I'm reeeally nervous about uploading this here...

"You wouldn't last thirty seconds, Ricky."

Rick tore his eyes away from the picture, the oh-so-tempting game, on the computer screen and narrowed his eyes. "I happen to have self control, Katherine."

Kate shivered slightly at the way her name rolled off his tongue, languid and soft. But oh no, she wouldn't lose. Kate gazed at him with desire in her eyes; biting her lip, she stepped forward and brought her mouth to his ear, whispering, "prove it." Taking his earlobe in her teeth, she bit down gently, running her tongue over the soft skin, reveling in the groan that escaped Rick's mouth.

"When I win," Kate said quietly, bringing a hand up to rest on Rick's chest, "I'm going to do anything I want." Slowly, teasingly, Kate slid her hand down to the waistband of Rick's jeans, stopping momentarily to brush a finger across the skin before slipping down and squeezing him through the denim.

Rick closed his eyes, stars bursting out in the darkness. "Fuck." He muttered, willing himself to fight this surely lost battle; if only he could-oh. Now she was stroking him, her fingers caressing the outside of his jeans, causing a wonderful friction on the inside.

"Something wrong, Ricky?" Kate breathed, her voice tantalizingly throaty.

Rick breathed in deeply, her perfume captivating his senses. Focus, Rick. Steeling himself, he opened his eyes and found hers watching him, sparkling with desire and I-know-exactly-how-to-make-you-come-undone. Rick abruptly grabbed her wandering hand with one of his own, heat coursing through his veins, every nerve and fiber of his being on fire.

"When I win, Kate, I'm going to turn you into an incomprehensible, moaning, begging mess. You know how I love to go slow." Rick murmured, bringing her hand up to his mouth and sucking on the inside of her wrist.

Kate moaned softly. "You, ah…if we're going to do this, you need to…stop." Oh but she didn't want him to stop, kissing and sucking his way up her forearm to the tender skin at her elbow.

"Or," Rick whispered against her skin, "you could just admit that you wouldn't be able to keep your hands off me, and I can keep doing this…" Raising his head to look at her, he grinned-a cocky, shit-eating grin-"I know I'm irresistible."

Claiming her hand back, Kate licked her lips. She could win this. "Bring it on, Richard. Kiss me."

Standing up straight, Rick moved to face Kate; tilting his head, almost inquisitively, as he closed the distance between their mouths. "You kiss me."

"Anything goes; tongue and biting, but no hands." Kate breathed, their lips millimeters apart.

"Deal." Rick crossed the last tiny distance between them and pressed his lips to hers, at once regretting this stupid bet. Kate could do amazing things with her mouth. Together they stood as close as they dared, Rick with his head lowered slightly, Kate with hers raised; their arms held at their sides, four fists balled up tightly against temptation.

Their lips danced together softly, molding to the curves of each other. Whispered breaths hiding disclosed desires flow back and forth, like secrets hidden between parentheses. Rick can feel her smiling, her mouth moving over his, her tongue slowly tracing over his upper lip. Following her movements, Rick captures her upper lip with his teeth, biting down gently, soothing the sting with his tongue. A small moan escapes Kate's mouth, fuelling the fire burning in Rick's chest.

The slow passion is escalating, each one raising the bar with every movement of their lips. Tongues and teeth clash as they fight for dominance, moaning and gasping becoming more audible. Kate groans when Rick strokes the roof of her mouth with his tongue, retaliating by wrapping her lips around it as he retreats, scraping her teeth along the soft flesh. Kate feels a surge of triumph: I'm winning. Grunting, Rick steps forward, his foot landing on the outside of hers; instinctively, Kate steps back. Without touching her, Rick manages to walk her back the five feet to the breakfast island, their mouths still locked together. A quiet 'ompf' passes Kate's lips as her hips make contact with the island behind her; suddenly she feels the balance shifting, as Rick works his talented mouth over hers.

Nipping, pulling and sucking her lips until she's moaning continuously, Rick works his magic as Kate turns to putty not in his hands. Kate tries to keep up with him, alternating between slow and fast, hard and soft, but one small nip at her bottom lip sends her over the edge and suddenly, she's grabbing at his shirt, pulling him to her; kissing him with all she's got because she can't not touch him when he's doing amazing things to her mouth. Rick pulls away suddenly, bending down to suck lightly on her pulse point, wrapping his own arms around her waist. The gasp from her mouth and the way she clings to him so desperately drives him crazy; oh how he wants to take her here and now on the kitchen counter.

"I won." Rick breathes, grinning against her neck. "You are now my sex slave."

Kate brings her hands up to his face, raising his lips back to meet hers. Breathing heavily, she manages a heated, "don't care," before kissing him passionately, hungrily.

Rick bends slightly, placing one arm firmly around her legs and the other around her waist, hoisting her against his chest. Slowly he walks out of the kitchen and through the living room, towards their bedroom. Kate trails a line of soft kisses across his jaw up to his ear, her hands fixed firmly around his neck. Once in the bedroom, Rick sets her on her feet and gazes down at her, his hands ghosting up and down her sides, leaving a hot, anticipation building in her belly.

"Do you trust me?" He murmurs, watching her closely.

Kate stares up at him, biting her lower lip. She knows what he wants to do to her, but after the first time they tried…that, and her panic attack, they hadn't broached the matter again. Their sex life was amazing without it, and Kate knew he would drop it if she said she didn't want to. But, she realized, she did want to.

"Yes." She whispered back, her heart beating fast.

"Cherries?"

Kate nodded. 'Cherries' was her safe word.

Rick leaned down and rested his forehead against hers, inhaling deeply. After all this time together and her smell could still turn him on. Cradling her face in his hands, Rick pressed a sweet kiss to her lips, brushing his tongue swiftly over the contours of her mouth. Slowly, tantalizingly, Rick moved his hands down over her shoulders, brushing his fingers softly over the thin fabric of her shirt. Tracing the hemline from under her arms down to her hips on each side and sliding his hands underneath, Rick felt Kate relax as he moved his hands across her back, the tips of his fingers moving in soft, circular motions. Pulling her close to his chest, he kisses her deeply, eliciting a moan.

"Stay right here." He steps over to their wardrobe and reaches up to the top shelf, pulling out three items of silk fabric. Moving back over to where she remains, Rick holds up the first piece of silk. "I will stop if you want me to Kate."

Kate smiles. "I know." Her voice is soft and tender and she tries to convey the love she has for him through those two words. She feels no hint of the panic that struck her the last time. He loves her.

Rick steps forward and reaches his hands out to her, spinning her slowly so she's facing the bed. Folding the fabric in half, then in half again, he holds then ends in his hands and covers her eyes, tying it firmly but not too firm to hurt in a knot at the back of her head.

Wrapping his arms around her from behind, Rick begins on the buttons at the front of her shirt, undoing each with delicate precision. Soon he's sliding her shirt off and unclasping her brassiere, letting it fall to the floor. He leans down and kisses the back of her neck softly, an intimate sign of comfort. Stepping around in front of her, Rick is relieved to see a small smile playing at Kate's mouth. Rick quickly brushes his lips over hers before bending down to remove her shorts and panties. His fingers trail down the back of her legs as he slides the clothes down, causing a little twitch when he reaches the sensitive spot behind her knees. Grinning, Rick stands up slowly, running his hands back up her thighs and over her hips, coming to rest at the sides of her ribcage.

Rick takes a hold of her hands and pulls her gently towards him and the bed, turning her so the back of her legs meet the edge of the mattress.

"Lie down." It's not a demand; it's a soft instruction, a quiet request. Kate obliges, moving to the center of the bed, feeling the soft duvet sliding beneath her naked figure. The darkness from the blindfold is strangely comforting to her. She feels the mattress dip and can sense Rick crawling over to her. Stradling her, he takes each of her hands in turn and, with the remaining two pieces of silk, ties her wrists to the headboard, using soft knots so as not to hurt her. Kate breathes deeply. She feels safe.

Suddenly Rick's mouth is on hers, hot and fast and hard. She likes this demanding, heated side of Rick, always asking for as much as she can give. And give she does, returning his passion with enthusiasm, her body squirming underneath his. And then his mouth is gone, and his weight disappears from the bed with a whispered, "be right back."

Kate tenses slightly; he's not in the room anymore. Tied to the bed and unable to see, she can feel a slight panic beginning to rise. "Rick?"

"Hey, I'm right here Kate." His voice is distant and muffled. She figures he's in the office, and feels slightly ashamed at how quickly she began to panic. She knows he would never do anything to hurt her or scare her. Taking a few deep breaths, Kate calms herself down and relaxes into the bed. Footsteps indicate Rick's arrival back in the room, and she hears the bedroom door click softly. He sets something, his watch, Kate guesses, down on the bedside cabinet with a clunk and she hears the familiar sound of his clothes being dispersed of. Rick crawls back onto the bed and places a hand on her stomach, the other steadying himself on the bed. He leans forward and places a kiss to the tip of her nose.

"Cherries?" He asks, offering her an out.

Kate crinkles her nose, letting a smile grace her lips. "No. I trust you."

"I love you."

Rick settles himself between her legs, bracing himself with one hand as he leans down over her chest and sets his mouth to work; licking, tugging and kissing his way around her breasts, using his free hand to trace patterns over her stomach. Kate moans softly, his fingers setting her skin on fire. Her body is growing restless, wriggling under his touch. Rick grins against her soft skin as he continues his attack on her body with his mouth, following the trail he's making with his fingers from one side of her body to the other, curve after curve. He brushes his hand lightly down her leg, raising goosebumps as he goes. Kate shudders, her body aching with need. Her sense of touch and smell and hearing are heightened with the blindfold on, slowly turning her into an incomprehensible mess.

"Rick." She breathes, wanting more, her hands gripping the ties, her back arching slightly.

Rick merely hums against the soft skin at the junction where her leg meets her hip, nipping at the skin before soothing it with his tongue. The groan that emanates from Kate drives him, his skillful mouth working patiently over her skin while his hand skims down to her ankle and back up to her thigh. Bringing his other hand down, Rick flutters his fingers delicately, not staying in one place longer than a few seconds. Kissing a line across her pelvis, Rick grunts and places one hand firmly on her hip when she arches sharply off the bed, gasping for him to touch her where she so desperately wants him too.

"Rick, please." Kate moans; her head pushed back into the soft pillow, her hands gripping the ties tightly.

Rick persists with his teasing, his hands roving everywhere; down her legs, back up to her stomach, cupping her breasts then trailing slowly back down her body. Kate groans; she feels like she's on fire. Every nerve is quivering, anticipating what's next.

Taking his hands and gripping her thighs, Rick lowers his mouth and kisses her softly, groaning at the pulsing in his own body. Kate gasps as the magic of his lips takes hold; his tongue swipes across her, his teeth gently tug and pull and tease, and his fingers trace delicate circles on her thighs. Kate can feel the familiar, delightful coiling sensation rumbling deep in her belly; her hips arch off the bed as Rick continues his pleasurable assault, his tongue working furiously, slowly, patiently, tirelessly.

Kate cries out, the pleasurable bloom inside her taking hold and rocking her body; she strains against the ties, stars pop out behind her closed eyes, her breathing becomes short and ragged as Rick brings her to her peak with his mouth.

What feels like hours later, Kate opens her eyes and finds Rick looking down at her, his eyes filled with love. Realizing she can move her hands, Kate brings one up to touch his face, stroking the barely there stubble, a smile dancing across her lips. She raises her head off the pillow and meets Rick for a tender kiss, her head held in one of his large hands. He pulls away and kisses her forehead, before settling down beside her, unable to take his eyes off her.

"I love you Kate."

Kate feels the words take root in her chest, the flame erupting once more.

"I love you too."

What do ya think? I, um, had to cut a few bits out, I got really into writing this story... ;)