Part 20 (1/2)

Eliot began to object, but thought better of it. He brought the book over to her side and flipped to the last page he had been reading. Self-consciously he began to speak, but as the poem went on his voice fell into a natural speaking rhythm. Brynn closed her eyes to listen.

”When you are old and grey and full of sleep, And nodding by the fire, take down this book, And slowly read, and dream of the soft look Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep; How many loved your moments of glad grace, And loved your beauty with love false or true, But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you, And loved the sorrows of your changing face; And bending down beside the glowing bars, Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled And paced upon the mountains overhead And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.”

”That's beautiful.” A tear had slipped down Brynn's cheek, and she wiped it away with her finger. ”Thank you.”

”Anything for you.” He put his hand on hers. ”Even a poorly done poetry reading.”

”Can I ask you for something else, then?” Her voice was thin, tired. Scared, maybe.

”What is it?”

”Will you hold me? Here, in bed?”

A strand of hope wound itself around Eliot's heart: that he was not doing things entirely wrong this time, that he might do some good or be some good to her, that his guilt might be a.s.suaged. He lay down next to Brynn and she turned into him, pulling herself tight against his chest. His mouth went dry when he felt her soft curves touch him alongside his entire body. His arms encircled her protectively, s.h.i.+elding her from the rest of the world.

Brief as it was, his kiss against her forehead was meant to be kind, warm. She lifted her head and he tumbled headlong into her gaze. If he had a soul, it was burning now, set aflame by the desire he saw in her eyes.

”Eliot?” Brynn's hand was on his chest, her fingers toying insistently with his s.h.i.+rt b.u.t.ton. She did not take her eyes away from his.

Eliot took her hand in his, clasping it chastely. His eyes asked a question and hers answered. Answering her longing, he bent down and seized her lips against his.

”Oh!” Brynn let out a soft moan as Eliot deepened the kiss, s.h.i.+fting himself toward her on the bed. He waited for her to respond, taking each step slowly, carefully, until she accepted his advances with her sighs, her fingers clutching at his arms tightly, pulling him.

”Let me know when you want to stop, Brynn.” Eliot's lips moved against her cheek.

”I will.”

”Anytime. Let me know.” Eliot did not want to hurt her, and especially not after what had happened. If he stepped over the line...he shuddered to think of the pain she had suffered through.

”Eliot. I will.” She leaned forward and kissed him, pulling him into her arms. Giving up any pretense of resistance, he pressed his body to hers. The soft curves under the robe moved against his palms, sending him into such an aroused state that for a moment he forgot to breathe.

She broke the kiss and his heart began to beat again. He ran his fingers under the edge of her robe at the collar by her neck. Lips pursed, Brynn watched him intently as he moved his hand down along the curve of her breast, his fingertips just grazing the silhouette of her figure. Down, down to the navel, where he hit the line of her panties. He edged alongside the elastic, trailing his fingertips over her skin, and pushed back the heavy velour robe at her hip, exposing her breast and the line of her body.

”Such wonderful curves...”

”Eliot,” Brynn said, and he paused, looking back up at her face. There was a kind of curiosity in her face that he could tell was fighting with some doubt. In a blink of her eyelashes, though, she brushed it away.

”I want you,” Brynn said. Eliot's heart swelled in his chest and he raised her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers.

I didn't know what I was doing, inviting Eliot into bed with me, but once he held me in his arms every misgiving that I had disappeared. His touch possessed me completely, but he went slowly, carefully, so that I was soon vibrating with antic.i.p.ation. When the robe slipped off of my body, I held my breath. I was not perfect, far from it, but I wanted Eliot to see me entirely, to see every imperfect part of me. The fear of rejection, the doubt that I carried inside of me, made me tense with uncertainty, but I ached for him to take me.

He touched me tenderly, his fingertips marking their way slowly among my curves.

”So many beauty marks,” he said, smiling, his fingers pausing at my hip.

”Moles,” I said, looking down at the place he had paused. ”Those there form a constellation.”

His mouth curved as he recognized the pattern from the night sky.

”Orion?” he ventured. I nodded.

”Are there more?”

”I don't know. I'm not sure.”

”We'll have to find them all, then,” he said. He kissed me again, and I forgot all of my doubts, all of my fears. I only wanted him to stay with me forever.

He kissed me on the neck, his warm breath melting me into nothingness. His lips felt soft and hot against my skin as he moved down to my shoulder, following the line of my collarbone. When he began to move farther down I placed a hand on his arm. He stopped.

”Wait,” I said. ”It's not fair.”

”What's not fair?”

”I'm completely naked,” I said, blus.h.i.+ng as the words came out. It was the first time I had been naked in front of a man, but with Eliot I felt that it was completely right.

”And?”

”And you have entirely too many clothes on.”

”Is that so?” I saw a flash of hesitation in his eyes. ”Well. If the lady insists.”

”I do.”

He unb.u.t.toned his s.h.i.+rt slowly and pulled it off. My breath caught in a soft gasp. The scar on his face was not the only one he had. His muscled arms and chest were covered in long, jagged white seams that puckered his skin. The longest one reached from his shoulder to his waist in a diagonal bolt over his chest. I reached out to touch it. His eyes tracked mine as they lingered on his skin.

”I'm sorry,” I said. I did not know what else I could say. He shook his head.

”All reminders,” he said. I remembered what he had told me in the piano room, back in California.

”A reminder to be careful,” I whispered.

He leaned over me and kissed me on the lips.

”I've been careful for long enough, I think.”

His mouth moved down to my neck, his teeth grazing my shoulder and sending shocks of pleasure running through my nerves. I ached for him as he bent his head down to my b.r.e.a.s.t.s. As his tongue slipped over my nipple, I could feel myself growing slick between my legs, wanting him. I had never felt such a rush of desire as when he circled my breast slowly with his tongue and grazed the sensitive tip with his teeth. A scream tore up my throat and stopped there, strangled before it could leave my mouth.

Eliot felt hard against my leg, and I did not realize what it was until I slid my leg slightly underneath him and he gasped. A newfound sense of power swept through my body as I realized that he was in some small way under my control.

In retaliation, he sucked on my nipple hard and I gasped as pain and pleasure entwined together. I froze as his fingers slid over my thigh, nearing my virginity, and he sensed my hesitation. His body hung above me and his fingers curled back on themselves quickly as though he'd touched a hot iron.

”We can stop, Brynn.”

”No,” I said, the word escaping my lips before I even thought to speak. My desire had taken control of me and I was no longer able to press down on the feelings that had been threatening to escape since the first time I set eyes on him. ”Please, no.”

He hesitated, and I continued softly, embarra.s.sed that the truth should be spoken out loud.

”I want you... G.o.d, Eliot, I want you so badly.”

His eyes went wide, and I thrilled again at the thought that I could surprise him in that way. He bent his head and kissed me on the shoulder, whispering in my ear.