A different angle

brilliant, lovely, smart, delightful, wise and wonderful. She found herself holding onto him, wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against the buttons of his shirt. The more he whispered, the harder she cried. He finally eased them both down to the floor of the foyer, leaning against the door while she attempted to curl her long limbs into a small enough shape so she could fit into his lap.

She found her forehead pressed against the side of his neck, her fingers hesitantly rubbing at his collar, grazing the skin at the hollow of his throat. His rocking slowly subsided with her tears. She sniffed as quietly as she could. She was afraid to move. She thought if she could match her breath, even her heartbeat with his, he might forget she wasn't a part of him, that they shouldn't be tangled here in a heap on the floor together, that this was the way it should be.

And then his hand crept to her hair. At first she thought he was just brushing the unruly mess out of his face to keep it from tickling him, but slowly, as the sensation of being petted tingled from her scalp down her spine, she realized he was doing it intentionally.

She very bravely lifted her head to meet his eyes. She didn't want it to stop- didn't want to break whatever spell they were under-but she needed to see him. It was all there, in the way his lips were slightly parted, they way his eyes moved over her face. She held her breath and leaned into him and did it quickly, without thinking, just letting her body lead her. His mouth was soft and he tasted like oranges and cloves. The feel of his tongue, the jolting realization- he's kissing me back! — made her squirm in his lap for more. His mouth slanted across hers as he pulled her head closer, his hand now a fist in her hair, He made a soft, hungry sound in his throat when she rolled her lanky frame to stretch out between his legs and press fully against him.

The angles were all wrong, with David leaning against the door and Cat trying to arch her back to keep her mouth on his and still have every single part of her body touching him all at once. Cat sucked greedily at his lips and tongue, oblivious to the discomfort, but David found a solution. He grasped one of her thighs with his hand, hooking her knee, and pulled it toward him. It forced her to pull her other leg up, too, and she found herself straddling him, discovering the frustrating friction of denim against denim as his hands pulled her tucked-in t-shirt out at the waist and slid up the length of her back.

She delighted in running her hands through his hair and especially thrilled at touching that spot at the nape of his neck where she'd seen that woman touch him the other night, feeling as if she were defiantly telling someone a deeply kept secret. She was all arms and legs, trying to encircle him completely now at odd angles. David hoisted her a little higher on his waist, using his legs as leverage against the door to lift them both to standing. Her eyes opened in surprise and she looked at him in wonder as he smiled and carried her wrapped around him across the room. Her mouth sought his again, aching for more of the sensation, and he obliged, kissing her deeply into a reclining position onto the sofa.

She sank, the weight of him making it harder than it was already to catch her breath. His mouth slid hotly across her neck, his hands working her t-shirt slowly up as she arched against him. She pushed at him a little, gasping for breath, and tugged his shirt out of the waistband of his jeans, working at the buttons with one hand. He kneeled up to give her easier access, watching her flush more deeply as she fumbled with each upwardly successive button. As he watched her, his eyes darker and even more serious now, she realized he was letting her do this- this was David's very clear "yes." This was not a drifting, or an accidental staying-too-long, an errant kiss or glance or touch. He meant this.

He wanted this.

That realization made her hands shake as she exposed his belly, his chest, her hands as awed as she was when they met smooth skin. His eyes closed at her touch and he drew in a deep breath. Her hands explored him eagerly, with unskilled wonder, fascinated by the smooth planes of muscle, hard in all the places she was soft. Her breath caught as her finger found his navel and followed the length of dark hair that disappeared below his belt. She lifted her eyes to his and found him watching her intently again. She bit her lip and smiled a little mischievously, her attention drawn to the silver buckle that had found its way into her hand. She tugged at it, shivering at the sound of the snap and zip that followed. Boxers. She smiled, pleased.

"Catherine, wait." He caught her hand, moving to stretch out beside her, propped on his elbow. She shook her head and he smiled. "I know, but listen…"

He traced slow circles on her bared belly with his index finger. "If we don't stop now, we may not be able to stop…"