However...
He couldn't go further than this with her... at least, not yet.
So, he gently but firmly parted his lips from hers, pulling back just enough to look at her flushed face.
His hands moved to her shoulders, holding her steady and halting her movements.
"Elárien… not yet," he whispered softly into her long, sensitive ear.
Her pointed ear fluttered cutely at the warm breath, a shiver running through her body.
Elárien's hazy, blushing face looked up at him. She bit her lower lip, eyes still clouded with desire, and asked in a low, almost pleading voice:
"…Why?"
Gray leaned down and softly planted a kiss on her forehead.
"I don't deserve it yet…" he mumbled against her skin.
"Just give me time to organize my thoughts."
At his words, Elárien remembered the blank, hollow look he had given her earlier.
The pain that was hidden behind his eye, and her expression softened with understanding. She nodded lightly, her voice coming out shy and quiet.
"…Okay."
