Chapter 20—No More Distance
Claire
The rain crashed down on them, covering their bodies with drops that sparkled and refracted the moonlight into tiny bits of color. Myrnin didn't let Claire go, his unbreakable hold not allowing her to move even an inch. His eyes demanded promises she wasn't sure she was ready to give. The eternal moment lingered as he revealed the full force of his passion and love for her through his relentless unfathomable dark eyes, forcing her to decide. He wasn't holding anything back now and she knew if she rejected him in this moment, he would make himself let her go, and never allow himself to be this vulnerable again. Pain washed through her at the thought. The idea that he might never look at her this way again crushed her. She couldn't breathe. Something broke inside of her - released, freed her - from the fear and guilt that had kept her heart locked away from him. As the shards of her self-denial fell away, she could see it now - see a life with him. She pictured it in an acute, almost painful clarity. And she wanted it - more than anything she had ever wanted before.
Claire drew in a sharp breath as this new realization dawned on her, and she knew he could see the change in her wide eyes. She was finally looking at him with love reflected back in her eyes. Not the new inexperienced love of a girl. Instead she stared back at him with the full understanding of a woman, completing the unspoken connection between them.
Myrnin smiled in fierce joy at her response, and Claire didn't think she'd ever seen him look so beautiful. She reached her up and ran her fingers gently through his long wet hair, pulling it back off of his face, so she could see him better. His look deepened as he leaned down to her. She read the intent in his eyes and her body responded with waves of excruciating desire. Myrnin crushed his lips to hers, rhythmically moving while he possessively pulled her even closer to him.
Claire knew he wouldn't hold back tonight.
Her mind swam - incoherent to everything but him - as more waves of desire flooded through her.
Myrnin slid one of his hands along her waist, and to the front of her, moving slowly up to the top button of her shirt and deftly undid it single-handedly. He continued down, methodically releasing each button until there was nothing left between his hand and her skin but a lacy black bra. Claire briefly considered the revealing position she was in. They were still standing outside the hotel and now the front of her shirt was completely open. But he held their bodies so closely together, she knew no one else could see the soft skin he had exposed.
Claire's body responded with flashes of heat everywhere his hand roamed. Myrnin brought his fingers to her neck and held it with experienced strength as his mouth moved down the other side of her neck to kiss and caress her with his tongue. Claire leaned her head back, and randomly wondered if he planned to bite her. In the state she was in, she didn't think she would care.
She felt his free hand begin to move, sliding under the back of her shirt, and then the gentle snap of her bra as he undid it with two fingers. She felt her eyes roll back slightly in her head, but gripped enough coherence to whisper, "Myrnin..."
"Hmm?" he purred.
"I think...Oh!" Claire gasped as his hand found her bare breast, freed from the constraint of her bra.
"What do you think, my dear?" he murmured as his mouth found its way back to her lips.
Claire was having trouble making rational thoughts, as his hand moved gently on her breasts, making her see sparks of color against her closed eyelids. "I...think...maybe we should go into the hotel now," she breathed.
That seemed to bring him back to his senses a little. He looked around, chuckled and then sighed. He lifted her with ease to cradle her in his arms, keeping her exposed front tucked into his chest. Then moved with inhuman speed to their room.
He gently set her down on the bed, and stepped back.
If she thought Myrnin was beautiful before, he was beyond words now. Standing in the moonlight, looking like a fierce avenging angel as he undid the buttons of his shirt and let it fall to the ground, never taking his eyes off of Claire. The sheer curtains ghosted in the breeze behind him from the open window, completing the illusion of wings.
Myrnin moved toward her with unnatural grace as he climbed onto the bed. Her breath caught in her throat as anticipation curled her belly. In a move so quick, she didn't have time to realize how he did it, Claire found herself straddling him, with him sitting beneath her.
He gently removed the last remnants of her top and bra, dipping his head low to give her sweet kisses over the curves of her burning skin, before bringing his mouth back to hers.
Claire pulled back to catch her breath, and stopped to look at him, reveling in the strength and power of the wild and untamed creature beneath her. He was hers. She smirked in satisfaction.
He raised an eyebrow in question, responding to the new look that came into her eyes.
She pushed him so that he was lying on his back and brought both of his hands over his head holding them in place. He understood and stayed still, while his pupils dilated so completely that his eyes looked black. She felt interesting twitches in his body beneath her.
Claire began to run kisses along his jawline to his ear and back again, then along the ridges of his chest. Myrnin started to reach for her, but she forcibly pushed his hands back down and seductively commanded in his ear, "No."
Myrnin growled low in response.
She reached down to unlace her rain soaked skirt. And gently removed it along with her underwear, keeping her gaze locked on him, warning him to keep still with her eyes. Fully naked, she settled back down on his hips, keeping his hands captive, as she went back to kissing his neck.
He closed his eyes and she heard a barely audible moan escape his lips, as she felt more of his muscles ripple beneath her. He tried again, "Little Claire, you know self-control is not my strongest attribute..."
Her response was the same, as she grinned provocatively and whispered in his ear, "No."
She wondered how far she could push his acute restraint and rocked her hips forward pushing into him, hard.
That did it.
Myrnin flipped her over and was on top of her in another lightning fast move, somehow shockingly removing his pants as he did so, leaving nothing left between them.
"I'm in control now..." an unspoken promise in his words as he slid the tip of his tongue along the vein in her neck and stopped to whisper in her ear, "Tell me what you want?"
Claire's eyes were wide. Her heart beat out of control in her chest.
"You," she breathed. "All... of you." She entwined her fingers into his hair and wrapped her legs around him. The force of the truth of that sentiment, sent another type of wave through her. Love: crazy, reckless, beautiful, wonderful love.
She could see the feeling mirrored in his eyes as he murmured, "I'll be gentle, Cariad."
Claire stared at him with wide eyes and whispered, "I don't want you to be."
He groaned and eliminated the last bit of space between them with sharp force.
Claire only remembered bits and pieces after that, as her senses went into overdrive. This was different than anything she had ever experienced before, wild and feral. But somehow inexplicably natural and right.
She absent mindedly watched him as he slept again, stroking his arm. He felt right under her touch - perfectly made for her.