Hal I know Izzy’s dying a little inside. I can only imagine the courage it took to do that. The sun is streaming in through the windows, lighting every inch of her, turning her pale skin a creamy rose-gold. I suppose I should say something to put her at ease, take her in my arms, reassure her. But I’m too turned on. I don’t care about her scars; all I can see is the sexy dip of her waist and the flare of her hips, and the fact that she’s now completely naked. My speech center’s not working properly. So instead, I do what comes naturally, and bend and run my tongue up her thigh and over her bottom. She jumps and squeals, then looks over her shoulder. “Hal!” “What?” I touch my lips to the base of her spine, above the two beautiful globes of her bottom that are begging to be kissed. “Sorry, was I supposed to say something meaningful then?” “I... oh...” Her voice trails off as I kiss back down, and then I gently push the cheeks of her bottom open and run my tongue up the middle. “Hal! Jesus.” She goes to roll over, but I put a hand between her shoulder blades and hold her on her front. Reaching for a pillow, I tell her, “Lift up your hips.” “What?” She obviously doesn’t know whether to be amused or irritated. “I’m in shock here. I’m a traumatized soul and you’re supposed to Dog Whisper me.” “Yeah, yeah. The Dog Whisperer’s out to lunch; there’s only me here. Now do as you’re told. The tiger in me wants to play.” “Tomcat,” she corrects. “Whatever.” I tuck the pillow beneath her, push up her left knee, and move until I’m just penetrating her. “Ah, fuck.” “Hal...” “Shh. I’m...” My voice trails off as I slide inside her. Holy fucking hell, she’s so tight. She’s wet and swollen, which makes it easier, and I don’t think my technique is at fault, but I still have to enter her gradually, with short thrusts, burying myself inside her. “Relax,” I tell her. “You’re cutting off my circulation.” “I am relaxed.” She’s not. I know there is a condition that women can have which causes them to tense and make penetration difficult. She’s anxious still, conscious about being naked, unsure of the new position, even though when I asked her, “You like feeling feral?” her answer was a heartfelt yes. I don’t want her to be tense. I want her to enjoy herself as much as I am. I withdraw with a sigh and lower myself down to lie on top of her, sliding my arms beneath her. I kiss her neck, then turn her face and kiss her lips for a while. Finally I lift my head to look at her. “Are you sore?” I murmur, remembering that she bled last night. “A little.” Her light-brown eyes look up into mine. “It’s not too bad.” “Want me to stop?” She bites her bottom lip, then gives a little shake of her head.
“All right.” I slide my hand down her body, over her tummy, and down to her clit. I swirl a finger over it, and she sighs. “We’ll take this real slow. Inch by inch, Izzy. But I’m not stopping until you take all of me.” She drops her head to the pillow and moans as I enter her again and push forward. Oh, I have no way of explaining how amazing this is. I’ve never had so much fun trying to ease my way into a girl. I could do this all day. I kiss her back, her neck, murmur in her ear how crazy she makes me, and gradually I feel the tension lift from her, as her body relaxes into the mattress and her thighs spread to give me better access. I push up onto my hands for the last fraction of an inch, feeling triumphant at the sight of our bodies flush together. I’m buried inside her. My Izzy—no man has ever done this to her before. “Oh God...” She sighs. “I can feel you all the way up.” I pull out, slide the tip of my erection down through her folds, then enter her again. This time I plunge slowly right up to the hilt. “Ohhh... Izzy.” “You ke ep saying I’m tight,” she says, turning her head to rest her cheek on the pillow. “Am I different from all your other girls?” I blink and try to focus. “I’d rather not talk about other women while we’re having sex. And anyway, I haven’t had that many partners.” The air is filled with the slick sound of me moving inside her. Oh, that’s hot. “How many?” she asks. “No,” I tell her, still moving, “not gonna talk about that right now.” “Aw. Spoilsport.” “It’s not the done thing,” I protest. “I’m not jealous,” she says. “It doesn’t bother me.” “Even so.” “I’m interested.” And she is, I can see that. It’s what she’s like in the surgery—curious, scientific. She wants to understand. But I don’t want her analytical right now. I want her brain to turn to mush and her body to take over. “Be quiet,” I scold. “I’m trying to fuck you senseless and you’re not helping.” She looks up into my eyes, hers filled with a spark, and my lips curve up. “Oh...” I say softly, bending to nip her ear, “you like me talking dirty.” “No!” She buries her face in the pillow. “Yes.” She turns her head again, and I can see her cheek is flushed. “Is that terrible?” I move with long, slow thrusts, supporting myself on my hands as I look down at her flushed face, her fluttering eyelids. “No. It means we’re going to have a lot of fun.” “I didn’t realize you were so...” She searches for the right word. “What?” “Wicked.” “I’ve shocked you?” “Yes.”
I laugh softly and nuzzle her ear. “You’re nearly thirty. You swear as much as I do. How can you be so innocent?” “There’s a difference, Hal. I didn’t think I’d ever have sex. I thought I’d die a virgin. I couldn’t even imagine being with someone like this, let alone you. I can’t believe you want to...” “Fuck you?” She buries her face in the pillow, and I laugh. “Oh I do,” I murmur, enjoying the way I’m sliding easily inside her now because she’s so slick and turned on. I feel humbled by the moment, by the knowledge that the woman I love most in the world is letting me do this to her. She didn’t think she’d ever have sex. She’s never had a man tell her all the naughty things he wants to do to her. Never had a guy so eager to have her that he can’t ke ep his hands off her. Her world has been cerebral, not physical, and I want to change that. I want to give her pleasure. And I want to take my pleasure from her soft body, too. She’s sighing now with each thrust, a sexy little half-moan, half- exclamation that fires me up. I increase my pace, and she pushes up onto her elbows and turns her face for my kiss. She’s forgotten about her scars, about everything exc ept how amazing it is to be together like this, and I kiss her fiercely while I cup her breast and play with her nipple, and she moans loudly against my lips and pushes back against me. That’s what I was looking for, the sign that she’s enjoying the position, and now I start thrusting in earnest, driven by this incredible urge to claim her and take her with me to the edge. Izzy spreads her thighs and gasps loudly each time I plunge into her, and I can feel she’s not far from coming. Oh Christ, she’s going to clamp around me again. I hope I don’t pass out. “Fuck yeah,” I tell her, “come on Izz, come for me again,” and as if on command she does, squeezing me with fierce, hard pulses. There’s no way I’m surviving that, and I give a roar any big cat would be proud of and let my climax spirit me away, losing myself in the beauty of the moment, the exquisite pleasure, an orgasm that’s so powerful I can hear my heart in my ears and when I’m done, I’m like a limp noodle, completely spent. “Holy fuck,” she says, panting, as I collapse on top of her. “Now I know why they call it banging. I think you drove the headboard through the wall.” I wasn’t even aware of that. “Sorry,” I mutter. I’m completely spent. “You’re squashing me.” “Mmm.” I manage to withdraw from her, but I can’t bring myself to move. “Hal... You’re fifty pounds heavier than me.” “I can’t move. I’m literally in capable.” “Jesus.” She gives up and rests her cheek on the pillow. I close my eyes. Her body’s soft beneath mine. Our skin is sticking together. I want to stay here forever. * I do shift off her eventually. Then I fall into a light doze. I think it’s only for about twenty minutes or so. When I finally open my eyes, it’s to see Izzy lying on her left side, hugging the pillow, watching me. Her scarred shoulder and arm are clearly visible, but she no longer seems bothered by it. “Hello,” she says. I roll onto my side to face her. “Hello.” “I bet your favorite breakfast cereal is Frosties,” she says.
“Huh?” “Tony the Tiger.” She smiles. “Rawr.” I yawn. “You’re so placid normally,” she says. “You’re not one of those arrogant, aggressive guys. But in bed you’re...” Her eyes take on a sultry look. “Kinda alpha.” She drops her gaze to my lips. “You even smacked my butt.” “Did I? Sorry about that.” Her gaze is gentle, amused, devoted. “I think I’m in love with you, Hal.” I look into her eyes. Outside I can hear the fantails chirruping away in the bush, and the sea in the distance. The storm has washed the world clean, and it feels bright, as if someone’s scrubbed it and polished it. “I think I always have been,” she continues. “Probably since I was eleven. I told myself it was the kind of love a person has for a good friend. But it’s not. This,” and she gestures to the bed, “has shown me that. It’s much, much more.” I’m holding my breath. “What do you mean?” “I don’t just like you, Hal. Or even just love you. I know the difference now. I’m in love with you. I think about you all the time. And it’s only going to get worse now I know what you’re like in bed. Everything I imagined... everything I hoped... You’re it and more. The moment we finish having sex, I want to do it again.” “I’m happy to oblige.” She smiles. “I know. And I feel... I don’t know... amazed, humbled, excited, that you want me.” “Oh, I do, sweet Izzy.” I pull her into my arms until we fit snugly together. “I’m thrilled that at last you’re beginning to get a glimpse of how I’ve been feeling for the past hundred years.” There’s wonder in her eyes. “You’re a smooth talker,” she says, “I know that. It’s a King thing, you all say what you think other people want to hear.” “We really don’t, Izz. We say what’s in our hearts, that’s all, and if it’s not in our hearts we don’t say anything.” She’s still not ready to believe I feel the same way about her. But that’s okay. I’ll have to show her, that’s all. I’d be happy to start now, but she sighs and checks her phone. “We should start getting ready.” “Aw. Spoilsport.” I watch her flick the screen with her thumb, then pause to read. Something about her expression catches my attention. “What is it?” She turns off the phone. “Nothing. Just a work email.” I catch her hand as she goes to get up. “Are you having a shower?” “Mm. Why?” “Thought I might join you.” She gives me a wry look. “We need to get to work.” “Of course. But you can’t give me images in my head of you all wet and slippery and expect me to ignore them.” She laughs and tugs me. “Come on, then. But don’t blame me if we’re late.”