When they entered the room, Robert kicked the door shut behind them and walked over to the bed. He gently lay Calista down and then leaned down over her, hands on either side of her head. They stared into each other’s eyes for what seemed to be an eternity. Robert held his hand up, as if to motion her to stay. Then, he went to turn off the light and from his pocket withdrew a lighter, which he used to light the candles scattered throughout the room. As Calista watched him, she became aware of her surroundings and realized that she was enveloped in the smell of roses. Looking about her, she saw the bed was scattered with hundreds of pink and red rose petals. Robert continued to light candles; there must have been 50 throughout the room, on every available surface. Soon the room was flickering in candlelight and the smell of the roses invaded her senses. Throughout all of this, Robert hadn’t said anything and Calista was too mesmerized by what he was doing to say anything either.

He came back to the bed and slowly began to undress her, untying her tennis shoes and gently removing them and her socks. He slowly unbuttoned her shirt, sliding it off her shoulders and unsnapped her jeans and smoothly pulled them off her, with a little help from Calista, as she raised her hips to assist him. He left her lying on the rose petals, clothed only in the sheerest silky bra and panties.

Despite this trust, she was shocked to feel him straddle her upper thighs, with evidence that somewhere along the way he had gotten rid of his boxers. The warmth of his body started to seep into hers. Then another flowery smell permeated the air as Robert touched her back with something warm and he began to massage her upper back with a flower-scented oil. The warmth from his hands and the heavenly smell were causing Calista’s insides to melt. In rhythmic strokes, he massaged her back, starting at the top, working on her neck and shoulders before moving down her back in sweeping motions. It would have been very relaxing had not the mere touch of his fingers caused bolts of electricity to shoot through Calista’s body. As his hands moved down her back, the tips of his fingers slid to the sides of her back, softly brushing the sides of her breasts and then moving on down to her hips. Again, and again, he did this, each time causing Calista to moan a little, as his fingertips passed closer and closer to her breasts before moving lower down her back than they had the time before.

When he had finished her back, he moved to her feet, gently, yet firmly massaging them and her ankles and slowly working his way up her legs. As he reached higher and higher up her legs, Calista felt that she wasn’t going to be able to last much more. His fingers lightly stroked her inner thighs and she finally spoke, just two words, “Now, Robert.”

Watching every motion in my foolish lover’s game
On this endless ocean finally lovers know no shame
Turning and returning to some secret place inside
Watching in slow motion as you turn around and say

Take my breath away
Take my breath away

He stopped the massage, but only for a moment, gently turning her over. He shook his head at her and gently began massaging her front, warming more oil in his hands, before applying it to her body. Her neck, reaching up behind her ears, her shoulders, down her arms, massaging each finger carefully, and then, in circles around her breasts, closer and closer, until he finally leaned over and bathed them with his tongue and mouth, eliciting a moan from Calista who thought she’d died and gone to heaven. The feelings were overwhelming her; she was burning inside with want and need. But still, Robert continued. Lower and lower, massaging her stomach with his hands, followed by his tongue, lightly flicking into her navel, and then lower still. His hands came to rest on her hips as his lips and mouth, softly and gently, touched her. As he continued, Calista moaned again, whispering his name, and gripped his shoulders. She couldn’t take it any more.

She quickly pushed Robert over onto his back and began kissing him, warm, slow kisses on his face, his cheeks, everywhere but his lips, working her way down to his chest, softly playing with the hair she found there, and kissing and nibbling him, lower and lower. She heard Robert gasp aloud when she found what she was looking for. She continued as she heard him moan and saw that he had his head thrown back, eyes closed, mouth open.

Watching I keep waiting still anticipating love
Never hesitating to become the fated ones
Turning and returning to some secret place to hide
Watching in slow motion as you turn to me and say

Take my breath away

Through the hourglass I saw you, in time you slipped away
When the mirror crashed I called you, and turned to hear you say
If only for today I am unafraid

Take my breath away
Take my breath away

Robert didn’t know how much more he could take. It had nearly driven him to the edge when he had been massaging her body, but now, the feel of her, her mouth, her hands, her warmth, her smell, he was so close and he didn’t want it to end yet. Before she could continue, he grabbed her wrist and looked up at her. “Calista, I want you now.” He pulled her up on top him, gently cupping her face before kissing her deeply. As they kissed, all their pent-up emotions came out. They kissed with an urgency, each, in turn, thrusting their tongues into the other’s mouth, tasting each other, nibbling and moaning, until Calista couldn’t take any more. “Oh, Robert, now, please, oh please,” He lifted her hips, gently positioning himself, before letting her take control. When he entered her, the feeling of rightness overwhelmed them both. And in the age-old dance of love, they brought each other to completeness.

Watching very motion in this foolish lover’s game
Haunted by the notion somewhere there’s a love in flames
Turning and returning to some secret place inside
Watching in slow motion as you turn to me and say

Take my breath away
My love, take my breath away

And they fell asleep, completed sated, in each other’s arms.

Several hours later, just before dawn, Robert awoke. He found Calista snuggled into him, her head nestled under his chin, her legs intertwined with his. He softly and slowly ran his hands over her naked back, down to the gentle rise of her bottom, before gently pulling her even closer to him. He couldn’t believe how well their bodies fit together and how right it felt to be lying there holding her. He softly stroked her hair and she sighed and smiled in her sleep, her arm tightening around him. Robert lay there, holding her, his thoughts running back over the previous night, and he fully realized how incredibly lucky he was to have made it through the past eight months and to have ended up with the most wonderful woman, lying here in his arms, still loving him as much as he loved her.

When I see you in the morning
That old sleep still in your eyes
I remember all the laughter and the tears
We shared last night
And as we lie here just two shadows
In the light before the dawn
The sweetest thing I’ve ever known is loving you.

And I have never been afraid of losing
And I have never wanted love to be a chain
I only know that when I’m with you
You’re my sunshine, you’re my rain
The sweetest thing I’ve ever known
Is loving you

Now you and I, we’re not children
We have both been loved before
We have given and we have taken
Many rides on troubled shores
and all the heartaches and temptations
Only make me love you more
The sweetest thing I’ve ever known is loving you

And with that thought on his mind and a smile on his lips, Robert fell back to sleep, dreaming of Calista and their future together.