A/N: And another chapter is up! For all of you who read, reviewed or both: I love you guys! You all make my day whenever you enjoy my story in any way. Keep up the good work I'd say, and I promise to do the same.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. Else, Erin would still be alive.
Chapter Three
Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. Aristotle.
Erin woke to the feeling of Aaron pressing tightly against her. He was using one of his hands to draw intricate patterns across her stomach, which wasn't covered by her top any longer.
She pressed her lips to his jawline, humming softly as he let his hands drift further up. Aaron kissed her properly then, letting his tongue trace her lips to ask for entry. She gave it easily, dueling for dominance. She would have won, had it not been for Aaron's fingers pressing just a little more firmly into her.
When they broke apart, she turned around. Her leg came to rest possessively over his and his hand ended up on her waist. With his free hand, he supported his head as he looked at her. She shivered at the intensity of the gaze, knowing he knew exactly what he was doing to her.
"What do I owe this pleasurable awakening to, love?" she smiled at him, tracing his bottom lip with her thumb. The soft tickly of his breath across her skin made it difficult to focus on anything but him. Not that she really wanted to, as the man was more than handsome enough to stare at all day.
"To the very naughty thoughts of a man who's finally been given the all clear for strenuous activities and the fact our sons are currently not in the house, giving me the freedom to play them out," Aaron honestly told her.
The wicked gleam in his eyes was enough to tell her he had some interesting games to play. She felt desire pool in her stomach; even though this wouldn't be their first time making love, it would be the first time since Aaron got injured. And that meant it had been too long.
And not only for her, judging by Aaron's words. Or his wandering hands, which were trying to reach every bit of skin they could. She squirmed a little, making it easier for him. He chuckled at her antics, making her grin in return.
"I think I would very much like to know what kind of naughty plans you have in that head of yours. And for you to figure out whether I have any in my head. I'm sure the results could be very interesting. Not to mention pleasing," she huskily told him, shifting positions so she was now straddling his hips.
A wide smile spread across Aaron's face, his eyes darkening with desire. She could feel him hardening, and his hands tightened on her reflexively. She thoroughly enjoyed being able to bring out that reaction in him; things had never been very physical between her and her ex-husband after their children were born.
When Aaron's thumb swiped across her right breast, she gasped in surprised pleasure, all her earlier thoughts forgotten. If she'd been naked, she would have been putty in his hands already. As it was, she was capable of holding out a little longer.
"I want to rediscover all of the places that make you hum and moan in pleasure. Can you let me do that? Or would you like to be in charge this time?" he asked her, his voice gravelly and lower than normal.
Erin pondered his question for a moment, as the answer wasn't an easy one. She had really enjoyed Aaron mapping out her body, but there was something to be said for being in control as well. And so far she hadn't experienced that, since his injury had made it impossible to be intimate. Or at least in this way.
"Why don't you take the lead for now? When I'm ready to switch things up, you'll know," she grinned at him.
Aaron didn't need to be told twice. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, he kissed her. Simultaneously, he turned so he could press her into the matrass a little, hovering over her. The mischief in his eyes told her she was in for it, and she could feel the heat rising inside of her at the prospect.
Aaron began to kiss his way from her lips to her chest, nipping and soothing the skin with his tongue occasionally. Erin shuddered as goose bumps appeared on her skin; this was one of the things she loved about Aaron. Always reverend, adoring, but never unsure. He knew she likes the sting, but he'd never take it too far. And if she were to utter one word that made him think she wasn't in the mood for it, he'd stop.
Her thoughts were instantly dispelled as Aaron's nimble fingers darted under her top to tug off her bra. She lifted herself off of the matrass for a second to let him slide it off of her together with the aforementioned top.
As soon as she was rid of it, Aaron continued his journey. He swirled his tongue around and over one nipple while one of his hands came up to play with the other. Erin pushed into the touches, her eyes closing at the sensations Aaron was inspiring in her.
Her hands didn't stay idle, though. They quickly found the hem of his shirt, tugging at it impatiently. When he didn't move, she groaned. Her lover chuckled against her, finally rising up to look at her properly a she opened her eyes for a second.
"I want to feel your skin on mine," she breathed, pulling him even closer to her. With him, it was never hard to say what she wanted, needed or hoped. And he was never shy about those things either, which meant the world to her.
Aaron captured her lips in another scorching kiss before tossing the shirt to the floor. He then stood up so he could push his pyjama bottoms to the floor. Erin followed his example, shimmying out of her underwear and shorts.
Aaron eased her back onto the bed as soon as they were both naked. His trail of kisses had her pressing her skin against his lips before long. The goose bumps multiplied tenfold, and she whimpered when Aaron nipped at the skin on her hip.
"I love you," Aaron murmured against her inner thigh before trailing his tongue across the flesh of it. The touch was so soft she would have missed it if he hadn't made her so responsive. As it was, her breath caught in her throat for an instant.
"I love you too," Erin whispered back as soon as she was able, her hands drifting across his shoulders and back. She could feel his muscles shifting as he moved closer to where she most wanted him.
And then, he touched his tongue to her and she had to struggle to keep her hips on the bed. Her breathing and heart rate both sped up, the world shrunk to nothing. All that mattered was Aaron.
The waves of pleasure that coursed through her kept becoming stronger, rippling over her with such a force it took her breath away. But there was not a bone in her body that thought this was enough.
Erin found her breath for long enough to tell Aaron she was ready to switch things up. the man didn't even get the time to respond, within seconds she had maneuvered herself on top of him.
With a wicked smile on her face, she drew a circle around one of his nipples as she kissed him. She made sure to keep her hips at a safe distance from his; she knew she'd be able to entice him in so many other ways he'd lose his minds.
Aaron's hands did not stay idle whatsoever. As Erin discovered the planes of his body, a body that was more muscular than his day to day clothing revealed, his hands picked up where they'd left off when she turned them around.
Erin let her teeth graze over Aaron's earlobe, making him shudder beneath her and his fingers tightened on her ribs for a second. Chuckling a little, she moved a little further away from him to whisper to him.
"You like me being in charge, don't you? I suggest you hold on for the ride," she huskily told him, noticing another set of shivers coursing through him. Instead of responding verbally, though, he simply kissed her until the lack of oxygen became too large to ignore any longer.
Erin slid down further along Aaron's body, dipping her tongue into his belly button when she encountered it. He'd confessed Haley had never done that when she'd first done it, the second time they made love. Since he'd liked it, she had filed the information away for future use. And she was definitely using it.
Her lover's hand tangled in her hair, his grip firm without being painful. She smiled against his inner thigh; he was too tender with her sometimes, but she preferred it to the rough treatment her ex had given her. Most of the time; she wasn't afraid to play a little rougher, which she would be sure to show him in the future.
She now touched her tongue to Aaron fully, tasting the salty pre-cum he was leaking. The hand in her hair tightened a little further, serving as a warning. She ignored it, though, delivering large sweeps with her tongue, making Aaron's hips lift off the bed every time.
When the rhythm of his hips increased, Aaron warned her a second time. This time he did speak, his voice low and shakier than normal because of the way she was assaulting his senses.
"If you don't stop now, things are going to be rather short-lived. And only one of us is going to finish. Seeing as it's been weeks since we could do this properly, that's unacceptable," he said, the words washing over her.
Always the gentleman, she smiled as she lifted herself up a little straighter. Aaron's eyes were closed, his chest was moving fast. His hands were fisting the bedspread, helping him to hold on.
"Hmm, it seems you're right. What do you think we should do to remedy the situation?" she huskily asked, straddling him once more. This time, she was a lot closer to where she knew he wanted her the most.
A knowing smile spread across her lover's face as his hands came to rest on her hips. He was well aware where this was going, and he was preparing to support and guide her should she need it.
"I think you should lead us further down the road you've led us on so far. If you still feel comfortable with that, that is," he told her.
She realized he was giving her a way out. She was grateful for it, even if she didn't want or need it. She never would. Not with him. For the first time in her life, Erin Strauss was certain that the love she felt would last forever and wouldn't hurt her.
Without moving, she leant over to the side of the bed and extracted a condom from the bedside table. She rolled it onto him, keeping her touches light so as to tease without being overwhelming.
When she was ready, she slowly lowered herself onto him. Aaron murmured quietly, his hands never leaving her, to let her know she could, had to, do this at her own pace. There was no need to rush, either.
As soon as Aaron was completely inside her, Erin's eyes closed in bliss. He completed her, in so many ways she wouldn't name them all. He'd told her he felt the same way, and she was amazingly grateful and happy because of it.
When she was fully accustomed to the feelings, she began to move. Slowly at first, gyrating her hips, lifting them and sinking back down. The both of them start to breath even more heavily and fast, her hands firmly placed just above Aaron's shoulders and his on her lower back.
She didn't want to close her eyes. She wanted to watch all the emotions and sensations play on Aaron's face, catalogue them for the lonely nights and to remember how to make him feel that way again. But the fight was futile. Her own emotions and the sensations washing over her were too strong.
The darkness only added to the strength of the sensations, electrifying her in a myriad of ways. The passion gathering in her lower abdomen multiplied tenfold, the butterflies fluttering wildly.
"I don't… think I'm… going to be able to hold on… much longer," she groaned, unable to string the words properly together. It was a minor miracle she even managed to get the words out.
"I'm… right there… with you…" Aaron breathed out, much in the same way she had formed her own sentence. It was testimony to how close he really was, more so than his words, as the man usually managed to string a sentence together under the most dire of circumstances.
But none of it mattered. She simply let the pleasure wash over her, content in the knowledge Aaron wouldn't be far behind in her fall off the cliff. And indeed, when she collapsed rather undignified on top of him, it didn't take long for his hips to still as well.
For a while, they were both silent. The only sound in the room was their breaths slowly returning to normal. Their hearts also started to beat less fast.
Erin was the first to move. Not that she wanted to, but she didn't think Aaron would be very comfortable with her on her chest. Her partner disagreed, apparently, because he tightened his grip on her.
"Stay. I like to hold you. In fact, I'd like to hold you all morning now that there isn't anything important to do," he confessed, his chin coming to rest on her head.
She nestled her head against his chest, her ear coming to rest above his heart. A heart that was so beautiful that even after almost eight months she couldn't believe it was hers to keep, to share.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea to me," she said, closing her eyes.
And for the rest of the morning, neither one of them moved to do anything other than share small loving kisses and caresses.
Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. Oscar Wilde.