Chapter 253 - Move the stars for you pt1 (2/2)
He caught the hand that hung by her side and pulled her to a stop. He waited until she turned to face him. ”If this is going to be too much for you right now, you don't have to do it. If you still want to help you can simply help me with the mapping or take on some of the finance doc.u.ments. You don't have to relive all those old memories... at least not until you're ready.”
Jos swallowed back the frustration that her own weakness caused. She nodded, ”It may be best if I did. It seems like Chary is having a better time with the diaries than she ever would with finance doc.u.ments anyway.”
Arei chuckled, ”She will absolutely love all the fine s.e.x details, even of the heteros.e.x.u.a.l nature.” He cupped Jos's cheek. ”And an added bonus for the rest of them as she's down there reading. None of them know her, it's simply a story to them... even to Shelly and Russ. Though it's their parents, they never really knew them, and as much as Russ is protesting it, he will appreciate this in time, being able to share it with family and friends... to get to know a side of them they may have never gotten to know otherwise.”
Jos nodded; her words cut off by building emotions. She stepped closer to him and rested her forehead against his broad c.h.e.s.t. ”You're right...” She whispered.
He stroked her back soothingly. ”What do you say we go for a swim first, maybe we can go through some of the underwater libraries while we are down there, then if you're feeling up to it, we'll start on the doc.u.ments once we get back.”
Jos nodded against his c.h.e.s.t. She forced herself to step away from him, not wanting to leave the warm, comfort of his arms. To her surprise, he caught her hand and held it as they climbed the stairs and headed to his room. She smiled as he closed the door behind them. ”It's going to be weird swimming in an actual swimsuit with you.”
A mischievous grin curved his lips as he pulled her into his arms. ”Who says you have to?”
She narrowed her eyes at him as she pushed playfully against his c.h.e.s.t. ”You did, Sir... as I recall in order to give me time to properly rebound...”
His grin widened as he pulled her tighter against him. ”I didn't realize we were talking about doing more than swimming.” He lowered his lips to hers, trailing the bottom swell of her lips with the tip of his tongue teasingly.
Her eyes heated, ”Maybe not... but it does bring such things to mind when dressed in so little.”
A low growl rumbled his throat in an almost purr. ”And you think that tiny string bikini of yours is going to bring it to mind any less? More so, I'd think...” He let the tips of his fingers tease lightly across the exposed flesh of her arms as he bent to kiss her fully.
Jos narrowed her eyes as she pressed against his c.h.e.s.t and forged her most seductive smile. ”Then maybe you would stop holding back so goddamn much.” She whispered against his lips as she placed a teasing kiss there before turning away from him and heading to her luggage.
Arei chuckled as he ran his hand along the side of his head. Shaking his head as he made his way over to his own bags, he murmured. ”You will surely be the death of me...”
Jos glanced up from her bags in surprise, her memories going back to the many weeks they'd spent together before their travels here the first time. ”It's not the first time you've ever said as much...”
He nodded as he pulled his swimming trunks from his luggage. ”Probably won't be the last either.” He tossed his trunks onto the bed as he held his hand out to Jos, offering her help up from her knelt position. Once she was standing, he took the bikini from her hand and set it on the window seat in front of her. ”Here, turn around and I'll help you unzip your dress.” He let his thick finger brush against the s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e column of her neck as he brushed her hair over one shoulder. ”You're right I do hold back with you tremendously; I believe we have well established that fact and the reasons... but it doesn't change the fact that I'm still highly tempted to slowly remove this dress and whatever garments you have underneath...” He slid his hands under the sleeves cupping each shoulder and let his hands glide down the length of her arms slowly until she was able to slide her hands free of the garment. Once the dress hit the floor, he carefully unsnapped her bra and kissed the opposite shoulder as he removed the strap from the other. When she tried to stifle a m.o.a.n as he continued kissing her shoulder and back of her neck, he couldn't help but smile. ”Personally, I find there are far better forms of intimacy than simply having s.e.x... In all honesty, it's probably the least intimate among the options.”
”Then what are your better options...” She whispered, gripping her bra tightly to her c.h.e.s.t, her body intently aware of where his hands and mouth were.
A smile curved his lips once again as he grazed his fingers along the bottom swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t in a feathery light movement before wrapping his arm around her and turning her in his arms. He held her brilliant aqua eyes as he answered. ”My favorite? I'd think that would be obvious by now.” He tilted her chin up and kissed her soft lips. ”Physically, I prefer kisses and holding you in my arms... I like the idea of each of us getting reacquainted with one another's bodies slowly, rediscovering those special spots that make you shudder...” He teased his fingers along the flesh of her neck focusing his attention on the area directly behind her ear lobe before sliding his hands into her hair and giving a gentle tug to bring her focus back to his face. ”And making new discoveries...” He licked his lips as he watched her bite into her bottom lip. He brushed the pad of his thumb across her lip, soothing away the pain of the bite before lowering and placing a kiss to it. He gently plucked the bra from her grip as he continued lazily teasing her mouth with shallow strokes of his tongue. He let the bra drop to her luggage as he lifted and held her out at arm's length. He let his eyes roam over her timid expression, taking in the mixture of d.e.s.i.r.e and uncertainty still there. He didn't let his eyes travel any lower, keeping them focused on hers as he squatted in front of her and tugged the thin laced p.a.n.t.i.e.s down over the swell of her h.i.p.s and t.h.i.g.hs until they reached her feet. He forced his eyes to stay trained on her wide eyes as he stood and lifted her into his arms.
Jos swallowed hard unable to say anything as she searched the turbulent depths of his Caspian eyes. She dug her fingers into his shoulders as he began to move toward the window seat, but she still couldn't form words or any logical thoughts.
He smiled as he set her down on the padding of the seat, still standing between her t.h.i.g.hs. His eyes held hers as he reached blindly for the bikini top. ”I prefer to first build emotional intimacy where you understand and trust that just because you are n.a.k.e.d before me, doesn't mean that you somehow owe me your body or that I'm going to take it.” He placed the top against her c.h.e.s.t and wrapped the strings of the top around her neck, carefully lifting her hair out of the way before tying them into a neat bow. He held her gaze as he stroked his hands down her sides, taking his time to retrieve the bottom strings hanging there before tying them behind her back as well. ”Does it need tightening or loosened?” He asked. When she only nodded with the same wide-eyed, shocked expression on her face, he frowned slightly unsure if his point was being made clear enough with her lack of words. He slid his hand along her jaw and cupped her below the ear as he lowered his lips to hers again. When she met his kisses readily this time with more gusto, he let his hands slide down her sides and wrap around her waist. He lifted her off the seat and placed her feet lightly on the ground before bending to the side and retrieving the bottoms without breaking their kisses. The monitor on her wrist beeped faintly as they moved.
Jos let out a frustrated m.o.a.n as his lips pulled away from hers with an audible pop. Her cheeks reddened as she watched him lower to the floor in front of her once again, this time holding out the already tied bottoms for her to step into. She was amazed at the fact his eyes hadn't left hers once during all this, but surely an ex-warrior would have magnificent peripherals. Gods, how she wanted him right now! Her cheeks burned as the beeping of the monitor increased.
He tugged the bottoms up as he slowly stood, letting his fingertips brush her smooth skin as he did so. ”I understand that our first time together you were still new to a lot of things, but I hope this time around you understand. The thoughts of bending you over that seat and watching the reflection of your perfect b.r.e.a.s.t bounce as I f.u.c.k you hard from behind are still there, but what would it really mean... what would be the point if we hadn't established the other parts of intimacy first? It would just be s.e.x...” He ran his hands through the loose strands of her hair. ”You have always and will always mean more to me than just s.e.x.”