~o~ Chapter Six - A Lover's Embrace ~o~

A motion out of the corner of his eye catches Booth's attention - their waiter showing him that their food has indeed been served. Kissing the top of her head, he whispers above the flowing music that surrounds them, "Bones. Food's ready."

"Mmm… 'kay," her only forthcoming response, muttered in a low voice against his throat.

"You sleepy, Bones?" he laughs softly against her.

Her hands lightly clench around his lapels, drawing him closer. "Just really, really comfortable," she whispers before kissing his cheek and pulling away, taking his hand and leading him back to their table.

He offers for her to slide in first and she gives him this look. The you-really-are-insane look that she tosses his way from time to time. "If I slide in first, then our food will be in the wrong placement, Booth."

"Well, maybe I wanted to try some of your…" He glances down to see what she's ordered. Lots of green, not at all appealing to his carnivorous senses. "Erm… never mind, Bones," he mumbles, giving in and sliding in first. She follows and primly places her napkin in her lap.

Forking a perfectly cooked slice of beef medallion, he begins this time. "So… vacation," he opens just before taking the first delicious bite.

She spears into her salad, and responds, "Did you have an idea of when you'd like to go?"

"Next week." His response is quick, automatic, and very nearly around a mouthful of food. But the sooner they can be away, and alone, the better, at least in his mind. They conveniently have no open cases right now. He swallows and continues, "Can you be ready to leave by Sunday morning?"

"We don't even know where we're going yet."

"That's not answering my question, Bones," he chuckles.

"I… I have a lot to prepare, but perhaps if I work Saturday as well, I can be ready."

"I just figure that a Sunday through Friday vacation would look more 'professional' - standing up to our cover stories and all."

She smiles. "It all feels so devious."

"Yeah, it kinda does," he smiles back. "But it will be worth it. We need this, babe."

As she sips from her wine, he feels her hand rest again along his thigh, her eyes observing him like he is her meal instead of… well, instead of whatever-that-is she ordered.

"Um… your food okay, Bones?" he squeaks as her hand moves slightly higher.

"It's wonderful," she replies, her face belying to no one else what her deft fingers and oh-so-talented hands are telling him beneath the tablecloth. "I've just suddenly had a craving for dessert."

Swallowing his last bite with much difficulty, he clears his throat and wipes his mouth with his cloth napkin. "Should I… ask for the dessert menu?"

"Oh, I know this menu by heart already." She leans close to him, kissing just below his ear and whispering in that way she does that gets him every time. "Take me home now, Booth."

"God, Bones." He waves wildly to their waiter, "Check, please!"

~o~

"C'mon, Bones. The sound of waves crashing outside our bedroom window, walking on the beach hand-in-hand, you wearing the skimpiest black bikini known to man…"

"You're seeing me completely naked right now, Booth."

"Mmm, yeah… and loving it." He kisses her shoulder then lifts his eyes to hers. He could feel her watching him. "What?"

She just shakes her head and pulls his face to her, her lips and tongue claiming his for several long moments. Then she tilts her head back so he can kiss along her neck.

"I… think you'll… love the beach, Bones."

"I've been to the beach before."

"Not with me."

"Actually, I've been to the beach with you on several-"

"Not with me not working, just relaxing. Where my only focus is making sure you have enough sunscreen. And enough fruity umbrella drinks. And are truly… completely… utterly… Seeley-satisfied."

Her laughter rings out through the bedroom.

"What? Why are you laughing?" He fakes incredulity and begins to tickle her where she rests under him. Her reaction is nearly violent, bucking beneath him and squealing with a child-like delight he's heard only too rarely over the past six years.

He sits up, pulling her with him and kissing her soundly. She raises onto her knees and, tilting his face so as to never break their kiss, positions herself to straddle his lap.

Their arrival home from the restaurant was punctuated by quick and intense needyourightnow sex against her front door. Still half-dressed, completely out of their minds, immensely satisfying.

Their position now is much more relaxed, sensual, intimate; they are locked in a lover's embrace that renders them able to take full advantage of everything the other has to offer.

Her hands trail up and down his arms, across his shoulders, before making trails and circles and random patterns across his broad back and chiseled chest. His rest at her waist, thumbs lightly rubbing her soft-as-silk skin as his lips and breath skim along the line of her jaw.

"Why not the mountains, a nice cabin in the middle of nature, hiking, majestic views?" She lingers along his biceps, her index fingers tracing the curve and dip as she kisses his neck, waiting for his response.

"Cold. Too many clothes." His hands smooth up her sides, cupping her breasts, his thumbs teasing circles.

"Wrapped together in blankets in front of a roaring fire, steaming mugs of coffee or hot cocoa, and depending on where we go, there may still be snow." Her fingers trail lower and lower down his stomach, settling, stroking, caressing him back to life.

He leans forward, pulling her chest flush against him and nuzzling along her collarbone, inhaling their mingled scents, tasting her sweet skin at the curve of her neck. "Power outages, avalanches, hypothermia," he releases against her ear.

"Hurricanes, undertow, shark attacks." Stroking. Her thumb. His…

"What are we doing, Bones?" he gasps.

"I thought we were discussing where to go on our vacation." She raises up on her knees, positions him and oh-so-slowly returns to him, her eyes on his, senses in-tune to him, connecting now on every level.

Grasping her hips, he pulls her to him more snugly, grunting and whispering, "Baby, as long as we're together. Like this. I don't care where we go." He kisses her tenderly. "You understand that, right?"

She slowly rotates her hips, raising only slightly on her knees, the slow, sweet friction, so deep, so good. "Yes, Booth. Yes…" she pants.

"Me. With you. You. With me. So good. So good."

"Booth. So good. So…"

"Bones. Bones."

"Booth. Oh…"

~o~

"So where did Sweets and Daisy go for their honeymoon?"

His fingers, caressing lightly up and down her upper arm, still for a moment at her seemingly out-of-the-blue question. "Um… Caribbean somewhere, I think."

"So the beach, then."

"Yeah… why?"

"Let's go to the beach, Booth." Her voice is resolute, her mind made up in that instant.

"I so don't understand you sometimes, Bones." He kisses into the softness of her hair and chuckles to himself at just what sort of rational and empirical thought process must have led her to that conclusion.

"Well, I don't understand why you want every other man on the beach to see me in a skimpy bikini either. But you want to go to the beach, so let's go to the beach."

Or maybe not rational and empirical at all. "Maybe we should go to the mountains…"

"Bo-ooth!" She smacks his chest.

"I'm kidding! Ow! I'm kidding, Bones… Hey, let them all stare. I know who you're going to be with at the end of the day."

"And-" she smiles sweetly up at him, her eyes twinkling in the low light "-at the beginning of the day."

A warmth he once thought he'd never be lucky enough to feel, and yet has been basking in for the past three weeks, rises again and settles around his heart. "Yup, then too, Bones. Then too."

TBC…