eyes... offering up her best smile. Which started the giggle-loop off again.

Once the giggling started again, Levi looked at the girls and then back to Billie. He wondered what game she was playing. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. And then it hit him. If he was truly going to make a go of things with Billie, he was going to have to trust her more. So a smile spread on his face and he nodded his head. "Sure, let me just finish up here."

The giggling died down as Clarissa sat down at the opposite end of the table. It was an old story, but one that Levi couldn't deny. A few years back Clarissa, a middle aged woman with an affinity for guys half her age, was at a party at the home of Levi's mother. It was spring break and the booze was flowing, skunk was being burned and a good time was had by all. Especially Clarissa. At one point there was a rumor of a pregnancy, and that Levi was the father. It turned out to be a lie and Clarissa had paid for her sins in the way she was shunned. The most she could do for the circuit now was clean RV's and the occasional pipe job. But still, she brightened seeing Levi there.

Billie wasn't playing at anything, there was no devious plot behind those eyes. She might have been a little confused as to the look on his face, but perhaps it was only the sun in his eyes. She did like they way it captures the red in his hair. She smiled, those deep blues lost in his for a moment. God, she actually wanted to say it. Wanted to utter those three little words, but she knew it would have only made him run.

When the mood at the table changed Billie turned slightly to see the woman. Now, the tribe of road-loving people tended to be a lot more lenient when it came to certain aspects of life. But there were rules and those should have been common sense. A fake pregnancy was also not uncommon. Silly girls did that trying to trap the man of their dreams. That's why Pops had always driven it like a nail into Mark's head to always, ALWAYS wear a rubber.

"Let it go..." she could see the anger in him and see what it would do, what it could do down the road if something wasn't done. They were all damaged. Mark and Levi...Billie wasn't, she was too sheltered to have been stained. Her heart, though she had felt pain and known lose, she had never been betrayed. Mark had seen to that. They all had... in some way. But Levi... he had tried to to the right thing, he had been an honorable man and put someone else before his needs. It seemed to be a running theme with Mark and Levi. Oh, they wanted to come off as being selfish, brash and even pigheaded males, but really, behind it all stood two honorable men, and Billie loved the both of them dearly.

Levi wanted a cigarette, badly. He'd stopped smoking after winning his second case, but he sure as hell wanted one now. He fought the urge, knowing it was brought on by Clarissa. To give in to that urge would be to give in to her and he was not going to let her win. Billie was speaking, trying to comfort him and as much as he would like to have it work, it really didn't. Time and space were the only true healers.

"She almost ruined me, ruined everything the circuit had planned for me. For what? A piece of ass?" He sighed heavily and shook his head. "I'm sorry, none of this is your fault." He looked at her and a dim smile appeared on his face. "You got what?"

Billie had looked off out the window, her hand had returned to her own lap. Billie had the very same condition that her Mother had suffered from and had already been warned that any chance of having a child carried to term in her womb would be highly, if not entirely improbable. There were complicating factors of this and that, and it wasn't even something Mark or Pops knew about. Aunt Rally had been the one to take her to all the appointments, cause, lets face it, Mark and Pops would not have been the ones taking Billie to her first GYNO exam. Or any for that matter.

"Levi... it's fine, it really is." She looked forward, scratching at her head for no other reason than to have something to do with her hand "I... got on the pill last year."

Levi watched her from the corner of his eye as he drove down the road. He knew what a lie looked like. She wouldn't look at him, she stuttered and paused to think about what she was about to say. It did not bode well for a fledgling relationship and he knew it. Still, he had been told once that women need to have at least one secret that they never tell. Levi hoped this was the only one.

"Why last year?" It was a well known fact that Billie was a virgin, so why would she need to be on the pill?

Oh, but he would learn it wasn't a lie. It just wasn't the whole story. Billie wouldn't lie to Levi.
She was torn, on one hand she couldn't lie to him... it was something she might as well get out in the open and lay on the table. "Oh, they put me on the pill to regulate hormones.." it was true. "Not because of getting pregnant...cause, I can't have kids... or so the doc says anyhow.." she said with a shrug, then leaned forward to turn on the music. "So, ya'know... I'd not be able to trick you...even if i wanted to, which I wouldn't.." adding quickly.

The story came pouring out and Levi felt like a douche for prompting it. As the saying goes, don't ask unless you really want the answer. "Hey," he reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "It's ok. Kids are step two thousand and twenty four. We're on step two. We'll get to that bridge when we do. Until then, don't worry about it. Ok?"

Levi was actually relieved that she couldn't get pregnant. After the whole Clarissa debacle, he'd been especially careful to be protected. The added knowledge of no untimely surprises was a welcome one. Still, he knew the story about her mother. They'd hired a surrogate and had Mark and then oopsie daisy, here comes Billie.

She really did like the little things, like hand holding. Billie was easy to please like that. "Oh, this is step two.....I see.." she grinned. " driving your girlfriend to mee...." she stopped, oh dear God...".. I didn't mean girl friend.. I mean, you know... it just came out that way.." and blush. "Oh, I like this song..." deflection time. She leaned, taking her hand from his and turned the music up a little bit.

Billie couldn't help herself and out came her voice which was remarkable close to the woman singing that came over the radio. She danced a little as she sang, regardless of that the song was about, her mood seemed to lighten and as she sang, the shine in her eyes only grew as she looked at him.

Levi's smile had relaxed to a natural one and he chuckled softly. "It's alright. I don't mind you calling yourself that." If things progressed, it'd come to that, right? He'd never really had a girlfriend before. It was odd. He had a fianc?e, but never a girlfriend. And then she started to sing and he couldn't help but notice how much happier she seemed by dancing in her seat.

"A pretty little filly like you...why I'd lick you from one and to the other...? The man was brazen enough to grab her ass. Billie was mortified. She hurriedly paid for the gum and made her way as quickly back to the table as she could and sat. No more blushing. Her eyes darted back for a moment, but thankfully the man had not followed.

"I'm... tired..." she said, and she was. Sleep had not been a common event the last several days.

. By the time she sat back down, he'd finished the steak and the potato was split wide open with ketchup mixed into butter. He looked up and paused in his mashing. "When you've finished eating, we'll go get a room."
"I'm finished...." she said. She could see the man standing outside over Levi's shoulder and it was clear he'd seen her with the way he was leering. She got a really creepy vibe. "If you're ready, I just want to get the hell out of her and take a shower..." looking at him, she offered a smile. And was so close to saying her could scrub her back, just the thought of it made her blush, but she didn't.

He reached out and took her hand, and brought it up to his lips to kiss her knuckles. "Listen, you've not eaten hardly anything all day long. Just... indulge me, ok? Eat just a little. Please?" He smiled and canted his head just so.

The way he kissed her knuckles like that, it made her melt. God, if he only knew what he was doing to her. "Fine..." she starting to stand, so she leaned over the plate, took the fork and stabbed it a few times until it was full, then shocked the whole lot in her mouth.?Hmm...? making a gesture with her hands, she moved a step, and then reached for his hand trying to drag him out of the booth as she chewed the mouthful.

Oh she was a brat! He laughed at her but pulled his hand away. Instead, he stood and boxed up the salad and then headed out after her. "You're going to eat this, Billie. You don't eat anything, at least not around me. That's got to stop. You need to be comfortable with me."

She watched the stranger from the corner of her eyes as she moved to the door. He didn't say or do anything, just stood there smoking his tobacco. She knew better than to argue with Levi on some things, and right now... all she wanted to do was get in the car and leave. When someone gave Billie the creeps like that, she listened, and that fellow made every hair on her body stand on end. "Fine... I'll eat it later..." she was already moving to the car, waiting for him to unlock the doors so she could jump in and no longer be within the fellows unwanted gaze.

With a push of the button on the key fob, the lights flashed and the locks popped open. He took a glance where Billie seemed to be looking and spotted the smoking stranger. "He bothering you, Billie?" a brow was lifted as he held the car door open for her. And while Levi wasn't going to tangle with the man, the vendor's son set up besides the building was already moving towards the stranger. All it took was a look from Levi.

The man was already moving off to his own car. Once he was gone, Billie let a sigh. ?he just... gave me the creeps is all..." she opted not to tell him about the ass grab, no harm had been done. She opened the door and got in and was ever more thankful to be whom and what she was at the moment. Family was good, and her family was the best there ever was. "Hey... did you text Mark..? Get an answer from him..?" she was worried.

Once she was tucked into the car, he handed over the salad and then slipped into his own seat. She reminded him that he was supposed to have done something that, with the drive, he'd forgotten. "Oh, let me do that," he smiled and then pulled his phone out of his pocket. There were some beeps and boops and then he tossed the phone into a cup holder. "There, told him that we were nearly there and that you were safe and sound. Ok?"

She nodded, then leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you...? but she meant something more than just that, it was clear from the look in her eyes. With the smile still on her lips she sat back. "Now... a shower is a must, I feel really... icky...? twisting, she set the food on the back seat, then opened the gum.?Want a piece..?" She offered a stick out to him first.

He accepted the kiss with a pat to her cheek and a smile on his face. "You're welcome," he chuckled and pulled out into traffic. There were signs for different hotels, being so close to the interstate. He chose to follow one to a Holiday Inn. He didn't want her to stay in a local no tell motel. And though he had stayed in his fair share of them, they always made him feel dirtier when he left than when he came. It wasn't a long drive before he was pulling up. "You want to come in with me?"

"Levi...." he was close, very close... and she could feel certain things. "...I...." his hands came around, cupping her breasts.?Oh...Levi..." Harshly, fingers were kneading her flesh as he pushed her forward a little until she was almost against the wall of the slower. "Wait... Levi..." his massaging of her breasts become a little more force than she would have liked...."Levi... that's...." she looked down at his hands and let out a garbled scream before one covered her mouth. Those were not his hands.

Levi was scanning the channels, the television muted as he did so. He heard her singing and chuckled at the sound. It wasn't loud, but he could definitely hear it. Putting his arm behind his head, he began to think about how things might be in five, or ten years from now. Would they be together? Could she live a life that wasn't constantly changing as the miles ticked off of the odometer?

He shifted positions and he thought he heard her say his name. Really? He chuckled, imagining her doing to herself what he did to himself earlier in the day. And what a day they'd had. Except for the Clarissa incident, it'd been a rather good day, he thought. And then he heard a sound that made the hairs on his arms and neck stand on end. He leaped from the bed and rushed through the doors to Billie's room and straight into the bathroom. There was a clicking sound and as he placed his shiny little 22 caliber to the base of the man's skull, he growled. "Let. Her. Go."

Billie scrambled out of the shower the moment the man took his hands off her and held them up in a show he was surrendering. She slipped and fell, twice as she tried to get to her feet, she didn't even care that Levi saw her nude, which was the least of her worries. She was out of the bathroom and into his room where she threw herself on his bed and under the covers to curl up in a ball where she stayed, shaking, and her arms wrapped tightly over her head so she couldn't hear anything.

"Easy there with that thing fella...she invited me here...? it was the same fellow from back at the truck-stop.


Levi waited until Billie was well out of harm's way before he backed up enough to let the guy get out of the shower. He still had that pea shooter aimed at the guy's head. "Get out of the shower and put your fucking clothes on." He didn't respond to the man's piss poor excuse for being where he wasn't wanted.

"Text Rally, need backup! Holiday Inn, route 8 in Springfield." Rally would know who to send to get there quickly. "Send it 9." He didn't mention Billie's name and Rally could be a pseudonym for all anyone really knew.



The man did as instructed, never taking his eyes off Levi, or rather the gun. He had his pants and shirt on, and was bending to aid with getting his shoes on. The guy had called for backup, and as were often the case, people did stupid and desperate things in equally stupid and desperate situations. He wasn't planning on waiting around to find out who he'd called. It was a move right from football, midsection tackle towards Levi, his hands up, aiming to push the gun up and away so he couldn't shoot him. All he needed to do was make it out of the room and to his car, and all that stood in his way was Levi. So he was going to go through Levi... or so he planned anyhow.

Levi saw it in the man?s eyes a split second before the man lunged. He deftly stepped to the side and with a clean and efficient downward swipe of his gun hand, the man fell, unconscious, right at his feet. "Asshole," he muttered. It had been a long time since Levi had hog tied a person, and with a bed sheet it was twice as hard to do. But he somehow managed it, tying the man's feet to his hands and then a loop around his neck to keep him from going anywhere.

"Billie?" he called from her room. He wasn't going to take eyes off of the man until the trash men came to collect the garbage. "You ok in there?"

Billie was buried under the covers. A million things were running through her head, all those warnings from Mark, the feeling of him behind her, his breath... it all made her want to be ill... and she was. Thankfully there was a trash-can beside the bed. After several moments, and given the fact that she didn't have much in her stomach to begin with, she laid back, once more pulling the covers over her head. She heard Levi...it took her a moment to answer. "Fine..." but he knew that was a lie. Anyone would have. She was anything but fine.

Billie had slept right thought the night. Perhaps unexpectedly to her given the events that landed her in Levi's room, but then, perhaps it was Levi that had chased away all the nightmares.

She opened her eyes only to find herself facing him. She couldn't help but smile as she laid there looking at his slumbering features. She'd had dreams like this on many occasions, but the fact that it all seemed to be coming true was more than Billie could have ever wished for.

During the night, Levi must have gotten a chill, seeing how the body temperature tended to drop during the night; it wasn't at all surprising to find he had pulled the covers, at least in part, over himself. Billie couldn't help herself; she snuggled up against him with a soft groan. It was time her woke up anyhow. She wanted to get this over with and get back to make sure everything with mark was okay.

Indeed, the room had gotten cold as the night progressed and Levi crawled under the covers. Initially he'd started so close to the edge of the bed that he had to clutch the edge of the mattress to keep from falling off. But then he fell asleep and resumed his most comfortable position: on the flat of his back. His right arm was up and his hand tucked behind his head. His left arm was lying on top of the blankets with his hand over his chest.

When Billie snuggled close, Levi's eyelids parted, but just barely. His eyebrows shot up and he smacked his lips together. "Not now, Maggie," he groaned. Yet his arm went around her and he pulled her close to snuggle
Maggie..? She said the name over and over in her head a few times, trying to think if she knew a Maggie, cause if she did... oh hell no. Was this going to be a thing, always having to worry about who had come before her, that endless line of women.

"Levi...." she said his name. A flat tone that matched the hue of her features. Oh, it wasn't anger, or hurt of any of those things, it was worse. It was a face men feared about all others. That look, the one that said they would be paying for this mistake for a very, very long time.

"Sorry, Levi... Maggie left..." and with that she was moving to the edge of the bed. Her clothing was still in the other room, was morning now, so she could get up and gets her things.

"Maggie..." she muttered. "Do I LOOK like a fucking Maggie..." she kept going. Now she might have been a little pissed off.

"Mmm?" he exhaled slowly and opened his eyes a bit further. He began to smile, in that sleepy way a man will when he wakes up next to a beautiful woman. But that smile was quickly fading. Her eyes were an electric blue and snapping all sort of nastiness in his direction.

"Maggie?" He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "Maggie was here?" He rolled to his back when she moved to get up. Both hands now, up and scrubbing the sand from his eyes. So when they finally were opened, she was already to the doors to the adjoining room. "Billie, you don't look like... oh come on Billie. You can't blame me. I was sleeping dammit!"

She stopped, turned around and marched right back over to him. She was all business, those blue eyes smoldering with something he might not have ever noticed before. She was teasing him, but behind it all there was something of a question for later.

One hand to either side of his head, her hair hanging to tickle his cheek. "Tell me, is Maggie the one that gave you those love-bites..?" the fluttering of lashes, her eyes dropped to his neck, there was that look again. There was a she-devil in there waiting to spread her wings damnit.

He looked up, blue eyes rimmed with red of the just waking. He had to breathe out of his nose to keep from inhaling her coal black hair that was hanging just to the side of it. He gave her a bewildered look and slowly brought his hand up to his neck.

"Did Mag... Billie," his face cracked into a huge smile, eyes becoming crescents and sparkling with mirth. "Maggie is my dog. Back at the house."
She busted out laughing, falling half across him; which might not have been a good thing with a full bladder in the morning. "Oh ...my God... even worse, you called me by the dog?s name...? this only caused her to laugh ever harder. God, she was never, ever going to tell Mark, not to mention walking up next to him, but being called the freaking dog, just how funny was that. She slowly tried to catch her breath, eyes water with the mirth, when she leaned up to look at him, all she could to was laugh again and fell back on the bed, breasts just dancing under that night-shirt
.
Billie falling onto him was not expected, but he didn't make a fuss. Instead, he grabbed her and bodily moved her so that she was in the perfect snuggle position once again. "Hey, it's a compliment. Maggie's the best dog I ever had. Except she wakes me up with fur all in my face. I think that's what it was. Your hair."

He smooched her cheek then and let her go so that he could roll out of the bed and head to the bathroom. She had her own bathroom and shower. He was going to make full use of his own.

Oh the HELL she was going to get back in her shower. She rolled onto her side, propping her head up so she could watch him walking away. Damn, but he did have a mighty fine ass. "You want me to come scrub your back this time..?? She was smiling all pretty at him, playful. It was safe offer, because she knew he'd not actually say yes.

"You don't know what you're asking for," he called from the bathroom. And just to be sure she didn't sneak in? He closed the door and locked it behind him. He'd learned his lesson with Clarissa. Women are great companions and lovely to look at, but once they've got their mind set on a mission, it's next to impossible to stop them.

Stripping out of his clothes, he showered in a relatively short amount of time. Having water pressure was a wonderful thing to have again. So when he stepped back out of the bathroom, he had a pair of jeans on and his favorite pair of flip flips. "I save some hot water for you."

She had slipped into the other room and grabbed her things; a cheeky little smile was all over her face as if she knew something he didn't. With her shower bag in one hand, and her clothing in the other, Billie slipped on by him and into the bathroom without so much as a second glance. Nevertheless, that smile was still there.

It took her a little longer. Women and showers, these things take time. Had more bits to wash. When she came back into the room, her hair was wrapped in a towel and piled atop her head like a turban. She was wearing a pretty little summer dress with spaghetti straps. It wasn't anything too revealing, but Mark would have made her change; which it why she had taken the dress, at least wanted to wear it once while it was still warm enough.

Over towards the bed, she dropped down in the end and took the brush from her bag. Untwisting the towel, she started brushing that dark mass into waves of silk. Half turning, she caught him looking at her. "Something... wrong..?" blinking a few times.

While she was in the shower, Levi had ordered room service. There was a platter of fresh fruit, yogurt and bagels on the table by the time she got out. He was spreading cream cheese when he looked up to see her. His brows arched a bit as she walked by him.

Levi had seen Billie in dresses before, but never quite like this. For one, she always had sleeves on her dresses and the hem dropped below her knees. And the length of her neck, slender and graceful looked so inviting. And when she took her hair from the towel and shook it out, Levi knew he had to do something to distract himself. "I... the car needs gas. I'm going to go get gas. While you?re doing... that." He smiled then and made sure his keys were in his pocket before heading for the door.

There he was in the middle of seemingly fixing something to eat, and then he takes one look at her, and he's running from the room..? Oh hell no.

"Levi... you filled up the car last night right before we got here...? she was looking him dead in the face. "Where are you really trying to go..?" her brows knitted together, a hint of fear or worry or God only knew what the woman might have been thinking. She set the brush down, and then stood off the bed to face him.

"What the hell Levi... one moment you're about to eat, I come out...you take one look at me...and it's out the damn door like...." her hands went to either side of her head in light frustration.?Jesus... ?She turned, shoving the rest of her things into her bag.?At this rate, we won't even make it to a first date..." muttering under her breath.

He was stopped and he turned to look at her. She was letting him have it, and all he could do was stand there and hang his head. She was right. He couldn't keep running from her like he had been. It set a bad precedence. "I'm sorry, Billie," he murmured. "You look... incredible."

He lifted his head and ran a hand through his damp hair, setting it into spikes that were in every direction. "And I'm trying to do right by you. If we do fool around, you're right; we won't make it to the first date."

Poor Billie, she was all kinda of confused. He said she looked incredible, which caused her to blush. Something Levi seemed to be able to cause her more than anyone else. Her smile only grew, but then he was speaking again... and this time his words cause a befuddled smirk.

It took a moment for her to catch on what he meant. "Oh... OOoooh...? the smile returned, only this time soft as she crossed towards him. Fingers reached to the top of his head where she fiddled with that spiky mess a moment. "Levi... as much as I want to be with you in that sense, and trust me when I tell you, I do... I have to be sure, I mean... I don't want to be one of those girls that has a new man every other month and ends up with three different baby Daddies by the time she's 27..." she lowered her eyes, hair falling across her features to mask them in shadows. One hand pressed lightly on his chest. " I would... like it to be you, but... you have to want it for the right reasons, and right now Levi... to be honest..." she lifted her eyes, so much said on those blue jewels. " I don't see it in you...?

Right away she head how that sounded, the shake of her head followed by a deep pull of breath. "Levi... wait... what I mean is, I want it for the right reasons, not just because you're horny... I'm sorry, but I always planned on waiting until...I was married." and her is where she was torn. Levi might not have been able to wait. But then, didn't that mean it wasn't love? And that is what Billie wanted. "I just want it to be love, and not sex..." she said quietly.?C'mon... let?s get food in you and get the hell outta here...?

Levi put his back to the door and leaned upon it. His hands were flat against the painted metal and he could feel the coolness of the morning air that was just outside of the door. She began her speech and Levi lowered his head. Of course all that she could see was the lust in his eyes and the lewdness of his jokes. It had all been a disguise to keep her from thinking that she wasn't attractive. And now it was blowing up in his face.

And it wasn't just an act, either. Levi did find her very attractive and had agonized for days on what he should do about Billie. And then she said something that totally blew his mind. She didn't see that he was capable more than just lascivious behavior? Had he ever tried to have sex with her? No. He had even gone as far as saying that he wanted to, but he wanted to wait until she was ready.

Did she just go mental?

"I'm glad we're on the same page," he muttered and pushed off of the door. What else could he say to her? Quit trying to get me into bed? He shook his head at that. If he'd said that, he just knew that she would think that he didn't want to ever have sex with her.

He needed a drink. And he needed it now. When did Billie get so damn complicated?

Perhaps is she hadn't been so sheltered and had experienced some modicum of experiences when it came to interrelations other, other than what she read on those damned book. Poor Levi, it was still early and she already had him wanting to drink.

She turned and looked to the bed and the smattering of food he'd had delivered. When she turned to look at him there was a smile that touched her eyes, it was innocent as morning due on summer leaves.

"Why not make this our first date..?" she nodded then moved to the bed where she sat with one leg crossed with her foot against the inside of her thigh, the other leg hanging off the side of the bed.

"Sit... you need to eat." she was one to talk. She patted the bed. "Besides, I've been meaning to asked, after all this is finished, you're still planning on leaving..." she reached and took a bagel, pinching a piece off. "I'd like to see the city...?

Levi looked up and her smile was contagious. His own tension broke and scattered like ash on the wind. "Billie, this isn't a first date. This is..." he broke off to huff a laugh. "It's where people go when they've been dating a very long time and want to be alone."

Pushing off of the door, he went to her to hold his hand out. "Come on, let's visit your aunt and then we'll get back to camp. Let me figure out where to take you. Restaurant, maybe the theater. But not a hotel room."

She let him pull her up, arms wrapped over his shoulders as she looked up slightly to catch his eyes. "It could be a walk by the duck pond for all I care." she pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Only thing that matters is you." God, he had such kissable lips, and damned if she wasn't tempted to slobber all over his face like she had back at camp. Self control, dammit, if he could do it, then so could see, but.... but... She was unknowingly biting at her bottom lip, planting her thoughts ALL over her face like an open book. Yeah, Billie would have been a horrid poker player for sure.

Withdrawing from his close proximity before she said the hell with it, and threw his ass down on the bed. Which, she might have done had not the food been there. The image did cross her mind. Twice. Clearing her throat she moved to fetch her bag. "It's only about 20 minutes from here... up towards the hills, some gated community called WedgeHill..." it was an affluent community, one Levi might have even heard of. The rich and well connected lived there. Powerful Judges especially.

When she put her arms around him, he took the liberty of placing his hands upon her waist and sliding them back so that they locked into the small of her back. The brief kiss was returned and he was smiling down at her when she spoke. "Oh, I think that your opinions and thoughts are pretty important, too."

And then the embrace ended and he went to the table to start bagging up the bagels and cream cheese. "WedgeHill," he nodded. Judge Williams lived in WedgeHill. The judge wasn't exactly a fan of the young defense attorney. "Well, like you said, we shouldn't be there for too long."

She was humming to herself a little; her mood seemed all to light considering things. Billie had a way of compartmentalizing things. She took all of the negative feelings and shoved it way over there where it was out of the way and forgotten; until it wasn't.
She slung her back over her shoulder and was nearly out the door when he spoke. She stopped, turned and looked at him as if he'd just invoked the name of the devil.

"Judge Williams..." she stopped, thought for a moment, then chuckled. "Nah... Has to be ... that's Ma last name..." oh, but it was. This is why people had been paid off in order make the scandal of Judge Williams? daughter running off the filthy gypsy. It would seem poor Levi was about to venture into the proverbial lion?s den.

Billie's words caused a cold chill to go up his back and leave gooseflesh crawling down his arms. He closed his eyes and leaned against the table. Didn't it just figure? He took a deep breath, closed his eyes to compose himself and then smiled. "Well if they're related, it's our typical luck. Besides, if you're his granddaughter he's going to either have to accept your father's side of the family along with you, right?"

Yeah, he knew that wasn't going to happen.

Oh, and wasn't he just going to LOVE it when she introduced Levi as her boyfriend..? Uhuh. Poor Billie had no idea of what she was walking into, that was for sure. She leaned against the door, where it was open the light ate right through her dress, leaving a nice silhouette of that gap between her thighs.

"Levi..." she looked at him oddly, then, with a push of her ass against the door she closed it before walking back over to him. She pushed herself up against him, turning him so she could once more put her arms around his shoulders, fingers lacing together at the back of his neck. "I really do appreciate everything, you do know that, right..?" her voice was soft, but he had no time to reply, because she kissed him. That soft, meaningful kiss, like the sort was written about in those damned books of her's. Boy, Billie must have been kissing her hand a lot, she wasn't half bad.

Levi saw her silhouette, and was gentlemanly enough to avert his eyes and not speak of it. But that image will be etched in his mind for a lifetime. Billie B had really grown up. When she called his name, he looked back to her in time for the door to shut.

His hands went to her hips and gave a gentle squeeze when her fingers locked behind his neck. Lowering his head, he melted just a little as they shared their first real kiss. Slowly he pulled back and looked down at her. "Billie, you don't have to thank me, much less with kisses or anything else. Don't get me wrong, I really like how you show your appreciation, but I don't want you to think that I'm doing anything just to get into your pants."
Pressed as she was against his chest, her own was hardly contained with the confines of that dress. She smiled, and then chuckled slightly. "My God Levi, I've never seen you show so much restraint, and besides... maybe I'm just trying to get down your pants...? she said, wickedly playfully at that.

"I don't want to face them as a child Levi..." earthen-blues held nothing back. She held nothing back as she leaned in and kissed him, fingers softly pawing at the nape of his neck.

You ever get the feeling that something isn't quite right? That chill from earlier was spreading and running all the way down his back. Within the space of an hour she went from sex kitten to Sunday school teacher back to sex kitten. And when she kissed him, his eyes didn't close. Instead, he let go of her and pulled back.

"We should get going," he said with a nod and squared his shoulders. "Check out is at eleven and I don't want to get charged for another night. He turned then to grab their bags and this time when he got to the door, he opened it and stepped right out into the bright sunshine of the late morning. She must have rapid cycling multi-personality disorder. And as he loaded the bags into the trunk of the car, he wondered if sheltering her all of her life had been such a good idea or if Pops knew that she could be dangerous.

Billie stood a moment, looking at the floor. Her hands were shaking, but it wasn't from any sort of emotional conflicting, it was simply low blood sugar. She broke off another piece of bagel and shoved it into her mouth, then turned and walked out the room, shutting the door behind her.

Thankfully, Levi had some sense where she seemed to be lacking. Year of dreaming about the man had left Billie conflicted, torn, tattered an confused and somewhat emotionally unstable. Yes, she was flip-flopping between the spectrum of things like a fish out of water. She was making a fool of herself, and she knew it.

She had thrown her feelings at him like ball and expected him to catch when he'd not even been looking in her direction. Inwardly reflecting, her self examination of things left her with a bad taste in her mouth as to the way she had been acting. Levi made her nervous. She was trying too hard to be what she thought he wanted, trying to be something she wasn't.

She buckled herself in, paying attention to her phone for a few moments as she input the information. "There..." she said, setting her phone between them.

Turn onto Woodhaven Road and go 2.3 miles to Judge Street, then take a left.

Billie kept quiet, looking off out the window as she continued with her self examination. It was always a hard thing, introspection, taking ownership of things. Billie had a lot of growing up to do, Mark was right on that point. She needed to feel the sharp sting of reality, and yet, Mark seemed unable to let things happen sometimes, as if he couldn't let go, or couldn't see Billie suffering. She was far to coddled, a spoiled princess that had lived a relatively pampered life; as much as it can be within the circuit. Billie had never had to lift a finger or so anything, a fact that has some people about the RV camp somewhat resentful.

Take Judge street 5 miles. Turn right into Williams Way. Travel for 2 more miles. Destination is straight ahead.

Billie was silent, not sad, but withdraw in her thoughts that when her phone signaled they had arrived at their destination it took a moment for her to react.

The Williams Estate had it's own private road leading to a private driveway that was gated. Not only was it gated, but there was a security guard standing in wait just outside in his own little security booth.

"Oh, bloody hell..." Billie's eyes went eye as she sat there looking at the main house that stood at the end of a grand circular drive way. She was on the verge of calling the whole thing off after seeing the place.

"This can't be the right place.." She snatched her phone up, looking at the address, then the location. "Holy shit Levi... this is where my Mom is from..?" The little civic was really out of place in this neighborhood, so much so, that the guard was already venturing towards the car to given them directions back to the main road, because clearly, they were lost.

The Guard started to speak, started to give directions back down the road when Billie leaned slightly across Levi. "No... no, I'm here to see my Grandfather.."

That statement rendered a confused, and extremely dubious look from the Guard. "Then you defiantly have the wrong address, Judge Williams has no grand children. Now, if you go back down...." he started again, at which point Billie got out of the car.

"Here..." she was holding a letter towards the Guard, her features cast in that determined light, she was holding her head high, facing the guard with confidence instead of the shy, sheltered Billie she had come to use as a shield against facing things.

The Guard looked at her, then looked back to the letter. "Wait here." he instructed, then went back to his booth to make a phone-call.

Billie took a deep breath, she was looking up towards the main house when she started speaking to Levi. One hand came to rest on the room, fingers just inside the window. "Listen... I'm going to stay here for a little while, perhaps a week. I don't expect you to wait around..." breaking her gaze on the house, she turned those bejeweled blue eyes on Levi, it was clear she meant more than just waiting in town.

"I'm sure they will see me safely home, Levi..." offering a smile. "I'll call Mark and let him know. I think it's best you went back, make sure everything is alright with Mark."

She withdrew her hand as the Guard returned and his attitude towards Billie had changed drastically. "This way Miss Billie... I apologize for making you wait." With a wave of the Guards hand before the call-box, the gate rolled open enough to allow the two of them to pass. A doorman had already made his way down to meet them at the gate. Billie forgot all about her bag in the trunk of the car.

Once Billie was inside the guard waved his hand again before the call box, and the gate started to close. Billie looked back toward Levi and smiled. "Thank you.." she mouthed. There was no sadness, no regret, just a realization she needed to grow up, to stand on her own two feet and figure out who she really was. She couldn't expect someone else to love her, nor could she truly love someone herself, until she first learned to love herself.

Two hours later, after being plucked, tweaked, waxed, snipped, wrapped, pealed, painted dyed, and she swear, sand blasted, Billie emerged feeling as if she had left behind several layers of skin.

Billie had been transformed from the innocent fresh faced girl she had been, into one of the masses. Perfect hair framed her painted features as she looked out upon the world from behind the heavy curtain of false lashes and cat-eyes. Sure, she was stunning to look at, a real knock-out, but it clashed with her personality. Mark would had been throwing her in the bath and scrubbing it off the second he saw her.

"Tell me, the man that dropped you off, who was that..? Caroline was busy on her phone for a moment, texting someone as she slowly meandered down the sidewalk towards a Japanese restaurant. "My brother will be meeting us here for lunch in a moment..." offhandedly.

"Levi..? Oh, he's..... a friend, known him most all my life.." Billie said, she looked down at her phone, half expecting to see a text from Levi, or perhaps even Mark. Nothing from either of them.

"You don't mean Levi Clark do you..?" Caroline looked at Billie, and from the expression on her girl's face she could tell it was. "That man, is a scoundrel of the worst kind, what ever you don, don't mention his name in front of my brother. He caught him in bed with his fiancee, and this is while I was dating Levi... So, what ever you do, don't bring him......Yo-hoo... Christopher darling..." Caroline waved her hand in the air. "Come meet Billie..." she held her hand towards her brother, kissing one side of his cheek and then the other before turning to present Billie to him in a more formal greeting.

"Billie, this is my dashingly handsome brother, Christopher, Chris... this is Billie.." Billie really wasn't sure what to think in that moment. Caroline's brother looked like one of those underwear models; Billie had been sure men like that didn't really exist. Now there was one standing right in front of her.

Christopher reached, taking Billie's had where he lifted it to his lips, pressing a kiss against the back. "A pleasure indeed Miss Billie." He met her eyes, his own grey-blues never venturing from Billie's blushing features. "Might I say, you have the most beautiful eyes." He kissed her hand again before letting it go, but remained looking at Billie as if he could see nothing else.

Billie felt her face burn under the examination of Christopher's gaze and it made her feel awkward.

"Here, let me get the door for you ladies.." Chris said, then opened the door for Billie to enter. Once Billie was inside, Chris stopped his sister for a second and whispered. "Did you clone her phone?"

"Yes, any text or call she gets will come to my phone first. She already got something from Levi, so we need to keep and eye out for him." Caroline whispered to her brother. "When I got to the bathroom I'll send something back, from him... dunno what yet. But something to make her need a shoulder to cry on." she said with a twisted smile, one hand on her brother's shoulder. "So, be ready..." then she slipped inside to follow Billie and Chris was right behind her.


As he sat in the car, Levi had a chance to go over in his head the events that had transpired that morning. He hadn't gotten a good look at the driver; her head had been turned or his head had been turned. Either way, he didn't get a chance to get a good look at her. And as for Billie, he knew that being involved with her was going to be difficult, at best. She was still a child in some aspects. Billie was trying so hard to do what she thought that he wanted that she wasn't making a very good show of things. She'd been petulant and pouty. But he'd asked for that first date and he was going to stick by his word, once they got back home.


And as his mind was tumbling over things, Billie and her escort stepped out of the spa. His jaw dropped in astonishment. Besides the garish make up and hairstyle, he'd never seen her look quite so lovely. He could tell that she wasn't comfortable, and the eye make up was too heavy. But, all in all, it firmed up his resolve to get her back and take her home.


And then he saw Caroline. His chest tightened and his jaw ticked from the tense muscles. She was one of Judge William's secretaries and when he found out that tidbit of information, he broke off the relationship. It was a conflict of interest to date someone who was a court officer when you're a public defender. The fact that it was her brother's fiancee that he ended up in bed with was a complete coincidence. The girl had been drunk and alone at a bar. She flirted and he didn't resist.


Ah, the things that you learn by being young and foolish.


When Billie sat down to lunch with Caroline and Christopher, Levi saw his chance to diplomatically interfere and take her home. He checked his look in the mirror to make sure that his hair wasn't too wild. His clothes would have to do, jeans and a t-shirt weren't the custom at the restaurant, but it's amazing what an Amex Black will do for you. In a matter of minutes, he was walking up to their table.


"Caroline, Chris, good to see you. May I have a word with my girlfriend, please?" he turned on his charm and smiled for Billie. "You look amazing, baby."

Levi watched Billie march towards the exit. It made him proud to see that she'd grown up, even just a little bit. He knew she had to be hurting inside but that was just growing pains. He turned to look at Caroline and smiled a mirthless smile. "Nice try, bitch. I'm not going to let you do to her what you two did to the widow Ward. Keep away from her. Do you understand?" He didn't wait for an answer. Papers were signed to file charges and then he went out to find Billie by the car.

"Hey," he spoke with a solemn look on his face as he approached her. "You going to be ok, Billie B?"

Billie was buckled in and ready to go. When he asked if she was going to be okay, she wanted to say no. but she knew in time she would. Eventually she would go back to simply seeing Levi as an unattainable dream, which, frankly she was already starting to.

She couldn't look at him, that would have been asking for far too much at that moment.

"I'm sorry Levi, this was... all a huge mistake." the trip, or was she hinting towards them even attempting to be anything more than friends. "Lets just go home.." she said, her voice as distant as her eyes were out the window.

Levi started the car and maneuvered it until they were back onto the road. He sighed softly, saddened by her obvious disenchantment. "I'm sorry Billie. I know you wanted to give them a piece of your mind, but they're not worth it. They'll suck you into their little world and when they have what they want from you, they'll kick you out of it."

He reached for her hand to give it a gentle squeeze. "I've seen them play this game before. Trust me ok?" He looked over at her with puppy dog eyes and a pouting lip.

She just happened to reach to turn the radio on at the same moment he went for her hand, or she had reached for the radio to avoid him holding her hand. She knew he was only trying to be comforting, but it... only made her feel worse because she wanted more than he was willing to give.

"Not a big deal. I'll figure something out, eventually and just give the money to Mark. I don't need it anyhow.." No, she wasn't looking at him. Not a snowballs chance in hell.

Levi let go of her hand to return his own to the steering wheel. They rode in awkward silence for about ten minutes. She wasn't looking at him, so that was a bad thing. How could he get to know her if she was closing herself off to him?

"So, where are we going to go?" He said it casually, and watched her out of the corner of his eye. "I hear there's a big to do at the docks tonight. That could be our first date?"

That got her to look at him, and it was a look if ever there was one, you know, the one that says... are you *** kidding me?

"Levi..." she said his name and stopped, unsure what she was going to say. Caroline had informed her of the sort of women he liked, and from the looks of Caroline herself, there was nothing Billie saw to offer someone like Levi after taking everything into consideration.

"We don't..." she closed her eyes. " lets just...I don't think it would be a good idea. I think I've known you too long... and, you're simply doing it to be nice. I mean, I appreciate it and all, but.."

Levi began to frown and the more she spoke, the darker it became. He was tired of the mind games and the constant pull and release from her. He glanced over at her and turned his attention to the road. "I wasn't being nice, Billie. If I weren't interested I wouldn't have asked at all."

He blew out a breath and shook his head. "Just what the *** did they say to you, anyway? And why did you believe them?" Had Levi did something so wrong that Billie didn't trust him any longer?

"Pull over...." she said, pointing across the way. They were far enough outside of town, at least the main part of town that there were no houses or shops, just a long empty road before entering the interstate. She waited for him to pull over and put the civic in park before she said or did anything. The instant the car stopped, she undid her seat belt and got out then moved around to hide side. "Well... get out.." as if he should have already followed suit.

Levi shot her a confused look, but did as she asked. The gravel crunched under the tires as he pulled to a stop. And when she climbed out of the car, he sat there in shock. Was she going to run? She put that worry to bed when she came around to his side of the car. And, doing as she asked, Levi unbuckled himself, opened the door and stepped out of the car.

"What're we doing?" he chuckled.

She stood there in his way and looked at him in that way women did when a man should know what they were thinking, and yet didn't have a chance in hell of getting it right.

She leaned in, standing on the tips of her toes and kissed him quickly just off the side of his mouth before leaning back to take a measured look at his face as if she could gag what he might have been thinking in that instant. Then she took his hands, moving him away from the car door a few steps.

"Levi... you confuse the hell out of me." she said, then chuckled. A moment of reflection. "..but then, I guess I do the same to you.."

They stood there for a few minutes, just staring. He wondered what she was thinking, why they had stopped. She didn't look sick, but it was hard to tell under the thick make up. Her kiss startled him, and left a shiny red mark near his mouth. He didn't notice, or care. When she looked at him, he smiled a genuine smile.

Where she was leading him, he had no idea. But his interest was piqued so he went willingly. She had said a mouthful, and he wasn't going to deny it. "You do, Billie. You got me so I don't know if I'm coming or going."

There was something about grassy fields that Billie liked. The way the wind stroked and made the stalks dance, from a distance it almost looked like water. Wild hay dappled with wild flowers, here and there a tree dotting the field that was surrounded by an old, crumbling rock wall.

She didn't say anything as she pulled him through the grass, the stalks tickling her bar legs, sending insects springing in all directions to avoid being trampled. When they reached a section of the wall, she turned to lean against, that reflective look once more befalling her face.

She thought to speak, but in the end when she looked at him, instead of speaking her hand reached to her own shoulder, sliding the strap down so part of her dress started to droop, then her hand moved to the other shoulder and did the same, more, a whole lot more of Billie was suddenly visible, just as it was painfully clear what she was saying without so much as uttering a word.

Levi wasn't watching the wind play with the tall grass or the flowers that bobbed and weaved. He was watching her, wondering just what she was doing. It felt as if he were being led to some sort of grand discovery as she pulled him along. Her eyes were a brilliant blue, the make up giving them a tiny upwards slant at the outside corners to resemble that of a cat. He felt like he was getting lost in them, as if he could dive into that ocean of blue and get completely and totally immersed.

She stopped at a small, crumbling rock wall at the edge of the field and he simply watched as she began to slowly disrobe in front of him. This was a test, it had to be. He knew if he failed this test, that there would be no other. Reaching up, he put his hands on her bare shoulders and took a step closer. "Billie, are you sure?" He gazed into her eyes, because the peripheal was wreaking havoc on his body and sensibilities.

There was no avoidance in her eyes, everything was there for the offering, for the taking. Take it or leave it, she held nothing back. No mirrors, no masks, no games, just the unadulterated truth. There was nothing Billie wouldn't have done for him.

Was she sure? Her answer came when she reached, slowly sliding her hands up the front of his chest until her fingers collided behind the back of his head. There was nothing and no one around, no distractions, no sounds other than birds and the wind whispering through the dry grass.

A whispered touch of her lips against his, delicate balance between lust and love. She wasn't fooling herself as to what this was. No delusions of grandeur that this was anything more than the physical act of two people being intimate. She was okay, in fact, she was more than okay, she was high with the exhilaration, the excitement and nerves that ravaged across her body in such away that it left her breathless before anything had even happened.

God, Mark was going to kill him. Her lips against his had him hungry for more and it was the go ahead that he needed. Mark and the rest of the circuit be damned, he wanted Billie more than he ever let show or even realized. His eyes closed and he turned his head to catch her lips once again. The kiss was no whisper, but a loud exclamation of his desire.

His hand tangled into her hair and held her gently as they explored each others mouth. His touch to her bare back was tender, soft as the breeze that blew across the empty field. Making the realization that words would never be enough to let Billie know his true intention, he broke the kiss only long enough to pull his shirt up and over his head. It was tossed aside quickly and landed like a bright red blotch of blood on the wall. His hands went to her face, drawing her in so he could kiss her again and again.

He needed to feel her skin against his, to consume her warmth and show her that this was not going to be a one time thing between them. His hands moved down her body to rest in the small of her back as his chest met with hers

That first night against the RV, he had kissed her with a passion unlike anything she had ever felt before, and yet, this was more than she had felt in that instance. There was something about the way his mouth molded against hers, about how he kissed her so completely, as if he were reaching down into her very soul. There was no doubt, not even a glimmer in her that this was what she wanted.

His shirt was gone and with it came her dress, slowly falling to balance upon her hips. it would have taken only a move, just a roll of her hips and that garment would be rendered pointless. The warmth of his skin. the feel of his hands across the expanse of her back a warm and welcome contrast to the light breeze that swept across the open field.

Part of her couldn't believe this was happening, her mind was swimming with the promise of everything she had dreamed about for so many years. She was drunk, she was high, she was a million things all at once, and never, ever had she felt so alive as she did in that moment. Still, she was a novice, she might have read plenty of books depicting such a tableau such as this, and yet... nerves still played a part. She wasn't really sure what to do, other than follow his lead.


His shirt was gone and with it came her dress, slowly falling to balance upon her hips. It would have taken only a move, just a roll of her hips and that garment would be rendered pointless. The warmth of his skin. the feel of his hands across the expanse of her back a warm and welcome contrast to the light breeze that swept across the open field....

...... from that point on, nothing would ever be the same for Billie......