Back to You

In a matter of minutes, they were both stripped bare, and Michael was leaning over the side of his bed and reaching into his nightstand.

Lauren kept her hands on his waist and her eyes closed, trying to keep her breathing even.

This was going to happen. This was actually going to happen. She bit her lip at the sudden ridiculous urge to laugh.

But when he came back and positioned himself over her, laughing was the furthest thing from her mind.

Then he entered her, stopping when he met resistance.

Stopping when he heard the quiet whimper.

She tried to stifle the sound, she really did, but she had no idea it would be that intense.

He was completely frozen above her, and when she finally opened her eyes and looked up at him, she knew that he knew. His eyes were wide with some combination of shock and horror.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

His eyes fell closed as he dropped his head. He still hadn’t moved.

“It’s already done, Michael,” she said, her voice suddenly sounding small. “Don’t stop now. Please.”

He opened his eyes and looked at her. There were so many emotions flashing behind his eyes that she didn’t know which one to appeal to.

She knew she only had seconds.

Lauren brought both hands up to his face, forcing him to look at her. “For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve given me a part of you that you haven’t given anyone else. And now I’m finally getting to do the same.”

His eyes fell closed again, and this time, he almost looked pained.

“Please don’t be mad at me,” she whispered. “I’ll never regret that it was you.”

Michael exhaled slowly as Lauren looked up at him, studying his face: his full lips, his cheeks flushed with emotion, his eyelashes fa

And right then, her heart broke for the little boy who wasn’t taken care of, but it swelled for the person who, despite everything, was able to maintain such kindness inside him, regardless of what everyone else thought they knew about him.

And she realized right then, even if she never felt it again for the rest of her life, she knew what true, unadulterated love felt like.

She ran her thumb softly over his cheek, and he opened his eyes.

This time, when he looked at her, there wasn’t a trace of fear behind them. It was replaced with something so intense, so real, she felt goose bumps prickle over her skin.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Michael lowered his head as he pressed his lips to hers.

She knew this was his surrender, and her heart raced in her chest with the realization.

“If you want me to stop, just tell me and I will,” he whispered against her mouth.

She nodded quickly, kissing him back, and then he was moving again.

Lauren hadn’t prepared herself for what it would feel like. For the first few minutes, all she could do was concentrate on trying not to give away how much she was hurting. She kept reminding herself that it was Michael. That he was holding her. And inside of her. And they were as close as two people could possibly be.

And even if it was nothing like she expected, it was still everything she wanted.

She gripped him tighter and he answered in kind. Every inch of their bodies was touching, and Michael buried his face in the side of her neck as he exhaled her name.

At the tenderness of the gesture, Lauren closed her eyes. Her hand immediately came to the back of his head, holding him there as she felt tears welling behind her closed lids. And when he gently kissed her neck, she couldn’t stop them from spilling out over her temples. Michael lifted his head slowly, his face brushing the side of hers.

He must have felt the moisture there because he whipped his head up and froze, his expression alarmed.

“Am I hurting you?”

“No no,” she assured him, rubbing her hand over his back. “You’re perfect. This is perfect.”

He looked down at her, gauging her honesty, and she smiled softly, a tiny laugh falling from her lips as two more tears slid over her temples.

Michael smiled sadly, brushing one of the tears away before he leaned down and pressed his lips to the salty trail.

He began moving again, but it was so slow, so careful, she could tell it was with tremendous effort. She could feel the muscles of his back trembling beneath her hands.

Michael pressed his forehead to hers, and Lauren slid her hands up to the backs of his shoulders and closed her eyes, trying to take in every second. Trying to memorize it. The feel of his weight on top of her, the sound of his labored breathing, the scent of his skin. And while she was concentrating on that, something incredible happened. The burning, the throbbing ache between her legs gradually subsided, and in its wake came a pleasant stretching. A warm friction.

Lauren could feel the rigidity slowly leave her thighs as she gave herself up to the new feeling, and she found that the more she relaxed, the better it felt.

As soon as the last bit of tension left her body, Michael exhaled heavily in what seemed like relief, dropping his head onto her shoulder.

“Lauren?”

“Oh { display: block; text-indent: 0%; font-size: 0.88rem; margin-top: an"> shoulder…wow,” she breathed in response, and she felt his lips curve into a smile against her skin. “This is…I didn’t know. Now you feel…” She closed her eyes and shook her head before she sighed. “I can’t think. Just keep going.”

He chuckled softly before he dropped his weight to his elbows, cradling her face in his hands as he kissed her. He was still incredibly gentle, but the tension had left his body too. He moved freely now, and his breath grew ragged, washing across her face every time he exhaled. Lauren lifted her chin, savoring the feel of it.

They began moving in unison, Lauren raising her hips to meet him, and it drew the most incredible sounds from his lips.

She could feel the smooth skin of his stomach brushing against hers, the tautness of his muscles as his arms flexed around her, pulling her closer, the silky friction between her legs, the warm rush of his breath on her skin.

It was sensory overload.

And when she felt his body go tense again, this time he fell forward, groaning into her hair, and she smiled.

There were no bells and whistles for her. No explosions. No seeing stars. But she wouldn’t have changed a thing.

It was the single most incredible experience of her life.

When Michael finally caught his breath, he slowly rolled off of her, immediately pulling her back against his chest. Lauren closed her eyes, and for a few minutes they just lay there in silence as Michael held her, ru

“I feel like I should say thank you, but that doesn’t seem right,” she said lazily.

Michael laughed softly behind her. “Thank you? Are you go

She probably should have been embarrassed, but all she could do was laugh. She was completely drunk with him; her body felt deliciously warm and heavy. “You know what I mean,” she sighed.

He pulled her further against his chest. “I know.” He pressed his lips into her hair and whispered, “And if anyone should be saying thank you, it’s me.”

She turned her head and looked up at him, but there was no laughter behind his eyes.

She lifted her chin and kissed him gently before snuggling back against him.

They laid there in comfortable silence, Michael continuing to trail his fingertips over her skin, and Lauren wished there was a way to stop time. She just wanted to stay where she was.

And she desperately wished he could stay where he was.

“What time are you leaving tomorrow?” she asked, hating the words as they left her mouth.