by Dianne Frost
“I’m sorry,” she whispered softly, moving to untangle her hand from his boxers, but he gripped her wrist, squeezing hard and she felt his chuckle more than heard it, a small gust of air against her collarbone.
“No,” he said, his voice raw and he swallowed hard. “No, that’s good.”
He lifted his head to rest against her forehead, breathing deeply and she nuzzled her nose with his, tentatively squeezed again and listened to him hiss. He reached to shove his boxers down, kicked them off his legs impatiently and Kelsey felt the tip of him leave a wet trail along her thigh before she gripped him again. She tried to remember everything Reva had ever told her about sex but his hand was in her underwear again, fingers slipping through her wetness to rub her slowly, the tips of his fingers nudging inside before retreating, rubbing slow circles around her clit again. She panted, allowing her hand to slide along his shaft, a movement that gave him a full body shiver so she did it again.
Kelsey felt clumsy, unable to concentrate or keep any kind rhythm while his fingers pressed steadily in and out of her, his thumb smudging her clit in a way that made her thighs tremble. She could feel the wave building, her nipples tightening, her stomach heaving. In the end she just held him in her hand when her orgasm hit her, her back arching and she let out a sharp cry when his fingers curled inside her and ratcheted the pleasure up to ten. She was whimpering, her face pressed into his shoulder, exhaustion making her limbs heavy.
Alex sat back on his knees, reaching for the waistband of her panties and when he pulled them from her ankles she let her legs fall limply open on either side of his hips, her hands reaching for his thighs, nails scraping against his skin to try and pull him closer.
“Jesus, Kelsey,” he moaned, falling over her again and she grabbed his hips, trying to get him closer to her, her nose nuzzling against the side of his face. “You’re gonna kill me.”
“Please,” she murmured against his ear, wiggling and enjoying the slide of her skin against his. She felt him let out a shaky breath against her neck.
Kelsey hummed as she felt him slick the tip in her wetness, trying to widen her legs even more though her hip flexors screamed in protest. She braced herself for the burn as he began to press in and breathed against it, shivering hard when she felt his hips press flush to hers, pressing against a spot inside her that made her legs tremble.
“You okay?” He asked, his voice pulled from the back of his throat and she nodded against him, letting her hands smooth up the wide expanse of his back, his skin turning to gooseflesh at her touch. “Stop me if you need to,” he panted, before burying his face in her neck and beginning to move.
Kelsey had braced herself for the burn; she’d felt raw all day but after a few long strokes she was staring wide eyed at the ceiling, moonlight dancing above them as a feeling so intoxicating she couldn’t even begin to describe it flowed through her. She panted unevenly, her mouth open and she tried to wet her dry lips but he shifted his hips and nudged a place inside her that sent electricity straight up her spine.
Alex felt Kelsey’s arms start to tighten around him, her back arching and he gritted his teeth against the new position, feeling as if his entire body was going to explode from the pleasure of it. Her palms continued to press into his shoulder blades, her breath panting hard in his ear. When he lifted his head to look down at her, he saw her eyes wide, a savage fire dancing in them, desire and need radiating out at him. He felt a sharp tug in his groin that he had to bite his lip brutally against. He watched her face as he increased the speed of his thrusts, his hips bumping hers with a little more force and her eyes rolled back into her head, her back arching as her arms tightened around him even more.
Suddenly she was clenching around him like a vice, a sharp cry sounding over and over. Alex’s arms actually gave out, the feeling of her inner muscles pulling him deeper being his undoing. He let out a dry sob as her body milked his flesh dry, her cries dying to whimpers as her muscles finally began to relax, settling her body into the mattress. He gasped sharply as her body clenched him a few more times, the sensation shoving the air from his lungs and making him writhe over her, too much and not enough all at once.
He lifted his head from her neck, watching her pant and swallow hard in the soft light from the kitchen, a few wisps of hair laying across her face. He steadied himself on one shaking arm, fingertips brushing lightly against her face as he tucked it back behind her ear. Kelsey looked up at him dazedly, her eyes unfocused and a lazy smile pulled at her lips which he kissed away slowly.
“Ready?” He asked, his nose nuzzling hers and she looked at him confused for a moment. “Or do you want a towel?”
“What?” She asked, still confused and he sighed, guilt gnawing at him. I guess English isn’t the only thing I’m going to be teaching her now.
He cleared his throat. “It’s customary for a gentleman to offer you a towel afterward for… erm… clean up,” he said and watched her face turn crimson, his own ears burning and she giggled.
“Oh, Reva never-” She cut herself off abruptly realizing what she had said and Alex gave her a small smile.
“I figured as much. I promise not to bring it up at parent teacher conferences,” he deadpanned and Kelsey giggled again. “Okay, remember, close your legs, turn on your hip as fast as you can.”
Kelsey nodded and then hissed as he slipped out of her, turning her body so she lay curled on her side, facing the kitchen. Alex clamored off the bed, walking through the kitchen to the laundry and grabbed a clean washcloth. Kelsey looked scandalized as he turned to face her, getting a full view of his naked body, slim hips and broad shoulders, the bare hint of musculature on his abdomen. She licked her lips at the sight of his length, marveling at how unconcerned he was by his own nakedness. She curled a little more into herself, her arms wrapped around her chest. He leaned down to place a tender kiss on her forehead, laying the washcloth next to her and turned his back to saunter back into the kitchen.
“Do you want some water?” He asked, not even glancing over his shoulder and she eyed him, reaching for the towel and unfolding it.
“Uh…yes? Thank you.” She looked at the towel before thinking, Well… and reached down to wipe herself, something she found both amusing and kind of humiliating.
She peeked over at him, finding his back still firmly to her, giving her privacy which she giggled at realizing she’d never really thought about what happened after sex and no one really talked about it either. She figured it was probably best to just follow his lead. She folded the towel over itself and looked around before laying it on the floor beside the bed, telling herself sternly not to forget it was there and drop it in the laundry the first chance she got. She settled back against the comforter, nestling her head against his pillow an odd mix of her body spray and his own clean scent clinging to the fabric. He finally turned and padded back over with two glasses of water, handing her one and drinking his as he stood next to the bed. Kelsey was finding it very hard not to stare at him as she sipped from her glass. He set his glass down on a coaster on the bedside table and climbed onto the bed, crawling neatly over her and she set her own glass down, rolling to face him.
He settled next to her, his arm tucking up under his pillow as his other hand reached for her hip, pulling her closer. He trailed a finger along her cheekbone, sweeping her hair off her neck so it fell behind her and she looked into his face openly, maybe for the first time ever, taking in the heavy set of his brow, the indigo color of his eyes unique and deep; she’d never seen anyone else with his shade of blue. His fingertips were dancing over the cap of her shoulder, his touch light and unhurried giving her goose flesh. She reached a tentative hand up to run the tip of her finger down the straight bridge of his nose, his eyes closing slowly before opening as she traced the full bow of his lips. His hand closed around her wrist, holding her steady to kiss her fingertips, examining them, then her nails with a curiosity and focus that gave her the feeling of being x-rayed.
“
Has anyone ever told you how intimidating your eyes are?” She asked him, and he released her so she could cup his cheek, her thumb smudging the delicate skin under his eye. She felt his lashes brush her fingertip as his eyes closed with a chuckle.
“I’ve gotten some compliments on my eyes throughout the years, yes,” Alex replied, propping his head on his hand and gazing at her fondly. “Not sure I would consider ‘intimidating’ to be a compliment though.”
“You never noticed how you can shut up an entire classroom with one look?” Kelsey asked and the corner of his mouth twitched.
“I may have noticed that.”
They were silent for a moment, Kelsey letting her hand wander over his shoulder, down his arm and then to his waist, fingertips skittering over his ribs, his muscles twitching when she accidentally tickled him, but his eyes never left her face. She bit her lip, wondering suddenly how often he’d done something like this. He was so careful not to let himself get close to his students and when he did…well here they were. She didn’t want to think about this now, not while he was letting her touch him as she pleased, enjoying the exploration of his skin, feeling every bump and freckle. He had a thin pink scar that curved around the left side of his rib cage, the skin rougher than that around it. He shifted.
“What?” He asked softly, his thumb capturing her lip and tugging it from between her teeth. She looked up at him, a hint of anxiety in her eyes.
“How’d you get this?” She asked, her fingertip running over the scar again and he twitched but this time it wasn’t from being tickled.
“In the service,” he said evenly and she looked up into his face which was blank and emotionless.
“How?” she asked, resting her hand on his waist.
He didn’t like talking about his time in the Marines, but something about the way her hand rested against him felt almost soothing, something that startled him and reminded him how long it had been since he’d been with a woman he wasn’t just physically attracted to. It was widely known in Lambency that Alex didn’t date anymore. He’d had his fair share of fizzled relationships with local girls when he moved to town but nothing had stuck and most of them had moved on and married. Fitz got him drunk and consequently laid on occasion, mostly tourists looking for a beach fling who were more than happy to send him off in the morning without a breakfast invitation. He and Fitz were Lambency’s most eligible bachelors and the town had become content with letting them stay that way.
“It was a sword fight,” Alex said and Kelsey rolled her eyes. “I wish I were kidding,” he added and Kelsey gave him a dubious look. “I was an FLO in the service. Foreign Liaison Officer.” He frowned, feeling his hand falling asleep and wiggled onto his back. Kelsey scooted closer, her hand resting on the middle of his chest. “Sometimes that job is very serious and plays a critical role in foreign affairs. This assignment, not so much. Basically I was an errand boy between the Marines and the Russian navy in Siberia-“
“Siberia?” Kelsey said astonished and Alex merely nodded and went on.
“-and I ended up playing mediator between these two drunk diplomats who liked to argue over Arctic trade routes.” He rolled his eyes and Kelsey was still staring at him with her mouth agape. “Anyway, one night they were well in to a bottle of пять озер -vodka,” he amended when her brow creased. “and one of them grabs the decorative шашка…uh, saber, from the mantle and draws it. I get in the middle - stupid - and try to get the thing away from him and ended up in the hospital for my trouble.” He smiled and then laughed despite himself. “Actually, I think that’s why I ended up being reassigned. They wanted a marine that wasn’t such a pussy and would let them dump пять озер on the wound and sew him up with fishing line.”
Her eyebrows drew, touching the scar again tentatively. “You speak Russian?” She asked but it wasn’t really a question. There had been a Ukrainian exchange student her Freshman year and the halls had been abuzz about how Mr. Danvers scared the crap outta the kid by yelling at him in Russian when he wouldn’t stop flirting with the girl that sat next to him.
Alex nodded, picking up her hand and lacing his fingers through hers. “Is this where you ask me to say something in Russian?”
Kelsey smiled. “You can if you want.”
He smirked. “Моё су́дно на возду́шной поду́шке по́лно угре́й”
Kelsey giggled. “What’d you say?”
“I said ‘The hovercraft is full of eels,” he replied and Kelsey snorted.
“What?” she asked with a giggle and he shrugged. “It’s an old Monty Python joke.”
“Is that some 80s hair band?” Kelsey asked and Alex blinked at her.
“No,” he said and snorted a laugh. “No it was a- Really you’ve never heard of Monty Python? Monty Python’s Flying Circus? Monty Python’s Holy Grail?”
Kelsey gave him an apologetic smile and shook her head. Alex looked up at the ceiling in wonderment. Generational gap. “Why Russian?” Kelsey asked.
Alex’s eyes met hers then looked back down at her hand again but didn’t respond. Kelsey didn’t ask again, rested her cheek against his arm and watched him let her hand rest on his stomach still entwined in his. She wanted to ask him more, about his life in the marines and how he ended up in Lambency and the question of whether or not he had done this before wouldn’t quit nagging her. She gave his hand a squeeze and took a deep breath.
“Can I ask you something?” She said squinting up at him and his head lolled to the side to look down at her, seeing the hesitation in her eyes.
“I dunno Miss Charming, can you?” he teased and she scowled at him, pinching his nipple which made him squirm.
“Yes, Mr. Danvers,” she snarked back and he fought a smile. “May I ask you a question?”
“You may,” he said with a nod and then rolled his head to look down at her again. “But I’m not guaranteeing I’ll answer it.
Kelsey gave him a contemplative look, untangling her fingers from his and resuming the lazy drawing on his chest with her forefinger. The silence was heavy between them for a moment before she finally sucked in a breath and asked, “Have you… have you ever done this before?”
Alex blinked down at her. Surly she wasn’t asking him if he had been a virgin. He almost laughed but it died in his throat when the real meaning of her words clanged into place. He bristled, shifting his body and she pulled her hand back, sensing his displeasure at her inquiry but he raised his arm over his head, inviting her to rest her head on his shoulder, his hand warming her bicep.
“No, Kelsey,” he said seriously as he pressed his face into her hair. She rubbed her cheek against his skin. “I worked very, very hard for a very long time to avoid even the rumor of something like this.”
She nodded reaching out again to continue her investigation of his body, feeling a fine smattering of hair along the center of his chest, not even visible but it tickled the tips of her fingers. He wiggled so he could see her face, reaching to run his hand through her hair lazily, his fingers catching on tangles and working them out slowly. He watched her with interest, her face open and innocent as she circled one of his nipples with the pad of her thumb, her fingers moving to splay along his rib cage and she let her hand rest there for a moment, rising and falling with his deep breathing.
She really had a beautiful face, he finally allowed himself to admit. He wasn’t sure what was different about it tonight but her eyes seemed larger, a deep chocolate brown, the flecks of gold shimmering in the low light flung from the kitchen. The thin smattering of freckles along the bridge of her nose were invisible tonight, her lips full and red, a side effect of being kissed so thoroughly for so long. She jumped when he leaned in to kiss her again, her hand reaching to hold the side of his neck. His nose nuzzled hers as he pulled back, his gaze intense and wondering.
“What about you?” He asked, knowing full well the answer, but he liked the color of her cheeks when she blushed. “How many poor English tea
chers have you lured in with your siren song?”
“Oh God I can’t carry a tune in a bucket,” she said with a giggle and Alex laughed.
“Has anyone every told you how uncompromisingly literal you are?” He reached to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and she scrunched up her nose and shook her head. He stared at her for a moment, enjoying looking at her face then said, “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever heard about you dating anybody.” His head tilted to the side as he laced his fingers through hers, turning their hand this way and that. He grinned as she looked down, turning redder still. He cupped her cheek, feeling the heat there.
“Nobody ever asks me out,” she admitted with an embarrassed smile. “Or if they do it’s because they’re playing wingman so their friend can get to Reva.”
Alex shook his head with a chuckle. “I don’t believe that.”
“Oh, it’s true.” Kelsey sat up a little to roll onto her stomach and rest her chin on his chest. She nudged his arm when he openly laughed at her. “By the time we hit sophomore year I was just like ‘Look, we both know why we’re here. You buy the movie tickets I’ll get the snacks and we should sit a row in front of them because the sucking noises get really distracting during the quieter scenes.’” Alex’s back arched against the bed laughing and Kelsey blushed at her confession but thrilled that she had made him laugh. She apologized to Reva in her head. “She’s just boy crazy.”
“I can tell,” Alex said his head lolling to the side to look at her.
Kelsey nudged him. “If you want to know the truth…” Kelsey bit her lip, wondering if she should confide in him. It almost felt like a betrayal.
“What?” He asked, his eyes piercing and she was perilous to stop herself.