Seraphine

forty four

His thumb lifts her shirt once more, and his whole hand slides under the material. He pauses there, gently tracing circles with each of his fingers as he gets her used to the feeling of his hand on her skin. 

"Do you still want me to touch you, darling?" He pulls away slightly, and Seraphine's eyes flutter open. She smiles when she sees him. 

"Yes, Damien. Please?" She asks permission sweetly, and Damien grins right back down at her. 

"Anywhere you don't want me to touch?" He raises an eyebrow, his fingers still dancing along her skin, and Seraphine hesitates. 

"I...I want to get rid of him completely," she starts breathlessly, her gaze dropping down to his lips. "Damien...I need you do to this for me," she says, and Damien almost goes feral as he feels her start to stake in anticipation under his tantalizing touch. 

He nods and swoops down to press a kiss to her delicious lips. 

"I'm honored to refuel your fantasies, my darling." Heat rises up to her cheeks as he says this, and Damien chuckles above her, leaning down to kiss her once more. "No need to be embarrassed, Seraphine. There are no barriers between us anymore," he reassures her, and she nods. She still looks like she wants to shy away from him, however, and Damien can't have that. 

His hand slips further up her torso until his fingers reach the bottom of her breast. He teases the crease there for a few moments, restraining himself, before his hand shoots upwards and he grasps at her skin just as his lips fall back to hers. 

Seraphine lets a loud moan loose as she arches up into his hand, and Damien groans at both the sound and her eager movements. They're both breathing heavily as his slender fingers massage her breast, his thumb skirting over her nipple and making her jump.

"Seraphine," he mumbles, and her hands come up to his shoulders in response. She grips his shirt tightly, pulling him closer to her. Damien almost falls over and he chuckles darkly at the force of her need. 

Seraphine pulls away with a cry and shoves at his shoulders, detaching his hand and body from hers completely. Damien instantly rears back, giving her the space she needs, and opens his mouth to supply her with reassurance. 

"It's just me, Seraphine, it's Damien. It's not him, I promise." His eyes fill with worry as he watches her roll on her side away from him and curl into a ball. He stands up when she starts shaking, and rounds the bed to face her. 

"Darling, talk to me," he begs once he's crouched in front of her, and Seraphine shakes her head, burying her face into the sheets. Damien stares at her with a turmoil he hand't felt since he first started writing. He doesn't know whether to go closer and comfort her with his touch or keep his distance and reassure her with his words. 

"...s-sorry," he finally hears her mumble, and Damien leans forward, placing his large hand on the bed next to her head. 

"Seraphine, darling, please don't apologize. You haven't done anything wrong," his eyebrows furrow with the frustration that Derek has caused in both his goddess and himself. 

Will she ever get over this? Will we ever be able to touch her for more than a few moments?

Even if she doesn't, even if he and his partners can't hold her in their embraces for mere minutes at a time, Damien knows all four of them would be fine with it. As long as Seraphine is in their lives, they would be satisfied. 

"I...you..." Seraphine tries, sniffling once, twice, and then lifting her head. Her watery blue eyes find his hand and she shuffles her body, laying her head back down so her lips brush against his fingertips as her hand comes up to trace his knuckles. She sighs and scrunches her nose. "You chuckles, and I thought--my eyes were closed, and for a moment--"

"It's okay, darling. You're okay. It's just me," Damien assures her, not daring to move his hand that now feels like it's alight with every stroke of her fingers, every feather touch from her lips. 

Seraphine looks up and smiles sadly, leaning forward to kiss his fingers fully. 

"I know, Damien. I just...it's hard," she admits, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Well," he starts, searching his brain for the right words to say. "No matter how hard it is for you, no matter how long it takes before you can accept our touches without doubt or lingering fear, we will be there. Every step of the way." He promises, and watches as her smile grows more genuine. 

"Really?" 

"Really, darling." Seraphine's eyes drop back to his hand, and she sighs against his skin. After a few moments of silence, her gaze flicks back up to his. 

"Will you lay with me? Just until I fall asleep?" She asks, and then bargains, as if he would refuse. 

As if he would refuse. 

Damien is already standing and motioning for her to scoot over so he can fit on the bed with her before she even finishes her question. His haste makes her giggle, and that brings a huge grin to his face. 

"Seraphine, I would lay with you until the sun swallowed the stars." 

When he wakes up the next morning, Seraphine is sound asleep, snuggled into his chest as close as she could get. 

He had never slept so well.