A/N: I own none of the intellectual property associated with the Dragon Age franchise, much to my chagrin. I do thank Bioware for providing so many of us with fantastic places and characters in which we can let our imaginations play!
This story is set in the same "universe" as "Choices" and "Moments in Time", and is intended to be a direct sequel to Choices. I will not be rehashing much of that story, so if anything here seems confusing it has likely already been explained there. I hope this piece writes as an adequate continuation of that story.
Thank you for reading!
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Whispers. Sighs. A breathless laugh. All these echoed in her mind as they explored each other, finding new ways to ensnare each other even as they exploited already known weaknesses. He firmly, yet gently, tilted her head back and nipped on the pulse point throbbing under her ear. She responded by running her hands through his hair, massaging the base of his skull as she murmured nonsensically. His free hand was caressing her inner thigh, running slowly and lightly from her knee, reaching ever higher on each pass, awakening each nerve ending and setting it aflame until she thought she would incinerate on the spot.
Her hands explored, one continuing to entangle in his unbound locks, the other scratching lightly down his muscled torso. His breath caught, just ever so slightly, as she passed his waist; she found a ticklish spot. Before she could take advantage of the newly discovered information he shifted, bringing their bodies into alignment, laying side-by-side as he captured her lips and her sighs. The fingers that had been stroking her leg now found a more intimate place to explore, causing her to gasp his name in reverence and desire as she draped her leg over his to provide him better access. She kissed her way over to his jaw, and then to his ear, where she nibbled on his earlobe, causing him to groan her name and speed his movements.
She felt her focus narrowing, the world falling away even further as she started losing control. Higher and higher she climbed, coming ever closer to the crest where she would fall off and fly …
-0-0-0-
"Elissa. Wake up, love."
But you're right here. We were just...wait. She realized with a start that instead of the real thing, she was just experiencing a particularly wonderful dream. She groaned and rolled toward him, wrapping her arm around his waist as he stroked her hair.
"Is it morning?" If it's not, you are in so much trouble. She knew it wasn't his fault, not really, but she still was wanting and sweating and so hot. She begrudgingly opened her eyes to see his face before hers, looking at her in concern, his eyes glinting silver in the moonlight as he examined her face. "What's wrong?"
"You were having a nightmare," Nathaniel murmured to her, his voice still rough from sleep. "You were thrashing and moaning." He caressed her face and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as he continued searching for clues that she was all right and not in distress.
At this, she sighed and stroked his back as she thought about how to respond. An idea came to her and she grinned wickedly at him, causing him to raise one eyebrow in surprise. "No, I was having a really good dream. Would you like me to show you?" she asked, her voice teasing as she pushed him onto his back. "You know. Since you're awake anyway. We might as well make good use of our time." She moved her hand down past his waist and … made sure he was paying attention as she nuzzled his collarbone, making him gasp.
His quiet chuckle ended in a slightly strangled sound as she squeezed him. "Remind me to wake you up more often," he replied, his voice breathless. He pulled her so she was lying on top of him, straddling his waist, and he helped complete her dream.
Later, she fell asleep with a smile, tucked into his side and listening to his heartbeat while she kept an arm and a leg over him to keep him close. This is … happiness. Her eyes closed and the feeling stayed with her through the rest of the night.
-0-0-0-
Sunlight was streaming in the windows when she awoke next. She was alone in bed, but her peripheral vision caught movement at the foot of the bed. She turned her head to Nathaniel silently dressing, easing his breeches over his hips. His hair was still loose and his jaw covered in stubble, giving him a decidedly dangerous look. He picked up his shirt and pulled it over his head; she couldn't help sighing in disappointment as he was fully covered once more.
He heard the sigh and looked over to her, smiling. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
She grabbed her nightgown which had conveniently landed right by the bed the previous evening and sat up to put it on before answering. "Definitely. How about you?" She got up and let the nightgown fall the rest of the way over her body as she walked to him, still barefoot. She didn't wait for him to answer as she ran the backs of her fingers over his scratchy jaw. "You look like you could be a pirate right now," she murmured. "I half expect you to swing in and kidnap some damsel and have your way with her until she screams for mercy."
"Some damsel, is it?" Nathaniel was amused. "I'll keep that in mind when I see one." He laughed as Elissa half-punched him on the arm in mock outrage. He kissed her, then continued. "I was going to clean up a bit before breakfast. Are you still planning to go to Amaranthine today?"
Elissa nodded. "I thought we could see what the merchants had in for new armor and weapons. They seemed to have some nice things before the city was attacked, and I was hoping that they might have more now that trade is improving again. Did you want to go and visit with Delilah? She's due soon, right?"
"Yes, any day now." His face softened a bit. "I can't believe I'm going to be an uncle." He smiled and his thumb unconsciously rubbed the ring Delilah had given him when they were children. "I definitely want to go. It's been too long since I was there last." He smiled again. "I'd better go get ready then. I'll see you at breakfast?"
Elissa nodded at him and watched him leave the room. She closed her eyes for a moment, smiling as she touched her lips, then shook off her reverie and started getting ready for the day.