Since We're Alone |NH|

Chapter 64

I had seen that softer side of her in her mannerisms and the way she was with me but had yet to see it in the bedroom. It's like a different switch turned on every time we had had sex that being gentle was an afterthought. Part of that was on me, I wanted to please her so much because, despite it all, I still had that nagging feeling and voice in the back of my head telling me I wasn't any good. The woman in front of me told me otherwise. Every single time. And I was just now seeing that; just now seeing that I should take it slow with her once in a while. See what that was like; feel what that was like.

I pulled her further onto my lap and held her to me. I brought my hands up to cup her face and tangle my fingers into her hair as I placed my lips onto hers. I was soft, gentle. The neediness we usually had I wasn't going to allow this time. I wanted to take my time with her. Feel every part of her; feel everything I felt for her; lose myself in her.

"Do you think you could love me?"

"What did you just say?"

I froze. Had I just said that out loud? "Huh?"

"I thought you said something?"

"No, I didn't." I began to panic.

Instead of saying anything else, she simply kissed me again. "Let's get out and dry off and climb into bed, yeah?"

I nodded. 

She stood up and held her hand out for me. As we dried off I started to beat myself up for ruining the moment I had been trying to create. I was grateful she hadn't totally heard me or, at least, that she was pretending she hadn't heard me. Although, I don't know which I preferred – her not hearing me or her pretending she didn't.

As we re-entered my room, she was ahead of me but turned around rather abruptly and looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing. I ju—" She stopped. Instead of finishing her sentence, she brought her hand to my arm, lightly tracing her fingers up until she reached my neck, pulling me in and kissing me. This kiss was the same soft kiss I had started moments before.

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her as close to me as possible. I heard her sigh as she pulled back from me long enough to let the towel wrapped around her body drop to the floor. She then hooked her finger along the towel around my waist, causing it to drop to the floor. From there everything started to move quickly, like how it usually was. Once I realized that, I consciously pulled away from her and stopped. She looked at me as I gathered my breath.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I just. Uh, I just want to take it slow. If that's okay?"

She looked at me and nodded. And, so, with her permission, I did just that. I went back into the bathroom and grabbed several of the candles that she had lit and blew out the others. Placing them on the beside table, I tried to reset the atmosphere before turning my attention back to her. 

I traced my eyes and fingers along every curve of her body, kissed my way down her neck, to her collarbone, the valley of her breasts, her stomach, her hip, and my favorite part of her body - that little spot between her stomach and hip that sent goosebumps to the surface of her skin.

Softly, I placed a kiss along her center before I started to lightly tease her, slow and steady. My tongue twirled along her clit, sucking gently before moving down to slip inside her. I felt her grip on the sheets beneath her tighten. I pushed my mouth harder into her, sliding my hands over her thighs before sending them further up her body to her breasts. I pinched at her nipples a little before massaging her breasts in my palms. I could feel her body reacting to every touch I gave her.

"Come for me," I whispered against her skin. "I need you to come for me, beautiful." Her hips bucked up, her body curling up as she clenched her legs around my head. One hand made its way to my hair and tugged on me lightly as I sucked on her, working her little by little until she came on my tongue.

Unclenching her body, her hips dropped back down to the bed as I moved my way back up to her mouth, kissing her softly, letting her taste herself on my tongue before deepening each kiss I gave her.

I hovered above her for a moment, her hands came up to cup my face as I stared down into her eyes. I circled her clit a few times with my thumb before grasping myself and lining up to her entrance, slowly pushing myself in. We both moaned as I felt her warmth around me still pulsing from her own orgasm. A small whimper left her lips as she rocked her hips up against mine, meeting my steady thrusts.

I watched her as she closed her eyes and let out a moan. I dropped down and kissed her throat, then her jaw, and then her lips. I somehow managed to keep my thrusts slow and drawn out, feeling every part of her that I could. I tucked my face down into her neck as I breathed in deeply, her scent intoxicating. She brought her arms around my shoulders and pulled my chest down closer to hers.

Her body began to squirm again which I had learned meant she was close to having her second orgasm. I rocked my hips as her hands found mine, interlacing our fingers together beside her head. I slowly lifted myself up again and peered down at her. Her eyes were boring into mine with a sultriness I hadn't seen before. I bent down to kiss her again before resting my forehead on hers. 

"Fuck, Niall."

I sucked in a breath as she came around me, my eyes never leaving hers. Shaking uncontrollably beneath me, I felt my own orgasm rise through my body and release.

I remained on top of her, slowly moving my hips as we both came down. She was so unbelievably beautiful in that moment, that I know it was etched into my memory forever; an immediate core memory.

Rolling my body off hers, I laid there as I tried to catch my breath. Ophelia rolled over onto her side and peered down at me. She placed a soft kiss on my lips before pulling her body up to the head of the bed and pulling the covers down so she could crawl beneath their warmth. She got under and then leaned down to reach for my hand, pulling me up and putting me under the covers again, much like she had done the night I freaked out on her.

As we settled into bed, I pulled her into me and held on to her tightly. She had just let me make love to her and the feeling it gave me was somewhere close to euphoria.

She got comfortable resting her head on my chest and lightly running her fingers along my arm. I wrapped my arm around her and buried my face in her hair, comforted again by her scent. She felt safe. I felt safe with her.

As I dozed off, she moved a little and I felt her body shift closer to mine. I felt her tracing her fingers along my arm up to my face. And then I heard her whisper, ever-so-softly into my ear, "Yes, Niall, I think I could love you."

She kissed my cheek and rolled over which was probably a good thing because my eyes bolted open and my heart started pounding in my chest. I don't know if she knew I was still awake or not, but I waited a few minutes for my heartbeat to steady before turning onto my side and wrapping my arm around her waist, bringing her bare back to my bare chest. Kissing her shoulder lightly, I closed my eyes and drifted off.