a study in shackles

after,

She's still staring at you as you reach out to hold her neck gently, but when you press your lips to hers her eyes flutter closed, as do yours.

And, God, that kiss is everything.

Her lips are a little chapped but they're still so soft, and she tastes like lychee juice and something else you can't quite place.

It lasts a few seconds until she steps back a little, and you let go of her neck, a little worried that you'd done something wrong - but God her eyes are hesitant and yet wanting. She swallows and you wait for her to say something, and after a moment she does.

"You sure?"

The corner of your lips tilts up a little into a soft smile at her asking your consent - you've never been more sure of anything in your life, you want this, but you appreciate her asking anyway.

She's been so, so patient these past few days as you grappled with yourself - she's given you space, tried to offer you advice, kept her distance and yet made sure you knew that she was there if you needed her.

But right now, her hesitancy is unnecessary.

Forgoing a verbal answer, for now, you step forward and kiss her again, pulling back only to rest your forehead against hers and breathe, "I'm sure."

She smiles a little at that, and it's brighter than the sun filtering down on you, and sweeter than any stupid fruit.

Toni reaches up to cup your neck and you echo the action, skin tingling wherever she touches you, and you kiss her again.

It's less soft, this time, more heated - both of you are moving, now, she grabs your shirt and you lift the hem of hers - she raises her arm and lets you remove it, and you throw it a few metres away before taking your own off and discarding that, too.

And once that's gone, you kiss her again.

She reaches up to tangle her hands in your hair, messy as it is, pulling you closer and closer and impossibly closer. For a moment, you regain some semblance of intelligence, just enough to consciously think that this may be the best thing that's ever happened to you.

And then any fleeting thought involving higher brain function dissipates as oh, that's Toni's tongue brushes against your lower lip, and your body is on fire fire fire and you're pretty sure you're going to die of sudden cardiac arrest but damn, wouldn't this be one hell of a way to go.

You've never felt this way before - you're simultaneously breaking apart and becoming whole at Toni's touch, and then oh you're moving, she's walking the two of you backwards.

You reach back and you feel bark, rough and crumbling against your fingers - Toni gently pushes you into the trunk (for stability, your hazy mind thinks) and you dimly think that it's probably a good thing that you're pressed up between her and this tree, because at the first stroke of Toni's tongue against yours you think your knees are going to give out.

Something in you ignites, something low in your core, and it's a sensation intense enough that you deepen the kiss, infuse it with heat and hunger, and then there is nothing but tongue and teeth and Toni's warm mouth slanting against yours.

Despite not wanting to, you have to eventually pull apart for air - you gasp heaving breaths, watching as Toni does the same. Her eyes are still on your lips, but they flicker upwards to meet your own gaze as she moves back a half-step. "Shelby," she says, "Shelby."

You like the way she says your name; her voice is deeper, lower, than it was a few minutes ago, and the sight of her darkened eyes has you suppressing a shiver. She hasn't asked you anything, didn't phrase your name as a question but you say, "Toni," in response anyway. She bites her lip and your gaze is drawn to it, watching as she worries her bottom lip, wishing it was your teeth doing that, wishing you could-