Quick helpful guide to the beginning of this chapter.  The beginning can be a tad confusing because it switches between first person point of views.  Almost every paragraph flips to either Naru or Mai in this scene.  So, I put a ' before and after the paragraphs where we are looking at Naru's perspective.  

Also, this chapter doesn't convey the full level of heated maturity that could be rated a full lemon.  But it is definitely citrusy.  So, prepare for some heat.  :) (In my stories I usually add a red page break to indicate a mature scene.  This scene is kind of borderline so I am somewhat on the fence for which to use.  Just know going into this that things are about to get heated.)

I wasn't sure what had roused me at first. It took me a moment to register the weightless, momentary caress across my stomach. But then the thumb that stroked at my midsection made another probing pass, and my eyelids flickered open to the soft incandescent brilliance of candlelight flickering from various places around the room. (Candles I didn't remember owning and obviously hadn't placed.) I couldn't identify the soft instrumental music that was playing in the background. It had me shifting in an attempt to look around the room, searching for the auditory source. The arm that was wrapped around my waist halted my movement. It tightened around me and kept me firmly in place.

'It was the appreciative noise she made (that she probably wasn't aware of) that had me wanting to draw her closer. I chose instead to stroke at her stomach once again hoping to hear that whimpering (almost) moan that she had made. I was somewhat thankful she couldn't see me, because I couldn't stop the grin from forming on my face. It was so easy to smile around her that I just let go, allowing the joyous expression to happen freely. After all, there was no one here to hide from. There was no one here to see me shed my emotional barrier. So, I smiled into that delicate spot behind her ear that met her neck. I probably made a noise of my own when I knew she was awake. She had attempted to rock herself into a position that made it easier for her to look around. But, I was quite content with where she was and tightened my hold to keep her in place. I placed my lips at that spot that I had smiled against only moments ago and delicately sampled the flesh between my lips, gently nibbling and pulling at it delicately. The sound she made in response wasn't as muffled this time, and I felt a pleasurable heat trickle down my spine and settle into my gut. I probably should move her now as I was sure she could feel my body reacting to her but I wanted more time to be selfish and take the opportunity to give her a few more pleasurable experiences in this stolen moment between us.'

Naru had always given me butterflies. There was no way I could ever deny that. But the moment his lips touched my neck, the moment he nibbled at that delicate flesh, I felt an electrical current ignite within. The noises he was drawing from me weren't anything I had ever heard before. (I might have even purred.) Also, there was no denying the way his body was reacting to my pleasure. I felt my cheeks grow hot as I registered his hardening length pressing into my lower back. Without my notice his fingers had trailed down to the bottom of my t-shirt. They were a tad chilled to the touch and I shivered in reaction to the temperature change on my bare skin.

'I was making a huge attempt to lie to my own body. I was trying to tell myself in that moment that just holding her and caressing her skin was enough. It would never be. I was too overwhelmed with how my senses were absorbing her reactions.

'I hadn't even registered how her natural scent was an aromatic aphrodisiac before. She smelled like scents I associated with Autumn in London, a heady combination of vanilla, cinnamon, and apples. My favorite delicacy the cafe served on the corner only blocks from my home would never be the same again. I had often ordered that apple pie a la mode on my way home from the university. Now, I am not sure that I could walk into that cafe without feeling as if my face was on fire. (That would be interesting to explain to the staff members who worked there.)'

He was nuzzling at my neck, leaving those tiny hairs at the base to stand up on end. I felt tiny goosebumps roll over my body, and I knew the noises coming from my throat weren't stopping any time soon. I wasn't sure if these reactions were a prelude to something bigger, but I was quite content with the way things were going regardless. The nerves were still there of course but muffled by the intense need that was spreading throughout my body.

'The sounds she was making I could only imagine before in my most heated dreams were much more arousing than I had creatively considered before, and it was making me thankful I was wearing pajama bottoms and not something more constricting. To think the sounds she was making were more than likely only the first few chords to an epic concerto. That cresting crescendo would more than likely be the death of me, or having me surging through the most gratifying release of my life.'

I wanted to look at him but he had me successfully pinned against him and I couldn't move. I tried to crane my neck to turn a bit more towards him but it proved impossible.

'She grew restless in my arms, and it only took a moment for of her squirming for me to decide to release her slightly so I could gain more visuals than just the flush of her cheeks and ears. I yearned to be able to look her in the eye while I brought her pleasure. It wasn't easy to maneuver in a twin bed but I managed to pull away just enough that I could roll her over onto her back and look her directly in the eye. I didn't want to crowd her much so I perched precariously on the very edge of the bed.'

His eyes were so much darker now. Stormy, but inviting. Were my eyes similar? Had they grown darker with the heat of arousal coloring them in a different light?

'I cast my eyes over her face. Her golden eyes had deepened a color that crayola didn't have a name for. I followed them as they traced over me. I could feel the want and need coursing through me like a flame licking at my skin.'

I wanted him. It was such a scary an exhilarating thought to consider. But in this moment I knew that I wanted him. I didn't mentally dance through the preface of the necessary clothing removal, that would have only made my cheeks color more and my movements to stutter. But I couldn't help but drop the pretenses and realize that in this moment I knew I wanted him in not only the romantic ways of being a boyfriend but also the carnal ways. It didn't feel dirty like I had always considered sex must be. It felt tempting and vital.

'I didn't intend to but I turned even closer to her, and feeling how are bodies were aligned in this new manner, pelvis to pelvis, created a whole new burst of heat funneling through my system.'

A profound need surged through me. I knew I wanted more of these sensations but I wasn't sure how exactly to encourage him, to communicate with his body. I couldn't find the words. I was too nervous to vocalize my need. In the moment that he pulled my body even closer a broken whimper escaped from me. I was sure that my eyes were now begging him for more.

'When I thought of the few other women I had in this very position in my past I realized how their garish makeup and skimpy outfits couldn't compare to the fresh untainted beauty that was Mai Taniyama. It wasn't fair to even waste those milliseconds I had already to compare those women to the one I was with in this moment.'

I hope my inexperience isn't apparent.

'I was never sure I had ever been this weak. Desire had become my abductor and I was simply it's slave. I leaned in to her and couldn't contain the groan as I felt her firm pebbled breasts against my chest. It didn't seem to matter that she wore a nightshirt. The cotton fabric might as well have been nonexistent. I took several deep breaths as I adjusted to these new sensations before I pulled her mouth up to meet mine. The moment our lips touched felt like an inferno had been set ablaze in the room. The fire department could have been called to put out the walls that were burning around us and I wouldn't have been the wiser.'

We hadn't had many kisses before this moment, and none that burned with such intensity as this one. It was like we were possessed and couldn't be held accountable for our actions. I pulled away when I considered this. I groaned as I realized what was happening. "Naru, we need to wake up."

'"Wake up?"'

"Yes, wake up."

Mai blinked her eyes open and groaned at the way the rays of sun were casting light across the room. She felt Naru's arm tighten around her and settled for the bliss she felt for only a moment. She wanted to cry at the loss of the dream. "So," she bit her bottom lip not sure how she wanted the answer to the question she was about to ask. "I saw those few women dance across your mind for a moment. I mean thank you for realizing that it wasn't fair to compare us. But, I have to ask. Were all those former girlfriends?"

Noll groaned. "No, they were simply past indiscretions." He considered the thoughts that had flipped through her own mind during the dream. "Why didn't I see something similar from your own mind?" I had seen her worry over inexperience but I wasn't surprised by that discovery. She didn't seem the type to have many lovers.

A blush climbed up Mai's chest and her whole face became toasty. She was sure there was no way she wasn't full tomato face in that moment. "Because, there is no one to compare you to."

"That feels like a veiled statement. I feel like it's only the top layer, and there is much more that you are meaning."

Mai bit at her lip and then realized that he had turned the questioning on her. She had been the one to start the conversation and yet he had only half answered himself. She pulled herself loose from his grip and maneuvered herself so that her back was completely against the wall, and she could look directly at his face. "We were talking about you, and you only halfway answered me."

"I had only thought about them for a moment, and they didn't even deserve that moment I gave them. They were just a few of the many admirers I have had over the years. Groupies I suppose wouldn't be a term far off the mark to describe them. But, I had no romantic feelings for them. That's why I stopped thinking about them in almost the same moment I realized I had been considering them. I understand why you may fault me for that momentary comparison, but I can't be sorry for doing so. Our past experiences shape who we are after all. But that's why I'm confused that I didn't see something similar in your own thoughts."

Mai looked down at her hands. "I couldn't mentally compare you to anyone even if I wanted to."

"Is that some grand comment about your feelings for me? Or is there more to it than that?" Noll clasped his eyes tightly together when he realized how that might be misinterpreted. "That comment wasn't meant to belittle your feelings for me in any way. I just want to completely understand."

Mai sighed. He would have to know, right? If she wanted her future experiences to be as perfect as possible he would have to know. "I'd never had romantic feelings for anyone before I met you. I'm not going to lament about the moment of my confession. I think we have talked that moment to death already. But, after you left, I tried to do the dating thing. I tried to see if I could have at least similar feelings for another like the ones I have for you." She shrugged her shoulders. "I could never bring myself to go on a second date with anyone, and I claimed I didn't kiss on a first date."

Dawning realization heated Noll's skin. "Then, I apologize for stealing the kisses that I have."

Mai laughed. "In the case of you the rule is thrown out the window."

She's solely mine. The thought shouldn't have stirred his libido again but it did. It pulled something feral and male within him that made him want to bang his chest like Tarzan.

He had to shake his thoughts for a moment though because they had just shared a dream. A very heated dream but they had never shared a dream before. It was Gene that was her dream guide not him. Was it because they shared a bed? Was it because of their desire to be together? Was it their psychic abilities that mingled all these possibilities together? It was definitely something that needed looking into.