Moving above Nate, I let all of my insecurities go and just allowed myself to feel everything. He told me I was beautiful countless times. He seemed taken by me, and I by him. As the waves of emotion came crashing over me, I sat up, arched my back and let my head fall. Nate gripped my hips, pushing himself into me, deeper. Just when I thought everything would break away into tiny particles of ecstasy, he rolled me over quickly without breaking our connection and thrust himself into me two more times, much harder than we had been going before. I strained to get closer and then a second later I was crying out. Nate tensed above me as silent quakes rocked him. He shivered, feeling his own release. My body pulsed and tightened everywhere around him. I could hear the blood rushing in my ears as my vision filled with light.
The next moment of awareness I had must have been minutes later. Nate was next to me on his side, holding me as I lay on my back. His body was lower and his mouth was near my breast, his face resting on his own arm extended above him. There was a sheen of cold sweat coating our bodies but I wasn’t chilled. Still heated from the inside out, I was comfortable and sated.
There was something vulnerable about the way Nate held me as he dozed off that night. His position, below me and embracing me like a treasured gift, was so heartwarming.
Sometime later, he stirred. I awoke, looking down at him. “Why aren’t you sleeping, baby?” he said, his voice low and soothing.
“I didn’t know if you were going to take me home.”
He sat up quickly and flipped on the small light on the nightstand. “Take you home for what?” His eyes were open wide now.
“I didn’t know if you wanted me to stay.” I pulled the covers up to my neck and peered up at him. He glanced at the clock, which read 1:10 a.m., then looked back and crooked a smile. He yanked the covers back, exposing me. Without hesitation he slid toward me and pulled me tightly into his chest. His hand caressed my back. “Will you stay with me, Avelina? I want nothing more.”
“Yes.” Somehow a couple of sentences made it feel right.
“Sleep, baby.”
In the morning I snuck out of bed and tiptoed into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I looked at Nate’s things. He was very organized and tidy. His toothbrush was in a metal rack. I grabbed it then opened the drawer below the sink, searching for the toothpaste. The moment I looked up, I felt hands on my bare hips. He watched me in the mirror as I sucked in a breath through my teeth. We were both completely naked in the bright light as he pressed up behind me.
“Looking for something?”
“T-toothpaste,” I answered.
He opened the drawer to the right and handed me the tube. I looked at him in the mirror curiously, hoping he would give me a private moment. Oh. I’ll give you a moment, his look said. When he turned I couldn’t help but stare at his perfect backside; the muscles in his back were angular, narrow, and strong. He turned back quickly, almost as if he had heard my thoughts. His hands were on my hips again. I stood bolt upright. He bent and kissed my shoulder then slid his hands up my sides to cup my breasts. Pulling me hard against his body, he spoke near my ear. “I can’t get enough of you.”
I held my breath, closed my eyes, and a moment later I felt his absence, he was gone, giving me the promised moment.
I found one of his T-shirts, slipped it over my head, and made my way to the kitchen, where he handed me a steaming cup of coffee.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Good.”
He took the coffee from my hands and set it down before he braced my hips and lifted me up onto the counter. He stood between my legs and smiled. “Good? That’s it?”
“I feel great.”
He ran his hands up my bare thighs to the bottom of the T-shirt. He inched it up ever so slowly, staring down at the space between my legs and grinning.
“For a doctor, you seem oddly mesmerized by my anatomy,” I said.
“You have no idea.” The shirt came up just enough to expose me to him. He looked up, still grinning, and arched his eyebrows.
We spent the rest of the morning in bed.
In the afternoon, I went with Nate into town to pick out some décor and furnishings for his house. He had modest tastes, which I appreciated. On our way back from town he seemed nervous about something. He tapped his thumb on the steering wheel and flicked a glance at me a few times.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head.
“Tell me.”
He pulled in front of my cabin, put the car in park, and turned toward me. “I wanted to see if you would stay with me again.”
“So much for taking it slow. Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”