AN: Thank you so much for your amazing reviews for the last chapter - I can't say enough how much they mean to me and make my day! This chapter has taken a while to write because it is loooong - it's actually the longest chapter I've written across any of my stories, so hopefully that'll make up for the delay in posting :) *Also, this one is more towards the M scale of things, just as a warning...but I'm sure most of you won't mind that too much!lol

I'd love to hear what you think so please drop me a review and leave me a comment :) Also, if you have any ideas for scenarios you'd like to see then feel free to let me know.

Hope you enjoy :)

LIZA

Liza smiled as she slung her rather heavy overnight bag, that she had triple checked had everything she needed, over her shoulder, and headed out into the warm early morning Manhattan air. It was only 6 AM on Friday morning but she wanted to get into the office early so that she could leave at lunchtime. She had something planned for Charles that he knew nothing about, and she couldn't wait to surprise him.

Since stepping down as publisher and the public face of Empirical, Charles had been working a lot with Quinn on the financial side of things, whilst he figured out what his next step would be. He'd told her he had something in the pipeline, but he wanted to keep it to himself until it was more finalised so that he could surprise her. He seemed excited about it and she was intrigued as to what it might be, but knowing what a brilliant mind and kind heart he had, she was sure that whatever it was it would be very impressive. In the meantime though he was spending a large proportion of his days with a woman who had openly admitted her interest in him, albeit before she knew about her and Charles being together. Liza was happy that he was still playing a part in the company as it was still his company - his family's company, and even if he wasn't in the office day to day, it was nice for him to still have an input. But, even though she knew it was irrational and she felt stupid for feeling it, she was jealous of the time Quinn spent with him, because she knew Quinn was attracted to him. Liza couldn't blame her really - Charles Brooks was a ridiculously attractive man, and he didn't even know it, which only made him more attractive. She knew he would never cheat on her, and that half the time he didn't even notice how much attention women gave him, but him spending time with a woman who was clearly aware of that attractiveness, brought out her possessive side.

Liza had been snowed under with work lately and so hadn't gotten to spend as much time with him as she would have liked. With Millennial now at the helm, coupled with her desire to do her best for the company and for Charles and to make sure he hadn't stepped down for nothing, she'd assumed a lot more responsibility and her workload had piled up. She missed him - it had got to the point that even going a few hours without seeing him she would miss him, and not seeing him day-to-day in the office was hard. He was always the one taking her places and treating her, so this weekend she wanted to switch it and do something for him.

She knew the girls were with Pauline this weekend and so she'd made arrangements to take him away for a couple of days, and she couldn't wait. As she hauled her bags off the subway and made her way through Midtown, she smiled as she recalled the day Charles had introduced her to Nicole and Bianca as his girlfriend. She'd been decidedly nervous before going round to his house that day, probably much like Charles had been before meeting Caitlin, but it turned out there was no need to be. The girls had been totally fine with it – they'd actually seemed happy about it and were excited that they'd get to see her more often. They were probably also relieved that their dad was with someone that they liked and that was an improvement in their eyes on Rahda. Liza wasn't sure how old they'd thought she was when she babysat for them, but the issue of age never came up. She guessed everything was just simpler through the eyes of children and things like that just don't matter to them - it would be nice if adults could share that point of view.

Her and Charles had spent time with the girls, just the four of them, on numerous occasions now and it was great - she really did love those girls and she loved the time they spent together. She wanted this weekend to be just her and Charles though. She wanted some quality time with him away from work and any distractions, and if she was honest - away from Quinn. Now that they were finally together, it was incredible and more than she could have ever hoped for, so any threat, be it real or perceived, brought out her slightly jealous and possessive side. Charles was her man – no one else's.

Liza wasn't surprised to find she was the only one in, and as she sat down at the desk in her office – yes, she now had her own office, which she was still getting used to, the first thing she did was pull out her phone and send a good morning text to Charles. She smiled as the three dots appeared instantly and she stared at the screen, eagerly awaiting his reply. Her heart did a little flutter and she grinned so hard her cheeks hurt as she read his words.

'You've a place in my heart no one else ever could have.'

Lately he'd taken to doing this adorably cute thing whereby he'd send her quotes from her favourite authors, and this week it had been Fitzgerald quotes. He always managed to find the perfect one to sum up how they felt about each other. Yesterday he had sent her 'You intoxicated me. It was just as though you were making me love you by some invisible force' and Wednesday it had been 'You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known - and even that is an understatement.' Charles had no idea how incredible he was - he was a hopeless romantic and a total book nerd, and she loved him all the more for it. She smiled affectionately as she drew on her own literary catalogue in her mind and typed back her own Fitzgerald quote in reply:

'Sweetheart I've been frightfully busy, but you know I have thought of you every minute.'

And that was true – despite how busy she had been lately, he had been in her thoughts the entire time. She loved how they shared such a passion for books and how she could have a literary back-and-forth with him over text – the bookworm in her was doing a happy dance.

When 12:30 rolled around, Liza quickly clicked 'send' on an email to an executive at Hello Sunshine and shoved the two manuscripts she'd been working on into her desk drawer – this weekend was going to be totally work free and purely about her and Charles. She typed out a quick text to Kelsey to tell her she was leaving then grabbed her things and hurried as inconspicuously as possible to the elevator, praying that no one accosted her, wanting something from her on the way. She smiled in victory as the elevator doors closed and she descended the building to begin her weekend of freedom with Charles.

Liza excitedly jogged up the front steps to Charles's townhouse just after 1 PM and quietly let herself in, using the key he'd given her a few weeks ago. Her heart had melted when he had blushed and shyly stuttered his way through explaining that he wanted her to have a key to his house so that she would feel at home there and that if he was running late she would be able to let herself in. When she'd noticed the little Paris keyring attached to it, she'd remembered their conversation in Frankfurt about him wanting to take her there, and it had been too much. She'd thrown herself into his arms and kissed him until they were both breathless. That had turned into a very memorable, and very pleasurable evening. The gesture had meant more to her than he knew because it signified how much he wanted her to be a part of his life, and how committed he was to her – and to them.

She found him in the front lounge sitting on the couch, with one leg bent and resting on the opposite knee, totally engrossed in a book. Liza remembered him saying a while ago how books were such a big part of his work life, it was hard to figure out which ones were part of his life-life, so it was nice to see him having time to read for pleasure. She smiled as she snuck up on him and covered his eyes with her hands.

Charles sighed and she saw a smile tugging at his lips, "Mmm I'm hoping this is my girlfriend, otherwise she won't be very happy."

Liza grinned - she loved hearing him call her his girlfriend. "Lucky for you, it is your girlfriend" she murmured in his ear. She came round to the front of the couch and sat down side-saddle on his lap as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Charles discarded his book on the cushion and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. "This is a nice surprise."

She could feel his warm breath on her lips as he spoke, and it sent tingles down her spine. "Well I'm glad, because I have another one for you" she replied huskily, leaning in so their lips were less than a millimetre apart.

Charles smiled and his lip brushed hers in a featherlight touch as he spoke, causing her to gasp. "Really? Well, if it's anything like your first one, I'm fairly certain I'll like it."

He held her gaze as he leaned forward to close the gap but she smirked as she pulled back, teasing him. "I'm taking you away for the weekend" she told him happily, "and you need to go pack."

She made a move to get up but he held her tightly by the waist, keeping her pressed against him. "A weekend away with you sounds incredible" he murmured softly, the sound reverberating against her lips and setting her senses alight. "So where are we going?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise" she replied, running her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck.

Charles smirked in amusement and leaned her back onto the couch so he was hovering over her, his body pressing into hers. He softly moved the hair from her forehead with his hand before ducking his head down to hers, so close that his lips brushed hers with every huskily whispered word. "I can be very persuasive."

Liza's insides liquefied at his words - she had experienced many times how very, very persuasive he could be. "Oh I know" she whispered, ensuring her lips touched his with every word too. "I like it when you're persuasive." She finally closed the gap between them, a soft moan escaping her throat at the feel of his tongue running along her lips. The kiss was hot and frenzied as they reacquainted themselves with the feel of each other - even though it had only been two days, it felt like far too long. As he ran his hands under her dress and up her sides, leaving a trail of fire in their wake, it almost pushed her over the edge. It would be so easy to get lost in him and let him take her into their own little bubble of euphoria, but her excitement to see his face when he saw where they were going won through – just.

It took every ounce of self-restraint she could muster, but she pushed him up and rolled out from underneath him before he had chance to process what was happening. As she stood up, she giggled at the confused look on his face, his eyes hazy with lust. She held her hand out to him, "Come on - you need to pack." Charles smirked in amusement as he took her hand and stood up. Liza leaned into him and held his gaze as she murmured "You can be as persuasive as you like tonight."

He was packed and ready to go in record time.

Liza had informed Charles that she would be driving them to their mystery location and had commandeered his car to do so. He had graciously offered to drive himself but had then amusedly handed over the keys at her insistence that she wanted to drive. If he drove then she would have to tell him where they were going and she wanted to keep him in suspense until they got there. Plus, he had a nice car and it was fun to drive!

Charles tried several times during the journey to get her to divulge their destination, but each time she would just giggle and tell him that patience was a virtue and that it would be worth the wait. He'd laughed in amusement and then intertwined his fingers with hers, holding her hand that was resting on her leg. Two hours seemed to fly by in no time at all as they talked and laughed, catching up on the past couple of days, sharing stories and just basking in the simple pleasure of just 'being' with each other.

As Liza pulled off the I-495, Charles squeezed her hand and smiled at her, giving her that look that he reserved only for her. She guessed he now had an inkling of where they were going. When she parked up outside their hotel, she looked over at him and saw that his eyes were shining with joy and excitement.

"Thank you" he said softly, bringing her hand up to his lips and placing a tender kiss on her knuckles.

"Is it a good surprise then?" she grinned, pretty sure he was happy but wanting to hear him say it.

"It's a great surprise" he told her warmly, "but wherever we'd gone I'd have liked it, because you'd be there with me."

Liza's heart melted – if she hadn't already fallen in love with him long ago, she would have done right then. "We have some good memories here – this is where we had our second kiss, and our first dance."

"I remember every moment" he replied fondly.

"And where I saw your knees for the first time" she added, causing Charles to laugh. "I thought we could make some new memories this weekend."

"I'd like that – very much."

The hotel Liza had chosen was near to the one they'd stayed in the last time they'd been here and she'd picked this one because it was right on the beach. When they checked into their room and she opened the patio window, she was impressed to find that it looked right out over the ocean, the sound of the waves softly lapping at the shore making her smile.

Charles came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "This is beautiful, and just what I needed – thank you" he murmured, placing a kiss just behind her ear, which sent a shiver down her spine. "So what spurred the idea to come here?"

Liza placed her hands over his that were resting on her waist and rested her head back on his shoulder. "Well, I've been so busy with Millennial these past few weeks I haven't gotten to see you that much. And you've been spending a lot of time with Quinn."

Charles gently turned her so they were face to face, keeping one hand on her hip and cupping her cheek with the other. "Liza, you don't think…my relationship with Quinn is purely business – you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

He knew her well – he'd picked up on her insecurity and jealousy straight away. He was so earnest and sincere in his reply that she felt stupid for ever feeling that way in the first place. It was just that he meant so much to her and it had taken them SO long to get to this point, she was scared of anything taking him away from her. "I know, it's just…I've missed you."

Charles smiled lovingly at her and brushed her cheek with his thumb, "Liza, you are the only woman that I want. You've been the only woman I've wanted since the moment I met you." He paused and held her gaze as he added, "And you're the only woman I will ever want."

Liza's throat felt tight with emotion as she tried to swallow the huge lump that had formed. She sighed happily as her eyes became misty. She couldn't find the words to adequately describe how much his words meant to her. "I love you" she managed to choke out.

The look in his eyes and the smile on his face at hearing those three little words from her was priceless. "I love you too Liza."

She gasped in surprise as he bent down and scooped her up bridal style and murmured softly "And now I'm going to show you, just how much."

Heat pooled in her belly as he carried her over to the bed and laid her down so gently she wanted to cry with love for him. He leaned over her and slowly kissed a trail of fire from her earlobe to her collarbone, before lightly running his fingers up her legs then her sides in a featherlight caress, pulling her dress up and over her head as he went. She knew what he was doing – he was taking his time and making it all about her, and all she could do was close her eyes and bite her lip as the sensations overwhelmed her.

Her fists balled and she gripped the sheets as his mouth moved lower and circled her navel. She held her breath, feeling goose bumps swathe her body, as he slid her panties down her legs. Every nerve ending was alight, so when he kissed the inside of her knee she almost jumped off the bed. He'd done that on purpose. She opened her eyes to find him standing in front or her at the foot of the bed, smiling smugly – his eyes never leaving hers as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. The sight of him undressing made her mouth go dry – she needed to touch him. Liza sat up and grabbed his belt, tugging him closer so she was straddling him. She fumbled with the clasp then yanked it open, impatient for there to be no barriers between them. Seeing how ready he was for her after she'd pushed his jeans and boxers down his legs, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her. She kissed him with a desperation she'd never experienced with anyone else – she didn't just want him, she needed him.

They were both breathless when they came up for air. "I need you" she gasped, wrapping her legs around his waist to bring him closer. She could feel him against her leg and she groaned at the feel of his heat so close to hers.

His hand ran down her side and settled on her hip, and he smiled against her lips as he murmured, "I need you too. But we have all the time in the world - let me take care of you first." He left no room for argument when he began kissing her neck, before making his way slowly downwards. She threw her head back onto the pillow in ecstasy as he took very, very good care of her.

They'd made love to each other for hours, with the sound of the waves in the background, until they were both wonderfully sated and spent. And now as they lay curled up together in post-coital bliss, her head on his chest and his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders as he played with her hair, she felt like she could stay in that moment forever.

"I'm glad we waited" Charles mused, breaking the comfortable silence. Liza turned her head and looked up at him. He smiled warmly at her as he elaborated, "… To get together. I mean there were times when it almost killed me not to be able to touch you or kiss you, but I think because we waited so long and had to overcome so much, it made me realise just how much you mean to me and how invested I am in us."

Liza smiled as she replied, "You were worth the wait. And I love being us." She stroked his face as she leaned up and kissed him softly, before settling back on his chest. They lay like that for a while, comfortable and content in each other's arms, until Liza's stomach let out an impressively loud gurgle.

Charles chuckled and pushed himself up onto his elbow. "Are you hungry?" he asked amusedly.

Liza blushed, causing him to chuckle more. "Well we did just work up quite an appetite."

"We did" Charles smirked. "But we can't have you hungry. Shall we get dressed and go and find somewhere to eat?"

Liza looked at him, really looked at him - the man she was hopelessly in love with, who was willing to do anything to ensure she was happy, sat there on the bed with his adorable sex hair sticking up in every direction, and she had no desire to be anywhere else. "I kinda want to stay here - just the two of us. How about we order room service and have dinner in bed?"

Charles grinned as he bent his head down to hers, "Liza, you should know by now that I don't take much convincing to spend more time in bed with you." She giggled, and his eyes shone with happiness as he kissed her and reached for the phone to order their food.

Liza couldn't have been happier as they shared their meal whilst sat cross-legged on the bed, talking and laughing together like they'd been doing this for years. Later on they moved out onto the balcony and Charles wrapped a blanket around them both as they shared a bottle of wine as they looked out at the ocean. So relaxed and content was she that she fell asleep, wrapped in his embrace. She woke slightly at the feel of his strong arms lifting her and carrying her over to the bed. She felt him climb in behind her and wrapped his arms around her. The last thing she heard before she drifted off with a smile on her face was him murmur softly, "Goodnight Liza. I love being us too."

The next day they eventually made it out of their room and went down to the beach. They relaxed on the sun loungers and swam in the sea, their smiles never leaving their faces. Liza loved seeing him so happy and carefree, and she vowed to make sure they did this more often.

As much as she'd loved their dinner in bed the night before, she wanted to take him out tonight. So after getting dressed up, her in a pale purple summer dress and him in a navy shirt and dress pants, they ate at a romantic little seafood restaurant on the beach. It had been a perfect day and there was one more place she wanted to take him to round off a perfect night. They strolled hand-in-hand down Main Street, grinning widely at each other, then stopped in front of a very familiar place.

Charles sighed happily as he realised where she had brought him. "Where we had our first dance."

Liza looked fondly over at Stephen Talkhouse. "And our second kiss."

Charles grinned, "Shall we go in?"

Liza smiled and repeated the answer she'd given him the last time they'd been here and he'd asked that question, "We have to go in."

Berlin were unfortunately not playing that night, but the smile on Charles's face as they walked in there together, like they had last time, but really together this time, made it no less special. There was a band playing that neither of them recognised, but they were good, and it was relaxing as they sat and had a drink together. When a slower song started to play, Charles smiled shyly at her as he asked, "Would you like to dance?"

Liza smiled happily and took his hand, "I'd like that."

Charles held her in his arms, much closer than last time – because they were allowed to now. She wrapped her arms around his neck and played with the soft hair there. "Last time we were here I remember thinking how stunningly beautiful you looked in that white dress" he told her softly as they swayed slowly to the music, a fond smile on his face. "I was so nervous when 'Take My Breath Away' came on and people started dancing. I wanted to dance with you and hold you so badly, but I was scared you'd say no or think that I was overstepping."

She smiled warmly at him, "You weren't overstepping, and I wanted it too – I'd had feelings for you for a while."

Charles grinned happily, "I didn't think you'd ever feel that way about me, so when you kissed me I was shocked to say the least. But then I remember thinking how right it felt, and how much I wanted to be with you."

Liza sighed wistfully at the memory. "I felt the same. It confused me because everything was so complicated back then, but just so you know, I felt it too." Her admission brought a beautiful smile to his face that melted her heart. "I am glad we waited though. I know we both wanted to take it further that night, but I'm glad we waited 'til everything was out in the open and there were no more secrets or complications."

"I think we just had to wait for our time." He tenderly cupped her cheek in his hand before leaning down and kissing her softly. "And now we get to be us."

Liza beamed at him, "I like us."

"So do I."

They stopped by the ice cream shop Charles used to work at as a teenager and they'd shared a sundae as Liza insisted that he needed to show her photos of that time in his life, as she still couldn't picture him in short shorts with big hair! It was hard for her to imagine him any different to the strong, 6ft5 beautiful man she'd fallen in love with. She told him that when they got back he needed to get out the photo albums. Charles had blushed and seemed less thrilled by this idea, telling her that his teenage years were not his most flattering. Liza laughed fondly, positive that he was just as beautiful when he was a child as he was now.

Charles had suggested that they walk back to the hotel along the beach, and so they took off their shoes and strolled hand in hand through the surf, leaving two sets of footprints side by side in the sand. It was a nice night and the beach was deserted so they decided to carry on walking for a while. When they rounded a corner they had to cross a deeper section of water to get to the little cove on the other side. Charles rolled up his pant legs and gave her a piggyback through the water, which came up to his knees. She'd giggled happily as she clung onto him and reasoned that she was wearing a dress, so it didn't matter if her legs got wet. He still insisted on carrying her, and she didn't mind one bit.

He set her back down on her feet when they got out of the water and pulled her into his arms. They'd walked quite far, away from the built-up areas with the hotels and houses and as she looked around she saw that they were totally alone, no one else in sight as far as they eye could see, and surrounded only by sand dunes. Charles followed her gaze and seemed to notice this too because when he looked back at her he had a glint in his eyes.

"So it looks like we have the whole beach to ourselves" he murmured, leaning in so she could feel his warm breath on her lips. His voice was husky as he continued, "How about we go for a swim?"

Liza's eyebrows rose in surprise – he couldn't be suggesting what she thought he was suggesting. He smirked at her shocked expression – yes, he was definitely suggesting what she thought he was suggesting. Charles Brooks was definitely full of surprises, and her pulse quickened at the idea. She smiled at him in amusement, "You're serious? You want to go skinny dipping?"

Charles grinned and stepped back, holding out his hand, "Why not?"

Liza took one more look around to assure herself they were indeed alone, then giggled and shook her head in disbelief as she took his hand and walked with him down to the water. "I can't believe I'm doing this!"

They grinned at each other as they stripped down, leaving their clothes in a pile on the sand. The heat in his eyes as he watched her made her squirm and tingle all over. She gasped in surprise as he scooped her up in his arms and kissed her before carrying her into the ocean and plunging them both under the water. They were both laughing as they surfaced and shook the water from their hair.

"This is crazy" she giggled happily, "I can't believe you persuaded me to do this!"

Charles smirked as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her to him. His lips were only millimetres from hers as he murmured huskily, "Well, you know I can be very persuasive."

Liza's mouth went dry at the look of pure desire in his eyes. She wrapped her legs around his waist and felt him ready for her and pressing against her thigh. "That is true."

Charles smiled and started kissing the side of her neck before whispering in her ear, "How about I be very persuasive now?"

Liza gasped in pleasure at the feel of his warm breath in her ear. All she could do was nod, and a second later she felt him slide into her. They both moaned at the feeling of being joined again. She'd never done this in water before, but Charles making love to her in the ocean felt exquisite as her body was overcome with sensation. Their moans of passion mingled with the sound of the waves as they built each other up and then climaxed together in what was one of the most intense experiences of their lives.

Neither of them could stop smiling or giggling as they walked hand in hand out of the water afterwards and redressed in their slightly wet and slightly sandy clothes.

"I can't believe we just did that! I've never done that before."

"Me neither." He smiled warmly at her as he took her hand and they started back towards the hotel, "I feel like I'm in my twenties again."

They laughed happily and Liza's heart clenched at how incredible he was. When he'd said 'I don't care anymore' in the snow outside her apartment, he'd meant it – there was no remaining animosity over her lie and he would never throw it in her face. They could laugh about it now and that was more than she could have ever wished for. He was it for her – there was nowhere else she wanted to be but by his side. She stopped and tugged his hand and then reached up and held his face as she kissed him tenderly.

"I love you" she whispered.

Charles smiled that beautiful, breath-taking smile as he replied happily, "I love you too."

Liza knew in that moment that they would be okay. They were strong, they would fight for each other, they were a team, they were finally an 'us'. They were happy.