Once Andrew, with Meredith still in his arms, was standing at the end of the bed, she fully expected him to throw her on it, rip off her clothes, and come to her fast and furious. They had had weeks of frustrating almosts and maybes and should-have-beens, after all. Instead, he just stood there holding her, his tongue still seeking hers. It surprised her every time that he could kiss her with so much passion but maintain such self-control at the same time. She lowered her legs, and he placed her gently back on her feet. She tried to anticipate his next move, but she wasn't prepared when he unexpectedly spun her around, pulling her back against his chest. She tried to turn back to him, missing his warmth and his lips already, but one of his strong arms wrapped around her waist and held her firmly in place. His other arm came up and swept all her blond curls over her left shoulder, exposing her neck. He placed a kiss there, just below her ear, and it was her turn to feel a shiver. As he left a trail of kisses down her neck and across her shoulder, his free hand found its way to her hip and slipped under the hem of her camisole. He teased the skin of her stomach with his fingertips, dragging them higher and higher until he eventually covered her breast with his palm. He squeezed gently, and she let out a moan. She hadn't realized how much she missed being touched like this. Her knees had gone weak, so it was a good thing his other arm was still holding her tightly. Just then, his fingers found her nipple and gave a pinch. She gasped, and he could feel her pulse racing with his mouth on her neck. She actually felt his lips form a smile against her skin. He could be really cocky sometimes, she thought.

Suddenly she was turning in his arms again. With a movement so swift and so smooth that she hardly even knew it happened, he managed to slip her camisole up and over her head so that by the time they were face to face again, they were also chest to chest, skin to skin. They both took a moment to soak in this new sensation, gazing intensely into each other's eyes, but then he tossed her camisole aside and used one hand at the back of her head to pull her in for another round of kissing. His other hand roamed over her back for a short time, just taking in the feel of her naked skin, but eventually it found its way to her lower back and then slipped inside the waistband of her tiny satin shorts. He lowered the hand further until it covered one perfect globe of her ass. Of course, it fit perfectly, as if it was made just for him to squeeze, which he did.

They weren't sure if it was seconds or minutes that they stood like this – lips and tongues still tasting and exploring, his hand on her backside, holding her firmly against him - but it was long enough for her to notice that he was clearly feeling this as much as she was. He eventually broke away and slowly knelt in front of her, placing kisses along her torso as he did so. He had also grabbed her shorts with both hands and tugged them down as he went. As she kicked them off her feet, he took the chance to drink in the image of her. He was breathless. There she was - finally naked before him. It was a good thing he was already crouched on the floor because otherwise the sight of her would have brought him to his knees.

Meredith started to take a step toward him, and this broke his trance. He looked up into her eyes and saw her look of yearning. He held her gaze while he reached out and encircled her hips with both hands. He then gently applied pressure that caused her to step backwards; He followed her, still on his knees. A few steps later, the back of her legs collided with the edge of the bed, and because his hands continued to apply pressure, she had no choice but to sit down.

Now that she was back on a more even level with him, she was able to place her hands on either side of his neck, and her thumbs gently flicked his earlobes. She laced her fingers together behind his neck and leaned forward until her nose grazed his, and then she lightly brushed her lips across his.

"I'm so ready," she said, barely above a whisper, and then she found her mouth on his again.

As they melted into each other, Andrew ran his hands from her hips, down her thighs, and hooked a hand behind each of her knees. He gently pulled them apart so that he could nestle between them, bringing them chest to chest again. He slipped one arm around her back and then cradled the back of her head with it. He braced the other arm on the bed and used the leverage to slowly lower her to the bed. Once she was finally lying back, he broke away from her mouth and began a trail of kisses that started at her neck and worked their way down her chest. Meredith let out a sigh of disappointment at the loss of his lips on hers.

"Andrew, I just really need you," she whimpered.

"Patience, Bellissima. If we're doing this, we're doing it right."

His mouth resumed its trip down her torso, circled her navel, and found the crease where her leg met the place that was his ultimate target. But first he lifted one of her knees to his mouth, gave a nip with his teeth, and brushed his lips down the inside of her thigh, lightly scratching her with his stubble. He finally reached his destination. He slid his hands under her ass and around to her hips, pulling her closer as he gave one long lick up her center and tasted first hand just how ready she was. She inhaled sharply and then her breathing became loud and shallow as his tongue lingered on her lower lips, licking up one side and down the other, teasing her mercilessly by avoiding the one place that would undo her. She couldn't take it anymore and buried both her hands in his dark hair, not so gently tugging him in the direction of that bundle of nerves that was crying out for attention. When he finally covered it with his mouth, she couldn't help but let out an "Oh, God!"

He remained there, sometimes circling, sometimes flicking, sometimes sucking, and sometimes sneaking lower to taste her opening again. She moaned, her hips bucked, her thighs squeezed, and her fingers remained wrapped around his soft curls. He could tell the tension was building and she was getting close, but she suddenly pulled his head away.

"No," she said breathlessly. "I don't want to come like this."

He was surprised. "Really? Are you sure?" he asked as he gave one more lick.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Not the first time." She had lifted up on her elbows to look at him.

"Whatever you want, Dr. Grey."

She used her elbows to pull herself all the way onto the bed while he began crawling up between her legs, retracing his path of kisses back up her abdomen, using his forearms on either side of her to support himself. This time, though, he stopped to get a taste of her breasts. As he latched on, he could feel the rapid rise and fall of her chest. She moaned and grasped his shoulders. As he circled her nipple with his tongue, he felt one of her legs slide up his side, her foot coming to rest on his hip.

"Andrew?"

"Hmmm?" he rumbled, his lips never losing contact with her skin.

"You're still wearing too many clothes."

He gave a low, throaty chuckle. "That can be fixed."

He shifted his weight to his right forearm and used his other hand to grab his sweats and push them down. She managed to finish the job for him by hooking her feet inside the waistband and sliding them all the way down and off the end of the bed. They repeated the process with his boxer briefs, and then he climbed the rest of the way up her body until they were once again face-to-face. He settled his hips against hers and rocked them just enough to feel her wetness along his erection. They both reveled in this for a while as their lips found each other again. It became overwhelming quickly, though, and he wasn't sure he could keep from entering her without protection, and she wasn't sure she had the willpower to stop him, so he rolled off onto his back. Turning slightly, he reached out to the side table to grab a condom from the drawer, and she took the opportunity to finally drink in his naked body. He'd had his turn, now it was hers.