The sounds of loud breathing echoed from the walls, resounding in her ears. She loved it when they were at that point in their feelings, almost to a climax. His hands squeezed her hips and her breath got caught in her throat, she sighed and shivered against his shoulder. Her legs pulled him deeper as she wrapped them tighter around his sweat covered waist, continuing to move with him.

"Oh, Karen." His lips caressed her ear in a whisper, and she smiled as he filled her. The motion stopped and he moved to kiss her lips, roughly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his chest against hers, loving the feeling of his flesh upon her own.

"Don't move." He lay more weight atop her body, gently enough that he wouldn't hurt her, and he ran his fingers through her long, dark hair.

"You're so soft." He kissed down her cheek and her neck, but stopped when she giggled at his words. He met her hazel eyes with his, a furrowed brow.

"I'm sorry, honey, but no one's ever said that to me before. It's different."

"It's true. You're really soft, and delicate in your own way." She rolled her eyes, allowing him to peck her lips before pulling out of her and lying on his side. "Don't roll your eyes; I can give you a compliment whenever I want."

"Unless we're in front of anyone we know." She raised her eyebrows in a form of joke, but he didn't find her antics to be amusing.

They were always so different when they were alone, just the two of them. Two years had passed since they first made love: Karen and Will. Two years, and they still had only spoken to each other of their love. Not even Jack or Grace knew about their relationship. He just didn't want the drama.

It all began when Stan went to prison. They had seen a lot of one another, signing contracts or having business lunches. She cheated on her husband, and an immense guilt overtook her heart for a while. The loneliness was just too much to withstand so she abdicated to his kiss, and they soon found themselves to be lovers. Stan died a bit later, and Will was there for her more than the others.

He professed his love to her only recently, and she didn't miss a beat before returning his sentiment. They had fallen hard, with no return possible. The only problem was, nobody else knew. It made her feel as if he wasn't sure of his feelings for her sometimes, but other times she only wished he would surrender to his heart, to her.

"You know I love you, Karen. Just give it some time." He intertwined their fingers over her stomach, beneath the sheets of her bed.

"I've given two years amount of time."

"It wasn't possible to tell two years ago." She sat up on her elbow and looked straight into his eyes.

"But it is now. Damn it, Will, I'm so tired of lying to cover for us when we can just let it out." She stood from the bed and quickly stepped into her panties, clasping her bra as well while he spoke.

"Please, don't do this again. I love Grace and Jack way too much to lose them." She zipped her skirt, meeting his eyes once more.

"Who says they'll be angry? We've all been friends for so long that they should only want us to be happy." She looked to the ground, finding her shirt by the foot of the bed. She began to slide into it, buttoning the front. "Oh, honey, we've had this fight so many times that it loses its intensity."

"I'm sorry, but I just think we need to give it some more time." He stood and walked over to her, placing his fingers beneath her chin to tilt her face to his. Their lips touched and she sighed, nodding her head in defeat.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Honey, I told you the day you met him he was a vainglorious bastard." Karen was out to lunch with her sister, Gin, who was currently going through a custody battle for her three children.

"Enough with the 'I told you so' alright? I get enough of that from Mom." Karen smiled and took a sip of her martini. "Karen, I told you that drinking before noon means you're an alcoholic."

"Bullshit."

"I'm serious. Don't you remember how Grandpa was?"

"I'm not Grandpa. He'd be passed out drunk every night by nine o'clock. I can hold my liquor." Gin giggled, knowing she couldn't get through to her older sister if she tried. No matter how many times she insisted that she stop drinking, it never really made a difference in her actions.

"So, how's your lover?"

"Still insistent that we keep it a secret from our friends. You know, I'm not sure how to take that. Is he just cautious or what?"

"I'm sure he is only being cautious. He wouldn't have been with you this long if he didn't want to be, I'm sure."

"Thanks. Well, listen honey; I have to get back to the office. Grace is in Cambodia with her husband, and I'm actually supposed to work."

"I'll make sure to call you when we get the verdict this afternoon." She stood to hug her sister.

"Good luck, Virginia."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Will was greeted by a long kiss when he walked into Grace's office. Karen had quickly rushed into his arms, so happy to see him. When she pulled away he began to laugh, pushing the door closed with his foot.

"Oh, Will, the lawyer you set my sister up with, he paid off. She won the case this afternoon."

"Well, I'm glad I could help." She walked over to her desk and took a seat, smiling as she closed a few magazines. "Do you want to come over tonight? Grace is coming home tomorrow, and I don't know when we'll have the chance to sleep at my place again since she'll be staying with me until Leo gets back." The door opened.

"Only if you cook me dinner."

"Cook for me too!" Jack announced his presence, flouncing over to kiss Karen's cheek. "What's the occasion?"

"He set my sister up with a great lawyer who just helped her win a custody case. We're celebrating, Poodle."

"You have a sister?"