Westrons Pt. 30

Her skin was wonderful, warm and smooth. Her breasts were still full, though not so firm as they'd once been - not after four children. Her belly was more rounded, but not unpleasantly so.

- "Oh - I think ... I'm ready." she said.

- "Almost." I replied, as I kissed my way down to her knees, and began to work my way back up. She tugged at me, trying to pull me up, but I resisted.

Themis tangled her fingers in my hair, and pulled.

- "Please, Cook - you can do that later. I need you, now."

- "I don't want to hurt you."

- "You won't. I'm ready. So ready."

She was. Wet, and warm, and open for me. Our joining was a beautiful reunion. As I entered her, Themis slid her legs over my hips and wrapped them around me.

I must have groaned. The sensation was exquisite.

- "Hold still - for a moment." she said. "Let me enjoy ... having you inside me."

It was difficult. I wanted to plunge into her, to possess her entirely. Her hemmer was beginning to envelop me. But I had to keep my wits about me; she'd made it clear that she didn't want to fall pregnant this time. We would both have to be careful, and responsible.

"... waited so long." she mumbled.

- "You're worth the wait." I said. "You always were."

She smiled up at me. "Now, Cook. Now you can make love to me."

I did. I tried my very best to make the experience as magical and memorable for her as I possibly could. Our first coupling was slow, and tender, and wonderfully intimate.

Our second was more passionate, more animalistic, as I took her from behind, on her knees, plunging into her repeatedly until I spewed a torrent of semen all over her back and buttocks.

We rested for a little while, and then went out to see the stars, and the light of the moons reflected on the sea. We stood there naked, my arm about her waist, enjoying the view - and each other's company.

- "You're still a marvelous woman - if you had any doubts."

- "Thank you, kind sir." she said. "And you're still my gallant Lieutenant." She kissed me on the cheek. "You've never stopped being my champion."

We got a little silly, and lay down on the grass, where her hemmer continued to work its magic on me. On both of us, I suppose: she straddled me, and impaled herself on my erection.

I turned us around, so that she could see the sea as well as my face as she rode me. Themis fucked me until her knees grew sore, and then she asked me to take charge.

With her consent, I laid her on her back on the grass, and put her feet over my shoulders. It was mad, exhilarating ... and then over too soon. I pulled out, and shot my seed over her belly and breasts.

We clung together, afterwards, until Themis began to laugh.

- "What is it?" I asked.

- "Why is it, Cook, that when I'm with you, we need to bathe so often?"

She was 100% right: we were sweaty, and covered in grass stains and our fluids. I helped her to her feet, and we went to wash off.

- "Do you think it's warm enough?" she asked. "I'd really like to sleep in the tent."

- "We'll be fine."

Just in case, I got a blanket from the cottage. When I returned, Themis was arranging pillows for us, in the back of the tent. She was naked, at the peak of her hemmer, and to me, she looked every bit as lovely as she had at the siege of Tonol.

I told her so. Themis gently touched my cheek. She looked uncertain, as if she didn't know whether to smile - or to cry.

We kissed, and I drew her down beside me. Now I had time. We'd copulated three times; the urgency had been dealt with, the immediate needs satisfied. Now she let me caress her, slowly, with no hurry.

I kissed and suckled at her breasts, and brought her to a delightfully unexpected orgasm with my fingers alone.

Then I went down on her. I had world enough, and time. Nothing could interfere, or distract me, from giving my lover all of the pleasure I could.

After another orgasm, I put Themis on her side, and entered her from behind. Her juices were still flowing, and we enjoyed a long, comfortable coupling.

She fell asleep before me.

I stayed awake for a while, watching her sleep.

***

It rained that morning, which chased us back inside the cottage.

It was a nice enough place, I suppose. But we couldn't pretend, as we had, inside the tent, that we were back at Tonol.

Themis and I made a mess of preparing ourselves a meal.

- "Looks like we're both in the habit of having other people feed us." I said.

- "I don't care. I'm just so happy to be with you." She leaned against me, and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"It's been so long ... but now, everything seems fine."

I felt guilty, for a moment. Themis had been trapped in a political marriage - well, perhaps trapped was the wrong description. But it hadn't been completely her own choice. I had no idea how she and her consort got along - nor did I want to know.

Meanwhile, I'd been very active, with many lovers. I hadn't waited for her, or pined away. What purpose would that have served?

I'd been with Aneli and Avette, Oshide and Yehla, Kanitz and Tudino and Koroba ... and Tallia and Esyle. And Isa. I'd had wonderful sexual encounters, and I'd been in love - with several women, at the same time. I still didn't understand how that was possible.

My feelings for Themis were real; I just couldn't help wondering if I could have done more for her. But that was all in the past. Here and now, I could only try to make her happy.

We made love three more times, that day.

And then Themis' hemmer ended. Just like that.

***

We'd been expecting a full three days, I suppose. We were both caught off guard when she suddenly dried up, and her enticing aroma and aura simply vanished.

We cuddled some more, and tried to prolong the intimacy, the feeling of closeness, but ... it just wasn't there.

- "I love you." she said. "I always will."

- "You know that I feel the same."

She kissed me again, and pressed herself against me, trying to summon a last sensation of our bonding.

Then she let me go.

***

Isa and Koroba were waiting for me, with Ishana, at the foot of the big boulder. I slid down the rock face, on my heels and my ass. Ishana caught me, and braced my fall.

She led us back down the path - which was a hell of a lot harder to descend than to climb. Once back on the road, she stopped, and let us go on alone.

I caught Ishana's eye, and gave her the slightest of nods - she responded in kind.

Koroba was empathetic enough to leave me alone with my thoughts. She didn't say a word, all of that day.

Neither did Isa.

I had all day to think about Themis. We'd spent two days together: the first was wonderful, and the second ... less so.

She'd known it, too.

It wasn't just the sudden end to our sexual activity. We'd started to run out of things to talk about. We just didn't have as much in common anymore - and nothing like the great experience we'd shared at Tonol.

Perhaps that was a large part of it, for Themis. She'd had a grand adventure, when she first met me. It was vital, and exciting ... love in the midst of wartime.

Then she'd had to return to her life in the Palace. Political and dynastic responsibilities had to take precedence. There would be no more opportunities for 'adventures'.

Our romantic relationship was in the past. Our friendship, and our political-military collaboration, were the present. Those, and our daughter, Tonola.

We didn't really have a future. Neither of us had said a word about her next hemmer.

When it came to conversation, we could talk of military matters. We could discuss Tonola. Or, we could reminisce about the siege of Tonol, her unexpected hemmer, Colonel Storana, and all of the things that made that period in our lives seem so vibrant, and so important.

That was what we'd talked about, before making love, and while her hemmer was in full force. Themis was a beautiful, intelligent, and kind woman. But she was a part of my past - not my future.

- "You can't go back in time." I said, aloud.

- "Sometimes, no." said Isa. "I'm sorry, Cook."

- "Don't be."

*****