Ray and Liz lay in bed together for another hour, just kissing and talking and giggling. Ray couldn't stop running his hands over Liz's body and she, in turn, just loved the feel of his shorn hair under her fingertips, repeatedly stroking over his scalp and sometimes nuzzling her nose behind his ears.

Eventually Liz made to sit up and get out of bed, 'I'm starving, Ray, shall we go see what's left from lunch?'

Ray pulled a pouty face and Liz laughed at him, 'Come on, I know you've gotta be hungry by now'.

'Yeah, a little. But do you promise we'll come straight back to bed after?'

Liz leant down and gave him a deep kiss. 'I promise. There's nowhere on earth I'd rather be right now'.

Liz pulled her dress back on and headed into the kitchen. She fetched Ray's shorts from the dryer and handed them to him as he strolled into the kitchen, happily letting it all hang out.

'Much as I'm enjoying the floor show, I wouldn't wanna get that delicious salami you brought mixed up with anything else once I've got a knife in my hand', Liz said, giggling at Ray's horrified face. He hastily pulled on his shorts and then grabbed Liz from behind as she walked away, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her tight against him.

Before he could distract her further from her intended target of the fridge, Liz turned her head and kissed him before pulling his arms away from her, 'Food first. Then I'm all yours again'.

'There's only one thing I want to eat right now, sweetheart'

Liz actually felt herself blushing at his words and laughed at him as she looked up to see him waggling his eyebrows at her and licking his lips.

'Oh, dear. It appears I've found myself an insatiable man. What is a girl to do?' Just as Ray opened his mouth to say something, Liz carried on, 'But no, that wasn't a question that requires an answer. Not right now anyway. Go make yourself useful and get some food from the fridge whilst I fetch some plates and cutlery'.

'Yes, Ma'am', Ray said and mock saluted her.

In a couple of minutes they were sitting round her kitchen island, tucking hungrily into the remains of the picnic. Liz couldn't help but let her mind drift back to what had occurred the last time Ray had sat on the stool he was currently perched on and smiled to herself, reaching over and stroking his arm. He looked up at her and smiled back before holding up a grape to her mouth for her to enjoy. She took it from him, allowing herself to suck his finger into her mouth briefly as she did so. Ray's eyes widened slightly and he let out a low groan.

'Oh, Lizzy, please tell me you've nearly finished eating, I'm struggling to control myself here'.

She patted his hand as she placed it back in front of him, 'Very nearly. I've a feeling I'm going to need all the sustenance I can take on board if I'm going to survive the rest of today and tonight though'.

'Mmm, yes, you could be right', Ray replied as he reached out for some rice wrapped in fig leaves and put them on his plate.

Liz watched him as he ate. He already looked so at home in her apartment, just sitting there in his shorts, his perfect broad chest and shoulders hunched over his food. She wanted nothing more than to reach over and stroke her hand through his chest hair but knew that any more distractions from her and he really wouldn't be able to control himself much longer. She smiled at him and almost felt herself tearing up. She was so happy. She'd found herself the perfect man in every regard and she just couldn't believe this was happening to her after her disastrous marriage to Tom.

Ray glanced up and looked at her, finding himself staring straight into her blue eyes, shimmering with tears.

'Hey, sweetheart, what's wrong?' He reached over and grabbed her hand at once, a worried look on his face. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine, I'm fine. Please, don't worry. I was just thinking how happy I am right now and how much I…. Enjoy being with you'

Ray knew she had come close to saying something much more serious than that just then and his heart skipped a little. He looked into her eyes and saw that her tears hadn't quite dissipated yet. He couldn't help himself and stood up from his stool, stepping towards her and pulling her into his chest.

'Lizzy, I can't even put into words how much I enjoy being with you too. You've made me the happiest man in the world'. He bent his head and kissed her hair, stroking her back as he did so. They remained like that for a little while before Ray sat back down, keeping a hold of her hand.

After they'd finished eating what they could, Liz got up and put what was left back in the fridge whilst Ray put the dishes in the dishwasher. As he was bending over to put the last of the cutlery in the box on the lower level, he felt a hand connect with his ass. He turned to Liz, ready to return the favour, but she'd already run out of the room.

'You little rascal, don't think you're getting away with that', he laughed as he chased her towards the bedroom.

By the time he got there, Liz had already pulled her dress up and off and was standing at the foot of the bed, her head tilted down, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

Ray walked towards her, overcome with the affection he had for this woman. He reached out and held her under her chin, tilting her head towards him. The kiss they shared was full of tenderness. Liz reached around Ray's back and ran her hands up and down his well defined muscles. He placed his hands on her ass and lifted her up and into his arms, her legs automatically going to wrap around him. She pulled back just for a second and their eyes met, full of feeling.

'Make love to me, Ray'

'Yes'

He placed her gently on the bed and then quickly pulled off his shorts, letting them drop to the floor. He then covered her body with his and started kissing her face, her neck, her shoulders, everywhere he could reach. Liz gasped and placed her hands on his shoulders, enjoying feeling the sheer strength she could detect coiled within the muscles there. Ray, by now, had made his way to her navel and dipped his tongue in briefly before moving on. Liz was squirming beneath him, he was touching her in all the right places. As he arrived at his destination, he looked up to Liz and saw her looking back at him, her mouth hanging open a little, already breathless. He reached one hand out and took hold of one of hers, their fingers slipping together perfectly, and then ducked his head down to her core. This time he was determined to make it last much longer than it had in the kitchen and he started by kissing her just to either side of where she most wanted him, running his tongue slowly but firmly up and down, mere millimetres from her lips.

Liz moaned loudly but knew that she wouldn't have to wait too long. And she was right, as Ray used his free hand to hold her open, he slipped his tongue inside her and darted it in and out a few times, never too deep. Liz bucked underneath him, desperate for more contact. He smiled to himself and pulled back a little. He then turned his attention to her clit, licking over it firmly, just once. Liz groaned again and was just about to grab his head and hold it in place when he returned to her entrance and slowly pushed one of his fingers inside her at the same time as securing her clit between his lips and sucking it into his mouth. Now Liz knew she wasn't going to last long. Again! What this man could do with his mouth was sorcery. Ray continued sucking her clit and then added a second and then a third finger inside her. He started to pump them in and out, all the time grasping her hand tightly and licking and sucking at her clit. Just a few seconds later, Liz stilled and let out a strangled cry, her sex contracting around Ray's fingers and her juices pouring out and over his mouth and hand.

Once she had recovered, she looked down at him and saw him staring at her in awe.

'That was the sexiest sight I've ever seen', Ray said to her as he watched her come down from her high.

Liz couldn't even form a response and instead tugged on his hand to bring him back up to her level. He came gladly and allowed her to kiss him and hold his head tight against her breasts as she got her breath back and slowly came back to herself.

Once she had recovered enough, she pushed on Ray's shoulders to get him to sit up a little and as he did so, she indicated that he should roll onto his back. Once he was in place, his head propped up by two pillows, Liz crawled over him and sat astride his stomach, the wetness Ray could feel between her legs rubbing off on him and making him groan. Liz leant forward and started to bite his neck, running her hands all over his chest as she did. Ray's hands were grabbing her ass and rhythmically pulling her closer to him, desperate to be inside her again.

Liz ran her tongue over one of Ray's nipples then bit it, just hard enough. Ray groaned loudly and bucked his hips, his hard arousal moving between her ass cheeks as she was held in place by his hands. Liz grinned at his reaction and started to lift herself. Much as she was having a lot of fun teasing him, she needed him back inside her just as much as he did. She reached down between them and positioned him then looked up at his face as she slowly started to sink down onto him. Ray struggled to maintain eye contact, such was the bliss he felt as her tight, wet heat once again engulfed him. But he kept looking at her, sensing it was important to her that they had an emotional as well as a physical connection during this moment.

Once Ray was buried as deep into Liz as he could be, Liz took hold of one of Ray's hands and held it to her breast, his other hand remained spread between her hip and her ass, helping keep her steady. He started to squeeze her breast and erect nipple in time with her moving up and down and they settled into a slow, luxurious tempo. Ray was more than happy to let Liz set the pace, he was enjoying the sensations he could feel from her squeezing her inner muscles as she lifted her hips each time. Looking up at her, she had her eyes closed now and her mouth was open, her head tilted back a little, exposing her long neck. He longed to sit up and kiss her there but didn't want to disturb her rhythm, she was clearly finding their current position just right for her. Instead he just stared at her as she started to increase the pace a little, her brow creasing and her breath sounds getting quicker.

After a few more minutes, Liz's movements were getting more frantic. Again Ray thought about moving, this time to throw her on her back and pound himself into her. However, he had no intention of doing so. This time it was all about her. And he loved seeing how much she had let herself go with him. He moved his hand that was on her breast down to her hip to help hold her in place as she started thrusting and bucking ever more erratically. Suddenly Liz reached down to her hip and grabbed the hand that Ray had just placed there. She moved it to her centre, pressing it against her engorged clit. He started rubbing her, keeping up with the timing of her pumping him with her inner muscles. It only took a few seconds of that until they both started to feel themselves tipping over the edge, Ray firmly rubbing her and Liz's core milking his shaft. They both cried out at near enough the same time and Liz collapsed, absolutely exhausted, onto his chest.

This time it took them both a lot longer to recover. They were completely out of breath and pouring with sweat. Liz lay on his broad chest, her breath tickling the hair there and Ray stroked his hand over her head, his other hand holding her close to him by the waist.

About half an hour later, Liz woke up. She had no memory of dropping off but she obviously had. She looked up at Ray to see him staring at her, a huge, soppy grin on his face.

'Good evening, sweetheart. Nice nap?'

'I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep'

Ray chuckled at her, 'Don't be silly, no need to apologise. And I've very much enjoyed just holding you close for the last thirty minutes or so'. He bent his head and kissed her forehead then pushed her hair back out of her face.

'Man, I'm exhausted. What have you done to me?', Liz asked as she peered up at Ray's face.

'Ha! I'm not taking any credit whatsoever for wearing you out. That last time was all you. And it was blissful', he said as he kissed her forehead again, this time lingering much longer.

Liz squeezed her eyes shut with happiness and reached up to stroke his sideburn and cheek, 'Yeah, it wasn't bad, was it?'

Ray laughed and sat up, taking her up with him, 'I don't know about you but I think I'm gonna need a shower now'.

'Mmm, yes, that sounds good'.

Liz stood up and moved away from the bed, Ray following close behind. She reached her hand out behind her and he immediately took hold of it.

'Of course, if we're both showering, in the interests of saving water…..'

'I completely concur, my dear'.

Once in the shower, Ray lathered up Liz's hair and washed it for her. She, in turn, cleaned his back and took far more time than was necessary to wash his chest hair and stomach. It ended up that they didn't save any water at all as their joint shower took them nearly forty minutes to finish.

Wrapped in a towel, Liz headed into the kitchen and flicked the kettle on. Ray came in just after her and leant against the counter, mere inches away. He couldn't stop staring at her and smiling. Liz was trying to be blasé about it but every time she caught his eye, she grinned back at him openly.

Having made them each a cup of herbal tea, they sat on the couch together to drink them.

'So, Ray. It's kinda late. I was wondering if you'd maybe like to stay over? I mean, I know you don't have any clean clothes with you. And you've probably got work tomorrow. And…..'

'Yes'

'Hmm?'

'Of course I'll stay. I was hoping you'd ask', Ray smiled at her. 'Besides, I don't need to be in till half past ten tomorrow morning. That's plenty time for me to go home and change'.

Liz smiled at him and held his hand to her cheek, kissing his palm. 'Thank you'.

'It's not exactly a hardship on my part, Lizzy'

'Not just that. For everything. Today has been perfect'.

'Oh, for me too, my sweet girl, for me too'. Ray set his tea down and Liz's too and took her in his arms. 'Do you know what would make the perfect ending to the perfect day?'

Liz shook her head, blinking her eyes at him in an entirely unconvincing approximation of innocence.

'Allow me to demonstrate', Ray said as he pulled Liz's towel open and moved closer.

Liz's alarm clock blared out loudly the next morning and she groaned and reached her hand out blindly to turn it off. Instead she felt a nose and mouth and she sat up quickly, slightly shocked. Ray was staring at her intently, trying hard not to laugh.

'Good morning, Lizzy. You can try using my nose to turn off your alarm but I'm not convinced it's going to work'.

Liz giggled and moved over him to reach her alarm on the bedside table, 'Sorry about that. It's been a while since I shared my bed'. She gently kissed his mouth as she moved back.

Ray reached up and held her head gently between his hands, deepening the kiss. Liz moaned and pulled herself away reluctantly.

'No, no, no. You're going to have to stop. I need to be in work in an hour'.

Ray pouted as Liz got up out of bed but she just laughed at him and threw her pillow at his face. 'Come on Admiral, I'm sure you're used to getting up and ready in mere minutes'.

Ray sighed and sat up, looking around the room for his shorts.

As they left the apartment, Liz slipped her hand into Ray's and they walked to the end of the small pathway together. Liz stopped once they reached the sidewalk and turned to Ray. She was just about to say something to him but he jumped in first, 'I can't say goodbye to you yet. How's about I walk you to work?'

'But that's the complete opposite direction to your house? You'd need to walk into town, back to yours and then back to town?'

'Don't mind. Can't bear to leave you'.

Liz felt herself tearing up again a little and leant into him for a hug. 'You're such a big softy, you know that?'

'Shhh, it's a secret. No one can ever know', Ray said as he reached out and took Liz's briefcase from her hand.

They broke apart and started walking again, holding hands and stealing the occasional kiss.

All too soon, they reached the front door of Liz's office. She turned to him and he placed her briefcase at her feet then put his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a breathtaking kiss. When they pulled apart, Liz looked quite flustered and Ray laughed gently at her, 'You may need to reapply your lipstick before your first patient, sweetheart'.

Liz pretended to scowl at him but then just laughed. 'When will I see you again, Ray?'

'I have to work tonight. But I can take tomorrow night off. Would that be okay?'

'Great', Liz beamed. 'And it's my turn to spoil you, don't think I've forgotten'.

'I look forward to it', Ray said as he leant in one final time for a quick, tender kiss. 'See you tomorrow, Lizzy. I hope you have a good couple of days'.

'You too, Ray, you too'.

Neither of them noticed the female figure sitting outside the small café on the other side of the street. Amber Gordon had a look of thunder on her face as she watched them hugging and kissing. All of a sudden, a nasty smirk darkened her features further and she reached into her purse, searching for her cellphone.