Xyle gives me a very primal look as he grips my silky, pale blue underwear at my waist. As if it was my instinct, I raise my hips to allow him to pull them over my ass, and he doesn't stop. He pulls them down my legs and tosses them aside before sticking a hand between my legs to get me to part them. I slowly open up to him although there is fear laced in my eyes and heart. I jolt, feeling my insides clench as he lowers himself down, but he only goes to my stomach to kiss me there. His gentle lips chafe against my skin so softly that it feels as if he is just breathing on me. I inhale and pull my eyes to what's above me. Even without looking at him it isn't enough to stop the burn. He slowly kisses his way down to the part where my panty line would begin. Stopping, he pulls back. I look back down at him and he is gazing at me. "You're beautiful, Celeste. All of you" he murmurs before taking a mouth full and licking me so good that I shiver with pleasure, but before I can burst into flames, I wake in a cold sweat.

My body throbs with anticipation as I realize that there is not a single sign of Xyle being present inside of my bedroom. There is only complete silence to fill the void of the missing person, his masculine scent and rough voice remaining a memory in my head. A lump brews right at the base of my neck and starts to threaten the feel of the sorrowing burn he gives me when he indulges in even the lightest skin to skin contact. My mind and body relishes the sweet words that fell from such a filthy hole, not fully understanding how the way I view him is changing so quickly. Just a few weeks ago he was someone I despised so much, now I'm feeling like he is one of the only comfort zones I have. But even with thinking all of the good things about him and the way he makes me feel, the pain of what I've felt in the past places it's thumb and pointer on the stem of the flame and makes a promise to keep me sheltered from men forever.

That night where I lost myself was four years ago, yet I can still remember vividly what his heavy body felt like on top of mine. It still makes me queasy to know that I hadn't read the signs of his body language and facial expressions to know that he was not feeling the way he told me he felt. He tricked me, and was rude enough to act as if I was acid after the fact he had gotten what he so badly wanted from me. I'm sure he has no clue of the damage he's done, but a piece of him still remains inside.

My entire body feels a shuddering wave of pain, both need and anger infusing inside me to make me into this big ball of hot emotions that could never be cooled. I thought about my past more than I'd like to admit, and he was the only one to notice.

You have to know whoever wounded you so deeply will never have the chance to do it ever again. I want you in the present with me, not in the past with them.

The need for his arms to be wrapped around me in this very moment courses through my veins like a bad drug. There was nothing I wanted more at a time like this than his smell deeply intoxicating me and making me forget about everything else in the world. I just didn't know if I would be able to call him any time I needed him, or if he'd take me serious. My judgement of him is still so clouded despite the few weeks of bliss emotions he's given me. Because what if he is like him. What if his smile is a facade and he tricks me? I would be tricked twice.

I swallow down the heavy dryness in my throat, feeling it swell and fill with fear. I pinch my eyes closed like always, not wanting the tears to sprang free. It never helped me as much as I wanted it to, but it got me to shut off the world and pretend there was nothing else that mattered even if when I opened my eyes all of the feelings flooded me again.

I laid there for a few moments, eagerly pulling myself together before I turned my body to the side to look at the digital clock sitting on my nightstand. 3:01 am is what it read back to me.

It was always around three when I would have dreams that brought me to tears so this wasn't out of the ordinary for me. I turned my body back onto my back and stared up at the ceiling to contemplate what I felt. I want him here. I'm afraid of how he'll react if I say it. I'm afraid of pushing him away because I won't be enough for him although we aren't together. Still, I want him here with me, even if it's just complete silence.

My entire body aches, my heart throbbing through my rib cage as I pull myself up, my sleepy eyes eyeing the nightstand in search for my cellular device. Part of me had hoped that I wouldn't be able to find it so that I could have somewhere to place the blame for not calling him on, but I did find it, almost immediately. My hand shakes as I reach over. I do the code to my phone and pull up the contact list. I know that if I wait any longer I won't do it, so I hurry to press call on his name. I hold back the tears of pre-rejection as I hear the line dial and ring.

The phone clicks, causing me to gasp as I am far too in shock. "What's wrong?" He asks, his voice laced with uncertainty. It makes me swallow again. I probably shouldn't have called him. He sounds like he was so deeply into his sleep, and given that it's three in the morning, he probably was. But without the slightest inkling of what's happened to me tonight, without hesitation he repeats himself with the same tone.

My voice box paralyzes for a few seconds, and all that can be heard through the line is my breaths. My short and shallow breaths of uncertainty. What is wrong with me? I have no answer to his question although it is not rhetorical like the one he asked me earlier. What are you doing to me, Celeste? No, I mirror his question. What is he doing to me? It's three am and I've decided to call him. I never call anyone about my dreams.

"uh... nothing" even my breathing is awkward. "I just had a stupid dream... I'm sorry to wake you. I'll go now" my chest tightens. I pull the phone away from my ear in a quick attempt to hang up but his voice through the speaker stops me.

"Are you home?".

I blink my eyes, swallowing down the lump in my throat that makes it hard for me to breathe. The tears spring my eyes and I can't stop them anymore. The breath of an awful sob is pushed through my phone and out to his way. "Yes" I sniffle.

It's like he jumps out of bed at that moment as I can hear the bed covers rumble around for a quick second, and then his feet heavy against the floors. "I'll be there soon, okay?" He asks. I can hear him pull a drawer open and then slam it close as if he's moving with certainty in his face, his mind pacing fast.

"Okay" I say, my voice barely audible to myself so I'm unsure if he even heard me. There's still thick shards of pain that pierce into my heart, some I fear that can never be pulled out. Telling him that I needed him here, even if I didn't explicitly say the words, was harder than I imagined it to be, but easier because of the person on the other end who listened to me. I can't take it anymore so I pull the phone away from my ear and press end call. I toss it into the sheets and pull my legs up, hiding my face in my lap. I know that I can't shield away from myself, but sometimes I wish it were possible. I wish I could be someone else for a moment to get away from the thoughts that roam my mind freely. It makes me lose track of time. The only thing that pulls me back into reality is those three knocks at my front door. My legs have felt like jelly since I've woken, but I gain the strength and pull myself out of bed to meet him.

He stands there with big gray eyes that are spiraling like crazy as he looks at me, taking me in. He's dressed in his baseball shirt, it fitting him everywhere, just tightly around his biceps. His jeans are dark, and they look freshly ripped. His face softens as he sees me, a reaction to my bloodshot red eyes.

"Oh, baby" he cooes. Without thinking further he takes a step forward into my home and his hands are touching the backs of my thighs to pull me up. Instinctively, I wrap them around his torso and push my face into his neck. I'll apologize about the tears on his skin later. I pinch my eyes shut and allow myself to get lost in his embrace, not wanting to think about what I've been thinking about. My sniffles send shudders against his skin but he doesn't seem to mind. He takes a seat onto the couch and tightens his hold around me, now splaying a hand across my back as he rocks side to side to comfort me.

My heart soars with something that my father had only made me feel when I was younger after I was sad, and I was allowed to release everything I had been bottling up inside of me. For minutes, he sat there in silence, coddling my body as if I were a porcelain doll from the eighteen hundreds. There was so much I wanted to share with Xyle, but I felt I'd regret telling him so soon, so I kept quiet until my sobs settled down.

"I want you in bed with me" I whisper, finally opening my eyes and blinking them to see. My world was still blurry, but I could feel the movements in his body. With silence, he stands and carries me down the hall and into the second bedroom before going to my correct one. He lays me down onto the bed and attempts to move but I grasp his shirt and pull him down onto me, his heavy body crashing into mine before he catches his weight and holds himself up to stare down at me.

The meter of vulnerability rises higher as I look up at him, my eyes doe like and easy to be hurt. It feels like there is a steady bonfire building between us and I want it to burn me. I want to feel that fire blaze inside of me. I want to feel him blaze inside of me. I fist his shirt tightly, pulling him down and crashing my lips into his. I don't think too much about rejection. He has an entire day to explain if he is going to stop me now. I feel his brows crease in confusion before they relax and he presses his lips into mine firmly, countering my kiss and overpowering me completely. It's like he can feel my body aching for him, and he pulls through. He slides a hand up to my face to cup my cheek gently as he lets his tongue collide into mine. I whimper at the thought urging me to speak to him, knowing that I'd have to pull away to mouth the words. I do, and he stares at me.

"I had a dream about you" I whisper. I loosen my grip around his shirt and start to draw circles on his chest, avoiding eye contact as I've tried to do so many times earlier today.

I can feel his emotions. I think he's hurting too. "Is that why you were crying?" He asks, his voice soft and wounded.

I hurry to bring my eyes up him, wanting so quickly to assure him that it was not what made me burst that way. "No... it was a dream where you were good to me. It wasn't bad" I whisper.

He lets out a small breath of relief that fans across my lips and nose. "Was I nice to you? I'm working on my fucking temper everyday so that I don't hurt you, Celeste. Maybe that dream is telling you that I can do better for you. That I will do better for you".

I nod, not wanting my tears to spring again at his words. He makes his words so believable. I believe him. I want to believe him. "Yes, you were really, really nice" I say.

He smiles down at me a bit.

"You told me I was beautiful. All of me" I whisper.

He nods his head to me as if he wants me to get it through my head. "You are. You are fucking beautiful. You are a beautiful soul. A pure soul" he whispers back.

I close my eyes and smile at his words. He's only ever called one soul pure before. When I open my eyes again I look up at him and he's staring down at me so beautifully.

"You kissed me, too" I say with a coy tone.

He tilts his head in question to study my face. "Did I?" He asks and I nod to him, assuring him that he did. "Where?".

I grow shy to tell him. I pull my eyes away from him and look down at the number three on his shirt. I don't want to make eye contact with him anymore, it brings me to become too vulnerable. I press my hand against the number and smoothen it out, wanting to make it more visible to me. I think I can get away with this but he pulls his head down and nudges me to look back at him, so I do. His eyes are blazing right about now.

"Where did I kiss you, Persephone?".

My eyes flutter at the sound of my middle name falling so God-like from his lips. No one ever calls me that, I'm surprised that he knows my middle name. I blink my shyness, staring up at him through my eyelashes. "You kissed me on my stomach" I tell him, only telling him a bit. His eyes drop from mine and he looks down at my body, the barrier of my long sleeping dress being in the way from him seeing my skin.

He looks back up at me. "Is it okay if I kiss you there, now?" he asks my consent.

My eyebrows knit together softly, the fire in my core begging me not to deny him, my mind doing the same as well. I tuck my lip between my teeth, wanting to stop myself from the smile I can feel rising inside of me, but I am also nervous and don't want to show him that I am.

"I'll go slow if it's what you want" he whispers to me. His soft words outdo me completely. I pull my hand away from his shirt, removing them as barrier, and nod to him. "Let me hear you say it" he says softly.

I swallow. "I want you to kiss me there" I whisper.

He lowers his face down onto mine again, letting his lips push into mine to bring me in for a sweet kiss. As reflex, my mouth opens wide to him and he pushes his tongue inside to softly let it flicker against mine. My core burns so deeply at the feeling. I let out a soft moan as he presses his body into mine, the firm button of his jeans pressing against my center, sending warm tingles that traces all the way to my spine. He lets out a groan of his own before pulling back and looking down at me. He pulls his face downwards and I start to feel my body omitting heat.

"Tell me exactly what I did, and how I did it" he says, kissing me through the thin fabric of my gown. Even with the barrier I can still feel the softness of his lips. I tilt my head toward the ceiling to avoid eye contact with him, due to my shyness.

"You kissed me here, softly" I whisper, pressing my hand right where my rib cage ends.

He hums, taking in my words. "Through your clothing, or did I lift it up to kiss your bare skin?" He murmurs.

Was he really going to make me answer him? I could barely even breathe right now. I inhale. "You lifted it" I exhale deeply, then look down to see if he is questioning me. He's not.

He puts his fingers right at the hem of my gown and slowly lifts it. Like in my dream, I raise my hips and he slides it up. The moment his lips touch me my body cries out, but I quickly shut it down, embarrassed that something so small could cause a reaction like this.

"No" he whispers. I look to his eyes. "You don't ever have to quiet down" he tells me.

I stare at him, my heart thumping through my chest. He stares back at me, wanting to be sure that I heard him, but I did. I nod my head and hurry to tilt it back towards the ceiling as he lowers his face again.

"Where now?" He asks, grabbing my wrist and directing me towards my stomach so that I am able to point. I point to the spot lower on my abdomen. He adheres and moves my hand to kiss me there. "Is that all?" He whispers.

I don't answer. I pull my eyes down and look at him, my brows knitting together. I've never ever had a man to kiss me there. It is almost like he's the only one to have ever touch my body, but it's not true. There was a person before him, but he didn't treat me as he should have so maybe Xyle is the first. My first real experience with something like this.

"Where else did I kiss you, Persephone?"

He asks me, his voice and words sending chills down my spine. I can't tell him. I can not tell him. I swallow down the dryness in my throat and turn my head, avoiding his invading eyes. No matter what, I still can feel the burn on my face, his staring burns me.

I inhale, fighting the urge to go frigid underneath his body. I feel as if my sweat threatens to seep out of my pores. It's just what he does to me. I turn my head back towards the ceiling to avoid his burning, now feeling it on my neck and chin.

"Baby..." I feel his hand at my hip. He gently presses his thumb onto my skin and rubs me. "If you're nervous, you don't have to tell me, but know that I will never make you feel ashamed for the way your body reacts to me. I will never judge you, or blame you for even the smallest thing" his lips go gentle at my stomach again and this time I flutter, sucking in a breath.

I wait second to catch my breath before I'm talking again. "It was a dream where I let you kiss me there" I whisper, bringing my chin down to look at him. He slowly pulls his lips away from my skin and his eyes shine with something.

"Thank you for telling me" he whispers. He pulls himself off of his forearm and climbs up the bed. "I'll be better than him, I guarantee it".

My eyes follow him, watching his mouth as he says the words and I fully believe him. He swings his legs off and bends over to remove his shoes. They each go down as loud thuds.

The broken part of me jumps from reflex, but I still myself, knowing that I could never be hurt by him, hopefully.

He pulls his legs back up and turns to me, inviting me into his arms. I dig my way into the covers, but stop as I see Xyle trying to get under them as well. Is he insane?

His entire body freezes as he notices my faltering, and he throws me a look in question. "What's wrong?" He asks.

I point to him. "No outside clothing in my bed. I forgot to tell you that" I lean myself back and watch as he tilts his head.

Does he not have this rule?

"I only put these jeans on to come here. I was in my boxers and this shirt" he explains. I stay silent, looking at him. He inhales as he pulls away. "Fine. Do you mind if I sleep with only boxers or do you have a dress you want me to wear?".

I giggle, closing my eyes as I'm lost in him. When I open them again, I see that he is more serious than ever, his face straight. Oh, he wasn't joking. Would he actually do that? Wear one of my dresses?

"No, it's fine... unless you want to wear one...?" My tone is a bit questioning.

He shrugs his answer. "I don't want to but if you feel weird about me being half naked I can throw it on" he says. He reaches at the back of his neck and pulls his shirt off in one fluid motion. He folds it neatly before walking to my dresser and sitting it atop. My heart races. He's so gorgeous.

"No, you can sleep with boxers" I say.

He throws me a glance that says 'are you sure' before seeing no reaction in protest from me. He grabs his jeans at the button and unbuttons them. I take my eyes away, not wanting him to see that I'm looking. He's turned my light on, there's nowhere to hide from him. I hear his jeans hit the floor and through my peripheral view I can see him fold them and repeat the same steps as he did with his shirt. What surprises me is that he hits the lights, turning them off completely. He still does a beeline to my bed though.

"I can turn on my lamp" I offer as he pulls himself under the covers. He responds with a little hum. A small smile cracks my face as I pull away to reach for the light. I turn the setting to dim before scooting close to him and having him wrap me up in his arms. "Thank you for coming" I press my head against his chest.

He'd rather look at me. He pulls himself back and