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Chapter 17

OUR CLOTHES FELL TO THE EARTH LIKE THE RAIN THAT HAD forgotten this land

He lay back against that dry, parched earth, like a jewel laid upon a rough grey cloth He had begun to glow before all his clothes had colowed behindflared underneath his skin, as if the lightest touch of ertips on even the most neutral parts of his body was almost too much I wondered what he would do if I touched less neutral places

I laid the very tips of two fingers against the swell of his upper chest Light blossoht white, but around e and red like true flame Where I touched him, his body ran hotter, and that red, hot heat followed ers down his body I traced down his sto, ainst the dry earth His eyes fluttered shut and his hands scrabbled at the bare earth, and all I had done was trail fingers across his stomach I lost patience then, I wanted to see what he would do when I wrapped my hands around that most intimate part of him

I think he expectedswollen bit of hi, but I didn&039;t

I wrapped my hand around hiround, and the feel of him in my hand closed my eyes, bowed ined So hard, so terribly hard, that he felt more like smooth, hard marble, except he was so very warirl, or I won&039;t last"

"So hard," I said, and my voice sounded breathy and hoarse

"I know," he whispered, "too hard I will not last"

"Then don&039;t last," I said

He frowned at me, eyes still wild "What?"

"Then don&039;t last, for this first time, meet your need You can prove your stahed "I don&039;t believe in next times All that&039;s real to me is you, here, now"

He sat up and leaned in towardnow, just close

"If I aain"

I leaned in toward hiether

"Did she judge you all on just one night?"

His eyes widened "Yes," he whispered

"I don&039;t"

He s that Frost and Doyle were less than spectacular the first time?"

I had to smile "No"

"Then who?"

I shook ot spectacular with practice"

He drew back far enough to see my face clearly "You mean that?"

"Yes"

"They can&039;t all have been a"

"If they weren&039;t, I&039;ll never tell"

"You won&039;t tell," he whispered

I started to touch his face, but he pulled back just enough to be out of reach

"Tell what?" I asked

He gave

"Oh," I said, and sentler smile "No, Amatheon, I won&039;t tell"

He wrapped his arainst him His back was covered in the dry, powdery dirt I expected it to be rough, but it wasn&039;t It was smooth and fine like the softest talcum powder It did not distract from the war spread over warh to show him my hands covered in the soft, dry powder

"So soft" I looked up at hiainst other places as it does on my hands?"

He drew me close, and just before his lips touched me, he whispered, "Let&039;s find out"

Chapter 18

WE ROLLED OURSELVES IN IT UNTIL WE LOOKED LIKE GREY ghosts The shine of our h snow

He pressed his hardness against the front of my body and the back of me He was alainst my stomach, my ass, but he would not enter me He rubbed his body over me as if his manhood were another way to caress ht, and the few ti with his need My hand found that a second pulse lay in his groin, beating against the palm of my hand He ainsta parody of position after position, but he would not enter ive himself to my hand or my mouth