Page 15 of A Minotaur Tale

“Is ‘faster’ your main concern then?”

“If seeing the inside of your bedroom is what is at the end of the trip, then yes.”

“My bedroom? You don’t want to go to yours?” Her bed wasn’t exactly sized for a minotaur, nor was she sure if he would fit through her doorways without needing to duck.

“Yours is closer. Plus, that way we won’t have to travel across the city to get to the library in the morning.”

He was apparently quite serious about making those snowmen in the morning.

Her house was indeed close by, as the library and the ballroom were both located in one of the cultural hubs. As they approached the great, two-story edifice of the library, Asterion slowed.

“Do you really not close the doors?” he asked, referencing the large stone doors that could be pulled shut to protect the two-story glass windows and smaller entrance doors.

“Can you imagine me trying to close them? Trust me, I’ve tried. They are much too heavy for me.”

“Well, I assume I can help with that.” His head was tilted to the side as if in thought.

“I never thought it mattered much. The library is for everyone, what does it matter if they can see inside after hours?”

“It will matter if I am ever to fuck you on one of those study tables.” He said itso nonchalantly, and then he blushed deep red, ears wiggling again. “I mean, well…”

“Have you thought about that, then?” She raised an eyebrow. Normally, such a thing would likely have appalled her–think howmessyit would be in her library–but she was hard pressed to deny the appeal of it.

“More often than you might think.” He dipped his head and looked away from her.

“Well then, I think I should happily accept your help at some point… but today I think you wanted to see where I slept?”

Asterion lowered his head to hers and pressed his soft lips on her forehead. “Yes, please.”

Asterion allowed her to walk as they approached her door, and she pulled out her crystal to place it against the lock. There was a small click as the lock released and allowed her to push the door open. Her home was dark for the time being, but her lamps flared to life as she turned on the gas and lit the pilot light near the door.

“Here we are then, though I suppose you already knew where I lived.” She wrung her hands in front of her and turned around, rocking on her toes.

The lintel was indeed too low, and Asterion had to duck to get inside. It was almost comical,watching this hulking beast of a man bend himself in half to come through her doorway. Once inside, though, she was pleased to see that he still had several inches of clearance above his head. Despite the clearance, he was obviously stilllarge. The walls were close around him and Cora could scarcely believe that she’d nearly forgotten how much bigger he was than her.

He didn’t seem to mind, though. His eyes held fast to her and the only way she could describe the look on his face was hungry. Here was a man ready to devour her. Asterion’s chest heaved, eyes dilated and he huffed a breath out of his nose. She’d never really appreciated his nose before, but now, staring at her like a man starved and with his ring hanging between her legs, teasing the lips of her pussy? She could just imagine where it would pierce through. It would hang there, under his nose, marking him as hers for all the world to see… and she couldn’t wait.

Though he looked seconds from bursting into action, Asterion drew in a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. He raised his hands and pressed them against the walls on either side of him. The action seemed to ground him, because his breathing leveled and when heopened his eyes, they still held desire, but it was one he now held the reins of.

“I like your house.” It was a simple statement, but his body language went beyond. His thick fingers roamed over the stone walls, trailing along as he walked toward her. “The walls… they are nice and close, and I can’t see what’s beyond this corridor. It’s good.”

“I’m glad. The uh, parlor is through there and–” Cora squeaked at Asterion lifted her and pressed her at the back wall of the hall where it split into a T.

“Sugar plum, I am certain the parlor is lovely, but I am sure I won’t remember a thing about it. I’m inyourhome. Everything smells like you, and for the first time in over a year, I feel properly walled in. My chain is hanging between your legs, you’re wearing the dress that I designed while choking my cock thinking about you, and gods help me, these thighs…” he squeezed them for good measure. “These fucking thighs are wrapped in the finest gossamer silk I could find, and I am afraid I will destroy them. So, if you don’t mind, do you think you could show me your bedroom first?”

Heat pulsed through Cora from every place where Asterion touched her. Had anyone ever been so affected by her as Asterion?

Hadsheeverbeen so affected?

She was a nymph, after all, and no stranger to sexual desire, but this was the first time that she felt true, genuine care from a potential partner, and it only stoked her higher. Emboldened, she leaned forward and captured his lips with hers once more. There was an urgency to his kiss this time, a desperation that was certainly flattering.

Grabbing his horns, Cora tugged in the direction of her bedroom, and Asterion, bless him, followed her direction. He held her against him with one hand, while the other explored the back of her dress. It had buttons, round and flat, instead of the more ornamental buttons she would have expected. They hadn’t required a button looper for her to get on, nor had she needed assistance, thank the Lady. Because of this, her dress easily fell away from her shoulders, draping down her front to reveal her ivory satin chemise and frilly, special occasion, stays. Asterion hooked his hoof underneath the dress and tossed it up into his hand, muttering about how “pretty things don’t belong on the ground

As they neared her room, however, Cora felt anxiety rise in her chest. Her room wasn’t exactly… normal, she’d learned in the past. And though she’d already decided, before the ball, that she’d like to bring him back, she hadentirely failed to make it seem any more… normal.

Before she had much time to think about it, though, they tumbled through her doorway and Asterion released her to bounce down onto her bed.

He towered over her, entirely too big for her bed, and took her in with wild eyes. The lights were low, but several deep breaths later, he seemed to center himself enough to look around the room. Cora was torn between squeezing her eyes shut and watching his reaction, so she settled for turning beet red and peeking out from between her fingers.