A series by November

Chapter 45: Stars Will Fall

"Stars will fall from dark skies
As ancient rocks are turning
Quiet fills the room
And your love flows through me..."
--Sting

Just as before, they had dinner. This time she wore her pink dress and he wore a blue-gray silky shirt. They went into the city.

After, Rogue slipped out of her silver shoes and they walked in the woods. They didn’t need to say anything. They had talked and laughed throughout dinner and walked aimlessly around Manhattan until her feet hurt.

He had given her a diamond necklace for her birthday. It glittered in the faint light as she walked.

She stopped in the middle of the path. "I have a surprise for you."

"Oh?" He couldn’t keep the desire out of his voice.

"Yeah. Come on." She took his hand and walked in the opposite direction. They crossed the grassy expanse south of the maze, out to the greenhouse. A candle was burning within, causing the translucent greenhouse to glow.

It smelled like Storm, but she went to the door anyway. He was confused but followed her. He would follow her anywhere.

She locked the door and lead him through the dim humid space to the center of the greenhouse. Here was a mattress with white linens, sprinkled with flower petals of every color.

"Sit down," she whispered, and sat also. She lit a long match and lit several candles that flanked the mattress. His heart was pounding as he watched her slim hand do this. She looked so beautiful, her hair swept up elegantly, his diamond glittering softly at her throat.

She blew out the match and deliberately put it down.

Then she leaned forward. They sat, facing each other.

"Logan?"

"Hmm."

"I love you."

His breath hitched and tears filled his eyes. It wasn’t news to him, but it was the first time she’d said it.

"I love you too." Tears spilled over onto his skin. She rubbed them away with her thumbs and held him close to her breast.

"It’s okay," she whispered.

"I know. It’s-"

"Shhhh." She pushed his hair back from his face gently. The light fabric of her dress was grazing the mattress. His hands desperately clutched her naked back.

She pulled back and looked at him. Her hand went to the top button of his shirt. He swallowed. She undid it, and the next, and the next. Exposed his smooth chest, and pushed the white shirt from his broad shoulders. Tears shone in his eyelashes.

She was confronted by skin, silky, warm, perfect Logan-smelling skin. She pressed a kiss to the crook of his neck and he moaned softly. Her hands dusted over his chest, touching, smelling, drinking him in.

"Marie?"

"Hmm."

"You’re making me crazy."

"Shh, sugar. Let me touch you. I need this."

He complied, thinking that he should be doing something for her, but at her insistence he relaxed.

It was what she needed. She had been aching to touch him.

She grazed her fingernails softly up his spine and he hissed and shuddered.

"I love the noises you make," she whispered, circling his nipple with her finger. He felt dizzy and fell back onto the mattress.

She moved down to his feet. She removed one shoe, and then the other. She reached under his pant leg and slid his socks off. He was now wearing only pants and she took his bare right foot in her hands and massaged it. He moaned quietly as she rubbed out the tension.

"You like?"

"Yeah. Feels wonderful." His words were slurred, he was already that relaxed.

She continued on with that foot, then the other. When he was sufficiently relaxed she grinned and nipped at his big toe.

He yelped and kicked. She giggled. Then her hand was on the fly of his pants and the mood sobered up quickly.

"Lose the pants."

He did, and underwear along with them.

He lay naked before her. She just stared, took him in from head to toe, and he let her. He was content to let her set the pace for the time being. They did have all night.

She put her hand on his shoulder. Her touch was warm and gentle. It moved from his shoulder down his leg. His eyes fluttered shut.

Then she was lying next to him, touching his face. His eyes opened and met hers softly. She kissed him.

"My Logan. I love you."

"Me too." he whispered. His hand gently moved up her back, reverently traced the curve of her waist through pink fabric. She moaned softly. He kissed her and she fell on top of him. He pulled her hair down and it spilled over them in a wave of her scent.

They kissed for a long time, gentle and rough. His hand clutched her thigh roughly. The other one rose to untie the halter top of her dress. She moaned and his cock surged.

"My turn," he said with a grin and flipped them over. Marie lay on the mattress, breathing heavily, eyes glittering, hair falling on the pillow.

He pulled down the left strap of her dress, then the right. The sight of her naked breasts, round and full, ratcheted his desire up another notch. She watched as he kissed her there, forcing soft sighs from her lips. She wiggled the dress off of her impatiently. Now she was wearing only panties and the diamond necklace.

He ignored this, and traced the line of her collarbone with a finger. Then he dipped down again to lick her nipple, which he took between his teeth. She moaned appreciatively and thrust her lips upward. He explored both breasts, and the hollow between. His hands were all over her, trailing up her arm, down the inward curve of her waist, in her hair, and all he could think was oh god I’m really touching her, I‘m touching Marie oh wow oh god...

His hand was on the warm silky fabric of her panties. He caressed her there, petting gently. He pressed a line of kisses to her belly and thigh. His breath on her skin made her shiver. She understood his earlier eagerness. It was hard to just lie there and let him touch her.

He traced the line where her panties met her flesh. Up one thigh, across the waist, and down the other. She was shivering, toes curling. Her skin was like silk. "Mmmm Logan."

"Yes, darlin’?"

"Make love to me."

"Oh, I will." He pulled her panties down and she lifted her hips. Her scent enveloped him. It was beautiful and it made him dizzy. He touched her, everywhere. His right hand ran down the smooth length of her leg, his left hand was ghosting softly over her mound. She whimpered. He parted her gently, and he was astounded to see how wet she was.

"Hmm," he said. "You smell so good." He said it quietly, almost shyly. He teased her with his fingers, so gentle. She thought of his hand cutting through the barrel of a rifle as if it were butter, and shivered.

He touched her all over until she was bucking and moaning loudly. He rubbed her clitoris with the pad of his thumb and she screeched.

"Marie. I wanna hear you come."

"Keep it up and you’ll feel it, sug-" The last word was truncated when he pressed a finger into her, then two.

He kept rubbing, touching, watching her face as her breath quickened. For long minutes he kept it up, smiling, watching.

She was moving all around him, pumping, meeting his thrusts, arching, roiling and rippling like a stormy sea. "Logan. OhgodLogan. Ohdontstop. Oh. Oh."

"Do it darlin’. Come for me." His voice was rough with arousal as he pressed upwards with his fingers and began licking her. He made a noise that started as a growl and ended with "Hmmmgod you taste so good!"

"Oh god. I’m gonna... I’m gonna..."

"Do it. I love you. Come for me."

She did. With a buck and a clench and a high startled whimpering sound. He felt her gasp and expand to encompass the whole world, and then contract around his fingers, again and again, in slowing rhythm.

"Logan!" she hissed. He panicked and thought he had hurt her.

"Yeah? Are-"

"Now!"

He stretched his body across hers and smiled languidly. "Now what?"

"Fuck me." Her eyes were narrowed and he almost didn’t recognize her. Her hand was on his cock.

He kissed her, forcing her to taste herself. She smiled, licked her lips and kissed him again.

"Logan. Please."

"Geez, darlin’, haven’t you ever heard of foreplay?" He placed his legs between hers and roughly spread them apart. She keened loudly at his roughness.

He growled, joking smile gone, and pressed his cock against her. Her eyes widened at the sound of his growling, and he knew then that she liked it. She liked the roughness. The growling. The animal. She humped up against him with an evil smile and wrapped a leg around him.

"Logan..."

"Marie," he gently mocked.

"Two can play that game," she said and caught his earlobe in her teeth, biting.

"Marie." Now his tone was serious. He held her face in his hands. His thumb caressing her jaw. Her smile disappeared and she wrapped her arms around him. He was pressed at her entrance, hovering there. "I love you," he said.

She shook and tears flowed to her eyes. He pressed inward, filling her. It knocked her breath away. "Oooooh god, I love you too."

He hissed at the way she felt. He held still, in her to the hilt, and they stared into each other, dumbstruck, blindsided by what they felt. Their communion was so complete at that second, it didn’t matter that neither was a telepath.

"I’ve wanted this since the moment I saw you," she whispered, remembering his naked back in a dim cage. "God, I love you." She wrapped her arms and legs around him and held him close. They moved together for long minutes, the only sound their breath.

Then she whispered. "I don’t want you ever to hurt again. I wanna give you everything." She bit his ear and he cried out loudly. He couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t feel this much emotion all at once. This much feeling. He came into her, hard, and she felt it.

After, he shook and lay on her as if she were a shore and he had been tossed in a rough ocean for too long. She pushed the hair back from his face and kissed sweat from his forehead. At first she thought he was merely shaking. Then she realized that he was sobbing. The sound at once tore her heart and warmed it.

"S’ok."

His shuddering became more violent and suddenly it frightened her. She didn’t show it though. She held him to her chest, stroking his hair, his forehead, his hand that clutched her side.

"I’m sorry," he whispered, when he had enough composure.

"Why sorry, love? Tell me what’s goin’ on in your head."

Her calm acceptance gave him the permission he needed to let go. It was a long time before he could talk again.

"Is there any water in here?"

She had stashed some champagne in a bucket under the table. She dipped a glass into the icy water, held it out for him. He was sitting up, face flushed, tears on his cheeks. She wondered if it was sick that she had never seen him looking so beautiful.

"More?"

He nodded. She filled it again and held it to him. Candlelight flickered through the glass.

"Thanks."

"Any time, love." She set the glass down and laid back. He sat upright for a minute and then laid down.

"I’m so sorry." he looked at the roof of the greenhouse. Nothing but dark sky outside.

"Why?"

"For losin' it like that."

"Don’t be."

"I am."

"Logan, don’t cut me off."

This made him look at her.

"You don’t have to shoulder the burdens of the world, you know. You’re human. You’re allowed to laugh and cry and everything else. And I love you."

"I... I’ll try to explain it but I’m not even sure what set that off. I’m not sure what I did to deserve you." She cringed inwardly but let him talk.

He laid his head on her chest and let the sound of her heart calm him. "I - I’m just not used to this. I’ve never felt so good before. And when you said- you said that thing about never wanting me to hurt again..."

It was quiet. She stroked him gently but let him finish.

"Just... I don’t know."

"Logan, when was the last time someone loved you?"

"I dunno." He bit his lip to keep from crying. That was the crux of the question and he knew it. It wouldn’t matter so much, but with all the pain he carried around in his brain...

"Do you feel better now?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah. Except I’m embarrassed."

"Because you cried?"

"Yeah." He cringed.

"I’ve got news for you, Logan. You’re entitled. You’re more than entitled. You’re a human, and a human who’s been through hell. You’ve been through what is quite possibly the worst torture any human being has ever endured, because you were physically incapable of dying. And miraculously, you’re still sane. I’d be worried if you never cried. And you know what? The fact that you can let loose, it makes me feel closer to you. I know you trust me and that feels good."

He twined her hand in his. "I trust you with my life."

She smiled.

"I’m still embarrassed, though."

"Why?"

"Because this was the big night. It was supposed to be perfect."

"It is. Because it’s real. And besides."

"Besides what?"

"It’s not over."

She kissed him and he felt that his heart might fall right out of his chest. Her lips were gentle, reverent, soothing. How she loved touching him, healing him, moving with him. She moved over him for long seconds, her eyes locked on his, a stare that was almost, but not quite, too much.

With one elegant motion he flipped them other, and they made love again, with him on top, and she was whispering to him the whole time, a coaxing, sweet, soothing cadence of love and lust and wonder. "Love you, god I love you so much," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his temple. He growled so low it shook her body as well as his and she shuddered, "oh, god, when you do that it makes me dizzy, you growl and take me like an animal, oh, like that... Logan..."

He felt something build and rise within him, and he took her rougher and still rougher, so much that it frightened him, but she continued to urge him on.

"You feel so good, so hard, god I’ve wanted you like this since I was just a kid, so beautiful... Oh I love you..."

He opened his eyes and kissed her forehead and this brought her to tears. "What, Marie, am I hurting you-"

"Don’t stop!" she keened. He traced the tears that fell from her eyes and tried to understand.

"Am I hurting you?"

"No, just, oh, I love you. Love you Logan. Oh... please don‘t ever leave me." And then she was reduced to tears and he wasn’t the only one. He enveloped her and she him, and they moved together. He growled, growl morphing into a husky whisper "Could never leave you, Marie, I’d die if I left you..." They quickened, they were a rising, coalescing thing of love and tears and sobs and sweet words and painfully sharp joy, moving faster and faster and reaching toward their goal.

After, they lay with tears on their faces, and he marveled that it was possible to cry for joy.