***WARNING: THIS STORY DEALS WITH ADULT CONTENT OF A SEXUAL NATURE***

She was beautiful lying there with a sheen of sweat covering her body. She was still quivering from the force of her last orgasm. The look on her face was pure feeling, and for a moment he wanted to turn away from her. In the instant of one breath, he could stop what was the logical next step in their night together but when she reached up, touched his face, and kissed the tip of his nose, the gentleness of her motions ceased any notion in his mind of doing that. He wanted her, and she wanted him. In all his long years, he’d never felt what this young, beautiful woman was willing to give to him. He lowered his face to hers, this time kissing her with the same tenderness he felt in his heart. Bash didn’t know it just yet, but something in him had changed, and Ashland Nelson had changed it. She was warm and sweet against his lips. He shifted his weight against her. She parted naturally, and like a hand to glove, he slid inside her. It felt like their bodies were made for each other. This time the sound that came from her mouth wasn’t one of pleasure but was of pain, and he felt a warm gush he wasn’t expecting. Tonight was a night of the unexpected. Bash murmured against her mouth, “why didn’t you tell me?” It wasn’t an accusation but a question of genuine concern. “I…I wanted it to be you,” she whispered, as if it explained everything, and it did. He propped himself up with one arm so he could look into her face, and his other hand wiped the tears that crept out of the corner of one eye. She pressed her face into his hand. Under him, he felt her shake, and she sighed, “I didn’t know it would hurt so much.” Slowly he began to work himself in and out of her. She was wet enough, but it was still her first time, and he didn’t want to hurt her more. Her whimpers that had first been pain-fulled eventually turned towards pleasure as he got her body used to him inside her. His eyes never left her face as he felt her body begin to respond to his strokes, he watched as her face nuzzled his hand in time and rhythm to his body pressing into hers.

Then, when her body started meeting his strokes, he lengthened and deepened them. The catch in her breath alerted him just before she called out his name over and over. Her eyes flew open wide to stare into the depths of his dark orbs. She jerked, she cried, and released her essence all over him. Only when Ash seemed to relax did Bash lower himself closer to her so he could kiss the tears from her face and rubbed his lips against her to let her know she was okay. It wasn’t in his nature so coo those sweet words of lovemaking to the woman under him, but he needed her to know and this was the best way he could think to do it. She calmed down and while he stayed inside of her, he no longer stroked himself in and out of her. He stayed buried deep, enjoying the occasional twitch of her insides around him.

She thought they might stay like that forever. To her, it felt like the night was infinite and tomorrow would never appear. He kissed down one of her cheeks, then the other. She could feel the tears still leaking from the corners of her eyes. Ash hated that she’d cried, but he didn’t seem to think any less of her for her emotion. She felt a change in his demeanor that spoke of a tenderness she never expected from the old Marine. She shivered with both pleasure and an echo of pain when she felt him slip out of her. The ache between her legs was immediate, and she suddenly felt shameful. Was he going to reject her now? She wouldn’t blame him if he did. Her thoughts were racing a hundred miles a minute when he pulled her into his arms and settled back against the bed. He was still so warm against her. He brushed his fingers through her hair. Should she say something? If so, what did she say? As her thoughts continued to race out of control, she heard him whisper, “Thank you.” She felt a fresh wash of tears prick against her eyes, so she squeezed them shut. She snuggled herself around him as much as she could.