10-3
Vantaiga couldn’t help but grin as he turned and left the kitchen. She was beginning to feel foolish for smiling so much. Why did he have to smile so much? A sense of giddiness filled her as she watched him walk away. She chastised herself for being childish. The warmth that occupied her stomach all evening began moving lower, making her feel anything but childlike.
She distracted herself by clearing the table but found herself rushing the task. She forwent cleaning the dishes and merely placed them in the wash bowl so she could stand by the doorway. She leaned against the frame and humoured herself with watching the foreign man bumble around her farm in the last of the twilight to gather supplies for his horse. All the while, thoughts of how long it had been since she had been with a man began to consume her. The warm feeling between her thighs turned to an ache.
She attempted to deny her growing yearning by thinking of reasons to dislike the stranger. But thoughts of his soft voice, glimmering eyes, and broad frame conspired against her. By the time he returned to the house with a bucket of water and armful of hay, her breath was heavy.
Syffox smiled as he passed to attend to his horse. As she continued to watch him, she found herself desperate to find something to say to coax him closer, to coax him back inside. She thought of what a courtier would say but then realised she had no experience in such things. Life as a slave was very direct and concerns of feelings in the morning were mostly replaced with concerns of whether there would be a morning. Certainly, her life with plants and animals was of no help to her now.
With a wave of hormones and desire, she thought of having her vines just entangle him and be done with it. No, that would not go over well with her guest. She took in a deep breath to clear her mind. No vines, for now.
Syffox finished with his horse and returned to her. “Well, my horse and I thank you for the pleasant evening. We should be getting some rest if we need to be up before dawn.”
Vantaiga suppressed a laugh. Rest was the last thing on her mind at the moment, but damn if he wasn’t going to make it easy for her. She finally gave up on being subtle and forced herself to speak bluntly. “You know,” she said haltingly, “you don’t have to sleep outside tonight.”
Syffox’s expression wavered for a moment before he finally restored a coy grin to his face. “I didn’t think so.”
Vantaiga became embarrassed. “Why did you make me have to say it, then?”
“I figured anyone capable of building a paradise in this barren land deserved the space they wished for. I’m not going to be someone’s bad story. Also…” Syffox stepped towards her and ran his hand up her side. He stepped in close to her face, letting his beard rub against her cheek, giving her shivers. He spoke with his breath heavy and warm against her ear. “…you had a knife in your pocket.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Surprised, Vantaiga stepped back and felt the pocket of her dress. It was empty. Mischievously, Syffox returned the knife to her. “I didn’t want to frighten you.”
“Oh.” Vantaiga took the knife from him and walked back into the kitchen, giving a nod of her head for him to follow. “Come.” She tossed the knife to the table and turned to give him a defiant look. “I don’t have the knife anymore, and I’m not frightened.”
Syffox stepped into her and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her against his body as it trembled to his touch. “Half of that is true.”
***
In the warm evening of the next day, Syffox admired the farmyard while resting on the grass cradled between Vantaiga’s knees. She in turn was leaning back against the shaded wall of her small home. From a bowl beside them, Vantaiga plucked out a dried date. She cut it open with her small kitchen knife and tossed away the pit. She then cut out a hunk of baked honey and crushed almonds from another bowl. She placed the sweet-smelling paste into the opened date and squished it closed.
She offered it to Syffox, who was watching the process with mouth-watering fascination. “Here, a reward for all your work today.” She placed it to his mouth for him to take a bite.
Syffox resisted the urge to take the whole thing and only bit off a small piece. His eyes grew wide as the flavour of the small delicacy burst in his mouth. “Wow! That is amazing. You’re going to spoil me.”
Vantaiga popped the other half of the date into her mouth and then began preparing a new one. “Well, you’re spoiling me. I’ve never had a man help with my chores before.”
Syffox stroked the underside of Vantaiga’s legs beneath her dress, savouring the touch of her skin. “I wasn’t going to stand there while you ran around for your animals. After all, I did make you late this morning.”
Vantaiga reminisced about their previous night and morning together. “Mmm, speaking of being spoiled.” The strokes of his fingers were sending a thrilling tickle along her legs. She shifted and pressed herself against his back to relieve the ache building in her loins. “And you seemed to have managed to gain another night’s stay at my oasis. We will have to fill the animal’s feed and water before it gets dark tonight, so everything is prepared for us to leave tomorrow.”
Syffox mischievously slid his hands underneath Vantaiga’s bottom. “That is, of course, if I don’t make you late again.” He drew his fingers upwards, pressing into her flesh and allowing his nails to run over the sensitive skin.
Vantaiga dropped the knife and date, clenched her hands into the grass, and pressed her back against the wall with a gasp. Aching pleasure rippled out from between her legs and into a chasm of lust that opened in her belly, sucking away her strength of will.
Syffox rolled over and pulled her underneath him. The action lifted her dress, leaving her exposed and paralysed with desire. Vantaiga breathed heavily as he ran his thumbs up her naked legs and across her belly. “You’re going to save me weeks of travel. I don’t need to leave for a while yet.”
Vantaiga’s head spun with yearning, making it difficult for her to speak. “You… are quite a rogue... for a messenger.” She paused to collect herself and pursed her lips. “But if you keep my pens clean and my body satisfied, you can stay as long as you like.”
Syffox moved in to kiss her, but she held him back. She turned as serious as she could muster in her current pose. “But Mr. Fox Rogue, my heart will not be stolen.”
Syffox smiled with a warm, melting smile that yet again drained away her willpower, leaving room for doubt to creep into her mind. He moved in slowly, wrapping his arms about her head and kissed her deeply. Vantaiga clenched trembling arms around him and pulled him in tighter. Her head swam with a confusing mix of desire and emotion.
Syffox pulled back and looked at her with eyes glinting grey in the golden setting sun. “If that is what you wish.”
THE FIRST CRADLE – A LITRPG ADVENTURE
The Sun is dying, and there's no saving this world.
THE FIRST CRADLE – A LITRPG ADVENTURE – NEW CHAPTERS EVERY FRIDAY!
