Loki was anxious to settle into the hotel room as he took the key from the desk clerk and grabbed his bag, heading toward the elevator. The other members of their firm had arrived several hours earlier but he had to appear in court for one of his more important cases so he needed to take a later flight.

He could care less about the conferences that he'd be attending or even the fact that he was in the sunny state of Florida. He only had one thing on his mind. Get his bags unpacked and find his way to Natasha's room.

He unlocked the door as he quickly moved inside, tossing his briefcase on the mattress and dropping his suitcase along the side of the bed. There that was that, he mused as he turned around to see about locating the sexy little lawyer that he had been daydreaming about on the flight over. His dark green eyes settled on Natasha as she stood in his open doorway.

"You are a sight for sore eyes, pet," He grinned impishly. "Now get inside and close the door, darling, before someone sees you."

Natasha slipped inside and closed the door behind her as she slowly began unbuttoning her blouse. She stripped naked in front of him and playfully jumped onto the bed, "Three hours until the banquet…spend them wisely counselor…"

She crooked her finger in his direction, favoring him with a sexy little 'come hither' look as he joined her on the bed, already half-undressed himself. Soon, he was inside of her, thrusting into her from behind as she held onto the headboard for leverage.

Two hours and multiple orgasms later, they lied there in each other's arms deliciously spent. He breathed her in as she snuggled closer. This was the life, he mused, nothing compared to having her in his arms. He never wanted it to end. A noise started rumbling along the floor and then her ringtone began to echo through the room. He watched her with a smile as she searched through their pile of discarded clothes till she located her phone. He didn't think much of it assuming it was work related until he heard her first words. It was her husband and Loki couldn't stop the sudden sting of jealousy that rose up within him as she smiled into the phone.

Natasha slowly slipped into one of the hotel robes as she spoke into the phone, "Yeah. Yeah….I got in fine. The flight was boring…..long…..mhmm….ok. Good…love you too….bye."

She glanced back at Loki as she hung up the phone. It was clear that the euphoria they felt just moments ago had begun to fade thanks to her husband's ill-fated timing. Natasha sat on the edge of the bed, "Sorry about that…"

"It's alright, darling," he lied as he got out of bed and pulled on his pants. The 'love you too' had been difficult to hear. He wasn't even sure why. Of course, she loved him. She married him, didn't she? He knew that from day one but it was getting harder and harder to swallow as time went on. He didn't like sharing her. He didn't like it at all. "So tell me, pet. After the banquet shall we meet at your place or mine."

"Mine", she said, kissing him softly before she slipped out of his room and back to her own just next door.

During the banquet, Natasha didn't eat much. She wanted to be sure to save room for dessert. While the rest of their colleagues and conference-goers headed out to various bars and mixers, Natasha and Loki found themselves in her room, naked, with chocolate cookies and ice cream. She lay beside him with a bowl of ice cream, smiling as he shared a cookie with her.

"What are your goals and aspirations for your future? I know you said that it doesn't include a wife and kids…what do you want for your future? What desires lie in your heart?"

"Short term… I'd like to make partner," Loki divulged as she fed him another spoonful of ice cream. "Long term, I'd like to make a big enough name for myself that I can start my own practice… my own law firm. Basically, I want to be the most amazing lawyer ever, darling. The King of lawyers, Eh heh heh heh." His dark green eyes sparkled up at her as he grinned, his tongue playing against his teeth as he offered her another bite of cookie. "I want to show my father that he underestimated me."

Natasha smiled with a slow nod, "I wanted to make partner too…and before you came along, Mr. Brilliant, I was on the fast track. There's never been a female partner at Coulson & Associates. I know they're concerned that I won't be willing to put my job first because, of course, I'm a woman, and they think that, one day I'll start popping out kids…which is why I'm purposely waiting…"

She sighed a little and shrugged as she took a bite of the cookie, "I love my job, but now, I'm wondering if this firm is the best place for me. I'm finding that there are some things in my life that don't make me happy…and life's too short to stick with things that make you unhappy…"

Loki felt a sudden feeling of panic come over him. A sensation that he had never experienced before in his life. This horrible dread filled his bones. He pictured her leaving the firm so she could go off and have a prattle of little babies with that wanker and then he would never see her again.

"Why would you ever want to leave the firm? You said yourself that you love it there, pet." Loki entreated. "I don't think it's your job that makes you unhappy."

Natasha laid the empty bowl of ice cream on the night stand and relaxed beside him on the bed.

"I don't know what I want anymore…" she murmured as she brought a hand up to stroke his face as she stared into his eyes. "Right now, in this moment, I'm happy…"

"So am I, Natasha," Loki divulged as he rested his hand over hers before tilting his head so that he could kiss her palm. "Being with you makes me very happy… I hope when you're deciding on things that you don't want to stick with because life is too short. I hope I'm not one of the things you cut out, darling." He dropped his gaze from hers nervously as he took in a deep breath. He shouldn't rock the boat but he felt like it needed to be said. "I hope you know how… how much I care about you, pet. You're not just an incredibly amazing shag. It's much more than that for me."

Natasha felt her heart flutter as she pulled his lips to hers for a loving kiss. She poured every ounce of emotion she felt into that kiss and softly whispered against his lips, "It's more than sex for me too, Loki…I care for you…so much."

They made love again that night, and well after he fell asleep beside her, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek as she watched him slumber.

Natasha smiled at his sleeping form as she stroked his hair and softly whispered, "I love you…"

She then rolled over and lay down, drifting to sleep.

Loki woke up with a huge smile on his face which quickly turned into a frown as he ran his fingers along her lush red curls while she slept at his side. He was in way too deep. For the first time in his life he was truly enraptured by a woman and she belonged to another man. He had her all to himself right now but once they returned to their normal lives then she would be back in her husband's bed. The idea of which made him writhe in jealousy. He didn't want that man touching her. He didn't want anyone near her but him. She had told him that she cared about him, too, and it had made him so happy when she said it. But in the harsh light of day he realized that although she cared about him, she loved her husband. When push came to shove he wasn't the one she would choose. Her husband was. The thought of which depressed him utterly.

He was much better for her than her husband was. The man didn't know how to treat her. He obviously didn't appreciate the incredible woman that he had in her. Loki would never make that mistake. He had enough women to know that she was extraordinarily special and as much as he hated to admit it. He knew without a doubt that he had fallen in love with her. It scared the crap out of him. What would he do if she ever decided to stop seeing him.

Loki watched as her eyelids began to flutter open and he smiled down at her, leaning in to kiss her forehead softly. "I was just about to wake you, darling." Just then the hotel room phone rang. Loki knew there was only one person that would be calling her room at six in the morning. He almost wanted to answer it and tell him to sod off. His dark green eyes narrowed as he glared at the phone.

Natasha smiled up at him, but when the phone rang, she grew somber. She saw the way his eyes narrowed at the phone and, upon answering it, confirmed his unspoken suspicion that it was her husband.

"Hey…yeah. I was still in bed….not bad. Everyone is nice…..um. No. No, not until Friday….right….yea…you too, bye."

Natasha turned around and smiled apologetically, "Sorry…I almost forgot our anniversary was this weekend. He was calling to make sure I'd be home in time for—-never mind. Sorry."

Natasha had never been more conflicted in her life. She loved Loki…a lot. She wasn't sure she ever felt this way about anyone…but she couldn't have him. She was married, and this affair…as beautiful and passionate as it was…was wrong.

"What are you thinking?" she asked hesitantly.

"That's a dangerous question, darling," Loki answered as his gaze still hung on the phone by her bed. "I'm not sure you really want me to answer it, pet." He felt a sudden surge of possessiveness flooding him at the thought of her spending her weekend on some romantic outing celebrating their anniversary. Sex was obviously pretty much a guarantee, he supposed. Probably lots of 'I love you's' and walks down memory lane. He stood up from the bed abruptly.

"I should probably head over to my room so I can get in the loo and get ready for this morning's conference." He grabbed his crumpled up shirt from the floor and began to button it back up. He exhaled slowly before his gaze finally met hers once more. "Forgive me my momentary mood, pet," he smiled before claiming her mouth in a heated kiss. "I'm just so crazy about you. I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

Natasha kissed him back and stroked his face, "Save me a seat downstairs…"

They sat through panels, lectures and an insanely boring networking lunch before they were dismissed for the afternoon. Natasha knocked on his door wearing a bikini and sheer cover up.

"Wanna go to the beach?"

"My word, darling, you look gorgeous," Loki beamed as he leaned against the door frame before dropping his voice lower as he whispered. "If not for the people walking the hallway I would have grabbed you and pulled you in for a kiss." He push the door all the way open as he brought his voice back up to a normal level. "Sounds like fun, pet, just give me second to change into something more appropriate."

Natasha drove them a ways from their hotel to a beach, where they strolled barefoot in the sand. As they walked, Natasha slipped her hand in his. It was the first time they held hands in public, and it felt natural to her.

They sat down to watch and listen to the waves as a family played nearby. She smiled at him, and for that moment, she wondered what her life would be like if she'd met this man before she met Clint. She wondered if they would fall in love…if they'd get married…maybe start a law firm together and have children…

She sighed wistfully and turned her eyes back to the waves as they lapped at the shore, "I find myself thinking about a lot of 'what ifs' lately…"

"I know the feeling, pet," Loki mused as his eyes drifted toward the small family a few yards away. How long before that would be her and her husband while he was out the cold all alone? "Like what if I had come to America earlier. And ran into some incredibly beautiful and still single red-head who wrapped me around her finger and made me…" What was he doing? What was he going to say? Made me fall in love with her, made me want to marry her. Natasha, divorce your husband and pick me instead. Had he lost his marbles? "You know, I love the sound of the ocean, darling. It's so soothing."

Natasha stared at him for a few moments. It was as if he wanted to say more, but being a master linguist and expert deceiver, he covered his tracks well…not well enough for her, unfortunately.

She gracefully allowed the moment to pass, giving them both the opportunity to avoid an awkward moment and save face. Part of her wished he would just throw caution to the wind so that she could finally have the courage to openly tell him that she loved him…and wished that he was the one she came home to rather than her husband, but she knew that was a stupid idea. He couldn't love her, could he? He was a self-proclaimed loner who avoided the idea of 'family' like the plague. Despite the fight she and Clint seemed to constantly fight over having a baby, she did want it one day.

Natasha lay her head on his shoulder, "The ocean is relaxing…the most beautiful beach I've ever been to is off the coast of Maine…beautiful little town and so perfectly quaint."

Loki arrived in his office bright and early Monday morning even though he had spent the majority of the weekend here in a failed attempt to get his mind off the fact that Natasha was busy shagging her husband all weekend. He was miserable. Beyond miserable. The thought of her with another man made him insane. He gazed out of his office as people began to file in slowly for work. He took a sip of his coffee as he spun his chair to face the window. He tried to think of something else but it was no use. "Happy anniversary," he bit off sarcastically as he suddenly threw his mug and watched it crash against his filing cabinet.