More Than Enough
The sun was about to go down when Zevran came back to the small, neat inn where they had rented rooms during their stay in Denerim. He had met with an old Crow contact of his, a supplier of rare and deadly poisons and potentially even more lethal information. The man didn't particularly care about the fact that he was no longer a Crow, as long as he had the coin to pay for his exclusive services.
When he entered the room Cat looked up, a look of guilty surprise on her face, and she instinctively tried to hide the book she had been reading. Zevran took in the scene and couldn't help but smile. She was lying on her stomach in the middle of the comfortable bed, her graceful body clad only in a thin linen shirt, leaving her long legs bare. Her hair was tousled and a charming blush was colouring her cheeks. Slipping out of his armour, he threw her back a glance over his shoulder.
"What's this you are reading, dolcezza?" He took care to keep his voice light, even though he was intrigued.
Her colour deepened, confirming his suspicions. "A farewell present from Isabela."
The pirate had slipped the small parcel into her hand with a knowing smile when they had left her cabin three nights ago, but Cat had forgotten about it until tonight when, bored alone in the inn room, she had rummaged through her pack.
Isabela, eh? Zevran hid his grin and stripped off his remaining clothes. He pretended not to notice Cat's brief swallow when he joined her on the bed completely naked. Languidly, he reached out for the book. The Art of Making Love. A brief flipping through the pages showed him an impressive amount of illustrations of various sexual positions. The etchings were done by a master of the craft and were both aesthetically pleasing and very detailed.
"And, my sweet? Did you find it... instructive?" He didn't quite manage to keep the teasing tone out of his voice, and she threw him a dark look.
"Let me see..." He went through the pages until he found a particularly complicated position that had the woman almost standing on her head with the man straddling her body. He put an arm around her shoulder, drawing her close. "Ouch! Well, I wouldn't recommend this one, carissima. It looks rather painful to me."
That drew a grin from her, and for a while they went through the book together. They pointed out the more outrageous examples to each other and giggled like schoolchildren until she relaxed. The sight of a man with a smug face pleasuring two girls with his hands and another two with his toes sent them both into fits of laughter, but then Zevran grew more serious.
"Ah, cara, this is most amusing. But will you tell me what you were looking at when I came in?" He remembered the expression on her face, arousal, excitement, a hint of guilt, and he was dying to know what had caused it.
"It was nothing, Zev, really." The blush had returned, and he reached out to stroke her cheek.
"Show me." His voice held nothing but pure tenderness, and she swallowed hard. Without looking at him, she found a page and pushed the book over to him. The illustration depicted a pretty young girl caught between two muscular young men. One of them held her in his arms and caressed her writhing body while the other was preparing to enter her, spreading her legs wide and arranging them around his slim hips.
Zevran heard the tiny hitch in Cat's breathing and pulled her closer. "And is this something you would like to do, dolcezza?" he whispered in her ear. "Because we could arrange it, you know-"
But to his surprise she interrupted him, almost hissing at him. "No! No, I don't want that! I want you, Zev. No other man!"
He looked so taken aback by her sudden outburst that she immediately relented.
"I'm sorry, Zev." She turned her head away and blushed even deeper than before. "I'm sorry I'm such a stupid, innocent-"
"No, don't, cara!" It was his turn to sound angry. "Don't apologize for being innocent! It is not something to be ashamed of."
"But Zev..." She was visibly agitated now. He pulled her into his arms, lay back with her and gently stroked her hair.
"It is I who must apologize, my sweet Catalina. I shouldn't have rushed you." For a moment he struggled with the words. "This... Finding out what you desire, what you're comfortable with, it should be up to you."
"But you're used to more adventurous partners, Zev," she protested. "You know all there is to know about sex, and I don't want to bore you-"
"No!" He cut her off again. "Don't you see, cara? Yes, I know all there is to know, because they made me. The Crows, they taught us very thoroughly indeed and yes, some of it was exciting, but they took away all the mystery, all the curiosity, all our illusions." He realized he sounded bitter and angry and made an effort to calm down his voice. "Please don't let me do that to you. Take your time, follow your own desires. There's no rush." He raised an eyebrow, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm sure there will come a time when you are bored by me."
She laughed out loud at his words. "Bored by you? Never, Zev." But her body relaxed against his and he knew he had reassured her.
"Zev." Her voice was hesitant when she spoke up again and he kissed her softly before replying.
"What is it, cara?"
"It's just... Zev, I told you the truth. I really don't want another man here with us. But that picture, it..."
He smiled. Now he was on firmer ground again. "It did excite you, yes?"
She nodded and tried to hide her face again, but he grabbed her chin and made her look at him. "It's fine, no reason to be embarrassed. Maybe this is something you don't need to do yet, or ever, but that doesn't mean you can't fantasize about it."
Her eyes were wary, yet curious. "What do you mean?"
He nodded and let her slide back on the bed. "Close your eyes, bellissima."
After some hesitation, she obeyed and he went on, his voice soft and low. "Now let your imagination wander. Think of anyone you want. Me, Alistair, some faceless stranger..."
"But Zev!" Her voice sounded genuinely worried, and he stroked her thigh soothingly.
"Shhh, cara, don't worry. It's only a dream. You're not betraying me, just enjoying a pleasant fantasy. Just let yourself go, imagine them doing to you whatever you want. Forget I'm here, just dream..."
Zevran watched, entranced, as her breathing quickened and her body began to undulate slowly on the soft cushions, her eyes flickering behind her closed lids. He tried to imagine what she was seeing there, in her mind's eye, who was touching her and how, and his own excitement grew steadily.
It was all too easy for him to picture a scene. Cat on her knees in front of him, pleasuring him, the way he liked it best, while a dark muscular young man took her from behind. Her body rocking between them, her lips sucking, nibbling, playing with him, just as he had taught her...
The images in his mind became more and more explicit. Oh, he knew exactly how he could make her feel with the help of a talented partner! Cat lying spread out on the sheets, while both of them were moving above her, two pairs of hands caressing her until she was completely undone. The shivers running through her body from their combined attentions, the look of utter abandonment on her face...
When she began to moan, he took her hand and guided it down between her legs. She hesitated for a moment, but then her fingers slipped between her folds and found the place where she wanted them most. Soon she was writhing shamelessly, grinding her hot body against his until he could take it no longer.
"Cara..." His voice was hoarse, almost gravelly.
She nodded and reached out for him, but still didn't open her eyes as her legs wrapped around him and she guided him inside her. "Now, Zev, now! Oh yes!"
He sank into her heat with a groan of relief. He hadn't expected this to be quite so exciting, but the sight and scent of her arousal combined with his own overheated imagination had driven him nearly wild with desire. Now he wanted her back, wanted her to return from her dream with a jealous urgency that surprised him more than anything.
"Catalina!" She must have heard it in his voice, for her eyes flew open, and she was there, with him, her expression so full of love that he faltered for a moment, wishing there was a way to stop time and hold on to that look forever.
They found their rhythm without further hesitation. Their bodies moved in perfect harmony, and they carried each other further and further up until they both keened with pleasure, clinging tight to each other, shattering, breaking, lost to everything but their shared pleasure.
"Zev?" Her voice seemed to come from far away as he drifted back to consciousness. "That was spectacular!"
He laughed softly. "See, my sweet? It's an exciting fantasy, if nothing else. And maybe one day..."
She shook her head. "No, Zev. I... I'm very sure I don't need anyone else. Not Isabela. Certainly not Alistair. No other man or woman. You're enough for me. More than enough."
He began to speak, but she put a finger on his lips. A sparkle of mischief shone in her eyes. "However... that doesn't mean I wouldn't be willing to take another look at that book." She smiled up at him. "I bet there are a few more interesting ideas in there."
Hugs and thanks to zevgirl who always makes time to beta read for me. I'm so very grateful!