Author's note: When I've just re-read the first parts of this chapter the melody and parts of a song came into my mind and I had found the chapter's title: Beautiful Morning by The Ultimate Rascals. (Especially this passage: It's a beautiful mornin', ah, Each bird keeps singin' his own song. And later: There will be children with robins and flowers / Sunshine caresses each new waking hour / Seems to me that the people keep seeing / More and more each day; gotta say, lead the way...) :-)

Enjoy the following chapter and thanks for all your reviews.

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He lost himself in her deep green eyes and his breath slowed down.

Now, Tommy! he encouraged himself. Or never...

Barbara nearly stopped breathing too when he took her left hand in his right. She saw his brown eyes getting black when he intertwined their fingers.

Her wide open eyes went down to their connected hands and his followed.

"Don't go, Barbara." Tommy croaked and looked back up.

A slightly awkward and silent moment followed before he cupped her face with his other hand and with the tiniest of movements ever possible she tilted her head into his palm.

She did not want to go.

He released her hand to put one of those rebellious curls of her hair behind her ear before he let his fingers shift into the back of her neck. He came nearer.

They stood as close as possible without touching.

Some few inches apart from her face Tommy breathed barely audible "Don't ever go."

Barbara looked from his eyes to his lips and back to his eyes. "Sir, I..." she said and looked at his mouth again.

She wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on hers. Her heart raced and she could not believe what she thought was happening. She looked in his eyes again.

Tommy bent down and his face slowly came nearer. Barbara suddenly had forgotten what she was about to say.

"I'm going to kiss you, Havers." he breathed. He needed to make sure that she knew what was about to come and gave her the time and space to stop it. Instead she closed her eyes and approached the remaining millimetres.

"Yes, Sir..." she whispered onto his lips.

Her hands tentatively slid around his waist as his hands softly held her nape.

The touch of her lips felt softer than he ever had dared to imagine and she answered every tangency of his mouth with a sweet pressure. Their lips met in some thousand soft kisses.

A soft morning breeze came through the open door and the first choirs of birds started to greet the new day.

Barbara melted into his arms when his fingers went down her neck lightly exploring her back, touching her not protective, not guiding, not possessive yet, instead in a new delicate and very gentle way, leaving all the space she might need to step back.

He sensed her warm and soft body pressed against his without any intention to stop. With every heave of her breathing she felt the solid opposition of his chest.

His tongue wetted her bottom lip whereas his upper lip only brushed hers so Barbara opened her mouth and let Tommy feel her invitation by greeting his tongue with the tip of her own. She tilted her head more and let him slowly invade her mouth where, shortly after their first contact, their tongues danced frantically.

Every nerve of Barbara was aware of him, every olfactory nerve was filled with his scent, every taste bud detected something new and all with a hint of the white wine Tommy had just drunk.

They held each other in a tight embrace and soon the last bit of hesitancy vanished so their lip's soft connection turned into a passionate encounter.

His exploring hands had finally reached her bottom when the couple needed to break apart, both heavily panting for breath. Their foreheads bumped and Barbara kept her eyes closed, afraid that if she opened them everything would disappear, turning out to be just another daydream.

Tommy's stubbly cheek brushed Barbara's when he nuzzled into her hair while she buried her face into his chest.

This is a dream indeed, but a very solid one. She grinned.

"This wasn't a friend's kiss." he stated the obvious.

"No, not at all." she whispered.

Then he pushed the door shut with his bare foot and their faces met again in a tender, longing and lasting kiss.

"Wha' do you want for breakfast?" he asked a short eternity later, his lips never leaving hers.

"Hmmm?"

"Breakfast...?"

"Mmm-hmmm." She was so far away that she had not realised what he had asked.

Tommy chuckled and looked properly at her. "Tea or coffee?"

"Oh, coffee, please." Barbara blushed and closed her eyes again. She did not want to think about anything. This kiss should go on. And it did.

His hands glided under her top, the touch of just his fingertips left burning traces on her skin and while one arm still was wrapped around his waist she buried her other hand into the hair in the back of his head. When he heard a tiny though very approving sound coming from deep down her throat he placed his strong hands fully on her hips and pulled it close into his. She pressed her body even closer which let him softly moan in answer.

Tommy bowed her slightly backwards thus Barbara had to steady herself and grabbed his upper arms. His hands now very possessively roamed her waist, her hip, her back and with a firm grope her bum cheeks.

This kiss definitely had nothing to do with friendship and it left them gasping for air and laughing somewhat perplexed and deleriously happy.

Under continued little kisses Tommy went on speaking about breakfast.

"Full English or jus' toast 'n' jam as usual?"

"Wha'?" she unwillingly asked. Stop talking! Barbara had just found out that his short shirt provided easy access to his skin.

"Breakfast...!" he chuckled again. Her hands on his waist and on the sides of his chest nearly made him forget about his hunger and cleared space for a very different hunger which was situated about a foot below her warm touches.

"Oh, toast 'n' jam will do, Sir." Though I'd love to munch you instead.

Tommy winced. He now totally stopped kissing her and looked seriously. "Please, Barbara! Would you at last mind calling me Tommy constantly like I've asked you before?"

They shared an intense look. Barbara felt that after this long night of light and serious conversation, after looks, remarks, banter, seriousness and confessions, and especially after the confession that layed in this overwhelming kiss there was no need for a safety barrier anymore, in fact there was no safety barrier anymore at all. She was surrounded by his protective arms and his dazzling smell. His taste still lingered on her tongue and she could still feel the pressure of his lips. His eyes were tender and pleading though a little uncertainty still shone through.

She really should call him by his first name. It was about time.

"Tommy." she breathed.

The uncertainty in his eyes was gone in an instant and he lowered his lips on hers again.

.

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