Arnav
"Do you trust me?"
The moment seemed suspended in time. Khushi held his gaze, her eyes shining with everything he'd looked for since that fateful night. Then she nodded, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth in a way that threatened to destroy what little self control remained in his limbs. He pulled to their bedroom after kissing her as softly as he could.
Once there, she locked the door as he pulled the curtains closed. Then they stood with the expanse of the bedroom separating them. The bed seemed to take on epic proportions.
It was their last chance to back down. There would be no going back from this.
And for that reason, he waited for her.
Relief flooded him when Khushi – the girl who'd made a habit of stepping back every time he stepped forward – moved towards him. They met in the middle. When he dipped his head, brushing his lips against hers in a silent question, she wound her arms around his neck without hesitation.
Their kiss began slowly, tender and almost achingly sweet, but they'd denied each other too long for it to last. An inferno raged between them. He tried to crush her closer, splaying his hands across her back and finding the strings that held her dress closed. Her nails dug into him through his shirt as he tugged. Khushi hid her face in his shoulder, breathing hard, and affection swelled in his chest as he carried her to the bed, sliding in beside her before covering them both with the duvet.
Instead of wiggling away as he'd half-expected her to, she held him tightly, muttering his name with a reverence he'd never heard in her voice. Arnav lifted her mouth to his, relishing the shudder that passed through her as his tongue brushed across her lips. He was soon lost in her, in the feel of her finger stroking his cheek, in the small sounds she made as she mimicked him.
He groaned. The sound emboldened her. Her fingers slipped from his cheek to his neck as she pressed closer, fiddling with the closed collar of his shirt. Suddenly impatient, Arnav loosened his tie and unbuttoned his waistcoat in a series of quick movements. Khushi blushed, apparently embarrassed that he'd read her intentions.
"Relax," he soothed her with a kiss to her temple.
Returning her hands to his shirt, Arnav took her into his arms and kissed her until they were both breathless. His lips found her cheek, her jaw, her neck, her collarbone. Her every sound heightened his need. Khushi trembled as his fingers traced the zipper on her dress, hiding her face in the hollow between his shoulder and neck. The desire that burnt in his veins abated briefly as he paused, smiling at this proof that he was still her safe harbour in a storm.
She held him tightly as he unzipped her kameez, taking his time to savour the anticipation. Her short, sharp exhalations were hot against his skin. Khushi tried to hide herself when he slid the material down, clutching the dress to her chest as she avoided his eyes. And in that moment, as he watched her gather the courage to allow him this privilege, he realised that she'd never betrayed him in body.
And not in mind, his heart whispered.
Arnav waited.
And slowly, her hands left the dress. It slipped a few inches, teasing him with the promise of what it concealed, as Khushi sought him again. He crushed her close, hiding her exposed flesh with his body as he kissed her. Bit by bit, she relaxed, pressing closer as the natural responses of her body took over.
And finally, he brushed his hands over the swell of her in an experimental gesture. Gasping, Khushi arched into him, pushing her breasts into his hands. Taking it as the permission he craved, he unsnapped her bra and threw it away, delighting in her uninhabited response as he ran a thumb over a nipple. Her fingers moved frantically over the buttons of his shirt so he threw his tie away before helping her unbutton it, and discarded both shirt and waistcoat in one swift movement. Then he placed her trembling hands to his chest, encouraging her to explore him as he explored her.
She blossomed under his touch, gasping as he ran his hands over her body and hiding herself in his chest when it all became too much. His lust mingled with tenderness. Encouraging her to lie back, Arnav leaned on one elbow to admire her before kissing along her jaw and up to her ear. He took her earlobe between his teeth, biting gently before soothing her with his tongue. Khushi squealed when he trailed kisses downwards, her legs scissoring helplessly against his. He traced the line of her collarbone before dipping lower. Her fingers tightened in his hair as she realized his intent, seconds before he closed his mouth over her nipple. His body ached with desire as he flicked his tongue and he watched her as he worked, taking in the way she bit her lip to muffle a cry as she tugged on fistfuls of his hair.
Khushi pulled him up, her hands gentle but insistent as she guided him back to her mouth. Her kiss was soft, inexpert, and incredibly erotic. Instinctively, he rolled his hips against her and then groaned as she did the same. His hands found the ties of her pants, fumbling in haste before he managed to undo the knot. But when his eyes flicked up to hers, he found her frozen, her expression tinged with fear.
Slow, Arnav.
"It's okay," he assured her, "We can stop."
He eased away to lie beside her, trying desperately to bring his breathing under control. Sleep seemed impossible now. Every fantasy he'd ever had paled in comparison to what she'd offered him tonight.
Barely a taste, and I'm already addicted.
Khushi cuddled close, running a hand over his bare chest before pressing her lips to his skin. He hissed as pleasure shot through him. She was slow and precise, seeming to think and rethink her every action before moving. Arnav lay helpless as she worked, his fingers tightening on her hips. When she finally looked up, blushing in that way of hers, he pulled her down for another kiss. Her hair formed a curtain around them, trapping them in their own private world.
"You're beautiful," he murmured against her lips.
She ducked her head, choosing to kiss his jaw and then his neck instead of answering. Arnav pulled her closer, and convulsed as she touched the tip of her tongue to his skin. Khushi gave a breathless giggle as she tried it again. Her hair brushed his heated skin as she moved over him, kissing her way to his chest. And then he swore breathlessly as his wife kissed along his rib cage. He let her explore for as long as he could handle before gently pulling her up, and tried to pour all his love, his desire, his affection and appreciation, into their kiss.
Arnav flipped them around, liking the soft groan that escaped her as he pressed into her again. Lightning shot through him. Khushi squirmed as he teased her, his fingers running over her thighs and along the waistband of her pants. Her hips rolled upwards as she sought friction.
His careful control slipped. They kissed frantically, her hands roving over his shoulders and back as he ground his hips against her. Fire zipped through his veins. Her sighs and moans filled the room and mingled with his.
Arnav slid her pants down along with the dress that had wrapped around her waist. Khushi avoided his eyes when he returned to her, shivering under the sheets. He brushed her hair away from her damp forehead as he waited for her to voice hesitation. But she only blinked, smiling shyly before pressing a kiss to his jaw. Moving above her, he slid his hands along her arms, over the flesh that rose and fell with her every breath, and downward.
Khushi gasped as he circled her navel, seizing his wrist in a vice-like grip. He froze. He watched the tremble of her bottom lip as she swallowed hard. Then she nodded, loosening her grip slightly, and a sweet ache blossomed in his chest. He traced her skin, attuned to every movement of her trembling fingers, and stopped any time she tightened her hold. Arnav pressed open mouthed kisses to her mouth, her cheeks, her jaw in an effort to convey how much her trust meant.
She relaxed gradually, the muscles in her thighs slackening in increments. She inhaled sharply as his fingers brushed over the fabric of her underwear. Smiling against her shoulder, he skipped down to her uncovered thigh to find the soft skin slick with her need. He groaned as she bucked upwards, searching for him. And now, without so many layers between them, he felt her heat.
Taking Khushi's sounds as encouragement, he slid his hand upward, his fingers seeking. Even through the fabric that covered her, his first touch incited a loud moan. Her hand tightened on his wrist.
"Arnav ..."
"I know."
He slowed, kissing her tenderly as he waited. Khushi turned her head, running her nose along his jaw as he nipped her ear. She pressed light kisses to his neck. He sought the heat between her legs when she relaxed her grip. The fabric of her panties was soaked.
"Do I always make you feel this way?" he whispered his question in her ear.
Her reaction was primal, her hips shifting against his hand as she whimpered. Pushing aside pale blue cotton, he slid two fingers along her slickness, watching as she threw her head back and cried out. Her hand fell away from his wrist. Desire throbbed through him, almost painful in its intensity, but he clamped down on the urge to take her.
This was about her, about easing her into sexual play, about introducing her to pleasure.
Overwhelmed by her trust, Arnav traced over her skin gently as he bent to take her nipple into his mouth. Khushi rocked into his hand, whispering his name, and his world reduced until all he could see and hear and feel was her. He slipped a finger inside, circling his thumb around the softest part of her, and swallowed her cry as she splintered almost instantly. He continued to stroke into her until she calmed, extending her pleasure.
"You're beautiful," he kissed her cheek.
He watched as she caught her breath, pride and satisfaction and desire all mingling in his blood. She shuddered as his hand left her. Khushi blinked, a slow and satiated smile forming on her lips as she watched him with hooded eyes. Her hand shot out to seize his wrist when he brought his fingers to his lips but it was too late; he groaned, closing his eyes as her essence melted on his tongue.
Khushi was still watching him a few moments later, her nose and cheeks painted pink. Arnav kissed her into silence when she started to speak.
"Ssshhh. It's fine. Tastes like chashni."
She hid her blush behind her hands. Rolling them over, Arnav smiled contentedly as he pulled the blankets around them. His wife snuggled into him, her breath warm against his neck, and he wondered if she was ready to sleep. As if she'd heard the idle thought, Khushi pressed a kiss to his shoulder. All at once, his need for her almost overwhelmed him, despite the twin warnings of his heart and mind to take things slowly. For Khushi.
His pulse quickened as she worked her way to his lips. His body ached.
Arnav moved his fingers across her still-heated skin. Her breath hitched as he pushed her into the mattress, kissing her shoulders, her neck, her jaw, her lips. He pulled her skin between his lips, soothing the marks he left with his tongue. Trailing kisses down her body, he learnt the places that made her gasp and tighten her hold on him, the places that made her pull at his hair.
Then he hooked his fingers into the cotton of her underwear, gazing along her body to meet her eyes. She bunched the sheets in her hands, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"You need me to stop?" he whispered.
Khushi breathed in deeply before shaking her head, and closed her eyes as she lifted her hips. She shook, with anticipation or apprehension or a mixture of both, he wasn't sure, as he slid the fabric down her legs before tossing it away. Kissing the corner of her mouth, Arnav brushed her hair from her shoulder as he trailed kisses over her. She responded eagerly, matching him touch for touch.
Khushi mewled her displeasure when he left her. For a few moments, the only sounds in the room were the swish of his pants as he discarded them and the crinkle of foil and then plastic.
She pulled him close when he returned to their bed, and he felt strangely light headed as she wrapped her arms around him. It felt surreal, like the most vivid of dreams, but the slight sting of her nails on his skin assured him that it was real. Her thighs fell open, a silent invitation, and it took everything he had to resist the urge that rose within him.
Slow, Arnav.
Instead, he kissed her, first roughly, and then softly as he recalled the need for gentleness. His wife groaned as he teased her, his hand sliding between them to stroke her once more. She was ready.
Arnav bit her lip, distracting her as he aligned himself. He circled her with his thumb, causing her to cry out.
"I'm sorry, Khushi," he whispered.
He was fast, but she still sobbed as she clenched around him, her fingers digging into his shoulders. He froze as tears pooled in her eyes.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," he rested his forehead on hers, "Tell me."
Khushi gave another small sob. Guilt bubbled inside him.
You should have waited, for her sake.
He started to ease away, keeping his movements as slow and gentle as possible, but stopped when she spoke.
"Don't go."
Khushi tried to hold him closer, as if truly afraid that he'd leave her. A hollow opened in his chest.
Fuck.
"Ssshhh," he soothed, "I'm right here with you."
"For now," a tear rolled down her cheek and into her hair.
Dozens of memories attacked him, each more painful than the last, as he recalled all the times he'd left her.
Forever.
The truth danced on his tongue. He'd never been good at lying, had always turned his back on those he loved before uttering an untruth, but lying was impossible when he was above her, inside her. So he did what he always did and rolled his hips to distract her. Khushi exhaled sharply, her nails leaving marks on his back as she closed her eyes.
He tasted salt when he kissed her. "Does it hurt?"
She started to shake her head, but then changed the movement into a small nod. Arnav brushed the last of her tears away with a thumb. His wife's bottom lip trembled as she looked away.
"Tell me, Khushi," he urged.
"I th-think it hurts l-less when you ... when you m-move."
His entire being ignited. He pressed his lips to her temple as he rocked forward, testing the truth of her words, and groaned as she lifted her hips to take all of him inside her. He felt the world tilt on its axis. Being buried inside her, this woman who held all of him in her hands, was life changing.
Soul changing.
Arnav slid his hand over hers, twining their fingers and giving her an anchor as he moved. He rocked slowly, watching Khushi carefully for signs of discomfort, but she instinctively found the primal rhythm she craved and moved with him, against him.
Too soon, she tightened around him, her skin flushing with the beginnings of her release. And though he wasn't ready for it to be over - would he ever be? - he slipped his hand between them to encourage her.
"I ... I can't ..." she gasped.
"I've got you, let it come."
She plummeted with a sharp cry, her hand tightening around his as she gave in. He let go too, moving into her with purpose until he joined her in oblivion.
Long minutes later, Arnav opened his eyes to find Khushi staring up at him, her cheeks flushed and a small smile on her lips.
"Hi," he smiled.
He eased away, chuckling at the small noise she made as he left her, and rolled off the bed to tidy himself up. Khushi reached for him, already half asleep, as he slid in beside her. He held her close.
As he stared up, watching the patterns her fairy lights made on the ceiling, and came to a decision.
"Khushi?"
She was silent. He spoke to the stars that hung above her side of their bed. To her parents.
"Whatever hurtful things I said, they have no meaning. Whatever hurtful things I did, they have no meaning."
Khushi raised her head slowly, her eyes wide with something akin to disbelief. His pulse stuttered as he continued.
"Right and wrong don't have meaning in this love. Only one thing has meaning ..."
A tear made its way down her cheek, followed by another, then another, as she began sobbing.
"That I will always ... always ..."
He gave her a small smile as he brushed them away, trying to reassure her that his words were true. That he was true. And would always be.
" ... love you."
Author's Note: How did you like it?