The Kiss

her to the bed she pointed him towards.
    He tried to be gentle, laying her on top of the covers, but she wouldn’t let go of him. The end result was for them to topple over in a tangle. A couple of planks gave way under their combined weight, and the mattress drooped in a weird angle.
    Eliza’s eyes widened at the loud crack, and Nate expected her to come out of whatever haze had made her treat him like he mattered. Instead, she just started laughing. It was the first time she’d laughed like that in his presence—the first time she was so carefree with him—and that meant more than the fact she was willing to let him into her body. Wanting to make the glorious sound continue, he climbed down her body and blew a raspberry against her stomach.
    She looked into his eyes, no longer laughing. “I want you,” she mouthed.
    He couldn’t lose his boots and jeans fast enough. He tried just getting rid of the latter, but one of the pant legs got snagged on his combats, and he stumbled, almost falling. Eliza giggled again, and he swore to himself he’d give her slap-stick comedy in the morning.
    After.
    *
    Eliza couldn’t help the weird sound between a growl and a moan that rose to her lips at the first glimpse of his naked body. He was magnificent. She’d taken a course or two in Art and thought the Greek statues depicted the perfect male body. Nate could have put any sculpture to shame.
    And his cock…
    For a second she wondered if it would fit; she hadn’t exactly been working out that specific part of her anatomy.
    He climbed back on the bed with a leer, and Eliza promised herself she’d make it fit.
    He lay next to her, propped up on one elbow, and let his fingers roam the length of her body.
    Her breath caught in her throat when he ran his knuckles along the side of one breast, and she arched into his hand when he ghosted the heel of his hand over one nipple, making it pebble. His touch burned her skin, but his gaze burned her soul.
    “Beautiful,” he whispered, before bowing his head to kiss the valley between her breasts. “God, I want you.”
    His lips found her nipple at the same time his nimble fingers reached and pushed aside her soaked panties.
    She felt the urge to apologize for not having worn something sexier, but the way he said her name when he realized how wet she was for him drove it away. All she felt, all she was, was need .
    Nate gently slid a finger inside her, and her hips bucked. She grabbed his hair and smashed her mouth to his. His thumb was barely touching her clit, and yet she was almost there.
    *
    Nate felt like a teenager making out with a girl for the first time. He was about to burst and wanted to be inside her when that happened, but he needed to make it last for her. Ignoring his cock took a lot of effort, since most of his blood felt pumping in his groin at that moment. Still, he managed to keep his exploration of her pussy unhurried and channel all his lust into his kiss.
    He bit her lower lip lightly, then ran his tongue along the curve of her mouth until she parted her lips for him.
    He broke the kiss and watched her face as he pushed a second finger inside her. Her eyes were hooded, her mouth a muted ‘O’. He pumped both fingers inside her slowly, then brought them to his lips and made a show of licking them clean.
    She pouted, though her gaze followed his tongue. “I was so close.”
    “I don’t want you to come like that.” He shrugged.
    “Then how?”
    “You tell me.”
    She just looked at him, silent for what felt like an eternity. Just when Nate was sure she wouldn’t answer, she spoke. “Make love to me.” It wasn’t a demand but a plea, and she prayed he wouldn’t refuse her.
    He stood, found his jeans, and got a condom from his wallet in the back pocket.
    “Well, well. Weren’t we prepared?” Her tone was light, but her insecurities were resurfacing. Maybe it was all a plot.
    He rolled the condom on and smiled. “I was a boy scout.”
    He must have realized it wasn’t enough of an explanation by the way her body seemed to close up. She crossed her arms over her breasts and avoided his eyes until he leaned over her.
    “Eliza, this wasn’t there for you.”
    “Yeah, ’cause that makes things so much better.”
    “It wasn’t there for anyone. My dad—” He flicked his gaze briefly to the ceiling before looking back at her. “Ever since he gave me the ‘birds and bees’ talk, he’s insisted I carry protection. It’s always