She could feel something else too, pressed lightly into her backside; and she resisted the urge to grind into it. As much as she loved the sensation of waking up in his arms, their relationship was far from a place where she felt comfortable taking such liberties. In fact, it was a little awkward.

"Morning," he spoke huskily behind her, drawing her from her musings.

"Actually, I think it's afternoon," she replied.

"I think you're right," was his rejoinder after he shuffled his arm out from under her to look at his watch.

The movement caused him to press further into her, and she could not help grinding back that time. This caused him to suck in his breath. "Sorry," she said quickly.

"No, I'm sorry," he apologised as she rolled over to face him. "I didn't mean to..."

"Shh," she reached up to press a finger to his lips. "It's okay. I know how these things work."

He gently took her hand in his and pulled it away from his mouth. "Thank you, again."

"For what?"

"For being so understanding. For staying here with me."

"I was glad to. After everything that happened yesterday, you needed a chance to wind down."

"Still, thank you." Josh leaned in to give her a soft kiss.

A soft kiss she returned, and one kiss led to another, each one growing in passion and intensity. Donna responded eagerly to his kisses, recognising a need in him that was also growing in herself. Soon their kisses were frantic and hungry and not gentle in the slightest; and she found herself rolled under Josh, his leg between hers, his shaft hard against her thigh. As his hand wandered up under the tee shirt she wore to bed there was no doubt in her mind where this was headed. A small part of her mind (a very small part) wondered if she was allowing herself to be used, but she dismissed that thought almost as soon as it was formed. Yes, Josh needed this release, but so did she; and she knew that he would stop if she said the word.

As if to confirm that errant thought, Josh broke their currant kiss and pressed his forehead to hers, breathing heavily. "Donna?" Pulling back, his brown eyes met her blue ones, the rest of his question unspoken.

The ball was firmly in Donna's court. Without hesitation, she reached up to knot her fingers in the curls at the back of his neck and bring his face back to hers. Shifting her body so that he now rested between her legs, his shaft pressed against a place far more intimate than her thigh, she left no doubt that she wanted him to continue.

Groaning into her mouth, he ran his hand up to her breast, and then around to the small of her back. He pulled back to sit on his knees, drawing her up with him, not breaking the kiss. With his hand now free from bearing his weight, he moved it to join the other one resting at the small of her back, pressing her to him for a moment before trailing his hands around to her waist and up her sides, bringing the tee shirt with them.

It was her turn to break the kiss as she leaned back and raised her arms, allowing him to pull her shirt off. When her arms were free she immediately curled her fingers in his hair again, tugging his head towards hers. But insteading of kissing her again he bypassed her lips, descending to the base of her neck and pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the hollow of her throat. Bracing himself on her pillow he gently lowered her to the bed as he kissed his way down her body.

His progress was as tender as it was urgent, and he shifted to the side, leaning on his elbow so his free hand could blaze a trail for his mouth to follow. Simultaneously as his mouth captured one of her breasts, his hand reached down to cup her over her panties. Already damp from their activities, his ministrations sent a fresh rush of wetness to her core.

Pressing that wetness elicited a throaty moan from her, causing him her smile against her breast. When he raised his head to look at her she found that smile to be a wicked one, and without a word he lowered his head again to kiss and nuzzle his hand's path to her core. Her breathing hitched when he reached her panties, and he shifted position to rest on his knees between her legs, curling his fingers in the material of her panties. With a final kiss to the soft skin above the hem, he gently drew them down her long legs.

Donna's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she felt his breath on her core. But instead of lingering there he made his way back up her body after a single kiss to her wet curls. She would have felt bereft if not for the fact that his fingers quickly took his mouth's place. By the time he reached her mouth to engage her in a mind-blowing kiss, his fingers had dived into her core and were thrusting in and out at an urgent pace. Urgent, yet not rough, and her hips moved to the rhythm he set. He knew just how hard to thrust and where to curl his fingers up to elicit the strongest reaction from her; and it was not long before she was hovering at the edge.

Josh sensed it, too. He broke their kiss, giving them a chance to breathe, and leaned his forehead against hers. "That's it, Donna, come for me."

His words, and the pressing of his thumb on her clit sent her over the edge. She shuddered, her muscles clenched around his fingers, and a loud moan threatened to emerge from her throat. Josh swallowed the moan by covering her mouth with his again in a searing kiss.

His fingers turned gentle in their ministrations as her body calmed, but Donna could tell by the hard shaft pressed against her thigh that Josh needed release too. She trailed her hand lightly down his back, slipping it under the hem of his boxers and moving it over his hip and curling it round his shaft and giving it a gentle squeeze. Her other hand also came down to his boxers, pushing them down over his hips.

He groaned into her mouth. "Donna, are you sure?" he asked against her lips. Her reply was to let go of his shaft and use both hands to push his boxers down. Taking the hint, he pulled back to shimmy out of his underwear and reposition himself between her legs. With a hand on her hip he slid into her with one firm thrust.

Donna let out a long, low moan as he filled her, using her inner muscles to squeeze him. It was their third time together and she still could not get over the fact that it seemed like he completed her, more so than any other man she'd been with. Almost of their own accord her hips rose to meet him thrust for thrust; and it no longer mattered that this time it was more about need and loss than attraction. All that mattered was that it was just her and Josh, together, engaged in that endless dance.

With both hands on her hips, Josh tilted her up so he could drive into her at a new angle. His thrusts were hard and fast, and this angle drove them deeper than before, hitting that spot that made her shudder every time. Despite the hard pace he set, she still met him thrust for thrust, the feeling of him sliding in and out of her oversensitised core sending her to new heights, and tension coiled tighter and tighter within her. She felt his thrusts grow erratic, she could tell he was close to climax. So was she.

Almost as if he knew what would send her tumbling over that edge, one hand let go of her hip to move to where they were joined. His fingers tangled in her curls, unerringly finding her clit. Just a gentle touch there was enough for the tension within her to explode. She came, violently, her inner muscles clenching around his shaft, a keening moan escaping her lips.

The clenching of her muscles sent him over the edge too. With one final thrust he came deep within her, her muscles milking him as he shuddered against her. Spent, he let go of her hip and pulled out of her, collapsing on the bed next to her and drawing her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her sweaty forehead.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair.

That was one thing she was not expecting to hear. Staying in the circle of his arms, she pushed herself up to lean on her elbow. "What on Earth are you sorry for?"

"I didn't mean it to go that far. I just needed... I don't know. I just feel like I used you, and I didn't want to do that. I never want to do that..."

He was beginning to ramble, so she decided to shut him up... by kissing him. It certainly got his attention. "Listen to me, Josh. You did not use me. I was a willing participant in what just happened. If I hadn't been, I would have asked you to stop, and I know you would have. You would never have forced it on me."

"I..." he broke off, seemingly changing tack. "You're right, I wouldn't have forced you. But it still feels like I just used you."

Donna pressed her fingers to his lips. "But you didn't. And with everything that's happened you needed that. We both did."

"I know. But that's another thing that feels a bit wrong. Yes, we just won the election, but Leo died last night. It doesn't seem right to even do that, much less en..." he trailed off.

"Enjoy it?" she finished, lightly stroking his face. "Maybe, but it's a natural reaction." She lay back down, nestling closer into his side, resting her head in the crook of his neck. "You know, I read in a book somewhere that sex is an antidote to death."

"Huh?"

"When someone close to you dies you feel a compulsive need to prove that you're alive. What better way of proving you're alive than having sex?"

"What indeed?" Josh chuckled. "You may have a point there."

"I may have?" she lifted her head to look up at him, arching an eyebrow.

"Though I'm interested in just where you read that."

They lay there like that for a while, neither interested in moving. Donna wanted nothing to interrupt the peaceful bubble they were in, but she knew that was a pipe dream. They had just won the election, which meant that Josh had a lot of work to do for the new President-Elect, and they would not have much of a reprieve for celebrating. And that was without the issue of Leo dying the night before. There were phone calls to be made, Josh really should call his mother, she had known Leo for longer than he had; and Donna knew he wanted to touch base with Mallory about arrangements and the like. Their peaceful bubble would not last forever.

Almost as soon as she had that thought she could hear Josh's cell vibrating on the bedside table. Sighing, he pressed another kiss to the top of her head before pulling away to reach over and answer it.

Josh spoke for a minute, then snapped the phone closed. "That was Lou," he said. "She thought, among other things, that I'd had enough time to rest."

"So, vacation's over then?" she asked.

"Yep. Time to get back to the real world. Do you want the first shower?"

She gave him a wicked grin. "Want to share? It'll be quicker... or at the very least save water."

"Why not?"