Chapter 32 #3
"I'm sorry, I don't know..."
"Don't apologize." He caught her face, kissed her hard and deep. "Never apologize for touching me. I just..." He broke off with a rough laugh. "I'm trying very hard to go slow and you're making it impossible."
"I don't need you to go slow."
"Yes, you do." His eyes held hers, intense and certain. "Trust me on this."
He lifted her then, easily, like she weighed nothing, and she gasped, wrapping her arms around his neck instinctively.
He carried her the few steps to the bed, laying her down with a care that contrasted the hunger in his eyes. The cool sheets against her heated skin made her shiver.
He followed her down, covering her body with his, and the weight of him pressed her into the mattress. The heat of his bare chest against her bare skin.
She moaned at the overwhelming sensation of it.
"Okay?" He pulled back to look at her, concern flickering through the desire.
"Yes. I'm okay. It's just... it's a lot."
"I know." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. Her temple. The corner of her mouth. "We'll take it slow. I promise."
His lips traced down her neck. Her collarbone. The valley between her breasts. Lower.
Her hands found his hair, fingers sliding through it, not knowing what else to do with them, needing something to hold onto as sensation overwhelmed her senses.
"That's good," he murmured against her skin. "Touch me. However you want."
His hands explored her, the dip of her waist, the curve of her hip, the length of her thigh. Learning the shape of her through touch.
When his fingers found the waistband of her pajama pants, he paused. Looked up at her.
"Can I take these off?"
She hesitated. This was it. The last barrier. Once these came off, there would be nothing between them.
"Divya?" His voice was gentle. "We don't have to do anything you're not ready for."
"I'm ready." And she was. Scared, yes. But ready. "I want this. I want you."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure."
He slid the fabric down slowly, watching her face the entire time, giving her every opportunity to change her mind.
The pajamas joined the pile.
And then there was nothing between them except his trousers.
His gaze traveled over her, reverent, hungry, possessive, and she fought the urge to cover herself.
"Don't hide from me," he said softly, catching her hands when they moved to cover herself. "Don't ever hide from me. You're beautiful, Divya. Every part of you."
He kissed her then, deep and consuming, and his hands began their exploration again. Every curve. Every dip. Every inch of newly bared skin.
She trembled beneath his touch, overwhelmed by sensation, by the intimacy of it, by the vulnerability of being completely exposed.
"You're shivering," he said against her mouth.
"I know. I can't help it."
"Are you scared?"
"A little." Honesty seemed important in this moment. "Not of you. Just... of this. Of not knowing what to do. Of disappointing you."
A low sound escaped in his throat, something between a groan and a laugh.
"Let me tell you something." He pulled back to look at her, his expression fierce. "There is nothing you could do right now that would disappoint me. Nothing. Do you understand?"
"But I don't know…"
"You don't have to know anything." His hand cupped her face. "All you have to do is feel. And tell me if something doesn't feel right. Can you do that?"
"Yes."
"Good." He kissed her again, slower this time, deeper. "Because I'm going to make you feel so good, Divya. I'm going to learn every sound you make, every place that makes you gasp, every touch that makes you moan my name."
His words alone sent heat flooding through her.
His hand slid down her body, slowly, giving her time to stop him, and when his fingers found the most intimate part of her, she gasped.
"Shh," he soothed, his mouth at her ear. "I've got you. Just feel."
His fingers moved with skill and patience, building sensation, teaching her body things she'd never known it could feel.
Her hands clutched at his shoulders, at his back, needing to hold onto something as pleasure built in waves.
"That's it," he encouraged, his voice rough. "Let go. Let me make you feel good."
When the pleasure crested, she cried out, his name, a prayer, a plea, and he held her through it, murmuring praise against her skin.
"Beautiful," he said as she came down, trembling and overwhelmed. "You're so beautiful like this."
She could barely catch her breath, could barely think, could only stare at him with wide eyes.
"That was..." She couldn't find words.
"That was just the beginning." His eyes held promises of more. "And now you're ready for me."
He stood briefly, and she heard the sound of his belt, the rustle of fabric, and then he was back, settling between her legs, his body hot and hard against hers.
All of him. Nothing between them now.
"Divya." His voice was strained. "This might hurt. Just at first. But I'll be as gentle as I can. I promise."
She nodded, trusting him completely.
He kissed her as he began to enter her, slowly, carefully, his entire body taut with restraint. She gasped at the pressure, the unfamiliar sensation of fullness.
"Breathe," he said roughly against her mouth. "Just breathe, sweetheart. I've got you."
She did, breathing through the sharp discomfort, the strangeness of it.
He held himself still, trembling with the effort of holding back, letting her adjust. "Okay?"
"Okay." The discomfort was fading. "You can move."
He did. Slowly at first. Carefully. Watching her face for any sign of pain.
But there was no pain now. Just sensation. Overwhelming and intimate and right. Her hands found his shoulders, holding on as he established a rhythm. Slow. Steady. Deep.
"God, Divya." His voice was wrecked. "You feel... you're so..."
He couldn't finish. Just buried his face in her neck and moved.
She moved with him, instinct guiding her, meeting his rhythm.
"That's it," he murmured against her skin. "Just like that. Move with me."
His hand slid between their bodies, finding that sensitive place he'd discovered earlier, and she gasped as pleasure sparked through her.
"Vikram…"
"I want you with me," he said roughly. "I want to feel you come around me."
His fingers moved in rhythm with his body, building sensation, teaching her that this was more than just him taking. That this was them together.
The pleasure built again, different this time, more intense with him inside her, with the dual sensation of his body and his touch.
"That's it," he encouraged, his voice strained. "Let go. I've got you."
She clutched at his shoulders, his back, overwhelmed by the building pressure, the intensity of it.
"Vikram, I can't… it's too much…"
"You can." His movements quickened slightly, his control fraying. "Come for me, Divya. Let me feel you."
The pleasure crested suddenly, sharply, and she cried out, his name torn from her throat as her body tightened around him.
"God, yes." His voice broke on the words. "Just like that. Just..."
He shattered then, her release triggering his own. His hips drove forward, deeper, harder, chasing his peak as he groaned her name into her neck.
They came apart together, tangled and desperate and completely undone.
For a long moment, neither of them moved. Just lay there, hearts hammering, breathing ragged, trembling with aftershocks.
Slowly, carefully, he shifted his weight off her, though he didn't pull away entirely. Just rolled to his side, taking her with him, keeping her close.
"Are you okay?" His hand smoothed down her back. "Did I hurt you?"
"I'm okay." And she was. Sore, yes. Overwhelmed, definitely. But more than okay. "You didn't hurt me."
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then her temple, then her mouth, soft and lingering.
"It gets better," he said quietly. "I promise. The next time..."
"The next time?" She couldn't help the small, breathless laugh.
"And the time after that." He pulled back to look at her, and his eyes held heat and promise and fierce possession. "I plan to spend a lot of time making love to my wife."
My wife. The words settled over her like a claim. Warm. Possessive. Real.
"You're mine now," he said, his voice dropping to something darker, more primal. "Completely mine. Do you understand?"
She nodded, throat tight with emotion.
"Say it." His hand slid to the back of her neck, firm and claiming. "Say you're mine."
"I'm yours." The words came easily, truthfully. "I've always been yours."
"And I'm never letting you go." His thumb stroked her pulse point. "Not in two years. Not in twenty. Not ever. This isn't temporary, Divya. This is permanent. You're stuck with me for the rest of your life."
"I don't want to be anywhere else." Her hand came up to rest against his jaw. "I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed her again, deep and claiming. "So much it terrifies me sometimes. The thought of losing you…" His jaw tightened. "I'd burn the world down before I let anyone take you from me."
The possessiveness in his voice made her feel safe. Wanted. Claimed in the best possible way.
"You're not going to lose me," she promised. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Good." His arm tightened around her, pulling her impossibly closer. "Because you're mine, Divya. My wife. My love. My everything. And I take care of what's mine."
She nestled against his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath her ear.
No more walls. No more contracts. No more pretending this was temporary.
This was real. This was permanent. This was theirs.
Just Vikram and Divya. Just husband and wife. Just forever beginning.