It had been a perfect evening. Elena savored every moment spent with her beloved royal wizard as they enjoyed a night out on the town and eventually found themselves walking, fingers interlaced, beneath the starry night sky along the coastal road just outside the city. The salty scent rose from the bay and wafted through the air, tickling their noses as the sound of the waves gently lapping against the shore melded with the whispering seabreeze, becoming a soft symphony of night time sounds to their ears.

It was pure bliss, the simple pleasure of enjoying one another's company as they spoke of anything and everything that came to mind–– their work, their love for each other, and their dreams for the future, among other things. Often the conversation quieted and they walked in companionable silence, sharing an occasional coy glance or a sweet, lingering kiss and a smile.

The hour was late, but the couple had lost track of the time–– and of the rapidly changing weather. They didn't notice the dark clouds rolling in from the mouth of the bay, nor did they notice the breeze as it slowly transformed into a cold gusting wind, so engrossed they were in one another.

What they did notice, however, was the deafening crack of thunder that sounded the moment the roiling storm clouds released their icy buckets of rain water in a downpour so thick, it was an instant wall of water surrounding the pair, blinding them to the road ahead or behind.

Surprised, Elena squealed with laughter, clinging to Mateo for warmth as the icy torrents soaked her hair, her dress, and every inch of skin. Chuckling, Mateo wrapped her in his arms as his shoulders curved around her in a futile attempt to protect her from the rain.

Looking around them, his eyebrows furrowed as he said, "Er– between the darkness and the rain, I can't see anything. With that lightning cracking every few seconds, I think we need to find shelter–– now."

Pressing herself into his chest, she looked around and nodded, "You're right. Hmmm…I can see light just behind us. I think it's the lighthouse! Should we make a run for it?"

Nodding, Mateo pulled away and took Elena's hand firmly in his own, calling out, "Ok, let's go!" as he took off running, pulling Elena along behind him, his eyes fixed upon the beacon that would lead them to safety as he thought about how ironic it was that the beacon that was meant to lead enormous ships to safe harbor would also be the saving grace of two lovestruck fools caught on foot in a storm in the dead of night.

As they drew nearer, the light grew brighter until they were directly beneath it, nearly colliding with the wall thanks to the rain obscuring their vision. Blindly feeling their way along the wall, they stumbled around the building until Mateo's hand found the doorknob. Throwing the door open, he tugged Elena forward, insisting that she go in ahead of him before dashing after her and slamming the door shut behind them.

As the couple stood just inside the door, the perfectly round room towering above them, they clung to one another, trying to catch their breath. Raindrops hammered a steady, soothing rhythm against the outer walls. Lamplight shone through the opening at the top of the spiral staircase, dimly lighting the the room below. Elena couldn't help but think it would be a cozy spot if she wasn't so cold.

Though the walls offered shelter from the rain, they did little to take the edge off of the chill that had settled deep beneath Elena's rain drenched skin, down in her very core. Snaking her arms around Mateo's waist, she pulled him against her as she tried to warm herself, her teeth chattering together as she became aware of the stark contrast between the frigid air surrounding her and his comforting warmth.

They were both utterly soaked, rainwater dripping from their hair and clothes, collecting in a puddle at their feet. Mateo's heart clenched as he felt Elena's petite frame trembling in his arms. Though he too was cold, he was overcome with the need to do something, anything, to ease her discomfort, so he held her close as he began to run his hands down her arms in long sweeping strokes, up her back and back down again.

Suddenly not feeling quite so cold, thanks to Mateo's gentle and attentive touch, Elena pulled back just enough to look Mateo up and down, her lips curving into wicked smile as she bit her bottom lip, she noted his white collared shirt— now nearly transparent in its soaking wet state— plastered like a second skin against his chest. Eyes drifting downward, her throat went dry and her fingers became twitchy as she followed the lines of his pants, the wet fabric clinging to every rise and dip along his legs and hips. leaving very little to the imagination.

A knuckle gently lifted her chin, drawing her attention to the precious face watching her with something like amusement and desire dancing together in his eyes.

"My eyes are up here, mi amor," Mateo said quietly with a small crooked grin.

His already untidy curls were a sodden mop hanging limply around his face and in his eyes, raindrops clinging to each lock. Smirking, Elena reached a hand up to brush a wet curl aside, revealing his hazel green eyes–– eyes that never failed to kindle a warmth deep within her core.

One corner of her mouth twitched upward as she said, "I'm sorry, querido, it's just that you just look so good wet." Leaning in, she pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his mouth.

"Mmm…" he murmured against her lips, "too bad it wasn't such an unpleasantly cold look, or I might wear it more often."

"I may have a few ideas to remedy that problem," she said coyly, nuzzling her nose against his cheek as she ran her hands hands suggestively from where she had been toying with the collar of his shirt, down the planes of his chest, and over his hips, pulling him flush against her, her mouth going dry as she felt him harden at her touch.

Pulse quickening at the direction the conversation was taking, Mateo's eyes slid shut as he ground his hips against her, smirking as he said "Of course you do, mi amor, I'm listening."

"Well," she started, her coy smile shifting back to that wicked grin of hers, sending shivers of anticipation down Mateo's spine, "it starts with a few–– distractions." She leaned in, nipping his neck with the tips of her teeth.

Mateo's eyes flew open and he gasped, "Oh my goodn– Elena!" his eyes rolling back as she ran her tongue lazily up the length of it, her lips leaving a trail of kisses from his collarbone up to his jaw.

Before Elena could blink, he had moved in on her, his lips crashing into hers as he pushed her up against the wall. He had one hand splayed against the wall near Elena's head, supporting his weight as he pressed himself against her, while the other swept feverishly up and down her side–– appreciating each and every one of Elena's perfect curves as he ran it from her hip, along her waist, up the side of her breast, pausing to savor the feeling of its fullness in his hand.

Well that wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be, Elena thought with no small amount of satisfaction. Her fingers dug into the muscles of his back, clutching at the fabric of his shirt, feverishly trying to pull him closer– closer– always closer.

Her tongue brushed gently against his lips and he opened his mouth to her. Entwining with his own in a sort of dance, her tongue swept in and across the roof of his mouth. Mateo groaned softly as he tasted her sweetness, like ripened strawberries and sunshine on a summer's day, deepening the kiss as he brought his other hand down to massage her other breast.

"Mateo."

The breathy whisper fell from Elena's lips, eliciting a little puff of steam into the frigid night air enveloping the trysting couple. They forgot the cold as they became a heated, tangled embrace of limbs, both so lost in the other, they had no sense of self or time.

Mateo's teeth moved from her mouth, scraping gently against the soft skin of her neck, his lips a frenzy of heated kisses in all of the right places as Elena melted into his touch. A small part of her mind ruled by logic was thankful that Mateo had her pressed so tightly against the wall that she wouldn't fall, the larger part of her mind ruled by emotion and sensation arched into him as she tugged insistently at the fabric of his shirt in an attempt to further close the nonexistent distance between their two bodies.

Elena squeaked with pleasure as she inhaled his smokey cedar and citrus scent, the added scent of raindrops clinging to his hair made her dizzy with desire as one hand slid to the back of his head, her fingers tangling in in his wet, chocolate colored curls. Her fingers contracted, pressing him to her while the other hand blindly began unbuttoning his shirt in her desperate need to feel more of his skin against hers.

Their breaths became ragged and uneven as she shuddered against him, his hand running sensually along the curve of her backside down to the back of her thigh, tugging it towards him. Responding enthusiastically, she slid her leg up, hooking it around his hip in an effort to pull him even closer as she slipped his now open shirt to the floor, reveling in the feel of her hands against the smooth skin of his chest.

His mouth traveled down her neck, nipping gently, sending Elena's senses spiraling as she murmured his name in a series of low moans.

Encouraged, Mateo continued leaving a trail of kisses down her shoulder, slipping the straps of her dress off her shoulders, allowing her breasts to fall free. Tipping her head back against the wall, Elena groaned as she felt her knees giving out from the overwhelming force of the sensations laying claim to her when he took her nipple with his lips and flicked it gently with his tongue.

She couldn't take it anymore.

Her hands flew down to his center where she began to feverishly undo the buckle of his pants, sliding his waistband out of the way as she leaned in, breathing in his ear, she whispered in a low husky voice that made his blood sing with desire, "Te necesito, mi amor."

That was all he needed to hear, exhaling a shaky breath, Mateo's hands tugged at her damp skirts, hiking them up and slipping his hands beneath, sliding them along her slender thighs until he cupped her backside–- pausing to grin roguishly at her as he felt the bare skin where he'd expected to find lacy undergarments–– and hoisted her up, her legs naturally wrapping around his waist.

Panting great uneven breaths, Elena buried her face in the crook of Mateo's neck, her fingers digging into his back as he gently guided himself into her, and they became one. After pausing a moment to adjust, Elena claimed his mouth with her own, rolling her hips into him and the pair soon found their perfect rhythm.

Stars exploded into eternity around her as the connection between herself and her beloved deepened with every thrust and pull. She could feel the coil tightening in her core, the tension building and building by the second. The coil in her middle winding tighter–– tighter–– tighter.

Their teeth and lips and tongues clashing together in that moment of building passion, he held her securely against the wall, their hips rocking back and forth together in perfect synchronization as he kept his hands firmly beneath her backside.

As the pressure within her increased to the point where she felt she was everywhere and nowhere all at once, where nothing existed but that physical connection between herself and her lover, she tightened her legs around him, pressing herself into him, always wanting–– no, needing–– to be closer to him, to have more of him, to taste more of him.

More. She just needed more.

Their rhythm increased in a steady crescendo, and Elena was nearly at her breaking point when Mateo leaned in, brushing his lips against her ear as he whispered, "Te amo, mi reina."

That simple, tender phrase sent her over the edge. She cried out his name as her release barreled through her–– riding wave after wave of pleasure.

The sound of his name on her lips and the feel of her tightening so completely around him was Mateo's undoing. With one final thrust, he found completion, pressing deep into her.

They held one another through every shuddering breath and every groan, appreciating the lingering connection between them–– the feel of skin on skin–– listening as their breathing slowed and their thundering hearts calmed as one.

Meeting his gaze, Elena's cheeks were flushed as she was struck by the look in his eye–– that look that spoke volumes. That look that made her feel like she was his whole world–– like he loved her.

Smiling sweetly, she gently cupped his face in her hands, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his mouth.

"I love you, Mateo," she whispered, carefully releasing her legs from around his middle, she slid her feet towards the floor, feeling a momentary sense of loss as the connection was broken.

Lowering her gently to the ground, Mateo replied, "And I, you, mi amor."

Mateo's gaze shifted and he cocked an eyebrow as he snaked his arms around her waist and said with mock solemnity, "No underwear? Really, Elena?"

Laughing, Elena slid her arms around his neck as she said lightly, "What can I say? I like to be prepared for anything."

Shaking his head incredulously, he said, "You were prepared for a deluge to trap us in a lighthouse?"

"No, you goose, I was prepared for an opportunity to steal a private moment alone with you," she grinned cheekily.

His gaze softened as he contemplated her words, "You have a point. Time alone is a rarity these days. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You never could keep your hands off of me."

Sliding her hands down to his backside, she gave it a playful squeeze as she grinned mischievously and said, "Truer words have never been spoken, mi querido. But consider this most important point: I was right."

"About?"

"You are warm now, are you not?"

His eyes widened briefly with surprise before he let out a bark of laughter, saying, "You know, I'd completely forgotten that I was ever cold." Pausing, he cocked his head to one side listening before continuing, "It's quiet. I think the storm has let up. Come, my queen, it must be close to dawn. We should try to get home before the children wake."

Nodding, Elena took his hand, interlacing her fingers with his, and said with a feline grin, "Of course, my prince. And, perhaps, if we're lucky, we'll get a few hours in bed together before that moment arrives."

Chuckling, Mateo squeezed her fingers before saying, "You are such a little minx."

"Perhaps, But you still love me."

Leaning over to press a kiss to her temple, he said, "Truer words have never been spoken, mi amor."