He did it without thinking.

He kissed her with the long-suppressed part of him that had built Ice Town – the irresponsible, spontaneous part that had no business influencing the thoughts and actions of an auditor. He had spent years at a job where he told people what they had to do instead of what they wanted to do. It was his job, essentially, to crush ideas under the heel of practicality. It hadn't escaped his notice that his job was about making people frown instead of smile.

So this kiss wasn't just breaking Chris' rule. It was breaking Ben's own rules.

But, unlike Ice Town, this wasn't a bad decision. This was nothing but good.

Her lips were as soft as they looked, and they tasted as sweet as her ever-present lip gloss suggested. They were both pliant and demanding against his – just like Leslie herself. As he cupped her face, he slid his fingers into her curly hair, and it, too, was everything he had imagined.

When their lips parted, she raised her eyes to his. "Uh-oh," she murmured.

He stroked the nape of her neck with his fingertips. "Sorry," he said.

"Don't be."

"I'm not," he replied, smiling. "Not really."

She smiled back. Her gaze fell to his mouth, and she leaned in to kiss him again. This kiss was deeper and more passionate, and Leslie's little sighs made his insides twist in a needy way. He dropped his hands to her waist, pulling her closer, and her arms slid up around his neck. He didn't have to wonder anymore if she did other things with as much eagerness and passion as she gave her work.

"We can't do this here," she said, quite breathless now. "God, I love your mouth."

"I'm a little – partial – to yours, too," he said between kisses. He stopped himself and stepped back from her. "Do you want to… I mean, we could get a drink or something? Or maybe…" He raked a hand through his hair and shook his head. "As long as I've wanted this, you'd think I could've practiced what to say, right?"

"I could drive us to my house," she suggested. "I don't want to rush into anything too fast because I really, really like you, but we could drink some wine, watch TV, or talk. And make out. I definitely want to make out a lot." They grinned at each other. "When it gets late, I can drive you back here. What do you think?"

"I think you're full of great ideas." He tugged her body back to his and kissed her lightly. "Are we being too reckless?"

"I've never seen you be reckless about anything, Ben Wyatt. So if it's going to be something, I want it to be me." She gave him a cheeky grin and added in an overly deep, exaggerated voice, "I want you to get reckless all over me."

She grimaced and squinted her eyes at the bright light flooding into her living room. She felt a steady heartbeat under her ear, and she lifted her head from Ben's chest. He still had his shirt on, but she had taken off his tie and undone the first couple of buttons last night. Oh, she thought. They had fallen asleep together on the sofa, Ben half-reclining with Leslie tucked in beside him. The TV was still on, though the History Channel was on mute. She swept her eyes over Ben's face – his ridiculously adorable, sexy face with that ridiculously quirky, sexy mouth. Oh.

She laid her head back down and closed her eyes. So much for the plan to drive him back to City Hall so he wouldn't have to spend the night at her house. Well, that plan was dumb anyway. She smiled.

He stirred beneath her, and she could almost hear his thoughts as he, too, took in their situation. If his contented sigh was any indication, he had reached the same conclusion she did. He moved his hand to her hair and combed through it slowly with his fingers.

"Hi," he said. His voice was scratchy. And sexy. God, he was sexy. Sexy in an adorable, nerdy way. The best way in which a man could be sexy.

"Mmm," she replied. "Have to get you back to City Hall before…" She yawned. "Before."

"It's Saturday."

"Really?"

"Really."

He shifted more to the side so that her body moved under his. He slid his fingertips down the side of her face and lowered his mouth to hers.

She had already told him last night that she loved his mouth, but she didn't know if she had stressed it enough. She loved his mouth the way Ron Swanson loved steak. Wait, that was kind of gross. She sighed into his kiss with a sound that was almost embarrassingly satisfied. His lips parted from hers just long enough to murmur her name, and then they wandered slowly down her neck. Ben's mouth really deserved a monument in one of the city parks.

"Your mouth is my new favorite thing in the world," she said. It was a stupid thing to say, but she couldn't care less.

She felt him smile as he kissed her throat. "I love your mouth, too," he said, returning to it and rewarding it with a soft kiss. "Your mouth, your hair, your eyes… your body." He dipped his hips into hers just enough to show her how much he loved all those things. "I'm crazy about you. Have been for a long time."

Leslie pushed him up and sat in his lap, one knee on either side of him. She leaned in to kiss him as her fingers started work on his shirt buttons. She felt him stir beneath her as she moved the material aside and ran her hands over his skin.

His torso was a pleasant surprise. Ben was a slightly-built man, and she had imagined that his body was small, thin, and untoned. But there was hardness and lean muscle to him. It wasn't as if he had a six-pack or anything, but his stomach was flat and firm. His chest and shoulders had definition.

"Hey," he said quietly, running a hand down her arm. He waited until her eyes met his before he continued, "I definitely want this, but didn't you say you wanted to take it slow?"

She sighed. "I did say that. But you know what? I'm tired of taking it slow. We've been taking it slow for months. Now that we finally know how we feel, maybe we should just jump in and let ourselves have this." She smiled a little, suddenly sheepish. "What do you think?"

"I think you're the most brilliant woman I've ever met."

What did he think? He thought that poor Jerry had it right when he painted Leslie Knope as a goddess. He had spent his adult life chasing the high he had felt at 18 when it seemed like he owned the world. Nothing had ever come close. Not until this morning. Making love with Leslie was euphoric. A million Ice Towns and a million balanced budgets couldn't compete.

For the first time since he was 18, he had allowed himself to be reckless. And he wasn't a bit sorry.