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"And so you are telling me that those idiots gave us the wrong information to give to you?" Richard put his hands on his hips, flinging his lab coat back. His eyes were thin. Miranda just nodded in her seat.

"I already checked. It was an intern who did it, so you… I… we can't be too mad at him," she said.

"I suppose, but damn it." He turned and came from behind his desk. "Wait, why are you being… nice and defending those, what do you call them, nobodies and something else?"

"The bottoms of the surgical food chain," she added with a small smile. "And because I want you to say 'yes' when I tell you that I don't need any more rest and I'm ready to come back to do the work I was born to do."

"Nice spiel, but you need at least two more days… maybe three or so. So, no."

"But…"

"Then Shepherd will look at you and clear you." Miranda made a face. This was not the answer she'd been looking for.

"Fine! Then can I at least watch you rip into those grunts."

"I knew it was another one!" He laughed as they walked out of his office. After she watched her mentor tear into some intern lab technicians, scaring them silent and white-faced. Richard offered to buy her lunch to apologize. She accepted before he could get the words out. "So your mother's pregnant, huh?"

"Yes, sir. It's unbelievable."

"It is, but not impossible."

"Definitely not." They headed to the cafeteria.

"Where's Warren?"

"At the house. Sleeping."

"You mean, he's being a good patient?"

"He's compliant."

"And you're defiant." In the cafeteria, the General surgeons watched as people milled about and as noise in the room swelled with each added person. The clanking of the utensils and trays was giving her a headache. Richard observed her. "We can take a rain check on this lunch."

"Fine," she said feigning like she was perturbed, but really she was relieved.

He looked around at the chaos in the cafeteria. "And how about outside of the cafeteria?"

"Yeah, I'd rather you spend your money on somewhere good," she laughed. Miranda waved goodbye and was gone.

Back at home, she called up the stairs: "Ben, I'm back and I brought something to eat!" She went into the kitchen and put the bags down on the table. With a quick stop at a diner, lunch was covered.

"I'll be right down," he said as she set the food up. Her headache had lessened, but she took some more Tylenol just to be on the safe side. Ben came into the kitchen and made a beeline for her. He put one arm around her waist and pulled her thick body close to him.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a laugh.

"You said you had something for me to eat." He wiggled his eyebrows and she playfully slapped him away. Miranda reached up and touched his face; he bent down and kissed her softly, smiles appearing on both of their faces. "Hi, baby," he said, making the hairs on her arm stand up. She stood on her toes and kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck. She softened the hard moan that was trying to escape her lips. Miranda pulled away and slid her hand along his waist. He jumped. "I don't know what I did to deserve that, but damn!" He grabbed her hand and pushed their bodies together against the counter. Her hands slipped through the collar of his shirt and found his back. She scratched him lightly. It was Ben's turn to pull away. "Now I know what that means. Come on, up the stairs we go!"

Miranda blushed, hard. "N-no! I'm about to sit down and eat this lunch that I did not prepare, but I did watch get prepared and it looks and smells good."

"It really does," Ben agreed. "But after…"

"Yes, after I'm going to take a nap," she answered. Miranda pulled the food out of the bag and sat down, leaving Ben by the counter.

"Cute."

"I thought so."

While they ate, they chatted away as if they hadn't seen each other in weeks. Miranda's mind drifted off in the middle of one of their conversations as she realized that there was still so much to learn about the man sitting across from her. She learned that he'd actually driven a motorcycle from Chicago to Seattle when he first moved across the country. And that the mark on his shoulder was a failed tattoo that he was getting before Angela had stopped him. Miranda had laughed loudly, shaking the table, spilling water from her glass. He'd asked her to tell him a story and she'd stopped to think. There were several stories that she could tell him and that would give him a small piece of her. They were still learning each other. She decided to tell him about the first time that she'd ever gone down a waterslide when she was a young adult and her top had come off. She'd had to quickly put it back on before she reached the bottom. Ben howled with laughter, clapping his hands. Miranda just shook her head. The moment had been so embarrassing and, luckily, no one had seen her as she stepped out of the water. When he finished laughing, he looked up at her. "I am so happy that we worked on Mr. Smalls together."

She smiled, "Yeah. It seems like forever ago." He nodded. "Are you finished eating?"

"Yes and I'll clean off the table." Miranda watched him move around the room. When he started to wash the dishes, she yawned and put her head down on the table. "Oh, no, you don't. We have sexy plans."

Miranda shook her head. "I'm exhausted."

"You were just trying to go back to work!" He said dripping sudsy water onto the floor.

"That was hours ago."

"You are too much."

"Thank you," she answered drinking some more of her water.

When the dishes were finished and the kitchen was clean, they retired up the stairs to her bedroom. Miranda led the way with Ben holding on to her hand, a step behind. "You know, uh, I'm getting a glimpse of what our future will look like when I'm finished my residency." She didn't respond, just stood in front of her mirror, peering at her face. Usually, she looked over and saw a woman who hadn't aged much from her intern years at Seattle Grace, but tonight, the stress of the last couple of days had made her age far older than her actual years. "You look good," Ben said sliding his hands around her waist, ruffling her shirt.

"Yeah, right. I look haggard."

"You look… tired." She cut him a look through the mirror. "Beautiful, of course, but still tired."

"Nice save," she said. They climbed into the bed and Miranda cuddled up to Ben's back.

"That's how we're rolling tonight?"

"Yes," she said sleepily.

Her arms around him, squeezing him, made her feel so good. She couldn't explain it. "Goodnight, Miranda."

"Goodnight, Benjamin."

Miranda woke up the next morning to see Ben staring at her. "Finally," he said with a smile.

"What? Why are you staring at me?" She asked pulling the covers over her mouth. "Whatever happened to 'good morning, sweetheart'?"

"Good morning, sweetheart," he said kissing her cheek and running a hand through her hair. "But I'm glad you're finally up."

"Good morning," she told him, her heart skipping a little. She didn't know why their small interactions sent her heart fluttering, but she loved it. It kept their love new and real. "How long have you been a creeper this morning?"

Ben laughed heartily. "An hour. You just wouldn't wake up."

"Okay, I'm up now. Kind of. What do you want?"

"I'm tired of being in this house."

"Well, unless you call Ange or Tucker, we're stuck here."

"We can order a ride, a taxi, a Lyft, something, sweetheart, I'm dying here." He took gasping breaths.

"Your level of dramatics astounds me. Instead of surgery, you should have been a thespian."

"Say yes, please."

She turned on her side and grabbed his waist. "Where would we go?"

"Wherever you want to go. "

"How about we go to 'Battery'," Miranda suggested.

"Yes! Anywhere. Let's go."

"Let me take a shower first."

"Good. I'll join you." Miranda's eyes widened. "Then again, maybe not," he laughed.

"Give me a few minutes."

"I'm already showered, so I'll just get dressed and make us some coffee and warm up the muffins that have been sitting next to your microwave since the beginning of time." Miranda made a face and marched into the bathroom.

When she was finished, she got dressed, going casual by putting on a red tank top and blue jeans with a blue plaid button-up on top. A pair of black boots sat near the chair in the corner of her room. She danced across the room and sat down while she put them on. "The Uber will be here in like five minutes, Miranda!" Ben called up the stairs.

"I'm coming. And I'll just take the muffin. We shouldn't really be having coffee with the Tylenol."

Ben sniffed his coffee and put down the mug. "Just one sip?"

"One sip." She raised one eyebrow. "And can you get me some orange juice please?"

"Of course. It's only a little bit left; we can share that." He poured the contents of his glass into a Styrofoam cup. She picked up the cup and gulped it down. "Guess we can't share that now," he laughed as his phone beeped. "Ride's here." She nodded and they walked to the door. She locked the door and checked it before following him to the car where he was holding the back door open. "My lady."

"Thank you," Miranda said sliding into the car. She put on her seatbelt.

"Uhhh, Ben?" The driver asked tapping on his phone.

"Yeah," Ben checked his own phone. "Elias?"

The guy nodded. "Going to, uh, 'Battery'?"

"Yes, sir," Ben said taking Miranda's hand. He moved closer to her and whispered: "I haven't been in the backseat since…"

She made a face. "Oh!" Miranda pushed his chest.

"Ouch!"

"That's what you get."

"You're what I get," he responded.

"Smooth." She leaned over and looked out of his window. "We're here."

"Let's go," he grunted softly. "Um, thank you, man."

"Have a good night," Elias told them before pulling off.

On their way into Battery, Ben tossed the cup in the garbage. "You weren't making shots like that during the last game."

"Burn! Why are you always roasting me?" He said putting an arm around her waist.

"Miranda?!" A booming voice said as they moved toward the art café. She turned around and came face to face with a large, handsome man. Kenny. They hugged. "Hey, stranger." Miranda laughed. "And… Ben, right?" The two men shook hands. "Glad to see you. How's Tuck?"

"Busy and getting so big."

"Bring my boy by sometimes, yeah?"

"I promise," Miranda told Kenny. "When can I catch you on stage, sir?"

Kenny checked his watch. "Twenty minutes. Comedy hour. Come through."

Miranda clapped her hands and turned to Ben. "This guy is a riot."

"Really?" Ben asked, running his fingers over a piece of skin that was showing through her raised tank top.

"We'll be there," Miranda assured him. Kenny gave a small salute and walked off. "Food. Now. Please. My stomach is rebelling."

Ben chuckled and they hurried to the café. "Two ginger teas and… what kind of Panini do you want?"

"I'll take the turkey, bacon and avocado, hold the tomato," she said grabbing their teas.

"And I'll have the, uh, turkey, mozzarella and kale pesto and her tomatoes on the side." The cashier laughed as Ben handed over his debit card.

"It'll be about five minutes."

"Thanks, Rowena," Miranda and Ben said at the same time. The woman smiled and went to the end of the counter.

"I honestly don't know what I just ordered," Ben confessed.

"I've had that before. It's good," she told him. The sandwiches came out and they went to the lounge and found two seats in the middle of the audience. Another comedienne was on stage. She had the dark room rolling with laughter. After a few more minutes, a few more jokes, she was wrapping up with a wave of scattered applause and shouts.

"Aiight, ya'll. This next cat, we all know him. And we know he's funny as hell. Coming to the stage we have your favorite bouncer and mine, Kenny A!"

The crowd whooped loudly. "Hey, hey, hey! Settle down now," Kenny said coming on stage. "Before I kick all y'all out." Miranda shook her head as everyone laughed. Kenny continued his set. He was so funny and Ben and Miranda barely got to finish their sandwiches without choking. "So, uh, as some of y'all might know, I work security at several different places. My favorite place used to be the schools. The kids were always so friendly and they smile and now…" Everyone groaned. "Yeah, I hate it. This epidemic man. Now, I'd rather be sitting at the front of Marlo's with the drunks and druggies. I mean, it's fucking sad to say, but at least the only shots there are whisky, tequila and heroin." Ben slapped the table as he laughed. Miranda wrapped her hand on her belly. She was so glad that he'd convinced her to get out of the house. "And my woman is like, she lives in Canada." Everyone cut him off to applaud. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, what's so great about Canada, anyway? Free healthcare? Shit! Web MD is free, y'all. We can diagnose yourselves." Kenny looked at Miranda and winked. "So my girl, Dawnn, wants me to go to Canada and I'm not really feeling it right now. And so we're in a long distance relationship." A chorus of "awwws" filled the room. "Yeah, when I was younger, I thought the suckiest part about being in a long distance relationship was, you know, the sex part. You know, we couldn't have sex as much as we wanted to; all we can really have is phone sex. But I've since learned that it's the little things that you really miss when you're not with your person every day, you know? Like holding their hand and even doing the damn laundry. And arguing." The crowd roared. "Damn the arguing! I love to argue and so does my lady. And arguing over the phone ain't the same thing. In person, she would start shouting and I would get so turned on. And I'd yell and it would drive her crazy, she would get so hot, and then she'd, you know, bite her lip, and then I'd start getting all... then we'd be fucking all over the house like two rabbits." The place shook as Kenny acted out the scene. "So, yeah, I guess the worst part of being in a long-distance relationship is not being able to argue."

As Kenny finished his set, the audience howled again, Ben blew Miranda a kiss. Her hands were getting so sweaty. She wasn't really for him to leave yet. And the closer it got for his departure, the more unready she became. "I'm not ready either," he said reading her mind.

She leaned over in the loud room: "I will definitely… miss… arguing with you."

"You mean, you yelling at me?"

"Shut up!" She said as he kissed her palm, sending her head over heels in love with him all again.

The two of them laughed loudly as Ben lifted from his chair and asked: "Want to go to the gallery?" She nodded. "Let's go."

They walked quietly, hand in hand, through the art gallery, only speaking to make conjectures about the work of the artists. "My head is starting to throb," Miranda said as she wiped her face.

"Yours is just starting? Mine has been pounding." He smiled.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it was my idea to get out of the house." She nodded. "But can we go home?"

She faced him and put her hands on his shoulders. "You know? That's the second time you've said that."

"Said what?"

"'Home'?" Ben opened his mouth. "Do you think of my place as a 'home'? Or just wherever we happen to be going back to?"

He slipped his fingers into her belt loops. "You give me the most comfort. You're the person I feel safest with." Miranda smiled. "So when I'm saying 'home,' I mean you and wherever you are."

She reached up and touched his chin, stroking his beard. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, strengthening his grip on her waist.

"And I am so ready to get back to bed," Miranda said throwing a napkin into the garbage.

The two of them walked toward the door. "Is that rain?" Ben asked.

A small group of people were standing in the foyer, shaking water from their bodies. "Yep," a woman said. She closed her umbrella. "And it's really coming down… out… there." The woman swayed and Ben reached out to grab her before she could hit the floor.

"Pauletta!" One of her friends screamed.

Ben gently placed the woman on the floor and Miranda moved to her side. "Good catch," she said.

"Thanks," he said with a straight face.

"Uh, we're doctors," Miranda told the group. They all exhaled. As she shook the woman's shoulder with force, Ben ordered for someone to call 9-1-1. "Pauletta!" The younger woman didn't answer. "Pauletta, my name is Dr. Bailey and I'm going to help you, okay?" No response. "She's unconscious." Miranda checked the woman's pulse, it was steady. "Steady pulse. And she's burning up!"

"Did Pauletta complain of any pain or does she take any medicine? Anything that can help us?" Ben asked.

"Her stomach," a man said kneeling beside Miranda. "I'm her boyfriend, Davis. Her stomach had been hurting, but she thought it was cramps."

"We thought it was because we haven't eaten all day," another person from the group said. "It's her birthday, we were coming here to nosh and then we were going out to celebrate."

Miranda moved her hand along the woman's belly, pressing in a few spots. "Abdominal wall feels very tender."

"Abdominal aortic aneurysm?" Ben asked. Miranda kept her face still. "Or regular appendicitis?"

Miranda nodded slightly. "I'd take that bet."

"Oh, God!" Davis exclaimed. "That's her worst fear."

The group chuckled. "The ambulance is outside," Ben said. The first responders rushed in and grabbed Pauletta while Miranda explained. She and Ben followed them to the parking lot. "We don't have a ride!" Miranda laughed.

"You can ride with me," Davis said. Soon they were zooming through the streets. Miranda sent a text message to Richard to have him on the lookout for Pauletta.

"Uh, make this right, we'll get out here," Miranda told him. "You can park in this lot, when you're leaving, you can get the parking validated since you're going through emergency."

"Thanks, Dr. Bailey," Davis said. He hugged her tightly and shook Ben's hand.

"And if they give you any problem, just mention my name." Davis hugged her again and took off.

"I didn't know you had pull like that?" Ben said out of the corner of his mouth.

"Stick around and you might learn a thing or two about a thing or two."

Miranda and Ben headed into the hospital, trying to find their patient. Instead, they found Richard heading to the OR. "What are you two doing here?"

"We're checking on our patient," Ben said.

"No, you two are the patients, go home."

"But…" Miranda started.

"Goodnight, Bailey." He raised his eyebrow and hurried off.

Miranda twisted her lips to the side trying to hide a smile. "I guess…"

"I'll get the Uber," Ben told her. They slow-walked to the front of the hospital.

"That was interesting," she said leaning into him as they sat on a bench waiting for their ride.

"Yeah…" He sighed.

She nudged him with her elbow. "You wanted to be in that OR, didn't you?"

He looked down at her. "You're going to tell me you didn't?" She chuckled. "It wouldn't hurt anyone if we just stood in the gallery."

"Are you a rule breaker, Benjamin Warren?"

"Not if that doesn't turn you on." He smirked.

"What if Pauletta's surgery doesn't have a gallery view?"

"Then we'll go somewhere else."

"Am I going to have to tell Tim about you?" Miranda asked referring to Ben's peer mentor.

"Naw, I'll be good in L.A. I promise." Ben winked at her and her heart leapt. They stared at the OR board for a few minutes. "They're in 4. Four has no gallery."

"Well, it is only an appy, what did you expect?"

"But, look, Shepherd should be in the last stages of his craniotomy, so maybe we can get to see a little bit."

"Let's go!" Miranda and Ben tried to stay incognito as they hurried to the gallery.

"Hey! Bailey and Warren! You two aren't supposed to be here," Derek Shepherd said as they nearly bumped into him while he was staring at his phone.

"Yeah, what are you two doing here?" Callie said looking up from a mobile computer stand across the hall.

"We're…" Miranda struggled to come up with a believable falsehood.

"Miranda needed to get something from her locker," Ben lied.

"They're lying," Callie laughed.

"I know," Derek said joining in.

"That was a fast craniotomy," Ben remarked.

Derek smirked. "Yeah, nearly beat my record." Miranda shook her head. Men. "But that's neither here nor there; I have not cleared either of you yet, please go home."

"We just brought a patient in and we wanted to see it through to the end," Miranda confessed.

"We will let you know." He pointed toward the elevator that would lead them to the front of the building. Miranda gave the wavy-haired man a deathly stare. He pulled his lips in and shook his head. "As tempted as I am to cower under that glare," Shepherd started. Callie chuckled. "I wouldn't be a good doctor or friend if I did, so I won't. Well, not today. Have a good night."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Miranda responded. Ben hooked his arm around her waist and they moved into the crowded elevator.

"Damn meddling kids," Miranda said with a low growl.

"You're funny," he said as their new Uber driver pulled up. The rain provided the soundtrack to their ride as they made their way back to Miranda's house. She sent a text message for Tuck to Tucker's phone. She missed him so much. Ben held her hand, lifting it up occasionally to kiss it. She could only smile; certain that her words would betray her.

At the front door, Miranda yawned. "Excuse me." Ben laughed. "I am so exhausted." She pushed the door and stepped inside.

"How exhausted?" Her boyfriend whispered in her ear. He gripped her hip with one hand and used the other to close the door.

"Once I take my shower and fall into my king-size bed, I will be asleep in 2.5 seconds." She chuckled lowly.

"Understandable."

"You're not tired?"

"I am." She turned around and he squeezed her tightly. "But I also would like to kiss you." He leaned down and put his mouth close to hers. "All…" His lips brushed her lips softly and her body jumped. "Night."

"You're bad." She rolled her eyes and headed toward the stairs.

"So is that a 'no'?"

She started up the stairs to her bedroom. She imagined herself falling into the bed right beside Ben. "I didn't say that," Miranda answered pausing on the stairs.

"Ah, so I have a chance?"

A slow nod from her, made his eyes widen. "You always have a chance."

"Oh, snap!" He exclaimed, following her.

"But I'm going to jump in the shower first."

"Okay."

"'Okay'?" She asked mimicking him.

He side-eyed her as he pulled off his shirt. "Is that not the right answer?"

"You've been practically begging me to let you get in the shower with me and now…"

"So do you want me to ask?" He said moving closer to her. She was about to respond when he cut her off: "Are you going to say 'yes'?" A slick grin crossed his face.

"Yes and no." Miranda kicked off her boots and tossed her button-up onto the chair.

"Woman, ugh, just… just get in the shower." He took his phone out of his pocket and sat down in the chair in the corner of the room. "I'm trying to be a gentleman and not weasel my way into your shower. Leave me be."

"Fine. I'll save you the embarrassment of getting rejected," she responded over her shoulder as took off her tank top and threw it at Ben. He motioned after her and she ran into the bathroom, closing the door. During her shower, Miranda let the water fall over her bones, easing her joints. She carefully stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her body. She pushed back her damp hair and pulled it into a ponytail. The warm air from the bathroom trailed her into her bedroom. She looked around; Ben was no longer in the chair. Her reflection in the mirror shrugged as she got dressed. A private smile crossed her face as she picked out a black t-shirt that she'd come to know well—Ben's shirt. She put it on and found a pair of shorts that would have definitely been too short for her to be seen wearing out in public. In bed, she threw back the comforter and relaxed under the top sheet. "I could really go for a glass of wine right now."

"Me too," Ben answered coming into the room. Miranda jumped. "Sorry for startling you. I took a shower in LT's bathroom, I hope that's okay."

"Th-that's fine." She bit a small part of her bottom lip as she stared at him, a towel on his waist, showing her several things that she loved about him.

"Do I perhaps have a pair of shorts here?"

"Bottom drawer, uh, to the left."

When he bent over to get the shorts, she ogled him, appreciating the view. "I can feel your eyes," he laughed.

Miranda's cheek flushed. "I don't know what you're talking about." She rushed the words out.

"It's fine, baby. This is all for you." He pounced on the bed and ran a hand up her leg through the thin sheet, tickling her leg. "And this is for me." Ben kissed her thigh.

She giggled. "Stop, boy."

"Okay." He fell on his back and picked up the remote off of the nightstand and flicked on the TV. Miranda's mouth fell open. With her eyes, she burrowed holes into his skull. He turned in her direction. "What?"

"What happened to our…" She blushed some more. "Our night."

"And, I'm sorry, what did it consist of again?" He smirked wickedly and turned off the TV. He knew it would mortify her to say it and he was going to delight in it.

"Never mind," she said turning her back to him.

"You do know that no one can hear you pleading for me to kiss you, right?" He touched her back lightly. In the darkness, his lips found her neck. Miranda closed her eyes and exhaled. She should have been focused on his fingertips on her waist and his lips caressing the skin at the top of her back. But she was thinking about how it felt wrong to be so attached and so used to having a love like Ben when he wouldn't always be there. "What's up? You're quiet. Too quiet."

She faced him. "Nothing."

He stroked her hair and sighed. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

"I'm glad you do."

Miranda decided to tell him what was on her mind. "I am so attached to you." He chuckled. "What? It's not funny. What?"

"Don't act like you don't know that I feel the same way." Miranda shook her head slowly. "And it's good we're really attached to each other."

"I didn't say 'really'," she laughed.

Ben waved his hand in front of her face. "I can read your mind."

"Say more."

"You're really attached to me. You think about me all of the time and you honestly don't know what you'd do without me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever." She closed her eyes again as he took a deep breath. "You are so beautiful," Ben said putting his lips on each of his shoulders. Her body shook a little. "I'm assuming that's a good thing." She laughed softly, touching his hands. He pushed his hand through her hair. Another one of Ben's kisses landed on her body and she moaned. "Is this what you wanted?"

"Yes," Miranda whispered. There was a slight pounding in her head, but she ignored it. This is what she wanted; his body on hers, her fingers roaming around his brown skin looking for… she'd know when she found it. And his kisses sending her into a vortex of pleasure. She moaned again, unable to help herself, words escaped her. He pressed his body against hers even more. He could easily slip in from this position, even though she hated that she wouldn't be able to see his face. Ben's chilled hands slid up her shirt and cupped her breasts, her head fell back on his shoulder and his mouth attacked her ear, her cheek, her chin, working its way down. Miranda put her hand behind her and grabbed his head, stroking his growing hair, half slowing him down and half begging him to go faster.

He stopped all movement, subtle and obvious and Miranda was utterly confused. "W-wait, wait, wait, are we ready for this?"

"Aww, is this your first time?"

He laughed with his head dropping into her back. "No, it's not my first time, but I want to make sure that we're both physically up to this."

"I'm ready." Ben bit Miranda's back through her shirt. "Are you?"

He didn't answer except by sliding his hand between the thin fabric of her shorts up and down the length of her thighs. A coerced whimper left her mouth. "What was that?" He asked in her ear, making her squirm. His fingers moved with purpose and she gave in to them. "Are you ready?"

"Didn't I just ask you that?" Her voice was breathy. She touched her hair, pulling the black band from her hair. It fell around her shoulders and neck and Ben inhaled. Miranda's back hit the bed as he moved on top of her. With her eyes closed, she reached for his face and brought him in for a kiss. He leaned over and stuck his left hand into the nightstand that was on her side while holding his body above hers. While caressing his bare chest, she patiently wait for him to get situated. He pushed aside her shorts and she held her breath as he entered her. This moment of intimacy was not something she'd ever get used to. Miranda adored the feeling of their bodies literally connecting like puzzle pieces. "Ahhh," she exclaimed. Once Ben found his rhythm, her nails dug into his side. She closed her eyes as their bodies moved. She was glad that she'd signed up for a relationship with Ben, the great friendship and great sex were things that nearly made all of those years of being along and feeling lonely worth it. A hard kiss on her lips brought Miranda back to her current position, underneath Ben and feeling him going deeper.

Ben groaned: "Fuu…mmm!" And she squeezed her thighs around his body, holding his body hostage for the time being. "Shit, Miranda!"

"Damn, baby," she said echoing his sexual satisfaction. She looked at him, her mouth open a little as she breathed heavily. He smoothed back her hair and stared into her eyes, not blinking. His strokes became deliberate and unwavering.

"How's that feel?" He asked. He kissed her before she could answer, biting her bottom lip gently and kissing her neck as he sped up. Miranda let out a string of creative curses that turned Ben's grunting into a chuckle. His mouth found her nipples and he circled them; sucking them and making her wetter than she already was. Miranda shook her head as his tongue, hands and organ attacked different parts of her body, sending her into a fit of pleasure that she could barely stand.

She picked up a pillow and covered her mouth. He pushed it out of the way and told her to let it out. She shook her head before screaming: "Aaaaooohh! Oh! My! God!" Her heart hammering beneath her chest bone mimicked what she could only imagine was a myocardial infarction. Miranda came, moaning loudly and vulnerably. She was glad no one could hear her and hoped that Ben appreciated how much it took for her to give her whole self to him with no limits.

"I love you." He orgasmed silently; even as she scratched his back. Ben rocked slowly inside of her. Their bodies shook and they kissed softly as they ascended from their high. He eased out of her and fell on his back next to her. Turning on his stomach, he threw an arm over her, pulling her as close as he could. His soft snoring made her smile.

"I'll never understand why anyone does drugs," she commented as she pulled a sheet up just past her breasts. It grazed her nipples and her body reacted and she crossed her legs to suppress the oncoming urge to climb on top of her boyfriend to feed her sexual appetite.

"Right," he answered in the midst of his snoring. "Are we going again?"

"You're half sleep."

"I still want you." He turned his head in her direction. And with his eyes closed, he smiled.

He looked so good. Everyone talked about women having an "afterglow" after sex and here was witnessing the most beautiful man with that same radiance. "Handsome."

"Gorgeous." She laughed and rotated her body and he did the same, outlining her body with his and placing his face in her lower back.

"That's what I've been waiting for," she exhaled. He kissed her skin, sending chills up her spine. "This last round in the sheets," Ben cocked his head to the side and stared at Miranda, "has definitely provedour quarreling to be worth it."

"I agree. I totally agree." The couple grew quiet; Miranda was sure that Ben was asleep, but when he slid his fingers across her thighs, she knew he wasn't and was grateful.

"I love you," she whispered into the darkness.

"Good. That's what I've been waiting for," he told her as she finally closed her eyes and fell asleep.