And here's the other chapter, ready for your reading pleasure. I can only hope that the next chapter will be an entertaining as the last few have been. It's given me a little trouble, so if you guys have any input that would be awesome.

Enjoy.

When Maura finally dragged Jane out of the hotel room and they'd had something for breakfast, Jane was quick to realize that Maura had wanted to wake up so early to have prime shopping time. After an appropriate amount of whining, Maura promised Jane she could choose their lunch location and she dutifully stopped and made a show of sulking until they went into the first store.

Maura was amused when Jane went from being a little reserved as they were shopping to being fairly active with the event, and by the time they walked into a lingerie store, much to Maura's amusement, Jane was openly commenting on the items Maura was picking.

Once Maura held up a camisole in front of her and asked her opinion she found Jane quiet again, though for another reason this time.

"Jane?" The detective shook her head of whatever she was thinking, cheeks coloring. "You still haven't told me what you think?" Maura was amused, and Jane could tell. Jane cleared her throat and tried to hide a grin.

"I, uh, think you should try it on, Maura. You know, to see what it looks like."

"Hm, I suppose you're right. It won't do if I don't wear it well. This color usually looks good on me, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to see what it looks like," Maura agreed, heading for the dressing room. She opened the largest stall and pulled Jane in with her.

"Wha- Wait, why am I coming in too?" Jane asked. She wanted to see Maura in it, but she wasn't sure about seeing her change into it.

"I don't want to open the door when I change, and I'd like your opinion of how I look in it," Maura explained, pushing Jane into the chair and turning to pull off her clothes. A quick glance showed Jane trying to keep her eyes closed, but it was obvious she was fighting that urge with the stronger urge to watch. Maura pulled on the negligee and glanced in the mirror at herself before turning to Jane, eyes squeezed tight. "Jane… You can't tell me what you think with your eyes closed."

Brown eyes peeked open, and then widened. "Oh… wow…" The bottom hem was only a couple inches lower than Maura's… girl parts. Parts that Jane was very hungry for all of a sudden, she realized as she forced her eyes up only to get caught on the other girl parts, which were being very nicely showcased while still being modest. She swallowed hard. "You look… I mean, that looks really good on you." Her tongue slipped out to wet her lips.

Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?

Maura was amused by Jane's reaction, but that's not the only thing she felt as the brunette's gaze wandered from her chest and back down again, following the entire length of her exposed legs as well. She took a long, deep breath and turned to grab her skirt. "I think this will be a fine addition to my wardrobe, then," she said, eyes still watching Jane as she dressed. When her shirt was back on, she looked at Jane just in time to see her stand before their lips were connected, Jane's hands on her hips. The intensity of the kiss pulled a moan from her chest, and she felt Jane's tongue slip between her parted lips as her back met the wall of the stall and her arms wrapped around Jane's neck.

Air became a necessity quickly, and Jane pulled away just as quickly as she had pounced, eyes closed as she reigned herself in.

"Fuck…" Maura heard her groan. "Damn, Maura… That was hot, like really, really hot."

"To which are you referring, the kiss or the camisole?" Maura teased, though she was still trying to catch her breath so the tease wasn't nearly as effective.

"Both," Jane answered before lifting her eyes and offering a smile. "We need to go back out into the public, Maura, because I want you and I am not going to have our first time together be a quick fuck in a dressing room."

Maura felt her lower abdomen coil with warmth at the idea, which fueled her to open the door and lead the way to the counter to purchase the item. Jane followed, though she kept her distance. When they were back on the sidewalk, Jane fell into step beside Maura as they began walking again.

"Where would you like to eat lunch?" Maura asked. "I'm feeling a little hungry now." Jane snorted, and looked around before deciding on a little restaurant that looked like would have some good burgers.

They were sitting about a foot away from each other at the beach on the concrete barrier between the road and the beach at this particular location, watching the colors change across the ocean as the sun disappeared behind them. They had stopped in at a theater a little while after lunch and watched a couple movies since they were offering a double feature deal, and then went to the beach to breathe in the ocean air.

"There's a steakhouse in another area of town that I thought you might enjoy for dinner," Maura said, breaking the silence. There was a tension between them that she couldn't figure out how to break. Jane could hear the strain in her voice, and felt responsible for making things difficult all of a sudden.

"Sounds good," she answered softly, trying to figure out what she could do to reassure the other woman that things were okay between them. Now that she had practically attacked Maura in the dressing room earlier she couldn't seem to calm down her hormones. She snorted, making Maura shoot her a look. "Sorry, it's just… I was just thinking about how I'm acting like a high school kid with my first girlfriend wanting to have sex but afraid to make a move, and then it occurred to me how ironic that was since we had said we were going to do the whole high school romance thing."

They laughed, and all of a sudden everything was okay again.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence just soaking in each others presence, Maura got to her feet. "Come on. Let's go to the hotel to change for dinner. If the reviews are to be believed, this steakhouse has an amazing steak, and we both know that's what you'll be eating." Jane stood and put an arm around Maura's waist. "If you're good, maybe we can make out before we sleep tonight," she continued with a wink. When Jane chuckled and kissed her forehead, Maura smiled happily. "Thanks."

"Why? I didn't do anything."

"For being yourself, and for talking to me about your feelings. If it makes you feel better, I'm just as anxious about what's happening between us. I am very ready to ravish you as well, but when we're ready for that, I'd like for it to be at home."

Jane nodded. "I think I would prefer that too."

"That was a really good steak," Jane moaned as she leaned back in her seat, rubbing her very full stomach. Maura hummed with agreement, because she had decided on the same meal by the time they ordered. "Oh man, I don't know how I ate all that."

Maura refused the offer of a box as she handed over her card to pay for the meal. She had already had the argument with Jane over who paid for the meal, and she won despite Jane's glares. "I don't know either. That was a lot of food, I must say."

Meal paid for, the two walked out to the car and drove to the hotel to take a walk around the block to help with digestion before they went back upstairs to shower and sleep. Maura leaned into Jane's side, the brunette's arm wrapped securely around her.

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?" Jane asked.

"I promised your mother we'd be back for dinner," Maura told her, "and check out is at eleven. If you want to go anywhere else tomorrow we can, but I thought we'd go back after check out and hide in your apartment until we were expected for family dinner. She mentioned inviting Vince and Barry, as well."

"Oh man," Jane groaned. "Ma and Korsak'll end up flirting all night, and I'll have to keep an eye out to make sure when he leaves it isn't to go wait for Ma in the guest house."

"I think it's sweet that they find each other attractive. You should be happy for them if they decide to pursue a relationship."

"I never said I wouldn't be happy for them, because if they want to see each other and go out or whatever, I'm all for it. But if Korsak has to sneak into the guest house because he doesn't want me to know he's, you know, with my Ma then I would like to be left in the dark about it."

"Does that mean we won't be sneaking around to, you know, when we start doing, you know," Maura teased Jane. "You don't have to be so cryptic, Jane. If you use the words you'll find yourself a little more open to the idea of sex."

Jane groaned. "Maura…"

"What? I think you should just let them go their own course like we are. And if you don't want to talk about sex, how will I know when you want it?"

"Trust me, I'll come up with a way to tell you," Jane said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. Maura gave her a playful push, only to get pulled along when Jane staggered since her arm was around her. "Hey, you asked."

"I didn't ask."

"Fine, you issued the challenge and I responded the only way I could without actually, you know, uh… showing you how I'll tell you when I want… sex," Jane said, face bright red. Maura kissed her on the cheek and then pulled away as they walked into the hotel room to grab her things for a shower. Jane watched for a moment, and then smirked. "So, if I use my words to ask if I can join you in the shower…" Maura shot her a look. "Okay, okay, I won't ask then."

"Maybe next time," Maura told her with a wink before shutting the bathroom door behind her.