*****

I awoke to the sensation of warm, smooth wetness on my cheek. My eyes fluttered open and I saw him. He pulled back from placing kisses on my cheek to smile at me. "Morning, Devon," he said in that sugary tone.

"Morning, baby," I said softly, leaning up to kiss him. His lips were soft and he tasted sweet. "Eating chocolate before I wake up and catch you again?"

Xander nodded, giving me a lopsided grin. "You catch me anyway."

I chuckled then glanced at the clock. "Baby, it's only ten-thirty-one. We don't have a show tonight, why'd you wake me up so early?"

"You're a silly man. You know why."

Honesty, I didn't. My mind was still foggy from sleep. "Xander, I don't know." Arching my eyebrow, I sat up a little. "You want to make love again on the balcony and see how many newspapers, tabloids, and magazines we end up in this time?"

He rolled his eyes and I laughed. Xander had gotten over it relatively quickly and now we were to the point that we could joke about it. "Dev, I really didn't think that they could see us. How was I supposed to know that they had a telephoto lens and a suite booked in the hotel across from us?"

"There was no way for you to know. Xander, it's okay. I like the pictures they took. They were revealing but not explicit. You looked beautiful in them, as you always do, and besides, it was good exposure for the band." I let my lower lip stick out a little. "So you don't want to make love on the balcony?"

"I do, but that's not the reason I wrote you up at ten-thirty-one in the morning."

Rolling over, I pinned him under me, feeling very happy when his legs moved around to encompass my hips. I loved being nestled between his legs. I loved feeling his limbs wrapped around me. Carefully, I balanced my weight on my elbows, not wanting to crush him beneath me. "I love you, Xander." I leaned down and kissed him. My kiss was soft but then became more frantic as I felt him grow hard beneath me.

I rocked my hips against his as I hardened as well. "Devon," he whispered like it was a hushed forbidden prayer. "Make love to me."

"We'll have to move to make it to the balcony."

I watched as he shook his head lustfully, his tongue snaking out to wet his lips. "No. Here. Now. Please?"

Smiling, I dove down to recapture his moistened lips.

**

We lay there in a post-coital lump, just holding each other as the morning sunlight filters through the thin curtains of the hotel. As Xander peppers my chest with his feathery kisses, I dream up a new song about Xander and his hot kisses. I chuckled as I came up with the best title. 'Spicy Kisser.' I already had a song off our fourth album called 'My After-Dinner Mint,' which was all about Xander and how I like to give him head.

"Baby," I called softly, forcing his attention way from my right nipple. "Why *did* you wake me up?"

"It's your birthday. You were born July seventh, nineteen-eighty at ten-thirty-one in the morning. You're thirty today."

I groaned as I closed my eyes. "You had to remind me, didn't you?"

Xander smiled, then leaned down and ran his tongue over my lips before pressing his lips to mine. He sucked on my lower lip as he loved to do before pulling back. "I like you being thirty. It's a good age. You keep getting better with every year." Xander paused, sat up and looked down at me as his finger ran the length of my jaw.

"Every day I find a new way to love you. Every day I think that there is no possible way I could love you more, but every day you prove me wrong. I love you. I love that you're my husband and you're not afraid to tell anyone. I love that you think of me before your band and you ask me for my opinions on stuff that is clearly none of my business."

Xander chuckled a little. "I love that you fired Thomas because he was a prick to me. I love that the way you talk about me in interviews and the way your eyes sparkle when you see me. I love the little noise you make when you come and I love the way you stroke my hair when you hold me. I love you, Dev. You're thirty years old and we've been together for eleven years. Eleven years," he repeated, smiling down at me.

I move until I was sitting, facing him. My hands reached out and found his. I watched as his eyes grew teary and my heart jumped. He hardly ever cried. He cried when I proposed and he cried when I was in the hospital because my appendix burst and he cried at his friend Buffy's funeral. "I just love you, Devon. I don't ever want to be without you."

"Oh, baby," I said as a small tear rolled down his cheek. "I love you," I whispered as I kissed that tear, tasting its salty flavor. I pulled back and gave him a soft smirk. "Being with you makes being thirty bearable."

"All good stuff is going to come to you, Dev. Your thirties are going to be great."

Looking at him seriously and pulling his hands to rest over my heart, I said, "All the good stuff has already come to me, baby. I have you."

~end~