Sarah opened the gate to the yard and stood for a moment, watching in amusement as Nick struggled to give his puppy a bath in the tub on the grass. He had invited her to his house for a "special" night but since she had finished work early, she decided to surprise him and come over ahead of time...and the scene before her now made her glad she did. She watched in amazement at how gentle he was with the little squirming dog, his voice low and comforting as the puppy tried every tactic to get out of the water. She could not suppress a giggle as the puppy squirmed again, making Nick wetter, if that was at all possible.

Nick looked up in surprise at her giggle, realizing that he had an audience. She laughed as the look on his face changed from surprise to happiness.

"OK, Nick," She teased "Who's getting the bath here?"

He shrugged as a silly grin crossed his face, blue eyes full of laughter as the water droplets sparkled on his tan skin, highlighting his tattoos and muscles. His cuts offs were soaked and soap bubbles were everywhere. "Not sure." He laughed as the puppy squiggled out of his hands and started running laps around the yard.

He looked up at her with a playful grin "Guess it's your turn since you're the only dry one here!" He picked up the hose and started to run closer to spray her. The grass was wet and slippery with water and soap and Nick suddenly found himself on his back, looking skyward. The wet puppy jumped on his bare chest, causing him to drop the hose and she quickly grabbed it, aiming at his chest.

"Don't move!" She giggled. "I have a hose and I know how to use it."

He threw his hands above his head in surrender and lay sprawled out across the grass, wet and shirtless, watching her with smiling blue eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes traveled up and down his body admiring the fine man that lay at her feet.

Forgetting the hose, she knelt on the grass next to him, fingertips tracing the shimmering water droplets on his tattoos. With a moan, he took her into his arms pulling her into a wet hug. The cold wet cut offs made her shiver until she felt his hardness straining under the wet material and she suddenly felt incredibly warm. His fingers slid into her hair and behind her neck, pulling her mouth down to his. His tongue gently traced her lips until she allowed him entrance, and their tongues danced until they were both breathless.

"So you invited me over here to wash your dog?" she giggled against his lips.

"Dog? Oh, yeah...no...I mean...hey, you're early!"

"Wouldn't have wanted to miss this show. So what's the big secret tonight?"

He smiled softly as he brushed the hair away from her eyes. "I wanted everything to be perfect for us tonight." His voice was soft and low. "As perfect as you are."

She sighed and brought her lips to his again, thinking what an amazing gentleman he was. In the two years that they had been dating, he had respected her wishes to wait until she was ready and here she was still a virgin. She had told him a week ago that she was finally ready to make love to him but he knew she was still scared about actually doing it for the first time.

"Come on inside." he stood up, taking her hand to pull her up to him, wrapping his strong arms around her as he kissed her neck and shoulder.

As soon as she walked in the house, she noticed that something was different. The house was unusually spotless and the table was set for 2, complete with fresh flowers and candles. "Give me a minute to change and then I'll finish dinner," he said as he disappeared upstairs.

She heard him turn on some soft music and, as quickly as he had gone, he returned in a dry pair of shorts and a blue button-down shirt that accentuated the color of his eyes. He crossed the kitchen quickly and took her in his arms, love evident in his blue eyes as he gazed into hers. "I want tonight to be really special for us." He said softly. "Sarah, do you know how much I love you?"

She ran her fingers along his cheek and traced his jawline. "As much as I love you, Nick." She whispered as she leaned in to brush her soft lips against his. He sighed into the kiss, his arms around her waist pulling her body into his warmth.

Taking a deep breath, he took his lips away from hers and escorted her to the table, pulling back one of the chairs for her to be seated. He kissed her forehead and then lit the candles on the table. He filled their glasses with champagne and handed her one, then took her hand and went to his knees by her side. "Sarah, I've thought about this for a long time. I feel like I've waited my entire life for you to be part of it. Would you marry me?" He opened his hand to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring.

Her heart leapt in her chest as she slid her hands into his hair. "Yes, Nick. I love you. I would love to be your wife." she answered him breathlessly.

He slid the beautiful ring onto her finger, kissing her hand softly. "You have just made me the happiest man in the world" he smiled.

She barely remembered the rest of dinner. The conversation was light and easy between them and Nick's eyes sparkled with a happiness that she had never seen before. She was sure her eyes mirrored the same emotion.

After dinner, Nick took her hand and led her upstairs into the hall. "Close your eyes and wait here." He told her, letting go of her hand. She waited a second but, still feeling his presence, opened her eyes to meet his blue ones, along with a lopsided grin. "No peeking!"

"Well, then explain why we're standing in the hall with my eyes closed."

His face lit up into a huge smile. "Just wanted to be sure you weren't going to peek." He teased with a mischievous look. He brought her hand to his face and smiled softly at the ring on her finger before kissing it. "Now, no peeking this time."

She closed her eyes and listened to the quiet sound of his bare feet moving across the floor. "Whatever you're up to, you'd better hurry before I peek." Sarah teased. She frowned as she was met with silence and felt the butterflies in her stomach. She knew what Nick wanted and as much as she loved him, she was worried about being with him for the first time. Lost in worry, she jumped when he touched her arm. "Hey, it's only me. Who'd you think it was?"

"I didn't hear you come back." She whispered as he softly brushed his lips against hers then placed soft kisses on her eyes, her cheeks, and the tip of her nose before taking her hand, winding his fingers between hers. Nick led her through the doorway into the bedroom filled with her favorite lilies. The scent of sandlewood candles filled the room and cast a romantic glow over everything.

Nick turned her to face him, lifting her face to his and softly kissing her lips. "I have something else for you." he whispered as he handed her a beautifully wrapped gift box.

"Nick, you're spoiling me." She objected.

"I will never stop showing you what you mean to me." His voice was soft and tender as he watched her unwrap his gift and take out a sheer, sky blue negligee.

"Oh, Nick." She sighed.

"Come on, put it on. I can't wait to see you in it." He moved her toward the bathroom, closing the door behind her and pacing the room while she changed. He'd waited so long for this night and he wanted every detail to be perfect. When the bathroom door opened, he gasped, "Oh, my God, Sarah. You are so beautiful."

Nick gently ran his fingers across the negligee, playing with the light material for a minute before pressing his lips hungrily against hers, his tongue seeking entrance as his hands moved to her back. He moaned into the kiss as she unbuttoned his shirt and ran her fingers down his chest. As he guided her down onto the silk sheets on his bed, his shirt fell to the floor. Shyly Nick slid his shorts to the floor, for a moment standing in the candlelight before her in his black silk boxers staring at her, lost in the thought of how beautiful she was.

"Nick" she whispered as she reached her hand up to him. With her favorite little-boy smile, he moved to join her on the bed, stroking her face tenderly with his finger. He leaned down to capture her lower lip in his teeth, nibbling then sucking gently as his large hands caressed her breasts through the sheer fabric, finding the string holding the garment and untying it. "I love you so much." He whispered, his voice full of desire as he brought his mouth to her breasts, licking and sucking until she was moaning under him.

He moved his mouth back to hers as his hands traveled down her stomach, making his way to her soft curls. He began to softly stroke her folds as she writhed around under him, moaning as he moved one and then two fingers into her moist center. She was so tight around his fingers that he grew rock hard with the thought of being inside her. "Sarah, I need you." he panted. He could not wait any longer and moved on top of her.

Her arousal faded and fear took its place as she felt his large, hard erection start to enter her. Although he was moving slowly, she tensed against him as he entered her and the pain caused her to cry out. Nick immediately pulled back, kissing her softly. "I'm sorry" he whispered. "Please trust me. Let me make love to you. Don't be afraid. I promise it will be good."

His erection throbbed and every nerve in his body was sensitized as he kissed her deeply, taking his time to tenderly coax the desire back into her body. She closed her eyes and lay still under him as she felt him press against her again. "Honey, open your eyes and look at me." His voice was soothing and sensual. She locked her eyes with his, watching the pleasure sweep across his face as he slowly entered her. "Are you ok?" He asked patiently. She nodded as he shuddered, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes as he fought the urge to thrust wildly into her.

"I love you." His voice was heavy with desire and he moaned loudly as he kept his thrusts to gentle movements. "Oh, God." Watching him become totally caught up in the feelings of making love to her brought an unfamiliar tingling and warmth inside her which made her want to move in rhythm with him. Waves of pleasure flooded her senses as their bodies moved in harmony with each other. Nick's breath started coming in ragged gasps as he moved closer to his release, his eyes closed and pleasure visible on his face. The tingling spread inside her as she watched Nick's expression and she moaned softly, which immediately drove Nick over the edge, crying out as his orgasm overpowered him. She felt like white lightning exploded from her center, pouring through her body as the power and pleasure of her orgasm took her by surprise.

They lay together for a minute before he moved, kissing her face and murmuring sweet words in her ear. She snuggled against his chest, listening to his contented breathing for awhile before he rolled out from under her. "Where are you going?" she asked to be answered with only a wink before he disappeared into the hall.

A moment later he reappeared at the side of the bed, holding open a silk bathrobe for her. "Follow me, my lady." He said, smiling.

She followed him down the hall into the bathroom where he had prepared a warm bubble bath. Scented candles lined the back of the tub, giving off a soothing fragrance. Taking the robe from her shoulders, he guided her to settle in the center of the tub and then slid in behind her, pulling her back against his chest. He kissed her bare shoulder, offering her a glass of champagne. His powerful arms wrapped around her, bringing his glass up to hers "A toast" he breathed softly in her ear. "To my new life…with you."