Matthew and Alice after Lucien and Jean's wedding - Sunshine.

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"You ok?" Matthew watched for a reaction as they left the club. The reception for Jean and Lucien's wedding had been lovely, good food, a few light-hearted speeches and wine. The bride and groom had now left for a short honeymoon and the guests had started to move off.

"Yes, thank you," she smiled, "they looked happy, Jean and Lucien."

"Sure did," he grinned, "I doubt things will change much though, she's been keeping him grounded since he came home."

"She has, hasn't she," Alice smiled, "he often says so, not in so many words, but ..."

Matthew opened the car door to allow her to step in so they could drive home. She seemed to have recovered from the snide comments being made, a combination of Jean's store of knowledge about the women in Ballarat and her own tenacity. Margie and Esme had obviously caught her at a bad time.

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They drove in silence home, Alice seemed to be deep in thought and Matthew had quickly learned that it wasn't a good idea to disturb her at times like this. Sometimes it was her unpredictability that drew him to her, sometimes it was the lack of inane chatter that so many women seemed to believe necessary. She didn't have to keep up a steady stream of words to let him know she was there, and he liked that. It was more what she did rather than what she said.

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Alice kicked off her shoes in the hall as Matthew locked the door.

"Tired?" he murmured.

"Aha," she nodded, "if you don't mind .." she looked up the stairs.

"No worries, good night, Alice," he kissed her cheek.

"Night, Matthew," she smiled softly and kissed him back. No kissing and cuddling on the couch tonight, she needed to think.

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It was the clink of the glass being lifted out of the cupboard that woke him. He looked at the bedside clock, one o'clock just gone so who, or what, was in the kitchen? He rose from his bed and pulled his robe on, it was a lightweight cotton one, he was not ready for the heavy winter robe, just yet.

She was standing with her back to the doorway, sipping a glass of water. At first he thought he should leave her to it, but then he saw her give a slight shiver. In the moonlight through the kitchen window he could see she wore only her nightdress. It seemed to be a silky, satiny type, with a low back and fine straps. It was cut in a way it clung to her figure and showed every line of her lovely body, and that there was nothing underneath it. She always wore a robe when wandering about the house after a shower or bath and changing into her nightwear so he had never seen her wearing so little. When they had fondled, or petted on the couch he had only undone her blouse buttons and perhaps seen her slip, anything else was by touch alone. His heart-rate increased and he felt the unmistakeable stirrings in his lower portions.

"Alice," he whispered.

"Couldn't sleep, after all," she didn't turn, "sorry if I woke you."

"No worries, but you're cold," he stepped towards her, taking his robe off, and wrapped it round her shoulders. She leant back against him and he took the glass from her hand. She couldn't help but notice he wore no pyjama top so now he was only wearing the bottoms and they hid nothing from her. She wasn't surprised, he often became aroused when they were on the couch but he had never pushed her to go any further than she was ready for.

They stood for a few moments, her taking his warmth against her back, he drinking in her scent of soap and the light fragrance she had worn that day that lingered.

She turned in his arms and shrugged the robe to the floor. He felt her nipples hard against his chest not sure if it was because she was cold or aroused but when she tipped her face up to him he bent down and claimed her lips in a searing kiss, he decided it was the latter.. His tongue explored her mouth, swept over her tongue and his hands held her just below her waist. Her arms snaked around his neck and she pulled herself closer, tight against him, his hardness pressing against her belly.

Matthew wrapped his arms round her, spreading his hands across her shoulder blades and he was sure he could feel her heart race with desire.

Alice slipped her hands down his back and over his backside, pulling him hard against her. He knew what she wanted - him.

He pulled away and took her hand, the kitchen was not the place for their first time together, his bed was large and comfortable so he led her up the stairs.

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He pushed the door closed and took her back into his arms, resuming the kissing that had stopped when he took her hand. He was going to take this slowly, give her the opportunity to back off is she needed to but her kisses were hungry ones and he doubted this was likely to happen.

He slipped the straps of her nightdress from her shoulders and it glided to the floor, settling in a puddle round her feet. He'd had women before, was no novice in bed, but he had never had anything to utterly gorgeous as this in his arms. Everything about her was perfect - to him.

She slipped her arms down his back and round to the tie of his pyjama trousers, which she undid and pushed them over his arousal and let them fall to the floor. This was no quick drunken romp in her university room or pressured coupling with another student, this was soft, deep, meant to be.

He moved them to the bed and proceeded to kiss her, touch her and suck at her. He used his fingers and she bucked against him, moaning and whispering his name until he reached behind him into the drawer of his bedside cabinet and drew out a small packet. He wasn't going to chance getting her in the family way on their first time. She smiled a wicked smile and plucked it from his fingers, deftly undoing it and slipping down the bed to roll it down his length. She kissed him either side and as she moved back up his body planted little kisses to his hips, his belly button his sternum until she was back at his mouth.

He shifted onto his back and lifted her over him. She lined him up at her entrance and slid over him, slowly, agonisingly slowly. He reached up and palmed her breasts and let her set the rhythm until he was thrusting hard into her then letting her release with a scream before following her with a grunt on his final thrust.

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She lay over him, their fingers interlaced, the steady thump thump of his heart in her ear. He drew little circles on her shoulder until they both fell asleep, satisfied.

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When she awoke in the morning she slipped out of bed and pulled his robe on. Nobody would hear anything from Matthew, unlike the talk that went round university this was their secret and would stay that way.