She cradled his trembling body with hers, her arms draped over his shoulders, her fingers softly ruffling the short, sweat-soaked hair at the nape of his neck. Her calves rested on the back of his thighs and she could feel the slight, sticky tickle of perspiration wherever their bodies met. She watched his face as he looked down at her through half-open eyes, their chocolate depths filled with need and longing, and just a touch of uncertainty. Above her, his lips were slightly parted, barely more than an inch from hers. She wanted to kiss them, feel the hungry pressure of his fever-warm mouth upon hers again, but he had said no. She felt his ragged breath on her cheek, brushing over her like a caress. She moved her hand from his neck to his shoulder, letting her fingers trail over the taught muscles in an attempt to soothe and calm him.

"Spock-" she began, only to be silenced by his barely audible plea.

"No," he said in a strained whisper, clearly at the limits of his control. "Please, do not touch… Distracting…" She did as he asked and stilled her hand, let it come to rest on his shoulder. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but she would do this for him, because he had asked this of her. It was their first time, his first time, and it was proving to be much more intense for him than either of them had bargained for. So she held still, despite the fact that it was the last thing that she wanted to do.

Clearly, he was almost there. It had nearly happened as he entered her. He had trembled in her arms, his breath coming in loud uncontrollable gasps, and for a moment she had thought that it had already happened. But she knew how it was for him when he climaxed, knew the reactions of his body when he was lost in the throes of undeniable pleasure. She knew the subtle changes in the sound of his voice, the slight green flush that traveled over his cheeks and his chest... None of this had happened. Yet. He was close then, very close. And he was trying to stay balanced on that edge, trying desperately not to fall over and plunge headlong into orgasm and the end. He was trying to prolong the moment as long as he could, and it was driving her mad with desire, need, and frustration.

She wanted to move underneath him, to feel him slide deeper into her body. She had waited so long for this, had wanted him so much that it had been a physical ache deep within her that only he could fill… And he filled her perfectly, gloriously, fitting into her like they had been made for one another. She looked back up at him, at his face as he desperately tried to maintain control. His eyes were closed and his lips were parted as he tried to bring his breathing back to a semblance of normal. Small beads of sweat stood out on his lip, along his cheeks, plastered his dark bangs to his forehead. She licked her lips, craving this more than anything. This, she decided, was no time for control.

His forearms were flat against the bed on either side of her, locked into place. She let her hands slide down his shoulders to grip the muscles in his upper arms. His eyes flew open and he looked as though he were about to speak, to plead with her again. She surged forward and sealed her lips to his, silencing whatever words he was going to say. Sometimes verbal communication was overrated.

She couldn't bear it any longer, having him in her and not being able to move. She lay back down and slowly rolled her hips against his, feeling him move deep within her. "Oh, God," she groaned, savoring the sensation, and dug her nails into his arms. Above her, his eyes slid shut and a low moan slipped from his lips.

"No… Nyota, please…" he begged, but the feel of him within her was too much. She moved again, this time rocking her hips against his as she squeezed his thighs with her calves. He gasped and tried to pull back, but his body would not obey. She let her hands move over him, down his sweat-slicked back to his hips and buttocks and pulled him down against her, sighing in delight as she did so.

"Spock, make love with me," she murmured as she brushed her lips against his ear. She thrilled as he moaned again, his breath becoming more ragged by the second.

She moved again and this time he moved with her, struggling to find the slow, steady rhythm she had set with her body. She watched his face as an expression of ecstasy came over his features, soft whimpers of pleasure escaping his lips unbidden. He moaned with every movement of their bodies. His breath quickened and she felt his muscles begin to tense under her sure hands. She watched as his eyes opened wide and he looked down at her, lost in the sheer pleasure of the moment. There was a new urgency to his movements and the slightest hint of green had crept into his cheeks. She moaned underneath him in pleasure, delighting in the feel of his body moving with hers towards the goal. She felt his body stiffen in her embrace and she knew that he was almost there. She moved her hands from his back to the sides of his face and met his intense gaze.

"I love you," she whispered softly, knowing full well that the weight of those words would be all he needed.

Above her, his breath caught in his throat and his face crumpled as he tumbled over the edge. He rested his forehead against hers as he moaned deep and low in his chest, a sound of sheer pleasure and abandon. She felt the moan shudder and ripple through him as much as she heard it, felt it every place their bodies were in contact. It shook her and she cried out in delight, taking joy in his pleasure.

She held him close as he moved to hide his face against the side of her neck, every shaky breath of his coming out as a soft moan as his body shook with the intensity of orgasm. She kissed the side of his face, his hair, his shoulder, comforting him. When his arms gave out and he collapsed across her, she held him and continued to kiss whatever part of his flesh she could reach, her fingers stroking the long lines of muscles in his back and arms. He was heavier than a Human would have been, but the weight of him on her body was not uncomfortable or unwelcome. She caressed and cradled him as his breathing returned to normal, with the occasional shudder rippling through his body like some kind of delicious aftershock of pleasure.

When at last he moved off of her, his movements were slow and shaky, as though he had no energy left. He lay down next to her, his arm draped across her waist, one of his legs tangled between hers. She rolled over and let her arm circle his waist in kind, her foot rubbing the back of one calf, her fingers stroking his cheek and the side of his neck.

He looked tired and replete, his eyes closed, his bangs matted to his forehead. She leaned forward and kissed him tenderly on the lips.

"I think you enjoyed that," she murmured softly to him. One eyebrow lifted, but his eyes did not open. Otherwise his expression did not change.

"You have a gift for understatement," he replied, his voice pitched slightly lower than normal. She didn't try to suppress the low chuckle that bubbled out of her throat.

"Sometimes," she answered as she curled closer to him. He reached out, tangled his fingers in her hair, and pressed his lips to her forehead in a soft and sleepy kiss. She closed her eyes and made a small sound of satisfaction. She would have been content to just stay there and fall asleep beside him, holding him close all night…

After a time, he said, "I am sorry that I was not able to please you, Nyota."

She opened her eyes to find him looking at her, an almost apologetic expression on his face. She reached out and ran one finger along the edge of his ear, tracing the delicate pointed tip.

"What do you mean?" she asked him, afraid that she knew where this was going.

"You did not achieve orgasm," he said simply. "I regret that my own inexperi-"

She leaned forward and kissed him, effectively silencing him again.

"What happened the first time we did this?" she whispered, brushing his lips with her own again, knowing that he would catch her meaning

"I inadvertently struck your nose with mine," he replied. She kissed him again, noting that he was responding with a little more energy this time.

"That's right," she murmured, planting a lingering kiss on his lips. "You'd never been kissed before. We had to do that quite a bit before you got good at it." She let her fingers trail over his ear again. The corners of his lips lifted ever so slightly and she smiled. "And you got really good at it." When he pulled her close, she was not surprised by the awakening need in his kiss. She moaned and parted her lips, permitting his tongue to gently slip into her mouth. She had intended to arouse him again, but it was clear that he was also igniting a fire deep within her as well.

They lay together for some time, their kisses going from long and slow to quick and urgent. She felt his hand slide from her waist and come to rest on her breast. Her nipple was cupped against his warm palm, and she moaned as he moved to kiss her ear, leaving a trail of burning kisses down its curved surface. She shifted beside him, bringing more of her body into contact with his.

He rolled her over onto her back and hovered over her for a moment, looking down at her body. She stroked his chest and arms, enjoying the look in his eyes. Never before had a lover gazed at her with such longing. No one else had ever made her feel so desired or wanted. She let her hand slide back up to the nape of his neck and pulled him down for another of his hungry kisses.

After a moment, he broke the kiss to look down at her again. "Perhaps," he said breathlessly, his thumb caressing her nipple, "we should practice something else."

"Indeed, practice makes perfect," she murmured as she pulled him back down again.