I watched as Leila hung the paper strands I had made earlier in the day. It had chafed that I had to ask her for help setting up Maximus's surprise party. I had originally planned to do all of it alone and surprise him that way, but I had quickly realised that I couldn't reach high enough to put the streamers and paper chains up.
Which is how I found myself sitting by the table with his present wrapped carefully on top, as Leila put up the last of the decorations. Once done, she grinned at me. "He's going to love this, I know it."
My nerves had been on fire ever since I had gotten this idea so I hoped she was right. I mean, he was almost a millennium old so these homemade decorations were a bit childish for him. I forcibly shook myself from my doubts, Maximus wasn't the type to put something down because it wasn't what most would consider appropriate for his age.
I gave a weak nod while my stomach tied itself into knots. Leila's grin softened into a smile of understanding. Her hand gripped mine in comfort, "It's okay. I know how nerve wrecking it is to try something new for an older than most civilizations vampire. I can tell you with confidence that he will love it. Maximus adores you and he hasn't shied away from sentiment yet. I'm going to leave you to it and make sure none of the staff bother you. You can go to the kitchen when you're hungry, that way if you two decide to turn it into a movie night they won't disturb you."
I bit back tears of gratitude for her words and her comfort. She was really going all out to help me and I appreciated it. "Thank you, I'm glad that you found me trying to set this up because it would have sucked without you." That was true, the decorations looked a lot better with her putting them up.
She shrugged, "It's not like it's that big of a thing but you're welcome. Now, I will make myself scarce, Vlad should be headed this way with Maximus now."
That had been another thing I had needed Leila's help for. I hadn't been sure how to keep Maximus away from my side long enough to set the decorations up, but she had enlisted Vlad. It had been odd, when she had explained what I was doing Vlad had gotten a pained look on his face briefly before he agreed. It had almost looked apologetic.
My train of thought was broken when I heard footsteps, knowing it could only be Maximus I rolled back and forth nervously. It was showtime.
I didn't bother turning the light out since he could see perfectly in the dark, so I could see his facial expressions when he entered.
At first he pulled up short, his mouth twisting in confusion as he took in the decorations. Only for delight to replace it when he read the banner above the table. I grinned at him while hoping my nerves didn't show. "Happy Birthday, Maximus!"
He crossed the room in two easy strides, my room wasn't that big so it didn't take a lot of effort on his part. He wrapped his arms around me before sliding a kiss across my forehead. His voice rumbled as he breathed into my ear. "Thank you, I never thought you would do something like this when you asked about my birthday last week."
It hadn't been easy planning everything in such little time, but the beaming grin he wore made it worth it. "You deserve to be spoiled too." His mouth twitched in amusement but he didn't dispute my words. Instead his eyes drifted to the box behind me and lit up with excitement.
He reminded me of a kid in that instant, the sight making giddiness light inside me. I was so happy I could make him feel jubilant over this. Next year I would have to come up with a way to top it, but for now I reached back to grab the present and hand it to him.
I had really been stuck on what to get him since he could buy anything he wanted for himself, but I was fairly confident that he would like it. As he tore into the paper, my nerves disappeared. His mouth stretched into a breathtaking smile before the scraps of paper could reach the floor.
He held the painting gingerly, as if afraid to break it. I hadn't painted in a long time, but when he had mentioned wishing he had a picture of his mother before her illness had ravaged her, I knew I had to try. He had drawn out a basic outline and given me details, but he hadn't known I was going to use them for this.
If the shine to his eyes was any indication, I had been right on the money for my gift idea. He carefully put the painting to the side, before he bent to my level. In the time it took me to breath, his mouth was on mine in a claiming kiss that made my toes curl.
When we pulled back a few minutes later, I gasped out while pulling air back into my lungs. "I wasn't sure if the details would be right or not but I wanted to try." His fingers combed through my hair, the feeling making me shut my eyes in enjoyment before his voice dragged me back to the present.
"There are some details that aren't right, but you captured what I described perfectly and I can't express how much it means to me that you thought to do this." His words rang with his sincerity and I was glad I convinced myself that it was a good idea. I hadn't been too sure at first. We have only been together for a few months, I didn't know if he would take offense to me prodding into his past like that but luckily for me he loved it.
I wrapped my arms around him and returned his hug as all of my previous nerves melted away. My first attempt at a surprise for him had been a wild success and I couldn't wait to plan more. I had been half tempted to add flower petals or something on the floor or table but I was worried that might send the wrong message. I also didn't know what flowers he liked, if he liked any at all.
I had however put a movie on for us to watch, but first… When Maximus went to pull away, I tightened my arms and burrowed closer into his shoulder. I felt his chuckles against my neck, but they cut off sharply when I gently pressed his mouth further into my throat. We hadn't discussed the subject of him drinking from me before, but I had been thinking about it over the last week. There wasn't a real reason to not allow him to feed from me, so why shouldn't I offer it?
Leila had told me that it felt amazing to be bit and I ...wanted him to bite me, as odd as that thought was. A part of me wanted to belong to him like that, but I wasn't sure how to word that. So I settled for a physical demonstration and hoped he got it.
By the shudder that went through him and the slow slide of his stubble against my neck, I'd say he got the message. His breath tickled when he asked, "Are you sure? Leila explained what me biting you means, right?"
I nudged my nose against the spot on his collar I knew was sensitive, pulling a muffled hiss from him when I placed a kiss on it. "Yes, she told me that it makes me yours in the vampire world and I want that. I trust you and I want to be considered yours in all the different ways I can be."
He bit back a groan, making me smile at his reaction. Apparently he liked the thought of my belonging to him just as much as I did. Before my next blink, Maximus shifted me into his arms and walked over to the bed before sitting on its edge.
He explained before I could ask why he moved us, "I want to hold you when I bite you and I can't do that in your chair." I nodded, that made sense and I certainly didn't mind. I curled against his chest to prove that, feeling his muscles practically vibrating with excitement against me.
He lowered his mouth to my throat, his fangs scraping my neck before he suddenly froze. He pulled back harshly, making me jerk in surprise. "What's wrong?" He looked pained as he forced himself to stop, confusing me until he answered.
"Leila must not have mentioned the effects of our bite when she explained. Our venom contains an arousing chemical that will make you feel aroused, whether you are comfortable with it or not. I'm glad I remembered before I bit you. I don't want to force you to feel anything you're not ready to yet."
Understanding dawned, Leila had told me that but I hadn't known that she meant his bite would be arousing. I just thought she meant it didn't hurt… I chewed my lip as I considered my options. We hadn't explored how far we could go yet in terms of physical affection, that day in the dressing room had been as far as we had managed without me panicking. I had wanted to explore more then, but ever since his ex's words my unexpected confidence hadn't appeared again.
I hadn't felt arousal at all before I dated Maximus, the few times I was forced with Lance hadn't made me feel anything good for obvious reasons. How would I react to it now? I seemed okay in the dressing room and I had definitely felt something then. But even if I was fine with it, would it lead anywhere?
I knew I wasn't ready for sex, that I could say with certainty. But what was there besides that we could do? Seeing Maximus's resolved expression when he sat back is what made my decision for me. "I don't think I'll have a problem with feeling it with you. The few times Lance...forced me, I didn't feel anything good so I have no bad experience to link that arousal to. If you did bite me and I enjoyed it, what would we do then?"
I grimaced at my confusing wording. Maximus stared intently at me as if he wasn't quite sure what I had meant. He proved that when he said, "We would do what you wanted and nothing more."
I felt my frustration bubble as I tried to put words to my thoughts, "I know that you would never push me, but what all is there that we can do? I know I'm not ready to go all the way, but I don't know what there is before that. What can we do to test how much I can handle without it being all or nothing?"
Maximus wrapped me back into his arms as my frustration rose, his fingers kneading my back to calm me down. After a minute of his touch I was calm again, but no less lost. Thankfully, he had an answer for that too.
"There are a wide range of things we can do that don't involve sex, or even being naked. I believe the one that would be easiest for us to try to test the waters so to speak would be pleasuring one another without intercourse. If you wanted, you could touch me anywhere just to see how you react. Or if you'd prefer I could do the same to you. That could give you an idea of what you are and are not okay with, without pushing past any if you would prefer, we could explore while both of us are fully clothed."
He trailed off, waiting as I absorbed the information. I shifted awkwardly on his lap as his words made a flush crawl up my neck. I ignored my embarrassment, I am a grown woman and I was going to talk about this with him like one.
The thought of him touching me wasn't scary, if anything it sounded appealing and the thought of touching him was down right fantastic. I may not be ready for doing that while naked, but maybe…
"Can we try it clothed and see what happens?" He had mentioned that we could do it clothed, so maybe we can try that and go from there.
His eyes were the brightest green I had seen yet and it made pride flare in my chest that I was the one to cause it. His words ignited my nerves again for a whole new reason. "Absolutely. Clothed also has the bonus of being easy to pull away from if you do have a problem with it."
To prove that point, he shifted me until I rested further onto his lap and ground up against my butt. The hard length under me made sparks shoot through my lower half, pulling a shiver from me as I gripped his arm to steady myself.
He stayed still and watched my reactions, his sharp eyes tracking each movement as I straightened against him. I definitely liked that and wasted no time in telling him so, "If it feels like that then I wholeheartedly approve."
He grinned, the expression more affection and lust than amusement. "It will feel like that and so much more, and I can't wait to guide you through every step there is."
The words sent pleasant shivers down my spine as my hands rested against his chest. As I leaned my head forward against his shoulder and shifted my neck to give him better access, I smiled at the moan he let loose. Yup, definitely a new favorite sound.
This time when his teeth scraped lightly across my skin, he didn't pull back. He slid his tongue over the skin, the rough texture making me shiver and pull closer. After a final lick, he gently slid his fangs into the prepped flesh and my world exploded with sensations.
I was dimly aware of a choked gasp that sounded like it came from me, but I was too distracted by the pure fire that was moving through my veins to care. The feeling started from his bite and worked its way out, slowly crawling across the rest of my neck. I shuddered against him when he took his first mouthful. The suction was slow and it sent another shock of arousal straight down between my thighs.
I pushed my neck further into his mouth as I let out a moan, the sound spurring him on to take another mouthful. If this was what it always felt like then he could bite me anytime, I was more than okay with it. Each swallow sent another wave of lust through me until I was shifting my thighs together in an attempt to relieve the ever growing tension.
Maximus caught the movement and pulled back from my neck, to my vocal protest. He held my shoulder to stop me from pushing it back against his mouth and looked at me with eyes so bright that it hurt to look at them.
His words were a feral growl, "I could bring you to orgasm using just my bite and if that is what you want then say so, but that isn't what we agreed to. If you want to explore then we need to do so now before I make your decision for you. Rest assured if you choose my bite to be what brings you to your peak, I will enjoy every second of watching you come unraveled in my lap."
I felt all the heat curling in my loins shoot up to my head. The lethargic feeling from his bite left, leaving only desire for him in its wake. I gasped out, "Can I take a rain check on that?"
He laughed throatily, the sound shaking me from my place on his lap. "You may most definitely have a rain check." He didn't say anything else as he carefully lowered both of us down to the bed with me on top of his chest.
The air felt charged with the emotions I could see in his eyes as I shifted to lie centered on top of him instead of lop sided. Our legs entangled as I slid between his thighs, the junction of our groins pressing together sending another round of fire through me, but this time it wasn't caused by his bite.
For the first time I got a feel for his length as it rubbed against my center. I bit back a gasp as I shuddered and rocked into the motion, pulling a moan from Maximus. As if I needed extra incentive to continue what we were doing…
I dove my hands into his hair as I yanked him to me for a kiss. His usual composure was long gone as he plundered my mouth and took all that was there as his. I had no complaints as I rolled my hips down against him, the tension building into something I had never felt before as his bulge strained against his pants fabric and rubbed sensually between my legs.
I gasped as something bigger started building, it felt sharp and powerful. It scared me a bit as I choked out, "Maximus!" He shuddered underneath me, his head thrown back as his green eyes locked to mine.
He stroked my face, trailing his hand up into my hair as he soothed, "You've never felt this before?" I managed a slight head shake as I felt that something approaching faster and faster with every rolling thrust against me.
He pulled me into a possessive kiss before growling, "Good. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll feel something even better in just a minute."
Before I could ask what he was talking about, he rested both his hands on my hips and dragged me down against him as he thrust up. I felt a tidal wave of sensations slam through me as he kept rocking against me, each press sending a new round of shudders through me.
The feeling left me gasping for breath as it rolled through my groin. I let out a choked shout as it finally broke over me, turning my vision white and yanking an animalistic sound from my throat. My hips kept jerking against his, each thrust slid against my clothed sex and sent more mind numbing pleasure through me as I came down from whatever that was.
I dazedly looked at Maximus whose mouth was twisted into a harsh expression I would have called pain if I didn't know better. As his bulge rocked into me again, I had a voracious need to bring him to the same earth shattering pleasure he had given me.
My muscles felt like jello as I balanced my elbows on his chest, he momentarily slowed thinking I was calling a halt to our activities. I could see the arousal in his eyes and feel the molten steel between my legs, but despite that he was gearing up to make himself stop because he thought it was what I wanted.
I felt my heart expand in my chest, I was falling hard and fast for this man with no desire to stop myself. When he went to halt, I thrust down against him and pulled a hiss of surprise from his lips.
I grinned at his look of utter amazement as I started a fast paced rocking against him, "I'm not stopping until you white out too." I wasn't sure if that was the correct term for the pleasure I had felt but I didn't care and by his groan I doubted that he cared either.
I braced my hands on his shoulders and lifted my upper body so I could watch his expressions as he came undone. It was exhausting to use the muscles of my thighs so much, but I didn't care about the mild soreness I would feel later. If that was the price for putting the expression of pure desire that was currently on his face there then I would happily pay it over and over again.
His hips slid perfectly between mine now that my thighs were centered properly and his reaction to the position change was noticeable. He threw his head back, the golden hair catching the light and forming a halo behind him, and let out a long moan. Underneath me I felt his length stiffening further. It sent a different type of excitement through me as Maximus started shaking.
I could feel that white out feeling approaching him too and picked up my pace, grabbing his hands and putting them on my hips to give him leverage to thrust up. He wasted no time in utilizing his new vantage point. His fingers splayed across each of my hip points, the muscles in his hand working as he yanked me down to meet his thrusts.
The tension snapped as he threw his head back one last time with a shout that I didn't understand, the unfamiliar Romanian words going right over my head. His hips jolted against my thighs as he rode out his peak as an unfamiliar wetness seeped through the front of his pants.
I watched breathlessly as he shuddered below me, the sight of his jerking and twitching body making a grin pull across my mouth. I would have to do this again soon because I loved the sight of him coming apart so completely underneath me.
Seeing my usually composed and calm partner so wrecked was another form of arousing in and of itself. One that I would be repeating as many times as possible in our relationship and I doubted that Maximus would mind helping me with that goal.
His eyes flicked open, the stormy grey color back now that his arousal had cooled. I smiled dreamily down at him, "Can we do that again?" He chuckled as his arms opened for me to drop into, which I did happily. I needed to work out more if this was going to become a common activity between us. My arms and thighs were complaining fiercely and I couldn't bring myself to care.
"We can absolutely do that again, as many times as you want in any position you choose." I let a happy humm pass my lips as I cuddled against his chest. The sticky wetness that had seeped through his pants coated mine, joining the mess I could feel in my own underwear.
I didn't care for that feeling, but it wasn't irritating enough for me to bother going and changing right this instant. Instead, I elected to ignore it. Some of my thoughts must have shown on my face, because Maximus asked, "Do you want to change or shower?"
The thought of showering in front of him doused my warm and fuzzy feeling. Showering wasn't as sexy as in the movies when I had to sit down on a bench for it. I had made major strides in our physical relationship, but I wasn't ready for that. "Nah, I'm comfortable and I'm not ready for you to see me naked yet."
He ran a hand through my hair, making me lean into him as he spoke. "I know that, I wasn't offering a shared shower. I meant would you like me to leave for you to change or shower."
The thought of sending him away after what we had just done sat wrong with me. I may not have any experience with this but having your partner leave the room afterward so you could change didn't sound like it sent a good message.
I shook my head, tightening my arms around him to keep him cuddled against me. "No, I don't want you to leave. It isn't that important, unless it's irritating you?" I would let him up if it was, but I really just wanted to bask in the new progress we had made and our new closeness.
Thankfully, Maximus settled further into the bed instead of moving to stand. "It's nothing I can't ignore and I find myself wanting to enjoy this position for awhile longer. If you start to feel uncomfortable, let me know and I will move."
I hummed, dropping a kiss against his clothed chest before trailing up to his neck and nuzzling back in. His birthday had gone even better than I had ever dared to hope and as he wrapped himself around me I drifted into a state of contentment. My last solid thought for the next few hours was that I hoped the rest of our relationship went this smoothly.
