Chapter 55: Second Wind?

Nero lay beside Lily with his arm stretched across the mattress above her head. For a while, neither of them said anything, and the only sound in the room was the soft hum of the mansion’s air system.

The red glow of Lily’s Destruction power had faded completely. Her skin was still flushed, but she was calm now.

Nero thought it was over, but then the heat came back.

It started low in his stomach and spread through his whole body. His High Human body was already recovering, and lying still got harder with every second.

When he looked at Lily, he noticed that her breathing had changed. It wasn’t slow and relaxed anymore, and her thighs kept shifting against the damp sheets as a faint red flicker passed across her collarbone.

Nero reached for the tissue box on her nightstand and pulled out a few. He gently wiped her stomach clean, taking care not to miss anything.

Lily watched him with half-closed eyes and didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to, because the way she kept watching his hand told him what she was thinking.

Nero set the tissues aside. "I want to do more." He said, and his voice came out softer than he meant it to.

The words felt strange coming out of his mouth. A week ago, he never would have imagined saying something like that to anyone, least of all Lily Morgan.

Even now, a little of his old nervousness was still there. His new confidence hadn’t erased years of being the boy who stuttered and panicked over every small thing, but with her warmth still on his skin, none of that seemed to matter.

Lily looked up at him with soft, waiting eyes. She didn’t say yes, but she didn’t look away either.

Nero turned onto his side and pulled her back against him until his chest pressed against her bare back. He slid his arm under her waist, and Lily’s breath caught when his palm settled on her stomach just below her belly button.

Enhanced Touch Sensitivity turned that simple touch into a slow, sinking warmth. Her toes curled against the sheets.

"Is this okay?" He asked against the back of her neck.

Lily nodded without turning around. She grabbed his wrist and held it there, as if she was afraid he might take his hand away.

Nero kissed the spot where her neck met her shoulder, and a small shiver ran down her spine. Then he moved his hips forward and slid into her from behind, and they both let out a long breath at the same time.

The angle was different from before, and it let him go deeper than the first time. Lily felt every bit of the difference, and a soft moan slipped out before she could stop it.

"Mmn..."

Her back arched against his chest, and her fingers tightened around his wrist. Nero started moving slowly, following what felt right more than any real confidence.

Each push forward took him deeper, and each slow pull back made her insides cling to him like they didn’t want to let go. Every part of him wanted to go faster, but being this close to her made him want to take his time.

With her back against his chest, he could feel every shiver that ran through her. He could even feel her hips start to move with him as she found his rhythm.

His hand moved lower across her stomach until his fingers found the swollen little spot just above where they were joined. Lily’s whole body jerked in his arms.

"Ahh... hahh..."

Her moans were soft and uneven, half muffled by the pillow under her cheek. Nero rubbed slow circles with his fingers while his hips kept the same steady pace, and the two feelings together were almost too much for her.

Lily gripped the edge of the pillow with her free hand until her knuckles turned white. Another wave of pleasure rolled through her and piled on top of what was still left from before.

"Nero... mmn..."

His name slipped from her lips, and she pushed her hips back to meet his next thrust. It drove him deeper than either of them expected, and the sudden tightness made his hips jerk as the feeling shot up his spine.

A small part of him still worried that he was doing something wrong and that she would push him away. But Lily kept holding his wrist and rolling her hips back against him, and every soft sound she made told him the opposite.

Nero buried his face in her hair and kept going. They settled into slow, deep strokes, and his hips pressed into the soft curve of her rear each time he sank back inside her.

"Hahh... mmn..."

The pressure inside her built up differently this time. It came in long, rolling waves instead of the sharp rush from before, and each one carried her closer to the edge.

Nero felt her start to tighten around him, so he went a little faster. It wasn’t by much, but every thrust now had more weight behind it.

Lily’s thighs trembled. "I’m close..." She whispered, so softly that he barely heard it.

Nero pressed his fingers against her and drew one slow, firm circle.

Lily fell apart in his arms. Her body shook against him in long waves, and she squeezed him so tightly that his vision blurred.

He held her through it with his arm wrapped around her waist until the shaking stopped. When it was over, Lily went limp against the mattress, breathing hard as her fingers finally let go of his wrist.

But Nero was still inside her, and he was still hard.

Lily felt it right away. She turned her head just enough to look at him over her shoulder.

His cheeks were red, and his blue eyes showed the same mix of want and worry she was starting to recognize. He clearly wanted more, but he didn’t know if he was allowed to ask.

Lily answered by rocking her hips back against him slowly, and the sharp breath he let out made her smile. Then she pressed her palm to his hip to keep him inside her and pulled herself up onto her hands and knees.

Her strawberry-blonde hair spilled over her shoulders and onto the pillow. She arched her back, which pushed her hips higher and pressed her soft, full rear right against him.

Nero stared at the sight in front of him. Her waist curved into her wide hips, and her thick thighs were spread apart to make room for him.

His mouth went completely dry.

Lily looked back at him with her face red all the way down to her shoulders. "W-Well? Are you just going to stare at me all night?"

She sounded impatient, but she was obviously embarrassed. She had never shown this much of herself to anyone, and her chest felt tight with nerves, but she still didn’t lower herself down.

Nero put his hands on her hips, and his fingers sank into her soft skin. Then he pushed forward and slid all the way inside her in one slow stroke.

"Mmn...!"

Lily’s fingers curled into the sheets as he filled her completely. This angle reached even deeper than before, and her arms shook under her weight.

He started slowly again, almost carefully, as if the position made him more nervous than he wanted to admit. His hands still trembled a little, but his body seemed to know what to do even when his mind didn’t.

Each stroke went deep before he pulled back slowly. The wet sound of their bodies meeting filled the room along with Lily’s soft moans.

"Ahh... hahh..."

Her arms gave out, and she lowered her cheek to the pillow with her hips still raised high for him. Now he was hitting a spot deep inside her that made her head spin, and every thrust sent sparks through her stomach.

Nero watched her back arch with every movement. The way her fingers twisted in the sheets and her hips kept pushing back to meet him wore away whatever self-control he had left.

He started thrusting harder and pulled her back onto him by the hips with every stroke. The sound of skin hitting skin grew louder, and sweat rolled down his chest as he moved faster.

"Mmhhn... hahh..."

He leaned forward until his chest covered her back. He braced one hand on the mattress beside her arm and slid the other around to her stomach, pressing her deeper into the bed.

He kissed the side of her neck. "Lily..."

Her name came out of him without thinking, and Lily trembled when she heard it. The sound of his voice sent a rush of warmth through her chest that had nothing to do with what his body was doing to her.

"Don’t stop..." She mumbled into the pillow.

Nero didn’t stop. He kept moving in steady, deep strokes, while the mattress creaked and the headboard tapped against the wall.

The pressure inside Lily built up again, tighter with every thrust. Her toes curled, her fingers dug into the pillow, and her breathing turned into small, shaky gasps.

Nero could feel it too, because she was squeezing him so hard that it almost hurt. Every time he pulled back, her body tried to keep him inside.

He pushed in as deep as he could and held himself there.

Lily came with a long, trembling moan that she pressed into the pillow. Her body shook from head to toe as she tightened around him again and again.

That was enough to break the last of Nero’s control. He pulled out at the last moment and finished across her lower back as his hips jerked.

They both collapsed onto the mattress, with Nero lying half on top of her and his face pressed against her shoulder. It took a long time for their breathing to slow down.

After a while, Nero reached for the tissue box again and cleaned her back just as carefully as before. His hands were still shaking, but he was gentle and made sure nothing was left.

Lily rolled onto her side to face him. Her hair was a tangled mess and her skin was covered in sweat, but under the tiredness in her violet eyes, she looked completely satisfied.

Before long, sleep took both of them, and they drifted off wrapped around each other like a pair of koalas.

[Ding! You have obtained Second Wind (Epic) for completing a Choice.]

[Second Wind (Epic): After intense romantic activity, physical stamina and energy recover at an extraordinary rate and there is a small chance to increase your strength.]

The reward for the Choice had finally arrived, but Nero was already fast asleep as it started to work. Thanks to Perfect Sleep Optimization, he wouldn’t wake up even if the world was ending.