I’ve never put a condom on a man before, and my hands are shaking so badly I can’t possibly do it. Leaning into him, I laugh against his mouth. “I’ve never done this, you’re going to have to help me.”
And with that, he laughs along with me as he says, “Dahlia, you are . . . amazing.” The moment isn’t broken as he chuckles, “Yeah, I can do it.”
But he doesn’t, instead he reaches for another packet and tosses it on the bed as he throws the unused condom to the floor. Then gazing at me with his powerful green eyes, he says, “But there’s something I have to do first, something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.”
Then gently, he rolls me over onto my back, resting my head on the soft pillows. He moves his leg over my body. Hovering over me, he looks down with a wicked grin and says, “Dahlia, I need to taste you.”
CLOSER
Help me tear down my walls
I want to be near you
I need to feel you
I don’t want to be with anybody else
I only want to get closer to you.
Photography is all about finding the moment, but it’s nice to know when to put the camera down. Sometimes I’ll ask myself, “Do I want to photograph this, or should I just experience it?” Right now in this moment I know I want to just experience it.
With his last words, our momentary lapse into laughter quickly fades and emerges as a different emotion entirely—pure desire. He’s standing in front of me while I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, nodding, speechless. Emotions are sailing through me as we embark on this course, seeking the beautiful horizon. I want him. No, I need him—badly. But, as quick as a sail goes up on a windy day, a surge of nervousness wraps itself around my desire like the chain of an anchor, dragging me down. He wants to taste me? Thank God Aerie took me to the salon! I haven’t slept with a man in almost two years. Is it like riding a bike? Do I remember or even know how to do this? God, what am I doing naked in front of this delicious man whose middle name could be Seduction? Should I stop now before embarrassing myself, before drowning myself in the vast ocean?
He must sense my apprehension because as he leans into me, he whispers, “Don’t worry, we’ll take it slow.” His words do extraordinary things to me. They give me the courage to continue the course we have charted, to dive into this sea of desire so welcoming, so warm, so inviting.
Moving between my legs, he rests on his forearms as he begins to softly kiss my lips. Snaking my arms around his neck, I pull him closer to me, arching my back and pressing myself up into him. I want him inside me, now, but he seems content taking it slow. I’m aching for him, not only because I’ve been abstinent for so long, but also because I have wanted him for far longer.
As my hands slide along his taut muscles, feeling the smooth skin of his back, they make their way around his hips and feel their way to the point of no return. Before they meet their destination, he stops kissing me. Raising his head, breathing heavily, he lifts himself back up onto his arms and looks at me pointedly. “Not yet,” he whispers, shaking his head and kissing my nose before gliding his lips down my throat.
As I try once again to slip my hands around his hips to feel his hardness, he slides his body further down mine. I can feel his grin as his mouth connects with my hard wanton nipple, circling it, sucking it before moving to the other. The feeling is overwhelming, and I’m shocked that I feel like I can come again so quickly. Knotting my fingers in his hair, I begin tugging on it as if it’s a life raft pulling me ashore.
My hold is lost as he descends further down my body, my breath increasing at an alarming rate. I can feel his tongue on my stomach, jetting in and out of my navel, as small moans escape me. River mutters, “You taste so good.”