I'm a little uneasy about putting this up online, it's the most racy piece I've ever written, but I suppose I'll never develop if I don't put my work out there, so please give me feedback.

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The First Time
Louise Kirkpatrick

     A young man and woman sat together in a small dorm room. They had been there most of the day, laughing and talking, conversation shifting easily from one topic to the next.
     "How did we even start talking about this?" The girl asked, blushing ever so slightly.
     "I don't know, but I'm curious now." The young man looked at his girlfriend as she sat next to him on his bed, her long legs hanging little more than half way to the floor.
     "She pushed her straight, brown hair back behind her ear and shrugged. "Well, marriage is when a man and a woman stand before friends and family and a pastor and vow to love and be faithful to one another for as long as they live. It is a joining before God and man."
     The young man gazed thoughtfully at her for a few moments. "That is our culture's definition of marriage, but do you really believe that's the Biblical definition?" He took her silence and curious expression as cue to continue, "In everything I have read in the Bible, I have never seen a real definition of how marriage is to be done. The most straightforward verses I have read say something to the affect of, 'and he took her into his tent and made her his wife.' That is the only definition that I see.
     "I believe that marriage is when a man and a woman promise each other before God that they will love and be faithful to one another until the end of their lives, and then consummate their marriage. I don't think that they need a pastor any more than I think we need a priest to confess our sins."
     The girl looked up at the young man beside her, she felt a little uncomfortable. She wasn't used to such easy conversation about sex, but she didn't seem to think that he was wrong. Had she ever heard or read a verse that said a man and woman must be married by a pastor? Marriage was a vow before God, but must it also be before man? "I...I think you may be right..." She murmured hesitantly, "I can think of a couple places that are phrased like that, but I don't think I've heard of one that says there is anything else to it..."
     The young man smiled at her, "You wanted me to challenge your assumptions about faith and the Bible."
     "Yes, I did." She said, giving him a short kiss on the cheek, "Thank you, you've given me something to think about." She sighed and closed her eyes as she rested her head against his broad shoulder and thought about what he had said.
     The young man wrapped his arm around her shoulders and, touching his other hand to her chin, lifted her face so he could kiss her. He let his lips linger on hers for a few moments, savoring the taste of her vanilla chap stick and the smell of her shampoo. When they parted, she smiled warmly up at him.
     "I love you, Louise." He murmured.
     "I love you too, Ryan." She whispered back. Her breath was just a little short and her head fuzzy, as it was every time he kissed her.
     Ryan pulled her close and kissed her again. Louise returned his kiss, a little more feverishly this time, wrapping her slender arms tightly around him, one gripping his shoulder, the other entwining itself in his hair.
     His hands slid around her, one moving to the small of her back, the other to the base of her neck, both pulling her body close against his. They sat together, eyes closed, pulling their bodies tightly against one another, each feeling the other's passion, their desire.
     Ryan pulled her from him just slightly and gazed into her eyes. "I love you, Louise," He whispered, "No woman has ever made me feel like this. When I'm with you, I feel complete, like I've found a part of me that was missing, and I don't ever want that feeling to go away." His face was solemn, his eyes serious and full of emotion, "Louise, I want to be with you, always. I promise right now, before you and before God, to always love you, and to always be faithful to you."
     Louise stared at him, her head suddenly clear, green eyes wide. As he spoke, tears welled up in her eyes and a small smile grew on her lips. "I...I love you too." She gazed at him, searching for the words she wanted to say, but she couldn't find quite the right ones. After a few silent moments she settled for the ones that she could find. "Ryan, I am yours. I vow to you, before God, to always be yours, and yours alone."
     Ryan's face lit up with more happiness than she had ever seen, he pulled her tightly against him again and kissed her harder. A slight moan sounded from her throat as his hand twisted itself in her hair, and the other moved up and down the length of her back, pulling her close, caressing her waist and venturing down over the slight curve of her butt. He pushed her back so that she was laying on his pillow, half his body over hers.
     "Why have you never made love with a man before, Louise?" He whispered, trying to keep his breathing even.
     The young woman blushed. "I...I always told myself I was going to wait until I was married." She felt giddy and she was having trouble concentrating on what she was saying, "But I guess all I need is a man who I love and who loves me in return, a man who never intends to leave me."
     Ryan gave her a slightly lopsided smile, "Would you make love with me if I asked?" He whispered playfully into her ear, not being entirely serious.
     Louise blushed even brighter, but what she did next surprised him. She glanced away and nodded before looking back up into his eyes, "Yes." she whispered.
     He stared at her, taken aback, "Why?"
     "I...I want you to be my first..." She murmured, "And I want you to be the only one. I love you, Ryan, I want to be with you, always."

     Ryan pressed his lips to hers again, "I want you to be the only one from now and for the rest of my life." He whispered between long kisses. He reached around her and pulled her blouse over her head. Once it was off he tossed it to the floor beside his bed and ran his hands along her soft skin.
     Louise's face was flushed brighter than it had ever been before as she helped him slide her jeans down. Her body trembled as Ryan's lips wandered, first to her jaw, then to her neck, and then down her chest.
     "Why are you shaking?" He asked quietly, "Are you nervous?"
     Louise shook her head, "I...I don't know what it is...I'm not afraid." She said, her voice trembling almost as much as the rest of her.
     "Don't worry, my love," He murmured in her ear with a slight smile, "I'll be right here the whole time." The young woman couldn't help but laugh, but it was a timid sound.
     Ryan slowly pulled his own shirt and jeans off and then sat her up and reached around her, undoing the back of her bra with one hand. She self-consciously slid a hand to the opposite shoulder, letting her arm and hair cover herself.
     "Louise," He whispered, placing a gentle hand on hers, "It's just me. You're beautiful, love, absolutely perfect."
     She looked up at him with a shy smile and allowed him to slide her hand from her shoulder. She glanced to the side as his hand traced her body, then he pushed her back again, pressing his body against hers and kissing her. "Are you sure you want to do this right now, Louise?" He asked, "It may hurt the first time."
     Louise blushed, still trembling, but she looked him in the eye and whispered, "I want it to be you."
     When Ryan pressed against her and kissed her again, she stopped shaking and wrapped her arms around his neck. At that moment, he was the only thing that mattered. Neither school, nor family, nor problems with friends, nor anything else invaded her thoughts. It was just him and her, this was their time.

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