Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
"So, what did you have planned for me this evening?" Chuck inquired as they lay in bed trying to catch their breaths.
"What?" she mumbled. She had lost her ability to think coherently at the moment as she rested her head on his shoulder as she curled into him, her fingers combing through the hair on his chest. Goosebumps were rising up on her forearms as she cooled down and the sweat on her skin began to dry.
Chuck quickly pulled the bedcovers over them to keep her warm as he began to run his hands along her shoulders to increase her body heat. She loved this time they spent together, after they had made love when he ensured that she was taken care of. It was almost as if he was thanking her for the time they spent together.
"The evening that you had planned," he prompted her as her eyes drifted closed. She was tired. He could see that, but his curious mind wouldn't let her go to sleep until she answered the question.
"Let me recover a little, and then I'll show you," she promised as she kissed his chest as she tried to snuggle closer to him. Her leg wrapped around his hip.
"Take all the time you need," he sighed as he took a deep breath as his head landed back against the feather pillow. Her eyes closed as she fell into a peaceful slumber. He watched her for several minutes, her chest rising and falling in his arms. Before he knew it, he was asleep as well.
"Wake up, Bass," Blair cooed into his ear seductively. He tentatively opened his eyes to see her dressed in a sexy new piece of lingerie.
"I was expecting black," he replied as he fingered the lacy deep green fabric.
"You'll get your black," she assured him as she pulled him to his feet and guided him into the bathroom where a tub full of steaming water with floating candles that were lit. Candles surrounded the tub, give the room a warm glow. "Careful when you slide into the tub. I'd hate for you to burn your skin."
"Will you be joining me?" he inquired as he turned to pull her into his arms.
"In a little while," she nodded, "But first I want you to relax and enjoy the water. It's at your perfect temperature."
"Which is just a little too warm for your delicate skin," he concluded as he caressed her shoulder softly with the back of his hand.
"Not everyone is born with that thick Bass exterior," she whispered in his ear as she guided him into the tub, moving the candles around so that he would not get burned.
Chuck sighed in contentment as he relaxed into the tub. It was rare that he ever even took baths. He was more of a shower guy. Bathtubs were for romantic encounters and before Blair he never felt the need.
"Sit back and relax," she whispered into his ear. "I have a few more things to take care of. By then the water should have cooled down enough for me to join you."
She turned to leave, but he caught her arm. "Don't make me wait too long," his eyes pleaded with her.
"I would never," she assured him with a wink.
He closed his eyes and sunk further into the tub, letting the warm water work its magic on his tired muscles. He didn't know how long he sat there before he felt her presence as she put her arms around his neck. They were so in tune with each other that words need not be spoken at that moment. He simply sat forward so that she would slip in behind him, wrapping her legs around his waist as she took a sponge in her hand and began working the soap across it until it was sufficiently lathered up. She began to wash every square inch of skin she could reach.
"We need to take baths together more often," he sighed as his head fell back against her shoulder.
"Anytime you want, Bass," she whispered into his ear as her arms went around his shoulders.
"I've been thinking about something all day, and I want your opinion," he stated.
"Okay," she nodded against his shoulder.
"I'd like to look for a place of my own," he responded as he ran his hands along her legs which were now stretched out next to his.
"You have a place of your own," she stated in confusion.
"I mean a real home," he clarified, "A place like you grew up in, not this suite that I was banished to whenever I did something inappropriate."
"Is that what Bart really did?" she inquired. She'd never heard him talk like this before. She always assumed he liked having this suite at his disposal.
"On more than a few occasions," he nodded.
"I'm sorry," she replied as she kissed his cheek gently. She could see him fighting his emotions as he tried to bury the pain he was feeling.
"He really was a Basstard sometimes," he stated bitterly, "But I still loved him, and I still needed his approval."
"And he gave it to you," she responded as she recalled the letter than his father had left for Chuck when his will was read.
"That damn letter doesn't count," he snapped as he sat forward, slapping the water in disgust. Several of the candles turned over and the flames were put out by the water. "Was it too hard for him to just tell me those things in person, just once?"
"For Bart Bass, yes," she nodded as she sat forward and put her arms around him again, pulling him back with her, "Not everyone has the courage to admit their feelings like you did with me."
"Do you think he knows how much he messed me up?" Chuck asked as he turned to look into her eyes. His were dark in anger, but they began to soften as their eyes locked.
"I don't know," she responded truthfully, "I don't even know if my mother knows how much she messed me up."
"But you're perfect," he gasped as he kissed the hollow of her neck.
"I'm not," she shook her head. It was her turn to hide her pain. Her lip trembled with the pain and anger she felt. He'd seen that tremor before, the day of graduation when she had opened herself to him completely and practically begged him to love her.
"You are," he assured her. He tried to draw her gauze into his, but she closed her eyes to avoid him. "Look at me, Blair." His voice was pleading with her and it scared him how desperate it sounded.
She shook her head and kept her eyes closed tight.
"Blair, you are perfect," he repeated as he began kissing her face repeatedly, everywhere from her eyelids, to her forehead, to her cheeks, and her chin, everywhere but her lips, "To me, you are perfect. I'm the only one that matters right now."
"And you do matter to me," she whispered, her eyes still closed but he could feel her resolve weakening, "More than I think you realize . . . perhaps more than I think I realize."
"I love you, Blair," he replied as he silently begged her to open her eyes for him, so that she could see exactly how much his statement was true. She must have heard him because her eyes did open. She smiled at him through the tears that had formed.
"I love you too," she replied as he leaned into capture her lips.
"I don't know about you, but I'm turning into a prune," he announced as he looked for a way to change the subject as he held up his hands for her to exam, "And there is one part of my anatomy that I really don't want to shrivel up."
"Neither do I," she laughed as she kissed each one of his fingers. She then turned around to begin blowing out the candles around the tub as he rose up. He pulled her to her feet and then they both stepped out and began drying each other off.
Once sufficiently dry, Chuck pulled her roughly to him, lifting her up so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. She hissed as his already hardening erection pressed against her.
"You have all the energy of the Energizer Bunny," Blair stated as he walked them back to his bed.
"Is that a complaint?" he teased as he lowered her to the soft bed.
"Never," she replied as he slipped into her, a gasp escaping from her lips by the suddenness of his entrance.
"I'm still not seeing where the black is coming into play," he teased as they moved together, their hands entwining as they went.
"You'll get your black, I promise," she groaned as she felt the pleasure building inside her. "God, Bass, how do you do this? How do you make me feel this good this often?"
"I have no idea," he admitted, "I don't know how we do this. All I know is that I don't think I'll ever tire of it."
"Good," she moaned as she suddenly felt herself fall over the metaphorical cliff with Chuck falling right behind her as he collapsed on top of her. They both fell silent as they came down from their blissful high.
"I'm crushing you," he realized as he moved to roll off her.
"No, you're not?" she assured him as she held him tight to her, "Please don't move. I'm not ready to lose the connection yet."
He nodded as he stilled his movements. "Tell me if it gets to be too much."
"You'll never be too much for me," she responded as she reached out to caress his cheek. They were both still breathing heavy, but they were slowing down.
"If I could figure out a way to run Bass Industries from this bed, I would," he chuckled.
"You wouldn't get any work done," she laughed with him.
"Back to my original statement about the home I want to buy," he stated as he pressed his forehead to hers, "I want you to help me look. I want you to be a part of this process . . . I want us to do this together."
"How soon do you want to start looking?" she asked as she saw the sincerity in his eyes. It touched her heart in ways she couldn't understand at the realization that he wanted her to do this with him. It was like he was making plans for their future . . . the one she didn't allow herself to think about.
"Could you meet me at the office tomorrow afternoon around five?" he inquired, "I'm meeting with one of the realtors."
"That soon," she responded as her eyes widened.
"I don't want to wait long," he responded.
"Okay," she agreed.
He rolled off her suddenly and onto his back. She turned to pout as he took a deep breath. "I was crushing you," he offered up an explanation.
"I wasn't complaining," she replied as she rolled on top of him.
"Round three already?" he chuckled just before she leaned into capture his lips.
"Only if you're ready," she teased.
"I'm always ready," he assured her as she began kissing his neck. Suddenly he stiffened in her arms. "Hold on one second, Waldorf. What was the black item that you were referencing when you called me earlier? The lingerie was green. The candles in the bathroom were blue. The flowers on the bed which you probably don't think I noticed when we fell onto it after our bath are yellow."
She began giggling at the realization that she had become distracted yet again. She slid off of him reluctantly and walked into his closet, pulling out a small box she had purchased earlier that day.
"This is for making it through your first day," she blushed as she handed the box to him.
"You didn't have to get me anything," he replied as he kissed her hands softly before he accepted the box.
"I wanted to," she replied, "I wanted to give you a briefcase, but Lily got to that before I did. At the store, Serena and I couldn't decide which color was more appropriate for you. She suggested red, but I said black."
"Obviously you won," he smirked, "Which makes sense considering our fashion sense is virtually the same."
"Open it," she stated jumping a little in excitement.
He opened the box to find a black and gold tie clip and cufflinks. "This is perfect," he stated as he picked up one of the cufflinks and examined it. They were engraved he realized with the letters C and B.
"For Chuck Bass," she added.
"Chuck and Blair is more appropriate," he amended, "But if anyone asks, I'll be sure to tell them Chuck Bass. I'd hate to let anyone else know that I wear my heart on my sleeve."
"You mean on your wrist," she smirked as she took a hold of his wrist to look at the gold bracelet that he hadn't taken off since the day she had given it to him almost a month ago.
"Thank you," he responded sincerely as he put the link back into the box and set it on the nightstand so he could pull her to him and thank her properly.
"I also bought you new clothes that are in your closet," she pointed out.
"The tie clip and cufflinks were enough," he assured her.
"Perhaps," she agreed, "But I was having too much fun shopping for you. I've never really shopped for a man other than my father before. It's almost more fun than shopping for myself."
He chuckled. "I can't believe that Serena would think that I'd want red! I thought she had more class than that."
"Well, she is dated Carter Baizen right now," Blair replied, "Her judgment is a little compromised."
"Remind me to run him out of town again," Chuck groaned as her lips came crashing down on his. They both began laughing as they fell back onto the bed.
TBC. . .
