I roll off Derek with a heavy sigh of exhaustion. His gentle chuckles fill my ears as I collapse beside him, my muscles completely spent. A soft hand strokes up and down my back for a minute before a coldness seeps in beside me, meaning Derek has left the bed.

"Derek?" I whine, using all my remaining strength to roll over onto my back so I catch a glimpse of Derek's naked form walking from the bathroom. I blush and look down.

"Baby, after everything we've done you're still blushing?" I nod bashfully and lift my arm up for him, wanting to curl back up in his arms.

"In a minute Elle, I'll be back in a minute." His voice is gentle and soft as he pulls back the covers from my body. I squeal and cover myself despite the clutches of sleep that are gnawing on my eyes and brain.

"Derek?" I exclaim and then let out a low groan of relief as a cooling wash cloth rubs between and over my legs, soothing the aching sensation of my well used body. I smile at his kindness, cleaning the remnants of himself from me, he's something special.

A soft trail of kisses trace the curve of my leg and hip as Derek showers my body in kisses once again.

"Der..." I whine once again, I must seem like a clingy baby. My hands make grabby motions and I finally catch his forearm in my hand, I tug him to the bed again.

"Ok. Ok baby." He chucks the damp cloth back into the bathroom and I hear it slapping against the bottom of the empty bath.

Happily, I snuggle up against him, his arms wind around me- pulling me close into the side of him. He kisses my forehead and I reply with a chaste kiss to his tattooed pec.

My eyes drop heavily and I feel the blanket of sleep collapse onto me as Derek strokes the tips of his fingers over my back, lulling me into a deeper sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mmm..." I stretch out my legs as I rouse from the best sleep of my life. The bed is empty but not yet cold meaning Derek has only just left me.

Sitting up, I find a T-shirt and pair of shorts of Derek's folded up on the base of the bed. Assuming they're for me, I pull them on quickly, enjoying the feeling of not being completely exposed to the spring air of the morning that's filling the room.

There's a quiet knock at the door, I quickly check I'm decent before calling out for them to come in. To my surprise, Derek appears in the door way, a tray in his hands.

"Why did you knock?" I exclaim, puzzled. "It's your room."

He smiles at me brightly as he walks into the room towards me.

"Courtesy, little one. And your privacy- should you want it." I try to calm the thudding of my heart as he uses the nickname for me once again.

He places the tray on my lap and sits beside me, one arm slung over my shoulder, pulling me into his chest slightly.

Looking down at the tray before me, I break out into a wide grin. The waffles we had on our first date sit pride of place in the centre, along with a small vase with a single pink rose in it.

Then I notice a tiny little box tucked almost out of sight under the rim of the plate. Reaching out slowly, I pick up the tiny velvet box and turn to look at Derek with surprise written over my face.

"D-Derek?"

"Relax baby," he presses a kiss to my exposed neck, "I'm not proposing after 2 weeks of knowing you..." He pauses for a moment before continuing. "I mean I could and I would know it was right, but I think even that might be too soon, even for me."

I chuckle slightly with a touch of relief in my tone, I wouldn't necessarily mind if it was a proposal. Derek is meant for me, no matter the timescale. Even so, it's only been a few months since my split with Elijah, marriage would seem a bit rash to the rest of the world and for me as well.

With trembling hands, I open the little box and gasp in delight at the sight before me.

It's a delicate promise ring nestled in green velvet. I turn as much as I can without dislodging the tray, and look up at Derek.

"It was my grandmother's." He explains as he takes the ring and slips it onto my ring finger gently. "My grandfather gave it to her before he left for the war, they married when he returned."

The significance and importance of the ring makes it even more beautiful and I can only stare down at it, totally enamoured with it on my finger. Derek takes my hand and slowly lifts it to his lips, he kisses the ring with sensual promise dancing in his eyes. The way Derek treats me makes me feel like a princess... no makes me feel like a queen.

"This is my promise to you, Elle, that one day you will be my wife."

I lean forward towards him, pressing my lips to his affectionately, my attempt to deepen the kiss is unsuccessful, however, as Derek pulls away from me with a loving kiss to my nose.

Whining slightly, I make Derek chuckle and nuzzle down into my neck.

"As much as I would enjoy a third round my darling, we have plans for the day, and anyway you'll be sore."

He kisses my neck again and I start to eat the waffles in front of me before they go cold. I devour them with embarrassing relish and delight, it turns out I was really hungry I guess.

Once I've finished the waffles, picked up the rose and placed it on the windowsill- I'll hang it out to dry later, I turn and straddle Derek, looking down at him with expectation.

"So, what are our plans for the day?" I ask eagerly, careful to keep as still as possible on his lap, not quite ready for another experience with Derek just yet.

"Well first, we're going shopping, then out for lunch and a surprise for you."

I grin and bounce excitedly on his lap, forgetting my earlier decision not to accidentally tease him.

"What's the surprise?" I squeak childishly. With a strained groan Derek grips my hips tightly, stopping my movements.

"Baby, please! I have plans for you today, plans that right now could be completely forgotten." His eyes darken and his hands remain tightly on my hips, gripping at my flesh.

I squeal and roll off him, desperately wanting I go outside and eager to find out what surprise Derek has planned for me.

Derek stands from the bed and takes the tray from the floor. Before he leaves, he kisses me on the nose once.

"Get ready baby, I'll be back up soon."