Episode 26: Embrace

Episode 26: Embrace

"I'm seriously fighting the urge to kiss you right now."

He drew for a sharp breath, eyes widening at her words.

Leslie didn't care that the man looked positively struck and intimidated by her wispy, mindless confession. She was more concerned about whether or not he was inclined to grant her wish.

Her eyes travelled across his face, memorising every twitch of a muscle to see his real-time reaction to her next question.

"Would you mind?"

A long pause slid itself between them, capable of causing so much damage. As much as the woman knew that she was dealing with someone who hardly engaged in physical touch and seemingly had no interest in it, Leslie knew that was how she expressed her affections generally and couldn't hold out on it for too long. It drove her crazy to see him, smell his strong earthy scents and feel his arms brush against her own without the need to engage in certain activities.

His cavernous eyes stilled at her question.

Her gaze caught the sight of him swallowing, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

As crazy as it sounded, that simple act incited her to further get under his skin.

She didn't know if she was doing so to begin with, it could've just been a natural reaction to a dry throat, but a woman's intuition was hardly ever wrong.

With a purpose, Leslie tilted her neck to the side, carefully and slowly tracing the skin there, watching his eyes snap to the area as she began to massage it.

"I think I've stayed up too late preparing for this convention, now my entire body's gone sore as an aftermath. Do you think you could help me relieve some of the pain?"

Christopher spoke for the first time.

He was hesitant as his lips trembled before the words actually came out into the air.

"Are you trying to seduce me?"

If a pin fell at that moment, it could've been heard from miles away with how silent the room had gotten.

She bit down onto her lips at how witless he was for calling her out.

Any other man would have played dumb and jumped at the opportunity to have his hands on her.

But this one chose to verbally expose her for luring him as if that was something taboo between a couple.

What did she expect from someone as rigid as Christopher though?

She spoke gibberish, shaking her head, pretending that she had found a particular spot with tense muscles.

"No..." her fingers continued to press into her skin and his brows furrowed at the act. "I'm actually asking for your help. I think I fell off the bed at some point in the night. Or maybe it was the chair? I don't know, I just know my body's beat."

Christopher felt the urge to point out that it was convenient that she had body aches following him dithering about that kiss proposition, but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

He could honestly see how she must have been tired.

Compassion filled his stare as he brought her body towards him, leaving fireworks in their trail, and turned her back to face him. Her heart stopped beating at the close proximity. With quivering hands, he hovered above her shoulders, confused as to where to place them.

"Where should I rub?"

She freely sprouted her grin as he was no longer facing her, and pointed to a specific area near her collarbones. "Right here."

She felt him nod before his hand spanned across the skin.

Instantly, his warm, large hands went to work at her body and she hadn't realised how tense it had really been. The tautness of her muscles unknotted themselves and found heaven in the pampering of Christopher's therapeutic massage.

The physical sensation transcended into her thoughts and emotions.

She didn't have control of her actions either when a moan slipped past her lips.

He stilled.

"What's wrong?"

She tried to crook her neck up to take a look at him, but he practically snapped it back into place.

Ouch!

With a shaky breath, he proceeded to do what he'd been doing before but somehow it felt much different.

It was like something inside of him shifted and it influenced the air between them as she took a sharp intake.

The entirety of his hands trailed themselves across her skin. Despite not having them coated in any form of lubricant, they were smoother than butter.

She hadn't noticed how large and warm his hands were before this.

Had they always had the capability to have her—literally—in the palms of them?

She was on the verge of breaking down into a pleasurable mess as the mood heightened, the temperature reaching almost boiling point.

She was burning up to the degree of wanting to take her clothes off.

Leslie began to wonder if that were to happen if he would be just as accommodating to that too.

He had chosen to touch her like this, knowing that she was trying her luck with him from the get-go due to being high off her emotions. It was enchanting to have this experience because as unbelievable as it seemed, Christopher was most definitely being enticed by the atmosphere.

He appeared lost but cared enough to be involved in every movement his hands made.

"Christopher..."

She craved to see his face so badly.

It would do her 'amour propre' or common vanity a favour to see his expression right now.

His hands were whispering soft nothings that he failed to do before. They told her body that it was loved and safe in a way words couldn't achieve.

She couldn't hold it anymore and whipped around to face him.

Her voice was lost in her throat at the look on his face.

It was dark and demanding; but also conflicted as if it was aware that he was desirous of something he shouldn't be.

At least not in this way.

"Here," she directed him boldly, placing his hand to rest above her cleavage.

He snatched his hand away from her as if there was a bomb there and by doing that, he had disarmed it.

"You have a reckless and tempestuous streak," he spat.

His words were supposed to show his disapproval but they were wrapped with a wonderstruck tone lacing them.

Shifting eyes that always gave vacant stares were now full of life, light and passion.

Hypnotised by the force of them, Leslie tilted her head to the side, assessing him. Those eyes have never looked more lovely—she now saw the beauty in blue flames.

"It's only because I want you," she admitted looking into his eyes, sending a message and hoping it got to him.

He seemed to read it loud and clear as his jaw clenched.

"First a kiss, and now you want all of me?"

She blinked, mildly offended.

"You never gave me a kiss."

He swallowed. "Do you really want one?"

She sprung up straighter, noticing that he was actually looking open to the idea.

Her hand reached out before the two of them, showing that she was going to touch him. It was enough of a journey for him to stop her midway but he never did as it landed on his chest.

Her grip held the muscle there before she got the willpower to encircle it around his neck and lower him to her.

Her eyes searched his own for any sign of hesitancy, trepidation or fear.

She was stunned to see they were already on her lips.

"Yes."

At her admission, he took a steady breath, for the sake of his mental health.

Then, with newfound resolution, he grasped her chin.

She let out an airy breath of disbelief before he brought her mouth to his.

Leslie was quick to respond to the kiss, her mouth parting and allowing Christopher to explore the depths of the inside. She skillfully maneuvered her tongue against his own. His hand wandered down to her waist where he gripped it upon the feel of every sensation attacking him. She pressed her front to him, boobs pressing against his chest like the missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle.

It was like he was swallowing his noises so she made enough for the both of them—at twice the sound level.

His fingers dug into her skin with every wanton moan until he finally released a pained groan.

His lips were sweet and tasted of everything that could be considered earthly delights.

There were so many words which unknowingly slipped past his lips. They were all a jumbled mess with every caress he reciprocated. His cravings seemed to have become so great that he had finally let himself go.

He was completely consumed by the feel of her.

The auditory bliss he was experiencing and the soft pants across his neck as he lowered her against the furniture by instinct could have taken him to his death.

Her face was red as she gazed up at him with a rising chest and it was like second nature for him to acknowledge how beautifully erotic she looked.

Yes, that was the only way to put it.

It was common knowledge that she was gorgeous but the way she stared at him with lowered lids, giving an openly lascivious gaze was something otherworldly.

Every emotion poured out onto her face and managed to tug at his heartstrings some more.

He couldn't help but wonder if he would be able to survive this as he stared down at her with a drum in his chest.

Getting swept away by his ocean eyes was no longer a choice for Leslie. She was holding onto him for dear life as he hovered above her, his black hair glowing and making him look like some ethereal god. The urge to worship him was hitting hard and she could do it if asked when he brought his lips to brush against hers again.

With him being this intimate with her it gave her the shivers, and all she wanted was for him to give her the prize of his arms.

And he did.

She moaned into his mouth with gratification as his strong muscles banded themselves around her waist and gently pulled her close.

Right then she knew.

His embrace was the greatest reward in her life.

And his lips.

Those lips which moved painstakingly slow against her own.

Gripping him in a much harsher hold, the woman urged him to be rougher with her by increasing the tempo, both by her mouth and the way her body brushed against his own.

It didn't seem like that was a part of Christopher's nature as he tenderly cupped the side of her face and pulled away to gaze down at her.

She could almost burst at the sight before her; his lips were already swollen, plump and pink and his eyes were a mixture of subtle confusion clouded by his desire.

As her arm wrapped itself around his neck to bring his face back to hers, he opened his mouth to say something but it was sealed by her fervent lips.

An audible 'oof' left him as she slung her legs around him, trying to prolong this moment for as long as possible.

All she could think of were glorious bits and pieces of what were a celebration of him not being resistant to her approaches.

"No, don't stop," she begged. "Don't ever stop, Christopher."

She wished she could extend this moment between them and have it last for an eternity.

He took a deep breath, his soft mouth

moulding against her own in a way that felt

entirely right, as if they were born to

do this. God had definitely created his lips for hers—and vice versa. With that epiphany, it was like everything in the world suddenly made sense. The reason why she had never fallen for someone as attractive as her best friend nor anyone else that gave her the time of day for the matter.

This was what she'd been waiting for.

Christopher.

In all his irresolute, tentative yet destructive form.

And now that the wait was over, the anxiety, pent-up frustration and longing that she felt all seeked a form of liberation.

All of which were encompassed in the reserved man that was forced to bloom like a flower after being tempted by a particular season. The warmth of spring which she had inside of her, coaxing him to adore her.

Leslie never knew she'd ever experience

this with anyone else ever again.

Her first love had been a high school sweetheart, and others had followed but none of them managed to imprint themselves onto her the way this man did.

Suddenly, she flipped them over, straddled his waist and started to grind against the front of pants.

She felt him stiffen at that point and like clockwork her eyes met his own.

Her body froze as she saw nothing but sheer panic.