She laced her cold fingers through his warm, dry ones, sending him a smile as she tugged him in the direction they both longed to head towards.
Through the crackle of lightning, the booming thunder, and the torrential downpour, she had managed to make her way to his home. But that was nothing in comparison to the years of obstacles they've had to overcome to get to this moment. She knew there was no turning back, no more pretending, no more waiting; she was diving into this moment headfirst.
She slipped her free hand into his other one and walked backwards, wanting to see his face as she led him across the threshold of his room. Neither of them said a word, afraid that any vocalizations or questions as to whether this moment was real or not would cause the dream to shatter, and the thought of that happening was too painful to bear. So instead they let the thunder play soundtrack to their moment and let their eyes open up enough to make words unnecessary.
She stopped in the middle of his room, watching him watch her with an emotion that could only be described as wonder. She briefly thought about what was showing on her own face, but the thought was lost when he took a step closer to her. He narrowed the distance until they were breathing the same breath and she could see the golden flecks in his eyes as a flash of lightning illuminated the shadows on his face.
He reached up and smoothed a lock of wet hair behind her ear with his thumb. He didn't need to say what she could read on his face, he was still wondering if this was real or another one of his dreams, doomed to wake up and return to a reality where he did not dare look at her and touch her like he currently was.
If it was a dream, she wasn't about to let it stop there.
No turning back.
No pretending.
No waiting.
No hesitation.
They collided.
She kissed him deeply, a taste she will never tire of nor ever be able to forget. She is momentarily aware of her heart beating so erratically she was sure it was trying to break out of her chest before other things pulled her focus.
Her hands dove into his hair, attempting to pull him closer than he already was, a nearly impossible task.
His hands weren't idle and she felt a shiver strike up her spine when his fingertips ran up the exposed skin on her sides where her wet shirt was sticking. She wasn't sure if it was from her cold and wet clothing or his actions.
She heard a noise and quickly discovered it was his attempt to close the bedroom door when she felt her back pushed up against it none too gently and heard the lock click.
Her breathing was already labored but still managed to hitch when his lips began to devour her neck. She shivered again, this time positive that it had nothing to do with the cold.
She felt slightly ridiculous when her knees shook after he found her pulse point and dragged his teeth gently across it.
She could feel him smiling against her skin; the man was reducing her to a puddle, and he knew it. She probably would have cared more if she weren't enjoying it so damn much. He nipped at her skin and another shiver tore through her, this time in anticipation.
Her hands were slightly desperate as they attacked the buttons on his shirt, each one taking far too long to undo. When she got the last one unclasped, she tore the fabric from his shoulders and threw it somewhere. She was barely able to catch her breath before his lips were back on hers and she was lost once more. Her fingers wandered and explored the newly exposed area, feeling his muscles twitch and jump below her fingertips, this time it was her lips smiling into the kiss.
She felt him tugging at the remaining buttons on her blouse. He must have been getting frustrated with the uncooperative fabric because she heard a tearing sound and felt the blouse fall open. The cool air breezed across her damp skin as he slid the shirt off her shoulders and to the ground.
The fact that her shirt was probably ruined seemed inconsequential with his lips creating a trail of fire down her body, heating it up one open mouthed kiss at a time. Besides, who cares about a couple buttons?
She was reminded that she led him in here for a reason as he pulled her towards the bed in the middle of the room and tumbled her down onto it. Her back met the fabric and her suspicions as to its comfort were confirmed as she sighed contentedly. Not that she'd ever admit to wondering about it.
She could feel her wet hair dripping rainwater onto her shoulders, leaving her bare skin glistening. The storm was getting stronger outside and she heard the rain beating against the glass window beside the bed.
A streak of lightning lit up the room, revealing the contours of his chest as he hovered above her and looked down at her, completely mesmerized. She was pretty sure that she was looking at him the same way.
His hair was wild from her fingers running through it, his pupils dilating, chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to take in as much oxygen as possible while they paused to catch their breath.
She reached for his belt, undoing the latch quickly and slowly sliding it from the belt loops of his jeans before depositing it on the floor beside the bed.
They didn't break eye contact as her nimble fingers undid the button and dragged the zipper down. She pulled the pants as far down with her arms as she could before he finished the job and let them accompany his belt on the floor.
He covered her lips with his; letting their tongues continue the battle they had been fighting previously. He trailed his lips to her cheek, soon followed by her neck, briefly returning to the same sensitive spot as before and smiling when she shivered like before.
He continued to leave open mouthed kisses in a path down her neck, through the valley of her chest, taking special care to kiss the scar left there by the bullet that almost claimed her life, before continuing down across her toned stomach, feeling her muscles twitch and shiver beneath him. He listened to her breathing as he moved, learning quickly which spots were most sensitive by the small gasps she didn't know she was making when he touched a certain spot.
When he reached the top of her jeans, his eyes looked up and connected with hers. Again their eyes stayed locked on one another as, just as she had done, he slowly undid the button and slid the zipper down, hearing each individual click until he reached the bottom.
Placing his hands on the sides of her legs, he slid the wet jeans off her legs, using the excuse of the extra friction to touch her skin more than necessary, and they slowly slid down and joined his own.
His palms trailed up her cold legs, fire against ice, heating her up quickly and making her squirm slightly.
She realized that he had no intention of rushing this as his palms swept slowly over her legs again. He waited over three years for this moment and he had learned patience, no matter how torturous it was for her.
He replaced his hands with his lips and she felt him kissing his way from her ankle, up her smooth calf, over her thigh, before moving across and repeating the same ministrations on the other leg.
She realized that she was probably going to combust before they got anywhere, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized that that was probably what he wanted.
Hoping to even things out, she arched her back and reached behind her, successful unclasping her bra with practiced hands. Drawing the fabric from her body, she threw it to the side.
She felt his lips stop their movements on her leg, and as the next string of lightning illuminated the room, she was able to see that his attention was no longer on her legs.
She could see his resolve wavering as she saw the lust fill his eyes more fully. He seemed to be warring with himself, want and need battling patience.
Want and need won. She felt the only clothing that remained on her body slip down her legs and out of sight.
She didn't need a flash of lightning to know that his eyes were on her. All of her. Taking her in. She felt a flush creep over her chest and up her neck, yet she resisted the urge to move from under his scrupulous examination. His face held wonder, awe, lust, and a million other things she couldn't name but could only feel. She had never let herself be so open before. She had finally let her walls come down and let him get closer to her than anyone ever has. She was damaged and broken, but he wanted her anyways.
She watched as he removed his boxers, but still kept her eyes on his face. She slid farther up the bed until her head was resting on the pillow as he slowly climbed over her, never breaking eye contact.
Through the pouring of the rain and the rumble of thunder, their heavy breaths still filled the air and she was sure her heart was beating so loud that he must have been able to hear it.
That look that she couldn't name was on his face again. She has noticed him looking at her with the same expression over the past years. When she would catch him staring, after near brushes with death, or even just when he would hand her coffee in the morning. She realized it had always been there, hiding beneath everything else. And now she knew what it was.
It was love.
She reached up and let her thumb trace his lips, cheek, and jaw.
No turning back.
No pretending.
No waiting.
No hesitation.
His eyes held a question, and she gave him a soft smile in answer.
He pushed into her.
Her eyes slid closed as the feeling washed over her and her breath caught in her throat.
He slid tortuously slow until he completely filled her and she heard him let out a shallow breath that sounded like her name.
Neither of them moved. Both just continued to absorb the moment. The perfection of it all. It couldn't be real. She didn't dare breathe.
She couldn't tell if it was moments, hours, or days later that he began to move. Pulling almost completely out of her before moving back in. She realized that she needed to breathe, and when she did it came out as a gasp and a breathy sigh.
Her eyes were clenched tight, and she wrapped her legs around his hips, wanting-no needing more. Her back arched when this caused him to go even deeper than he already was. She knew she would not be lasting long.
He found a rhythm and she realized the mewling sounds that she was hearing were coming from her own throat and she had to bite her lip to stop the moan that was threatening to break from her lips.
She opened her eyes and saw him watching her. His arms were tensed beside her and she felt the muscles of his back rippling with control beneath her fingertips. He was using all of his strength to hold back and keep the steady rhythm he had created without coming undone. She envied his control and could feel a coil building in her abdomen that grew tighter and tighter with each thrust. She was going to fall apart from everything she was feeling and she was going to let him be the one to cause it.
Her heart beat faster and faster under his intense, enthralling gaze and she no longer had any control of the sounds she was creating. She didn't care as long as he didn't stop.
He didn't stop. Instead, he must have felt how close she was because he sped up and adjusted his angle, reading her reactions until he was sure he found the right combination.
She choked on her breath as her fingernails dug into his skin, leaving bruises and scratches for sure, her back arching languidly towards him. The coil in her abdomen grew tighter and tighter, taking her to the very edge before one more thrust from him completely threw her over into oblivion.
His mouth covered hers just as her eyes squeezed closed and everything exploded behind her eyelids. He swallowed her cries of his name as wave after wave washed over her and her entire body trembled and shook beneath him. She felt his own resolve give quickly after and soon they were falling together. Drowning in an endless sea that pulled them under and tossed them in every direction, not releasing them for what felt like an eternity.
It took her a while to resurface and when the blissful haze was cleared from her mind and she opened her eyes, she found him in a similar state on top of her. There wasn't an inch of their skin that wasn't touching and his mouth was placing lazy kisses on the side of her neck as they waited for their breathing to even out. There was a thin layer of sweat covering them both and their hearts continued to hammer in their chests.
They lay there, neither quite able to understand what just happened, neither having experienced anything like it, not even in some of his wildest dreams involving her. All of the times she's spent with past men were incomparable and she knew she would never want to experience it any other way ever again.
He held on to her and rolled them so that she was tucked into his side with his arm wrapped around her, her head resting on his chest comfortably.
They lay like that for a long time, listening to the storm as it turned into rain, then a drizzle, and eventually just a pitter-patter on the window. The slight luminance of lightning came less often and not as brightly, leaving them in a warm darkness that was only slightly illuminated by an outside streetlight.
He drew random patterns on her bare shoulder and arm with his fingertips, causing goosebumps to rise in their wake and a drowsiness to creep in, the events of the day catching up with her.
Neither of them said anything. Neither of them had to. Not even a writer as capable as him could adequately describe what they shared.
As her eyelids began to slowly fall, she realized she had never been more content. He loved her, and she was beginning to realize that she had felt the same for quite a while.
A/N: Next chapter should be up soon. Reviews are welcome and appreciated.
~InkedMidnight