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“It’s sweet of you to say that.”
It was a response Pavel had gotten used to hearing whenever he told his girlfriend how beautiful she looked, whether it was specific to how she’d dressed that day or just in general. Her insecurities were easy to spot, and sure, most people wouldn’t call themselves beautiful at any opportunity, but it hurt to think that Erika didn’t believe him at all. It certainly wasn’t empty praise or sweet-talk; the words just seemed to spill out when he noticed some new detail about her. They had returned to his cabin after staying out until the last possible moment of their shore leave. He’d watched her kick off her shoes, shake her hair loose, and then the lamplight caught on the glitter in her smudged makeup and he’d said, “You look amazing tonight.”
Pavel mulled it over as he put his shoes away and hung up his jacket. It had never bothered him before when Erika brushed off his compliments, but he was stuck on it tonight. He stood in the middle of the room half-dressed and lost in his thoughts, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt Erika’s hand on his shoulder. She looked him up and down. “You still with me, Pasha? You had your head in the stars, and I thought your feet would follow.” Her voice was soft, her smile just a bit teasing. “Penny for your thoughts?”
“You say that every time.” The truth came easy. She arched an eyebrow, and he continued, “Every time I tell you how beautiful you are. When we finally get to wear something besides uniforms, or when you take your hair down after work, or when you’re in nothing but moonlight,” She blushed fiercely, from her neck up to her ears. He cupped the side of her face so she wouldn’t turn away, “or just when I look at you and feel like I don’t say it enough. And even if you don’t believe me, I at least hope you don’t think I’m lying to you.” They had moved closer as he spoke, her hands on his chest, their foreheads touching and breath mingling. “Can I show you what I see, Ricky? Will you let me?”
She locked eyes with him, glossy lips parted, and gave one sharp nod before they both moved to close the gap with a deep kiss.
He moved a few steps back until his legs hit the bed frame. He lowered himself to the mattress and she followed, their hands slipping into the other’s hair. He slid back to lean against the headboard, Erika kneeling between his bent knees. When her mouth left his to trail down his neck, he managed a breathy, “Computer, lights to 30%.” The ship bleeped its compliance, and the room dimmed enough to be soothing, and just light enough that he could still see all of her. When her lips met his again, Pavel braced one hand on her waist and the other behind her head, and in one swift motion turned them around so she lay with her head on pillow while he knelt on either side of her.
Pavel looked her up and down, Erika's light dress doing little to hide the curves and edges of her body. Where would he start, if he was going to tell her every detail that he loved? Her long limbs splayed on the mattress, her pale skin flushed and freckled, her honey-brown eyes watching him intently, her auburn hair fanned out behind her like a curtain? Well, he thought with a smile, we’ve got all night. Might as well take it from the top. He laid his body flush against hers, and dotted kisses across her face as he spoke. “Did I ever tell you- “ a kiss above her eye, “the first thing- “ another behind her ear, “I noticed about you?” His mouth brushed over her collarbone, and she shuddered. “The first day we met?”
She pulled him back to meet her eyes, unwilling to be outdone. “No. Tell me.”
“It was your hair,” he whispered against her mouth. He pulled down the zipper at the back of her dress. She pulled it over her head and dropped it to the floor. “When we found you in that tent, before I could see your face, I saw your long hair hanging over the side of the bed.” Erika made a noise of impatience, pushing up the hem of his shirt. “You don’t see many redheads in Russia. I thought it looked like cinnamon.” Erika divested him of his shirt, then reached for the buttons on his pants, and Pavel had to remind himself how to breathe. “I’d never seen someone with such long hair. I thought you must be a princess from a fairy-tale, or a mermaid.”
She giggled. “A mermaid, in the desert?”
“Why not? We’ve certainly seen stranger.” He moved his mouth along the curve of her breasts, and he could feel the sharp intake of her breath. “I wondered if it would smell like cinnamon, too.”
“And did it?” She undid the buttons, and he kicked his pants off the end of the bed. He unhooked the clasp of her bra, which followed suit.
“No. Like apples and sugar.” He nipped and kissed along her neck, breathing in that sweet, crisp scent as his hands roamed the soft skin of her abdomen and chest. They were both down to just underwear, the thin fabric doing little to block the heat from their bodies. Erika ran her hands down Pavel’s chest, and before they could dip below his hips, Pavel grasped both of her wrists and pinned her arms down above her head. “Not yet, Krasnyy. I haven’t even gotten past your eyes.”
She huffed, trying to catch friction with her hips. “Pasha, this is torture.” He loosened his grip, and was about to move away when she hooked a leg around his waist and pulled him back down. “Keep going. What were you gonna say about my eyes?”
“Like honey,” he rasped. “Or gold. Bright, and beautiful. When you’re happy, they sparkle. When you’re angry, they catch fire.” He kissed his way down her sternum; the slight scrape of his teeth making her arch into him. Erika roughly grabbed onto Pavel’s mop of curls, the scratch of her nails at the base of his neck making him shiver. “Your skin is so soft. So pale, I swear you glow in the light of the stars. And your freckles are like constellations across your face and shoulders.” He ran his thumbs over her nipples and she groaned, dragging her teeth over his bottom lip before diving into a kiss. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, and she tasted like candy. He pulled back just enough to toss aside his boxers, then he laid between her legs, skimming fingertips over her underwear’s lace hem. She squirmed and mewled, and he eased them down and off, kissing the divot of her hip bones and tracing his fingers through the outlines of muscles on her arms and legs. “I love your body, Erikashka.” She huffed and turned her face away, unable or unwilling to believe him. “I really do. I’d never met a woman like you before, and I know you feel insecure about being different,” The flush across her cheeks bloomed red, and she bit her lip. “But I love you, not because of your differences and not in spite of them. You remind of Amazon warriors, with your strong arms and long legs. Do you even have a clue what you do to me?” He wrapped his arms around her and moved his hips against hers at an agonizingly slow pace. He willed himself not to rush ahead without her- tonight, she was the focus . So he eased himself back again, pushing sweaty curls off his forehead and trying to ignore the heat simmering under his skin, as well as the building ache between his legs.
“I’m getting the idea,” Erika panted. Pavel ran one finger up her neck and pressed it against her lips. Erika took it into her mouth obediently, wetting it with her tongue. His nimble hands had become rougher from his work in engineering, and as he added another finger, she tried to memorize the changing texture, forged from long nights and heavy tools.
Erika refused to take her eyes off him as she pulled back, wiping her mouth with her wrist. He slid one finger into her with a practiced ease, tracing the softest parts of her and listening to her lovely gasps and sighs. He added another finger, and as he crooked them forward and back he felt a slickness against his hand and leaned down to lap it from the source. He had no finesse in the action; he just devoured her. When she had her wits about her, Erika might describe it as someone trying to eat a melting ice cream cone or putting their mouth over a spilling drink. Pavel’s tongue explored further, and the tension building in her threatened to crest like a wave.
Erika planted one foot on his chest and pushed him back. “Enough!” she panted. “I need- I need you, Pasha- Pasha, please.” It took all his will to not spend himself then and there- he could make her sigh and make her scream; but he didn’t think there was anyone alive who could make her beg. It only took moments for the two of them to adjust and align themselves, and he filled her up in one fluid motion. Her warmth was familiar, and she could only just fit all of him. As they gained momentum, she tried to stifle herself from being too loud. Pavel kissed her frantically from her shoulders to her jaw. “Your voice- ah, your voice is like music, Erikashka. Let me hear you.” She cried out, and he shivered; neither of them would last much longer at this rate.
So Pavel cupped her face in both hands, pressed his forehead to hers and rasped, “Erika… I love all of you.” The last seams of control snapped. Her hips bucked up, he felt her tighten around him, and when he heard her cry, “Pasha!” he pulled her into a fierce embrace as he spilled into her.
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They exchanged soft kisses and softer words as they untangled from one another, sweat-soaked and struggling to catch their breath. “Lights off.” Erika’s voice had grown hoarse, and they collapsed side by side under the blanket. She felt Pasha toying with a lock of her hair, and as her eyes grew accustomed to the dark, she could see his crystalline eyes watching her intently.
“Will you believe me now, Ricky?.”
She nodded bashfully, feeling laid bare before him now more than ever. She took his hand gently, kissing the back like a gallant knight. She met his eyes. “I… I’ll try to see what you see. I trust you, Pasha.” He smiled, and after a moment’s silence, her grin turned mischievous. “And tomorrow night, it’s your turn.”