Chapter 23

The air at the pond was tense as Miroku thought over everything he had just learned about Kagome. His stomach was in knots, making him feel as if he was going to be sick. She sat stock still. He wasn't even sure she was breathing. He opened his mouth to say something, but she spoke first, stopping him.

"You are not him." Kagome looked up to the night sky, tears running down her face. "I can see the difference. Kouga's touch brought pain, yours brings love and warmth. You have shown me patience and understanding, something Kouga never had. You love me, where Kouga saw me as an item. You are so different from him, you aren't even on the same scale."

Finally, she looked at him, and his heart clenched at the sight of her. Her eyes were red and puffy, fear swirling in their depths. "I don't fear your touch. I fear your rejection. If you decide one day that you don't want me, or there is someone better… that would devastate me."

"Kagome, that would never happen." He scooted up to her. Reaching out, he stopped himself before he touched her. Should he touch her? After everything she just revealed to him, should he put his hands on her? Kagome blinked, more tears falling from her eyes as he hesitated. When she looked away, he knew she was taking his hesitation as rejection, and he refused to allow that. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her to him, rocking her as she buried her face into his chest.

"I know why you question me." Her voice was soft, muffled by his shirt. "You tell me that I am in control of how fast our relationship moves, but then you question me with every step I try to take. I both appreciate it and hate it. I love that you are making sure I am comfortable and not pushing myself, but I hate that you think I am so fragile that I can't tell what I am ready for. I love you, Miroku. When I look at you, when you touch me, I see and feel you. There is no one else, aside from you. You could touch me anyway you wanted, and I would still only see you."

Miroku looked up to the sky, blinking. He wasn't sure what to do at that moment. He understood what she was saying. He was protective over her. He went as far as trying to protect her from herself, but she had always been about pushing herself. She didn't want to be held back by her past, and while he cared for her, wanted to protect her, he did question her decisions. Especially when it concerned him.

She was telling him that he didn't have to be careful. He, only him. He was special in her heart, and she trusted him completely. She loved that he helped her to get where she was today, but now he needed to trust her judgment and let her take the last few steps on her own. He would be her rock, but she was also an independent person who could make her own decisions.

He nodded, burying his nose into her hair and breathing deeply. "I understand. I'm sorry, Kagome. I'm sorry for everything. Your mother, Kouga, my over protectiveness."

"Don't. I don't want you to be sorry for any of that. Nothing that happened before you is your fault and I like you being protective. It reminds me that you care about me." She sighed, placing her hands on his shoulders, and leaning back so she could look at him. "Just trust me when it comes to my decisions about you. I trust you, Miroku, completely. You own me, and I don't even care."

"And you own me." He cupped her cheek, his thumb rubbing away the last of her tears. "One day, I want you to be my wife. I want you to bear my children. I want you to be in my future every step of the way. Nothing will ever change that." She looked up to him with big wide eyes, and he pressed his lips to hers with no hesitation.

He would trust her. She said that she wasn't scared of his touch, that he could act freely without worry of scaring her, and he would take her word for it. This had started because he was worried about them going all the way. If that was something she still wanted, he would give it to her.

He coaxed her mouth open, one of his hands tangling in her hair as he pushed his tongue past her lips. Her arms went around his neck, her legs shifting until she was straddling him. He groaned deep in his chest, the sound soft as she pulled on his hair, his tie falling to the ground behind him.

"Kagome." He held her to him, pushing himself up on his knees so he could lower her to the ground. He fell between her thighs, resting his engorged cock against her womanhood. She squirmed against him, and he watched, enjoying the sight.

Fingers gliding up her thighs, he grabbed the bottom hem of her shirt, pulling it up. She raised her arms, letting him remove her shirt and toss it to the side. His heart was pounding in his chest as he looked her over. A blue lace bra covered her breast. It was transparent, her nipples dark and puckered beneath it.

Placing a hand over her breast, he cupped the heavy flesh, massaging it in his hand. She inhaled sharply, her head going back. Closing two fingers around her nipple, he rolled it, watching as it budded under his touch. Mouth watering, he leaned down, suckling the neglected bud into his mouth. She cried out, back arching against him, and he groaned at the sound. He hadn't realized just what her moans would do to him.

Spurred by the sound, he reached around her back, one hand grabbing the clasp of her bra and disconnecting it. He pulled away long enough to discard the tiny piece of fabric and throw it somewhere behind him. He was back on her in an instant, his need surging through him as he drew her nipple into his mouth once more.

Her hands went to his back, gripping at his own shirt. With a near growl, he tore it from himself, and went back to her breast. They were large, filling his hand and mouth. He normally chased after the backsides of women, but in this case, he would worship every part of Kagome for the rest of his life.

"Miroku." His eyes snapped to her, seeing her head back in pleasure. She writhed beneath him, her hips pressing against his in need. She cried out as he switched breast, teeth scraping against her sensitive bud. Her nails dug into his shoulders; her body shuddered as he continued to switch between breasts. His mouth was on one, just as his hand was on the other. She continued to move her hips against him, her movements becoming frantic.

Suddenly her back arched, a cry falling from her throat, and Miroku pulled away stunned. "Did you just...cum, Kagome?" She was panting beneath him, her face red. She nodded, refusing to meet his gaze. He had heard of women that had sensitive breasts, enough to make them orgasm, but he had never met one before. His grin was almost feral. "Perfect." He lowered his mouth to her breast, determined to once again see if he could bring her to orgasm that way.

He did twice more, before he was finally ready to move on. She was panting beneath him, her body flushed and more needy than any woman he had ever bedded. His own cock was pressed against his jeans, begging to be released.

Kissing her belly, he unbuttoned her jeans, the zipper sliding down. He leaned back enough to pull her jeans down her hips, taking her panties with them. She helped to kick them off, and he took a minute to look her over. Her body was pristine. She had a few scars scattered randomly, ones that were left behind from Kouga, but even with those she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She held out her arms to him, and he answered her call by falling onto her. His mouth covered hers, her hands fisting in his hair. They both groaned as he reached between them, his fingers questing around her womanhood. He explored, letting his fingers gather her arousal until he finally dipped one between her folds.

She cried out on a breathy moan, throwing her head back as he found her clit almost immediately. It was swollen, begging for attention, and he had no problem giving into its demand. He kissed along Kagome's jaw, watching her reactions to his ministrations. "I knew I was attracted to you, but seeing you like this…" His voice was deep, husky with arousal. He noticed as he spoke, her own arousal spiked, soaking his fingers.

"Do you like it when I speak, Kagome?" She moaned, and he smirked, moving his mouth to her ear and nibbling on her lobe. He pressed a finger inside of her, his thumb moving to rub against her clit. "Can you cum for me? Can you show me the gorgeous face you have when you orgasm? I crave it, seeing you lost and overcome by ecstasy."

She broke at his words, core clenching around his single digit. She was so tight just around his finger, and he knew when he finally delved inside of her, he would wish to remain there forever. He drew out her orgasm, waiting until she fell limp beneath him before he removed his fingers.

Leaning up, he unbuttoned his pants, pushing them past his hips. His cock was weeping, precum leaking down his length. Kagome reached up, grabbing it in one of her small hands. He grunted as she stroked him slowly, giving him a temporary relief from the pain of his arousal.

Three more pumps, and he had had enough. He grabbed her wrist, leaning over her and holding her hand above her head. Kissing her once more, he pressed his cock against her folds, rubbing himself against her with slow and sure thrust. Her legs spread open farther, feet flat against the ground. She was moving against him again, begging for the same relief that his cock craved.

Reaching between them, he grabbed his cock, lining it up with his entrance. Their eyes connected, breath mingling, and with a harsh pant, he pushed into her body. She fit him like a glove, squeezing him like no other. If he didn't know her past, he would have thought she was a virgin.

She winced, hissing at his intrusion, but urged him to keep going by raising her hips. It really was like he had just taken her virginity, and he couldn't stop the thought that Kouga must be tiny. For his peace of mind, he would allow himself to think that.

"Miroku." She moved beneath him, and he drew back, watching as her head went back, eyes wide. With a thrust of his hips, she grunted, a hand going to her belly and pressing down. "I can feel you. Just here."

"Damn it, Kagome." If she kept talking like that, he would lose it.

His mouth moved all along her body, at least what he could reach. His hips were gentle, but sure. He never faltered, pressing into her and forcing her arousal to rise with every thrust. He kissed her mouth, teeth grinding as she clenched around him. "You're so tight. You're squeezing me."

"Maybe you are just big." She smirked, panting as her hands moved across his back. She reached down, grabbing his back side and causing his thrust to falter.

"No need to flatter me." He could feel the sweat beading on his skin, but he ignored it, keeping his focus on the female that meant everything to him. He leaned up, keeping himself buried inside of her. Pulling her with him, he settled her on his legs, holding her hips tightly.

Her face scrunched with concentration as she rolled her hips. He helped guide her, his head falling back as she found her own rhythm. He hated himself in that moment for waiting so long to take this step with her. She was perfect. Her body fit him like they were made for the other. They drew on each other's pleasure, sending them both to heights neither had ever felt before.

"I'm getting close, Miroku." Her hips lost their rhythm, and he held her still, spreading her legs with his own. He was still kneeling, but now he could thrust into her easier.

"I know. I can feel you clenching around me." He was panting, breath coming in short spurts. He wouldn't make it through one of her orgasms. She was already trying to take him over the edge, and with each of his thrusts she grew tighter around him.

"I am going to fill you, Kagome. When I cum, you are going to take all of me." Knowing that he was about to release himself inside of her was one of the most erotic things he had ever experience. He always used a condom. He wasn't willing to risk any kind of disease or pregnancy. Kagome was the first woman he had ever gone bare with.

It was the connection that he craved more than anything. She would be his first in that way, and he would cherish it only with her. She threw her head back, nails digging into his shoulders as she reached the pinnacle of nirvana. He grunted, her body squeezing out his orgasm. As promised, he pushed himself in as deep as he could go and spilled himself inside of her. He claimed her, marked her as is. He hadn't realized he was so primal and possessive, but in that moment he didn't care.

When they came back down to earth, floating solely back into their bodies, he lowered her to the blanket beneath them. They both panted, her hands rubbing against his back slowly, his mouth leaving kisses where he could reach.

"That was amazing." She kissed his temple, letting her lips linger.

"Hmm." He couldn't say anything more than that. His mind still hadn't returned. She chuckled, grabbing his face, and bringing him down for another kiss. The kiss spoke more than their words could. That's how it would always be.

...

A long time coming. Sorry I'm a day late. We drove to the mountains yesterday to play in the snow and just got home. We had our fun, and now we are back to the real world. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this lemon that we all knew was coming. It's about time. Your reviews mean everything, and I thank all of you for them. Enjoy.