She was curled into him, one arm tucked against his side, her cheek resting over his heart like it belonged there. A quiet, unexpected ache spread through his chest. God, he wanted her, but there was no way that he’d break his promise to her about taking things slowly. He’d move at her pace, even if that meant taking cold showers to calm his unruly cock down. He knew that Aliza telling him that she was a virgin couldn’t have been easyfor her. He wouldn’t take her or the gift that she’d give him for granted. He felt a responsibility toward her, and that was new to him. He planned on doing right by her, even if it meant having to wait for her.
He didn’t move at first. He just lay there, listening to her breath, feeling the steady rise and fall of her body against his. There was something deeply intimate about waking up this way—more intimate than any touch he’d known in years. He brushed his fingers lightly over her hair, and Aliza stirred, her lashes fluttering before her eyes opened. When she saw him, a sleepy smile curved her lips.
“Hi,” she murmured.
“Morning,” he said softly.
She stretched a little, the movement unselfconscious and gentle, and in doing so shifted closer to him. The contact sent a spark through him that he hadn’t been expecting, making him feel alive for the first time in a long time.
“Did Cat survive the night?” she asked quietly.
“As far as I know, yes,” he murmured, glancing toward the end of the bed where the cat was sprawled out like a king. “Though I think he claimed half of it.”
She laughed
, the sound warm and unguarded. Then she grew quiet, studying him. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Better than I have in a long time,” he admitted. Her gaze softened at that, something shy and hopeful flickering there. They lay in silence for a moment, the air between them thick with awareness. Elias could feel her warmth, her closeness, the way her body fit against his like it had always belonged there.
He lifted a hand and gently brushed her cheek. “You all right?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Just feeling a lot right now, I guess.”
“Me too,” he breathed, although he wasn’t sure that they were talking about the same kind of feelings. He was sure that she was still feeling the aftermath of what her father said to her yesterday, and he was feeling horny as a school boy, holding her in his arms.
She leaned in slightly, and he didn’t stop her when her lips brushed his. The kiss was slow at first, tentative—testing. But it deepened, warmth blooming between them as they both exhaled into it. Elias was careful, his every movement measured, giving her time to pull away if she needed to. But she didn’t. She stayed, her hand resting against his chest, fingers splayed like she was anchoring herself there. The kiss grew warmer, more charged, a soft urgency building between them. It wasn’t rushed, but full of everything they hadn’t said out loud. When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads rested together, breaths mingling.
“Hey,” he murmured. “We can slow down. Or stop. Whatever you need.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I just—I don’t want to stop, Elias. I’m just not sure what to do next.” Something inside him warmed at her uncertainty.
“Okay,” he said softly. “Then we just stay right here for a minute, while we figure out our next moves together.” They stayed wrapped together, tension and tenderness braided between them, letting whatever was growing unfold at its own pace.
He had spent most of his adult life alone—not lonely exactly, but separate from the rest of the world. He called himself independent, but it was more like he lived his life walled off from other people. He told himself that love and a partner in life weren’t in the cards for him, yet here she was, in his bed and his space as if there had never been a barrier around him at all.
He brushed his thumb gently across her cheek. She looked up at him and smiled. “You make me feel safe,” she whispered. The word hit him harder than he expected.
“Good,” he said, meaning it more than he could explain. Something fierce and protective stirred inside him—not possessive, not demanding—just deeply aware of how precious this moment was. He kissed her again, gentler this time, reverent almost.
They moved together carefully, naturally, finding a rhythm that wasn’t rushed or forced. Every touch was deliberate, full of quiet emotion instead of urgency. Elias made sure she stayed close, that she never felt lost or unsure. It wasn’t about need, it was about connection.
“Tell me what to do,” she whimpered.
“You do whatever you want to do, baby,” he breathed. “But I think that the first step should be you letting me get you naked.” She shyly nodded, and he didn’t hold back the moan that escaped from his chest. He just needed to remind himself that this was her first time, and that ripping her clothes off her body might not be the way to handle things.
He tugged her shirt up over her head, leaving her bare beneath him. She had slept in just his t-shirt and her panties, and she quickly pulled them down her long legs. “Beautiful,” he breathed, looking her body over. God, she was more than beautiful; she was perfect.
“Now, it’s your turn,” she breathed. He had changed into a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt for bed, and it took her no time at all to strip him out of them. Watching her practically crawl over his body had him needy in all the good ways by the time she finished taking off his clothes. She straddled his body, her hands braced on his bare chest as his cock gently nudged her drenched opening.
“You’re already so fucking wet for me, honey,” he whispered. It took all of his restraint not to fill her in one thrust. “I need you so badly, but I want to make this good for you.” He rolled her underneath his body, and she squealed.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Well, I’m going to kiss my way down your sexy body, and then, I’m going to eat your pussy until you scream out my name at least a few times. Then, I’m going to make you mine, baby. Are you good with that?” he asked.
She nodded, and he chuckled. “I need to hear you say the words, honey.”
“I’m good with everything you want to do to me, Elias,” she admitted. That was the only green light he needed. His body revved from zero to sixty in seconds flat as he worked his way down to her drenched core. He inhaled her scent as she squirmed underneath him.
