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She tasted of hi to be able to go slowly

He did, though She was eager, but aard, trying to lift her hps to hihtly He took her hands, one at a tiainst his chest Her palhtened

"Feel my heart," he said His voice sounded thick to his own ears "Tell me if it stops"

He hadn’t actually ave a nervous laugh The laugh disappeared as he touched her Her hands tightened on his chest; then he felt her relax, opening her legs to him

"I love you," he murmured "Oh, Bree, I do love you"

She didn’t answer, but a hand floated up froentle as a tendril of seaweed She kept it there while he took her, laid open in trust, while her other hand held his beating heart

He felt h; alive to everything He could s of fear that tinged her desire

He closed his eyes and breathed Tightened his grip on her shoulders Pressed slowly Slid in Felt her tear and bit his own lip, hard enough to draw blood

Her fingernails dug into his chest

"Go on!" she whispered

One sharp hard thrust, and he possessed her

He stayed that way, eyes closed, breathing Balanced on an edge of pleasure sharp enough to cause hier?"

"Ah?"

"Are you…really big, do you think?" Her voice was slightly treroped for remnants of coherence "About the usual" A flash of concern penetrated the feelings of drunkenness "A you a lot?"

"N-no, not exactly Just…can you not move for a minute?"

"A ht it would kill hiladly

Her handshis buttocks He shivered and ducked his head, eyes closed, painting her face before his mind’s eye with a dozen small and mindless kisses

"Okay" She whispered in his ear, and like an autoan to move, as slowly as he could, restrained as he went by the pressure of her hand on his back

She stiffened very slightly and relaxed, stiffened and relaxed, he kneas hurting her, did it again, he ought to stop, she lifted up against hi him, and there was a deep and bestial noise that heand gasping like a landed fish, he jerked free of her body and lay on her, feeling her brsts crushed against hier drunk but wrapped in guilty peace, and felt her arms around him and the warm breath of the whisper in his ear

"I love you," she said, her voice husky in the hop-scented air "Stay with me"

"All my life," he said, and wrapped his arether, welded with the sweat of their efforts, listening to each other breathe Roger stirred at last, lifting his face frohtless and heavy as lead

"All right, love?" he whispered "Have I hurt you?"

"Yes, but I didn’t th of his back, ht? Did I do it right?" She sounded faintly anxious

"Oh, God!" He bent his head and kissed her, long and lingering She tensed a little, but then her ht, then?"

"Oh, Jesus!"

"You certainly swear a lot, for a minister’s son," she said, with a faint note of accusation "Maybe those old ladies in Inverness were right; you have gone to the devil"

"Not blaspheainst her shoulder, breathing in the deep, ripe scent of her, of theh

"Oh, it was all right, then," she said, with an unmistakable note of relief

He lifted his head

"Christ, yes," he said, ain "How could you possibly think otherwise?"

"Well, you didn’t say anything You just lay there like soht h, his face half buried in the s up for air "Behaving as though your spinal column’s been reentleman-like, maybe, but honest"

"Oh, okay" She see about that, but then it wouldn’t; it didn’t bother hat happens afterward"

"What book is this?" Hewith a noise like two strips of flypaper being parted "Sorry about the roped for his wadded shirt and handed it to her

"The Sensuous Man" She took the shirt and dabbed fastidiously "There was a lot of stuff about ice cubes and whipped creaood about how to do things like fellatio, and--"

"You learned that froer felt as scandalized as one of the ladies of his father’s congregation