Perception

Warnings: Rated M for violence, language and sexual situations/adult themes. Naruto and its characters are owned by Kishimoto.

Just a note…I did my very best to keep Itachi as in-character as possible and still have him say and do what needs to be said and done to make this chapter and the rest of the story work. As we’ve all read with the latest manga, there are sides to Itachi we’ve never seen, for any number of reasons. This chapter wasn’t inspired by the manga or anything, it was written weeks ago, but I am only exploring a possibility based on little things I’ve seen of his personality over the series. I like to think I understand his character enough not to butcher it or make him go off-the-wall ooc, and I hope you can all see that.

So… For those of you who have endured all of my evil teasing and have been waiting for this: I hope you really enjoy it, and that it was worth the wait! : D

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Perception by Cynchick
Chapter 14: The Nightside of Eden


“Sakura…”


Wait…


Sakura stopped in her reach for the door handle and stood very still, the intonation in his voice ringing through her like a bell. Slowly, her heart racing, she turned around to face him.


His expression was still unreadable, though no longer blank. Rather, it was a mixture of so many things that she couldn’t distinguish any one thought or emotion. It had cost him to call out to her, to ask her to wait though he had not said those exact words. She knew it would cost him more to say what he was about to say, so she would be patient with him and let him express it in his own way. He took a small step toward her, and she moved forward as well, to let him know that she was willing to give as much or as little as he was.


“Sakura…” he repeated quietly. “This thing between us…I did not intend it to happen. It’s something I didn’t anticipate or calculate, and that is unsettling to me. I am not accustomed to oversight. But, you are strong, and intelligent, and very beautiful. I said to you before that you fascinate me on many levels, so although I did not predict the possibility of physically desiring you, it’s not entirely a surprise.”


“However, what is surprising…” he slowly reached out and gathered the ends of her hair between his fingers, his eyes never leaving hers. “…is that I am drawn to you even though I do not want to be. I am a man of control, and I am not surprised often. This attraction…has been very troubling to me, and that is rare.”


His thumb grazed softly against her cheekbone. “You, Sakura…there is something about you that causes reaction in me, that makes me feel, even if just a little, when I am so used to feeling nothing at all. That is something I did not think was possible. The effect you have on that part of me I thought no longer existed is the reason why I’m drawn to you, as well as the source of my disquiet. That is as clearly as I am able to explain it. But you…” his fingers began to thread into the hair at her temple, and she tilted her head slightly at his touch. “What is this to you, Sakura?”


She breathed deeply, not entirely sure if she could form words after hearing the things he had just said to her, the velvet tone of his voice flowing over her like a caress. “I…I can’t entirely explain it either. First of all you’re gorgeous,” she sighed, and he smirked softly. “But that’s not really it. That only makes it harder to resist you. You…you fascinate me as well, because there is so much more depth to you than I ever imagined. I can sense so much beneath your cold surface that you can’t or won’t show…and I want to find it. I want to bring it out.”


She took another small step toward him, and he let his fingers slide through her hair to rest on the back of her neck. “I know that’s probably impossible,” she continued. “I know you will never be open or caring, but I also know there is more to you than your dark image. I can see that deep inside, you are still a human being, a real person. You’re just a man. And it’s that part of you that I’m drawn to,” she finished quietly, moving close enough to bring her hands up to rest lightly against his chest.


Itachi’s gaze turned inward for a moment. “Just a man…” his lips twisted in what could have been a small, wistful smile. His eyes focused on hers again and his hands moved to caress over her hips and settle on her waist. “Sakura…what do you want?” he whispered.


She smiled softly. “Whatever we can have.”


Something passed behind his eyes, unclear but extremely significant, and then he lowered his head and kissed her. This kiss was different than all before it; it was passionate but there was something else as well, something that went beyond, deeper than simple lust. It frightened her and yet she welcomed it, and she held his face in her hands and responded with all the feeling she had held inside for so long.


Just when she thought he would deepen the kiss, he ended it, and she forced her eyes open to meet his piercing gaze. “Sakura,” he murmured close to her lips, his gaze conveying his intent. “This is the point of no return…there can be no going back.” Be sure this is what you want, was the silent message in his dark eyes.


Her jade eyes were clear and certain as her fingers ran along his jaw. “We passed that point a long time ago, Itachi, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life regretting a lost chance,” she said, her tone soft and even and sure.


“This is never meant to last,” he whispered.


She closed her eyes for a moment before meeting his again. “That doesn’t mean it’s not meant to be.”


His expression darkened and his eyes became predatory, sending a sharp thrill through her. And then he was kissing her, his mouth moving possessively over hers, claiming her. She made a soft sound in the back of her throat when his tongue laced along the softness of her top lip before meeting with hers in a heated play for possession. Her fingers gripped into his hair and his arms tightened around her waist, both of them taking greedily whatever could be given as they explored each other’s mouths with ardent abandon.


He let his bodyweight fall against her and she was vaguely aware he was moving her that way, pushing her backward until her back hit the wall roughly, all the while never breaking their heated kiss. She made a small murmur of surprise as the cold from the stone seeped into her shoulders, but the heat of his body pressing against the front of her more than made up for it. His hands pushed against her hips, pinning her firmly against the wall. The way he handled her was not over-rough yet still completely dominating and she loved it, it made her want to give in to him entirely and for once in her life, she liked the feeling of being overpowered.


His lips trailed along her jaw, sucking and kissing, the occasional graze of his teeth giving her erotic chills as he nibbled down the side of her neck. She leaned her head back against the wall to give him more access to the sensitive skin of her throat as his hands roamed over her sides. One hand curved around the back of her neck and tilted her head further forward and to the side, allowing him to bite down on the tendon near her hairline. A shiver of sensation ran through her entire body and she gasped. He did it again, harder this time, and she arched her back and pressed her chest into him with a soft moan.


Her forehead was resting against the crook of his neck, and she hazily wondered if it was as sensitive as hers. Her fingers grasped into the neckline of his shirt and tugged it aside as she moved her mouth along his skin, teeth closing lightly over the tendon. She heard his sharp intake of breath and smiled against his skin, continuing to her ministrations as he pressed his body further into hers. Her lips pushed firmly against his necklace, teeth and warm metal digging into his skin and leaving red marks. His masculine scent was subtle and enticing, and she breathed through both her mouth and nose to fully take it in. His own hot breath tickled against the fine hairs on her neck, and she smirked as the shiver ran down her spine, knowing she was doing the same to him.


His hands slid down her sides until they grasped her thighs, moving behind until they were right beneath her rear and with a low murmur against her collarbone, he effortlessly lifted her thighs around his hips and pressed his hips roughly into hers, eliciting a surprised moan of pleasure from the woman in his arms. She shifted to settle against him and grabbed his hair in both hands, dragging his face up and kissing him heatedly. He supported her weight by pressing her into the rough stone with only his hips as his hands slid over her ribs and along the underside of her arms, lifting them up as he went. One hand grasped both of her wrists in a firm hold, pinning them above her head, never slacking his kiss as his tongue moved against hers in a way that left her breathless and lightheaded.


His free hand slipped beneath the hem of her shirt, the backs of his fingers caressing over her firm stomach until the tips ghosted under the edge of her bra. Her shirt was lifted up over the top of her breasts, exposing her simple black lace trimmed bra. He murmured his approval of her taste in undergarments against her lips in a deep, primal tone that made her entire body quiver. He trailed his mouth down her neck again, his tongue teasing and dipping into the hollow of her throat as he paused to suckle the soft skin there before continuing down the center of her chest. His teeth grazed lightly over the small flat area between her breasts at the base of her bra, then he began laying soft wet kisses along the lacy edge, his tongue sliding just under the fabric as the hand not holding her wrists palmed against the underside of her breast, lifting the soft flesh. She felt his hot breath on her sensitized skin as his mouth hovered there and her stomach clenched, her breathing shallow with anticipation.


His lips brushed over her nipple and her head fell back against the wall as she shivered with pleasure. When his teeth closed gently around the hardened peak and his tongue darted across the tip through the thin fabric she mewled and arched her chest into him, her hips rising into his in an attempt to bring them closer. She strained against his grip on her wrists, wanting to grab the back of his head and hold him there, but his strong grip prevented it without using enough force to hurt.


Much to her displeasure he began to move back up her chest, slowly sliding her shirt up as he went until he lifted it over her head and removed it completely, relinquishing his hold on her wrists in the process. Her newly freed hands flew to grasp the soft strands of his hair and drag him upward. His mouth returned to hers hungrily, tongue immediately entering and sliding along hers. Carelessly he tossed her shirt aside and pushed his hips between her thighs roughly, pressing her hard into the wall and swallowing her resulting moan with his kiss.


She could feel his arousal hard against his pants now as he ground against her center, and she moaned against his lips and lifted her hips to meet him. His hands once again gripped the backs of her thighs for leverage as his movements became rougher, more insistent as passion began to take control of them both. Suddenly he lifted her higher on his hips, hands sliding under her ass to secure her before swiftly jerking her away from the wall. Their kiss broke with the lift and she breathed heavily against his still-upturned mouth and grasped his shoulders as she was pulled away, her legs locking behind him to help support her weight as he slowly walked them backwards to the center of the room.


Her fingers played against his neck and their eyes locked as his hands slid over her ass and began to move along her lower back, her toned and tight thigh muscles keeping her secure against his hips. His eyes were a smoldering black, darkened by lust, the heat of his gaze searing into her soul. Her hands slid down his back and gripped into the fabric of his shirt, because it was far past time it came off, and roughly jerked it up, fingernails dragging up the muscled planes as she went. He hissed as her nails scraped over his skin, and she smirked wickedly against his lips as the offending piece of material was lifted over his head and thrown across the room. She pressed her forehead against his and they locked heated gazes again, breathing each other’s breath as she worked his hair tie loose and ran her fingers through his newly freed strands as they fell across his smooth back, her short nails scraping against his scalp, causing his fingers to press into her skin with bruising force as his hands continued to roam over her back and sides.


She tore her gaze from his and bent her head to plant heated kisses along the top of his shoulder. His fingers grasped the clasp of her bra and unhooked it smoothly, then slid softly along her shoulder blades and lowered the straps from her shoulders. He bit gently on the sensitive spot behind her ear as he slid the straps down her toned arms. She lowered her limbs from around his neck to allow him to remove the lacy material and drop it on the floor. His hands returned to caressing her bare back and she gripped his strong shoulders, pressing into the faded tattoo that she had always known was there but never thought about until now as her fingertips moved over the slightly raised skin.


Their mouths met in another searing kiss, his arms wrapping around and pressing her against his muscled chest tightly. The feeling of skin against skin was amazing, their bare torsos pressing together intimately, the heat of their aroused bodies greater than the heat coming from the small stove glowing in the corner and casting the shadow of their embrace against the wall.


Suddenly he was moving again, slowly and deliberately walking them toward the bed. He set one knee on the mattress and eased them both down, one arm leaving her waist to brace them, never once breaking their kiss. Only when her back settled onto the soft surface did he break their contact, moving to more comfortably settle between her thighs as they unlocked from around his waist. The hand not supporting his weight caressed over and down her covered thigh, and his dark eyes traveled lustfully over her exposed torso, lingering heatedly on her small, rounded breasts and rosy, hardened nipples. The primal and predatory hunger she saw in his gaze as he looked at her body made the heat pool in her belly and her back arched, unconsciously inviting as her breasts swelled and lifted with the movement.


His fingers trailed over her bare stomach, her muscles quivering under his soft touch. His eyes fixed on her face raptly to catch every pleasured expression as the backs of his fingers moved along the soft underside of her breasts. Her eyes snapped shut and she hissed as his knuckle grazed her nipple and she missed the smirk her reaction brought to his lips. His hand cupped over her breast and his thumb pushed against the taut peak, eliciting another gasp and causing her to grind against him. His lips touched hers teasingly before moving away and kissing along her throat and across the plane of her chest, moving steadily downward.


Sakura knew what was coming and her insides tightened and flooded with heat in anticipation, her fingers tight in the long silky hair that trailed over her ribcage and tickled deliciously. He lightly pinched her nipple between his fingers and she mewled and squirmed under him, trying to further the contact. Soft lips closed over the other nipple and she gasped, her gasp quickly turning into an unrestrained moan when his tongue flicked out and circled over the hard peak. Her nails dug piercingly into his back as he sent jolts of pleasure through her entire body with his tongue. He growled low and retaliated for her nails by closing his teeth over her nipple hard enough to bring just a tiny bit of pain with the intense pleasure, making her cry out and buck her hips upward sharply.


He sucked in a sharp breath as she made contact with his arousal again and she felt the cool rush of air over her moistened flesh, contrasting with the heat of his mouth and making her shiver. She pouted in protest when he moved off of her and sat up but she quickly realized what he was doing as his hands caressed over her abdomen and slipped under the waistband of her pants. He undid the buttons and she raised her hips to help him as his eyes followed lustfully over every newly revealed inch of soft skin until they settled on her black boy-cut panties. His lips curled into a pleased smirk and his eyes flicked up to meet hers briefly, the unspoken thought in his gaze melting her insides.


Pants and boots removed, clad only in that small scrap of black fabric, she smirked devilishly at him and decided it was time to level the playing field. She sat up swiftly and pressed her hands against his hard chest, nails scraping lightly as her fingers slid down over his tightly muscled abs and grabbed the waistband of his dark pants, forcefully tugging against the button as if she intended to rip them off. It wasn’t far from the truth.


She placed hot, lustful kisses on his neck and chest, teeth nipping with just enough force to cause a sharp intake of breath from him. One hand grabbed the back of her hair tightly and pulled her up to crash his lips against hers, tongue demanding entry and seeking to dominate as his other hand assisted her fumbling fingers with the button of his pants. He leaned into her and forced her back down onto the bed, his tongue still invading her mouth possessively and though she returned his kiss with equal passion, he was still the one in control. Her head was spinning from the hard and dominating kiss, and she didn’t even realize when or how he had removed the rest of his clothing, only that he was deliciously naked and that she needed to feel more of him, needed his body pressed against hers again and she squirmed futilely beneath him to try and make it happen.


He wouldn’t let her, his hand not loosening its grip on her hair, causing her to pull it if she tried to sit up. Instead he brushed his calloused fingers over her nipple again, circling and pinching the hardened peak and making her breath come in small, shallow gasps as she wriggled under him. She wanted him there, and he wasn’t, his body was twisted at an angle between her thighs and the emptiness she felt was driving her mad. He was obviously enjoying every gasp and strangled moan she made, every pleasured expression. But she refused to beg him, impatiently allowing his sweet torture. His hand moved from her breast and down her stomach, fingers tracing light patterns along the inside of her thigh, circling ever nearer to her heated center. She quivered and tensed as those masterful fingers ghosted closer and closer, her fingers gripping into his shoulders in expectation.


He touched her through the thin fabric and she closed her eyes tightly with a pleasured gasp. His mouth closed over her nipple, tongue circling and sucking at the same moment he pressed against the sensitive bundle of nerves and she let out a loud, strangled moan. His mouth continued to work her breast as his fingertips ran soft and teasing under the lacy edge of her panties where they met her thighs. Suddenly he paused in his ministrations and roughly jerked the flimsy material over her hips and straight off. Sakura gasped excitedly, the sudden rough action in contrast to the gentleness of his previous movements giving her a sharp thrill.


There was nothing between them now and he kissed his way across her chest and his tongue paid the same thorough attention to the other breast as his fingers touched her again, stroking gently. He slipped one finger into her, followed soon after by another, and she moaned loudly and raked her nails down his upper arms and along his sides. His fingers pumped inside her in a slow, torturous pace; stretching and rubbing against that tiny rough spot as his thumb simultaneously worked the same bundle of nerves from the other side. His tongue swirled over her erect nipple in the same circular rhythm as his thumb until her thighs were trembling in ecstasy. His fingers and tongue were amazing, working her into a frenzied and writhing state beneath him, but it wasn’t enough, she needed more, the intensity of her desire was overwhelming. She whimpered and clawed at his sides and shoulders, coaxing him upward. He complied with her silent plea and moved up her body to cover her mouth with his as he removed his fingers and trailed them up her side, positioning himself over her.


His tongue slid along her lip and into her mouth at the exact moment he eased his tip inside of her and she moaned at the double sensation and fought the urge to buck upward and take all of him. Then, in one smooth shift of his hips he buried himself to the hilt inside of her, their heated kiss muffling both of their pleasured groans. He pushed hard against her, and she angled her hips upward to take him as deep as he could go. He set a slow, hard rhythm, as deep as possible with every thrust of his hips, extending every sensation to its maximum. She clung to him and raised her hips to meet each push, pressing open mouthed kisses over his throat as he moved above her.


He slowed their rhythm and shifted, and without breaking any contact he effortlessly sat up and lifted her to straddle him. She settled over his thighs and gasped with pleasure at the feeling of the new angle. She lowered her head to capture his lips as she began to ride him in the same slow, hard grind. His hands worked over her back and up to her shoulders before weaving into her hair and tugging her head back, breaking their kiss and moving his lips over her throat as she arched into him. He leaned her back farther as his lips trailed down and over her chest, forcing her to arch her back and shift the angle of her hips as his other hand pressed into her lower back and held her steady. His mouth latched onto her breast and the hand on her back pushed her roughly into his hips. She cried out and threw her head back, catching another glimpse of their interlocked shadows on the wall in the low glow of the fire. It was one of the sexiest things she had ever seen.


He released his hold on her hair and grasped her hips firmly, his need for control taking over as he pulled her down against him hard. The rhythm and angle that he worked her against him with was a revelation, even better than the one she had set, and she relinquished control with a strangled gasp and let him drive her to the edge. The nerves of her core tightened into white-hot intensity and she let her head fall against his neck, panting, her nails dragging over his shoulders and breaking skin as the heat finally burst within her and she came hard with a loud, gasping cry.


The intense tightening and pulsing around him as she rode out her orgasm combined with the stinging pleasure-pain of her nails nearly drove him to the edge as well and he growled roughly and bit the back of her neck, pinching her nipple to intensifying her pleasure. Before she could come down from her orgasmic high he slammed her down onto to the bed again, still buried deep inside her, one hand pulling her head back as he attacked her throat with his lips and teeth, the other sliding under her thigh and lifting it high up under his shoulder blade as he set a new rhythm. He thrust into her harder and faster than before, driving her body into the mattress as he began to lose control of his desire.


Her desire only intensified at seeing this unrestrained side of him, and knowing it was her doing. The intense heat was building again fast, the angle at which he held her hips under his hard, deep thrusts pushing her to the edge faster than she would have thought possible so soon after her first orgasm. He captured her lips again and slid his tongue into her mouth, moving it along hers in time with his thrusts. She moaned into his mouth and clasped her hands behind his head, her teeth sinking into his lower lip and tugging hard enough to make him groan and pull harder on her hair. Suddenly without much warning, the coil of heat exploded within her and she came again, harder and more intensely than the first time, screaming into his mouth and bucking hard against him as he slammed into her with another primal growl. Finally his rhythm broke and he drove into her hard and uncontrolled, and a moment later he gasped harshly as he came with a violent thrust and a shudder, pulsing inside her, the muscles of his back tightening under her clawing fingers.


He released his near-bruising grip on the back of her thigh and she lowered it to his side, shakily easing it over his hip. His forehead rested against her cheek and she felt his heavy breaths against her face and ear as they slowly regained control of their breathing and their bodies. She slid her hands over his slightly sweaty back and turned her face into his neck, breathing in his musky male scent. He continued to lay there still inside her, holding his weight off of her and resting his head in the crook of her neck until their heart rates returned to normal. Finally the muscles of his back flexed and she released him as he moved and settled on his side next to her, one arm behind his head and the other resting lightly over her sweat-dampened abdomen.


She angled slightly in his direction, turning her head toward his and meeting his dark eyes. His expression was impassive. Not blank, but…calm. Not wanting to speak, not knowing what to say anyway, she rested her palm against the smooth ridges of his stomach and lay her head on the mattress below his tucked arm. They lay there silently, still touching but not smothering, their breathing and the soft crackle of the burning embers the only sounds in the room.


A few minutes passed before Itachi stirred and reached for the bedcover, pulling it over both of them as their naked, sweat dampened bodies began to rapidly cool after their exertion. Sakura had been so far gone with passion that she hadn’t even realized when or how the covers had been ripped off. He really is a genius at everything, she thought, a small smile playing over her lips. He was watching her face and saw her amusement, and she looked up at him when she felt his gaze on her. His dark eyes were as calm as she had ever seen them, and she reached up to play softly with a strand of loose hair that had fallen against his chest as he traced light patterns over her stomach and hipbone with his fingertips.


They lay like that for several minutes, unfocussed, absently touching, not yet ready to move past what had just happened. What had just happened? She, Haruno Sakura, respected jounin and high ranking medic of Konoha, privileged student of one of the legendary Sannin, had just had amazing, mind-blowing sex with Uchiha Itachi, infamous S-class criminal and sociopath clan killer, member of one of the most dangerous organizations in history. And she didn’t feel guilty. She didn’t feel bad. Truthfully right now she didn’t feel much of anything other than completely and thoroughly sated…


But that was beside the point. Thoughts of what would happen if anyone found out and what they would think of her drifted vaguely through her mind and disappeared like smoke, and she found that she just couldn’t bring herself to be worried about it. It was her natural tendency to analyze and over-think, but right now she couldn’t do it. She didn’t feel any worse for sleeping with Itachi than she did for any of the other things that had happened recently. In fact, the way his fingers were absently moving in circles over her lower abdomen was rather erotic and was making her feel warm again deep inside.


Inner Sakura was certainly no help at the moment; she was still a blissful and thoroughly well-sexed pile of jelly on the floor of her mind.


She had already agonized over these things. She had already come to terms with her thoughts and feelings and made peace with herself. So why was she still trying to make herself feel wrong about it?


Because she should. She really, really should. Because this, lying here in the afterglow of the most phenomenal sex of her life with the man that had caused so much hurt and pain to people she loved, was a step beyond the blurred line of right and wrong and straight into wrong.


But it didn’t feel wrong. She had gained something more than just physical satisfaction by being with him like this. Not love, but understanding. She had found something she needed that had nothing to do with sex and that she hadn’t known was missing, and perhaps so had he. How could that be wrong? She didn’t regret it. She wouldn’t. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought because she knew. And that, in and of itself, was what was troubling her. Giving herself to him like this really had been the point of no return. Itachi was right, just not in the way he meant.


Itachi saw her clouded expression and his head tilted toward hers as his fingers continued to smooth over her soft skin. “Do you regret this?” he asked, his tone low and even.


Funny that he would be the one to ask that question. But she knew he wasn’t asking out of any sort of concern or anxiety. He was simply curious to know if her resolve hadn’t been as firm as she’d said it was. She didn’t look up at him, continuing to stare unfixed at some point near his shoulder. “No,” she said, quietly apathetic. “And that’s what scares me.”


He didn’t respond to her or change his expression, but she knew he understood what she meant. “Do you?” she asked after a moment.


His mesmerizing eyes focused on hers intently. “I regret nothing about my life, Sakura. Including this,” he said somberly.


Another long moment passed as they lay there under the warm covers. “Am I a bad person?” she asked, mildly curious.


Itachi’s brow quirked slightly as he watched her face. “For sleeping with me?” he asked, a hint of ironic amusement in his smooth voice.


She looked up and met his eyes, after a moment emitting a small huff that could have been a weak laugh. “For everything,” she clarified.


“Do you really think I am a qualified person to answer that question, Sakura?” he asked.


Her expression became cynical. He had a point. His ideas about good and bad were not exactly the average consensus, considering he is a bad person. But then again… “Yes,” she answered. “Because you know more about it than most, and you knew me before.”


His head tilted to the side a bit. “So you want to know if being here with us for so long has corrupted you,” he stated.


She looked into his eyes and nodded.


He smirked, and thought a moment before answering. “You are not exactly the same as when we first took you from that town square. But not all change is negative. You’re not as naïve about the world and the people in it as you were, and that has only made you stronger. As far as being good or bad…” he said the two words like he thought the entire concept of good and evil was ridiculous. “You are nothing like the majority of the people I’ve known and worked with since I left Konoha.”


As ambiguous and unspecified as it was, it answered her question, and she nodded before lowering her head back to rest against the mattress near his chest, her fingers trailing over his toned stomach. The backs of his fingers moved against the underside of her breast and caressed over her nipple. It instantly tightened into a hard peak and she closed her eyes with a soft gasp. She arched her back slightly in response to him, all for doing this again, but his fingers did not linger, instead continuing their trail over her breast and up her neck to press against her chin, turning her face toward him.


She peered at him through half lidded eyes and felt a surge of desire at the heat and intent she saw in his gaze. It was clear he was thinking the same thing she was. He gave her what could easily have been the sexiest smirk she’d ever seen in her life and she slid her hands around his neck as he leaned in to kiss her.


His tongue entered her mouth and moved with hers in a slow, lazy way, and she felt another strong wave of desire that she never would have believed a mere kiss could create until she had kissed him for the first time. He moved over her and pushed her thighs apart with his knee, and she widened her legs to welcome him as he settled against her. He was already aroused, she could feel the hard length of him against the inside of her thigh, and he clearly didn’t intend on waiting because the his tip was teasing against her as they kissed. She had no protests; just the thought of another round was turning her on so much that she doubted she could even handle foreplay.


She lifted her hips to rub against him and let him know she was ready and in one smooth thrust he filled her completely. Their initial overpowering lust slaked after the first time, this time it was relaxed and unhurried, and his fingers threaded into her hair as he began to rock against her in a slow, languid rhythm. She felt the small welts on his back where her nails had broken the skin before and she moved her hands away, instead holding the back of his neck as his lips moved along her throat and his long hair tickled over her chest. It was a slow and steady build to ecstasy and they came together with kiss-stifled moans, panting into each other’s mouths as their bodies came down from the high.


When he moved off her and lay again at her side she didn’t hesitate to turn her body and curl into him, settling her head in the hollow of his shoulder and her thigh between his. His hand remained in her hair, absently playing with the strands as he allowed her to press against him. Her hand fell gently over his torso and she soon drifted off, snuggled against him under the warm blankets.


Itachi remained awake for a while, listening to the soft steady sound of her breathing and the crackling of the dying fire. Then, only once she had been asleep for some time, he turned his head so that his nose brushed the top of her fragrant hair and his free arm gently wrapped around her waist as he too drifted to sleep.

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A/N: ::lights the proverbial post-coital cigarette:: Was it good for you?


I’ll put it down here since I put so much stuff at the top, but so many thanks to all those awesome reviews for last chapter! More than any other single chapter so far! People reviewed who have never left a review before, so I must have done something right. Or I just got you all worked up for this chapter hehe.


As for this chapter…It was my first attempt at a full on lemon, folks. I hope it passed the test. Sorry it was so short, but it was all smut…sheesh. I was a bit nervous about how good this chapter was, so it would mean a lot to know what everyone thought of it!


And, I’m sure many of you are wondering why this chapter was posted 3 days early…Well, it’s because I’m nearly finished with the writing, and I’ve decided to post more than once a week! Even though the writing is almost done, there are still several chapters to post, and I’m sure you’re glad it will be more often from now on.

Wow, that was a lot of author notes…see you soon!