Daire and Aspen

Chapter 2: Aspen

The Rules Get Broken

Our first night together was going swimmingly until he slammed into me and I couldn't hold back the pained yelp that stole my breath. I felt the involuntary tears fill my eyes as Daire reared back to look at me.

"What the fuck just happened?" The look on his face was somewhere between disbelief and anger.

I just concentrated on trying to catch my breath through the pain. He remained buried in me but held himself still as he looked down at me. Unwilling to let him see my pain or my tears, I closed my eyes. Against my will, tears trickled out of my closed eyes.

"Look at me," he demanded gruffly.

I debated the merits of obeying, but then his lips were at my ear, whispering, "Look at me, little one."

The "little one" snapped my eyes open. Daire was the last man alive I imagined using an endearment.

Yet he had.

My eyes opened to his irritated ones. "You should have told me."

"It had to go sometime," I tried for levity.

My attempt failed.

"I wouldn't have gone there with you. I don't do virgins."

"Well, it wasn't in your rules, so what does it matter? It's not as if I'm going to be all starry eyed over you. I promise there's no father waiting in the wings with a shotgun. You seemed like someone who could do the deed and make it good for me, teach me some stuff this month that I can use with other men."

His body went solid at that and he scowled at me. "It'd be good you not mention other men while my dick's still in you," he growled. "As for the rest, it was a surprise, but I can move past it if you can."

"I'm fine, now," I assured him, my hands going to his face. "Proceed as you normally would. Feel free to tell me what to do since I'm kind of winging it here."

His head came closer and he rested his forehead against mine, laughing softly, I realized. "You're going to kill me, you know that, don't you?"

"Hopefully not before I learn a few things," I grinned at him. At that he burst out laughing and dropped a kiss on my lips. That action snapped his head back, and before he could freak out at breaking his very first rule, I turned his focus back to the matter at hand.

"So, are you ever going to start moving that thing in me, or what?"

Freak out averted, his eyes heated and he proceeded to prove why women were willing to put up with his bullshit rules.

A-freaking-mazing. This was going to be a very good month...and if my stupid heart twinged at the thought of our expiration date, I forced those thoughts and feelings way, way back in my head.

An hour later, I was sore as hell but smiling like a chorus of angels was singing around me. Daire got up off the bed and returned with a wet washcloth. Looking down at the mess on my sheets, he frowned. "Aspen, I had blood on me, you're covered in blood and there's blood all over your sheets. Are you sure you're OK?"

Without asking, he gently began washing between my legs and my thighs. I could feel my face flame, and he evaded when I grabbed for the washcloth.

"I'm better than OK," I hissed. "Stop that! I can take care of myself!"

He ignored me, and I blushed through his surprisingly gentle ministrations, refusing to open my eyes, worried he was going to end this before it had even really begun. When he was finished, he went back to the bathroom and I heard the tub filling as he moved around in the bathroom. A few minutes later, he came back, scooped me up and deposited me in the wonderfully warm tub. "I put a couple of those ball things in there."