'That was a nice dinner.'

'It was.'

Shane and Alexis walked hand in hand down the block towards Shane's building, in an attempt to wear off the calories from her going-away party dinner. Alexis had told Shane she didn't want a big deal made about her leaving outside her family because she was going to be back in three months anyways; it wasn't like at Christmas when she'd be gone for a solid five.

'It sucks you have to work tomorrow but you'll be there for when I leave, right? My flight isn't until eleven thirty so-'

'Of course I'll be there,' Shane reassured her, unlocking the door of the building and pressing the button for the elevator. 'I'm working eight to six, and I'm going right from the morgue to the loft.'

'Okay. I'm going to miss you so much,' Alexis started, but her boyfriend cut her off with a tender kiss.

'Not the time for it. Not when I have a little surprise for you upstairs.'

'Okay.'

They reached his apartment and he opened the door, stomach churning in half anxiety, half anticipation as he did so. He wanted this night to be one of pure romance all about her, to show her how much he'd loved having her home over the summer and how excited he was for her to be coming home in November for good.

Alexis breathed deep and she could smell the lilac and lavender blossoms right away; sure enough there was a large blooming bouquet of them on the kitchen table, along with a bottle of champagne and two flutes, and a pearly-white bag with the words 'Bijoux de Boudoir' in silver on the side. 'Oh, Shane, is this the surprise?' she breathed.

'Part of it. Here, you go put this on,' Shane passed her the bag, 'and I'm putting that champagne on ice to chill for...later.'

Alexis felt a giddy little bubble in her stomach as she went to find out what he'd bought for her. Dipping into the bag, she saw it was a slip nightie in a peachy-coral shade, with needle-thin straps and a plunging neckline. She undressed, slid it on and found it fit like rainwater on her body. There was no matching underwear, which made her laugh a little. He was a fan of that all natural under the nightie look.

Stepping into his room, almost shyly, she saw he'd changed the sheets on his bed from the usual green and white palm fronds to a bold turquoise. The air smelled of more blossoms and there was a little bit of ambient ocean sound coming from his stereo. By the bedside table, Shane stood in a pair of black boxers lighting the last of the dozen or so candles he'd procured; he straightened when he saw her walk in.

'Wow, you look so beautiful, Lex,' he told her with a lusty sigh, then froze when he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. 'What?'

'I...I can't believe you did all of this for me.'

'I wanted it to feel like we had our own little private island paradise getaway. You know, coconuts and blue waters and fruity drinks.'

'It's wonderful.'

Shane crossed to her and grinning, as he knew she was expecting a soft romantic kiss, he scooped her up like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder and smacked her on the rump. 'Looks like I found me a female,' he teased her with a thick twang in his voice.

'Ah, stop it, you idiot! Put me down!' Alexis howled with laughter, then landed with a light thud on her back on the bed and she realized the sheets were actually a cotton-silk blend, soft as a spun-sugar cloud. She continued to giggle when he stretched out on top of her, began to lightly touch his lips to her shoulder, then her neck, until he reached her mouth. Her lips were soft and sweet, yielding like molten wax under his; his tongue parted them and found hers, tangled with it.

She was everything to him, Shane realized, everything he'd wanted in a girlfriend, a partner. Beautiful and intelligent, certainly, but compassionate and understanding and so strong without even realizing it. She would put up with all the teasing, all the crappy jokes and snide comments people would make about their relationship because she wanted him and love him. A woman like that was a rare find and he was going to do everything possible to make sure she never had any reason to doubt him or look anywhere else, starting with tonight.

He sat up, bringing her with him, moved his hands to her shoulders to slip the straps of her nightie down her arms, his mouth on hers the entire time. Her skin was heavenly cream under his touch, and he wanted to touch her everywhere. When Alexis sat back to break the kiss for only a moment, Shane watched her eyes as she bunched up the fabric in her fingers and drew it over her head to reveal even more of that lovely flesh an inch at a time. Her shy smile stirred his blood just as much as seeing her naked and he felt himself grow hot and hard when her own hands traced up her torso, over her breasts, up to her neck and back down.

'Shane,' she murmured, and it was all he needed. He ran the flat of his hand down between her breasts and when he cupped one, brushing his thumb over the point of it, Alexis cried out in pleasure; her head lolled back on her shoulders as her back arched, pushing her body against his. She pulled him in for a mind-searing kiss once more, and they tumbled back into the turquoise silk. Her hips pressed against his, where she felt him ready for her but to rush this would do a disservice to them both. Instead she took the hand that cupped against her breast and its mate, brought them to her lips so she kissed Shane's fingertips and then guided them back to her breasts. For her to be such an active voice in making love with him was a first he'd given her, Alexis thought. She'd never had the confidence to let her desires overtake her and make her so bold before, and she hoped he saw just how much their relationship had empowered her that way.

Then all conscious thought was gone as he lowered his mouth to her breast and flicked his tongue over her harden nipple. The sensation had her libido thrumming hot, the blood rushing into her loins for him, making her dampen for him. When he moved to her other breast, Alexis was certain she would have an orgasm just from his alone, even feeling the little bursts of light inside her skull as her hips moved against him.

Shane could sense it too, and lifted his head to look her in the eye. 'Not yet, my love,' he told her in husky whisper. 'There's so much more yet.'

He moved so his mouth was in the sweetly-scented valley between her breasts, and planted a serpentine trail of kisses down her torso, over her belly, down until he found where she ached for him, and him alone, and lowered his mouth to her. This time, there was no little cry of pleasure, but a low throaty moan heavy with lust that escaped her lips as he tasted her. When he felt those slim, fined-boned hand twisted through his hair to keep him in place, Shane steadied her hips in his hands and began to use not just his lips on her but his tongue as well, slipping and sliding over her as she told him how good it made her feel. When he felt her body begin to tense, he moved his hands off her hips, between her thighs to part her swollen sensitive lips so his tongue could spear inside her.

'God!' Her oath was loud and bright at the thrilling sensation of this kind of intimacy. He moved like lightening and before she could think, the orgasm flashed through her in a blinding white-hot burst that had her saying his name over and over and over; her hands slid away from the back of his head to grip the sheets with white-knuckled fists. 'Shane,' she pleaded as she felt his mouth move over the inside of her thigh, up to her belly, 'Shane, please. Now.'

Her eyes were wide and dark as she watched him shed his boxers and for a moment, Alexis really allowed herself to look at his manhood, hard and proud between his legs. Locking her legs around his hips, she rolled him so he was underneath and it was his turn to be teased and tortured in the most erotic way possible - she opened the condom packet and rolled it onto him so slowly that Shane thought he actually might embarrass himself like a virgin on prom night. Then she was lifting up her hips and lowering herself onto him, so he filled her inch by glorious inch until they were fully joined and she began to rock against him.

Each stroke was like magic, Shane thought, reaching up to squeeze and cup her breasts, sitting up to breath deep her scent as her body urged his on. He pulled her tight against him, then rolled so she was under him once more; the change of position had him changing pace as well - where it had been slow and deliberate, now it was hot and fast and desperate for each other.

Alexis could feel the orgasm wind tight inside her body and just before the first little fissures began to erupt, she pressed her lips hard against his. 'Shane,' she sighed out, 'I love you.'

'I love you too, Alexis,' he sighed back, and watched her face with utter love as she came, her walls clenching around him. The image was burned into his brain as he closed his eyes and began to come with her.

Drained from such exquisite lovemaking with her, Shane collapse on top of her, his head turned so that he could breathe deep the post-sex scent of her skin. 'Oh, God, Alexis, that was amazing,' he mumbled, unsure if she heard him or not.

'Tell me about it. Feels almost like we invented it.'

'And that's only round one.'

'Round one?'

Shane nodded, looked at her flushed, satisfied face. 'I want to make sure you sleep on the plane tomorrow night, and what better way to get there than making love all night long?'

R&R&Enjoy