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The Bet
By mel

CHAPTER 1

Erica Randal looked over at her sister and her girlfriend who were comfortably spooning on the couch – happy that, for now, the pair was at least trying to watch the movie that Jenks had picked for their weekly foray into the lands of a Rockwellian family unit. With everything that was going on in her life, it was simple moments like this – an otherwise benign movie night with her sister, her sister's girlfriend, and Jenks – that she treasured the most. She smiled to herself as she watched Ivy relax into Rachel, smiled at the contented look that graced her sister's face as the redhead's arm that was already draped over her waist flexed and pulled her in tighter.

Really, she should have known that such 'good behavior' wasn't going to last too long. "You have got to be kidding me," Erica muttered, rolling her eyes dramatically as she scented the pheromone spike in the air.

Ivy bit her lip to keep from moaning as she felt Rachel's fingers deftly slide under the hem of her shirt, the muscles in her lower stomach clenching wonderfully as the witch began slowly tracing small, random, patterns on her skin. She sighed blissfully as Rachel leaned in and tenderly nuzzled the back of her neck. The feeling of the redhead's warm breath dancing across the nape of her neck knocked the breath right out of her, and she unconsciously arched back into the witch's touch in an unconscious search for more. A frisson of electricity shot through her as Rachel's rich, throaty laugh rumbled softly against her skin, the trembling waves of the redhead's amusement a virtual caress to her heightened senses, and she screwed her eyes shut as she bit even harder into her lip to keep from audibly responding to the wonderful feeling of Rachel's hips thrusting playfully against her ass.

Erica shot the couple a half-amused, half-disgusted look but neither woman saw it.

Rachel was too focused on playing with Ivy to care if anybody else saw what she was doing; and Ivy was oblivious to the world around her as she drowned in the heat of Rachel's touch and the scent of redwood and amber that surrounded her, making her feel simultaneously soothed and aroused.

Home. The scent was her home. Rachel was her home.

Ivy shivered slightly as the hand that Rachel had slipped under her shirt began stroking its way up her stomach in slow teasing motions. Up and down, swirling, swooping, never sticking to a single pattern that would let her predict what might come next. It was frustratingly erotic, to have to lie there and let Rachel do as she pleased; but, for as much as she craved control over virtually everything in her everyday life, she rather enjoyed occasionally giving up control in the bedroom and letting Rachel take charge.

To let Rachel dominate her.

Right now, the redhead was just teasing, toying with her like a cat with a mouse, and she licked her lips as she gave herself over to the sensation of Rachel's slightly callused fingers dragging lightly across her hypersensitive-skin. Her hips canted backwards when the backs of Rachel's fingers brushed against the underside of her breast, and she whimpered softly as the witch's hand slipped even higher to palm her breast possessively.

Rachel chuckled softly, the laughter creating the most delicious friction against her nipples as they pressed into Ivy's back. She wrapped her lips around the curve of muscle where the vampire's neck and shoulder met and bit down on the captured flesh as she pushed her thigh between Ivy's legs. She bit down harder and sucked hungrily against the no-doubt bruised skin in her mouth as she pushed her leg higher and higher, with a steady, forceful pressure, so that Ivy could grind herself down on it.

They began to rock together slowly, their careful movements fraught with a silent desperation and a need for more that made every touch an unfulfilled promise. Desire, hot and slick, settled wetly between each of their thighs, filling the small living room with the scent of arousal thick enough for vamps and pixies and witches alike to smell.

Erica winced at the smell of sex filling the room, the musky scent awakening her own barely-suppressed vampiric desires even though she had no wish to sate them with her present company. Even though she didn't know the details of everything that her sister had been through at the hands of their old master, she did know that Ivy had been through hell and back and that she more than deserved this little slice of happiness that life had finally decided to serve up to her. Erica knew all this – hell, she'd wished upon every wishing star she could find that Ivy would someday look this happy again – but it was one thing to wish for your sister's every dream to come true, and yet another to have to sit and witness it.

"Christ, V," Erica muttered softly, knowing full-well that her sister could hear her just as clearly as she could smell what was happening between two women cuddling on the couch. "It's freaking 300, not some lovey-dovey chick-flick. Cool it already."

Ivy sighed regretfully and gave her sister a tight smile, placing her hand on top of Rachel's as she stilled her rocking hips. She turned to capture the redhead's lips in a slow, deep, lingering kiss that left them both gasping for air and grinning like fools. "Later," she murmured into Rachel's lips, slowly tracing her tongue over the kiss-swollen flesh.

"Mmm." Rachel smiled, pressing her thigh up into Ivy's center one last time before pulling her hand out from under Ivy's shirt. "Kay, later."

Erica chuckled and shook her head disbelievingly even as she watched Ivy and Rachel go about discreetly disentangling themselves from each other. "Goddamn. You two are like rabbits, you know that? I bet you couldn't go two weeks without doing it."

This statement was enough to pull Jenks' focus away from the ridiculously bloody battle being played out on the screen and onto the other people in the room with him. "What are you talking about?"

"Them," Erica waved at her sister and Rachel. "They were just about to get it on while we were all in the same damn room. It's ridiculous."

Ivy blushed and looked away, not meeting her sister's disbelieving stare as she muttered, "We're not that bad."

"Yes, you are," Jenks laughed, as he took a purposefully dramatic sniff of the air.

Rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes. "No, we're not."

Erica leaned forward in her seat and grinned at the couple. "Fine. Care to make a little wager on that?"

Never one to back down from a challenge, especially when it was in her best interest to do so, Rachel nodded and glared challengingly at the young vampire. "Sure."

Ivy, who had been distracted by the way Jenks was doing a ridiculous little bump and grind, slapping at the air in front of him as if it were a woman's ass, snapped her attention back to what was going on between her lover and her sister "Wait. What?"

"Two weeks. I bet you guys can't go two weeks without jumping each other," Erica dared with a toothy grin.

"Psht," Rachel scoffed. "We could totally do that."

"Um, Rache," Ivy murmured. "Dear heart, a fortnight is a really long time. I can't hold out that long."

Rachel was about to argue, but the vampire's need was obvious in her eyes. They were already black as sin, and they had only bees grinding on the couch. "You're right," Rachel murmured, before returning her attention to the younger vampire. "We couldn't go that long. A week. Maybe. Tops."

Ivy's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Rachel, what the hell are you doing?" she hissed. "I don't even want to wait until the end of this gore-fest of a movie to tear your goddamn clothes off and run my tongue…."

"V," Erica chastised, grimacing. "We can hear you."

"Erica, chill," Rachel smiled placatingly. "Iv, we're not animals. I'm sure we can control ourselves for a few days."

Erica and Jenks grinned victoriously, knowing that, when push came to shove, Ivy would go along with whatever Rachel said. No matter how idiotic it was. She really was just that whipped.

"Excellent," Jenks chortled, rubbing his hands together greedily as Erica nodded her agreement. "We bet you can't go one week without sex."

Rachel nodded and sat up to face Jenks and Erica. "What are we betting?"

Ivy sat up too, but she turned to glare at her lover. "Rache, what are you doing?!"

Sensing blood in the water, Erica pounced. "If you two win, I'll give you the beach house for the fourth of July," she said, referring to their parents' now radically underused secluded property on the coast of Lake Erie. Both sisters had wanted to use the small cottage for their own holiday celebrations, but as Ivy and Rachel had visited more recently, Erica had been awarded the house for the weekend.

This got Ivy's attention. She had long fantasized of making love to Rachel on the orgy-sized bed in the screened-in porch while the fireworks from the near-by town were setting the sky aflame in color. "And what do you want if you win?" Ivy asked.

Erica and Jenks shared a mischievous look and the pixy flew over to whisper something in the vampire's ear. Erica nodded her agreement with whatever Jenks had suggested, and turned to smirk impishly at Ivy and Rachel. "If we win, Rachel has to make Jenks big again and we're all going to go out to Howl," Erica said, referring to the local dueling piano bar. "Ivy, you'll have to play the piano for two songs – one that Rachel sings, and one that Jenks sings. And I get to choose Rachel's song."

"Sounds good to me," Rachel agreed, nodding. Even if they lost, which they wouldn't, the cost of the curse to transform Jenks would be more than worth the opportunity to watch Ivy play on stage. "Ivy, what do you think?"

Ivy thought that there was no way in hell she was going to get up on stage and play for a crowd of people, but she wasn't going to back down from the three grinning faces looking at her expectantly. She sighed and nodded her agreement. "Fine, but we're not losing," she said, her tone firm and determined, before she turned her attention to the witch sitting beside her. "And, just so you know, Rachel, for getting us into this ridiculous wager," she husked, her voice dropping into the gray silk tones she knew drove the redhead wild, "when this week of self-imposed chastity is up, you are going to get so thoroughly fucked that you're not going to be able to climb out of bed on your own."

Rachel's eyes rolled back in her head a bit at that and she nodded jerkily. "Oh-oh-kay."

"Goody!" Erica clapped her hands happily, making a great effort to ignore the way Rachel's body responded to her sister's threat... promise... whatever. "So, here are the rules. No sex for seven days."

"Kissing?" Rachel asked.

"Hell yeah," Ivy growled. "I'm not giving that up too."

"Okay," Jenks chuckled. "Kissing is legal, but touching of any kind beyond first base you horn-dogs. That includes any body part, not just your hands… don't think we didn't see where you snuck that thigh to, Rache," he sniggered indelicately.

Ivy licked her lips and sighed. So far, the parameters of the wager were pretty much as she'd anticipated but they had yet to nail down what was, to her, the most pressing issue. "The week start when?"

"Right now," Erica said, smirking. "That should make it really interesting with the state you're already worked up into, eh sis?"

Ivy took a deep, shuddering breath and groaned. Somehow she knew they would want it would start tonight. She could argue and get it to start the next day, but, really, what was the point? No matter when they began this ridiculous bet, she was going to end up horny and unfulfilled. "Fine," she growled, sitting up and scooting over to the opposite side of the couch from Rachel. She knew that resisting the redhead would be easier if they weren't pressed up against each other, the lengths of them rubbing together, the heat and the friction everywhere they touched… "Fuck," she murmured as a fresh wave of arousal settled at the juncture of her thighs, and Erica and Jenks laughed. "This is going to be a long-ass seven days."

CHAPTER 2

Ivy opened her eyes to find the late morning sun burning through the gaps in the curtains to paint streaks of bright, golden light across the ceiling of her usually dark bedroom. She groaned at the harsh intrusion and sighed. Rachel must not have pulled the shades closed tight before they climbed into bed last earlier that morning. While the light was annoying, she was loathe to move because Rachel was curled up against her side, the redhead's leg draped across her hip and a possessive hand wrapped around her breast. Everything about the situation was perfect and she didn't want to do anything to ruin it. And then she remembered what had happened the night before with Jenks and Erica.

God, that ridiculous wager.

She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut tight as she replayed the previous evening's events. The identical taunting, knowing, smirks that were painted on Erica and Jenks' faces when she agreed to their terms. They knew that she and Rachel didn't stand a chance. Temporary insanity – that must have been what had possessed her to agree to their crazy bet. And the promise of fireworks. If she was being honest, that was what had made her agree to their harebrained scheme.

"Kissing is legal, but no touching of any kind beyond first base you horn-dogs – that includes any body part, not just your hands …"

What had she been thinking agreeing to that one? Just kissing? Hell, since Rachel had finally come around and admitted that she was attracted to her, they'd almost never stopped at just kissing. Shit, even temporary insanity wasn't close to being a good enough excuse for what had happened. Christ. If anyone knew better than to bet against a pixie in league with a vampire, it was her and yet she'd gone ahead and done it anyways.

"That should make it really interesting with the state you're already worked up into, eh sis?"

God. If only Erica knew. It took twenty minutes in an ice cold shower for her to regain control of herself after their guests had left. Rachel Morgan, bless her heart, was extraordinarily addictive. And, now that she'd had a taste (in every sense of the word), she was absolutely helpless to the magnetic pull of the witch.

She arched her back slowly as she carefully stretched, doing her best to not jostle the bed too much as she stared at the ceiling and tried desperately to ignore the rhythmic breathing emanating from the vivacious witch who was still comatose beside her. The witch who, despite that crazy promise of abstinence, had still insisted on going to bed in the buff.

"Iv, we're not animals. I'm sure we can control ourselves for a few days."

"Yeah, speak for yourself," Ivy muttered darkly, the first stirrings of arousal coursing through her as she took in the tantalizing image of the redheaded beauty beside her; the witch's creamy skin contrasting beautifully with her more ivory tone.

On any other morning, she'd have already flipped them over and captured one of the redhead's the pert nipples between her lips as she slowly flicked her tongue over it bringing both it and her love alive. She could easily picture in her mind the way Rachel would awake, hair tousled from sleep, green eyes growing dark as they took in the sight of her… and, damn. This week of abstinence was going to be hard.

Shit.

Difficult. That was better. Even a seemingly innocent word like 'hard' had her squeezing her legs together. And all this was because of Rachel. Rachel. Damned if it always didn't come back to that crazy redhead. What the hell had she been thinking taking those two up on their insane bet? Sometimes that girl is just too competitive for her own good. Crazy, impulsive, adorable Rachel.

"Fine, but we're not losing…And just so you know, Rache, for getting us into this ridiculous wager, when this week of self-imposed chastity is up you are going to get so thoroughly fucked that you're not going to be able to climb out of bed on your own."

Christ. It was all she could do to not put her hands over her ears to try and drown out the sound of her ridiculously ill-placed bravado. She hurled a string of silent insults at the still peacefully sleeping woman beside her for stealing her self-control along with her heart. She was not a slave to her nature. She had worked too damn hard to make sure of that. She could control herself. She was Ivy Tamwood dammit! And Ivy Tamwood is the physical embodiment of control.

Rachel moaned softly in her sleep causing the vampire's eyes to cross.

Okay, strike that.

Ivy Tamwood was the physical embodiment of self-control. Past tense. Because, she had to admit, as she desperately fought the losing battle to control her arousal, that it was sure as hell gone now. Poof. Hasta la vista, baby. Fuck.

Jesus. What the hell had she been thinking?

Sure, she'd agreed to the terms of the bet out of pride; but, now that they had a very real wager in play, she was beginning to think that she honestly didn't give a damn if she and Rachel lost the stupid thing. She could get up and play the piano in front of a crowd of people – hell, after a few drinks it might even be fun. Right?

Right.

And Rachel sure didn't shrink away from the idea of doing that black curse to make Jenks big again.

But, she wanted the use of that beach house. She desperately wanted to ravish Rachel on that bed under the fireworks. Seven days was an insanely long time for her to abstain. Especially if Rachel was walking around tripping her instincts at random times where she wasn't prepared to ignore them. She was (thankfully) out of practice at the whole ignoring Rachel thing just as the redhead was out of practice of consciously trying to not antagonize her. Her own arousal she could maybe keep in check with lots of cold showers, but she knew she wasn't strong enough to fight the redhead's desire as well.

What she needed was a plan. A plan to help her get through the week. Think, Tamwood. When are you most in control of yourself? When you're in control of your situation. So how do you control Rachel's emotions without pulling an aura (which was a definite no-no)?

A deliciously wicked smile creased her face as the answer became clear.

You tease her when you're most ready to resist.

Not necessarily nice, but Rachel did agree to the stupid bet first - she deserved a little retribution for landing them in this situation, right? Pleased with her plan of action and determined to put it into motion, she carefully slipped out from under Rachel and headed off to the bathroom to shower. It was the first day of what was going to be a very exciting week.

CHAPTER 3

A few minutes later, Rachel awoke to the sound of running water and she smiled to herself as she rolled over in the bed to bury her face in Ivy's pillow so that she could surround herself with the vampire's scent. Mmm, Ivy must be in the shower, she thought happily to herself, easily picturing the statuesque vampire standing under the beating spray, head thrown back and thin rivulets of water running haphazardly down her body, over and around her breasts, past stiff, delicious nipples and down her flat stomach to those beautiful soft dark curls…

Ugh. Maybe this bet wasn't such a good idea.

She rolled away from Ivy's pillow and firmly pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes, as she desperately tried to push the mental image of Ivy, her beautifully naked Ivy who she wasn't allowed to touch, in the shower out of her mind.

"Damn," she muttered, throwing back the sheet that had slipped down to her waist and climbing out of bed.

She hastily pulled on a pair of black running shorts (not that she ever actually went running, but they were supremely comfy for lounging around the house in during the summer months) and grabbed a ribbed tank out of the open drawer of their shared dresser before padding barefoot down the hall toward the kitchen.

Coffee. That's what she needed. A strong cup of coffee to help her wake up and find the energy to heave her mind out of the gutter. And maybe something to eat. Yeah, she most definitely needed to eat.

Mmm, Ivy pushed back on the island with those insanely long, incredibly sexy legs wrapped around my head, sweat beading on her skin as she moans and writhes under me as I …

Shit. No! No. Not eat. Food. Yes. What she needed was food. And coffee. Coffee and food.

"You okay, Rache?"

Ivy's quiet voice pulled her back to the present and she blushed as she realized that she was standing in front of the wide-open refrigerator toying with the canister of coffee. Judging by the icy feel of her toes, she'd been lost in thought for quite a while. "I'm fine."

Ivy smiled and nodded thoughtfully, deciding to push the redhead just that little bit more. Even without her heightened senses it wasn't too hard to figure out what, exactly, Rachel had been thinking about. Her flushed face and perky nipples straining against the thing material of her shirt gave that away all on their own. "You sure, dear heart? You've got the weirdest look on your face right now and you're making funny little noises. Are you sick?"

"No," Rachel murmured, an embarrassed blush setting her face aflame. She hadn't realized she'd been making any noises. "I'm fine. I'm just… um, thinking."

So much for the whole controlling the situation plan, she thought darkly. The state Rachel has worked herself up into already had my libido up and running again. "Don't think too much Rache," she drawled, giving her head a quick shake to try and knock all of her less-than-pure thoughts out of the forefront. She definitely needed to get the redhead's mind on less intimate ideas before she lost all self-control and just took her right there on the kitchen counter. "You know," she continued dryly, "that's not really your thing, dear heart."

Thankfully, this little barb got the exact reaction she'd been hoping for as Rachel stomped her foot angrily.

"Hey! We can't all be psychotically anal-retentive planners with a wicked color-coded post-it-note OCD streak!"

Quite wisely choosing to ignore Rachel's little rant, Ivy just smiled a silent touché at her love as she crossed the kitchen to pull the carton of orange juice out of the door. Just like she'd used to do on a regular basis, she completely skipped pouring the juice into a glass and started chugging it straight out of the box. Oh thank god this little trick still works, she thought as the sharp tang of the juice filled her mouth and nostrils, effectively blocking the scent of Rachel's arousal and soothing the faint ache of need blossoming in her gums. Now if I could only get the picture of Rachel's tits out of my mind I'd be fucking great.

Of course, the moment Ivy took a second giant swig of juice, Jenks decided to make his appearance. "Good morning ladies!" he boomed. "So, are you ready to give up yet?"

"Not yet Jenks," Rachel muttered as Ivy choked on her juice. The vampire had been so focused on her drink that she hadn't heard the pixie approach.

"You okay, Ivster?" Jenks cackled as Ivy gasped and spluttered rather comically in front of him. "You haven't already gone tribal on Rachey here, have you?"

"Funny, bug," Ivy drawled, closing the carton of juice and setting it back on the top shelf in the fridge. She took a deep breath before looking over at Rachel, and damn if her stomach didn't clench at the sight of the redhead's erect nipples pressing proudly against the fabric of her shirt.

"Earth to Ivy," Jenks sing-songed.

Ivy moved her gaze off of Rachel's rack and onto the annoying pixie flitting around the kitchen. "What do you want, Jenks?"

The pixie grinned and waggled his brows suggestively. "You seem a little on edge there Iv-meister. Please, don't keep holding out on my part – you know how much I love karaoke. "

Ivy laughed out loud, thankful (for a change) for Jenks' teasing. His little barb was just enough to ground her thoughts and bring her back to herself. "Why would I give up?" she drawled, a devious smile stretching her face as she put an extra strut into her step as she moved across the kitchen to where Rachel was standing. Purposefully ignoring their uninvited company, she licked her lips slowly as she leaned in closer to the redhead.

"Hey," Rachel breathed as Ivy's hands tenderly cupped her face.

Ivy smiled, leisurely sidling herself in closer, making sure to casually brush the fly of her jeans against Rachel's mound. It was an admittedly sneaky move on her part, but she figured it was still well within the given parameters of their bet given the lack of protest from Jenks. "Hey yourself," she murmured, dipping her head and capturing Rachel's lips in a slow, sensual, searing kiss.

Rachel reflexively relaxed into Ivy's embrace, her arms finding their own way around the vampire's waist without a second thought (or even a first, really) as she pulled the taller woman into her. She moaned loudly when Ivy's tongue began slowly tracing across her lower lip begging entrance, no longer surprised at how that small touch could create such large ripples of desire in her. She slowly slid one hand up Ivy's back to pull the onyx haired goddess in closer still as her lips eagerly parted to allow the vampire's probing tongue access.

Turn take it, this woman can kiss, Rachel thought dreamily as she gave herself over to the feeling of firm, pliant, silky smooth lips moving against her own, reveling in the extraordinary sensations they were evoking. Her heart was thundering in her ears, what breath she was able to catch was definitely coming fast and shallow, her arousal was pooling rather embarrassingly fast between her legs, and she more than completely forgot about the little agreement she had foolishly agreed to the night before as she moved to grab Ivy's ass possessively.

Aaaaand, now it's time to stop this madness, Ivy thought resignedly as she canted her hips away from Rachel's wandering hand and slowly pulled away from the kiss.

"Wha…?" Rachel started to ask, lifting her face to look at her girlfriend.

Ivy chuckled softly as she ran a tender thumb over the adorable redhead's cheek. "You made that ridiculous wager, dear heart," she murmured, a small smile of satisfaction tweaking her lips as she took in Rachel's flushed cheeks and lust darkened eyes. She knew it was mean of her to enjoy working the redhead up like this on purpose, but she couldn't deny that she enjoyed it. "Kissing only. No touchy-grabby. You don't want to go and lose this thing on the first day do you?"

Rachel rolled her eyes and sighed – rather dramatically, Ivy thought, for somebody who agreed to such an outrageous bet in the first place. "No," she muttered dejectedly. "I don't want to lose. At all. And, especially not on the first day."

If Rachel had said that she didn't care, Ivy would have carried her back to the bedroom to finish what they'd started, but she, too, was determined to see this thing to the end; so she just smiled as she dropped a chaste kiss to Rachel's kiss-swollen lips before backing away. "Good. I told Erica that I'd meet her for a coffee this afternoon, so I'll be back in a couple hours. 'Kay?"

"Mmhmm," Rachel answered absently, her mind already focused on the cold shower awaiting her down the hall.

The coffee shop Erica had chosen was surprisingly busy for a weekday mid-afternoon and Ivy sighed as she leaned back in her chair and sipped at her iced coffee, only half listening to Erica prattle on about whatever was happening at her school. Her sister's voice settled into a comforting hum and she smiled softly, ignoring the swell of foot traffic pulsing around them as she replayed the image of Rachel standing lost in thought in front of the refrigerator, cheeks flushed, lips parted, perfect nipples hard and begging for attention, in her mind.

"Earth to Ivy," Erica chuckled. "Now, where's your mind at, big sister?"

Ivy smiled and shrugged unrepentantly. "Home."

"Figured as much." Erica grinned and leaned back in her chair as picked up her phone to check the time. "You know, I honestly can't believe she agreed to that stupid bet. And that you let her, V! What in the name of blood were you thinking?"

Ivy shook her head. "I wasn't thinking, E. She was all gung-ho about it and then you offered up the prize and you guys started going after my pride, and… I don't know what the fuck happened, but I really want the beach house."

Erica smirked. She'd figured that was what had finally pushed Ivy into agreeing. "Well," she said, chuckling as she pushed her chair back and stood. "Good luck with that one. You know Jenks is going to be doing random fly-arounds to make that sure you two are behaving yourselves."

"Yeah, I figured as much." Ivy smiled in spite of the idea of Jenks swooping stealthily through the church trying to catch her having sex with Rachel. "Where are you off to?"

"I gotta go and meet Dane at the university, you gonna be okay?"

Ivy nodded as her phone buzzed with an incoming text. "Yeah. I'm cool. There's only like, what? A little less than six and a half days left, right?"

"But who's counting, right?" Erica countered, still laughing. "I'll catch ya later, V. How about we all do an impromptu movie night tomorrow?"

Ivy nodded as she reached for her phone. She wasn't expecting anybody to contact her, but if it was a potential new client she didn't want to leave them waiting. "Sounds good to me, we'll see you tomorrow," she answered, smiling as she saw that the incoming message was not from a client, but rather Rachel.

Cold showers suck. XO R

Tell me about it, how do you think I survived last night? ;p V

Still want you tho. Stupid bet.

Um, yeah.

BTW – we need more cold water.

LMFAO!

Smartass.

Ivy grinned, her cinnamon eyes sparking behind her sunglasses as she glanced around herself. Erica was at the curb, climbing into the little Audi coupe their father had bought her for her birthday last year, and she was pleased to notice that the area around her was otherwise abandoned. It was a gorgeous day with bright blue skies broken up by an occasional puffy white cloud, she still had half of her iced caramel mocha left, and she wasn't quite ready to return home to what was bound to be a tortuous evening of fighting back her instincts, so she bit her lip as she typed in another message to Rachel.

You do realize that if you hadn't made that bet, that I'd would've already had 3 fingers in you today.

She hit send and chuckled softly to herself and reached for her drink, easily picturing the expression Rachel was no-doubt wearing at that moment, as she waited for the redhead's reply. When, after a handful of minutes no such reply came, she sent off another quick message.

Um, you there DH?

........yes?

*grin*

Why did you do that?

Just wanted to make sure you know how much I want you.

She waited a beat and then added.

Did it work?

Mmhmm

A wholly unrepentant smirk tweaked her lips as she typed out her reply.

Good. You're too delicious for your own good, DH.

Awww

It's all I can do to not ravage you constantly

You suck, V.

She laughed and shook her head, easily picturing Rachel standing in the kitchen and glaring at her phone.

Yes, yes I do.

You're a freaking comedian now?

Yup. You're nipples are delicious, DH.

I'm not sexting you

At this, Ivy let out a bark of laughter that was loud enough to make a handful of the people walking by the café turn to look at her, but she didn't care.

That's okay DH, I'll take care of the good stuff, you just have to read.

No

Have I told you lately how much I love sucking on your clit?

Predictably, she did not get a response to this and she eagerly continued her one-sided textual seduction.

Hmm. No? Well, I do.

The sounds you make while I pleasure you are so fucking hot

Sometimes I swear I come just from listening to you

Again. You suck.

She grinned, pleased to have gotten some kind of response from the redhead, even if it wasn't necessarily positive.

Again. I know, and I love it.

Me too.

Ivy chuckled to herself, quickly glancing around the café's patio to make sure nobody was paying any attention to her, before she quickly typed out the next part of her message, sending each small section off in quick succession so that even if Rachel had wanted to get a word in edgewise, she couldn't.

Especially when I have my fingers buried inside you

Pumping in and out

Fast then slow

Hard then soft

Mmm…and the way your hips start to work when you're getting close

The feel of you pulsing under my tongue

That and your moans drive me crazy

The sweet taste of you filling my mouth as I curl my fingers to hit

That

One

Magical

Spot

I love the way you feel when you come around me.

You're so fucking sexy, Rache.

She took a slow sip of her drink and gave Rachel time to soak in everything she'd said.

Oh... my... god...

She laughed again as she typed out her reply.

You're welcome. How you doing, DH?

Got a wettie now

Ivy choked on her drink as she snorted with laughter.

LOL!

And I just screwed up the amulets I was working on

Sorry?

No you're not.

She nodded her agreement. She really wasn't apologetic in the least.

No, I'm not. I love you, DH.

Love you too. I'm off to take another cold shower.

Have fun?

It'd be more fun if you were in there with me.

And if the water wasn't cold.

Cold showers suck.

Shouldn't have made that bet, DH.

*sigh* Yeah.

CHAPTER 4

The next day found Ivy and Rachel back into their usual routine, with Ivy waking up long after Rachel had already vacated their bed. The vampire groggily pulled her black silk robe off its hook on the back of the door, and shuffled sleepily down the hall as she slid first one arm and then the other into the smooth fabric. She had just finished tying the robe closed as she entered the kitchen to find Rachel sipping a cup of coffee out of her favorite Vampiric Charms mug and looking through some kind of a catalog.

"Morning," Ivy said, smiling as she went to grab herself a cup of coffee.

"Morning," Rachel murmured, not lifting her eyes off of her magazine.

Ivy finished filling her mug and held it up to her lips, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of the sharp aroma before taking that first sip of the day. Heaven. "Mmm," she purred happily, as she padded across the linoleum to the table where Rachel was sitting. "Whatcha got there, dear heart?"

Rachel smiled cheekily and made a half-assed attempt to hide what she was looking at. "Oh, nothing."

"Really?" Ivy arched a brow questioningly as she tilted her head to the side to try and see for herself what the redhead had been looking at.

Rachel grinned and folded her other arm over the pages, knowing that it would make Ivy even more curious as to what she was looking at. "Yep."

"So, lemme see then," Ivy said, playfully reaching for the magazine and chuckling as Rachel pulled it away.

"Erica called and I'm going to go meet her at the beach this afternoon when you're meeting with the Howlers," Rachel changed the subject.

"Okay." Ivy nodded and waved a hand at the glossy mailer. "So, now are you going to show me what you were looking at?"

"Sure," Rachel agreed, standing and moving behind Ivy as she spun the glossy illustrated book around for them both to see. She leaned in close, making sure to press her breasts gently into the vampire's back as she pointed at the middle of the page and drew Ivy's attention to a rather colorful strap-on that was pictured there. "I like this one," she purred seductively in her lover's ear. "It's really pretty with the glitter, and I think it would look so fucking sexy on you."

Ivy's breath hitched in her throat and her nipples immediately contracted to an almost painful degree because, yeah, she was always up for adding to their toy box.

"Although," the witch continued huskily, a satisfied smirk tweaking her lips as she felt her girlfriend stiffen against her, "I think I'd like it best deep, deep inside me. And, I bet the spirals on it would feel absolutely orgasmic as you thrust it in and out of-"

"Mmmpft," Ivy interrupted her before she could go any further. "I think I got the mental picture of what you envision happening with that thing," she said breathlessly.

"Oh you don't even know the half of what I'd like for you to do to me when you're wearing that," Rachel murmured, lowering her mouth to lay a well-placed nip to Ivy's pulse point.

"Mmmm," Ivy purred, squeezing her legs together in an attempt to block her rising arousal. "Rache – why are you showing me this now?"

"Let's call it payback, baby," Rachel smiled, laying another kiss on Ivy's neck, this time dragging the flat of her tongue over the sensitive skin.

Ivy squeaked and squirmed under the redhead. "Payback for what?!"

Rachel chuckled as she slowly ran her tongue up Ivy's neck to her ear. "For sexting me yesterday and getting me so worked up that I had to take an ice-cold shower and my own fingers to myself to relieve the pressure," she murmured, her smile growing impossibly wider as she sucked the vampire's lobe between her teeth and delivered a none-too-gentle bite to the sensitive flesh.

"O-o-o-ohhhhh," Ivy hissed, her back arching in pleasure as a flood of arousal pooled between her thighs.

"And the whole time," Rachel husked, "I was wishing that it was you moving inside me. That it was you who was making me come so... goddamn... hard."

Ivy squeezed her eyes shut as her body clenched at the idea of feeling Rachel coming hard around her fingers because, yeah, that was one of her favorite things in the world. "Fuck."

Pleased with her lover's reaction, Rachel smirked. "Exactly, baby. Now, I'm going to go put on my bikini and meet your sister at the lake. We'll be back later for movie night, 'kay?"

Whimpering softly at the feeling of Rachel moving away from her, Ivy nodded her understanding.

Rachel reached a hand out and gently turned Ivy's face so she could look the vampire in the eye. She smiled at the arousal evident in Ivy's pitch black eyes and sighed as she leaned in to capture her lips in a deep, probing kiss that she knew would work her up even more. When the need for air forced her to pull away, she drew a quick breath before she pressed one last quick kiss to her lover's lips and whispered, "I'll see you later then, baby. Love you."

"Mmm." Ivy nodded jerkily. "Love you too, Rache."

Rachel smiled as she strutted down the hall toward their bedroom, calling cheekily over her shoulder, "Oh, and I left you plenty of cold water. Have fun."

"So, how are you doing with the bet?" Erica asked Rachel, as she flipped from her back to her stomach to sun the other half of her body for a bit.

Rachel laughed, the memory of how she'd teased Ivy earlier still fresh in her mind. "Oh, fine. I'd be willing to bet that Ivy had a worse morning today than I did."

The pleased tone in Rachel's voice made Erica laugh as she turned her head to grin at her companion. She really did enjoy the redhead's company. "What did you do to her?"

Grinning at the young vamp over the top of her sunglasses, Rachel shook her head. "Trust me, you do not want to know. But, she totally deserved it."

Erica giggled as she watched Rachel slip her glasses back into place and turn her face back toward the sky. "Why?"

"She thought it'd be fun to try sexting me yesterday afternoon when she was out with you."

"Nuh-unh." Erica shook her head. "She wasn't texting anybody when she was with me..." Her voice trailed off as she replayed her meeting with Ivy the day before. "But her phone did buzz right when I was leaving."

Rachel nodded. "That was probably it, then."

Erica grinned. "Wait, so she really sexted you when you're in the middle of this insane bet? Which, we are so not expecting you to win, by the way."

"Yes she really sexted me yesterday afternoon and why the hell don't you think we're going to win?"

"Rachel," Erica laughed. "You two are bunnies. You're always touching, rubbing, grabbing – it's… well, it's freaking nauseating, really."

Rachel blushed and smiled. "I don't know if I'm supposed to apologize for that or not."

"Apologize for what?" A familiar voice interrupted the two friend's conversation, and Ivy couldn't help but smile at the identical busted expressions that she was greeted with.

Erica looked up at her sister, who was striding purposefully toward them, her fitted black slacks and pale blue oxford shirt completely out of place at the beach – though the three buttons she'd left open at the throat did show nearly as much cleavage as a bikini would have – and smiled. "Nothing, V. Just girl talk. Wasn't expecting to see you here, I thought you were working today?"

"I am." Ivy grinned devilishly as she crouched down beside Rachel. "But, Rache, here, was going on and on this morning about wanting something so I swung by the store and got it for her. And, since the lake is on the way to the Howler's stadium, I thought I'd drop it off before I went to my meeting since I'm on my bike."

"You. Did. What?" Rachel spluttered, rolling over and staring at her girlfriend.

"I bought it for you," Ivy answered innocently, pretending not to notice the blush spreading across the witch's entire body. "Here ya go." She held out a nondescript red plastic bag as evidence. "Just like you wanted," she murmured as she dropped the bag into her lap and carefully leaned in to capture the redhead's lips in a tender kiss. "Can't wait to try it out later, dear heart."

Erica grinned and glanced at the bag her sister had just deposited in Rachel's lap. "I probably don't want to know what's in the bag do I?"

Ivy shrugged. "Ask Rachel. I'm late for my meeting. See you girls later. Love ya, Rache." She flashed a little fang at the redhead before she pushed herself back to her feet, and it was all she could do to keep from laughing as she started back across the loose sand to her motorcycle. Knowing that both Rachel and Erica were undoubtedly watching her, she put a little extra strut into her step, and she chuckled softly under her breath as she threw her right leg over the seat of her motorcycle and slid the key into the ignition.

"Damn," Rachel muttered to herself, shifting uncomfortably on her blanket as she watched her lover race away on her gleaming Nightwing.

"You say something Rache?" Erica asked, laughing as she laid her head back down on her folded arms.

"No." Rachel shook her head. "Nothing. Just muttering to myself."

"Oh, okay." Erica grinned. "So, you wanna show me what's in the bag?"

"Umm, I don't think so," Rachel muttered distractedly, already busy planning her retaliation.

Ivy strode into the offices on the club level of the Howlers' stadium, satisfied with herself for managing to come up with the idea of how to get back at Rachel for showing her that toy. Granted, thinking about it as she was riding across town on her motorcycle was, to put it mildly, interesting – as the ride out to the lake had been – but seeing Rachel's face as she dropped the bag into her lap made it all worthwhile.

"Ms. Tamwood," Mrs. Sarong's voice cut through her thoughts to bring her back to her surroundings. "Thank you for coming today."

Ivy smiled, more than a little relieved to have something else to focus on for a while. "No problem at all, Mrs. Sarong. What can Vampiric Charms do for you?"

The cutthroat Were began her spiel, laying out in precise detail what she needed from the firm. It was interesting, and she'd had the vampire's interest almost immediately, so when, approximately forty-five minutes into the meeting, Ivy's phone buzzed with an incoming text, the normally unflappable runner jumped. "Excuse me," she murmured, taking a quick glance to see that the message was from Rachel. Thinking it must be something important because Rachel never texted her when she was in a meeting, she muttered apologetically, "I need to see what this is about."

"No problem," Mrs. Sarong answered amiably. "I need to go and make a quick call myself, to let my, shall we say, associates know that you are willing to take our case. I will also speak with my secretary about getting you the required retainer."

"Excellent." Ivy beamed as she got to her feet to graciously bow at the older woman as she passed by her to the door. "Thank you so much."

She waited until the door clicked shut behind the imposing Were before she opened Rachel's message. Once the file opened she was supremely glad that she waited until she was alone.

It feels just as good as I thought it would. Miss you.

"Fuck." So much for the sanctity of business meetings. She glanced at the door Mrs. Sarong had just exited as she quickly typed out her reply.

You didn't really try it out, did you?

Wouldn't you like to know?

God, yes.

Too bad. Love you!

Erica grinned as she watched Rachel laugh and toss her phone back into her bag. Whatever the witch had just done, she was incredibly proud of herself for it. "So, were you just totally evil to my sister?"

"Yup." Rachel smiled. "And she totally deserved it. Again."

"Remind me never to piss you off, Rache. You ready to head out? Jenks'll be expecting our movie night to start soon."

"Yeah. I think I got enough sun for one day. I'm ready whenever you are," Rachel answered. She smiled at Erica as she got to her feet and picked up her towel to shake the loose sand from it. "I have a feeling Ivy's going to be heading home soon, herself."

Alone for the moment with Jenks in the kitchen, Erica cast a wary eye down the hall to Rachel's bedroom where the redhead was changing as she filled the pixy in on what had gone on that afternoon. "I swear to god, Jenks, They're teasing each other like there's no tomorrow."

"Well, that's good, right?" Jenks asked in a hushed whisper.

Erica shook her head. "You would think so, but no. If Ivy thinks this is a personal contest between her and Rachel she might not cave. I don't know if we're gonna win this one and I already have plans for that house over the holiday."

"Don't worry." Jenks gave the young vampire's arm a fatherly pat of reassurance. "You brought the movie I told you to, yeah?"

Erica nodded and glanced at the blue Blockbuster bag on the island. "Uh huh."

"Not a problem then, young Padawan," Jenks chortled confidently. "We have them right where we want them."

The sound of quiet conversation in the kitchen pulled Ivy through the church and she smiled as she spotted her sister and Jenks huddled around the island. "So, what movie did you choose?"

"Well hello to you too, sis." Erica grinned. "Nice meeting?"

Ivy chuckled and tipped her head. "It was… eventful."

"I'll bet," Erica laughed. "What did she text you?"

Ivy, who had started across the kitchen for the fridge and her orange juice, froze. "You were there?"

"Yeah, we were still laying out. Why? What was it?"

"Nothing but a little white lie," Ivy drawled dismissively, her keen mind already busy coming up with some form of payback. "So, what's the movie?"

"Yeah," Rachel prompted as she entered the kitchen. She smiled warmly at her lover, selfishly drinking in the sight of the living vampire's lean, gorgeous body for a moment before she turned her attention to Erica. "What movie are we watching tonight?"

Erica bit her lip and shrugged. "The Notebook," she shared, and chuckled quietly as she watched her sister grimace.

"I love that movie!" Rachel squealed, clapping her hands excitedly. "It's so romantic! Isn't it romantic Ivy?"

Ivy groaned and nodded as she glared daggers at her sister through the shifting curtain of her hair. "Yup."

"God." Rachel sighed dramatically, holding her hands to her chest, right above her heart, and continuing on as if Jenks and Erica couldn't hear her. "It'll be tough to not break our bet tonight after watching this. Something about this movie always makes me want to just take you to bed and make love to you until dawn, you know that babe?"

Though Ivy knew that Rachel was messing with her, it didn't make the redhead's reaction any less real. Rachel really did love this movie and they always ended up making love for hours on end after watching it. So she groaned softly as she nodded and craned her head to the side, cracking her neck loudly. "Yes, I know that quite well, dear heart. I'm sure it'll be a very interesting night trying to keep our hands off of each other."

Erica and Jenks shared evil grins and what they thought was a surreptitious celebratory high-five.

"I saw that, you two," Ivy muttered. "You suck. This is a pretty shady move, even for you, Jenks. You know she gets so worked up over this movie that I can barely control myself."

The pixie cackled merrily. "Just helpin' the cause Ivster. Just helpin' the cause."

CHAPTER 5

When Rachel awoke way too early the next morning to find herself alone in bed and her internal clock yelling at her to go back to sleep because the sun had just risen, she groaned and slapped at the sheets beside her, noting that they were completely devoid of warmth indicating that her tall, dark, and ridiculously sexy vampire had left her quite a while ago.

Though the more rational part of her brain told her that it was a good thing that Ivy was gone after how much effort the beautiful vampire had put into keeping from succumbing to her instincts the night before, Rachel ignored it with a practiced ease that should have been frightening if she hadn't been so used to doing so.

Rationality was overrated, after all.

And the irrational side of her brain was shouting at her to get up and go find Ivy, reminding her that it was absolutely unheard of for the vampire to be out of bed this early unless she was returning home from a night out or else off on a run – and Rachel knew for a fact that neither of those cases applied at the moment. She knew this because the color-coded calendar that hung on the wall above the computer that they both wrote their respective appointments quite clearly said that the vampire had nothing else scheduled for the rest of the week.

Now where has she disappeared to? Rachel thought to herself, as she rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of track pants and an old hoodie. The old stone church was especially cool this early in the morning.

Once clothed, she started her search for her missing vampire in the kitchen and wasn't too terribly surprised when she found it empty; Ivy had stopped spending all her time at her computer around the time they started dating. Not that she didn't continue to spend a decent amount of time online, doing who knows what, but it was no longer a façade that Ivy used as an excuse to simply spend some time in the same room with her. Now, when Ivy wanted to be near her, she just was - no excuses needed.

Instinct had led her to begin her search in the kitchen, and as she thoughtfully eyed the coffee pot that Ivy had obviously started, she opened up her ears and really listened for the vampire. Her hearing wasn't as strong as Ivy's or even Jenks', but she could hear better than the average witch and she frowned with confusion as she detected the sound of the television playing in the living room.

Confused, because out of the two of them she was more likely to veg in front of the television than Ivy, Rachel made her way down the short hall and she paused in the doorway when she spotted her lover curled up on the couch watching cartoons. What the Turn?

"You can stop staring Rache," Ivy murmured without turning around.

"Whatcha doing?" Rachel asked, unable to stop herself from smirking at the sight in front of her. It was just too freaking adorable.

"Watching some addicts get their fix," Ivy answered, and Rachel swore she could almost hear a grimace in her voice. "Unlike me," she finished, almost to herself.

"You're not an addict Ivy," Rachel murmured as she moved around the vampire's chair to sit in the corner of the couch.

"I am," Ivy countered. "I'm addicted to you," she continued, arching an eyebrow lecherously in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Well, I am pretty great," Rachel drawled, chuckling softly to herself as she dropped onto the sofa beside her lover.

"That you are," Ivy murmured, a soft smile tweaking her lips.

"Are you okay, baby?" Rachel asked seriously.

"I'm fine," Ivy answered a little too quickly.

Not at all surprised by Ivy's response – the vampire was always 'fine', even when she wasn't – Rachel decided to push her for a more honest answer. "Are you sure? Because never get up this early unless you absolutely have to and you're starting to go through the orange juice like it's going out of style."

"I'm fine," Ivy repeated quietly. "The juice just helps with the cravings. I'm resisting more than just your luscious body to try and help us win this bet, you know."

"I know, baby." Rachel frowned. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to be sorry about, dear heart," Ivy whispered, reaching out and grabbing Rachel's arm to pull the witch over onto her lap. "I agreed to this as much as you did," she murmured as she lifted Rachel and settled the witch's legs on either side of her own. "Can we just talk about something else, please?" she asked, nuzzling her favorite wild curls.

"Okay," Rachel nodded, happily sliding her arms around Ivy's neck. "So, you're watching Scooby Doo. There are no addicts in this show."

Ivy laughed quietly and smirked, as she closed the distance between them to press a soft kiss to the redhead's forehead. "Um, there are total addicts in this show. More precisely, there are exactly my kind of addicts in this show."

"Oh really?" Rachel smiled and rested her forehead against Ivy's as she looked into serious cinnamon eyes. "Care to enlighten me, oh wise one?"

"Well, Scooby and Shaggy are total druggies," Ivy started. "Potheads, to be exact."

Rachel's jaw dropped and she turned to look at the television where Shaggy and Scooby were busy shoving a bus-load of food into their mouths. "What? No they're not!"

Ivy rolled her eyes and nodded as she brushed the softest of kisses across Rachel's cheek. "They are. Why do you think they'll do anything for a Scooby Snack and then they're always hungry?"

"Fast metabolisms?"

Ivy chuckled. "Not likely. Total stoners getting high off the hash brownie Scooby Snacks."

"Um, you're not a pothead, V."

"Dear heart," Ivy purred, smiling adoringly at the woman on her lap as she smoothed her hands over the redhead's cheeks. "You are more addictive than any drug out there."

Rachel bit her lip and gave the vampire a shy smile. She wasn't entirely sure that being compared to an illicit substance was a compliment, but the honeyed tone of Ivy's voice left no doubt in her mind that it was meant to be one. "Really?"

"Mmm-hmm," Ivy murmured, running the tip of her tongue across the redhead's lower lip before she kissed her tenderly.

"Um, thanks?, I think," Rachel murmured.

"It's a complement, dear heart," Ivy assured her, laying a soft kiss to the tip of the redhead's nose. "And then there are the addicts who I am feeling the most sympathy towards at the moment"

Incredibly confused because she still wasn't sure that Shaggy and Scooby were potheads, though she had to admit that Ivy's theory did make sense, Rachel turned and looked at the screen where the entire Gang was clustered around a large map and discussing Fred's latest mousetrap theory. "Who's that?"

"Fred and Daphne."

"Why?"

"They're obviously sex addicts," Ivy said, in a dry, offhand manner.

Rachel's brow dropped as she studied the screen carefully. Sure, Fred and Daphne were standing awfully close together, but a lack of personal space didn't mean that they were sleeping together. Did it? "What?"

Ivy nodded. "Why do you think they're always separating themselves from the group? They're sneaking off to the Mystery Machine to get it on whenever possible."

Well, that actually made sense. Now that she thought about it, Fred and Daphne always showed up after the whole take-down was over. "Seriously?"

"Un-huh." Ivy grinned and reached up to turn Rachel's head so that she could capture her lips in a soft, lingering kiss. "Although I do totally understand his dilemma," she purred. "Once you find a delicious redhead of your own, you just want to ravage them constantly."

"Mmm," Rachel hummed, leaning in and kissing the vampire soundly. "I am really liking the sound of that."

Ivy smiled and rested her forehead against Rachel's. "Me too. But I don't want to be the reason we lose and you have to do that curse."

"That's funny," Rachel whispered, smiling as she dragged her fingers through the vampire's hair. "Even though I would prefer to not add any more smut to my aura, I could really care less about that curse because it'd make Jenks live longer. I just don't want to be responsible for you having to play on stage – no matter how sexy I think you'd be doing it."

"You think I'd look sexy playing the piano on stage?" Ivy asked, obviously surprised.

Rachel chuckled and shook her head at her absurd girlfriend. "Ivy, you're the sexiest woman on the planet when you're doing laundry; of course you'd look hot playing the piano up on stage. It'd be all I could do to not run up there and jump you and give the people one hell of a show."

Ivy smiled a small self-conscious smile. "Really?"

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Yes, really." She smiled softly as she ran a gentle hand across the vampire's forehead and down her jaw. She recognized the fact that the majority of Ivy's insecurity lay in the years she'd spent idiotically refusing the vampire's affections, but it killed her to know that those doubts still lingered. "You are breathtaking, Ivy. Absolutely stunning. And I am so sorry that it took me so long to pull my head out of my ass and recognize it because you are the best thing to have ever happened to me."

Simultaneously pleased and embarrassed by Rachel's heartfelt admission, Ivy lifted her hands to cup the redhead's face between her palms, her thumbs tenderly stroking her lover's cheeks. "I love you so much."

Rachel smiled. "I love you too, Iv."

"So we have been sticking with this ridiculous bet that you managed to get us roped into because of not wanting to hurt each other?"

Rachel chuckled and nodded, her head rocking against Ivy's as she massaged the back of the vampire's neck affectionately. "It would appear so, yes. And the beach house."

"Mmm. Yes," Ivy purred. "I have big plans for that beach house."

A slow rolling current of electricity tumbled down Rachel's spine at the silken timbre of her lover's voice. "Will I like those plans?"

"Oh, yes." Ivy leaned in to purr teasingly in her ear, "They're quite… orgasmic."

Rachel moaned and kissed Ivy softly. "I do like the sound of that."

Ivy hummed and dropped a quick, chaste kiss to Rachel's lips. "Me too. So it's a good thing I have more self-control than you do – at least I'm not going to be the reason we lose this thing."

Rachel smirked and gave the vampire her best challenging glare. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really," Ivy retorted. "Everybody knows that I have way more self-control than you do."

"Wanna bet?"

"Sure, what are we betting?"

"First to cave, loses," Rachel offered.

"Fine," Ivy agreed. "What does the winner get?"

"Whatever," Rachel said, shrugging. "Winner gets to choose."

"Oh, dear heart, you have a deal," Ivy chortled, leaning in to kiss the redhead tenderly. "I promise I'll do my best to think of something we'll both enjoy."

Rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes playfully. "Please. Like you're really going to win."

"Oh, I'm so going to win," Ivy argued laughingly. "We have four days left. I bet I'll get you to give-in long before then."

There was something in Ivy's tone that had Rachel moderately afraid of what it was that the vampire was planning, but she pushed those thoughts aside with her usual bravado. "Uh-huh, sure."

Ivy licked her lips and gave Rachel an appraising once-over. If she was going to try and get the redhead to break first, she needed to come up with something that will push her over the edge. A slow, entirely wicked smile tweaked her lips as she got an idea. "You wanna go out tonight?"

After everything that had happened the last couple of days, that actually sounded like a rather good idea to Rachel and she smiled and nodded as she leaned in and captured Ivy's smiling lips in a deep, probing kiss. "Sure, that sounds like fun. What do you have in mind?"

Ivy chucked and ran a finger over her lips that were still tingling from that last kiss. "Oh, you'll see. It's a surprise."

"Erica," Jenks muttered into his tiny cell phone. "Pick up, you stupid vamp!"

"Hello?"

Jenks let the breath he was holding out with a great whoosh. "Erica, it's me, Jenks."

"Yeah, the caller ID told me that," Erica drawled. "What's up? Did they finally do it?"

"No," Jenks hissed, purposefully keeping his voice low so that Ivy didn't overhear. "You were right, they're totally making this into a competition between the two of them."

"Shit."

Jenks took a deep breath and grinned. "Yeah, but they sounded like they were both kind of okay with the result if they lost; so now they're going to be actually trying to tease the other into submission."

"You're kidding me?" Erica gasped. If Jenks was right, and she was sure that he was, then it was just too good to be true.

"I know, right?"

"Oh, this is awesome," Erica chortled. "I don't give Rachel one day if my sister is actually trying to seduce her."

"What about Ivy?" Jenks countered. "Do you really think she's going to be able to resist Rachel if she's really trying to set her off? Hell, Rache does a bang-up job when she's not even trying. Imagine how much she's going to torment your sister if it's on purpose!"

"This is so incredibly awesome, Jenks," Erica laughed. "You've totally made my day. So, how are we going to know if they do it or not?"

"Please," Jenks scoffed. "After all these years living with those girls, I know everything about them. Trust me, I'll know."

"While the very thought of that is incredibly creepy, I'll leave you to it," Erica answered happily. "Keep me posted."

"Hey, Ivy!" Rachel hollered as she wandered into their bedroom in search of the missing vampire. "I need to know what to wear tonight. Could you at least give me a hint…" Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of the tall vampire bent over, long legs on perfect display as she pulled on a black lace thong, her delicious breasts swinging tantalizingly free. "Oh. Fuck. Me," she muttered.

Ivy looked up and grinned as she slowly slid the scrap of fabric masquerading as underwear into place. "I'd love to, dear heart, but we have that bet going on right now. Unless-" she stood and stretched, arching her back and thrusting her chest out invitingly toward the redhead, "-you'd like to come have a taste?"

Without her being aware of it doing so, Rachel's tongue peeked out to sweep slowly across her lips at the sight of Ivy displayed before her in all her naked glory. Her inner voice demanded that she go and do exactly what Ivy was tempting her with as her hands flexed at her sides, her fingers literally aching for her to cross the room and grab hold of Ivy's breasts and rub, knead, and massage those lovely mounds.

"You okay, Rache?" Ivy asked, lowering her arms but making no move to cover herself. She did have a secondary bet to win, after all. "You're looking a little flushed."

"Hmmm," Rachel murmured, somehow managing to find the willpower to tear her eyes away from Ivy's breasts. She moved her gaze up, past plush lips that were tweaked in an amused grin to land a pair or dark, hungry eyes that had just the barest ring of brown visible. She swallowed thickly, knowing that Ivy wanted her just as badly as she wanted the vampire.

"I asked if you were okay," Ivy repeated softly, taking slow, shallow breaths through her mouth to try and control her instincts that were screaming at her to pounce, attack, and take the gorgeous redheaded where she stood.

"Yeah," Rachel answered in a trembling, breathless voice."I was um… hmm… I mean… fuck." The redhead laughed at her own inability to form a sentence and shook her head as if to clear it. "What should I wear tonight?"

"Jeans will be fine," Ivy said with a grin. She set her hands on her hips, drawing attention to the fact that all she had on was that see-through lace thong, as she watched Rachel continue to flounder. "I thought we'd take my bike."

Bloody fucking hell, Rachel mentally grimaced. I'm hosed. "Mmm."

"Are you sure you're okay, dear heart?" Ivy chuckled. "You're all flushed again."

Rachel threw the vampire the closest thing to an overconfident smile she could manage at the moment, which meant that she looked vaguely ill. "I'm fine, Iv. I'll just, um… go shower and get ready?"

Ivy laughed softly. "Sounds good, Rache."

"Yeah… good," Rachel stuttered, allowing her eyes to rake the vampire's naked form one more time before she turned rather clumsily on her heel and headed into the bathroom to shower.

"Oh, dear heart?"

"Yeah?" Rachel looked over her shoulder.

Ivy smiled seductively as she slowly ran her hands up her stomach to cup her breasts, artfully sliding her fingers around her hard dark nipples and playfully squeezing the firm mounds as she answered, "I left you plenty of cold water."

Rachel swallowed audibly as her stomach clenched and her panties were effectively ruined. A sound that was a mix between a moan and a gasp stuck in her throat and she shook her head distractedly as she left the room as fast as she could without running.

Ivy grinned as she watched Rachel's hasty retreat. "Game on."

The sun was filtering through the west-facing stained glass windows of the sanctuary, painting the room in shades of green and gold as Ivy waited for Rachel to finish getting ready for their date. She puttered around the pool table, sinking shot after difficult shot with an ease that even professional billiard players would envy, occasionally laughing softly as her thoughts kept flashing back to Rachel's face in their bedroom earlier. It was like the poor little witch honestly didn't realize who she was dealing with, she chuckled to herself, as she leaned provocatively across the table to knock the eight ball into the center pocket.

Rachel paused in the doorway, enjoying the view of Ivy's denim clad ass on full display for a moment before she cleared her throat to get the vampire's attention."You ready?" she called out, as she adjusted the collar of her shirt.

Ivy looked over her shoulder at the redhead and her jaw dropped. Rachel had changed into jeans like she'd suggested – but the witch had chosen to pour herself into the pair of Citizens that had led to an unforgettable afternoon of risqué sex in a very public dressing room a few months prior. "Oh. Fuck. Me," Ivy muttered.

"I'd love to," Rachel chuckled, giving herself a mental high five as she quite literally strutted across the room toward the front door, making sure Ivy got a good eyeful of the extra swing she was putting into her hips. "But we are in the middle of that insane bet," she mocked. "Unless you'd like to come have a taste?" she offered, throwing a playful grin over her shoulder at the vampire.

Ivy just stared.

Rachel chuckled softly and tilted her head to the side questioningly. "Um, baby... are you feeling okay? You're looking a little flushed."

"Mmm-hmm," Ivy murmured, nodding jerkily. "Yeah. Okay. Let's go."

Rachel grinned as she followed her unusually ineloquent girlfriend out the front door and down the steps to where the vampire had left her gleaming Nightwing. She grinned as she slid in behind Ivy, noticing the way the vampire stiffened slightly when she slowly trailed her hands around the top of her low-slung jeans, her thumbs brushing seductively across the soft skin of the taller woman's abdomen as she grabbed hold of her waist.

The feeling of Rachel's fingers against her skin sent a flash of heat pulsing through her and it took all of Ivy's incredible control to not turn around and take the redhead right there. "Ready?"

"Oh yes," Rachel purred, leaning in to give the vampire's lobe a gentle nip. "Let's go, baby."

Ivy took a deep breath as she started the engine, willing herself to remain calm as the powerful motor started vibrating between her thighs. Oh. Fuck. Me.

Rachel, sitting on the back of the bike fell victim to those same vibrations. Oh. Fuck. Me, she thought desperately as her eyes rolled back in her head.

Squeezing the handbrake gently as they rolled to a stop at a red light, Ivy took a deep breath and savored the feeling of the rumbling between her thighs easing as her bike slipped into a gentle idle. Oh, thank god, she thought to herself as she tried to shift imperceptibly on her seat.

Rachel smirked as she felt Ivy's hips moving ever so slightly in front of her and she chuckled throatily as she leaned in to run the tip of her tongue around the shell of the vampire's ear. "Mmm... you feel so good pressed up against me, baby."

Ivy shuddered at the redhead's touch. So much for getting a little relief.

"And your bike," Rachel growled. "Mmm, it feels so… fucking… good vibrating between my legs. I am absolutely dripping right now."

Ivy couldn't contain the low, needy moan that spilled from her lips at the redhead's taunt and she sighed with relief as she watched the light turn green and she was able to race away from the line.

"No... please, no," Ivy muttered as she watched the traffic light up ahead change from green to yellow. She gunned the bike, trying to make the signal, but was forced to stop behind the line when the light, in what had to be the universe's way of punishing her for her past sins, turned red. Please let her be quiet, she thought desperately. The teasing of the last two days combined with the feeling of Rachel's breasts pressed against her back, and the redhead's hands splayed possessively across her stomach - never mind the throaty, rumbling vibrations of the bike between her legs - had her about ready to snap, and she honestly didn't know how much more she could take.

Sure enough, the minute they were stopped Rachel leaned in and resumed her sweet talking. "Did I tell you how amazing you look when you wear just that lacy thong?"

Ivy groaned and bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. She soothed the wound with her tongue as she shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

Rachel smiled. "Mmmm… any other day and I would have had one of your delicious nipples between my teeth and my fingers down the front of that thong in a heartbeat."

"Fuck," Ivy breathed.

Rachel chuckled and just laid a soft kiss to the sensitive hollow behind the vampire's ear as the light changed and Ivy once again gunned the engine and raced away from the intersection.

Another red light.

"Mmm, I have absolutely ruined these panties," Rachel breathed, nipping at Ivy's pulse point.

Ivy closed her eyes and fought to keep from making any noise.

"I wish your tongue was down there right now so you could taste how insanely wet I am."

Another red light.

Christ, what is this, the night of one million red lights? Ivy thought angrily.

"My nipples are so hard right now they hurt," Rachel said with a piteous moan as she pushed herself into the vampire's back for emphasis.

Said vampire's eyes crossed more than a little at that confession.

Another red light. Ivy whimpered as she seriously debated abandoning her precious motorcycle right there and disappearing into the night on foot.

"Baaaaby," Rachel groaned. "Could you please rev the engine a couple times? I am... unh... so… mmm… close."

Ivy turned around to find the redhead's green eyes twinkling mischievously. Rachel was obviously enjoying herself. "You are so bad," she muttered, before turning back around and tearing off through the intersection - not caring that the light had yet to change and was still glowing a bright red.

Not that it did her any good, as she was forced to stop at yet another red light only a few blocks further on.

"So I'm bad, huh?" Rachel purred, her seductive grin growing wider as Ivy turned around and she took in the vampire's pitch black eyes.

Not trusting herself to speak, Ivy nodded slowly.

Rachel grinned and asked, "You gonna spank me?"

Ivy growled loudly and reached back to forcefully pull the teasing redhead into a fierce kiss, no longer caring about who was going to owe whom, or who had stronger will-power. All she cared about was getting closer to the woman who was slowly driving her insane.

The feeling of Ivy's tongue plunging forcefully into her mouth drew an embarrassingly loud moan from Rachel's throat as the redhead sank into the kiss, leaning out over the side of the bike to allow Ivy easier access as she threaded her fingers through the vampire's thick onyx locks, tugging roughly against the strands for balance so she didn't fall over. The kiss seemed to go on forever with both women pouring everything they had into the caress to the point that they both became completely unaware of the world around them.

They were so lost to their passion, in fact, that they only came back to themselves because of the whoop-whoop of a police siren and a voice hollering over a megaphone. "Girls for as much as we're all enjoying the show, you've sat through three green lights now; you need to move the motorcycle."

Rachel pulled away, her emerald eyes dark with need and flashing with annoyance as she turned to glare at the FIB officer who was foolish enough to interrupt them. A primal, threatening growl rumbled in her throat as she stared daggers at the overweight man in the black and white cruiser parked behind them and the demon blood in her veins sang with the urge to do something about her anger

While just as annoyed as Rachel was, Ivy was able to tamp down the raging need that was coursing through her long enough to give then man an apologetic wave. "Sorry, officer. We'll get going now."

The sound of Ivy's gray silk voice snapped Rachel out of her fury and she turned her attention away from the officer and onto the woman in front of her. She moaned softly as she leaned in and ran the flat of her tongue over the vampire's exposed neck. "Where are we going?"

Ivy groaned and scrubbed her face with her hand. "I'm not too sure anymore."

CHAPTER 6

After pulling through the intersection – to wolf-whistles and cheers – Ivy shakily maneuvered the motorcycle down an nearby alley and killed the engine. She was vibrating with need and she felt as if every cell in her body was zinging with electricity. Her kiss-swollen lips were throbbing in time with the blood pulsing through her veins and the rest of her body was literally aching to be touched.

Stroked.

Fucked.

But there were other needs raging inside her too. Other needs that weren't as pedestrian as simple horniness. And it was those particular needs that she needed to get control of. Rachel had quite literally licked her right over the edge with that last little stunt back there and she knew that if she didn't get control of herself soon, that things could go very badly, very, very quickly.

She jumped off the bike, ignoring Rachel's worried questions about what was wrong as she strode down the alley until the fetid scent of rotting garbage overrode the scent of redwood and amber. She tiredly placed her forearm between her head and the rough surface of the wall as she leaned into the uneven brick that made up the left side of the alleyway.

"What's wrong, Ivy?" Rachel asked quietly from her perch on the back of the now silent motorcycle. Ivy was a good ten yards away from her, but she knew that the vampire would be able to hear her.

"Just… stay there and give me a minute," Ivy answered, closing her eyes and drawing a couple deep breaths, forcing herself to concentrate on anything thing that wasn't Rachel as she fought to get the feel and smell of the witch out of her system.

Of course Rachel didn't listen.

Ivy groaned at the sound of Rachel's boots scraping against the pavement, indicating that the witch had climbed off the back of the bike, and shuddered as she heard the whisper of the air shifting around the redhead as she moved closer. Please go back. Please leave me alone for ONE FUCKING MINUTE! she thought, shaking her head desperately as the other woman's footsteps drew closer.

"Ivy, please look at me," Rachel begged quietly.

Every muscle in Ivy's body tensed as she shook her head forcefully and grunted, "No."

"Are you okay?"

The question was so stupid, so... so... so very Rachel in its naïveté, that Ivy looked up at the redhead in shock, immediately capturing the unthinking witch's emerald eyes with her own. She didn't need a mirror to know that there wasn't one speck of white left visible in her eyes. She didn't need any sort of visual confirmation as to her current state. She knew how she looked. She could feel it. She could feel the always barely restrained strength and power inside her demanding to be let loose, begging to be allowed to hunt, stalk, and capture. She could taste the saliva pooling in her mouth as her fangs literally ached with need; ached to tear into something hot, wet, and delicious. She was completely, totally, one hundred percent, vamped out.

"Oh," Rachel gasped, understanding flashing across her face. She was completely blown away by how dangerously beautiful Ivy was in all her powerful glory. Dear Goddess, she's stunning. "I'm sorry, baby," she whispered, reflexively reaching out to stroke the vampire's cheek tenderly.

"Rachel," Ivy growled as she flinched away from the redhead's touch. "I know you mean well, and I love you for wanting to comfort me right now, but I need you to go back to the bike for a few minutes and stay there like I asked you to. Please." She knew her voice was low and vicious, dripping with the threat of danger, but she couldn't help it. She winced as she watched Rachel nod slowly in understanding, biting her lip worryingly as she backed away, and she hated herself for hurting the witch even as she desperately fought not to. She turned back to her brick wall and drew a deep breath between her tightly clenched teeth, sucking the cleansing air in with an audible hiss and holding it in until her lungs burned before blowing it out in a quiet whoosh; and it took a few minutes of deep breathing for her to regain enough control of herself to turn back towards Rachel who was, thankfully doing as she asked and was waiting on the bike.

She tried to smile reassuringly as she approached, but she knew that her eyes were still mostly black and that her smile probably came across as more of a grimace. "I'm sorry," she whispered as she reached the stunning redhead who was waiting for her. She leaned in and brushed a soft kiss across Rachel's forehead, her eyes fluttering closed as her lips brushed against that smooth beautiful skin and her nose detected the intoxicating scent of the blood pumping through the redhead's veins.

Now understanding exactly how far she'd pushed Ivy, Rachel whispered, "I'm sorry."

Ivy relaxed as she felt the redhead's hands lightly grasp at her waist. This is what she needed. To just let go and be. To enjoy Rachel's company. To really, truly relax and let loose for a little bit. Which was, of course, easier said than done for a vampire who was on edge and her witchy lover who was incredibly adept at pushing her buttons. The more she thought about it, the more the obvious answer to their predicament became obvious. "Rache, do you want to go to The Palace?"

"Sure," Rachel answered, desperate to get Ivy back to her joking, teasing self. She wasn't sure how a club factored into that transformation, but Ivy knew what would help her a lot better than she did. "If you think you're up to it, let's go."

They got back on the bike and made the ride over to the club in a tense silence. Each of them knew exactly how close to incredibly, irrevocably wrong things had gone back at that intersection, and both of them wanted nothing more than to push past it as painlessly as possible. Thankfully, the Gods must have decided that Ivy had suffered enough because they rode the smooth, green wave all the way across town and Rachel's jaw dropped as they pulled up in front of a large, industrial-looking building to find an impressive queue against the outer wall of the building.

"Should we just leave?" Rachel asked quietly, angling her mouth so that her breath didn't fall on Ivy's skin.

The vampire shook her head, her windswept hair flying into her face. "We don't wait with them," she answered, smiling as she tucked the hair behind her ears.

Neither woman had been to this particular club before - Ivy only knew of it because John from Piscary's had ventured out on his own and, with a little help from Cormel, established this little club. Apparently Rynn had heard about how vampire related crimes had dipped when Kisten had turned Piscary's into a club, and the new vamp ruler had decided that a little sugaring to keep the living vamps happy wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

The vamp at the door was hesitant to let Rachel enter, it was a vamp club after all, and it wasn't until he realized that she was with Ivy that he gave her a gracious bow and let her enter. Anybody strong enough to hang with Tamwood was strong enough to survive the craziness contained behind the double doors behind him.

"Thanks, Rhys," Ivy murmured, laying a couple sound smacks to his shoulder as she passed.

"Not a problem, Ms. Tamwood," he replied politely, somehow managing to stand firm and not flinch under her blows.

The women passed through the double doors and ran right into a veritable wall of sensory overload. The bass pumping out of the speakers filled the room with a tangible beat that Rachel found overpowering until she got used to the feeling of the music literally reverberating through her body, and then she found the steady thwump from the supersized sub-woofers strangely hypnotic. It was like a full-body musical massage.

For as much as Rachel was fixated on the music, Ivy ignored it completely as she took a deep relaxing breath, eagerly inhaling the sea of pleasurable pheromones filling the room and attempting to get sugared as quickly as possible. She closed her eyes and purred happily as she took breath after breath, holding each in for a few seconds before letting it go, each exhale carrying a measure of her hunger away with it.

Rachel felt Ivy relax beside her and she was shocked when she looked up at her lover to find the vampire's eyes closed and the ghost of a contented smile tweaking her lips. It was a completely contradictory look than the pained, desperate look that Ivy had given her back in the alley.

Ivy opened her eyes to find Rachel watching her. She smiled and leaned in to whisper through wild curls, "Want to go get a drink?"

Thinking that a drink sounded lovely, Rachel smiled and nodded. "Sure."

Ivy reached down for Rachel's hand, twining their fingers together and lifting their joined hands to her lips to place a gentle kiss to the back of the witch's knuckles. She chuckled softly and gave the redhead's arm a gentle tug, pulling the witch into step beside her as she made her way across the crowded room to the bar where the mass of vampires huddled around it parted for them without a word from Ivy. She was a Tamwood, the most powerful living vampire in Cincinnati – they all knew better than to get in her way. One authoritative wave of Ivy's hand got the bartender's attention, and a few muttered words landed a Screwdriver and a Dead Man's Float in front of the pair. Ivy literally slammed her drink and, before Rachel could blink, held the now empty glass out for the bartender to refill.

"Is that smart?" Rachel asked hesitantly, the dangerously beautiful image of a fully vamped-out Ivy at the forefront of her mind.

Ivy nodded as she leaned in to whispered in Rachel's ear. "Just one more. I need to take the edge off. You know the juice helps."

"And the vodka?"

"That helps with the other edge I'm falling victim to," Ivy purred seductively, the alcohol in her blood and the pheromones in the club already doing their jobs of relaxing her.

A rolling shiver made its way down Rachel's spine as she sank into her lover's gaze, which could only be described as liquid sex and promises. She sucked her lower lip between her teeth and bit down on the tender flesh as she fell deeper into the vampire's eyes, and she stared, completely bewitched, as Ivy knocked back her second drink as quickly as she had her first. And when the vampire smiled seductively and inclined her head questioningly toward the packed floor behind them, silently asking if she wanted to dance, all she could do was nod her agreement because the sight of Ivy so relaxed stole the breath from her lungs. She is so goddamn beautiful.

Ivy's smile turned from seductive to excited as she grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled the redhead out onto the dance floor, weaving their way around the mass of gyrating bodies to the center of the hardwood, clearing room for them with a simple glare and a directive nod of her head. She sighed contentedly as she turned and smiled at Rachel, holding her arms out to urge the redhead closer. This is what she needed. Well, she needed more, but, for now, this would suffice. She smiled lovingly at Rachel, sliding in closer and laying her hands on the witch's hips as she started to move with the music.

Blown away by the beautiful woman in front of her, Rachel could only stare, she was so transfixed by the sight of the sexy vampire moving with the loud unintelligible music, and it took a gentle pull from Ivy's hands against her hips to remind her that she should be moving too. "Is this smart?" she asked, sliding her arms around the vampire's neck as she allowed the hands on her hips to guide her in closer.

Ivy smiled and pulled Rachel in closer until their bodies were pressed up against each other, their hips rolling sensuously together in a slow, erotic grind as she leaned in to kiss her softly. "Probably not, but I'm tired of being smart, Rache. I'm tired of thinking. I want to go back to feeling. I want to dance. Please, just dance with me."

Thinking that the vampire's idea sounded absolutely marvelous, Rachel nodded and allowed Ivy to lead as they began dancing in earnest. Her awareness of the crowd around them disappeared as she lost herself in the feeling of Ivy's body moving against her own. She smiled widely, throwing her head back in pleasure as she felt the pounding bass of the music pound through her veins, forcing the natural rhythm of her heartbeat to conform to its rhythmic tempo, until all movement became unconscious. She wasn't moving her body, the music was. She was no longer thinking about what they should and should not be doing. She just let herself go, delighting in the feeling of Ivy pressed up against her, savoring the familiar feeling of their bodies moving, rubbing, and grinding against each other.

Ivy's fingers grasped, rubbed and stroked the redhead's hips as she pressed herself closer to her love, reveling in the feeling of actually touching Rachel, of actually having her hands on the witch's body; enjoying the way she was able to direct the redhead's movements against her with a soft push or a gentle pull one way or the other on her hips in much the same way as she would have were they in bed. And, had she been thinking, she would have recognized that it was an incredibly intimate connection that they shared in that moment considering the fact that they were surrounded by an untold number of strangers.

Rachel's body felt like it was on fire, every nerve-ending demanding to be stroked. Touched. Caressed. In the back of her mind, she knew they should stop; knew that they were still in the middle of that ridiculous bet and they shouldn't be rubbing against each other this way; but she honestly could have cared less. She needed Ivy. Needed the vampire's hands upon her body. Needed to feel her lover's skin, slick with sweat beneath her fingertips.

Fuck it all, Rachel thought as she tangled one hand in the short hairs at the nape of Ivy's neck and dropped her other hand to grab hold of the vampire's ass as she slid one jean-clad leg between her lover's. I need this. We need this.

The redhead's emboldened touch drew a low, feral growl from Ivy's throat as she eagerly moved to slide her right leg between Rachel's. She let go of the witch's hip with her left hand and allowed the arm to swing free in time with their movements as she ground her hips down against the redhead's thigh. Her movements became stronger and more demanding as she felt Rachel relax into her; as she felt Rachel begin to rub against her; as she felt Rachel's hand slide up her stomach to palm her breast possessively. A delicious shiver of anticipation rolled through her as the redhead's thumb brushed over her nipple, and she reflexively arched her back, pushing herself into her lover's hand, wordlessly begging to be touched that way again.

Ivy's pupils were completely blown and Rachel's were hooded and clouded with desire as they moved against each other, neither woman noticing that the crowd had pulled back to allow them more room to dance or that the crowd in their immediate vicinity had stopped dancing altogether and were just watching the show they were inadvertently putting on. Had they noticed, neither of them would have cared. They were lost. Lost to everything but the woman in their arms and the way she felt moving against them.

Dark eyes that were black as night locked onto Rachel as Ivy drank in the delicate flush on Rachel's cheeks, the slightly bedraggled look of her curls, her heavy lidded, lust darkened eyes, and the way her lips were parted with the corners tweaked up in a small, self-satisfied smile. She looked... she looked like she'd just been fucked. Completely, beautifully debauched. Ivy groaned loudly as she gave in to her most base desires and dipped her head to claim the redhead's lips in a deep, passionate, possessive kiss that left no doubt in either of their minds as to what she wanted.

Rachel moaned loudly as she felt Ivy's tongue begin moving against her own, and sighed happily as she pulled the vampire in closer, close enough that their breasts were smashed together between them as they stopped dancing – completely forgetting the music, their location, and the hundreds of hungry eyes watching them as they gave themselves over to the overwhelmingly powerful, aching need that their days of teasing had produced. Eventually, the redhead pulled back from the kiss just long enough to whisper pleadingly, "Take me home, Ivy. Take me to bed. Just, take me."

Ivy's eyes rolled back in her head as she possessively reclaimed Rachel's lips, her hands finding their way around her lover's trim hips without a second thought as she grabbed hold of the witch's luscious ass and easily lifted her off her feet. She growled possessively as she felt Rachel eagerly wrap her legs around her waist, arching forward into her in a wanton display of need.

"Oh, yes," Rachel moaned, burying her face in the crook of Ivy's neck as each of the vampire's steps caused her to rock erotically against her, the thick fold of fabric rubbing deliciously against her center.

They stumbled out of the club easily, neither of them bothering to stop and think about why it was that everybody knew they were trying to leave, or about why a room full of faceless strangers moved out of their way.

They were beyond thinking.

They were feeling.

Ivy reluctantly deposited Rachel onto the back of her bike and climbed on in front of the breathless beauty. Before she started the engine she pulled out her cell and punched up the second number in her speed dial, not bothering with niceties when the person on the other end picked up. "You win. We're fucking bunnies. If you don't want your children completely traumatized, you better have them out of the church within the next ten minutes."

CHAPTER 7

The Next Afternoon (Late the next afternoon)

Jenks flew merrily into the kitchen to find Ivy sitting in her usual spot at the table, contentedly nursing her first cup of the day. The minute he took in her goofy, contented smile and her relaxed, sated posture, he started laughing his tight little pixy ass off.

"Don't even start with me, bug," the vampire drawled, hiding her smile behind her coffee cup.

He, of course, paid absolutely no attention to her warning. Perhaps it was because of her smile. Or the fact that she looked so sated that he didn't think she'd be able to get out of her chair fast enough to catch him. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath, waggling his brows as she screeched, "Oh god yes, Ivy!" He zipped round the room, leaving a glittering green trail behind him. "Riiiiight there! Fuuuuuck! Yesssssssssss! Iiiiiiivvvvvvvyyyyyyyyyy!" He broke off laughing. "Tink's tiny blue dildo, Ivy, did you kill the poor girl or just…"

"Fuck her senseless?" Ivy cut him off, knowing exactly what he was going to say next.

Jenks nodded with an expectant expression on his face.

"She's not dead," Ivy murmured, taking another sip of her coffee.

Jenks cackled madly at his friend's sassy response. "Have you checked lately?"

"Right before I climbed out of bed," Ivy answered seriously. "And, at several times during the morning when she was sleeping."

"Wow, it was that good, huh?"

"Mmm." Ivy nodded, a small smile tweaking her lips as snapshots from last night's activities flashed through her mind.

"Earth to Ivy," Jenks chortled.

Ivy shook her head and looked up at the pixy, a wholly unrepentant smile on her face. "Yeah. It was that good."

Jenks struck his favorite Peter Pan pose and grinned, but this time it was more of an 'I'm happy for you, job well done' kind of grin rather than a lecherous, dirty old man grin. "I'm glad."

"Me too." Ivy smiled and took a small sip of her coffee. While Jenks' fatherly treatment was oftentimes annoying as hell, it was nice to know that she had somebody like him looking out for her. "And, for as much as I'd love to sit here and be tormented by you and your witty comments, I hear Rachel waking up so I need to go bring her some coffee and some food."

Unable to resist, Jenks asked, "Special cookies?"

Ivy shot him a look over the tray that she'd loaded with muffins and a fresh cup of coffee. "No. Food."

"Oh," Jenks muttered. "Sorry."

"I made her eat the cookies before she fell asleep last night," Ivy informed him with a grin as she strode out of the room.

That Evening

"For the love of blood, V," Erica laughed as she ducked her head into the fridge to grab a bottle of water. "Three days? You could only make it three freaking days?"

"It was a really long three days," Ivy drawled, smirking as she leaned back in her chair at the table. "Really long."

"I guess so," Erica chuckled, her head still stuffed into the fridge. "Umm, V…"

"What?"

Erica turned around slowly, a black leather harness that was fully equipped with the glittery dildo that Ivy had purchased at Rachel's behest, pinched tentatively between her thumb and forefinger. "What's this-" she emphasized her point by holding the strap-on up for inspection, "-doing in the fridge next to the whipped cream?"

"So that's where it ended up after I took it off," Rachel said, laughing as she sauntered, albeit a little gingerly, into the room. "Here." She held her hand out for Erica to place the toy into. "I'll take that."

Erica gaped at her sister, an impish grin tweaking her lips as she pulled the toy away from Rachel's reaching hand. "Her... You... Really? I didn't know you had a Twilight fetish, sis."

There were any number of things Ivy was anticipating Erica replying with, but Twilight was not on that list. "Wait. What?"

"It sparkles," Erica said, giggling as she swung the toy just out of her sister's reach. "You have a Twilight fetish."

"I do not have a Twilight fetish," Ivy argued, even as a light blush started creeping up her neck.

"But, V," Erica chortled merrily as she held the sex toy aloft. "Sparkles!" She laughed loudly and started chanting, "Sparkles… sparkles… sparkles…"

"I didn't pick it out!" Ivy yelled as she tried, and failed, to snatch the toy away from her sister. "I'm not the one who has a thing for vampires!"

Recognizing the fact that Ivy had a point there, Erica looked over at Rachel who was following their exchange with a small smile on her face. "Rache?"

The redhead's amused smile faltered as the two vampires turned their full attention to her. "Fuck," she muttered. "Yes. Fine. I chose it. I liked the sparkles. But I honestly wasn't thinking about Twilight when I pointed the damned thing out. And," her voice rose in time with the imperious finger she lifted for emphasis, "Ivy's the one who bought it."

"God, V, on a scale of one to ten how embarrassing was it for you – as a freaking vampire – to go buy a sparkly sex toy?" Erica howled.

Ivy scrubbed a hand over her face as her shoulders slumped in defeat. "I only bought it because she was going on and on about how badly she wanted it," she muttered.

Too far gone to control her laughter, Erica tried to just talk through it. "Did you call her Alice when she used it on you?!" she squeaked.

"What?! Too far, E. Too far."

Glancing between the two sisters, Rachel decided she needed to step in to stop the madness – and to have just a little fun at her girlfriend's expense. "Christ, Erica," she muttered as she tore the sex-toy out of Erica's hand. She quickly wrapped it in a dish towel before either of the vampires could recover and set it off to the side on the counter to clean later. "Give her a break. It was only one time against the kitchen table. And once on top of the kitchen island. Oh! And I almost forgot..."

"Never mind! I don't want to know!" Erica yelled, slapping her hands over her ears to block out the sound of Rachel's voice. "Lalalalalala"

Pleased to see that Erica was finally uncomfortable with the direction of their conversation, Ivy turned to Rachel and grinned. "Now she's decided that she doesn't want to know?"

Rachel smirked and nodded. "I know right?"

"Should I list the places I was wearing it at?" Ivy teased, as she sidled up to her girlfriend and brushed a quick kiss across her lips. "The pool table, the piano – which I really liked, dear heart, that was so fucking hot – then of course there was that one time up against the wall in the hallway when we just couldn't make it to bed fast enough, and then…"

Rachel growled and reached out to silence Ivy by placing the pad of her index finger over the vampire's lips. "Okay. I get it. Sorry."

"Hey Ivy!" Jenks bellowed as he flew down the hall.

Erica took her hands off her ears and watched with her sister and Rachel as an angry red trail of pixy dust streaked toward them.

Ivy shot her girlfriend a questioning look that clearly said, What the fuck did he find?

"Next time you two break out the kink could you please put the handcuffs away when you're done with them?" he asked, stopping to hover between his two blushing tenants. "My kids are in the Sanctuary fighting over which cop friend of yours left their equipment behind."

"Oh god," Erica moaned.

"Sorry," Ivy murmured, giving the irate pixie buck an apologetic smile. "Rachel was just being such a naughty girl last night."

"You suck," Rachel muttered, her ears practically glowing in embarrassment.

"I know," Ivy chuckled. "Don't you remember? I sucked here." She pointed at the counter she was leaning against. "Oh, and the shower – that was fun. Then there was…"

"Christ," Erica muttered. "You two really are a couple of fucking bunnies."

"So, Rache," the pixy drawled, turning toward Rachel. "Glad to see you're finally up and at 'em. Nice night?"

Rachel blushed and cut her eyes to the floor, avoiding the pixy's amused gaze as she made her way over to her chair at the kitchen table. "Yes, thank you."

"You're looking a little stiff," he observed. "You feeling okay?"

"Mmhmm," Rachel hummed. "So, when do you want us to uphold our end of the bargain?" she asked, desperate to get the conversation away from where and how she and Ivy had entertained themselves the night before. "I'm going to need a day to twist the enlarging curse."

"Friday night," Erica announced. "Good crowd on Fridays."

"Alright," Ivy and Rachel answered together.

"What songs do I need to learn?" Ivy asked, resigned to her fate.

Erica dug into her bag and pulled out a sheaf of sheet music. "Jenks' song is the top one," she instructed as she handed the inch thick collection of paper to her sister. "Rachel can choose from any of the other songs in there."

"Great," Ivy sighed, looking over the music to Jenks' song. At least it wasn't going to be hard to play. A couple times through for practice and she'd be fine.

While Ivy was studying the music to Jenks' song, Rachel was busy flipping through the song choices Erica'd offered her. "Do I need to tell you right now or can I have some time to choose?"

Erica and Jenks laughed and exchanged a celebratory high five. "You don't have to tell us what you pick," Jenks answered as Erica nodded her agreement. "Why don't you go on and surprise us at the bar?"

"Okay," Rachel muttered, again looking through the stack for something that looked familiar.

"As fun as this is," Erica said, chuckling as she clapped her hands joyously. "I need to get going. Rache, Friday afternoon you'll make Jenks big, and that night we'll go paaaaar-tay!"

Jenks grinned and gave the young vamp another high five. "I'm outie too," he announced with a jaunty little wave. "Catch ya later girls."

"Outie?" Ivy muttered, as she watched her sister and Jenks head down the hall toward the front door.

"Maybe he's hanging out with Erica a little too much?" Rachel offered.

"Hmm, maybe," Ivy hummed, leaning in to kiss her equally dumbfounded girlfriend.

"I don't think so, Tamwood," Rachel chuckled, leaning away from her lover's incoming lips.

"Why?"

"You completely humiliated me!"

Ivy's eyes widened in disbelief. "You started it!"

Rachel shook her head. "No. You took it too far."

"Would it help if I told you what my favorite memory of last night is?" Ivy husked, sliding her arms around the reluctant redhead's waist and nuzzling her cheek.

"Maybe." Rachel wanted to continue to feign annoyance with Ivy but she couldn't help but smile.

"Mmm," Ivy purred. "Well, obviously dancing with you in the club is right up there," she whispered, tracing the tip of her nose up and down Rachel's neck. "You looked so incredibly sexy out on that dance floor…"

"You should have seen yourself, Iv," Rachel murmured, allowing herself to relax a little into the vampire's embrace.

"Well thank you," Ivy whispered. "But you really were breathtaking, dear heart. We must go try that again."

"Mmm," Rachel hummed happily, closing her eyes and allowing the silky sexiness of the vampire's voice to wash over her.

"But for as sexy as you looked at the club, you were mind-numbingly, drop-dead, fucking gorgeous when you were sprawled across our bed and I was finally able to run my tongue over every inch of your naked body. The way you felt moving against me as I made love to you..." Her voice trailed off in a rich, throaty moan. "The sounds pouring out of your mouth as I ran my tongue over you," she murmured, running a hand down the witch's front to cup her gently through her shorts. "Mmm. Heaven. And the sweet taste of you that flooded my mouth as you came?" She moaned softly, grinning as she nuzzled the redhead's neck. "Absolutely intoxicating."

Rachel shifted as a flood of arousal crashed between her legs and moaned softly.

"That is my favorite memory of last night," Ivy murmured, spinning the redhead around in her arms so she could capture her lips is a light, languid kiss. "The rest was fun, don't get me wrong, but making love to you was by far my favorite part of the evening."

Rachel lifted herself up onto her tiptoes – Ouch! – to press a soft kiss to Ivy's even softer lips. "I love you, Ivy."

Ivy smiled, her eyes the of melted chocolate as she leaned in to capture the redhead's lips in a kiss full of unspoken promises. "I love you too, Rache."

Chapter 8

Friday Afternoon

"So," Ivy drawled, as she sidled in behind Rachel who was still busy cleaning up in the kitchen. "Where are Trouble One and Trouble Two?"

Rachel laughed as she leaned back into her lover. "Erica took Jenks shopping for what she called 'appropriate clothing' for tonight. The two of them were out the door not even five minutes after he was big again."

Ivy groaned and buried her face in the crook of Rachel's neck. "He's not using the company credit card is he?"

Rachel chuckled and reached back to pat the vampire's head reassuringly. "Nope. Erica was waving your father's card around and going on and on about how much fun they were going to have at the mall. And, of course, Jenks was so excited about it all that he was hopping around and giggling like a teenage girl. Damn that bug loves shopping."

"Well, I'm glad they're out having fun. How are you feeling?" Ivy murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the hollow behind the redhead's ear. "I know the backlash is pretty awful on these types of spells," she continued, avoiding the term 'curse' for fear that it would upset the witch.

Rachel closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm fine, Ivy. Really. What's a little more smut on my soul if it ensures we get to keep Jenks around for a few more years, right?"

"You're a good friend," Ivy whispered, squeezing Rachel just a little bit tighter.

Rachel set the spoon that she was cleaning down on the counter and spun around in the vampire's arms so that she was able to look her in the eye. "I love you," she sighed, lifting herself up on her toes to kiss Ivy softly, reverently.

"Mmm," Ivy purred, smiling into the kiss. "Can I show you how much I love you?"

Rachel groaned loudly and pulled the vampire closer. She wanted nothing more than to make love to Ivy and to feel the vampire's pristine aura wrap around her own. "I was beginning to think you'd never ask."

Friday Evening

"We got you guys presents!" Erica squealed, as she and Jenks came skipping into the kitchen, each of them happily waving bags upon bags of new clothes.

Ivy looked up from her computer where she was busy looking into the information she needed for Mrs. Sarong's run. "Why is it that I'm thinking I don't want to know?" she drawled, smiling in spite of herself as she leaned back in her chair and snapped her computer shut.

"Because you're smart," Rachel answered, laughing as she sat on the vampire's lap.

Erica just stuck her tongue out at the girls.

"So, do you want to see them?" Jenks asked in an overly happy sing-song voice.

"Sure," Ivy sighed dramatically as she held her hand out expectantly. "Let's see it."

Erica pulled twin boxes out of one of her many bags. "Here you go!" The young vamp grinned as she handed the boxes to her sister.

"Does it matter who gets which box?" Ivy asked as she studied the packages. They were the same size, weight, and color, and there was nothing on them to indicate which one belonged to whom.

"Nope. They're the same," Jenks told them as he pushed himself up so that he was sitting on the island.

"Uh oh," Rachel murmured.

Ivy gave the redhead a look that clearly said 'Yeah, tell me about it' before she gamely tore the paper of her package and opened the box. She stared, dumbfounded, before she pulled the garment out and held it aloft. "Seriously?" she asked, arching a brow incredulously.

"We thought you could wear them tonight!" Jenks cackled, before he doubled over in laughter.

"I'm not wearing a Playboy bunny t-shirt," Ivy growled.

"Oh, c'mon, Iv." Rachel held hers up speculatively. "I think they're cute."

At the Bar

"Jenks," Ivy drawled, leaning back in her chair and taking a sip of her drink as she gave the now average sized pixie an openly appraising look. "I gotta tell ya, you clean up nice for a dirty old man. Even if you do look like you materialized off the side of an Abercrombie bag."

"So?" Erica laughed as she checked her phone for to see what time it was. "Who's going first?"

"I think Rache should go first since they lost," Jenks said. "She can be my warm-up act!"

"Please," Ivy scoffed, rolling her eyes as she fiddled with her drink. "If anybody needs a warm-up act, it's Rachel. You should go first."

"Huh?" Rachel asked.

"Oh yeah?" Jenks challenged.

"Yeah," Ivy answered.

"What?" Rachel tried to interrupt.

"Care to make a little bet?" Jenks countered, completely ignoring the witch who was spluttering beside him.

"Sure," Ivy said, grinning as she sat up straighter in her seat. "How about whichever performance gets the most applause when we're up there, wins."

Jenks nodded. "Sounds fair. What are we betting?"

"Whatever," Ivy said with a shrug. "Whoever wins gets to choose."

Jenks laughed and rubbed his hands together greedily. "Oh… this is too good! You're on, Tamwood!"

"You're going down, Little Man," Ivy laughed, downing her drink and standing. "I'll be right back," she told the group before heading down the hall toward the restrooms.

Ten minutes later

"Alright, Howl!" Anna, the owner of the club, bellowed into the mic as she jumped up onto the stage. "You're in for a special treat tonight – we have some guest performers here for you guys!" She grinned as she held the mic out for the crowd to hoot, holler, and whistle their approval which she knew was partly because they thought that the 'guest performers' would be experienced musicians, and mostly because they'd been drinking for a while already. "Great!" Anna grinned. "I know you're going to like these guys. The one and only Ivy Tamwood will be playing piano for these performances…"

She was interrupted by applause from the audience which caused Ivy to blush profusely at the piano.

"So," Anna continued, waving her hand to quiet the crowd, "please put your hands together for our first performer – Ms. Rachel Morgan!"

The crowd started clapping and cheering again as Rachel took her spot next to the piano, nodded at Ivy that she was ready, and started to sing. "The real me is a southern girl with her Levis on and an open heart… Wish I could save the world, like I was super girl…"

Jenks leaned in to Erica and chuckled, "I can't believe she chose this song!"

Erica cocked her head thoughtfully. "I dunno. The chorus suits her pretty good," she murmured as Rachel sashayed around the piano to stand behind Ivy and place her hand upon the vampire's shoulder as she hit the chorus section of the song. "Cause with you… I can let my hair down… I can say anything crazy, I know you'll catch me right before I hit the ground. With nothing but a T-shirt on… I never felt so beautiful, baby as I do now… Now that I'm with you…"

"Hmm," Jenks chuckled as he watched Ivy smile up at the redhead and whisper 'I love you'. "You're right. That does kind of fit her doesn't it? Every other word out of that girl's mouth is something crazy."

Up on stage, Rachel wasn't oblivious to the quiet conversation taking place at their table, but she soldiered on. "You speak and it's like a song… and just like that all my walls come down… it's like a private joke just meant for us to know…"

"That is more like Ivy in their relationship though," Erica whispered. "God, she's so whipped by that witch."

Jenks smiled and laughed, nodding his agreement as Rachel started finding her confidence on stage. The crowd began singing along with her, all apprehension disappearing as she watched the faceless strangers in the audience smiling and singing along with her as she hit the next chorus section.

"With you… I can let my hair down… I can say anything crazy… I know you'll catch me right before I hit the ground. With nothing but a T-shirt on… I never felt so beautiful, baby as I do now… Now that I'm with you."

Rachel actually performed through the remainder of the song, and when it was finished she took a rather embarrassed bow as the crowd clapped and cheered enthusiastically, the noise growing louder as she leaned over the piano to give Ivy a quick peck on the cheek before returning to her spot at the table.

When the applause finally died down Anna grabbed the mic and jumped back up onto the stage.

"Next up – Jenks!" she practically squealed, her gaze unflinching as she mentally undressed the buck as he approached the stage. "Here you go," she murmured breathlessly as she handed the pixy the microphone. "Knock 'em dead."

Jenks grinned and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks!"

He moseyed to the center of the stage, the exaggerated sway added to his strut causing several women in the front row to blush, and nodded back at Ivy that he was ready.

As much as she hated to admit it, Ivy was rather looking forward to this song. One, the song was fun to play, and two, she knew Jenks was going to totally nail it.

"Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my left side brains…" The pixy started crooning, two handing the microphone and slowly rolling his hips with the music. "I knew I wouldn't forget you, and so I went and let you blow my mind… Your sweet moon beam, the smell of you in every single dream I dream… I knew when we collided, you're the one I have decided who's one of my kind…"

Jenks started hopping in place as the beat of the song picked up tempo for the chorus. "Hey soul sister, ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, the way you move ain't fair, you know! Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do...tonight. Hey, hey, hey…"

Jenks grinned at the women swooning in the front row and began strutting around the stage as he sang, dancing with the music, punctuating the ends of lines with an over-the-top bump-and-grind that looked much more inappropriate now that he was big than when he pulled a similar move at his normal size. "The way you can cut a rug, watching you's the only drug I need… You're so gangsta, I'm so thug, you're the only one I'm dreaming of… You see, I can be myself now finally, in fact there's nothing I can't be… I want the world to see you be with me…"

Ivy was right, of course, Jenks had the crowd eating out of his now much larger palm as he danced around the little stage singing. Out of the corner of her eye the vampire could have sworn she saw a handful of women waving dollar bills in the air at the energetic pixie.

"Hey soul sister, ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, the way you move ain't fair, you know! Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do tonight, Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do...tonight. Hey, hey, hey… Hey, hey, hey… Tonight" Jenks finished with a flourish and took a rather overdramatic bow before hopping off the stage and running over to where Erica and Rachel were sitting.

"Woo-Hoo!" He called out victoriously. "I win!"

Unbeknownst to the trio at the table, Ivy hadn't moved from her spot at the piano and she was now smiling at the crowd as she worked the microphone that Anna had just handed her back into the holder atop the instrument.

"What the…" Rachel murmured as she took in the sight of her girlfriend still up on stage fiddling with the mic position.

"Hunh?" Erica mumbled as she followed Rachel's gaze up to the stage. "What's she doing?" The young vamp looked at her partner in crime questioningly.

Erica and Jenks stared at each other for a few seconds before they both muttered. "The bet!"

"You didn't limit it to just you and Rachel!" Erica swore, smacking Jenks on the shoulder as she glared at him.

"She wouldn't sing up there…" Jenks mumbled, his tone much more confident than the look in his eyes.

"Hi there," Ivy muttered embarrassedly into the microphone. Being center of attention was definitely nowhere near her comfort zone. "I'm Ivy," she said, ducking her head in greeting, "and I just figured that since I'm up here and all that I'd have a go at singing too."

The crowd went nuts. "Hell yeah!" some random voice called out from the back of the bar.

Ivy grinned. "Thank you."

"Oh, hell no," Erica groaned as she watched her sister's posture shift from relaxed to sultry behind the ivories. She turned and shot a disbelieving look at Rachel. "Did you know she was planning this?"

Rachel just shook her head no, unable to tear her eyes away from her tall, dark, and insanely sexy vampire up on stage. Her Ivy. Up on stage. It was entirely too good to be true.

"I'd like to dedicate this song to the most amazing woman on the planet," the vampire murmured into the microphone, her eyes locked onto Rachel's in the front row.

Rachel blushed and blew a kiss at her girlfriend. Ivy grinned and blew a kiss back at the redhead before lowering her hands to the keys and turning back to the piano. "It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart… without saying a word you can light up the dark. Try as I may I could never explain… what I hear when you don't say a thing… The smile on your face lets me know that you need me, there's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me, the touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall… You say it best when you say nothing at all…"

Jenks looked over at Rachel who was staring, transfixed, at her girlfriend whose fingers were dancing across the ivories and whose voice was strong, confident, and completely filled to overflowing with love as she poured her heart into the song in a very un-Ivy like fashion.

"We're hosed," he leaned in and muttered in Erica's ear.

"Totally," Erica agreed quietly, the tears rolling down Rachel's face a sure sign that they were doomed.

Ivy smirked as she listened to her sister and Jenks' conversation and didn't miss a beat as she continued to sing. "All day long I can hear people talking out loud… But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd… Old Mr. Webster could never define, what's being said between your heart and mine…"

"She's amazing," a stranger's voice permeated the trio's consciousness. "Absolutely stunning. Best of the night, by far."

"She's mine," Rachel breathed, her eyes shining. She remembered telling Ivy how much she'd love to see her play in public, she just never thought she'd ever get the chance.

Up on stage, Ivy lifted her eyes to focus solely on Rachel at the witch's declaration, and she finished the song staring straight into the redhead's eyes. "The smile on your face lets me know that you need me… There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me… The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall… You say it best when you say nothing at all."

The last note of the song was still echoing around the darkened room when Rachel got to her feet and started making her way up to Ivy at the piano. The vampire was frozen in place by the look of pure, unadulterated desire in the redhead's lust darkened eyes. She licked her lips in anticipation as she watched Rachel hop easily up onto the stage and stride over to where she was still seated on the piano bench. Rachel moaned rather loudly (the sound was amplified by the mic that was still turned on) and grabbed Ivy by the front of her bunny shirt and pulled the vampire in for a possessive, probing, passionate kiss.

Forgetting they were in a room full of strangers for the second time in a week, Ivy groaned and quickly wrapped her hands around Rachel's hips and pulled the witch down onto her lap. Long pianist fingers tangled themselves into wild red curls and pulled Rachel in closer still as the kiss grew deeper and more demanding, only breaking off when their need for air greatly outweighed their need for each other.

When they did pull apart, it was to realize that the entire bar was on their feet screaming, stomping, clapping and cheering the two beautiful women on stage. Ivy blushed and pulled Rachel in tight, wrapping her arms around the redhead as she looked over the witch's shoulder at her sister and Jenks who were sitting at their table pouting.

Ivy gave the crowd a small bow and a wave before hopping off the stage and heading over to their table. "Hi," she greeted Erica and Jenks with a smile.

"You suck, V," Erica muttered.

"Yeah, that wasn't cool tricking us like that," Jenks pouted.

Ivy smirked. "Not my fault you didn't think I'd do it."

"So what do you want, oh ultimate winner?" Erica grumbled.

At that, Ivy grinned triumphantly. "I want the beach house like we'd originally bargained for."

EPILOGUE

Because Ivy considered speed limits to be merely suggestions of how fast one should travel, she and Rachel made the trip from the Hollows to her parents' lake house just outside Cleveland in a little under three hours. The day was perfect, the summer sun hanging hot and bright in the sky and the air, while humid, was far from oppressive and would be perfect for sunbathing down on the beach later. The trees surrounding the stone and cedar cabin were lush and thick, providing a measure of tranquil seclusion to the property, while also somehow managing to be grouped in such a way to still give excellent views of the lake and Rachel was awestruck by everything she saw. It was perfect.

"This place is gorgeous," Rachel murmured, looking around at the cabin and its setting as Ivy busied herself with retrieving their luggage from the trunk. She moved to take her bag from the vampire but was rebuffed with a soft chuckle as Ivy shook her head and threw the duffel over her shoulder. "Fine, go ahead and be all chivalrous," she muttered, waving a hand dismissively.

Ivy chuckled and turned to beam at the witch. "I was planning on doing so, but I appreciate your permission."

"Smartass," Rachel muttered, shaking her head in silent amusement as she watched Ivy start for the house with their bags. She stayed where she was and took the opportunity to ogle her lover's perfect body, loving the way the short shorts she was wearing showed off her ass and long legs. Damn, that ass is just delicious.

"Thank you," Ivy called over her shoulder, her amusement ringing in her tone. "I'm rather fond of yours as well."

"I said that out loud, huh?" Rachel asked, as she left her spot at the back of the car and started after Ivy.

Ivy set the bags down beside the oversized front door that was so large that it looked like it could have been a drawbridge on a medieval castle, and slid her key into the lock. "You did," she confirmed as she shoved the door open.

Rachel rolled her eyes and shook her head as she skipped up the steps to the front porch. "Well that's embarrassing," she whispered under her breath.

"It's okay."

Damn vampire super-hearing. "You're lucky you're cute," Rachel muttered as she pushed past her girlfriend and walked inside, where she stopped only three steps inside the foyer. The cabin, if it could even be called that, was stunning. Dark hardwood floors were occasionally covered with what she was sure were hand-woven Oriental rugs in deep crimson and rich ivory hues, and the walls were painted a warm vanilla color that made the entire space seem incredibly comfortable and inviting. "Damn."

"Eh, it's okay," Ivy drawled as she closed the door behind them. She smiled as she moved behind the redhead to wrap her arms around her waist. A quiet purr rumbled in her throat as she ducked her head to tease the faint scars at the side of the witch's neck with her tongue and, once she was certain that the scar was thrumming with pleasure, she asked, in a playfully wounded tone of voice, "I'm only cute?"

Rachel grinned and turned to wrap her arms around the vampire's neck. She licked her lips slowly, enjoying the way Ivy's dark eyes followed the slow sweep of her tongue, and rolled her eyes as she huffed, "Okay, fine. You're more than cute."

Ivy smiled and leaned in to capture Rachel's lips in a soft adoring kiss. "How much more?"

"Let me show you," Rachel murmured, grabbing ivy's hand and pulling her up the staircase to where she was certain the bedrooms would be hidden.

Ivy hummed quietly to herself as she jogged up the narrow, root riddled path to the cabin. Her lips were quirked in a small, half-smile and her dark cinnamon eyes were twinkling with anticipation and excitement. She'd left Rachel sunbathing down on the beach with strict orders to keep her ass there, so that she could get things ready up at the cabin. Rachel had, of course, laughed and promised that she would behave. Ivy was so looking forward to that evening, that she was practically vibrating with excitement as she ran through her mental checklist of what she needed to accomplish in the next couple of hours. It was going to be a lot of work, but she didn't doubt for a minute that it was going to be worth it.

She kicked a pebble ahead of her with the toe of her shoe and she jogged after it, kicking it again and again until it flew out of the woods and onto the driveway where she lost it amongst the other rocks that made up the gravel drive. She shrugged dismissively at the loss and ran her hands through her hair as she turned toward the house, her movement smooth as quicksilver as her excitement crashed through the restraint she usually excessive to restrain her vampire-like traits.

She skipped boldly up the steps and entered the house to the sound of her cell phone ringing. She cast a speculative glance around the foyer and laughed, the sound rich and melodious in the expansive entryway, as she remembered that it was in the pocket of her shorts that she had worn for the drive up. The same shorts that had somehow ended up dangling from the rustic chandelier hovering nine feet above the foyer.

Well, hell. How am I supposed to reach that? She thought to herself as she toed off her shoes and flicked them toward the mat in the corner by the door. The phone rang again and she just shook her head at it. I'll deal with that later.

"What to do first?" she wondered aloud, as she pursed her lips thoughtfully. The deliveries she'd scheduled before leaving the Hollows weren't set to arrive for another forty-five minutes, which meant that she had more than enough time to clean and arrange the porch as she'd envisioned.

Rachel giggled as Ivy theatrically covered her eyes as they got closer to the cabin, amused by the vampire's patentedly cliché tactics and her obvious excitement. "So, what's the big surprise?"

"If I told you, dear heart, then it wouldn't be a surprise – now would it?" Ivy leaned in and whispered in the redhead's ear.

Ivy carefully led Rachel up the back stairs leading to the screened-in porch and, holding the door open with her free hand, led the two of them inside the open room. She took a quick glance around the space to make sure it was just as she'd imagined before whispering, "I am going to take my hand away now, could you close your eyes?"

Rachel nodded.

"Good girl," Ivy murmured. She rewarded Rachel for her submission by brushing a light kiss against the sensitive hollow beneath her ear before she pulled her hand away and took a couple quick steps off to the side so that she was in the perfect position to capture Rachel's expression when she finally opened her eyes. Rachel looked so beautiful in the soft glow that filled the room with her pale, flawless skin that left exposed from her bikini looking as if it was being caressed by the flickering lights and embraced by the warm shadows. She was breathtaking.

"Ivy?" Rachel whispered.

The sound of her name falling from Rachel's lips drew Ivy's attention back to the present and she smiled as she whispered, "Open your eyes."

Rachel opened her eyes and gasped, her right hand immediately flying to cover her mouth as she gaped, openly gaped, at the beautiful scene Ivy had set. There were hundreds of candles placed around the room – on the floor, the numerous small tables that had been pushed up against the walls, and the handful of chairs that had received the same treatment. Basically any surface that was flat enough to hold a candle was covered in them. For as beautiful as the candles were, what made Rachel's heart skip a beat was the sight of a delicate bundle of one blue iris (her favorite) and a single blood red rose (Ivy's) laid in the middle of the gigantic bed that occupied the majority of the room.

Standing silently off to the side, Ivy watched Rachel slowly spin in place as she took in the entire room. Her smile had grown wider as she watched the way that the redhead's hand that had flown to cover her mouth upon the initial reveal had slid down to fist over her heart as she spied the flowers on the bed. She desperately wanted to ask her what she thought, but was struck speechless by the sheer beauty of the redhead's expression as she stood in the middle of that engineered rustic porch surrounded by candlelight and the fleeting red rays of the setting sun.

Rachel finished her slow spin when her eyes landed on Ivy. "It's beautiful," she murmured, holding her hand out for the vampire to come closer.

Ivy's smile was magnificent as she closed those few steps separating them to gather Rachel in her arms and hold her tenderly, carefully, as if she were the most fragile treasure in the world. "You like it?"

Rachel looked up into curious brown eyes and smiled. "I love it. It's beautiful. Thank you."

Relieved, Ivy's eyes softened as she lowered her forehead to rest against Rachel's her hands tightened around the redhead's hips. "You're beautiful," she murmured tenderly.

"Mmm," Rachel hummed as she pulled Ivy in for a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, Rachel," Ivy breathed, before she captured Rachel's lips in a kiss that was full of unspoken desire as she easily swept the redhead off her feet and carried her over to the bed.

Rachel smiled into the kiss as she felt herself being lifted into her lover's arms, and immediately arched into her as she was swept away by the overwhelming emotion pouring out of both of them into their kiss. She moaned softly as she felt Ivy carefully lower them onto the bed, sighed as she felt the vampire settle in beside her.

A low purr rumbled low in Ivy's chest as she felt Rachel relax into the mattress, and she sighed as she felt the redhead's hips roll ever so slightly up into her own. "My beautiful girl," she murmured, almost reverently as she pulled back just far enough to remove Rachel's bikini, and it was only seconds later that her own clothing landed silently on the floor beside it.

"Mmm, much better," Rachel purred, as she ran a hand up Ivy's naked side. She smiled as she felt Ivy roll on top of her and she wasted no time dragging her nails down the vampire's back until she was able to grasp the firm globes of her ass. She squeezed her hands hard, pulling Ivy down into her, and her eyes rolled back in her head at the low growl the touch elicited from her lover.

Their kisses grew deeper, hotter, and hungrier as they began rocking against each other, their tongues stroking lazily together as they lost themselves in the taste, the feel, the scent of the other. Moans grew louder as thighs scissored together and hips began to rock slowly as their desire manifested in a search for more. More heat. More pressure. More friction.

At the feeling of Rachel's arousal painting a wet, sticky trail down her thigh, Ivy groaned as she forced herself to break their kiss and pull away. She smiled at the small pleading moan that escaped Rachel at the loss of contact and instead of reclaiming her lips in another kiss, she satisfied both of their needs for closeness by gently nuzzling the redhead's cheek as she brushed her lips across the soft skin to her ear. "Rachel," she murmured, as she traced the shell of the redhead's ear with her tongue.

The sound of her name in those gray silk tones she loved so dearly sent a fresh wave of desire coursing wetly through her and Rachel groaned as she felt it crash between her legs. "Mmm?"

Ivy swallowed thickly at the scent of Rachel's obvious need, and husked, "May I make love to you?"

There were countless witty remarks on the tip of her tongue, but the overwhelming emotion of the moment bowled Rachel over and all she could do was nod and reply with a simple, "Please." She felt the bed shift ever so slightly beneath her and opened her eyes to find Ivy now sprawled beside her, their hips and legs pressing lightly together. Her heart fluttered into her throat at the sight of the sweetest, most delicate smile lifting Ivy's lips and she felt something powerful and primal twist inside her as her gaze landed on the vampire's dark eyes that were slowly caressing her face. There was just the slightest hint of brown left visible in them, and Rachel could easily see the love Ivy felt for her shining brightly in those obsidian depths.

Ivy licked her lips as she slowly reached over her lover's pale body to pick up the small bundle of flowers. "Patience, dear heart," she whispered, as she tugged the end of the ribbon holding them together. She tossed the ribbon aside as she set the iris on the bedside table, and she smiled as she sat up so that she was looking down on her lover. Her tongue swept over her lips again as she reached for Rachel's hand, and she hummed softly as she began drawing small, soft circles against the redhead's palm with the silky smooth petals of the flower. "I love you."

Rachel's eyes fluttered closed at the sensation of the flower brushing against her skin, and she groaned softly as Ivy began slowly trailing the blossom up her arm, over her neck to her lips before continuing its path down the other side of her jaw and throat. She squirmed slightly as the fragile petals spiraled around her left breast, and she gasped softly as the deceptively firm petal raked across her nipple, dragging across the nub and sending a spark of electricity through her that made her clit jump.

The sounds of Rachel's pleasure were exquisite and Ivy stared at her, transfixed by the way the redhead's expression shifted as she gave herself over to her and the feeling of the petals rubbing slowly over her naked skin. Ivy groaned softly at the way Rachel's hips arched off the bed into the flower as it ghosted over the prominent bump of her hipbone and down over the hollow of her lower abdomen, and she was helpless to contain the deep, rumbling moan that reverberated in her chest as she watched Rachel's leg roll invitingly out to the side as she traced the rose up and down the line where the redhead's leg and torso met.

"Jesus," she muttered, moaning again as her eyes landed on the crux of the redhead's thighs to trace over soft folds that were so pink and beautiful and swollen and wet. God, so wet. So, so wet. "Rachel," she murmured, the redhead's name falling from her lips on a sigh that was simultaneously reverent and pleading.

The almost desperate tenor to Ivy's tone had Rachel opening her eyes and she felt herself clench as she drank in the sight of her beautifully naked and aroused vampire staring longingly at her. "Yours, Ivy," she whispered, knowing that she didn't need to raise her voice to be heard. "All yours, sweetheart." She licked her lips and swallowed thickly as she watched Ivy set the rose she'd been using aside, and she smiled softly at her as a fall of onyx hair surrounded her and Ivy's lips landed lightly on her own.

Ivy sucked lightly on Rachel's lower lip, teasing the plump flesh with the tip of her tongue, and she moaned as she felt Rachel's mouth open for her. Their tongues swooped lazily around each other until Rachel captured hers and sucked on it hard, and she growled as her instincts took over and she rocked into Rachel, taking control of the kiss and thrusting her tongue hard into the redhead's mouth to taste, touch, stroke everywhere she could reach. Rachel writhed beneath her as she moved so that she was kneeling between the redhead's legs, and once she had Rachel where she wanted her – open and waiting beneath her – she finally pulled away from the kiss, smirking slightly at the redhead's kiss-swollen lips.

Gorgeous.

"I can have?" Though she knew the answer was yes, the question was automatic, programmed into her DNA by the vampire virus.

"Yes, Ivy," Rachel murmured. "Everything. Always," she breathed, tilting her head back into the pillows as the vampire's lips brushed softly over the ridge of her jaw and down to the soft, pliant skin of her throat.

Touched by the redhead's words as she always was, Ivy whispered a quiet, "I love you", as she pressed a line of soft, wet kisses down her throat, licking lightly at her scars and teasing them to a higher state of arousal.

"Fuck yes, Ivy," Rachel groaned as her scars burst to life, making each and every brush of Ivy's lips against her that much more powerful.

Ivy smiled and sucked lightly on the sensitive skin, making sure to keep her fangs well away from the supple flesh as she left her mark. They might share blood later, but now, this time, she wanted it to be about them and only them. Love. Just love. No blood.

She let the already purpling skin fall from her lips with a wet pop and she hummed happily as she once again began kissing her way down Rachel's neck. She stopped to playfully run her tongue around the indentation at the base of the redhead's throat, blowing softly on the wet skin and drawing a low moan from Rachel's throat before she continued down through the valley between her breasts.

She took her time running the tip of her tongue around the pale, firm mounds, slowly spiraling higher and higher until she was able to take a dusky nipple between her lips and suckle it gently, coaxing more soft sighs and quiet whimpers from Rachel as the witch's fingers tangled themselves in her hair, holding her in place. She brought first one bud and then the other to a tight point, sucking, licking, nipping, blowing across the sensitive flesh until the hand in her hair started tugging more and more forcefully against her, silently urging her to move on.

"Please, Ivy," Rachel whimpered, rolling her hips up into the vampire's stomach and smearing a broad swipe of arousal across her skin.

Acquiescing to the redhead's plea with a soft hum, Ivy delivered one last kiss to each of the redhead's nipples before she allowed the hand in her hair to guide her lower. She nuzzled Rachel's toned abdomen as she moved lower, dipping her tongue into the redhead's navel as she passed. The scent of Rachel's arousal demanded she move lower, and she pressed a heavy kiss to soft curls as she settled herself fully between the redhead's thighs.

"Damn Ivy, please," Rachel gasped as she felt the vampire's breath falling in hot waves over her already dripping sex.

Ivy smiled and murmured, 'Mine' as she leaned in and tenderly ran her tongue up through the redhead's folds. She moaned at the taste of Rachel's desire and grabbed hold of her hips to hold her steady as she repeated the touch, delighting in the way the swollen lips yielded under her tongue. "Mine," she murmured again, as she refocused her attention to the straining bundle at the redhead's apex, circling the bud with her tongue again and again, slowly, so slowly, teasing it to an even harder point before she took it between her lips. Her grip on Rachel's hips tightened as she began slowly sucking against the bud, gradually adding more and more pressure until the redhead's soft moans turned into loud screams of pleasure.

Thoroughly lost to the feeling of Ivy's mouth upon her, Rachel's hands scrabbled blindly across the bed, blindly searching for something, anything, to hold onto as the familiar white heat of her orgasm began to build low in her hips. "God, Ivy, please," she gasped, actually managing to break free of the vampire's hold enough to rock her hips hard against her mouth.

Even without that desperate plea, Ivy could tell that Rachel was close just by the way the redhead's body was twitching, rocking, straining under her. And, while she loved nothing more than feeling Rachel's orgasm pulse against her tongue, tonight she wanted to look Rachel in the eye as she came. She wanted that visual closeness that made her feel like she was seeing into the redhead's soul. So, she placed one last kiss to those most intimate lips she'd been teasing before she quickly snaked up Rachel's body to claim her mouth with a deep, possessive, passionate kiss.

"Please," Rachel gasped into Ivy's lips, her arms wrapping themselves around the hovering vampire's neck as her body literally ached to be released.

Ivy smiled as she slid her hand over the witch's mound to cup her gently. "I want to watch you come," she murmured as she thrust deftly inside her.

Rachel gasped at the sudden feeling of fullness, her body instantly grabbing onto Ivy's long fingers as they began slowly moving inside her with deliberate strokes that pushed her that much closer to climax but kept that euphoric bliss just out of reach. She groaned and rocked her hips against Ivy's hand, trying to take the vampire's long fingers even deeper, and she whimpered as Ivy purposefully denied her clit any sort of contact. "Please, Ivy!"

"My Rachel," Ivy purred, her voice coated with the silky rich tones of desire. She smiled as desire blown emerald eyes locked onto her own and purposefully curled her fingers to rub against the top of redhead's channel, the pads of her fingers massaging hidden ridges that made Rachel's body twitch beneath her. "I love you."

"Love.. you… too," Rachel gasped, her as the heel of Ivy's hand finally began rubbing tight circles against her clit.

Ivy smiled tenderly as she set a steady rhything against the Rachel, each thrust of her hand deliberate as she purposefully hit Rachel's g-spot on every stroke. She knew Rachel was close, so close, and she licked her lips as she leaned in to brush a light kiss across the redhead's parted lips. "Let go, Rache."

A long, loud moan ripped itself from Rachel's throat as her orgasm hit her, and she tightened her hold on Ivy as wave after wave rolled through her. How she was able to keep her eyes open through it all was anybody's guess, but she was so glad she did because the unfettered love, desire, and devotion that stared back at her as her body shook and trembled with orgasm was enough to steal the breath from her lungs.

"My Rachel," Ivy purred as she dropped a tender kiss to her lips and carefully pulled her fingers from their velvet sheath. She gathered Rachel in her arms and held her close, pressing soft kisses to the redhead's lips, cheeks, and shoulder as she waited for her to come down from her high.

Rachel smiled and ran a gentle hand over Ivy's jaw until she was able to drag the pad of her thumb over the vampire's heart-shaped lips. "I love you."

"I love you," Ivy breathed, smiling as she rolled onto her back and pulled the redhead onto her for a cuddle.

They laid wrapped in each other for an indeterminate amount of time that simultaneously felt like it was forever and not nearly long enough at the same time, and they only broke apart as the first crack of a firework rippled through the air.

Rachel sat up on the bed and stared out over the trees. The sky above the great lake was now a kaleidoscope of colors as a barrage of fireworks exploded in time with music that didn't quite make its way up to their ears. "I didn't really think we'd be able to see them from here."

"We used to sit out here as kids and watch the show every year," Ivy murmured. "Ever since I realized that I loved you, I'd always dreamed of brining you up here and making love to you with the lights and the sounds of the fireworks firing in the background."

Rachel cocked her head and bit her lip as she appraised her lover. Ivy's idea actually sounded rather amazing. She leaned in and kissed her softly, tenderly, adoringly. "Can I have you?"

Ivy smiled and reached up to thread her fingers through the wild curls she loved so dearly. "Don't you want to watch the show?"

"I'd rather watch you," Rachel purred, smiling as she watched Ivy swallow thickly at her words. "Let me have you?"

"Yes," Ivy said, smiling up at her lover as the sky flashed red, blue, green, and white above her. It might not be exactly what she'd fantasized, Ivy thought as she fell into the redhead's adoring caress, but damn if it wasn't better.

The End

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