I feel Aria tense, her heartbeat quickening against my chest. She searches my eyes, perhaps seeing the raw desire burning behind my usual stoic facade.
"What's going on, Dimitri?" she asks softly.
I bring one hand up to brush her cheek, reveling in the silkiness of her skin. "Things have been...different between us. I know we talked after our argument, and things have been better, but I want to make sure you're okay."
Aria leans into my touch, eyes slipping closed. "I know. I've felt it too." She pauses, biting her lip. "But I'm scared, Dimitri. What if this changes everything? The restaurant, Tane, all of it…"
My thumbcaresses her jawline as I tilt her chin up. Our lips are a breath apart. "It already has, Aria. We can't turn back now. The only way is forward."
I kiss her then, slowly at first, then building in urgency. She responds in kind, her hands fisting in my shirt. We come up for air, our foreheads touching, breathing ragged.
"I'm ready, Dimitri," Aria whispers. "I trust you."
I smile, brushing a strand of hair from her face. No more words are needed. Our bodies speak for us now, destined to intertwine in the dim light of the loft. With our bodies entwined, we can work through any conflict.
I pull Aria into my lap, needing her closer. Our kisses deepen as our hands roam and clothes become barriers we desperately want gone. I trail hot, open-mouthed kisses down her neck and she arches into me with a breathy moan.
"Dimitri..." she gasps as I palm her breast, teasing a nipple into a tight peak.
I capture her mouth again, drinking in her sweetness. My desire ramps higher, my body coiled tight. I have to pace myself, take this slow.
Aria deserves reverence, worship.
I lay her back on the couch, my hands skimming her sides, memorizing every curve and valley. Her skin is like warm silk under my calloused touch. I trail kisses down her torso, pausing to swirl my tongue around her navel. She shivers, her fingers tangling in my hair.
"Please..." she begs softly.
I glance up, seeing the naked need in her eyes. I hook my fingers under her panties.
"Tell me what you want, Aria. I need to hear you say it." My voice is rough, strained.
"I want you, Dimitri. All of you. Make me yours."
At her breathless consent, I strip her bare, exposing her fully to me. She is exquisite in the dim light, an angel made of flesh. I kiss back up her legs reverently, ready to worship every inch of her.
We’ve been here many times before, but tonight…this is different.
I trail a hand up her inner thigh, feeling her tremble with anticipation. When my fingers finally reach her slick heat, she arches into my touch with a sharp cry.
"So wet for me already," I murmur.
I stroke her slowly, well aware of what makes her gasp and moan.
Her fingers dig into my shoulders, her body wound tight as a bowstring.
I circle her clit, applying just enough pressure to make her shudder.
"Please, Dimitri..." she pants. "I need you."
The raw desire in her voice shreds my restraint. I shed my clothes and cover her body with mine, groaning at the skin-on-skin contact.
She wraps her legs around my waist, her heels digging into my back.
I enter her in one long stroke, swallowing her throaty moan with a searing kiss. She feels like heaven around me, hot, slick and impossibly tight. I set a slow pace, pulling almost all the way out before thrusting deep again.
Aria claws at my back, urging me on with breathless pleas.
I quicken my pace, angling to hit that sensitive spot inside her.