After another blissful make-out session, Emily lay on the soft woolen blanket, flustered. A dazed expression easily revealed the desire hidden away in her eyes. Aiden was resting beside her, panting. A drunken smile spread on his lips. Within the first twelve minutes he had to pull away, otherwise he was sure he would have drowned in her kisses.
Aiden gulped, taking in a strong breath of fresh, pine-scented air. The delightfully aromatic scent surrounded them fully. He cleared his throat before speaking in his slightly raspy, deep voice. It seemed to always get like that after their heated make-out sessions, as Emily was beginning to notice. She loved it.
"I... I didn't know you could move your tongue like that," he remarked in astonishment as he stared with wide eyes at the starry sky above them.
"Neither did I," she breathed in reply, her gaze stuck on the brightest star. Her star.
"Nice technique."
She giggled at his compliment. She could hear the awe in his tone.
"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself," she grinned.
She turned into him, cuddling against his side. He maneuvered to face her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him, their bodies pressed tightly together. He stared down at her and she glanced up at him, her hand squished between their chests.
"That's good to hear, especially since I'm supposed to be the one with all the experience," he joked, poking her cheek with his finger.
She blushed, smiling as his index finger pressed against her dimple.
"I guess some of you is rubbing off on me," she added.
He released a deep, addictive laugh.
"I hope so..."
Her face developed a look of confusion.
"Wait, I don't get it..." Then, an inappropriate lightbulb flashed in her head. Her face transformed into a look of disgust. "Oh... that is so gross. Please, please forget I said that."
He continued to laugh as she pleaded him, a blush forming at the center of her cheeks and running across every crevice of her face.
"Never," he refused through laughs.
Emily smiled. Secretly, she enjoyed watching him chuckle at her embarrassment. He is so cute like this, she mused.
After his short laughing fit, he grinned down at her, leaning forward to give her a brief peck on her lips. He sat up, glancing at the empty fire pit.
"I'll go get some wood for the fire," he told Emily, imagining her cuddling him by a warm fire, the sound of wood crackling, igniting their passions as they embraced.
"I thought you already had wood?" Emily shouted as he walked away.
She heard him chuckle in the distance. She smiled at the sound.
See, I can make inappropriate jokes too, she thought. Even though the first one was kind of inadvertent, she cringed at her inner voice.
"Nice one," he replied as he walked further away, his voice getting faint. "And I do," he called out, louder this time.
It was her turn to laugh now. Even though he was gone, and the darkness was starting to scare her a little, just hearing his voice was enough. It must be hard... carrying all that wood, she grinned at her dirty thoughts. She knew he was stacked.
She sat up, thoughts rushing to her brain as fast as the blood rushing from it. Her mind shifted to Axel, but not the way it usually did, not after meeting Aiden. This time, her thoughts were of confliction, not blind love. Knowing how she felt around Aiden, she came to understand that this was true, real love. The feelings she once held for Axel were purely based on her imagination. She had to break this deal off with him. For now, she'd forget the plan. She could simply tell Axel she didn't want to go through with it and no harm would be done. There, problem solved.
Aiden came back with some dry sticks and logs. She instantly felt warmer when he stepped back into the circle of pine trees surrounding their makeshift campsite. After placing all the sticks methodically in the pit, he pulled a matchbox out of his pocket. Turning toward Emily, he held the box out to her.
"Would you like to do the honors?" he asked, grinning playfully.
He watched as she lit up in excitement faster than the fire would light from the matchstick.
"Can I?"
She bounced onto her knees, moving over to his side.
"I've never done this before," she mentioned honestly.
He chuckled.
"It's okay, I'll teach you," he opened the box, pulling out a miniscule stick. "It seems like today is another time of firsts with you... you're the only person I've ever brought here," he mused.
"Really?" she asked in shock.
"Yeah. Well, I mean, my family used to take us camping over by a stream nearby, but I found this place myself. I guess I was just... wandering."
Emily stared at him with the most loving eyes. She adored his openness with her.
"I-I don't really fit in here either. I think I would call myself a wanderer too. But, wandering is so lonely," she said, trying to open up to him. It was frightening at first, but his comforting gaze eased her of any worries.
He gave her a kind smile in return, taking her hand in his and squeezing gently.
"It doesn't need to be lonely. You have me now, remember that. I don't know what the future holds, but I want to be by your side, always."
He gave her a soft, closed-mouth kiss. It was brief, but long enough to give a sweet comfort that melted her heart.
"I love you," he said after pulling away from the kiss.
"I love you too," she responded, meaning every word with the utmost sincerity.
She frowned as she felt him turn her hand over, palm facing upwards. She stared at the center of her palm as he slapped the matchbox onto it.
"Now, you want to take the match and swipe it really fast on the side of the box. Make sure you press down hard enough," he directed, turning into coach-mode.
Transferring the box to her other hand, she grabbed the match he was holding out to her and nodded at his instruction. She pressed the match against the side of the box and slid it.
Nothing happened.
"Don't worry, it takes a little getting used to. Try again."
She did as he said, slashing the match against the box's side.
Again, nothing... much to Emily's disappointment.
She glanced over at him, frowning in puzzlement. Was it this hard?
"Here, let me help you," he smiled in reassurance, placing his hand over hers, controlling the movements of the matchstick.
His hand warmed the back of hers, causing her heart to flutter.
He put pressure on the stick and box, then swiped the match quickly. She had no control of her hand while he was in charge.
It worked.
Immediately, panic started to burst out of Emily.
"Fire, fire! What should I do? The stick is so tiny," she shouted frantically.
"Woah, woah, hold onto it, Emily. Whatever you do, don't drop it."
He rushed their hands over the firepit. Aiden released his hold on her hand. She took that as the signal to drop the flame into the awaiting pile of firewood.
The match dropped onto the wood, starting to fade. It looked like it was going out, but then some of the wood caught the small flame of the match, and the fire began to spread across the pile at a gradual pace.
"That was great, Emily. Just remember to drop the match over the firepit. We don't want any forest fires to start. It's important to be especially careful when we're out in the open woods like this," he said with every trace of seriousness marking his tone.
"Okay," she nodded.
The fire crackled and a piece of wood popped in a little firework.
"Wow, it's beautiful," she whispered in majestic awe, as if seeing a unicorn for the first time.
He watched her in bewilderment as the flames danced in her sparkling eyes.
"You've really... never seen this before?" he breathed in concern. She really did live a sheltered life.
She hummed.
"Nope. We aren't really a... camping family. More like a five-star hotel kind, for mother's conferences. I wasn't allowed to leave the room, but I really wanted to," she sighed. "Though, I don't blame her, I was too young to go out on my own anyway."
He frowned.
"I'm sorry."
She waved her hand dismissively.
"Oh, don't be. None of it's your fault." Her eyes lit up as a memory crossed her vision. "Sometimes, I would sneak out into the hallway and dance," she smiled, remembering the pure freedom she felt in that moment, running down the halls. It felt like flying. "Once, a nearby housekeeping lady came out of the room she was cleaning and danced with me. She was so nice. Especially since I forgot the stopper and locked myself out. It was a good thing she had all the keys."
Emily gazed off into the distance, past the fire. She watched the shadows play across the full pine trees. A gratefulness lingered in her eyes at the memory of the kind woman.
"She sounds like an amazing person," Aiden mentioned sincerely, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, causing her to look at him.
"She was," Emily replied. "Oh, but I'm really enjoying this," she added, gazing at the stars above them. "Camping, I mean. It's new... but I like it."
"I'm glad... honestly, my family isn't really a hotel kind of family," Aiden remarked, a playful grin inching its way up his face.
"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to understand what he was getting at.
He grasped her hand in his.
"It's kind of like forbidden love. Romeo and Juliet," he suggested.
She laughed at his analogy.
"But they both died at the end," she explained.
"I would never let that happen," he commented, his words sure and strong.
She sighed.
"But that was fate."
He shook his head in disagreement.
"It was a lack of communication," he reasoned.
She pondered his theory.
"True. But it was also the time period. They couldn't easily see each other and reveal their plans."
He hummed in agreement.
"Also true. Let's make sure to talk with each other, then."
She smiled.
"Agreed."
He grinned back.
"Kiss on it?" he offered.
She laughed.
"Is this going to be our thing now? We kiss whenever we make a promise?"
He shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't see any problem with that."
She placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Good, we're in total agreement then."
She pulled herself up to his level, kissing him on the lips.
"Mmm," he hummed. "Can we make more promises?"
She giggled.
"Of course."
Aiden sat up on his haunches, grabbing Emily by the waist and lifting her over the blanket. He gently plopped her down onto the soft wool.
Emily leaned back on her hands, watching as Aiden crawled over her lower body, her legs in between his. The hungry gaze in his eyes ignited a sexy passion inside her.
"I promise to... respect you," he rumbled slowly in his deep, heated voice.
He leaned down, his chest pressing against hers as he gave a short, passionate kiss.
Emily lowered further, resting her weight on her elbows as her stomach tightened in warmth.
He leaned down again, this time getting even closer to her, their noses brushing. His pelvis pressed against hers, causing Emily to gasp at the hardness she could now clearly identify.
"I promise to... care for you."
His soft lips touched hers. He opened his mouth and parted hers in a rhythmically sensual kiss.
He broke away, watching the desire in her eyes and matching it with his own.
She no longer felt comfortable on her elbows. She needed to lay down. She held the deepest cravings to let Aiden ravish her completely. She slid her hands down to her sides, lowering her back onto the blanket.
Aiden followed, his whole body pressing against hers. Their lips were centimeters apart. As they breathed, the heated air mingled together, warming their lips.
"I... promise to... love you," he whispered.
Emily closed her eyes as her head lolled back, her lips rising to meet his. Her head felt heavy at his words. They held so much meaning. She knew he meant every word.
Aiden followed her lips, kissing her dearly. He slid his fingers in her hair, cupping the back of her head. He tilted her head up and maneuvered the kiss, finding a better angle. The drowsiness of the atmosphere Emily was encountering a second ago instantly disappeared as he held her, igniting the passion with his touch.
Emily pushed his chest lightly with her hand. He pulled back from the kiss, his brows furrowing in confusion. She blushed in the darkness, the fire illuminating their bodies.
"A-Aiden... I promise to respect, care, and love you too," she whispered in a soft voice.
He smiled, love filling his eyes.
"You owe me a kiss for that," he replied cockily.
She grinned at his remark.
"Owe? No," she shook her head. "Give willingly? Every time."
She grabbed his head, pulling him down to her lips. Legs moving out from under him, she wrapped them around his waist and tightened. He gasped in shock, falling against her as she tried to control the kiss, mimicking some of his techniques. He found that so cute.
Taking control, he showed her his proper kissing techniques, granting her the most pleasure possible.