Effortless

Chapter 13

 

  Home for the Holidays

  A week later, I was at my parents' place, staring at their Christmas tree, ticking down the minutes in my head. Ever since arriving in the town of my birth early in the week, I'd been hoping that Kellan could join me. Sure, I'd have to do some fanciful fast talk to get my dad to concede on letting him sleep in the house, but even if he had to stay at a nearby motel, at least he'd be with me, and not. . . who knows where.

  But the guys were being kept busy right up until nearly the end. Just last night, the eve before Christmas Eve, he'd played a show in New York. It had been their largest show to date, and Kellan had been all excited energy when he'd finally called me. . . at four in the morning. Now that our time zones were closer together, he was calling me after I was asleep. I didn't mind though, groggily murmuring some sort of response to his stories.

  My sister came out and joined me on our mom's plastic-coated couch. It squeaked a bit when she sat down. Looping her arm over my shoulders, she handed me a cup of spiced coffee. I took it, smiling as I watched the blinking Christmas lights reflecting in the white ceramic. The scent of cinnamon wafted up, reminding me of multiple things-baking with my mom, the candles my grandma burned non-stop, and of course, Kellan. Anything with coffee always reminded me of Kellan.

  Clinking our cups, Anna smiled brightly. "Merry Christmas, Kiera. "

  I tilted my head at her as I took a sip. "Merry Christmas, Anna. "

  Looking outside, to the light snow that was starting to fall, Anna shivered. "You excited to finally see Kellan again? It's been what. . . almost two months?"

  I sighed and leaned back into the couch. "Yeah. " It had actually gone by quicker than I thought it would. Kellan's little scavenger hunt had eased the time passing, along with his phone calls and periodic texts. If anything, Kellan was good at keeping in touch. It helped. It let me know that he missed me, too.

  Anna sighed and leaned back with me. "Yeah, I miss those guys. " She frowned after she said it and I leaned into her side. Other than a few phone calls and quite a few snapshots of Griffin's junk, Anna hadn't gotten much out of her pseudo-boyfriend. He wasn't even coming out to see her for Christmas, which I was sort of glad about. He and Matt were visiting their family in California, while Evan was going home to see Jenny. Rachel was flying out to seeing Matt in L. A. , but Anna hadn't shown any interest in flying out to meet up with Griffin. Plus, I was pretty sure Griffin hadn't asked her to.

  "I'm sure Griffin misses you, Anna. He wouldn't still text you if he didn't. " I hoped that sounded encouraging, but really, their relationship still mystified me.

  Anna rolled her eyes and scoffed, bringing her feet up onto the couch that our mom was anal about keeping clean. "Whatever. . . I'll see him when I see him. " Her voice was a little strained and I thought she almost looked misty-eyed. . . but I couldn't really tell.

  Shaking her head, she looked over at me. "When's Kellan coming up?"

  I looked out the living room archway to the kitchen, to see if either of our parents was listening. Mom was carving up a turkey, the sound of her electric cutting knife filling the air. Occasionally I could hear her snapping at Dad to stay out of the olives. Smiling, I figured they were engrossed in their own activities and couldn't hear me. I didn't want to bring up Kellan's arrival any more than I had to.

  "Don't know. " I lifted the phone I had in my other hand. "He's going to call when he knows for sure. " As if on cue, the cell buzzed in my palm. I blinked at the contraption as Anna started laughing.

  Shaking my head at Kellan and his timing, I read the text message on my screen. 'I can't wait to see you tonight. I'll be in around nine. Should I meet you at your parents' place?'

  Giggling that this was actually going to happen, I texted back a reply that was horribly impractical. 'No, have the cab take you here. . . '

  I texted him the address of my most favorite park in all the world. I knew it was romantic and sappy, meeting up at a secluded spot instead of just having him come straight here, but he'd been gone for an eternity, and I wanted to shower him in affection before introducing him to my parents. Plus, he had said that he wanted to see all of the places I loved.

  'Okay, it's a date. I love you. '

  I texted that I loved him too, then held the phone to my chest as I sighed contently. God, I'd missed him. Anna just stared at me, an eyebrow raised. "Huh," she muttered.

  Adjusting my posture so I didn't look so school girlish, I shook my head. "Huh, what?"

  She smiled, then kissed my head. "Nothing. . . you've just got it bad, Kiera. " She frowned, just slightly. "I hope. . . I hope you get what you want. "

  I started to ask her what she meant but she stood up and left the room. Maybe she was just starting to have twisting feelings about Griffin and she was transferring that doubt onto my relationship with Kellan. If she knew something. . . I was sure she'd tell me right away. Sister's code and all.

  The rest of that day went by so slowly that I felt like another couple of months had gone by. Kellan and I being together again, even if it was just for one night, and he had to leave again tomorrow, was the best Christmas gift I could have asked for. Better than any material object in the world.

  Everyone dressed in their finest for our Christmas Eve meal. It was just the four of us, but we'd always fancied the meal up like we were serving the Queen; Mom even brought out the good china. Dad dressed in his favorite sweater vest, looking very academic and proper, like he should be in a leather-bound chair, smoking a pipe while discussing Thoreau. Mom put on her pearls, her dress neatly steamed and pressed. I scrounged through my old closet and found a simple black dress. Anna outdid us all in a sleek, fitted red dress that she nearly spilled out of.

  Glancing at the clock on the wall as the food was set so appealingly that even Martha Stewart would be proud, Mom said, "Should we wait for Kellan, dear?"

  My dad twisted his lips, not thrilled that a lazy, drug-smoking rocker was about to throw off his Christmas traditions. I didn't bother telling him, again, that Kellan wasn't like that. Instead, I sighed at the seven o'clock time staring me in the face. "No, he's still a couple of hours away. I'll save him some for when he gets here. "

  Mom nodded and began serving slices of poultry. Dad raised an eyebrow at me. "You know, we never fully went over where he'll be staying, Kiera. . . it won't be with you. "

  Sighing, I looked down. "I know, Dad. . . no boys in the house. " Geez, you'd think I was still fifteen.

  Anna crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't be ridiculous, Dad. Where exactly is he supposed to stay?" She pointed her finger out the window, to the main part of the city of Athens in the distance. "There were no rooms at the inn on Christmas Eve, remember?"

  "Anna," Mom warned, her visage disapproving of my sister's analogy.

  Anna sighed and shrugged. "Just saying, things are going to be full. You can't just kick him out if he's got nowhere to be. . . that's not very merry. " I smiled, loving that Anna was sticking up for him. Remaining quiet, since Anna could sometimes sway our parents more easily than I could, I watched my dad frown, then consider.

  Rubbing his lip, he thought for a moment. Finally, he raised his eyes to me. "He can stay in the tent out back. I'll set it up after dinner. "

  "A tent? Dad!" I finally exclaimed. "It's snowing outside. . . he'll freeze to death. " Crossing my arms now, I added, "You were going to let Denny stay with me last year. . . in my room. "

  Dad sighed heavily, like he was conceding a great defeat. He couldn't really argue with me on that point. My parents had acted hastily last year, in their attempt to lure me to their place when they thought I'd decided to go to Australia with Denny. Things hadn't worked out that way, but still, the offer had been made. They should honor it, no matter who I was with.

  Shaking his head, Dad muttered, "That was different. We knew Denny. . . and he was a good man. Made some bad decisions, left you alone when he shouldn'
t have, but. . . a good man, I think. "

  I sighed as Mom silently filled my plate. "Yes, Denny's a good man. . . and so is Kellan. " Looking at the both of them, I shrugged. "You just have to give him a chance. " Dad sighed again and I added, "Please. . . I really love him. "

  Mom paused, placing a hand on my shoulder and peeking at my dad. He looked up at her, sighed again, then muttered, "Fine, he can stay in the house. . . " he pointed at me, "but he doesn't go up to your room. . . ever, and he sleeps on the couch!"

  I rolled my eyes but didn't press my luck. Just Dad agreeing to him staying in the building was a huge victory. Anna smiled at me as she popped a forkful of stuffing in her mouth. She raised her eyebrows suggestively and I knew exactly what she was thinking-Don't worry, I'll cover for you.

  After a leisurely dinner and a good helping of pecan pie, it was finally time to meet up with Kellan at my favorite park. I was giddy, thinking over how romantic the moment was going to be. After I quickly threw on some warm clothes for my date, Dad sullenly gave me his car keys, complaining the whole while that Kellan should meet me here if he were truly a gentleman. Sighing for the hundredth time, I explained that it was my idea to meet in the park, that I'd wanted to show him a small bit of Ohio University.

  Being a proud Alma Mater, that perked Dad up a bit. He watched me carefully as I took the keys though, and it was quite clear that he'd be listening for my return all night long. I sighed, the private part of our reunion was going to be a brief one. Getting into my dad's Volvo, I started my drive.

  The roads were kept pretty clear, so I didn't have too much difficulty traversing through the falling snow. Within minutes I was at our meeting place. The parking area was empty as I looked around, but that wasn't too surprising. It was late on Christmas Eve. Most people were snug in their beds, waiting for the big morning, not having a romantic rendezvous in a public place. Feeling an excitement starting to course through me, I started to make my way through the park.

  The freshly falling snow was adding a soft layer to the few inches already covering the ground. I wanted to run to the spot where I knew Kellan would be, but I resisted. Looking around the park, I hoped the directions that I'd texted to him about an hour ago, were good enough for him to find this specific spot. Walking across the snowy lawn, my boots crunching a path through the pure white, I came up to a bench in front of a small duck pond. Even though I'd spent countless hours at this park while I'd been attending school here, this place oddly reminded me of Kellan's and my park back home. Funny, I already considered Seattle my "home. " This place, my birthplace, was now the spot I visited.

  Brushing snow off the wrought iron bench, I looked out over the pale, moonlit night as I sat down. There were no fresh tracks in the snow. The ground was pristine. . . beautiful and perfect. Grabbing my cell phone out of the purse slung over my side, I glanced at the time. Nine-thirty. The local airport wasn't that far away. Assuming his flight was on schedule, it was more than enough time for him to get from the airport to here. Glancing around the sloping white hills, I only saw where my tracks led down here though. Kellan wasn't around yet.

  I tried to wait patiently, but I hadn't seen him in so long that I was edgy. Nervous energy shot through me as my feet bounced up and down on the insulated-with-snow concrete path. Light flakes were still falling, collecting in my hair and eyelashes, melting together then beading and rolling off my thick jacket. The longer I sat, the more I felt the cold. Sniffling a little, I suddenly cursed my romantic location. I should have just had him drive to my parents' place. Less chance he'd get lost that way. Plus, parks weren't exactly the best place to be waiting around in the middle of the night. . . even on Christmas Eve night.

  That thought made me wonder what or who could possibly be in this park besides me. I startled when my phone vibrated in my hands. The tiny chime accompanying it seemed horribly loud in the still night and I cursed under my breath. Looking down, a puff of warm air from my mouth hazed the screen. Frowning, I wiped the condensation off. . . then I smiled.

  New text message from Kellan Kyle.

  Those words from my phone were some of my favorite. Right after, Incoming call from Kellan Kyle, actually. Pressing the view now icon, I waited to see what my man had to say for himself; he was nearly forty-five minutes late now. My heart dropped immediately.

  'I'm sorry. . . I can't make it. '

  Biting my lip, I willed the disappointment to stop. It was hard though. It was crashing through me like the storms currently hitting the east coast. Idly, I wondered if that's why he couldn't make it. Maybe he'd gotten snowed in.

  With heavy fingers, I typed back, 'Really? But it's Christmas. . . '

  I hoped he didn't think I was whining. I knew his schedule was hard. I knew he was trying to see me. Wiping a stubborn tear from my eye, I sniffed again for a different reason. I'd so wanted to introduce him to my family, to spend the holiday with him, to just. . . see him.

  His reply came while I was wiping my nose with the back of my jacket sleeve. 'Yeah, I know. I tried. . . I'm really sorry. ' While I tried to think of something that was encouraging and sympathetic, not snippy and childish, my phone buzzed and chirped again. 'Are you okay? You're not crying, are you?'

  Sniffling and wiping my nose again, I frowned that he thought I'd turn into a blubbering mess so rapidly. True, my stomach was twisted and tears were freely rolling down my cheeks now, but I didn't necessarily want him to know that. 'No. . . I'm fine. I know you tried. I'm okay. . . really. '

  Thinking that I had no idea when I'd actually see him again, a stubborn sob escaped me. My phone sounded at me right after. I had to swipe my fingers under my eyes to read his message.

  'You're lying. '

  Sniffling as more tears embarrassingly ran down my face, I shook my head at the screen. "Am not. . . " My voice was a little petulant as I replied to a tiny piece of machinery that couldn't hear or understand me.

  Just as my thumbs came down to type him a message reiterating just how completely fine I was, even though I wasn't, my phone chirped at me. Blinking, I opened his message.

  'Are too. '

  I stared at my phone like it had just grown lips and talked to me. I did say that smartass comment out loud, didn't I? Did I subconsciously text it too? I was a little worn out from travel, and the holidays. . . and my parents. Flipping through my outbox, I double-checked all of my messages.

  "How did you know that, Kellan?" I muttered as I looked for a message I didn't remember sending.

  My phone buzzed while I was browsing yesterday's texts. Shaking my head, I shifted back to the inbox. 'I know that because I know everything. ' My eyes widened even more. Another message had come in while I was reading that one and I immediately opened it next. 'I also lied. . . turn around. '

  My heart in my throat, I did as my phone commanded me. It was like emerging from a dream, or maybe, falling into one. Stepping away from the shadow of an oak tree at the base of the hill, just a few feet away from me actually, Kellan stepped down into the moonlight. His hand tucked his phone into his leather jacket as he did. I stood from the bench as he came into view.

  My God, but he was beautiful.

  My mouth dropped open as fresh tears sprang into my eyes; happy tears this time. Snow lightly gathering in his thick, messy hair, his lips curled into a devilish smile as he stared at me.

  "Kellan," I breathed.

  Then I was gone, rushing towards him before my head even registered the movement. Chuckling, his face breaking into a playful grin, he started walking towards me. Walking wasn't good enough for me. I flew to him. I hadn't had his arms around me in weeks. I hadn't had more than his voice in my ear for weeks. I needed so much more now.

  I leapt into his arms when I finally slipped and slid my way over to him. Kellan laughed as my arms cinched around his neck. The warmth of the reunion melted all of the iciness from my body. I'd never felt such complete peace. He lifted me a good foot, swingin
g me around in a circle. I was laughing when he set me down, my earlier despair gone.

  Just as his lips started coming towards mine, I shoved his shoulder back. My despair may be gone, but that was not a nice joke. "You were kidding? You're such a jerk. "

  Chuckling, his eyes even more blue in the blue light filtering through the trees, he raised an eyebrow. "I thought I was a prick?"

  Shaking my head, I grabbed his cheeks, pulling his face towards mine. We could argue the semantics of his assholeness later. I needed more than just words right now. Kellan's arms wrapped around my waist as our lips melded together. Cold and hot at the same time, our mouths softly felt the other's. Our breath's vapor between us, he muttered, "I'm sorry I'm late. "

  My hands drifted up to tighten in his hair, the long strands on the top damp with melted snow. "I'm just glad you're here. "

  Our soft but intense kiss broke apart, and Kellan rested his head against mine. His eyes flicked over my face, studying me, maybe seeing how I'd changed in the past few weeks. "I've missed you. . . so much. "

  Grinning, I pressed my lips back to his. "I've missed you, too. "

  We kissed in the lightly falling snow, a few feet away from the frozen duck pond that students sometimes skated on if it iced over enough. We kissed until my fingers were so numb I could no longer feel the thick strands of his hair wrapped around them. That still didn't stop me though. I needed his lips on mine. I needed his body pressed into mine. I really didn't care if I froze solid, and became a living work of art here. . . as long as he was with me.

  He pushed me back though, when I went for his mouth again. "We should go, you're frozen. "

  His eyes traveled down my body and I felt anything but cold. "I'm fine," I stuttered, my body actually chillier than my mind believed it was.

  He smirked, a cloud of moisture escaping his mouth. "Your teeth are chattering. "

  I leaned up, trying to will my frostbitten fingertips to pull his head back to me. "I don't care. . . "

  Chuckling more, his hands grabbed my waist and twisted me around. Pulling my hips into his body and wrapping his arms over my chest, warming me, he murmured in my ear, "Well, I care. " I closed my eyes and leaned back into his embrace; I'd missed this so much. His breath warm down the side of my neck he added, "Besides, I can't make love to you out here. . . "

  My eyes sprang open and I took a step forward. Grabbing his hand, I started leading him away from my favorite pond. "You're right. . . it is getting pretty cold. "

  He looked down and shook his head. Small drops of snow that had melted in his hair fell to the ground as his amused smile widened. When he peeked back up at me, a drop landed on his cheek, sliding its way down to his neck. . . lucky drop.

  His grin breaking into a mischievous one as I pulled him along, he told me, "I know my trick was a little mean, but it did prove one very important thing. "

  Twisting to walk beside him, I looped my arm through his and peered up at him. "Besides the fact that you haven't changed. . . that you're still a prick?"

  He chuckled and nodded. "Yes, aside from that. " As I stared at him with a small smile on my face, his eyes searched mine and he shook his head. "You really did miss me," he whispered, his eyes looking almost. . . surprised by the information.

  I stopped us in our tracks and stared up at him. He held my gaze, then swallowed. Shaking my head, I cupped his cheek. "Of course I missed you. I missed you every day, every hour. . . practically every second. "

  He smiled really quick and then looked away, like he was embarrassed for bringing it up. "Yeah, I saw that. " He shook his head, still not looking at me. "I just. . . no one's ever missed me before. . . "

  I barely heard his voice, but I clearly heard the emotion behind it. Moving my hand to his chin, I forced his gaze back to mine. "I miss you when you're gone. I feel like I can't breathe when you're away. I think about you so often, it borders on obsession. " I tilted my head and ran my frozen fingers over his jaw. "I love you. . . so much. "

  He swallowed and smiled, his jaw trembling. Not able to answer me, he only nodded.

  After grabbing his bag from where he'd deposited it by the oak tree, we made our way to my dad's car. With the heater on high, we slowly drove back to my parents. Laying his head back on the seat, Kellan had a peaceful smile on his lips as he held my hand. I had a smile on mine that I'd given him one. He was finally feeling what it was like to be loved by somebody. To be cared for. To be missed. The simple things that we all take for granted. . . and he was relishing each moment, because he'd never had them.

  It was later than I'd anticipated when we parked in the driveway. Examining the modest two-story house I'd grown up in, I looked up at the windows where my parents slept. The lights were all off-a good sign. Dad had probably wanted to stay up all night, waiting for my return with my bad influence of a boyfriend, but Mom must have put a stop to that. Or Anna. She wasn't intimidated by them and would tell Dad exactly what an ass he was being if the situation called for it. I wouldn't put it passed her if she'd marched him to his room and made him stay there, like he was the child and she was the adult.

  Anna. . . gotta love her.

  Turning the car off, I giggled as I twisted to Kellan. He lifted his head, looking over the house, then over at me. "Want to see my room?" I flushed, feeling sixteen again. . . although I'd never, ever snuck a boy into my bedroom before.

  Kellan tilted his head and smiled. "I'd love to. "

  He grabbed his bag from the trunk, then we quietly stepped into the home that seemed empty. I knew it wasn't though and cautioned Kellan to be quiet. He smiled, containing a laugh and shook his head. He may think it funny that his first visit to my family home involved sneaking around like we were robbing the place, but he'd understand why if we accidentally woke my dad up. If we did that, Kellan would be interrogated until morning.

  Luckily though, my parents were the early-to-bed, early-to-rise type people. As I paused, listening for sounds, I clearly heard Dad's lumberjack snores echoing from upstairs. I pictured him asleep in his reading chair, book in hand as he'd drifted off waiting for me to come back home. Poor guy. He'll probably kick himself for falling asleep on duty. I smiled, wondering if Anna had snuck in and turned off his light when he'd finally passed out, as a signal to me, to let me know that he was asleep and it was safe to. . . reunite with my boyfriend.

  Pointing at the couch, I whispered to Kellan that he could leave his bag there since he'd be sleeping there. He raised an eyebrow at me as he frowned, clearly not happy with anything that involved him sleeping so far away from me. Smiling, I gave him a quick kiss before adjusting the pillow and afghan Mom had laid out for him. Kellan shook his head at the plastic-wrapped contraption and popped his shoes off. Slipping his jacket off, he looked about ready to crawl into the bed my parents expected him to sleep in.

  Just as he started to sit, I pulled him to his feet. "You're not actually sleeping there, silly," I whispered in his ear.

  He grinned at me devilishly as he glanced upstairs. "Are you sure? I don't want to get you in trouble?"

  I nodded, backing away from his pretend bed. "Yes. . . you're with me. " He grinned more, rushing towards me to cup my cheeks, pulling me in for an intense kiss.

  I stumbled as my heel hit the stairs. I nearly fell, but Kellan grabbed me and kept me upright. He chuckled while I clung to him. "Quiet," he whispered.

  I nodded, giggling a little, then I found his lips again. We somehow managed to get up the stairs without waking up anybody. . . or everybody. Our breaths were fast between our rarely parting lips. I felt every curve of his mouth, the warmth of his tongue. I'd imagined kissing him for weeks, but it was nothing-nothing-like the real thing. I supposed that was one plus side to Kellan being so provocative in his youth. . . he was good at what he did. No, he was amazing at it. There wasn't one inch of my body that wasn't on fire by the time I opened the door to my bedroom.

  Already having removed m
y jacket on the way up the stairs, Kellan blindly tossed it into the room. I silently closed the door, taking a moment to press him into it. He sucked in a quick breath as my body compressed against his. "I missed you," he whispered.

  I moaned some sort of answer, my alive-again fingers tangling into his thick hair. His hands traveled down my back, over my bottom. Squatting slightly, he grabbed my thighs and lifted me up as he took a step from the door.

  Our mouths never parting, he walked me to my bed. Nervous, excited energy flooded into me. I'd never so directly gone against my dad. He would be fuming if he knew Kellan was in here with me, about to. . . well, make me a woman, since in my dad's eyes I was probably still a virgin.

  When Kellan bumped his legs into my bed, he leaned over and deposited me onto it. Holding his head to me, I scooted up the mattress so he could join me. Crawling on his hands and knees, he followed me until we were in the center. Then, with a quietly content groan, he laid on top of me. We both stopped breathing and broke apart.

  Brunching his brows, Kellan looked down at my bed. Propping himself up so that most of his weight was in his hands, he pushed down against the mattress. It squeaked. . . loudly. I bit my lip. I'd never noticed that my bed did that. Of course, I'd never had a boy in it while my dad was asleep in the next room. Kellan frowned as he did it again. The noise cut through the night. . . it was an unmistakable sound. It practically screamed-Hey, listen to us, we're having sex!

  Looking down at me, Kellan raised an eyebrow. "Did your dad buy you the squeakiest bed in the world on purpose?"

  Cringing, I sighed. "Yeah, probably. " Damn overprotective father. Where he couldn't stop us with a watchful eye, he'd managed to stop us with outdated technology.

  I squirmed under Kellan's hips, wishing I could do more, but even that slight movement made a sharp sound. Now that my mind was clearer, even our crawling into the bed had been noisy. I immediately stopped moving, afraid that we'd already woken my dad up.

  Kellan shook his head, his lip curving into a delicious smile; it made me ache. "Well, your dad obviously doesn't know me very well, if he thinks that's going to be a big enough deterrent. "

  Slipping off of me, the bed squealing in protest, he stood at the back of it. With a finger, he motioned for me to get up. I did, curious. Once standing, he grabbed all of my blankets and laid them on the floor on the other side of the bed. Next, he laid down some pillows, so we'd be sort of comfortable. Standing back, he smiled and spread his arms out. "Your love nest awaits. "

  I cocked an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest, amused. Kellan bit his lip then walked over to me. Grabbing my hand, he led me to the other side of my squeaky bed. My heart accelerated with every step we took towards the spot he'd laid out for us.

  Pulling me into his body once we were standing before the blankets, he murmured, "Kiera?" He leaned down to place a light kiss upon my neck, just under my ear. I couldn't answer him, I started trembling. He didn't wait for my response. Placing a feather-light kiss below the first, he asked, "Will you. . . ?" He paused to kiss farther down my neck. I tilted my head and closed my eyes, feeling like I was dazed, like my head was spinning. He laid a final kiss in the electric spot right by my collar bone, then ran his nose up my neck to my ear. Once there, he finished his question. ". . . Make love to me?"

  I think I may have actually melted.

  I kissed him hard, my breath back to pant-mode. Quickly, but quietly, we stripped off the multiple layers of clothing between us. When we were both bare, his fingers on my skin searing me, we laid down on my quilt covered in daisies. Bringing the heavy, down comforter over the top of us, we melded together.

  His skin, hot against mine, made my body feel like satin as we naturally entwined. His lips left warm, wet trails over that silky skin and I felt sensual, seductive, worshipped. He let out a soft groan in my ear as my fingers traveled down the most sensitive, private area of him. Desire shot through me, mixing with love and the residual loneliness of our forced separation.

  Careful to keep as quiet as possible, I pulled on his hips, urging him to take me. He locked gazes with me, his breath fast through his parted lips. I reached up and sucked on one and his eyes fluttered closed. As we broke apart, I nodded, squirming my hips under his. I wanted this.

  His eyes, dark in my dark room, skimmed over my features as his hand trailed down my body, to my knee. Slightly pulling my leg up and around his hip, he settled himself over me. My heart raced with the anticipation of it. Resting his forehead against mine, he lightly breathed on me for a moment, pressing against me but not moving inside yet. His smell overwhelmed me this close, made me even more ready for him, for us, for this.

  His breath hot, but sweet, he let out an erotic exhale. "Nothing. . . compares to this. . . "

  My fingers swept over his cheek. I wondered what he meant, but he closed his eyes and pressed into me and any attempt at speaking failed me. I clutched his shoulder, closing my own eyes as I swallowed repeatedly, anything to stop myself from crying out with the glorious intenseness of it. I heard him biting back his own groan as he dropped his head to my shoulder.

  Writhing with restraint, sucking in quick breaths, we began moving together. It was so intense-the weeks of waiting, the moments of telephone teasing, the anticipation I'd felt all day-my body hit the wall faster than I'd ever believed possible. I fought against the rising pressure, wanting to feel it with him. He grabbed my cheek, his pace staying slow and steady. Making me look at him as I fought against myself, he shook his head. "Don't. . . let go. . . "

  I shook mine and he leaned down to my ear. "Don't worry about me. . . let me give this to you. . . "

  He pushed a little harder and I lost whatever hold on my control that I had. The euphoria burst through me and I arched my back, panting as I struggled to control the vocal part of releasing. My body was shaking from the contained explosion and I dug my fingers into Kellan's shoulder. As my eyes rolled back, I thought I'd never felt anything so perfectly wondrous.

  I ran a hand down my face as I drifted back from my high. Watching me intently, still smoothly sliding against my body, Kellan's face was a picture of love and lust. He seemed spellbound, amazed at watching me experience the satisfaction he'd just given to me. His lips fell to mine, light. I felt like taffy.

  "God, Kiera. . . God. . . that was. . . "

  He dug in a little deeper and I closed my eyes. Surprisingly, the fire started resurfacing. I found his mouth, wondering if I could still have that moment with him again, but together this time. Our lips containing the soft groans we were making, I encouraged him to move his body at a speed that would satisfy him. He whimpered when he hit the right spot and I moaned softly, needing him even more than before.

  His mouth falling open, he started to lower his head. My hand came up to his cheek, making him stare at me. He clenched my hand in his as he closed his eyes. I watched the euphoria start to flood his features. Just as his hips paused, he cringed, almost looking pained. It passed immediately as a soft, but deep noise left his throat. He bit his lip to contain it, but the sound, mixed with the look of pure pleasure on his sculpted face, pushed me over the edge again.

  Keeping my eyes open so I could watch every second of his bliss, I felt my own wash over me again. It wasn't as intense as the first time, more peaceful, more perfect. As his body collapsed against mine, I finally closed my eyes, letting the shared moment of ecstasy sweep me away.