#dayko

Put Me Together, Make Me Better

The competition had been Carlo’s idea, of all things. 

Mayko couldn’t blame her co-worker for thinking up something to ease the tension surrounding the team. David had arguably calmed down after receiving the help for addiction that he’d desperately needed, but people still tended to walk on eggshells around him thanks to his short temper. 

After work one evening, the main group – David, Carlos, Bob, and herself – picked up some decorating kits and pumpkins at the local market and then headed over to their boss’s loft. A simple Halloween-themed contest was the goal, which doubled as a potential form of stress relief. She often found it calming when she chopped up vegetables and assisted her close friend in his kitchen, so she figured it would be similar. 

Her imagining of how it would go had been off. 

The bioinformatics analyst stared, forlornly, at the mess of a gourd in front of her. It had started as a perfectly round pumpkin but was currently a disaster. 

“Dammit,” she groaned, setting her knife down as she attempted to figure out what had gone wrong. 

“You’re overthinking it, May,” David barely looked up from where he was working, entirely focused. 

Like clockwork, the use of the nickname prompted a flush to blossom across her cheeks. While he wasn’t intentionally teasing her, he also had a knack for getting under her skin thanks to their complex history. “And I suppose you’re an expert at these kind of things?” 

He glanced her way, a strand of golden-brown hair falling carelessly across his stunning blue eyes. A smirk tugged at the edges of his mouth at the sarcasm in her tone before he replied. “Hardly.” He turned the pumpkin he had around to briefly reveal a simple,  unfinished design of a ghost. “What I’m doing is having fun. You should try it.”

“David, you’re cheating.” Bob frowned, pausing in his carving. 

“I wasn’t! I was offering Mayko a bit of inspiration, that’s all.” David did his best to look innocent as he spun the gourd back to face him, but he winked in her direction before going back to utilizing a blade to etch out details.

She shook her head in amusement and then tilted her head to look at her mistakes from another angle. “Carlos, are there rules against using paint?”

“Nope,” her good friend offered her a gentle smile. 

She took that as the initiative needed to grab some supplies. 

“It’s not what I’d call perfect, but…” Mayko rotated her finished project, transformed into a black cat, to face the group for judgement a short time later. “At least it doesn’t look like a lump anymore.”

Bob chuckled quietly before commenting: “I like how you did the whiskers.” 

She grinned and gave him a grateful pat on the shoulder. “I really like your witch too.”

“She’s based on Baba Yaga, but I couldn’t put in a lot of detail without a drill.”

“Now that would have been cheating,” David interjected, crossing his arms over his chest before looking over at Carlos, who had provided a traditional Jack-o-Lantern to the proceedings. “Well? You were the one to come up with this idea, so you get to judge.”

Without a beat, their resident geneticist pointed at Bob’s elaborate carving. 

“I should have expected that,” NorBAC’s head molecular biologist grumbled, a slight pout crossing his handsome face that made him appear unquestionably adorable. 

“Didn’t you just tell me that this was about having fun, not winning?” Mayko quirked an eyebrow. 

“You should know by now to never listen to me.”

She laughed but then squeezed at his arm consolingly. 

Bob and Carlos headed out not long after they all shared some spice cake that David had baked recently. 

Mayko lingered and observed him as he shuffled around the kitchen while putting washed utensils away. 

“You don’t have to stay, you know,” he peered over the silver-rimmed glasses that had replaced his usual contacts. 

“I wanted to ask you something in private,” she explained, sipping at her coffee in a casual manner. 

“Ah.” He completed his task and then plopped down into the chair next to hers. “What is it?”

“Did your father ever mention thinking that we were married?”

He nearly choked on the beer that he had started to drink. “What?!” he sputtered. “No! He never – why would you –“ he ran his hands haphazardly through his hair before inhaling to calm down. “Where did you get that idea from?”

“That night we all had dinner together: he assumed I was your wife. I didn’t bother correcting him because I knew his mind was already…” she stopped and fidgeted with a loose thread on her blouse before bringing her gaze back to his. “I didn’t want to make things worse.”

“You wouldn’t have.” David eyed her seriously. “In fact, he probably forgot all about it before taking the cab back to the center.”

She sighed, relieved now that the secret was out and sank further into her chair. “That’s for the best then. I was just curious if he ever said anything.”

He shook his head, clearly stunned at the prospect in the first place. 

A small, internal part of her was disappointed, but she had her answer. She stood and then passed him the empty mug with a smile that didn’t fully reach her eyes. “I’ll be going, then. Good night David.”

“May…wait.”

She scurried off before anything further could be said.

She made it over to the front door all while mentally chastising herself, hastily wiping away unbidden tears and unaware of the fact that her companion was right on her heels. 

Mayko squeaked in surprise when David’s fingers clasped at her elbow. He then whirled her back around in order steal a kiss.  

She immediately lost the battle, relaxing into the hot, insistent claim of his mouth upon hers as he lifted her up and effectively pinned her between his lean frame and the wooden surface. 

Talented hands weaved into her hair, yanking her closer so she could feel the planes of chiseled muscle beneath the thin fabric of his tee shirt. 

A moan tore free when his lips eventually strayed and bestowed affection along the hollow of her throat. “David…”

“You didn’t think I was just going to leave that hanging in the air between us, did you?”

“Things are so different now. My leg.”

He silenced her excuses with another kiss, though it was far sweeter than their previous one. “None of that matters, I promise. I’ve always cared about you Mayko, and apparently even Dad could see it.” He chuckled ruefully, tucking a stray lock of hair back over her ear. “Please stay.” 

She hesitated only a moment before nodding and surging forward to embrace him again. 

Free Yourself

                  It was unlike her to be nervous. 

                  Mayko Tran considered herself, usually, to be a responsible person, especially around her boss. 

                  The problem was that she was going to be alone with him in his apartment for the first time in roughly five years.

                  David Sandström was never one to push his colleagues for information about their personal lives, so she wasn’t expecting an inquisition. However, she was fairly certain that he’d realized that something was up with her, hence his invitation. 

                  Anxiously, she smoothed out the front of her simple shirt dress, which was paired with leggings in order to hide her artificial leg from view. While her co-workers were well-aware of it existing, she still hadn’t reached the level of confidence required to show the limb off – despite the fact that it blended in so well that it would take a very close look to even notice at first. 

                  After a few shallow, yet deep breaths to quell the butterflies that had begun to swirl around in her stomach, Mayko knocked on the door. 

                  “Just a minute!” he sounded frazzled, which made her lips purse in concern, only for her jaw to drop altogether when David answered the door, shirtless, and clearly right off of some kind of strenuous activity. 

                  His golden-brown hair fell attractively over his eyes as he leaned casually against the doorframe. “Hi there.” 

                  “Did I interrupt something?” Unable to help it, her gaze traveled slowly across the breadth of his shoulders and then coasted down to linger across the tone of his chest and abdomen. His tanned skin was gleaming with moisture, which caused the dark hair that dusted the expanse of his torso to cling attractively and make her wish she could throw decorum out the window and pounce. 

                  “Nah, I just lost track of time,” he offered her a winning smile. “Come on in.” 

                  She stared at him for just a moment longer before stepping inside.

                  “What were you doing, anyway; isn’t it your day off?” she asked as she tossed her purse on his couch, knowing that he wouldn’t mind given how long they had been acquainted. 

                  “Some light calisthenics,” he replied, moving past her to head for the kitchen, picking up a spare tee shirt that had been thrown over the back of a chair along the way. 

                  She knew him well enough to tell when he was joking, and followed him, swallowing her disappointment when he pulled the garment on over his head. “Be serious for once, David. What were you really up to?”

                  He spun around effortlessly on a bare foot, his handsome features impish with excitement. “You wanna see?”

                  “I’d better not regret this,” Mayko muttered, her hands moving to cross over David’s. His arms were coiled securely around her waist while he guided her forward onto his balcony, and she couldn’t help leaning back against his solid form. 

                  Per his request, her eyes were closed, her curiosity piquing regarding what had occupied him until she’d arrived. 

                  “Okay. Stand here…let me just,” she felt him move away momentarily and heard some metal creaking. Then his fingers entwined with hers and she was tugged closer. “All right. Open them.”

                  She did so, her hazel-brown gaze widening significantly. “Is that a park bench?”

                  “You’ve all been complaining about the lack of seating out here, remember?”

                  “Well, yeah I just wasn’t thinking you’d go and put one together yourself.”

                  “Go on, try it out,” he insisted, shuffling her towards it. 

                  “David you haven’t even tested it!”

                  “May, stop being such a worry wart,” he practically dragged her down onto his lap in order to get her to sit.

                  Her balance was affected enough that she had to catch herself before she careened into his arms. Luckily he was too preoccupied with being proud of his own handiwork to notice and it gave her a chance to right herself. 

                  “So…what do you think?” he draped one arm along the back of the wrought iron. 

                  “I think you’re going to need cushions otherwise it’ll scorch people in the summer. And I think it was totally unnecessary to assemble this half naked which means that one of your female neighbors was watching you.”

                  “Jealous?”

                  “Me? No,” she whirled, only to nearly smack their noses together, as he had gotten awfully close. “Why would I be jealous?”

                  “Because we have a history. Because I’ve noticed how closed off you’ve been towards everyone lately. I’ve also known you long enough to recognize when you’re building up too much tension. May, what’s been going on?”

                  She froze. It would be like David to read her so clearly, and to push past all the bullshit in order to get directly to the point. 

                  “Nothing’s going on.”

                  Bright blue eyes that were incredibly easy to fall into narrowed at her response. “Trust me. Something is. And I think it has to do with this,” skilled fingers brushed against the knee of her artificial leg. 

                  Unbidden, she shivered, sensation emerging, even though she knew it was in her head. “It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

                  “If one of my best employees is constantly distracted, then yes: it is my concern.” He sighed and ran a hand haphazardly through his perpetually tousled hair. “I don’t like prying, but I care about you too much to simply let this go.” 

                  She peered up at him, the next attempt at getting him to drop the subject dying when she saw his sincere expression. 

                  “Can we head inside? I don’t feel comfortable talking about it out here.”

                  “Of course,” he stood, and extended both of his hands out to her in order to haul her to her feet. 

                  They settled on the couch in his living room, and for the better part of an hour, Mayko explained everything – the phantom feelings in her leg, the way her budding relationship with Milo had fizzled due to her inability to get close to another physically, and why her therapy sessions were seeming to lead to nowhere. 

                  The entire time, David barely said a word, instead nodding and propelling her forward gently whenever she got stuck. 

                  Being able to air out her grievances without being asked for more clarification was freeing, and she found herself tearing up in gratitude despite her best effort.

                  “Hey,” he swept a tear away from her cheek. “It’s all right.”

                  “No it isn’t. It will be but right now…” there was a quiver to her voice, and she leaned instinctively into his palm when he rested it against her cheek. “Right now I want to forget that this happened. I want to be whole again.”

                  “You’re as complete a person as you’ve always been, Mayko,” he brought his other hand up so he could run his fingers through her hair.

                  She searched his countenance, taken in by the earnestness and affection on his striking features. 

                  She threw caution to the wayside and twisted the fabric of his shirt to yank him in, their mouths colliding in a fervent kiss seconds later. 

                  He responded eagerly, his touch sliding up her back to gather her against him while the embrace deepened, their long dormant passion for each other sparking instantly. 

                  It was clear that a distraction from all that bothered her was what she needed, and there was not a single protest when he hoisted her up and carted her smoothly to his bedroom. 

                  Her dress was halfway off by the time they sank back on the mattress, his lips straying down her neck before lingering in the valley between her breasts. 

                  She clawed insistently at his tee until he parted with her long enough for it to be peeled up over his head, and then with a deft movement he managed to cast off her bra. 

                  The second his skin properly touched hers, molten warmth pooled right below her stomach. 

                  She reached up and weaved her hands into his hair, drawing him down for a sound kiss that conveyed her appreciation for his understanding on the matter. 

                  The remains of their clothing formed a pile on the floor, naked bodies tangling together by instinct until David took a moment to pause and rake his gaze over her admiringly. 

                  “Do you want this off?” he smoothed a hand over her leg, indicating where the prosthetic attached. 

                  “It won’t bother you?”

                  “It’s less about me right now,” he admitted, continuing to stroke lazily. “I want you to be comfortable.”

                  She chewed at her lower lip before nodding in assent. 

                  It only took a few moments and then he was back in her arms. 

                  David had always been a thorough and giving lover, so it was as if no time had passed at all. 

                  Talented hands wandered avidly over Mayko’s sensitive skin, while his lips plotted a course first down the slope of her jaw. 

                  She tilted back her head, granting him full access to the column of her throat, her breath hitching when he lingered at her clavicle with his tongue before veering to the left. 

                  He bit provocatively at her shoulder and then directed his attention further down, a sharp cry escaping her when he latched onto her breast and the warmth within her increased significantly. 

                  He devoted attention to one, then the other, her fingers twisting into his hair as she guided him. 

                  One hand ghosted along the curve of her hip before ducking between her legs, a pulse of desire shooting directly to her center upon contact.

                  It wasn’t long before he drove her over the edge, his gaze fastened upon hers the entire time as he studied her reactions, a knowing smile crossing his lips when she found completion. 

                  He allowed her time to recover, though when she attempted to reach for him to return the favor he very gently pushed her hand aside, instead kissing her sweetly and touching their foreheads together while she recuperated. 

                  It had been a while since she had just existed with someone, so she became preoccupied with rediscovering him – charting paths across the definition of his torso and dragging her nails through the hair on his chest in a manner that she recalled he liked. 

                  His fingers caught hers as they began to dive low along his abdomen, her pulse jumping when she saw his eyes flash dangerously at her right before he lunged. 

                  His mouth claimed hers in an ardent kiss while he pinned her against the pillows, their fingers entwining as she arced her hips in an invitation he didn’t hesitate in taking. 

                  They were joined together with a quick thrust, embracing feverishly, and starting off with a steady, careful motion. 

                  She grasped at his shoulder blades, easing into the symmetry as they met over and over in kisses while their forms entangled naturally. Even without the ability to wrap both legs around his waist, it was simple enough to anchor them together with just the one, her hold on him tightening as their coupling became wild and instinctual. 

                  It really was as if they’d never stopped indulging in this, her hips canting to meet his movements, a whimper tearing from her throat when he adjusted his angle to bury deeper. 

                  Their gazes locked as the world around them shattered, their pinnacle reached in unison right before they collapsed, sated, against the rumpled sheets. 

                  “When you invited me over tonight was this planned?” Mayko inquired, much later, after several rounds of lovemaking had finally worn them both out. 

                  “Yes and no,” he confessed, twisting into her arms while they rested. “Yes, I planned to be completely alone with you…but no, I wasn’t intending for this to happen,” he gestured at their still entwined bodies. “That being said I’m not minding.”

                  “You never do,” she stretched and nuzzled at him, smirking. “Though it didn’t really require that much to tempt me.”

                  “I noticed,” he chuckled, tucking an errant lock of hair back over her ear. 

                  They stared at each other for a long, blissful moment before he dipped his head to kiss her tenderly, his hands sliding up under her back to cradle her against him. “It helped though, right?”

                  “Yes, it definitely helped,” she mumbled, shifting so she could trap him under her and delighting in the brilliant smile that was aimed her way. 

                  As far as she was concerned – nothing else needed to matter. 

It Takes One To Know One

                  The atmosphere at NorBAC was remarkably calm. Granted: it was a summer afternoon, in the middle of the week, and while there was always plenty to occupy the staff who worked there, lazy days could still occur. 

                  It was due to this that Mayko Tran refused to hurry through her current assignment.

                  Of course, that didn’t stop her boss, David Sandström, from loudly yelling out her name as a signal that he wanted her attention on something. Even after all the years they had known each other and being used to his mercurial temperament, she still jumped at the boom of his voice. 

                  With a beleaguered sound, she left her computer running the program that she had been meddling around with and headed up the stairs to the second level, where his office was located. 

                  It was never unusual to find the head scientist for the company seated behind his desk, reading, however there was something markedly different about him that prompted her to halt in her tracks. 

                  She swallowed, her heart catapulting a few times over in her chest. There was no denying that her former professor was an incredibly handsome man. In fact – he tended to flaunt it with his constantly undone collars and jeans that seemed to hug in all the right areas. 

                  What made David particularly irresistible on this day was the fact that he was wearing his glasses. 

                  Memories came flooding in of their brief time together when she was his student. There had been such a forbidden thrill to sneaking out of her college dorm to meet up with him – first for coffee or research sessions, and then eventually for something far more carnal. 

                  Unable to resist, Mayko stared, noting how the oval frames were perched symmetrically on the bridge of his nose. One would assume that the lenses would dull the brilliant blue shade of his eyes, but instead they seemed incredibly vibrant. 

                  It certainly didn’t help matters that he had chosen an aquamarine button down, which he left open liberally at the throat so the hair that peeked over his clavicle was visible to her gaze. 

                  God dammit Sandström. 

                  She cleared her throat to announce her presence, prompting her employer to look up from whatever published paper had consumed his attention. “You bellowed?”

                  “Hey,” he placed the file he was perusing to the side and stood up, slipping his hands into his pockets, and adopting a casual stance. “I wanted to get your eyes on something I thought was, well…really fucking weird,” his naturally deep tone tended to jump down an octave when he was perplexed. 

                  She crossed her arms over her chest and quirked a brow. “That’s your professional opinion? That something is weird?”

                  He rolled his eyes at the playful jab and grabbed a specific paper to clarify his point. “Take a look at these test results and see for yourself.”

                  “Fine,” she pursed her lips, still annoyed but unable to bring herself to fully be mad at him. She walked over to his side and snatched the data from his hands so she could survey it properly. 

                  Her brow immediately furrowed. “What exactly am I looking at?”

                  “Owen’s blood.” He sidled closer. “And before you ask, yes I had Carlos and Bob do this test several times over with different samples.”

                  “But this is impossible,” she inhaled shakily. “David do you know what this could mean?” She turned her head at the same time that he did, her pulse spiraling due to both his proximity and the shock of the information.

                  Despite the severity of what it meant; it was obvious that he was holding back a proud smile. She couldn’t exactly blame him, as it wasn’t the first unique discovery that the lab had made in the past few years.

                  They stared at each other for a few moments, saying nothing, until the excitement finally got the better of him and he suddenly gathered her into a bear hug. 

                  Mayko squealed in surprise at the abrupt behavior, but it was so easy to give in to the temptation of David’s warmth. It wasn’t long before she was reveling in it and breathing in deeply to fully appreciate the spice-laden scent of his cologne.

                  “I take that as soon as it goes through some extra quality checks that you’re going to publish this?” 

                  “Absolutely, it means we can pinpoint addiction to genes and help people like Owen in the future,” he pulled back, framing her face between his hands gently. “It’ll do a lot of good in the future, May.”

                  Her features softened at the use of the nickname. “It’s been a while since you called me that; it’s also been a while since you wore these,” she tapped at the frame of his spectacles. “Did you forget to order more contacts again?”

                  “No…” his hands slid down to hold her by the shoulders, and there was guilt in his tone that suggested it was exactly what had happened.

                  She shook her head in amusement. “You’re a horrible liar. Thing is, though, I always thought they suited you.”

                  “Oh?” now there was marked interest in his perceptive gaze, along with a hint of mischief. “Was that part of the attraction back in the day?”

                  “You’re well aware of how good-looking you are, David Sandström.” She admonished, her fingers twisting into his shirt sleeves since he was making no move to let her go, and frankly she wasn’t about to let him if he did. “Don’t play coy with me.”

                  “I’m not, but it’s been ages since we flirted, and I didn’t want to assume –

                  She cut him off by dragging him forward, her mouth meeting his.

                  While she had startled him, it was quickly made evident that he felt the same way as she did, his arms circling securely around her as the embrace deepened. 

                  Delighted by how eagerly he began to respond, she nipped and teased at his lips, tracing invitingly with her tongue until he accepted, and she was allowed to delve in and explore.

                  In a way: it was as if no time had passed. Kissing David felt as natural as it had in the days when she was his fling, but there was the added benefit of it being right this time around. There was no reason to lament or worry about the future – it was bright and open and becoming clearer by the minute that he wished her to be part of his. 

                  He was the first to part for air, a dazzling grin blossoming over his striking features. “Does this mean that when I invite you to my place tonight for a private dinner, you’ll accept?”

                  “You’re incorrigible. But yes, it’s a date.”

                  His reply was to kiss her again, more passionately than before, and she gladly returned the much-appreciated affection. 

Leave Quite An Impression

                  Years of being within David Sandström’s social circle left certain impressions on Mayko Tran. 

                  Not all of these were complimentary. He had bad habits – drinking and smoking chief among them – not to mention his inclination to fall into bed with practically every woman that crossed his path. 

                  She had never been the jealous sort . David would always be David. Mayko knew that a part of her heart had been uprooted by him long ago, but she was also self-aware enough to realize that a traditional happily ever after with him probably wasn’t in the cards. 

                  She was fine with it. Mostly. Her own tangled string of relationships (if they could be called that) were just as messy, and she didn’t judge. 

                  Every now and then, however, she found herself itching to seduce him. The man was devastatingly attractive, and occasionally she let animal impulses rule her. 

The choice of scent was deliberate: a relic from her student days that she still fell back on when the mood suited. Her outfit had also been carefully selected with her specific task in mind. She paired a mid-length denim skirt with a simple white camisole and threw a colorful cardigan over the ensemble. It was easily something that she would wear to the lab and since the purpose of David’s invitation had been research-related, she decided to uphold a modicum of professionalism. 

They had been working for nearly an hour, and Mayko found herself increasingly distracted by David’s tendency to hover close and read over her shoulder.  It was growing late, so she wondered just how long she would last before giving in to temptation.

She did her best not to shiver when her companion finally took note of the perfume and inhaled deeply before remarking: “Is that the Chanel?”

                  “It is,” she confirmed, subtly tilting her neck, swallowing a sigh when his breath feathered along her skin as he gave her a brief, affectionate nuzzle. 

“You wore that back in university, didn’t you?”

                  “The very same. It was extremely popular at the time…not to mention expensive,” she twisted slightly to meet his eyes, her heart flipping when she saw the interest surfacing in the sea of aquamarine. “I suppose we were all trying to get your attention.”

“Were you now?” his lips twitched upwards in amusement. 

                  She rolled her eyes, exasperation seeping in to partially stave off her burgeoning attraction and turned back to look at her computer screen. “What can I say? You were the hot professor at the time.”

                  “Are you saying I wouldn’t be today?”

                  She scoffed. “I think you’ve always been aware of how sexy you are, David.”

He made a sound somewhere between a hum and a growl, indicating approval. “Is that so?”

                  She shook her head in amusement and was about to redirect the conversation to the patterns that they were studying, when suddenly: his mouth brushed lightly against her nape.

                  Mayko was unable to suppress a moan at the contact. One thing that never changed was how attentive David could be.  Still, she wanted to exert some form of control, so she muttered: “What do you think you’re doing Sandström?” 

                  “Proving a point. That’s obviously what you really want, May,” the use of her pet name immediately prompted searing warmth to pool directly beneath her stomach. 

                  At the same time, the hand that had been a familiar presence on her shoulder began to inch downward.

                  His lips skimmed over the curve of her jaw while clever fingers eased her cardigan off her shoulders and then dipped beneath the hem of her top. Carefully, his touch whispered along the bare flesh of her stomach before he thumbed over the base of her bra.  

                  She shifted in the chair, goosebumps erupting while she arced further into the splay of his hand by instinct, a startled sound emerging when he nibbled at her earlobe. “And what makes you so certain that this is what I want?”

                  “Just a feeling,” she swore that his already resonant tone turned deeper. “But if you want me to stop…”

                  Deliberately, he massaged over the white lace covering her breast before his hand delved under.

                  Mayko threw her head back, a whimper tearing from her throat as her sensitized skin prickled from his ministrations.  “Don’t you dare.”

                  His chuckle rumbled against her cheek, and while he didn’t let up, he did slow a fraction. “What’s this really about, anyway?”

                  “Does there need to be a reason?”

                  “No, you can consider me enticed; I’m just curious.”

                  “Because I’ve missed being with you,” she confessed.

There was a beat of silence as his hand fell away, but in the next second he had whirled her around, claimed an ardent kiss, and managed to lift her up and set her on his desk. 

She pulled back momentarily so he could whisk her shirt over her head, his mouth straying to tease at her throat while one hand roamed under her skirt, almost as if no time had passed since they had last indulged in this.

                  “I’d nearly forgotten how good you taste,” he mumbled, licking over her clavicle and then venturing further to reverently place a kiss right over her sternum.

                  She carelessly flung her bra to the side, wishing for him to continue without hindrance, and pushed insistently at the form-fitting henley that hid his beautifully muscled torso from view. “Shut up and take off your clothes.”

                  He laughed brightly and parted from her long enough to remove the top. 

                  Her hands immediately delved to his bare chest, her nails dragging through the soft hair that dusted the expanse before she hooked her fingers into the belt-loops of his jeans and pulled him in, so he was flush against her.

The beautiful blue shade of his eyes was brighter, the depths glittering at her tantalizingly. 

Mayko draped her arms around David’s neck, initiating an embrace that was sweeter than their previous one. 

She felt him smile, his hands landing on her hips and squeezing lightly as they kissed with growing ardor. 

He reached around to locate the side zipper to her skirt and draw it down slowly. She arched naturally to assist him in the removal of the garment, and her underwear, and then he scooped her up so he could bridal carry her over to the much cozier bed. 

                  Completely naked, she stretched out over the covers, watching him intently as he stepped out of his jeans, so no further barriers remained between them. 

                  Her breath caught when he crawled over her and then settled so their bodies were pressed together, his desire for her evident when he captured her mouth in another kiss, which she gladly reciprocated. 

                  As they embraced with steadily building passion, he began to explore, talented fingers coasting along the jut of her hip and then sliding up to trace a slow circle around one breast.

                  Firefly kisses ghosted across her neck, then her shoulders, until he eventually travelled lower. 

                  He took his time, grinning as she surged up impatiently into his mouth when he devoted special attention to more reactive areas. 

                  Then his hand ducked between her legs to work a spectacular brand of magic, and her composure unraveled.

                  Before long: she was a trembling mess in his arms, release hitting full force as she wondered why she had taken such a long break from engaging in such perfection with him. 

                  Once Mayko had recovered, David made his way back up her body, sweetly bestowing kisses wherever he could until he was able to steal another from her lips. Gently, he swept his hands under her back to cradle her against him. 

                  A jolt of pure need surged up her spine when he tugged away, and she could see the emotion reflected in his stunning gaze. Clearly, something had shifted, and while lust was still driving them both, there was a deeper meaning beginning to surface as well. 

                  Tenderly, she pushed a lock of hair that had fallen over his eyes back, a fond expression crossing her face. “I’ve missed us.”

                  “So have I,” he admitted, leaning back in to kiss her soundly.

                  They sank onto the nest of blankets, and he deftly hitched her leg over his hip before requesting permission silently, which she eagerly gave. 

                  With a perfectly timed thrust, they were joined, and it only took a second to adjust before they started off on an even rhythm. 

                  She clutched at his back, reveling in the sensation of how well he fit with her, anchoring them in place while they moved in harmony.

                  For all his insistence otherwise, she knew that he was a romantic due to the way he made love to her – like a true equal. 

                  Eventually, they gave themselves over entirely, the air turning charged as they reached their peak in unison, until the only thing left to do was fall.  

                  “You do realize that all you have to do is ask if you want this, right?” There was genuine concern in her lover’s gaze while they lay together after engaging in several rounds, recuperating from the onslaught brought on by their desire. 

 Mayko exhaled, pillowing her head on the crook of David’s shoulder, and drew invisible figures through the moisture that had gathered on his skin. “I guess I didn’t want to overstep any boundaries. Especially since I know you and Jill are…”

“Complicated?” he supplied, his thumb rubbing up and down her arm soothingly. 

She made a non-committal sound and shrugged. 

“Hey: if there’s something bothering you, remember that you can always talk to me. No matter what it’s about.”

“I know that, of course” she peered up at him, taking in how gorgeous he looked with his hair in such disarray. “A part of me is always going to be yours, David, no matter how far we drift away from each other.”

He caught her hand as she pressed it against his heart, bringing it up to his lips to lay a gentle kiss along her knuckles. “Let’s try not to make that a habit, okay?”

She nodded, and then framed his face between her hands so she could embrace him, which effectively altered the mood back to romantic. 

He twisted and pinned her under his warm, solid frame, a bright grin surfacing on his attractive features. “I suppose I’ll just have to find ways to be less irresistible to the female population from now on.”

She snorted with laughter and slapped lightly at his chest. “What you are, sir, is incorrigible.” 

                  His expression softened and he shook his head. “No, what I am…is yours, May.”

                  Her pulse cartwheeled and she dragged him back for one more kiss, limbs tangling together as they were carried off by their feelings. 

                  Perhaps the happy ending that she fantasized about wasn’t so far out of reach as she initially thought.