This story picks up right at the end of Chapter 3 of "More Than Friends." You should probably read that first if you want this to make sense.

Emma was relieved to hear Clay say that he loved her too, but the burst of happiness she felt at knowing he felt the same was even bigger. She smiled back at him before he returned his gaze to the road so that he could make the turn into his apartment complex's parking lot. He continued to hold her hand while he parked the truck.

Clay turned off the engine and faced Emma. With his free hand he reached over and caressed her cheek and then leaned in and kissed her. Clay lifted his head and smiled down at Emma.

"Let's go in," he suggested.

Emma nodded and released her seatbelt. Clay got out of the truck and as he walked around to Emma's side, she picked up the leftovers from dinner that were sitting by her feet. Clay opened her door and reached in to help her down from the truck. She took his hand and hopped down. Clay shut the door and slid his arm around her as they walked to the building entrance.

As Clay opened the door to the building, Emma yawned. Clay smiled and pulled her in close to his side.

"Long day for you," he stated.

"Yeah," Emma agreed. "But," she added with a grin, "it's been pretty great."

Clay smiled at her as they stepped into the elevator. "It has been pretty great," he agreed.

Emma leaned her head against Clay as he stood with his arm around her in the elevator. She was very tired now, but she was too happy to care. She yawned again.

Clay frowned as he looked down at her. "Em, you're too tired to drive," he said as they stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall to his apartment. "You should stay here."

"Okay," Emma replied, happy she didn't actually have to convince him to let her stay.

Clay unlocked the apartment door and opened it wide, letting Emma enter before him. As she passed him he spoke. "You can have my bed, and I'll sleep on the couch."

Emma sighed quietly to herself. "Clay, I don't want you to sleep on the couch." She walked to the kitchen and put the leftovers in the refrigerator.

"Em, you're my guest. You shouldn't sleep on the couch," Clay explained earnestly.

Emma walked out of the kitchen and stopped in front of Clay. "I don't want either of us to sleep on the couch," she stated firmly. "We both should sleep in the bed."

Clay frowned. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why," Emma asked, "because we might do more than just kiss? I'm okay with that."

"Em, I just don't want to—"

"Clay," she cut him off, "did you mean it earlier on the swing when you said you wanted to get naked with me?"

"Well," he hesitated, "I was teasing you and—"

"Yes or no," Emma challenged him, "you want to get naked with me." She was not letting him slip out of this.

"I," he paused and sighed. "Yes, but I didn't mean—"

Emma put her fingers to his lips, stopping him from saying any more. "Good," she stated, "because I want that too."

Clay's eyes widened as Emma's words registered. He opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again.

Emma smiled at his confusion. "I don't mean right this minute, but Clay, maybe we could do more than kiss."

"You're right, Em," Clay agreed. "I just haven't wanted to rush you."

"I appreciate that," she replied, "but I've been starting to think you aren't attracted to me."

Clay wrapped his arms around Emma and pulled her close, "If there is one thing you can be sure of Emma Hayes, it's that I am very attracted to you." He smiled down at her and pressed a light kiss to her lips.

Emma smiled back up at him, relieved to know he wanted her too. Then, embarrassingly, she yawned again.

He grinned at her. "Come on, sleepyhead. Let's go relax on the couch together. We can watch a movie or something."

"Okay," she said. Then she gave him a mischievous look. "Want some chocolate chip cookies?"

"There are some left?" Clay asked.

"Some?" Emma laughed. "I made you your own batch." She walked back to the kitchen and opened the cabinet where she had placed the container of cookies for Clay. She pulled out the container and brought it to him.

Clay grinned at her as she gave him the cookies. "Best girlfriend ever," he said as he took the container and dropped a kiss on her lips.

He took Emma's hand in his and led her over to the couch. They settled down together, Clay sitting with his legs resting on the coffee table with the container of cookies on his left and Emma curled into his right side. Clay grabbed the TV remote and turned on the TV.

"Anything you want to watch?" He asked.

"Mmm, not really," Emma said, as she snuggled closer into Clay's side and rested her head on his chest.

Clay began gently stroking Emma's hair as he flipped through the channels to find something to watch. He stopped on an Avengers movie. He popped the cover off the container of cookies, pulled one out, and started to eat.

Emma found it difficult to keep her eyes open. She was so comfortable curled up with Clay. His hand caressing her hair was soothing, and she found herself drifting off.

Clay stopped himself at five cookies. He was going to have to make up for this at the gym on Monday. He glanced down at Emma and saw that she had fallen asleep. He wasn't surprised as she had been at work at five this morning. He debated to himself whether or not he should wake her up to move to his bedroom. She looked so peaceful, and he hated to disturb her.

Decision made, he slid out from under Emma's side and gently rested her head on a pillow on the couch. He went into the bedroom and pulled back the covers on the bed. He started to head back to the living room but then turned back to his dresser and pulled out a t-shirt and tossed it on to the bed. Then he returned to the living room.

He made sure the lid was tight on the container of cookies and then he turned off the TV and the lights in the room. There was enough light coming from the bedroom for him to see that Emma was still deeply asleep on the couch. He walked over to her and bent down to slip his arms under her back and legs. He carefully lifted her off the couch and carried her into the bedroom, where he gently placed her on the bed.

Clay frowned as he tried to decide what to do next. He knew Emma wouldn't be comfortable sleeping in her dress, but he was hesitant to do anything about it. He had a t-shirt ready for her to sleep in, but he wasn't sure how happy Emma would be about him taking her dress off while she was sleeping. This situation wasn't exactly how he had imagined the first time he would take any of Emma's clothes off.

He sighed and looked closer at the dress. It was sleeveless and buttoned all the way down the front, so really it should be easy enough to unbutton the dress, slide it off her shoulders and drop the t-shirt over her head. He snorted quietly to himself. He'd rather take on a group of Taliban fighters.

Sitting down on the bed beside Emma, who was curled on her side facing him, he reached out and started unfastening the buttons on the dress, starting at the top. He didn't push the sides of the dress apart so that Emma stayed covered the whole time he was unbuttoning. He had a little difficulty working around her arm that was resting across her stomach, but he was able to get all the buttons undone.

Now that the dress was unbuttoned, Clay realized he'd need Emma to sit up so that he could get the dress off her arms. He remembered watching Naima change RJ's clothes once while the little boy was sleeping. She had basically moved the boy's arms and legs around to get him out of his dirty clothes and into clean ones, and RJ was in such a deep sleep it didn't disturb the boy at all. Clay thought Emma seemed to be that deeply asleep as well.

Clay eased his arm under Emma's shoulder and started to lift her into a sitting position.

"Hey Em, help me get your arms out of your dress so you can put on a t-shirt," he said, hoping she'd at least subconsciously hear him and know what he was doing.

"Mmm," Emma replied and began pushing the dress off her shoulders.

Perfect, Clay thought. Then he swallowed hard as Emma's actions revealed the pale blue lace bra she was wearing. He was not expecting that at all, and he wondered how Emma had originally planned for their evening to go. He quickly grabbed the t-shirt he had for her and pulled it over her head, letting the hem drop down and cover Emma's upper body. He suspected that sleeping in her bra would not be the most comfortable for Emma, but there was no way he was dealing with getting that off.

"Slide your arms into the sleeves of the shirt, Em," he told her, and again she complied with his request.

Once Emma had her arms through the sleeves of the t-shirt, Clay lowered her back down to the bed. She rolled to her side again, giving him a glimpse of matching blue lace underwear. Clay quickly maneuvered the dress out from under her, and then pulled the covers up over Emma. He tossed the dress over the chair in his bedroom. Once he was sure Emma was comfortable, he went into the bathroom to get ready for bed himself.

He came out of the bathroom to see that Emma had buried herself under the covers with only the top of her blond head peeking out. He smiled because it figured she'd be a covers hog. He pulled off his shorts and debated leaving his t-shirt on with his boxer briefs. Finally, he pulled it off too. He hated sleeping in too many clothes.

He crawled into bed next to Emma and wrestled some of the covers away from her. She rolled over to curl up against him. As much as he enjoyed having her close, he suspected feeling her pressed against him was not going to make falling asleep easy for him. But slowly he relaxed, as he enjoyed the comfort of having Emma cuddled up with him. His breathing slowed and he finally dropped off to sleep.

Early the next morning Emma awoke. At first, she was confused as to where she was, but then in the pale dawn light filtering through the blinds she could make out the features of Clay's bedroom. She was spooned up to Clay, her back to his front, and she could feel the weight of Clay's arm across her waist holding her close.

The last thing she remembered clearly was lying on the couch with Clay watching TV while he ate some of the cookies, she had made for him. She knew she had been wearing her dress then, but now she had a t-shirt on. She had a vague memory of Clay helping her take the dress off her arms and his pulling the t-shirt over her head. He must have carried her into the bedroom. She wished she could remember that.

She realized she was still wearing her bra, which now became annoying. She felt like the lace had become scratchy and she really wanted it off. Doing her best to ignore it, she tried to enjoy how cozy it was being cuddled up with Clay in bed. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest against her back as he breathed deeply in a sound sleep. Their legs were tangled together, and she smiled secretly to herself as she became aware of Clay's morning erection pressing against her bottom.

Her bra was driving her crazy. She couldn't seem to put it out of her mind. There had to be a way for her to get it off without getting up and waking Clay. Maybe she could pull the straps off her shoulders and then twist it around to undo the clasp. She decided that wouldn't really work as she was lying on her side. She considered reaching around and undoing the clasp, then it would be loose, and she could just leave it partially on. Deciding that was the best course of action, Emma reached around for the clasp. The problem was she couldn't grasp it well enough to unfasten it.

She sighed and lay still for a moment. She really couldn't come up with any other ideas. Maybe she'd give it just one more try. Slowly she reached around again and strained to get a good grip on the clasp. In her efforts to reach around this time, Emma inadvertently arched her back and brought her ass firmly into contact with Clay's erection. Clay groaned in his sleep and tightened his arm around Emma's waist. Emma froze, then inhaled deeply at the surge of desire she felt. She fought the urge to press herself back against Clay again.

So focused on her internal thoughts, Emma didn't realize Clay had woken up.

"Em," he asked in a sleepy morning voice, "what are you doing?"

She felt a flush of embarrassment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she replied. "I was just trying to take off my bra. It's not comfortable to sleep in."

"I'm sorry I didn't take it off last night," Clay apologized. "It didn't feel right taking it off you when you weren't awake."

Emma rolled over so she was facing Clay and threaded her arms around his neck.

"That's okay," she assured him. Then she added with a playful smile, "I want to be awake when you take my bra off."

As soon as Emma said that, Clay's sleepy gaze became much more intense. She could see the desire darkening his eyes. Instinctively, she lifted her face to him, and he leaned in and kissed her hungrily. This kiss was different from the ones that had come before. She could feel Clay's need for her, and she echoed it in her response to his kiss.

She opened her mouth, allowing his tongue entrance. Clay groaned and tightened his arms around her, pulling her flush against his chest. His hands began caressing her back, and one slipped down to cup her ass and press her to his hardness. Emma moaned as she felt him pressing against her. She began sifting her fingers through Clay's hair as he sucked her tongue into his mouth. His hand slid down her leg to her knee, and then he lifted her leg over his hip bringing his erection into direct contact with her core.

Feeling Clay's hardness pressing against her, Emma broke off their kiss, needing to breathe as she became overwhelmed by desire. She whimpered Clay's name as he continued to pepper kisses on her jaw.

When Emma broke off their kiss, Clay realized they were moving too fast. They had jumped way ahead here and they needed to slow things down. He rolled so that Emma was lying on her back and then he pulled his hips away from hers, turning to lie alongside her.

Emma opened her eyes and looked at him. "Clay?" She questioned, unsure why he had stopped.

Clay dropped a kiss on her nose. "Just slowing things down a little, Em," he reassured her.

Emma nodded, and he smiled at her. He leaned down and began to kiss along her jawline towards her neck. As he kissed her, he stroked gently up and down her side with his hand. Emma brought her arms around him and began to caress his back and shoulders.

Clay continued to kiss her neck and Emma moved her head to the side to give him better access. The collar of the t-shirt she was wearing covered where her neck and shoulder met, stopping Clay from kissing her there.

Clay lifted his head and looked at Emma. "Is it okay if we take this off?" He asked as he grasped the hem of the t-shirt.

"Yes, please," Emma replied.

Clay grinned at her response and he pulled the shirt up over her head. Emma lifted her arms so that it came away easily, and Clay tossed it off the bed. He looked down at Emma in her blue lace bra and panties.

"You are so beautiful, Em," he said reverently.

She smiled shyly at him, and Clay leaned down and kissed her lips as his hand came to rest on her hip. Emma slid her arms around him again and she began running her hands slowly up and down his back. Clay started kissing along her jawline again and then on to her neck. He pressed kisses down the column of her throat. As he continued with his kisses, his hand slowly stroked upward from Emma's hip. He squeezed her waist and slowly dragged his fingers along her rib cage.

Clay thought he had slowed things down, but the sight of Emma in her lace underwear and the feel of her soft skin weren't letting him keep things slow. He was worried he was rushing her, but she didn't seem to be hesitant at all with what they were doing. In fact, her hands running up and down his back were getting him more aroused, particularly as on each downward stroke Emma was bringing her hands lower to caress his ass.

When Clay first pulled off the t-shirt she was wearing and looked down at her, Emma felt a little shy. She knew he had seen her in a bikini, but this felt different. She wanted Clay to look at her, but at the same time she had the urge to grab the sheet and pull it over herself. Then she saw the look of awe in Clay's eyes and she never felt more beautiful.

As Clay began kissing her jaw again, Emma ran her hands slowly up and down his back. She wanted to touch him everywhere. Each time she ran her hands down his back she let them drift a little lower so that she could feel his ass. She was tempted to slip her hands under the material of his boxer briefs so she could feel his bare skin, but Clay moved a little lower to kiss her neck and she couldn't quite reach any more.

Clay's fingers running along her rib cage were starting to make her a little crazy. She kept hoping they would continue up to touch her breast, but each time they moved back down to her waist. As his hand began to make its upward trip again, she arched her back in an effort to get him to keep moving it higher, but again it began to stroke downward.

Clay had now moved down to kiss the base of her throat and Emma let her head fall back on the pillow. She felt Clay giving her a sucking kiss at the base of her throat, and as he did so his hand finally swept upward and squeezed her breast. She let out a low moan of pleasure as Clay's hand continued to fondle her breast.

Moving lower still, Clay began to kiss the valley between her breasts. Emma's eyes drifted shut as she focused on how good his hand caressing her felt. Her hips began to pulse off the bed of their own volition, and Clay moved over Emma so that she was pressing herself to him with each upward lift.

Clay's hand stopped touching her breast and Emma let out a small sound of displeasure. She opened her eyes and looked down at Clay, who had lifted his head. He slipped his finger under the lace cup of her bra on her other breast and gently eased it down exposing her to his view. Then he slowly licked her nipple and blew softly on it, making it stand even more erect. Emma released a sigh of pleasure and arched her back, craving something, she wasn't sure what. Then Clay bent his head to her breast and took her nipple into his mouth and sucked gently on it.

She moaned Clay's name and rocked her hips harder against him. Clay smiled slightly and moved his head to give her other breast the same treatment. As he did, he slipped his hand under her back and unfastened her bra.

"Let's take this off," he murmured as he sat up to slide the bra straps off Emma's arms.

"Yes," Emma breathed, happy to finally have it off.

Emma thought she should be embarrassed to have him looking at her bare breasts, but she only felt impatient for him to start touching her again. Clay stretched out beside her and began teasing her nipple again with his mouth. His hand went to her other breast and rolled that nipple between his thumb and finger, which caused Emma to start lifting her hips off the bed again. Without Clay's weight over her though, she found it unfulfilling.

Clay, realizing what she needed, moved his hand from her breast and slipped it into her panties. He began rubbing her clit and Emma began rocking hard against his hand. She became so focused on what Clay was doing with his hand and how good it felt, that she didn't realize he had stopped kissing her breast and had moved lower to kiss her stomach. But then he removed his hand from her underwear, causing Emma to make a frustrated sound.

"Hold on, Em," Clay said. "Is it okay if I take these off?" He asked, slipping his fingers under the lace, where it covered her hip.

Emma nodded. "Yes, off," she sighed.

"Lift up your hips," Clay told her, as he tugged the panties down.

She lifted up and Clay pulled the panties down past her knees, and then she kicked them away among the covers.

Clay began kissing her stomach again and nuzzled at her belly button, which made Emma laugh. As he did so, he moved to lay between Emma's legs. His kisses moved lower and Emma's eyes popped open. Was he going to kiss her there?

"Clay?" She asked uncertainly.

Clay looked up at her. "Trust me, Em?" He asked.

"Yes," she whispered in response. Of course, she trusted him, she thought, but she wasn't sure about this. She felt very exposed in this position. She knew she could tell Clay to stop and he would, but then there was also a part of her that didn't want him to stop. That part of her wanted to experience this with Clay.

Clay lifted one of Emma's legs over his shoulder, and she could feel his beard tickling the skin of her inner thighs. Before she had time for any second thoughts, Emma felt Clay's tongue licking her, and she moaned at the sensations it caused. Then he began to suck gently on her bundle of nerves. Any possible coherent thought faded from Emma's head as she became overwhelmed by the pleasure she was feeling. Her body was straining for release and Clay knew exactly what to do to help her there. He slipped a finger inside her and increased the pressure of his mouth on her clit. Emma rocked her hips in rhythm with Clay's tongue and finger, driving her closer and closer to her peak. She reached down and threaded her fingers in Clay's hair while her other hand twisted in the sheets. Then finally she felt the pleasure explode inside her and she repeatedly moaned Clay's name, loudly.

Emma slowly returned to her senses as Clay moved to stretch out beside her. She opened her eyes and looked up at Clay. He smiled at her and leaned down and kissed her slowly.

"You good, Em?" He asked once he broke off the kiss.

"Mmmm," she replied. "I think all my bones have melted."

"That's good, right?" Clay asked with a boyish grin.

"Yeah," she agreed, thinking about how good it was exactly. Then she blushed remembering how loud she had been when it was happening.

"Why are you blushing?" Clay asked.

Emma ducked her head down a little. "I was kind of loud there at the end. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Emma," Clay reassured her, and she looked back up at him. "Don't ever be embarrassed about enjoying what we do together," he added. "Okay?"

Emma nodded.

"Besides," he continued with a wicked grin, "I liked it. It was hot." Emma blushed a little more upon hearing that. As Clay spoke, he pressed his hips to Emma's side, and she could feel how aroused he still was.

A minute ago, Emma would have sworn she could barely move, but now a new wave of desire swept over her. She rolled on her side to face Clay, bringing her hips back into contact with his. Clay groaned as she pressed her hips to his hardness. Then she snaked her hand down between them to squeeze Clay's hardness through his boxer briefs. He moaned at her touch and pressed himself into her hand.

Emma moved her hand to the waistband of his underwear and slipped it under to touch his bare skin. She wrapped her hand around him, but found the waistband made it difficult for her to touch Clay the way she wanted.

"Clay, help me take these off," she said, looking up at him.

In response, Clay lifted his hip from the bed and they both tugged his boxer briefs down. Emma pushed them the rest of the way down, and Clay kicked them off his feet.

Emma pushed Clay gently on to his back and began kissing his neck. As she did that, she dragged her hand down his chest and wrapped it back around Clay's erection. Clay covered her hand with his own and together they began stroking his length. He moaned, and Emma smiled as she continued to kiss her way across his chest.

"Em," Clay groaned, "hold on. Stop."

"Why?" Emma asked. "What's wrong?" She squeezed him as he removed his hand from hers.

"Mmm… Em," he groaned. "If we keep doing this, it's all going to be over in a few minutes. Is that what you want?"

It took Emma a second to realize what Clay meant.

"If that's what you want, it's okay," Clay stated.

"No, that's not what I want," she said. She looked into his eyes and continued, "I want you. I want you inside me."

Clay groaned at her words. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said and leaned in and kissed him.

Clay wrapped his arms around Emma and rolled so that she was lying on top of him. Emma smiled as she savored the feeling of her bare skin against Clay's. Then she began to kiss her way down Clay's neck to his chest. Clay ran his hands down Emma's back and brought them to rest on her ass. He began gently squeezing, and Emma started to squirm on his hardness. Clay groaned and moved one of his hands to grip her hip and help her find the rhythm he needed.

Emma lifted herself off Clay's chest, holding herself up with her hands on his shoulders, as she rocked her hips harder on Clay's erection. Clay brought his hand up and began fondling Emma's breast. She gasped and increased the movement of her hips.

"Mm-, Em," Clay moaned. "Hold on… need protection."

Emma froze. She hadn't even thought about protection. Way to be a responsible adult, Emma, she thought.

Clay slipped out from under her and moved up the bed to reach into his bedside table drawer. He was digging around in the drawer and not finding what he was looking for. Emma frowned and worried he didn't have a condom. She thought he looked a little worried too.

Finally, Clay pulled one out of the drawer. He quickly tore open the package and rolled the condom on. Then he stretched out beside Emma again and took her into his arms. He rolled her gently under him so that his lower body rested between her legs.

The pause in the action had given Emma enough to time to get a little nervous. Clay must have realized she wasn't quite ready. He began kissing her again, first on her lips then slowly along her jaw to her neck. Resting his weight on one arm, he moved his other hand and began stroking her body from her thigh up to her shoulder and down again.

Emma slid her arms around Clay and began caressing his back and shoulders. Then she eased her hands down and cupped his ass, as Clay began rocking his hips against her. She moaned as his erection pressed against her. She placed her feet flat on the bed and slid them up so that Clay was now lying between her knees. She began raising her hips to meet Clay's as he pressed rhythmically against her.

Clay reached down between them and guided himself to her entrance. Emma felt the pressure as he began to ease himself into her. Clay slowly thrust into her and then withdrew, only to press deeper with the next motion of his hips. Emma instinctively began lifting to meet Clay's thrusts, and she felt a sharp pain, causing her to gasp, as he slid all the way inside.

Clay froze. "Em, am I hurting you?" He asked urgently.

"No, it's fine." She assured him.

Clay began to pull back, and Emma immediately tightened her legs on his hips and held him to her. "Don't," she said. "It's fine now, really. It did hurt for a second, but now I'm good."

He looked down at Emma. "Are you sure?" He asked worriedly.

"I'm sure," she assured him.

Clay didn't move, and Emma worried that he wanted to stop. Before the pain, it had started to feel really good, and she wanted to get that feeling back. She rocked her hips a little, and Clay groaned. Emma began rolling her hips more, and Clay started moving with her.

"Em," he panted, "tell me if I'm hurting you."

"—will," she moaned. "Promise."

Emma could feel her orgasm building, not as strong as earlier, but she could feel it coming. Clay's movements became more urgent and he pressed his face into her neck as he moaned her name. He slid his hand between them and massaged Emma's clit. She moaned Clay's name as that brought on her orgasm, which was enough to trigger Clay's as well. Clay let out a long, low groan and then collapsed on Emma as his arms could no longer hold his weight.

Emma ran her fingers through Clay's hair and held him to her. She enjoyed the feeling of his weight pressing her into the bed.

"Sorry, Em," Clay said as he recovered. "I'm crushing you."

"It's okay," she replied, smiling up at him. "I like it. You good?"

He grinned at her, and said teasingly, "I think all my bones have melted."

She giggled. "That's good, right?"

"Yeah," he said, leaning in to kiss her. "You're okay, right?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry," she reassured him.

"Okay," he said. "I'll be right back. I need to take care of the condom." Clay eased off of her and headed into the bathroom.

While he was gone, Emma pulled the sheet back up and found the pillows that had been pushed haphazardly around the bed. She settled down and got comfortable, figuring they could sleep for a couple of hours more.

Clay came back from the bathroom with a worried look on his face.

"Are you sure you're fine?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Emma replied. "What's wrong?"

"It's just," Clay hesitated, "um, there was blood on the condom."

"Well," she said matter-of-factly, "it was my first time. So, I guess that's not unusual."

Clay chewed on his lip. "I guess."

"Come back to bed," Emma told him, lifting the sheet for him to get under.

Once Clay laid down next to her, Emma rolled against his side and rested her head on his chest.

"I promise I'm fine and that I'll tell you if I'm not, okay?" She reassured him.

Clay nodded. "I just don't want to hurt you ever, Em," he said seriously. "When we're together like this, it's not just about me. I want you to enjoy it too."

"I did," Emma promised. "And trust me, I've heard some stories from friends whose first times were painful and did not involve having an orgasm."

"I believe that was two orgasms," Clay pointed out.

"Oh God," Emma laughed. "Are you going to be able to get your big head through the bedroom door later?"

"Just sayin'," Clay said with a grin.

"Go to sleep," Emma laughed.

They were both quiet for a bit and Emma started to doze, when Clay spoke.

"Hey, Em," Clay asked, "want to hike up to Crystal Lake later? We can swim there, and it shouldn't be as crowded as the beach."

"Mmm," Emma replied. "That sounds nice."

"If you're up to it," Clay added. "Maybe you won't want to walk that far."

Emma shook her head. "Yes, Clay," she teased, "because of your manly prowess I won't be able to walk much today. I better just stay lying down."

Clay laughed and rolled to his side to look at Emma. "Come here with that smart mouth," he said and kissed her.

"You love my smart mouth," Emma replied.

"I do," he said seriously. "I love you, Emma."

Emma smiled at him. "I love you too, Clay."

Clay pulled the sheet back up over them, and they curled up together to get some more sleep.