Ch 24: The Naera's Embrace

                                    

                                              


                          
Daimodi, Eleventh of Sund'im, 445 A'A'diel
                          
When Jarle met the soft moistness of Avaren's tongue, a heady thrill quickened his pulse. The breathless, dizzying rush he had felt when they had first kissed returned, along with the feeling that he had succumbed to an attraction he couldn't resist.

                          
For a long time, they kissed, allowing the sensual dance of their lips communicate what words could not. Time slipped away as did the morning's downpour. Thunderclouds rolled off into the distance. protesting in roaring grumbles while shafts of brilliant sunlight pierced through openings in the cavern roof.
                          
When the kiss ended, they were both breathless and out of sorts.
                          
Gazing upon her, Jarle felt like a supplicant who had suddenly been granted the favor of a goddess. Avaren's eyes were sphinxlike—suffused with the color of the southern shallows, and her lips were swollen from their kisses. Beneath the crimson silk of her dress, the outline of her breasts enticed his touch.
                          
Jarle traced the contour of Avaren's rib cage to cup a firm breast. He teased the peak of a nipple with his thumb, silently praying that Avaren would not stop him.
                          
Beside him, Avaren let out a soft moan. She draped her thigh over his hip and swept her fingers over an old scar on his chest. "How did this happen?"
                          
Jarle swallowed hard. Avaren was so close he could smell her arousal. The intoxicating musk and the perfume of her hair created an ambrosial bouquet that threatened to strip him of reason. His leather breeches felt like a sweltering prison. He was hot all over; drenched in sweat. "That was"—Jarle searched for words— "a close call."
                          
"And this one?" Avaren guided her finger lower, to a scar above his hip bone.
                          
In that intimate closeness, Jarle knew that Avaren was as aware of him as he was of her. His lips curled into the semblance of a smirk as he smoothed his palm under the fabric of her dress and groped her thigh. "That was a much closer call."
                          
A coquettish smile danced on Avaren's face. She hooked her fingers in the front of Jarle's breeches and tugged the laces loose.
                          
Ignoring the agony of his broken ribs, Jarle clasped Avaren against him. He stroked the length of her leg up to the curve of her hip.
                          
"Allow me to guess"—Avaren breathed against Jarle's lips— "this is a much, much, closer call." Before Jarle could respond, Avaren shoved her hand inside his pants. With a sudden, stroking caress she closed her fingers around his manhood. Her touch sent a shock rippling through Jarle's body. His hips twitched and recoiled involuntarily, but as her hand pursued, he thrust into it with barely-controlled lust.
                          
"Avaren by the gods, do not toy with me." Jarle ran his fingers through her mane of pale curls and brought her face to his. He kissed her cheeks, her chin, the long elegant line of her jaw. "What is it you wish?"
                          
Avaren pulled her hand free of his pants and knelt over him. She unclasped the brooch that held up her dress and tossed it into the darkness. The silky fabric slid off her shoulders revealing her beautiful breasts. "I want this," she said, crawling over him.
                          
Jarle's hands wandered along her bare arms, before turning inwards to lavish in the seductive softness of her breasts. He clasped the underside of the full globes, feasting upon the sight of her erect nipples. When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse; trembling with desire. "Avaren, if we do this there is no going back. Are you certain?"
                          
Avaren reached down and fumbled with the straps of her sandals, all semblance of grace and delicacy lost in her eagerness. "Yes, yes. What of your injuries?"