Page 18 of A Tale of Mirth & Magic

B ARRA

W hat was I thinking? This was exactly the kind of situation I hadn’t wanted to find myself in tonight.

For the past hour, all I could think about was Elikki.

She was just across the hall. Maybe still in her bath, dripping wet.

Or already stretched out on her bed, yawning and sleepy.

It was driving me mad. I’d felt myself nearing the edge of my self-control, and all I wanted to do was rush across the hall and be near her.

So I threw on some clothes and decided to go downstairs for a distraction.

Saho at least would be awake; I knew from past trips that they were a complete night owl.

Even if they’d talk my ear off and probably pry about “my lady,” at least I’d put distance between myself and her until I could be sure she was asleep.

As I was about to leave, two knocks sounded on my door.

Swinging it open, I found Elikki hurrying to her room and the basket she’d left behind.

When she turned, uncertain but still her confident self, my resolve started to crumble.

And when I saw she was wrapped in only a robe, damp skin flushed, I think I blacked out for a minute.

Now she was here. In my room. Wandering around. Looking extremely sexy.

I coughed nervously, clearing my throat. Arranging the plate of lemon cake on a small table in front of the fire, I laid forks next to it and set the mead bottle and glasses out. Elikki joined me. We settled into the two armchairs that were tucked close to the table.

“This seems very unfair. Why do you get this massive room, with a full fireplace ?” Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Well, I’m much bigger than you. I need more space to move around,” I said.

“Mine is half the size of yours, and we paid the same amount!”

“Ah. You see, I received the friend discount. You got the friend of a friend discount. Big difference,” I said, moving the plate toward her.

Elikki ate a big bite and pushed it back to me. “You need to try this. It’s incredible.”

I took a forkful, and it was like summer in my mouth.

Bright, citrusy, both sweet and sharp—even Monty would be impressed with Saho’s creation, and she had notoriously high standards for any fellow chef’s cooking.

I ate another large bite and tried to memorize the flavor.

Maybe Saho would let me steal the recipe for my sister.

“Want some?” Elikki had uncorked the mead and was pouring a bit into a squat glass. It caught the fire’s light, a dark golden slosh.

“I don’t drink much,” I said. “But I’d take a dram.”

She poured a second small glass and handed it to me. Our fingers brushed, and I quickly sipped the mead.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“Lightly sweet.” My mouth was somehow dry, and I took another gulp. “Rich flavor.” She was watching me steadily, her silver eyes tracking my movements. “Smooth.”

“Very smooth,” Elikki agreed, sipping. A smile played at the edge of her lips.

I set my glass down on the table, suddenly afraid of having any more. “Maybe we should call it a night.”

“Already?”

“Maybe.”

She ate another bite of cake. I watched a couple of crumbs clinging to her full bottom lip, again. Stopped myself from brushing them away, again.

“Why did you invite me in here, Barra?”

“I… I couldn’t finish all of this on my own,” I said, gesturing to the dessert. “And Saho would be devastated if they thought we didn’t like it.” That sounded reasonably plausible.

Elikki ate another forkful. And another. And another. When the cake was gone, she washed it down with a long drink of mead.

“Well,” she said. “We finished it. Should I go now?”

I was frozen. Muscles tensed, I clenched the arms of the chair, eyes locked on the dancing flames of the fire. I didn’t know what to do. If she stayed, I felt like I’d be gone for her. I’d lose myself again. Need her too much. But if she left…

After a long silence, I heard her sigh. She stood and began moving toward the door.

“Wait.”

Elikki paused, turning.

“What do you want from me?” I asked, frustrated, wary. “What is this?”

She walked closer. “I want to make you feel good.” Her voice was sweet as the mead, warm like the fire burning next to us. “Like you did for me.”

I drew in a ragged breath. “What if I just do that for you again? Would that be enough?”

Elikki stepped in between my legs, her thighs nudging them farther apart.

“I can make myself feel good,” she whispered.

She moved her left leg until she was straddling my thigh. Lowering her weight onto it, she began to grind, slowly, against my leg.

She kept eye contact with me. Bold, daring me to do something, to grab hold of her. I didn’t want to. I didn’t want this to end. Had I ever met anyone this confident, this brash, this utterly sexy?

She moved against me, firm and intent. Pupils dilated, a pink flush crept over her neck and cheeks. Her breathing grew shallow.

“Elikki. Do you have any panties on?” I said, my voice low.

She shook her head, rubbing herself harder on my leg. I wrapped my arms around her waist, steadying her. I moved one hand down her curves to her ass, palming her through the fabric of the robe. She whimpered and grabbed my arms.

“Touch yourself,” I said quietly, straining to control myself.

She moved one hand down to her pussy at my command. Shifting her weight back, she dipped her fingers in a rhythmic circle over her clit. Her robe slipped off a bit, exposing a perfect, soft shoulder. Eyes closed, she dug her nails into my arm that gripped her close.

I forgot what I was worried about. I forgot about all my past relationships, the hurt, the loneliness, and my fears about future pain.

All I could see was Elikki, shamelessly riding my thigh to orgasm, and everything else I wanted her to do.

There must be something wrong with me that a deep part of my heart cries out “Use me, use me!” to every person I’m attracted to who shows half an ounce of interest.

But right now I didn’t care. She could have me. I’d deal with the consequences in the morning, damn them all.

I swung Elikki’s legs around my waist and held her tight against me, firm on my lap. She ground against the length of my cock, hard through my pants. Pulling the robe down fully off her shoulders, I revealed her full breasts. She wiggled out of the sleeves and lifted her chest to me.

Nearly lightheaded from the sensation of her grinding on top of me, I bent my head and sucked at one of her rosy-pink nipples. She whimpered again. Her hand moved between us, and I licked and nipped the rigid points of her breasts, loving the sound of her losing control.

Elikki went taut against me for a moment, and then gulped for breath. Clenching my shirt between her fists, she gasped, “Oh fuck, fuck! Yes, yes, yes, fuckkkk. ”

I held her through her orgasm, moving from her nipple to her neck. I kissed her there, lingering, blowing cool air on her sweaty skin.

Hands came up to my jaw, and Elikki pulled my face to her eyeline. She gleamed with satisfaction. Stroking the sides of my face, she watched for my reaction, her eyes unguarded and waiting.

I didn’t think. I closed the short distance between us and kissed her. Her hot lips met mine, hungry. She tasted as delicious as I remembered.

Honey and sunshine. Warmth and desire.

She hummed happily against my lips and deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around my neck.

I rubbed my hands along her back, feeling the soft curves and dips.

I wanted to touch her everywhere, all at once.

And this damned robe was in the way. It still hung around her waist, covering the lower half of her body. That wouldn’t do.

I planted my feet and stood, lifting Elikki up with me. She laughed and locked her legs around my waist at the ankle.

“Are we going somewhere?” she said. “I was just getting comfortable.”

“My bed,” I growled.

“Oh, good,” she said, wriggling happily. She kissed the small patch of my chest that was visible at the top of my sweater. My cock jumped, and I focused on walking steadily toward my large bed on the other side of the room. Lowering her onto the green coverlet, I nuzzled Elikki’s soft tits.

“Can I get you out of this robe?” I said, kissing her rib cage.

She stretched at my touch. “You first,” she said, propping herself up on her elbows.

I hesitated, then pulled my sweater and undershirt off. Elikki raised an eyebrow. She looked pointedly at my pants.

“I’d rather… leave them on. For now,” I said. Maybe it was silly, but the pants felt like my last line of defense.

Elikki looked like she wanted to protest. But she held herself back. Instead, she shrugged and focused on untying the tightly knotted sash at her waist. Gently pushing her hands away, I undid the knot in seconds. I was going to wash that disappointment off her face.

She lay sideways on the bed, legs dangling partway off. I moved close, leaning to unwrap the robe from her body. I took in her plump, soft stomach, hips flaring wide and solid beneath my hands.

“You’re so beautiful, El,” I said in awe.

She smirked. “I know.”

My palms roved over her strong, thick thighs, squeezing them reflexively. I kissed her belly.

“Goddess, that feels amazing,” she said with a groan.

“This?” I said, planting another kiss on the soft skin of her stomach.

“No, your hands,” she said. “My muscles are so sore from riding.”

“From riding my leg? You were going at it quite intensely,” I murmured with a smile. Shifting my hands to better massage her tight thigh muscles, I focused on the task, trying to ignore her bare pussy a few inches away.

She snorted. “No, from the horse. I haven’t ridden in a while. Beginning to think it was a mistake.”