Cassandra was up late tonight. She just couldn't get to sleep as random thoughts of all types raced through her mind non-stop, chasing each other like squirrels. Sometimes it happened, and she was familiar with it enough to know that there was no fighting it. She pushed herself into a sitting position with a sigh and turned on the small lamp on her nightstand.
As she clicked on the light, a soft snort sounded next to her. She looked to her left and smiled at the sight of the slumbering Jenkins next to her. The redhead had to stifle a giggle as she caught sight of a small damp spot on his pillow as he drooled in his sleep. She could see his eyes moving rapidly beneath his eyelids, and wondered what he was dreaming about. When he was asleep, his face completely relaxed, he looked so much younger than he normally did, so much more peaceful. She stretched out her hand and gently closed his mouth, then lightly stroked his handsome face with the backs of her fingers. He smiled in his sleep, as she knew he would. She also knew that in the morning he would happily tell her that he had dreamt of her during the night. It happened every time she touched him in his sleep.
She quietly slipped out of bed, being careful not to wake the immortal. Not bothering to put her robe on over her pajamas, she pattered down to the kitchen in her bare feet and made herself a cup of chamomile tea with honey, then returned to the bedroom. Setting the delicate china cup and saucer on the nightstand, she checked to make sure that Jenkins was still asleep. Hearing his steady, regular breathing, she climbed back into the bed and carefully pulled a large book from the nightstand drawer. Sitting up in the bed, she began reading the fat, antique tome bound in azure leather and richly decorated with gold-highlighted tooling. As she turned one of the thick, cream-colored pages, Jenkins suddenly snorted again, loudly this time, and opened his eyes, blinking them against the light.
"Cassandra?" he inquired groggily. "Is everything all right?"
The librarian snapped the book shut quickly and tried to surreptitiously slide it out of sight beside her. "Jenkins! I'm sorry, did the light wake you? I know it's late, I couldn't sleep…"
He gave her a small smile as he pushed himself up and scooted over to sit next to Cassandra. "It's perfectly alright, my dear. At my age one sometimes simply wakes up for no discernible reason. Though I'm a little sad to have awoken just now; I was having the most wonderful dream about you." He heaved a small sigh of disappointment as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. As he did, his sharp brown eyes noticed the book the Librarian was clearly trying to hide from him. "What are you reading?"
"Oh, nothing," she said evasively. "Just an old book I found in the Library the other day."
"Indeed? What's it about? I may like to read it sometime; I'm always on the alert for a good book," he coaxed, curious now as to what she was trying to hide from him.
Cassandra sighed and pulled the heavy book out of hiding; he was bound to find out about it soon enough anyway. She showed him title emblazoned on the cover: Le Morte d'Arthur. Jenkins made a tsk-ing sound as he gently shook his head, his eyes narrowing in disapproval.
"Cassandra!" he said in a chiding tone. "I'm surprised at you, reading such nonsense!"
"Is it really ALL nonsense?" she asked. "Is any of it true?"
"Well, there really WAS a chap named 'Galahad'," he said sardonically. "Beyond that, most of Malory is pious stuff and nonsense." He picked up the book and opened it to the place she had marked.
"'The Noble Tale of the Sangreal'," he read aloud, and again shook his head. "Honestly, Cassandra," he teased good-naturedly. "What made you want to read this?"
"Research for an upcoming mission?" she offered, blue eyes wide with studied innocence.
Jenkins snorted. "Hmmmmm," he said breezily. "Research on a particular knight of the Round Table, I presume? One who was especially handsome and dashing, brave and noble—not to mention incredibly virile and sexy, I daresay..."
Cassandra gasped and clasped her hands together in front of her chest, a look of awe on her face. "Oh, Jenkins! How on earth did you know that I was researching Sir Percival?" The old knight grimaced as if in pain and clutched melodramatically at his heart.
"Oh, my poor breaking heart! What a fickle, cruel woman you are, Cassandra Cillian!" he whimpered pathetically.
The young woman shrugged her thin shoulders and laughed. As Jenkins perused the offensive book, she reached into the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out a foil-wrapped piece of chocolate. There was a ton of candy left over from Halloween, and Cassandra had taken the opportunity to stash a couple of bags in the bedroom in case she ever needed some 'chocolate therapy'. She quickly unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth. This brand of chocolate had little messages printed on the inside of the wrapper, and she automatically turned the foil over in her hand to read it. She burst into renewed laughter, and the Caretaker looked over at her at the unexpected sound.
"Still laughing at my broken heart, my dear?" he asked blandly. She showed him the message on the wrapper.
"All you really need is love, and a little chocolate doesn't hurt," he read aloud. He knitted his brows in confusion. "I don't understand."
Cassandra giggled again at his puzzlement. "That's because you're not reading it right," she said mischievously. "You read what it says, but at the end you add the words 'in bed'. Try it again!"
"All you really need is love, and a little chocolate doesn't hurt—in bed," he read again. He pursed his lips as he cast a sidelong glance at her. "Yes, I see it now—very amusing," he deadpanned as he handed the wrapper back to her and craned his neck around her to see where the candy had come from. "Where did that bag of chocolate come from?"
She rolled her eyes at the stodgy immortal and took another chocolate from the drawer. She held it out him. "Here, you open this one!"
Far more interested in the chocolate than in the message, Jenkins gladly accepted the sweet. He removed the foil and read it to please Cassandra as he slipped the rich dark chocolate into his mouth.
"Live your dreams—in bed," he added dramatically. Suddenly he understood the double-entendre, and chortled despite the utter silliness of the game. "Ah! Now I understand. And where did you learn such an unwholesome pastime, Miss Cillian?"
"Eve and Flynn!" she sang breezily. It was Jenkins's turn to roll his eyes as Cassandra reached for another candy. She quickly unwrapped it and bit into it, this one filled with caramel.
"Say 'I love you' every day to your loved ones—in bed! Awww!" Cassandra turned to Jenkins and leaned over to give him a loud, sloppy kiss on his cheek, much to his delight. "I love you, Jenkins!" she chirped happily.
"And I love you, Cassandra," he replied, giving her a soft, leisurely kiss on her neck in return—which also just happened to put him within easy reach of the drawer containing the candy. "My turn!" he rumbled, reaching across her to pluck another chocolate from the drawer.
"Hey!" the Librarian protested and tried to smack his hand, but he was too quick.
"Be the silver lining in another's cloud—in bed," he read. Jenkins shot the Librarian his best seductive 'come hither' stare, and it sent a thrill through Cassandra. He deliberately ran his fingers through his tousled, silver-white thatch of hair and waggled his eyebrows roguishly.
"I don't know about a silver lining, but you're definitely a silver fox!" she purred, returning his stare boldly and lightly dragging her nails across his chest, making him shiver deliciously. She then reached behind her and pulled another candy out of the nightstand. She unwrapped it, not even bothering to eat the square of chocolate this time.
"Share a chocolate moment with a friend—in bed." Cassandra looked up from the wrapper and caught the spark of desire in Jenkins's eyes. She coyly dropped her gaze and lightly bit her lower lip as she smiled shyly, knowing full well that Jenkins found it irresistibly sexy. She was rewarded with the sound of the immortal taking a quick, deep breath, a sure sign that she had his attention.
Jenkins crooked his finger and placed it under her chin, lifting it as he leaned forward. He brushed his lips against hers, light as a feather, then just a little harder. He gently bit her plump lower lip before moving into a more passionate kiss, his tongue softly slipping between her small, pearl-like teeth. She tasted like chocolate, and he found that very arousing.
"You're delicious," he mumbled softly into her mouth and kissed her again. Cassandra wound her arms around his neck, one hand weaving its fingers into the long hair on the back of his head. She combed it gently against the grain, sending another little shiver of pleasure through him.
A decadent idea came to the redheaded woman. She gently broke away from the increasingly amorous Caretaker and slid out of the bed. The large book she had been reading fell to the floor with a thump, completely forgotten now.
"I'll be back in a few minutes, and when I do, you need to be naked!" she ordered him in a low, commanding voice, her blue eyes shining.
Jenkins's was filled with confusion and not a little disappointment. "Where are you going?"
"You'll see!" she teased, winking cheekily at him.
While she was gone, Jenkins quickly stripped off his silk pajamas and lay on top of the covers, eagerly awaiting his Librarian's return. He reached across the bed and plucked Cassandra's uneaten square of chocolate from the nightstand and popped it into his mouth. As it melted on his tongue, he thought of how beautiful she was, especially her eyes—blue as the sky and deep as the ocean. Sometimes he thought he could spend eternity just gazing into them. And her soft, lithe body that looked as though it had been carved from ivory; those two perfect, plump breasts; those soft, sweet lips—he could spend eternity holding those in his arms, too. Well, holding, plus a few other downright wicked things he could think of…
About ten minutes later she quietly entered the room, holding something carefully in her hands that was wrapped in a tea towel. She found Jenkins comfortably stretched out on the bed, naked as ordered. His hands were behind his head, his eyes closed and a foolish grin on his face. His manhood was already fully erect. "Jenkins!?"
The daydreaming immortal jumped as if he'd been shot. "Oh! Cassandra, my dear! I, um...I was just...I mean, I was thinking about something..." he stuttered, his cheeks turning pink.
"Yeah, I just bet you were, you horny old goat!" Cassandra said sarcastically as she set her towel-wrapped burden on the nightstand. She turned and looked pointedly at his groin. "I can see what you were thinking about!"
"Ba-a-a-a!" he bleated lustily while leering at her and making as if to grab her. The Librarian laughed and pretended to swat his hands away. Cassandra loved this part of Jenkins that no one else got to see. It made her feel special that he dropped the wall of propriety and formality that he had built up around himself and allowed her to see his playful side; to her it meant that he felt comfortable with her, trusted her.
"You'd better start behaving yourself or you won't get any of this!" She turned and removed the towel from the object she had brought with her, revealing a jar of hot fudge sundae sauce and a tablespoon.
The Caretaker looked askance at the young woman, then his eyes widened slightly as he realized what she had in mind. A chocolate moment with a friend in bed, indeed! he thought with no little excitement. Cassandra trotted into the bathroom and brought out two large bath towels, and handed one to Jenkins.
"Here, spread this out so we don't mess up the bedding," she instructed as she spread out her towel on her side of the bed. Jenkins silently rolled off of the bed and followed suit, then stood expectantly waiting for further instructions. She slowly and deliberately slipped out of her pajamas, doing a little strip-tease for his benefit, and stood facing him from the other side of the bed. She loved the sight of his long, naked body, even that little bit of a belly he had; it always gave her the most wonderful feeling inside. The sight of his manhood especially gave her butterflies.
She picked up the jar of chocolate sauce and the spoon and held them out to him.
"Age before beauty," she purred, her knowing eyes meeting his. Jenkins reached across and took the items; the jar was very warm to the touch, and he looked up, surprised. She smiled coquettishly.
"I heated it up in the microwave first. So it would be easier to work with." She gracefully climbed into bed and lay on the towel face up, her pillows propping her. The immortal went around to her side and sat next to her on the edge of the mattress. He stuck one long digit into the jar to test the temperature of the sauce. When he was satisfied that it wasn't too hot, he removed his chocolate-covered finger from the jar and gently smeared the sticky substance onto Cassandra's full, tempting lips, his eyes never leaving hers.
He licked his finger clean and leaned down as though to kiss her, but instead he flicked his tongue out at the last second and lightly brushed her lower lip with the very tip. His tongue snaked out a second time and took a little more of the chocolate, then his mouth was on hers as he greedily sucked and licked the thick, sweet, chocolaty liquid from her lips. Oh, God! he thought wildly, feeling his excitement increasing exponentially. Cassandra and chocolate—It's the best of both worlds!
He next smeared some of the sauce in a large swath across her pale throat, eliciting sighs and soft moans from Cassandra as he attacked it with glee.
With the back of the spoon he next slathered one of her breasts with a generous helping. With a tremendous amount of willpower, he stopped himself from outright devouring her, and instead began lightly licking her chocolate-covered skin, starting from the outside of her breast and gradually moving towards the nipple. Cassandra's deep gasps and loud groans, paired with the ridiculously sweet sauce, quickly tore down any restraint Jenkins had. Soon he was ravenously sucking and licking the erect, pink nub hard and fast, as if he was eating a melting ice cream cone.
The Librarian cried out with delight and threw her arms over her head so he could have free access to her. He coated her other breast and repeated the process. Cassandra closed her eyes, luxuriating in the feel of his warm, soft tongue and his strong hands on her body, loving the little whimpering sounds of happiness he made as he noisily slurped the chocolate sauce from her skin. He was astride her on his hands and knees as he enjoyed her, and she could feel his erection brush against her tantalizingly as he moved. With a sweet tooth like his, she had known Jenkins would enjoy this little game, but she hadn't expected him to be so…hungry. He was like a kid turned loose in a candy store.
Jenkins skipped her belly and moved instead to her lovely thighs. He first carefully painted one inner thigh and then the other with a spoonful of the chocolate, then set to work on them, taking his time as he basked in her reactions. The librarian whined and gasped his name again and again, begging him for more.
The immortal knight was happy to oblige his lady. Taking one last large spoonful of the sauce, he slowly drizzled it liberally over her sex and the tender skin of her lower abdomen. Cassandra opened her eyes and almost burst into peals of laughter at the sight of the normally prim and proper Caretaker's chocolate-smeared face.
"Come here," she said huskily as she held out her arms for him. A petulant look crossed his face for a moment; he had saved the best for last and he didn't like the delay, but he obeyed her. Carefully moving back over her body, he leaned over her. She pulled his face close and kissed his mouth first, then moved over his cheeks, kissing and licking the sweet, sticky mess from his face. His stiff manhood poked gently at her chocolate-covered mound and stomach, lightly coating it with chocolate and coaxing an occasional soft grunt of longing from Jenkins as he moved above her.
Cassandra suddenly pushed him up and off of the bed, forcing him to stand next to her. Before he could stop her or even protest, she quickly knelt and took the tip of his cock into her mouth, gently sucking off the transferred chocolate sauce. Jenkins felt his knees weaken as an unbearable bolt of pleasure shot through him like electricity. His head fell back like a ragdoll's and he groaned loudly in blissful agony. Through the fog the realization came to him that he could hold out no longer.
"Cassandra!" he rasped desperately. "Stop! I can't…!"
But she ignored him, drawing on him all the harder. He buried his hands in her long coppery hair and involuntarily thrust his hips forward, seeking to drive himself deeper. Within seconds he let go with a half-strangled shout, his warm seed filling her mouth. She released him and swallowed as Jenkins dropped to his knees and fell panting against Cassandra, pushing her back against the side of the bed. He draped his arms over her shoulders and leaned into her as he recovered from his climax. When he was able he lifted his head and looked into her eyes, guilt on his face.
"I'm so sorry, my love!" he apologized. "I just couldn't hold back any…" She placed her delicate fingers over his lips to silence him.
"It's all right, sweetheart," she whispered, and leaned forward to kiss him, allowing him to taste himself on her tongue, making his head swim.
"Lay on the bed," he ordered her. As she moved onto the towel Jenkins positioned her gently on the edge of the mattress so that he could kneel comfortably between her legs as they rested over his shoulders. He grasped her thighs tightly and turned himself loose on her, devouring her like a hungry lion. The chocolate was warm and soft and tacky, and mixed with her liquor it intoxicated him as thoroughly as any wine as he lapped every inch of her. His greedy tongue found every nook of her and licked it clean. He plunged it deep into her heart repeatedly, and every time he did she groaned his name and pleaded for more. He took extra care with the swollen, throbbing bud of her clit, her cries of pleasure spurring him on. He knew she was close. As he continued to pleasure her with his lips and tongue, he slid a long finger into her and teased her from within. He felt her orgasm build and her hips pushed upwards in anticipation.
Suddenly Cassandra wailed his name one final time as she reached her climax, her sex clenching his finger again and again. He enjoyed hearing her scream his name so much that he continued to tease her hypersensitive clit, gently sucking on it until she came again, back arched, her legs pulling him into her and her hands tightly clenching the bedding. He kept at her, perversely curious now to see how many times he could get her to orgasm. He got to three before she finally couldn't take any more and begged him to stop.
The immortal crawled onto the bed and he knelt over her, his mouth finding hers and kissing her gently, deeply as she panted for breath. She wound her arms around his waist and pulled him down on top her as she returned his kiss, thrilled to taste herself on his tongue this time.
He broke away from her and got up from the bed. She started to follow but he ordered her to stay where she was. He disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes, and she heard water running as he cleaned himself up. A few minutes later he reappeared, carrying a pair of hot, damp washcloths. He sat next her and, beginning with her face, slowly bathed her. Cassandra closed her eyes and reveled in the warmth of the cloth against her skin.
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to wait," he murmured contritely as he slowly rubbed her with the cloth. Cassandra opened her eyes and reached up to brush his face with her fingers, smiling to herself that he could feel so badly over something so small. She knew he prided himself on being attentive to her, and so now he felt as though he had let her down in some way. Most guys wouldn't have given it a second thought, but then, she thought happily to herself, Jenkins wasn't most guys.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Jenkins," she reassured him. "You more than made up for it, I think!" She heard him sigh softly.
"Perhaps," he said, not quite convinced. "It's just that I know how much you enjoy it when we're…joined. I hate it when I can't give you that pleasure." The Librarian giggled at the immortal's sudden delicacy.
"Someday I have to teach you how to talk dirty," she teased him. "And you give me pleasure in other ways. It doesn't always have center around actual intercourse, you know."
"Yes, I know. But you've brought so much pleasure into my life, so much happiness—I want to do whatever I can to bring the same into yours," the Caretaker said quietly, seriously. "You mean everything to me, my love. You're the queen of my heart; I'd give you the moon for your crown and the stars for your jewels if I could."
Cassandra felt a small lump in her throat form at his flowery words. "Jenkins, that was lovely!" she said, reaching up to lay her hand lovingly against his cheek. He turned his head and kissed the palm of her head.
By then he was finished bathing Cassandra. The air had chilled her skin, making her nipples were hard again; unable to resist them, he bent over her and kissed them, lightly sucking each one briefly before rising again. "I love you, Cassandra."
"I love you, Jenkins."
Tossing the cool cloths aside, Jenkins removed the towels from the bed and threw them on the floor with the washcloths. He climbed back into the bed and patted the bed next to him, inviting her to join him. Cassandra slipped beneath the covers and scooched next to him. They unconsciously assumed their usual, familiar spooning position as they turned onto their sides and settled into each other's body. Jenkins held her snugly around her middle and buried his face in her hair, breathing in deeply the scent of lavender and chocolate.
"We're out of hot fudge sauce," he whispered drowsily. Cassandra patted his hand.
"I bought a case at Costco last week," she whispered back. "We have twenty-three more jars in the pantry."
Jenkins sighed happily and drifted off to sleep, a wide smile on his face.
