-'Aren't you a little over-dressed?'-

She teased once he fell on the bed, tired after a long day's work.

'Oh God, I am! All I need now is a good wash and some sleep,' he sighed running his hands through his hair and then over his face, trying to clean the day's worries from his brow.

'Maybe I can help!' Anna crawled onto the bed next to him, as he laid on his back and legs hanging out. She began undoing his collar and tie and the first buttons of his shirt, and John closed his eyes, enjoying as her hands set him free from his clothes. But her touches held more than just a need of help and soon he noticed that her hands turned lazy and dragged along his chest, caressing the first hairs that peeked from his undershirt.

'What are you doing?' he questioned languidly, relishing in the sweet touch of his wife's hand.

'Helping you out of this ungodly uniform.' Her voice was now like velvet, slow and low against the wonderful patterns of candlelight.

'And…' he swallowed hard when she touched his neck. 'I suppose you want a reward for such a delicate task?'

'I can always count on your right supposes, Mr Bates.'

'John. Call me John.'

She smiled at his demand. 'And what will be my reward for your Christian name?'

'You can ask anything you want, and everything else.'

'Well then…' She thought for a moment. A moment of tease. She stared at him and grinned as he opened his eyes with a curious look, begging her to tell him what it was she wanted. 'I want you…John.'

He sat up to kiss her, and brought his hands to hold her cheeks in place. They were hot and flushed and he couldn't wait to see the rest of her body under the exact same effect.

'I want you until morning,' she said before kissing him again and helping him out of the rest of his clothes.

'What about work?'

'It's our afternoon off tomorrow, we can always take a nap!'

They were awake when the first rays of sunlight caressed their skin, still pretty much lost in each other's arms and prayers, and when the afternoon came, they decided that napping would be too much of a waste…and once again they were late for dinner.