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She explores me with the same thoroughness I showed her, tracing the contours of my muscles, the ridges of old scars, and the fresh bruises from stick work with my brothers. Her touch is both reverent and possessive, claiming me as hers as surely as I marked her.

I’m suddenly overcome with a need to connect with Lena. I reach for her, pulling her up for a kiss that says everything I can't find words for.

When we break apart, she's breathing hard, her pupils dilated with desire. "I want you," she says. "Now."

"How do you want me?" I ask, needing to hear her say it.

"Inside me." She shifts, straddling my hips. "Like this."

I groan as she positions herself above me, the head of my cock brushing against her heat. "Wait," I manage. "Protection?—"

"I'm on birth control," she says. "And there hasn’t been anyone but you, Alder.”

I look up at her, hardly daring to believe what she's suggesting. "Are you sure?"

Her answer is to lower herself slightly, letting me feel how wet she is, how ready. "I want to feel all of you, Alder. No barriers."

The thought nearly undoes me. We never did this before—always used condoms, always played it safe. The idea of being inside her with nothing between us makes my cock twitch eagerly.

"Come here first," I say, tugging her higher up my body.

She looks confused but follows my guidance until she's straddling my chest. I continue urging her forward until my meaning becomes clear.

"Oh," she breathes, eyes widening. "You don't have to?—"

"I want to drown in this body,” I assure her, my hands on her hips guiding her the rest of the way. "Ride my face, Lena."

She blushes but doesn't resist, carefully positioning herself above my mouth. I pull her down that final inch, my tongue finding her immediately. The angle is different, deeper, letting me taste her more fully.

She braces herself against the couch, her plush thighs trembling on either side of my head as I work her toward a third orgasm. This one builds slower, more deliberately. I take my time, exploring every fold and hollow, enjoying what makes her moan and what makes her curse my name.

I’ve got my hands on her ass, palming that amazing soft skin.

When she comes, it's with a deep, guttural sound that I feel in my bones.

Her body shakes above me, one hand fisted in my hair, her thighs clamping around my ears.

I stay with her through it, easing only when she tugs at my hair in a wordless signal.

She slides down my body, kissing me deeply, tasting herself on my lips. Then she reaches between us, taking me in hand, positioning me at her entrance.

"I'm yours," I tell her, needing her to know. "Always have been."

She sinks onto me with agonizing slowness, both of us gasping as I fill her. Nothing has ever felt like this—the wet heat of her surrounding me, no latex barrier dulling the sensation. I can feel every flutter of her inner muscles, every heartbeat.

For a moment, neither of us moves, overwhelmed by the connection. Then she rolls her hips experimentally, and I groan, my hands flying to her waist.

"Fuck, Lena. You feel incredible."

She smiles a slow, wicked curve of her lips and does it again. "So do you."

We find our rhythm quickly, her rising and falling as I thrust up to meet her. The familiar choreography of our bodies coming together, but deeper, more intense. I'm not going to last, not with how long I've waited for this, how good she feels.

"I'm close," I warn her, my hands tightening on her hips.

Instead of speeding up, she lifts off me entirely. Before I can protest, her hand wraps around the base of my cock, stroking firmly .

"Come for me," she says, her eyes locked with mine. "I want to see you. I want you all over me."

The words trigger something primal. I buck into her hand, my release building at the base of my spine.

"I'm going to—"my own roar cuts me off as I come harder than I can ever remember, painting her stomach and breasts with long stripes of white.

She continues stroking me, drawing out every last pulse until I'm completely spent. When I can focus again, I look up to see her watching me with awe and satisfaction.

"Christ, Lena," I breathe. "You're incredible."

She smiles, a slight flush highlighting her cheekbones. "So are you."

I reach for her, pulling her down to lie beside me on the rug. We're both sticky and sweaty, but I can't bear to be separated from her yet. I trace lazy patterns on her skin, unable to stop touching her.

In the distance, I can hear Gordie scratching at the bedroom door, probably wondering why he's been banished while we're clearly having fun without him. I pause my hand where it’s stroking Lena’s back. “Okay, if we relocate to the bed?”

She nods against my chest. “I think I can make it. In a minute.”

With a groan and tremendous effort, I stand, then I bend and scoop her up, carrying her down the hall, mess and all, to deposit her in our bed. Gordie joins us and immediately passes out near my feet, snoring. “Very romantic,” I whisper to Lena.

"I don't want to be anywhere but here," she says quietly, her head resting on my chest.

I tighten my arm around her, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Then stay. Forever."

She looks up at me, her eyes soft with emotion. She smiles and kisses me with a nod.