Thank you! There's a lot to consider there.
The biggest thing I took away from your advice is the importance of body language, and I put it into practice last night. I realized that I was being stiff and mechanical with my body, nervous and self conscious. I made an effort to loosen up and just move as my body wanted to move in response to what was occurring between us and in response to his body and actions, and it was a very, very enjoyable experience.
We both spoke as we kissed, too. Many "I love yous", compliments, and admissions of feelings slipped out between lip locks and that played into the postures we assumed as well.
When the kissing got too intense, I simply pulled away and kissed him on the nose or worked my way down the side of his face and neck and then went back to his mouth. It seemed to be pleasant for both of us.
One thing I didn't do that I will do in the future is verbally reinforce what I like about his kissing technique to promote it when we do kiss. It's an ego-boosting form of critique, and it's better than phrasing it "do this, not that" or "I hate it when you do that".
He commented that "we're getting good at this" and I realized that it's a mutual venture we're going on, and we'll both "get better" and adapt and try new things over time. It feels good to think it's going to evolve over time and that it will evolve for both of us simultaneously.
We had to stop "making out" when his cat started throwing up right behind us. It was too difficult to concentrate and not fall apart laughing as we realized what she was doing. We took it as a review of our performance. Perhaps that cat will be our barometer from here on out.
Thanks for your advice. While dance lessons may not be on the horizon, it's something to think about as we try to perfect our efforts. Thanks again!!