Hunger Beneath the Floorboards

Darkness Promises

Before she could reason with the feelings inside her, a flash of lightning illuminated the room. Even though it was only her and Aren, she could sense someone, something living in the shadows. The dark corners of the room felt as if they were closing in around them pushing them together. In this flash of a second, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in his eyes, like she was seeing herself for the first time. Her face is familiar, but still a stranger. Her expression matched the same longing and desire Aren had for her, as if she had known him all her life.

His hands broke her from her stare as they slid from her thighs up around her waist. Applying a firm amount of pressure that made her sink further into the bed, grounding her fear into adrenaline. She could feel every movement he made, changing the amount of pressure in each finger, making their way to her ribs. She grasped the covers underneath her, watching his every move, waiting for mind to catch up to her desire.

“Stop thinking,” Aren spoke softly, endearing even. “This isn’t something you will need to force yourself to remember.”

As if this was the command her body needed to give in, Michelle let go of the covers and found her hands on his shoulders pulling him closer.

Another flash of lightning struck through the house. She could see him grinning. The house covered the sound of the storm with groans, almost swaying the way a willow tree would when met with the first wind of the season.

Aren's hands glided toward her shoulder blades, his arms holding her, afraid to let go. His face inches away from her stomach.

Michelle slid her hands to the back of his neck, through his hair, cradling his head like she was still deciding whether to trust this feeling or trust her thoughts that were now clouded with lust. The tension grew as she turned his head towards her, meeting his gaze. Each second growing with more power yet soft as silk, waiting on her command.

“I want to stop thinking…but I also need to know. You say I know you but…”

Before she could finish, Aren grabbed her hands, brought them to his face and kissed them. “You will. You promised and now you’re here. His breath on her skin made her feel connected to something she couldn’t understand but made her feel safe.

She cupped his face in her hands, pulled him up to her and before either one of them could move, the bed nudged her forward. Lips pressed together, her body flushed with his. The bed moved again. At the same time, almost like he knew it was going to happen, Aren moved forward, one hand behind her head, one hand on her arm placing it around him. Finally, both fall to the bed.

Michelle’s mind started running, desperately forging for memories to make this familiar feeling make sense. Her body unmistakingly knowing his next move, she wraps one leg up and around his waist as his hand caresses her outer thigh.

Instead of finding the memories, she focused on the feeling of his lips interlocking with hers, perfectly feeling the gaps. She felt every inch of his heated body on top of hers, the desire pulsing through her hips and behind her back. She didn’t know if it was him or the bed.

Aren moved his kiss from her lips to Michelle’s neck, breathing in her ear letting a quiet moan escape, she could hear the floorboards shift.

He kept moving, now down to her collarbone, to the top of her shoulder and now his hand has moved from her thigh to the outside of her hips.His thumb pulled on the top of her pants, tracing the hem to the pants button.

His other arm now holds himself up and Michelle catches the way his muscles tense up under the weight and making his veins flex throughout his arms. She traced every outline she could before she met his stare.

“How is it that my body knows you before my mind does?” she whispered under her breath, barely loud enough to hear over the pounding in her chest.

“The life before…still living within you, even if your mind doesn’t remember,” The house bellows from somewhere beneath them, reminding her that they are not alone.

Aren stands up, towering over her, as he lifts his shirt off. The room lights upp, capturing the shadows embedded within his chest, showcasing his strength. Slowly, he comes back to her, removing her pants and kissing the edges of her hips. Slipping off her panties and kneeling between her legs.

Michelle lets out a gasp as he kisses the soft spots of her thighs, sitting up impulsively, keeping him from going further.

Aren looks up at her through his eyebrows, “Do you trust me?”

Her body and mind feel like waves crashing into rocks, fighting to see which emotion will take over. He doesn’t move, yet doesn’t break from her gaze. He just waits, like hes waited for this exact moment for lifetimes.

Her hands speak for her pulling him back up and onto the bed, Aren reaches for Michelle’s shirt as she is simultaneously unbuttoning his pants, both effortless, like a learned dance they’ve done a million times before.

Lightning strikes and the room lights up, but it no longer seems daunting, the air is lighter, the gloom hanging in the shadows disperses. The second their bodies meet the house releases a moan. Michelle notices as Aren breathes heavy in her ear, on her neck, she can almost visibly see the air above them move in sync. She wonders, while her head tries to take charge, how her and Aren are so eerily connected. She places her hands on his chest, her legs pressed into his hips. Aren stops, feeling her hesitation.

“This has been a dream of mine for longer than you can imagine. Let’s not push you into something you might not be ready for. We have time. I will deal with the house…for now.”