Page 60 of A Tale of Mirth & Magic

After lifting the garment over her head and placing it off to the side, I leaned forward and scooped each of her soft, heavy breasts into my hands. Elikki hummed happily. Kneading them gently first, I then found her taut nipples through her linen shirt, rolling them each between my thumb and forefinger. Her breath quickened, as I knew it would.

I pulled Elikki to her feet. Our gazes locked on each other, heavy with need.

“Take off your shirt, Barra,” she said, voice low and demanding.

I didn’t have to be told twice. With one hand, I pulled the hem up and over my head, throwing the shirt across the room instead of folding it. I’d noticed Elikki loved it if I did things like that when we were heating up. And it wasn’t hard to override my normal neat-freak tendencies when she looked at me like this.

I needed her body against mine as soon as possible, tidiness be damned.

Her gray eyes flashed. She stepped toward me—slowly, too slowly—and I felt my pulse race faster with every inch she drew closer. When she reached me, she tugged her own shirt off and flung it across the room too. I drank in the sight of her. Plump, beautiful stomach and full breasts, her strong arms reaching for me.

Sitting on the edge of the bed so we were face-to-face, I pulled Elikki close in between my legs, running my hands along the smooth length of her back. I tangled myself in her thick hair and tilted her against my lips, desperate to taste her again. “El,” I breathed, my chest full, heartbeat roaring.

She met my kiss fiercely. We moved against each other, exploring, savoring. Her small bites on my bottom lip got progressively sharper, making me moan.

Suddenly, she drew back. “Wait, I have an idea,” she said. Darting back to the table, she grabbed the remaining half of the cinnamon roll and stalked toward me again with her most mischievous grin.

“What are you…” I began to say, before Elikki smeared some of the thick frosting on my collarbone. Her quick tongue swiped at it. She was back between my legs, and I locked my ankles together, tucking her tightly against me. Like a cat, she lapped at the frosting, moving from my left shoulder along my collarbone to the base of my neck. When she reached that spot and began kissing and nipping lightly, my head lolled back. She’d recently discovered how sensitive I was there, and ever since had delighted in driving me to a frenzy at her whim.

Inconvenient when we’re, say, eating lunch in public and I had to hide my boner under the table until it goes down. But here, locked in our cozy room, smelling of sugar and magic and her, I could let myself go completely.

I rucked up Elikki’s skirts and found her ass, squeezing its fullness with both hands. She squeaked against my neck, and I couldn’t help chuckling. She moved her lips to my throat now, licking the hollow below my Adam’s apple once.

Two could play that game.

Slipping her underwear down, I let them drop to the floor. I reached between our bodies, knowing exactly where to go.

Letting my forefinger slide along the length of her slit, I waited for her to do her hum of pleasure and arch into me before I plunged it in up to my knuckles. Her breath caught. She was wet, soaking for me, and I felt myself get impossibly harder.

Curling my finger inside her and rubbing near her clit with my thumb, I used my other hand to lift her right breast to my mouth, sucking lightly on the hard nipple. My legs braced her. She was losing herself to my movements. Eyes fluttering closed, her weight leaning on me, breath loud and fast.

“Fuck, Barra,” Elikki huffed out. “That’s perfect. You… arghhhagagagh…” I felt her tense for a beat, nails sharp in my shoulder blades, before she came undone. Limbs warm and loose against me, she let me hold her. I kissed her forehead, nose, shoulder. Untied her skirts and let them fall so I could hold her flush against my chest, legs wrapped around my hips on the bed.

We stayed like that, torsos pressed together like two pages in a book, until her heartbeat slowed. After a while, she pulled back slightly and whispered, “I made you something.”

“Let me guess—is it edible or dirty?” I said. “Edible and dirty?”

She swatted me playfully. “No and no.”

Slipping down to the floor, Elikki pranced over to her rucksack, shamelessly showing off her nakedness to me. She returned holding a small velvet pouch. With an almost nervous energy, she offered it to me.

I took it, but said, “El, what is this?”

“Open it and see!” She laughed, nudging me. She crossed her arms under her chest and waited, watching my hands instead of returning my gaze.

I untied the pouch and upturned it on my palm. A long, thick silver chain spilled out, glinting in the candlelight. At its end was a four-pointed pendant with dark, amber-colored sea glass set in the middle. It was beautiful.

She made this for me?

As I continued to stare at the necklace, mind struggling to catch up with what I was seeing, Elikki jerkily shifted her weight from foot to foot. She burst out, “I know it’s not perfect. I’m still honing this new style. And I mainly wanted to make sure the enchantment was strong. So it’s a bit rough.” She gnawed on her lower lip.

Stunned, I said, “Your magic is in this?”

“Yeah. It’s a protection spell, of sorts. It should keep you safe from any nefarious magic. If you want to wear it, I mean. It’s fine if you don’t.”

Elikki reached out as if to pick up the necklace, and I broke out of my daze. Trapping her hand between both of mine, I held it firmly.

“This is the most incredible gift anyone has ever given me,” I said quietly.