He lays his hands on her knees and pushes them back gently, trusting that she knows her own body better than he does. There's a muted groan from him at the slight change in how he slides inside her, warm, heavy breath ghosting faintly across her bare skin. He drives into her a little harder, a little faster. He wants this to build gradually so that it feels all the sweeter at the end.

He can't count the number of times he's taken his time in bed with another man or woman like this, but it's still far, far fewer compared those for whom he's only pretended to feel affection. It will never not fill him with immense regret. All that lost time, lost loves, lost lives. He has only ever wanted two people by his side and he's fortunate to have one of them here. The other...

The other is a shadow of that lovely, familiar soul. One he is growing to love in its own way.

"Irhya..." Swallowing thickly, he leans down and murmurs, "I want you to know...that I trust you."