AN: Thanks so much for all your lovely words following my author's note, which I am going to leave up. I normally delete them, but it's just easier to leave this one.
I hope you enjoy this long awaited chapter! It is about Brochel's physical relationship, but there's definitely nothing explicit.
Chapter 36 – Love Me Tender
When Rachel and Brody arrived at their lodging they quickly settled in, ate, then changed and headed out to the slopes for an afternoon of skiing. That night they were too exhausted from travelling and skiing to do more than eat, shower and fall into bed to go to sleep almost immediately.
The next day they slept in a little, then headed back out to the mountain and spent a pleasant day skiing and when they returned to their room they were nowhere near as exhausted as they had been the day before.
"I don't feel nearly so tired today. I think it was tiring adjusting to the mountain air," Rachel mused as she peeled off a couple of layers and sat down in front of the wood fire.
"That and we were up early, then skied all day. We may be fit from dancing and running, but skiing takes a different kind of fit," Brody added. "In fact, I was so tired last night I forgot to give you your Christmas present."
"Brody, this is my Christmas present?" Rachel said in confusion.
"Well, it's kind of for me too. This is just something extra, something I didn't want to give you in front of the others. And I suppose it's also for me a little bit too," Brody replied with a grin. "Here."
Brody presented her with a package, then curled up with her on the couch, pulling her into his arms as she started to unwrap the present.
"Bubble bath, champagne, rubbing oil, and a black, lace and silk Victoria's Secret teddy," Rachel summarised, anticipation building in her stomach as she touched each item. "You put so much thought into this, into this whole trip. I just don't know how to thank you."
"Well, not that I need thanks, but I do know a way you can thank me, if you really want to," Brody said wickedly, eyeing her mischievously.
Rachel let out a laugh, then said with mock seriousness, "Ah, I see. All these presents are involved in your 'thanking' plan."
"Yes they are, as it that enormous tub in the bathroom, and the candles that just happen to be in there too," Brody replied, grinning broadly.
"Well then, how about you just wait here, and I'll let you know when I'm ready to 'thank' you," Rachel suggested, getting up and heading for the bathroom, deliberately adding a seductive sway to her walk.
Brody stayed on the couch, picked up a book and tried to read it, otherwise the thoughts of things to come were going to drive him insane, in a very short period of time.
Meanwhile Rachel set about placing the supply of scented candles around the rustic bathroom, but did not light any yet. They needed to be lighted at the latest possible moment, for convenience's sake.
Rachel then started the bath, squirting in an ample amount of bath bubbles.
She was about to get changed when she noticed the champagne.
"Brody, close your eyes!" Rachel ordered through the bathroom door. "I have to run downstairs, okay?"
"Okay," Brody answered in a bemused tone.
Rachel rushed downstairs to the front desk, clothed in a cardigan and her ski pants.
"Hi, can I please get a bucket of ice, like for champagne, now?" Rachel asked breathlessly. "You see, I'm trying to surprise my boyfriend, and I forgot to start the champagne cooling, and I need it now! You see the bath is running…Oh my God, the bath is running."
With that Rachel turned and fled back to their room, knocked on the door and called, "Brody Weston close your eyes and keep them closed until I say!"
Rachel rushed into the room, into the bathroom and turned shut the faucet off just in time. Another minute and the bath would've over flown.
Rachel surveyed her save in satisfaction, admired the piles of bubbles, then remember the damn bucket of ice.
"I'm coming out again, so keep them closed!" Rachel ordered.
Rachel raced back down the stairs again to the amused girl on the front desk.
"Hi, sorry about that, crisis averted. So, could I please get that ice?" Rachel asked.
The girl smiled sympathetically and said, "Of course. I've already sent someone to get it."
Rachel sighed in relief and relaxed a little. "You know this is my first trip like this, away with my boyfriend, and I just wanted things to be perfect. My dads named me after Rachel Greene from F.R.I.E.N.D.S and I don't think they ever imagined that I'd been racing around a hotel on Slide Mountain in a similar style to the antics that happened on the show."
The girl grinned at Rachel's ramblings and just said, "No, probably not. Okay, well, here's your ice. I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening."
"Thank you, me too, and I mean, you too," Rachel said incoherently and headed quickly back to their room, swinging the ice pail.
She looked down at said ice pail and let out a chuckle. Her evening really was turning into something that belonged on a comedy TV show.
She wrapped on the door again and said, "Okay, this is the last time I'm making you close your eyes."
"They're closed!" Brody yelled, and Rachel let herself into the room.
Once in the bathroom she set the champagne in the ice, checked the temperature of the water, deemed it warm enough, then started lighting the candles.
She looked intently at the teddy before murmuring, "I think I'll save that for later."
Rachel slipped out of her clothes, shoved them in the corner and slipped into the warm, bubbly bath.
"Brody, come in whether ever you like now," Rachel said airily.
Brody came into the bathroom moments later, already sans shirt.
"Where are you?" Brody asked in amusement.
"Under the bubbles you idiot," Rachel replied.
"No teddy?" Brody queried in disappointment.
"That's for later," Rachel promised. "Pour the champagne and get in."
Brody poured two glasses of champagne, discarded his clothes and slipped into the bath with Rachel.
"So, this may be an unromantic note to start on, but what were you doing, running around and ordering me to close my eyes?" Brody asked.
"Well, the long and short of the matter is that I needed ice for the champagne," Rachel answered with a smile.
Brody chuckled, slid over to Rachel and encircled his arms around her, pulling her tight to him, their bodies soft and slick with the bubble suds.
"I love you," Brody murmured in her ear, kissing her neck softly.
"And I love you," Rachel returned, twisting around to face Brody so that she could kiss him.
Brody weaved one wet hand through her, drawing her closer and kissing her thoroughly. He kept his other hand on her body, moving it around, stroking her soft, yet toned, skin.
Rachel moved so that she was sitting on Brody's lap, his back up against the tub, her legs tangled with his in the space available.
They continued to kiss for what seemed like ages, just lost in each other, savouring the feeling and the moment.
"I wish we had a bathroom like this at the apartment. Privacy is kind of lacking there," Rachel said with a sigh as Brody kissed along her collarbone.
"Maybe we should think about getting somewhere together next year," Brody suggested between kisses.
"Mmm, let's talk about that, later, much later," Rachel mumbled continuing to kiss Brody feverishly.
A few minutes later Rachel suddenly said, "How do you feel about drying off and testing out that bed?"
"I could cope with that," Brody said nonchalantly, quickly moving to get out of the tub and grab them both a soft, fluffy towel.
Rachel giggled and accepted the towel he handed her and began to dry her skin off.
"You go in there and finish drying, and I'll meet you in there soon, dressed appropriately," Rachel said with a promising smile.
Brody saluted Rachel cheekily and headed out of the bathroom, his towel wrapped low around her torso, showing off his chiselled form.
Rachel watched his shapely back retreat then once he was gone and the door was closed, she grabbed the sexy lingerie and started to put it on.
Once it was on the arranged her hair as attractively as possible, negotiating the damp and wet sections of hair with ease.
She briefly surveyed her appearance in the mirror, the stepped out into the bedroom, somehow managing to look sexy and girlish at the same time.
Brody was lying in the bed, under the sheet and watched Rachel walk over to him, his eyes devouring her form.
Rachel slipped into bed with him, kissing him, then whispered, "You know, I don't think this is very fair, you're not wearing any clothes for me to take off."
"We both know you like my body better than any clothes," Brody teased, kissing her and fiddling with one thin strap of the teddy.
"It's true, but I like you even more than I like your body," Rachel replied, allowing Brody to pin her under him on the bed.
"No more talking now," Brody said, placing a finger lightly to her lips, before replacing the finger with his lips.
Rachel just kissed him in reply.
Quite some time later Brody and Rachel were lying in bed, breathing heavily.
"Is there anything you're bad at?" Rachel asked, one hand resting on his chest listlessly.
"Math," Brody answered succinctly.
Rachel giggled and teased, "Ah, a flaw, and such a major one."
"Well, I bet you're good at math, which makes you good at everything," Brody replied softly, stroking her hair. He knew she still felt inferior to him in the bedroom, and his comment was intended to reassure her on the matter.
"You're just so charming," Rachel said, almost with chagrin. "One day you're going to say something slightly mean to me and I'm not going to know what to do with myself."
"Well, I probably will say something unfair to you someday, I'm human, and I'm not perfect. So when I do, remember that I love you, remember this moment. Now I'm just going to prove how much I love you, all over again," Brody said, kissing her purposefully.
Once again, once quite some time had passed, Rachel and Brody were both lying still in the bed, both trying to get their breathing to return to normal.
"I love you Brody," Rachel murmured sleepily.
"I love you too, beautiful," Brody replied pulling her right into his arms, where they fell asleep, wrapped in each other's embrace.
AN: Thanks for reading, please review, it's greatly appreciated!