It takes the rest of the day for us to haul stuff to the county dump and then take the next truck load of things to the local Goodwill.

It's after 6 in the evening by the time we leave Jordan's storage unit and head back to the increasingly empty apartment where there are just a few things left that she hasn't packed up yet.

"Wanna get a pizza?" Jordan asks from the passenger seat of my truck with Ninja sitting on her lap hanging her head out the window as we drive.

"Sounds like a plan," I agree, "tell me where I'm going."

She still hasn't agreed to come home with me. Not in so many words, at least. On the other hand, she stopped making excuses not to come home with me, so I'm counting that as a win.

I'm glad I was here to help her with all the shit we got done today, but I've been up for 36 hours now though and I'm feeling the lack of sleep. Pizza sounds like heaven right now. Pizza, a place to crash, and Jordan in my arms.

Jordan pulls out her phone and orders online, then navigates me to a strip mall where I wait in the truck with Ninj while she hops out and picks up the order.

There's not much left of Jordan's place, she sold off most of her furniture including her bed so we sit on the palette of blankets spread out on the floor, eating pizza and drinking beer. It kinda reminds me of my first apartment, except there's a real live woman next to me instead of a Star Wars movie playing on a laptop computer.

"So I figure we'll pack the rest of your stuff up in the morning and we should be out of here by noon," I tell her after we clean up from dinner.

"What?" I ask when all I get in reply is a quizzical stare with a hint of fear in the wide green eyes looking back at me.

"I don't know," Jordan says, "It's just that you were so adamant that you loved living alone up there, and now you're here trying to take me back up there with you. I don't want to be some charity case," she tells me with more worry in her voice than force, "I don't want to be just another stray you take in." Her head jerks toward Ninja stretched out on the floor several feet away from us.

"Why would you think you're a stray?"

Lack of sleep or not, my cock is stirring, preparing to have its own say here in a bit. I shift positions so that my body is facing hers.

"Because I'm jobless and homeless and my family is scattered across the country," she says with a shy smile, "I'm not a princess, Stryker, I don't need to be rescued. I'll figure it out on my own. I don't want to change your life."

"Too late," I murmur against her pouting lips as they tremble just slightly at the touch. Her mouth opens for me easily and what I expected to be a soft kiss turns into a hungry assault.

My weight is braced on one hand but my free hand goes to her face, wrapping around her head with my fingers tangling in her hair as I move my body even closer to hers.

Jordan's arms go around my neck, leaving her off balance and we tumble down on the blankets with my body pinning hers beneath me.

"Stryker." Jordan pulls her mouth off of mine and says my name between gasps for breath as I take the opportunity to run my tongue down her throat. "I don't get it," she says seriously enough to make me pause and look up at her, "you said you never wanted something serious? You told me you were never going to make a woman your everything after seeing the way losing your mom destroyed you dad-- I--I--" Jordan wiggled out from under me partially and props herself up on her elbows, giving me a skeptical look with one eyebrow dipped low over her eye.

I lean back and look at her, waiting for her to finish whatever it is that she needs to say.

"And then you left," I tell her, spelling it all out as plainly as I know how, "you left and nothing was right anymore. I knew if I didn't come get you back, that it wasn't going to take long till nothing was worth it anymore...just like Dad."

I straddle her thighs, sitting back and grasping her face between my hands so she has to meet my eyes, "But I could still get you back, Jo," I tell her. "I know what I said. I know what I thought I wanted, but that was when I was too stupid to know what I wanted."

Jordan's eyes fix on mine, "What do you want then?" she asks timidly, as if she's scared of what I'm about to say.

And maybe she oughta be. Maybe I oughta be-- I remember she didn't want anything serious either, but here I am, about to show my cards and hope for the best.

"I want you," I tell her firmly, "I want you in my life everyday and in my bed every night, Jo."

I watch her throat work tightly and her pupils dilate as she takes in my words.

"I was wrong, I was wrong to think I didn't need something real in my life, and I was wrong thinking that it wasn't worth the risk. I want you to come home with me and I want to make a life with you..."

Now it's my turn to swallow hard, "I want to put a ring on your finger, Jordan and--" Am I really saying this shit? "--and then I think we should do our part to make Fell's Valley bigger."

Jordan's eyes widen and her mouth drops open in shock. I'm pretty sure I just fucked it all up.

"I don't think I'm ready for that yet, Stryke," she whispers hoarsely.

I nod slowly, "I get that, Jo," I tell her, "I get that it's a big turn around really fast and I don't want to pressure you-- just come back with me. Work in the store with me. Turn that dump of mine into a home and give it a chance. Give us a chance. I swear it'll be worth it."

A crooked smile curls one corner of her lips and the lowered eyebrow hikes up high on her forehead in that trademark look I've missed so much.

"I already know it's worth it, Stryker," she tells me, "I just want to make sure this is really what you want."

She doesn't get to say another word. My mouth is on hers again as I push her back.

As tired as I was a couple of hours ago, I'm wide awake now. My cock throbbing as I press against her and hear her stifled moan.

My hands work under her shirt, kneading her breast with one hand while my mouth locks down over the taut nipple that's peaked atop the creamy flesh.

I want to touch all of her at once, my hands and my tongue greedy for what's mine, my dick pulsing painfully to plunge into the pussy it's been missing-- not just this last week, but my whole life.

Jordan's my woman, the woman I didn't even know I wanted until she rode through my life and made me realize just how much room there was for improvement.

I'm taking her home with me, and I'm never going to miss this pussy again.