Some more M-rated content in the second half of this one. Hide the kids! Delete your browser history! Don't read this at work! It's ok, won't tell your boss. ;)

Linka wakes up to the feeling of kisses being placed on her neck. She smiles and stretches, tightening her grip on him and moving her head to capture his lips.

Remembering their agreement to start the day over, when their kiss ends he whispers,

"Good mornin', Beautiful."

"Da, it is."

He takes her hand and laces their fingers together.

"So…about last night."

"That was…unexpected."

"I was going to say last night was amazing."

"Da, that too."

"You know, I know you and Ivan have probably…"

He pauses and looks at her, when she looks away, it is confirmation to what he was saying. He wasn't surprised, but he was still somewhat disappointed, although he knows he has no right to be. Plus they are well into their 20s. It's unrealistic to think that he was her first.

"It's ok…I'm not going to pretend that I've been celibate all these years…there was someone before you…there were several after you…but none have ever been as amazing as you."

She blushes and hides against his shoulder.

"You do not need to say that, I know I am not the first…I just want to be the last."

"You will be. When we were Planeteers, there was no one else during that whole time. You were the only one that I wanted."

Hearing that makes her stomach do flips and as her lips turn up into a smile, she presses them to his shoulder.

"I waited for you. I thought you would be my first," she tells him. "Last night though…I have never felt that way before. With Ivan, I could not wait for it to be over with. With you…I never wanted it to end."

"I meant what I said, I wasn't just saying it to make you feel good. Something was different last night, as drunk as we were, it should have been a train wreck and over just as quickly…but I couldn't get enough. It's like I was trying harder to make it perfect…but I wasn't trying at all. It was effortless and still so good."

"So good," she agrees and blushes. "I never felt that way with Ivan. I never wanted to be with him the way I wanted to be with you. I was so nervous. He was my first…I thought it would get better. Last night was the first time I ever enjoyed it."

"Me too," he admits.

"Yeah right. You are a male. You are not so picky."

"Gee, thanks! I was extremely picky after I met you. When I thought I didn't have a shot with you anymore, I settled."

"Da, me too. I regret so much that we spent all these years apart. I know I kept a wall between us during our time as Planeteers. I always told myself, 'we have a job to do now. Maybe some day when we are no longer teammates, we can see where this goes,' but then I could not even admit my feelings when we left. I was too scared."

"So was I. I should have been more persistent when you left Hope Island that day. I should have went after you…gotten on the Geo Cruiser, not said anything, but just kissed you. In my head, it's what I wanted to do."

"What stopped you?"

"I was worried you'd slap me or verbally kick my ass. I guess I didn't want to be embarrassed in front of the others. Not that they hadn't seen you shoot me down a million times. I guess I just wanted to leave with some of my dignity in tact."

"I would not have turned you away then."

He laughs humorlessly.

"Don't tell me that…I've already spent the last four years imagining what my life would be like if I'd done what I wanted."

"Maybe it is best that you did not. We had four years to miss each other…to think about how things could have been…to hope that one day, we would find our way back to each other."

"Kinda like 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' thing?" He asks.

"Da."

"Do you think it worked?"

"What do you think?" She pulls him towards her for lengthy kiss.

"I guess it all worked out just fine," he says with a smile and a wink. "All that matters now is that we will never be apart again."

"That is right. This is how it will always be; waking up together…speaking of, how is it that you are awake before me?"

"I get up early these days. I don't think I've slept in past nine since I left the Planeteers."

"You are a real adult now!" She teases.

"I thought I made that clear last night when we were doing very adult things," he retorts and begins nuzzling her neck and letting his hand travel under her pajama top.

She hums her approval.

"I could get used to this."

"Good, cuz this is gonna be an every day occurrence."

"Sounds wonderful…too good to be true…it is too good to be true actually. We live on opposite sides of the world."

"Not for long," he says.

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I'm sure you like what you do and from what Kwame tells me, you guys are doing some great things and making a lot of progress…I also like what I'm doing and I'm making a lot of money doing it. I know you said at dinner last night that Ivan was from a wealthy family and was basically helping to fund your organization, but I was thinking that you'd come back to L.A. with me, and I'd help by sending Kwame monthly donations to keep things running."

"And I am just supposed to abandon my work?" She asks, a little perturbed that he would be so audacious to suggest such a thing. Unlike Stephanie, she is not a gold digger who would be happy to just stay at home spending someone else's hard earned money and attending social events.

"No, not at all. You could just take on a different role. Marketing or whatever. I've seen your website…it's pretty basic. I know you can do better if you just had more time to focus on it. You could really make it a place for people to learn more about what you do. They could make donations directly from the site."

"And once I improve the website, then what? That will not take me long to do and will not be an all day job to maintain."

"Social media, Babe. Besides, the website, you'll have to set up different social media outlets for the organization. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…share pictures of the animals that you guys are rescuing and caring for. Tell their back story and how they were rescued and what horrible conditions they've been saved from. The more people see them, the more likely they are to share the posts and stories…then of course, donate."

"But there are many people in Greece, especially the older ones, who do not have the internet. They are the ones who need to see that stuff."

"Not necessarily. Yeah, you want them to know the resources are there, but if you get a global audience, you can get donations rolling in from all over. Then you can make more advertisements that don't require internet; newspaper, radio, and TV ads. And then you'll have people from around the world who want to volunteer…college students looking for something to do during their break. Humanitarians who just want to do a good deed. Rich people who want to tell their friends they did something charitable…I deal with those types of people a lot now. They're always looking for new ways to flaunt their money and try to impress people."

"I suppose you have a point."

"But if you wanna keep living in Greece and being more hands on, I'll quit my job and move there with you. It will be hard to be in the real estate business in such an economically challenged country, but maybe I can focus more on tourism. I won't be able to donate as much since I'll be making considerably less, but at least I'll be with you and that's all that matters."

"You would really do that?"

"I would do anything to be with you, yeah."

She kisses him thoroughly and pulls away.

"I cannot let you quit your job. You are also doing great things and people are following your lead…if you are no longer around to lead by example, things will go back to the way they used to be; a world full of Looten Plunders. And since you are such a great business man, I will listen to your advice and make my organization more globally accessible."

"So that's a yes? You'll move to L.A. with me?"

"Da."

"And of course any time you wanna go back to Greece, you've got my private jet at your disposal."

"You have your own jet?!"

"Yeah."

"Jason Wheeler…successful businessman," she says proudly.

"Linka Kovaleva…the love of his life," he replies.

"And you are mine."

"Marry me?"

She can't help but chuckle at his spontaneity. Some things never change. Wheeler always was one to rush in to things.

"You are already engaged," she points out.

"Not for long. Once I tell her where I've been all night, what I've been doing, and who I've been doing it with," he winks, "I don't see her sticking around."

"You will let her down gently though, da?"

"Yeah, of course…although I think she'll miss my money more than she'll miss me."

"It is too bad she does not realize what a great man she has."

"Had," he corrects.

She smiles and nods in acknowledgement of his terminated relationship.

"I loved you before you were rich…just so we are clear."

"I know," he says, pulling her closer and kissing the top of her head. "I suppose I should get up and go end things. The sooner I do, the sooner we can spend the rest of our lives doing this."

"Da, I suppose," she says, wrapping her arms around him and rolling over to lay on top of him. She gives him a quick kiss and asks, "Shower first?"

"Ok!" He exclaims, not even caring how eager he sounds and kisses her soundly.

He rolls out of bed, holding onto her, and carries her into the bathroom, their lips never breaking contact.

After helping each other disrobe, they step into the shower and let the hot water wash over them. Wheeler is standing behind Linka. He brushes her hair away from her neck and leans forward to kiss behind her ear. He then takes a step closer to her, eliminating the space between them and wrapping his arms around her. She can already feel the affect their actions are having on him as his erection presses against her back.

She tilts her head back and reaches up so that her hand rests on the back of his head and guides him towards her for a kiss. His hands travel upwards to lift her breasts. As their kiss deepens, his hands continue to work her, gently squeezing as his thumbs rub back and forth. After a few moments of this, one of his hands slowly slips down over her stomach, along her hip, and down her thigh. As it travels back up, he begins to slowly massage her.

She hums her pleasure and breaks their kiss as her head falls back to rest on his shoulder.

"Or did you just have getting clean in mind when you suggested a shower?" His raspy voice says against her ear.

"I had no expectations…only anticipation that you would make things interesting."

"How am I doin' so far?"

"You have not disappointed."

"Good," he says, kissing along her jaw line until she turns her head back towards him so their lips can meet again.

"Bozhe moy," she gasps as she begins moving against his hand and her movements stimulate him even further.

She reaches behind her, between them, and takes him in her hand. The pace of his movements increases and he begins to quickly thrust his fingers within her.

"Yes," she whispers.

"You like that?"

"Da…but that is not…mmm."

"Let yourself go."

"Nyet, not yet," she whimpers.

"Yes, Linka…let go. I'll get my turn."

He suddenly withdraws and she thinks she may have disappointed him, but he swiftly turns her around in his arms and begins trailing kisses down her body, taking a few moments to pay attention to her breasts before dropping to his knees before her. She grabs his head to both steady herself and to hold him against her. He wraps one arm around the back of her leg to help balance her while the other hand lifts her other leg up to rest over his shoulder and give him better access.

"Jason…yes."

Her legs begin to tremble as her body prepares for release.

"Bozhe moy," she repeats in small gasps of breath.

He smiles triumphantly against her as she cries out.

Her body begins to go limp, no longer able to support herself and he tightens his grip as he gently removes her leg from his shoulder and stands to hold her.

"Yes," she whispers once more.

"Yeah, you keep saying that…I must've really blown your mind since you usually say it in Russian…I've made you forget your native language and now you're stuck in 'English mode,'" he says with a kiss.

"I am answering your question from earlier."

"That you liked it?"

"Nyet…well, da, I did like it…but not that question. In bed…you asked me to marry you. I never gave you an answer…now I have…unless you were not serious when you asked…"

He doesn't give her a chance to say anything more as his lips cover hers and he presses her back against the wall and between his body.

"I meant it…more than anything I've ever meant before. You're the only one I've ever wanted to marry."

"Good, then it is settled…there is just one more thing we need to take care of."

"Name it," he says, brushing his fingers down her cheek.

"I do not have a name for it yet, but for now, we will just call it 'mine,'" she says with a devilish grin as she takes his erection firmly in her hand.

"I'm close, just warning you."

"Then get over here…"

He positions himself at her entrance and pushes up into her, his swift thrust elevating her off the ground. She wraps her legs around him and rests her arms on his shoulders for leverage as she rides him. As he fills her, he finds just the right spot repeatedly. She once again finds release and it isn't long before he joins her. They shut the water off and she grabs a towel to wrap it around them as he carries her back to the bedroom and lays down on the bed, reluctant to withdraw from her.

"I love you, Babe."

"I love you too, Yankee. More than I ever thought possible."

To Be Continued...