The twinges he began feeling in his knee were merging into one god-awful throb. He tried to shift unobtrusively, tried to stifle his gasp of pain – no luck with either. She opened her eyes as he knew she would, concern quickly over taking the sleepy countenance he loved to see.
"Is it your knee" She asked stroking his face tenderly.
"Yeah. Sorry I woke you. Damn thing is givin' me fits." He tried to find a comfortable position but was having no luck and his face mirrored his hurt and frustration.
"Can I get you anything?" Her voice was filled with tenderness, her eyes filled with her own pain, hating to see him suffer. She had hoped his days of hurt and suffering and sacrifice for others were over now but the aftermath would, to her regret, linger on.
"Thanks babe, but no. Let me see if I can move my leg around to ease this."
She watched him move his leg from side to side and was relieved to see his face begin to relax. A playful smile turned up the corners of her mouth. "Maybe I should kiss it."
"What?" His own smile was a bit quizzical but when their eyes met, he lifted his hand to let his fingers trace the outline of her jaw. "Maybe you should."
She slowly tugged the sheets away and as she uncovered his body, felt her breath catch. War wounds, scars – she would never get used to seeing them. Her fingers trailed gently down his chest, pausing here and there, as if to emphasize that comfort was not her only intent, before continuing down his muscular thigh to his knee. She surrounded his knee with soft kisses, feeling his tendons clench, then moving on missing nothing. She gently kissed his scars running her tongue around each one as if to erase it.
When she felt a hand slip under her hair to hug her neck, she reversed direction, beginning to kiss her way back up to his lips. The sweep of her curls caressed him as well and the groan he couldn't suppress had nothing to do with pain. With a final swipe of her tongue, she slid up his body until she was facing him. His eyes burned with desire as he gently grasped her arms and deftly positioned her body so that their positions were reversed.
"What about your knee?"
"My knee is fine. It's my turn now."
She loved his voice, his soft drawl always sending shivers down her spine, but especially now when it was hoarse and filled with wanting. He captured her lips, with the gentlest of touches, exploring her mouth as if for the first time. He thrilled to her soft sighs as he began to caress her body, feeling her arch against him. His lips moved along her neck trailing kisses until he reached the spot she loved for him to kiss, right beneath her ear. "Turnabout is fair play" he whispered. He kissed the scar at her shoulder, regretting that the scar should be there at all. Regretting that he had been at one time involved with the person who did this to her. The guilt would be with him forever. Softly moving down her body his hands caressed every part of her, his lips following slowly, reverently, tasting her sweetness again & again.
Her sighs became moans, then soft cries. "I need you...I need you...I need you." Happy to oblige he kissed his way to her waiting lips, silencing her cries; feeling her arch against him as he entered her. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer with a welcoming cry, beginning to rock them gently. Kisses, caresses became more intense, the gentle rocking creating sensations that begged to be released. He smoothed the curls away from her face so that he could look into her eyes. He saw love and caring and desire so fierce it humbled him. He felt her shudder and cry out his name, at the same time he cried out hers.
"Julia" he whispered, just her name but with so much feeling she felt tears form in her eyes. She took a deep breath and held him, caressing his neck, moving her fingers into his hair, massaging gently, wanting nothing more than to have this moment continue forever.
"Barbie, you are an amazing, amazing man. Before you I never truly understood how there could be such a difference between having sex and making love. Oh I knew it existentially but figured what I had before was as good as it gets. I thought I was in love, thought the man I was with loved me, so he must have been making love to me, right?" She sighed & continued. "I was so wrong. You make love to me. I feel it in every fiber of my being and I don't want this to ever end."
"Julia, I love you with every fiber of my being and I will always love you like this. For me this will never end – believe it." Then he smiled, kissed the tip of her nose and queried. "Existentially?"
Pretending to take offense she huffed at him. "What? I know big words!" Pausing she smirked raising an eyebrow. "Does that intimidate you?"
Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her lips savoring her immediate response. Once again he was sending up a silent prayer to whatever power made it possible for them to cross paths. Meeting her eyes with a smirk of his own, he whispered. "No, darlin', it doesn't intimidate me, it turns me on."
"Oh, good to know. What big word do you want me use next time?"
"Surprise me."
