Good Intentions - Part 3

Written by Clint and Amanda

A cozy fire crackled in the hearth as Felina poured two glasses of wine, “I don’t believe I’ve ever had such an old vintage. This will be a treat.” She smiled as she handed a glass to Pale and took one for herself. She gestured to the settee in the sitting area before the fire, “Have a seat.”

She swirled the wine in the goblet, enjoying the fragrance of it before finally taking a sip. She closed her eyes as she savored the heady flavor, “Mmmm… That’s really good.”

Pale took a seat next to her and lifted the glass to take in the scent of the wine, “I thought it might knock me out, but it smells quite pleasant.” He took a sip as well, “Very unusual, but once more, I almost expected to find myself on the floor after a taste of it. I am still amazed at just how old it is. I must say the taste is unlike anything I have encountered.”

Felina nodded, “The technique elves use to make their wine ensures that it will age quite well, even after centuries. It’s a trade secret, I hear. A human wine would probably be pure alcohol by now.” She tipped the glass back for a drink, “This is smooth though. Far more complex than a younger wine. The alcohol’s there, but I don’t taste it as strongly as I expected.”

She took another drink, savoring it, “I have to say, though, as good as the wine is, the company’s better.” She grinned.

Pale smiled gently back at her, “Maybe the wine is better than you think. In all seriousness, I am really glad that you are enjoying the gifts. That I happened upon them was quite fortuitous. More than anything, I am glad that we are able to talk and have moments like this despite everything that has happened. Though I must say, sometimes it seems almost as if those events happened to someone else, and I was simply a spectator.”

“I really do love the gifts, Pale. You didn’t have to get me anything, but, honestly, I’m really glad you did.” She flushed slightly, “I’m glad we can talk too. I had missed it so.” Felina looked into the fire as she sipped the wine, “I tried really hard to forget everything after that night I found you in that burning inn. I tried to forget you… but I couldn’t. I must have thought of you every day I was gone. I missed you.”

Pale took another sip of the wine as he looked ahead, “I cannot say that I blame you, but I am glad that you were unable to do so. I wish I could forget those events myself, but they are something I must remember always. I will not allow myself to live with regret for we are fortunate to have any moments that we are given. Years back, I honestly would have never imagined sitting here with you like this. I still remember seeing you in the Blue Beer’d tavern when I used to stop in for a drink. As much as I preferred the calm and stillness of the cemetery, I always found myself willingly entering that loud and crowded place quite often.”

Felina looked at him, surprised, “You didn’t like crowds and yet you came anyway? Was the ale that good?”

Pale laughed loudly, “The ale was actually quite terrible, though I must say the taste became quite familiar and comfortable after a while. I should go back there for a drink sometime, but anyway, I am not really sure what drew me there in the first place really. I happened to pass it one night and on a lark decided to have a drink. Especially then, I was a very much set in my ways, so it was quite unlike me. I just had the feeling that it was worth a look.”

“When you go back, be sure to let me know. I’d like another one of their terrible ales too!” Felina laughed, “I remember you as well. It was pretty hard to miss you, in fact. You stuck out like a sore thumb with that black robe and white hair. I remember seeing you from the stage as I performed. Whether I was dancing or playing or just singing, you always caught my eye when you were in the crowd.” She glanced at him sideways, “I almost approached you one night, but I decided not to.”

Pale looked into his wine glass for a moment before realizing it was empty, “You most likely would not have gotten much out of me back then. At that point, I was still unused to dealing with the living, other than the clergy of Pharasma. I had lost contact with those that made it possible for me to get safely from my homeland to Ceranna. I suppose I only wanted to leave it all behind and forget everything even though I owed them so much. Perhaps even my life.”

Felina nodded, “I can certainly understand that. I was doing much the same. Trying to forget the past, only I went at it differently than you did. Singing, dancing, drinking, men… That’s how I lived. Doing anything and everything that gave me pleasure, that made me forget.” She finished off her glass and poured another and then refilled Pale’s glass. “I saw how you turned away others who would have been companions, so I didn’t try to approach you. I figured you wouldn’t be much fun.” She chuckled. “No offense.”

Pale laughed loudly again, “I have made much headway in that department. Have I not? It was strange and perhaps illogical, but back then I was wary of anyone who would seek me out for companionship. Rather I would not have trusted such a person’s judgment, and I thought it pretty obvious that I wanted a table to myself. Well, had you spoken to me at that time and place, things might not have went as well as they did up until now.”

Felina giggled with amusement, “Well, I’m glad I didn’t now, though I’m sure you couldn’t have trusted my judgment at the time.” She smiled and then sighed, “I remember that first assignment we went on. The one with the murdered nobleman. I remember the celebration we had at the Blue Beer’d afterwards. I tried to get you to dance with me or at least let me dance for you.” She laughed, “You’d have none of it!”

Pale smiled at her, “I must admit I wanted nothing more than to return to my room for some peace and quiet.” His expression suddenly became more serious, “Do you ever think of why we ended up together, Felina? I know why, but really what it is about us? I do not mean that in a manner to question my Goddess’s will, and I know our purpose is remain resolute when others cannot, but it feels as if there is something beyond that. I cannot put my finger on it.” Pale faltered for a moment before he put a hand to his head, “This is far more potent than it would seem…”

“I don’t know… I’ve always felt drawn to you for some reason. I’ve never been away from you that I didn’t miss you. I’ve cursed that feeling so many times, but it’s probably why I didn’t hesitate to use the Font. I couldn’t bear to just let you go…” She shook her head of the thought, “Since the revelation of our destiny, our purpose, I just figured it was because Pharasma wanted us to be close. To be a team.” She leaned her head back almost thinking aloud, “Come to think of it though, I don’t feel the same about Cervil or Aric. There’s something undoubtedly special about you… What is it…” She continued to think for a moment more as she sipped from her glass, “Maybe because you’re a priest and I almost became a priestess myself. Maybe because we like some of the same things. Gardening, tea, fine food, sparring, dancing… You do like dancing don’t you? You always dance with me at social gatherings now. Am I assuming too much? I seem to be rambling now.” She shook her head, leaning back into the cushions of the couch. “I don’t know what it is between us, Pale. I just know I don’t feel that way about anyone else.”

Pale closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them widely as he looked into his empty wine glass, “No, I do not suppose I feel the same with Aric or Cervil either.” He chuckled briefly before clearing his throat, “I admit we do have some surface things in common, and though I cannot say that I enjoy dancing in general, there are circumstances in which I actually enjoy it greatly, such as the Dance of the Spiral. Most people will look at us and say that we cannot be more different, but there are many things we have in common despite our obvious differences. There is something more than mundane commonalities though. As time passes, I feel more and more as if I have known you far longer than I have. If you think about it, we really have not even been around each other for that long, especially given the elven lifespan, but we have seen things that most could not even imagine in an entire lifetime.”

Felina looked at him thoughtfully, studying his features for a moment before setting down her empty wine glass and leaning across the settee to take his face in her hand. She stared into his eyes for a long time before speaking, “I know what it is… I’ve been trying to put my finger on it, and now it just seems so clear.” She eased herself into a more comfortable position closer to Pale, sitting somewhat sideways her knee grazing his thigh, “It’s the eyes. I knew those eyes from the first moment I saw them. That’s what drew me. I had seen them before, but I’d never seen you in my life. How is that possible?”

He dropped his empty wine glass close to the floor, “I am not sure, Felina. They are nothing like either my mother’s or my father’s, and everyone has always told me they are unlike any in my family’s line. I must say I feel the same overwhelming familiarity when I see you smile. I saw it often back then, but it is much rarer these days. It is only now that I realize that is part of what made me want to keep coming back to the tavern. Though your smile is a beautiful one, it is more than that. The sight of it always brought me great comfort when nothing else would. It is as if your eyes light up when you smile, and the once distant light of a far away star is brought almost within reach.”

Felina blushed and looked down, drawing the hand back that had rested on his cheek. The smile that came to her lips was obvious, though, and the warmth of pleasure emanating from her was literally palpable to Pale’s newfound senses. “I’ve never heard you say such a thing.” She paused a moment to gather her thoughts that had seemed to scatter at Pale’s words, “I’ve often thought such about your smile too. I’ve done everything I could to see it since the first time you smiled at me. It transformed you. You seemed so different than the somber, joyless person you once were. You seemed warm and gentle. It’s the reason I knew that you weren’t the cold, uncaring person the world saw you as. It’s why I believed in you even though, at times, your humanity seemed so utterly lost. It’s why I mourned when I thought you were lost to me. I’m glad you’re not though. I’m so glad you’re here.” She smiled again and looked shyly up at him from under her lashes. “You know… you’re very handsome when you actually smile. It’s quite powerful, you know. You could capture the heart of any woman in Ceranna with that smile. Not many men can boast such a thing.”

Pale shook his head, “Somehow I think you are mistaken on the number of women seeking a physically and mentally scarred servant of Pharasma as a potential mate. I would say that you are bored of the men that you encounter every day in this city. The overwhelming earthliness or the money and false charms can only go so far. Either they are far too grounded in reality, or they exist in their own fantasies where they believe they are of far more importance than they really are. I am not lost at all, Felina. I simply cannot wear my heart on my sleeve. I know you do not present yourself as you really are either, though you do put forth a more cheerful countenance.”

Felina laughed loudly, “Wow, Pale. You just can’t take a compliment, can you? I think you underestimate yourself. No one knows you quite like I do though, do they?” She stopped suddenly, looking somewhat concerned, “And no one else will, will they? Why don’t you ever have a woman? Don’t you want someone? Don’t you want a family? Children? Natural children, I mean.”

Pale shook his head and stopped to glance at her, “I can take a compliment, but I have done nothing to deserve such praise, though I do appreciate the sentiment. Felina, I am only saying that most women do not find me as approachable as you do, and it took a unique set of circumstances for you to view me the way you do now. I do somehow doubt that anyone else will ever know me as well as you do, and I have never desired for many to know me. I do prefer it that few know me, but the ones that do know me well. To further answer you, I most selfishly do want children, more than a servant of Pharasma is expected to desire, but given the circumstances, I cannot see bringing a child into this world in its current state. Keros is a blessing, but his life has uniquely prepared him for hardships in a way that I do not wish on any child.”

“What about after everything? Once we’ve gotten past this world’s crisis? If we can finally bring peace to this world, what will you do then?”

Pale braced his head with his hand, the elven spirits affected him more than he realized, but he struggled to answer her honestly despite its effects, “I wish nothing more than to bring peace to this world, Felina. If the only threat left behind is that which mortals bring upon ourselves, then maybe I can feel no further obligations to shoulder man’s burdens. I cannot say how facing this monstrosity will change us, but as I feel now, if we can survive the hardships looming before us, then I say we all deserve to have mortal desires come to pass. There is only so much selflessness that one man can suffer in a lifetime with nothing but his own noble intentions to comfort him.”

Felina grinned up at him, “That’s good to hear. I’d love to see your children. I can be Auntie Felina…” She laughed. “Listen to me! I’m already making plans for you! I’m sorry!” She laughed again, her spirits lifting again. “As for now, though. I’m glad to be right here with you. The only woman with your attention.” She reached up and absently began twirling a lock of white hair around her finger, humming quietly, “Your hair’s so pretty…” Her cheeks flushed but with no hint of embarrassment whatsoever, the alcohol warming her blood, “Can you really tell what I’m feeling?”

Pale laughed as if hearing something darkly funny for the first time ever, “This has gotten quite strange I must say. You might as well join in planning for my future, since it’s not up to me anyway.” He somehow had a second bottle of the rare wine opened and in his hands, “I can tell what you are feeling.” Pale touched his index fingers to each of his temples, “You are feeling the history of your people. They made this wine to go with their dinner. They did not mean for you and some human to drink like common ale, but I guess they are not here to stop us, now are they?” He was laughing in a way Felina hadn’t heard, only now from the floor.

Felina giggled delightedly at the sight of Pale saluting her from the floor with the wine bottle, “No, I don’t suppose they are. And I don’t suppose you can feel anything other than the wine now either!” She went to her hands and knees beside him, “Now, don’t hog it all!” She reached for the bottle Pale brandished in his hand and found herself more unsteady than she thought, despite being on all fours.

He handed her the bottle, “I wonder if this was cheap common wine to them long ago. Maybe it was, and they would have had quite a laugh if you told them people would end up in a bidding war over it long after they were dead. Maybe the barkeep at the Blue Beer’d could stick some of his house ale in the basement for his great, great grandkids to sell one day.”

Felina grinned as she took a swig from the bottle, “Yeah right. Us elves make this stuff to last. This would be vinegar if humans had bottled it. No offense to you or any of your kind.” She quirked an eyebrow, “Although, you’re not all human anymore, are you?” She smiled devilishly, “You’ve got a little bit of me in you now.”

Pale shook his head and smirked, “Have you been waiting to work that into a conversation? I guess I am a half-elf now. Do you think my ears will grow points on them?” He rubbed his ears for a short time, “Maybe we should save some of it and drink it in a few hundred years, or maybe we can drink it all before we battle the great beast. Then we will feel no pain. Nothing will stop us then.”

“Ha! I’ll be old in a few hundred years now. We’d better not wait that long!” She reached out and ran her finger along his ear, “Hmmm… I think you are getting pointed ears.” She crawled a bit closer, leaning in to get a closer look and brushing a white strand out of her way, “You are! You’re gonna have Aric ears before long!”

Pale feigned a serious expression, “Poor Aric, trying to leap from rooftop to rooftop with the old ball and chain around his ankle.” Pale laughed at himself for a second, “You know Pharasma has no precept against marriage. I mean, it does often lead to children, so why would she? Most of her servants are quite strange though, so it is not all that common. All those stuffed robes would be jealous that I am having that I am having drinks with such a beautiful woman.”

Felina giggled, “Would they now? You’re the only priest of Pharasma that’s even looked at me more than once. I think they only care if a woman can make babies.” She tilted her head slightly, “Do you really think I’m beautiful?”

Pale shrugged, “Of course I do. I see things as they are. Do not let anyone fool you. Some are more obvious about it, but it is only natural for us, even the ones that deal with death day in and day out. Some admit their feelings and pursue you openly, and others try to bury them away. Rest assured, they have noticed you every time you entered the temple.” Pale laughed loudly again.

Felina laughed with him, “I never would have expected that. You priests of Pharasma are so hard to read. You’re not like them though. You’re blessedly different.” She smiled, leaning forward, “So are you the one that’s going to get married out of that temple? Break the trend? You seem to be breaking a lot of temple conventions.” She took a drink, handing the bottle back to Pale.

“Some in the temple are married, though it is very rare. Mostly because the kind of person who likes to hang around someone who tends to the dead is usually not marriage material, and most of them have the personality and countenance of a corpse,” He gave her a knowing nod as if she was also in on some obvious secret, “but there are open-minded people like you out there. Rare as they are.” He nudged her in the arm repeatedly, often dangerously close to missing his otherwise decent mark, “I think any conventions I have broken are from your bad influence, Felina.” He leaned close to look her eye to eye, but only one eye to the other and grinned widely with all wine-stained teeth.

Felina chuckled mischievously, “Oh, I’ve been a bad influence then?” She batted her lashes, feigning innocence, “But I’m such a good, straight-laced girl. What bad could you ever learn from me?” She punctuated her statement by trailing a finger lightly across his jaw and down his neck giggling as goose flesh appeared under her touch. Mischief and humor rose off of her as she grinned up at him. “Those priests know nothing of me!”

Pale grabbed her hand somewhat roughly and pulled her close, “Just what is it that you can teach me? What is it you have that I need?” He reached up to run his hand down her flushed cheek and quickly withdrew it, pretending to look away from her.

Felina smiled, the game warming her blood in a completely unexpected way, “A soft touch, for one. A woman’s touch.” She placed her hand on his chest and leaned in, “I had meant to teach you peace… control over your new senses when I started learning the art of the kestra’chern. As it turns out, you didn’t need my help after all…” Her fingers trace over the soft black fabric, “Still, it’s a shame for my skills to go to waste…”

For a moment Pale seemed to steady, “After much chaos, I was able to bring about some measure of peace, but at a great cost. As I have always strove to do, I did what was necessary.” But that soon drifted away in the inebriated haze once more, “I think you just give up too easily. I always told you to show more aggression.” Suddenly, he started to topple off to the side, and in an attempt to catch himself, sent a table and everything atop it crashing to the floor. With that, he tipped over the rest of the way and accidently took Felina down with him too as he burst out laughing.

***** (Story warms up here, but no adult content) *****

Felina sat up slightly, chuckling as she looked down, propping herself on Pale’s chest, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were the one being aggressive here.” With a devilish gleam in her eyes, she felt her way down to his waist, “I can be much more aggressive if you wish, though…” She tugged at the belt holding the robe closed, her hands seeming to have lost none of their dexterity from her inebriation.

Felina felt his calloused hands as they suddenly cupped her face, and Pale slowly lifted his face up to hers to look her in the eyes, “Just what exactly are you doing?” And then he fell back down roughly to the floor.

Felina smiled softly at his uncertain reaction her hands stopping just as they’d loosened the belt, “I just want to...” She looked down at him, “I don’t know. I just wanted to see you… touch you…” She looked momentarily confused, “Is that wrong? I just wanted to make you feel good. You told me to be more aggressive.” She lowered herself so she could look into his eyes, “What do you want?”

Pale looked up into her questioning eyes, barely comprehending the world around them as the wine wreaked havoc on him, but something cut through it all. What do you want? She asked me this before, didn’t she? I couldn’t tell her then, but I still remember every word she said. Something vivid, almost like a memory, flashed in his mind for a brief moment. We’re here now. So much lead us to this moment. Do you still want him dead? Just say the word, and I will kill him for you. I will do anything for you. “I would do anything for you too.” He pulled her down and kissed her full on the lips, drawing her close.

The kiss sent a shock through her, the likes of which she’d never felt. Her body tensed against it, but soon she felt herself melting, relaxing into the embrace. Her fingers flexed, clutching him with the pleasure of it. As he pulled away she felt a certain lightheadedness she couldn’t quite attribute to the wine, “Pale…” She leaned her forehead against his and sighed, “If you were anyone else… If you were any other man… If only… If only…  Why?” She shook her head even as she leaned it against his, “Why did that feel so…” the room swayed around her, “so wonderful…”

His eyes were still closed, “Why should it not feel so? I am not any other man, but I am still a man. My calling in life cannot change that.” A smile played on his lips.

“It’s not your calling. It’s who you are… Who you are to me.” She reached up to run her thumb over his cheek, “I shouldn’t want you. Not like this. I know I had a reason not to... For the life of me I can’t remember why.”

Pale nodded as if he really understood, “You can have many men based on your physical beauty alone, Felina, but most will never truly have you. There is more to you than just your body, Felina. Very few are lucky enough to see that.”

Felina opened her eyes, her head still leaning against his, “You have me. You know I’m yours, right?” She reached for his hand, pressing it to her breast, the warmth of her emotion palpable, “You are my heart.”

Pale stared into her eyes for what seemed an eternity, “I always had to earn it before. What have I done to earn it in this lifetime?” Pale seemed confused at what he said to her, sighed and lowered his head to rest on the floor.

“This lifetime…” Felina shook her head, “I’m not sure what you mean… You’ve never had to earn it. It simply was… is…” She smiled, “Always will be… Pale, can you feel this?” Her fingers tightened around his still pressed tightly to her breast. “It’s the feeling only you’ve been able to give me. No one else even comes close.”

Pale suddenly sat up and pushed her back down to the floor, his robe falling open to reveal a soft shirt of black silk, “Of course I can feel it. I have felt many things for you. Among many other things, I am still a man, but what is it about me that strikes such passion within you? Can you tell me that? I am the herald of death, the pale spirit that denies the grave in order to put others in their own. What can I possibly offer someone so full of life? I want to understand you, Felina.”

Felina reached up, brushing a white strand behind his ear and stared into his eyes, “I can’t rightly say… I just know how you make me feel. You’re not the terrifying specter you make yourself out to be, at least not to me. You give me my own sense of life, a sense of belonging. I was alone until you came along. You’ve protected me, stood beside me, made me strong.” She paused, running her fingers lightly through the long white strands, “I need you.”

Pale sighed, “You never make things easy, Felina. I always told myself that I wanted a simple life, but somehow I always knew that would never happen.” Pale looked her directly in the eyes, “Why should I fight it anyway? We both want it, but we have always been afraid to admit it. Why fight something that we feel so powerfully? We cannot even guarantee we will live to see another day, so why do we struggle against our desires?” His expression was unlike anything she had seen before. There was more to it than she had seen in anyone before.  The intense passion he felt was obvious in the look that he gave her as he had clearly stopped trying to hold himself back. His arms wrapped tightly around her, and he lifted her up to kiss her with an intensity that took her breath away.

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She froze for a moment in his grasp, not expecting to feel such passion from him. Why indeed? She felt herself at once relax in his arms even as her heart began to pound. She slipped her arms around his neck, returning the embrace. As she kissed him back, she felt his arms tighten around her in response. She pulled away for a moment too breathless to speak, “Pale…  Please… don’t stop.”

Pale exclaimed breathlessly, “Why would I stop now?” With great urgency, he managed to untie her satin night robe and cast it away leaving only the short negligee beneath. Using his other hand, he freed his robe and cast it away in one swift motion. She could feel the soft silk he wore against her skin as he pulled her even closer.

Felina gasped at the swiftness of his reaction, and she struggled into a sitting position, even he pressed his lips to hers in another fevered kiss. As he drew back for breath, she managed to gasp out a small plea, “The bed… please…” They paused only for a moment to stumble unsteadily to their feet, all the while never breaking the closeness of the embrace. Her blood burned at the feel of his hands on her body, and she reached for the silk shirt, tugging it up, frantic to feel more of him.

His deftness surprised her as he unfastened and flung away his finely-made shirt while he moved her to the bed in one swift motion. Her fingers eagerly traced his taut muscles as he pressed himself close to her.  Drawing her into an embrace that hinted at every line of their bodies, he reached behind her to slowly loosen the strands of her nightdress, “I need you, Felina.”

The words made her ache with desire, “Oh gods, I need you too…” She reached between them for the laces of his trousers, making swift work of the ties with her practiced hands and managing to brush against him in a way that made him gasp with pleasure. He managed to loosen the nightdress enough for it to slip off her shoulders and to the floor, and she fell back onto the bed, naked save for the lace of the panties she wore. She stared up at him, desire lighting her eyes and making her chest rise and fall with each panting breath.

Their bodies writhed in the promise of ecstasy that seemed so close as nothing stood between their flesh any longer. I need you…I need you…I need you…so many voices, so familiar and yet so distant beckoned to him with the same pledge. I fought for you, I died for you, and you know I would do anything for you. You know that despite everything. That much will never change. Pale lost himself in the moment, thinking to himself...such sadness…and despite it all, so many happy moments, but no matter what, there will never be another moment like this one. Countless centuries returned to him, one after another, “Goddess, Queen, Princess, Servant, Betrayer, Friend, Arbiter, Slayer, Oracle, Innocent, Beautiful death, Lover, my soul, I will always know you, and I would give anything to show you who I truly am.”

His hands moved over her as the strange words poured from him, coming to rest at the top of the small bit of lace that still covered her. So strange and yet so familiar. I’ve heard this before. This is not the first time he has called me by these names. I am all of them and none of them at once. And so is he… my God, King, Prince, Prisoner, Betrayed, Friend, Thief, Warrior, Fiend, Follower, Lover, Soulmate. I’ve known him all along. I know who he is…  “I know you.” And then the moment of clarity was gone, as was the lace that had covered her.  His hand slid up her thigh and came to rest on her hip, his touch warm on the exposed flesh there. His body pressed against hers and she shuddered with need.  “Wait… wait…”

His hand still rested on her hip, and though he made no attempt to remove it, he also made no further advances. Pale whispered breathlessly to her as he reluctantly stopped himself, “Wait?”

“This… this isn’t how it should be. Not with you. I’ve had this with every man I’ve ever been with.” At his questioning look, she continued, “I want things to be different with you… because I care about you. I don’t want to ruin what we have with some wine-soaked evening.” She reached up and stroked her hand across his cheek, “Do you think… we could take things slow? I’ve… I’ve never done that before. I want you so much. I just don’t want to spoil things by going too fast. I want to cherish you. I want to savor each kiss… each touch. Every moment with you.” Her hand stroked downwards, and came to rest on his chest right above his heart, “I want to be yours… completely, but we can’t do this. Not this way.” She looked up at him pleadingly, hoping he would understand.

There was always so much behind her beautiful exterior. He closed his eyes to focus on her touch and reached to caress her hand. He had yearned to do even something as innocent that for so long. Only now did he truly realize just how much he really cared for her. He slowly rested his head against hers, “I will always wait for you, Felina. As long as it takes.”

Felina sighed, a rich warmth filling her, “Do you think, you could just hold me close? Just for a little while? I want to at least feel you close to me, just a little longer.”

Tenderly, he drew her close into his arms as fiery passion faded into the warmth of genuine affection. As he drew the covers up around them, she sighed contentedly and nestled against him, resting her head on his chest. He felt the warmth of her skin and she the slow beating of his heart as the sweet stillness of the moment faded into a peaceful sleep.