Luka frowned as he walked into his empty apartment. Sam had finished her shift three hours before he had and had told him she would see him later. And yet she wasn't there. He dropped his keys onto the table at the foot of his entrance stairway and shuffled out of his jacket and tossed it over the back of one of the dining room chairs.

He was quite gutted. This was the last night Sam would be able to stay with him because Steve was coming back from Illinois the next day and Sam wouldn't be able to stay in his house anymore. And she wasn't there. He felt a hollow feeling in his bones as he looked around his dark, empty house and he realised that he had grown accustomed to Sam's stay in his house.

He knew she was upset about Abby showing up at the apartment two days before and then with the trial she had attended for Layla, the pregnant teenager. He was so proud of her for the fact that she had stuck to her word and supported the young woman through the opening trial. She had come home to him and broke down in tears and told him, again, about Alex and the too few months she had with him. He had told her about his life with Jasna and Marko and of how he had come to meet Danijela and she had taken it all in with a watery smile and knowing eyes.

He knew he was in love with her but yet he kept falling further and further, becoming more captivated by her movements than ever before. He had been surprised at her submissive nature in the bedroom - especially considering her independant nature - but he had enjoyed it. Boy did he enjoy it.

He thought briefly of waiting up for her but knew that, if she did come, she had a key to get in. He smiled at that. It had seemed so natural to simply hand over the key to her and yet strange - he had only known her for seventy two days and had been seeing her for thirty eight of those days (not including the three week "break" between their first encounter and their second). When he thought about it like that he realised that he couldn't possibly really know her at all - although he felt as though he had known her for as long as he had been alive.

I feel like you know me
I know well I know I know you do
I've got this thing going on, inside my head
I've got this thing for you

He made his way to his bedroom, slowly unbuttoning the black shirt that he had found in his wardrobe the day before (a gift from Sam for ruining his favourite black shirt in one of their more passionate trysts.) He kicked his shoes off as he went and carefully pulled the belt from around his hips (the hinges still stiff, as this was another gift he had received from Sam "Just because".) He had woken up that morning to an empty bed but when he turned and brushed Sam's side of the bed; he found the picture of the two of them from the Christmas party sitting haphazardly on her pillow. And when he went into the kitchen, he found another wrapped gift with "Don't open till I'm there" written on the label. Like a child, he shook it gently, listening intently for any sounds that could indicate what it was but received none.

He smiled gently to himself. He knew what all of this was in aid of - his birthday was tomorrow. Another reason why he was gutted. He shook his head as he unzipped his trousers and pulled them off his legs. He tossed them and they landed on the chair at the foot of the bed and he saw a pile of Sam's t-shirts, jeans, scrubs, shoes and other delicacies wobble slightly. He smiled at the sight.

I like your face, I like your body,
I like your feet, I like your nose,
I like your chest beneath the covers
I like your heart, I like your soul

Deciding he simply couldn't be bothered pulling on any form of sleepwear, he fell into his bed and wrapped the comforter around himself and tried to imagine Sam's form wrapped around his side.

I like your life inside me pounding, like a heart inside a dream
Inside a dreamer that's been dreaming of a perfect symphony.

She watched him as he slept, his arm draped across her pillow, his head tucked into it. She knew that if she stared at him long enough and hard enough that he would rouse from his slumber.

She kept watching him.

I like the way you walk beside me, like a paper in the wind
The way you swing your arms so gladly
Where you end and I begin, I like everything
About you, baby I do.

Luka's subconscious kept nagging at him to wake up because someone was watching him. Groaning slightly he rolled onto his back and sat up slowly. He rubbed his eyes with the pads of his fingers and tried to take in his surroundings. The room was in darkness, the curtains drawn, effectively obscuring any light that may have filtered through. He couldn't see her but he knew she was there. His eyes were drawn automatically to the large wooden chair at the foot of the bed and he saw the outline of her form, her hair waving gently around her shoulders, her legs crossed neatly over one another, her eyes trailing over his body. He felt his breath catch in his throat at the possession her presence held.

"Sam-" he began but she cut him off.

"Ssshh..."

He quieted and stilled, his eyes on her silhouette as he felt her eyes rake in his body. He was acutely aware of the level of light rising in the room from the wall lights and he realised that she must have found the remote control to control the dimmer switch for his lights.

Her silhouette emerged into her body, but the room was left in relative darkness. He could see that she had on a dress of some sort, and could make out the three inch heels at the base of her feet. After a few minutes of silence, in which Luka's confusion grew, he saw her swing her legs so they were no longer folded and saw her frame uncurl from the chair. In her hand he saw a box - the box he had found in the kitchen. He watched, hypnotised, as she moved slowly towards him, her hips swaying gently and he realised that she was wearing the outfit she had worn to the Christmas dance. He remembered telling her - not even a week ago - how much he liked it, and how much more he would like to see it lying on his bedroom floor.

When eventually she reached his bedside, she held out the box and he took it from her hand, his eyes never leaving her body. That dress sure did accentuate her every curve.

"Open it," she commanded and he did so.

He pulled the ribbon from it and then gently peeled back the sticky tape that was holding the edges down. He tried to ignore the eroticism of this whole encounter but her heaving chest directly in his eye line was just a tad distracting and he found his eyes wandering over her on more than occasion.

When the paper was completely off, he opened the lid of the box and pulled out a length of black satin. His respiratory system broke down as he realised what it was and what it meant and he looked up directly into Sam's dark eyes that were boring into his, her lips full, her face expressionless.

"Oh... God..." He muttered at the passion he saw in her eyes and he reached out to touch her but she pulled away from him.

She shook her head and motioned for him to lie back. He did so and saw her step out of his vision. He sat up slightly and saw her standing off to the side at the foot of the bed, her hands hidden behind her back. He heard the soft sound of a zipper coming undone and his autonomic systems kicked in and he gulped in a breath of air as he saw her slowly, tantalisingly peel the dress from her body. He groaned but she quickly stopped and put her finger to her lips, motioning for him to be quiet. He bit down hard on his lip as he stared at her. He could feel himself pulsating and he shook his head at the effect this woman had on him.

Eventually she stepped out of the dress and Luka tried not to squeal at the sight of her in only her underwear - rather fetching underwear, his mind noted - and three inch black heels. He watched as she stepped over the silk material and made her way back to the bed. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He was only vaguely aware of her leg reaching across his lap until he felt her kneel across his upper thighs, her knees trapping his hips between them. He felt her hand on his, briefly, as she pulled the satin from his grip, the soft cool fabric sending shivers down his spine.

He could feel her breath on his forehead and he placed his hands on her hips but she yanked them away, shaking her head. She had said only three words. He tried to contain the rumble in his chest as he felt her fingers in his hair as she placed the satin across his eyes and blinded him to her actions. He felt her breath on his ear, sending waves of arousal deep into him. Then her hand was on his shoulder gently pushing him back onto the mattress.

He was enjoying this show of dominance from Sam.

He felt the weight on the bed shift as she left it and he sighed slightly, trying to regulate his breathing.

He felt her weight across his hips and he felt her hands next to his head. He jerked back slightly when he felt something soft and ticklish on his chest and he groaned when he felt Sam's tongue touch his lips. Quickly her tongue was replaced with a finger as she hushed him. He felt the feather light touch travel across his chest, tracing around each nipple and then delicately migrate south, across one side of his rib cage, along his waistline and then up the other side of his rib cage. He inhaled sharply as the evanescent whisper touched a particularly sensitive spot and he could imagine the seductive smile that was gracing Sam's features. The feathery touch continued down the middle of his navel and swirled around in his button and then down across his hipbone again, down his thigh, over his knee, then his ankle then he laughed and twitched his foot when he felt it on his sole. She repeated the motion on his other leg and by the time she reached his boxer clad waistline he was panting heavily and trying exceedingly hard not to make any sound. He felt her touch on his lips again and then he felt her nowhere.

A few minutes passed and Luka was torn between wanting the touch again, wanting to feel her and wanting time to allow his mind to calm.

He hissed when he felt an ice cold drip on his navel and he let out a haggard sigh as he tilted his back. He felt the ice cold drop travel across his waist and drip onto his back and then onto his bed. She really was trying to kill him. He squeaked through his teeth when he felt the ice-cube cover his right nipple and he crushed the sheets beside him into a tight ball in his fists as his hips automatically surged upwards. The ice cube trekked east-wards across his chest and onto his other nipple and he barely subdued a moan when he felt Sam's tongue on his chilled and erect nipple. She bit down gently on it and he could feel her smile against his skin.

He was painfully aroused.

His hand gripped into the back of her head and he was surprised when she violently pulled back from him and slammed his hand back to the bed. He couldn't contain his grin but he felt her weight shift off him again he cursed his wandering hands.

- -

Sam sat on the chair at the foot of the bed and watched Luka's chest rise up and down quickly as his breath came in short, low rasps, his eyes blind to her silent observation of him. He was entirely vulnerable, with no idea where she was, what she was doing. Five minutes had passed since she had last touched him and she was enjoying dragging out his torture. She was finding it increasingly difficult to stick to her plan as she felt his body reacting to her actions but she was persistent.

This was a birthday present he was not going to forget.

- -

Her hands on his hips surprised him and he lifted them off the bed at her silent command and felt her pull his boxers down across his body, and he had to bite down onto the flesh between his thumb and forefinger to stop from crying out when he felt her gentle breath wash over his arousal.

"Turn over," she commanded as he felt her weight shift as she stood above him on the bed.

What he wouldn't give to see her at that moment, towering above him. He realised that he didn't even know if she was still in her underwear or if she had removed that. He shuffled around and tried to make himself as comfortable as possible with his rather protruding arousal pressing into the bed.

He felt her sit across the base of his back and he grinned, realised that she still had her panties on at least. And her heels. Her hands on his shoulders were strong and possessive as she massaged them, kneading the taught muscles there and then working her way across his back. Occasionally, he felt her hair brush his skin, or her lips gently pressing against the slight scars on his neck. After what must have been forty minutes of gentle massaging, Luka was almost asleep.

Until he felt her lips on his spine at the very, very base of his spine, her tongue sworling its way back up the centre of his central nervous system. He muffled his groan in the pillow and bit down on it slightly as she nipped at the skin on his shoulder blades. He felt her hands trace his sides and then slide around to his front, her fingers making the briefest of contacts on his centre.

He couldn't take much more of this.

"Turn around," she whispered into his ear and he complied, happy when she didn't move away from him and he felt her body pressed against his as he turned.

He knew she was having the same difficulty that he was.

She leaned down and darted her tongue across his collar bone and up his neck to his Adam's apple and Luka arched his neck to allow her better access. He actually wanted her to brandish him as her own, to let her teeth sink into his neck slightly. But she didn't.

Instead, she pulled back and off of him and let out a deep groan at the loss of her heat on his body. A few seconds passed and he heard an almost silent "thunk" as something hit the floor and he grinned, knowing that it was her bra. He felt the bed dip form the bottom and felt her fingers dance across his calves, play across his knees and circle up his thighs until she came to his core.

He felt her fingers touch him and he jerked at her touch and he heard her laugh slightly. But she didn't touch him further. She instead traced her fingers up either side of his torso, under his armpits, across his collar bone and meet under his chin. She tilted his head back slightly and breathed out onto his lips. Automatically, they parted slightly and he could almost feel her grin. Her thumb pulled his jaw down slightly, prising his mouth open and he felt her tongue slip between his lips, past his teeth and coax his tongue into a feud.

It was a frenzied kiss, in which passion controlled and sense was pushed away to the side. He kept his hands prone at his side - and boy was that a hard task - as she battled his tongue for dominance. He let her have it, willingly. Her tongue brushed over the roof of his mouth and he whimpered into her mouth at the sensation and he felt his head press harder into the mattress.

Then he realised that she hadn't kissed him all night.

He moaned into her mouth as she slid onto him, her warmth welcoming him in. Then she stilled all of her movements and Luka let out a strangled sound.

"Sam... Please..." Even he couldn't understand what came out of his mouth but she seemed to understand as she kissed him, hard and fast, her tongue's caresses matching exactly with the thrusts of both of their hips.

It didn't take much to send them both over and he climaxed, releasing the tension that had been building within him over the past hour and a half. He tore his mouth away from hers and called out her name as she did the same with his. He still couldn't see her. He felt her muscles contract around him and he used his hands to help her reach the peak of her climax. Mere seconds later she was there, with him, calling to him, to God and to anyone who could hear.

Minutes later, as she lay collapsed across his chest, he ran his fingers up and down her back, feeling both of their bodies still shuddering gently, her breathing still, like his, erratic.

He had never experienced anything like that.

He knew that if he were to attempt to stand, he would fail: his legs were so weak, his whole body so weak, his muscles completely relaxed.

He felt her gentle hands on his face, pushing the blindfold away from his eyes. Instantly, he reached up and pulled her head down to his for what could only be labelled as a heart wrenching kiss. Minutes later, she pulled back and stroked his forehead, pushing away sweaty hairs and flattening his eyebrows.

Her eyes searched his for something and, seemingly finding it, she leaned down close to his ear and whispered:

"I love you. I'm in love with you."

love was always there
knowing someday I would share
in a life-long love affair with you
in a life-long love affair with you

TBC