A Slow Burning Candle *Main story completed, additional scenes to be added*

Chapter 24.5: By Starlight (Explicit)

It was strange. She had felt this longing for years and now that she was here, her feet padding silently up the stairs, a twinge of nervousness come over her.

A little less than an hour ago, she'd been sitting downstairs in the school, wondering how she was going to get to sleep and now she was married and leading her new husband to her bed.

She felt like a teenager, sneaking her boyfriend up to her room. Of course, she'd never done that either...

By the time they stepped into her kitchen, she was certain that the flush in her cheeks was more than apparent.

Luz knew what was going to happen, but she didn't know what he was expecting.

He'd always been patient and loving with her, his touch gentle. Perhaps the only time he gotten rough was when he'd pulled her back and pinned her against the wall downstairs while they waited to see if they were going to be found out.

Holding his body to hers, he hadn't looked at her while he listened to the crowd outside. She'd been grateful at the time, or else he might have noticed the look of pleasant surprise in her eyes. It had only been seconds after she'd plucked up the courage to kiss his cheek, but she was damned if in that moment, she hadn't felt a new and dangerously pleasurable feeling.

At that moment he had her, and god he could have had her.

Now that all the barriers between them were removed, she suddenly found herself to be a blushing virgin.

She felt his hand close over hers and release her fingers to extract the lantern from her grasp. He put it down on her kitchen table and she watched as he set the bottle of alcohol down as well.

When she didn't immediately meet his eyes, he stepped in close to her, watching as she raised her chin and finally looked at him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." It was a whisper.

"Nervous?"

There was a half-smile and she nodded, "Kind of."

He smiled back, "Me too." A peck on her lips, "Are you sure?"

She tortured him with a moment of thought before her lips lightly pursed, "Absolutely."

It was all her needed to hear. Bruno closed the gap between them, holding her. He could feel the shiver in her body at his touch, anticipation radiating out from her already hot skin.

He didn't have any more experience than she did, but he knew how he wanted the night to go. And if he wanted to give her the best night possible, he was going to have to start tenderly.

Lifting her up in his arms, he carried her into the darkened bedroom. The motion caused her to give a light gasp and he relished the sound.

From what he knew of Luz, he would expect her to be quiet tonight, as quiet as she could be anyway. Before too long, he hoped to get her into the vision cave where he could close the door behind them and do his best to make his new wife lose all her self-control.

The windows were already closed, she rarely opened them at all the bedroom if she could avoid it. It was only through the very top of the shudders could the palest of moonlight creep in.

Setting her down, he was surprised when he felt her lifting his ruana, and he ducked his head, allowing her to take it off him.

The lantern in the other room gave her just enough light to work from, and he watched her fingers as she undid his shirt buttons. When she reached the last one, she slipped her hands in, running down the hair on his chest – toying with it. Bruno watched her, letting the shirt fall back and off his form before throwing it to the side.