Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me. Apologies for the hiatus!

Arthur leaned over her, his hands gently stroking her sides. Ariadne swallowed. Had she pushed him too far? Had she challenged him, teased him?

Her thoughts were silenced as he kissed her. As his lips met hers, she realised she felt safe. Safe with him. Safe to explain and explore her desires. His tongue probed her mouth, exploring. She felt his hands gently press down on her.

As he pulled away, she articulated what she felt.

"Arthur. Please. Kiss me again. But..."

He smiled. "Shall I begin by kissing your neck?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He complied, bowing his head, and nibbling at her shoulder. As he began to move up her neck, he revelled in the feel of her soft, silky skin. As he reached her jawbone, he moved his hand down further, and started to gently caress her lower abdomen.

"How does that feel?"

She shuddered slightly. "Good," she breathed. "It feels good."

She mentally jabbed herself. She sounded so naive, so childish.

He nodded. "That's perfect."

She stopped, waiting, as his fingers slid ever further downwards. As they began to gently investigate, she sighed.

Arthur looked up. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, annoyed with herself. "I'm fine. I wanted this."

Arthur began to straighten himself up, and gently tugged on his shirt. She began to sit up, carefully helping him unbutton it. As the material began to slip off, revealing his torso, she couldn't help but feel a thrill at the sight of him. This man, whom she'd dreamed and fantasised about, was with her.

She took the shirt from him, and let it drop to the floor. Her hands felt his belt buckle, and began to tug.

A wave of anxiety suddenly overcame her. What if he thinks I'm too inexperienced?

Her hand trembled as she pulled the strip of leather out of the loops. Arthur looked down, and frowned; he'd noticed her trembling hands. "What is it?"

His voice was a shock. Ariadne looked up at him, feeling the romantic tension of the evening begin to melt and fade. "Nothing."

"Doesn't look like it. Your hands are shaking." He spoke with an edge of bluntness. "You're not relaxed, Ari."

The Architect looked at him. "Its just...am I too inexperienced for you?" she blurted out. She swallowed, watching as his facial expression moved from concerned to surprised.

"Ariadne, I-" he paused, and shook his head. "Why would you even think that?"

Suddenly, she felt embarrassed - what had she implied to him? Oh, God, he's going to think that I think he's a-

"I have had other lovers," he said, as though reading her thoughts, "but I've been on my own for a while now. This job doesn't make it easy to meet people." He looked at her.

She swallowed. "Well, I-" she paused, looking into his eyes. "I've had a couple of boyfriends, but not really serious." She bit her lip. Now he'll think I'm just playing with him.

"OK," Arthur said, gently, taking her hands. "Shall we talk about this?

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