Eden swallowed thickly, his concern causing fireworks to explode in her stomach. Her heart squeezed and her mouth suddenly felt far too dry. He hadn’t taken the opportunity. He had pulled away to confirm if she really wanted this. Could he get any more perfect than he already was?
“How would I know if I don’t try?” She found herself whispering, trailing her dry lips with her tongue. “If I can’t—you won’t get upset, right?”
“No. No, I wouldn’t. Never,” Sterling promised, his eyes trailing the movement of her tongue over her lips. Gosh, he wanted to kiss her again… So he did. He pressed their lips harder together, trailing his tongue over the seam of her lips to get her to part them again.
For a moment, Eden wanted to pull away. She shivered in his hold, squeezing his shirt tightly before she realized it was Sterling.
So she parted her mouth, inviting him in, hoping that wouldn’t get her to pull back. She wanted to know how it felt without the fear gnawing at her.
Sterling smiled when she opened her mouth for him again, and he slipped his tongue inside. He explored her slowly, taking his time. If she wanted to stop, she could stop him at any time.
Eden’s knees immediately buckled from under her and she had to lean into Sterling further to prevent herself from falling. His tongue was in her mouth. His tongue was in her mouth, exploring. She could taste him properly. And he was going slow. For her. He had no idea slow was driving her wild, too.
Eden shut her eyes tighter, fighting off the urge to shudder. She hadn’t felt the disgust. She hadn’t felt it. So slowly, she urged her own tongue forward to meet his, flicking it slightly, melting against him.
Sterling let out a small growl at the touch. He pulled her closer, holding her tightly against himself. She hadn’t pulled away, hadn’t shown any sign of discomfort. So he went further, picking up his pace as he slid his tongue over hers.
To her utmost surprise, Eden found herself enjoying the exchange. His growl lighted a spark inside of her, something she thought she had forgotten. Or lost, in her case. She wrapped herself tighter around him, a whimper escaping her lips when he slid his tongue over here. Frick. That felt good.
She returned the action, sliding her own tongue over his, hesitant and careful movements. She let him take the lead, though, too flustered to do so.
Sterling rubbed circles into her sides, his touch gentle and caring. Reverent. If he did something else, would she get scared away? Well, like she said, how would they know if they didn’t try?
So he pulled back, bringing his tongue back into his own mouth. He took her lower lip between his teeth, tugging on it carefully.
Eden nearly growled when he took back his tongue, but that was short lived as he took her bottom lip between his teeth and tugged on it. Eden gripped his shirt tightly, repeating his name in her head like a mantra. A way to let her known it was Sterling doing that to her, not Adrien. It was Sterling. His touches were careful, not harsh and demanding.
And speaking of his touches, the way he was running circles in her sides… Eden trembled, knees buckling from under her. What was he doing to her? She tugged her lip out of his hold and instead bit his lip gently, liking the way she did it.
Sterling wished he could change their positions, wished he could be the one pressing her against the wall. When she bit his lip, he growled again and tugged it out of her hold. He pressed his tongue against her lips again, slipping it between them.
He growled again. It didn’t fail to make her shiver against him, and then he slipped his tongue back in her mouth and a sound slipped from her throat as well. She shuddered, pressing herself harder against her boyfriend.
“Sterling…” she mumbled, tongue becoming numb with what he was doing to it. She was thankful he hadn’t pressed her against the wall. The tongue and teeth, she could handle. But not that.
At the sound that Eden let out, Sterling pressed his mouth harder against hers. His name slipped from her lips, and he smiled against her. Pulling away, he pressed their noses together. “I love hearing you say my name like that,” he murmured, somewhat breathlessly.
Eden panted harshly against him, her entire weight on him. He had rendered her completely weak, and it was just by a kiss.
Just a kiss? the voice in her head snorted. Eden flushed bright pink, more so after what Sterling said. She opened her dazed eyes, lips still parted, tongue still numb.
"Yeah?" she whispered, way too quiet that she was afraid he couldn't hear her. "I… I liked that, Sterling…"
Steeling hummed, his arms around her becoming a less desperate, hungry hold and more of a tender, loving one. “Mm, yeah? Good. I’m glad,” he breathed, resting his forehead on her shoulder.
Eden leaned into him, her arms slipping from around his neck to his middle, wrapping around him. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in deeply. "Thank you," she whispered, enjoying being in his gentle hold. "For this.
“Anything for you,” Sterling promised softly. “Anything. Just say the word, and I will do what I can for you.”
Eden smiled, satisfied by his words. "The same is for you," she hummed. "I'll do anything for you. No matter what it is. If it makes you happy, I'll do it."
Sterling hummed and pulled back to kiss her forehead. “You’re an amazing girl, Eden McArthur. Now, let’s eat. I’m starving,” he chuckled.
Eden nodded, the smile still on her lips. And when he chuckled, it sent pleasant tingles down her spine to the tip of her toes. She liked the feeling. "Yeah, let's fill your belly, hm?" she teased, poking his stomach and instantly flushing. She'd been pressed against him several times, but she never paid much attention to how strong his muscles were. "We wouldn't–wouldn't want you to starve, would we?"
Sterling raised an eyebrow when she poked him and blushed. He smirked and took her hands in his own, squeezing gently. “What’s with the blush, beautiful?” he chuckled.
Eden turned pinker, shuffling on her feet. She squeezed his hands back, though weaker than he did. “No reason,” she mumbled, knowing she would most certainly be teased if she told him why.
“There’s always a reason. You just don’t want to tell me,” Sterling said with a laugh, kissing her forehead again. “Okay, you’ve gotta get off me so we can go eat, babe.”
“I don’t want to tell you,” Eden agreed, turning her head away, the heat climbing till her ears. God, why did he always make her flustered? Then his next words reached her ears and she took a step back. “You’re the one who’s holding me, Sterling.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll stop teasing you now,” Sterling said with a bit of a laugh. “Where should we go? Just sit down here and eat?”
Eden merely rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine with sitting here and eating. This is fine.”
“Did you get any food? Or bring anything?” Sterling asked softly, tugging her down to sit on the ground.
Eden shook her head, sitting cross-legged on the ground. “I didn’t, no. But I’m fine.”
“What if I share a few bites with you?” Sterling offered, grabbing his bag from where he had dropped it on the ground and sitting beside Eden.
Eden leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. “It’s okay,” she insisted. “You eat. I’ll be fine.”
“Please? Just a few bites,” Sterling insisted softly, opening the bad and pulling out a sandwich and some carrot sticks.