A/N: Hope you're all doing well, here's a little distraction for you...

Chapter 12

Linka sat down on the end of her newly enlarged bed and flopped onto her back, "I thought today would never end. I am going to fall asleep before I finish getting undressed."

"Want me to help?" Her husband smiled down at her.

She groaned softly, "I am too tired Lyubov."

He laughed and bent down to lift her more fully onto the bed, "I'm just gonna get you in your PJ's, I swear."

"I love you." She smiled and raised her hands above her head so that he could lift her top off, then pointed to one side of the expanded cupboards. "Will you get a clean set from the middle drawer please?"

He selected a matching top and shorts combination with strawberries on them, "These ok?"

"Mmm hmm… bra first." She instructed, when he would have tried to put the top on her. Her lips curved slightly upwards as he slid his hands around her to loosen the catch, and then traced a path up over the straps and down her arms as he lifted the garment away. It was needlessly and enjoyably sensual, as was the way he bent to kiss what he'd revealed.

"That is not behaving yourself," Linka admonished, not bothering to hide the pleasure in her voice.

He chuckled against her sensitive skin, "Sure it is, I'm not starting anything." He placed another kiss, "I'm just making sure my wife is nice and relaxed for bed, it's all part of the service."

She laughed - no longer surprised at how comfortable she felt with him - and closed her eyes to enjoy his gentle ministrations, and remember a different encounter earlier that afternoon.

…Not waiting for Wheeler to return from his shopping trip once Gaia had given the all clear, the Wind Planeteer had started tidying up her cabin. She'd already methodically sorted through everything that was on the bed and was in the middle of hanging some of it up when he surprised her by entering without announcing his presence.

"Hey Beautiful, you didn't have to do all the work, I would have done it." Despite his words he impeded her progress by wrapping an arm around her from behind and nuzzling her neck.

"It is not finished, you can still help… or rearrange it, they are your things." She leant back against him, holding his arms around her and tilted her head to give him better access. "Did you get everything?"

He shrugged, "Most of it… I've put it away already… and wherever you put my stuff is fine, I'll find it." He made his way up to her lips and Linka turned in his embrace to press herself against him. When they parted again he looked into her eyes, "So this is our room now… right?"

"Da," Her eyes danced with amusement, "Why? What do you want to do to it?"

"Nothing…" the look he gave her was wicked and it made her insides heat up, "just thinkin' we should christen our bed."

She laughed uncertainly, "It is in the middle of the day…"

Wheeler kissed her making her lose her train of thought, his hands beginning to roam in ways that proved he paid a lot of attention to what she liked.

"Mmm Yankee…" she was aware that helping him to begin removing clothing wasn't the best way to make him see reason but her body seemed to be in complete agreement with him, "We should not… oh…" He laid her down and she went willingly, holding him to her and preventing him from getting up again.

They were lost in kisses for several minutes, during which time the rest of their clothing found its way to the floor, along with some that Linka had been sorting.

At last she gasped, "Jason, we should at least get under the covers, I could not bear it if they came in…"

He nodded and got himself under control, helping her to scramble between the sheets and making heaps of whatever was left on the bed.

Then they were reaching for each other again, both feeling an urgency that had nothing to do with the possibility of being caught. By mutual, if silent, agreement they brought their bodies together and if the first time was fast and passionate, the second was slow and luxurious.

"Tell me you think this was a good idea?" Wheeler whispered in her ear.

"The best," she was letting him do all the work but she turned her head to kiss him, cupping his face and locking him more firmly to her lips. "Bozhe 'moy… Jase."

Wheeler moaned softly, "I like that… say it again."

"Jase," She breathed.

…"Jase?" his kiss had brought her back to the present and she lifted her head to look down her body. Her pyjama top was in place but her lower half was bare and Wheeler was continuing to pay her attention. "What are you doing?"

"I'll give you three guesses," He teased, "Unless you really don't want me to?"

Linka bit her bottom lip, she was tired but she was also wound up tight and his offer was tempting. Correctly interpreting her hesitation, the American brought his lips back in contact with her and began a purposeful exploration.

Flopping back again, she closed her eyes and gave herself over to the moment. When she came to her senses again she realised that Wheeler had fetched a cloth from the bathroom and cleaned her up, before pulling her shorts up her legs. "You're hot even when you're tired, you know that?"

She laughed but said, "After trying to cook with Gi's mother, every muscle I had was tense, now I am jelly. Spasiba."

"You're welcome." He helped her up, acknowledging her spoken desire to remove her makeup and leant against the open bathroom door, watching her. "Was cooking with Mrs Tran that bad?"

"Da! 'oh do you do it like that dear?', 'a lot of people do not know the right way to do that', 'let me help you' while completely taking over! And then organising our evening and giving us judgemental looks when we sat close together…" She blew out a breath, "If I had not been feeling rather mellow after you returned from the mainland, I might not have kept my temper."

He couldn't help but look pleased but said, "You were ok with that? I thought after… maybe I came on a bit strong?"

She gave him a saucy look, "Only if you did not want me to know how badly you wanted my body, right then and there?"

He pushed away from the door and gently undid the chain around her neck, taking her wedding ring from it before replacing it. Then he took her left hand and slid the ring into its proper place. "I wanted all of you, not just your body."

"That is good because all of me wanted you too… actually I was glad that you felt comfortable enough to let me know what you wanted." She placed her free hand on his cheek, "It gives me the courage to let you see what I feel too."

Wheeler pulled her close, "Are you ready for bed?"

"Give me a few minutes?"

He nodded and retreated to the main room to get ready himself. He wasn't entirely sorry as it was taking some effort to calm himself, but he'd promised not to get carried away.

When they finally climbed into bed together, Linka was nearly asleep. She curled into his embrace with perfect trust and sighed in contentment.

Wheeler was too stoked to sleep immediately. He wanted to hold her and feel the sense of peace that came with it. It was their room, their bed, their life… and it was finally beginning to feel real.

Linka stretched as she woke but then curled back into the warmth that surrounded her, nuzzling her husband's shoulder. She was still smiling when Wheeler woke half an hour later.

Tilting his head to see her face and then pressing a kiss to her forehead, he whispered as if trying to get her attention whilst also trying not to disturb her, "Penny for your thoughts?"

Her smile widened but she didn't open her eyes, "no thoughts, just feeling... Happy."

"Yeah, me too. I still can't believe I got this lucky!" He hugged her closer and then laughed loudly as she whispered against his ear. "Want to get luckier Lyubov?"

Since it was followed by her hands beginning a thorough exploration of his body, he wasn't in any doubt about her train of thought but he still said, "if that means what I think it does, god yes!"

The gurgle of laughter that came from her made his heart swell with love. Even when he was at his most determined that they could make a relationship work, he'd never thought they'd be so in tune. He knew there would be times when they still had to work on their understanding, but it was nice to know they'd not been as far apart as it had sometimes felt.

Much later, as they recovered in each other's arms, Linka commented with a touch of sadness, "This is how it should have been yesterday."

"Hmm?" Wheeler nuzzled her sleepily.

She sighed, "Our first morning together as husband and wife," and then, in case he'd forgotten, "we had a rude awakening, da?"

"Yeah," He kissed her head, "Feels like a month ago."

"Da, but it should not."

He tightened his arms comfortingly and said in his half-teasing tone, "Hey, we're together, right?" She nodded, "And we get to do this, nearly, every day for the rest of our lives?"

She laughed softly, "Da."

"Then we're good." Her agreement was more of a purr since he accompanied the words by pressing kisses to the sensitive spot on her shoulder.

They were too relaxed for it to go anywhere though and after a while she said, "I was thinking of calling Grandmuska. I know we said we would keep it secret but it feels wrong to hide something so important from her, I have never done so before…"

"You should tell her," Wheeler agreed quickly, "I never meant to suggest you should keep it a secret. Hell, my family knows and I don't actually care that much about what they think! And we're only not saying anything here until Pontus is up and about again anyway."

She leant up to kiss him, a silent thank you as well as something to calm the worry she heard behind his words. "And what are you going to do today?"

"Clash is coming to see what we can do about the yacht," he winced as he continued, "Most of it washed up on the beach, it's a mess. We might still be able to fix it though."

Linka's eyes widened, "I did not even think of that!"

"That's why we make a good team, Babe." He grinned, "Between us, we have everything covered."

She chuckled, "What time is the Commander coming? We should get up…"

Wheeler's lips returned to purposefully to her neck, "Not yet."

To be continued…