Chapter 21: Flowers, Cake, Sex, and A Wish

--

"Your birthday is coming up," Michael murmured one morning as he and Sara lay in bed together.

Sara drew smooth circles on his chest with the tip of her finger as she answered. "So it is."

Michael smiled into her hair. "What would you like for a present?"

The circling of her finger stopped and she took in a long breath, letting it out slowly. It tickled Michael's chest. "Anything but flowers," Sara said as she snuggled her head more into his shoulder.

Michael cocked his head a little to the side. "Why not flowers?" he asked.

"My father gets me flowers for my birthdays."

Sara didn't move when she said it, but Michael felt something shift in the atmosphere. He detected a bit of bitterness in the tone of her voice, but that didn't make much sense even if Sara was still peeved off at her father for what he did to Michael. The subject of her father made Michael a little uncomfortable, but it seemed like it bothered Sara more this time. He looked down at her in curiosity, but decided against broaching the subject any further. So he just kissed the top of her head and gathered her closer to himself.

"All right then," Michael said. "No flowers."

--

Sara's words about her father and flowers nagged at Michael the rest of the day. Something was up and it bothered him, making him a little distracted while at work.

"Michael? Yoohoo!" Andrew said, as he waved a hand in front of his friend's face.

Michael blinked and snapped out of his thoughts. "Sorry, Andrew." He straightened himself. "What were you saying?"

Andrew gave him a funny look. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"About Sara's birthday."

"Her birthday?" Andrew asked, surprised that this was the first of hearing of it. "When's her birthday?"

"Next week."

Andrew looked appalled. "Next week! Man, why didn't you tell me sooner! I don't have a present for her!"

Michael softly laughed at his friend for being miffed about not having a gift ready for Sara yet. "Neither do I," Michael told him.

Andrew grinned and gave a mock snort. "Some boyfriend you are," he teased. "But seriously, do you have an idea of what to get her?"

Michael shook his head.

"You should bake her a cake," came a voice from behind them.

Michael and Andrew turned and saw Lily walk up to them, a smile on her face. Andrew smiled back at her and as soon as she reached them, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"A cake?" Michael repeated dubiously. "You do realize that I'm not a baker, right?"

Lily just laughed. "It's the thought that counts. She'll think the gesture's sweet. At least, that's what happened with my mom and dad," she told him. "My dad baked my mom a cake back when they were dating. She told me that it tasted terrible, but it made her fall in love with him more because he was willing to try something he wasn't comfortable with just for her."

"Really?"

Lily nodded.

Michael thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. "I've never baked anything before in my life. The only experience I have is licking the spoon after my mom was done mixing the brownie batter when I was a kid."

Again Lily laughed. "Just find a recipe and follow the instructions. It's not that hard."

Thinking about it again, Michael began warming up to the idea of baking Sara a cake. "All right then."

"Well, that's all great for you, but what about us?" Andrew asked. "What are we supposed to get Sara for her birthday?"

Lily kissed her boyfriend's cheek. "Don't worry about it. I'll buy something and put your name on it too."

"Just don't get her flowers," Michael told them.

"Why not?" Lily asked.

Andrew interrupted Michael before he could explain about her father. "Remember, Lindsey told us that Sara didn't like getting flowers."

That was news to Michael. "When did she tell you that?"

"The night of your first date with her."

"The night when you guys were spying on us?" Michael asked to clarify.

"We weren't spying on you," Andrew insisted lamely, but at Michael's look, he admitted to the guilt. "Okay, we were. But that was what Lindsey told us. Sara doesn't like getting flowers."

"Why not?" Michael asked.

Andrew shrugged. "I dunno. You should go ask Lindsey."

Michael would do just that. Later, when he had a free hour, he dropped by the hospital. He walked up to the office that Sara and Lindsey shared together, and fortunately, found Lindsey there by herself.

She looked up from a file she was reading when he came into the room. "Hey Michael," Lindsey greeted with a friendly smile. "Sara's with a patient now, but she should be done in a little while."

"Actually, I came to see you. I wanted to ask you about something," he told her.

"About what?" Lindsey asked with concern when she noticed the serious look on his face.

Michael wasn't sure how to start off the subject, but then decided to just be direct. "Why doesn't Sara like getting flowers as a present?"

Lindsey's mouth formed a small 'O' shape. She looked down and then back up, and then let out a small sigh. "Sit," she said, pointing to a chair. Michael complied.

"You see, Michael," Lindsey began, "it's not that Sara doesn't like flowers, it's just…" She thought about her next words. "It has everything to do with her father."

"I'm listening," Michael said, urging her on to continue.

"As you might guess, the governor is a hard working man. Even before he was governor, he was always busy with his career so his kids hardly saw him growing up. He missed out on a lot of things in their lives…school award ceremonies, recitals, birthdays… I guess Sara kind of took it personally."

"But that doesn't explain about the flowers," Michael said.

"Whenever the governor couldn't make an event, he sent flowers in his stead," Lindsey told him. "Instead of being a symbol of love and affection, flowers have become a symbol of disappointment for Sara. She once told me, and I quote, 'What's the point in giving a person flowers when they die and end up in the trash a week later?'"

"She said that?" Michael asked, frowning at the cynical remark.

Lindsey nodded.

"Sara never said anything when I gave her flowers," Michael said.

"That's because you gave them to her in person. She probably appreciated it when you did that," Lindsey said with a tiny smile.

But it didn't exactly make Michael feel any better about the subject. He didn't like that Sara felt that way, that she was bitter about something. He felt an urge, no, a need to rectify the situation.

A beeping sound cut through the silence in the room. Lindsey reached down to her hip and unclipped her pager from her belt. "Damn," she swore. "And here I thought I would have an easy day." She gave Michael an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

Michael shook his head. "It's okay."

They both stood up and Michael followed Lindsey out of the office.

"Thanks for explaining it to me, Lindsey," Michael said out in the hall.

Lindsey gave him a nod and a wave, then turned down the hall. Michael let out a small sigh and began walking in the opposite direction.

--

A week later, Sara got a phone call from her older sister and her kids in the morning.

"Happy Birthday Auntie Sara!" Connor and Angie screamed happily into the phone.

Sara smiled and sat down on her sofa, pulling her legs up. "Thanks you guys," she told them.

"All right you two, give me back the phone and finish getting ready for school." Sara heard her sister and the slight shuffling of the phone as it exchanged hands. "They didn't burst your eardrums, did they?" Rose asked good humouredly.

Sara laughed. "No, but I think people are going to have to speak up so I can hear them for the rest of the day." She then picked up a card that was resting on her coffee table. "I got a birthday card from Cameron yesterday."

"Oh, how is she? It seems like forever since I last talked to her," Rose said about their little sister who lived in California, studying to pursue a career in the film industry.

"She said she was fine, that she was learning a lot about camera work and such, and that if she ever meets him, she'll get me George Clooney's autograph," Sara said.

Rose chuckled. "So what are your plans for today? Anything special?"

"I'm supposed to have breakfast with Mom and Dad, then lunch with my friends and then Michael said he had something planned for me tonight," Sara said.

"That's great," Rose said.

"You want to join us for lunch?" Sara offered.

"Wish I could, but I have work. That's why I called so early to wish you a happy birthday before your day started."

"Thanks Rose." Sara heard a beeping sound on the phone. "I'm getting another call."

"Oh, that's okay. I need to go drop off the twins at school now anyway. Have a happy birthday, Sara!"

"Bye," Sara said and switched the call over. "Hello?"

"Hi darling," came the voice of her stepmother. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks Mom," Sara said. She then waited for her stepmom to say something else, but she didn't. "Let me guess, you and Dad can't make it for breakfast?"

"I'm so sorry, Sara," Eileen said sounding remorseful. "Something came up and—"

"No, it's okay, Mom," Sara interrupted her, and for once she actually felt okay with it. Probably because she had other things to look forward to in the day.

"Oh, but I do hate breaking promises to you though, especially on your birthday," Eileen told her.

"It's not your fault."

"But still…"

"Mom, it's fine. I'm still going to enjoy myself today. Don't worry about it."

"I'm glad to hear that, dear," Eileen said. "Have a happy birthday."

Sara smiled into the phone. "I will. Bye." Five seconds after she flipped her phone shut it began ringing again. The screen read 'Michael.'

"Hello."

"Happy Birthday, Sara." Michael's deep voice was like silk to her ears. "I wanted to be the first to tell you that."

A soft chuckle escaped from Sara's lips. "Well, I hate to burst your bubble, Michael, but my sister, Connor, Angie, and my stepmom beat you to it."

"I knew I shouldn't have hit the SNOOZE button," he said.

Another laugh came out of her. "You can make it up to me by buying me breakfast," Sara said.

"Breakfast?" Michael sounded confused. "But I thought…"

"Last minute change of plans in my parents' schedule," Sara told him. "So I'm free for breakfast if you want me."

"I always want you."

That sent a thrilling shiver down Sara's spine, spreading all the way to her fingertips and making her toes curl. "Well then, come and get me, Michael Scofield," she dared him, trying to sound sultry and sexy over the phone.

"I will then," Michael murmured, accepting her challenge.

--

Sara stepped into the small diner and looked around for Michael. She found him sitting in a booth off in the corner. As if he sensed her looking at him, he automatically turned his head in her direction, caught sight of her, and smiled. Smiling back, Sara made her way towards him, wondering how his smiles always seemed to melt her insides. Michael stood up when she reached the table and he stepped towards her, planting a sweet kiss upon her lips.

"Happy Birthday," he said to her.

Sara returned the kiss and then sat down across from him, and they fell into their usual comfortable chit chat. Michael asked about Connor and Angie and when Sara was going to babysit them so that he could see them again, making Sara smile and laugh. They were so into their own conversation, their own world actually, that they barely noticed the waitress taking their orders for breakfast, or later when she came back with their food.

"So, what exactly do you have planned for me tonight?" Sara asked when Michael lifted his cup of coffee up to his mouth.

She could see him smile behind the rim of the mug as he took a sip. His eyes sparkled with mischievous excitement. "It's a surprise," Michael said after placing the cup back down.

"Is that all you're going to tell me?"

He grinned. "Yes."

Sara pouted. "You're no fun."

The grin remained. "All you need to do is be ready by seven," he told her.

"Fine," Sara said, lifting her own cup of coffee to her lips, already anxious for day to turn into night.

They finished up their breakfast soon after that and strode out of the diner, hand-in-hand. Michael walked Sara to her car and kissed her when they reached the car door.

"I'll see you later at lunch."

Sara wrapped her arms around his neck before he could pull away and kissed him again. "And later tonight?"

He smiled down at her. "And later tonight," Michael said, brushing another kiss full of promise against her lips.

--

"Happy Birthday!"

Sara smiled at her best friend as she arrived at work. "Thanks Lindsey."

Lindsey presented her with a pink envelope. "Here you go," she said with a grin. "Vincent wanted me to put his name on the gift too, but I told him that just because I'm your best friend and he's dating me, doesn't mean he can skip out of getting his sister a birthday present."

A chuckle escaped Sara's mouth as she opened up the envelope and pulled out a gift card. "Victoria's Secret. Thank you," she said with a smile.

Lindsey gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Yeah, well I figured that I should get you something that both you and Michael might enjoy," she said with teasing grin and a waggle of her eyebrows.

A slight blush tinged Sara's cheeks with pink. "Lindsey…"

Her friend just laughed. Her laugh died down when Sara's eyes caught sight of something on her desk. Lindsey followed her gaze to the large bouquet of flowers sitting neatly on the desk. "Those came in for you fifteen minutes ago," she told Sara.

Sara walked towards the flower arrangement and plucked the small card out from between the stems.

Sorry I couldn't make breakfast.

Happy Birthday Sara.

-Dad

Fingering one of the petals of a flower, Sara let out a small sigh. Lindsey watched her with careful pity.

"You could just tell your father not to send you flowers anymore," Lindsey suggested.

"And deprive the flower shop of some money?" Sara shook her head. "Besides, I think it makes my father feel better about himself when he sends them to me. Makes him feel a little less guilty."

Lindsey shrugged her shoulders, not even daring to know the mind of Frank Tancredi. "Whatever makes you feel better."

"You think a patient might like them?"

"You want to give the flowers to a patient?" Lindsey asked, a little surprised.

"Just because I don't want them doesn't mean they should go to waste," Sara said. "So which patient do you think I should give them to?"

Lindsey stared at her friend in a most curious manner. "You're in a good mood today."

"It's my birthday."

"Yeah, but you're not usually in this good of a mood on your birthday," Lindsey pointed out. "Not that I have any problem with your good mood," she added with a smile.

Sara responded with a smile. "This year is different," she said, looking at the flowers. "So who do you think might like the flowers?" Sara asked again.

Lindsey thought for a moment. "Mrs. Feliciano," she said. "With two broken legs, she's stuck in bed most of the time. A few flowers might just be the thing to brighten up her day."

"Good point," Sara agreed and called up a nurse to take the floral arrangement to Mrs. Feliciano's room.

Lindsey watched her friend make the call and saw how happy she was. There was a brightness and a glow to her face and smile and she spoke with a bit of animation and excitement in her voice.

Yup, this birthday was different for Sara this year. And it was a good thing. After Sara made the call, she turned to Lindsey and saw her staring at her. "What?"

"I have a confession to make to you," Lindsey said. "I told Michael why you don't like flowers."

"Oh," Sara said softly. "What did he say?" she asked carefully.

"Not much," she told her. "He looked pensive at first but then he got this determined look in his face."

"Determined?" Sara repeated. "About what?"

Lindsey shrugged. "Who knows."

--

"So how'd your cake turn out?" Andrew asked Michael hours later as they, along with Lily, waited for Sara and Lindsey for lunch at a restaurant.

"It looks all right," Michael said. He had baked the cake last night, making a mess of his kitchen in the process. The cake was balanced and proportioned all around, with no part of it sloping. It had two layers with a bit of chocolate frosting in between and covering all around. Michael had gotten a cake decorator and managed to write "Happy Birthday Sara!" in red on the top.

Andrew's chuckle brought Michael back to the present. Lily smiled at him and said, "I'm sure it's just fine."

Michael nodded in appreciation and turned his head towards the restaurant's entrance. In stepped Sara and Lindsey. He didn't know how, but Michael seemed to always sense Sara's presence when she was near. He could be blind, deaf and anosmic, and he would still be able to find her in a crowded room. He caressed her with a smile when she looked in his direction and made her way towards their table, with Lindsey following at her side.

"About time you guys came," Andrew said jokingly. They had only been waiting about five minutes.

"Happy Birthday Sara!" Lily said.

"Thanks," Sara said with a smile as she sat down next to Michael.

The waitress came by their table, took their orders, and left. The five of them fell into friendly conversation while they waited. Lily presented Sara with a purple gift bag with white tissue paper sticking out from the opening. Sara reached inside and pulled out a soft black cashmere sweater.

"Oh thank you, Lily, Andrew," Sara said.

Lily smiled while Andrew shrugged his shoulders. He turned to Lindsey. "So what did you get her?" he asked.

"A gift card to Victoria's Secret."

Everyone turned to see Michael's reaction. He was struggling not to grin, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. Everyone except Michael and Sara laughed. Sara just blushed and kissed his cheek.

The waitress, along with another, came back with their lunches, and the five of them ate, talked, and laughed as the hour passed by.

Lindsey glanced down at the leather watch on her wrist. "We better wrap this up you guys. Sara and I have to get back to the hospital."

"Already?" Lily asked while Michael asked a passing waiter for the check.

"Afraid so," Sara said with an apologetic smile.

"Well," Andrew began, "we could have had a party tonight, but Mr. Selfish Boyfriend over here decided he wanted to keep the birthday girl all to himself tonight."

Michael just smiled into his glass as he finished off his soda. Once lunch was over and paid for, they piled out of the restaurant, one by one. Michael pulled Sara into his arms for an embrace.

"Remember, be ready by seven," he reminded her, brushing a kiss against her temple.

"I can't wait."

--

And she really couldn't. Once she got home from work around five o' clock, Sara scrambled to get ready for the evening. She took a quick shower and blow-dried her hair, curling it with a curling iron after that. She applied a gentle amount of makeup, a touch of lip gloss on her lips and some sooty coal eye shadow around her eyes. Slipping into a pale blue silver dress that rippled down to her knees, Sara checked her reflection in the mirror. She thought she looked rather like a princess. Smiling, Sara slipped on a pair of silver heeled sandals and checked the time. 6:45 P.M. Fifteen minutes until seven. She wondered anxiously about what Michael had planned for her for tonight all day, she couldn't believe the night was already here. While she waited, she tidied up her apartment a bit. Right on the dot at seven o' clock, there was a knock at the door. Sara used a bit of restraint in not rushing to the door. Smoothing her dress with her hands, she took in a deep breath and reached for the doorknob…

But it wasn't Michael on the other side. Instead, there was an elderly looking gentleman with gray hair dressed in a black suit and hat, and in his arms was a long slender white box. Sara recognized that type of box. It usually held long stemmed roses. Flowers.

"Miss Tancredi?" the man asked. Sara nodded. "My name is George. And these are for you," he said, handing her the box. "From Mr. Scofield."

For one quick second, as she was accepting the box, Sara had a sinking feeling that something had happened. That Michael wasn't able to make it tonight and in his stead he was giving her flowers in an apology. But then she remembered that Lindsey had told her that she told him about how she felt about flowers and knew that Michael would never do that to her. Sara looked up at the old man just to be sure.

He offered her a smile. "I'm supposed to take you to him after you have opened the box."

Sara returned his smile and lifted the lid off the box. She gasped in surprise at what she saw. Instead of a dozen long stemmed red roses, there were red origami paper flowers lined up together on shredded tissue paper in the box. Sara found a small note in the middle of the box and picked it up.

I know you said 'no flowers.'

But these won't die.

Just like my love for you.

Sara felt herself become teary eyed and smiled. This had to be one of the most romantic things anyone had ever done for her.

"There's something written on the back," George pointed out.

Sara turned the note over.

For the twelfth rose, you're going to have to come to me.

I love you.

-Michael

Sara counted up the number of origami flowers in the box. There were only eleven. One more made twelve and twelve made a dozen and a dozen meant "I love you." Sara smiled again.

"Shall we be off, Miss?" George asked.

Sara nodded tearfully. "Yes. Just let me put these away and then we can go." She went back into her apartment and set the box of flowers on her desk. Quickly, she made her way back to George, who held out a gentlemanly arm out to her.

"Let's go," he said with a smile.

Sara gladly took his arm and let him escort her out of the building to a small black car. Opening the door for her, George let her into the back seat of the car. He gently shut the door after she slid inside and moved to the driver's seat. As they drove, Sara recognized the route they were taking. They were heading towards Michael's apartment. Her brows furrowed in curiosity as they drove up to the tall building.

"I don't understand," Sara said as George helped her out of the car. "What are we doing at Michael's apartment building?"

George smiled at her. "Apparently, your Mr. Scofield has a nice dinner planned for you at home," he said, handing her a key. "A romantic man, he is."

Sara's fingers covered the brass key in her palm. "Yes, he is."

George tipped his hat at her and bid her goodbye. "Have a wonderful birthday, Miss Tancredi."

Sara smiled at him. "Thank you."

He nodded and went back to the car and drove away. Sara held the key in her hand until it warmed to her touch. She made her way inside the building and took the elevator up to Michael's floor. Using the key, Sara unlocked his door and stepped inside.

It was dark inside, save for the light that came from the candles set up all around the room, casting a romantic glowing atmosphere everywhere. Looking around, Sara found a table set for two by the window overlooking the lights of the city of Chicago. She took a few steps toward it, but then felt someone behind her. Michael.

His warmth surrounded her, and she leaned back into him, feeling the front of his chest against her back. His left arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him, while his right hand appeared in front of her face, holding up a red origami flower. The twelfth one.

"Happy Birthday," Michael whispered into her ear.

Sara smiled and took the flower from his fingertips. "How many times have you said that to me today?" she asked.

Michael thought for a second. "Only three times."

"You've said it enough now."

Sara felt Michael smile against her ear. "Okay, then how about 'I love you,'?" he asked.

Her smile turned into a grin. "That will do," she said, turning in his arms to face him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged his head down to hers. Michael was only happy to oblige her, taking her mouth in a deep and caressing kiss that made her toes curl and turned her insides into molten honey. When he lifted his head, Sara sighed happily, but didn't let go of her hold around him. Her eyes traveled to the origami flower which rested on Michael's shoulder and she twirled it between her fingertips. Michael's eyes watched the movement.

"What do you think of the flowers?" he asked her.

Sara smiled brightly up at him. "They're perfect."

He smiled back and kissed her again. "Come on," he said leading her to the table. "I'll go get dinner."

"You cooked me dinner?" Sara asked.

"I did more than that," Michael said motioning to a covered dish on the table.

Curious, Sara walked over, set the flower down and gripped the silver handle of the dish, lifting the lid from the plate and finding a cake. And not just any cake, a homemade cake. "You baked me a cake?"

Michael smiled shyly and nodded. "I can't guarantee that it's edible though," he told her. "It's my first time baking."

Sara let out a chuckle. She took her fingertip and scrapped off a bit of chocolate frosting from the side. She popped her finger in her mouth, licking the sweet frosting off the tip, and smiled. "Can we eat it now?" Sara asked.

"Before dinner?"

She nodded.

Michael chuckled. "Dessert before dinner? Tsk, tsk, Sara," he jokingly reproved her.

"I am the birthday girl," she said.

He let out another chuckle. "All right then. We'll do what the birthday girl wants. But first," he said, reaching for a candle and a matchbox. "You have to blow out the candle and make a wish." He placed the candle in the middle of the cake and lit it.

"Aren't you going to sing for me?" Sara asked.

Michael smiled and then wrapped his arms around Sara, embracing her from behind. He brought his mouth close to her ear and began singing "Happy Birthday" to her in a gentle murmur. Sara shivered as she felt the sweet vibrations of his tone. His voice alone could make love to her.

When he was done singing, he whispered into her ear to make a wish. Sara closed her eyes and made her wish. Then she leaned forward and blew out the candle. Michael kissed the side of her head and then moved to cut her a slice of cake. He handed her a plate with the cake slice and a fork. Sara took both, cut off a piece of cake, and put it into her mouth. Michael watched her carefully

"Mmmm…" she said, relishing the sweet moist cake in her mouth. "It's really good."

"Really?"

Sara nodded and cut off another piece with her fork. She brought it up to his lips for him to try. Michael let her feed him and smiled. "It is good," he said, and he reached for her plate to take another piece of cake, but Sara pulled away.

"Hey," she said with a laugh. "Get your own slice!"

Michael laughed with her, but still managed to snag a piece of her cake. "But it's so much fun to take yours," he said licking his fingers of chocolate frosting. He reached for her again.

Sara squealed and tried to squirm away, but Michael caught her.

"Actually, it would be even more fun to just eat you," he said, taking a hold of her, covering her mouth with his and tasting the sweetness inside.

Sara melted inside. She felt Michael take the plate and fork from her hands and set them on the table. When his hands returned to her they were flaming hot, just like his erotic mouth as his tongue caressed and mated with hers. Sara burned for him, her skin craving his skin as she pressed herself up against his hard body. Michael let out a groan when he felt her breasts press up against his chest. He pulled his mouth away and looked down at her. His eyes were smoldering.

Sara nearly swooned at his look of desire at her. She felt the same way. Gripping his hand, Sara led him to his bedroom. In the darkness of the room with only the moon as their light, they came together in another passionate kiss, her hands gripping his shorn head, his fingers running through her auburn hair. Sara's hands slipped to his chest and began unbuttoning his shirt. When she got the last button undone, Michael shrugged his shirt off his shoulders, baring his chest while Sara immediately reached for the zipper of his pants. Her hands brushed the growing bulge there, and Michael groaned as his pants fell to the floor.

"Wait, Sara," Michael pleaded just as she worked his boxers down his butt, leaving him naked in front of her.

"Why?" Sara asked breathlessly as she looked up at him.

Michael took a long hard look at her, enjoying the sight of her flushed and aroused. Her dress shimmered silver in the moonlight. God, she was beautiful, he thought. She looked like a goddess. He didn't want to rush this time. He wanted to relish the moment, worship her, give her the sweet pleasure she deserved. Sara seemed to see this in his eyes and calmed down a bit.

He kicked his pants and boxers away from his ankles and turned Sara around so her back was facing him. His hands reached for the zipper of her dress, pulling it down slowly. His palms lifted to his shoulder, brushing the sleeves of her dress off her shoulders as if they were simple flower petals that had landed on her skin. Sara had worn no bra, so her breasts were bared to the cool air. It made Michael even harder.

He pushed all of her hair to her left shoulder and brought his face to the right side of her head, nuzzling her with his nose and mouth. Sara sighed and leaned back against him, feeling his erection through her panties against her buttocks. Michael's hands stole around to her front to cup each breast. His fingers tugged, rolled, and caressed her nipples until they tightened into hard buds, causing Sara to moan. She pushed her hips back in a sweet undulated move against his. Michael groaned in need as he scattered kisses all over her neck and shoulders, nipping lightly at the skin there.

Sara reached for his hands at her breasts and urged them downwards to slip her underwear off. He did so and turned Sara to face him. His eyes fed off the sight of her beautiful and naked in the moonlight. He brought her to his bed, slipping both of them under the covers.

Michael covered her body with hers, his weight softly pressing her into the mattress, as he kissed her. His hand ran down the length of her body, enjoying the smooth heat of her skin. His fingers found the wet flesh between her thighs and slipped inside. Sara gasped as he found all the sweet spots he knew would give her the most pleasure, caressing and teasing. She whimpered in need when he slipped his fingers out, but he caught the whimper in his mouth with another kiss.

As his lips probed hers, he felt Sara's hands move to the front of his chest, and suddenly Michael found himself on his back with Sara straddling his hips.

She grinned down at him and gave him another probing kiss down to his very soul. Her hands slid seductively down to his stomach. He was so aroused that she had to pull his erection away from his belly. Sara ran her hand slowly along the hard shaft, her fingertips rubbing the wet tip.

"Sara…" Michael gasped. He needed her.

Sara answered him with another kiss. Then she positioned herself over him. She took him inside her slowly, inch by sweet inch, letting out little hums of pleasure at the exquisite friction of their flesh moving against each other. Michael's head fell back onto the pillows as he felt the sweet slide of his flesh inside her. Sara gasped when she plunged down onto him, taking him to the hilt. She then began to move. Michael moved with her as she rode him, his hard flesh inside her soft flesh. His hands slid up from her waist to her breasts to her arching neck as the pleasure began to build. Her skin flushed red as their rhythm quickened and Michael felt himself on the brink of exploding.

He coaxed her to lean more weight over his body and the sweet change of angle brought forth the explosion they knew was coming. Sara shuddered while Michael gave a guttural cry as he released himself into her. He reached for her, bringing her mouth to his to swallow her cries of pleasure as a wave of heated ecstasy washed over them, spreading from the spot where they were joined together to everywhere else in their limbs.

Collapsing down on him, Sara breathed heavily against his chest, her breath cooling the hot sweaty skin there. Michael wrapped his arms around her bare back, his hands playing in her hair. He brushed a kiss against her forehead and murmured an "I love you," into her ear.

"I love you too," she told him.

They lay in bed for a long time, kissing, caressing, and playing with each other, until Sara's tummy growled, aching for food after their love play. Michael smiled and kissed her stomach.

"Why don't we go finish that cake?" he suggested

Sara nodded in eager agreement. They got out of bed, leaving the warm sheets in a wrinkled mess on the bed. Sara picked up Michael's shirt and slipped it on around her body, only buttoning a couple of the middle buttons and rolling up the sleeves. Michael smiled at that and slipped his boxers on.

They strode hand-in-hand back into the living room where the cake was. Sara grabbed the small slice of cake she hadn't finished while Michael grabbed the plate with the rest of the cake, along with another small plate, and they brought it to his coffee table so that the two of them could sit together on the sofa. They snuggled together and fed each other cake until most of it was gone.

Sara licked her fork of frosting. "I think I gained a couple of pounds," she declared, looking down at her waist.

"No, you didn't," Michael said as he pulled her onto his lap. He swept an appraising hand along her hip. "I know your body better than you do, and I would know if your weight changed." He brought his lips to her ear. "And even if you did, we would just work it off later anyway," he said with a grin.

Sara laughed and she pressed a quick kiss against his lips. Her eyes then traveled to the table where she left the origami flower. She scooted off Michael's lap and went to retrieve it, before coming back.

Again she twirled the flower between her fingers and smiled. "Can you teach me how to fold this?" she asked.

"No."

Sara looked into his face. "Why not?"

He smiled at her. "If you knew how to make them yourself, it would take the fun out of making them for you for me."

She laughed and kissed him again.

"I could teach how to fold something else, if you want me to," Michael said, plucking the flower from her hand.

"Sure."

Michael lifted Sara from his lap and left the room in search of origami paper. He came back with two square white sheets.

"What are we going to make?" Sara asked.

"A crane," Michael told her. "Follow my lead."

For the next seven minutes, Michael taught Sara how to fold a paper crane. She was a fast learner, catching onto each precise fold and bending of the paper in the process. Soon they had folded two white origami cranes. Michael took both cranes and placed them on the coffee table in a way so that the tips of their beaks were touching as if in a kiss. Sara smiled and leaned her head onto his shoulder.

"You know, there's a legend that says that if you fold a thousand cranes, then you'll be granted a wish," Michael told her.

"How many cranes have you folded?" Sara asked, looking up at him.

Michael gave a little shrug of his shoulders. "Not sure, but even if I had folded a thousand, I wouldn't know what to wish for," he said, his arm wrapping around her shoulders, bringing her close. "I already have everything I could have ever asked for." He smiled down at her. "What would you wish for?"

Sara smiled back. "I already made my wish when I blew out my birthday candle," she pointed out.

"So what did you wish for?" he asked.

She just smiled at him and moved to straddle his lap again that night. Michael wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned into her kiss, letting her get away with not telling him. Sara smiled as he kissed her while she remembered the wish she made earlier.

She had wished that this man would love her forever, because she knew she would love him for even longer than that.

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