Man of War Ch. 05

"Goodnight, Leliana."

She turned and walked outside. I knew I shouldn't do what I was about to do, not after the moment we'd just shared, a reminder of many similar moments since the day we'd met. But I had seen Serana around, and that simply jogged my memory, and I knew the two girls I was with back in Arcturus were on the ship as they had tried to grab my attention already. I'd noticed them but made sure I didn't make it obvious.

I strode forward and caught Leliana just as she was about to disappear into the wardroom. She smiled upon seeing me chase her down, though I assume my face must have reflected my thoughts, as the smile faded somewhat. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No... Well... No, nothing is wrong, but I need to broach a subject with you. It's... Well, depending on how you react will..." I grabbed her hand and escorted her to the side of the ship. I flicked my head at nearby watch officers to ensure we had privacy. "Leliana, I believe I have made my thoughts clear about us, correct?"

"Of course, Shepard."

"The problem I have is..." I trailed off and sighed. There was no right way I could say it. Whatever I said, it was going to sound awful. But I'm a man of conviction, so turned to face her, grabbing both of her hands. "My feelings for you are quite obvious, probably to everyone on this ship. But... There is at least one other."

Leliana was smart. The surprise was that she wasn't surprised at all. In fact, she smirked. "That is understandable, Shepard, considering who you are." She paused a moment, clearly thinking of the right words herself. "Who is she?"

"Serana. She isn't the only one with an interest, but... Well, she's the one I do have history with already."

"Ah, the doctor." She paused again. "You have been intimate with her?"

"Before I met you, yes."

"Since?"

"Not since we met. My sister did invite her around one evening but..."

The smile broadened. "You were not intimate?"

"I couldn't because it was the same night you asked if I'd court you, and having said I would, I thought that would be a betrayal of trust."

Leliana turned so she could perch herself on the side of the ship, sitting down beside her. "Thank you for your honesty, Shepard. But I think it's fair to say that having more than one sexual partner is not unusual, correct?"

I thought about it, and to be honest, even people who were married were not expected to remain with that one person. Sex and love for procreation were intertwined, true, but there was also sex for pure enjoyment, and enjoying sex with different people was something that even the Five approved of. However, there was a large minority who thought that, when in a relationship, you should only be with that one person. It was a new word that had appeared in the recent past.

Monogamy. I hadn't been before, not that I'd been in many relationships, but that is why I now asked.

"I will ask a blunt question, Shepard. You would like to have sex with Serana?" I nodded. "And you would like to have sex with me?"

"Gods yes. The thought of being intimate with you... Well, I'm sure you can guess!"

That made her giggle. "Is there anyone else on this ship who you believe might want to share your bed?"

"I think Aela might be interested. She hasn't said as much but I notice her glances in my direction. The sort of glances where I know what she's thinking."

"So you may have three women battling for your affections? That could prove interesting if not humorous." She leaned forward to kiss my cheek. "I do not want to rush things with you, Shepard. And I know you will be patient when it comes to being intimate with me. As for any other conquests you may consider, I would not be upset, mostly because you have been honest and informed me. It would only be if you were keeping it a secret that I would be upset. There is no shame in enjoying sex with many partners as long as everyone is honest about it."

"Would you want the opinion returned?"

"I would definitely not want to be with another man. No, I know the man I want to be with and I believe he will be more than enough for me."

"So a woman or women?"

She kissed my cheek again. "And your thoughts on that?"

"Are probably the sort of thoughts I cannot share, Sister Leliana." She laughed out loud at that comment. "Rest assured, if you so choose, I would not be jealous."

"You'd want details?" she asked, unable to hide the smirk.

"Would that be ungentlemanly of me to request?"

"It would not be very ladlylike to share such intimate details, Captain Shepard." She leaned forward to whisper, "But, if it were to happen, I'd definitely tell you."

I stood up and offered my hand, escorting her through the wardroom to her small cabin. She leaned up to kiss each cheek. "Goodnight, Captain Shepard. And if you don't wish to be alone tonight..."

Smiling, I could only say, "I could stay..."

She reached up to caress my cheek. "Part of me wants to say yes. But... I cannot rush into this. If you were to stay, I would give into temptation. I can't do that right now." Again, there was a story, perhaps a secret, that might explain why she hesitated. Or perhaps it was her faith. I couldn't be sure but I wasn't going to push. It would happen eventually.

I took a step back, hands behind my back, and bowed slightly. "Goodnight, Sister."

"Goodnight, Shepard." I waited until she'd entered her room and closed the door before I turned and walked away.

I'll be honest, I made my way straight to Serana's room, which she shared with her fellow doctor. Chakwas was already asleep but Serana was awake, reading by the light of a lamp. She smiled when I quietly entered her room, taking a seat on the edge of the small bed. Grabbing her hand, I simply asked, "Would you like to come to my cabin tonight?"

"What about Leliana?"

"We have talked and it will work out just fine... hopefully."

Walking into my cabin a couple of minutes later, Jeeves had just about finished cleaning up. He took one look at me and then Serana. "Ah, I did not know you were expecting company, sir. Should I fetch the wine?"

"Just a bottle and glasses, Jeeves. Take the rest of the night off. I can take it from here."

"Of course, sir, and thank you."

In the end, we barely drank half a glass each before we were in my bedroom, urgently undressing each other. I think I may have ripped some of her clothing slightly, while the desperation at which she clawed at my trousers was in part amusing, in part arousing. Once my cock sprang free, she was on her knees within the next couple of seconds, unable to stop the groan as she tried to swallow most of my length. Running a hand through her hair, she constantly looking up into my eyes, and I knew I wasn't going to last long.

I was polite enough to let her know I was going to cum but she made no attempt to take my cock from her mouth, feeling me unload, grabbing her hair quite tightly and I'm sure half the ship heard my groan as I did. Serana didn't remove my cock from her mouth until I was well and truly done. Realising we were still at least part dressed, we finished taking everything off before I gently threw her back onto the bed. She spread her legs, pussy glistening wet by the glow of the low candlelight.

But you never start out with the main course. No, you enjoy the first couple of courses, various other parts of the body that increase the arousal. Her breasts, perfect when strung up in her clothing, were fantastic when she was naked before me. She was rather pale, no surprise, but not too thin, some real curves to her body that I definitely appreciated. But when I finally used my mouth on her, I was glad I'd made the decision I had. Firstly, because her taste was divine, second, because I loved going down on a woman, and thirdly, the noises she made suggested she was incredibly turned on and would cum rather quickly.

She came only the once, and came hard, before she was pulling me on top of her, mouth and tongue eager for mine in return as she blindly grabbed my cock and practically forced it inside her. I buried myself quickly, causing her to gasp into my mouth, and assuming what she wanted, I wasted no time starting to fuck her. When she whimpered into my mouth, feeling her fingers dig into my back, I knew she was getting just what she wanted. Breaking the kiss, I stated, "I'm going to last a while too."

"Gods yes, just fuck me, Shepard."

We were both totally into it and each other, and I just had to take her another way. After another few minutes, I sat back and quite easily lifted her so she was on elbows and knees, getting into a position behind her so I could really fuck her, grabbing a handful of hair for good measure.

"Give me that cock, Shepard," she moaned.

"Definitely needed your pussy tonight, Serana," I grunted.

"We'll thank Leliana tomorrow."

I was now utterly pounding the woman, and while I generally care about giving my partner an orgasm, I could see Serana was just about managing to fondle herself, so I knew she could get herself off. Grabbing her tightly by the waist, I switched position again, leaning forward so I could breathe into her ear. "Well, so far, yours is the best pussy on the ship," I whispered.

"I won't need another man to know who has the best cock. So thick and hard," she moaned, turning so she could kiss me.

Both of us were now covered in sweat, breathing rapidly, skin slapping against each other. How she managed to stay on her knees, I'll never know, but I soon had to give into temptation as I felt the oncoming approach of a thunderous orgasm. I grabbed her even tighter as I plunged her depths, really driving my cock into her. For whatever reason, she absolutely loved it, but I couldn't keep going, lasting only another couple of minutes before I groaned loudly and felt an absolute torrent of cum shoot out of my cock. Serena kept on fondling herself as I prevented myself collapsing on top of her, leaning forward, resting on a forearm though leaving my cock inside her as she got herself off quite rapidly.

Once we'd both recovered, I pulled out and lay beside her, the only sounds now our breathing, slowly but surely calming down. "Holy shit," I managed to say.

She turned to face me, kissing me softly on the lips. "Don't make me wait so long next time," she whispered, though it was stated with a smile.

"I generally don't make promises I might not be able to keep, so all I can say is that I'll do my best."

"Fuck me like that regularly and I'll be craving it constantly." She shuffled over to cuddle into my side and it was little surprise she was fast asleep quite quickly. I could only lie back and almost start laughing to myself. I know I adored, if not loved Leliana, yet she'd already agreed that I could sleep with who I wanted. I just had to be honest. Quite frankly, I didn't really deserve her on that basis alone.

I was glad Serana was with me that night. And I couldn't help but wonder who else I might end up inviting to my cabin for an evening during this voyage. The most important thing, though, was that it did not distract me from the mission. I knew the next morning, once she left the cabin, Serana would return to her duties and remain professional throughout. And I believe any potential cabin-mate would be the same. The one thing I knew I had to be careful about was jealousy. I figured I might have to give a subtle warning just in case it all blew up.

But, still, in addition to my personal life, I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next.

*****

A/N -- During my research, I already knew a few nautical terms, one being a spinnaker. Now, I know they are found on vessels today, particularly racing yachts, such as those seen in the America's Cup, but would not have been found on vessels in the period when this story is set (though the setting is a mix from the 16^th to 19^th century). So I've added a spinnaker in to show how 'advanced' the Normandy is. Whether it would have actually worked on such a vessel as a man-of-war, I have no idea, but it sounded like a neat idea when considering it.