20 – A Body Worth Remembering

"Sometimes what you don't take says more than what you do."

~~~~~~~~~

The room was quiet, still thick with the weight of her release. Zaya lay back against the bed, her breath slowing in steady waves. Her body was warm everywhere: flushed, open, humming beneath the surface.

Cael remained between her thighs for a long moment, his hands gently tracing the outer lines of her hips as if anchoring her there, not just physically but emotionally.

When he moved, it was with intention. He shifted up her body, kissed her belly and then pressed his chest against hers as he climbed over her, his lips found hers.

The kiss was slow, sensual. His lips carried the taste of her, and when her tongue brushed his, she felt it, the echo of what they had just shared. She gasped lightly into the kiss, surprised by how deeply it stirred her.

Her hand slid over his shoulder, into his hair again, tugging him closer. Their lips moved together, heat blooming again between them, not urgent, but thick with something unspoken.

Then she felt it. His arousal, undeniable and pressing through the fabric of his pants, resting firmly against her thigh. The difference in pressure, the tension in his breath, the small shift in his jaw… all of it told her he was holding back.

She reached for him instinctively, fingers gliding down his abdomen until they met the cool buckle of his belt.

But before she could undo it, he caught her hand.

~ Cael: "Not tonight."

His voice was low and steady. More breath than sound.

Zaya paused, eyes lifting to his.

~ Zaya: "Why?"

Her voice wasn't frustrated. She wasn't teasing. She genuinely wanted to understand.

He kissed her once more, slowly, and then pulled back just enough to look at her fully. His hand moved to cup her jaw, his thumb brushing the corner of her lips as if the truth needed grounding before it was spoken.

~ Cael: "Because when I take you for the first time…"

He paused, gaze locked on hers.

~ Cael: "I want it to be something I remember with my whole body. Not just want. Not just heat. Something that carves itself into my skin."

She blinked, caught somewhere between ache and reverence.

He traced the edge of her lower lip with his thumb.

~ Cael: "I've waited this long. I can wait a little longer. Even if it means a cold shower."

A small laugh escaped her, light and warm, the tension breaking just enough to make room for intimacy.

She nodded once and let her hand fall back against his tight.

Cael sat up slowly and began to undress, not rushed, not for show, but like a man taking off armor. Lne button at a time. His shirt came off, revealing a body that was strong, lean, and deeply human. Not a gym advertisement but real. Muscular without being bulky. Scars, small and pale, crossed his ribs. His stomach was hard, the lines of definition etched without vanity.

When he unfastened his pants and stepped out of them, she saw him fully: naked, aroused, and still entirely composed.

Her breath caught again, this time softer.

He was beautiful. Not just in the obvious way, but in the way a body could hold power and control in equal measure. His erection stood hard and full between them, and for a moment, she simply looked.

He didn't flinch under her gaze. He stepped closer, lay beside her, and pulled her gently into his arms.

She tucked herself against him, bare skin against bare skin. Her head rested on his chest, her fingers drifting lightly across his torso. She traced the line between his pectorals, the faint indent above his navel, the subtle ridges of muscle near his hips.

She could feel his heartbeat, steady and strong.

Her hand drifted lower, not toward his center, but across his thigh, as if memorizing the shape of him the same way he had memorized her.

They lay together in a silence that didn't ask for anything more. The room was warm, dim, and wrapped around them like a second skin.

Zaya's body fit along the line of Cael's with quiet ease, her head resting on his chest, one leg draped over his thigh, her hand soft against his stomach. His skin held heat from her touch, and every few breaths, she could feel his chest rise and fall beneath her cheek in a rhythm that had started to match her own.

He stroked the line of her back with the back of his fingers, tracing along her spine, dipping just under her shoulder blade, then down again. Not for arousal, just to touch. Just to let her know he was still there.

Zaya blinked slowly, her eyes half-lidded as she followed the shape of his body with her gaze. She watched how the low light carved soft gold into the muscles across his chest and collarbone, how his throat moved when he swallowed, how still he stayed when she shifted her weight slightly, settling into him more fully. He held space without demanding it.

For the first time in years, she wasn't thinking about what came next, not what to say, not what to do, not whether she had given too much or not enough. She simply felt okay, here with him.

Cael looked down at her, his eyes half-shadowed, his hand now smoothing over her hip. His thumb brushed the top of her thigh, slow and thoughtful.

~ Cael: "You always get this quiet after?"

His voice was soft, but not teasing.

She smiled faintly against his chest.

~ Zaya: "Not really. But this... is different."

He didn't push her to explain. He just nodded once and let the words rest between them.

After a few moment, he asked her:

~ Cael: "What are you thinking?"

She shifted onto her elbow, lifting her gaze to meet his.

~ Zaya: "That I didn't expect to feel like this."

~ Cael: "Like what?"

She glanced away, then back again, her expression calm but honest.

~ Zaya: "Like I'm not waiting for something to break."

He looked at her for a long second, then touched her face, his knuckles brushing her cheek, light as breath.

~ Cael: "Nothing has to break."

She exhaled, a long, steady breath, as if those words gave her body permission to finally soften.

They lay in silence again. His hand moved back to her spine, tracing slow, aimless patterns while she rested against him. Her own fingers drifted over his chest, feeling the slope of his shoulder, the line of muscle near his ribs. She memorized him the way she memorized form on paper, not as anatomy, but as presence, as emotion held in flesh.

Her hand paused above his heart.

~ Zaya: "You know what's strange?"

He hummed, the sound low and warm in his throat.

~ Zaya: "You see me like no one else ever has. Not just my body. You see how I breathe. How I pull back when I'm overwhelmed."

His thumb traced the curve of her spine again, steady and slow.

~ Cael: "I watch because you let me."

~ Zaya: "I let you because you don't ask for more than I have."

He met her eyes. There was no answer he needed to give. She had said it clearly. What they were building wasn't performance. It wasn't game. It was real, and it was becoming something she no longer feared holding.

She lay her head back against his chest. He shifted slightly, adjusting the blanket around her. The movement was careful, practiced, like he'd done it before, for someone he wanted to stay.

Zaya's breath slowed. Her eyes closed, and this time it wasn't to block out the world. It was to rest in it.

He kept his arm around her as her body relaxed into sleep. His fingers never stopped moving, barely there, just enough to let her know that even in rest, she was being held.

And he didn't sleep right away. He stayed still, listened to her breathing. And let her quiet settle into his chest like something worth protecting.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹