Author's note: This chapter is long overdue, I apologize. School and life had gotten hectic but updates should be more regular now. Thank you for the patience and thank you to my brilliant beta, iwilltakethewords.

Disclaimer: Inception belongs to the brilliant mind of Christopher Nolan.

"Have you tried this rice pudding?" Arthur shoved the lightly cinnamon sprinkled dessert in front of Ariadne as her eyes widened with surprise. Resting in a tall, dessert cup, the delicious cold food was just one of the few that her husband had placed before her in the last half hour.

She wasn't complaining, French desserts really were something delightful but his behaviour had her questioning his mental wellbeing. Ever since she had returned from bringing them lunch earlier that day Arthur had either been deep in thought or completely engrossed in her. They had gone from silently watching a movie to hungrily making love to having a quiet walk on the beach below. Her husband was throwing himself (and desserts in this case) at her or he was off in a mental debate; his brow creases gave it away. Politely accepting the rice pudding, Ariadne placed it next to the profiteroles au chocolat and the scrumptious crème caramel. Glancing up at him, she frowned at she met his expectant eyes.

"Aren't you going to try it?" He spoke in a persistent voice as he grabbed his own small cup of rice pudding and began eating away. His eyes, however, remained on her the whole time. Raising an elegant brow, she gave him a confused look.

"What are you hiding?"

For a man involved in telling lies daily in the field of extraction, he was extremely bad at hiding his emotions; either that or she was getting much better at reading him.

"What makes you think I'm hiding something?" His tone was smooth, although she had caught the glimpse of surprise and shock in his eyes. "Making sure my wife experiences the best of French cuisine is suddenly suspicious behaviour?"

"Shoving just about any dessert created in this country under my nose is suspicious behaviour." she counter backed, despite already being engrossed in the rice pudding. "Are you trying to sweeten me up for something?" Her small spoon dug into the enticing dish again, unable to get enough. In the corner of her eye, she saw Arthur watching her with an amused grin.

"I'm not trying to sweeten you up for anything." His grin widened. "I'm just keen on making sure you have a worthwhile experience here. I want you to get the most out of this trip."

A soft smile spread across her lips. This was such typical Arthur behaviour; to make sure she was satisfied and enjoying whatever they were doing, despite she being the one to have planned every detail. She hadn't heard a complaint from him since they landed, although she could guess it was because of the goal she had enlightened him on. But it was still bewildering and gratifying to have someone solely focus on her happiness.

Ariadne suddenly felt an enormous weight of guilt sink into her stomach. While this, the preparations for a baby and the getaway from work, was something she so desperately wanted, she wasn't sure if her husband was on the same page. This was a man who would simply go along with her plans for the sake of making her happy. Did he really want to be a father? Did he really want to be away from the comfort zone that was his office? Was accepting her plans for the sake of seeing a smile?

Her internal confusion must have become visible on her face because her husband's hand came out to rest atop hers. The warmth of his skin soothed her quickly cooling body, telling her to soothe her worries and focus on the man before her.

"What is it?" There was no ignoring the concern in his voice as he leaned further into the table and rubbed his palm over her hand. "Was it something I said?"

Any other time and this would have made her smile. Arthur rarely ever doubted himself or his actions. In fact, she was sure he was the most confident person on their team; despite Eames' cockiness. So to hear his momentary hesitations in his words made her heart flutter but the thoughts that had possessed her moments ago showed no signs of disappearing. "Are you happy with this, Arthur?"

"What do you mean by this?"The tenderness was unexpected and it took all she had not to get up and launch herself into his arms.

"This. Us aiming for a baby and being away from work. Neither is something you're used to and I need to make sure you're happy with all of it and not just doing it for my benefit."

The words came rushing out, barely giving her a chance to register them through her mind/mouth filter before speaking. It was no use though, they had already taken affect. Where she had expected a stern, hard expression from Arthur, his face softened and he rose from his seat to kneel in front of her. He paid no mind his freshly ironed, creamy pants that were pressed against the smooth surface of their balcony where they dined. Nor did he pay mind to the fact that his shirt was incredibly close to the edge of the table, leaving it very vulnerable to stains and splotches from their meal. What he did focus on though was taking her hands into his, once again warming them with his grasp.

"It astounds me just how well you're able to interpret my actions and words." He brought their joined hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "Yes, you're right. I do tend to do things for your benefit; it is my job as your husband to see you happy isn't it?" A cheeky grin tugged at his lips. "Trust me though; I want this baby just as much as you do. I never thought I'd see the day where I'd await parenthood but this is something I can't deny myself. You and I deserve it." The honesty in his voice caused her cheeks to rise and her lips to spread. Leaning downward, she pressed a peck to his nose which caused him to groan and capture her lips in a real kiss.

What had started off as a soft kiss escalated into something that went along the lines of hunger. Their lips pressed hard against one another, feeding off the addictive taste of the forgotten dessert. Freeing her hands, she swept them through his hair, keeping his head in place as their embrace grew deeper and passion began to form around them like a secluded bubble. The need for air interrupted, causing their connection to break and Ariadne placed her forehead against his. For a few seconds, deep breaths were all that could be heard around them. Never mind the waves crashing beneath them or the freely flying seagulls not far from their balcony. No, just deep, uneven breaths.

She wondered if it would ever stop; this deep hunger that took place within her. One that caused her heart to swell and an aching sensation to form between her thighs. When she had been planning the trip, the thought of tiring from lovemaking had crossed her mind. Surely, two people could only want each other so much before the need began to dull and eventually disappear. She was still waiting for that to happen. It had been a full week there and they had made love more times within those 7 days than they had in months time within their marriage. The fire never went out. If anything it burned fiercer with every raunchy session and left her vulnerable to desire afterwards. Such as now; just one kiss from Arthur and she was already contemplating on getting him back to bed.

"Let's go inside." His husky voice took by surprise but filled her with delight. Apparently, she wasn't the only one deeply affected by the kiss.

Arthur left the balcony door ajar, allowing the cool wind to flow into the bedroom as they fell onto the bed. Trapped beneath him, she could only wither in delight as his lips feathered soft but detailed kisses against her throat. He swept from one side to the other, causing murmurs of pleasure from her as her eyes struggled to keep open. They fell upon an untouched luggage, one that seemed to call out to her as Arthur continued to shower her neck and throat with attention.

Eames' 'early baby shower gift' lay at the bottom of that luggage and she could almost feel the burning anxiety to use it forming within her. Would Arthur be opposed? She highly doubted it, especially considering the mood he was in. But was she ready to actually cuff her husband? That she wasn't sure of.

Arthur, who must have sensed her halt in excitement, pulled away from his assault on her skin and leaned upward to glance down at her. "Something wrong, love?" His eyes were dark with desire but lined with concern; something she was sure other men wouldn't bother with.

She could only shake her head. "I want to try something." Biting her bottom lip, she slipped out from beneath his body and dropped in front of the tightly closed baggage; rummaging through until she felt the cold metal on her fingertips. It was harder than expected to lull it out; not because of weight but because of anxiety and fear.

When it finally did surface, the excitement from Arthur was too much to ignore, especially when his laughter was filling the room. "Let me guess." He mustered out as his amusement died down momentarily. "The sex shop?" She could only nod in dismay.

"Do you really want to try it?" He motioned her to come closer, before she was in arms reach and he tugged her onto his lap.

"Well…" she hesitated momentarily, "Yes."

That was all the encouragement he needed as his arms came around her waist and he flung their bodies to the center of the soft bed. Her hands glazed over his neck, clamping on as their lips meshed and parted. Sleek wet kisses caused Ariadne's stomach to jump with excitement as desire began to build up within her once again. Beneath the soft glow of the bright French sunlight, she gripped the bottom of his shirt, (done so with much difficulty) and tugged at it. The message was fully receive and the point man pulled away from her to pull the light top off. Lying back in the center of the large bed, Ariadne leaned against the pillows and watched with hungry eyes as the man she loved moved towards her.

He grabbed and clung to the metal handcuffs, letting the seductive weapon swing between them as he leaned closer into her. Promises of what was to come hung in the space amidst their bodies. Promises so real and vivid that her heart shook with excitement and her hands involuntarily reached for him. He obediently gave himself to her, reaching down to corner his arms on either sides of her. His knee nudged her legs apart and he swallowed any noise of pleasure she could have made with a lip locking embrace. The kiss caught fire, turning into a hot and greedy free-for-all of slick mouths and curious tasting. His tongue plunged into her mouth as if he were inside her body and she responded with a hot, liquid ache between her legs that left her clinging to him.

Somewhere in between the body bending kiss, Arthur had managed to gather both her arms together atop her head; she had assumed it was to gain better access to her body. It wasn't until after the searing kiss had ended and she finally acknowledged the cold sensation pressing against her wrist that she realized the cuffs had been put to use…just not how she had planned.

"This is my first experience with something like this," she told him, not bothering to protest the change of plan. "It better be good."

"That's a lot of pressure."

She smiled and wiggled in her submissive position. "Can you handle it?"

"I do my best work under pressure." He gave her a grin that sent her mind whirling through memories of their occupation; if he was to keep true to his word, her body was in for one hell of a ride.

One touch from him had her feeling boneless; she was in a disadvantage, and it didn't help that he knew her weaknesses and soft spots. She arched her body against his as he pressed tighter and tighter against her. She had no complaint in being pushed deep into the mattress, although she wished there were no barriers, aka her clothes, in between them. Ravishing Arthur's mouth, she hungrily tasted as her hands remained behind her head. She hated the vulnerable state; there was nothing more she wanted than to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him even tighter against her body, but she was in his mercy now.

Ariadne watched him with fluttering eyes, barely being able to keep them open, as he placed hot kisses down her shoulders and in between her chest. He didn't bother to take her clothes off, and instead got off on teasing her. That jerk.

As he reached her pants, a gleam appeared in his eyes and her breath froze in her throat. His hand instantly settled at the waistband of her pants, his fingers dipping inside tortuously slow, as if to peak her frustration even more. Just as the fingers were settling in and nearing her desired point of attention, a knock came at the door and Ariadne let out something between a groan and a cry. As expected, her husband stepped away from her and looked to her in befuddlement. "Did you order room service?"

"No." She hadn't meant to snap but being high and dry wasn't exactly a pleasant sensation. Unfortunately, her husband found humour in this.

"I'll go shoo them away, can you hold on for another minute?"

She glared. "I'll try to contain myself."

Chuckling, Arthur left the room and Ariadne glared up at the ceiling. Wasn't this hotel meant to respect the privacy of its customers? She would have remembered very well if she had ordered up a service or food, and considering she hadn't, it annoyed her that they were interrupting them. In the hall way, Arthur was muttering to another person, no doubt attempting to get them out of their suite as soon as possible. So it was a shock that everything went silent for a complete moment before footsteps, two pairs, came towards the bedroom.

"Uhm, love?"

"Is he or she gone?"

"Er…not exactly." Arthur scratched the back of his head and turned around to glance at someone behind him.

"Arthur…" she cautiously said his name. "Who's there?"

A figure stepped into the room, straightening out their dark, formal jacket as they did so. It wasn't until they were fully inside the room and under the bright light that Ariadne was able to recognize her former employer.

"Saito?"

The Japanese business mogul blinked once, clearly surprised and confused at the state she was in. She blushed.

"Is this a bad time? I was sure the two of you would be prepared by now." Not bothering to hide his baffled expression, he looked down, suddenly interested in his tie. "The helicopter is on the rooftop, awaiting us."

"Excuse me?" Despite being handcuff, Ariadne managed to sit up and scowl.

The men before her exchanged looks. Saito's one of complete confusion and Arthur's one of hesitation and anxiety. It was than she realized something was going on; something kept hidden from her and mostly likely done so for the safety of the people in front of her.

Forcing in a deep breath through her nose she mentally counted to ten before releasing it the same way. It was only then, after catching glimpse of their anxious but timid faces, that she ground her teeth.

"Just what the hell is going on?"

Review for the sake of Arthur's health. :3