Chapter 6

She tipped her head back to smile up at him. "Another first."

Sora managed to dredge up a laugh to cover his raging lust. He had

to hold himself back from lunging at Kairi and making love to her on

a scratchy picnic blanket. He had to remember that he wanted Kairi

for much more than a one-night stand.

"I love seeing your face when you're excited," she said. She

leveraged herself up to one elbow and smoothed her fingertips over

his cheekbone, his temple, the bridge of his nose. "You are so

beautiful."

"I'm a man," Sora said, scoffing at her description. "Men aren't

beautiful."

"You, Sora, are the most beautiful person I've ever known,

inside and out."

Her words touched his soul. Sora closed the scant inch separating

them and kissed her gently on the mouth. Her lips trembled on a

sighing breath. In a husky whisper that barely penetrated the humid

night, he said, "You're the beautiful one. Will you let me touch

you?"

"Yes."

His heart punched into his ribs, then fell to his stomach when she

added, "But not right now. Right now, I'm just enjoying how nice it

is to be held by you with all the beautiful stars overhead and the

air so sweet."

Sora thought about that. Kairi had never had much cuddling. Even when

she'd been a little girl, her parents had been self-absorbed. It had

always been Kairi giving and them taking. Emotion caused his arms to

tighten. He wanted, needed, to tell her how much he cared, how much

he wanted her. Not just for sexual adventures, but for the intimate

talk a man and woman shared.

They'd always opened up to each other as friends, but this was

different; for him and for her. He'd grown up knowing how much his

parents adored him, while Kairi had only known her parents'

indifference. She'd learned to depend only on herself. Now he wanted

her to depend on him, as well. He wanted her to want to be with him,

every night, for the rest of her life. If he could show her how

enjoyable sharing a bed would be — not just the lovemaking, but also

the talking and the sharing — she'd be less likely to turn him down

for a permanent arrangement.

"You," Sora whispered into her ear, "will like the cuddling more if

you get rid of these distracting clothes. I want to feel you, all of

you. If holding and sleeping is what you have in mind, that's fine

with me. But I don't want any barriers between us."

He could feel her thinking, considering, and then slowly she nodded.

"All right." She sat up beside him and the skimpy, teasing camisole

got tossed aside. Her breasts glowed pale in the moonlight, and Sora

couldn't quite stop himself from cupping her.

"Sora..."