Author's note: There is an nfic version of this chapter. As always, the nfic version is the complete version, and I recommend reading it. In her bedroom, he set her gently on her feet beside the bed, her body sliding against his as he lowered her back to the floor. Her hands went to the buttons on his shirt immediately, and he reached for his tie, tugging down the knot until it was loose enough to slip over his head. He tossed it carelessly to the side and shrugged out of the shirt she had finished unbuttoning.
She stepped back and just allowed herself to look at him. He was beautiful. That wasn’t a word she usually associated with men, but there was no better word for it. She reached out and placed a hand on his chest, over his heart, and found herself unexpectedly choked up. He reached out and stroked her cheek, giving her all the time she needed.
“I love you,” she said, and his breath wooshed out of him in a great gust.
“I love you so much, Lois,” he said. “This is…. You have no idea how happy you make me.”
But she did. She absolutely did. Because he made her happier than she had ever been in her entire life. Happier than she had known was possible. She wanted to tell him that. To make him understand that she knew, that she felt the same way. But words – her constant companion, the tools of her trade – eluded her.
She reached for him instead, kissing him eagerly, and then sliding her hands down his chest, reaching for his belt.
She felt him pause, and then deepen their kiss in silent invitation. Her hands trembled as she worked the buckle, but she finally managed to undo it. Then her hands moved to the button of his pants, and finally the zipper. She pulled the tab down slowly, easing it over the growing evidence of his desire, and he pulled his lips from hers, sucking in a ragged breath. He stepped back and quickly toed off his shoes, and then pushed the pants from his hips, letting them fall to the ground. He kicked them aside and bent quickly, removing his socks, and then stood in front of her in nothing but tight black boxer briefs.
She looked him up and down, just taking in the incredible view. She had seen him shirtless before. She had seen him in shorts. She had seen most of his body in pieces. But seeing him like this…
“You are…stunning,” she whispered. “How are you somehow even more gorgeous than I expected?”
He had no response for that, except to step forward again and kiss her. She reached for him automatically, her hands trailing over his smooth skin, and she remembered that she was still fully dressed.
She pulled her lips from his and took a shaky breath as she stepped back and kicked off her shoes, then reached behind her back for the zipper of her dress. She saw his eyes flash with desire, and smiled.
“Wait,” he pleaded. “Let me?”
She nodded, her heart accelerating yet again as he took his time, his eyes caressing her body, before kissing her, and she shivered as he reached behind her and slowly slid her zipper down. When it could go no further, he stepped back and watched as she shrugged, and the dress disappeared into a puddle at her feet.
“Oh, honey,” he whispered. He took a deep, shuddering breath, and she forced herself to be still and let him look at her the way she had just done to him. Her instincts told her to be nervous and self-conscious. But his face told her she had no reason to be either.
“You are so beautiful,” he said.
She turned to the bed and pulled back the covers, tossing them to the side. Then she sat and scooted back and then reached for him.
He nodded but didn’t move.
“Lay down,” he whispered. “I just want to look at you for one more second.”
Her heart squeezed at the raw emotion in his voice, and she scooted back further, turning and laying back so her head rested on a pillow.
“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he said softly. “I can’t believe…. This can’t be real.”
She laughed softly, recognizing both her own words and the sentiment behind them.
“Come here,” she said. “Come see if it feels real.”
He moaned, and as if suddenly freed from where he was standing watching her, he stepped forward and crawled onto the bed, lowering himself on top of her. He rested his hands on the bed on either side of her, carefully keeping his full weight off of her.
She reached up and gently slid his glasses off, and set them on the nightstand. Then she turned back to him, stroking his cheek and looking at him without his glasses for the first time.
She ran her fingers through his hair and trailed a finger down his jawline, just slowly taking in this version of him. “You look so different without your glasses,” she said softly.
He raised an eyebrow playfully. “Is that good or bad?”
She laughed. “Neither. Can you still see me?” she asked, unsure how strong his prescription was.
“Yeah,” he said, smiling. His gaze drifted slowly from her face down her chest and back up. “Oh yeah.”
“Good,” she said, and then she pulled him down, tired of just looking and ready to touch. “Kiss me.”
He complied before the words were even fully out of her mouth. Again and again, his lips found hers. His tongue slid forward, tasting and teasing and making her mind whirl.
She bent one knee, sliding her leg along the side of his leg. His hand was on her bare thigh immediately, stroking a gentle path to her knee and back up again. She remembered this touch, from their time under the stars, but having him do it now, when they were nearly naked in her bed, was even more thrilling and sent a shiver through her.
Her whole body was on fire. She raised her hand to the back of his arm, tracing the muscles she loved so much and then tugging gently, until he shifted his weight from his hand to his forearm, lowering himself more firmly on top of her.
“Clark,” she whispered. “God, you feel good.”
“You feel…amazing,” he answered. “You’re so soft. Oh god…. Lois, this is…..”
He lowered his mouth back to her neck, kissing and then sucking as she raised her hips again to press herself against his thigh.
“Don’t mark me,” she teased, feeling the tingle of her skin beneath his mouth. “I don’t want to have to wear scarves all next week.”
He laughed and lifted his head to give her a sheepish look. “Sorry,” he said, not looking particularly sorry at all, and she felt another rush of desire as he flashed her that smile.
She laughed and rolled her eyes, bringing a hand up to his cheek. “Just…not where anyone’s going to see it,” she amended, arching up toward him in invitation.
He lowered his lips back to her skin and then the night was a blur of touches and kisses, and she let herself be consumed by his love, shocked and delighted by the way they could bring each other so much pleasure without compromising the boundary she had drawn for them.
Much later, she lay in his arms, and smiled as he watched her in wonder and reverence. She giggled shyly, her cheeks warm. “Wow,” she said.
He laughed. “You’re telling me.”
“That was…amazing,” she said, completely overwhelmed by the entire experience.
“You are amazing,” he countered. “You are the most amazing thing I've ever… I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” she said, not sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry.
“Come here, honey. Let me hold you.” He reached for her and stretched out alongside him, laying her head on his chest, and he curled his arm around her. He shifted toward her, and his free hand came up to stroke her hair. She melted into him, her hand flat on his chest above his heart, feeling it slowly return to its normal rhythm.
“I love you,” she said softly, still amazed at both the feeling and the freedom to say it.
“I love you too,” he said, hugging her. He was quiet for a minute, and then he chuckled softly.
“What?” she asked, already laughing.
“Did you plan this?” he asked. “Because I was definitely not expecting….this tonight.”
She giggled and nuzzled against his chest. “No, I definitely didn’t plan this. I planned…something. I mean, I wanted…something. But I was thinking more along the lines of Wednesday night. And then….”
“We got carried away?” he asked hesitantly, and she could hear his unasked question.
“No,” she said immediately. “I mean…I guess, yeah? But it just felt so good. So right. It was…perfect.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah, sweetheart. Oh, yeah. Perfect.”
He hummed happily beneath her, but didn’t say anything. After a minute, she got suspicious and lifted her head to look at him. He was grinning like a fool, and she gave him a curious look.
“You called me sweetheart,” he confessed. “You’ve never done that before.”
She laughed. “Have I not?” He shook his head, obviously pleased, and her love for him somehow grew even stronger. “You must be rubbing off on me. You never stop. Sweetheart. Honey. Baby?” she added, softly, barely suppressing a shiver as she remembered the way he whispered that last endearment when their passions were at their highest.
“That one just…slipped out,” he said with a playful grimace. “Do you hate it?”
She laughed and shook her head, then reached up and stroked his cheek before laying her head back down on his chest. “I love the way you talk to me,” she said softly. “When you call me honey or sweetheart….or baby. It makes me feel special.”
He took a deep breath and stroked her back. “That makes me so happy. I want you to feel special. You are so special to me, Lois.”
She shivered, and he reached for the covers, pulling them over their entangled bodies. She nestled in closer to him, snuggled between the warmth of his body and the blankets, and felt the enticing pull of sleep. He took a deep breath and sighed happily, then began to stroke her hair again. She closed her eyes and smiled as her fingers stroked his chest gently. They lay there quietly for a few minutes, no words necessary, just touching each other tenderly. And then she surrendered to the warmth and the security of his embrace and let herself drift toward sleep.
