We undressed each other slowly, reverently, like unwrapping precious gifts we'd waited our whole lives to receive. His fingers trembled as they worked the buttons of my shirt, each one revealed with careful attention, his lips following the path of exposed skin — my collarbone, the curve of my shoulder, the swell of my breast above my simple cotton bra. Every kiss felt like a benediction, every touch like a prayer.
I pushed his flannel off his shoulders, ran my hands over the planes of his chest, felt the muscles flex beneath my touch.He was leaner than Reid, not as heavily muscled as Sawyer, but strong in his own way — a healer's body, built for gentleness and endurance. I traced the lines of him, mapping him with my fingertips — the ridges of his abs, the dip of his navel, the trail of sandy hair that disappeared beneath his waistband.
"You're beautiful." The words fell from his lips like prayers as he unhooked my bra, letting it fall away, his hazel eyes darkening as they traced over my bare chest, his hands hovering like he was afraid to touch, afraid to shatter the moment. "So beautiful."
"So are you." I took his hands and placed them on my breasts, shivering at the contact, at the feeling of his palms warm against my skin, his fingers curling instinctively to cup and caress. "Touch me, Nolan. I want to feel your hands on me."
He groaned, his head dropping forward, his forehead pressing against mine as his hands explored with that same careful attention he gave everything — every patient, every wound, every frightened animal in his care. His thumbs brushed over my nipples, circling, teasing, drawing soft gasps from my lips. He learned me like he was studying for an exam — cataloging every reaction, noting every spot that made me shiver, adjusting his touch with precise, intentional movements.
"Here?" He pinched lightly, rolling the sensitive peak between his fingers, watching my face with rapt attention, his eyes dark with desire but soft with love. "You like that?"
"Yes." The word came out breathless, my back arching into his touch, my nails digging into his shoulders. "Yes, Nolan, please..."
He guided me backward, easing me down onto the nest of blankets, following me down until he was hovering over me, his body a warm weight pressing me into the softness beneath. But then he rolled, pulling me with him, settling me on top of him so I was straddling his hips, looking down at him in the fading golden light.
"I want to see you." His voice was rough, his hands settling on my thighs, his hazel eyes drinking me in like I was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, his chest rising and falling with quickened breaths. "Want to watch you."
I reached down to unfasten his jeans, feeling him hard and straining against the denim, his hips jerking up involuntarily as my fingers brushed against him. He helped me work the fabric down, kicking free of his boots and jeans until he was bare beneath me, his cock standing proud against his stomach, flushed and wanting, a bead of moisture already gathering at the tip.
I'd seen him before — during Reid's rut, when everything had become a blur of bodies and sensation. But this was different. This was just us, just Nolan, and I took my time looking, appreciating. He was beautiful — long and thick, curved slightly upward, veins standing out along the shaft. I watched him twitch under my gaze, watched his hands clench in the blankets.
"Aster." His voice was strained, his hands tightening on my thighs, his hips shifting restlessly beneath me. "You're staring."
"I'm admiring." I corrected, wrapping my hand around him, feeling him pulse against my palm, hot and silky and hard. "You're gorgeous."
He groaned, his head falling back against the blankets, his hips rolling up into my grip, his eyes squeezing shut. "If you keep touching me like that, this is going to be embarrassingly short."
I laughed softly, releasing him with one final stroke, moving to shimmy out of my own remaining clothes — jeans, underwear, until I was as bare as he was, straddling his thighs with nothing between us but air and want and the electric current of our desire.
His hands found my hips immediately, pulling me forward until my center pressed against his length, both of us gasping at the contact. I was already wet — had been since he first kissedme — and I could feel myself coating him as I rocked against him, sliding along his shaft without taking him inside, coating him in my slick heat.
"Fuck." The curse was almost reverent, his fingers digging into my hips, his hazel eyes nearly black with desire, his jaw clenched tight. "You feel incredible. So wet. Is that all for me?"
"All for you." I rolled my hips again, watching his face contort with pleasure, feeling powerful and wanted and beautiful. "Only for you, right now. Just us."
"Just us." He echoed, his hands sliding up my sides, cupping my breasts again, his thumbs finding my nipples and circling, pinching, making me gasp and grind down harder against him. "God, I've dreamed about this. About you. About being inside you."
"Then take me." I lifted up, reaching between us to position him at my entrance, feeling the blunt head of him pressing against my opening, hot and insistent. "I want you inside me, Nolan. I want to feel all of you."
"Wait." He sat up suddenly, gathering me in his arms, adjusting our position so I was in his lap, my legs wrapped around his waist, our chests pressed together, heartbeat to heartbeat. "Like this. I want to hold you. Want to see your face."
I nodded, my arms wrapping around his neck, my forehead pressing against his, breathing the same air. "Like this."
He reached between us, guiding himself to my entrance, and then slowly, so slowly, he began to press inside. I gasped at the stretch — he was bigger than I'd expected, filling me inch by inch, his hands on my hips controlling the pace, keeping it slow and steady even as his body shook with the effort.
"Breathe." His voice was strained but gentle, his lips brushing against mine, his hands stroking soothing patterns on my skin. "Just breathe, sweetheart. Let me in."
I forced myself to relax, to breathe through the stretch, feeling my body open for him, accept him, welcome him home. The burn faded into fullness, into rightness, and then he was fully seated, his hips pressed flush against mine, and we both stilled, breathing together, adjusting to the feeling of being joined.
"You're so tight." The words were barely a whisper, his whole body trembling with the effort of holding still, his forehead pressed against mine, his eyes squeezed shut, sweat beading on his brow. "So warm. So perfect. God, you feel like you were made for me."
I clenched around him experimentally, watching his face twist with pleasure, feeling him pulse inside me in response, his fingers digging into my hips hard enough to bruise. "You feel so good. I can feel all of you. Every inch."
"Move with me." He gripped my hips, guiding me into a slow roll, teaching me the rhythm he wanted, his voice rough and desperate. "Just like that. God, just like that." We found our pace together, a slow, deep rhythm that was nothing like the frantic coupling of Reid's rut or the raw intensity with Sawyer. This was something else entirely — tender and intimate, our bodies rocking together, our breath mingling, our eyes locked. Every stroke was deliberate, every movement intentional, building pleasure like layers of paint on canvas.
He kissed me as we moved, deep, searching kisses that matched the roll of our hips. His hands roamed my body — my back, my breasts, my ass, the curve of my waist — touching everywhere like he was trying to memorize me by feel alone. I touched him too, ran my fingers through his hair, traced the muscles of his shoulders, dug my nails into his back when the pleasure spiked.
"I love you." The words tumbled from his lips between kisses, fervent and unguarded, his hazel eyes shimmering withemotion. "I've loved you since I first saw you in this stable. Since you growled at me like a feral cat and then stood there trembling, trying so hard to be brave. Since you stayed up all night with Bella and cried when Hope took her first steps."
