So...first the norm... I dont know or own anything/anyone ARROW or DCCOMICS related other than my copies of the comics...

Second and most important: THANK YOU HIP FOR BEING PATIENT WITH MY THROUGH ALL MY GRAMMER MISHAPS...

THIRD: i ORIGINALLY SET OUT TO WRITE A COMPLETELY STEAMY, EXPLICIT OLICITY LOVE SCENE...BUT I COULDN'T DO IT...I LOVE MY OTP SO MUCH THAT IT FELT LIKE AN INVASION OF PRIVACY TO DO SO...SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO YOU HAVE A LEMONY-ESQE EPILOGUE! I HOPE YOU ENJOY!

It took a week for everything to settle down. It was a week of no Arrow business, a week of more visits by the cops, meetings with insurance investigators, contractors, and doctor visits for both Oliver and Felicity. She knew that they had suffered worse injuries during their Arrow missions; but they were forced to do this by the book for appearances sake. The media circus had yet to die out. Oliver was cleared by the neurologist on day five, but without the cover of Verdant; they had no excuse to venture to the foundry with paparazzi still on their tail. She knew Oliver was getting antsy to put on his leathers and nock his bow, not to mention that the sexual tension between them the past few days was hitting a peak.

They weren't denying themselves anymore, but that also meant they weren't hiding their desires from each other either. She was staying with Oliver until the contractors were done fixing her brownstone which was proving to be problematic because; although the first three or so nights she was here he was still suffering from side affects from his head injury and she was still too tired to really do anything. Not to mention that they weren't here alone. When they decided to make Felicity bait, she had called Sin and told her to stay at Roy's. Naturally, Sin wanted to be there but Felicity made her stay away until she received the all clear; reluctantly she agreed. Now, the brownstone was tore up and Sin said Roy's house was dirty and smelled like Roy. Felicity had to laugh because she really thought Sin was just growing attached to being around her all the time. So, after some persuasion, Oliver agreed to the extra house guest.

On the fourth night she didn't even care that Sin was there; Felicity was ready to jump Oliver. He had been ready the first night despite doctor's orders,but she had said no. She was in the middle of working herself and Oliver out of their clothes with considerable help from him when the alarms sounded. Paparazzi had broken onto the property. They never made it to the house, but the mood had been killed and after that Roy and/or Dig and Lyla were always at the house too.

Now a total of seven days had passed and the only time Oliver and Felicity had been alone was when they were asleep. Its not that they couldn't have done something it was just that Felicity wasn't comfortable enough with everyone in the house and quite frankly if they were interrupted again she might burst. Besides they still hadn't talked much about what being an 'us' meant; and not just for themselves but for everyone else as well. When she was his E.A. they were together nearly 18 hours a day, and even when he lost the company she was still with him most hours of the day. Could they really be together 24 hours a day?

They also needed to set some boundaries. She knew Oliver wanted her to be his E.A. again once he got the company back; and while she knew why Oliver wanted her there she wasn't sure it would be a good idea if they were together. But they had time to worry about that. Right now was night 7 and Oliver had just kicked everyone but her out of his house. He couldn't take it anymore she knew. For him, it was too much with no outlet. He was used to being around Dig, herself, and now Roy constantly but not Lyla and Sin always in and out of his house. So Felicity understood.

She thought at first he was going to say they all needed to go to the Foundry, after all the Arrow and the Arsenal hadn't been seen in a week; but he had other plans. As soon as everyone was out the door, he locked all the doors, set the alarms, and turned to her.

He reached out his hand and stated, "Phone and tablet. I want them".

Felicity had been taken off guard by his behavior, "What?" she asked without moving.

"Felicity", his voice was impatient this time. "Tablet and phone, please".

She furrowed her brow as she walked to her purse and pulled out her phone and tablet. When she returned, he had his phone in his hand and he was sending out a text. Then uncharacteristically, he shut his phone off, grabbed her electronic babies, and shut them off. He threw them all on a table by the door as Felicity gasped, "Oliver, what are you doing? What if something important, or arrow related comes up?"

He reached for her and said as he began pulling her to the kitchen, "You said to give you one interrupted night. Everything else can wait one more night. Besides, I told everyone the phones were off; so if its a real emergency they know to use the program you created at the foundry that will set the special alarm off here and turn our phones on. Arsenal is going out tonight, by himself. Both to make sure he is seen and as a test to see if he can handle it. Dig will be his backup and Lyla is going to runs comms".

Understanding dawned on her as he led her to the kitchen table and made her sit. Giddiness rose up in her and she started to smile excitedly as he obviously had been planning this. She couldn't help but wonder when though, because he couldn't have made all those arrangements in one text a minute ago. Which meant everyone had been in on it. Sneaky little snots, she thought as she watched Oliver pull a bottle of wine from the rack.

She could count on one hand how many times she had known him to take even a sip of alcohol; he usually kept the wine here for when they had dinner as a group. So she couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised when he pulled two glasses from the cabinet. She found it interesting to watch Oliver give in a little to the lifestyle he had once been accustomed to as he uncorked the wine. He brought the cork to his nose, seemed to like what he smelled so he poured a small amount into one glass, swished it around, smelled it, and took a tentative sip. He nodded in approval, and for some reason it just dawned on her that even though their diet consisted of mostly bad take out; that once upon a time Oliver would have been taught to have a refined palate. Oliver, who almost never drank anything but water would have been taught how to taste wines and recognise their differences.

He let the wine breathe for a few minutes while he buzzed around the kitchen before pouring a generous amount in each glass. He brought one to her and kept the other with him on the counter. She took a sip and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head as she let out a moan. This was by far the best Cabernet Franc she had ever had. She looked back to Oliver who was looking at her slightly wide eyed and grinning mischieviously. He started to pull random things out the fridge and setting them on the counter. Felicity sat in her chair sipping wine and watching, wondering when he had managed to go to the grocery store since they never left the house without the other. Another point the media seemed to be feeding on.

"Lyla dropped it all off this morning" he said sheepishly as he turned the stove on and placed a large pan on it. Felicity found herself getting distracted watching him cook for her. Distracted in the best kind of way.

"Huh? OH", she said as realized she must have said that last part about grocery shopping out loud. She took another delicious sip of wine and asked, "How long have you been planning this? When have you planned it?"

He didn't turn to face her as he was now chopping vegetables up as he watched a steak sizzle in the pan. "Yesterday, I told Dig I wanted tonight for us to figure stuff out. He agreed and then I asked Lyla for help because I knew she wasn't a mastermind in the kitchen but had a few simple things she would throw together quickly enough. Roy wanted to try a solo night. Dig and I agreed the timing was right and an appearance needed to be made. He has strict instructions to be seen at a distance though, and only engage if necessary. It would be better that he not be close enough to anyone to actually tell whether it is the Arrow or the Arsenal".

Felicity made a 'hmmmm' noise as she watched Oliver cooking their dinner, "Is there anything I can do?"

He shook his head, "No. I want to do this for you." he replied.

Something about how he had listened to her the week prior about what she wanted for them, and how he seemed eager to do for her what he had never done for other women just kind of made her insides turned to goo. She knew they still needed to talk, but found that they seemed to have fallen back into companionable silence. On a whim, she decided to needle Oliver and see what happened. "Bringing me expensive glasses of red wine and cooking me dinner, Oliver. You keep this up and will ruin me for other men", she said it with humor and ended it with a wink she knew he couldn't see.

She saw him though, and she saw him still. He mumbled something about 'other men' and then scooped up the vegetables and threw them in a bowl somewhat roughly. Felicity couldn't help herself. She stood up and taking her wine with her, she approached Oliver. "What?" she asked, somewhat teasing even though she really wanted to know the answer.

When he turned, Oliver took a sharp intake of breath as he took in how close she was. He let out the breath and eyed her for a moment. The slight uptick in his smile showed her that he knew she was kind of teasing him, but there was something in his eyes that told her he was actually nervous about how things would go tonight. Still, he answered her though. In a strong, quiet voice he said, "I said that I don't want there to be other men. Now will you please go sit back down. I already threw a chicken breast at you I don't want to burn the steak being distracted".

There was something in his tone that was dangerous and made her flush. She didn't move right away and the look Oliver leveled at her didn't really suggest that he wanted to her to move. So smiled at him playfully and then backed away. After she reached out and ran her fingers down his arms slowly, teasingly, and she felt his muscles tense under her fingers. She sat back down, enjoying her wine as Oliver finished their dinner in comfortable silence.

When dinner was over, he grabbed the bottle of wine to top off their glasses, and pulled her into the living room. The dishes were still there to clean from his preparation of the grilled steak salads, but he didn't care about that right now. Right now, he cared about the way Felicity felt perfect nestled to his side as they walked into his living room. He cared about savoring the first real glass of wine he had in years with her and having a night with just the two of them. He cared about how for the first time he had hope, real hope, that he could be redeemed for his sins and deserve happiness with her. He knew there would be no way for him to ever really tell her, show her, how much he needed her; how much he owed her, for believing in him when no one else did and for bringing him back from the edge when even Dig got comfortable with his killing.

He grabbed the remote off the table, sat on the couch long ways, and pulled Felicity down so she was cradled between his legs and pressed against chest. He turned the TV onto some random marathon of what, he didn't know or care. The point he thought, was that this was utterly normal. A couple sharing wine, relaxing on the couch and watching TV; something that neither of them had, had in years. He revelled in it, the feel of her pressed against her, and saw how easy it could be to fall asleep like this. He found the idea of falling asleep on the couch with Felicity asleep on him appealing enough that he vowed they would do this again.

The silence went on through all of the first episode of some crime show, and half way through the second. All the while, Oliver found himself playing with Felicity's hair, tracing circles on her back, and making sure to take note of how her breathing would change when he touched certain areas of her back. He was amazed at how easy it seemed to be that they could be like this. That they could be like this, and didn't need to feel like they needed to fill the silence with their voices. He knew they needed to talk, but he wished for more hours, days, of being able to just hold her like this while she snuggled into him as if he were a warm bed.

That was when it sunk into him that Felicity was right. They didn't need restaurants and theatres; they needed this. They needed shelter from the outside world and a chance to be what they were to each other without it being restricted by the outside world. Out there, they couldn't be themselves like they could be in here. Out there, a camera would flash and a photo of them would appear in the gossip columns the next day speculating what Oliver Queen was doing in a romantic setting with his former E.A. Out there, they had a front to protect that meant they couldn't 'just be'. They needed to 'just be' with each other.

He shifted so both his hands turned her head to face him. He searched her glittering eyes, and it was clear that she felt the same. He brought her lips to his, and kissed her gently. He lingered, drawing out the feeling of her lips on his; something he never took the time to enjoy in the past. Her lips were soft and warm under his. She didn't submit to him, but gave as well as she took. When he pulled away, her eyes were at half mast and full of lust.

Her words came out soft and slow, "I know we need to talk, but it's so easy to just be like this. Isn't it?" He nodded. Hadn't he just thought the same thing?

He nodded again, at a loss for words as the sparkle in her eyes consumed him. He was about to kiss her again when he heard her speak, "You understand I cannot be your E.A. after this. Right?" Oliver sighed as he shut his eyes. It was not out of frustration, but merely out of need to focus. Her lips were too close for him to think straight now that he'd tasted them. Before he could answer, she ran on "Oliver, you have to understand that it would be inappropriate for me to be your E.A. as well as the fact that we will need some kind of distance professionally after the gossip columns have done their job and I-"

Oliver cut her off, "Felicity, I want nothing more that to have you next to me 24 hours a day, but I recognise that we have a public face we must keep. I would rather have you here at night with me, like this, than 100 feet away and through a glass window screening my phone calls and throwing away my phone messages".

"And it can't affect the team. What we do is too important".

He smiled, "Felicity, it's going to affect the team. This is going to change things. I want it to change things".

She frowned, "No, that's not what I mean. I mean that we need to keep 'us' I mean if there is an us. I mean we haven't really talked about that yet. What you want. What I want. I shouldn't-"

His hand cupped her cheek, "Stop. There's an 'us'. What are you trying to say?"

She sighed into his hand, "That we keep 'us' out of the foundry. If we're having an argument we leave it out of the foundry, and no being physical either. We need to keep professional boundaries in the foundry. We can't let 'us' inhibit the ability of the team to function'.

He nodded as he looked down at her swollen lips, "Agreed, but I can't guarantee I'll always keep my hands off you". He brought her face back to his and kissed her again before she could retort. The kiss was deeper this time as his hands began to roam over her shoulders and down her body. His hands wrapped around her and held her tightly as the kiss grew rougher, harder. His chest burned with the need for air but he didn't want to break away. They stayed this way for some time. Sometimes hands gently roamed, sometimes they stayed still; but always touching, always kissing. It was the slow, deep kisses that melted something inside them both. It didn't need to be rushed and Oliver didn't want to rush. He wanted to take his time with Felicity, wanted to enjoy every step he took with her, that once he rushed through. He wanted to make sure she enjoyed it too.

After a while, Felicity pulled away from him, maneuvered so she straddled his hips, and sat up to look at him. His brain nearly lost all ability for normal body function as he looked at her all flushed, short of breath, and with eyes at half mast. He also knew she could feel what she was doing to him, and something in him went slightly feral for he was the cause of her desire. He watched her, perched on top him, slowing her rapid beating heart one breath at a time. Her eyes widened, but the blush never faded away and she watched him watching her. His desire for her didn't ebb in the slightest.

"Oliver, we still need to talk about...about things….us… We need to talk about us." Her voice was quiet like she was worried that he would be upset at her stopping them. He wasn't mad, far from it. He understood, and he had wanted to do this right by talking first. It was one of the reasons they needed space. It was only that, after all this time of restraining himself from thinking about her, thinking about touching her, and restraining himself from touching her. He found it hard to focus on keeping his hands and lips off her now that they were alone and he could touch her.

In this moment with her perched on his lap, flushed, and looking at him with lips he made puffy it was hard, very hard, to think of anything but touching her and kissing her. He took his hands off of her by sheer force of will alone and said, "Alright, but you're going to need to get off of me first if you expect me to keep my hands to myself".

Felicity threw her head back laughed, and Oliver groaned as the movement caused her hips to move against him.

Felicity continued to giggle at Oliver as she extricated herself from his lap and moved to the other side of the couch. She smoothed her skirt of her dress down as she tucked her legs under her; her eyes never left Oliver as he watched her with a look of mild pain on his face. She saw the strain in his pants that made his struggle obvious. She felt his pain, she was just as worked up after having his slowly caressing her, playing with her hair, and trying to tease her.

No, she didn't need to think about how his lips felt against her neck or Oliver's hands buried in her hair. She didn't need to think about how, even with Oliver's history, that this felt like it was new to him too. She didn't need to think about how when Oliver touched her it was like he was trying to show his soul to her while drawing out hers. She didn't need to think about how no lover she has ever had, made her feel half as wanted, as desired, as needed; and all he had done was make out with her.

She needed to think about their talk, not how he made her want to drag him upstairs, or not even bother to make it up the stairs. He was watching her intensely, and she was watching him. Neither one knowing what to say as a sudden nervousness fell over them that somehow didn't help tame the need. Finally, quietly, she asked, "What do you want from this Oliver? I mean,"she paused as the sudden emotion that choked her. She looked at the hands she hadn't realised she had laid in her lap. Suddenly she found herself afraid to look at him His intensity, she knew, grew into confusion so she continued. She forced herself to look him in the eyes while wondering why she felt so vulnerable all of the sudden. "Oliver, you know me. I'm an all in kind of girl. I can't do this halfway, but I won't ask anything of you that you're not willing to give. So I need to know what you want from this?"

His eyes never left hers, but she watched that look come over his face that he usually got when he was tried to pick the right words to say. He opened his mouth to say something, let out a small gasp, and shut it. He was silent for at least another minute and Felicity felt her heart start to ache in fear. Not the kind of fear that she felt when Slade had her or her house was getting shot up; but the kind of fear that hurts your soul when you think someone you love fiercely may not love you back. She, of course, tried not to give into it. Oliver wouldn't have told her he meant the 'I love you', he wouldn't have gone through all that he went though tonight if he didn't want something. She just tried to be patient, because she knew true words came very hard for him.

Another minute passed and finally he said, "When I was with Laurel, I loved her but I never saw a future with her." He stopped a moment, frowned and looked away. "I figured one day we would get married, but I never actually pictured it. When I started seeing Sara the first time it was because Laurel started to paint that future for us and I spooked."

He stopped and shame seemed to creep over him as Felicity listened and did her best not to pass judgement, even if she found it a bit hard to hear. For all of Oliver's faults and past escapades, she already knew most of it, and understood to own up to it was hard for him. After another minute, when it seemed clear to Oliver that she seemed intent to stay and listen, he continued.

"With Sara, the second time, we both needed something and it was easy to be with her. I knew she could take care of herself. I didn't have to worry about her getting hurt because of me. I think I was trying to push you away too, trying to distance myself. I treated you terribly and I'm sorry." he stopped and then finally looked back at her.

His eyes took her completely off guard. He looked at her so bare, so open, so vulnerable. In all this time she had known Oliver, he had only looked at her twice like this. When he held her hand in the second lair, and in the Clock Tower. Both times his openness had been because he had no hope; even in the mansion that horrible night, while he had been open, he had still been guarded too. This time was different; he was baring it all for her and she saw hope in his eyes, not despair. Her hand ran over her chest as she tried to still her heart, and stop the tears that wanted to fall at seeing him like this for her because he needed to be completely honest with her, and she needed him to be honest. For the first time, in Oliver's life, he wasn't holding back; and he was doing that for her.

"I can't tell you when I finally accepted what I was trying ignore; I'm not even sure I can recall the moment I gave up trying to fight it. What I can tell you is that I am in awe of you. You're like this ball of light that dragged me kicking and screaming away from the edge, and never failed to go back to the edge and get me again and again". Tears leaked out of his eyes as he reached out to grasp her hand.

"I can tell you that I knew that night, that I meant it. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but you believed in me so fiercely that I couldn't turn around. I knew that it would have been a bigger disservice to you. I had to believe in you just as fiercely as you believe in me. I can tell you, when he called over the comms and told me he had you. I would have let the city burn to save you, except for it would have meant that I wasn't the man you believed me to be ".

Felicity was frozen in place. She wasn't sure she was even breathing, or that her heart hadn't exploded as he continued despite the shock she knew he must see in her face. Oliver moved closer, cupped her face and searched her eyes. "I can tell you I want to be the person you lean on. I want to be with you, but I won't deny that I am scared. I am never going to not be scared that someone might hurt you to get to me. I can tell you that I will never stop questioning whether someone like me should be allowed to love someone as much as I love you. Because I can see a future with you, and I am afraid of what I would do to protect it. So, I'm all or nothing too".

Felicity didn't remember moving. Didn't remember hearing her heart start beating, or her lungs take in air like a few moments ago she could have sworn she was incapable of doing. All she knew was that she thought she heard herself say "Wow!" and then she jumped him.

Oliver almost didn't catch her she moved so fast. One second his heart felt like he had just poured it out and laid it at her feet to do with as she wished as she gazed back at him in shock. The next, she's in his lap, his arms around her again as she attacks his mouth with hers with such force. such fire he found his need for her edged with desperation . It took everything he had to pull her face away from his to look her in the eyes.

He was shaking, and it wasn't just from his need of her, but from confessing to Felicity things he had never said to another soul. It scared him to be that vulnerable to her. "Felicity", he called out in mild panic. They needed to stop, they needed to slow down. He needed her to speak to him, and he wanted to take this slow. Fast could come later, but tonight, after everything, he needed slow with her. He couldn't explain why, he just knew it needed to be. Felicity pulled back slightly, though their foreheads still touched. His hands cupped her face, her's were on his wrists. She was breathing heavily, and so was he. Still shaking, he was trying to get himself under control, but it was proving difficult now that she was straddling his lap again.

"Felicity", his voice came out quiet, slightly pleading, and shaky this time. "Talk to me please".

She held his scared gaze with her loving one, "Oliver, I knew you had a past. I don't care about it, I mean I care if another psycho ex-girlfriend pops up, but the most important thing to me is that we are both all in going forward. That there is no holding back from here on out. We can work everything else out in time".

He looked at her glowing face, and saw nothing but love staring back at him. He watched as if in slow motion as she once again, removed herself from his lap. Only this time she made to stand. She backed away from him as she walked backwards. She stretched out her hand for him to grab as he understood what she was doing. Her words floated out at him, "Will you come upstairs with me Oliver?"

There wasn't a verbal response from him, but the quiet reaching out to clasp her hand in his as he made to rise up and follow her. She walked backward to the stairs never breaking eye contact or letting go. She turned away as she walked up the stairs, Oliver felt his heart race with emotions. Excitement and desire coursed through him, but so did nervousness and fear. He wasn't afraid of hurting her, he was afraid he wouldn't give her what she needed from him. With every step closer to his room that they took, his heart hammered harder in his chest and he found it harder to breath.

He found himself face to face with her again as she turned to claim his other hand and pull him into his room. It was then that he saw that he wasn't the only one nervous about this. Shining out of her eyes, were the same emotions he was feeling. She walked backwards, pulling him with her, until her knees hit the bed. Nerves were causing her to bite that one corner of her her lip. Oliver sighed as he watched her lips in fascination as she nibbled away. He was the first to move after a moment or two passed as they stood there next to his bed.

His gaze lifted to hers as he reached up with one hand and pulled her glasses off slowly. He could see her eyes flexing as they were adjusting to looking without the glasses. There was something in the way that she looked at him now, that was slightly out of focus but with just as much with love. He leaned slightly to the right, and placed the glasses on his nightstand without looking away. Then he reached up to slowly pull her hair down from the ponytail. She looked up at him as if trying to figure out what it was he was trying to accomplish and all he could think is that, this was how he loved to look at her best. Her hair down, without glasses to impede his ability to look into her beautiful eyes, and without fuschia lips to distract from her natural beauty. Of course, he would never tell her that, because he knew her lipstick collection was very much apart of her bright personality, and because there was a certain distracting appeal to her brightly painted lips as well.

His hand still clasping Felicity's squeezed hers reassuringly as he leaned in to kiss the lip that she was nibbling on. The kiss began slowly as he felt her relax under him. His hand let go of hers as she moved to wrap her arms around him and lift up to meet him halfway. He rested his hands on her waist as they kissed lazily until all the nervousness was gone. Well, not gone, but not given much thought. Still he didn't move or change the kiss until Felicity's hand wandered from his neck, slowly down his arms, to just under his shirt. He pulled away slightly as he felt her tiny fingers graze his stomach to judge her intent. He felt his muscle jerk under her fingers as his pants grew tight from the sensation she created just a little north from where he hoped her fingers might be later. Her eyes told him what she was asking, as her hands slid further and further up his chest, taking his shirt with them as she went and leaving a trail of fiery sensation. He didn't speak, but removed his hands from her and took his shirt the rest of the way off. He wasn't self conscious under her gaze. She had seen his scars before, hell some of them she had stitched herself. It was just one more reminder for him how perfect she was for him that she had never flinched away from his scars.

Oliver's hand tugged on the hem of her dress, asking her the same question she had asked him. Her response, though, was to turn around and show him her zipper. It was like opening up a toy Christmas morning as every new inch of her flesh was exposed as he carefully lowered her zipper. The dress puddled around her small hips as he stopped to wrap his arms around her now bare waist and lean in to let his lips graze her naked shoulder. He shut his eyes as his hands wandered to push the dress down the rest of the way. He felt it land on his feet as Felicity's arms laid over his, and for a moment he let himself give in to the heightened sensations of feeling without sight. The heightened awareness of the silkiness of her bare skin under his hands and the feeling of her muscle clenching and unclenching from the slightest graze of his fingers over a sensitive area and being able to hear the almost inaudible moan that escaped her when he reached up to pull her strapless bra down to expose her tiny, perfect breasts to his hands.

It was then he understood why he needed to do this slowly. He needed to make love to her the way he fell in love with her. He opened his eyes as Felicity turned in his arms and reached around in some move he never understood how women could manage, to unhook her bra. For the first time Oliver saw her in all her natural beauty as she shimmied her hips slightly and pulled her bright pink panties down. He let out a groan as he took in the sight of her.

Felicity's body felt warm from his heated gaze, which created shivers over her skin in anticipation. She let him gaze at her for another moment before reaching for his belt and calling out his name in a whisper, "Oliver".

He nodded his head, "Yes" he rasped as he brought his mouth to hers. Her shaking hands gliding over his hips causing his pants to fall. After he stepped out of them, he didn't allow her the same luxury to look at him as she gave him, but she wondered if it was because she had seen most of him naked anyway. He guided her backwards until she felt the bed beneath her and his firm body above her. There was something absolutely blissful about feeling naked skin to naked skin and with just the touch of fingertips to places they normally might not roam. It could be soothing, or it could be like sparklers going off in your veins. With Oliver, as she felt his lips begin to wander and follow his fingers to all the places on her he had never seen before it brought on something else. She ran her fingers through his short soft hair and couldn't help but moan as she felt Oliver's scruff over her bare breast. Her legs widened in anticipation even though he seemed content to keep his hips away from hers just yet.

They seemed to enter a state of awareness of only themselves, her body and his body; she didn't measure time or the light of the room, but sensations and sounds. The way his scruff scratched her skin in just the right way to make her arch into his face. The groan that escaped him when she accidentally dug her nails into his shoulder whilst his hands held her down when his lips traced just above where she wanted him most. His laughter against her skin sent goosebumps up her stomach. The way the slow, torturously light brush of his fingertips over her calves left her panting.

How he gasped out, "Felicity" like her name was his salvation when he finally let her touch him. How her heart burst with excitement when she tried to push him on his back and he had conceded. He was a man who was used to being in charge, and she had expected making love with him would be the same; but he conceded to her. Exploring him, touching him, tasting him became all that more precious because there was something in the concession that told her, only to her would he concede. When the time was right, and she knew that neither he nor she could last much longer, he let her take him and set the pace, another concession that made her heart swell. She had come before him, but had barely recovered from the aftershock when he finally gave in to his desire to take control. When they came the second time; he was above her, whispering 'I love you' into her ear.

Sometime later, as they dozed under the blanket all wrapped around each other, Oliver placed light kisses on her shoulder, her ear, her neck, and any other body part in reach. Felicity fell asleep thinking that like so many things with Oliver, he had spoken very little while they made love, but she had understood what he was saying anyway. There wasn't apart of her that he didn't love, cherish, or respect; and his love for her was the kind that was slow, and steady, and built over time. She understood him, and agreed wholeheartedly.