Octavia sighed as she wiped the counter.

It was almost closing time, but there were still a few remaining customers in The Brew. She couldn't wait to go home. As soon as she was done here, she would go leave and text Lincoln. They'd wanted to plan something for that night, but they'd both been stuck at work, much to their disappointment.

Shortly after midnight, Lincoln walked in.

Her mood brightened up at once.

And damn! He was still in his EMT uniform. The light blue of the shirt contrasted beautifully with his dark skin. Besides, she did love a man in uniform…

"Hey!" she greeted him with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

Lincoln grinned widely. "Somebody told me this was the best coffee shop in the city."

He leaned over the counter to kiss her.

When they parted, she smiled.

"Mhm, that's true! Is your shift over?"

"Yeah, just ended."

"You want a cup of coffee?" she asked.

"No, I better not. I just got out of a 24 hour shift. All I need now is to go home and crash. But I wanted to see you first."

Octavia smiled and looked down, blushing.

"Although, I'll admit it… I also had another reason for coming to see you," he confessed. "I want to ask you something…"

"Ask away."

"What are you doing on the 14th?"

She shrugged. "Working. Why?"

"Well, the 14th happens to be Valentine's Day."

Octavia looked up at him. She didn't know what to say, so she let him go on.

"And, since you're my Valentine, I was thinking… you could come over to my place," he continued. Lincoln was trying his best to make it seem like it was no big deal, like he wasn't nervous about it. "We could have a late romantic dinner. And, who knows?"

She understood the unspoken part perfectly. They'd been talking about the sexual aspect of their relationship, the next step…

They both wanted to, badly. There has been plenty of make out sessions between them. But they'd been held back by the fear that it might be too soon.

She no longer had that fear, however. Instead of wondering 'Was it too soon?', she now wondered 'What the hell are we waiting for?'.

Besides, she did have a bunch of brand new lingerie she hadn't debuted yet...

"I would love to," Octavia told him, with a smirk. "It's a date."

They stood there, staring at each other and grinning like idiots. They couldn't wait!

"What time do you get off?" he asked. Then winced when he realized how it might have sounded. "I meant–"

"I know what you meant. Relax." She grinned at him. But her grin faded. The sexual tension between them had been tangible for weeks and it was becoming unbearable. Valentine's Day couldn't come soon enough. Octavia checked her watch and grimaced. "I still have about forty minutes, give or take."

The shop was closing, the last few customers preparing to leave. But she still had to clean up and store everything before leaving.

"It's okay. I'll wait and walk you home."

"Lincoln, come on. You're not gonna sit by yourself in an empty coffee shop just to walk me home.

"Of course I am. I'll even help you."

"I thought you said you were tired," Octavia pointed out. She sighed. "Just go home, seriously. I'll be fine."

"But if I help you, you finish up quicker, and then we can both go home."

She sighed. He was just as stubborn as she was.

"Fine," she conceded.

He helped her, as promised, and they did finish quicker than if she'd done it alone. Octavia was still stunned at how lucky she'd gotten in finding Lincoln.

Together, they cleaned tables, stacked chairs, checked the stock…

After everything was in its proper place, Octavia turned off the lights and closed the store. Lincoln put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead.

"Let's go home."

The days seemed to pass slowly until, finally, the 14th came…

His apartment wasn't too far from her own place, so they'd agreed that she would meet him there.

Octavia reflected as she walked over to Lincoln's place. Tonight was big deal. For starters, it was her first time going over to his house, it was their first Valentine's Day and, if everything went according to plan, it would be their first time having sex.

God! She couldn't wait…

Her sex drive had been on max for the past couple of weeks, waiting for this very night.

This time, Octavia had decided to go for a racier look. She'd applied heavier, more seductive makeup, complete with smokey eyes and dark red lipstick, and her dark hair was down in smooth waves. She had always opted for a more natural look whenever then went on date, but tonight, she was a woman trying to seduce her man.

Another element that she hoped would help in the seduction was the lingerie. Beneath her outfit which consisted of black skinny jeans and a burgundy blouse, she wore a matching set lacy red bra and underwear.

Lincoln lived alone, which meant no nosy roommate to interrupt them or overhear them… Speaking of said nosy roommate, she'd told Raven not to wait up. Not that it mattered, anyway. She was out with her girlfriend, having plans of their own.

Finally, she arrived at Lincoln's address.

Here we go.

Lincoln had spent the entire day making sure everything was perfect.

He looked around, double checking everything. He'd set the table, lit the candles, dimmed the lights, put on soft background music… The entire place had a romantic feel to it. He only hoped she would like it.

After so long yearning for each other, tonight might be the night.

He'd even gone out to buy a brand new box of condoms, just in case. There was no certainty that there would be sex that night, but he figured he should be prepared.

The sound of the doorbell ringing startled him out of his reverie.

She was here.

When he opened the door, Lincoln opened his mouth to greet her but was stunned speechless by her appearance.

Good, she thought.

Octavia raised an eyebrow seductively.

"Hey," she said in a sultry voice.

Lincoln gulped. "Hi. You look…"

She smirked and nodded. "I know."

He shook himself out of it.

"Uh, come in," he managed. "Please."

Inside, he helped with her coat and purse, placing them aside.

Then, she grabbed him by the lapels of his white shirt. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up to kiss his lips.

She leaned back to look at him. "Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," Lincoln replied before returning to her lips.

After a long and yearning kiss, Octavia pulled away and looked around at the place, really taking it in for the first time.

"Oh, wow," she said in awe. Then, she teased, "Is all this for me?"

"It sure is."

Lincoln remembered his mental checklist of romantic things for the evening. He walked toward the coffee table where the first gift lay, and returned to her side, carrying the elaborate bouquet.

"I realize red roses are the tradition on Valentine's Day," he began. "But…"

He handed her a bouquet of white lilies.

The flower he'd given her in the Park…

Octavia melted.

She accepted the flowers, feeling the tears rise. "Thank you. I love them."

They sat on the couch. Octavia smelled the lilies before setting them down on the coffee table again. As she leaned back on the couch, she found that she couldn't. Looking back, she realized there was a big red heart-shaped pillow behind her.

"What–"

"Yeah… I got you something."

She sighed, but smiled. "I thought we agreed no gifts."

"I know." He winced slightly. "But I couldn't help myself. And I… got you something else, too."

"Lincoln…" she warned.

Amused, Lincoln said, "Shhh. I'm wooing you. Be wooed."

"Oh, I'm wooed."

Lincoln pulled a small bag from his back pocket and handed it to her. Octavia undid the laces and opened it.

It was a silver keychain with her initial dangling from it.

"To match your necklace," he explained.

She touched her O necklace that her brother had given her on her 18th birthday.

"I wanted to get you something pretty and cheesy," Lincoln continued. "I couldn't find anything that fit in both categories, so I got one of each."

Octavia clutched the keychain in her hand.

"Now I feel bad," she said uncomfortably. "I didn't bring you anything."

He kissed her cheek. "You being here is my gift."

"No, seriously. I want to get you something."

"Fine. You can buy me a cup of coffee the next I go to The Brew. How about that?"

She shook her head at his stubbornness.

"I'm gonna get you something amazing," she promised. "You watch."

"Okay," he laughed. "Now, I do believe I promised you a romantic candlelit dinner…" He nodded toward the dinner table. "And the food's getting cold. Come on."

Lincoln got up and held out his hand. She took it, but instead of following him to the table, Octavia went to her purse and retrieved her keys, attaching the new keychain to them.

He rejoiced. It was a sure sign that she'd liked it.

Octavia rejoined him and they headed toward their dinner.

The food was on the table, under cloches.

"Oh, come on… After all this," she gestured at all the previous romantic gestures. "you did not have to go through all the trouble of making a home cooked meal."

"I didn't."

He lifted the cover and revealed… pizza.

She set off in a fit of giggles, and he laughed along with her.

"From your favorite place," he explained.

They sat down and Lincoln poured red wine into their glasses. Octavia took a sip from her glass.

"This is perfect, seriously. You're perfect."

As they ate, Lincoln and Octavia laughed and talked about their day.

Afterward, they decided to leave the dishes just as they were, especially since there was still some leftover pizza.

Octavia rose from her seat, taking the wine with her and sat back down on the couch.

"You're place is amazing, by the way," she commented, looking around. "It's so open and spacious."

Lincoln sat beside her and she stretched her legs onto his lap. He removed her black heels and gently rubbed her bare feet while she moaned at the sensation.

The sound of her moans were driving him crazy.

He wasn't the only one painfully aware of the sexual tension in the room. Octavia moved one of her feet, pulling it back to rest on his crotch and pressing it down gently on his growing erection.

He grunted.

Lincoln moved on top of her and accidentally kicked the heart-shaped pillow to the ground. They giggled and he leaned down to kiss her waiting lips.

Not long after, he pulled away to look her in the eyes, the unspoken question burning in his own.

Do you want this?

"Yes," she said decidedly.

His lips returned to hers in a hungry kiss.

Wild with desire, they burned.

There they were, making out on the couch, as they'd done dozens of times before then. But this time was different. This time, they had no intention of stopping.

Octavia moved to switch their positions, so that she was on top, straddling his lip. She took off her blouse.

"You have a tattoo," Lincoln mused as he touched the skin where the blue butterfly tattoo sat on her right shoulder. Then, he stroked his thumb over the lacy red bra. "Pretty."

She gasped and shuddered.

Then, she set to work on his shirt, desperately undoing the little buttons while her mouth hungrily devoured his again. Octavia finally got the shirt open. She pushed the material off his shoulders and threw it somewhere. In a very small space in her mind, one not currently filled with hormones and desire, she hoped that shirt hadn't landed near any of the candles.

Lincoln reached behind her and unclasped the bra. He pulled the straps from her shoulders until it fell onto their laps. Without thinking twice, Lincoln leaned down to take one of her nipples into his mouth while hand massaged the other.

"Now," Octavia gasped. She couldn't wait any longer. "Take me now."

He left the discarded bra on the couch and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to his bedroom.

Octavia was so drunk on lust, she barely noticed the candles and rose petals on the floor.

This man thought of everything…

Lincoln laid her down on the bed gently. His body covered hers once again and she wrapped herself around him, both of them grinding and moaning as they kissed. They were lying sideways on the bed, but neither of them cared.

He rose slightly from the bed to pull off her jeans. After the pants were gone, she was left with nothing but her lacy red underwear.

"Look at you…" he whispered in awe.

The sight of Octavia half naked and panting on his bed proved to be more than he could take. Lincoln growled and descended on her breasts again. She mewled and moved beneath, holding his head in place.

Then, he began to kiss her neck, suckling her earlobes, before returning his attention to her breasts.

"Lincoln… I think you should go get a condom," she told him, breathless.

He nodded. Reaching into the bedside table, he opened the box and pulled one condom out while Octavia rearranged herself on the bed. Lincoln discarded his own jeans, along with his shoes and socks, and joined her in bed.

When he plunged into her wet heat, they both groaned.

They got lost in each other.

Despite being their first time together, it felt like they'd done this a thousand times before. Lincoln and Octavia moved in perfect synchronization. They knew each other's bodies, each other's responses…

Their joint climax was like a shock to the senses, leaving them dazed.

Afterward, still high on endorphins, they lay in bed in each other's arms. Lincoln held her close in his arms, tracing her tattoo.

"I love you," he whispered. He feared how she might react, so he added, "You don't have to say it back if you're not ready, or you don't feel it yet–"

"Shhh." Octavia placed a finger over his lips to shut him up. Looking deeply into his brown eyes, she said, "I love you, too."

She meant every word.

Sometime later, they ended up in his bathtub, soaking in the warm bubbly water, an opened box of chocolates beside them.

"Did you enjoy tonight?" Lincoln wanted to know.

"I would say yes…" she touched the bun on top of her head, as if in deep thought.

He frowned. "But?"

"'Enjoy' would be a severe understatement," she told him with a devious smirk. "I loved everything about tonight. Thank you."

Lincoln fed her another piece of chocolate from the box. "Thank you."

"Happy Valentine's Day," she told him, grinning from ear to ear.

He touched his lips to hers.

"Happy Valentine's Day."

This amazing man loved her and, there was no shadow of doubt in her mind, she loved him. Tonight had been cliché and cheesy, complete with candles, gifts, flowers, chocolates... And Octavia had loved every minute of it.