And I did the same.
His hands moved more purposefully, down my side, along my thigh, the fabric still between us — and somehow that made it better.
He pressed a kiss into my hair, reverent.
A small sound slipped from me before I could stop it.
His hands drifted upward again, settling at my waist, thumbs brushing the edge of my ribs, close enough that every nerve there lit up. Not claiming. Waiting.
I rolled onto my back and turned to face him.
I had never been this close to someone before.
For a heartbeat, Kieran’s face flickered through my mind — the quiet closeness we used to share. But it had never felt like this. Never this alive.
Dev’s eyes were dark, burning with something he was trying very hard to hold in check. He wasn’t smiling. He looked torn — wanting, but afraid to take too much.
“It’s okay, Dev,” I whispered.
His hands drew me closer, slow, giving me time to pull away if I needed to. He reached up and brushed my hair back from my face, his fingers careful.
“Can I touch you?” he asked quietly.
“Yes,” I breathed, heat rushing to my face. “But please don’t—”
“I won’t touch your skin,” he murmured. “I promise.”
My heart pounded so loudly I was sure he could hear it.
I won’t touch your skin.
The words wrapped around something tight and frightened inside me.
I trembled.
“I’ve never done this before,” I admitted softly. “I don’t know what to do.”
Something in his expression softened. A small, real smile.
“That’s okay,” he murmured. “We go slow. You tell me if anything feels wrong.”
His thumb traced the edge of my sleeve, a gentle, grounding touch. Not taking. Just asking.
“Will you let me make you feel good?” he said softly.
I nodded, breath already unsteady. “Yes.”
He didn’t move fast — but he stopped holding back.
The couch dipped under his weight when he shifted, the old springs creaking softly beneath us.
His hand tightened at my waist, thumb pressing into the fabric as if he needed the contact just as much as I did. The slow drag of his touch over cloth made my stomach pull tight, heat blooming low and unfamiliar.
“Still okay?” he asked, voice rough now.
“Yes,” I breathed.
He shifted, his leg sliding between mine, the pressure firmer against me this time. The closeness wasn’t careful anymore — it was charged. Every place we touched felt electric, like my skin had woken up all at once.
