They remained at the kitchen table for hours after they had finished eating. Holly listened to Roger as he described his plans for his new business, secretly rejoicing at the spark that she could detect in his eyes. Sometimes, he would stop in midsentence, mesmerized by the mere sight of her, so near, twirling a strand of copper hair around her index, as she always did when she was intently listening to him. She would laugh and nudge him so that he would go on.

"It's good to be here with you like this, Holly," he finally said.

She smiled. "Yes, it's been a long time since we had a chance to talk. I missed it."

"I missed you. More than I can say."

Holly got up and started to clear the table. She was not ready to get too sentimental just yet.

"So, you never did tell me why you were late for our meeting last night."

Roger cursed under his breath. Buying an engagement ring now was rather intense, to say the least. Tell her about it now might send her running for the hills. On the other hand, he did not want to lie to her anymore.

He finally found an answer that suited him. "I was out buying something for you."

Holly finished putting the plates in the dishwasher and came back to the table.

"How sweet! Can I have it?"

"It's not ready."

"What is it?"

"I'd rather not tell you until it's ready."

Holly tapped her fingers on the table, getting exasperated. "When will it be ready, then?"

"I am not trying to aggravate you, Holly, but I don't know when it that will be. There might never be a good time."

Holly scrutinized his face, trying to get a clue, before giving up. "This gift of yours better not end up blowing up in my face, is all I am saying," she said, wagging a finger in his face.

"It won't." Roger got up and went to the living room. "Well, I better leave you alone if I ever want you to make a decision about us, right? Besides, I have some business to attend to, especially now that I don't have a helper anymore," he added with a wink.

Holly felt panic rising in her chest at the thought of him leaving. In the last hours, it had become very clear to her that she did not want to spend another day without him.

"Is there any chance that your business might wait until tomorrow?"

Roger turned around, thinking that he had not heard right. Then he saw the look in her eyes and the hand she was holding out to him. He was upon her like a flash, crushing his mouth against hers.

He led her to the bedroom where he slowly slipped the straps of her dress off her shoulders. "Promise me that you'll never push me away again," he whispered.

She unbuttoned the top of his shirt and put her hand on his heart. "Never make me doubt you again and I swear that I will keep you forever."

They undressed and stood as if seeing each other's body for the first time. Then he pulled her in his arms.

Usually, Holly preferred to enter the act of lovemaking slowly. She loved the deep kisses, the embraces and the minute exploration of each other's body. Today, however, there was no time for any of it. She felt as strongly as Roger the urgency for them to be together.

She let her hand slid down between his legs and she touched him, as if asking if he was really hers after all. His body answered quick as a flash, throbbing in her hand. He slid his fingers up her thighs, silently asking the same question and finding the answer he was hoping for. She gripped his shoulders with a sigh and they both fell on the bed.

He held her close, as if he wanted their two bodies to merge. To Holly, the weight of him felt like the shield of home, after having roamed in strange lands for too long.

Outside, the day turned into dusk, then into night.

They came out of the room the next morning, dishevelled and not even bothering to dress. Holly headed to the fridge to get some fruits and sat down on the couch beside Roger to peel them.

"Should we call Blake?" Roger asked, tracing circles on Holly's back with his little finger.

"What for?"

"To let her know about us."

"And what are you planning on telling her exactly?" Holly asked teasingly.

Roger looked embarrassed. He realized that it might be a little too soon to start spreading the news of their rekindled romance, since they had not even discussed it themselves.

"Ok, point taken, I am getting ahead of myself," he retorted, relieved that he had not mentioned the ring the night before.

Holly smirked and bit into a piece of orange. Before she could stop it, the juice ran down from her mouth right down to her left breast and her stomach. Seeing this, Roger got up from the couch and took her in his arms before she had a chance to reach for a towel.

"Let me care of that," he said, licking her neck then slowly following the downward trail of the juice with his lips.

Holly laughed and tried to push him away, "Roger, stop, you're tickling me!"

"And let all this good vitamin C go to waste, are you mad?" he mumbled between his teeth, still making his way down to her breast.

Holly's breath grew faster as he teased her nipple. He knelt down and proceeded to lick the juice that had run down her stomach. There was no doubt now as to what his final destination was.

"Roger…at least let me check if we locked the front door…someone could come in," she managed to say.

Not listening, he buried his face between her legs. She inhaled sharply, quickly forgetting about the door. Soon, she was trembling so hard that he had to pull her down on the floor with him. He covered her body with his, and started moving inside of her. Sensing that she was already on the verge of orgasm, he kept her there until she begged him to make her come. She finally climaxed, bringing him over the edge with her. For a few seconds, they both lost all sense of time and space.

They woke up with a start an hour later, still on the floor.

The sight of Holly was too tempting for Roger, so he forced himself not to look at her and headed straight for the shower. It was the only way that he would be able to tear himself away from her and get some work done.

He got out of the bathroom a few minutes later, drying his hair with a towel. Holly was sitting at the kitchen table in her dressing gown, drinking her coffee and waiting for her turn in the bathroom.

"So, I am off to the hotel," he said as he put on his coat," I have a lot of work to do today."

"Good."

He walked up to her and started playing with her hair. "May I take you out to dinner tonight?"

She looked up at him and smile. "Of course, you may."

"You'll come?"

"Sure, I'll come."

"You promise?"

Holly looked falsely annoyed. "Are you going to make me promise every time we have to part for a couple of hours?"

"Well, you kinda like, you have to admit."

She buried her face in his shirt and he could feel her laughing silently. "Yes, I kinda like it," she finally conceded.

"Great, so the Towers, tonight at 8PM."

"I'll be there."

Coming back to his hotel room, Roger found a note on the coffee table. He sat down to read it.

"Roger,

By the time you read this, I will be back in Chicago. I am pretty sure that you wish to fire me, and if it is indeed the case, then it is fair enough. If not, however, you know where to find me! I left all your affairs in order. It was never my intention to hurt you, and you must know that I truly enjoyed working by your side.

Megan

p.s. I only did what I did because you are so damn cute!"

He couldn't help but laugh. That woman was the cheekiest he had ever met. He threw the note out and got to work.