OOC - We were so busy around the holidays that we didn't get a chance to write this thread. Just so that everyone knows the time frame, this thread takes place on December 27th, 2008. Enjoy! I know we will!

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”I now pronounce you, man and wife, you may kiss the bride.

It took Tarin a moment to remember that the man in the wedding chapel was talking to him. He was too busy staring at Lee, staring at Lee in a dress completely different than he’d ever seen her in before. That was probably because it was her wedding day, and it was her wedding dress. Tarin was sure he would never forget the moment she’d walked down the aisle as long as she lived. She’d walked through the doors of the silly little chapel they were in and his heart at stopped for what had felt like a whole minute. The dress wasn’t completely white, they’d never done anything else the traditional way, so apparently the dress was going to be no different. It was beautiful though, and long.

Later, he would realize that he barely remembered any of his own wedding ceremony, but the words hadn’t been the important part. Neither had been his shaking hands, or that moment when he’d forgotten the words he was supposed to say halfway through and had to be reminded. What had been important was the fact that after what was definitely the most amazing night of his life, Lee had decided that the time was right to get married, they were there, and the preacher had just told him to kiss the bride. Oh yeah! Kiss the bride.

Tarin smiled and leaned forward, kissing Lee soundly, but probably more chaste than almost any of the kisses they usually shared. It was their wedding kiss after all, more of a handshake after the most important promises of their lives. Nothing bawdy to induce cat calls or laughing.

The chapel had come with a little post wedding celebration complete with a few snapped pictures, a little cake, and champagne to commemorate the moment. Tarin smiled and chatted with his brother and…sister-in-law…but all he could think about was the way that Lee looked in that dress, the way Lee looked when she sipped at the champagne in that dress, and how unbelievably hot her hair looked pulled back and pinned like it was.

Rachael was saying something to him, and Tarin just nodded because he’d missed all the words while looking at his….wife, who was chatting with his brother. Tarin drained the half-glass of champagne he’d been holding and was startled when Rachael laughed.

“Tarin, I just asked you if you thought you’d have been happier if you married that performance artist with the flaming batons we saw in front of the Mirage earlier. You haven’t heard a word I’ve said in the last five minutes…and if I’m not mistaken…by the look on Josh’s face, him and Lee are in the same situation. Why don’t you go get her and do your little married thing.”

Tarin looked at Lee’s sister for a second, then broke into a bright grin and pulled her into a tight hug, “You know, you’re responsible for a healthy chunk of this Rach…and I won’t forget it.” He said when he released her.

“Nah…all I did was get Lee’s stupid ass back in New York where it belonged. You guys did all the rest on your own. Now go get your wife, I’ve never been here before and Josh says he knows all the best spots to gamble.”

Tarin laughed, he wasn’t surprised that his brother knew such things, and he was delighted that their witnesses were going to have something to do for the evening. It was still early, but Tarin had a feeling he wouldn’t be wanting to go out and see the Vegas sights any time soon.

Casting one more smile over his shoulder at Rachael as he set the champagne glass down and made his way to Lee, Tarin grinned at her and slipped an arm around her waist as she finished whatever it was she was saying to Josh, then leaned down and whispered in her ear.

“I don’t know about you…but I’m ready to get out of here. Your sister’s assured me that she and Josh will be perfectly diverted for the rest of the night. I want you all to myself. Now.”

((Lee's wedding dress))

It had taken so long for them to get here. Well, the actual drive had taken less than a day in reality, but with how much energy Lee had had during that drive, it had felt twice as long. And then there was the fact that it felt like it had taken forever for them to get to this point from the time they had met. Yes, they'd technically only known each other for a year and a half at this point, less actually. But after three months, Lee had told her brother that she and Tarin knew each other better than their parents did after years of marriage.

Despite the fact that it felt like it had taken forever to get to this point, once they actually got to Las Vegas, it felt like she didn't have enough time. And that was without having slept. The moment that Rachael had gotten there, the two had been out shopping for dresses, and Lee felt like she hadn't stopped until after she had walked down the aisle and come to a halt beside Tarin.

But by that point, her heart was pounding and her breathing was slightly shallow for a different reason. She had seen Tarin dressed up before this point, but this...Seeing Tarin actually wearing a tuxedo took her breath away, and Lee couldn't take her eyes off him during the entire ceremony. At least she managed a little better than Tarin did with the whole remembering what to say. Not much, but better.

And then it happened. Lee's breath caught in her throat as she heard the officiant tell Tarin he could kiss the bride, and a happy smile crossed her face even though she couldn't seem to breath properly.

Tarin almost seemed dazed too, and it took a couple moments before he actually moved forward to kiss her, but when he did...

Lee honestly couldn't remember the last time they had had a kiss that would have been considered as chaste as that kiss had been, but at the same time Lee wasn't sure she could remember any other kiss being as amazing, either, and if it wasn't for his arms around her, Lee wasn't sure she'd have actually managed to stay on her feet.

And then they were off. Apparently the chapel Tarin and Josh had found them for the wedding provided champagne and cake as well, so Lee sipped at the champagne after a glass had been pushed into her hand, but she was far too distracted to worry about the cake. And even try as she might to listen as Josh was talking to her, Lee's eyes kept drifting to her husband, her husband who looked so much more incredibly handsome in his tuxedo than his older brother did, and she kept missing half of what the man was saying to her.

"....wouldn't have wanted something nicer for your wedding?"

Lee blinked as she heard the tail end of Josh's question and turned to look at him, the almost giddy smile still on her face after staring at Tarin. "Sorry, what?"

Lee watched as Josh shook his head at her, and she blushed slightly. She really hadn't been paying attention to anything he had said, had she? "I asked," Josh repeated, emphasizing his words. "If you wouldn't have preferred something nicer than this, a little more planned out. This whole thing was rather rushed."

For a moment, Lee just starred at Josh. Something nicer than this? Sure, the chapel wasn't the nicest looking place around they could have gotten married, but as Lee's eyes drifted over to Tarin who was making his way toward her once more, Lee shook her head. If she had really wanted something different, they would have had a different wedding.

"This is so much better than anything I dreamt of as a kid," Lee told Josh as she felt Tarin's arm wrapping around her waist. Her groom was so much more incredible than any she had dreamt of...

That said, Lee was just about to turn to face her new husband when she felt his lips brushing her ear as he spoke. And told her that he was ready to get out of there. To get out of there while Josh and Rachael found ways to distract themselves for the night in Las Vegas. Yeah, Lee could deal with that.

Nodding even as a slight blush crossed her cheeks, Lee turned to look at Tarin. And her breath caught in her throat again as she saw the look in Tarin's eyes as he looked down at her. Yeah. They really needed to get out of there. Now.

It took Lee another couple moments, but then she tore her eyes (at least partially) away from Tarin and kind of looked at Josh and Rachael. "We'll see you tomorrow," Lee told them, slightly distracted as her eyes were already drifting back to Tarin's. Then draining the last of the champagne in her glass, Lee grabbed Tarin's hand and started walking from the chapel, leaving the glass on a table as she passed.

Lee was ready to go too, and suddenly they were completely on their own as they started walking away from their siblings. Later, Tarin would roll his eyes at the memory and the unbelievable amount of crap he'd get from his older brother about not even saying goodbye before he spirited Lee off. Tarin couldn't have cared less about it at the moment though, because the way that Lee was looking at him made his mouth go dry all over again. And as they walked towards the hotel, Tarin halfway wished that they'd brought the champange along.

Tarin looked sideways at Lee as they entered the hotel and thought for the millionth time since he'd seen her in the dress, just how absolutely and utterly beautiful she was. How lucky he was. How simply grateful he was that they'd ended up where they were.

Tarin had always seen married people as the type of schmucks who were shackling themselves to one person and one place for their entire lives. It had made so much sense at that time to simply keep a parade of women going in and out of his shop, then pick up and move somewhere new. In hindsight, he'd been so stupid. But Tarin wouldn't have traded any of it away. No, if none of that had happened, he wouldn't have ended up in New York...and if he hadn't made a very poor decision one beautiful day in the park, he'd have never gotten Lee. Tarin had told her once at the top of the Empire State Building that he believed in fate, and this was just more proof positive to him that it really existed.

Lee had changed him, made those couples make sense. They fit together, in more ways than one, and he couldn't imagine what kind his life would have been like without her…but he knew that it wouldn’t have been right. Sometime during all of his thoughts, they’d made it to the hotel. That had been fast, Tarin thought he remembered it being further, or had he really been that caught up in his own thoughts while they’d walked? The people in the hotel turned and looked at them as they walked by and Tarin wondered how many of them had the remotest of clues what this night had meant. He would have put money on none.

They got the elevator and Tarin pushed the button, then pushed it three more times when the doors didn’t immediately open. He wanted to be back in their nice room…their nice room with a Jacuzzi. Somewhere, anywhere away from the prying eyes of the rest of the world. He looked at Lee as he waited impatiently and smiled, trying to find something to say but failing miserably. Words just didn’t express what he was feeling, so he kissed her. Right as the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

Tarin sighed and pulled his lips away from Lee’s as the doors opened and they made their way inside. Of course, two other couples and a small family crowded inside too. Tarin hit the button for their floor then moved back to stand by Lee, wrapping an arm around her waist, then watching in horror as the little brat apparently owned by the family pushed every button in the elevator.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Tarin groaned, casting Lee a sideways look before bursting out in mirthful laughter and turning to kiss Lee again. “Nothing’s ever easy.” He said against her lips, then turned her so her back was facing him, pulling her backwards and wrapping his arms around her while his fingertips played lightly along the place where the black material met the white on the dress.

It didn’t really take all that long, considering all the buttons, and the family got off at the fourth floor after the elevator started. That in and of itself should have been irritating, but by that point Tarin had leaned his chin on Lee’s shoulder and was carefully studying the strapless neckline of her dress.

Up and up they went, stopping at every floor until eventually they were alone in the elevator. Tarin held himself together though until finally the elevator stopped at their floor. They’d splurged a bit. They were so used to being frugal, not even their wedding night had induced them to extravagance in the extreme. The room they’d booked was nicer than the usual room in this hotel, but it was only one of the smaller suites.

Out of the elevator Tarin pulled Lee, keeping one of her hands in his as he pulled her towards the room. Once at the door he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and dug out the card, working it in the electronic lock until the little green light came on and he tripped the latch.

Lee moved to walk past him and his arms shot out, wrapping around her waist, “Nuh uh Mrs. Brooks,” he said, voice husky as it went over the words, “as untraditionally as we’ve done everything else to this point…this is one thing I’m going to do right.”

That said, Tarin kissed her soundly then bent, arm behind Lee’s knees as he tipped her backwards, effectively scooping her into his arms. As strong as she was, it was easy to forget just how tiny Lee was and Tarin marveled again at the fact that this was his wife.

Over the threshold of the hotel room doorway Tarin stepped, futher into the room, then pushed the door shut with his foot before setting Lee back down on her feet. Usually what came next would have been easy, but for some reason after everything that had happened that day it seemed weird just to jump in. The room was dark, they’d shut the lights off before they left, but the lights from the strip cast a neon glow in through the windows and they played over Lee’s face and bare shoulders as she stood in the room.

“You’ve got to be the most beautiful woman to ever get married…” Tarin said, raising his hand to her cheek before kissing her softly, almost as gently as during the ceremony. “I swear Lee…I’m never going to forget how lucky you made me on this day…”

The walk to the hotel had been silent. Well, not silent, there was lots of noise from all around them, but not a single word passed between Tarin and Lee the entire way from the chapel to the hotel. Even after they walked into the hotel, nothing was said despite the looks that they were getting and Tarin's impatience with the elevator since it apparently wasn't just sitting there waiting for them.

That was one thing that was strange; Tarin had been so subdued and serious since they had gotten to Las Vegas. It was so unlike him that on at least a couple of occasions, Lee had worried that maybe Tarin was having some second thoughts about getting married.

Well, she had those second thoughts until the moment she saw the look in his eyes. Any time that he looked at her.

It was the same as they made their way into the hotel, Tarin was just so quiet, that even though things at the chapel had been absolutely amazing, Lee was starting to wonder again. Until Tarin turned to look at her, and she saw his eyes for a moment before he leaned in to kiss her.

But then the elevator finally dinged as the doors opened, and Lee sighed as Tarin pulled back so they could actually enter the elevator to get up to their room.

And after them came a few other couples and a family. With a kid that pushed every button. Oh, that's just great. Lee sighed again a moment before she felt Tarin's lips on hers. Apparently they were in for quite a long wait to get to their hotel room. At least quite a lot longer than they were wanting.

Shifting easily as she felt Tarin moving her in front of him, Lee leaned her head back against Tarin's shoulder as she felt his arms wrapping around her. This was nice, feeling Tarin holding her like this, but they had just gotten married.

Finally, the elevator opened to their floor, and before Lee was really able to act, Tarin was already pulling her by the hand toward their room.

And then another wait as Tarin dug out the key card from his wallet. She would have been faster, except for the fact that she had left her purse in the hotel room. She hadn't exactly needed it for the ceremony, after all.

Once Tarin had managed to get the door open, Lee stepped to go inside. It was habit, it was normal, Tarin always held doors open for her.

Except that this time, he caught her with an arm around her waist, stopping her before she had even taken a full step.

“Nuh uh Mrs. Brooks,”

Lee blushed. Did his voice really sound that husky, or was she imagining it? Hearing Tarin call her Mrs Brooks was pretty damn nice, too. But apparently he was going to do this one thing traditionally, even if nothing else had been traditional? Lee was still somewhat puzzling that out after the kiss Tarin had given her.

Until she felt him scooping her up in his arms. Ah, apparently she had forgotten about the whole being carried over the threshold bit of getting married. Lee's blush grew warmer on her cheeks as Tarin walked, carrying her into the hotel room.

Tarin didn't set her back down on the floor until he had gotten the door closed behind her. Normally, Lee wouldn't have been overly impressed with something like that, wouldn't have been happy about feeling as vulnerable and helpless as being carried like that made her feel, but this...this was just nice.

So Lee was grinning up at her new husband when he finally set her feet carefully back on the ground. But rather than what she had figured would be happening once they got back to the hotel, Lee saw Tarin simply looking at her, gazing at her, his hand coming up to her cheek as he spoke and she blushed even more.

And even more blushing as Tarin kept talking. Holy shit...All Lee could do was stare at Tarin as she tried to get her heart to slow down and her lungs to start breathing again. He had said a lot of stuff to her since they had met, but nothing like what he had just said. Then again, she had felt like she had as she was standing beside him in the chapel, had never seen him like he was here in that tux of his.

Even after she had managed to start breathing again, not exactly an easy task with how Tarin was looking at her, Lee was silent, simply looking up at him. So while she tried to figure out something to say, Lee kissed Tarin, the same kind of kiss as he had just given her. And then kissed him again, her hands reaching up to his shoulders as her lips began to move a bit more passionately.

Finally Lee pulled away, a look of such happiness on her face as she smiled up at Tarin. "I can't believe I'm actually married," she whispered.

Ah, she blushed. Even in the dim flashing light provided by the neon out on the strip, Tarin could see the dark color moving up from the neckline of her dress and into her cheeks as she stood there and looked at him. He’d told her, so many months ago that he always knew he was saying the right thing when she blushed. This time was no different, though he’d only been telling the truth.

Lee moved forward and kissed him, much in the same way as he’d just kissed her and Tarin sighed happily against her lips, arms reaching out to encircle her and pull her tight against his body. She kissed him again and this kiss was different , deeper and more passionate and Tarin responded in kind, hands moving to her hips, then sliding up her back to hold her close.

Lee pulled away and Tarin looked down at her, completely dazed from the kiss as she spoke. Then he smiled and dropped his forehead to Lee’s, closing his eyes even as he smiled at her.

“I can’t believe I’m the one who got to marry you.” He said, hands moving again, running over the beading on the dress before he stepped backwards and unbuttoned the jacket on his tux, shrugging out of it before dropping it onto the table that had come with the suite. That out of the way, Tarin moved back to Lee and looked down at her, shoving his hands in his pockets so he’d behave while he tried to work out what he’d been trying to say all day.

People spent months and months writing their own vows for days like today, moments like this in lives that people didn’t think were possible. They’d eloped though and there hadn’t been time for anything more than the stumbled and slightly misspoken words in the chapel. That wasn’t good enough for Lee, even if Tarin knew this was exactly what she’d wanted. ..she’d been the one to suggest it.

“Lee…” he said, voice low and suddenly full of emotion he hadn’t realized had surfaced, “You…you’re absolutely the best part of me.” He said, lowering his brown eyes to meet her beautiful grey one, she tried to say something but he loosed one of his hands putting a finger to her lips, “I didn’t get to say any of this while we were in the chapel, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to say it…probably for my whole life.” She quieted and he nodded and smiled, then started talking again.

“I never thought that something like this was in the cards for me…that there was anyone out there who could make me want the types of things that marriage entailed.” Tarin paused, then smiled and spoke with the tone of an enlightened man, “Then I met you…and you were so different than any woman I ever met…you’re so strong…and so beautiful. I still look at you sometimes and wonder when I’m going to wake up from this dream that I’ve been dreaming for the last year and a half. I hope it never happens, I hope I never wake up, because I don’t think that I’d be anything without you.”

At that point, the words ran out and Tarin let his finger slide down from Lee’s lips, his hand tracing down her neck as his hand moved to the back of her head and he leaned down to kiss her. This was a real kiss too, a kiss full of passion, and longing from the past months that the night in the truck hadn’t started to quench. “God I love you…” he said against her lips, his other hand moving to her hair to start searching for the pins that had held it up so beautifully during their wedding. Tarin wanted her hair down, wanted his hands in it, wanted Lee in general.

Lee continued to blush as Tarin responded to her comment about actually getting married. Because apparently he thought it was so much more surprising that he had managed to marry her than the simple fact that she had gotten married in general.

But then Tarin was stepping away from her, and Lee watched as he first undid his jacket, then shrugged out of it and set it on a nearby table. Tarin looked amazing in the tuxedo, there was no doubt about it, but even without the jacket he still looked great. Still looked incredible.

Still took her breath away as he looked at her a moment later as he stepped closer once more, his hands in his pockets. As Tarin started talking again once he was looking at her, Lee opened her mouth to speak in return, only to find Tarin's finger gently pressing against her lips. So she was quiet and listened as Tarin spoke.

A lot of the stuff that Tarin was saying she had heard before, he had said before. This was different, though, so much different this time. Not only because of where they were, not only because of the fact that it was their wedding night, that they just got married, but because of the tone he had in his voice as he spoke, the look in his eyes as he looked down at her.

And then she heard something she wasn't sure Tarin had said before; how the last year and a half, the entire time they had known each other, he was afraid that it had all been a dream that he might wake up from.

As Tarin stopped speaking and she felt his finger moving away from her lips, Lee let her head dip slightly, a happy smile and slight blush on her face.

Then she felt Tarin's hand tracing down her neck. The hotel room was warm, not uncomfortably so, but definitely warm, and despite that, Lee felt herself shiver and goosebumps appear as Tarin's finger moved along her skin.

What was she supposed to say to that? It was amazing, beautiful, heartfelt. And Lee had no idea what to say in response.

But she needed to say something, she couldn't just stand there in silence after something like that, especially since they had just gotten married. So Lee lifted her head once more, looked up into Tarin's eyes, and was just opening her mouth to try and speak even though she had no idea what to say, when Tarin's hand reached the back of her head and he leaned down to kiss her as he pulled her to himself.

This worked too, Lee decided as she lifted her arms, wrapping them around Tarin's neck, returning his kiss. This kiss was different, though, so much more passionate, so much more...everything than any other kiss they had shared that day. Lee hadn't felt a kiss like this since they were in the back of Tarin's truck under the stars, and before that, she couldn't remember the last time they had had a kiss that was this much.

It didn't long at all before Lee's hands moved up the short distance from where they were around Tarin's neck to his hair. Gripping, holding, almost not even letting him move back enough to say he loved her against her lips.

And so they stood there, simply kissing, Lee's hands clenched in Tarin's hair as his worked at pulling the pins out of hers. After a while, though, that wasn't nearly enough for Lee. It was their wedding night, after all, and they had that huge bed just over there, so why were they simply standing there kissing?

Stepping back slightly, just enough to put some real space between their bodies but not actually breaking the kiss, Lee loosened her grip in Tarin's hair and brought her hands around the front, blinding working at first undoing his tie, then moving down to undo his shirt.

"Ughmmmmmmmmm," Lee groaned against Tarin's lips as she felt one last pin pull free, her hair fall, and Tarin's hands closing in her hair like hers had been moments earlier. "I love you, so much," she then mumbled. It might have been rather garbled, though, since Lee didn't pull back nearly as much as Tarin had to speak.

His finger on her lips had stopped her from talking initially, but as he continued Tarin had a feeling that Lee was speechless. Perfect, that’s what he’d been going for, and it was hard to make Lee speechless. Her reaction was more than enough to say that she had understood, had listened to what he was saying, Tarin was glad, he’d meant every single word.

She might have been getting ready to say something when he leaned down to kiss her, but Tarin didn’t know, and really didn’t care. If she had something to say, it could be said later. Lee seemed to forget quickly too, because almost instantly her arms were up around his neck, bringing her body tight up against his. Yup. They were done talking.

A few moments later the kiss changed and Lee’s hands moved into his hair. Just like everything that night, it was different, more intense, Lee was almost pulling. Thinking about it again...intense didn’t even describe it, and Tarin entertained several notions that involved torn fabric and instant gratification. With supreme will that he would congratulate himself on for years to come, he held back though. Lee would probably want to keep the dress, after all and this was their wedding night.

Lee’s hands left his hair at almost the moment his found hers and started working at getting rid of the pins. It was an arduous task, made even more so by the fact that Lee was working at getting his tux off. Tux…rented tux…stupid rented tux with way more pieces than were absolutely necessary. Lee was trying blind and doing a good job, but there were just so many pieces. What had to be the last pin came free and Tarin allowed himself to grip her hair for a few moments, fingers running through the curls. Lee made a little noise and that restraint Tarin was so proud of simply snapped, impatience bubbling over as he pulled away from the kiss so he could actually see what was going on with his clothes.

“I’m going to find the bastard that decided this much clothing was necessary for getting married and beat his ass…” he said, already freeing his wrist from one cuff and working on the other while Lee dealt with the buttons on the vest and shirt. Finally, Tarin was free, though, and he shrugged completely out of the shirt, tossed the tie...somewhere behind him then looked at Lee who was still fully dressed.

“Uh…” he said, walking her backwards towards the bed, “If you want that thing to stay in once piece…" he said, indicating the dress she wasn't going to be wearing for much longer, one way or another, "you’d better start working at getting it off.”

Trying to take Tarin's tie off was taking way too long for Lee's liking. All things considered, like the fact that Lee had only ever seen Tarin wear a tie once, hadn't ever taken one off him, and the fact that she was trying to take it off without being able to see it, she was doing remarkably well.

And, she even managed to succeed at getting the damn thing undone after minutes of fighting with it.

Unfortunately, mere moments after Tarin had finished getting the pins out of her hair, and mere moments after she had moaned into the kiss, he was pulling away. At least Lee originally thought that him pulling away was unfortunate. Once she saw the look in his eyes, and heard him starting to complain about tuxedos while fighting with his cuffs, Lee realized that maybe it wasn't so unfortunate; she was able to make much quicker progress with the buttons on the vest and the shirt now that she was actually able to see them.

Much much faster than she had been able to blindly get his tie undone, she had his shirt unbuttoned, and Tarin was shrugging it off. Then his hands were back on her waist, and with slight pressure, and his step forward, he started walking her backwards. Toward the bed.

Now this was what she had been waiting for.

Then she heard Tarin speaking as he was walking her backward, heard the tone of his voice. Lee grinned. She loved making Tarin react like this, loved hearing how he got that husky tone in his voice while he was looking at her.

And loved what she knew was going to be coming next, since he was telling her she needed to be working on taking her dress off if she wanted it to stay in one piece. She and Rachael had done a damn good job shopping earlier that day, and so far Tarin hadn't seen half of it.

"Alright," Lee said, lifting her hand to touch Tarin's shoulder, trying to tell him to stop there. His bare shoulder. For a moment, Lee's mind went blank and she almost stepped closer to him again, almost wrapped her arms around his neck, her hand almost found his hair, as she would have started kissing him.

Almost, but she managed to hold back just long enough to remember what it was he had asked her to do. Oh right, taking her dress off then so it, at least, remained safe and untorn. Good idea, that.

"Just, stay there," Lee said, the grin coming back to face again as she took a couple of slow steps backward, away from Tarin. Opening up a much larger gap than had been between them since they were at the chapel. But sacrifices had to be made, and Lee knew that the rewards for this particular sacrifice would be more than worth it.

Stopping just four steps away from Tarin, gazing over at him with a knowing smile on her face, Lee's hands moved behind her to fumble with first the hook and eye at the top, and then the zipper in the back of her dress. Unusually, it took a couple tries before she was completely successful at getting the thing undone; Lee had more than enough practise with clothing like this, with hooks, and zippers, and all that kind of thing in the back that it shouldn't have been an issue for her, but with how her breathing had been, with the kissing that had been going on, with the anticipation of what was coming, her hands were not nearly as steady as they normally were.

Once the dress was unzipped, Lee just stood there looking at Tarin for a moment, then let her hands fall to her sides, her arms pinning the dress in place as she looked over at Tarin with a now teasing smile. "Are you sure you're ready for me to take it off right now?" Lee asked. Yes, she was teasing, but it was fun.

Seeing Tarin's reaction, Lee giggled slightly, her smile growing, as she lifted her hands again. And started sliding her dress down so she could step out of it.

Yes, her shopping trip with Rachael earlier that day had been very productive. As the dress slithered to the floor, the red and black corset Lee was wearing underneath became visible. Followed by the fishnet stockings, and finally her shoes. Stepping out of the material that was now pooled on the floor around her, Lee kicked it to the side as she watched for Tarin's reaction.

"No more dress," Lee said, then slowly stepped back toward Tarin. Much slower than she had stepped away from him. "Is it better now?"

Finally stepping right up to Tarin, Lee reached out, but rather than putting her hands around his neck like she normally would, rather than leaning in for a kiss, Lee's hands reached for Tarin's belt. Even as she bit her bottom lip, she had a gleam in her eye as she looked at Tarin. This much playing things up, this much teasing, wasn't exactly Lee. And yet here, tonight, it was feeling right.

"And you're still wearing too much," Lee told him as she used her grip on his belt to pull him toward her, closing the last inch of space between them. And then proceeded to start undoing said belt.

His shirt was gone, thank god his shirt was gone. It wasn’t hot in the room, but the heat rushing through Tarin’s veins was nearly enough to make him sweat. That’s what Lee did to him, she made him hot. Pretty much anytime she wanted to, pretty much anytime she tried, and a fair amount of time when she didn’t try.

They were making their way to the bed, Lee had the same look in her eyes that Tarin was sure was mirrored in his own, he was leaning down to kiss her again and maybe make good on that promise to destroy the dress if she didn’t take it off soon when…she stopped.

Tarin’s breath caught in his throat as Lee moved backwards. The look in her eyes didn’t suggest that she was going to redlight the whole situation, but as she moved further away, Tarin wanted to follow her, he even moved to follow her. He hadn’t meant it about tearing the dress…he’d help her take it off…but Lee told him to stay where he was. Tarin just nodded, casting pleading looks in her direction. He’d taken his shirt off…she should at least take…Oh. Lee was fumbling with the hook and eye…but finally got it then decided she needed to tease. Oh god why did she have to tease? Tarin hadn’t had nearly enough of her in the truck for her to start teasing. His bride had asked him to wait though…so he waited.

Tarin hadn’t thought he couldn’t possibly get hotter, standing in the middle of a reasonably cool room with no shirt on than he’d been with Lee’s hands on him, but as she stood there with nothing holding her dress on but the light pressure of her arms Tarin would have sworn his body temperature rose a good twenty or thirty degrees. Suddenly he felt like loosening a collar or tie that wasn’t there…and that was before she asked if he really wanted her to take the dress off.

All Tarin could do was nod, anticipating the sight of Lee’s bare skin underneath the black and white material that had covered her so beautifully during the wedding ceremony, but nothing on heaven or on Earth could have prepared him for what he saw when Lee let the dress pool to her feet.

Tarin’s heart stopped for a good five seconds, he was sure of it, and he stopped breathing too. In fact, Tarin was pretty sure he died for that five full seconds before pure and unbridled lust surged through him in a way that he’d never felt before in his life…and Tarin had lived a lot of this kind of life. A strangled groan escaped his lips that sounded something like, “Holy god Lee… as his eyes followed the path the dress had taken to the floor then moved upwards, starting at the shoes. She’d worn fishnets…fishnets underneath her wedding dress and as Tarin’s eyes went higher, his breathing hitched again, and again….and again until he was physically shaking.

Suddenly, Tarin felt like he was fifteen again and didn’t have a clue what to do with the woman in front of him, the woman that was now moving towards him in the neon glow of their honeymoon suite. His woman…his wife. Oh god…this was his wife.

Tarin was dizzy by the time Lee stopped, so close to him that he could smell her hair, but not quite feel her against him. He just stared. Her arms moved and Tarin anticipated them moving to his hair, or around his neck, but instead they went to his pants. Oh. He was still wearing pants. Lee had worn that under her wedding dress through the whole ceremony…and he was still wearing pants.

Apparently not for long, though, and as Lee spoke, Tarin came back to life again, an absolutely predatory smile painting his features as he let Lee do her thing. She was never this forward, this demanding, and it was by far the hottest thing she’d ever done, then she pulled him by the still fastened belt and his body was pressed against hers.

He wasn’t going to help her with the belt. Besides, he needed his hands free for other things. Lots and lots of other things, he thought, as they found Lee’s hair again, and he pulled her head to the side, dipping his head to that spot just below her ear. It was as good place as any to start, and as his hands moved from her hair and started to roam her body and Lee finished her work on the rest of his clothes, Tarin couldn’t help but think for a brief moment before instinct took over and that bed got put to good use that this was a great way to start a marriage.

*fade to black*

*fade to light....hours later*

Lee stood at the window of their hotel room, wrapped in nothing but a white bed sheet, as she looked out at the scene before her that was the Las Vegas strip. Tarin, at that moment, lay somewhere between dozing and full fledged unconsciousness on the bed, where he had been for the previous hour. The rest of the bedding that Lee hadn't confiscated as clothing lay skewed and slightly tossed around the bed.

Why had she put this off for so long, why had she held Tarin at arms length for as long as she had, Lee wondered as she stared out over the city. Christmas night, with him under the stars, had been absolutely amazing. It had felt like the first time all over again. Only better. And tonight had gone so far beyond that, Lee wasn't sure that there was actually a way to describe it. And sure, if she hadn't held things off between her and Tarin as long as she had, for almost 9 months since she had been taken to that camp, Christmas night wouldn't have been as significant as it had been, but Lee doubted it would have changed how the night had felt at all.

With a slight, happy sigh, Lee turned to look at Tarin where he was still laying in the bed. For the first little while, she had laid there in bed with him as he dozed, but before too long had to get up. Tarin was sleeping, which meant she had too much energy to simply be able to lay there with him. But she wasn't nearly ready to go use that fitness centre that was somewhere in the hotel. Despite the fact that she extremely energized at this point, Lee didn't want to leave Tarin quite yet. It was their wedding night, after all, they had to have even the slightest bit of normalcy, and the bride leaving the honeymoon suite just hours after getting there to go work out was anything but normal.

Hearing a knock on the door, Lee jumped. Then she remembered that she had called for room service; Tarin might be sleeping, but she hadn't exactly eaten a lot all day. Once the man downstairs had found out which room she was in, he had started calling her Mrs Brooks, causing Lee to grin and blush into the phone. She was pretty sure that Josh and Rachael had both called her that, but it would have been right after the ceremony, and she had still been in an almost daze. And yes, Tarin had called her that once they had gotten back to their room, but that was different, it was Tarin. He was her husband.

That was going to take some getting used to, Lee thought as she made her way to the door. Despite how happy she was about the thought, it was still going to take some time to get used to things like that.

"Thanks, just over there," Lee said once she had opened the door, indicating a spot just inside the room. In the cart came, and back out the door the guy went as quickly as Lee could manage. If Tarin was going to be asleep, Lee wanted to at least be alone in the room.

Once the door was closed once more, Lee looked at the cart. As well as everything she had ordered, there was a bottle of champagne sitting there . Lee frowned as she moved closer. She didn't order champagne, that would be way too expensive. They were already splurging enough for the hotel, the room service itself was probably way more expensive than it should be, but champagne?

And then Lee saw a little card, tucked just behind the bottle. The slight frown still on her face, Lee picked it up and opened it. It was simple, it was short, and most definitely to the point. Lee couldn't help but laugh when she finished reading it.

Have fun, and don't come out early on our behalf.
Enjoy!
Josh and Rachael

Tarin had always slept in the afterglow, it was just kind of how it worked for him. With Lee, though, it was always a little different, more intense. Tarin knew that at least part of that was her powers, all the physical contact had some effect. He’d just be being stubborn if he couldn’t admit that. As he dozed, Tarin went over the last…however long it had been…in his mind and every now and then he’d smile slightly at a particular memory.

Lee had gotten up at some point and Tarin figured she was going to take a shower or down to the exercise center they’d seen when they checked in. She usually had way too much energy after sex to just sit or lay in one place very long. Time went on, though, and Tarin didn’t hear the shower turn on…and no door opening and closing. He sighed and took a deep breath and let himself slip off into slightly deeper sleep.

A while later, Tarin was awakened by the sound of the door and he sat up in the bed, blinking and rubbing sleep from his eyes and figuring that Lee had slipped out and was now returning from some kind of workout. He grinned, that probably meant she would want to wash off…and there was a Jacuzzi that was definitely big enough for two in the room they had. Lee was still there though, standing by a cart with her back to him.

Rising from the bed, tempted not to bother with clothes, Tarin thought better and grabbed the comforter from the floor, wrapping it around his shoulders before padding up behind Lee and wrapping his arms around her. “How long have I been out?” he asked, then noted her lack of clothing other than the sheet. Granted…all the other clothes were strewn from place to place, including one of those very nice stockings Lee had had that was now hanging from the light fixture over the bed…but Tarin had been sure Lee would go to work off some energy.

“You didn’t have to stay in here the whole time I was out…” he said, pushing her hair aside to kiss down from behind her ear to her shoulder. From which vantage point he saw the food.

“Oh god…you got food…you really are the best wife ever.” he said, eyes locking on the only thing that could have distracted him from Lee. As if on cue, his stomach grumbled loudly, and Tarin released his wife, realizing just how hungry he was. “I need to refuel…” he said, then started digging through the various plates, “Did you get any pancakes?”

Then he saw the card in Lee’s hand, “What’s that?” he said, finding a fruit plate and popping a couple grapes in his mouth.

Tarin was up. She didn't know because she heard him, the bed didn't make enough noise at that distance as he got up, and his feet going across the carpeted floor didn't make any noise either. But suddenly, even though her back was toward the bedroom in the suite, Lee felt energy coming toward her. That had to mean that Tarin was up. Either that, or someone else had somehow managed to get into their room.

Figuring that the simplest answer was probably the most correct, Lee didn't bother turning to look as Tarin came up behind her. She simply grabbed a strawberry off the fruit plate on the cart in front of her and nibbled on it as her eyes alternated between the card in her other hand and the bottle of champagne sitting in its ice bucket.

And then Tarin was right there, right behind her, and a moment before his hands actually reached out and wrapped around her, the smile was already on her face, knowing that he was there. "About an hour, give or take," Lee replied to Tarin's question with a slight shrug. And really, all things considered, it really hadn't been all that long that he had been out.

As far as Tarin was concerned, she hadn't needed to stay cooped up in the hotel room while he was out, though. And Lee was about to answer, when she felt his fingers brushing her hair away from her neck, then his lips gently brushing along the skin of her throat down to her shoulder. Yeah, as if them standing there like they were, on their wedding night, wasn't enough, but Tarin's lips on her skin caused Lee to shudder.

Because of that, it took Lee a few moments longer than it normally would before she was able to answer. It took long enough that he had already excitedly exclaimed about her being the best wife ever for getting food.

Well, really, of course Lee had gotten food. To start with, she was hungry after what little she had actually managed to eat yet that day. Plus, she remembered what Tarin could be like after nights like this. What he had been like even from their first time, so very long ago back in the shop when Tarin was living in the back room.

So Lee simply shrugged as Tarin let his grip around her waist go and moved to get food. "I just know you," she said simply with a smile as she watched her husband sorting through the food on the cart she had ordered. "But if you want to say I'm the best wife ever...

"And I know I could have left," Lee said, her voice dropping and losing some of the playful, teasing tone it had had. "But I didn't want to. I'm antsy, can't sit still, almost feeling like I'm about to bounce around the room, but I wanted tonight to stay as normal as possible, and me leaving like that, so soon on our wedding night, it isn't normal."

Sighing slightly, Lee turned to look at Tarin, who had apparently just noticed the card she was still holding in her hand. "This," she said, holding the card up slightly before reaching out and lifting the bottle of champagne a couple inches out of the bucket. "Is to explain this. Apparently our siblings thought we needed a little something extra for tonight."

Lee didn’t seem surprised to find him there when he wrapped his arms around her, and Tarin grinned at the little shiver that ran through her as he kissed his way down her neck. He’d come back to that later…probably a couple of times. Now though, it was time for food. Tarin and Josh had grabbed a quick bite somewhere between booking the chapel and getting their tux’s, but that was hours ago…and before…everything that had already happened. Tarin refused to dwell at the moment, he needed to eat and that wasn’t going to happen if he started thinking about what he and Lee had been doing not too long ago in that huge bed.

Tarin was digging through the food, and finally found what he’d been hoping and praying for. “Pancakes!” he exclaimed, and dropped down into one of the chairs, managing to find the syrup as well and pouring a liberal amount over his prize before digging in. He had to laugh, though, when Lee pointed out that she simply knew him well enough to know he’d want food. She didn’t seem to mind the best wife ever comment, though so he grinned through a mouth full of pancake, “I do….and you are.”

Lee was talking, explaining why she’d stayed in the hotel room while he slept and Tarin swallowed his mouthful of pancake, setting down his fork to reach out and trace down Lee’s back where the sheet had slipped down. “Hey now…” he said, “It wouldn’t have been that soon…” He added with raised eyebrows, then tilted his head at Lee, as he shoveled more food into his mouth. The sooner he ate, the sooner he could use his hands…and mouth…for other, much more interesting things. Lee seemed concerned about her state of energy though and Tarin frowned slightly as he thought back and wondered if Lee had slept since that night under the stars.

“Well…do you want to go walk out on the strip?” he asked with supreme force of will, attempting to sacrifice the plans he’d had for the rest of the night in the hotel room. Lee needed rest at some point, or she’d crash. “If you’re that full of energy, maybe we ought to get out. Someplace I’m going to be able to behave myself.” He said, casting Lee a look full of heat, “Because If I have to look at you, wrapped up in that sheet, much longer…you’re not going to leave this hotel room until I can’t physically move anymore. ”

Lee answered his question about the card quickly and Tarin had to laugh at the comment that their siblings had thought they needed a little extra something for their wedding night. “They obviously don’t know us very well then…wedding night jitters were not a problem.”

After setting the card back down on the cart, Lee stood there nibbling away at the fruit tray while Tarin was digging through the rest of the food she had ordered. Digging through until he found pancakes, it seemed.. Apparently, she had done a damn good job choosing the food. Even though it was night time and she had ordered breakfast foods. So what if her internal clock was a little fuzzy after being awake for....about 60 hours and she thought that breakfast food was a good thing to be eating at night? Tarin seemed to think it was a great idea, too.

Having found his pancakes, Tarin sat down in a nearby chair as Lee continued to stand beside the cart, picking away. She was hungry, definitely hungry, but not ravenous as Tarin seemed to be. Picking away at the food like this seemed like a great idea.

Especially when that included Tarin's hand trailing up and down her back. Lee shivered, then looked over her shoulder at him with a smile. They'd had so little of this kind of contact for months. It really was amazing how quickly they'd slipped back into all of this, how natural it felt after so long of her not being ready, of holding Tarin at arms length.

Almost like a slap across the face, telling her she shouldn't have done that for nearly so long.

But apparently Tarin felt the need to defend himself, trying to tell her that it hadn't been 'that soon'. Lee almost rolled her eyes at him. Of course it hadn't been that soon.

"For most people," Lee tried to explain her reasoning to Tarin. "Coming out before the next morning is soon. Because for most people, it would have been both of them passed out in that bed."

Then Lee sighed slightly, her eyes slowly drifting toward the door that would lead to the bedroom area of the suite. "I did lay there with you for a while," Lee told Tarin after a moment, her eyes returning to his. "I actually managed to stay there longer than I thought, but I ended up having to get up and move around."

Tarin's idea of getting rid of some of her energy was to go walking along the Strip? Lee blinked at him. Then shook her head. It was pretty damn crowded out there when they had been walking from the chapel back to the hotel.

"Maybe tomorrow," Lee said with another slight shake of her head. "If I'm going to end up siphoning more energy than I'm burning off, I'd rather it be much more enjoyable than walking the Strip is liable to be."

Then Lee cocked her head to the side, a teasing grin pulling at one corner of her mouth. "And how do you know something like that isn't what I meant to happen?" Lee asked. Well, maybe not so much the physically incapable of moving, that would be too much, but still, the idea was there. "I have had more than enough time to actually find clothes and get dressed."

Tarin actually laughed when Lee pointed out that it would be considered early for any couple to leave their honeymoon suite before the next morning. “Lee, I think we’ve proven time and time again that we’re anything but a normal couple.” A note of pride entered his voice then and he looked up at her from his vantage point in the chair, “I think it’s one of our best attributes.” He’d let the eye roll at his defense of his prowess go, Lee seemed to be content to move on…except. “Um Lee…I doubt most husbands have their hearts stopped by their wives like I did…” he said, nearly groaning out loud as he thought about Lee standing in the room, her dress pooling at her feet…the corset…

Tarin’s hands were shaking just at the thought and he suddenly wanted to be rid of the blankets…as well as any pretenses of them leaving the hotel room. Then Lee closed her eyes and Tarin listened as she described how she’d been able to stay in the bed with him for a while and he smiled. “I’m glad you could…I think I was kind of dead to the world for a while though…” he added, letting his mind wander for the first time since he’d sat down and sighing happily. “I can’t believe you wore that all through the ceremony…”

Tarin nearly leaped from the chair and did a happy dance of joy when Lee announced that the strip was not going to be the place for her to burn off energy. He refrained though, Lee had just said that if she was going to be taking more energy than usual, she wanted it to be enjoyable. Tarin could make that happen, he was sure of it.

Lee pointed out that she’d had plenty of time to find and put on clothes if she’d been inclined to do so and Tarin grinned wolfishly at her, his arms snaking out to wrap around her waist and pull her, bedsheet and all, into his lap. Now…where had he been before the food had so thoroughly distracted him? Tarin figured it out quickly and set back to work on that little stretch of neck between ear and shoulder.

“Hmmmm...I can’t say that I’m disappointed that you don’t want to go out…” He murmured against her soft, smooth skin, nipping gently as he let his mind run away with some of the plans he’d made earlier. “What do you say we grab that fruit tray…and the champagne…and fire up that hot tub?”