Hunger

by IchatrinaObsessedSleepyGirl

Ichabod has a problem. He's hungry and it's beginning to get the best of him.

Hunger.

It was one of those things that was a forever reoccurring feeling. To satiate it would only be temporary, for it always returned. If it was not dampened with a taste, it would overwhelm. Consume. To leave it be would lead to unbearable pain that eventually would take the very last breath from the lungs.

Over the course of his life, he'd learned there are many types of hunger. Hunger for nourishment, of course. But then there are also other hungers. Power. Wealth. Love. Comfort. Friendship. The list goes on and on, often determined by the particular individuals wants and needs who are feeling such things, perhaps even for more than one hunger at a time. Those feelings of hunger that human nature dictates as necessary, unavoidable. When left to fester, those hungers have the habit of building and building until the very idea of them is all one can think of. All other things seem to fade away and the hunger is all that remains. In waking and sleeping, the hunger taunts and teases, just waiting for the inevitable break in the facade of an existence in the one facing it.

Denial of a hunger only lasts so long until it either must be firmly put down in triumphant defeat, or until it is taken and drained to the last drop it has to offer. To give into hunger can be both glorious and detrimental, for if it is an unseemly hunger, then what is to be praised by giving in? The question of just how strong the one facing it is comes into focus. Were they too weak to overcome it, or were they right in their relinquishing control to their wants and needs?

As he contemplated such things, he focused on the source of his hunger. All other matters and things faded and dulled in comparison to the way his hunger was taunting him to accept. He'd partaken of such things as his hunger was longing for in the past. The feel of it. The taste. The way it had the ability to overwhelm his every thought and feeling, leaving him with nothing more than the exquisite fulfillment that came with the consumption.

There was a name for what his hunger was, but not one he would utter aloud, especially not in the present circumstances and company he found himself in. What would those around him think of him if he admitted to such feelings as the ones he was currently experiencing? His hunger was a base want, not a need. He had gone without it for far longer than most could imagine. He'd stomped it down, put it aside, pretended it didn't exist. Surely, he could continue on ignoring it. The drawback, however, was that the longer he denied it, the hungrier he became. The effects were beginning to become more prominent as the days came and went, allowing others the opportunity if paying attention to see just what it was he was so desperately attempting to hide.

His dreams of late were not helping in the least. Just this morning, he'd awoken in a sweaty mess, desperately both clinging to and wishing to dash the dream from his mind. How could he even consider such things in his present state? But, alas, he'd been too weak and had fully given into his hunger in the only way he could manage in his present circumstance. Oh, how he'd tried to deny the evidence of his hunger, but it simply would not leave him. So with the source of his hunger in mind, his long, slender fingers had slid beneath the sheets of his bed and taken hold of himself.

Yes, his hunger had a name.

Lust.

And not just any lust, but one of such a nature as to turn him scarlet if it should be uttered aloud. The things he wished to do! To taste! Oh, how he missed such things!

He'd satiated himself for a time earlier in the morning, but now his hunger had returned and with more vigor than before. How he both hated and loved the feelings coursing through him.

It was all her fault that such things were tormenting him. She was standing there, all tall and proud, provoking his lust. Her arms crossed over herself, resting just below her ample breasts, which he knew were just as succulent as they appeared. How he longed to wrap his lips around them, to consume them, to lather every inch of them with his attentions.

She turned toward him for a moment, prompting him to meet her eyes, so green and full of emotion. The way she looked at him, the intensity, left him breathless, but then to his disappointment she turned back to whatever it was that was holding her attention. Her long red hair fell about her as she leaned over the table of papers, shielding him from the sight of her face. The desire to move it, to bury his hands in its luscious silkiness, was attempting to overcome him, but he restrained himself. To touch her would be absolutely the worst thing he could do at this moment.

Thankfully, her slender fingers did the work for him, pushing it all to rest over one shoulder. Now the problem was her newly exposed neck calling to him in the way it pulsed with life. In days past, he would have already latched onto the flesh there, sucking and nipping at it, leaving his mark upon her, his claim to her. It was an animalistic tendency that he gave into in such times as those. Marking her, daring another to even think of taking her. No, she was his. She'd always been his, even when she wasn't.

Clearing his throat, he moved from his position across from her in the guise of stretching his legs. As he ventured to the other side of the room, he was given a generous view of her backside and the sight nearly dropped him as desire surged through his being. The curve of her body had always left him in want, but now, in the new clothing she wore, everything was accentuated. He'd taken note of her trousers before, but never in the way he was now. So rarely had they been alone for him to do such a thing, but now...The way they clung to her as if they were almost a second skin left little to the imagination, not that he needed to imagine anything. He knew just what the sight beneath was like. He'd memorized it long ago, cemented it in his memory. To be completely honest, the memory of it was what had sent him over the edge this very morning. The image of her smooth back as she hovered over him, sweat dripping down her spine to gather over his fingers as he gripped her hips while she rode him, consumed him.

Rapidly blinking, he tore his eyes from her, realizing he'd once again allowed himself to get carried away with staring at her. Hand covering his eyes, he attempted to wipe the image of her from his mind, but the moment he rid himself of one, another appeared. Her beneath him. Above him. Her mouth surrounding his desire. His nose buried in the soft curls at the center of her body.

A curse left him.

"Ichabod."

Jerking his eyes to hers, he found her staring at him with a concerned frown. He, however, found himself unable to answer as he was doing his best to control the rush of want coursing through him.

"Are you alright?" she asked in that soft voice, one that had his eyes slamming shut as more memories surged through him. Memories of her sudden gasps and throaty moans. Her whispers of lust and pleads for more. The way she would kiss along his heated flesh as she whispered her desires to him.

Her hand touched his arm causing him to jerk and stumble back, his eyes still tightly closed.

"I'm sorry," came her whisper, much more hurt than it should have.

Upon opening his eyes, he found her gaze darting every which way across the floor as she turned back to the papers scattered over the table. Her stature let him know she was uncomfortable in the extreme, the defeated sigh that left her leaving him with an intense feeling of guilt. Everything between them was so strained. Doubt had crept between them, firmly placing a barrier that kept them apart. Their decision to be nothing more than comrades in arms had left the both of them unsure how to broach even the most simple of conversations. It certainly didn't help that others were continually wedging themselves between he and his love. Lately, the drain from their separation had began to weigh heavily on him and he was quite sure she felt the same. It shouldn't be this way. There needed to be something, anything to connect them, to give them hope for a future beyond their present circumstances. Resolve filled him as he cleared the space between them. Stepping up right behind her, as close as he could get without touching her, he leaned forward to allow his mouth to hover directly alongside her ear. She jumped at his sudden proximity, her head turning slightly in an attempt to look at him.

"Don't move," he whispered lowly to which she hesitated for a moment, uncertainty plastered across her every feature, before nodding.

Having her assent, he breathed against her skin. "You are exquisite."

The sharp intake of breath on her part didn't escape his notice. Eyes journeying down the slender form of her neck, he took in the way it moved with her hard swallow. When her mouth opened to speak, he quickly cut off her words. "Don't speak."

More hesitation came, but once again, she nodded, her eyes dancing across the room in obvious wonder as to what he was doing.

Lifting his hand, he allowed it to hover right alongside her neck, taking note of the way her body stiffened as he did so. "So much beauty that comes from the life pulsing inside you."

Releasing another breath against her skin, his eyes fell to her chest and the generous view he had of the deep valley between her heaving breasts. Slowly dropping his hand to hover just over one of them, but still not touching, he whispered, "Do you have any idea at the thoughts you stir within me?"

Her head fell slightly, her eyes trained on his hand as she remained silent.

With a sigh, he continued, "Of course, you do. You've always known; have most likely used it to your advantage more than once."

Her frown deepened as her mouth opened, but he once again bit out before she could, "Don't."

Her mouth closed with another hard swallow. Satisfied he had the floor, he returned his gaze to her form. "Your lies have made me doubt everything about us." Her eyes fell closed. "Every word. Every intention. Every moment. I feel as though I'm some puppet you've been pulling the strings of since the moment we met."

A tear crept out of the side of her eye, but he ignored it, his intentions having no room for comfort. "But there is one thing I don't doubt." Her eyes opened again as his hand fell to hover over her belly. "That feeling that creeps into the very pit of your belly when you know your end is nigh." She sucked a breath in as her breathing picked up slightly. "I don't doubt that feeling, that knowledge. It's undeniable. The way your body twitches as it approaches. Your eyes practically rolling back in your head, the green in them much darker than before. The way your nails bite into my skin as it finally arrives in its unrelenting quest to see you completely weakened to my will."

The tightness in his trousers was reaching unavoidable levels, forcing him to suck in a shaky breath. "I doubt that no more than I doubt my own feeling, the same one that's building within me now. The ache within me to bury myself so deeply within you is one I fear I can no longer deny. I want to be inside you, your heels digging into my back as I thrust my way within you over and over. I awoke this morning to the memory of being inside your warmth, of you drawing every last ounce of energy from me." Her breathing was now extremely shallow, drawing his notice as he dropped his hand lower to hover just over her sex. "But that's nothing in comparison to my desire to taste you."

At that admission, her body jerked suddenly, brushing his hand and pulling a moan filled curse from him as he touched the place he so wished to consume.

"I'm hungry, Katrina," he whispered with near desperation into her ear. "Are you?"

When all he received was the sound of her breathing, he prodded her by pressing his hand harder into her. "Answer me."

"Yes," came her broken reply. "Please..."

"Look at me," he bit out, needing to see it, needing to know. Her head turned to his, the green he loved so dearly, now darkened by desire. "I want to quench my hunger."

Her tongue jutted out to wet her lips, sending a surge of desire through him. "Quench it."

Not another moment passed without her touch.

Abruptly gripping her hips, he pulled her back against him, her body pressing firmly into his. Everything he wanted was in the feel of his desire pressed so deeply against her. Moaning into her neck at the feeling, he latched onto the flesh of her jaw, sucking at it as she slid her hand up his face into his hair. When she had her grip, she pulled his mouth to hers, her lips claiming his own.

How he'd missed her mouth, the soft lips that hid a cavern of moist warmth. Opening for her searching tongue, he tightened his hold on her waist as the exquisite taste of her entered his mouth. As their tongues pushed and swirled against each other, he slid his hands up her sides to begin with her buttons. The desire to feel her skin against his was driving him completely mad. As he popped the top one through its opening, his fingers brushed against the sides of her breasts, conjuring another moan from him. The very idea that he'd soon have his mouth there was overwhelming. Abandoning her buttons, he slid his hand over the material of her blouse to cup one in his hand, immediately squeezing its form roughly in his palm. The gasp that flew from her mouth into his sent a wave of desire through him, resulting in the bucking of his hips into hers. Her mouth now more fiercely pressing into his prompted him to continue with her undressing. When he had the buttons undone, she pulled away from him to drop the corset from herself. The sheer black material that was left covering her upper body did nothing to hide her heaving breasts from his sight, her nipples hard and evident as they stood out. Hands falling to the hem of her blouse, she pulled it up and over her head, leaving nothing to block his view of the smooth skin of her upper body.

As his eyes lustfully took her in, his hands fell to the bottom of his shirt to remove it. Taking note of her own eyes falling to his chest, he stepped forward and grasped her neck to pull her mouth back to his. With her arms going around his neck, her chest ended up pressed firmly into his, her soft breasts now heaving against him. Wanting more, his hands firmly slid up and down her back, causing him to revel in the feeling of her warm, smooth skin beneath his fingertips.

When she shifted, he groaned at the sudden placement of her body against his desire. Hands quickly falling to her buttocks, he pulled her lower body more firmly into his, the want for pressure controlling his actions. Mouth leaving hers to fall to her neck, he continued to grind his hips into hers, unable to contain his need to reach fulfillment. As he felt that pressure beginning to build to unavoidable levels, his breaths began to come more raggedly as he uncontrollably moved against her. When she abruptly pulled back from him, he groaned in protest at the loss of contact, but then the sight of her dropping to her knees before him sent all his blood to the center of his body as her hands found the buttons of his trousers. While she tugged at the material, her darkened green eyes met his and he felt his whole body surge at the image of her. Her hair mussed, her body heaving. Flap finally open, his desire sprung free only to be met with her fingers as they wrapped around him to steady it in preparation for her mouths decent. At the first contact of her lips to his tip, he jerked forward, his hands tangling in her red hair.

"Dear God...Katrina..."

The feeling of her tongue swirling around him, teasing and sucking, was completely overwhelming his senses. The way her lips clamped down on him as she bobbed her head back and forth with the help of his hands lightly guiding her was truly a sight to behold. Though, he was having a very hard time concentrating on anything as his eyes wanted to slam shut and give in to the feelings she was creating in him. When she pulled back, her mouth taking to barely sliding along the side of him while her fingers began to fondle him roughly, he felt his end approaching. Having already been on the precipice of release before she'd even made contact with him, the moment her green eyes flickered up to him, he felt it overtake him. Eyes slamming shut as he steadied her head, his seed left him and went spurting into her open mouth. For a long moment, everything in his vision went white as his breath left him, his body unable to stop thrusting in and out of her warm mouth, which was still wrapped tightly around him. Upon blinking out the dots that were swimming in his vision, he glanced down to her to take in the sight of her licking about his emptied length, consuming every stray drop that had escaped her consumption.

Balance found, despite the desire to simply lie down and soak in the satisfied feelings coursing through him, he gripped her hair and tugged her to her feet before pressing her back into the table at their sides. A grunt left her as he kicked his boots and trousers from himself and leaned fully into her, soaking in the way their warm bodies melded together. Mouth at her ear as her hands came to rest on his shoulders, he whispered, "Your turn."

Her belly contracted against his as she sucked in a breath at his words. Pleased with her response, he dropped to his knees, his mouth finding her bare belly as his fingers found the button of her dark trousers. One hand holding the smooth skin of her lower back, he pulled her firmly into him, his tongue playing with the small hollow point of her body, dipping and teasing at it as he began slipping the metal button through its opening. Success greeted him before he tugged at the material until it was down her thighs and catching on her boots. Cursing at the impediment to his mission, he abruptly stood and lifted her to the table so she wouldn't trip over herself.

Once again falling to his knees, he set about removing the offending material. As one dropped and he took to the other, he glanced up to her face to find her eyes consumed with desire that could very easily match his own. For the first time, he considered just how much worse this must be for her. At least he'd slept throughout the centuries. She had literally been left without for two hundred and thirty-two years. More than ever, he wanted to fill her, to please her. In earnest, he returned his attention to ridding her of her trousers by pulling them the remaining distance down her legs. When they were tossed aside, his hands slid up her calf, his mouth following.

It was almost odd how different it felt. Before, in their time, she'd not had the same advancements of cleansing as she did now. Instead of the usual soft hair that had once met his mouth, he was now met with smooth skin along her skin as he made his way up her leg to her thighs. Pausing to lather each with generous attention, he heard her gasp as his nose nudged the outside of her underwear where her scent was seeping through, the result sending desire coursing through him once more. When he nipped at the material, her hand fell to his head, her fingers gripping his hair. Tongue slipping through his lips, he pressed it hard against the material, sliding it from the bottom to the top of her soaked underwear.

"Icha-bod...pl-please..."

Her soft whisper drifted to his ears, pulling his gaze to her again. Her eyes were tightly shut, her breasts heaving as one hand rested at her belly, teasingly pressing against its sensitive surface. The sight of her exposed body pushed him forward in his journey, his hands lifting to tug the remaining material separating them down her legs. As they fell to the floor in front of him, his eyes lifted to her glistening center and he felt his blood once again drain to the middle of his body. Quite unable to formulate thought, he continued to stare at the slick wetness until her hand once again wove through his hair, pulling his gaze to her eyes. The way she was looking at him, not just in desire to be fulfilled, but in complete trust, had him conflicted. Part of him wanted to dive into her exquisite taste without a care other than to place his claim on her once more, but the other part of him, the part that not only loved her, but adored her, wanted her first release in centuries to be sweet and filled with love. As he stared at her, he realized he was letting his hunger rule him and now had to pause to reflect. Katrina, however, wasn't having it as she roughly tugged at his hair.

"Ichabod... now."

Decision made, his head descended directly to her clit and latched on. As her fingers wound through his hair in a tight grip, he thought to himself that the sweet, love filled release could wait. This was about possession, about the need to be fulfilled. She'd had her turn of claiming him and now it was his turn to once more claim her.

The curse that fell from her lips brought a grin to his busy mouth. There she was. His unrestrained, couldn't give a care what anyone thought of her, wife. It was a quality he'd always found attractive in her. Her attitude that nothing and no one was going to control her future but her. That same attitude that carried over into their bedroom as she let loose all sense of propriety and allowed her burning desire to be set free. The things she'd done to both her body and his. The places she'd taken his release from him. Nothing and nowhere had been off limits. Once, she'd went so far as to drag him into a dark corner of one of the local establishments where they'd taken part in the dancing. To say one particular round of their bodies pressed tightly together had worked his wife up would be an understatement as not long after its completion, he'd found himself buried to the hilt beneath her bunched dress in a dark, smoky corner of the crowded room.

Finger sliding within her warmth, he scratched against her slick walls as his tongue made its way up and down from the top of his fingers to the top of her mound. This was a habit he had missed greatly, pleasing her, tasting her, the way his tongue and lips felt as they slid over her slick center. When her body began to rock into him erratically, he added another finger into the mix, stretching her from within, as his lips once again clamped down on her clit. The jerk of her body prompted him to suck at her more fiercely until her moans from above him grew louder. Then, her body stiffened as it began spasming, her walls clenching around his fingers and her thighs clamping around his head as her end flooded through her. At her movements subsiding, he took his time in removing all evidence of her desire. While he did so, her fingers loosened in his hair and began stroking through it almost adoringly, which was one of her own habits. Placing a last deep kiss to her center, he pushed himself to his feet, his hands latching onto her thighs as he spread them apart for him to slide between. Eyes on hers as they watched him, he leaned close to her, the feel of her heavy breaths hitting his face warming him, and touched his lips to hers. He knew how much she loved her own taste, especially when it was on him. As they teasingly brushed against each other, her tongue jutted out to lick over his lips and beard where her desire had smeared.

"Mmm," came her moan. "You taste good."

Her low, yet deep whisper had his desire once again twitching with need.

She pulled back with a smirk. "Have you thoroughly quenched your hunger?"

Fingers clutching her thighs to pull her lower body into his, he answered, "Not hardly."

The gasp that fell from her as he slipped within her was followed by her fingers digging into his back for leverage. A steady rhythm fell between them as he observed her eyes fluttering and every so often falling to their joined bodies gliding against each other. The sight was one to be memorized as he leaned his forehead to hers and followed her gaze, their warm breaths mingling with their heavy pants. The way her stomach clenched and unclenched as she met him with building force. The way her nails bit into his back and shoulders as her hands attempted to find a place to cling as her legs locked behind him to pull him closer. The way her eyes continued to flutter as she tried to keep them open. Seeing it all, he found himself in need of more of her, prompting him to lift her from the table.

Her sudden gasp of surprise brought a grin to him as he tightly held her legs that were now clutching his hips. Turning to make his way to the bedroom behind them, he felt her arms tighten around him as he kicked the door open and made his way over to the bed. Her mouth had found his again in the journey, making his actually finding the bed slightly more difficult, but when he did, he carefully sat down with her perched in his lap. He couldn't quite figure out what to do with his hands as she practically devoured him, her body writhing over him. While she ground her hips against his, he finally got a handle of himself and slid his hands up her back to hold her tightly to him as he turned and laid her back against the bed. The wisp of a smile graced her face as she made herself comfortable beneath him, her fingers stroking up his arms and over his shoulders. Mouth finding her jaw, he trailed a path along the line of it as he settled in between her parted thighs. The feeling of her hands along his back set goose bumps across his skin as he nipped at her collar bone teasingly. Her soft mewls had his heart pounding as he drug his mouth down her chest and up over her breasts. Tongue jutting out to play with her stiff nipple, he reveled in the way she arched into his mouth seeking more. When one of her hands found his hair and pressed him further into her, he had to bite back a smirk. She was so bossy in these moments, wanting all control. After a time of his teasing, she jerked his head up so she could lean down to catch his lips and he found every bit of willpower he had seeping away at the action. Lifting himself further over her, he slid a hand to the back of her neck as he teased her lips with his own, but after a moment, tightened his hold to flip her over. Her sudden gasp was absorbed by the sheets beneath them as he settled himself over her, his lips meeting her shoulders. Moving her long red hair out of the way, he trailed his mouth over her neck and began making his way down her spine. With every teasing pass of his lips over her skin, he felt her shiver beneath him. Reaching the hollow at the bottom of her spine where he knew her to be overly sensitive, he paused to lather it, dragging his tongue alone its smooth surface. The breathless moan that left her combined with the way her fingers were gripping the blankets of the bed let him know he was at the right place.

"That feels good," came her whisper of appreciation.

Smiling in spite of himself, he continued in his ministrations, his hands on each side of her to hold himself up. After getting his fill and feeling he'd sufficiently covered that area, he began journeying back up her spine until he reached the back of her neck again, another sensitive place of hers. At her shiver, he reached up to her fingers, which were still tangled in a death grip with the blankets, and threaded his own with them.

"You are so beautiful," he breathed into her skin, drawing in her scent when he sucked in another breath.

Her back arched into his chest, prompting him to press his full weight down upon her, firmly pinning her to the bed as the fingers of both his hands tightened through hers as they held them above her head against the blanket.

"Ichabod, please..."

"Please, what?" he baited, wanting to hear it from her own lips.

A moment passed as she squirmed beneath him in an attempt to get him to move, her thighs nudging his pulsing desire resulting in him groaning into her hair. When he didn't do as she hoped, she mumbled into the blankets a string of broken words that ended with, "Inside me."

Shifting his weight in order to slip a hand between their heated bodies, he gripped himself in order to ease down and over her soaked slit, doing his best not to lose himself then and there at the feel of her. Everything was so warm and slick and welcoming. Another curse left her when he teased along her entrance before slipping within her just enough to hold his place as he adjusted his weight back over her. Reclaiming her freed hand, he threaded his fingers through hers once more before leaning up slightly for leverage. With a deep breath, he jerked his hips forward, the sensations of her muscles clamping around him causing his body to shudder in pleasure.

It didn't take them but a moment to fall into a slow rhythm of thrusting and pushing, giving and taking. He shuddered again at the cool air against his desire with each pull after having been in her warmth. Mouth falling to the prominent flesh of her neck, he began lathering it with gentle kisses, sucking and nipping lightly, reveling in the small whimpers and moans she offered to his waiting ears. The sounds of slapping flesh combined with the smell of sex only furthered his movements. It was agonizing to remain at such a steady rhythm as everything within him begged for his body to take her uncontrollably, animalistically. When her right hand began tugging from his, he released it, taking the opportunity to slide his hand down her sides and beneath her belly to pull her back more firmly against his chest. Hand free, she reached up to stroke his face until he was trailing his mouth along her jaw in search of her lips. Upon acquiring their soft form, he groaned into their kiss as her tongue pressed into his, her fingers tangling in his hair.

"Katrina..." he whispered, feeling himself beginning to lose his control.

In response to his utterance of her name, she only tightened her hold in his hair as she held him close while they breathed into each other.

"Katrina?" It must have been the slight desperation that crept into his voice that caused her gaze to fly to his where he felt his emotions swirling in ways he wanted to deny. The animalistic hunger was simmering with doubt knocking at him once more. "Tell me your mine."

A frown creased her features for a moment, which he couldn't fault her for. Not a minute ago, they'd been mindlessly thrusting against each other and now he'd gone and brought his emotions into it. The fact that she was pausing caused him to inwardly curse himself for speaking at all. After a moment, she swallowed, her eyes softening. "Always." Her hand released the handful of hair she'd been gripping to stroke his face instead. "My heart and body are always and only yours."

Doubt still clung to him and he couldn't help his small whisper. "You promise?"

"With all my heart, my love."

That was all it took for him to increase his movements, his taking of her becoming more frantic in his need to reach his end within her. Her eyes blinked rapidly, clearly attempting to maintain his gaze, but their position, combined with her own end approaching judging by the way her inner muscles were clenching around him, had her head falling back to the bed, her face burying in the crumpled blankets beneath them. Thrusts becoming more erratic, he once again threaded their fingers together as his head fell to her neck.

When his name fell from her lips as she went over the edge, her body writhing beneath him, he couldn't help the moan that left him, their fingers tightening around each other.

"Katrina..." His words fell away as the sensations coursing through him began to take control of him. Fighting his end, he breathed out, "Look at me."

It took a moment, which was entirely to long as every fiber of his being wanted to let go, but her head turned so her cheek was against the blanket and her eyes were on his. Seeing the green he so adored boring into him, that wonderful rush left him and entered her, causing him to lose all focus with the overwhelming feeling that was coursing in him. He felt like he'd entered some sort of intense realm of pleasure induced euphoria as his body let loose with her warm walls clamping down on him. Completely spent, he collapsed upon her, his full weight resting along the length of her form as he reveled in the satisfaction simmering inside him. Her hot, sticky skin molded with his, her every breath lifting him slightly. He wasn't sure, but he thought he could feel her racing heartbeat pounding against his chest beneath him.

"Mmm," came a soft sigh from her as she burrowed into the blankets that were twisted beneath their exhausted bodies.

Blinking out the spots in his vision, he placed a kiss to her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Well..." she began softly as though contemplating it. "I'm not sure about you, but all the hunger I've had built up for the past two centuries has thoroughly been quenched."

Smiling, he finally released her hands and slid one beneath her to pull her with him as he fell to his side. Sleep was calling to him and, at the moment, he wanted nothing more than to mold himself around her and welcome it. After she'd adjusted herself against him, her back to his chest, she reclaimed his lost hand and brought it to rest between her breasts.

Sighing into her thick red locks, he slid his thumb over her knuckles and whispered, "I haven't felt this good in a very long time."

Her hair tickled his nose when she burrowed further back into him, leaving not a centimeter of space between them. "Neither have I."

Unsure if he should share his thoughts, or leave them unspoken, the light press of her lips to his hand made the decision for him. It was such a sweet gesture, one she had always done in the afterglow of their lovemaking. In the past, she would randomly press kisses to his skin in an attempt to remain in their intimate connection for as long as possible. In that moment, he realized that lust and sex hadn't been the only things he'd been hungry for. Intimacy was as well. He had missed her so dearly. The way she softly laughed while they were lying in each other's embrace. The way her hair tickled his skin as she wallered all over him, never able to settle into one position for long. He missed their long talks in the dead of night, conversations that involved everything and nothing at all. He had simply missed her.

"I..." he trailed off, tightening his arms around her. "I know things are...different between us." When she made no move to speak, he carried on, his nerves causing him to stutter on his words. "There are so many things that need to be discussed. All the secrets and things left unsaid...they need to be dealt with. It's the only way we're going to survive."

"I know," came her soft whisper.

Eyes falling closed, he took in the way she felt against him, the familiarity of it. "That can be tomorrow's goal." Placing a kiss to her shoulder, he nuzzled into her neck. "Tonight, I wish to do nothing other than bask in this feeling."

A moment passed before she asked, "What feeling?"

With a smile, he whispered, "The feeling that I'm finally home."