Come lie with me

Chapter 15

They didn't understand.

None of them could see that this wasn't like the rest of the times. Perhaps if Derek knew, or if Lexie had a close girlfriend who knew her, the changes would be obvious to them.

Because the changes seemed glaring to Lexie.

She was different; he was different.

They were different.

Two months after they moved in together, Lexie came home to find Mark curled up on the bed. But this time, she wasn't mad that he had fallen asleep. This time, she stripped her clothes off and settled his naked body against her own. She ran her hands over his skin, waking him in a most effective manner.

"Mmmm," he said, as he slowly opened his eyes, "Don't stop."

"I don't intend to," Lexie said huskily.

"God, I love your hands," Mark murmured. "I don't know how, but they always know the exact right place to…touch." His breath hissed out as she wrapped her small hand around his hardness.

"You were saying?" She whispered.

"No more talking," Mark said, as he rolled on top of her and began to torment her the way she did him.

After, when they were laying together, their bodies touching as Mark remained inside of her, he whispered, "I missed you today."

Lexie laughed. "What do you mean? We were on the same case!"

"Yes, but it wasn't the same," Mark said. "The case was too interesting and Yang was hovering. I wanted you all to myself to tell you what a good job I thought you were doing, and how impressed I was with the way you closed at the end of the procedure." Mark kissed the corner of her mouth. "You can't be my Lexie at the hospital."

"I am always your Lexie," she said, her mouth curling into a loving smile. "At home, in the hospital, at Joe's, everywhere. I'll always be your Lexie."

"Always? You can't know that," Mark murmured into her hair.

"I can," Lexie responded. "I could never imagine being anyone else's Lexie. I love you." Her eyes were so full of gentle sincerity that Mark almost felt like crying. He hardly recognized himself in her arms.

"God, I love you," he rasped. "You're everything, Lex. Just everything."

"Mark," she moaned as he kissed her again. "Show me how much. Show me how you feel."

His hands were trembling as he ran them over her body. As if he was nervous that he wouldn't please her. It was amazing that Mark Sloan had that vulnerability, but with Lexie he did. He wanted to make everything good for her, and no matter how many times she moaned in his arms, it wasn't good enough. He wanted to make her incoherent with pleasure every time he took her to bed. Mark knew it was silly, but it was only in bed that his old insecurities popped up. No matter how many times that she told him she loved him, Mark was trying to ruin her for any other man. To make it so that she would never be able to even contemplate the idea of sex with someone else.

He needn't have worried, Lexie only wanted him, but Mark didn't want to risk it. She was the only thing that mattered, and he would do anything to keep her.

He dragged his lips across her skin, working his way down her body until he reached the dark curls at the apex of her thighs. With his fingers, he parted her delicate lips and began to worship her with his mouth. Lexie fingers secured themselves in his hair, as she tried to both push him away and hold him in place.

Mark loved the sounds she made when she was about to come.

But he would never give her release like that. He would only ever push her over that final edge when he was in her body. Deep within his mind, Mark probably knew that it was manipulative, but he couldn't seem to help it.

He wanted her to crave him, the way he did her.

Little did he know the very extent to which she desired and wanted him. He couldn't have even imagined.

When they finally came together, Mark collapsed on top of her and kissed away the tears that had fallen down Lexie's cheeks when she climaxed. That was probably one of his favorite parts about her, Mark thought; she couldn't hide what she felt.

Lexie was always free with her feelings.

And for her part, Lexie savored every moment that Mark desperately tried to please her. She knew what he was doing, but she let him do it anyway. Lexie knew that Mark would have to let go of his fears of abandonment on his own. She couldn't fix that for him.

But the very fact that he was desperate to keep her told Lexie that she was not alone in her mad love. That this love was shared, and its power equally binding.

That Mark too feared it would be taken away from them.

But though they feared, though they were afraid, neither of them held anything back.

It was only with each other that they could truly be themselves.

As she fell asleep in his arms, Lexie thought to herself that she was right.

This was different.

They were different.