The Final Step

"I've waited all my life to cross this line
To the only thing that's true
So I will not hide
It's time to try anything to be with you
All my life I've waited
This is true."

-Ryan Cabrera.

*****

"No!"

"Yes."

"We're not sharing that bed," Brie snapped, crossing her arms over her ample breasts.

"Well, sure. You can just take the floor, then," Mik tossed over his shoulder as he dropped their luggage on the large, dominant, king-sized bed. It was a rather nice bed, with pink and white quilts. The rest of the room was pink and white, as well, giving the room a romantic feel. And at that moment, Mik thanked whatever god that was listening for the opportunity that presented itself because of a fully-booked beach resort. If it hadn't been for that, he wouldn't have been able to get Brie to share a room with him, much less a bed.

"I could always call Lena and Paulie over. We'll share this room and you could take theirs," Brie tried her hand at negotiation. But she already knew that Mik would get his way when he set his jaw like that. She'd known him since first grade, after all.

"Lena and Paulie?" Mik snorted. "They're probably all over each other by now, fucking their brains out."

Brie popped him a good one on the shoulder for that filthy mouth of his, then quickly grabbed her wrist in pain.

"What have you got in there? Bricks?" she whined, babying her fingers as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Mik smirked as he flicked at the invisible lint on his shoulder.

"Muscle, honey. Just muscle."

Brie stifled a sigh as she felt her insides go all gooey. She hated it when he called her 'honey'. It made her ache in places that had no business aching—especially aching for him. But his voice was just so...arousing.

Jeez! Everything about Mik was arousing. And that was why she had wanted separate rooms, so that she wouldn't watch him through the waking hours of the day. The way his dark curls fell across his forehead, the way his slightly crooked teeth gave him a mischievous look when he smiled, the way his arm muscles bunched when he carried something heavy-- noticing these things for the past eight years or so was enough time wasted.

And she couldn't believe that she'd actually agreed to this stupid holiday idea of his. Coming out to Hawaii with their friends had been the greatest mistake of her life—other than the one she'd made when she fell for him, of course. Lena and Paulie, her two best buds, were probably rolling around in bed right now, and Casper -Mik's playboy friend- was out cavorting on one of the beaches with a hooker. Typical. And now, she was stuck with Mik. Mik, with that gorgeous Russian-model smile and the firm, firm ass. How unfair could life be?

She'd started fantasizing about him the summer that she'd turned fourteen. They'd been friends since the first grade and she hadn't thought it weird that he appeared in her dreams on a regular basis. Well, not until he started doing certain things to her in the dreams-- things that she'd only read about in her secret romance novels.

And so, it began-- her unhealthy obsession of her best friend. She should be ashamed of herself and yet, whenever he thought about him, the feeling that welled in her felt so right.

But she should face it. Mik would just never see her that way. She, Bridie McColt, was as far from beautiful as a woman could be. Drab black hair and nondescript dark eyes didn't really qualify for prettiness. What would a strapping, six-foot-tall gorgeous hunk like Mik want with a gargoyle like her? If she were him, she'd be happy to keep her at arm's length, too. Sigh.

His delectably sexy voice cut into her melancholic musings.

"Brie? You still awake? I'm gonna take a shower," she heard him tell her, but she was just too tired. Her memories and recollections tended to drain her completely. And so, Brie snuggled into the soft feathery material at the foot of the bed and slept.

****

'You're a sick bastard,' Mik thought to himself as he stepped into the shower. He had no idea as to why he'd booked this trip. Unlike Brie, he'd known that there was a high probability that they'd be sharing a room. And up until then, he'd been excited about it. He just felt that over the last few months something had been brewing within him; a funny feeling that came around only when Brie was present. And he'd wanted to take this trip to figure out if she felt anything around him.

The cold water that ran in rivulets down his tanned body did nothing to relieve him of his doubts, worries and most importantly, the hard-on he'd received when he'd watched her cuddle into the quilts of the bed, her modest skirt riding high on her thighs. He'd been having illicit dreams about her for more than a few months now. And those dreams usually left him on the verge of a climax. He couldn't even count the number of times when he'd woken up to soiled boxers. Yes, she'd haunted him, tortured him, antagonized him. But he planned to end it. Tonight.

No, he thought. He wasn't only a sick bastard but a selfish one as well. He was willing to sacrifice her friendship for his own release in her sweet body. But the thing was, he was almost certain that Brie felt the same way about him. And what he felt about her went beyond affection, beyond skinned knees and most definitely beyond adolescent dreams. He loved her, a deep longing sort of void that clawed out most of his heart. And he knew that she was the only substance that could fill that emptiness and seal it with a vow. He wanted her love and he swore to himself that he'd see that he got it.

She was still cocooned in the bed covers when he stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his hips. She looked so adorable, so beautiful, lying there with her lips parted in sleep. And although he knew that she wasn't perfect he'd come to think of her as his vision of perfection. Her hips were a little too well-rounded and her navel a little too soft, but that didn't matter to him. He was in love with her-- totally, unconditionally and irrevocably. In love with her mind, body and soul. He wanted everything for her and from her.

Mik neared the bed, standing over her for a second, listening to the doubts rioting through his mind. He wanted her as a lover but was afraid that he'd lose her as a friend. And although he could feel his need for her burn in his blood like a firecracker, he wasn't sure she felt the same kind of need for him.

But the months of waiting were enough. He pulled on a pair of boxers before climbing onto the bed beside her, settling himself next to her. He was careful not to jar her out of sleep but his skin accidentally brushed against hers and he froze as she made a small sound and turned toward him, her sleep-softened features glowing in the warm light. Mik could feel her heart beat in tune with his, her breaths raising her bountiful breasts to his naked chest. He was already hard and throbbing and he hadn't even touched her yet.

Experimentally, he ran a finger down the length of her arm, pleased to see that goose bumps followed in the wake of his touch. Brie shivered and moved closer to him, pressing herself more firmly against his skin. Growing bolder, Mik leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, his lips clinging to hers for little more than a moment. Brie whimpered and parted her lips in a silent invitation for more of the sweetness that he'd delivered. And so, he pressed his lips against hers a little more firmly, letting the back of his fingers trail over her tanned, high cheekbones. She mewled in her sleep and leaned into him, her tongue darting out to mate with his.

Mik knew he was taking unfair advantage of her, for resistance was non-existent in her sleep, but the electricity that passed from her body to his made every thought drain from his mind. He was like a starved man in need of life-giving sustenance; a dying man getting his final prayers answered. Everything he felt for the woman in his arms drowned him in need as he took the kiss deeper, moving over her, pinning her to the mattress.

His body was emanating so much heat that he was surprised that steam didn't rise from his skin. His mouth moved hotly over hers and he captured her gasp as one of his large hands slipped under her tank top and caressed her bare stomach.

Slow down, he ordered himself. His desire for her was overruling everything else. Her flesh under his ignited a flame in his blood and he could feel his heart race. He had to slow down. Closing his eyes for a moment, he tapered his arousal so that things wouldn't end too fast. He wanted the night to last; for her and for himself.

Her eyes were still closed when he looked up at her after a while, his breathing in check. With her dark hair spread onto the white sheets, lips parted, she looked like an angel to him. Mik kissed her neck and felt the goose bumps spread on her skin yet again. He bit a fold of her skin tenderly, tentatively and heard the low purr of pleasure that tore from the base of her throat.

Brie's brows were crossed now, from desire, he knew. Her body was moving against his in a rhythm as old as time. Mik made short work of her tank top and bra, leaving her naked from the waist up. Her nipples were already hard little nubs that seemed to be pouting for his attention. The shape of her breasts was perfect; round, and just full enough for his hands.

He wasn't afraid to awaken her anymore. In fact, he wanted to see her dark eyes blur from the pleasure that he gave her. But, being an inward coward, Mik bent his head and flicked his tongue over one of her nipples, thinking that she'd wake up sooner or later.

He jolted when he felt her hands caressing the nape of his neck, anchoring him to her breasts. She was breathing harder now, her stomach muscles quivering under his hands. Mik laved one of her puckered nipples as he fondled the other. His fingers tweaked, pulled and stroked the nubbins until Brie writhed under him, throwing her head back in unsuppressed desire. Her fingers on the sensitive skin of his neck drove him wild.

Mik trailed his knuckles over the insides of her thighs, marveling at their softness. Up and down he stroked until Brie's legs parted for him.

He was delirious by now, his equilibrium shattered to the four winds. The only thought that he retained was that he had to love his woman, and love her well. It seemed like he'd waited all his life to cross their line of friendship. This was what it should be like between them-- this earth-shattering, passion-filled contact that drove both of them wild. She was born for him, just for him. The same way that he was born just for her.

His cock was so engorged that it pained him, but he knew that he had to give her pleasure first. As his tongue worked on one of her sweet, dark nipples, his fingers slipped between her thighs to her feminine delta. He groaned when he found that she was so wet, so wet just for him. Getting rid of the rest of her clothes was a simple task and as she lay naked before him, Mik sat back to have a look at his prize.

She was so beautiful, a vision of all his dreams come true. The moisture that leaked from her sex gleamed like polished pearls on her golden skin under the warm glow of the lamp. Mik leaned over and kissed her deeply on the lips as he pushed one of his fingers into the apex of her thighs. His tongue mimicked the doings of his fingers and she gasped into his mouth as he teased her there, feeling her inner muscles clench to retain his fingers every time he drew out of her.

He stroked her within and without, his fingers creating a rhythm that her body followed. Her hips undulated as she rode him, her lips parting to release half-sighs and half-gasps.

Mik doubled his pace, wanting to give her heaven with his fingers. In and out he delved, thumbing her clit as he claimed her body, faster and faster. Brie was panting now, her hands making fists out of the bedspread. Breaths caught in her throat, sighs morphed into moans as sensation took over her body and she arched into Mik's hand, her muscles spasming voluntarily as an orgasm shook her body, sending frissons of molten pleasure through her.

Mik stopped thrusting as her body contracted around him, holding his fingers inside her, prolonging her pleasure as she mewled into the night. She was so beautiful in her release. His body was running on arousal and he was so hard that he probably could have turned into a rock and yet all he could think of was the need to give, and give to her.

"Brie?" he said, once her breathing regulated.

No answer.

He shook her once, by the shoulder.

Her eyelids fluttered open and focused on him before she looked down at herself, naked, her legs entwined with his. Her eyes grew wide, then, and she tried to back away from his grasp. She wriggled backwards in an attempt to be rid of his embrace.

Mik reacted to the pain in her eyes.

"Brie," he whispered into her ear and she stopped struggling. Her back was to him now, her bottom cushioning his arousal.

"Brie, would you let me be yours for tonight?" he asked huskily, feeling the tension of indecision coil through her body.

Brie's mind was awhirl. She couldn't believe that she was naked in Mik's arms. Naked! With Mik! Her body still thrummed exuberantly from the pleasure that she knew he'd brought her. The unique taste of him still lingered on her lips. She could feel his rough hands caressing the flesh on her stomach as he held her to him, not wanting her to leave the bed. God, she wanted him like none other. All the years of wanting, waiting, wondering... it all came down to her decision.

She didn't take more than a few seconds. She'd made up her mind eight years ago.

"Yes," she murmured, kissing him. And this time it was she who parted her lips to dip her tongue into his mouth, she who nipped at his bottom lip, she who ran her tongue over his teeth. She'd wanted him for too long, and her desire for him knew no boundaries.

Mik lay pliant as she explored his body; her tongue made soft circles against his and her fingers caressed his the taut planes of his abdomen. She inhaled his essence as though she wanted to imprint his taste into her very cells. And when she moved against his arousal, he knew she was ready; he knew what she wanted.

He rolled her over and pinned her to the mattress, capturing her wrists above her head and took charge of their kiss. His tongue brusquely plundered her honeyed mouth as he pressed his cock against her sex, teasing her with his hardness until she moved beneath him, wanting him to give her more.

His boxers slipped to the floor under the coaxing of his fingers as his mouth reached for her nipple yet again. The peaks still held a tinge of moisture on them and he blew at them, his hot breath in contrast to the cool air around in the room.

Brie arched her back, mindless with yearning for the one man who controlled her world, her every feeling. The tip of his cock was teasing her entrance and Brie wrapped her legs around his waist, pleading with him without words. But Mik had always been stubborn.

"Mik, please," Brie begged, a tear slipping unchecked down her cheeks. The desire coursing through her body was too intense; she felt like she was going to disintegrate from the force of it.

"Shhh. Don't cry, love," he crooned to her, his fingers trailing over her cheeks wet cheek.

"Mik…"

"I love you, Brie," he said as he joined their bodies, slipping into her as her mewling moans blended in with his more guttural tones.

Brie's world shattered.

He was seated so deep inside her; he loved her. Her heart swelled at his words, her body contracted around his cock as the first orgasm hit her and she came in waves after waves of ecstasy. She could still feel him moving above her, using her body for his pleasure and she moved against him instinctively in a way that she knew was right. His growl of pleasure only encouraged her.

His momentum was faster now, his thrusts deeper and stronger. His hardness delved in and out of her, repeatedly, his arm muscles bunching as he supported himself against the bed. Brie reached up and kissed him, desperately, passionately, hard and deep as she felt his cock swell inside her warmth before he came, spurting into the depths that no one had reached before. And Brie welcomed the thick stickiness of his desire for her, deep inside her body.

Mik lay down beside her, drunk on pleasure and something else-- something more potent; something more intoxicating. He'd felt it every time he'd gone out for a movie with Brie or just hung out with her after classes. Now, however, as Brie kissed his forehead in a sign of affection and love, he felt it yet again. But this time, he recognized it. It was contentment.

He put his arms around her, then, and settled her against him, still mated deep inside her body. And at that moment, he knew that he'd found what most people searched for all their lives: his soul mate.