I love strawberries.. cut up fresh, sprinkled with sugar, or topped with freshly whipped cream.. each way they taste so lovely. The sweet juice dribbles down your chin, painting your lips and fingers with delectable red essence. Strawberries look like little hearts, you know, if you snip off the greens and cut them down the middle.. sweet hearts of mine.

I haven't had strawberries in a while, so I am thinking of them fondly as I wash a large sinkful of dishes, sighing. He isn't home yet, and I am waiting for him to come through the door and brighten up my evening.

Surely enough, as I wipe down the last pot with a bright blue kitchen towel and put it away in the cupboard, I hear his key turning in the front door. I wipe my damp hands on the towel, tossing it onto the counter, and meet him in the foyer with a smile.

"I'm so glad you're home," I tell him, noticing that he's got one hand behind his back. "What's that?" I stand up on my tiptoes and try to peer around him, but he shakes his head with a small smile.

"Shhh. Go put on something more comfortable and meet me in the living room," he orders, but in a sweet tone.

I decide to humor him, as he obviously has something cute planned, so I head into the bedroom and change out of the jeans and t-shirt I'd been wearing today. I wonder what he's up to as I drop my clothes into the hamper, stepping out of my undergarments, and as I hear him rummaging around in the kitchen, what sounds like the cupboard and refrigerator, I slip on a lilac silk nightgown and wrapper.

I peek my head out of the bedroom door, seeing him entering the kitchen from the direction of the living room. "Can I come out now?" I ask him.

"Please do," he says with a wolfish grin. He's being sneaky, I think to myself, but exit the bedroom, closing the door behind me.

Looking up, I see him eyeing my outfit with obvious interest. I quirk my eyebrow at him. "See anything you like?" I grin teasingly.

"I see the love of my life looking terribly delicious.. but that will have to wait," he grins back, taking my hand and leading me to the couch. He's dimmed the lights in the room, and lit some vanilla-scented candles on the coffee table, which is also occupied by several covered bowls. He pulls me down onto the couch, then removes a silk tie from his pocket.

I look at him curiously. "What's this all about?"

He puts one finger across my lips, shushing me quietly once more, and then winds the tie around my head, covering my eyes. I don't like not being able to see what he's doing, but I trust him, so after he's done tying a knot, I lean back into the soft suede cushions.

"Are you ready for your surprise?" he asks me quietly. I murmur an affirmative, and hear him uncovering one of the bowls. "Open your mouth," he tells me, turning back to me, so I comply.

I smell the sweetness of the berry before he even places it in my mouth. I sigh contentedly as I close my lips, nipping his fingers ever-so-slightly with a grin. After I chew and swallow the small bite, I reach out with my hand and feel for his, squeezing it. "Oh, lovey.. strawberries. You're so good to me," I say, "but I can't feed you, too, if I can't see."

He chuckles with quite a bit of mirth. "All right, I suppose." He pulls the tie off, leaving it knotted, and I can see him grinning wolfishly.

After kissing his cheek, thanking him again for the sweet surprise, I reach for the biggest berry greedily, taking a large bite and staining my fingers and lips a sweet juicy red.

I look up to see him watching me with a hunger in his eyes.. not for the berries, but for me. He leans in and presses his lips to mine, flicking his tongue over them before sitting back up.

"You make even the sweetest berries seem bitter by comparison, my love," he tells me, as I smile and finish off the strawberry, making sure to close my eyes and sigh for maximum effect, enjoying the treat greatly. I chew slowly, biting the left side of my lower lip, and open my eyes again to look at him.

I put one sticky and red finger into my mouth, licking the sweetness off of it, never taking my eyes off of him, but before I can do another, he takes my hand and presses a kiss to my wrist, then my palm, before sucking each finger clean...