“It’s okay, sweetheart. Just close your eyes—I’ll be gentle with you.”

An aura of tension shook my arms and legs, pushing me down, making me heavy. David lifted me; hands under my knees, around my waist, and carried me the two, human steps to the bed. Then, with a gentle kiss, he slid my body, feet first, between the silky sheets; their cool touch making all this real, so real, while the smell of lily fabric softener reminded me to wash that white shirt I left in the laundry—the one with a blood stain on it.

When David fell beside me, his jeans gone, his bare skin touching my leg, I came back to the now and smiled up at him.

“I can’t believe I finally have you in my arms like this.” He shook his head, closing his eyes for a second. “You don’t know how many nights I dreamed of this, Ara.”

The soft tickle of his fingers drove my body wild as he slid a firm hand down my stomach and between my thighs, gently pressing them apart. So many times I’d pictured how this would happen, but as the cool of the night brushed places warmed by the desire to have him, I could think of no other scenarios. I wanted him between my legs, his body connected to mine, touching me deeper than he’d ever been before.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

His hand hovered just above me. “Your eyes—they’re unbelievably blue right now.”

“It’s the colour of desire.”

He snapped out of whatever reverie he’d been in and pushed up off the bed. “I thought that was red?”

“Not tonight,” I whispered, my legs falling apart to let David kneel between them.

“You’re getting hotter.” He grinned and smoothed his hands over my inner thigh, tracing every inch of my flesh, his thumbs coming to rest in a place that took my breath.

“Am I supposed to feel like that?”

He smiled. “You mean...wet?”

I felt my cheeks go hot. “Um, yeah, that.”

“Yes, you are.”

He moved his thumbs inside me; I closed my eyes, tensing all over—good tension. The cloud of ecstasy filled every inch of me with plumes of rushing want.

“I think you’re ready,” David said, sinking onto his elbows; his stomach, his hips, his chest falling to meet mine.

I propped a shaking hand against his ribs and held him there; “Will this hurt?” Nerves formed a lump in my throat. “When you—you know?”

“Yes. The first time usually does.” He kissed my brow. “But we’ll go slow—and I can stop whenever you want me to. Just think it and I’ll stop.”

“Okay,” I said, then held my breath, trembling as David reached down. “Uh!” My fingers tightened on the pillowcase under my head, the feeling inside me so foreign, the stinging deep and tight.

“Relax,” David whispered into my hair. “It won’t hurt as much if you relax.”

“Mm-hm.” I nodded, but stayed tense. I couldn’t take my mind off the sensation; David, inside me, touching me. Me. Not anyone else. Finally me.

He dropped his head and looked to one side, smiling. “Bite me.”

Huh?

“Bite me, Ara. The blood will distract you.”

“But—”

“Go on,” he prompted, smiling. “You won’t need me to break the skin. I’m so hungry right now a butterknife could draw blood from me.”

I hesitated.

“Go on. It’ll help.”

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I rolled at the waist a little, my hands wrapping David’s neck, my hot breath coming immediately back off his skin with the smell of shampoo and aftershave. The stubble on his neck prickled my tongue before I pressed my teeth to the softness of his flesh, and it broke open under my lips, blood pooling into my mouth.

As I swallowed, distracted by the smooth, sugary taste of his warmth, David slipped deeper inside me—gripping my legs with his widespread fingers. My spine sunk into the bed with the weight of his body forcing me down; he held still for a moment then eased out of me slowly, dragging a warm feeling behind before gently sliding back in, making me gasp, closing my eyes, biting harder to focus only on the blood.

“How’s that now?”

His skin closed under my lips, blocking the flow. I focused on the feeling between my legs, crossing my ankles over David’s hips. “It’s...it’s good. Really good.”

He let out a low, slow breath, then grabbed my hip, propping his body off mine.

“You’re holding back, aren’t you?” My words came out funny, sounding jolted with his feverish movements.

“Yes.”

I circled a finger around the hair at the base of his neck, then whispered in his ear, “Don’t.”

He looked down at me. “I could get pretty rough, Ara.”

“I’ll tell you if it’s too much.”

He leaned in slowly and kissed me, his tongue touching mine for a second, smoothing the blood from my lips into his, then pulling away before coming back one last time as he broke the kiss. “I know it’s cliché—” Even his voice sounded like he was talking and running. “But I want to do so many bad things to you right now.”

That only intensified my breathing, which made him move faster, his hands wildly searching every inch of my flesh, his face in my neck, the want for my blood showing in his tight grip under my hips.

“Do it. Bite me.” I closed my eyes and scrunched my hands into his hair. He moved faster then, kissing with eager desperation—breathing louder as his lips fought for flesh—touching, then pulling away—hungered by lust. Teeth scraped over my skin, gently nibbling at the surface, then sealing each tender bite with a kiss.

Another rush of heat, embodied by a pulsing sensation, gripped my insides. I let out a pathetic cry.

David laughed.

“Sorry.” I touched his chest, practically panting. Too loud?

“No—not at all.” He smiled down at me, moving his hips again. “Although, I can’t be held responsible for what I might do if you keep making those sweet, sexy noises.” He kissed my forehead, then rolled his head back slightly. “I wish you could be me, Ara—for just one moment, to know how you make me feel—to see how good you feel when I’m inside you.”

I took a moment too, to really feel him on top of me, to feel his weight, the backs of my legs touching his waist, his hipbones sharp, the breath from his nose falling over my bare chest. “Am I the first human you’ve ever made love to?”