I'm so grateful to all the amazing reviews to the last chapter! Makes me feel sooo much better about this story - I just worry when the reviews are sparse that perhaps I've offended someone, or lost your interest! I admit, there isn't a lot of drama to this story, though a wee bit will be dealt with soon, enough to push the story forward. (And to answer the question about a sequel to 'Under a Dark Moon' - I'm thinking on it, just need to come up with a good mystery idea.)

For now, enjoy this flirty little chapter and be sure to let me know what you think!

Chapter Nine - Flirty, Dirty Fun…

Derek walked into the house, tossing his keys onto the table in the front hall table, and dropping his briefcase beside it. Then he tilted his head, listening to a sound in the kitchen and a grin tugged at his lips. He quietly crossed the hardwood floors, loosening his tie along the way. At the doorway to the kitchen, he paused, watching quietly for a moment. Meredith was busy at the stove, peeking into the oven with a determined look on her face. "Hey, honey, I'm home," he murmured, and she jumped, nearly dropping the spoon in her hand.

"Shit…I didn't hear you come !" she laughed.

"Why are you in my kitchen, and what exactly are you doing?" he asked, leaning against the doorway. He could smell some delectable aromas of food floating in the air, and he raised one eyebrow in question.

"Well…you did leave me your key, and I had the day off, so I wanted to surprise you with dinner," she explained with a little smile.

"Mmhmm…but I seem to recall a total lack of cooking skills from the time spent at your place," he pointed out. "Not that the chocolate pudding wasn't tasty…or the fruit…" He winked at her, reminding her of her previous culinary attempts.

"Okay, I admit…I had no hand in actually cooking any of this," she confessed, walking closer to him. "It's all takeout from that gourmet dinner place. Just heat and voila…!" She waved her hands in the air with a flourish.

"Well, that was very thoughtful of you," he grinned at her.

"I thought so. Of course, if you'd have been late, this wouldn't have worked out as well..."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly. "You realize you keep finding new ways to surprise me," he told her, enjoying the feel of her body nestling against him. She was wearing a soft green sweater, with a scoop neck, and short black skirt. Her hair just tickled his nose, exuding that faint hint of scent that was so unique to her.

"We should eat," she sighed, as he relinquished her slowly.

"Eat…absolutely what I had in mind," he agreed, but his expression was seductive. She took his hand and led him to the table where she had laid out the plates. Candles glowed in the centerpiece, and a bottle of wine was open. "Very nice, you even found the wine."

"What can I say…you have a well stocked bar. I took a chance this was a good one."

"Good choice." He poured the wine as she brought the food over. Again, he sniffed appreciatively at the aroma. "Hmmm, and just what did you prepare for me?"

"We have stuffed Portobello mushrooms, Tuscan chicken with olives. roasted potatoes, and warm pepper salad..."

"Excellent, whatever the occasion is for this, I'm glad."

"No occasion, really…it just seemed like it would be nice to stay in," she said with a little shrug. "And I have an idea for later…"

Derek looked at her across the table, lifting his wineglass. "Oh so do I, honey…"

Meredith giggled. "I bet it's not the same as mine, but the end result may be the same…"

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll see…" she replied. "Now eat…you know I slaved all day on this…"

"Okay, so what is your plan for the rest of the evening?" Derek asked, once the dinner was over, and the dishes were stacked in the dishwasher.

"A little game, Derek…" She tugged his hand, leading him towards the comfortable games room she had discovered in her earlier tour of the house. There was a large pool table, and big easy chairs in front of a large fireplace. Bookshelves lined one wall, and the wet bar encompassed the other. She trailed one hand along the collection of balls on the table, sending them clicking in every direction. "I think we should have a game of pool, Derek…" she said, turning around to look at him. He picked her up and set her on the edge of the table, his expression amused. Then he cupped her face in his hands, and lowered his lips to hers for a seductive, heated kiss. One that left her breathless, her heart racing.

"Pool? Seriously…this isn't what I expected…" he grinned, his blue eyes devouring her, watching the slight flush on her chest displayed by the scoop of the neckline. "I can think of much more seductive games…"

"Oh, but this has a naughty variation…"

He raised one eyebrow at her suggestively. "Naughty? What did you have in mind?"

"Strip pool…if you miss a shot, you have take off a piece of clothing. What do you think?" She smiled sweetly at him, arousal running through her veins like wildfire.

"Meredith, do you want to just get naked now?" he asked with a throaty chuckle. "Have you played much pool?"

"Enough to make it interesting…I'll give it a shot if you will," she assured him, running her finger down the buttons on his shirt. "You might be surprised." Seeing the pulse beating at the base of his throat where the shirt was open, she pressed her lips to it, her tongue caressing him briefly.

"Well, let's get to it, then." Derek lifted her down from the edge of the table, and started to set up the balls as she went to select a pool cue. "I'll even let you go first." He stepped back, and leaned on his own cue as she set up for the shot. The one thing he hadn't taken into consideration was her skimpy outfit – and it had him hot and bothered already. Watching her bend over the table, her skirt hiking up to reveal the tops of thigh high stockings, inspired erotic images that were going to make it difficult to keep focused for too long.

Meredith grinned to herself as she sunk a ball off the break, and she gave him a pleased look over her shoulder. But her next shot went wide, and she shrugged, as she walked away from the table. "That's one," Derek prompted, watching as she slowly lifted the sweater upwards, revealing the lacy black bra beneath it. His breath caught as she tossed the shirt aside, and she stood, her hand on her hip, waiting for him to take his shot.

"Well…your turn…" she said with a little smile. "Oh, how about a drink?" She strolled to the bar, and picked up the bottle of Scotch.

"Sure…can't hurt…" he muttered, accepting the glass she poured for him. He took a quick sip, welcoming the burn down his throat, taking his mind off the growing desire that was going to be his undoing.

He sunk his next few shots, finally missing one, distracted by her cleavage as she stood across the table from him. Keeping his eyes on her, her yanked the buttons on his shirt open and ripped it off, happy to have the cool air on his skin, if nothing else. "Your turn, Dr. Grey," he said with a sexy grin.

"Thank you…" She winked at him, taking her place at the table, and checking for the best possible angle.

"You've played this before…" he observed, whistling at the way she took care of a few more balls. She peered at him over her shoulder, cocking her hip provocatively, and he gulped the rest of his drink.

"Hmm…maybe…"

"I think I've been hustled…"

"All for fun, sweetie…" she laughed again, but her shot missed, and she stood up. "Damn..." This time she slowly unzipped the little black skirt, and let it drop to the floor.

"Hell..." Derek's gut tightened at the sight of her wearing the lacy underwear, stockings and heels. "You really had this planned, didn't you?"

"Izzie always says women wear black underwear when you intend someone to see it..." she commented innocently, taking the glass from his fingers. She sauntered away, leaving him staring at her ass. "Your turn, Derek..."

"Right..."

The game progressed, until Meredith had stripped off the bra and panties, leaving only her stockings and shoes, and Derek was in his boxers. "Do you give up yet?" she asked teasingly, looking over the table at him, seeing his obvious erection. He threw the cue on the table and was at her side in an instant, picking her up and setting her on the table again.

"Hell no…," he growled against her chest, his mouth everywhere on her heated skin. "But this game's over, and I think we both win, don't you?"

"Win win…" she agreed happily, surrendering to his mouth with a soft groan. Her back arched and her breasts lifted up towards him temptingly. She spread her legs wider, welcoming him between them, as his teeth grazed her nipples one by one, igniting even more desire in her. She squirmed against the table, feeling the trickle of wetness escaping her as he continued to kiss and lick at her breasts, his hands caressing her back, and along the curve of her waist.

Derek lifted his head and met her eyes that were half closed in pleasure. Meredith placed the palms of her hands on his chest, against his nipples, rubbing little circles against him. The heat glazed his expression as she continued to touch him, her nails scratching him lightly. "God, Meredith, what you do to me…." he muttered hotly, before he captured her mouth again. It was a kiss of hot fever, his tongue sweeping her mouth, claiming her as his.

Meredith moaned, her hips jerking as she laid back on her elbows. Derek rested his hand on her, feeling the hot wetness of her pussy radiating against his touch. "More, baby…" she begged him, and his fingers delved between her moist lips. Her legs parted further, her pulse racing faster with every thrust of his fingers into her. Derek watched her abandon herself to the sensations coursing through her, his tongue working with his fingers then, stroking her wetly, as he inhaled her sweet scent.

He brought her to the brink of her orgasm over and over, until she was shaking from need and want and desire. Opening her eyes, she caught a glimpse of their combined reflection in the mirrors along the wet bar, giving her a feeling of decadence to be spread wide on the pool table, as his mouth and fingers were driving her mad.

"Oh…oooh…" she moaned. "Make love to me…please…." She begged him, wanting him inside of her suddenly. He released her slowly, dropping his shorts to the floor before pulling her up, and onto his throbbing cock in one fast thrust. She perched half on the edge of the table, his cock buried in her deeply, as she clung to him. His teeth nipped at her throat, the tiny darts of pain mingling with the molten heat in her core. Derek felt his heart thudding rapidly as she surrounded him with her heat and slick wetness, the adrenaline in his blood burning him up.

Their eyes caught again, as he adjusted his rhythm to hers, filling her completely. Then her head went back, her hair spilling around her, as she squeezed him tightly. The table seemed to shake with every thrust, her legs wrapped around him tightly. Every clench of her thighs pulled him in deeper, until their frenzied movements carried them to the edge, and closer to the spiral of their orgasm.

"Derek!" she cried out, pulsing around him, taking him with her. His climax hit him hard, wrenching through him in an urgent rush. He gripped the edge of the table, his legs weak as he gulped in deep breaths of air to recover. Meredith rested against his chest, her own body still feeling the aftershocks of her orgasm.

"So…that was fun," Derek murmured, his voice rough, his lips against her hair.

She giggled softly, her breath warm against his skin. "Did you lose on purpose?"

"Meredith…I'm a lawyer…it's not in my nature to lose, no matter how delectable an opponent you are," he told her, kissing the top of her head. "I conceded that it was a draw…"

"We'll have to have a rematch," she sighed happily, tipping her face up. Derek tightened his embrace, his warm gaze melting her bones, and her breath caught. For a second she thought he was going to say something, but he just nodded before claiming her mouth again, slow and erotic. The kiss tugged at the heat in her core, reverberating right down to her toes. It was deep and full of promise, and the intensity of it took them both by surprise.

"Stay with me tonight..." he murmured, catching his breath. His thoughts were fevered and possessive, unlike anything before; he didn't want to let her go, wanting to prolong the time spent with her.

"Yes...of course I'll stay," Meredith whispered. "There's no where else I want to be." This was getting dangerously close to romance, she realized; was it more than Derek was willing to go along with? But his expressive eyes were reassuring, as he scooped her up, and she put her arms around his neck, resting her head against his chest.

"Good, because I don't want to let you go anywhere, honey..." he told her, carrying her away to the bedroom.