Among The Gods 03: Lessons In Love

Both were different, this morning - both tired, slightly aching, yes, but also both more confident, more at ease in their bodies. Mia pressed herself shamelessly against him, pulling away only long enough to pull off her top, so that she could rub her soft breasts against his bare chest; the tickle of his hairs against her nipples made her shiver. If anything, Eli had changed even more: no longer afraid that his every touch might hurt Mia or cross some terrible, unforgivable boundary, he pressed into her, mapping out every inch of her smooth, warm skin with his large, strong hands.

The intensity of the mood was broken somewhat when their more experienced embrace brought them unexpectedly to the edge of the bed; unbalanced, they fell, giggling as they hit the blankets. They ended up almost face to face, and Eli leaned forward, pressing his forehead against her. His bright green eyes gazed into her hazel ones, neither blinking or speaking for a long time.

It was Mia who finally broke the silence. "So... what did you learn?"

He rolled over onto his back, pulling her into his arms. "I learned a lot - enough to make you very happy. What about you?"

Her face was flushed a subtle pink - not embarrassment, but pleasure, both physical and emotional. "I learned a lot as well. I learned..." and here, her eyes flickered down slightly. "I learned I don't mind you being happy with someone else."

He smiled, moving a strand of her honey hair gently out of her eyes. "I learned I don't mind sharing - not myself or you."

"So... what does that mean for us?" she whispered.

"What do you want it to mean?" Mia shook her head, pressing her face against his chest, unsure how to answer. "I think..." Eli said slowly. "I think we're Irnians, now." Mia started, staring into his eyes.

"We... are, aren't we? Is that what you want?"

"I can't imagine going back," he said, simply. "I mean, I -" It was his turn to glance away now, afraid that he might say the wrong thing. "If you wanted to go, I would. Go with you, I mean."

"But you don't want to?"

"I want to stay here with you. I want to be like Dina and Roth. I want to be..."

"Wanton and joyful," Mia supplied.

Eli couldn't help but grin. "Wanton and joyful," he agreed.

"Then," she said, leaning forward to steal a kiss, "let me show you the wanton, joyful things I've learned."

Pressing her hands into his bare shoulders, she pushed him onto his back, planting a lingering kiss on his lips before running her lips down his chest. When the tip of her tongue finally slid delicately up the sensitive underside of his manhood, Eli gasped and shuddered, eyes rolling back in his head. Mia struggled to take him entirely into her mouth. Roth had told her that, with practise, she would be able to take men into her throat if she wanted, caressing them by swallowing. She was very much looking forward to long, fulfilling evenings practising that skill with Eli. For now, though, she satisfied herself with sucking on the head, swirling her tongue around to get the satisfying, salty taste of his seed. One hand worked his shaft, sliding gently up and down near the base, while her other caressed the heavy pouch below, mapping the contours and shapes of his testicles. Eli moaned and sighed, enjoying Mia's attentions, hands resting easily on his chest, occasionally running his fingers across his nipples.

When his breathing started to quicken, she went harder, trying to milk the pleasure out of him, but he sat up and pushed her off, laughing and red-faced. Mia pouted up at him. "I wasn't finished," she said.

"I know," he replied. "But it's my turn!" He grabbed her by the shoulders suddenly, using his superior strength and size to spin her and throw her onto the bed. She bounced off the mattress, and before she could get her bearings, Eli was already there, hands on her thighs, head teasingly close to the wet heat growing inside her.

He went slowly at first, placing a series of long, lingering, warm kisses all over her inner thighs, lower stomach, and the honey-blonde thatch of soft hair. Every brush of his lips made her whimper, his teasing touch so close to where she wanted it to be, making her twitch and shiver with anticipation. She was pulled in two directions, never wanting this loving exploration to end, while at the same time desperate for the burning electricity of his touch on her clit, the lips of her labia, the special places inside her. Finally, he relented, dragging his tongue up her labia and over her clit in one long, slow motion that made her jump and squirm. His hands slid under her, kneading her buttocks as he switched back and forth, first dipping his tongue inside her, then swirling it around her aching bud for a few seconds. He did this over and over, driving her body into a pulsing frenzy of need, but before he could bring her to the peak, she pushed his head and away and looked down into his eyes.

"Don't you want -" he began.

"I want you," she said hoarsely. "I need you."

There was no uncertainty or ambiguity in her words, and he immediately moved upwards, placing kisses across her stomach and breasts, running his tongue across her nipples in that same slow, unhurried way. As soon as he was high enough, she reached between them and grabbed him, pulling him hungrily towards her throbbing entrance; when he slid easily into her a moment later, she sighed, wrapping her arms and legs around him. Roth had been good - skilled, attentive, experienced. Eli was a little clumsier, but he was also, well, Eli: feeling him slide into her, his muscular back under her hands, the smell of his skin and salty taste of his sweat on her lips - it all felt like coming home.

This time, Eli knew what to do. His hips rolled, smoothly and slowly, grinding his pelvis against her as his manhood slid slowly in and out; every slow, massaging movement made her groan, the feel of his heat inside her mixing with the tickling pressure of his coarse pubic hair against her clit to make her shudder. But she had learned things, as well; she worked her newly discovered inner muscles as much as she could, breathing and relaxing as he pushed in, clenching up as much as she could when he pulled out. She could tell she was having an effect, as Eli gasped and groaned as his hips moved back, feeling like her body was trying to pull him deeper inside.

Mia nuzzled his face, kissing his cheek, and whispered: "Roll over." Eli obediently rolled onto his back, allowing Mia to straddle him; they both sighed as she settled down, bringing their bodies back together again. She sat up straight and stretched, humming at the delicious pull and twang of her muscles, the crack of her joints. She ran her fingers through her long, honey blonde hair, blazing gold in the morning sunlight pouring through the shutters, enjoying the way her scalp tingled. Her hips rolled in a slow, undulating motion, letting her feel Eli's heat and solidity inside, slowly stirring and massaging every part of her.

Eli stared up at her, heart thrumming in adoration. She had always been beautiful, but now, she was incandescent. Gone was the fear, uncertainty, self-doubt and disgust. Now, she sat proudly, soft breasts rippling slightly as she moved, completely at home in her body. Like the woman in the park, she oozed sensuality.

Looking up at her, he could feel that, deep in the core of his manhood, that familiar itching pressure was starting to build. Moaning, he ran one hand up,her body, caressing her cheek before dropping to squeeze the delicate softness of her breasts. His other hand slid down to her sex, thumb resting against her clit and rubbing in firm circles.

Her eyes widened as she realised what was about to happen, and she began to move her hips more frantically, hands resting on his chest to brace herself. Knowing what he must be feeling, seeing the hunger in his eyes as he stared up at her naked body, lit a warm fire in her, a delectable pressure beginning to build. They both panted, staring into each other's eyes as they worked themselves and each other up to fever pitch.

If there was a gap between their peaks, it was too small for either to notice. With a shudder and a loud moan, Eli bucked his hips up into her, while she threw her head back and screamed, pressing downwards as hard as she could, taking him as deep inside her as he would go. Her nails dug into his chest, while his hand on her breast clenched, sending a dull ache of low pain that, somehow, only seemed to intensify her pleasure. Her inner muscles pulsed and clenched - and everytime they did, their inward motion met the pulsing spasm of his manhood coming the other way.

Finally, they both collapsed, panting and shaking. Mia led on top of him, his twitching manhood still inside her, and she fancied she could actually feel the hot fluid of his orgasm pooling inside her belly; Eli wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her against him in a hug so tight she almost couldn't breathe. She didn't protest; if she died right now, she would consider her life a success.

"I love you, Mia," he breathed in her ear.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," she whimpered repeatedly, pressing her lips against his chest between each utterance, a string of gentle kisses punctuating her love.

Dinner time saw the four inhabitants of the Cardinal back in the taproom, Dina slicing bread onto a wooden plate. Their late night and energetic morning had sapped most of the energy out of them, and all of them had spent most of the day either dozing or having sex. Almost no work had been done.

Dina and Roth had had sex in the taproom and their bedroom, spending most of the rest of the day with their naked limbs entangled, snuggled together in a pleasant drowse. Eli and Mia had spent much of the day in their room, exploring the glory of each other's bodies with the confident, unhurried curiosity of young lovers. They had both learned a lot - physically, and about the nature of their love for one another.

Now, fatigued but blissful, all four were having a somewhat impromptu dinner of bread, cold meat, cheese, and sliced fruit. Eli and Mia had, for the first time, joined the older couple in having a small goblet of wine with the meal; previously, they had always politely declined, citing religious reasons (Litany of the Monolith, Edict number forty six: My blood is polluted; I will not taint it further with unwelcome tonics). Both found the alcohol strong, but not unpleasant - a description which also described the warm feeling it spread through their bodies.

"Business'll be picking up soon," Roth said, yawning. "Trading season's coming on."

"It'll be nice to have the taproom busy again," Dina said, sitting.

Roth helped himself to some of the bread. "What of you two then? You be staying a while, or moving on?"

"You're very welcome to stay!" Dina cut in quickly. "Extra hands are always useful." This was true, but Dina would also miss them, if they left. Even ignoring the pleasures of their bodies (and she certainly wanted more time with Eli's muscular form), she was fond of both of them.

"If you can stand life among us obscene Irnians!" Roth chuckled. Dina gave him a mock angry face, and winged a piece of bread at his head.

"I think we'd like to stay," Eli said, standing and heading back to the taproom's bar for a refill of his goblet. "If we're welcome," he added.

"Of course!" Dina said, smiling widely. "We'd love for you to stay!"

Mia smiled brightly, sliding down the bench to sit next to Roth. "I hope we can keep sharing with each other, as well," she said shyly, leaning her head against Roth's shoulder.

He grinned. "Careful, looks like you're going native."

Dina giggled as she felt Eli's strong arms encircle her waist from behind, his warm lips caressing the back of her neck. "I think you two are going to fit in here just fine," she said.