Chương 26: A G-Rated Encounter in Vocabulary Only

Wynnie's mattress compressed with a groan under our combined weight. The plush feathers were already warm with the elf's body heat. She lifted the blankets delicately, inviting me to enter. Only a delicate slip of fabric separated us now. Her full figure spilled out of her thin nightgown. Threadbare fabric stretched to its limit, doing little to hold back the woman underneath. She let the blanket drape over us, cocooning us together. Something was changing between us.

The long, obvious truth I'd been skirting around for too long grew undeniable with each passing beat. Whatever barrier still held us apart faded as our bodies settled against each other. In the dim predawn glare of the room, I could barely make out the flush on Wynnie's cheeks. Her lips parted expectantly, waiting, as the staccato rhythm of her rapid breaths curled against my collarbone. Thick, soft thighs rubbed against mine, building up a slow, steady friction that crackled with promise.

I could feel her heart pound in her Venus tummy as it squished against me. She held herself almost tense, still waiting for permission that I thought my kiss had already given. The smooth, bare skin of her arm shivered under my touch as I traced the pads of my fingers up, cresting her shoulder, then reaching her neck. I grabbed a loose fistful of tangled tresses above her nape. A soft whimper squeaked in the back of her throat. Only a fraction of an inch separated our lips, still dewy with each other's saliva.

"Are… are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure about you."

"Oh, golly." It was plaintive, yearning, and utterly Wynnie. My mouth found hers again, and plump, petal-soft lips feverishly crushed against mine. Her bittersweet taste teased my tongue. It wasn't the wine-wet crashing of our first kisses, but rather a muted, measured relief. Her arm curled around me, pulling me into her tighter. Her hand felt along my back as though checking to see if I was really there. All the restraint I'd built up over the weeks melted as she pressed her tongue into my mouth.

Her hips shifted, dimpling the mattress, edging her knee up my thigh. The silky skin of her calf tugged against the fabric of my trousers, and her dainty foot nested against mine. For several seconds, neither of us dared to move. I held in my breath, not wanting to ruin the moment or overwhelm. Wynnie's fingers danced under the collar of my shirt, tugging at it uselessly. She let out a quiet, hungry, frustrated whine. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

"Oh, for goodness—come on!" And the spell was broken. Our hands roamed all over each other. Her gauzy nightgown concealed nothing, allowing me to feel every goosebump. Every inch I discovered was more mercilessly juicy than the last. In a matter of seconds, the furious wrestling of crumpled blankets and the sounds of heavy, thankful breathing were all that filled the room. I kissed a hasty trail down Wynnie's neck and hovered an inch over her collarbone.

She laid her head back, stretching out to give my mouth more runway. Her pulse ran hot under my tongue. She arched her back into me, connecting our skin once again. For an ice mage, she was damn hot. For some reason, I kept expecting a cool, frosty exterior. Yet the woman who contained all that magic was flesh, blood, and anxiety, just the same as anyone else. Soft lines accentuated Wynnie's small but voluptuous frame. The slender curve of her shoulder led to arms that gripped me desperately.

My hands dropped, tracing a path down her side, moving towards wide hips that had begun to move in slow, almost deliberate circles. Her tongue licked lightly at the tip of my ear. Then she bit, gentle as a cat carrying its young.

"I've wanted this. I've wanted you. So, so much." It was almost a whisper—a long overdue admission and a celebration all at once.

"I–I don't know how. Erm. I don't know what …" She didn't need to say it. Not entirely. She wanted me to guide her. Yet this was new for me, too. This wasn't some app fling or ill-advised bar hookup. This was Wynnie. More than any other time, this was real. It meant something. I paused my nuzzles at the swell of her cleavage, desperate to move further down. Her musky, raw scent stirred something deep within. My hand hovered on the crest of her hip as she squirmed, fattening deliciously against my palm.

Her voice came high and nervous.

"Is… is everything alright?" Everything was perfect. I asked the question, not knowing quite what I meant.

"May I?"

"Absolutely, yes. A thousand times yes. Oh, please. I've been waiting for this for so long. Don't make me wait any longer—ohh!" My lips brushed against the pointed tips of her ears. She shivered as I pulled her tightly to me. I kissed her long and slow, letting time stand still and stretch on at once. Everything else simply disappeared. There were no guests. No kitchen to prep. No rooms to turn. A familiar comfort replaced the tense dread from the night's watch.

Only Wynnie and I existed, laughing, holding each other, and accidentally bumping noses more than a few times as we learned how to love each other. Finally, when time resumed, her weight shifted back so that her thighs settled on my legs. Her shoulders drooped, and her head hung loosely to the side.

"Oh phooey. All I want to do now is cuddle with you, but I have to wake up and warm the stupid scones for our guests." Her priorities might be slightly out of order. She was missing something important, I thought. Wait till she saw a mirror. Her first instinct would be to towel off all the perspiration if she knew what she looked the way she did. Her hair was a tangled mess. The glasses that she'd perched back on her nose afterward hung askew and fogged. The smallest red mark bloomed on the side of her neck.

Still, snuggling sounded amazing.

"Maybe five minutes of cuddling couldn't hurt," I said, thinking it wouldn't make much difference whether she was out there over a stove or in here next to me. Oh, how wrong I was. Far off, coming from the direction of the docks, I heard a bell clanging, frantic and loud. It was the alarm.