Adara Holds Her Ground

"Get out!"

Adara flinches at the fury in Rasheed's voice, but she does not move an inch. She holds her ground and looks into his dark eyes.

"I won't. I won't let you ignore me anymore!"

To her shame, her voice trembles, but she refuses to drop her gaze.

Rasheed takes a step closer, almost within arm's reach. His whole body is shaking with emotion. His breath comes in short jerks. She has never seen him like this. She's almost afraid of him, but not enough to back down now.

He draws in a deep breath, and tries to control himself, but like hers, his voice shakes.

"Get out."

He says it softer this time, his voice pleading. Her heart almost breaks. Tears threaten to fall, but she wipes them away with her fist. This is no place for that sort of weakness.

"I won't. You can deny it as much as you want, but..."

She can't say it. She rehearsed her speech all the way to his room, but the sight of him drove it all from her mind. The way his eyes lit up, and then the pain she felt when he turned his face away from her. It was like a knife in her gut, and now he is trying to drive her away for good.

She cannot get the words out, cannot say what she knows is true. The stakes are so high.

But you love me.

His eyes find hers and she sees her pain mirrored in them. His tone turns cold and mocking. He is like an animal, trying to stop the suffering by lashing out.

"But what? What is it that you imagine I owe you?"

She cannot speak. If she opens her mouth, she knows she will break down, so she bites her lip and holds his eyes with hers, her shoulders set defiantly. She will not leave. To leave would mean losing him forever, and she is not willing to let that happen.

The facade of coldness fractures and he raises his voice again.

"Leave me alone, woman! I will strike you. I do not want to, but you leave me little choice."

She lifts her chin but does not move.

His eyes blaze and he steps forward again, grasping her shoulder, drawing an involuntary gasp from her lips. She'll have bruises from his fingers there tomorrow. She doesn't care. He lifts his other arm as if to strike her, but he has gone too far and come too close. He stops.

It is as if all the fight goes out of him at once, leaving him weak. He drops his arm and leans into her, forehead touching hers. It's the closest they've ever been to one another. He is still trembling. Cautiously, she raises one arm to his side and rests her hand there, gentle and tentative. They stand, breathing together. His closeness makes her heart thump in her chest. Her breathing slows, but remains erratic. She feels giddy. Adrenaline courses through her veins with nowhere to go.

A hot tear falls onto her chest and she acts on pure instinct, reaching up and lifting his chin so that she can see his face more clearly. His eyes have so much need in them that she cannot stop herself. She kisses him gently.

It breaks the dam. Suddenly, he is pressing her against the wall. Her whole body thrills to his touch as his hands move up and begin to roam around her. His kiss starts out gentle, but then his mouth demands more and she finds herself responding to it. His tongue slips into her mouth and she moans softly. She tenses, afraid for a moment that she will scare him away by being too forward, but they're beyond that now.

Rasheed groans and moves one hand into her long black hair, pulling her to him even as he presses her back against the hardness of the wall. Her own hands find their way to his chest. At first she simply marvels at the warmth and hardness of his body, but then her hands move of their own accord, tracing patterns over the soft fabric of his tunic that make him shiver.

Gasping, he steps back. With a whimper, she follows him, afraid to lose what was so hard won. He only stops to pull off his shirt, giving her a glimpse of his lean, strong body, and then he is surrounding her with his arms and her face presses against his neck. He holds her tight and she can feel his pulse. She listens to it for a moment, gathering up her courage, and then she begins to kiss him. He smells sweet and earthy, and she draws her lips across his collar bone, leaving little kisses in her wake. When she makes it to the other side, she stands on tip toe and trails her kisses up his neck. He gasps at each delicate touch, and his hands tighten in her hair and her clothing. She reaches his earlobe and lays one final kiss before stopping. Her breath flutters in his ear.

His head turns and he finds her lips with his own. They stumble toward the bed in the corner of the room as one. He stops her when they reach it. He holds her face gently in his hands and finds her eyes with his. He doesn't speak, but she can tell he's afraid to go further. She reaches up and strokes his cheek. Her hand slips up into his hair, fingers combing the soft brown curls. He sighs and leans into her touch. She takes gentle hold of his hands and removes them from her cheeks, then she steps back.

A flash of uncertainty moves across his lovely face, but it vanishes as she reaches down and gathers her skirts in her hands. She slowly lifts her dress up and over her head. With the dress gone, she is completely naked, her soft pale skin exposed to the air, her nipples erect. She resists an urge to cover them. She wants him to see her.

She thought she would feel shy, but the wonder on his face at the sight of her body drives all other thoughts out of her mind. He reaches for her, and they tumble together into the bed. He's on top of her, pressing hard as their lips come together again. She feels his erection through his pants and gasps. A pounding ache between her legs makes her lift her hips to meet him and he thrusts down in time with their kisses. She thinks that there couldn't possibly be anything better than this, but at the same time it isn't enough. She reaches down, fretfully pulling at the hem of his pale linen pants, unwilling to break their kiss, but desperate to remove the final barrier between them.

His hand stops hers. She's afraid he will say that they've gone too far, but he sits up and slowly undoes the tie at his waist. He slides the garment down, but he looks away from her eyes shyly when his penis pops out, hard and ready. She suppresses a delighted giggle, not wanting him to feel ashamed. She has never seen one before, but she already loves the way his member looks. It is long and gently curved, slightly paler than the rest of his tan body. She wants to stroke and taste it. She wants to find every possible way to pleasure him and try them all. She wants him.

He finally has the pants off, but still he hesitates. He's waiting for her permission. He is still trying to respect her virtue, after all this. She growls and sits up. Reaching out, she grabs his hair with gentle hands and pulls him down to her. Hesitance forgotten, his hands fly up. One supports his weight while the other one finds her right breast and gently cups it. Her body arches and shivers at his touch. She gasps when he moves his mouth down and gently licks and kisses one small, dark nipple. She moans and whimpers as he moves from one breast to the other.

Between gasps she whispers breathlessly.

"You're teasing me."

He chuckles and, with an evil glance, he takes her nipple between his teeth and tugs lightly. She finds herself wordless once again.

Eventually, he looks up into her face and his expression becomes more serious. He moves up slightly to kiss her mouth, and as he does, his erection drags across the skin of her thigh. Her legs spread instinctively, and he moves between them. She rises to meet him and in one smooth motion they come together. The feeling of it runs through her whole body and she can scarcely breathe. She feels like she doesn't need to anymore, as if she could survive on this pleasure alone. They shudder together for a moment, drowning in the new sensation, and then begin to build a slow rhythm like the beating of a heart. She presses up and he grinds down. There is urgency in their movement and they both gasp for breath.

Each time he moves into her, pleasure ripples out from the point of penetration and through the rest of her body. She feels it down to the tips of her toes, and her hands run along his back mindlessly, caressing and clenching with the rhythm of their motion.

There is a point where her whole body feels like it is about to break. Tension grips her, and she cries out louder than before. He bites her neck, driven by some deep instinct, and presses down into her again and again and again, strong hands gripping her tightly. The sensation reaches a tipping point and ripples through her body followed by waves of pleasure. She groans and clings to him, shuddering. When it subsides, she opens her eyes and looks into his, a mad smile plays across her lips.

She lifts her hips higher, drawing a low gasp from him. He thrusts and she grinds her hips against him, drawing her fingernails across the honey colored skin of his back. It pushes him ever closer to that same peak. Soon, he cannot hold back any longer. He spills his seed in long aching bursts, pounding at her and grunting with effort. The sensation pushes her over the edge again and together they slowly come to a panting, grinding halt. Long moments pass before either of them moves an inch. Silence fills the room as the aftershocks of pleasure play through their joined bodies. Peace fills them, replacing passion with a contented languor.

Eventually, he sighs heavily and collapses on top of her, strength gone. She giggles and he opens on eye to look up at her. She giggles harder.

"What are you laughing at, woman?" He groans.

She laughs again and whispers into his hair.

"Nothing. I'm just happy."