** WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SEXUAL CONTENT. I HAVE MARKED THE PART WHERE IT IS, SO YOU CAN READ UP TO IT AND THEN SKIP IT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ IT. I HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING THE STORY SO FAR! **
Argis couldn't get to sleep. The excitement and sheer relief of Signe coming home (sneaking up on him, no less - not many could do that to him successfully) and the charged atmosphere between them was weighing heavily on his mind. Gods, when she had finally come home, smiling despite herself, he hadn't been able to control the urge to hold her tightly. The softness of her hair under his palm, the way she fit perfectly against him - even with armour on - and how she had pressed her nose against the base of his neck. He could've stood there holding her forever, but she'd pulled away from him, seemingly embarrassed.
Perhaps she didn't feel the same way about him - often she looked away from him and fidgeted with her hands when his eyes lingered on her for too long. And yet, when he'd tended to her cheek, she looked at him with an intense emotion, her nostrils flaring every so often. She was hot and cold; sometimes she would treat him with cold indifference - she was never mean, but sometimes she didn't allow her warmth to envelop him. And sometimes, like tonight, he could almost feel her need. When she had invited him to sit and share her meal - in her bed, no less - his heart had nearly jumped out of his chest. He felt like a clumsy school boy, especially when he'd realised she was wearing that sexy nightie under the blankets. And when he'd caught her giving him the once-over, he had to sit on the bed quickly so that she couldn't see his obvious bulge.
Sitting with her felt so natural; he already felt more comfortable with her after only knowing her for a few days, than he did with most other people. An image of Amulet of Mara that he'd found in a cave many years before entered his mind, and his heart skipped a beat. He pushed the image far away, and trained his thoughts back to their original pattern. He felt her pain, and he felt her need. He felt the magnetic tug of her emotions, and it took all of his willpower to keep from pulling her into his arms and soothing her in the way a man knows how to soothe a woman. He couldn't - wouldn't - let his service to guard her with his life be compromised by love. Love clouded judgement, love glossed over present danger. He saw the look of disappointment she had when he'd called her 'Thane', and it actually felt foolish to call her that now. It seemed to be an automatic barrier that he'd erect when he felt her lowering his guard.
Signe took a couple of weeks of relaxation, though some of her time was spent in meetings with the court of Markarth. The Jarl had formally apologised to her for being misled about her involvement in the Forsworn debacle, and apologised to her for having to suffer in Cidhna Mine. The rest of Signe's time was spent going for walks with or without Argis, picnicking on the grass outside the stables (Argis always accompanied her on picnics, to protect her, of course), shopping, or lounging around at home.
During one of her shopping trips, she had bumped into a Khajiit who had snuck into the city to sell his wares. Signe felt sorry for the cat people; they were people too, with feelings and lives, just like her. She had noticed him hanging around the market area, looking for some people to buy his wares. She had made a point of starting a discreet conversation with him, and to let him know that his disguise wasn't very good.
"Don't worry – if you have any problems, I will look after you." She'd said.
The cat man had been so impressed with her that he had given her a bar of chocolate. "From my homeland. I give them only to my special friends." He'd purred.
Signe stroked his furry nose affectionately as she thanked him. She knew that he'd been driven to desperation – he wouldn't have entered the city if he'd not been desperate for sales. So whilst he was distracted, she slipped a heavy coin purse into his pocket. Chocolate…she'd heard of it before, but had never seen it, let alone tasted it. She would bring it home to share with Argis.
During her time off, she'd secretly sent a courier to Whiterun with a letter for Eorland Grey-Mane. He could fit the armour to Farkas – he was the same height and build as Argis. She would give it a few days, and then she would take Argis to Whiterun. And whilst they were gone, Raerek would send some furniture removalists and stone workers to get rid of that stone bed and put in a nice new soft bed for Argis. A thrill of excitement worked its way through her – she couldn't wait to see Argis' face when he received his surprises. Never before had she felt so close to someone so quickly – it felt as though she had known him forever. She needed to remain strong, however; she couldn't let herself fall too hard for him, for it would only end up in heartbreak.
"Argis, would you like to come to Whiterun with me? I've got a few things I need to take care of, and I want to stop in on my parents."
"Really? Yes, I'd love to come with you! It's been a long many years since I have been to Whiterun. I would also love the chance to see the legendary Skyforge and its master smith." Signe's heart was warmed to see the happiness on Argis' face, and she smiled brightly at him.
"Great. Well, let's leave first thing in the morning. Do you mind if we clear out Four Skull Lookout on the way?"
"By all means! The more stops, the better. I need to put my blade to work; I feel my sword arm getting flabby."
Signe smiled, feeling a little bit guilty that she hadn't put the big warrior to work. "Alright. I'll see you in the morning." She waved and turned towards her room.
Argis couldn't wipe the smile from his face. He was very much looking forward not only to putting his skills as a warrior to use but also to spending some time adventuring with Signe, away from Markarth. He was interested to see her fighting skills, and to hopefully witness her Thu'um.
"Oh. I almost forgot!" Signe spun back towards him, her face full of youthful excitement. "Check this out!" she produced the bar of chocolate from her satchel, and removed the wrapper.
Argis frowned at it, perplexed. "What is that? It looks like dog shit!" he exclaimed. Signe burst into fits of giggles – tears were rolling down her cheeks as she clutched her tummy, and Argis laughed too.
When they recovered, she snapped the bar in half, and handed him a bit. "It's chocolate. From Elsweyr!" she gushed conspiratorially.
"From the land of the Khajiit? Wow. This should be good." Argis sniffed his bit of chocolate before licking it tentatively, causing Signe to giggle again. "Aw come on, what now?" Argis chuckled.
"Oh, you're just so…so…never mind." Signe blushed profusely, before biting off a bit of her own chocolate. "Ohhh…" her eyes rolled back into her head in pleasure as the sweet sensation burst through her tastebuds. "S'good…"
Argis liked his chocolate too, but most of his attention was focused on the beautiful woman in front of him - the faces she was pulling, and the sounds she was making made him instantly imagine a different setting, in which she would be naked and underneath him. His mouth went dry, and he swallowed a chocolate-flavoured lump in his throat. Ye gods, she's such a sexy woman, he thought. Signe was oblivious to his stares – she just assumed that he was enjoying the chocolate, which would explain the goofy smile on his face.
** HERE IS THE SEXY BIT. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ IT, JUST GIVE IT A MISS. **
After Signe had retired to bed and all of his housecarly duties done, Argis packed his bag. He put in a spare pair of trousers and a spare tunic, a cloth with which to wipe armour and weapons, his bed roll and some foodstuffs. He rummaged around in his bedside drawer for some coins, and the shining of some trinket caught his attention. Ah, the Amulet of Mara, he thought. He'd found it in a cave many years before, and had kept it. I should take this along, it might come in handy for Signe's healing spells, he thought. But an image of him wearing it in Signe's view came unbidden to his mind, and he found himself blushing like a schoolboy. His heartrate increased, and he plopped the Amulet in the front pocket of his pack, along with the few coins he found. It's just for Signe's healing spells, that's all, he thought.
But damn it all to oblivion, the woman had gotten under his skin. Not only was she endearingly quirky, funny and intelligent, she was beautiful, and she was sexy. And the fact that she didn't even realise how gorgeous she was made her even more desirable. He loved the way her shoulder-length mop of auburn waves would flop around her face when she moved, and how her eyes twinkled whenever she smiled. He laughed when he thought of her clumsiness - she was always bumping into things and knocking things over, and the way she'd react always made him laugh. Yet when she wanted to be stealthy, she could fool the best of them. He loved the sound of her voice - feminine but slightly husky. In his mind, his eyes trailed over the curve of her neck, down to the swell of her breasts. The glimpse he had caught of her milky white skin was enough to get his blood racing, and his slowly hardening member suddenly became almost painfully hard. He knew that he had to sort it out otherwise he'd never get to sleep. Keeping her image in his mind, he pictured her taking off her nightgown, revealing more of that tantalising white skin. His breath hitched in his throat when he pictured himself taking a stiff nipple into his mouth, making her moan softly. "Sweet Dibella..." He whispered, as he stroked himself to the tune of her imagined moans. His imaginary fingers gently rubbed her soaked folds, causing her moans to increase in frequency and volume. He pressed her against the nearest wall, and she cried his name as he plunged into her. Argis felt his climax approaching swiftly as he ploughed into her frenziedly, expressing his deep attraction to her through his imagined lovemaking. "Signe!" He hissed, spilling his seed all over his stomach. He wiped himself clean with a cloth, and then was asleep within seconds.