Chapter 2: Inches and Water Drops
Her breath was already erratic as she turned the thin delicate doorknob. She could feel her heart about to break out of her chest, there was a flutter in her stomach as her palms broke out in cold sweat. Suddenly her senses were flooded with the steam and the heat that spilled out of the bathroom and it took her eyes a little while to adjust. Now she didn't feel so naked, the steam took her into its warm embrace. Her body responded to the change in the environment; it seemed to demand attention and protection all at once. Goosebumps mushroomed on her bare skin. Her nipples hardened and she fought the instinct to wrap her arms around herself. The excitement was causing the moisture between her legs to grow. Her eyes found her target. He looked as though he was just waking up from a long sleep.
His eyes were soft and out of focus. When his gaze caught hers there was a moment of confusion, disbelief and awe that, as he was shaken out of his reverie, became more of desire.
Artemis had seen a lot of things in his life, beautiful things, and wonderful things, powerful and incredible things. But they all paled in comparison to the sight that suddenly filled his vision. He hadn't looked up when she first opened the door or when she started walking toward him. So when he actually did and she was already standing so close to him it shocked him into silence. His reason and good sense fell entranced by her naked beauty.
There was a moment of silence.
And then, "Artemis," she breathed. He was caught between getting out and staying hidden in the safety of the water. He was so caught off guard that even his great big mind didn't know how to react. She gave him a coy smile, as if inviting him to look. Her right hand was crossed in front of her midsection, holding her left arm's elbow. She looked at him as though she were expecting something. Her eyes were playful all of the sudden, the nerves she'd felt at the door had evaporated. She let the hand that was holding her elbow slide down slowly.
She was presenting herself before him, fully open, uncovered, and willing. There wasn't a speck of makeup on her pretty face, her hair was down, tickling her shoulders and down her chest. She was raw and natural. Artemis stood. Without a warning, he was out of the bathtub and facing her too. His pale skin was still tingling with the heat of the water. The air in the bathroom, though warm and humid, made a chill run through his body. He shivered, but for entirely different reasons. His coal black hair was wet at the tips and they clung to his neck, randomly sending water droplets down his back.
They stood face to face. Both naked and aroused but only looking in each other's eyes. Their height difference made it so that Holly had to crane her neck up and Artemis had to slump down, but the intensity was the same. Artemis was the first to break. He could no longer resist her being there like that. His hand went tentatively and touched her shoulder. She laughed. His hand was nearly shaking. His mouth felt dry and he swallowed loudly.
Artemis had had a total of zero sexual partners in his life. Unless of course, he counted his hand. Which he did not. Of course, he knew how it worked, the copulation, the intercourse, but he did not know how the love-making worked, in practice. "Love-making" being a term that he had used before, in writing, but never in speech. The middle-aged women and few men that read his cheesy romance novels taken into consideration when the term was used; as a businessman might take his customers into consideration when developing a new product. But, never, in his young life had he had to make himself familiar with fucking.
He was, certainly, aware of such a term. It was colloquial, just another form of referring to intercourse, a rather crude form. It made his nose wrinkle whenever Juliet used it and it made Myles and Beckett giggle if they happened to overhear it. As far as he was concerned, that's just all there was to it. He had always imagined his first sexual encounter (always with Holly) as more of a love-making rather than the alternative. But he had been wrong.
Holly wasted no time with seduction; she hardly needed to since was already quite ready from the looks of him. She hadn't really planned much past the crashing into his hotel room. She knew that the reasons for coming were far from just sex, though sex was certainly in the agenda for tonight, she wanted to clear the air first and foremost; but apparently that would be delayed until after. She took the hand that was on her shoulder and led him out of the bathroom. She would surreptitiously glance up at his face while she led him, and when they finally arrived at their destination, she made a graceful leap into the mattress.
Holly was embarrassed at the height difference, she wished not for the first time that it magically disappeared, but, she could deal. She stood on the mattress, as poise as a goddess and he couldn't help but love her. He stepped into her arms and in another time, they shared their second kiss.