Page 29 of Shade
"I did. It was better than I'd imagined it could be," I confessed, and he made a happy sound. "What about you? Did you have fun?"
"Of course. Being with you is always fun."
Smiling, I lay down beside him, snuggling into his side and pressing a kiss on his temple.
We stayed quiet for a few minutes, listening to Pixie purr as we simply breathed in the moment.
"What about—" Shade cut himself off, and I placed my hand on his back, just under Pixie.
"Go on."
Shade blew out a breath, then asked, "What about what we just did? Did you enjoy that?"
"It was the best sexual experience of my life," I answered easily, and I could practically hear him digest that. "What about you?"
"Ah, um, same," he mumbled, and was he...was he embarrassed? What could he possibly be embarrassed about? He'd been wonderful.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, of course," he agreed quickly. Too quickly.
Pushing Pixie off him—much to her yowling protest—I pulled him into my arms, cupping his face between my palms. I couldn't see the look on his face, but I knew something was up.
"What is it?"
"It's embarrassing," Shade mumbled as he placed his hand on my chest, clasping my hip with the other one.
"It's okay if you don't want to tell me," I said, "but you don't have to feel self-conscious. I would never make you feel bad about something, no matter what it was."
Shade sighed, running his palm over my chest, his nails trailing over my skin, never hard enough to pierce. He was always so careful with me, and I wanted to do the same.
"That was the first time I've... ever done anything like that," he confessed, and it took me a moment to realize what he was saying.
"Oh."
"It's just that I don't like hookups, and it's hard to date someone when they can't really see you," he said in a rush, as if he thought he needed to justify himself.
"Trust me—I understand," I said, then pressed a gentle kiss on his lips. "Thank you for telling me."
I felt him nod, and then he asked, "What about you?"
I wished I could tell him it was the same for me, that he was the first person I'd been with, but I couldn't.
"I feel the same about hookups, but I did have one serious relationship. We were together for a few months, but then he got the job of his dreams, and we broke up on amicable terms because we didn't think we were close enough to try to make long distance work. That was a couple of years ago, and I'd been single since."
"Until recently," Shade said, making me smile.
"Yes, until recently," I said, then kissed him again.
We made out for a while longer, until I yawned mid-kiss and Shade decided we should get some sleep.
Today had been pretty tiring, so I didn't protest as he wrapped me up in his arms, then made some shadows cover us like blankets, promising to get some actual blankets for me later since it was a little cold here to sleep naked.
It didn't take me long to fall asleep with Shade's arms around me, and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, excited about spending the whole day with Shade again tomorrow.
Shade
I woke up as Diego stirred beside me, blinking my eyes open. A smile lit my face as I watched him wake up, his nose wrinkling as his lips pressed in a line before he blinked his eyes open.
