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He pulled off his shirt, probably guessing that would spook me less I didn’t know if I was ready to be naked with him, but I didn’t want to wait, either "Can I touch you?"

When ertips found his chest, he shivered "Anywhere"

It helped that he lethis lines until he was shaking He pressed hisfast, especially when I raked my nails down the nape of his neck To test his reaction, I did it again, and this tiroaned

"You like that"

"I’d like anything you did to me"

While I doubted that was true, it made me bolder I pulled him down on top ofup and down his back Soon, he was ood, even the parts that were new and strange

"Fade…"

His voice deepened, his words ragged and choppy with longing "You feel so good Need to … just let led out of my shirt and that drew another pained sound froain He explored with lips and hands Then I lost track in the squir, so I didn’t notice when the rest of our clothes went away The night was all heat, firelight, and Fade, breathing hard intountil he was gasping There was madness born of need in his eyes but I wasn’t afraid, never of him He had restrained himself more than once, and I knew if I asked, he would stop Instead I urged him on

It hurt a bit, but I’d had worse As he heldbut hiured out my part pretty fast, and e finished, ere both sweaty and s naked with hi person, this would be awful, but I loved Fade with all my heart

"So that’s how brats are born," I said

He propped up on an elbow "We ht have made one"

"Is it possible the first ti curve

"I think so I’m not clear on the details" Fade kissedhiain It’s probably like fighting, and we’ll get better with training"

"I don’t know if I should be sad it wasn’t perfect or excited about the practice"

"The last thing," I advised

Fade reached down, pulled up the covers, and settled ether before, but never without clothes or blankets between us Toand kissing

"Are you scared?" he whispered

I closed ainst the inexorable tick of time "Very"

"We have a few hours yet," he pointed out

As it happened, there was a lot to discover in that time The second effort was better, and I understood why Moood thing norant, or there would’ve been more brats than we could feed

In silent accord, we gathered our clothes, dressed quickly, and crept out to the bathhouse to clean up before we met the rest of Company D I’d never felt closer to another person inhad destroyed the barriers between us He waited while I took my turn, then I did the sa hiht like this ed silently Not Fade Please don’t take hiht

Three hours before dae assereed The boatmen met us and ferried us over in shifts I ordered the ood the eneave the signal It took about an hour to get everyone safely across On arrival, I counted and realized ere short a few men Apparently they couldn’t live with their orders … and I understood

"Is everyone ready?" I asked