Page 141 of Honeyfires

"Say I'm the best lover you've ever had."

"Never!" She was laughing so hard she could barely form words. "You're—you're evil—"

"Say it."

"Fine! Fine! You're the best—" She dissolved into giggles again. "The best lover—stop, please—"

I stopped tickling, but kept her pinned beneath me, both of us breathing hard, her face flushed and her eyes sparkling with laughter and mischief. The moment shifted, the playfulness giving way to something deeper, hotter. I could see it in her eyes, the same realization I was having.

We hadn't been intimate in weeks. Hadn't had the energy or the emotional space for it, both of us too consumed by the crisis to think about anything beyond survival. But now, looking down at her flushed face and the way her chest was heaving, I felt desire surge through me like wildfire.

"Petra," she breathed, and her voice had gone low and wanting. "It's been so long."

"I know." I kissed her softly, then deeper, tasting the remnants of laughter on her tongue. "Too long."

Her hands slid up my sides, under my sleep shirt, her touch leaving trails of heat on my skin as she found my bare breasts, making me hiss. "I need you," she whispered against my mouth. "I need to feel you, need to remember what this is when everything else is falling apart."

"Tell me what you want." My hands found her waist, fingers splaying across her ribs. "Tell me exactly what you need, baby."

"You." Her eyes had gone dark, pupils blown wide. "Just you. Your hands, your mouth, your—"

I kissed her again, swallowing the rest of her words. "Be specific."

She shivered, her small hands gripping my shoulders. "I want your mouth on me. Want to feel your tongue, want to come apart for you. Want—" She bit her lip, suddenly shy despite everything.

"What else?" I encouraged, kissing along her jaw. "Don't hold back. Tell me."

“I want… to ride your face," she admitted in a rush, her cheeks flushing deeper. “I want to watch you take me apart with just your mouth. I want to feel powerful for once after weeks of feeling helpless."

Heat coiled tight in my belly at her words. "Fuck, Vera."

"Is that okay?" She looked suddenly uncertain. "We don't have to—"

"Oh, we're definitely doing that." I sat up, pulling her with me. "But first, lose the clothes."

We stripped frantically, all the slow seduction of our earlier encounters abandoned in favor of desperate need. When we were both naked, I lay back against the pillows, pulling her up my body.

"Come here," I said huskily. "Take what you need."

She straddled my chest, her breathing already ragged, her arousal evident in the flush spreading down her neck and chest. "You're sure?"

"Very sure." I gripped her thighs, urging her forward. "Now stop asking questions and sit on my face."

She laughed breathlessly, but obeyed, positioning herself over my mouth. I could see her trembling slightly, could smell her arousal, could feel the heat radiating from her core.

"So beautiful," I murmured, then pulled her down onto my waiting mouth.

She gasped as my tongue found her clit, her hands flying to the headboard for balance. I took my time, exploring her with long, slow licks, relearning the taste and feel of her after weeks apart. She was already so wet, so ready, her body responding to every movement of my tongue.

"Petra," she moaned, her hips starting to move. "Oh god."

I gripped her thighs harder, encouraging the movement, letting her set the pace while I worked her with my mouth. My tongue circled her clit, then dipped lower to taste her fully, then back up to focus on that sensitive bundle of nerves that made her whole body shudder.

She was riding my face now, properly riding it, her inhibitions lost to pleasure. One hand stayed on the headboard for balance while the other moved to her breast, pinching and rolling her nipple. The sight of her above me, her head thrown back, golden hair cascading down her back, her body moving with desperate rhythm, was the most erotic thing I'd ever seen.

"Don't stop," she panted. "Please don't stop, I'm so close.”

I doubled my efforts, my tongue working faster, harder, relentless. Her thighs began to shake around my head, her movements becoming erratic as she climbed higher.