Responsibility

[Asmus Janes]

Asmus let out a soft, content noise from the back of his throat. He drew in a long breath through his nose as one hand idly stroked the small of her back. As awareness returned to him his mind turned back to the previous evening. Always the way of the mind to question whether something really had happened after a memorable event.

“Hello,” he whispered. How long before the alarm? He wondered. They'd probably hadn't turned in that late really, coming down to the cabin almost straight from tea. He picked up the bitter notes of stale beer in the air. His eyes flicked up to note the unfinished bottles on the shelf over his bed.

Her thigh settled against him once more, a dead weight that rather suddenly brought him from his daydreaming. His hand reached down to ride her leg up a few inches higher to relieve the uncomfortable pressure. Damn, couldn't his bladder have stayed asleep a few minutes longer?

“Sorry,” he murmured. “I need to get up.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

“Hey…” Kaile’s soft reply would float up along with a shy smile. One that grew as a dawning realization of what he meant made her give a slight giggle.

“Okay.” she told him, but it took a couple of seconds before she managed to untangle herself from the scoundrel. The shift of sheets would follow the Lorrdian as she would roll to the right, allowing Asmus to sip past. On her back, one hand came up to push her hair aside, letting it drape over his pillow. The light was still a muted light orange glow; there was no real daylight while on a ship. Time didn’t quite follow the same night and day routine.

Yet despite her departure, Kaile wasn’t quite set on letting him go completely just yet. Her hand managed to linger, caressing his forearm and shoulder with the drift of her fingers. The sheet barely covered the swell of one breast, while the other comfortably settled amidst the cool air. There were faint red marks that decorated Kaile’s chest, tiny rasps from the scruff of Asmus’ jaw when he had indulged in charting and memorizing each small freckle that decorated her decollete.

Her lips were bruised, and her hair mused as if she’d been thoroughly ravaged the entire night. Or more aptly, thoroughly cherished and adored. It was so hard to say. Still confusing.

All that Kaile knew is that she didn’t want it to end just yet.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Kaile needn’t have bothered speaking that need with her hands. Propped up on one elbow he’d come to a halt, gaze settling on the sight she presented. His hair fell down over his face, before he ran a hand over his scalp the pull it back. At first his gaze held an odd mix of the curious and the serene. The backs of his fingers reached out to stroke her cheek and he smiled warmly as she turned her head into that gentle touch.

He traced down to a mark on her shoulder, fingers skirting the edge of that new bruise. He bit his lower lip in embarrassment, gaze turning down to see an angry red welt on his shoulder that was even worse. He laughed.

“I need a shave,” he mused. “Later,” he sighed. His gaze had settled on her brown eyes. Suddenly those traces of curiosity, embarrassment and amusement evaporated from his expression. His unflinching gaze now held something quite different. An intense need, a depth of affection, just an edge of the passion they’d managed to balance so well the previous night.

His hand returned to cup her jaw as he leaned in close. Just a single press of the lips before he slid cheek to cheek. A warm prickle inside protested. “Okay, I need to go…” he said before stealing another kiss. “Don’t move.”

With no shame at all he untangled himself from the sheets and walked over to the door giving her quite the view. It probably would have been more enjoyable were his skin as sunkissed as her own. Asmus reached into a drawer to pull out some loose sweatpants.

“Twenty five minutes before we need to be up,” he said. Again he paused at the door, enjoying the sight of her. He winced and then turned and slipped out of the room, clenching his eyes against the brighter corridor outside.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

“I don’t mind…” came her soft call at the mention of shaving. Granted, she didn’t find any issue with the smooth outline of a jaw either. As it was, she sported the scattered remnants of the faint bristle along her neck, chest, and abdomen. Tiny marks that she wouldn’t trade for the ‘verse.

He left with a blaze of light that filtered through the hatch before he closed it shut behind him. Left alone to her devices, Kaile swung her arms back, letting them lie beside her head. Half curled fingers and open palms would face the bulkhead of the ceiling, mirroring the trail of her brown eyes as they went tracing over the matte durasteel.

Kaile didn’t want to be alone. There was a rather stifling silence that lingered in the wake of Asmus’ departure. It would float over like a thick mist, and Kaile could feel it crawling up her extremities with the icy touch of reality. A knot grew thick in her throat. A sharp pain in her chest that seemed to lay heavy in her heart. As if an immense weight pressed her, suffocating her.

Those hands swung up, covering her face. A deep breath would exhale from her lips, rubbing her face to calm herself down. Breathe. Just breathe.

It was a panic attack. Kaile, never having experienced one before, would seem to overwhelm her. There was no halting the tremble of her fingers, the quake of her belly, that intense sense of fear. Anxiety. Loss. All that was beautiful and right about last night just seemed to become a drowning mess as the reality of her future, the confusion of the interaction, and figuring out where she stood after losing Kurt drew to the fore again.

Two days. I have two days.

Then I’ll be gone.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Asmus hadn't been gone long, not at all. He sauntered back into the room, oblivious to her plight. He idly wondered if Bobo would need to come out for a bit as he slipped back out of his pants. There was nothing erotic in that gesture, he just had no interest in clothes at the moment.

“Kaile?” he asked softly. The change in the room was palpable. He couldn't miss it for long. Asmus dropped down onto his knees, then lowered himself down onto his hip and elbow on top of the sheet. He draped one arm across her midriff over the sheets and looked up to her with concern etched into his features.

Everything last night had felt so right, they'd entirely immersed themselves in each other and shut everything else out. But he knew how fragile Kaile was now, that she was recovering from loss. poodoo, had he taken advantage?

No, he wouldn't allow himself to think that. The decision had been made, he wouldn't second guess himself. There was now and a girl he cared deeply about with her struggles. The problem was…he had no real clue how to help.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Kaile felt the dip of the mattress at the weight of Asmus sinking down next to her. She heard the concern in his voice, the loss and confusion at what he was supposed to do, how was he supposed to help? His presence would both enhance her frayed nerves as much as it would soothe. Goodness, why am I acting like this?

At his urging, she would roll against him, letting him draw her into his embrace. She felt the brush of his hand over the crown of her head, smoothing down across the strawberry blonde strands. An attempt at comfort. Yet there was no halting the trembling, the soft shaking of her shoulders nor the quickening flurry of her heart beat at her throat. It was so hard to breathe, yet she curled herself tighter against Asmus, pressing her face against the crook of his neck.

In the tangle of legs and her press of her body, her hands had become caught between he and she. Both palms would curl against chest, fingers quivering as the Lorrdian attempted to gather her bearings. Being one made every subtle nuance that rippled across her face and body akin to a sob by any other near-human. It was all in that kinetic communication, one she was desperately trying to rein in.

Breathe. Just breathe. Under her hands, she could feel the beat of Asmus’ heart. The steady rhythm that picked up in his own growing concern. Lubdub, lubdub, lubdub. It wasn’t going twelve parsecs a minute like hers, and the slower beat was tether for her to latch on. Focus, she told herself.

Focus.

Yet it was hard. So hard. Stars, how she just wanted to forget. To push it all in the back of her mind. To…

“ Kiss me.” it was a hoarse plea. Was it the best idea? Who knew. But right now, Kaile needed to find that calm in the storm.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Okay…” he sighed, it had become the chorus to their song. It had held so many different meanings. ‘If you want me to’, ‘I understand’, ‘I can't think of how to express what I feel.’ On this particular occasion, as he shuffled around to slide under the sheets with him, he managed to elaborate.

“I'm not going anywhere,” he sighed as she latched onto him once more, as if the fleeting moments they'd been apart were insufferable. Better this was, skin to skin.

He kissed her softly, but across the top of her head as he tightened his grip around her. She still trembled. It made his chest tight to realise just how much she was struggling all of a sudden. His hand ran down her spine, caressing every ridge.

“Okay…okay…” he said softly as he shuffled down to find lips which came up to meet him needily. This time it meant: ‘I'm here.’

Perhaps she'd need to talk more, maybe he could just listen. But not right now, it clearly wasn't the time. Even Asmus could tell that. Her hand fidgeted so he sought it out with his own. His fingers grasped her slender forearm, his fingers crept around her palm and ran all the way up until they were fingertip to fingertip. Then, as continued to kiss her so delicately, he interlocked their fingers and gripped her hand.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Funny, Kaile thought it was his kiss that she desperately needed. It wasn’t that. His lips were soft, searching, and sought to express all that which he felt. Yet it was the fan of fingers, that slow, comforting glide against the sensitive valleys that managed to tether the Lorrdian to the pilot.

Her grip flexed within his own, but that slight pulse of each other’s heartbeats could be felt within that grip. With a guiding tug, Asmus brought their joined hands close to their bodies. As he kissed her, Kaile managed to regulate her breathing, slowing down the rushed breaths that had made her chest heave. She felt his fingertips run up the length of her spine, tracing each vertebrate, soothing away the anxiety with every caress and sweep of his hand.

The kiss had started out needy, urgent, an open mouthed latch and slide of her tongue. Desperate even. Yet as the minutes passed, as Asmus managed to work his magic and blanket her in the safety of his arms, his presence, those kisses would wane in their hurried pace. In their stead, they gentled, coaxing Kaile to a calm. In response, the arm that had snaked under his and clung to his back would slack, and her hand went moving in a soft glide up and over his shoulders. Fingertips traced the faint indentations of the marks she had left in the wake of that withering dawn, each red line painted across his skin a treasured memory of the bliss they’d found in each other's arms.

One thigh would slide up against his, the tangle of sheets a thin barrier when Kaile arched herself against him. Her harsh breathing lengthened into deep breaths, and all the while, Kaile never let Asmus’ hand go.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Asmus exaggerated a wince as her fingers crossed the places where her nails had dug deepest, hoping that perhaps he could amuse her. He didn't let much space grow between them, the tips of their nose just a centimetre apart as he tried to meet her eyes briefly.

Whilst he'd been reacting to her own need, it slowly dawned on him how much he needed this. The grid of her arm and leg over him, the squeeze returned by her small hand. It was like the previous morning when he'd admitted to kissing her just to test that she'd kiss him back. For him this was a reaffirmation of something as well as the best he could do to soothe her.

Feeling some of the tension melt from her muscles, he closed the distance with a playful brush of his nose and stole a kiss. That one seemed to make his heart flutter some. The hand on her back slid lower and pulled her tight.

What's going through her head? He mused. Trying to replay those hushed words that they'd exchanged last night, he thought on what she'd admitted as he let her dictate the kiss. She'd barely scratched the surface of what caused her to shake so bad, but perhaps he knew the tone of the matter now. She doesn't just want me because…No. Wheels turned and he recalled those moments quite vividly. Before and After that first union when they'd both scrambled around with words, trying to find some to fit what they felt they'd shared enough of an understanding. Asmus decided he might try that again, see if they could make more sense of it all. But now wasn't the time for playing out the questions he harboured. Right now he just wanted to be sure she'd come down from whatever had made her tremble so.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Having her eyes shut managed to heightened every little bit of skin to skin contact. Kaile felt the light graze of his nose against hers, the warmth of his breath, the way his fingers laced and drew her tighter against him. Unfortunate, but having Kaile shut her eyes early on managed to have her miss that exaggerated wince. However, she did feel the subtle flex of muscles that would follow through.

Ever one to be more conscious about another wellbeing, her embrace would relax further, the skim of her wandering hands coming to a stop.

“Sorreh.” she apologized in a thick sugary rasp. Emotion made her voice a thick choke, pulling back from his kiss in order to duck her head. With the crashing wave of the panic attack now retreating, the Lorrdian was able to gather her bearing. Embarrassment would heat her face, along with the sense of feeling utterly foolish.

His hands were warm, heating cool skin. While one would flex the interlocked fingers with hers, the other gave no indication of letting her go any time soon. His very presence, down to the words he had murmured by her temple, said he was right here for her. Wasn’t going anywhere. It would prompt both a flutter in her heart as much as a dull ache.

“I’m sorreh.” was all she could keep repeating amidst his small acts to try and coax a smile from her. Asmus had a knack, a gift really, to be able to prompt a smile one way or another. The subsequent boop of his nose against hers managed a ghost of a smile, as did the small press of his kiss at her temple. Another squeeze would of comfort flexed upon her hand, and after a moment, Kaile let out a long, weary sigh.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“It's okay,” he whispered. His thumb stroked to back of her hands as he took a deep breath himself. There was just enough room between them for him to watch her face closely. Again, his eyes trying to find something in the contours of that heart-shaped face. A sharp contrast in his mind between her expression as she came down from the panic attack and the throws of ecstasy the night before.

Just after that first moment of bliss, everything had felt so clear. He'd whispered some words within his own head. They'd felt right. The slow, stuttered sigh that came from Asmus wasn't a sad one, but that sudden well of emotions almost had him crying himself. How could he feel this strongly about someone? It felt like burning. Seeing her tremble had brought a physical ache to his chest.

He'd whispered ‘my Kaile’ several times last night and she hadn't protested. Could she really be his? They'd been rather caught up in themselves at the time. Yet as selfish as Asmus could be, he knew this moment wasn't about him.

“I'm not going anywhere. And I was playing about those scratches. Don't really hurt.” Almost as a reaction to that though he allowed his nails to very delicately cross her shoulder blade.

“Do you want to talk about it? The person…the one you lost. I'll listen if you like.” Asmus really wasn't sure what to do. He felt that simply holding her couldn't possibly be enough.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


Did she want to talk about Kurt?

Truth be told, Kaile wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do. It was too fresh. Too soon. Too raw. Kurt had been a big part of her life the past year; he had managed to worm his way inside. To keep her company. To make her realize just how alone she’d honestly been the past few decades. Her best friend had been a small Ysalamiri for the past five years. Kurt managed to show her that while Bobo was still a big part of her life, there were other connections and relationships out there that she’d been missing.

Being an orphan and living as a drifter colony child within one resistance and the next didn’t pave the way for an ideal family. Looking back, the bulk of the many faces she met and interacted with besides the few mentors had been nothing more than acquaintances. Her position, her role didn’t leave areas for allowing anything beyond that.

It took her this long to realize it. It took Kurt; and with Kurt came the ability to recognize what else she’d been missing. And make it all too easy to tumble into the arms of a scoundrel in a hovercoaster of emotions. Emotions of the sort that made it very difficult to not only reign in, but to keep. Kaile had a duty. A responsibility.

That same one that had led her to walking away from Kurt’s family homestead on Tatooine.

A slow shake of her head would tell Asmus no, that she couldn’t. Not now. Ironically, even discussing Kurt would bring to the surface the reason why she left to begin with. No matter how she looked at it, what angle she came about it, the fact she was an espion would prevent her from being completely honest.

What could she do instead? That was the question. One that Kaile honestly had no notion on how to progress. She just felt… so helpless. The dark slash of her brows drew forward, and she lowered her head until her forehead pressed against his shoulder.

He was worried. Kaile could tell that. It hummed in his body and permeated in the slight anxiety he radiated when he held her. Such a strange contrast to the night they had. To have that back…

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Alright,” he acknowledge quietly. He rolled back and drew her back across him. Relinquishing his grip on her hand, he started to softly stroke her hair. It was all he could think to do as he tried to work out what it was he should be doing.

Asmus wasn't used to complicated. He was hardly the most empathetic person in the Galaxy, yet he keenly felt her distress. It was someone else's pain, he didn't understand it, but he felt it.

Part of him wanted to tip her chin back towards him, to search her eyes again. But she seemed to just want to be as close as possible, to feel the affection he was over brimming with. To make her meet his gaze now would be to expose her far more than if he flung off the sheets.

“Not going anywhere right now.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Why were his words so comforting? Why did the stroke of his fingers as they ran through her hair make her feel better? His words would soothe Kaile like a balm. Snuggling close, Kaileann settled upon Asmus’ chest, the length of her hair cascading down as he would continue the relaxing cafune.

Kaile wasn’t sure how many minutes passed. Time seemed to drift. She vacillated between a state of feeling numb and content. It made her feel as if she’d lost her senses. As if she was reacting in such odd ways and she had no clue how to rein herself in. No other way but the small bit of peace Asmus’ presence gave her. Slowly her lids rose, subtle flutterings of lashes that peered out into the shadowy glow that permeated his cabin.

An idle trace of her fingertips would design small concentric circles just over his left pectoral. There they gingerly swept over the smoothness of his skin, painting invisible lines as her warm breath would flow in and out over that dark flat disc of his nipple. An inch lower, and she lightly circled around the areola, the steady beat of his heart under her cheek and the even breathing as his chest rose and fell a calming lull.

Kaile felt as if she was in a teeter totter. It was so different from the jovial tones and optimistic attitude she had in the past. A bit of clarity came to her in the dark. She had spent all this time fluttering from one place to the next like a Koros butterfly, never staying too long. Never really making any connections. No family. No long-term friends. That lack of experience did not prepare her for what came when she did have such ties.

Dark brown eyes would shift slowly from side to side, deep in her thoughts. The brush of Asmus’ fingers along her temple as they tucked a wayward tendril of hair made her shut her eyes, instinctively turning her cheek to the shell of his hand. Once again, it was a precious moment. The warmth of his hand, the light affectionate touch. Every action evoked something within the Lorrdian, calling to her at an intrinsic level. Maybe that’s why now that she was a bit more calmer, it was easier to speak.

Then again, they seemed to do well without words. While not a Lorrdian, Asmus had a tactile nature that matched her own. The more they expressed that, the easier it was for Kaile to relax. Determining the why was beyond Kaile at the moment. After everything and what would come, she wasn’t sure she could trust her emotions.

But I can trust him.

“Thank you.” she said, finally calm enough to open her eyes and turn her face up at him.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“That’s okay,” he replied as his left hand slid from her jaw. His eyes turned down and he made a sound between a chuckle and a snort. “We’re going to need like, a dictionary of okay’s by Kaile and Asmus the way we abuse that word.”

His hand continued her journey to come to rest upon the hand on his chest. Besides, whilst he thought that gentle trace was innocent in nature, touching him so was starting to rouse more base emotions to the morning.

“I did help though?” he asked, meeting her eyes again. “You worried me a bit then. That must have come over you awful fast. I won’t leave you alone today, not unless you want me to,” he asserted.

I probably shouldn’t have asked that, he told himself. Somehow it must have made him sound needy, when Kaile was the one who needed comforting. It was redundant anyway. He could see it in her eyes, see that she meant it. She’d said last night that she hadn’t wanted to be alone. Maybe he could stop off at Denon for a bit? Kairon probably wouldn’t mind if Jarrick was getting back aboard. Then she wouldn’t have to be alone. She clearly wasn’t ready to be right now. It made him wonder if she didn’t have some family she should be with right now, instead of heading off to a new world for work.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

He made her laugh.

A perk at the corner of her mouth joined the faint muffled snort. Shoulders gently shook. They certainly had their fair share of ‘okays’ to trade back and forth. That he made a joke about it with light banter brought a bit of a glow back to her chocolate eyes. Kaile fanned her fingers, curling up and over his own to gently play with a slight dribble.

The concern still saturated his green eyes, still dark within the confines of the faint orange glow of the cabin. A soft ghost of a smile crept over her lips.

“You did.” she told him, bringing her other hand up to curl against his neck. There, the idle trace commenced anew, the tip of her forefinger drawing a small circle. A faint scoot and lift, and she slid a bit higher, so she could see his face a little clearer. Be a little closer.

Having him say aloud how quickly she’d fallen into a panic brought another wave of embarrassment. While Asmus worried about sounding needy, Kaile’s mind was troubled that she may appear to be crazy. That she lost her marbles with just how quick she was apt to go high and low. This wasn’t like her normal self at all.

Dropping her gaze, the Lorrdian gave a small sheepish roll of her shoulder. Nervousness grew again, and she wasn’t quite sure just what to say. Funny how they both had their own fears and concerns, but still were more worried about the other.

Biting her lower lip, Kaile took a deep breath. Shoulders and chest rose, and the Lorrdian mulled over what to say. That trace of her finger continued, a small tether in the dark. It was her primary method of communication, one she couldn’t seem to stop when it came to Asmus Janes.

“I’ll be okay.” she attempted to reassure him, lifting her eyes to meet his own anew. “Really, really.” She said. Granted, she wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince.

Asmus. Or herself.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“I'm sure you will be,” he agreed in a heartfelt manner. Say one thing for Asmus, he never much looked to the worst possible outcome. Whatever pain she carried it was fresh, of that he was certain. Everyone had scars, you couldn't mark the canvas of life with just one texture; you needed the rough and the smooth, the light and the dark to make a painting.

His brow furrowed for a moment before he considered what to do next. A smile can't to his face as he shuffled down and rolled up onto his side. She would have to swap his shoulder for the pillows, but in return she'd find herself eye level with the scoundrel. His left hand slid back up her arm, over her shoulder and came to rest on her waist. If there was a part of her, after her hands, that he most liked to touch it would probably be there. The smooth curve of her body where he could trace up and down from waist to hip. He hoped he hadn't bruised her last night, already he'd seen several marks on the shoulder. He'd gripped her hips awfully tight as he'd given in to sweet release both times.

“I love your smile,” he confessed. He did, truly. Every time he caught sight of it his heart soared in his chest.

Forehead to forehead, there was no room to escape this time. He was acutely aware that both were now suffering morning breath. He didn't care.

“Kiss me?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

A sheepish smile would flutter upon Kaile’s lips.

It was the way he was so honest that had her tied in knots. Simple compliments and the way he would look at her. As if every time he did he was somewhat captivated. As if overtaken by wonder. A brushing boop against his nose would provoke a mirror of his earlier silliness. He was able to simply wash away the worry, at least for the present time.

“Your’s ain’t too bad either.” she teased in a low hush, but genuine in the compliment.

Morning breath wasn’t the best, but with both of them at fault for it, it was easy to ignore it. All the more when he watched her with such an anxious expectation, the slight drawl of his voice flowing over her like thick, Aldaraanian honey. On her side now, hands free, she came up to cup his face anew.

The lightest of kisses was gently set upon Asmus’ lips. A half lowered flutter of her lids and a wiggle snuggled her close, enhanced only by the heavy weight of his palm at the small of her back. A slight tingle would charge through her limbs, whatever protest her body had from their earlier bouts of pleasure eased away by the warmth of his touch.

Just that brief innocent peck was enough to send her heart skipping. That brush of noses, the slight tilt of her head to the right. Another peck and this one would linger, her thumb caressing the scruff of his cheek that had grown longer in the night. His hair from his forelocks would tickle her, ever prone to falling over his brow and against her temple.

Her heart was starting to race again, but it had nothing to do with any sort of panic at all.

 

[Asmus Janes]

His smile slowly evaporated. As that surge of concern slowly receded it was quickly replaced by a heightened awareness of her. Pupils dilated as that smile was replaced with a growing intensity in his gaze. Feeling her feet and toes shift against his shins, his hand slid down over that glorious curve and hitched her thigh up over his legs.

It felt like a test. As his awareness built, feeling each of her breaths, the subtle shifts of her body against his, the gentle caress of his jaw, how long could he go before the next kiss.

Asmus swallowed.

How did she do this to him? He wasn't used to being put through such an emotional rollercoaster, but he was strapped in now and had no intention of getting off

His mouth snapped back to hers as he finally let the elastic band go. Tongues were rough, but he didn't care. It was definitely the top of the rollercoaster. That moment of weightlessness where you felt as if you were floating free, before the joy of the drop.

 

[Kaile Vera]

Just like that, they were both freefalling.

Cradling him in her embrace, it was so easy to let go and let herself float away in the rush of Asmus’ kiss. That hitch drew her knee high up, provoking her leg to curl round and provide another method of holding him close. On their side as they were, it was an intimate melting as much as one that provided ample room to roam. Tangled up in skin, Kaile did just that.

She let her hands roam. A gingerly pass over all that she could reach. At times it was a soft fleeting graze. At others, those digits would sink in and press deep, gripping him tight and close, only to sooth with a sweeping caress of the palm of her hand.

They sank back from the silk of his hair, brushing past over his shoulder, caressing the sore muscles bunching there. Toes wiggled, legs flexed and slid, enjoying the differences of their anatomies and the ticklish sensation of their limbs sliding against the other. They alternated between deepening the kiss to slight little lingering pecks, but it was all too easy to feel the tingling sensation of awareness through her. Pressed as tight as they were, his hands tracing their way up and down the dip of her spine, the curve of her waist, and then gripping her so gave her such a tantalizing electric giddiness.

While they may not have noticed the passing of time, Asmus’ alarm would not wait for anyone. They were just a few minutes from its cry echoing within the small cabin, hailing with it the responsibilities that came with the day. For the moment, Kaile was satisfied with being in Asmus’ arms, morning breath and all. She didn’t care. He made her toes curl, and her belly tight, and encompassed all that she could even think about.

It felt as if Asmus was a candle and she was but mere wax to the flame, steadily melting away into a pliant, ghost of herself with the slow burn. Sweet, so sweet as they fell softly in between the sheets.