Skeletons from the closet (Nightwing)

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Sherwood Florist

The sun had set an hour ago and the last of the customers inside the spacious flower shop had just left for the evening while it's owner meandered around starting a quick maintenance check, in other words, watering everything that needed it while waiting for a pizza delivery that would constitute her dinner for the evening. In a city that Dinah Laurel Lance once thought would never see the light of day again what with all the destruction brought down upon it's dirty streets by Doomsday clones, things had certainly not only returned to normal in the last five years but were better now than ever before thanks to Zarda and the council of the chosen.

That was an idea Dinah was positive wouldn't work when the rebuilding process began but even a blond bombshell can be wrong once in awhil. She hjad rebuilt her flower shop and returned to life as usual for the most part. She spent more time running that now than she did wearing fishnets and kicking butt on the streets against the rogues and villains that still hung around. Everything was perfect, or so she tried to convince herself. But if it was why then did Dinah feel as if something was missing? As though she was only a shell of her former self?

30 minutes later and she was in a pair of sweatpants and tank top, out of the store';s main lobby and into the back of the building, which itself was larger than the original Sherwood Florist had been. In her private quarters adjacent to the shop, attacking a punching bag when she thought she heard a door open, assuming it was the pizza delivery when she made her way back to the noise.

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Having spent five years of his life in New York, Dick had finally made his way back to Gotham. Somehow, he had managed to survive the apocalypse. Without the help of Batman or really any member of his family. Yes, he had missed them the entire time. Especially after hearing that his adoptive father had finally gotten married. Better yet, it was with Wonder Woman. Diana Prince. During that five year time span, they had twins. Thomas and Alexis. Bruce had covered pretty much everything he missed. It was the fact that he pretty much owned all of Gotham that surprised him, but he probably wasn't going to stay in Gotham for long. New York called his name, and he had to answer it.

Moving around the streets of a rebuilt Gotham, Dick could not help but notice all the happy faces. A sharp contrast to the faces of just five years before. Frowns had once been everywhere. Just as common as the dead that lined the streets. Somehow, Nightwing had managed to make a name for himself. People in New York knew exactly who he was. At one point, he had managed to save several people from the clones. A house had collapsed on top of him in the process, leaving numerous scars on his body. Still, he somehow managed to free himself from the wreckage.

Now, Dick found himself outside of Sherwood Florist. Dinah Lance's shop. Someone he had worked together with in the past. They had never been true allies and really only worked together on occasion. During the times they did team-up though, he had several fun moments with her. After she did not answer the door of her shop, he knocked on the door of her home. A pizza delivery guy had made his way over a few short moments ago, but he paid the young man and sent him on his way. Finally, she opened the door. Flashing a smile, he spoke to her.

"Well, well, if it isn't Dinah Lance. Beautiful as ever. I assume you ordered this pizza? Looks a little big for one person. Mind if I join in on the eating festivities?"

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I'll be right there, give me a second." Dinah called out, scrambling to snag a 20 out of her purse enroute to the front door of the flat she owned. Having a place to live so close to her shop indeed made life convenient in numerous ways. it had been a long day. the Night would be even longer. As soon as she had her fill of pizza it would be a quick change into the fishnets and the rubber meeting the road as the Canary cranked up her motorcyle and hit the streets of Gotham in search of ass to kick. That could wait a little while longer.

"Sorry about your wait. How much do I..." She asked, pulling the door open, the sight before her catching her breath away wioth surprise for the briefest of moments.

"Dick Grayson what are you doing back in Gotham? Flattery will get you a free meal every time but I'm sure you already knew that." Dinah gave a friendly smile and ushered him in. Her face still showed surprise in the fact she thought he was solidly entrenched in the big apple.

"It's great to see you. Unexpected but great, especially with no JLA emergencies to deal with. Did you come all the way back to Gotham just to surprise Babs? I could call her and let her know you're here if you like. She asked, quirking an eyebrow before striding to the cupboard and snagging a pair of plates.

"Dig in."

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Admittedly, Dick did prefer New York to Gotham. A much bigger city that had tons of great people. With the clones running around, he had an opportunity to help these diverse characters. Honestly, if he didn't have family in Gotham, he'd likely never come back. There was a hell of a lot more things to do there now, and he'd practically been ushered in as the savior of the city. Much to his surprise. Sure, just like Bruce had, he gathered several survivors in an old hideout he use to have. No one knew who he truly was, but Dick had managed to make a small fortune off the donations people had given him. That was the most surprising. Even after almost losing everything, they were generous enough to give him money. He could hardly accept it, but they forced him to. Most of that money went into building a variety of homes for the people of New York. Of course, it was all in Dick's name. He had thoughts about making a political run, but that wasn't very likely.

Finally, Dinah made her way to the door. Saying a few words to Dick, she gestured for him to come inside the house. Following her into the house, Dick noticed that she was living in a fairly nice home. Nothing compared to the one he had in New York. It wasn't as big as Wayne Manor, but it was pretty damn close. "Came back to see the family. Heard Bruce finally settled down with Diana. Finally!" he laughed, "Took him long enough. Alfred is pretty happy about it."

Taking one of the plates from Dinah, Dick put a couple of pieces of pizza on it. Not something he ate everyday, but he did enjoy it. There was a lot of amazing food he had to give up on due to being a hero. But, when he had the chance, he gorged on all the fatty food he could get his hands on. Then, Dinah mentioned Barbara. His former girlfriend who had broke things off after he left for New York. Taking a bite of the pizza, he quickly swallowed to reply to her.

"Uh, actually, we decided to end things just before I left for New York. Haven't found anyone since then," he said, sighing. "What about you? I'm sure someone as gorgeous as you has found someone?"

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"Yeah they seem pretty happy together despite their seeming differences. Bruce has always been dark gritty and brooding while Diana's personality has always tended to be warmer and more optimistic. Guess opposites really do attract after all. I hadn't heard about the twins yet and I thought I'd been keeping up fairly well."

After Dick had snagged a couple slices Dinah followed suit, taking tqwo of her own then setting the plate down on a table near the couch before turning toward the kitchen. "You want something to drink?" She called out, , popping open the top to a red creme soda for herself. "Please. You two may have your spats but you always seem to work things out. Even when you aren't together i'm sure you two are still friends right?"

And then there he went again, while she was still fluttering around the kitchen he was pouring it on thick with the flattery, or was it more than flattery and innocent flirting. She'd never seen him do that around her so brazenly before and to be honest it was intriguing. It was also deadly.

Of course she'd for years harbored a secret crush on the former boy wonder and now man wonder. Who wouldn't take that opportunity to cuddle up by a fire with him if given half a chance? But then again Barbara Gordon had been her best friend and though they didn't see each other often these days Dinah would feel as if she were betraying Babs if she ever acted on those impulses. Maybe she was just being paranoid and reading Dick wrong.

"No, I'm still standing in the single riders line. Haven't had either the time or the interest to pursue anything like that since Ollie and I divorced and that was before the attack of the doomsday clones. If the right one ever comes along, fine. If he doesn't I'll survive. The right one may not even be out there anymore." She shrugged after returning with his drink and sitting on the couch, staying silent and allowing him to dictate the conversation for now.

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As Dinah talked, Dick nodded along. It wasn't a huge surprise that she hadn't heard of the twins. Bruce and Diana had kept them under close watch. Hardly anyone but close friends were allowed around them. It was likely that they would put them in any school system. Much preferring to higher tutors. That seemed like them. Hell, Dick never went to a school system, and he turned out right. "You should see them sometime. I'm sure they'll really like you. There's no way they couldn't!" Dick chuckled before taking another bite of his pizza.

Honestly, Dick doubted he'd still be with Barbara even if he didn't leave. For some reason, he was never one to stay in relationships for long. Near marriages had pretty much ruined any belief in a lasting relationship. It had pretty much ruined him. Now, he felt, he'd likely revert to relationships that meant nothing to him. Just physical, emotionless ones that were only fun for a few short minutes. "Yeah, we're still good friends. Talked to her a little bit when I got back. We've just been in this situation too many times. It's better that we stay friends," he said.

Then, he remembered her other question. "You know, if you got it, I wouldn't mind some wine or champagne. Haven't really had anything nice since the clones hit. Just the occasional beer or so. Not like one can actually get drunk with those things flying around, ya know?" he said, although he wasn't exactly being truthful. At one point, he had managed to get himself a bit drunk. It had nearly ended in an early demise for the young man. Not that he'd ever tell her. She'd likely tell Bruce, and he'd forbade him from going back to New York. Or something like that.

For the longest time, Dick had a crush on Dinah. Nothing that he actually felt would come to anything. She was older than him and married to a good friend of his. To his knowledge, she had never expressed any feelings towards him. It was best not to act on things that weren't consensual. But, now, alone with Dinah made those feelings emerge once again. They were both single. Hopeless romantics. It really didn't seem like either would be in a consistent relationship for a long time.

"Those clones pretty much ruined anything fun from happening. Stopped both of us from finding a significant other. Actually, that's more of a travesty for men everywhere. Not getting a chance to be with the beautiful Dinah Lance," he said, chuckling once again. This time, though, he locked eyes with the blonde bombshell. "I'll admit, when I was younger, I had the biggest crush on you. Honestly, I think every guy had a crush on you. Probably none bigger than mine, though"

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"I will try to get over there to see them when I get an invitation. Always something happening barely enough time to stop and smell the roses I'm either out kicking ass or selling the roses so often but I am sure any child Diana has would have to be nothing but adorable." The more she listened to him talk the more comfortable she was growing around him. Perhaps too comfortable. Having to remind herself of what she would be risking if she dared to act on raw emotions, she'd done it more than once since he strode in and made himself at home but he was making it more and more difficult.

She had it of course but she wasn't quite in the mood for alcohol at the moment. If Dick wanted it she was more than happy to share. The sound of a wine cork popping echoed throughout the apartment after she snagged a glass and poured him a serving, handing it off as soon as she re-emerged and before she sat down on the couch again, pulling her curvaceous legs up Indian style

"Please. I doubt all the doomsday clones in the world would ever derail the infamous Grayson love train. You've had so many. Babs, Kory, even Huntress for a bit. I'm sure there have been others.

There was something else she intended to say but the moment Dick locked his eyes on to hers he had ripped them right out of her mouth. Her throat had started to grow dry slightly with the revelation that he shared the same feelings in the past that she had but this? This was crazy. They just couldn't. She couldn't. He couldn't be going where she thought he was going could he? She didn't want to believe it but the look in his eyes betrayed him if he chose to deny it.

"How long did it take you to get over that crush?" She whispered, lifting one of her pizza slices back to her mouth and unknowingly leaving a small streak of pizza sauce on the corner of her mouth.

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Some laughter erupted from Dick's mouth at Dinah's cute baby talk. It probably wasn't intended to be funny, but the fact that reason for them being cute was just Diana was far too humorous. Well, Bruce wasn't exactly ever described as cute. That was more Dick's thing. Cute had been an adjective people had put on him for most of his teenage life. Now, seemingly, it had changed to hot. Not handsome though. When he was finally thirty, perhaps, people would finally start calling him ruggedly handsome. In his mind, he was far better looking than Bruce or any other member of the Bat-family.

Taking a sip from the wine glass, Dick was happy to finally be drinking something other than the tasteless liquids that he had poured down his throat recently. The flavor on his tongue was magnificent. It was like something he never had before. Taste buds had a funny way of exaggerating the taste of something that you haven't had in sometime. If he ever got his hands on some top-of-the-line wine, his tongue would probably explode.

Coming to Dinah's place was a spur of the moment decision. Just meeting with an old friend that he hadn't spoken to in some time. It wasn't like he planned to reveal his crush towards her or constantly let out flirty lines. Actually, he'd likely do that anyway. Flirting was something he enjoyed together. Harmless flirting never hurt anyone. But, this, this was something much different. His words actually had meaning behind him. Something in him wanted him to actually pursue a relationship with the woman who he had a crush on for so long.

"Grayson love train, eh? Catchy name. You think of that yourself?" he said, that trademark smirk on his face. "I'm utterly surprised that you remember my little fling with the Huntress. That lasted like a day. Just something we decided to try. Didn't work. Besides, three people barely makes it a train. But, hey, who's arguing?" Dick let out a chuckle. To his surprise, he found himself actually having fun with Dinah. They had never been super close, and they had really never hung around each other for extended periods of time.

Was anything going to happen between them? For some reason, Dick couldn't see it. As much as he hoped it would, Dinah had still not shown any attraction towards him. Well, that was until she asked if he still held that crush. Moving closer to her, Dick noticed the pizza sauce on her the corner of her mouth. He moved his hand towards her mouth and wiped the sauce off her mouth. Nothing overly seductive, but his hand continued to linger. Why? He couldn't move it.

"Honestly, I don't think I ever have," he whispered, not sure what to do next.

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"Your game of denial may fool most people but it cuts no ice with me, Dick Grayson so don't even sit there and try to pretend you haven't had them all lined yup knocking down your door at one time or another and those three are just the most prominent ones that I've known about. We both know there have been plenty of others."

Dick had always been hot. Handsome was a good adjective too. He knew it and Dinah knew it. All of this was getting serious though and getting there in a hurry. It seemed to quickly evolve from harmless flirting to something that meant much more to him...and to her. The train either needed to screech to a halt or pick up speed. Dinah wasn't sure at the moment which road to take.

"You have no idea. When Huntress first joined the Birds of Prey the fling she had with you really stuck in Babs craw. It created a few heated moments in the beginning. But she seems to have moved on, so have you. You seem to have done alot of growing up also."

Her eyes went a little wider when he moved his hand to her face, to her chin and let it stay there longer than it should have. She actually felt her spine stiffen and the Canary tensed for a moment or two before she put her hand on top of his. Her forehead moved forward, gently pressing against his until their eyes were that much closer to the other's. When she finally found her voice again she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, unsure whether to move it or not.

"Dick, I know what you're thinking but this is crazy." She whispered a bit passionately. "Are you sure this is what you want and that it's such a good idea? Barbara would kill us both."

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Even though it was true about Dick's many relationships, none had really ever stuck. Well, excluding the near-marriages between Kory and Babs. Over the years of his still fairly young life, he had shared the bed with a number of beautiful women. Emotionless. Pleasure was fine for a short amount of time, but Dick truly wanted someone who he could openly love. Not just have passion for a night or two then never talk again. Honestly, he was likely to stay single unless there was a chance at actual romance taking place. With Dinah, though, it seemed he actually had a chance of fulfilling that wish. Not that he knew what to to do. He was more shocked that it may actually happen than anything. Still, he only replied with a simple chuckle at Dinah's words.

In Dick's opinion, Dinah was one of the most attractive women on Earth. Probably the entire galaxy. Any other dimension too. Most people would die just to be with the blonde bombshell. Hell, anyone would be lucky just to be in her presence. Let alone actually talk to her. Now, he found himself close to a woman who he thought he'd never have a chance with. It was likely the same with Dinah. They had always been single at the wrong times. They had an opportunity to be together for the last five years, but Dick had been away attempting to make something of himself.

When Dinah mentioned the conflict between Helena and Babs, he couldn't help but chuckle. Even when they weren't together, she could still be a bit possessive. Not an entirely negative trait. It showed that she was faithful. That was one of the many reasons that he had loved her. It was no longer an overly intimate relationship. More on the terms of brother and sister. Their romantic journey had already ended, and it wasn't likely that it would begin anytime soon.

Both Dick and Dinah had really no clue what to do next. With her forehead on his, he smiled at the beautiful woman. His hand gently snaked its way from his side to her knee. Another hand relaxing on the hip of the blonde woman. Now, he found his mouth mere inches away from Dinah's own perfect pair. No effort was made to kiss her. It was shock that this had even happened. There was no way he'd push her boundaries, though, and waited for her to possibly make the next move.

"It's been five years, Dinah. You can't honestly think she'll be angry at me," he whispered, lips moving ever so closer to Dinah, "We're just friends now. Besides, she's likely gone on to see other people. I think it's my turn to do the same."

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And so this was it. Put up or shut up time. Dinah was tempted, who wouldn't be? Like a rabbit in a cage, a carrot on a string constantly being dangled in front of it's face. Every time the critter thought it had the morsel within it's grasp the hand of fate would yank it away in the name of exercise to teach the bunny a lesson. That was what it felt like in the situation between Dinah and Dick. She couldn't deny she'd had the look of lust in her eyes at one time or another in the past but was it really love? There's never been a right time to learn the answer. Something always prevented her from finding out. Now there was nothing standing in her way and yet she was hesitant to pull the trigger.

Her mind couldn't make up it's mind and pry an answer from her but her body & heart it seemed had just stolen the microphone. When he smiled at her with their foreheads pressed together it was like magic. Dinah surely would never have guessed this would happen. Not tonight or ever. But it was. His smile was melting her heart in a figurative and literal sense.

Her hands found their way to each of his muscular, chiseled arms that hung down beneath the sleeves of his t-shirt while his hands rested on one of her knees and hips. A fingernail gently traced the muscles that bulged beneath the sleeves, rolling them up and then both hands moving to rest on his chest. As crazy as both their lives and schedules were, this opportunity, this golden opportunity may never come again if they didn't take it now. Dinah wanted this.

Sorry Babs, I'm not passing this up. Not now or ever again. She silently promised herself, her mouth finally and firmly pressing against his, liplocking the former boy wonder turned Nightwing and claiming her prize. She wanted him, he seemed to want him and now there seemed to be an end to day dreaming and wild fantasies that may never come true. This wasn't a dream, this was fantasy. She was his and he hers, the lingering kiss confirmed it

"Looks like we've both just moved forward...if this is what you really wanted, handsome." She whispered after the kiss had finally broken

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A teenage crush appeared that it would finally be turning into something much more serious than that. Never in Dick's wildest dreams did he think that he'd ever get a shot at Dinah. Much less get a shot at any woman anytime soon. Kori and Barbara had nearly ruined him for anyone else. For the past couple of years, he could barely function in a romantic relationship. Though, that could be attributed due to the stress from possibly losing his family. While he still did have feelings for Kori and Babs, if Dinah stayed true to him, there was no way he'd ever act on them.

The Grayson smile had brought many women to their knees. Caused mass hysteria and much fainting. Apparently, it had that same effect on Dinah. That was actually quite surprising. To him, Dinah had always been a fairly strong woman. Someone who wasn't easily swayed by a person's physical appearance. For him to make her swoon, Dick couldn't have been more proud of himself. He was a guy and getting a woman to love every part of him was amazing.

Soon, Dinah was moving her hands over the many well-defined muscles in Dick's arms. Yet, they continued to be in a stalemate. Neither of them was willing to make the plunge towards anything. One wrong move could likely ruin their friendship for good. Perhaps, a smack in the face from Dinah. Or embarrassment from one of them pulling away. This had actually never happened to Dick before, as he usually had the intention of dating the person when he talked to them.

Suddenly, Dinah's lips were pressed against Dick's own set. As the kiss continued to deepen, he leaned forward. Moving Dinah onto her back on the couch. He found himself on top of her. One hand moving up her leg slightly, stopping at her thigh. The other began slowly undoing the belt that held up his pants. Finally, after a few minutes, Dinah broke the kiss. Instantly, his mouth fell to her neck.

"I've wanted this, gorgeous, for the longest time," Dick said, somehow forcing himself away from her neck for a few seconds.

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What in the hell am I doing? this is wrong..." The quiet voice in the back of her mind posed the question and then proceeded to figuratively slap her across the face with it when she met his mouth and firmly pressed her lips against hers. To a mild state of surprise Dick Grayson was wasting no time either and she found herself slowly being pressed back toward the couch and he was now laying on top of her. Of course the thought hadn't yet left her mind that doing this would possibly cost her a friendship. There was only so much she could do though. She'd left repeated messages and made repeated attempts to try and contact her redheaded best friend and she'd gotten no response lately. She had no clue why but she deserved the opportunity to be happy also.

No, this has never felt more right.

A small smile stretched across her lips and her eyes sparkled with eager anticipation when she saw him start to unbuckle his belt but she was not accustomed to sitting on the sidelines like a cheerleader and she didn't intend to start now. When he leaned down and pressed his mouth to her neck, her hands reached toward his chest and quickly rolled up his shirt, pulling it up over his head and exposing his sexy six-pack. Her hands then tenderly caressing his chest and planting kisses along the way while the pace started to pick up.

"As have I. Don't stop now, lover you're off to a great start." She whispered, her heart beginning to beat faster , her hands dropping to aid him in dropping the jeans. "All mine now..." She whispered, though it came out sounding more like a question that he needed to give a yes or no answer to.

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Five years had been long enough for Dick to finally get over Barbara. When he had met Dinah for the first time since that length of time, he was just beginning to realize that things would never work out for them. Actually, it was almost the same length of time it took for him to get over Kori. During the times he had broken up with both women, he had found himself in the arms of many lovers. None who had actually fulfilled any sort of his need for being loved. Perhaps, with Dinah, things would be much different. Despite her being slightly older than him, he knew that her experience gave her more knowledge in the area of love. Something that Dick may need a little coaching on.

Dinah's soft hands made Dick's body jerk forward slightly, which caused his knee to rub up against her most sensitive of areas. Quickly, he moved his hands towards her top and ripped it off. Slowly, his lips began to descend down her neck. Stopping at her chest, he still couldn't believe how far the two had come. Just a moment ago they had been exchanging pleasantries between each other. Sharing a box of pizza like good friends usually did. Now, they were about to exchange something much more intimate than simple pleasantries.

Finally, with the assistance of Dinah, Dick freed himself from his pants. Having had his shirt practically torn from his body, only his undergarments were still on his person. It left only one article of clothing to be removed. One that he was going to save for Dinah. Besides, her gift was inside of the wrapping. She deserved to unwrap it. The hands that had once been working on his belt, quickly shred Dinah of the last remnants of her clothing. One hand lingered in between the woman's thighs. The other was somewhere around her chest. Both were attempts to bring a little pleasure into the life of Miss Dinah Lance.

"And you are mine, blondie," he said, smiling.

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A pair of hands that were among the most dangerous on the planet, that could be described as possibly lethal but always dangerous were also as delicate and as soft as the rose blossoms she worked with by day and were now gently kneading, stroking and gingerly massaging Dick's chest as well some of HIS most sensitive ares while he did the same. His knee pushing against the sweet spot made her eyes widen, spine stiffen and heart beat just a little bit faster. In a sense Dick Grayson could be described as a master violinist, he was pulling her strings in all the right ways and he definitely had the touch. They had indeed come a long way in just a few seconds but the feelings they had were nothing new. The feelings had obviously been there for years from both of them, they had just been forbidden. Dinah would forbid it no longer. She wanted him and she intended to take him. He was her man now. End of discussion no matter who liked it or didn't. And she was his as he stated.

Dinah let out a soft moan as his lips glided down her neck to her chest and lingered on her ample bosom. Now only one thing stood between her and the ultimate goal that would push her into sheer ecstasy. It was indeed time to unwrap her gift. She felt like a kid staring into the window of a candy store drooling over a lollipop that looked so good but yet she didn't have the money to spring for it. The difference was the store owner had just ushered her inside and was giving it away.

Dick Grayson was well endowed and hopefully was enjoying things as much as she was after they drew even closer, Dinah moaning and being driven wild as he continued to orchestrate things. Enjoying everything, his scent, his touch, his skill and knowing, or at least hoping that when it was all over he would be hers and hers alone now. For now she was content to let him take charge

"You better not have disappeared on me when I wake up in the morning, my dear. I'm not letting you get away. Not now, not ever." She whispered hotly and passionately when it finally ended and she held him in her arms and he her.