"Laura, what did you used to wear to bed with Steve?" Miranda asked.

"Um," Laura blushed. "Usually nothing."

"And what have you been wearing since the accident?"

"Shorts and a tank top," she said.

"Do you own any lingerie?"

Steve's ears perked up at the word lingerie. Did she?

"Yes," she admitted. "I bought a lot when we were first married, and Steve and I both used to buy it for every birthday and holiday. Plus, my friends bought me a lot before my wedding because I was the first of us to get married."

"So you own an extensive collection?"

"Yes."

"From now on, every night, Steve's gonna pick out something for you to wear from your collection. You'll wear it while you kiss, while you do any other assignments I've given you, and while you sleep. He can't pick the same one twice until you've worn every piece for him at least once, then you can start a second round." She turned to Steve. "And you, Steve, are only allowed to wear boxers to bed now."

"But–"

"That's your assignment for tonight. It will continue after tonight, but I want you two to spend tonight getting used to that."

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Night Seventeen:

"Are you ready for bed?" Laura asked after they had finished their dinners and read for an hour or so.

"Not quite," Steve said.

Laura nodded and kept reading. She tried again an hour later, but was still rejected.

———————————————————————

Finally, at eleven, she turned to him and put her book down. "Ready?"

"Almost."

"You're stalling," she accused.

"No, I'm not. I just really like this book."

"Ok, well, mine's not that good, so you need to come pick out something for me to wear."

"You can pick, Laura."

"That wasn't the assignment," she reminded him.

"Laura," he said softly, "please, don't make me do this. I can't do this."

Laura frowned at him and moved closer to him. She sat on the arm of his chair and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Honey, it's no big deal. Most of my lingerie probably isn't as bad as you think it is. Just come look." She took him by the hand and dragged him into their bedroom. She led him to the dresser and got on her knees in front of it. She patted the space beside her, and he sat next to her. She opened the bottom drawer to reveal a wide array of colors, silks and lace and more.

Steve couldn't believe how many there were… or how tiny they were! "Laura, you can't wear these! They're smaller than a washcloth!"

Laura cocked her head at him. "Steve, honey, they're just folded," she said, grabbing a light pink, silk square and holding it up so it unfolded into a tiny nightie.

"Oh," he said, "well, that's a little better I guess, but it's still too little, my sweet. You deserve to be covered."

Laura frowned. "Baby, just pick one. You'll love it. You always love it when I put on something sexy for you," she promised.

"Laura, these aren't just sexy, they're… They're…" He trailed off, not wanting to offend her.

But his message was clear. "Steve, there's nothing slutty about wearing lingerie for my husband," she scolded.

"I never said that!" he corrected urgently.

"You didn't have to," she whispered, looking away from him because he had actually hurt her that time.

Steve looked at the wounded expression on her face and grabbed the pink nightie from her hands. "This one," he said. "Wear this one."

"Well, if you don't really want me to…"

"No, my sweet. Please put it on for me. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that there's anything wrong with what you and I used to do. It's just all so new to me. I never would have expected my sweet, innocent Laura Winslow would own things like this."

"Well, I do. Does that bother you?" she asked fiddling with her hands in her lap.

"No," he said quickly, playing with the thin silk of her nightie. "No, not at all."

Laura wasn't quite sure she believed him, but she took the nightie from his hands anyway. "Ok," she said standing, "then strip down to your boxers and meet me in bed." Laura headed for the bathroom and went through her nightly routine. Finally, she changed into her nightie. She looked at herself in the mirror and fixed her hair. She noticed suddenly how low-cut this one was. There had been a time in their marriage when that would have been a very good thing, though now she was concerned. It didn't help that her nipples were so erect at the very thought of him seeing her in something this revealing again. She turned off the light in the bathroom to avoid any unflattering backlighting and opened the door. However, the lights were off and the curtains were closed in the bedroom, so she couldn't see a thing, and he certainly couldn't see her. "Steve?" she said.

"Yes, my pet?"

"Um. How am I supposed to find my way back to bed?" she asked.

"Oh, right," he muttered. He turned on the lamp on his nightstand, but it did little to illuminate her body.

She sighed and walked over to the bed. The moment she reached it, he turned the lamp off again. "Steve," she complained.

He played dumb. "Yes?"

She turned the lamp on her side on so she could finally be seen, but he wasn't even looking at her. "Steve, there's no point in me wearing this if you won't even look at me," she said.

"Well, you don't have to wear it," he said quickly.

"I want to," she emphasized, "but I also want you to look." She moved closer to him and placed a hand under his chin. She tickled it, and he giggled girlishly. She took the opportunity to turn his chin toward her. His eyes locked right on her breasts. "There," she said. "Is that so bad?"

He shook his head quickly. "No," he answered. "It's good. It's very, very good."

She smiled and stroked his cheek. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too," he said, looking back up at her eyes.

She pushed him down on the bed and straddled him, kissing him passionately. She wanted to grind on his firm, hard abs, but she avoided the temptation. They made out for hours. Neither of them could believe how late it was when they finally stopped.