They'd never kissed like this.

It felt like the day she had wheeled herself into his hospital room, like the time they made out in the firehouse when they finally chose each other and pushed past everything Doug had put them through, like the feverish dreams that have been increasing in intensity ever since Christmas morning when they finally had taken things to the next level. But somehow it's exponentially more than that.

A few seconds ago, Maddie and Chimney were just talking, admiring the niceties of the hotel suite they'd been gifted, but all of sudden she'd pulled him in close and then, suddenly, they weren't.

His lips felt so different like this. She thought she knew them by heart by now, but she was wrong.

This man knew who she was. Really and truly. He knew what she had been through and what had to do to get out, saw the scar-ridden woman who had to fight her way out, and nearly died because of it. He had nearly died because of it all too.

He had seen everything.

And somehow, despite that, they've managed to gradually grow together so closely that he was the first person she wanted to see when she woke up, and his voice was the one thing she wanted to hear before she fell asleep. She hadn't even realized when it happened or how he had become so closely intertwined in her life. But somehow, through all that, he just… crept up on her.

Now she was clutching him so forcefully that the beds of her nails ached as they pressed against the rough linen of his shirt. The back of her head was numb and tingling, maybe because the blood was rushing through her veins so quickly.

The urge to swallow him up, to pull him so close that he's all but under her skin, was bewildering and intense, so driving that she couldn't draw their bodies against each other tightly enough. She felt strangely hollow, aching with something she hadn't experienced on this level in so long.

Except she found herself correcting her own mind right then. She hadn't ever loved Doug the same way she loves Chimney because she wasn't the same person she was when she had first met Doug. She had been so young and naive then to miss the red flags, and the controlling toxic behavior he showed her, but Chimney had always been different.

Howie had made her feel safe from the first day she'd met him when he put together her security system in her new place at the time. He hadn't made fun of her for wanting to put cameras in the oddest places like Buck had. He had just smiled and done it without question, even taking the time to show her how she could check the footage even on her phone if she really needed too.

He had let her take things slow, even if it had been at the speed of a hundred and fifty-year-old turtle, and had never voiced any type of opinion about it besides that he was happy to just be spending time with her.

But right now was anything but slow. His broad hands were resting against the small of my back, and she could feel the slight shake that ran through them. For a fraction of a second, she wondered if he was going to pull away.

Then, his fingers gently dig into the fabric of her dress, and she knew that this was worlds apart from that. He walked them towards the bathroom, leaning her up against the wall near the shower. They pressed even closer together and she felt a dizzying rush as the hardness of his erection pushed against her stomach.

His lips traveled over her neck as she began to unbutton his shirt. "Are we going to go into the shower then?"

"If you don't mind," he said as he paused to glance up at her. "I am kind of a little sweaty after getting my hands dirty tonight."

"No, not at all," she said, smiling as they both leaned back into another kiss.

There were a few hazy moments where they separated from each other and Chim turned the shower on. Maddie had undressed rather quickly and caught him by surprise when she slipped into the glass-encased shower before him.

He frantically had undressed then and his shirt came flying off, along with his undershirt while she used this time to let the water wash her body as she opened one of the bars of soap on nearby surfaces on the wall.

She heard him fumbling with his belt, and she smiled as she heard the door to the shower open. When she turned around it was like a magnetic pull was drawing her into him. They didn't kiss, not right away, but she held him close to her under the spray of the water.

Maddie's hands were on his chest. She didn't even know when exactly they got there, and Chim's hands were still holding her arms. Slowly, he moved them up and down a little. He has so many muscles, she thought, touching his chest with the palms of her hands. Her heart was racing as she looked up into his face. Suddenly their lips pressed against one another fiercely and she found them backing themselves into the wall.

They were kissing heatedly now with the spray falling all around them and the steam rising into the air. She ran her hands over his chest, their lips parted and she darted towards the top of his neck, pressing roughly over his pulse, eliciting a low groan of her name from him.

"Maddie..."

She gave a mischievous chuckle, in response, as she released her lips from his neck. "I want you, Chim." She looked deep into his eyes, her brown irises darkened with lust. "Don't hold back on me now." When he touched her, she felt a desire for him course through her, making her arch her back. The motion made her press into him and she felt him hard against her stomach. "Was this your plan all along?" She gasped as his fingers touched her just the way she liked, finally opening her eyes and looking up at him. He was always so good with his hands. "To get me in the shower?"

"No… well, maybe just a little," he said with a smile, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Are you really up for this in here? We could always go to the bed," she asked, running her hand up against his cock as she grasped him.

Maddie automatically began to work him up, just the way he liked with slow, deliberate strokes. Every so often her palm squeezed him and she felt his whole body lean against her for support. His moan made her grin. He wasn't the only one who could play dirty.

"You need to ask, Maddie? I think it's pretty obvious I'm all "up" for this," he chuckled, using his free arm to bring her flush against him again.

"I really walked into that one," she laughed breathlessly but felt another moan build up in her throat as a finger slid inside of her. "Oh… Chim." He was always one to play fair, so he quickly moved another into her. He kept it shallow and teasing, up to the second knuckle.

When they both came, she knew he wanted it to be while he was inside of her. Their lips met in another wet kiss that started slowly, but quickly turned hungrier when she gasped against his mouth as another finger joined the first two. Her head spun as heat pooled in her belly. She hadn't realized she needed him that much.

Her hand stilled his after a minute and he didn't waste time and took advantage of the time he had her distraction. His hands grabbed her ass and he lifted her against the wall, the water from the shower not directly over them but still enough to keep them warm. She grabbed his shoulders for balance as he lined himself with her. Then moaned as he slowly filled her, her legs wrapping around his waist.

He paused for a second once he was all in and she opened her eyes to meet his. "Do you think we can keep this quiet?" he asked with a wicked smile.

They had no reason to hide, they were at a hotel, but it reminded her of what he'd told her about his brother. The warning was not the most necessary either because she wasn't a screamer. He was only teasing her.

"You're not going to drop me, are you?" she decided to tease him in return. She knew he was strong enough to hold her, but she smiled at his indignant gasp. "I'm only kidding." Her fingers tangled in his wet hair as she brought his head down for another kiss and shifted her hips, urging him on. He moved without hesitation, his wet body sliding against hers.

Chim set a steady rhythm, but shifted his legs after a while and rearranged her in his arms. It wasn't the most comfortable position but in their heated state, they didn't really care. It was probably a slight change in the angle that caused Maddie to see stars as he started moving again. Not enough passion. God, she never realized she needed Albert to mess with his head like this.

"Yes," she said, trying to keep her voice low. "Right there," she added as she moaned again. "Oh, god…. Howie." He didn't need further encouragement, his movements gathering up speed. She loved it when it was like that, fast and heated, especially when they didn't have much energy left but their desire made up for it.

It felt incredible and it didn't take long for her to tense around him. With perfect timing, his mouth captured hers just as she was about to moan really loudly as her release washed over her. She felt so weak all of sudden but tried not to put all her weight on him.

Thankfully, this was when she felt his movements lose their rhythm and he buried his face against her shoulder, pressing his lips against her skin. His hands dug into her backside as he pressed into her and went still.

Maddie ran her hands down his back, lazily following the drops of water falling over him. She eased her hold on him to slide her legs to the ground.

"I think I can't move," he mumbled against her, not lifting his head. "You feel too good to move just yet, Maddie." She laughed softly. They were in no hurry, the water still warm on them but also helping to cool their heated bodies. "Should we order room service?" He asked when he finally rose his head and looked at her. The softness in his eyes melted her heart. "Maybe… champagne? Some cheesecake?"

"You know just what I like," she said as kissed him once more.