Drifting through the dark hues of Nick's mind, surrounded by navy blue, deep maroon, and rich dark gold, Blaise whispered to him, her tendrils of bright red and orange streaking like fire through his mind. "Nick... never?"
A low, embarrassed chuckle criss-crossed in her thoughts, lightening the navy to a sky blue for just a moment. "Never. I'd tell you I'd been 'saving myself' but it's not true. There was just no one I wanted..." he paused for a moment in his thoughts and met her eyes. "Until you."
She smiled softly at him, the feeling something entirely new for her lips. Her cruel smile, her knowing smile, the scheming behind each, had all been perfected. The softness she felt was something almost entirely new, and not entirely unwelcome. "Flattery will get you..." she finished the phrase in his mind, "everywhere."
Nick was again drawn to the recesses of her mind, reeled in by the mystery and pain there. He wanted nothing more than to help soothe that pain away. This time, Blaise opened her past to him, allowing him to see all the lives she's wrecked, the pain she'd caused. He sorted through these gently, not allowing any of it to cause him to pull back in shock.
Finally, when Nick came to the memory of Thea finding Eric, Blaise's overwhelming sense of loss washed over him. Her feelings had been a confusing mess, mad at Eric for taking her sister away from her, happy for Thea that she'd found the one person she was meant to be with, and jealous that she thought she would never find her own.
They had somehow found their way to the couch and Nick was holding her cradled in his lap. Her head pressed into his shoulder, her forehead resting along his neck. The fingers of his right hand were tangled in her hair and he breathed deeply, the scent of violets and roses invading his senses.
"You smell nice," he murmured into her hair softly. "And I've never wanted anyone so badly in my life," he added in her mind.
"You're sure? Even seeing how much being with me can hurt someone... you still want me?" An unsteady shake invaded her words, the uncertainty there something no one had ever heard coming from Blaise.
"Of course I do," he leaned back into the couch, looking at her, watching her eyes to make sure she understood. "I told you your past wouldn't matter to me. What's done is done."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down so that their lips were together again. "Oh, yes, I still want you," his mental words sounding breathy, needy. He could tell she was feeling the same way as she slid off his lap, landing gently on the plush carpet and tugging at him to follow her.
She led him down the hallway to her bedroom, the most luxurious room in her house. Blaise, of course, spared no expense when furnishing the room. A king size bed with an ornately carved cherry-wood headboard was covered with red satin sheets.
How many times had she seduced someone into coming home with her since she'd moved in to this house? She didn't think she'd be able to count the number on her fingers alone. This, though, this would be the first time she knew she'd remember every detail.
She walked backward toward her bed, holding his hands and guiding him back until her calves met the mattress and seated her abruptly on the satin sheets. Nick's breath caught in his throat at the prospect of being in her bedroom and his eyes were wide with wonder.
Blaise pushed herself back up off the bed and slid her hands under his leather jacket, helping him shrug out of it, the coat falling to the floor, forgotten. Nick's arms wrapped around her waist and he drew her in close, leaning down to kiss her. His hands roamed hesitantly over her body, coming to rest at the bottom hem of the green shirt she'd put on at Thea's. He pressed against her for a moment, his excitement obvious, and then he lifted the shirt over her head, revealing her breasts in the dim light.
He hadn't expected her to be braless, but here she was, completely topless in front of him. Blaise laughed in his mind at the stunned relief he felt. "I thought I was going to have to figure one of those things out," he sent to her, his own mental laughter lacing his thoughts with amused orange.
"I'm sure you would have done just fine," she sent back. This time she pressed into him before lifting his black t-shirt off, revealing his absolutely smooth chest. Her hands slid down his sides and she hooked her fingers under his waistband, sliding around to the button on the black jeans. Cool grey eyes again met warm brown, mischief tinting the grey with a soft blue. Her dexterous fingers moved the button through the hole in the fabric and slid his zipper down. Without shifting her gaze from his face, she gave the jeans a shove – enough to move the material beyond his hips and send it crashing to the floor. He sidestepped out of the jeans and kicked them away, standing now in only dark red cotton boxers.
Nick slid his hands down the front of her body, lingering for a moment on her breasts, then continuing down to the button on her khakis and flicking it open. It seemed to Blaise that he'd left all the nervous feelings behind, and that was fine. The khakis fell to her ankles and he smiled at her, giving her shoulders a light push. She fell backward onto the bed, her knees bent and legs dangling over the side. He leaned over her, supporting himself with his palms at either side of her shoulders; he moved in closer, slowly. Making as if to kiss her again, he veered to one side and kissed her neck below her ear, trailing kisses down to her collarbone and to the pale skin of her breasts.
Blaise smiled and her eyes drifted shut. "You're sure you've never done this before?" she mumbled.
"Positive," he breathed out, his words warm against her skin. His hands drifted to her panties as he continued to cascade light, teasing kisses all over her chest. The gentle glide of his fingers over her hips sent sparks and shivers racing down her spine and she raised herself up off the bed to free the last scrap of clothing on her body. Pulling back, Nick stood up straight and removed his boxers, his own last piece of clothing.
Pushing off the floor, Blaise repositioned herself to be fully on the mattress, watching Nick closely. She smiled and held her arms out to him, seeing the slow flush of embarrassment creep into his cheeks. He positioned himself over her and laid gently on top.
He told himself he should draw it out more, but his body was protesting; it didn't want him to wait any longer. Now his mind was also lit by fiery reds and oranges, complementing Blaise's own. She could feel the conflict between his mind and body and she soothed his thoughts. "Go ahead, Nick. We'll just say you owe me later."
An almost wicked grin spread across his face and he lifted up and back, sliding into her slowly as he came down. Her breath hissed in quickly at the initial pleasure-pain, then relaxed into its normal, gentle rhythm. "Are you okay?" his mind called to hers, clearer than ever before.
"Of course I am," her own mental voice replied. She urged her hips forward against him, signaling she really was fine, and he took the hint. He began to move, creating a rhythm all their own. Blaise hadn't expected anything long or even strenuous, she'd been with virgin guys before and they had a habit of being rather quick their first time 'round.
Nick continued to move slowly, but could not hold back for long. Soon, his speed had picked up and his breathing had increased to match. His forehead rested against hers, bringing their lips together every so often for a brief, but entirely intimate, kiss. At the last kiss, his lips slid down her neck and remained parted, resting on her collarbone.
Blaise could feel the tension rising in her own body, so quickly yet not surprising to her at all. Her nails dug into his back, not breaking the skin, but leaving crescent-shaped impressions there. She found herself wondering if it was the initiative of the soulmate bond that they climax together or if it was just happening on its own. Nick shuddered on top of her and his teeth scraped against her neck at the same time she felt herself arch up off the bed in her own release of orgasmic tension.
The entire act took less than five minutes, but it was the most intense and pleasurable five minutes Blaise ever spent in a bed. She no longer cared whether their bond was responsible or not, all she could think about was the blinding platinum heat that flashed between their minds when they were together so completely, so openly. Nick moaned and shifted around on top of her and she held a finger up to his lips. "Don't," she whispered to him, her eyes soft and a small smile playing on her lips.
"Don't what?" he asked, rather puzzled in his euphoria.
"Just don't move."
"Oh," he replied simply. He then relaxed and let his head fall to the fluff of the pillow beyond her shoulder, his body still covering hers, their breathing slowing together.
"I love you, Nick," she whispered hoarsely, her voice thick with the emotion in it.
"I love you, Blaise," he said, even as his eyes were drifting shut.
Each fell asleep, comforted simply by the other's presence in the bed.
