My head jerks toward Kieran’s voice. He’s watching me with a question in his eyes.
“I’m…I’m nervous too. I know it’s probably not very ‘manly’ to admit that, but—”
I cut him off with a kiss. Knowing he’s anxious too makes me feel better. I’m far from a blushing virgin, and Kieran has seen—and touched—just about every inch of me, but this feels different.
Breaking the kiss, I put enough space between us so I can unzip and remove my dress. Kieran tracks every move I make with eyes that darken by the second. When the dress falls to the floor, his gaze sweeps over me, lingering on my breasts, which are visible through the sheer fabric of the lingerie. A small smile flits around his mouth as his eyes continue downward, then back up to meet mine.
“You’re so beautiful.” His reverent tone nearly makes me come undone. My brain tries to formulate a response, but before it can, he says, “I love you, Meredith. I hope you know that.”
I can’t help the huge smile that overtakes my face or the giddy sound that escapes me. He laughs too, although his sounds slightly bewildered.
“Not exactly the response I expected,” he says.
I cover my mouth with one hand, shaking my head. “I’m sorry,” I say through my fingers, dropping my hand when I’m certain another laugh won’t roll out. “I’m sorry. I’m not…it’s just…” I reach out to cup his face. He takes one of my hands and presses his lips to my palm, holding it there. “I love you too. I think I have for…well…maybe all along? But it seemed so fast.”
“We’re rule breakers, remember?” He releases my hand to grip my hips, tugging me forward. “I love you, Meredith.” He places a soft kiss on my lips and pulls away before I can deepen it. “So much.”
I wrap my arms around him, pressing my body against his. He makes a rough sound in the back of his throat, his hands tightening on my hips as he brings his mouth to mine. This time it’s no light peck, but a searing, thorough kiss, different from any other we’ve shared before.
Unaware of who’s guiding who, we move toward the bed without breaking our kiss. Once I free Kieran’s belt buckle and move on to undo the button of his jeans, he pulls back to remove his shirt. Our eyes lock, and the whole world seems to pause with us. His lips quirk as he swoops in to brush kisses over my neck and shoulders while I finish undoing and removing his jeans.
With his clothes discarded on the floor, I push him back on the bed and straddle him. I love that it’s still daylight and I can see every inch of him with perfect clarity. From the way his eyes are trained on my breasts, I’m guessing he appreciates the soft sunlight too.
Leaning forward to enhance my cleavage, I run a finger down one of the nightgown’s straps. “Want me to take this off?”
He shifts me around so he can sit up, putting us face to face. “Leave it on for now,” he says. Our noses and lips brush, breaths mingling. Excitement and anticipation mix with just a hint of nerves in my belly. Our bodies are still and we’re hardly touching, yet my breaths comes hard and fast.
Kieran skims a finger along the strap I was just playing with. He lifts it and lets it slide down my shoulder, replacing it with his mouth. His kisses start out soft and sweet, then turn hungrier as he moves toward my neck, his teeth nipping at my throat.
His hard length has been pressing against me since I first straddled him, and now I wriggle closer, grinding against him. His mouth freezes and he releases a shuddering breath against my neck. In a blur of movement and weightlessness, Kieran flips me onto my back and covers my body with his. I laugh breathlessly and he smiles as he inches down my body.
Cool air hits my right breast as he frees it from the negligee, replaced quickly by his hot mouth. He discovered weeks ago how sensitive my breasts are, and he’s been more than willing to give them the focus he knows I enjoy. With his skilful lips and tongue and teeth, he works me into a frenzy. I’m only half aware of his hand gliding down my stomach until his fingers slip into my panties. Doing everything but having sex these last few weeks has given us a chance to explore and learn each other’s bodies, and Kieran has become a master of Meredith 101. It only takes a couple minutes of stroking before I go off like a rocket, arching up on the bed and crying out.
Through the haze of my orgasm, I’m vaguely cognizant of Kieran leaving the bed. He returns a moment later, showering my stomach and breasts with kisses. He gently pulls me into a sitting position and helps me remove the nighty and my panties before removing his own underwear. This is the first time we’ve both been completely naked together. A shiver rolls through me, part aftershocks, part nerves, but mostly anticipation.
Kieran kneels in front of me and I see the condom in his hand. “Are you sure?”
The fact he’d ask makes my heart swell with love. “I’m sure.” To reiterate my point, I take the condom from him. Our fingers brush and linger, and I look up to find him watching me. His expression is serious, but his eyes are soft with affection and desire. I kiss him as I rip open the packet, then turn my attention to sliding the condom into place. His breath catches and holds, and I bite my bottom lip to hold back a smile.
With my hand stroking his hard length, I lie back on the bed, bringing him with me. He braces his weight over me, and with our eyes locked I guide him to my center. He eases inside me, his features tense as he watches my face for signals. A breath whooshes out of me when he’s all the way in. He releases a shaky exhale of his own. My hands clutch at his back, pulling him closer at the same time as my hips lift, urging him to move.
I wasn’t sure how much closer sex could or would bring us since we’ve done everything else together. But having Kieran inside me, my body moving in rhythm with his, the room silent except for the sounds of our lovemaking, I feel more connected to him than ever. Exchanging our first ‘I love yous’ today and now taking our physical relationship to the next level has cemented everything I feel for him.
Tingles race over my skin and heat coils in my belly. I run my nails down Kieran’s back, loving the way he shivers under my touch. My greedy hands grip his hips before shifting lower to grab his ass, feeling the muscles bunch with each thrust. He growls when I give him a little squeeze, picking up his pace and pushing me closer and closer to the edge. My vision blurs and darkens around the edges as the pleasure builds to its climax. My eyelids slam shut, head thrown back as I ride the wave of sensations coursing through me. With a final few pumps of his hips, Kieran goes rigid above me. I open my eyes in time to watch his face as he comes.
His bleary eyes look stunned for a moment. He swoops in to kiss me, and I can feel his arms shaking from exertion where they’re braced on either side of me. When they finally give out, he rolls to the side, managing to scoop me up and bring me with him.
“Smooth,” I say, hooking one leg over his hip and pressing myself against him.
His heaving chest vibrates with silent laughter. He cups my face, kissing me hard before flopping back to catch his breath. “God, Meredith.” That’s all he manages to say. I don’t think I’d be able to come up with anything more eloquent in this moment either. “I love you,” he says, turning his head just enough to meet my eyes.
Okay, I was wrong. That pretty much sums it all up.
*****
I awaken the next morning to weak sunlight illuminating the bedroom. Kieran’s and my naked bodies are as tangled as the sheets. After our first round of lovemaking, we discovered the ensuite has a luxurious rainfall shower, which we put to good use before making dinner together. We had a lazy evening curled up on the couch, talking about countless different subjects before falling back into bed.
Carefully freeing my arm from where it’s pinned under Kieran’s against his chest, I stretch as much as I can without jostling the bed. I ache all over, but it’s the good, ‘I just had an amazing night of marathon sex’ kind of ache. I return my hand to Kieran’s chest, feeling the slow, steady beat of his heart along with the rise and fall of his chest. The faint light takes me back to last evening and the way the golden sun illuminated Kieran as he moved over me, muscles tense and face strained with concentration.
