Author's Note: Labels and date night. Here we go.
Disclaimer per usual – I do not own Star Wars or any aspect of the SW universe; just a fan with an idea. No profit here, just fun for me.
In the morning, Rey rides with Poe and Shara to school. She talked to Luke late the night before, and he didn't want her to come to school today. She'd told him to check with his old friend (her doctor), as the doc told her no driving until a follow up, but that teaching was fine so long as she felt steady and took breaks. She can sit for a lot of her classes today, so that's what she'll do. She has a funny feeling, though, that Luke will be like a damned ghost in her classes all day, keeping an eye on her.
She huffs out a breath, crossing her arms over her chest. Poe glances over at her. "You OK, Sunshine?"
She nods, giving him a small smile. It feels a little odd this morning, but she knows why. He'd looked sad this morning when he came to her room and saw her bags neatly packed on the made bed. But then, he'd looked apologetic and just told her they were ready when she was.
She steals a look at him, and she has to swallow hard. If she thought weekend-Poe was attractive, work-Poe is smoking hot. Completely clean-shaven and hair still curly but styled into submission a little, he has on a gorgeously tailored dark gray suit with a crisp white dress shirt. His tie is hanging out of his work messenger bag, and she'd had to snort and then audibly sympathize when he'd said he hates wearing ties and only wears it when going to court or meeting with witnesses, defendants, the press, or judges.
He'd made her feel criminally underdressed in her little tunic dress (a dark green that she knows brings out her eyes) and leggings paired with ballet flats. Her hair is braided back again, and she's wearing a little more makeup than she had over the weekend and small gold earrings. Even so, he'd looked her up and down and told her she looked beautiful. Even Shara had gasped out, "Rey, you look so pretty!"
Rey already did Shara's hair for her this morning, so they're going to drop off Shara and then she'll show Poe where her classroom is so he can bring Shara when she can't meet them out front of the school. She already told Luke and needs to tell the front office about the new arrangement, and he has a note from him in his pocket, adding her to the emergency contact and authorized pick-up list for Shara and informing them that she'll be walking Shara to class in the mornings. She's incredibly flattered that Poe would add her to the lists; she'd just expected him to tell the school that she'd be walking Shara to class.
Unbeknownst to Poe, she already went too Amazon and ordered Shara a carseat for Rey's Jeep, done after asking Kes what kind to get. Kes had given her a knowing smile and told her. It'll arrive at her house tomorrow afternoon. She'd just shrugged and told him that Poe wants to add her to the pick-up list, and she wants Shara to be safe in her car. He'd given her a hug at that, and she'd enjoyed it even as it made her tear up a little, thinking of Ben Kenobi.
They get to the school drop-off, and Shara undoes her seat herself and leans forward to kiss both of them on the cheek before saying, "Bye Daddy, Bye Rey, have a good day!"
"Love you, Share-bear," Poe says as Rey gives her a little wave and a smile as the door opens.
She waves at the aide helping Shara out of the car, and the aide's eyes widen. As they pull away, Rey shakes her head and laughs. "What?" Poe asks.
She points to the staff parking lot and replies, "This isn't a huge school. Let's just say the rumor-mill is probably already kicking into high gear."
He parks his X5 (and she'll own that this is way comfier than her old Jeep), and he looks at her, concerned. "I didn't even think about that. Is that OK?"
She nods. "Poe, even if I hadn't been spotted this morning, either Shara would tell them or they'd know when I walk her to class tomorrow morning. It's fine. I just –" She pauses.
He lifts an eyebrow. "You just what?"
"What are we, Poe? I don't care much for labels, but they do make things more straightforward." She sighs. "If not for you and me, then for Shara. I don't want to not tell her anything, but I leave it to you to determine what's right."
He gives her one of those soft smiles, and then he leans across the console of the SUV, kissing her soundly. When he pulls back, he holds her cheek in his palm, brushing his thumb across her cheekbone. "How's this for straightforward? Rey Kenobi, will you be my girlfriend?"
She laughs softly. "Yes, Poe Dameron, I will be your girlfriend." She rolls her eyes. "God, I hate that term. I just never feels good enough at our ages, you know?"
He leans in, dropping a kiss to her forehead. "I know. But it's a term Shara will understand, I think. I have to tell her about Friday night anyway, that she and Bee are going to go to Dad's house. I can do it tomorrow morning, unless you want to talk to her at dinner tonight."
Rey thinks for a moment. "If she brings it up tonight, we can talk to her together, but if she doesn't, it feels like a father-daughter thing to me, not that I have loads of experience there." Rey knows he asked Kes to keep Shara and Bee overnight, and she's doing her best not to overthink that.
X
He truly appreciates how Rey is trying to be respectful of him as a parent. "Thanks, Sunshine." She starts to get out, but Poe stops her with a gentle hand to her arm. "Wait, Rey." She turns back to him, and he smiles again. "Thanks for saying yes."
She bites her lip, blushing lightly. "Thanks for asking."
With that, she grabs her handbag and backpack, and she motions to him to follow her. He does, taking her backpack and shouldering it for her. The school is tight with security, and at the front desk, the woman there gives Poe a knowing smile as he signs in after showing her his ID and handing over the note about adding Rey to the lists. As they head into the school, Poe puts a protective hand on Rey's lower back. "OK, what was that about? I know it might be fast, but I doubt it's that fast."
Rey shrugs lightly, and he's happy to note that she doesn't seem to have any pain at the movement. "Luke, probably. His car was in the lot. You know him – he's like an old woman in a beauty parlor. Huge busybody."
Poe laughs out loud at the comparison, and she motions him towards her classroom. When they step inside, he inhales sharply. She looks at him in surprise. "What's wrong?"
He blinks a few times. The room is amazing. The walls are covered with a huge map, artwork from multiple countries and cultures, and he can see where the kids have already added things to the map, identifying places they've traveled or where their family is from. It's a riot of color and light, and he breathes out, "OK, if my history teachers had given this much of a shit about creating an interesting place to learn, I might've actually paid attention." He grins at her. "This is amazing."
She brightens up. "You think so?"
"Yes. Shara's going to go nuts, too."
"I taught in public school in Boston, and I had so many students that it was terribly hard to have this much detail. I also had to change classrooms every year. There is a benefit to teaching here. Luke never makes me move. I'd feel terrible about it, but Leia's charity does a lot of subsidies here – there are tons of kids on partial and full scholarships." Rey blinks. "Wait, I have an idea! Where is your family from? I know Kes uses a lot of Spanish."
"Mom was Cuban, first generation American, and Dad's family came from Guatemala when he was a baby. They met in Miami originally, at school. Got married and settled in Virginia Beach when dad was in the Navy at Norfolk. Dad and his parents were naturalized when Dad was in college." He smiles, thinking about being a kid for a moment. "We were lucky – Dad was stationed there until he retired from the service, then he did consulting work from there, too. He didn't move up this way until I moved out of Boston. He hates Boston."
She comes over to him, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I'll make her little tags for Cuba, Guatemala, Miami, and Virginia Beach. She can put them up tomorrow, but I'll let her decorate them tonight." She motions to the map. "The kids have put tons of flags up there for themselves. That's why the map is so big."
He wonders, not for the first time, what he did right to deserve her. He hugs her tight to him. "Thank you, Sunshine, for thinking of her. She'll love it."
He steps back as she murmurs, "Of course, and I'm glad you think she'll like it."
Glancing up at the clock, he winces. "I have to go; I have a hearing at 10."
"OK. Knock 'em dead, Counselor." She smirks at him.
"Thanks. See you tonight?" At her nod, he leans in and kisses her cheek. "Despite my reaction to your packed bags this morning, I hope it goes well at the doctor's office."
"Thanks. Have a good day, Poe." She steps back, and he sees a student come into the room, the kid eyeing Poe with surprise.
He turns to Rey, winking. "You too, Miss Kenobi."
She motions him out with her hand. "Shoo."
"Yes ma'am." He grins and leaves, amazed at how happy he feels at this moment.
He signs out at the front desk, doing his best to ignore the looks that all of the office staff give him (as opposed to just the receptionist when he came in). When he gets to his car in the lot, he has to sigh, though. "What do you need, Luke?" Luke Skywalker is leaned against the hood on the driver's side of Poe's car. "I have a hearing in ninety minutes."
"You can spare me two, kid." Luke eyes him, and Poe motions to Luke to continue. "I talked to Kes." Poe starts to object, but Luke stops him. "Just be careful with her, Poe. I know I pushed you two together this weekend, and I stand by that – I think you could be a great match – but I don't think I thought it would be so successful so fast. Just be careful. She's been through a lot in her life, just like you have."
At that, Poe shakes his head. "No, not even close, Luke. Her parents dumped her, and she was lucky Ben Kenobi took her in. I lost my mom, but I had Dad. I lost my marriage, but Zorii is alive and I got Shara out of it. It's not the same, not by a long shot."
Luke grunts. "I'm glad you said that. That means you've thought about it, about her. That's all I was really asking." He stands up straight, and he holds out a hand. Poe takes it, shaking it. "I've known you since you were in diapers. I know you're not an asshole. And in case you're insecure about it, knowing all three of you, you're a far better match for her than my nephew ever was. Ben loved her – he really did, but not in a way that would have sustained her. She's too kind and funny and silly and creative. Of that list, Ben could only tick funny, and even that was dark, as I'm sure you remember."
Poe is reluctant to do more than nod. "OK."
Luke grunts again. "And you pass again. That stuff should be between you and Rey."
"We've already talked about it some," Poe allows, "Now, Uncle Luke, I really need to get to the office."
Luke smiles at the title of uncle. "Go, kid. And don't be mad at Kes. I called him and grilled him. You know your dad is a big pushover." Luke's face softens. "He really likes Rey, Poe. Just so you know."
"I know. Have a good day, Uncle Luke." Poe unlocks his car, sliding in.
"You too, kid. See you later." Luke salutes, and he steps back from the car.
Driving out of the lot, Poe can't help but be slightly warmed by Luke protecting Rey. Considering that he's only known her well for a few days and might step into traffic for her, he appreciates it. He pulls up to a light, and his phone pings with a text. The light is red, so he glances at his phone and chuckles. It's from Kes, and it just says, "Sorry, mijo. Talked to Luke. Wanted to give you a heads up. That bastard could get a mime to talk."
Not wanting to text and drive, he hits the speed dial for his dad. He gets Kes's voicemail, so he just says, "Too late, Dad. He was waiting for me after I dropped Shara and Rey at the school. I don't mind – I know you didn't mean any harm, and at least Luke knows I'm as protective as he is now. And Rey's officially my girlfriend, just so you know. Have a good day, Dad."
He hangs up the call with a smirk. He knows his dad will flip a little at him calling Rey his girlfriend. His dad can be like a teenage girl about things like that. He heads towards the Federal courthouse, his brain flipping to work-mode. He's meeting Finn there. Some jackass is trying to claim that the DNA evidence they have on him was unfairly collected from his private trash – that he left on the curb of a public street. Poe rolls his eyes. He's looking forward to schooling a crap lawyer on the rules of evidence. He may not be the cutthroat guy he was five years ago, but man, he can't stand bad lawyering.
He laughs at himself. Finn will make fun of him later, because he'll get really pissed off in court. Finn loves calling him out when he gets pissed, and Poe humors him. It's a weird dynamic, but it works for them.
X
Rey is surprised when she walks out of the front of the school and sees Kes standing next to an older SUV, clearly waiting for her. As she approaches, she says, "I thought you'd have Shara by now?"
Kes shakes his head. "We can go get her next. I wanted to talk to you first."
"Is everything all right? Did something happen?" Rey furrows her brow.
"Well, yeah, I hear my son has a girlfriend." Kes lifts an eyebrow at her. She blushes and nods, and Kes goes on, "Sorry, mija, I wasn't actually trying to embarrass you. I really wanted to apologize for something."
He opens the door to his SUV for her, and she puts her bag on the floor and puts on her seatbelt. When he gets in, Rey asks, "Why are you apologizing, Kes?"
Kes looks sheepish. "Luke called me."
"And?" She cocks her head at him.
"And I spilled that you and Poe are getting close. This was before the whole girlfriend thing." He rubs the back of his neck with one hand. "He's really good at getting people to talk."
Rey laughs. "That he is. Don't worry on it, Kes. He told me already. I'm only irritated with him. He got yelled at during my lunch today. I'm fairly sure he won't be bothering you again. I threatened to crazy glue his favorite coffee cup to his desk if he acts like a nosy parker again."
Kes puts the car in drive, heading for the pickup line to get Shara. "Remind me not to get on your bad side, mija." He pauses. "What are we saying to Little Bee?"
"Nothing unless she asks. But the labeling was prompted by the fact that this place is a serious rumor mill, and I wanted us to prepare Shara in case she overhears someone talking." She gives Kes a weak smile. "If she doesn't ask, Poe is going to talk to her tomorrow morning, tell her about Friday night and her and Bee coming to you. I think he'll cover the girlfriend thing then as well." She blushes again at the reference to their date night.
"Sounds good, mija." He looks at her as he stops in the line. "You're going to be good for him, Rey. Good for them."
She nods and softly replies. "They'll be good for me, too, Kes."
He reaches over and covers one of her hands with one of his. "Hope you don't mind having a dad-type hanging around, too. Me and Shara wanted a lot of kids, but that wasn't in the cards. If I get overbearing, you tell me. You hear me, mija?"
She turns her hand over and squeezes his as they wait. She tears up a little, and she takes a shuddering breath. "I think I'd rather like having a dad-type around. I haven't had enough of that in my life. It's quite welcome."
"That's good to hear, mija." He pulls up then, and he releases her hands as Shara climbs in. The teacher's aide helps Shara with the seat belt, Shara chattering happily about her day. She never once mentions Rey except to say how much everyone loved her hair. Kes steers them towards the hospital, and Rey just listens to Shara tell them all about her day.
Three nights later, Rey is digging through her closet, trying to find something to wear. It's been a long week even though it was a short week, mainly because the last few days have dragged on. The doctor did clear her on Tuesday afternoon, and after dinner, where Shara never said anything about her and Poe, Rey went home.
Kes had stayed for dinner on Tuesday, so after, Poe walked Rey out to her Jeep, throwing her things in the passenger seat for her. He'd then backed her up against the side of the car, kissing her until Kes had to text him to say that Shara was starting to wonder what was taking so long. Shara had been a little weepy when Rey brought her things down, but Rey had reminded her that she'd see her in the morning to do her hair.
Wednesday morning, Rey was waiting for them out in front of the school, and the minute the car stopped rolling, Shara burst from the car and wrapped herself around Rey's legs. When Poe had joined them, they'd both laughed when Shara said, "Daddy, you said she's your girlfriend. You can kiss her if you want to."
Tuesday night had been hard for Rey, though. Getting home, she'd been struck by how completely empty her house is. It was too quiet. She'd gotten used to the noise and life at Poe's house, and now her home, with its comfortable but generic furniture and minimal personalization feels cold.
Poe had called her late Tuesday evening. She'd been curled up in her bed with a cup of tea and her favorite blanket, feeling lonely and sorry for herself, and his call had been like a lifeline. He'd said he was just checking on her, but they'd ended up talking for over an hour, him telling her a lot about his mom, and her telling him about growing up with Ben Kenobi in England.
She didn't see them Wednesday except before school, but on Thursday, he'd texted her in the afternoon to see if she wanted to meet them at a pizza place in Scarborough. She'd agreed, and while it had still been hard to go home to her empty house, she'd felt better after their evening out.
A cold front, the first real one of the season, came in last night, so she's now digging for something cute but warm to wear. Poe promised her that while the food where they're going is authentic and good, it's not an overly stuffy, highbrow place. She'd rolled her eyes when she checked on Yelp – there, someone described the dress code as "snappy casual."
Muttering to herself, Rey says, "Whatever the hell that means."
Finally, she settles on a black skirt that ends just above her knees, black tights, her black riding boots with the flat heel, and a pretty dark green sweater, one that, like her dress on Tuesday, brings out the hazel in her eyes. She already did her hair and make up, and by the time her phone signals his text that he's here, she does one last check in the mirror, liking that she's not too dressy but still dressed up for her, and she heads down the stairs.
When she opens the door to him, he takes her breath away. He's dressed in nice jeans, newer looking hiking boots, and a thin sweater (that she can tell on sight is cashmere) with a t-shirt under it, topped with a gorgeous, well-worn leather bomber jacket. He's also holding a bouquet of gorgeous fall flowers, including three huge sunflowers.
She takes the flowers and motions him inside. "Sunflowers?"
He shrugs, following her to the kitchen. As she pulls down a vase for them, he says, "Sunflowers for my Sunshine. Too literal? Too sappy?"
She puts the flowers into the water she added to the vase, and then she comes over and kisses him. "No. Just the right amount of literal and sappy."
X
He grins at her, and he brushes her hair back. "You look beautiful. I like your hair down like this." He carefully moves his hand, not wanting to muss it too badly.
"Thank you. You look nice, too. I'm glad you didn't go with one of your fancy lawyer suits. I'd look quite shabby by comparison." She brushes some dust from the shoulder of his jacket.
He shakes his head. "God, no." He follows her back to the front door, where she picks up her handbag and a black wool wrap. He helps her put the wrap on, and then she sets the alarm and they go out the front door, her stopping to lock it. "I hate those things. On Fridays, unless people have court or important meetings, people dress down."
"I know, silly. I saw you this morning." He'd been wearing khakis and a navy blazer along with the same boots he has on now.
He nods, leading her to his car. He opens the door for her, and waits until she's in to close it behind her. As he walks around the back of the car, he has to take some deep breaths. She looks amazing tonight. To him, she's always gorgeous, but tonight he thinks she's stunning. He was glad his dad got Bee before he picked up Shara from school and just took them straight to his house tonight; Kes had come over for dinner Wednesday night and had been ribbing him like crazy after Shara was in bed. He loves his dad, but he hadn't wanted to deal with him tonight.
He gets in the driver's seat and smiles at Rey. "And for what it's worth, Sunshine, you could be wearing a burlap sack and not look shabby."
She scoffs but still lets him take her hand on the console once he's on the road. "Rubbish. Sweet, entirely flattering, but still rubbish."
When they get to the restaurant in the Portland West End, he parks the car and comes around to open her door again. She already has it open when he gets there, but she lets him take her hand as she slides out of the seat. Once the door is closed and the car is locked, they walk hand-in-hand to the restaurant. She entwines their fingers and leans into him. "You OK, Sunshine?"
She nods. "It's just already bloody cold."
He chuckles, but he still wraps his arm around her shoulders. "Why do I have a feeling that we'll be using a lot of firewood at my house this winter?"
He tenses slightly, realizing that he was presuming she'll be there a lot, but she just nods. "No doubt about that. I bet that fireplace is wonderful." He releases a breath gently, hoping she doesn't notice. No such luck. She adds, "And relax, Counselor. We both know I'll be there a lot. Wednesday in particular, barely seeing you, was miserable. Stop worrying about saying the wrong thing."
She leans up slightly and presses a kiss to his cheek, and he has to laugh self-deprecatingly. "Busted. I just don't want to mess this up, Rey."
"Poe." She stops them for a moment, and he faces her, meeting her eyes. "You won't mess this up. I am in on this. All in. As long as you don't act like a complete and total wanker, you'll be fine."
He leans in and kisses her. Knowing that they're in public and that she's cold, he pulls back after a moment or two. "Thanks, Sunshine." He wraps his arm back around her and guides her towards the restaurant. "But just so I can keep my 'how to be a not-shitty boyfriend' manual up to date, what does one have to do to achieve complete and total wanker status?" She laughs loudly at that, and he adds, "Remember, I'm a Yank. What is the American equivalent of wanker? Jackass? Dickhead? Assmarmot?" He snaps his fingers. "Douchebag."
She laughs more, and she turns into him, hugging him. "Definitely that last one. Douchebag. Don't act like a complete and total douchebag. But you'll have to explain to me what an assmarmot is."
"Can't wait. But maybe with a cocktail in hand." They head on to the restaurant. "And sorry for working a little blue. But, you know, it felt called for."
"Poe, the first words your four year old heard me say were, 'Ow. Bugger.' I'm fairly hard to offend." She grins at him.
"Touché," he replies, opening the door to the restaurant for her. "After you."
X
Rey snuggles into Poe's leather jacket when they leave. It's even colder now, and he'd insisted on draping it over her shoulders, over her wrap. She sits on a bench as Poe walks over to an outdoor vendor selling drinks, to get himself a coffee and her a hot apple cider.
Dinner had been wonderful, the food, the shared bottle of red wine, and the company. They'd been given a small booth in a corner, situated such that they were able to sit right next to each other. They hadn't been quite as cliché as he'd originally proposed (feeding each other and the like), but they'd definitely poached off of each other's plates, her stealing bites of his fish, him bites of her steak (which he'd actually finished for her when she'd thrown in the towel).
She'd also been able to snake her ankle around his under the table, her well-worn old boots soft and flexible enough to allow the movement. He'd started in surprise at that, and then he'd shot her a smile that had her insides feeling like they were melting, in the best possible way.
From then on, whenever they were between courses, he had his hand on her leg under the table. He never moved it inappropriately, but it had still felt incredibly intimate to her. It also makes her wonder what he wants to happen when he gets her back to her house.
She knows exactly what she wants. She doesn't want to push, but if they have one more makeout session that doesn't go any further, she may actually spontaneously combust. She really, really hopes that having Shara and Bee stay with Kes for the night means that he wants the evening to continue at her house, and he's just trying to be a gentleman and not make her feel pressured.
She blinks when a paper cup is waved in front of her eyes, and she looks up to see him holding out her cider to her. "You OK, Sunshine?"
She takes her cup, instantly relishing the way it warms her hands. He drops onto the bench next to her, scooting close and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I'm fine. Sorry, was just woolgathering a bit." She takes a sip of her cider. "Oh, this is lovely."
He grins. "You warm enough?"
"You're asking me? How are you not freezing?" It's not winter by any means, but it's probably the low 40s, an early cold front, even for Maine.
He takes a sip of his coffee and shrugs. "The sweater's warm, and like I said the other night, I tend to run hot."
"Yes, we're definitely opposites there. The only thing I don't love about living up here is how cold I get. From December to April, I'm always freezing." She snuggles closer to him. "But this jacket is amazingly warm for a leather jacket."
They settle in, enjoying their drinks. She snakes a foot around one of his legs again, and he occasionally nuzzles her neck. She realizes that she's never really indulged in PDAs before, even if theirs are PG-rated at worst. Once her drink is gone, she starts to get colder again, and he must feel her shiver. "All right, Sunshine, let's get you home."
She nods, letting him take her cup to put in the recycle bin. She's on her feet when he gets back, and they walk to the car more quickly than before, as the temperature is dropping a little more. They drive back to her house in silence, Rey not worried about the wine they had, as they both ate a lot and it took them well over two hours to finish. He's clearly completely steady. She would've made him call a Lyft if she hadn't thought so.
When they get to her house, he pulls into the driveway, and they experience their first semi-awkward moment of the night. They both keep starting to say something and stopping over and over again. Finally, Rey huffs out an exasperated breath. She'll be damned if she wore her cute, slightly uncomfortable matching underwear and bra for nothing. "Bollocks. This is silly. Do you want to come in? I want you to come in."
He barks out a laugh. "Oh thank God."
She grins at that. "And you seem the Boy Scout sort. Overnight bag in the back, just in case?"
He laughs again, a little more sheepishly this time. "Maybe."
"Well let's get it and go inside, then. I'm already getting cold again." She smirks and opens her car door. Walking around and meeting him at the back of the SUV as he scrambles to follow her. Before he can open the back, she pulls him to her and kisses him hard, one hand going into his hair. He tastes like coffee and red wine and she feels warmth pool low in her belly.
When she pulls back a moment later, she nips at his lower lip with her teeth and breathes out, "Just was making sure you're clear on why I invited you in. Meet you on the porch. I'm freezing my ass off."
He blinks as she steps back, and she can see the heat radiating from his dark eyes. He swallows hard, nodding. "Be right there." She goes up to the porch, watching as he grabs a small pack out of the back of his car. She laughs softly as he closes the back of his car and locks it and then follows her, taking her porch stairs two at a time.
She shakes her head and turns, and he comes up behind her, kissing her neck as she unlocks the door. He follows her in and waits as she turns off the alarm. He locks the door behind them and drops his pack by the front door. She turns back to him, shrugging off his jacket and her wrap. She puts them and her bag on the bench in the hall, and by the time she does, he's in front her. He leans in and kisses her hard and deep.
She wraps her arms around his neck, and she laughs when he leans down and scoops her up into a bridal carry. He lifts an eyebrow. "This OK?"
She tightens her arms around him, leaning in and dropping a kiss behind his ear. "Yes, but it's upstairs. Put me down if it's too much."
He rolls his eyes and starts up the stairs. "Sunshine, I'm pretty sure I've got this."
He carries her up the stairs, and she won't pretend that his ability to do so isn't a serious turn on. When they get to the top, she points to a partially open door, her bedroom at the end of the hallway. He heads straight for it, only bumping into something once, a small table in the hallway, when he leans in to kiss her as he walks. She giggles, and he smiles again, nuzzling her neck but keeping his eyes open this time.
When they get to the door, he gets serious and says, "Are you sure, Sunshine? We don't have to do this tonight. I can wait. I want you more than I've ever wanted anyone, but I can wait."
His concern for her makes her warmer than she's been all night. "Put me down?" she asks softly.
He does, looking a little disappointed. But she takes both of his hands in hers, and she pulls him into the room. When he's in, she closes the door behind them. She leans into him, his eyes burning bright in the dim light of the room. She presses her lips to his, and then leans back, murmuring, "I'm sure."