I'm here, I'm here.

A little delay, because I actually wrote a whole extra part in this chapter and also I had to post a new story yesterday (you might want to check it out).

Guest: he wasn't really having doubts, swee thing was just worried the magic had gone but she set him straight.

They ignored it at first, too busy kissing and slowly easing into a different position, rolling on their sides but still staying pretty much glued to each other. But Milk didn't stop, instead getting louder and louder and more insistent and when he added a soft bark to his protest Cal grumbled and buried his face in her breasts. Gillian laughed, tickled by his action and amused by the situation, then gently rolled Cal on his back and laid on top of him.

"Leave him," she suggested while kissing his neck. "He'll calm down."

Cal closed his eyes and indulged in her touch for a while, wondering what else her mouth could do based on how she was easily getting to him just like that, but then Milk gave out a proper loud bark and he sighed.

"No, he won't," he grunted annoyed, then gently moved her away as he sat up. "Not until he gets on your neighbours' nerves."

Gillian sighed but had to agree, the barking was getting louder and definitely out of character for the usually quiet and silent pet, and she started to worry about the state of her door. She rolled away and watched Cal get out of bed, not before taking a moment to kiss her cheek, then look around the room for his pants. The sight made her giggle, as if Milk could comprehend his owner's nudity, then he went over to the door and swung it open.

"What? You- Oi!"

The second the door was open Milk pulled out his signature move and made a run for it, bolting past an increasingly annoyed Cal and very unceremoniously jumping on the bed to check on Gillian. It was evident that was his goal, because all his eagerness died the second he laid eyes on her and even though he pawed all around her he seemed to be more pressed by sniffing her than anything else.

"Oh no," Cal mumbled, stomping his way back to the bed. "That's enough now."

Gilian couldn't stop laughing, between Milk's reaction and movements tickling her very naked body and Cal's annoyed attitude. It was all surreal, even when accepting that the goofy rescue dog had played a major role in getting them to that point it was still beyond comprehensible that he could be there in the room, minutes after they've made love for the first time pretty much stealing the scene. It got even worse when Cal tried to get hold of Milk and the pet dodged him, then stood his ground in an alert position, looking at him defiantly and ready as if he was willing to engage in a duel for the lady. Cal didn't know what upset him the most, his own dog getting in the way - literally - of quality time with his woman or the fact that the lady in question was laughing her ass out making a mockery of the whole situation.

Annoyed, but also rather tickled by the way her gorgeous naked body shone with honest hilarity, Cal opted for a different approach. Instead of charging at Milk he raised his hands and slowly approached the bed, and as the dog relaxed he sat down and started petting him with one hand, while the other took hold of Gillian and brought her closer. She was catching her breath from all the laughter but easily slid into his embrace, leaning on him and joining the cuddles to the dog as he licked both of their faces to seal the peace.

"See, she's ok old fella. Nothing to worry about," Cal explained once he realised the reason for Milk's intervention. Then he grinned and pulled Gillian closer, teasingly nibbling at her neck. "I mean I get it, what with the screaming and such."

Gillian pushed him away with a laugh, but also a little shiver because the feeling of his teeth on her skin was tantalising, then gathered up some sheets to cover herself and gave her attention to Milk. Cal sighed but went along with it, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her shoulder as she absently played with the dog. After a while, Milk seemed to be either satisfied with knowing that she was ok or bored with the lack of playtime, and Cal recognised his cue.

"I'll go walk him a bit. It'll calm him down. No," he cut her off when he saw that she was about to say she'd go with him. "It's dark already, and it's freezing outside love. You stay here and keep…everything warm, ok?"

Gillian smiled at the way he waved his hands at her and the bed on the last part, very conscious of the way he was looking at her, and decided that there was no point in arguing. He was in protection mode - well, when wasn't he? - and after all the bed was still warm and scented with their lovemaking which made it a much more inviting proposition than getting out, putting on heavy clothes and stepping out in the cold. So she nodded and stretched her neck to kiss him, then laid back and gathered up the comforter to make herself a nice and warm cocoon as he wandered around the room to collect his clothes. She watched him, unable to stop smiling when Milk understood what was going on and got over excited, waltzing around Cal and getting in the way, then playfully waved her hand at them when they left the room.

She didn't know how long after that it was, she didn't even realise she was falling asleep. She didn't hear them coming back inside, nor Cal walking inside the room and shedding most of his clothes. She didn't even feel him sneaking under the covers and laying next to her, holding her as he scooted closer. She didn't know what time it was when she woke up, registering his presence even with her eyes still closed.

But she felt him, she knew he was there and why and that was why she kept her eyes closed, laying on her back with his body half covering her for as long as she could. After a while she rolled on her side and they locked limbs in an odd yet effective manoeuvre, their bodies framing together in a half-asleep state that made everything even more dreamy and ethereal. Then Gillian realised how cold his skin was, at least on his face, and chuckled softly thinking about his aversion for winter hats and properly done up scarves…

"You smell like snow," she muttered then with her mouth on his forehead, and Cal stirred in response.

"Well," he mumbled, nuzzling her neck with his nose. "It is snowing."

Only then Gillian popped her eyes open, suddenly fully awake and on the brink of jumping out of bed, running to the window and checking for herself, to see the spectacle of a night snowfall and take in the beauty of something she had been waiting for… Then she looked at Cal, his half asleep face still relaxed in a wide smile as he felt the energy coursing through her at the news, and she realised she didn't need to go anywhere to admire something that she had been craving up close. The first snowfall of the year in the middle of the night, the candid white in contrast with the darkness…it sure sounded nice, but not as nice as her very own custom made Cal's blanket.

After all, she had been waiting for snow for only a few weeks: for Cal to be in her bed, the wait had been a lot longer.

Gillian closed her eyes then, picturing snowy landscapes in her mind while tightening Cal's hold around her and smiling at the way his body let go of all muscle tension as he drifted off to sleep. She had no idea what time it was, probably not far from dinner but she felt in no way hungry or motivated to get out of bed, and soon she followed Cal's lead and dozed off.

She woke up a while later, still clueless about the time and far more interested in why Cal's body wasn't wrapped around her anymore. Then she heard it, the soft whine and barking coming from outside the room in a call for attention that was becoming familiar rather rapidly. And, she thought when she felt Cal starting the manoeuvre to get out of bed, something that had to be addressed.

"Cal," she called out to him, softly but sternly. "I love him to bits but if you keep leaving the bed every time he whines we are going to have a problem."

Whatever he was doing Cal stopped, swiftly coming closer to her again and kissing her shoulder softly.

"I wasn't going anywhere, love."

He lied, knowing by the eye roll she gave him that he wasn't fooling anyone. Then he kind of jumped over her to be able to look at her since she wasn't giving any sign to turn around. He wrapped himself around her, his arm firmly around her back as he used the free hand to move away some loose strands of hair blocking the view of her face. She was smiling but it was a cheeky smile, sexy and adorable, and even if she hadn't budge much he could feel her leaning into him with ease. He smirked and gently rolled her on her back, staying on his side propped on his elbow and caressing her abdomen with one hand.

"Just saying maybe you should cut him slack today? I mean," he lifted one finger of the hand on her belly to point at the door and at the noises coming from behind it, "he was your knight in shining fur yesterday after all."

"He was," Gillian agreed, propping up on the pillows a little so that she could easily reach for his face with her hand. "But we really have to start teaching him some boundaries."

"Uhm," Cal moaned softly, for some reason finding the gentle touch of her finger on his neck absolutely marvellous. "That word feels really weird right about now."

Gillian couldn't have agreed more, her body becoming increasingly reactive to their naked proximity even if nothing was really happening. Mesmerised, she watched Cal close his eyes and completely abandon to her touch when she started to absently caress his torso and shoulders, snuggling closer and seemingly not so much worried about returning the attention but just enjoying what he was getting out of the moment. I knew it! She thought when Cal sighed, satisfied and relaxed, while edging his face on her breasts. He's a cuddler!

He was also a very caring dog owner, because when Milk took things up a notch with a single bark Cal opened his eyes and looked at the door.

"We can let him in when he stops whining," Gillian tried to get his attention back, surfing his chest with the tip of her fingers on the way down.

"Hold on love, let me try something." Cal whispered, certainly not disregarding the intention of her hand travelling south before yelling loudly at the door. "Milk, quiet!"

He shouted so suddenly and loudly that Gillian gasped, not finding the act as funny as Cal probably thought. Then he froze, looking at her and then at the door and enjoying the sudden silence, smiling at her triumphantly before taking another dive towards her breasts with his face.

"See?" He grinned. "That worked-"

When Milk started yapping and barking again Gillian erupted in a nearly hysterical laugh and despite feeling let down by his furry buddy Cal realised how desperately in love with that laugh he already was. Then Gillian calmed down, sighing as she sat up against the headboard and looked at the door.

"If he does that and we open the door it will justify his bad behaviour," she said then, playing around with Cal's short hair. "But if we do it after he calms down we will reinforce the fact that being quiet will get him a reward.`'

"Pavlovian, I like it." Cal mumbled, absently distracted by the fact that with her new position his face was rather close to a certain spot. Then he pulled closer a little, this time resting his face on her stomach, inches away from the interesting part. "I can't guarantee I can hold him if you keep screaming tough."

"Oh yeah?" Gillian countered, then shocked him by quickly manoeuvring until he was on his back and she was on top, straddling him without mercy. "Let's see what he does when it's you doing the screaming."

Cal felt his heart drop down the pit of his stomach, and something else responded in a very different way when he felt her settle on top of him, looking down at him with a mischievous and lustful expression that nearly made him scream in anticipation. And he wasn't disappointed; not that he ever thought she could be any less than spectacular, but the way she immediately took control and rode him into oblivion went above and beyond his best expectations.

Cal didn't know if she actually made him scream or not, he sure felt like he did half-way through it, but he was undoubtedly out of breath at the end when she collapsed on top of him catching her own.

"Bloody hell woman!" He finally managed to blurt out, feeling too spent even to put his arms around her. "That was phenomenal."

"Not bad, if I may say so myself," she agreed with a playful and cheerful voice that made Cal melt, then she kissed him with the same joyful attitude and smiled. "You put some food in me and I might just-"

"Kitchen, now!"

Cal didn't even let her finish, the second he caught how her sentence might end he grabbed her and sat up, going from that to standing up all together carrying her around in his arms like a toddler. It was all so quick and swift that Gillian felt her head spinning, even more when she became aware of how deceivingly strong he was. She had always thought of him as an energetic man, she had seen him throw punches and scuffle, but Cal was not as tall or big as other men…but he clearly made up for it in some way because as he carried her like that Gillian felt light as a feather and as safe as she could be.

When he put her down so that they could start looking for the clothes they had scattered around the room, Gillian shamelessly stood there staring at his naked body moving about with unexpected grace, completely forgetting about putting something on until he was somewhat dressed and looking at her. Cal was about to ask if she was ok when he realised what had been distracting her, grinning like a proud idiot and approaching her like a predator on the hunt. Gillian seemed to realise then that she was still fully naked and his advance caught her off guard and she retreated as he came closer, until she was with her back against her wall trapped in her nudity by his fully dressed body. He gave her a look, a proper stare down from tip to toe making sure she understood just how much he reciprocated the appreciation for her naked figure. Then, when Gillian was sure - and hopeful - that he was about to take her right there and then for round three, Cal just leaned in and kissed her cheek softly before kneeling down and picking up the top she had been wearing earlier, handling it to her with a smile.

"Let's get something to eat," he suggested sweetly. "Kind of worked up an appetite."

Gillian smiled and nodded, then he released her from the magnetism of his being and stepped back. Neither of them seemed to have noticed, but at some point Milk had gone silent and once they were both dressed and opened the door Cal nearly tripped over him. The dog was still there, laying on the floor in his most relaxed pose, on his side with his four paws stretched out, and when he saw them instead of jumping out to show them how much he had missed them he opted for a more quiet display, wagging his tail and sniffing cautiously, being a good, silent and well behaved boy.

Cal looked down at him and then at Gillian, who gave him the unimpressed look of someone who clearly knew her stuff and felt already vindicated. He rolled her eyes at her, but she was the one kneeling down to give Milk some pet and a well deserved belly rub and judging by the dog's reaction Cal he'd have to concede her the point on that one.

After his cuddly reward, Milk slowly got to his feet and followed them back to the kitchen. They were only mildly shocked to discover that it was past 10pm, and not at all surprised to find that they were both positively starving. Thankfully, Cal had cooked enough food for at least two more meals and all they had to do was power up the oven and warm up some of the leftovers.

With that taken care of he turned around looking for Gillian, ready to ask what she wanted to drink, and found her staring out of the window in the living room. He took in the view for a minute, not looking for any sign but simply admiring how the lights from outside framed her silhouette and profile in the darkness of the room. She looked beautiful, even more than usual because she was his Gillian now, and with that thought in mind Cal quietly approached, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her. His eyes followed hers as she abandoned herself in his embrace, looking at the world outside where the snow not only had stopped falling but was also melting away quickly under a light rain.

"Sorry you missed it, love," he whispered in her ear, but Gillian smiled and reached behind her with her hand to caress his face.

"I'm not," she replied, then turned around and looked at him with a sweet smile on her face. "I was exactly where I wanted to be."

THE END

I hope this came out ok, despite the last minute additions, and that it doesn't feel disconnected. The previous chapter was supposd to be the last but I thought this little appendix was better as separate.

Anyway, I hope you liked Milk and let me know all about it