I traced my fingers up to the apex of her thighs, feeling the heat of her desire radiating between them. A silent question filled mygaze, and Penelope nodded as I carefully sank into the sweet warmth of her.
A gasp burst from her chest as her neck tipped backward, hands gripping me tighter.
“Is this all right?” I whispered against her lips.
“Yes.” The word was a breathless gulp.
I pushed a little deeper, and gods, she felt divine. Like touching the heavens themselves. She let out a whimper, one that shivered through my very core, and I chased it with a kiss, wanting to taste the sound, to absorb every inch of it. Her lips became frantic, hands clutching at my body as if she were amid a raging storm and I the sole raft keeping her afloat.
At some point, Penelope closed her eyes, and I studied her face, moving to the rhythm of her pleasure. Her body was like an exquisitely rare instrument, and I was learning all the ways to make it sing for me.
Penelope was breathing heavily now, and I sensed her cresting that wave, soaring upward, higher and higher. Her hips arched against me, muscles coiling impossibly tight, making her entire body tremble. She let out another cry, and I whispered her name into her hot, open mouth, repeating it like a prayer.
“Penelope, Penelope, Penelope.”
I felt the moment it hit her, that rush of release crashing into her body, shattering it completely. The sound that escaped her was like the music of the gods, so pure and divine it felt as though it should not be heard by mere mortal ears.
Her forehead was pressed into my neck, and she shuddered against me as the pleasure pulsed through her. Then she melted into the pillows, and I watched her float back down to reality, savoring every detail. She had never looked more beautiful to me than in this moment—body limp, hair fanned out around her like a wild, twisted crown, skin flushed and dusted with sweat. To know I could do this, could bring her such satisfaction, filled me with unimaginable joy.
I could spend my entire life finding all the ways to make her look justlike that.
Smiling, I stroked her hair. Such a simple action made wondrous by all the times I had denied myself this very urge.
“How did you do that?” The awe in her voice was enough to make me laugh.
“You speak as if that’s the first time you’ve—” I stopped myself, noticing the look in her eyes. “Oh. You mean, you’ve never…”
Penelope shook her head, a sudden shyness creeping over her.
“Not even by yourself?”
“I was always…afraid of letting my desires run free like that, even in my own mind.” She was watching me intently now, limpid eyes bright with curiosity. “Have you done that before…by yourself?”
I thought of all those sleepless nights I had lain awake, my mind crawling its way back to Penelope, no matter how many times I tried to distract myself.
“Yes,” I admitted before adding with a smile, “I never had your willpower.”
“I’m beginning to regret that willpower,” she muttered, her gaze gleaming with that mischief I so desperately adored. “Now I know what I have been denying myself.”
I took her hand in mine, kissing her fingertips. “I suppose we’ll just have to make up for lost time.”
Penelope mirrored my grin. “I suppose we will.”
***
I woke to warm sheets.
Dawn spilled through the windows, painting the morning in a drowsy, rosy hue.
I blinked, noticing the empty space beside me.
Penelope.
For a moment, I wondered if it had all been a dream, a beautiful, cruel dream. But then I saw her, sitting by the window. Outside, the flushed, erubescent sky softly wept, raindrops whispering like stolensecrets.
Penelope looked pensive, thoughts tightening across her face, furrowing her brow.
“Good morning,” I said a touch hesitantly.
