I was dreaming. In the dream, I was twelve years old. I had been caught
peeping in the boys locker room at school. Grans was pacing back and forth
in front of me trying to find the words to scold me. I watched intently her
going from the end of the coffee table to the front of the fireplace. When
she was on her twentieth lap, she sat down next to me and started to laugh.
I didn't know if I should to laugh with her or remain quiet. I did the
latter.
She took my hands into hers and decided to tell me about the "Birds and the
Bees". Then she went into how I was supposed to keep myself pure for my
husband. I didn't understand the concept. She then took a different
approach, the truth. I am part fey, she tells me, and I need to be extra
careful around the human boys. They might get hurt if I kissed them too
much. Then, she says, I would be exposed for who I really am. She didn't
want me to ruin all the work Papa Rymi put in, to make me pass as normal.
"Why should I play human?" I asked her. The only response I got to that
was, "Date the humans, fall in love with someone more powerful than you."
The dream faded with those words echoing in my head. I opened my eyes and
it was still dark. I was facing the back of my room. I had two posters of
Luis Royo's fantasy world there. There was a glow about them. At first I
thought it was me still affected by the power boost of earlier. Then I
realized that it was the beam of the three-quarter moon shining through the
window. I rolled myself over to watch the night sky and rolled right into
Armand. He was in a deep sleep. I lay there watching the rise and fall of
his chest. It made me wonder, does he have his own bed to sleep in? Or
does he find someone once a month and sleep in their beds? If he did, how
many women has he slept with in the last year? Then I remembered what
happened earlier that night.
Then I didn't care anymore because he was here with me and I loved waking
up the last two days with him right next to me. I smiled and it felt like
each corner of my mouth was touching each ear. I readjusted myself on the
bed. I wanted to be close and not touch him. He rolled onto his side facing
me. At first, I thought I had awoken him but his eyes were still closed. A
few strands of hair fell across his face. They landed on the pillow in
front of me. The temptation was great and I gave in to it. I took those
strands of hair and curled them around loosely in my fingers.
I could spend hours lying in this bed watching him sleep. He was so
peaceful and it made a part of me feel safe, secure from the world outside.
In this room, I could be myself. I could be Ana, the were-leopard or Ana
the great-granddaughter of Rymi, sidhe lord of the seelie court. Maybe even
Princess Ana daughter of the great Dryad King Lochlir. I didn't need to be
human anymore. So I lay in this bed, next to a man who makes me want to
learn more of myself. He has so far shown me that not everyone will hurt
me. We may disagree on my relationship with Logan but I could see him
wanting to compromise.
I let a few strands fall from my fingers. I glanced to his sleeping face to
see him staring back at me. His eyes were so green and beautiful. Looking
into them made little butterflies dance inside my stomach. I felt a hand
touch my hip. I realized that I was not wearing any clothing. I peeked
under the covers and sure enough, we were both naked as JayBirds.
How long did we sleep? My clock was on the other side of the room. I
propped myself up on my elbow and looked at the Hello Kitty clock on the
nightstand. It said four o'clock. Two hours before dawn and I wasn't tired.
My stomach growled and broke the silence. I laughed, how embarrassing can a
situation get. Armand didn't laugh, he smiled at me and asked, "Would you
like me to bring you something to eat?" I was warm all the way up to my
face, "Yes, I would like some fruit." Then I thought about the groceries I
bought yesterday. I didn't put everything up. My face must have show what I
was thinking because he said, "All the groceries you bought yesterday were
put away. Abby made sure of it. Is there something you what in the
kitchen?"
"Yes, I bought some fruit. The thought of fruit makes my mouth water." He
smiled and kissed my forehead and left the bed. "What my princess wants,
she shall get."
I started to sit up the rest of the way and pull the covers off my legs.
Armand tackled me back down on the bed, "Doctors orders forbids you out of
this bed. I will bring everything to you." He kissed my nose and left the
room. He came back within a minute saying, "I think we will go to the
kitchen after all. There is so much fruit, I don't think I could possibly
bring it all in here." He picked up the quilt from floor. I notice it was
the one he brought to me earlier in the evening. It had pink and gray
squares all over it. Our scent was still on it when Armand wrapped me up
like a baby. "I don't think Dr. Peters would mind that I carried you as
long as you do nothing else to wear yourself."
"What about if I have to go to the bathroom? Are you going to take me there
too?"
"Damn straight! If you have a problem with it say so now."
"No, I don't have a problem with it. I'm just glad you are here with me?"
He lifted me up from the bed with me inside my cocoon. He smiled at me. His
eyes sparkled like stars in the night. Two green stars to guide your way
though the darkness. He purred in my right ear. There was something to the
way he rubbed our cheeks together while he purred that curled my toes. I
closed my eyes and rested my forehead against his temple. He moved his head
a little so I would lay my head on his shoulder. The purring increased in
volume when his mouth reached my left cheek. Then it stopped and he licked
my face. I remembered watching a couple in my old pard doing something
similar. .Miska had walked up behind me and whispered into my ear that they
were doing a mating dance. The man would pick up the woman and purr his
intentions. She would respond to him in the same way if she wanted him to
go further. If she remained silent then the man knew that she was not
interested.
The two that I was watching were responding to each other. It went on for
awhile until they disappeared into the night. When I made to follow, Miska
stopped me and told me that it would be rude to watch them. I listen to my
"Jiminy Cricket" of a friend. I decided that maybe I should respond to
Armand. I relaxed in his embrace as he was walking me to the kitchen. I
took a deep sniff of his hair and skin. I could taste the sex from the both
of us. Something inside of me woke up and I acted out of pure instinct. I
gave a low purr into his throat. That one move made him stop in his tracks.
I licked the base of his jaw and followed it up to his ear. I nibbled on
his earlobe. I pulled back when I realized what I just did. I looked into
his eyes nervously. There was passion in his eyes. I didn't know what to do
next. I was afraid that I was doing something wrong and I couldn't finish
what I was doing.
He smiled and said; "Not right now sweetheart, Your stomach needs taking
care of first." he was walking me to the kitchen. He kissed me gently on
the face. Starting on my forehead, then he moved to my eyelids, my nose, my
cheeks, my chin, then stopped on my lips. He hovered above them, only
breathing the words, "Don't worry. Tonight for your birthday I will try and
give you a repeat performance."
I couldn't put to voice how I was feeling at that moment. I answered the
only way I could think of; I licked his lips very lightly. That one touch
made him complete the kiss he wanted to give me. I opened for him
completely. The kiss was deep and intense. He pulled back, "Ana, I promise
that we will have every night together." A solid kiss was planted on my
forehead. That comment made me smile, "Is that a proposal or a statement?"
I had to tease; I was still in a very playful mood. For some reason I
wanted to play Hide-and-go-seek with him the way we were right now,
completely naked. His face became really serious, "What would you say if it
was a proposal?"
That made me think, would I like to see this beautiful body every morning
and every night. That answer was obvious, hell yeah! I would love to see
him everyday of my life. I smiled and rubbed my hands and face all over his
body. He was about to speak and I stopped him with a chase kiss on his
lips. "If you were proposing, I believe my answer would be," I kissed him
again, "yes."
He looked into my eyes and smiled, "Then some day, my little kitten, I will
marry you, promise. Right now I need to take care of you." We went to the
dining room and I was set down into one of the chairs. "I will return with
your bounty, my Lady." I giggled at his bad English accent. It also didn't
go with his naked body. I could hear Abby and Jason giggling in the next
room. Armand had the look of mischief in his eyes. He went back into the
hallway and stopped in front of the door. He tapped lightly and said,
"Jason see if you two can top us." I heard a pillow hit the door. It had to
be a pillow because the sound was to soft for anything else. Armand turned
to me and walked straight into the kitchen.
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