It was December twenty-fifth and for the first time in her life, Alexis just wanted to sleep in on Christmas morning. She was full of Christmas spirit but she was a new mom working through some emotional issues that were taking all of her energy.

She groaned a little when she rolled over, saw it was just past six according to her phone. Petra would be up soon, and since Shane had been on over-nights she'd been the lucky one to get her quasi-pseudo eight-straight hours. It also didn't help that they were staying at the loft because RJ and Jojo had insisted on having Petra there for her very first Christmas; her very first Chanukkah was going to fall on the twenty-seventh of December, which meant they were in for a very busy week ahead.

Returning to her back once more, Alexis sighed, closed her eyes. Then she was moaning lightly as she felt Shane's fingers creeping their way under her sleep-shirt. 'Shane,' she whispered, 'the baby is in her pram and we are in my parents' house where my brother and sister are going to wake us up soon.'

'The baby is asleep,' Shane agreed, 'but she was up late for her bottle so she's out for the count. As for RJ and Jojo, I told them they aren't allowed to wake us before seven or they won't get to give Petra a bottle today. You can imagine how that went over.'

'So...we have some time just for us?'

'You betcha.' Shane knelt in the bed, happy when Alexis sat up she gave him a sultry smile. 'How do you wanna spend that time?'

Alexis pulled her sleep-top over her head, fiddled with her bra-straps. 'Guess.'

She kissed him, tracing his lips with her tongue. In all that they'd been through together, especially since Petra had been born, he still wanted her like this. It went a long way to help reaffirm her femininity in a healthy psychological way, that Alexis knew for sure, but it also felt really good too, just to feel like her man wanted to bang her the same way before their baby had come along. She felt his hand reach behind her back to unsnap her bra, she made a little noise.

'Shane, my nipples are really sore from nursing,' she told him quietly.

'Want me to kiss it better?'

'Okay, but if-'

'I know.' Shane traced his thumb over her cheek, smiled as he gently kissed her once more. 'Sweetie, I love every inch of you.'

'Even the extra ones?'

'Especially the extra ones,' he reassured her, moving his hands from her face down her body that was just starting to shrink itself down like regular weight-loss. With nimble fingers he slipped her panties down her legs, so she was naked in bed with him. 'But we will need to be quiet because of the baby.'

'I don't care.'

'Good.' Shane held her close, rolled so she was straddling him. He traced his hands up and down her thighs. 'Move up.'

'I love it when you're bossy,' she purred; Alexis loved when she was on top like this, a fact they'd discovered when she'd been at her heaviest with Petra and lying on her back for lovemaking was no longer an option. Grabbing onto the headboard, she closed her eyes, felt Shane's mouth nuzzle at her skin before he began to taste and tease her it was certainly a task to keep quiet when Shane's mouth was busy elsewhere, but Alexis forced herself to keep quiet as he delved deep, exploring her like some exotic treasure grotto.

Shane moaned as he pressed his mouth against his wife's slick flesh, knowing she was probably only thinking about her scar, her baby weight, how he wanted to make love to her when she was working through her issues. She was forgetting one thing - he loved her beyond reason and rational thought, and that trumped everything else. His hands stroked over her ass, her hips, her thighs; her sighs were music to his ears. When he felt her body go rigid, then loose as the orgasm swamped her, he eased her back so she was straddling him.

'Now, my love,' he murmured, kissing her hard.

Alexis lifted her hips, lowered herself onto him and began to rock. God he was amazing, so sweet with her, so patient like he'd been from square one. It was what made her love him even more now that they had the baby and he understood what she needed both to be a great wife and an even better mother. But in this moment, it was just about being a woman loved and desired by her man. She felt his hands on her body, each touch bringing her awake more and more until she felt bright as a star, exploding into a supernova as the orgasm flooded her body.

Shane closed his eyes, head thumping back against the pillows as he felt himself drain, Alexis' hands on his chest with her delicate fingernails scratching his skin. It was just enough bite to make him groan deeply, a sound that transformed into a sigh as he shut his eyes and let himself come inside his wife.

They lay tangled together in bed, all snuggled up like a pair of love-doves as they tried their best to keep the noise of their post-coital glow to a minimum so Petra would sleep a little longer.

Well,' Alexis heaved a happy sigh, 'if today is a total blur of sound and colour at least we had this morning.'

'Oh don't be like that,' Shane teased her, making her grin.

'I'm kidding, sweetie. Better get some clothes on, in case there are some early birds.'

'Agreed. I do not need a repeat of last New Year's when we made our little gem.'

'And like magic,' Alexis laughed as she heard Petra begin to stir gently in her bassinet. 'Christmas morning is off to a very good start.'