The first time they made love, it was fast and awkward. The second time, it was a little less fast and a little less awkward, but still haunted by the ghosts of their past. But the third time�

The third time surprised her. It was slower, much slower, and without any of the unspoken awkwardness of the first two times hovering about them. They took their time, learning each others bodies, learning what made each other gasp in pleasure, learning how to share this new and wonderful thing.

But it wasn't just the pace that surprised her. It was the care that he showed her, the tenderness in his eyes as he slowly undressed her, the look on his face as she came apart beneath him. Things she hadn't expected, but had greedily accepted once offered.

And she knew, without a doubt, that this thing that had been so long in coming was something that she wanted to last. So, as tenderly and with as much candor as she could muster, she laid her plan out before him. She wasn't going to risk losing it all to their carelessness.