Chapter 35

Reno braced a hand against the wall behind Aura as he breathed slowly and deeply, attempting to catch his breath and waiting for his heart to stop pounding in his ears. Aura's legs moved around his waist as she adjusted herself in his lap and he looked at her when both of her hands gently came up to either side of his face. "Reno…" she whispered softly and he couldn't so much as blink as she looked into his eyes. "Reno…" He didn't move when Aura leaned closer, bringing her lips to his. Her tongue traced his lower lip and Reno opened his mouth, allowing her to deepen the kiss. Her hesitation didn't last long. He allowed her to hold him still, her hands still on either side of his face, as she carefully slipped her tongue past his lips. "I love you." She breathed a moment later, pulling back to look into his eyes once more. Reno was pretty sure his heart stopped beating altogether. His hands moved to her back, holding her tightly. "I love you." She whispered again, her lips brushing gently across his as she kissed him softly.

Reno reached up and turned the water off, before pushing Aura's wet hair back from her face with one hand and noting the faint flush still filling her cheeks. Her wide green eyes met his and she just looked at him silently, making no move to get up. Reno didn't know what to say. He traced his thumb carefully along her cheekbone, holding her gaze. "I… don't have words for the intensity of what I feel every time I so much as touch you." He told her, his voice low. "Words don't cut it."

"They're not the only method of communication." Aura told him gently, one of her arms snaking around his neck, "I see it in your eyes." He felt her other hand slide up into his hair and he held her gaze, willing everything he wanted to say to be reflected there. She smiled at him, "Maybe we should get out of the shower."

"You're right." Reno tightened his arm around Aura's waist and lifted her to himself. He willed his legs to work as he tried to get to his feet, his other hand braced against the wall in case his muscles decided to betray him. "Let's get out of here…" he murmured when he was standing straight, Aura wrapped around him. He pulled a towel from a rack when he stepped out of the shower, and carefully wrapped it around Aura's shoulders with one hand. He used a corner of the towel to wipe several water droplets from her cheek and then he carried her out the bathroom door and into the hallway toward her bedroom. He didn't know what he intended to do when he got there, but when he pushed the door open, Aura loosened her legs from around his waist and he set her carefully on her feet. She pulled the towel from around her shoulders and Reno stood still as she lifted it and began to gently dry his face. He watched her as she moved the towel slowly over him, down his chest and arms before moving around behind him and doing the same to his back. He felt her gather his hair in the towel and squeeze the excess water from it before she came back around to look up at him.

"I… I may have scratched your back… rather significantly." She murmured, biting her lower lip. Reno raised an eyebrow and tried to look over his shoulder at his back. He couldn't see anything so he walked over to her mirror and turned to try and get a look. There were indeed quite a few red scratch marks across his pale skin, and more than a few places where she had drawn blood. Reno turned the other way to have another look and his eyes spotted what was clearly her bitemark on his shoulder. He lifted a hand to touch it and then noticed Aura looking stricken behind him. "I… I'm sorry, Reno…"

"Nah, it's fine, yo." He smiled at her in the reflection, but she just looked at him, her eyes moving over his back and then back up to meet his eye and she didn't return his smile. "Aur…" he turned around and walked over to her. "It's okay."

"No, it's not." She murmured, "I didn't mean to hurt you…" She looked up at him, "Why didn't you say something?"

"I didn't really notice, Aur…" He smiled, "I was kinda focused on other things…"

She pushed him toward the bed and made him sit down. "I'm going to clean those up…" He watched her hurry from the room, smiling at the fact that she still hadn't bothered to put anything on. She returned just a few moments later with several pieces of gauze in her hands and Reno watched her silently as she set about tending to the worst of the scratches. "How did you not notice this…?" she breathed, "Reno… I made you bleed…"

"I told you… I was focused on other things…"He grinned and trailed a finger up her arm. "Like those sounds you were making…"

"I…" Aura flushed scarlet, and she kept her eyes on what she was doing.

"It's good in a way…" he continued, watching the blush spread further across her skin, "It tells me I was doing things right, yo." He kept his eyes on her face. "Unless… these were defensive…?" He gestured at the scratch she was in the process of dealing with.

"No…" she said softly, "They weren't defensive…"

"Then…" he lifted a hand, placing a single finger beneath her chin to raise her eyes to his, "Apparently I was doing my job well." Aura flushed even darker. "And you liked it."

"I did." She agreed, focusing on packing up the gauze and then carrying it over to her dresser by the wall. When she turned back to face him, Reno grinned again and gently stroked a finger over the bitemark on his shoulder.

"This was especially interesting." He remarked and Aura glanced at him before quickly looking away.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not." He replied, gesturing for her to come closer. "I like that I'll have a reminder of it…" He lifted a hand to her cheek when she was within reach. "That was the hottest thing I've ever experienced." Aura raised an eyebrow at him and he pressed a kiss between her eyes. "It was." He told her, "I almost lost it just looking at you on your knees…"

Aura tucked her head up under Reno's chin and he wound an arm around her. "Really? She asked and he could hear the smile in her voice, "Maybe I'll have to do that again."

"I sure hope so." He replied, rubbing a hand up and down her back, "I rather liked the next bit too…"

She nodded against him. "Maybe the whole thing needs to happen again."

"Sounds like a plan, yo." He yawned, "Just maybe not tonight."

She looked up at him, "Are you tired?"

"It's been a long day." He replied, pressing a kiss to her forehead again. "I feel dead on my feet." Aura took his hand and he allowed her to pull him toward the bed again.

"Lay down." She instructed and he did so, resisting a sigh of contentment when his head found the pillow. He heard her moving around the room for a few moments before she climbed onto the bed with him. "Do you feel better?" she asked, and Reno nodded when she moved over him, straddling his hips. He looked up at her as she pulled her hair to fall over one shoulder. It was already curling at the ends as it dried and she combed her fingers through it for a moment before looking down to meet his eyes. Reno felt himself growing hard. He swallowed thickly. She was going to kill him.

"Aur…" he groaned, but she leaned forward and pressed a finger to his lips.

"It's okay." She told him softly. "You don't have to do anything. I'm just going to help you relax." Her hands moved over his chest as she massaged him gently, and Reno watched her wondering if he was actually living in some fantasy world. This couldn't be reality. Her hands moved lower over his stomach and Reno bit back another groan, knowing that he was completely hard.

"Aura…"

"It's alright." She adjusted herself over him, and he stopped breathing as she reached down to take hold of him before carefully lowering herself over him. Reno draw a gasping breath as he was completely sheathed within her and he watched as Aura's eyes fluttered closed and her mouth opened in a silent gasp. His hands went immediately to her hips and he held her there. "Ohh…" she released a shuddering breath. "It's hard not to move…" she leaned forward, bracing her hands on his chest, her hair tumbling over her shoulder to tickle his skin as she drew one deep breath after another.

"You tryin' to kill me?" he asked, his hands tightening on her hips in an attempt to get her to move.

"Nah." She smiled at him, moving just a little and he couldn't resist a groan. "Just trying to get you nice and relaxed." She stretched to press a kiss to his lips, and Reno slid one hand from her hip, up her side to the back of her neck, pulling her in to deepen the kiss. "Don't you feel good?" she asked, lifting her head just enough to meet his eyes. He nodded.

"Yes." He murmured, feeling himself relax as she settled against him. Aura leaned forward again, now pressed to his chest, her weight resting against him. He moved a hand up and down her back as she tucked her head up under his chin again. He shuddered as one of her own hands trailed up his arm while the other came to rest over his heart. She was still for several minutes as Reno traced his fingers gently over her back, marvelling over how anyone could be so soft. "Aur…" When he didn't get an answer, Reno realised that she had fallen asleep. He wondered if that had been her plan, to fall asleep with him inside of her. The thought made him smile, and he was extremely comfortable, so he continued to stroke her back slowly as he closed his own eyes and waited to welcome sleep himself.