Nina took his hand and smiled. "From happiness. I was crying because I was overwhelmed by how wonderful everything is turning out. But now I can think of a few more wonderful things we could do.”
So could Joel. "My room's upstairs."
Her smile turned playful, which was all the warning he had before she bolted for the stairs.
They chased each other up the stairs, pausing more than once to tickle or caress. It reminded Joel of how they'd played out in the mountains. They could do that again, now—they could keep doing it for the rest of their lives, forever.
That was something Joel had never thought about, when he thought about the mate-bond. It meant that the best person, the most amazing person, the person you loved more than anything, would be with you forever.
And that was worth anything.
They nearly tripped on the landing, but miraculously made it to Joel's room intact. He shut the door firmly, then tumbled Nina down onto the bed.
"A real bed this time," he told Nina, who was grinning up at him. "We're coming up in the world."
"I'd rather be in the cabin by the fire any day," Nina told him, her grin mellowing into a sincere smile. "But this'll do."
"Same here," Joel admitted, and then turned his attention to getting them naked.
Nina helped as best she could while lying down, and soon all of her fine brown skin was illuminated by the soft light from the window.
"You're so beautiful," Joel said involuntarily, looking down at her stretched out on the bed. "You look like a painting." All of those gorgeous curves, the little Mona Lisa smile on her face as she looked up at him...he could watch her forever.
"You should look in a mirror," she told him, which Joel thought was a bit of an exaggeration, but he was distracted from objecting when she sat up and went for the button of his jeans. "Now it's your turn."
Joel helped her strip off his clothes, and then when they were finally both naked, pushed her gently back onto the bed. "What do you want?" he asked her.
Her eyes went wide at the question. "I...don't know," she admitted. "I'm...not too experienced. Last night was the best I've ever had."
"Me too," Joel said. "So I guess that means there are more bests to come."
Nina smiled. "I believe it. And I want whatever you want. Surprise me."
Joel kissed her. When he pulled back, she was still smiling against his lips. "I hate to break it to you," she said, "but that wasn't that much of a surprise."
"How about this?" Joel asked, and slipped his hand between her legs to catch her clit gently between his fingers.
Nina made a sound best described as a squeak. It was adorable. "I wasn't expecting that," she admitted shakily.
Joel moved his fingers a little. "Good?"
She nodded. "Good." Her voice had gone low.
Joel kept his fingers moving, stroking her clit up and down, and watched her face as he did it. He rubbed her gently at the very top of her clit, stroked down the left side, then up the right, pressed hard down by her entrance, and learned from her reactions what she liked. When he tapped his finger gently, she made a strangled noise, so he did it again, and again, until her hips started lifting to get more pressure. Then he slid his fingers down to play around the opening of her vagina, where she was slick and wet.
Nina's eyes closed, and her beautiful face was caught up in an expression of concentration as Joel learned what gave her pleasure. Her chest heaved as he figured out what she liked best. She started making little breathy moans.
Joel was hard, his dick pulsing with blood and eagerness, but he was enjoying holding himself back. Just like before, he was finding that the more he took care of Nina, the better everything was. He wanted to wait until she'd had all the attention she needed before he focused on his own pleasure.
He had his fingers down at the very base of her clit, rubbing hard, and Nina was gasping in pleasure. Joel leaned in and touched his tongue to one of her hard nipples, and she gave a tiny shriek. He sucked gently, and she writhed.
Then, keeping his thumb moving on her clit, Joel slipped one finger inside of her, finding that slightly rougher patch just a couple inches in, and pressed down.
Nina came with a yell, clenching hard around his fingers, soaking his wrist in her juices. Joel's dick pulsed hard with pleasure, and he lifted his mouth from her breast and kissed her fiercely, swallowing the rest of her noises as he nursed her through the aftershocks with his hand.
Nina clutched frantically at him, her hands sliding over his shoulders and chest. “Inside me,” she gasped. “Now, please.”
Joel couldn’t think of anything he wanted more than to be fully joined with Nina. “Yes,” he said, and knelt up over her, catching her thigh in one hand and spreading her legs. Nina shuddered.