CHAPTER 25

Consciousness came slowly to Kevin. His senses seemed to kick in one by one, pushing him gently down the path of awareness. He noticed her scent first. His brain had captured it long ago and stored it in the recesses where primitive instincts are housed - the ones that modern man no longer realizes he still uses. The next sensation he was cognizant of was touch - her fingers on his neck, the side of his face pressing against her breast, his arm wrapped around her warm belly, the coolness of the sheets.

His ears tuned in to the sound of her breathing. What should have been a rhythmic, comforting flow of breath was ragged and stifled. Crying? Now Kevin opened his eyes, trying to bring these sensations together in order to determine where he was and what had happened. His sense of taste would not help him. He had yet to savor her with his mouth.

He lay still for several moments as his disorientation faded. He tilted his wrist so that he could read the glowing numbers of the face of his watch. It was still dark. The time was 5:10. Although he had been wasted last night, he fully remembered every word that had been spoken between Hannah and himself up until the time he passed out. The last thing he remembered clearly was seeing Connie standing at the bar. Now he was lying in her arms. When her shallow breaths were unexpectedly punctuated with a soft whimper, Kevin reluctantly disengaged himself from her body and raised himself on one elbow so that he could see her face.

Even as she slept, a lone tear trickled from the corner of her eye and slid down the side of her face to her ear. His first thought was to call her out of her sadness and coax her into a dreamless slumber but he realized that his whispers would be of little value. Instead, he wiped the dampness away with his thumb and then pushed her hair back away from her face. Connie's head rolled on the pillow as she moved from sleep to the edge of alertness brought on by Kevin's gentle touch. She could feel the warm stream of his breath on her cheek as her eyes slowly opened and she turned her face to meet his. Even in the dim light, which muted color and forced chiaroscuro vision, Connie saw green. Kevin's eyes seemed unnaturally bright, particularly when his expression was so serious.

"Can you see me?" he asked gravely.

Connie nodded slightly, remembering that he was now aware that she needed to see his face in order to understand his words. His eyes closed for a moment and then opened and focused on her mouth. He moved his finger to her lower lip and stroked it gently.

"Tell me why you didn't leave, Connie…" His gaze traveled from her lips to her eyes. "Tell me…"

She detected a small spark in his eyes. What was it he wanted her to say? She felt her voice crack as she countered his question with one of her own.

"Tell me why you did…" she whispered.

Kevin smiled sadly. Connie spotted a film of wetness cover his eyes before he lowered them back down to her mouth. The tip of his finger began to brush lightly over her upper lip now, leaving a trail of heat across her sensitive skin.

"I… I guess I was hurt. I didn't understand why you wanted to leave. I thought we had finally…connected." Connie could feel his finger on her teeth. "Was I wrong, Connie?"

Connie was struggling to keep a rein on her emotions and no longer trusted her voice.

"N…no…"

"Then why?"

Connie could no longer hold back. She hated to say it out loud. It cut her to the quick but she had to say it even if it meant swallowing what little pride she had left. Her chin trembled as she choked out the words.

"I… I didn't trust the 'connection', Kevin. I told myself that you were being nice because I had been hurt and I was afraid. Then - then when I found out that you.. you ..knew about me - well.. well… " Connie seemed to be strangling on her explanation as tears welled up in her eyes. "God, Kevin! I don't want you feeling sorry for the 'poor little deaf girl'."

Kevin's finger left her mouth and he turned his head and sighed. He seemed to study the bare wall trying to absorb what she had told him. Then he nodded to himself. His instincts had been right. She [had] doubted the affection he had shown her. He looked down at her again, recalling Hannah's revelations concerning Connie and her history, her fears and her insecurities. His finger went back to her lower lip as he leaned his face close to hers. He had a solemn yet intense air about him.

"Connie - open your mouth…"

She wasn't sure she understood him until she felt him part her lips and apply a slight pressure to the edges of her lower teeth. He began speaking again and she watched him repeat himself.

“Open it, Connie. I want to taste you - now…”

He wasn’t making an appeal. Kevin was about to lay a claim.

She felt his tongue pass over her lips and then it was in her mouth, probing and exploring this uncharted territory. Kevin's kiss was gentle but insistent and Connie felt herself responding. She felt the vibration of a soft moan crest in the back of her throat and Kevin pulled back to look at her face. Her breath was coming in short gasps, her heart had begun to race. His eyes traveled down to her breasts and fixed themselves on the on the small shadows at her nipples- evidence of Connie's blossoming arousal. He let his thumb brush against the tautness hiding under the knit fabric and felt Connie shudder against him before his mouth recaptured hers. His kiss was not so gentle this time. Her flavor had only served to whet his appetite. Her mouth seemed to close around his thrusting tongue, which stimulated him further. They were soon engaged in an oral coitus that had developed a rhythm all it own, not unlike the cadence of sexual penetration.

Connie had never been so consumed by a kiss. She felt lightheaded as Kevin’s tongue filled her and his mouth made love to hers. Her hearing loss often made her more acutely aware of physical sensation. She felt the pillow slide from under her head when Kevin pulled it away and her head fell back slightly giving him increased access to her mouth. He had pressed his body tightly against hers. She could feel his heart beating rapidly against her breast as he pushed his hardness against her hip and then she felt the resonance of his low groan against her lips. God, how she wished she could hear him! His mouth left hers and she suddenly felt empty.

Soon she felt the brush of his facial hair moving against her throat and down to the swell of her breasts as his large hand moved up and under her tank seeking its soft and pliant prey. Connie could feel an unfamiliar pressure building in her groin. She wasn’t aware of the fact that her hips had begun to move ever so slightly or that Kevin’s name tumbled from her lips in gentle whispers.

Kevin’s body was screaming for release but his heart was commanding tenderness. Dawn was beginning to break allowing just enough light into the room to reflect minute amounts of color. He craved total access to her body and so he slid his hand back down and out from under her top and began to slowly unfasten the small buttons than ran down the front of her tank. He felt Connie’s eyes on him as he did this and heard her gasp when the last button was undone and he pushed the thin barrier back and off her shoulders. Kevin avoided looking at her. He hadn't finished undressing her and he wanted to take in her whole body in one grand sweep. He wanted to see the entire picture - not parts of the whole.

He pushed himself up on his knees and slid her panties down her thighs and then off of her legs. Kevin held the small bit of lace in his hand for a moment and studied it. Then he brought the silk to his face, pressed it against his skin and took a deep breath. Connie felt like a voyeur. The sight was so exquisitely intimate that she felt compelled to close her eyes. She could almost hear herself groan. What was he doing to her? For the first time in her life, her physical and emotional responses had joined to create an overwhelming passion. When she looked at him again he was watching her. There was no playfulness in his eyes but an intensity that was almost blinding.

Now Kevin allowed himself the pleasure of a visual inspection. His immediate reaction caused his breath to catch in his throat. He had certainly seen his share of nude women but Connie was altogether different. The sight of her lying exposed before him made him understand why some men are moved to tears by great beauty. His wants suddenly changed. His need for satisfaction was overcome by his need to satisfy, his desire for release was overshadowed by his desire to bring her to orgasm, his longing for her love was superceded by his longing to show her love. The curves and angles of her body were bathed in light and shadow except for five brilliant spots of color. Rusty glints played across her long strands of curls that splayed themselves over the mattress. The same reddish tones surfaced in the soft down that lay at the juncture of her thighs. The color of turquoise lit up her eyes and her lips seemed to be stained, as if she had been sucking on strawberries. The final hint of color was much more subtle but no less dramatic. Her nipples had hardened into tight pink buds and Kevin instinctively lowered his mouth to her breast.

His fervent suckling threw Connie’s nerve endings into over-drive and she found that she was losing control over her body. Her fingers had buried themselves in his long black locks and her back was arching in supplication. She tried desperately to regain control - to still her movements and her moans of pleasure. Kevin was breaking through the guardedness that had served as her veil of protection up until now. The thought frightened her and the seeds of insecurities, planted long ago, began to take root. Kevin felt her tense and lifted his head. She was pressing the palms of her hands to her eyes and drawing deep, ragged breaths. He pushed himself up to her face again and gently pulled her hands from her eyes.

"Connie…" he whispered as he kissed her fingers, "..I want you with me. I want you to fly.."

His tenderness was affecting her deeply. She couldn't deny her longing - she desperately wanted him to fill her but she was afraid. Connie didn't think she could stand the humiliation of disappointing him - of failing like she had with….

"I… I don't know how to fly, Kevin!" she wept. "I've tried… But I can't! I can't…"

"Yes you can, baby… Give yourself up to me - and I don't mean this…" She felt his hand move down her body and push itself between her legs, causing her to gasp. "I want your heart, Connie. Give that to me and you'll fly. I promise…"

Kevin rubbed his cheek against hers, gently murmuring even though he knew she couldn't hear his endearments. The action had a soothing effect on her, however, and she relaxed. His hand was still between her legs but he made no movement until he felt the tension in her thighs ease and then he started to stroke her softly, pressing into her folds little by little. She was damp and warm. When her hips started to rock, Kevin began to slide two of his fingers into her opening. The degree of her tightness surprised him. As the tempo of her breathing quickened, he placed his thumb against her clitoris and circled it gently, increasing speed and pressure until he could begin to feel her clenching around his fingers. She began to groan and call his name, triggering in him a seeping of pre cum. He had to stop this. He had to get inside of her. He had to. Her response to him was becoming tinged with a frenzy that was driving him wild. Kevin pushed his boxers down his hips and then quickly buried his face between her legs, surrendering to his need to taste her essence, to feed on her womanhood - if only for a moment.

A moment was as much as either of them could stand. When he slipped himself into her heat, he felt as if he had been drugged. Kevin was on fire - he was ready to fly. His rhythm increased as Connie's legs wrapped themselves around him and her walls tightened around his shaft. Kevin couldn't remember ever feeling like this before. He felt almost delirious as if his whole body was about to cum. He could hear Connie, alternately screaming for him and crying out with joy. Then she froze. Her back arched and she let forth an almost plaintive whimper as she began to tremble and press herself against Kevin's groin. Her vaginal contractions were so intense that they pushed him over the edge and his semen shot into her with a force he had never experienced before, giving new meaning to the word 'drained'. His strength was gone and he collapsed onto her body with a shudder.

He lay on top of her for several minutes, relishing his utter contentment and feeling of weightlessness. After a while, he felt Connie move and he lifted himself to his elbows in order to see her face. Her eyes were closed but a small smile played at the corners of her mouth. The room had brightened and Kevin could see her pale skin, flushed pink with the aftermath of lovemaking. When her eyes fluttered open and locked with his, Kevin felt like his heart was going to burst out his chest. Neither of them had spoken of love - not to each other - but her eyes were full of it. She had let him have her heart and he had taught her to fly.