Overture (Rain Dance, Book 1) (Rain Dance Series) (45 page)

     
Soon I was
moving with him, lowering my hands to his backside, squeezing, urging him to
move faster. He complied.

     
I had no
control over the cries that erupted from my throat. They sounded foreign, as if
they weren't even my own. When I felt his lips on my neck, my eyes began to
water. Suddenly, it was too much. He was too close. Intimacy
had
frightened me…and now that I had it, it was overwhelming. I wouldn't stop it,
though. All I could do was let it run its course. I ran my hands up Ethan's
back, up his neck and through his hair. He lifted his head and kissed me, but
his thrusts didn't slow down - they didn't even falter.

     
Sex with Ethan
was a lot like dancing, only it wasn't the music that was leading me - it was
him
.
I found myself standing on the edge of a cliff much higher than what I was used
to. Every single cell in my body sung like remnants of a choir echoing a
familiar tune. Time had stopped. Time had sped up. Everything was old.
Everything was new. I stood right at the edge with arms wide open as the wind
ripped through my hair and sent tremors up and down my body. I looked down
below. I was high, so much higher than I had ever been before. And for the
first time, my body was
not
eagerly preparing to reach outside itself
and take flight. No. Instead, it was holding onto itself for dear life. It was
a futile attempt. It wasn't up to my body…it was up to the man inside of it. He
sped up to a merciless, unrelenting speed and I could no longer keep up. I
fell.

     
It was silent.
I inhaled sharply, readying myself for the crash. It came in long, hard
explosions starting from the tender core where he pounded into me and spread
throughout, causing sharp spasms to radiate violently in a domino effect. My
body unraveled and I felt myself split in two. Part of me no longer felt my
actual body. Part of me was free, flying in effervescent euphoria. The other
part was still convulsing, coming apart at the seams.

     
I was only
faintly aware of my name being called, followed by the sudden, slow, brutally
hard thrusts as he emptied inside of me.

     
We both stayed
there, unmoving, in a trembling, sweaty mess. But no matter how many seconds
came to pass, I couldn't stop shaking - and neither could he, it seemed.

     
He said nothing
as he gazed down at me. He didn't have to say anything. I could see it in his
eyes...all the things that words could not express. The wonder. The
vulnerability. The bewilderment. The devotion.

     
When he wiped
the outer corners of my eyes with his thumbs, I realized that I had been
crying. I closed my eyes and breathed out, trying to catch my breath. I opened
them and cupped Ethan's face for a quick second before pulling him down to me.
He allowed me to rest his head on my chest. Then came his turn to breathe. I
ran one hand through his hair and the other up and down his back while he
calmed himself, steadying his own breathing. I could tell that he was holding
up a good portion of his weight, and I tried to urge him with my touch to relax
into me. Eventually, I felt his body become heavy against my own.

     
I'm not sure
how many minutes passed, but too soon after, he leaned up and kissed me softly
before pulling out. I winced - it hurt slightly. Upon seeing my reaction, he
halted and began moving very slowly. When he was out completely, I felt as
though there was a hole in me that needed to be filled. I pressed my thighs
together hoping it would help a little. It didn't.

     
"How are
you feeling?" Ethan asked, slight concern etched onto his face.

     
I had no words
- no voice. Just as he had done to me in the past, I touched his nose with the
tip of my forefinger and tapped it gently. He frowned at me, but it turned into
more of a pout. I laughed and he grabbed my hand.

     
"What I'm
feeling right now is either beyond human," I answered, "…or very,
very human."

     
He considered
my words for a moment before nodding and settling down beside me. "How
badly did it hurt?"

     
"Not
too
badly. Mostly it was just…heaven," I sighed contently, leaning my head
against him. "Was it alright for you?" I asked when he didn't speak.

     
He looked down
at me, his expression rather serious, and I began to fear. I had thought it was
pretty much other-fucking-worldly, but perhaps that's just because it was all
new to me. I had no experience when it came to actual penetrative sex, whereas
he obviously did. I was…I mean, I
had been
a virgin - something I knew a
lot of men tried to avoid. Maybe he pref-

     
"Look at
you, all worried," he spoke softly, cutting through my thoughts. He lifted
his finger to smooth out the creased lines between my brows. When he pulled it
away, his lips took its place, planting a small kiss. "Stop it."

     
"…It's
just that I know it's better with someone who actually knows what they're doing,
so if-"

     
"
Stop
,"
he repeated, his voice now hard. He cupped my face, stroking his thumb over my
skin almost reverently. "What we just did…It has
never
been like
that. I've never felt anything even remotely close to what I just felt with
you. It was…unexpected. I didn't…I didn't know it could be like that."

     
Oh.
I
nodded, relieved.

     
Ethan spent the
next few minutes lost in thought while I replayed
what we just did
over
and over again in my head. I had fallen. For a moment, I was more than my body.
I was free. Ethan had just done what my precious music and dancing could not.

     
"Ethan…I
like you more than I like my hubby."

     
I kept my face
pointing up at the ceiling, but through my periphery I could see him slowly
turning his head towards me. He grasped my chin and forced me to look at him.

     
"Say
it," he demanded.

     
I looked
blankly at him.

     
"Say the
words."

     
I didn't have
to ask him to understand what he meant. I looked him square in the eyes and
told him the truth. "I love you."

     
He closed his
eyes and took a long, steady breath. When he opened them, there was some
unnamed emotion on his face as he gazed intently at me. And then he was kissing
me. Our tongues danced together before he took my face between his hands and
began slowing down.

     
"Daphne," he spoke between kisses, "I love you."

     
My heart
stopped.

     
Ethan loved
me.

     
He pulled away
to look at me when I became unresponsive. "…Daphne?"

     
Quickly, I
covered my mouth with both hands, my smile so big it literally hurt. I felt a
blush creep over my entire face and I wanted to giggle. Little pink butterflies
flew out of my stomach and were now dancing around my head. I felt like a fool.
A
completely, perfectly, and incandescently happy
fool. Who would've
thought that three little words could do that? I sure as hell didn't. I tried
to speak from under my hands, but only garbled nonsense came out.

     
"What was
that?" Ethan asked with a laugh.

     
I threw my arms
around him and kissed him fiercely. It was one of utter adoration. He sat back
on his knees, pulling me up with him. Soon that kiss slowed down, too. Only
this time it didn't stop.

     
I woke up the
next morning feeling sore. Not painfully so, just...uncomfortably so. Despite
my resistance, Ethan had insisted on doing everything for me, from making
breakfast to helping me wash up in the bath. I was surprised when the hot water
slightly stung at my core, but thankfully it soon faded.

     
While in the
tub, Ethan scrubbed me using a washcloth with the utmost gentleness. He took
his time, making sure not to miss a single inch of my skin. His touch was
always careful, as though I would break if he were too hasty in his movements.
I was glad when it was my turn to return the favor. While he tentatively
massaged shampoo throughout my scalp, I savored the feel of running the
washcloth over his skin. From this close up, I was able to study his body in
great detail. It would definitely come in handy when I returned to working on
my male angels.

     
When we were
done, he wrapped me in a towel and even dried my hair. It took a while since
there was so much of it, but he didn't rush. When he was satisfied, he went
through the bag of clothes I had bought on Saturday and pulled out my favorite
purchase - a long, dusty pink spaghetti strap dress made of thin, flowing
fabric. It was something I would feel uncomfortable wearing out in public, but
while here with only Ethan present I could enjoy it to the fullest.

     
"
Really
?"
I asked when he told me to lift my arms.

     
He waited
patiently, straight face intact, saying nothing. Pressing my lips together, I
did as I was told and allowed him to slip the light material over my frame.

     
Backing away,
he inspected his work. "…Perfect."

     
I looked away,
trying not to turn red.

     
We spent the
afternoon indoors, doing nothing in particular. There was some lounging, a bit
of eating, a little light dancing, and so on. It wasn't until the sun came out
in the early evening that we decided to go outside and say goodbye to the ocean
before heading back to Seattle. Ethan gave me his dark grey V-neck sweater to
help keep me warm. It might have clung to his body, but it was much larger on
me. Still, I didn't bother to roll the sleeves up. Instead, I brought them to
my face, inhaling the divine scent that was solely his. I would have to ask if
I could have one of his shirts later on so I could take it home with me.

     
We didn't say
too much. It was enough to just be near one another while we enjoyed the
scenery. As the sun lowered in the sky, the colors went from a golden orange to
a spectacular mesh of pinks and lavenders with small hints of blue. I was
instantly inspired to paint it. It would have to wait, but I couldn't see
myself ever forgetting this moment.