29th April 2013. Don't you hate it when you get home partway through EE to find your Sky+ HASN'T RECORDED IT! Will now have to watch the BBC3 showing... although I saw the second half - with the bit in the pub (heartbreaking) and the bit with Lucy/Joey in the cafe (what a bitch!). So frustrated right now...

So here is Joey's birthday... hope you like this a bit more than the episode we've just watched... Enjoy!

Chapter 26.

Again Lauren woke before her boyfriend the next morning, although it was a pretty late start, due to their activities the night before. Today was Joey's birthday and Lauren had plans. She picked up her underwear from the night before, a smile lingering on her face as she remembered how Joey had been with her. He had been so passionate and yet he'd been gentle too. She was surprised the underwear was still in one piece to be honest because she had thought at one stage that he was going to rip it from her body. Fortunately he hadn't, which she was pleased about because she intended to keep these items for future use.

She picked up his T-shirt from the day before and pulled it over her head. She went and retrieved his presents from where she'd hidden them and walked back to his bed. She slipped back under the covers and bent down to kiss his chest. He shifted beneath her and his arm moved to reach for her. He opened his eyes and Lauren smiled at him, "Happy Birthday baby..." she whispered, putting the presents on his stomach.

"You didn't have to get me presents... You've already given me this amazing holiday." He murmured, his voice breaking slightly as he struggled to fully wake.

She kissed him again, "They're from your mum and sister..." she told him. "They've got some smaller things for you at home but they wanted you to have something to open on the day," He started pulling the wrapping paper off the first gift, from his mum. He looked at her in surprise when it revealed a camera. "She thought it was about time you used something a bit better than your phone to take photos with. I wanted to give it to you when we first got here but your mum made me promise to wait until today." He smiled and picked up the other present. From his sister. "I don't know what she got you..." Lauren whispered. "She knew we were coming here though." He tore off the paper and laughed. "What?" Lauren asked.

"It's a couple of books." He said, "One about Venice... and the second is about being a father." He showed them to Lauren and she looked at them, smiling as she watched Joey start to look through the book about becoming a father for longer than the other book.

She reached behind her and picked up the present from her. She held it out to him. "Happy Birthday, Joe." She said softly.

"Baby girl, you shouldn't have."

"I can keep it... if you don't want it." She said with a smile, going to take it back.

He took it from her quickly and slowly removed the wrapping paper. Inside was a box and when he opened it he found a watch. He loved it and he told her as much by kissing her deeply. "Thank you..." he said.

"Look at the back..." she breathed against his mouth. He pulled away from her and turned the watch over, looking at the back of the face. There was something written on it. 'Ti amo. Lauren x' He looked up at her and his eyebrow raised in question. "It says Ti amo." She whispered.

"I can see that... but I don't know what it means."

She moved nearer to him, her fingers lifting and brushing through his hair. She moved her mouth close to his ear, "It means I love you..." she breathed, "And I really do, Joey. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. And I'm always going to love you." She whispered.

Joey turned his head and kissed her, his tongue sweeping around her mouth and dancing with hers. "I love you too, baby girl."

"What do you want to do today?" She asked him as they pulled apart.

"I looked at the book when we got back last night... I thought we could go to the Venetian Academy." He pulled the book from the side and opened it at the right page.

Lauren glanced at the book, "We don't have to go to an art museum, baby. I know art is more my thing that it is yours." She said. "It's your birthday... we should do something you want."

"I want to do this. I want to see your face when you look at the paintings."

"It would be nice to see them. They're supposed to be beautiful."

"You're the only thing that's beautiful as far as I'm concerned." He said gently. "This is how I want to spend my birthday..." he added.

"Okay..." she said.

*JL*JL*

They left the hotel early in the afternoon and got a water taxi to the Galleria dell'Accademia. Lauren was right the pictures were amazing and it made her realise how much art was the right direction for her future. Joey spent a majority of the day staring at his girlfriend; seeing her reaction to the art as they walked around the museum much more interesting than the art itself. There was one picture she seemed to particularly like and they spent more than half an hour just staring at it. Well, she was staring at it; Joey was watching her. Joey watched the emotions wash over her face, seeing the tears in her eyes as she took in the work. "You okay, baby girl?" he asked her as he put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her hair.

She nodded, "I just wish I could do work as good as these..." she said.

"Your work is amazing, baby. It's different to these paintings, sure, but we're in a different time and place now than the artists were when they painted these. Your work is just as good as theirs, believe me." He kissed her again, "In fact I love yours more."

*JL*JL*

By the time they left the museum it was beginning to get dark and Lauren led them to the restaurant she'd found online earlier that day. They ate a beautiful meal, enjoying the time they spent together and the picturesque surroundings. Once they were done they took a walk to the Grand Canal. "You okay, baby. You've been quiet..." Joey said, squeezing her hand.

"I'm fine..." She smiled at him, "Let's get a gondola, Joe." She said, her eyes shining as she looked up at him.

"Sure."

Lauren walked over to the water's edge and soon the two of them were in a gondola beginning the gentle trip back to their hotel. Joey held Lauren in his arms, something telling him he was missing some small detail but he knew she would tell him about it when she was ready. Her head rested on his shoulder and her hand was brushing the front of his T-shirt. They passed under the Rialto Bridge and they both stared up at it in wonder. "Ti amo... mi vuoi sposare?" she whispered, her eyes now focused on his face.

Joey looked at her, "I understood the first bit but the rest...?" he said gently.

He saw her swallow and look away from his face briefly, "The second bit means..." Another pause and Joey began to get concerned. "Will you marry me?" she whispered.

"Huh..." Her words stunned him completely. It had been about the last thing he'd been expecting her to say. She stiffened in his arms and she was definitely not looking at him now. He realised he'd been silent too long. "Yes, baby girl. Yes I will marry you..." he said before kissing her.

She smiled at him brightly and kissed him again. "Ti amo..." she repeated over and over as she rained kisses on his face. They got back to the hotel not long after, neither of them having paid much attention to the rest of the boat ride; they were much more caught up with each other.

*JL*JL*

The trip up to their hotel room was filled with lingering glances and gentle caresses. Both of them would find a way to touch the other, just a small brush of their skin but it was enough to heighten the sexual tension between them. By the time Joey opened the door to their room, he practically dragged her into the room and pressed her against the door as he shut it behind them. He kissed her deeply, trying to show her how much the day had meant to him.

Lauren eventually pushed him away, "Stop... I've still got one thing planned for you, baby."

"I want you now." He moaned, trying to kiss her again and make her forget any idea of leaving him.

"Please Joe. I've been planning tonight for a long time." She told him, her arms keeping him from getting too close to her.

"Fine." He said, staring into her eyes, a slight pout on his face.

"You won't regret it, I promise..." she whispered, pecking him on the lips before moving past him. After pulling some items out of the dresser she moved quickly into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Joey stayed standing where he was for a couple of minutes. He believed every word she'd just said to him. He knew he wouldn't regret what she was about to do but in his heart he really wanted to be fucking her right about now. Or if possible, passionately making love to her. He walked over to his bag. The bag he'd brought with him on the plane. He dug around inside and smiled when his hand clutched a small object within it. He pulled it from the bag and went and sat on the bed, his back resting against the pillow.

The door opened a short while later and his eyes were fixed on it, had been ever since he'd sat down. Every night had taken his breath away and tonight was no different. In fact tonight was the best one yet. Tonight included stockings and suspenders. His mouth ran dry as his eyes ran over her body. His body was reacting just from the sight alone. He held his hand out towards her and she ran to him. His hands brushed over the ribbon and material that covered her body. He wasn't an expert on lingerie by any stretch of the imagination but she looked fantastic in this. "So beautiful," he breathed. His fingers traced the lace at her hips then running down the suspenders that were attached to what she was wearing and clipped onto the black stockings. "Turn..." he whispered, his eyes still fixed on her body. She turned and again he saw she was wearing a thong, a tiny purple ribbon at the back before it disappeared between her cheeks. It looked like a corset but he wasn't sure it was... it didn't really matter because whatever it was it fitted her perfectly. He took her hand in his as she stood with her back towards him and he placed it on his cock, closing his eyes briefly as he felt her fingers tighten around his length. He wished he'd had the foresight to remove some of his clothes but he hadn't. "Can you feel what you do to me?" he asked her and she nodded.

"Are you going to undress me again?" she whispered, looking back at him over her shoulder.

"Just this..." he said, touching the thong she was wearing. "The rest of it can stay on..." he said. "I think it's your turn to undress me..." he said. She turned to face him and smoothly lifted his T-shirt off his body. Her hands caressed his chest and ran down to his stomach.

"Stand..." she told him. He did as she asked and she quickly undid his jeans and shoved them down his legs. She stepped closer to him, her hand slipping into his pants and stroking him as her lips met his. She then pushed his pants down his legs too, Joey lifting his feet and kicking his clothes off. He lifted his hand and ran his fingers through her hair, brushing it back off her shoulder. His other hand brushed the front of her thong and he saw her close her eyes and heard her sharp intake of breath. "Joe..." she murmured. He cupped her mound and she pressed against him.

"This needs to come off..." he told her softly.

"Okay..." she took a couple of steps back and he watched as she bent down slightly and unfastened the suspenders. She looked up at his face as she slowly pushed the thong down her legs. He had an amazing view of her cleavage from the way she was standing and she knew it. She knew exactly what she was doing. She kicked the thong to one side, then lowered her head again and re-fastened the suspenders. "Is this what you wanted?" she asked.

"Yes..." he said quietly. "How do you want to do this?"

"It's your birthday... surprise me!" she told him with a smile.

He smirked and grasped her hips, pushing her back against the wall. "Stay..." he told her, stepping away and going back to the bed. He grabbed a condom and Lauren saw him pause but wasn't sure what it was he was doing. He walked back to her and she saw he was already wearing the condom. His hands brushed again up her body until he cupped her breasts. "God, I love you so much..." he breathed. He pushed his length into her and her head fell back against the wall behind her. She stared into his eyes and he smiled at her and kissed her lips tenderly. He ran a hand down her body and thigh, gripping her knee and lifting it so her leg wrapped around his waist. He sank into her a little deeper and they both moaned. His other hand moved down her body and did the same thing to her other leg. He could feel how the black sheer material rubbed against his skin as he moved in and out of her body; the way the lace and ribbons that covered her body moved against his stomach and chest. His whole body felt like it was on fire and he knew it wouldn't be long until he came. "Come for me, baby girl..." he moaned. He felt her body react to his words even though she said nothing. "Scream my name..." he whispered. "Tell me how much you love me... the future Mrs. Branning." He breathed in her ear.

"JOEY!" she screamed, her body squeezing him tightly as her orgasm hit. It was enough to push him over the edge, grunting against her shoulder loudly. "Ti amo..." she whispered. She was still wrapped around him as he walked them over to the bed. He pulled back the covers and slipped them both beneath. He carefully removed the condom he was wearing and went to pick up another one. He knew it wouldn't be long until he was in her again. He rolled the condom on, his erection quickly returning after a couple of strokes and went to throw the wrapper on the side and paused. He picked up another thing and turned back to his beautiful girl. She was lying with her eyes shut but as he pushed gently back into her a smile lit up her face. This time was slow and they took their time. The passion between them wasn't diminished though.

"I had my own plan when you told me we were going away, baby girl." He told her softly. "Do you know what I was planning on doing?" he asked her. She shook her head. He smiled at her and lifted her hand from the pillow beside her head. He held her hand gently but Lauren's attention was on his face. She didn't really focus on what he was doing at all. All she could think was how much she loved him; how amazing it was to have him making love to her like he was doing now. Joey was aware she hadn't realised what he'd just done. He lowered his head and kissed her mouth passionately, "You didn't catch that, did you?" he whispered a few seconds later.

"What?" she asked distractedly.

He squeezed her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. "Take a look..."

Lauren turned her head, feeling Joey stop moving above her. Her eyes widened as she saw the sparkling diamond that sat on her ring finger. "Joe...?"

"You weren't the only one who came here with an idea of proposing..." he told her gently.

"Did I ruin your plan?" she whispered, biting her lip with worry.

"You know... you really didn't. In some way it was nice to have you ask me first. I knew it was what you wanted."

"It's what I want... so much." She told him. "I thought you would think it was wrong with me asking you." She admitted. "That you would think it was your job to do the asking..." She glanced again at the ring he'd just given her, "I love this though. I love it, like I love you."

"Ti amo..." he told her softly.

"Exactly." She said.

His hips shifted against hers again and they both moaned. "I don't want this to end..." he told her. "I want to do this to you all night..." he moaned.

"You'd get no argument from me..." she said, her eyes rolling back into her head as he brushed that sacred spot.

"I'm liking your choices of lingerie so far, baby girl."

"I haven't finished yet..." she said softly.

"You might have to go some to beat tonight's effort."

"You'll have to wait and see..."

TBC

A/N: So much better than tonight's episode (the bit I've seen of it anyway :-( )... don't you agree. I thought I'd go a different route and have Lauren propose... although it seems they're both romantics at heart because Joey had the same thing planned. Back tomorrow with the last day of their holiday. Can it get any better? Lauren still has something planned...