“Are you sure you don’t want me to take my time?” he asked as he knelt between my legs. “I don’t want to hurt you. I want this to be good for you.”

“I’m sure. You won’t. It will.” I answered each question respectively, smiling as he leaned down, balancing himself on one arm.

The tip slipped through my folds, gathering moisture, and then stilled against my entrance. I gasped as he eased inside, and he immediately stopped.

“No, it’s good. So good. Don’t stop.” I put my hand on the back of his neck, and he raised his eyes to meet mine. “Don’t stop. You won’t hurt me. I promise.”

He was thicker than Mead. Longer too. But Mead hadn’t ever cared if I’d been ready for him or if it hurt. The stretching sensation, the pressure, as Deklin slowly slid into me, was nothing but pleasurable. So much so that I almost closed my eyes, but I wanted too much to see everything he was feeling as we came together, and that desire kept my eyes open.

It was worth it to see the brilliant fire lighting up his entire face when we were as joined as two people could possibly be. I hooked my leg around his waist, needing him to stay right where he was for a moment, giving my mind a few seconds to process the new sensations, somewhat familiar, but not the same.

“Sofi.” He captured my mouth, tongue demanding entrance even as he let me hold the rest of him still.

I parted my lips and rocked my hips upward, and that was all the encouragement he needed. He pulled back and thrust into me again, making me moan as we found our rhythm. Our bodies worked together, give and take, racing each other to the brink and tipping us both over far too soon. But it was better than good, even if too brief, and we clung to each other in the aftermath, limbs trembling as the bright burst of ecstasy slowly faded, and we allowed the exhaustion of the past week to pull us under.

Twenty-Four

Deklin

Something smelled good.Lavender? Lilac? Floral, but not the fake kind that made people gag. Subtle. Nice.

These thoughts processed in that place that existed halfway between sleep and waking, the scents pulling me inexorably to the surface where different senses alerted me to unfamiliar surroundings.

A soft, warm body in my arms. Silky hair on my skin. The lack of anything between me and the expensive sheets.

Shit.

Sofi.

It’d seemed like a good idea yesterday, coming here after talking to Aurelia. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

The conversation with Aurelia had gone better than I’d expected, especially since I’d done it over the phone. That had been the best way to do it. I could have taken a trip to see her and talked to her face-to-face, or I could have waited until the next time she was here, but I’d told myself that I hadn’t wanted to wait because it’d be disrespectful to Aurelia. I knew the truth, though. I hadn’t wanted to hold off being with Sofi for one second longer than necessary. Something in me feared that if I waited too long, she’d disappear.

I should’ve given Sofi more time before coming here. Or maybe I should have just kept my dick in my pants for a little longer.

How had I gone from only having had two sexual partners – if I could even count the first drunken time as having a partner since I barely remembered it – and not having even dated anyone in a couple years to meeting, proposing, cheating, dumping, and fucking all within a single summer?

Sofi’s head was on my chest, making getting out of the bed difficult, but not impossible. I grabbed my clothes on my way to the bathroom and hoped that a shower would help me clear my head.

The shampoo and soap were lilac, answering my previous question. Fortunately, the shower also had unscented shampoo and soap, and I made a mental note to thank Cynthia for that. Grandad wouldn’t have thought of it. As much as I loved the scent on Sofi, I didn’t want to spend the day smelling like a flower, if for no other reason than I’d probably end up with a damn hard-on because of it.

She was still sleeping when I came out of the bathroom, and I let her be, heading downstairs to get some coffee for both of us. I needed to check in with Grandad anyway. He’d said something yesterday about us not briefing Dad and Davin until Monday, but I didn’t want to assume that was still going to be the case.

Grandad and Cynthia were both at the small breakfast nook in their massive kitchen when I walked in, which wasn’t surprising since their dining table seated two dozen and would’ve looked ridiculous with just the two of them sitting at it.

“Morning,” Grandad said, his lack of surprise letting me know that he’d already assumed I’d spent the night.

“Good morning, Deklin.” Cynthia stood up and brought her dishes to the dishwasher.

“Morning,” I mumbled.

“There’s coffee already on,” she said, gesturing toward the machine on the counter next to the fridge. “If you need anything, I’ll be in the office, making some calls about Sunday.” She went back over to Grandad and gave him a light kiss before leaving the room.

I could feel Grandad’s eyes on me as I filled up a mug with the Holden Enterprises logo, but he didn’t say anything until I joined him at the table. I wanted to talk to him before Sofi woke up, and this was the best time to do it.

“I see you took my advice.” He seemed inordinately pleased.

“I did.” I took a couple swallows of coffee and let the caffeine do its work.