I moved lower, my tongue tracing its way along her abdomen into her bellybutton. As always, when Shannie makes the rules she breaks them. Speaking softly, raspy, she said, "Make love to me."

I looked up at her, smiled and moved my tongue lower. "No," Shannie said grabbing a handful of my hair. "I want you to give me what no one else has. I want you to make love with me."

Who was I to argue? I moved upward, running my tongue up the soft swell of a breast and over a nipple, lingering briefly before finding her lips. With her help, I slipped inside. A gasp escaped her lips as her head fell back upon a pillow of her wild, sprawling hair. Below, she gripped me, her softness tugging at me, pulling me deeper, as if she could pull my heart into her. Eyes closed, Shannie lay biting her lower lip, her breasts quivering between us. Without warning, my limb's tingled; my head lightened. I felt like an unstable explosive in a volatile environment - the slightest provocation capable of setting me off.

With a cry, I exploded, releasing years of built up passion. Shannie's hips bucked against me, holding me tight. We stayed like this for untold moments. When we relaxed, I fell onto the sheets next to her.

Shannie's eyes explored my face as we lay with our arms wrapped around each other. "That was fast," Shannie said, half-jokingly, brushing my hair from my face.

Blushing in the darkness, I laid in silent humiliation. "You're so passionate," Shannie told me, kissing my forehead. You're so diplomatic, I thought. Squeezing her, I buried my head on Shannie's shoulder. My lips explored her neck. Soon, we were making love again. Afterwards, we fell asleep in each other's arms.

At some point during the night, I woke. Shannie lie on her back next to me, sound asleep. For the longest time, I watched her perky breasts rise and fall in unison. I touched her left breast, a finger tracing soft circles around her nipple, stopping when the corner of her mouth twitched, resuming when I thought it safe. I did this repeatedly, staring in wonder at her body; stopping when she made the slightest movement. It was during one of these interludes that I noticed a single hair, fine as it was curling up from her upper arm, just below her shoulder. I stared at it in wonder, amazed as often as I've seen her bare shoulders that I had never noticed.

I moved my mouth close to her ear and breathed "I love you Shannie." I held my breath, wondering what I would say if her emerald eyes flew open. I hadn't a clue. She didn't stir. When I felt safe, positive she wouldn't hear me, I whispered "I love you," into her ear. Her rhythmic breathing briefly stopped, then returned to its steady pace. Smiling, I rested my head on the pillow next to her. As I began to fade, I once again whispered, "I really love you," before curling up tight against her and drifting off into a deep, dreamless sleep.