Picking at my bra straps, I pushed and jiggled my boobs in a vain attempt to get rid of the discomfort of my bra. Scrunching up my nose as I stared down at myself, I huffed lightly before looking back at myself in the mirror. The deep, dark red lace made me feel like a model, and I twisted to stare at my butt before a snorting laugh broke the silence surrounding me.

In the mirror’s reflection, Kelly covered her mouth with her hand, and I glared at her as she waved in surrender.

“You really should’ve tried it on before you bought it, Ally. This way you’d know that the lingerie is always smaller than regular underwear and bras.” Heat flooded my cheeks, and Kelly giggled while lifting her wine glass to her lips. “If I were you, I’d just wear nothing. You want to seduce Roark- fine. I don’t think you need uncomfortable lingerie for that. The guy practically worships you even with your clothes on.”

“This is important, Kelly. Roark even said he doesn’t find me sexually attractive, so-“ Cut off by a loud grunt, I watched Kelly down her wine in a single gulp before shaking her head wildly. Rubbing my palms together, I turned to face her as she rounded the coffee table to grip my shoulders firmly. From under furrowed brows, she captured my eyes, and I gulped at the seriousness I saw there.

“Ally, you took that the wrong way. Did you ever think that your personality was so great that he focused on it rather than the fact that you weren’t going to have sex? You were both pretty much resigned to celibacy until you sorted all of this stuff out, right? So, give yourself some credit.” My gut churned, and I rolled my lips between my teeth to hide my frown. Glancing at the clock on my cable box, I let out a harsh breath while Kelly’s assurances went in one ear and out the other.

“But it’s been two weeks and he never made a move. What if I’m wrong, and we’re destined to be platonically intimate or something? What if this is a mistake?” My worries only made my friend roll her eyes, and she shuffled to the side to point at the corner of the room. I couldn’t bear to look, instead directing my eyes at my bare feet, and Kelly squeezed my shoulders before releasing me.

“There’s no going back. You bought a bed for this. You’re going to do it, Ally. It’s not a mistake, and you’re not wrong. I’ve seen you two together and trust me- Roark wants you. Sex is a thing that strengthens a bond, but it can’t create that bond. Owen told me that when we had sex for the first time in his car in the mall parking lot.” Blinking hard, I nearly choked on my own spit, and Kelly shrugged when I whirled around to stare at her. “What can I say? The man’s not a romantic. But- anyway, I’m going to get out of here before Roark shows up. Don’t chicken out, alright? Then you’d have to explain why you have a queen-sized bed and your futon is in a landfill somewhere.”

“What? Wait- Kelly, you can’t leave…” Trailing off as she grabbed her purse from the kitchenette counter, Kelly laughed at my desperation as she shouldered her bag.

“What else am I supposed to do but help you get ready and give you a pep talk? I’m not going to watch you have sex. So- bye-bye.” Kelly left before I could open my mouth to protest further, and I let out a whimper-slash-groan at the mess I’d put myself in. Roark was going to be here within 15 minutes for what he thought was a movie night, and I was petrified with nerves.

“This is going to be a disaster.” Burying my face in my hands, I hated they trembled. The anxiety was worse than when I lost my virginity, and I stared at the wine bottle Kelly had left out through my fingers.

But I wanted to be stone cold sober tonight- which was a terrible idea.

I started to pace to get rid of the thoughts urging me to put on clothes and scrap the whole idea. Explaining the bed to Roark would be easy; I just got tired of sleeping on an uncomfortable futon. While that was true, it wasn’t the reason I decided to upgrade. Out of the corner of my eye, I couldn’t stop looking at the crisp, never used, jade-colored sheets.

In my mind’s eye, I could already see them rumpled and soiled, and my heart sunk into my stomach at the idea of walking the sheets all the way to the shared laundry room of my apartment complex.

Roark’s knock on the door almost made me shriek, and my abdomen cramped tightly when he let himself in. He didn’t see me immediately, and I went wide-eyed at the pizza box in his hands. The familiar smell of meat lovers’ pizza wafted into my nostrils as he kicked the door shut, and I stiffened when he turned to lock the door and speak at the same time.

“I made sure they put extra sau-“ Clasping my hands behind me, I dug my toes into the carpet as Roark froze at his first glance of me. The pizza fell to the floor with a sickening thud, but I was too nervous to mourn the loss of a fresh, hot pie. Unable to look away from his dumbstruck expression, I beat down the tingles that slithered up and down my spine. Goosebumps rose on every inch of my exposed skin, and blood rushed to my face when he opened his mouth only to close it again without so much as the faintest sound. His wide eyes created hot trails up and down my front, and my heart beat so hard I feared it would burst.

“D- do you… like… it?” Stuttering and weak, my voice seemed to break whatever spell Roark was under violently. Without answering he stepped on and over the pizza box with stomping steps, and I stumbled over my own feet as I backed up. The backs of my knees hit my new bed, and my squeal echoed through the room.

Any chance I had to scoot to the head of the bed was dashed when Roark grabbed my chin; his fingers stretched from ear to ear and made it impossible to resist him pushing me onto my back. Locking my thighs together, I whimpered softly when he loomed over me, but he made no move to part my weak knees.

He was clearly in shock, but even then, he was careful to respect me.

“… I’m speechless.” Rasping what I could only describe as a growl, Roark’s tone bordered on worship that speared me right in the heart. Tears welled in my eyes, and I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him down. Bracing his knees on the edge of the bed, he kicked his shoes off before shuffling and nudging me towards the center. His palm jumped down to my neck, and my breath caught sharply as his flowed over my lips and up my nose.

“Don’t worry.” Mumbling mere millimeters above my lips, Roark squeezed my neck slightly before taking a loud, sharp inhale that sucked the warmth from my face. “I just want to feel your pulse… Ally… it’s so fast…”

Just like that, Roark left my neck, and I gasped when he nuzzled his nose against mine. The tiny connection sent sparks flittering across my cheeks and up along my forehead, and he exhaled with a low, sultry groan. No matter how thin or short, all of the hairs on my body stood up, and I shuddered when the sheets were pulled taut above my head.

“You’re exquisite… I- you’re beyond mortal comprehension. My comprehension. Oh God…” Stumbling over his words, Roark’s tone and praise combined made me turn my head, but he cupped my chin gently to force me to look at him. A small smile curved my lips, and my cheek twitched under his soft caresses. “I just want to touch you, feel you… I don’t know if I should kiss your lips or your ring.”

Roark’s head snapped up, and I gasped as his expression grew pinched and dark red filled his cheeks. My mind was a mess, unable to conjure a single thought beyond what was happening right in front of my eyes.

“You don’t have a ring- you need a ring. I’ll get you a ring.” The pure consternation in Roark’s voice caused my insides to melt, and I buried my fingers in his hair to pull him down to me. His lips smashed against mine with force enough to rattle my teeth, but I didn’t complain. Opening my mouth for his sweet invasion, I gave in to the hunger that drove us to devour each other. My taste buds danced and tingled when his tongue collided with mine, and I moaned a deep, satisfied sound.

“Roark… R- Roark…” Whimpering pathetically, I grabbed handfuls of Roark’s shirt to pull impatiently. Fire raced through my veins, and blood roared in my ears as the need I felt for him beat against the backs of my eyes. I only managed to yank the fabric a few inches before he snatched my wrists, and I arched automatically when he anchored them above my head.

Shaking his head wildly to break our kiss, Roark trailed heavy, open-mouthed kisses down my jaw as I inhaled great, heaving gasps. Nipping at my earlobe, he made a hoarse hissing sound and rocked against me, pinning me more securely underneath him.

“There’s no rush, Ally. I’m going to take my time with you. I’m going to give you what you deserve… the reverence and zealotry that is owed to you.” They were the first coherent sentences Roark was able to make, and I jerked in a violent shiver before he pushed himself up onto his knees. Beyond the rose-colored lenses, there was a wildness in his eyes that dried my mouth and caused my core to pulse wildly. The clink of him fumbling with his belt was lost to me, but the smooth leather wrapping around my captured wrists sent a jolt up my arms to my heart.

“Wha-?”

“Sh-h-h…” Cutting me off with a soft shushing, Roark tied my hands firmly before bestowing a passionate kiss on my lips to make me forget what I was trying to ask. “You’re not allowed to do anything. You’re just going to take it.”