He held her hand as they ascended the stairs to her apartment, their fingers intertwined perfectly. Everything had been perfect, from the restaurant to the conversation, from the food to the look in his eyes as he gazed at her from across the table. She knew they would have a wonderful time, they always did when they were together, but she was reminded yet again of how fluid and easy things could be with him. Once they found themselves over the nerves of a date, they fell into an easy kind of flow, and then the laughter began. She wasn't sure she had laughed so hard in years, and it was a welcomed reprieve.

The pain of the past three years was changing. It wasn't as harsh or earth shattering as it once was. She noticed the change from the moment he was back in her life, from the moment they bumped into one another at Liesl's wedding. She had spent so many years feeling dead on the inside, burying her emotions, and pushing away her anger and regret that she was taken aback by the sudden light that she found. She was trying so hard to be herself again, to forgive and trust that he would never hurt her the way he had in the past. She wanted so badly to be able to live in the present.

"I'm so glad you agreed to dinner. This was easily the best night of my life." She smiled brightly as she twisted the key to unlock her door, turning to meet his eyes.

"I had a wonderful time too. Even though I did feel quite underdressed." She noticed that a few women were staring when they sat down, as even in her fanciest dress, she still didn't quite fit in at the restaurant. He told her to let them stare, because she was overwhelmingly beautiful in whatever she wore. She had never been called that in her life, and she thought she likely was still carrying a blush upon her cheeks.

"Were you underdressed? I wouldn't know, you're the only person I saw tonight." He stepped closer, his eyes boring into her own, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Very smooth talking from you." His face was inches from hers, eyes still locked as she felt his breath against her lips.

"Is it working?" She smiled, her body had been reacting to him since the moment he placed a hand upon the small of her back to guide her into the restaurant. "I very much want to remain a gentleman, as promised."

"You've been a perfect gentleman all evening. Perhaps one little slip wouldn't hurt." With her permission, his lips touched hers. Her eyes fluttered closed at the sensation of his kiss, gentle yet firm, as she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him close. After a moment he pulled away, leaving her with one last peck, before meeting her eyes.

"You make me feel like I'm on fire." She gave a soft laugh, pressing herself against him a bit more as they held one another close.

"I feel the same about you. I've never felt this way before." He smiled, pressing his forehead against hers to take in the feeling of her presence. He couldn't believe she was in his arms.

"You make me absolutely weak. I can't think straight."

"What are we to do about that?" The words sounded innocent, but he pulled back to meet her eyes, as there was a subtle undertone that he wasn't sure he caught for a moment. Her eyes told him it was intentional, as she gave him the most tempting look he'd ever seen upon her face.

"Well, I'm busy being a gentleman."

"I don't know if I've ever quite been a lady." She kissed him harder than before, hearing him groan in approval as he met her lips move-for-move. He had been tormenting her all night with his charm, his incredible smile, she couldn't take it any longer.

He pressed her against the doorframe, his hands splaying across her back, fingertips toying with the buttons of her dress along her spine. Kissing him was dangerous, and she felt every ounce of her self-control withering away as he deepened their kiss, his body melting into hers. She had no idea how he could engulf her in flames from a simple kiss, but he easily had.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she slipped her tongue between his lips, eliciting a small sound of desperation from his throat as he met her tongue with his own. Their kiss was deep, hard as they clung to one another, hips pressing and teasing ever so slightly. She could feel his growing erection against her, her heart leaping from the thought of causing such reaction in him. Her strong, brooding Captain was weak and aroused in her arms, wanting her just as much as she wanted him. Flashes of the night they made love moved through her mind, the pleasure she felt that night could not compare to anything she had ever experienced in her life. She said she wouldn't do it again…

She reached behind her to open the door, pulling him with her as she backed into her apartment. She expected him to take the lead, to slam the door and find the nearest place to have his way with her. Instead, he stayed outside the door, her body pulling away and breaking their kiss as she moved inside. They gasped for air, out of breath and incredibly aroused. Eyebrows raised in question, she looked at him. He felt sweat begin to prickle upon his back at the sight of her flushed face, lips swollen from their kiss, and eyes brimming with desire.

"If I come inside…"

"Yes."

"Maria." He looked desperate for her to turn him away, but she certainly wasn't going to…no, she should. She knew she should, it wasn't proper. Though, she wasn't sure when she had ever cared much for propriety…no, she really needed to tell him to go. She bit her lip as she thought, and he felt a surge rush through his stomach at the sight. She could arouse him with no more than a simple facial expression, a simple breath.

"Perhaps I'll just leave the door open and let you take your time." She took off her shoes and sat down her purse on a table by the door, hanging her wrap upon a small hook. He watched as she went about her business, as if she had closed the door on their night and returned home alone. She turned on a lamp and sat upon a stool in her living room, and he swallowed hard as he watched her lift her skirts and begin pushing her stockings down her legs, baring her skin ever so gently. Did she always remove her stockings so slowly? She walked them to a clothes basket sitting upon a chair, her bare feet padding against the wooden floor.

"Maria…" He didn't continue, and she turned to him, eyebrows raised in question.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. Would you mind coming closer?" He chuckled at her teasing, knowing he was in trouble from the moment their lips touched; really from the very moment they met, if he were honest.

"If I come in…I will do unsavory things to you, I'm afraid."

"Whatever do you mean?" Her words were innocent, but her mind certainly was not. Her eyes were dark, mischievous.

"You know exactly what I mean." She shrugged, stepping just a bit closer to him, perhaps to draw him in, she wasn't sure. She had never played the part of seductress before, but she seemed to be succeeding with him. No, she needed to stop. She was screaming at herself from within to stop.

"I'm certain I don't. Describe it to me?" She stepped even closer, only stopping when her breasts brushed against his chest, her lips inches from his own. His breathing was heavy. "In detail."

"You're trying to kill me."

"Not at all. Perhaps I'm just intrigued by the unsavory." She stood upon her toes, placing the most gentle of kisses upon his lips before her whisper met his ears. "Tell me what you'll do to me…Captain."

It happened in a flash, his tongue nearly jammed into her throat as he pushed her inside and slammed the door closed with her body. She gasped, fire burning through her veins at the feeling of his hands all over her, grasping her breasts in his palms as she pulled him close by the lapels of his jacket. His lips moved over her neck as his hips ground into hers, and she bit her lip in anticipation. She wasn't sure who she was kidding, she wanted all of him, there was no going slow about it. The woman she became once they kissed was nearly primitive, one goal on her mind. It was complete madness.

"First, I'm going to leave a mark on your neck, right here." He bit into her skin, causing her to gasp at the mixture of pleasure and pain. He suckled upon her neck, sure that the mark would still be there when she looked into the mirror next.

"What else?" Her words were breathy, full of desire, and he felt himself becoming impossibly hard against her.

"I'm going to reach beneath your dress to feel how warm you are between your thighs." He waited a moment in case of protest, which never came, before he did just that, kissing down her chest a bit as he slid his hand between her bare thighs, just high enough not to touch where she wanted him the most. Her body was throbbing for his touch, and she thought she would surely faint from need.

"And then?"

"You want me to keep going?"

"Yes…don't stop." He kissed her lips, tasting her once more before pulling away, beginning to lift her dress out of his way, his fingers sliding against the skin of her hips and stomach.

"I'm going to touch you." He slowly slid his hand across her stomach, moving downward until his fingers tickled the sensitive skin above her hairline. "And I'm going to tease you until you're weak."

"Georg…" His tongue touched her neck, his teeth following after as his fingertips gently moved about inside her panties.

"And then I'm going to feel how wet I've made you." He slid a finger over her, parting her slowly and brushing against every sensitivity she had, causing her to gasp from the ripple of pleasure he produced. Her hands clung to his shoulders.

"If you stop now I'll die." He chuckled, his middle finger moving gently between her thighs until he finally touched her center, his finger quickly drenched and slippery from her arousal. He groaned, wanting nothing more than to bend her over in that moment and bury himself deep inside of her, desperate to make her scream in pleasure.

"I promised myself we would take things slow." He moved a slow circle against her, and she gave a gentle sigh in response.

"Me too."

"It's not working."

"I know. Oh!" She gasped as he thrust a finger inside of her, her knees feeling weak immediately. She spread her legs wider, holding herself against him as he toyed with her. After a few thrusts, he brought his thumb to rub against her, and she felt her pelvis tighten at the intensity of it all. She didn't want to ask how he was so impossibly good with his hands.

"Do you want to know what I will do next?" She nodded, breathless as he continued to move his hand, her cheek resting weakly against his forehead as his lips tickled her neck. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear you."

"Yes! Oh yes…" She couldn't control the volume of her voice, and he smiled to himself at the sound of her weakness. He pulled back a bit to kiss her lips, his free hand pulling her hair as he possessed her. His kiss was deep, her mouth opening to him immediately in her state of arousal. He bit her bottom lip as he pulled away, their breathing heavy against one another.

"I'm going to taste you. I've been dying to taste you again." Her heart pounded in her chest, her breasts heaving against him as she panted for air. He kissed her lips once more before pushing her panties over her hips, stopping his ministrations for just a moment as he fell to his knees before her and stripped her, tossing the garment behind him. He tossed his jacket behind him as well, not caring in the slightest that it would wrinkle. He lifted one of her legs over his shoulder and buried himself beneath her dress, his tongue parting her in an instant. Her brain could hardly keep up with the fluidity of his movements.

She sighed at the feeling of his tongue, her head falling back against the door behind her as his mouth moved between her thighs. There was no surface his tongue wasn't touching, and electricity shot throughout her entire body. She couldn't believe that a man of his status, of his power, was kneeling before her upon his knees in his expensive suit, wanting nothing more than to pleasure her…and succeeding in the best possible way.

He thrust a finger into her once again, never stopping the work of his mouth, and she wondered if she may faint at the combination of pleasure. She grasped his hair in her hands, her body nearly crippled by the shockwaves coursing through her. He lapped at her, slow and purposeful, his finger brushing against the perfect place inside of her to make her boil over.

"Right there, don't stop." He obeyed, the hand previously holding her thigh sliding across her backside, gripping the flesh he found there and pulling her closer to his mouth as she came undone. She cried out, softly, nearly silently, but the sound of her pleasure would echo in his ears for the rest of his life. Her body tensed and convulsed against him, pinned between his wicked mouth and her front door. He was relentless, not even missing a beat as she gasped in pleasure, losing control of herself completely. She would have easily fallen to the ground, had he not been holding her so tightly.

He kissed her all over, sending little jolts through her body as he licked her a few final times, not quite ready to stop tasting her arousal. She tasted like Heaven, so sweet and gentle, everything so perfect against his mouth. She sighed, heart pounding in her chest as she came down, his kiss traveling across her thigh. She watched him, in awe of everything he was before he looked up at her from the floor, eyes heavy and deep with desire. He stood quickly, kissing her upon the lips as his erection pressed hard into her. She nearly pulled away at the taste of herself upon his mouth, quite unexpected, but not altogether unpleasant.

"Tell me what you'd like to happen next." She looked into his eyes, confused. She thought he would just lift her against the door and take her, and she would have been more than ready. "What I mean is, we can stop now, if you'd like."

"Now? But you're so…I mean, you haven't..." She wanted to say he was incredibly hard against her, but she couldn't say the words. He smiled, kissing her once more.

"I'm happy to pleasure you. We really should be taking things slow." She nodded, desperately wanting to take him to her bed and forget about all the reasons she shouldn't.

"I'd like to pleasure you."

"Maria, you don't…"

"You asked me what I'd like to happen next. Teach me how to pleasure you." He felt odd about it, feeing she was much too precious to be used in such a way. She ran a tentative hand over the bulge in his pants, causing him to gasp in surprise. She began to rub her hand over him again, adding a bit of pressure as she felt him throbbing in her palm. "Is this a good start?"

"Quite." He chuckled at the obvious answer, and she began to kiss his neck, turning them so he was the one pinned against the door. She began to unbutton his pants, pushing them to his ankles as she worked her fingers beneath the elastic of his underwear.

"Would you like me to tell you what I'm going to do to you?" He was impossibly hard, nearly in pain as he throbbed at her words. He knew she had no experience with a man besides him, knew she had no idea what she was doing, but she wanted nothing more than to explore his body, to pleasure him the way he did her.

"I would love nothing more." She shoved his underwear down his legs, taking a step back to place a gentle kiss upon his lips before she gave him a soft smile. She looked between them, eyes widening a bit at the sight of him, but she thought she hid it well. Even though they had spent the night together before, she hadn't seen him naked for more than a brief moment. She felt unarmed.

"I'm…um. I'm going to…" She frowned, a bit taken aback by her lack of confidence. She had been doing so well up until that point, she thought. She had learned a lot about the things she could do, thanks to Ann and her disgustingly detailed stories, but she wasn't sure where to even begin. "What should I do first?"

"Take me in your hand." She hesitantly reached for him, gently wrapping his erection in her fingers. He groaned, unprepared for how he would react to her gentle touch, and she looked up to meet his eyes, afraid she may have hurt him. He took her wrist and gently moved her hand back and forth, guiding her.

"Like this?"

"Yes…" He closed his eyes, leaning back against the door as she moved her hand, squeezing a bit as she readjusted her grip. She moved a bit faster, and he sighed, causing a smile to grace her lips. She was the one doing that to him, making him weak. It felt empowering, to say the least.

"Would you like to know what I'll do next?" She leaned forward, kissing his neck as her hand continued to move.

"Please…"

"I'm going to take you into my mouth." He wanted nothing more, but something inside of him felt embarrassed by it, guilty almost. She began to sit upon her knees before him, observing him in her hand as she continued to move. He watched her take stock before she began placing kisses upon his hipbone, lifting his shirt with her free hand as she trailed her kiss across his lower stomach. She took a shaky breath, pulling together her courage, before she stopped the motion of her hand and licked him from base to tip, feeling the weight of his erection against her tongue. He gasped, surprised by her directness. He expected her to take a moment longer before…well, he thought he should at least protest, not wanting her to feel she needed to pleasure him. She took him fully in her mouth, and he nearly lost balance.

"Christ, Maria…" She pulled back, looking up to him through her eyelashes and finding his eyes. They were full of desire, full of need and excitement, and she felt such pride at what she was doing to him. She placed a hand to his backside and took him in again, closing her lips around him and creating the counter pressure she learned he liked when using her hand. She slowly licked him again, pulling back once more and releasing him with a small pop.

"Teach me." She took him in again, her tongue swirling around him as she experimented with what he may like. He didn't respond, only allowed her to continue her exploration of him. Frustrated that she wasn't exactly sure what to do, she took his hand and placed it upon the back of her head, causing him to groan.

"I can't treat you like this." He took his hand away, and she released him from her mouth.

"What do you mean? You don't like it?"

"Yes, I do. I just…"

"I want to make you feel how you make me feel. What's wrong with that?" He looked deep into her eyes, the sight of her upon her knees in front of him, lips swollen and eyes full of lust. "Stop thinking so much, Georg."

She took him in again, surprising him by moving a bit faster than before. His body jolted when he felt himself touch the back of her throat, though she didn't seem at all affected by it as she continued her work. She grazed his thighs with her fingernails, sending shivers across his skin before she took his hand in hers once more, placing it firmly upon the back of her head. He ran his fingers through her hair, hesitating only a moment longer before grasping her hair in his hand and moving her in a more fluid motion. She took his lead, allowing him to move her lips up and down upon his shaft, as she took him in as far as she could.

"Try some suction. Oh!" He gasped loudly as she accepted his request, adding just the right amount of suction to make his body quiver, his pelvis thrust against her without his control, and he knew he was close. She was bringing him to the edge faster than he dare admit, her mouth proving to be quite wicked, and her ability to follow directions superior. She hadn't lied when she said she wanted to bring him pleasure. She would accept nothing less. "I'm going to come."

She knew what it meant, but wasn't sure why he was telling her. It wouldn't have been right to stop, leaving him bereft and extremely aroused. Perhaps he was only warning her, sparing her from the surprise of his seed spilling into her mouth. She vaguely wondered if she was supposed to warn him before she peaked, but thought it must have been different. She added a bit more suction, his hand falling from her head to allow her to pull away, but she only continued, feeling him jolt inside her mouth before warm spurts began to fill her throat as he weakly gasped above her. She swallowed immediately, unable to think of anything more sexy than the sound of his voice as she brought him to climax, the feeling of his body shuddering against her. She continued moving, suckling until his convulsions ran their course, until he sighed heavily above her in pure ecstasy. She slowly pulled away, suckling one last time for good measure and sending a jolt throughout his body. She freed him from her lips and looked upward, into his astonished eyes.

"Was that right?" He began to laugh, reaching to bring her to her feet and into a gentle embrace.

"You are incredible." He kissed her, bringing a hand to her cheek to caress her flushed skin. He pulled away and pushed some hair behind her ear. "That could not have been any more right."

"Really?" She smiled brightly, wanting nothing more then to show him how she cared for him, how much pleasure she could bring to him. He pulled her close once again, feeling her arms wrap around his middle.

"I suppose this is us taking things slowly." She laughed a bit against his chest, squeezing him tighter to her.

"We didn't end up in bed, I suppose." They shared a laugh, knowing they easily would have if she hadn't brought him to completion in another way. She sighed against him, closing her eyes as he held her close.

"I really was only planning to walk you to your door tonight. I apologize for getting carried away." She laughed, pulling back enough to look into his eyes.

"I believe I'm the one who lured you inside."

"Yes, quite the seductress you've become. You seduced me weeks ago in that little yellow dress, and you've done so again tonight." She rolled her eyes, not ready to let go of him yet.

"Oh, my borrowed yellow dress. I've never worn something so wrong for me, but it was the best I could do on such notice."

"Wrong for you? I beg to differ. You were so sexy in that dress, I obviously couldn't keep my hands off you." She blushed, unsure why when they had already been so intimate. "You're beautiful when you blush."

"Oh, stop it." She laughed, and he pulled back enough to kiss her once more. She pulled away with a smile, taking in the sight of the flushed Captain in her apartment. "What happens now?"

"Whatever you want to happen. I'm clearly your slave." She smiled brightly, unsure if there were a night when she had smiled as much as she had with him. She shrugged, looking between them once more to take in his naked lower half.

"Perhaps we should put our underwear back on, and I'll make some tea."