My best enemy

Maea

The worst of all blessings

One moment there was a universe separating them, the distance between souls doomed to always remain separate and individual. The next, not even breath was enough to keep them apart. He surged forward like a landslide, faster and softer than she would have thought possible; catching her mouth with aching tenderness that stole all the air from her lungs.

For a moment she was utterly still, as though frozen in place or petrified, returned to the stone she was reshaped from. But as the kiss lingered and his hand - his beloved hand - cradled her head, Maea melted into it and responded. Shy, at first, then more boldly as her mind caught up with the fireworks flaring up inside.

He really had nothing to worry about, as it turned out. Rarely had she felt so loved before, or as seen. She needed no roses or coffee house courtship; such things were lovely and sweet and much appreciated, but this? Forgetting the world in the midst of a chore, tangled together in trailless land where only they seemed to exist - this had her melting like nothing else.

The most beautiful of curses

Base by Skylark

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

One moment, Maea was still and frozen beneath his kiss; the next, she began to return his affections, growing more and more bold as the moments passed by. Liam deepened the kiss as she relaxed, enjoying the way she melted into him, and he into her. Time stood still, the very forest seeming to hold its breath, giving them this moment with which to lose themselves in one another.

He would gladly stay here for as long as they could, sharing breaths and growing more tangled in one another with each passing moment. He was no longer concerned with their hunt; they'd bought enough food to last without needing a deer, and an entire herd could come trampling through at any moment if they chose to without Liam caring in the slightest. He had everything he wanted wrapped up in his arms.

As Maea grew bolder, so, too, did Liam. He trailed his hand down to the small of her back, tugging her insistently closer - so close that, if they shifted only the slightest bit, she would be fully in his lap and, therefore, very aware of the effect she was having on him. But now that they'd started, he wasn't entirely sure that he had the willpower to stop. He was now entirely at Maea's mercy - and not in the least unhappy about that.

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam

Maea

The worst of all blessings

If she thought at all, it was only of him. The way their lips met again and again, reveling in the taste of his breath and how every time they parted to take in air, he kept coming back for more. Growing pleasantly dizzy from the sweet rush, Maea's back arched beneath his palm, her body yielding to the demand for more connection without hesitation. It was so easy, so natural to pull herself into his lap; not thinking about the repercussions until she felt the swell of him against her thigh.

A soft gasp escaped her, and her lips parted over his, inviting, tempting him to take what he wished - if the outcome of this lapse in restraint rested on her alone, they were doomed to break at least one oath less than a day after it'd been made. How could she possibly remember to go slowly when every fiber of her being demanded more? Her hands were already moving, one sliding into the curls behind his neck, while the other explored the plane of his chest over the shirt. Knew what it looked like, the image of well defined muscle one that had burned itself into her memory despite all attempts to not look. Silly girl - she'd been tempted by him from the very beginning, hadn't she.

The most beautiful of curses

Base by Skylark

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

If an oath was to be broken, then let it be this one. Liam wasn't sure he'd survive keeping it, now that he knew that his feelings were reciprocated, that his desire was not one-sided. While he was still keeping his distance, it had been easy to imagine what taking things slow might look like - casual touches and stolen kisses, all culminating in some eventual, slow burning release.

But now, as Maea shifted into his lap and gasped against his lips, this, here, now was all he could imagine, and he felt a fool for having promised otherwise.

Or he would, if he was thinking about anything other than the woman in his arms, threading her fingers through his golden curls and running her hand over the hard planes of his chest. Liam ran one hand up her leg, gripping her thigh as he slanted his mouth over hers, taking her parted lips as invitation to slide his tongue along her lower lip, wanting more, needing more -

But first, he had to make sure -

"Maea -" he murmured, half plea and half prayer. His lips ghosted across her jaw, trailing feather-light kisses down her neck. "Will you think less of me if I say I don't want to stop?" His voice was a low rumble against her pulse, but then he pulled back just enough to search her face - wanting very much to see as well as hear that this was okay, that he wasn't ruining them before they even started.

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam

Maea

The worst of all blessings

She was burning, aching with a lust that swept like wildfire through her veins. Every kiss, every caress of Liam's hands was starting a new blaze until she was trembling in his arms. It was overwhelming, to feel so much after so long of feeling nothing. How numb she'd been, and how hypersensitive her body felt now; so eager to please, so willing to bend and twist if it meant feeling even more.

Breathing faster, she tipped her head back to make room for his mouth to explore her throat as he wished. His breath felt hot against her skin, the vibration as he spoke enough to raise goosebumps all the way down her spine.
"No," she gasped. "Never. Don't - " But she forced herself to stop before finishing that sentence. Made herself pause, for a single excruciating moment, and examine exactly what was happening. What 'not stopping' would mean, what it would do to their relationship. It would be a point of no return - as if kissing him hadn't already pushed her so far across any borders that she no longer wanted a life without his lips on hers - and for a single moment she tensed, petrified at the notion that he would see her at her weakest, most vulnerable - and change his mind. Find her to be less than he'd thought, not quite enough... That once he'd tasted what she had to offer, he might tire of her, and move on. After all, that's how it had gone before.

But she hated herself for thinking it. Knew, in theory at least, that Liam wasn't like that, and knew she wanted to unlearn that kind of response. So even though she tensed, despite the tremor of her hands - she tightened her hand around his curls and breathed her wish againsthis ear;

"Don't stop."

The most beautiful of curses

Base by Skylark

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

Liam marked every spot that elicited a reaction, every gesture that brought Maea's breath in quicker gasps or had her arching further against him. He drank her in greedily, like he was lost in the desert and she was his oasis: a safe, beautiful, rejuvenating place where he would gladly stay forever.

But then she hesitated - only barely, just enough that Liam could feel her tense beneath his hands - and the soldier paused, brows snapping together with the sudden concern that he was pushing her too far, too fast. He opened his mouth to say something, but then she was tightening her grip on his curls and whispering a breathy don't stop against his ear, and he forgot whatever it was that was about to come out of his mouth.

And yet, he still hesitated - because for the slightest fraction of a second, Maea had thought about stopping, and if she wasn't ready, if she didn't want this... it wouldn't change a thing about how he felt, but it would certainly reinforce his original desire to take their time. "If you change your mind -" he said after his own brief pause, leaning forward to press his lips to the hollow at the base of her throat. "- promise you'll stop me."

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam

Maea

The worst of all blessings

She didn't feel pushed. Swept off her feet, perhaps, and challenged to put her pretty promises to the test. Which was probably the exact reason why going slow was a good idea, why she might need to re-learn the differences between love and lust and find a way to trust both.

With Liam's mouth on her skin, however, such reasonable thoughts had a hard time finding traction in her mind. It was the way he paused that managed that - his own hesitation, and the promise he wanted from her that went counter to what she had once experienced. An open door to retreat through, just in case, even when she'd already spoken her piece.

She loved him for offering it.

Swallowing thickly, it took everything she had to not just forge ahead. If Liam respected her enough to keep asking, then she'd do him the honor of admitting when she hesitated. Sliding both arms around his neck, Maea pressed herself to his chest, her chin soft against his temple.
"I want you," she all but whispered, heart hammering against her ribs. "Just... maybe not... all the way? Today?" Not quite so fast, not quite so completely. It was difficult even to speak about these things for her - another reason to use her voice, before silence could infest their core and spread rot like a slow poison.

The most beautiful of curses

Base by Skylark

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

That was all it took for Liam to loosen his grip on Maea, intending to allow her the space to sort through her thoughts and feelings, but she pressed herself to his chest instead. His hands wrapped loosely around her waist as she pressed her chin to his temple, her arms slipping around his neck. He pressed another, lighter kiss to her neck as she made her hesitance known. He wanted her, but not if it meant rushing through the beginning stages of their relationship.

Waiting would make things all the sweeter, anyway. Of that, he was certain.

"Then we won't go all the way. Not today," he said simply. At least one thing was now clear: it wasn't just pretty promises of devotion between them, but an ability to do the hard thing together. To want more but recognize when they weren't ready - for whatever reason - to take a step forward. It was, after all, literally day one of their relationship. "We can take as long as we want. That's... what I meant when I said I wanted to take things slow. There's no rush."

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam

Maea

The worst of all blessings

That easily, huh. Strange how his simple acceptance could leave her feeling so elated. No disappointment, no begging or persuasion, just acknowledgement of a boundary they'd both agreed to and finally remembered. It bled the tension from her shoulders, stilled the tremor in her hands; suggesting that perhaps the hesitation had gone deeper than even Maea herself realised.

Humming quietly in agreement with his reassurance, she didn't move away. Her body still ached with want, and she didn't want him to let go. It seemed a novel idea that it was okay to burn like this without letting it consume all thoughts; that going slow could mean savoring it, playing with the tension until all the shadows of the past couldn't frighten anymore.

Stirring after a while, Maea pulled back just enough to rest her forehead against Liam's. Nudging her nose against his, she was very aware of the lips waiting so close by, of his taste lingering upon her tongue... "Can I kiss you again?" Slow didn't equal refraining. That seemed like just the kind of compromise they needed here.

The most beautiful of curses

Base by Skylark

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

They sat quietly for a while. The sounds of the forest surrounded them: the wind rustling through the leaves, the birds flitting from branch to branch, squirrels chittering away. And twining with it all was the sound of Maea’s breathing, soft and steady, as she relaxed against his chest. The pause was what he’d needed to remind himself that there was a reason he’d suggested they take things slow. No matter how much he wanted her, it would be worth it to build their relationship more before adding in an element of physicality. Especially if one or both of them were hesitant.

After a time, Maea shifted to lean her forehead against his. He chuckled as their noses brushed. ”You can kiss me any time you want,” he promised. He nudged her nose with his own, a playful gleam in his eyes. ”In fact, I’d prefer that you did.” Any time, anywhere - he would never say no to a kiss from her.

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam

// won't you breathe with me? //

Maea's eyes glittered, a playful smile spreading across her lips. "Your wish is my command," she murmured, slowly leaning in to brush her lips against his mouth. It was a fleeting thing, this kiss, nowhere near as bold as she'd been a moment ago. Butterfly quick and full of all kinds of fluttery nervousness, it revealed far more of her true feelings towards him.

Then she kissed him again. And again, this time lingering, achingly sweet as though his lips was the only kind of water that might quench her thirst. Desire flared, but she didn't let it take over; if her fingers tightened a little more in his hair, who was to say it wasn't simply because she liked the feel of it.

Maea

// won't you take me to your heart? //

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

Her next kiss was soft and fleeting, but no less invigorating; Liam let her take the lead gladly, content to fan the flames of their desire without allowing it to become all-consuming. Then she kissed him again, as though exploring his lips; and again, sweetly, lingering in ways that made Liam’s heart skip a beat. The feeling of her fingers tightening in his hair was distracting in the best way, coaxing him to toe the line between love and lust without dragging him across it.

So Liam kissed her back, slowly, meeting her at her pace - and his, too, really, now that his head had cleared a bit from the haze of desire that had driven him a few moments before. And he kissed her again, and again, dizzyingly astounded that she should want him to.

He wasn’t sure how long they sat there, trading kisses and smiles and whispers, but the sun had certainly moved across the sky since he’d last looked up. Liam moved to cup Maea’s face for one last kiss, then dropped his hands. ”Keep hunting, or go home?” he asked her lazily, not quite ready to move. His fingertips traced the small of her back idly, as though he couldn’t bear to stop touching her. He didn’t mind either way, so long as they were together, but he supposed that it would make sense to pick one or the other.

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam

Maea

The worst of all blessings

Maea could get used to this. Felt her stomach summersault at the reminder that indeed she would have that chance, that this was only the beginning. Nothing could be more wonderful. That their hands and lips had slowed down into a languid exploration did nothing to erase that pressing need of before. Maea didn't mind it at all. Though it wasn't the best way right now, the mere thought of being swept up by his passion - and her own - was enough to leave her dizzy. One day...

And in the meantime, they had this. Maea looked up with a dazed expression when Liam's voice registered. Neither option seemed very interesting, if it meant letting go of him. Going home... wouldn't they wind up parting to their own houses, thus ending this blissful time? She wasn't ready for that. Not yet. And they certainly hadn't been hunting seriously for a good long while.

"We could go down to the river," she mused, offering a third suggestion. "It should be cooler than here." She wouldn't mind soaking her feet in the current, though perhaps swimming... was better left for another day. One where her self control wasn't hanging on by a thread.

The most beautiful of curses

Base by Skylark

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

Liam, too, was eager to keep their blissful day going for as long as possible, and while he might have invited Maea to his cottage or hoped for an invitation to her home, going to the river sounded much more enticing. And, perhaps, safer, if they didn’t try to go swimming. While he was loathe to part from her, he had to admit that inviting her over would likely do very little for this desire that bubbled just beneath the surface. No, staying out here, in the woods, by the river - that would be better. Just for today.

”Hmm,” Liam mused, pressing one more kiss to Maea’s lips. ”I like the way you think.” He grinned at her, all playfulness and affection. This was the kind of day he could get used to, where plans blew away in the wind and their path went in whatever direction they chose. He wouldn’t even mind getting lost on their way to the river, so long as it was with Maea.

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam