"Thank you for dinner."
Connie murmured, tilting her head so that it rested on Max's shoulder.
They sat together on the sofa before the fire. The flames licked and crackled and occasionally spat out burning hot cinders onto the hearth, and once a log rolled free and Max knocked it back in with the fork he'd been eating with.
He smiled and ran his lips against her hair, staring into the flames, watching how they danced and frolicked, his eyes blurring.
He blinked.
"S'ok."
He murmured and kissed the top of her head, almost without meaning to.
She yawned, he felt her chest expand and relax back against him and she placed a hand upon his thigh, just letting it rest there, feeling the warmth of him beneath the fabric.
"You're tired."
He whispered and she manoeuvred herself so that she could look up at him, her jaw against his shoulder now.
"Mmm.."
She stretched against him and sat up.
"Bedtime, I think."
She sighed, and yawned again into the back of her hand. Her hair hung loose at her back where it had begun to slip from the knotted bun she had tied that morning, and she struggled to get up, her body limp, exhausted.
She reached out a hand to him and followed her into the bedroom.
The room was cold and she shivered as soon as they'd entered. She closed the door and drew the curtains quickly before turning on the bedside lamp, casting the bedroom in a low orange glow.
He sat on the end of the bed and took off his socks, turning them into a ball and standing to unbuckle his belt but as he did so he felt the cold press of Connie's fingers and she moved before him, her hands covering his own.
"Have you forgotten?"
She asked, her head cocked to one side, her eyes dreamy in the half-light.
"I thought you were tired?"
He asked, though he smiled and she bit her lip.
"Not too tired."
She whispered, and she stood on tip toes to kiss him.
"It's too cold to undress slowly."
He breathed, kissing her back.
"Get undressed and I'll meet you under the duvet in 12.2 seconds."
He added, her lips smiling as they pressed against his.
"You certainly know how to seduce a woman."
She murmured, and moved away from him as he laughed, shrugging herself free of her own clothes, listening to the jangle of his belt buckle as he stepped from his jeans and pulled off his top and jumper together in one quick movement.
She dipped her lips beneath the edge of the duvet as he clambered in next to her, disguising her smile, and rolled over to face him.
"Bloody freezing!"
He hissed, they were both shivering.
He reached for her hands beneath the duvet, touching her fingers, pulling her closer so that they shivered within one another's arms. He kissed her, ever so gently, kissed the corners of her lips, her mouth, just dipping his tongue to hers, tasting the wine on her breath and raising a hand to push his fingers through her hair, his thumb brushing against her jaw.
She broke the kiss to look back at him, her lips blushed and her eyes dark.
"You ok?"
He asked, and he realised he had stopped shivering.
She nodded, breathless, she could feel how hard he was against her already and the thought of it sent a brief flicker of nervousness through her.
"I didn't think to bring condoms with me."
He whispered, frowning so that the pillow creased against the side of his face. She smiled slightly.
"I'd worry If you had thought to bring them."
She murmured, and she kissed him again.
"Don't worry, I have the Copper coil."
She whispered and he raised an eyebrow though he continued to kiss her whilst he spoke against her lips.
"I'm not sure what that is, but ok?"
He mumbled.
"And I don't want foreplay"
She added. He raised an eyebrow, narrowing an eye at her.
"You don't?"
He asked and she shook her head.
"I didn't realise there were going to be rules..."
He whispered, running a hand from her shoulders, down beneath the duvet and across her waist, her hips, hesitating at the very top of her thigh where his fingers drew circles on her skin.
"Sorry..."
She exhaled and glanced down between them to the shadow beneath the cover, his fingers gradually moving up and down across her side.
"Nervous?"
He asked and she looked back up at him, relieved to see the worry there, knowing that he would look after her.
She nodded.
"I just want to feel you inside me...I just want to feel..."
"I know."
He cut her off and leant his head against her own, the tip of his nose touching hers.
"But if I trigger any bad memories please don't hit me."
He murmured and she bit the skin of her bottom lip, twisting as he shifted, moving on top of her, pausing to allow her to curl her legs over his own, holding himself up above her on his elbows.
"I won't hit you."
She whispered.
"Sure?"
He murmured, feeling her stomach flutter against his.
"I'm sure."
She whispered and he allowed himself to move just that little bit closer to her, his body resting gently against hers, one hand just slipping beneath the covers, his fingers pressing into the soft flesh of the back of her thigh, forcing himself to ignore the cuts beneath his fingertips as he, ever so slowly, pushed himself inside her.
He felt her tense, her breath quickened, her eyes widened with a flicker of fear and for a moment he thought that she would change her mind, but as he withdrew slowly, and gradually pushed back into her, she began to relax, her legs stopped trembling and she closed her eyes, allowing herself to be taken by him, rolling her head back against the pillow and arcing her back so that her chest pressed against his whilst he trailed hot wet kisses down the length of her neck.
More tomorrow!
