Making Memories of Us

You probably already guessed, but I'll tell you now anyway. These have all been for you, you know. You're my biggest fan, my most loving supporter, and my inspiration in so many ways. Thank you for being you, for making this so easy, and for being my 'Christian'.

Always and forever, M.

****

I wanna stand out in a crowd for you

A man among men

I wanna make your world better

Than it's ever been

****

The day had been overcast and I was feeling lethargic. Early in the evening, I wandered around the house in my pajamas and stopped in the kitchen, looking around. I put my hands on my hips and stared at the kettle on the stovetop. Did I feel like making dinner? A simple cup of tea? Not particularly. I huffed out a sigh and did a lap in the kitchen before moving on through the house.

Christian must have heard my aimless wandering because he stopped me outside the kitchen on my second pass. "What is it, angel?"

"I'm bored."

"Why are you bored? What do you want to do?" He paused and gave me his 'excited' look: wide eyes, and a goofy, broad grin. It never failed to make me laugh and this time was no exception.

"I guess we could fool around." I shrugged my shoulders and gave him a sideways glance.

His 'excited' face disappeared and he rolled his eyes. "Well, with that kind of enthusiasm, I don't see why not."

I laughed again as he pulled me into his arms and hugged me. I rested my cheek on his chest and listened to the steady thump of his heart for a few minutes.

"Are you sure you're all right, angel?"

I nodded and leaned back to look into his face. "I'm fine. Really. It's just the weather, I think."

"Rain always makes me smile. It reminds me of that day we spent in bed together. Remember?"

"How could I forget? How long ago was that? A month? Two?"

"Too long." Christian dropped a kiss on my lips. "We could have a repeat?"

I laughed and Christian squeezed me tighter, before bending to lift me into his arms. I held on as he carried me away from the kitchen to our bedroom. He dumped me on the bed and jumped up to cover my body with his before I could move. He kissed me and proceeded to tickle my sides, legs and knees. I shrieked and squirmed and tried to fight him off, but as always, he was too quick and too strong for me.

He relented after a short while and I lay there on my back, gasping for air. He turned on his side beside me, head propped on one upturned hand, a smile on his handsome face.

"It's not raining, you know." I glanced out the window.

"I know. Doesn't mean we can't spend some time in bed."

I sighed and rolled over to snuggle against his chest. He dropped his free hand to my hip and started to rub in slow, small circles. It relaxed me, just as his touch always did and I dozed off.

I don't know how long I was out but I came awake to the feel of Christian's warm breath against my bare shoulder. The strap of my tank top had slid down while I slept and Christian was taking advantage of the additional exposed skin.

"Mmm..." I lifted my face to his.

He smiled and dropped a kiss on my lips. I stared up at him and rubbed one eye. His smile widened and he captured my fingers in his hand. He kissed the tip of each finger and then the center of my palm. I shivered and moved closer, pressing my nose to his neck.

"How long did I sleep?"

"Not long." His response was muffled as he nuzzled my hair. "Maybe twenty minutes." He moved back to recline on his pillow. "I was watching you."

Heat crawled up my neck. "Really? Do you do that often?"

He chuckled and nodded. "You know I do. I've told you how I used to do that nearly every time you slept over."

I thought back on those times before we'd lived together and my blush deepened. I'd been so shy about sleeping with him at first, worried about waking up with my hair in a tangled mess or drool on my pillow. He'd never complained and always insisted on us spending the nights together, no matter how we were feeling; sick, tired, overworked, etc. We'd been practically living together before that break-up and the year apart.

"You have the cutest little snore."

I groaned and buried my face against his shoulder as he laughed. He tried to draw me out but I burrowed deeper, pulling the covers up as I went. Christian followed, finding my body beneath the covers and making me sigh when he slipped warm hands under my shirt. I could tell from his touch that he wasn't trying to seduce me -- this time. He was touching me just for the simple joy of touching me.

I recalled those days we had lived apart. First, there was that one year when I'd moved away for work and we'd fought and split up before I'd left. I tilted my head back to look up at him, remembering how awful that fight had been. I still cringed to think of the things we'd said to each other.

"What's wrong?" he asked me now, touching my cheek.

I shook my head. "I was just thinking about when I moved away."

His lips tightened and he nodded before bending down to press a loving kiss to my forehead. "I hated not being with you."

"Me too."

We fell silent again.

I laid my palm against his chest. "I remember when we got back together, and every time we were able to see each other, we never stopped touching, it seemed."

His chuckle rumbled under my palm and he nodded in agreement. "It was awful every time you had to leave again."

"We were only apart for what? Eight months?"

"Yeah, and every time you left it felt like you took my heart with you."

I melted inside at his words. Every time he spoke to me like this, it reminded me of how much we did, and still do, mean to each other. We had these conversations often, talking about different milestones in our relationship. How we met, our first time for everything -- kiss, sex, fight -- the big fight that resulted in our break-up for a year. We talked about how we got back together, how we made our long-distance relationship work until he was able to move to be with me in the new city. Everything from birthdays to holidays to arguments over interior decorating and who we thought would win Monday night football. We talked about all that, and anything else that occurred to us, all the time. I loved being able to talk to him about everything.

"Did you know, when we first met, that it would be like this for us?" I asked.

He considered his answer before he spoke, running his hand in light patterns over my skin and up my chest. He tugged my shirt out of the way and lowered his eyes to watch as he circled one slowly hardening nipple with his finger.

"I didn't know right away that we were going to be together forever." He smiled and looked into my eyes. "It took a few weeks for me to figure that out."

I grinned and settled back on my pillow, letting him stroke and touch me wherever he wanted. "A few weeks?"

"Sure. But I did know that I loved you before we even made love the first time."

"I knew that."

His hands stilled. "You knew?"

I smiled. "Yeah. You told me about it one night during all my commuting."

"I did?"

"You said you'd realized you loved me like a week after we met, then you had to keep yourself from blurting it out nearly every time we talked."

He nodded. "I remember now. I was so worried that if I said it then, I'd scare you off."

I reached up and cupped his cheek in my hand. He turned his head to kiss my palm and I shivered as he tweaked my nipple with his fingers. I was going from being relaxed and content to turned on very quickly. A happy consequence of having Christian's hands on me.

He let out a sigh and moved his lips to kiss and nibble the inside of my wrist. I bit my lip and shifted restlessly on the bed.

"I should have known then that I could tell you anything." His breath was warm on the inside of my arm.

"You should have." I didn't care that I sounded a little out of breath. "But we were both caught by surprise when we met. I mean, neither of us was looking for anything serious."

He nodded. "I know. There I was, minding my own business in the bookstore and you accosted me."

I burst out laughing and tried to scramble out of his reach. He grabbed me around the waist and all but tossed me down beneath his body.

"I accosted you?"

"Well, I didn't come on to you, did I?"

"You were the one who asked me out first!"

It was a familiar, light-hearted argument that we'd had many times over the past few years.

"You're right," he relented. "I did come on to you. How could I not with you standing there, looking all sexy in that blue shirt?"

I blushed, unable to control my reaction to his praise. It didn't matter that we'd been together for so long. He was still able to make me feel shy. "Well, blue is your favorite color."

"Yup." He bent his head to kiss me.

For long moments of delicious silence, we said nothing. His lips moved on mine, warm and soft as always, his tongue just teasing me before retreating. I followed, rolling to spread out on his chest as he held me close. Our mouths broke contact only when Christian yanked my shirt off over my head. Then we were kissing again. And again, over and over, teasing and tasting and drawing each other into such heat that I almost couldn't stand it.

"Oh, Christian." His name fell from my lips on a breathy sigh.

He chuckled as he lowered his head to press his mouth to the hollow of my throat.

"You sound like one of the heroines from your cheesy romances."

I laughed and shifted down so I could rest my cheek on his chest. "Do I? How do they sound?"

"I guess they technically don't sound like anything since they're characters in books."

I rolled my eyes and tickled his sides. "Hardy har har."

He yelped at my tickling and grabbed my arms to stop me. "Don't make me punish you."

My breath caught -- something else those romantic heroines do, I suppose -- and warmth spread through my torso. "Promise?"

His eyes narrowed and his arms wrapped around my back, releasing me at the same time. I reached up to tangle my fingers in his hair and brought our mouths together. We didn't kiss, instead we stared into each other's eyes, as if memorizing the way we looked.

"I'll never forget the way I felt when I got my first good look in your eyes."

I smiled, pecked him on the lips and settled down on his chest. "Yeah? How did you feel?"

"I'm not sure I can do it justice."

I tipped my head to the side. "Come on, baby. You've always been able to wow me with words."

He laughed and cupped my cheek in his hand. "You'll have to remind me just which words 'wow' you."

"I will. But gimme some more right now."

"Demanding wench."

I mock gasped and tried to tickle his sides again. Before I could blink, I was flat on my back with my arms pinned beside my head.

I glared at him, breathing hard. "Tell me now before I'm forced to counterattack."

He chuckled, a luscious, deep sound that sent a thrill through me. I loved that sound, loved the way I could feel it over ninety-nine percent of my body. That sound never failed to make me weak.

Who was I kidding? Just about anything Christian did or said made me weak.

"I'll tell you. The first time I looked into your eyes, and I mean, really looked in them, you... you made my heart melt." He exhaled and let his forehead rest against mine so all I could see were the dark brown of his eyes. "You made me feel like there was nothing else worth doing at that moment but staring into your eyes. You made me feel warm all over inside until it literally felt like my heart was melting."

My heart skipped a beat. Or a few dozen. "Oh, Christian. I love you."

His smile was dazzling. "I love you too, my angel."

I pulled him down to me for a hug, nothing more. At times like this, when he made my heart melt, all I wanted to do was hold him and pray that we'd never be apart again.

He relaxed against me and moved to one side so he didn't squish me under his weight. He kept his hand on my bare stomach and rubbed his thumb in small circles on my skin. I shivered and let my eyes close.

"God, I love all those sounds you make."

My eyes flew open. "What sounds? I wasn't making any sounds."

"Yes, you were." His eyes twinkled. He bent his head and I watched as he swirled the tip of his tongue around one taut nipple. "Just like that one."

"Christian..."

He closed his lips around the nipple and sucked. He hummed a little bit, the vibration shooting straight to that space between my legs that burned for him. I rubbed my thighs together, unaware of what sound were falling from my lips now. I didn't care.

"You have no idea how sexy you sound, do you?"

"Please, Christian."

"Please what?" He lifted his head and continued to work my nipple over with his hand. "Am I not pleasing you now?"

I moaned again, arching as he tugged sharply then released. He smoothed his palm over my breast, caressing me and leaning down to lick my nipple over and over again. While he distracted me by switching his kisses to my other nipple, he ran his hand down my stomach until he reached the elastic waist of my pajama pants. When he ran his fingertips just under the waistband, I jerked under him and he made a noise of appreciation against my chest.

Lifting my arms, I ran my fingers through his hair. Now it was his turn to murmur incomprehensible words and squirm in my grasp. I let out a soft laugh when he lifted his head from my chest and shuddered when I dragged my nails over his scalp.

"I can't believe there was ever a time you didn't enjoy this, baby."

He sighed and trembled at another caress before meeting my look. "It's true. I never used to let anyone touch my hair."

It always thrilled me to hear the ways I was so different from the other women he'd been with in the past. I smiled and pressed my palm to his cheek. He turned his head to kiss my hand, then lick the inside of my wrist. When I let out a sigh, he grabbed my arm and clamped his lips on my wrist.

After that, we didn't say much. We focused instead on making a new memory.

He helped me wriggle out of my pajama bottoms and then I was naked next to him. Christian's lips moved up my arm until he was swirling his tongue in patterns over the base of my throat. I ran my weak fingers through his hair, struggling not to clench my hands into fists as he worked me over. His mouth brushed over mine one moment, his tongue teasing my lips, then he nibbled on my ear lobe in the next second.

In no time at all, I was overheated and incoherent. Christian's mouth moved up and down my neck before dropping to my breasts. While he kissed and licked me all over, his hands were busy, stroking my sides and teasing my belly button. His hand brushed my hip and I whimpered, lifting my knee to part my legs for him. But he ran his palm down the outside of my leg, tickling the underside of my knee before sliding down my calf.

"God, why are you teasing me?" My voice was a low whisper and Christian only continued with his slow torture.

"It just makes it that much sweeter..." He paused, his breath heating the damp space between my legs. "When you come for me." With those words still washing over my skin, he licked me, from bottom to top.

My hips jacked up off the bed and I moaned. I threw my hands out to either side of me, clenching my fingers in the bed sheets. Christian licked me again, circling that aching center of me once or twice as well. I tossed my head from side to side as he tasted me. Then I felt him penetrate, his tongue so hot I felt like he was melting me from inside out.

That was when I felt the tension reach a breaking point deep in my belly. The long, slow build-up of sensation released and washed over me in a sudden rush. I cried out, my hands going back to Christian's head, holding him there. He didn't pull away, just kept at it, whipping me into a frenzy.

I ended up begging him to stop. Every part of me was so sensitive, as I always was. He moved off of me and I watched with narrowed eyes as he undressed.

"I'll never forget the first time you got naked for me."

He grinned, remembering the moment just as I was. We'd been so hot for each other that undressing didn't have any of the usual doubts or hesitations it usually did for couples and their first time together. Then again, we weren't like other couples and we'd been more than comfortable with each other long before getting naked together.

"I love seeing you undress."

"Do you, angel?" He tossed his clothes over the side of the bed and moved to lie down beside me again.

I nodded as he stroked his hand from my thigh up the full length of my body and back down again. When he slid his hand back up to my face, he put his fingers to the back of my neck and tilted my head back for his kiss. I put my hand over his wrist to hold on as he kissed me so sweetly. Of course, my Christian was only sweet for so long.

His tongue teased mine and I smiled against his mouth, my blood stirring for him once more. I put my arms around his shoulders and held on as the kiss turned hot and demanding. His hands were moving again, stroking up and down my sides. He cupped me between my thighs, where I was still hot and ready for him.

As he slipped two fingers inside me, I gasped, jerking my lips from his. He moved his lips across my cheek to my ear where he whispered, "You are so unbelievably sexy."

I let out a breathless laugh and shook my head. His hand disappeared from between my legs and my moan of protest was ignored until he gripped my chin in his hand.

"Look at me, Maggie."

I opened my eyes wide to meet his dark chocolate stare. "What?"

"You are sexy, do you hear me? You're so beautiful to me, I can't even think straight."

Heat suffused my face and I bit my bottom lip. My gaze lowered but Christian lifted my chin further.

"Say it, Maggie. Say that you're my beautiful, sexy angel."

I didn't want to. I accepted that he viewed me in that light but I knew I was nothing special.

"Say it for me. Please."

I looked into his eyes and did as he asked. "I'm your beautiful, sexy angel." My voice broke on the last word and tears sprang to my eyes.

Christian didn't say anything about it. He drew me close, holding my body close to his and allowing me to press my face to his neck. I sniffled for a moment or two before gathering myself.

Christian must have sensed my momentary emotional flux had passed. His hand moved down my back to caress my bottom. I smiled against his neck and opened my mouth to lick him there. He laughed, the deep sound rumbling through us both.

We moved then, rolling apart and giving each other room to stroke and caress each other's bodies. I shifted closer, rubbing my hand over his chest while I started to kiss and nibble at his ear. He sucked in several sharp breaths as I did so I kept doing it. He'd driven me mad earlier. Now it was my turn.

Of course, I couldn't do this to him without being affected myself. He held my waist as I kissed all over his face and neck while running my hands over his chest. As I moved closer to drape my body over his, his hands moved to my hips and lower. Our minds seemed to be on the same track because when I lifted to my knees, he dug his fingers into the back of my thigh and urged me to straddle him.

"Oh, yeah." The words left his lips on a hiss as my soaking center rubbed all along the length of his arousal.

Oh yeah, indeed.

I rocked my hips, watching his face with hooded eyes. As he pressed his head back into the pillows, I grinned, immensely pleased with my effect on this man between my legs. I moved again and he let out a groan of need.

I didn't feel like teasing him, or myself, any longer. Slipping a hand between us, I guided his rigid length inside of me. I shifted and he sank deep. This time, we both moaned. I leaned down to brace myself on his shoulders as he surged into me. His hands tightened on my hips and moved me on his body.