Disclaimer: see chapter 1
A/N: Short, sweet, and to the point, cause Lord knows we could all use that at this point!

She had practically crawled up into his lap as soon as the carriage pulled away from the club – not that he was complaining. He relished in the fact that he could put his hands on her and kiss her whenever he felt like it. He loved the fact that she couldn't seem to keep her hands off of him. They would only break apart long enough to take in more oxygen before resuming the kissing.

The driver had to clear his throat three times before Josh finally pulled his lips off Donna's. "We're back at the Wentworth, Mr. Lyman." Josh jumped out of the carriage and extended his hand up to help Donna. When her feet hit the ground, she pressed herself against Josh, toying with his tie as he pulled a wad of money from his wallet. "You two have an enjoyable evening" the driver said, smirking as he pulled away from them.

Josh didn't hear him – all he saw was Donna. He cradled her face in his hands and assaulted her lips again. It was like the rest of the world melted away when he was kissing her and it made him feel alive and free. He knew that he would never give up this feeling, or her, ever again.

Donna finally pulled back and took a deep breath. "Josh, I think we should… well, you need to take me inside right now."

Josh waggled his eyebrows and grabbed her hand. They walked up the steps silently, grinning like fools. As they walked past the front desk, Donna stopped him. She leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "I think you should cancel your room" she whispered in his ear.

Josh pulled back and stared at her. "Donna, are you sure that…" His voice trailed off and she looked at him. "OK, what's going on Josh?"

She almost laughed as she saw the nerves instantly display themselves on his face. He dropped her hand and ran his fingers through his hair. "It's just… I don't…"

"Josh, just spit it out."

He looked her square in the eye. "I don't want to rush you, to push you into… I am more than willing to go slow and take our time, so don't feel that you have to…"

She laughed this time and threw her arms around his neck. He smiled into her hair as she hugged him. Donna pulled back and looked up at him. "Joshua Lyman, a romantic when it comes right down to it. I would have never guessed." He was about to say something, but she put her fingers over his mouth to silence him.

"Josh, it's been nine years. Seriously, nine years. It's been nine excruciatingly long years – late nights, glances that lasted way too long, the inadvertent touches, the way you always put your hand on the small of my back when we are walking together, tuxedos and formal dresses. Good Lord, Josh, most people would have been married and divorced in the time it took us to have our first kiss. Believe me, nothing, absolutely nothing has been rushed. In fact, if you don't take me upstairs right now, I could very well explode."

He had never heard more glorious words in his entire life. He placed a light kiss on her lips and started to pull her toward the stairs.

"Josh, what about the extra room?" she asked as they hit the top of the stairs.

"Tomorrow. We've got some… business to finish" he said, laughing as he pulled her toward her room.

What had started out as fun and flirty in the carriage had morphed into something completely different as he kicked the door shut. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward him, turning them around so that she was between his body and the door. The kisses that had been fun and carefree were now something more – something that was soul-searing, but branding at the same time. They possessed each other, leaving their emotional mark on the other so that, from this time forward, they would belong to each other.

She pushed his jacket over his shoulders and down his arms. He pushed her against the door and started to kiss his way down her neck as she relieved him of his tie. He growled as she wound her fingers through his hair. He ran his arm over her hip and down her leg, grabbing her thigh and pulling it up, effectively causing her to wrap that leg around him. He moaned as she rocked her hips against his and he began clawing at her dress.

"Josh…" she said breathlessly. He pulled away from her neck to look at her. She smiled at him. "Josh, not that I don't appreciate your… effort, but this dress was expensive, so I would appreciate you not ripping it off my body." That imagine alone sent a jolt through his body.

She pushed against his chest. "I would also prefer to not do this for the first time against the door, if that's alright with you." He watched her move and found himself entranced by the sway of her hips. She did a circle in the middle of the room and turned her back toward him, glancing over her shoulder. "Would you mind getting the zipper for me?" she asked, throwing a desire filled look in his direction. He was behind her instantly, slowly unzipping the dress. As the zipper stopped, she quickly stepped away from him and turned. He could hear his heart beating in his ears as she lifted her arms away from her body and the dress fell to the floor.

He had this overwhelming need to touch her. He took a step toward her and ran his eyes all over her body. He watched her flush on her chest and neck as he ran his fingers over her stomach.

"Josh…" She could barely but a coherent thought together, but she needed him to know that she wanted him now. Hearing his name broke him out of his trance. He pulled her flush to his body and resumed kissing her neck. She quickly made work of the buttons on his shirt. Before she was aware of it, they were both naked and tumbling back on the bed.

He rolled her beneath him and propped himself up on his forearms. He brushed the hair out of her face and just looked at her.

"Josh, what is it?"

He swallowed the large knot in his throat. "I've seen you in dresses, in suits, in casual wear, but I swear to God… you have never looked more beautiful than you do right now."

"Would that have anything to do with my whole being naked thing" she said, but immediately saw that Josh was not in a banter mood.

"Of course not, Donna, it has to do with you… with me… with us finally being us. I had to watch you from the wings for so long that I honestly thought that this was never going to happen. After all we have been through, the shooting, the MS, the kidnapping, Gaza, Amy, Cliff, Jack, Matt losing the election, everyone losing Leo… and all the crap in-between… I never thought we would ever get here, with the chance to be…"

"Us" she said as the tears ran down her cheeks.

He smiled down at her and wiped them away with his thumbs. "Yeah, us. For so long, I thought the worst thing that could happen to me was losing you. Then I did… but I discovered that wasn't the worst thing that could happen to me. The worst thing would be you leaving without knowing that…"

She laid her hand on his cheek. "Josh, I know. I've always known."

He sighed. "Donna, you deserve to hear it, though. All the reasons I spent nine years being jealous, ruining your social life, keeping you in a job you were way to smart for… it was all because I had fallen in love with you. I don't remember the day or the moment or if you were chewing on your pencil or chewing someone out on the phone. I just know that I looked up at you one day and just… well, I just knew. There were no fireworks, no one perfect moment when the angels sang, no flashing neon sign… I guess it had always been there. One day, I just decided to let myself start feeling it."

Emotions took over. His words had been so eloquent, so perfect that she knew she would never be able to compete. She pulled his face down to hers, trying to convey all the feelings that she had felt over the last nine years. She soon found herself lost to him – this was nothing new, she was lost to him the moment she hung up that phone in Manchester nine years ago, but this was lost in a way she had never allowed herself to think of as a reality before. She completely succumbed to him in every way she could.

He kissed every inch of her body. She moaned in delight as he showered kisses on her breasts. She hooked her legs over his and rolled them over so she was on top. She leaned over him, right on the edge of total connection. One look in his eyes told her that he was lost to her just as she was lost to him.

"I love you too, Josh. I love you so much." She slid down onto him and they both moaned in ecstasy. They spent hours discovering each other, discovering what made the other laugh, moan and scream out their names in pleasure.

The sun was just starting to rise as Donna collapsed on top of him, in a sweaty but sated bliss. She rolled off of him and put her hand to her chest, trying to get her breathing under control. She glanced over at him and saw that look – the smile of complete and utter happiness. He rarely wore that look or that smile. She laughed out loud and he opened his eyes to look at her.

"You're a vixen sent here to kill me."

Donna propped her head up on her hand. "Yeah, but what a way to go."

He laughed and pulled her into his side. "No kidding, but for now, sleep."

Donna relaxed into his side and closed her eyes, drifting off into a peaceful sleep, knowing that in the morning, everything would be as it should be.

TBC….