(For Kelly, who will always hold a very special place in my heart)
I arrived at 9:30, an hour and a half late. As was typical, I lost time as soon as I walked through the door and it turned out to be a long evening.
It was now nearly 3:00 am and after making love twice, we had exhausted every ounce of our sexual energies. Lying spent in Kelly's bed, I could barely keep my eyes open as I held her gently in my arms.
We were finally quiet, the only sound being that of our breathing, calm now, steady. The room was almost perfectly dark. The gentle flicker from a few dwindling candles created nothing more than dancing silhouettes and shadows on the walls and ceiling. The air was thick and humid, but pleasant and intoxicating. The more I breathed, the more I became relaxed by the mixed erotic scent of vanilla and leftover sex. Little by little, I felt myself being pulled into a deep sleep.
It was cold outside. Too cold, even for mid-October. But the room was warm so we lay on top of the sheets, the blankets still left piled and unused on the floor. It was too warm and the mood was much too intimate for clothing. I myself was still naked apart from a clean pair of boxer shorts.
Kelly donned a new pair of panties and one of my white t-shirts. Together, we basked in the indoor heat, never unaware of the elements just outside the window, still steamed over from the condensation created by our lovemaking. Droplets of water that were too thick and dependent on gravity ran down the pane, leaving wet streaks on the opaque glass. Barely even a glow from the streetlight outside could be seen.
Resting on my back, I held Kelly in the crook of my right arm, as she lay facing me, so soft, feminine and gentle. She felt small and innocent, as I held her, a sensation that was immeasurable and unexplainable. Her smell was incredible, taking hold of both my heart and body as I breathed her in her essence. As always, every bit of her existence had a narcotic effect on me, drugging me, making me want her more, need her. But it was late and exhaustion was winning out after what was fast approaching a 22-hour day. We tried to fight off the fatigue with silly romantic small talk, but our conversation grew tired almost immediately. I knew I couldn't evade sleep much longer.
I was just making the transitional entrance to sleep, where reality and dreams blend together, when I felt Kelly move even closer to me. Her hand lightly rubbed my chest as her lips, soft and gentle, found my neck. Slowly and tenderly she kissed my neck, her body moving against me, and I again longed to taste her mouth on mine.
I turned to my side and returned her kiss. Her mouth was sweet and delicate. I could taste her earlier arousal, as well as a bit of myself in her kiss, inflaming my desire for her. Gently our tongues danced together, our lips caressing each other's, our bodies moving alongside each other. We inhaled each other's essence as we kissed. I wanted to breathe her in, inhale her and make her part of me. I wanted all of her in that kiss.