"Hi."

"Hey."

Emma grinned at Will as he held his apartment door open for her, the casserole dish in her hands steaming with heat.

It was a night like any other. Emma arrived at Will's, or Will arrived at Emma's. One of them cooked, or they ordered in. Perhaps they'd watch a movie afterwards while they cuddled on the couch.

With reason, Emma expected Will to have other ideas, and that thought had her shaking in her three-inch Mary Janes.

Two nights ago, Will had finally made love to Emma, and Emma had finally embraced the moment she had avoided for most of her adult life. They had both been nervous and the entire ordeal had been slightly awkward, but each time his lips met hers in the throes of passion, Will knew what they had was forever.

The act itself hadn't been as amazing for Will as it had been for Emma. She had gasped once as he slid into her, but for the rest of the time he moved within her, ever so slowly until he no longer could, Emma fought to hold back tears. Tears of joy that it was Will's eyes gazing at her as he grunted and groaned; tears of pain at the stinging sensation burning where their bodies joined. She hadn't let on how painful the act had been for her at first, but then when the burning started to fade and she could actually feel Will inside of her, it actually felt quite nice. Before Will had felt release and slipped from the warmth of Emma's body, she had felt alive and wanton.

He wasn't the knight in shining armour Emma had anticipated. He wasn't the Greek God of Confidence either. Maybe it was because he hadn't made love for so long, perhaps it was because he'd only shared the act with his wife, but Will was like a virgin school boy. His kisses were sweet and hot at first, and he was smooth and gentle during foreplay. But when it came down to the moment Emma had waited for her whole life, Will had licked his lips and his eyes had radiated anxiety. He wanted to care for her, to make her feel entirely special, and Emma knew that. Still, his lips found hers and they shook against hers as he pushed into her. His worry was undeniably what had made her first time so perfect- she hadn't been the only one gripped by fear.

Will had never felt love as intense as his affection for Emma, and holding her naked body close had been nothing less than good and right. Afterwards, they had lain in each other's arms until Emma decided that she would like to shower. He had watched her hold the sheet to her chest as she hung over the side of the bed to gather her fallen clothes, and Will's hand had travelled out to trace the curve of her exposed behind. Emma had blushed and tried to slip on her blouse in the darkness, but Will's soft kisses on her shoulder had once again ridded Emma of her clothes. Will had pulled the top sheet from the edges of the bed where it was already untucked due to the physicality of their love making, and had wrapped it around Emma's form as she sat next to him on the mattress in silence. The serenity of just being with Will, feeling so exposed, bought Emma liberation.

It had been one of the most wonderful nights of his life, and his heart thudded at the relief he had expressed his love for Emma in such a passionate, primal manner.

With Emma on his doorstep, casserole in hand, she didn't appear to be a changed woman in any way. She looked as sweet as ever, her cheeks coloured with a pink blush. Her smile told a story, read that their relationship was finally on the right track.

Emma was no longer a virgin. Neither knew what to expect from the evening ahead. Would they fall into bed, hungry for each other's touch? Would Emma's legs be around Will's waist before the hour was out? Would he be able to give Emma her first orgasm that night?

Will thought it would be easier after their first time together, after Emma's first time, but she's still as shy as ever. She hadn't turned into the sex fetishist he had fleetingly imagined.

They ate dinner together, cleaned the dishes, and settled on the couch just as they had so many times before. But Emma was tense in Will's arms.

They hadn't really spoken about their night of passion. They'd been dating for four months before, gradually easing into shared intimacy. It wasn't like a one night stand. They knew it was coming and they had been waiting so long for their first time. But Emma wasn't the type of woman to talk about it afterwards, and the next day at school she had been her usual, smiling self.

When Emma rose from the couch and stepped into the kitchen, Will followed behind her.

"Em, we don't have to do anything tonight just because of what happened the other night."

His tone was soft and comforting, yet he could see Emma's hand shaking slightly as she reached to open the cupboard. Her hand curled around a glass, her grip tight as she closed the cupboard. Emma held the empty glass under the tap to rinse it before she poured a glass from a bottle of spring water in the refrigerator.

"No, no. I want to," Emma shook her head as she tightened the cap on the bottle and returned it to the refrigerator.

Will was quick to add to her response. "It's really fine if we just cuddle up and watch a movie. Or you can sleep over if you want to and we wouldn't do anything..."

Emma peered into the glass of water for a moment, considering Will's words. He was so kind and generous.

"No, I liked what we did the other night," Emma whispered with a blush. Her gaze travelled upwards, meeting Will's as he stood before her, their sides pressed into the counter. "It's just...it's a lot."

Her admission was gently spoken, and Will swallowed with a nod.

"I know." He offered a small smile, opening his arms. "Come here."

Emma tilted her head to the side in contemplation with a smile, before falling into his hold. He smelt like musk and vanilla and Will. His chest was strong; beneath her cheek she could feel his heartbeat.

"I like being close to you, Will."

He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, winding his arms around her back.

"It won't always hurt the way it did your first time," Will whispered gazing out his kitchen window to see his neighbours, Karen and Joe, playing in the garden with their children, little Ben and Kate running with sparklers that acted as fireworks against the black canvas of night sky. It was Kate's birthday. Will had forgotten to give her the present in the hall closet- a totem tennis set to play with her brother. He always gave Kate and Ben presents to share with each other, because it was difficult to know what to get a six year old and an eight year old- Terri had always handled gifts.

Emma nodded, turning her head on Will's chest. Her eyes rested on the scene outside the window, the family from the house next to Will's apartment block amusing themselves with playful flames. "I know, I know." Emma exhaled a deep breath. "I'm just nervous."

Will's palm travelled up and down her back, soothingly. "It's going to start to feel really good, I promise." Will felt Emma relax into him, her own hands caressing his back. Her touch was blissful, numbing his self to tranquillity as he mumbled, "But we don't have to have sex every time we're alone together."

They held each other for a moment longer before Emma slipped from Will's arms and paced slowly to the other side of the kitchen, turning and resting against the counter. Her arms were folded across her chest, her features drenched in seriousness as Will realised the amount of space between them. He wanted to be closer to her, not at either ends of the room.

But Emma looked upset, confused and shy as she cast her gaze low, examining the patterned tiles of his kitchen floor.

"What is it?" Will asked quietly.

Emma kept her gaze low, swallowing and taking a deep breath before she started. "I've felt strange these past few weeks, since we've been, you know...intimate."

Will took a seat at the kitchen counter booth, giving Emma his full attention. "Is something wrong? Are you sick?"

Emma shook her head slowly, lifting her eyes to meet Will's for a second before returning her gaze to the floor.

"No, nothing like that." Emma lowered her voice to almost a whisper. "I've spoken to my therapist about it and she says it's completely normal."

Will raised an eyebrow in concern. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her that," Emma chanced a glance at Will, who was watching her expression with wide eyes. "Gosh, um," she was beginning to feel the burn on her cheeks, "...I told her that I've had these feelings, each time we're together. Sometimes when we aren't together."

Emma looked down to the dishrag in her hands, wringing it nervously.

"Dr Shane says I've been experiencing feelings of arousal."

Will grinned widely, enjoying Emma's revelation.

"It's okay, Em."

Emma uncharacteristically tossed the dishrag to the counter, turning and gripping the edges of the sink. She couldn't bear to look at Will. He was so experienced and charming, and she had no idea what this whole new world of intimacy could really be like.

"No, I feel stupid." Will couldn't read her expression with her back turned to him, but he could see she was distressed, so he didn't move; he listened to her uneven breaths and then her profound tone. "I've never felt this way before and it makes me feel insane. I can't stop thinking about you, and what we did together the other night and how good it felt when it wasn't painful."

She hadn't been expecting her voice to sound quite so hoarse and she new Will hadn't been either.

"Emma, I..."

"I just feel naive sometimes, like I've been missing out." The sadness of her tone made his heart swell and fall heavily. She was so simple and divine. "I want to be passionate for you, Will."

Her words were awful. Emma struggled, and they both knew that. It wasn't easy for her to express herself. Will could lay his motions out on a silver platter for her, but Emma was guarded and afraid. They had both seen a side of her that was different and gorgeous only days ago, when they had moved together in his bed, their bodies writhing in a pleasure Emma had only been introduced to that night, moments before. For the last two nights, Will had been haunted by the way her eyes had rolled into the back of her head, just once before he gave in. When it was over, he cursed himself for not being able to hold out, to show her how magical making love could be, how high her pleasure could take her.

He stood from the table, swallowing with sympathy as his arms wrapped around Emma from behind.

"You are passionate." His lips fell on her exposed neck, pressing little kisses over her pale, freckled skin. "When we made love...Emma, it was incredible. You made me feel so loved."

She remembered her own kisses, imagined how she must have looked. Yes, there had been great pain for most of the ordeal. But at the end...that had been amazing. She had finally moved with Will, met his body as his kisses rained over her chest. And then it had all been over.

The obvious truth had been that Emma wanted more. The honest truth was that she needed more.

"I love you," she whispered as she watched the mother of the child with the charcoaled stick step inside her home.

Will pressed his lips against Emma's jaw line. "I know." The shell of her ear. "And I love you." Her hairline at the nape of her neck. "So much."

Emma sighed, feeling her body flutter with uncontrollable shivers. "I want to do it again, Will."

"You want to make love again?" he whispered, content with adoring what was already exposed of her freckled skin.

He felt her nod against him and his chest heaved with excitement and gratitude.

To be close to her was nothing less than a dream. He wanted to touch her again. He wanted to trace the curve of her hip to rib, feel his palm flatten between her breasts, kiss her thighs.

His kisses travelled the length of her hairline. Her hair smelt like lilies and amber. Emma was the definition of amber. She was on fire.

Her grip on the edge of the counter weakened.

Her whisper was throaty as the press of Will's lips reached to behind her other ear.

"So this is what being turned on feels like."

AN: This is a two part fic rated M because, well, that's how I roll. Hope you enjoy!