Sam woke first as the early morning light was just making its presence known. It peeked sleepily through the curtains in the bedroom, its light chasing the shadows from the corners, sending them to rest until the evening came again. He lay there breathing deeply of the fresh mountain air, not thinking of anything in particular, just enjoying being alive.
With that thought, he raised his arms high above his head and stretched like a cat just waking up from a nap. A slight twinge in the side of his back made him realize that he was lying on his injured side. He was surprised that this caused him very little pain. He puzzled over it for a moment and then he gave a small nod and a ghost of a smile before he whispered, “Thanks, Saul. I know it was you man. I owe you. I owe you big time.” He looked around the room, seeing no one, but feeling a presence. “I know you can read my thoughts, Saul, I get that, but if you could just not do that for a little while I would appreciate it. I’ve got something to say to you and I haven’t quite worked it all out yet.”
Sam lay still and waited for a sign that Saul had heard him and he was not disappointed. As a gentle peace settled around him, he knew, he felt it, his message had been received, and his request would be granted.
Satisfied, he put his hands to his cheeks and scrubbed his face, hearing the whiskers rasp against his fingers, the sandpapery sound seeming loud in the early morning stillness. Sam stopped rubbing his cheeks and looked thoughtfully right, then left as his puzzlement grew. He held his hands up in front of his face. Yup, one, two, both there. He gingerly raised the covers and looked down his body at the third hand. The one resting innocently on his groin.
Sam’s mind had been fogged with sleep since waking, but now all of his senses came alive as if he had been touched by a live electrical wire. He could now feel the warmth of a body resting against his back, feel the soft, slow breaths whispering through the hair on the back of his neck, hear the almost nonexistent sounds of sleep, and smell the unique scent of woman all around him. But not just any woman, his woman.
Her smell was imprinted on his brain. Sam was sure he would be able to find her in a pitch-black room using nothing but his nose. He almost felt cheated as he realized Ashton had spent the night in his bed, and he had slept right through it.
Innocent as it may be, just having her touch him was having an effect on him. His body began to react, rising and thickening with each tick of the clock. He lay for just a moment, relishing her touch, her warmth and the feelings they inspired. He wanted to glue himself to her for all time and never let her go. The thought of the shortness of their time together crept in and like a worm in an apple, threatened to sour the moment. But Sam grimly pushed it away and vowed to cherish each moment with her. Starting with this one.
Sam gently lifted the sleeping hand and turned over to face her. He studied the sleeping face before him, memorizing each delicate curve and contour. Her hair streamed out behind her leaving her face uncovered and bare to his searching gaze. She looked so beautiful. So soft and inviting. Sam accepted the invitation and raised his hand to trace her face with strokes as soft and light as a gentle breeze. He traced the arch of her eyebrows, felt the soft, thickness of the dark half moons that were her lashes and let one finger travel the length of her nose. He touched her cheeks, each so soft, so warm and he marveled in the fates that had made such a woman just for him. He lifted his hand and rested it on the dark cap of hair that streamed out to fall in thick, rich waves across the pillow, disappearing over the edge of the bed.
He inched closer to his sleeping beauty, until their noses almost touched. He let his eyes roam once more over the face so close to his, before he gave in to the temptation to taste. His lips met hers with the merest of touches. Small nibbling kisses were his gift to her, urging her to wake and join him.
Her lashes fluttered and she drew in a deep breath as she straightened her legs and stretched. Sam anticipated her waking, but she snuggled down again and drifted back into a light doze. He smiled a smile that was edged with humor and devilry. Oh no, my sweet,” he thought, it’s time to wake and join me.
Becoming more determined, he again pressed his lips to hers, but with more pressure than before. His tongue came out to lightly trace the seam that was closed to him. He wanted in, he wanted her lips to open to his questing and welcome him. He knew when she woke because the lips that had been so warm and still beneath his, had come alive. They gave back each light touch and soon grew hungry in their seeking. The hand that Sam still had buried in her thick hair added pressure to bring her lips more fully against his There was no resistance as the kiss deepened, her free arm wrapping around his shoulder and her leg raising to hook him by the hips. Sam could feel her down the length of his body and in the corners of his soul.
He wanted to be slow and gentle with her this first time, but wasn’t sure he could hold back. He wanted her, needed her, and had to have her. Sam lowered his hand from the back of her head and let it find the hem of her shirt. His fingers glided underneath it, touching the silky skin of her stomach, feeling the warmth and heat she gave off. His hand moved upwards taking the shirt with it, until it was bunched under her chin.
“Raise your arms, Ash,” he said, his voice coming out deep and thick with desire. Her arms lifted as she rolled to her back. Sam rose above her, using both hands now to remove the thin barrier and expose her to his hungry gaze, and even hungrier touch.
He remembered his dream, the dream of them making love in the open. This was better, so much better, the feelings were richer, the smells were added, and her warmth almost burned him wherever his hands touched. And they touched everywhere. He let his hands move from her shoulders down her torso, up the sides, over and over, cupping her breasts and laving them with attention from his hands and mouth.
Ashton arched her back and dug her heels into the bed as he worked his magic. Her world spun. Feeling she needed an anchor to tie herself to this world, she brought her hands up to Sam’s shoulders and, without meaning to, dug in. But that only satisfied for a short time as the need to return Sam’s touches grew.
She let her hands roam where they wanted, finding hard muscles, smooth skin, a soft matting of hair, and a hard thickness still covered by cloth. Slipping only her fingertips inside the elastic of his boxers, she drew them down, slowly, teasing him by denying him and herself the final touch that they both craved. When she could reach no farther she relaxed back and let him finish the task of removing them, leaving nothing to stand between them except the brief, stretchy shorts she had put on the night before. Oh baby indeed.
She wanted Sam to remove them now and take her, but instead he teased her, slowly stroking her through the cloth, making her press harder against his hand as he used the heel and fingers to drive her to the edge of madness with desire.
Ashton’s breathing was coming out in little gasps followed by soft moans when Sam finally eased his fingers under the elastic of her shorts and drew them down, following their path with his lips. He kissed and licked his way down one long leg and back up the other, all the while avoiding the juncture where they met, where she wanted him the most. Making his way back up her body, Sam came to rest over her.
“Look at me Ash,” he urged, “open your eyes and look at me.”
Ashton had left her eyes closed while she and Sam had begun the journey of discovery. She had not needed the sense of sight to feel Sam, to know him, to cloud the intensity of her feelings. Not being able to see had allowed her to concentrate on her hands, on his hands, and the path each had taken. The sensations had been deeper and truer without her vision. But Sam wanted to see her eyes before and as he joined with her.
As she opened her eyes, Sam could see the deep green swirl and smoke with her emotions and her desires. Locking eyes with her, Sam positioned himself at the entrance of her body and waited for her to let him know she was ready. Ashton sent her message by gliding her hands down his sides, gently skimming over his wound, then stopping low on his hips, pulling him towards her.
Sam entered her slowly, but steadily, until he was buried in her warmth and wetness. She fit him perfectly, and he her, as they found the rhythm of love unique only to their union. Sam held back until he was shaking with the effort of restraint. He watched Ashton as she moved with him. He felt her reach the edge, watching as her eyes met his in stunned surprise, then went blind with her release. He followed a heartbeat later, feeling himself splinter into a million shining shards, then coming to rest with his love, leaving them both banked embers on the hearth of love.