Part 2 - Play it by ear
Masterlist
Series Masterlist
Part 1 -- Part 3
Pairing: CollegeAU!Sherlock Holmes x OFC (Elena)
Summary: Sherlock helps his friend study for an exam, and she teaches him some new things in return...
Warnings: Rated M for making out, second base stuff, boobs. This is mostly fluff, marked awk for awkward and slight emotional crisis (it’s Sherlock. Every emotion is a crisis...). Mention of deadlines and assignments - for those of us who are in uni or relive the anxiety every damn day of their lives.
Word count: 6.1k
A/N: The writing here is like superduper different from the last chapter, but enjoy virgin!Sherlock, he’s bby. Also; I just realized that the timeline of this fic is a bit of a tripping hazard...
I promised I tried to proof and edit this. Typos may be registered with the Office for Typo Registration, open every February 29th from 10.00h - 10.01h.
Anywhoozles; not really a lot of smut under the cut today.
It was a little past three when the professor finally dismissed his students. Sighs of relief sounded throughout the lecture hall. Laptops were slammed shut and crammed into bags, books and papers were gathered in sloppy piles and hurriedly carried out: practically everyone was looking to get out of the room as soon as possible. Only two people behaved as if they hadn’t just been assigned a huge paper with an impossible deadline. For one of them, this behavior could be explained by the fact that he was the professor, and therefore indeed did not have to write said paper, the other was simply deeply opposed to hastiness. It was not for nothing that diligent and thorough were among the first words that came to many a mind when asked to describe Sherlock Holmes. Other descriptors included unsociable and strange. Lastly, and heard perhaps less often than one might expect, there were the terms young and genius. After all, Sherlock had a keen mind, which had allowed him to reach his third year of law school when he was yet to turn nineteen.
Unhurriedly, the young man began his commute home. Immersed in thought, he didn’t notice the small redheaded woman that appeared next to him. Only when he had finished outlining the freshly assigned paper in his mind did he become truly aware of his surroundings.
“Elena,” he spoke, the baritone of his voice dark and warm - cozy, almost. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “For how long did you allow me to ignore you this time?” His chuckle was as comforting as his voice.
“I didn’t want to disturb your thoughts,” Elena replied. She had before. It had vexed him at the time, as the pair had barely known one another. Now, however, they had gotten better acquainted - much better, one might say - and he found that she was one of very few people whom he allowed to disrupt his thinking.
“And your saying so,” he mused, “shows precisely why I would allow you to.”
“I’ll be sure to remember.” Elena fidgeted with an unraveling seam on her bag. “Sherlock, you took Criminal Law two years ago, right?” There was only one possible answer: he was in his third year, therefore he must have taken and passed that particular first year course - it was mandatory.
“Naturally,” he said, hesitantly. His head turned toward his companion, one eyebrow raised in confusion at the strange inquiry. Elena wasn’t usually one to ask rhetorical questions - it was something he quite liked about her.
“Would you help me prepare for my midterm? I’m struggling with the material a bit, and I missed some things when I was sick last week.” She averted her eyes when she asked him, the deliberation of her actions completely lost on Sherlock, who felt something that resembled anxiety at the gesture - though for the love of God he could not figure out why. He had come to terms with the fact that she was one of the few people he could not read very well - as if his sharp instincts and attention to detail left him the second she stepped into the room. Though he did always notice when her hair fell differently, when she wore a different perfume, or when her makeup had left tiny colored specs on her cheeks. Of course, that was something Sherlock considered without value when he could hardly keep track of what she was saying. He simply thought his talents to be of no use in her presence.
“I’d be more than happy to,” he said. His face held a familiar smile that was wider than was normal for him, but - as was so often the case with this particular smile - he couldn’t help himself. “I’m free this weekend?”
“Right now?” She smiled shyly. Sherlock replied with just a nod before suggesting they might use his room to study.
“I have some notes that may be helpful,” he quickly added, as he suddenly became afraid that his offer had come across as untoward. It was as if he had forgotten that for the past six weeks, they had spent every Saturday in that room, rehearsing their pieces for orchestra. Nothing had ever been strange about that. Not to him, at least, and his mother had raised neither a savage nor a fool; surely he would remember it if he had been improper. He remembered that first encounter vividly, often replaying the memory in his head.
“You are quite good,” he had said to the new addition to the orchestra. She had been sat next to him, in the usual place for the second violinist.
“Thank you,” she had replied, blood creeping up her neck, finding its way to her cheeks. She had heard about him. Sherlock Holmes, the famous - though among his peers all but notorious - first violinist of the university orchestra. In stories of him, which rather often were filled with complaints that he received special treatment, he was often portrayed as a pompous arse. She could see now, that these tales were nothing but the product of jealousy. He truly was remarkable. “You are very good.”
“Thank you, that’s awfully kind of you,” Sherlock had said, and for the first time he had felt this peculiar smile, that was so much wider than he was used to, creeping onto his face. “Sherlock,” he had introduced himself. He had never entertained the thought that it may not have been necessary, that she had already known who he was.
“Elena,” she had replied.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Elena,” he had said. And before he had good and well thought it through, he had added: “Perhaps we might rehearse together sometime? If you’re free, of course.” He had been unable to determine the source of the incredible anxiety had felt in the limbo between his asking and her answering - or that of the intense relief when she not only accepted his proposal, but did so rather enthusiastically.
Her laugh tore him away from his memory of the experience.
“Sounds fantastic,” she said, the smile on her face widening as she looked into his eyes. As he looked back into hers, he noticed the intensity of their color - green - and the little gold specs in them - but he missed the slightly provocative twinkle they held. His eyes wandered over her face, slowly, carefully, as if he thought he would otherwise disturb it. He noticed the thick, long lashes that framed her eyes. The freckles on her nose and cheeks, where - as always - her make-up had left tiny brown and golden specs. Sherlock’s heart was beating so hard that, despite being well aware that it was impossible, he feared it would break through his ribs and escape from his chest. Still, his eyes remained locked onto her face, wandering further down to her lovely smile. He noticed her teeth were a bit crooked, which he found strangely endearing. Her full lips looked soft and dewy - undoubtedly the work of that cherry-scented chapstick she was always applying. Its scent paired nicely with the sweetness of the perfume she wore almost every day. Today, Sherlock noted, was no exception; he inhaled the delicate aroma with every breath. His thoughts ran away with his sanity, his gaze clung to her alluring mouth, even as she moved it to speak and he only vaguely registered her voice. The movement of her lips, the fragrance that surrounded her, and his erratically beating heart gave way to new sensations. Blood humming in his ears. A lump in his throat that refused to be swallowed away, no matter his efforts. The familiar rush of blood… down, and the subsequent tightening of his trousers.
“Sherlock?” Her hand waved through his field of vision, breaking his trance-like state. “Let’s go?” Her eyes were mischievous, something Sherlock would have picked up on immediately, had it not been for his current affliction. In fact, the young man was not even aware of this condition. He had questioned his health and his mental faculties, surely, but was yet to arrive at the appropriate conclusion. Elena, however, recognized the symptoms of his ailment immediately. He was two years ahead of her in university, sure, but she was two years his senior and more than a bit wiser than him when it came to the less intellectual and more instinctive truths of the human condition.
“I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head as if that would rid it of those thoughts. It did not; if anything, it made him look ridiculous. He extended a hand. “Allow me.”
Only in the first few weeks after making his acquaintance had Elena attempted to decline his offer, but resisting the charm of this man was something she had ultimately found exhausting and unpleasant. Now, she would normally opt for a coy smile and a thank you, but she was feeling playful today. “Always such a gentleman.” She practically purred the words as she handed him her bag, making sure to touch his hand in the process. She relished his reaction; the twitch of his hand as her skin came into contact with his, the sharp breath that escaped from between his slightly parted lips, the soft blush that slowly crept from beneath his collar, his averted gaze. She felt a little bad for toying with this sweet guy’s emotions, but since she shared his feelings, she saw no real harm in having a little fun.
The pair made their way to the house on Crescent Street that Sherlock shared with seven other students. Elena had only ever met two of them; August Walker - because he had been leaving the house one Saturday morning just as she arrived at the front door - and Walter Marshall - because he took the Criminal Law course with her and he had recognized her when she’d been trying to find some space for her jacket on the coat rack in the hallway. The fact that Sherlock kept to himself - and kept her to himself - didn’t upset her. In fact, she rather liked it: There was very little pressure to socialize, which she found rather relaxing.
“Ladies first,” were the familiar words with which Sherlock ushered her through the door, accompanied - as always - with a simple gesture. They climbed the stairs to his room in silence. For the first time, Sherlock dreaded the moment they would soon spend behind his bedroom door, in the cramped space that led to the attic stairs. The room itself was spacious, but that tiny hallway - calling it that was a stretch, even - barely held two people, and it was impossible not to touch each other. Elena, however, looked forward to that precise moment: It would be a good opportunity for some close physical contact. Once they arrived at the second floor of the house, Sherlock muttered something about the bathroom.
“I’ll be right up,” he spoke. You’ve been up for a while, Elena thought to herself, but she bit her tongue and swallowed the words, offering up a sweet smile instead.
“What is the matter with you, Sherlock?” He chastised himself while looking at himself in the mirror as he leaned over the sink. His knuckles were pale from the iron grip of his hands on the white porcelain. “Pull yourself together.” Stop thinking about her, he thought to himself, which - naturally - had an effect contrary to his desires. It finally dawned on him, as he felt himself harden at the thought of her beautiful lips, that perhaps the explanation for his reaction wasn’t rational at all - which explained perfectly why he didn’t care for it. Real panic set in when he considered the possibility that these were feelings she did not reciprocate, and he found, much to his dismay, only one short-term solution to this problem: to ignore it completely. An entirely unsatisfactory remedy, and likely ultimately unsuccessful at that.
“Yes! You’re absolutely correct!” He exclaimed proudly as she answered one of his more difficult questions with a very thorough rebuttal. Criminal law had been a fantastic distraction from the earlier troubles, and it had kept the two of them occupied for a few hours.
“Thank goodness, I don’t think I can take much more of this today!” Elena sank back into her chair and let her knees fall to the side slightly. “It’s only eight, after all.”
Sherlock buried his face in his hands. He often lost track of time, and he was usually careful not to drag others along with him. “I’m sorry,” he chuckled softly. Somewhere in his mind, he knew that this time, he had done it on purpose, for fear of her wanting to leave. Her hand reached for his thigh, and his muscles twitched at the touch.
“I can go get us some Chinese food, as a thank you?” Sherlock gratefully accepted her offer.
Shortly after Elena had left, Sherlock walked downstairs, and stood hesitantly in front of the door at the far end of the hall. He couldn't bring himself to knock, but could neither persuade his legs to walk away. After a minute or so, the person on the other side of the door yelled: "It's open, come in." Sherlock often forgot how good Geralt's hearing was. He entered the room, hesitation in his steps, his stance, his expression, and closed the door behind him. Geralt was laying on his bed, reading what looked like a book on Celtic mythology, not bothering to put it down just yet.
"Sherlock," he said, a simple acknowledgement of his presence, no question or judgment behind the remark. It was something that Sherlock admired about him, though it could be quite annoying at times - when one was in search of questions or judgments, for example. Tonight, he was in luck, because as much as Geralt aimed to steer clear of other people's business, he did consider Sherlock a good friend, and he could tell something was the matter.
He snapped the book shut and sat up. "Trouble?" Lengthy conversation would just make the both of them uncomfortable, that much was clear.
"Girl," Sherlock sighed as he leaned his back against the door.
"Even worse," Geralt laughed. "The violinist?" Sherlock couldn't answer, so he opted for a sigh, hoping it sounded enough like a confirmation. "Her name seems to have slipped my mind, I'm sorry," Geralt chuckled.
"Elena." Sherlock spoke so softly it was barely even a breath. He figured it would suffice for Geralt's impeccable hearing - and he was correct.
"Right," he chuckled, "and you have finally come to the conclusion that you’re attracted to her?" Another affirmative sigh escaped Sherlock's lips.
"Thank heavens," Geralt said bluntly, "your denial was becoming quite annoying." Sherlock opened his mouth to speak but Geralt raised his hand, beckoning him to be quiet. "Do I need to remind you that not much will happen when you're in your housemate's room making idle conversation, instead of in your room? With her."
"Firstly, Geralt," Sherlock snarled. He knew Geralt had said it with no intention of mocking him, but it aggravated him nonetheless. "She's not currently upstairs. And secondly," a sigh broke up his rambling, and Sherlock found himself unable to regain his stern tone. "Geralt, I… I can't do this. I cannot make sense of these feelings. I can't stand being… consumed by them." And unlike any of the others in the house, save perhaps Walker - but anyone who had ever had the pleasure of dealing with August understood immediately why one would opt out of having this particular conversation with him, Geralt understood the sentiment perfectly.
“For those of us who actually seem to enjoy being in control of our mental faculties, it can feel like surrender,” he said matter-of-factly.
“It feels like the beginning of a steady descent into madness,” Sherlock confessed. The remark made Geralt laugh. This, too, he understood, though he had learned by now that it wasn’t true. “Why is that funny?”
“It isn’t, I’m sorry,” Geralt shook his head, still laughing. “Look, I can tell you… If you really like her, it won’t go away by doing nothing. That’s your descent into madness, right there.” Sherlock groaned and vowed that this was the last time he’d ever looked up from a book for long enough to ever see another woman. “You can’t fight biology, my friend.” At least that made some sense to Sherlock - in fact, it made him consider that what he was feeling could be completely rational, after all. The science behind it was solid enough.
“And Charles doesn’t spend most of his nights in company because it’s a terrible way to pass the time.” Geralt grinned. Now it was Sherlock’s time to laugh.
Geralt’s head turned suddenly. “That’s her,” he said as he got up from the bed and walked over to where Sherlock was standing. In passing, he grabbed something off the nightstand. His efforts to keep himself far from these situations couldn’t change who Geralt was at heart: a reluctant father-figure to his friends - especially the younger ones. “Can’t believe I’m doing this. Here.” Sherlock didn’t have to look in order to know what he’d just been handed. “Fucking hell, they’re condoms, not scorpions. Just...”
“Thanks,” Sherlock muttered, more than a little embarrassed that Geralt had just assumed he would be this unprepared for a situation such as this one. Nevermind that his presupposition was correct; it was mortifying nonetheless. He was grateful, though, that his friend was looking out for him.
“Take them.” Geralt ran a hand through his hair. “Oh, and talk to her.”
Sherlock knew better than to overstay his welcome and opened the door, just as Mike came up the stairs, closely followed by Elena. He waved at Sherlock and Geralt. “Hi, guys!”
Geralt raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t you have company?”
“Yeah, speaking of,” Mike turned to Sherlock. “Could you keep it down tomorrow morning?”
“Of course,” Sherlock said. He received the request quite often - sometimes incited by guests, but equally as often caused by the prospect of copious amounts of alcohol. And if it was Charles who was asking, it was almost certainly both.
“Thanks!” Mike beamed. “G‘night, guys! Nice to meet you, Elena!” And with that he adjourned to his room.
“He seems…” Elena got no chance to finish her statement on her first impression of Mikey.
“Annoying?” Geralt snickered, a crooked grin on his face, while shaking his head in disbelief.
“Spirited?” Sherlock offered, as he launched an elbow into Geralt’s ribs with more force than anyone would reasonably suspect from a bookish, violin-playing law student.
“I was going to say ‘nice’,” Elena mumbled, slightly taken aback by the banter.
“Oh, Mikey’s great,” Sherlock confirmed with a smile. “This is Geralt, by the way.”
She looked at the white-haired figure in the doorway, as he extended a hand towards her. “Elena,” she said as she shook Geralt’s hand. Her thoughts were scrambled for a moment when she met his gaze. His eyes were a striking amber color - beautiful but peculiar, in a way she couldn’t quite articulate.
“Pleased to finally meet you,” Geralt said, “Sherlock talks about you quite a lot.” Before Sherlock could even scowl at him, he stepped back into his room and shut the door.
“So, you talk about me a lot, huh?” Elena chuckled when they finally made it back to the attic. Sherlock chuckled nervously as he sat down on the leather couch and set the food on the small table in front of it. No matter how many times Elena saw this room, that couch still looked too big for it. On her first visit, she had wondered how it had ended up here in the first place, as it was obviously much too big for the stairwell. Sherlock’s answer had surprised her, as she’d been absolutely positive she never asked the question out loud - it had been moved in through the window by his predecessor, and no one would dream of ever moving it out again. If the stories of Geralt and Walker were to be believed - and they generally were - people had nearly died in the process. Despite being too big for the room, the couch only fit two people - a feature Elena made sure to exploit by joining Sherlock on it.
“Well?” She asked him, flashing a suggestive smile.
The world seemed to spin faster and grind to a halt at the same time, the room became both hot and cold, and Sherlock’s heart started yet another attempt at escaping his ribcage. Good grief, why did she have to be so close to him? Everything he had felt before, when they had been studying at his desk, returned to him; this time without the distraction of criminal law - it was just them now.
“I… ehm…” Sherlock stammered, unable to answer her question. Thoughts whirled through his head in an unfamiliar fashion: rapidly and erratically, and free of logic or order. Of course he talked about her often. He spent more time with her than with practically anyone else. His housemates had been teasing him relentlessly for weeks, saying he fancied her. And now he was beginning to think they were right, as he could barely keep his eyes off her when she was with him. And she continuously made her way back into his thoughts, sometimes even distracting him while he read, and Lord knows he was never distracted while reading. Now, here he was, deafened by the sound of his heart pounding in his chest, and bouncing his leg restlessly, unable to will himself to stop - figuring he should probably stop chastising Mikey for doing that all the time - and it was all because of her. Because she made him so incredibly nervous. Because maybe he had fallen for her. In other words: Geralt may have been an absolute knob for saying that to her, but he wasn’t wrong.
“Sherlock…” she giggled. When his eyes met hers, a wave of panic washed over him. Elena was looking up at him in a way that could not possibly mean anything other than that he had just said every last one of those things out loud. To her. He raised a hand, intent on using it to cover his mouth, but she grasped it and pulled it back down gently, while her other hand reached for his face. She traced his cheekbone with her thumb, her fingers resting lightly on his jaw, and he leaned into her touch. Elena softly caressed the side of his face before bringing her fingers to the nape of his neck, and attempting to pull him closer. Sherlock resisted her pursuit, clenching his jaw as his nerves took over his mind from his desires. He looked away for a moment, only to return his eyes to Elena’s and smile apologetically.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never kissed anyone, Sherlock!” Elena blurted out. She always knew that he was inexperienced, but such complete innocence was unexpected, bordering on unbelievable. Surely she couldn’t be the only one who was as charmed by him as she was?
“Not telling you won’t change the fact that I have, indeed, never kissed anyone,” he muttered under his breath. Her apparent incredulity did not help his nerves, and he was surprised to hear himself speak at all. Elena’s hands set his skin ablaze with a vast desire until every fiber of his being begged for it. It took everything he had to control himself, to prevent himself from doing something so legendarily foolish that his friends wouldn’t let him hear the end of it for years to come.
“Well, do you want to?” Elena asked, a playful tone to her sweet voice, mischief in her eyes. Sherlock swallowed hard, but found himself ultimately unable to make the lump in his throat disappear. Thus, he just nodded, and let himself be pulled closer to her.
She placed her forehead against his. For a moment, they just sat there: eyes closed, heads resting against each other. The sweet fragrance of Elena’s perfume, the sound of her breathing, and the feeling of her skin against his, engulfed Sherlock’s senses, filling him with eager anticipation. A soft sound, a combination between an exasperated sigh and a lustful moan, arose from between his slightly parted lips. He shivered and drew in a sharp breath as Elena’s soft fingers drew a line along his jaw. She rested them underneath his chin, her thumb tracing the dimple in it, and tilted his head. Then, Sherlock felt Elena’s soft lips brush against his so incredibly lightly that it took a moment before he realized he wasn’t imagining it. The last shard of self-restraint he had been clinging to so desperately shattered at the contact, and at long last Sherlock allowed himself to be enveloped by affection and desire. He reached out the hand she wasn’t holding and placed it against her cheek, holding her head in place as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers more firmly. She responded eagerly, though her answer was not as feverish as his request. With wicked determination, she paced the kiss; slowing down right when his mouth so hungrily sought more, and picking up speed each time he finally accepted a gentler rhythm. Without mercy and almost devilish was her approach, and by God did it have the desired effect. The hand on her cheek found its way into her hair, the other crept up to her waist, where his fingers dug into her with surprising force. He let out a moan; dark, frenzied and filled with pure, unadulterated passion. What had caused her to fall for him, had been his calm and collected nature. Not once since meeting him had she dared to dream of ever seeing him like this: consumed by carnal greed, frantically gripping at her in search of release. Moans occasionally made way to almost pitiful whimpers - questions, or rather, pleas; to indulge him, come closer, give him more, something, anything. Oh, how powerful she felt to have a man like Sherlock pour into her arms like this, to see him reduced to a mere shadow of himself in her delicate hands. Elena chuckled at the thought, causing him to withdraw from their embrace. Concern emerged from deep in his eyes, steadily catching up to and overtaking the yearning in them. Sherlock struggled to catch his breath, still firmly in the grasp of the ache that pulsed like fire through his veins. It was heightened further by the sight of the lips he now no longer needed to assume soft. He knew them to be, yet he longed for proof as much as - if not more than - before. Alas, her laughter had roused his insecurities, and they were picking at his brain like starved crows at a morsel of bread. He wondered what could have inspired it, what he had done wrong. Had she just been leading him on, and was she now relishing the sight of what she had reduced him to, only to break him completely, later?
Then, amidst his contemplations, he heard her voice once again, only this time it was no laughter that escaped from her pillowy lips. Caught in between ragged breaths, wrapped up in a moan, more intoxicating and provocative than he had ever dreamt possible, was his name. The sound of it so utterly rife with pleasure that it awakened once more the wanton desires within him, their scalding flames more excruciating than before, and even harder to quench. Her eyes, positively drunk with lust, together with that very moan revealed to Sherlock that she currently found herself in a predicament remarkably similar to his - only this time it was Elena who succumbed to the unrelenting pressures of her yearning. She moved towards him with resolve, pushing him into the couch by his shoulders, as she swung one of her legs over his. Sherlock was startled by her sudden advance, but did not protest. Elena sat down on his lap, one knee on either side of his hips, arms around his neck, hands running erratic patterns through his dark curls, down his neck and over his shoulders. Sherlock was surprisingly muscular, she discovered, which would have been in no way helpful to any attempt she might have undertaken to compose herself. Luckily, she had no intentions of embarking on such endeavors. Instead, she chose to give Sherlock as much of herself as he would take, and longed more than anything to receive what he was willing to relinquish to her, in return. As her fingers trailed along his neck and shoulders, she mapped the spots that caused the muscles in his thighs to twitch beneath her. His eyes fell shut at her touch, and his hands rested comfortably next to him, on her thighs. Soft groans emerged from his chest as her fingers explored his body, seeking out the sites that stirred his arousal. His hands brushed along her thighs, up towards her hips, where they caressed her sides as they traveled further to her waist. One hand rested on her back, while the other made its way to the nape of her neck. He pulled her towards himself, his touch tender yet demanding. Elena saw no reason to resist, and happily fell into his chest. Her lips found his again, her hands continued their expedition. Sherlock found himself overwhelmed by the many sensations he experienced, until Elena’s tongue trailed his lower lip and the feeling forced itself to the front of his mind. Hesitantly, he granted her access, allowing her tongue to slip into his mouth. It felt strange, but not unpleasant, he concluded as he imitated her movements. When Elena sucked gently on his bottom lip and softly sunk her teeth into it, he let out a loud moan. She tilted her head, still holding his lip between her teeth, softly tugging on it as he gasped quietly at the unexpected stimulation.
To his displeasure, the pressure disappeared from his lip, as Elena broke the kiss and pulled back. For a moment, it saddened Sherlock that her face was moving away from his, but when her head dipped and her lips brushed the stubble just below his jaw, his chagrin gave way to yet another surge of exhilaration. She meticulously sought out all the sensitive spots in his neck, causing him to squirm beneath her touch. Slowly, he became aware of the nimble fingers that pulled at the hem of his sweater.
“Take it off,” she sighed, her mouth barely leaving his neck. His hands took over for hers and he hastily complied with her request. Before the jumper was even off, Elena’s hands were already working to loosen his tie - and making remarkably quick work of removing and discarding the garment, too. The buttons of his shirt were next, and they, too, succumbed under the touch of those slender fingers, one by one. He had admired those fingers so often, as they moved through the most difficult passages of a piece with confidence and ease, but not once had he dared to dream that someday - this day - he would experience them from this perspective. Elena played him like she did the violin; with great enthusiasm and determination - though perhaps with even greater skill. Sherlock pushed against her shoulder to steer her away from his neck. Then, after cupping her face in his hand and guiding it back to his, he kissed her passionately while his hands traveled to her waist, where they gently slipped underneath her jumper. Her hands undid the last button of his shirt and it fell open, exposing his chest, which Elena took as an invitation to rake her fingers across his skin. The feeling of his remarkably solid chest and the coarse hair on it heightened her desires; it caused the ache between her legs to grow and her to lean into him even further, to press her lips to his more urgently, and to kiss him more frantically than she had ever kissed any man - or anyone, for that matter. Sherlock answered, spurred on by a surge of longing brought on by the clash between his skin and her hands, by slipping his hands under her blouse, exploring the naked skin of her back and sides. Elena did not hesitate; she pulled away from him to reach for the hem of her jumper. Her eyes never left his as she pulled it over her head. As soon as she let go of the fabric, her fingers returned to her blouse. Only the minimal required amount of buttons were undone before this garment followed the same trajectory as the one before.
“Wow.” Whether he spoke the word or simply mouthed it, neither of them knew or cared.
Sherlock’s hands fell still around her waist, his eyes widened. The sight of her was almost too much; her long, auburn hair framed her face in the most enticing way, her mischievous smile and the longing in her eyes drained him of coherent thought with every passing second, and when his gaze dropped to her now exposed torso, he was positively done for. His eyes seemed glued to her chest; it heaved as she tried to catch her breath, and the motion hypnotized him. The soft curves of her breasts were so tempting that his hands all but itched to reach out and touch them. He could swear his fingers moved of their own accord, palms creeping up ever so slowly, along her sides, until his thumbs lightly brushed the underside of her bust. Elena used every bit of strength she had to stay where she was. The look in Sherlock’s eyes had her beside herself with lust, but she reveled in his attention and admiration, and she wanted to prolong it for as long as she could possibly manage. Every minute movement of his hands fueled the fire that consumed her from the inside. The thin fabric of her bra was not enough to conceal the hardening peaks of her nipples - a fact that Sherlock seemed to pick up on as well, as his hands traveled up her sides further. She whimpered as he used his thumbs to lightly brush the buds through the thin material. Suddenly, he gripped the nape of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. It was frenzied, messy, and quick, as he immediately moved away from her lips and kissed a path along her jaw to her ear. Where this courage to push aside his nerves and continue his quest had come from, he did not know, but he decided that the opportunity should not be allowed to go to waste. His lips worked their way down her neck: kissing, gently sucking and biting the sensitive skin, teasing it with his tongue. Her moans filled the air, her fingernails dug into his shoulder, and she could no longer stop her hips from grinding into him. In that moment, Elena wanted only one thing; to get even closer to him, feel more of his skin against hers, to truly melt into him and chase that sweet release. Feral groans heralded similar desires on his part. Their frequency increased as his mouth inched closer to her collarbone with every touch of his lips, every nip of his teeth, every gentle flick of his tongue against her skin. Encouraged by the desperate pressure she used in an attempt to hurry him along, and the fingers that tugged at his hair as a different means to the same end, he continued. One of Sherlock’s hands tenderly cupped her breast, squeezing lightly - at first. His movements became more erratic as she whined and moaned louder and louder with every touch. His other hand copied the actions on the other side. The way she was writhing in his lap, rubbing herself against the bulge in his trousers with every move - it was maddening beyond belief. Sherlock rested his head on Elena’s breastbone, wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, and took a deep breath in hopes it would save him from losing his mind completely. Both of her hands cupped the sides of his face and tilted his head so as to allow herself to look into his eyes. He smiled up at her, eyes filled with love, or lust, or perhaps both. When he spoke, it was so calmly, with such softness and affection in his warm, dark voice that the sound pierced straight into her soul.
“You are so beautiful.”
-> Part 3
