Registering the surprise in Red's eyes for just a second, Liz lifted her head and captured his lips with hers. At first he didn't respond so she used the hands she had placed around the back of his neck to pull him in tighter to her and pushed more firmly with her mouth. Eventually Red reacted and she felt him open his mouth just a little, still allowing her to set the pace.

Red felt like he was on autopilot. Probably only about ten percent of him was actually enjoying their kiss, the rest of him was working overtime trying to figure out what was going on. Was Liz punishing him for what he'd done? Was she teasing him for letting slip about his real feelings for her? Or was she genuinely kissing him because she had feelings too? All of these thoughts flying around in his brain meant that he didn't even notice what was happening until the deed was done.

Liz had lowered her hands from his neck to the buttons on his jacket. She managed to get them all undone and then pushed her arms inside and wrapped Red tightly in her embrace. His hands hadn't moved at all from the small of her back and she was beginning to wonder if Red was just a really bad kisser or if she had pushed him too far too quickly when suddenly he grunted and pulled back, tugging her arms out from around his waist as he did so.

'What's wrong, Red?'

'I'm sorry, Lizzy. I don't know what just happened'

Liz looked up at him, puzzled, 'It's called a kiss, Red. Or at least it was starting to head that way. I was hoping for a bit more participation though, if I'm honest'

Red looked at her and she could see now that he was completely flummoxed by the turn in events. His eyes were wide, his brow furrowed. How on earth could a man like Raymond Reddington be so undone by a simple kiss? She smiled at him and stepped back into his arms.

'Maybe we should just dance some more, eh?'

Red nodded against the side of her head and closed his eyes, allowing the music to once again carry him away a little. He needed thinking time he realised and with Liz in his arms, he could barely think at all. He tried hard to relax and just let Liz slowly move them around the room, her head resting on his chest and his cheek pushed against her forehead. Slowly but surely he could feel himself getting his heart rate and breathing back to a normal pace and his brain began to work properly again. His Lizzy had just kissed him. And he'd acted like a fifteen year old boy who'd never seen a woman before. He chuckled softly to himself and tightened his arms a little around Liz's back.

Liz heard his soft laugh and felt his arms embracing her more closely and sighed with relief. It seemed he was coming back to his senses. She decided not to push him for another kiss just yet though. Having such an effect on any man was something she couldn't imagine herself to be capable of but having this kind of effect on Red was mindblowing to her. She snuggled even closer into his chest and slowly they continued shuffling across the floor.

After another couple of songs, Liz pulled back and looked up at Red. His eyes had been shut but he opened them the second she pulled away. He had the sweetest smile on his face, which only grew bigger as their eyes met. Liz returned his grin and then slowly moved her lips towards his again. This time there was no hesitation on Red's part. The instant their lips met, his mouth was open and his tongue asking for and then quickly gaining access to Liz's mouth. Liz groaned as Red's tongue explored every inch of her mouth and she felt his hands roaming all over her back. She knew she'd been wrong about him being a bad kisser, she thought, as she moved her hands back down his chest and once again slipped them inside his jacket. This time, however, she pushed his jacket off his shoulders and let it drop to the floor, Red moving his arms away from her just long enough to allow her to do this. His hands came up and gently cupped Liz's face, stroking her cheeks and running his fingers through her hair.

Eventually they had to stop as they were both becoming a little light-headed. Red's eyes were glazed over as he stared in wonder at Liz and Liz's lips were already swollen from his attention to them.

She reached down and took hold of his hand, pulling him towards the couch. Once there, she sat him down and passed him his champagne flute, quickly drinking the rest of what was in hers and then turning back to him. She kicked off her shoes and lifted her dress just enough so that she could sit astride his legs. Making herself comfortable in his lap, his hands instinctively going to hold her hips, she very slowly lowered her lips back to his, keeping full eye contact with him the whole time. As they were kissing, Liz was loosening his bow tie and popping open the first few buttons on his shirt, her hands moving inside swiftly to run across his chest.

Red was doing his best to be a gentleman, despite the fact that Liz didn't seem too interested in such things at this precise moment. However, even he had his limits and he allowed his hands to wander down to Liz's ass, cupping it gently at first and then pulling her towards him with a little more force after a few seconds.

Liz grunted into Red's mouth and pulled away from him, 'I seem to recall the last man who attempted to do that nearly met a very sticky ending'.

'Oh, God, I'm sorry Lizzy, I didn't mean to…..'

Liz stopped him with a finger over his mouth, 'You know, that's not what an apology sounds like', she said to him whilst smiling.

'And what does an apology sound like, sweetheart?' Red asked.

'I believe that actions speak louder than words. So why don't you show me what an apology feels like instead?'

Red's hands tightened again on Liz's ass and he pulled her as close to him as he could. Liz gasped as she felt how hard he was for her already.

'Well, Lizzy, I believe I might be able to do just that'.