The world on the other side of the glass was muffled with falling snow, glowing slightly in the moonlight. Wiping her hand across the condensation caused by her warm cup of hot chocolate, Skye rested her head back against the wall of the window alcove and watched the tentative steps of deer by the edge of the garden as they stripped the bark from the trees. Huddled in Zed's grey sweater and the huge woollen socks Karla had knitted for her, she felt content and happy, stuck in a frozen moment of peace.

There was a ruffle of a duvet behind her, and she glanced across as Zed turned in his sleep, huffing a sigh and flinging an arm over the other side of the bed. Smiling, she curled her knees to her chest and inhaled the rich aroma emitting from her mug. Simon and Sally had managed to sell some art to an out-of-town gallery and been invited to set up their own exhibition and attend the grand-opening. The best arrangement for all involved was for Skye to stay with the Benedict's during the two weeks that her parents were away. She'd been offered Uriel's room but it was quickly apparent that the best place for her to be was with Zed. The first night they had shared a bed had been tense and awkward, but Zed soon calmed her anxieties and curled himself around her. Skye had fallen asleep feeling more protected and loved than she ever had before in her life.

But on the odd occasion, such as now, she found it impossible to sleep. Even Zed's soft breathing couldn't lull her to sleep, or the steady strong beat of his heart. Despite being cuddled into his arms and tucked into his thick duvet, surrounded by the smell of him, her heart kicked into an erratic pace and her breathing became laboured, her mind unravelling slowly like string as memories flooded to the forefront of her thoughts – shouting and screaming, burning fires and acrid smoke, fists pummelling her body and the dark barrel of a gun burning a hole in her head.

"Skye?" Zed's sleepy murmur sent a jolt to her stomach, and she watched as he sat up, the sheets pooling around his hips, hair sticky up in every direction; his mind kicking him awake when it realised she was no longer beside him.

"Hey, sorry," she whispered, setting her mug down on the windowsill and slipping out of the alcove, padding over to the bed and crawling under the duvet. "I didn't wake you, did I?" she asked.

Zed settled down and wrapped his arms around her, snuggling her to his chest and resting his chin on her head, blonde hair catching in his stubble. Skye smiled she pressed her cheek to his dark shirt, wrapping a hand over his hip and trailing her fingers along the soft exposed skin between his boxers and shirt.

"Do you have to go home next week?" he grumbled into her hair, his sleep roughened voice incredibly sexy. "I'm gonna miss having you in my bed." He sighed, nuzzling her temple and wrinkling his nose as her flyaway hairs tickled his nostrils.

"Do you want me to get you a teddy to cuddle?" she teased, slipping her fingers into the elastic band of his boxers and smirking at his surprised inhale. This boldness was unfamiliar to Skye, but she wished she could push herself to show her affection for Zed outside of the dark and warm confinements of his room. She was too shy to kiss him at school or in front of her parents (or the Benedict's) and she worried he might be becoming frustrated with her repeated re-buffs of PDA. She didn't want him to think she was embarrassed of him, but her anxieties ran too deep to push aside.

"Wouldn't be too hard to find one your size," Zed replied with a chuckle and she pinched the skin of his waist in retaliation.

"Nobody likes a smart-mouth,"

"Except you, it seems. Now hush and go to sleep," Zed demanded, laughter in his voice, as his arms tightened around her small body and he pressed a sloppy kiss to her forehead.


It took Skye far too long to realise what she was feeling pressed against her thigh, but the hot flush that spread through her body warned her before her head caught up. It had happened on several occasions, and she knew it was normal for boys, but it didn't stop her embarrassment from raising its ugly head. And she hated to admit that the feel of Zed's hardness pressing into her set an ache deep into her bones. She wanted him so badly and was humiliated at how a simple touch could set her body alight. On more than one occasion they had gotten carried away in the car, or on the slopes, and when Skye returned home she had had to finish what they started.

She knew the moment Zed woke up, because he made a small noise of annoyance and pulled back from her, arching his hips away even as his arms tightened involuntarily around her. He murmured a sleepy apology into her ear and she twisted round to face him again after ending up spooning together another night.

"It's okay," she smiled sweetly, cupping his flushed cheek and stroking her thumb over the strong arch of his cheekbone, watching his dark eyelashes flutter against the pull of sleep and her soft touch. She wanted to reassure him that it was okay – qualm any embarrassment that his arousal showed more prominently than hers did. Tilting her head, she pressed their lips together for a gentle kiss and Zed sighed slightly before deepening it. The kiss was slow and languid, a sweep of lips and gentle press of tongues and Skye felt it in every aching point of her body. Propping up on one elbow, she angled the kiss and then giggled at the sudden clash of teeth. Zed grinned and curled a hand over the nape of her neck, pulling her down and murmuring for her to open her mouth, before sweeping his tongue in and setting her heartrate to a pounding beat. She hadn't kissed many boys, so didn't have much to compare it to, but she was sure Zed had to be the best kisser in the world. Not too wet, not too hard, not too rushed, just perfect.

And as Skye curled a hand over his heart, fisting the fabric of his worn shirt, Zed slid his hand from her neck down her back, loving the curve of her spine beneath his sweater, and gave her bottom a playful pat as his hand swept over it, before resting on her bare thigh. Skye made a small noise of approval that set lightning through his veins, and he had to pull away quickly as his hardness gave a jerk of appreciation. He winced as Skye curled herself closer, annoyed at the abrupt end to their kiss, and pressed her mouth to his.

"Skye," he warned gently as she all but clambered on top of him. Her soft hands slid over his pecs and curled round his shoulders and onto the juncture of his neck and jaw as she peppered him with kisses. She whispered his name, almost pleadingly, as her knee brushed against the bulge in his boxers and he hooked his hand on her thigh, pulling her over him. The sensations which this new position evoked in the two of them were raw and exquisite. Zeds hands found the front of Skye's thighs and he rubbed the skin gently, slowly moving higher until his fingertips brushed over the fabric of her underwear, wringing a sigh from where she was straddling his lip.

Skye broke away from the kiss, chewing on her swollen bottom lip as she looked down at Zed's heavy-lidded gaze.

"Are you okay? Is this okay?" he asked hesitantly, pulling his hands away.

"No- I mean yes! Don't stop," she finished in a whisper, blushing at his grin. Taking a deep breath, she hooked her fingers into the bottom of the sweater she was wearing.

"Skye, you don't have to." Zed promised, grasping her hands gently.

"I want to," she murmured, dropping a kiss to his chin before peeling the sweater off over her head. Zed shuddered out her name in a deep gasp and she felt her body heat under his intense gaze. Zed's hands slid up over her bare stomach, goose bumps following the path of his soft fingers, before stopping below the curve of her breasts. Their eyes met and she gave a nervous little nod, chest heaving out a heavy gasp as Zeds hands touched her breasts. A small noise escaped Zed's throat as his thumbs slipped over her erect nipples, and the next moment Skye found herself on her back, surrounded by plush pillows and the thick duvet.

"You're so beautiful," Zed murmured, pressing a kiss to her stomach and then working his way up between her rib cage before sealing an open mouthed kiss between her breasts. Skye whimpered in pure need, curling her fingers in his thick dark half-curls and closing her eyes against the sensations his mouth was pulling from her skin. "You're so perfect," he whispered as he nuzzled his lips against the curve of her breast as one hand slipped over the other breast. Skye wasn't sure if she was moaning or mewling or whispering, but Zed seemed to be following her encouraging noises; her breasts felt full and heavy as he attended to them and she shivered beneath his mouth.

"Zed, please let- let me touch you." She moaned out as her thighs grazed his hips and she felt his hardness pressing into the softest part of her.

"Not yet," Zed murmured, pressing several tender kisses along her breasts before rolling onto his side and pulling her in tight against him, dragging the duvet up to cover her bare shoulders. Skye worked a hand under his shirt, pressing her palm to his bare skin and feeling their erratic pulses begin to slow in tandem. "Thank you for trusting me." He whispered into her neck, kissing the hollow of her jaw, and she wriggled closer, hitching his shirt up higher until Zed sat upright and yanked it over his head, throwing it to the floor, before settling back down. Skye was instantly addicted to the feeling of their bare skin pressing together, but she hid her flushed face below his chin and attempted to calm the aching arousal in her breasts and between her legs.

"I love you," she whispered, pressing a kiss over his heart. Zed pulled her closer, stroking a hand down her spine and sighing contentedly. And Skye knew she really did love him, she didn't need any SoulFinder promises to be sure of it.


Hope you like it! I know I've spelt "Sky" wrong but I have a friend with an "E" on the end and I couldn't be bothered going back and changing it all again (shame on me!)