A/N: If you thought that last chap was cute, you ain't seen nothin yet. ;)

*I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

...

"Barry?"

He turned to see her come around the corner and his jaw dropped. He would never get tired of seeing her all dressed up for him. That she took time to look nice for him when she had no need to always baffled him. She was beyond attractive in sweats and a t-shirt with hair going in all different directions and unwashed skin with smudged mascara. He didn't think he'd be able to handle when he finally saw her in lingerie. The thought of seeing her naked one day made his head spin and his pulse kick up.

Iris rolled her eyes at his reaction, but smiled as she walked to and past him, clasping his hand in her owns before he knew what hit him.

"W-where are we going?" he asked, his eyes traveling across her bare shoulders to the wispy hairs at the nape of her neck.

"Still stuttering, Bear? After nineteen dates?" She raised an eyebrow.

His brain momentarily flatlined. She was counting. He thought he was the only one.

He swallowed hard. "It's not my fault you're so beautiful."

Delicious shivers erupted all over her body.

"We're going to have to go to the beach sometime."

Visions of her in a swimsuit, emphasizing all her curves and showing a bit more skin danced across his mind, threatening to destroy his self-control.

"Why's that?" he squeaked.

She turned her head to look at him, amused.

"I think it's high time I saw you shirtless, Barry Allen."

He nearly stopped breathing.

"Why—" he choked on his regained breath. "Why would you want—"

Iris came to a stop, looked him straight in the eye and then laughed. "Barry."

And then she kissed him. Even in high heels, she had to pull his head down to hers. Her hands wrapped around the back of it, forcing the kiss into depths neither of them could remember. The feel of his tongue expertly twisting with hers made her knees weak. His arms wrapped around her waist, and it wasn't till a whistle from a passerby registered that they were forced to break apart.

They turned to see the smirking teenager keep walking, then looked at each other, laughed and then smiled. Barry initiated a softer kiss this time and Iris smiled into it.

"What?" he asked when they pulled apart, his face lingering so it graze her cheek.

"You didn't even ask."

He chuckled. "Well, after your kiss, I guess I figured I had your permission."

She smiled cheekily and grabbed his hand again. "You assume correctly."

…

They stopped at a little café and had lunch. Iris ordered iced tea for her drink, which made Barry halt for a second in what he was doing.

"What?" she asked, brows furrowed at the bizarre expression on his face.

"Uh…nothing," he tried to pass off. "I just didn't realize you liked iced tea."

She smirked, amused. "It's a good day for iced tea. It's sunny, it's warm…" She reached across the table to intertwine their fingers. "And I'm with you," she said softly.

The butterflies exploded in his chest.

"I'll take an iced tea too," he told the waiter without looking up at him.

…

They were on their way back to Iris's apartment, pleasantly surprised that there had been no interruptions to their date that day when Iris realized she still hadn't told him.

You don't have to tell him today, the voice in her head told her. She wondered how it had suddenly gotten sympathetic to her cause. But I do, she told it. I want to. The other voice remained silent.

"Barry…" she ventured carefully.

"Yeah?" he asked, blissfully unaware of her nerves beginning to show.

"I had a lot of fun today," she said, relaxing a little because that was a safe thing to say, and it was true.

"Me too." He smiled broadly and began to swing their hands, glancing down to look at them and smiling even wider.

"What part was your favorite?" she asked, feeling a bit like a child as she stood up on her tip toes for a second, her knees bending slightly in a little jump that didn't leave the ground.

He turned to look at her, smile still plastered on his face. He could not get over how excited she always was to be with him. And in this way.

"Well, that first kiss was pretty memorable."

She bit her bottom lip, unable to suppress a little giggle.

"What else?"

He couldn't look away from her.

"Seeing you in that dress," he said, giving her figure another appreciative stare.

The heat in his eyes was unmistakable.

She swallowed.

"I liked when you took your jacket off," she said and he looked away briefly, aware of the heat rising up his neck to his cheeks. "You're…" She let go of her hand and let it glide up to his bicep covered once more by the jacket he'd adorned earlier. She squeezed gently.

"Iris."

He had never seen her like this, so suggestive, so forward. He knew she found him attractive, because duh, she let him kiss her. But tonight…tonight she was a firecracker. He was a little concerned she might try to lure him into her bedroom when they got back to her apartment, and he was so not ready for that. He needed preparation. At least a few hours notice.

He worried briefly then that she would try to walk around Central City a few more hours.

Nah, he dismissed it. Those heels of hers had to be killing her. He reminded himself though that if Iris West set her mind to it, she could accomplish anything. Even walking around in six inch heels a while longer. Even seducing him when they got back to her place, which wouldn't be that hard, he admitted to himself despite his nerves.

She laughed softly and returned her hand to his.

"Relax, Allen. I'm quite capable of controlling myself."

Lucky you, he thought. The corners of his lips twitched.

"There was…something…" she took a deep breath, "that I wanted to tell you though."

The switch in her tone and her breathing relaxed him but also somewhat startled him. He stopped them and turned her to face him.

"What is it?" he asked, intertwining their fingers on both hands, trying to soothe her with whatever seemed to be the matter. It appeared something was. He wondered if it was bad, or if it would kill him.

"It's not bad," she assured him, a nervous chuckle slipping through.

He looked at her questioningly, a queasy yet hopeful feeling starting to bubble inside him.

She opened her mouth and closed it several times before continuing.

"It's…well, we…we haven't really talked about our feelings."

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Was she going to say it? He felt sweat droplets begin to form on his forehead.

"I did call you beautiful," he reminded her, struggling to breathe. "Many times, in fact."

She nodded and smiled. "Yes, I remember. I delivered similar compliments. And I smile a lot. And I kiss you."

"Oh, I'm aware." He grinned, smug.

She smacked his chest lightly but smiled despite herself.

"What I'm trying to say—"

"Yes?" he prompted her.

"Is that…" She looked up into his eyes and saw her whole future. She swallowed and parted her quivering lips. "I love you, Barry."

The words hit him with the force of a freight train. They didn't sound exactly the same as they had the first time. There wasn't that hint of sadness that they contained the last time when she thought she'd be saying goodbye for awhile. But the words were soft and gentle and pleading for a response. Her eyes shone with the truth in them and he knew this time around her confession was just as good, if not a million times better.

He set his hands on her bare shoulder and moved them till them cupped her face. Then, moving in slowly, he captured her lips in a single kiss. It felt so much like the first time that he could almost imagine it was. When he pulled away her whole heart shone out of her eyes and he smiled, gazing at her in just the same way.

"I love you, too." He paused; then added, "And I always will."

Her gasp was almost inaudible as a gushing smile formed on her beautiful face. Unconsciously, she bit her bottom lip.

"That's even better than I'd hoped for," she breathed, stars shimmering in her eyes.

He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in, entrancing her with a passionate kiss that rivaled the one at the beginning of their date. With no passersby to distract them, it went on quite awhile, until almost all oxygen had been expelled.

"I love you more than I've ever loved anyone," she breathed heavily against his face, her forehead pressed against his. She met his eyes even in that close skin-to-skin contact. "And I'm never going to love anyone but you for as long as I live."

The inevitability of them, the destined feeling he'd felt so frequently in the past year resurfaced once again. It had only been a month – well, month and a half – since they'd been together, but God how he wanted to ask it.

Will you marry me?

...

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this fic! I had a lot of fun writing it. Hoping to have Flashpoint updated next. :)