[18] Melding of Shadow and Light***

I take a steadying breath, calming the storm inside me. I can't rush this. I need to make it good for her.

Starting slowly, I brush feather-light kisses along her jaw, her neck, feeling her pulse flutter beneath my lips. She sighs softly, arching into my touch. My hands trail down her sides, learning the contours of her body. I want to memorize every curve, every sweet spot that makes her gasp or tremble.

"Akira..." she breathes, fingers tangling in my hair. My name on her lips emboldens me. I capture her mouth again, kissing her deeply as my hands continue their leisurely exploration.

I break the kiss to trail my lips lower, eliciting a needy whine from Marin. The sounds she makes are intoxicating, urging me on. She's panting now, skin flushed, hands restlessly roaming my back and shoulders.

"Please..." she gasps when I reach the waistband of her pajama shorts. I smile against her feverish skin, enjoying how desperate I've made her already. Slowly, teasingly, I begin sliding the shorts down her legs. Marin lifts her hips to help, making me groan at the friction.

I toss the shorts aside and return my attention to her newly exposed skin. Marin squirms and whimpers beneath me as I kiss my way up her legs. "Akira...I can't...I need..." she tries to speak between moans.

"Shh, I've got you," I murmur. My hands skim her thighs and hips, thumbs just barely grazing the edge of her panties. She shudders, arching into my touch. I grin, trailing my fingers along the lacy fabric.

"Please, Akira..." she pleads, and I can't deny her any longer. I slide her panties down her legs, drinking in the sight of her bare before me. Marin flushes under my heated gaze but doesn't shy away.

I kiss my way back up her legs, encouraged by her breathy moans and restless squirming. As I reach her inner thighs, I pause.

"I love you, Marin," I whisper, the words escaping. Marin's answering smile is radiant. She pulls me up to meet her lips again.

"I love you too," she murmurs against my mouth. "Now show me how much."

Her boldness startles a laugh from me. My Marin, never one to hesitate going after what she wants.

I trail my fingers up her thigh once more, watching her face closely. Her lips part, eyes fluttering shut in anticipation. I lean in, brushing my lips against her inner thigh. Marin shivers, hands fisting in the sheets.

"Akira..." she whimpers, arching her hips toward me. I smile against her feverish skin, enjoying how I'm able to make her come undone with just a few teasing touches.

Slowly, I continue kissing my way upward, alternating between her thighs. Marin is panting now, legs falling open to give me better access. I pause just before reaching her most sensitive area, drawing out the anticipation.

"Please," Marin gasps, hands coming up to tangle in my hair. Unable to deny her any longer, I press my mouth to her slick heat. Marin cries out, back arching off the bed at the contact.

I take my time exploring her with my lips and tongue, learning which movements make her moan loudest. My hands grip her hips, holding her in place.

"Oh god, Akira!" Marin nearly shouts, thighs quivering around my head. I grin against her, doubling my efforts. Her hands tighten almost painfully in my hair as I bring her right to the edge.

Just before she can tip over, I pull back slightly. Marin whines in protest, trying to press closer. I blow a stream of cool air over her heated flesh, making her shudder.

I lower my mouth to her slick flesh once more, flicking my tongue rapidly over the spot that makes her squirm the most. Marin's cries reach a crescendo, body tensing as she finally crests that peak, shuddering through her climax.

I continue languidly stroking her with my tongue as she rides out the aftershocks, hands still fisted in my hair. Gradually her thighs stop trembling, her moans fading to soft whimpers and sighs. I give her one last lingering caress before lifting my head to look at her.

Marin's eyes are closed, cheeks flushed, chest heaving as she catches her breath. She looks thoroughly satisfied. I smile, pressing a gentle kiss to her hipbone. Marin's eyes flutter open at the touch, meeting my heated gaze.

"Akira...that was..." She seems at a loss for words, still coming down from the high.

"Good?" I ask with a grin, trailing kisses up her stomach. Marin huffs out a laugh, swatting playfully at my shoulder.

"More than good. Amazing. Incredible." She emphasizes each word, making me chuckle. I continue kissing a meandering path up her body, hands skimming her waist and ribs.

"Well I'm glad I could make your first time so..." I pause, brushing my lips teasingly along the swells of her breasts. "Memorable."

Marin shivers at the sensation, fingers tangling in my hair once more. Our eyes meet, hers still dark with desire. Slowly she guides me up to capture her lips in a heated kiss. I feel her hands trailing down my back, tracing along the waistband of my pants.

I gently stop Marin's wandering hands, lifting my head to meet her gaze.

"Tonight was about you," I murmur, brushing a sweat-dampened lock of hair from her forehead.

Marin pouts up at me. "But I want to make you feel good too." Her fingers play at my waistband again, more tentative this time.

I catch her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. "You already have."

Marin's eyes soften. She trails her fingers down my jaw. "You're always so careful with me. Let me take care of you for once."

My breath catches at the intensity in her gaze. I'm torn between my desire and the need to maintain control. Sensing my hesitation, Marin leans up to nip at my earlobe.

"Please?" she whispers, and my resolve crumbles. I nod, not trusting my voice.

Marin's answering smile is radiant. Deft fingers make quick work of the drawstring on my pajama pants. I lift my hips to help her slide them off, breath coming faster.

Marin tosses the pants aside, eyes raking over me hungrily. I flush under her admiring gaze but don't shy away. Slowly, she reaches out to trail gentle fingers along my length. I suck in a sharp breath at the contact.

Marin glances up, watching my reactions closely as she continues her unhurried exploration. Her curiosity mingles with desire, touch becoming bolder but still tender. She maps every ridge and vein, cataloging the ways I react with delighted fascination.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to regain control as Marin's curious exploration threatens to undo me completely. Her tentative touches are maddening, keeping me teetering right on the edge.

"Marin," I gasp out, reaching down to still her hand. She glances up, eyes wide and uncertain. Immediately I soften my grip, brushing my thumb over her knuckles reassuringly.

"That feels amazing," I say gently. "But I don't know how much more I can take."

Understanding dawns in Marin's gaze. "Oh! I didn't mean to tease you so much." A mischievous grin curves her lips. "Well, maybe a little bit."

I huff out a laugh, some of the tension easing from my coiled muscles. "minx," I mutter, brushing a sweat-damp lock of hair back from her forehead.

Marin leans into the touch, then turns her head to press a kiss to my palm. The simple intimacy of the gesture makes my heart constrict. No one has ever touched me with such tenderness before.

"Tell me what you need," Marin murmurs, nuzzling against my hand.

I trail my fingers along the delicate line of her jaw, tilting her face up to meet my gaze. "Just you," I whisper.

Marin's lips part on a soft inhale, eyes shining. Slowly, giving her time to pull away, I lean in to capture her mouth in a deep, languid kiss. Marin sighs against my lips, melting into me.

My hands skim down her sides, tracing each dip and curve until I'm gripping her hips. Marin slides her arms around my shoulders, nails lightly scoring my back. I groan at the sensation, kissing her harder, our bodies flush against each other.

Marin shifts, spreading her thighs so I can settle between them. We both gasp as I press against her slick heat.

"Is this okay?" I ask breathlessly, holding back through sheer force of will. Marin nods, eyes dark, guiding my hips closer.

"Yes, please, I want to feel you..." she breaks off on a moan as I rock my hips, sliding through her slick folds. My eyes fall shut at the exquisite sensation, overwhelmed.

"Look at me." Marin's soft command has me opening my eyes. She gazes up at me, love and desire shining in her eyes. "I want to see you."

I press my forehead to hers, our breaths mingling. Keeping my eyes locked on Marin's, I slowly ease inside her tight heat. Her eyelids flutter but she keeps her gaze fixed on mine. I pause when I'm fully sheathed, trembling with the effort to keep still.

"You feel so good," Marin breathes, lifting her hips experimentally. I groan, grip tightening on her waist.

"You're going to make me cum if you keep that up," I warn through gritted teeth. Marin grins.

"Maybe that's my goal." Before I can respond, she rocks her hips again, making me curse under my breath.

"Minx," I growl, nipping at her lower lip. Marin's answering laugh dissolves into a moan as I retaliate by circling my hips. Her nails dig into my shoulders at the sensation.

We quickly find our rhythm, trading heated kisses between gasps and sighs of pleasure. The tension in my core builds steadily, muscles coiling tighter. I can tell Marin is close again from her ragged moans and restless squirming beneath me.

Reaching between us, I brush my fingers over the sensitive bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs. Marin cries out, inner walls clenching around me. The sensation wrenches a groan from my chest.

"Let go, Marin," I murmur in her ear, continuing those tight circles with my fingers. "I've got you."

Marin's back arches, a keening moan spilling from her lips as she crests that peak again. The feeling of her coming undone beneath me, around me, pushes me over the edge. I follow her into bliss, shuddering through my own intense release.

As we slowly drift back down, trading languid kisses, a sense of peace settles over me. Marin is soft and pliant in my arms, eyes closed, a contented smile curving her lips. This feels right in a way nothing else ever has.

Regretfully I ease out of Marin, collapsing on my back and pulling her against my side. She immediately cuddles close, draping an arm over my chest and tangling our legs together. I press a kiss to her hair, tightening my arms around her.

"I love you," I murmur into the drowsy silence. Marin tilts her head up to meet my eyes, her own shining.

"I love you too." She brushes her lips over mine, just a feather-light caress, but it conveys everything words cannot.

As we trade sleepy, sated kisses, the rest of the world fades away. In this moment it's just us, together in our own private universe.

For once, the shadows don't seem so dark or close. Marin's light is keeping them at bay, warming me from within.

Eventually we drift off, still wrapped in each other's embrace. And for the first time in as long as I can remember, there is only a sense of peace.