Dissertation Offense/Defense

***

An hour had passed before Ethan gently awoke. He relished the jasmine-tinged scent of Rachel's shampoo and the pliable breast in his hand. Their bodies had achieved an equilibrium of temperature where the air under the covers matched their skin perfectly. In the first moments of wakeful thought, he recognized the powerful sense of 'rightness' about the way their bodies fit together. But as the minutes passed, his mind began to wander into more troubled waters. Their lives were in two different cities. His parents were pure Bible-Belt conservatives who somehow lived by ardently Christian, love-thy-brother rhetoric that didn't manage to include Jews or Blacks. The current passion between him and Rachel was based on a few months of significant change but all evidence—years and years of it—pointed to the fact that they weren't compatible. She was an academic, he was a...realist. Rachel stirred and broke his train of thought.

Before opening her eyes, Rachel focused on Ethan's body which was wrapped around her. His thighs were pressed against the backs of her legs, an arm curled around her ribcage and a warm hand was on her chest. She concentrated on his pleasantly masculine smell. Making love with this man had shattered the tension that had been underlying every day of the past few weeks. The reciprocation of her feelings along with their shared desire was deeply satisfying and, for the moment, was enough. She'd spent so much time obsessing over her inability to pay her bills that the happiness of her current situation completely overwhelmed the stresses that had become a droning undertone that threatened to leave her carefully laid life-plans in tatters.

The kisses on the crown of her head let her know that he was up. She placed her hand over his and gave a contented sigh. She said, "I needed that."

He chuckled, "The nap or the sex?"

"Both."

Ethan pulled his arm free and propped himself up on an elbow. He stroked her upper arm and then hip while planting kisses on her shoulder. Between kisses he said, "You know...what's better...than sex...before...a nap?"

She grinned and gave a purposely non-committal "hmm?"

"Sex..." More kisses. "...after a nap."

Rachel felt the pressure of his rapidly growing interest and snugged her hips back into him. She rolled her shoulders back and turned to meet his mouth with hers. "Makes sense. Now that we've saved up our energy we don't have to be horny and tired at the same time."

Their lips met and parted so that their tongues could lightly touch. They luxuriated in a kiss that lasted more than a minute. All the while, he was alternating between using his palm and the back of his and to trace and re-trace the shape of her breast. He began catching the nipple between each set of fingers and gently tugging before sliding to the next.

Ethan decided he wanted to take the lead and broke their kiss so he could lower his mouth to her nipple. Her athletic frame solicited his attention and he worked his way down her neck, across her collar bone, over her sternum and then to the side of her body before coming back to her breasts. This was done with a deliberate lack of urgency that somehow managed to achieve the exact opposite result in Rachel. By the time he circled her nipple with brushes of his lips she was almost begging for him to enclose it with the warmth of his mouth.

While he was kissing her body, Ethan's right hand had followed the line of her hip and then came across to her mons. While caressing her chest with his mouth, he pushed his fingers through the dark swirl of tight curls and then found the top her slit. He pressed with the middle finger directly on the hooded clit and drew decidedly deliberate circles there. After a few moments of this, it occurred to him that he could amplify the tension further. He opened his mouth around one puckered nipple and rapidly inhaled, causing the cooler air from the room to rush over her wet skin. Then he closed his mouth to warm the nipple again and applied three rapid rotations of his finger on her clit at the same time. He repeated this four or five times until Rachel was nearly panting. His cock was completely rigid, but he had no intention of indulging in his own pleasures quite yet. Ethan pulled back the cover and disentangled himself from Rachel. He playfully patted the sides of her tush and urged her to scoot up higher on the bed. He positioned himself between her legs and spread them around his shoulders.

Rachel was transfixed with the view. Looking down along her body, she focused on the laugh lines at his eyes and the slight smile. She could see the muscles in his shoulders bunch and uncoil with is movements and noticed, with pleasure, the rise of his ass which peeked above the line of his shoulder. Normally being this exposed to someone would not have felt comfortable, but the fact that her sex was completely open to him wasn't the least troublesome. She was at ease with Ethan.

Ethan placed his hands on the outsides of Rachel's hips and planted a few kisses on her thighs before moving in on what he was eager to taste. He pursed his lips and moved his gently side-to-side to work through the tight, brownish curls of hair that were dappled with moisture. When his lips met her outer folds, he extended his tongue and splayed it along the base of her opening.

Rachel sighed and tilted her head back, eyes closed. "Oh, shit that feels...."

Ethan brought drew his tongue up the length Rachel and then placed it flat against the opening again. Rachel pulled her legs apart so that this time, his senses were flooded with her arousal and he could easily trace the opening of her passage with the tip of his tongue. Ethan brought his hands around so he could pull her fully open and Rachel responded by grabbing the backs of her knees to extend her position further. Ethan reached as far into her as he could to taste her depth and then began fucking her with his stiffened tongue.

When his neck began to ache, he moved higher and completely enclosed her clit with his mouth. Ethan applied suction and then dipped two fingers into her pussy. First light, teasing pressure and then full suction on the clit and knuckles deep in her pussy. Light, teasing kisses...gentle external rubbing with the fingers. Then hard suction along with full penetration with the fingers. On the tenth or eleventh repetition of this, Rachel orgasmed. Her legs began to shake involuntarily and she began a series of explosive breaths.

Ethan let the orgasm subside and placed a final kiss on her button. Rachel was flushed and smiling. She said, "Oh, boy. That was outstanding. I don't know what you were doing down there, but that was....that was fucking fantastic." Rachel laughed aloud.

Ethan was grinning like a kid who'd just been given a frosted cookie. "I'm glad..." He bent down and rubbed his face with the sheets to remove the sheen of her from his chin. "...you enjoyed it. You can't imagine how much I like hearing you breathe like that."

Ethan's body was still between Rachel's legs. She'd clasped her heels to his butt and pulled him toward her so she could get her arms around his shoulders and kiss him deeply. While they were doing this, the shaft of his cock was pressed directly along her pussy and he could feel her warmth and moistness. His hips began to rock and press so that he was sliding between her lips. Their kissing became even more urgent and he had a visceral desire to be inside of her again.

Rachel wanted to return the pleasure that she'd just received, but the feel of him pressing against her was too much to bear. She reached down and placed his crown at her opening and gasped at the urgency of his entrance. He hadn't paused to relish the penetration...in fact his pace was almost frenetic with the raw lust with which he was overcome. She pulled on the backs of her knees again and allowed the sensation of fullness to overwhelm her.

Sweat was beading on Ethan's brow. His face was close to Rachel's but they weren't touching and he was looking directly into her eyes. He was in a push-up position and using the full length of his cock with each stroke. The fact that they'd made love so recently was enabling him to last well-beyond where he would have normally.

Rachel, to her pleasant surprise, had another small wavelet of an orgasm before she noticed that Ethan was holding his breath in a build-up to his own release. She could see the cords of his neck and took the opportunity to pull him to her fiercely with both her legs and arms. He pressed his hips forward so that his shaft was completely buried in her before giving in. His orgasm seemed to last a long time before he collapsed on her chest.

Rachel continued her full-body embrace and kissed his ear and cheek. Tears were running down her face again.

Ethan lay still for a few minutes listening to Rachel cry, feeling her hands in his hair, relishing her touch. He knew with absolute clarity that he was all-in with this woman and was completely at peace with that fact. The demons of the past were just that...past.

Though muffled by her shoulder and hair, Rachel heard him clearly enough.

"I love you, Rachel."