Ask Me Nicely

He was in the hall curled up on the floor in front of the hearth, steam rising from the damp clothes that hung nearby. Thunder rumbled as the rain beat upon the window pane. He was sound asleep.

He rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, a gesture I found incredibly charming, and looked up at me. "The fields have been planted," he said after a moment. His voice had a sultry, sleepy quality that I couldn't help but find attractive.

I blinked at him, dumbfounded. "H..how did you find the seed grain?" The grain had been well on its way to York by now.

His smile was slightly crooked making him look ever the rogue I took him for when we first met. "If you have to ask, it's not a gift."

I returned his smile and I felt a flutter in my stomach. "Thank you,"

I whispered. I leaned down out of my chair and pulled the blanket up over is torso to his shoulder as his eyelids began to droop. I kept my hand on his chest until his heartbeat and breathing had steadied into the peaceful rhythm of sleep.

~-~-

I splashed water on my face as the door slowly opened. Robin entered as I whipped my face and hands on a towel. He had been in Nottingham for weeks now. I had expected him to have packed his bags and left after delivering the news of my husband's death, but here he stayed. And in spite of myself I was growing accustomed to his presence in my life.

He smiled and I noticed for about the hundredth time just how handsome he was: A chiseled build with strong muscular arms from years with a long bow in his hands, thick brown hair and piercing green eyes.

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks as we silently studied each other. things had started to noticeably shift between us ever since he had discovered I spent most of my afternoons tending to the orphan boys in the Sherwood. It was one of the first times he had referred to me as "wife: without a hint of irony. That was over a week ago and as I watched him interact with the boys of Nottingham, I felt a stirring inside of my belly that I had long forgotten; a promise that had not been kept. He glanced to his makeshift bed and I turned to complete my evening toilet. As I braided my hair, I made up my mind.

"Robin?"

"Yes?"

"I was…I was just thinking…"

"Yes?"

"Well, it's getting cold." It wasn't. Spring was rapidly approaching. "And well, the stone floor can't be very comfortable."

He lifted his eyebrow in question, but there was a grin on his face, he was going to make me say it. Well, I'd gotten this far, might as well soldier on.

"I just…what I mean to say is…if you want…there's plenty of room…" I gestured to the bed.

"My Lady," the grin was back, "are you inviting me into your bed?"

"Only to sleep!" I said quickly

"Ah," he looked back down at his pallet.

"Only if you would like to. if you are content on the floor…"

"No, I mean,I appreciate the offer."

The silence lengthened between us.

"Well, alright then. Goodnight." I pulled the blankets down and proceeded to climb into bed. as I sank down into the comforter the other side of the bed creaked under his weight. "What are you doing?" I asked, surprised.

He furrowed his brow in confusion. "You just…"

"Oh! Right, I just didn't think you-"

"-I can sleep on the floor if-"

"No! No! I was…my offer was sincere."

"You're certain?"

"Yes."

"Very well then. Goodnight." He scrunched down under the blankets, laid his head on the pillow and drifted off to sleep.

"Goodnight." I whispered and turned on my side.

-~-~

Music and revelry penetrated the night air as the bon fire roared. As the first stalks of wheat began to burst from the earth, Walter had decided that Nottingham was in need of a proper party. The midsummer ritual had been ignored for the last few years due to the lack of crops and lack of hope. And so with very little planning and an overabundance of honey mead from Tuck's bees, the festivities had begun. It had been far too long since I had seen the shire in rapture, long before the crusades had taken most of the men from their homes and families. Tonight; however, was a celebration. Robert would've loved to see this.

I stationed myself near Friar Tuck helping him replenish empty goblets of mead as the dancers returned to soothe their parched throats. As I filled a goblet a hand reached for it and our hands touched. I looked up to see Robin Longstride. He was handsome as ever dressed in a green tunic and brown trousers. Somehow the colors suited hm. The firelight danced in his brown eyes. We stared at each other a moment, time slowing to a crawl.

He shifted his gaze to Tuck as the chubby friar set a fresh pitcher of mead down on the table.

"Ah, Sir Robert! This is a fine festival, is it not?"

"Accompanied by the finest mead in the land," he agreed. "This really is an excellent brew."

"I thank you, Sir Robert."

He smiled at Tuck and then glanced my way before turning and walking toward the chair that Walter occupied.

"Have you danced yet tonight, my Lady?"

"Why Friar, are you asking me to dance?"

"No, my Lady. Just making a suggestion."

I turned my head, slightly gaping at his insinuation. There was a hint of knowledge in his eye, as if he knew the ruse we had been perpetrating for the last three months. As if he knew that perhaps it was becoming less of a ruse with every passing day.

Heading my priest's advice, I abandoned my station and slowly made my way toward Walter and Robin. The tempo of the festival had slowed as did the tune Alan played on his fiddle. I stopped about a foot from where the two men sat and extended my hand to Robin. He smiled at the gesture before standing and taking my offered hand.

We stepped together and then stepped apart circling around each other with our hands raised, palm to palm, barely touching. But there was no denying the buzz and it wasn't from Tuck's bees. As we continued our rotation, the heat rising between us and my heart skipped a beat. We hadn't been this close since that night a few weeks ago.

Neither of us could sleep and we kept bumping into each other as we tried to get comfortable. I rolled over on my side and came to face to face with him.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No. No, I can't sleep."

"Me neither."

"So why can't you sleep?"

"Don't know," he shrugged. "It happens every once in a while."

I propped my head on my hand and lightly bit my lower lip. "Robin, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"And you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"What is it?"

"Do you…do you ever have nightmares? About the war?"

He looked up at the ceiling beams and inhaled before answering. "Sometimes. Every soldier does. War…makes men do despicable things. It…taints you."

"So, how do you keep the demons at bay?"

He thought for a few moments, trying to collect himself and arrange his thoughts. "You cry. You scream. Sometimes you fight and at the end of the day…if you are very, very lucky, you wake up and remind yourself that you are no longer on the battlefield, that you are safe, that you are home." A shudder passed through him as if a demon had appeared in his mind. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply.

I placed my hand on his cheek. "You're home, Robin."

He shuddered again and opened his eyes.

"Robin, look at me. You're home." My hand stayed on his face, my fingertips stroking his cheek and the soft stubble under his jaw. His hazel eyes met mine as our faces inched closer. His lips pressed gently against mine. It was so gentle and subtle you could barely call it a kiss. Our breath mingled for just a second before he kissed me again, firmer this time but still brief. I pressed my lips to his when I felt his start to pull away. I parted my lips and his tongue slipped in as his hand moved to my hip.

My body slowly began to react as his lips and touch began to awaken cells in my body that had long since died, or so I thought. As our kisses became deeper and more urgent, I moved my body closer to him, rolling him on to his back. My hands moved to grip his shirt and his hands rested on the small of my back, pulling us even closer. He shifted beneath me so that my leg straddled his muscular thigh.

I moved my hands to his sides and tugged at the shirt that was still partially tucked into his trousers.

"Marian, wait," he said, trying to catch his breath

"What? What's wrong?"

"We can't do this."

"Why not? Don't you want me?"

"You have no idea how much-"

"-Well, then." I cut him off silencing him with a searing kiss.

He pushed me away again, holding me at arm's length and looking me in the eye. "But…I'm not him."

I felt as if he had dumped cold water over my head. I pushed myself up His grip on my waist loosening.

"Call it selfishness, but when you kiss me I want you to be kissing me. Not him."

This time I completely disentangled from his arms and sat up, my back to him.

"Marian, I…"

"No. Don't." I slid off the bed and walked from the room.

We stepped together one last time our faces nearly touching. I glanced down relishing the feeling of his breath on my face. I looked up and our eyes met as the last refrain from Alan's fiddle floated in the air. I curtseyed to my dance partner as he dipped his head.

~-~-~

He did not hear me approach the chair he sat in. I was not privy to the conversation he had had with Walter, but I knew it was life changing. I gently touched him on the shoulder. He leaned into the touch and covered my hand with his. "What are you doing up?" He whispered.

"I guess I've gotten used to you being beside me."

He grinned and turned my hand, kissing my palm. I slowly made my way around the chair to face him. I kneeled down in front of him and placed my hand on his knee. We stayed that way, silently enjoying each other's company.

He stared off into the dancing fire. "It's strange, one day you have no conscious memory of your childhood and then in one moment it all comes rushing back. It's very hard to become a man when you have no memory of being a boy; to fight to become the man your father would want you to be, when you don't know who your father was." He focused his gaze on me. "Walter gave me a gift tonight. Now I have a legacy to live up to."

"Rise and Rise Again," I whispered. "Your father would be proud of you."

He colored under the compliment and glanced away. He took a deep breath and turned back to me. "Marian, I-"

I cut him off, putting my fingers to his lips. "Don't. There's nothing to say." My fingers slid down his lips to his chin. I let my hand fall and stood to my feet. His eyes followed me. I leaned down and gently brushed my lips against his. "Come to bed, Robin." I held out my hand to him as I had at the festival and led him up the stairs to our chambers

~-~

I shut the door behind us and turned to face him. I pulled the chair away from my vanity and gestured to it. "Sit," I ordered.

I knelt in front of him and slid my hand up his calf to pull off his boots. First right, then left. I moved them to what had quickly become his side of the bed. Coming back to face him, I gently pulled on the strings of his shirt, untying them from his throat. My hands dropped to his sides as I pulled the shirt from his breaches. "Up."

He raised his arms above his head as I pulled the shirt off him. I caught myself studying his torso, and not for the first time. I raised my eyes to his face and caught the tail end of a smirk playing across his lips. I turned to conceal my blush and crossed to the vanity.

I poured water from the pitcher into the basin and dipped a clean linen towel into the lukewarm water. I could feel his eyes on my back. I walked toward him, drops of water slowly hitting the floor beneath my feet. Tilting his head down, I slowly ran the wet cloth on the back of his neck, down his upper back and shoulders. He sighed and I immediately felt him relax under my touch. As I moved the cloth around his shoulders to his chest, he lifted his head, and his hands found my hips. He began his own ministrations as I continued to wash him, floating down to my bottom and back up, making tiny circles on the small of my back with his fingertips.

He locked eyes with mine, his face glowing in the firelight. Hands back on my hips, he pulled me close and pressed his lips to mine. My hands found purchase on his back and I dropped the cloth, lost in the depth of a kiss that claimed my soul as his own.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me onto his lap, my legs on either side of his, straddling him. He continued to kiss me as he abruptly stood to his feet, hands drifting to my bottom as he carried me to the bed.

He sat down and ran his hands up my back between my shoulder blades pulling me closer to his chest. Very slowly, he moved his lips off mine making his way down my chin to lavish his attentions on my neck. My fingers dug deep into his hair, gripping tight. His callused hands cradled my hips and tugged at my night shift.

"Up" he whispered against my ear, sending chills down my body. I obeyed and he lifted the garment over my head. I vaguely heard the fabric hit the floor as his brown eyes, dancing in the firelight surveyed my body. I began to flush under his gaze and looked away until his fingertips lifted my chin, forcing our eyes to meet. "You. Are. Glorious." He said, with a look that went deeper than lust.

I tried to smile, but my eyes were filling up with tears. It had been many a long year since I had been adored by a man. Any physical interaction that had occurred since my late husband left for the crusades was over too quickly to even contemplate romance. But here was a man, firm and solid and real and he held me in his arms as if I were something fragile yet strong. He saw me, and not as property or a maidenly vessel for his offspring, but as a partner, a friend, and now as we stood on the brink, a lover.

I gently kissed his lips and leaned my weight against him, pushing him on his back. I then began my own slow path, memorizing the contours of his chest and stomach, my lips eliciting tiny groans and gasps. My hands drifted to the waistband of his breeches and pulled at the drawstrings. He lifted his hips and helped me pull them off. When I dipped my tongue into his bellybutton, he growled and pulled me up to his lips, sitting up to hold me tight as he kissed me hard. With a squeak from me, he rolled me onto my back.

Once I was firmly beneath him, he dipped down and caught a nipple between his lips. I arched my back as he pushed my hips down into the bedding and continued his assault, first one then the other before kissing his way down my stomach. Meanwhile, his fingers gently stroked my inner thigh starting at my knee and running all the way to my core. His fingers danced inside me; pushing and pulling me to release.

He looked down at me, a question in his brown eyes. I gazed up into his face as I caught my breath and saw absolute tenderness, a man who was willing to simply hold and be held. I pulled him down to me and kissed him gently, slowly carding my fingers through his hair.

I ran my hands down his back feeling every scar and mark as he pushed himself into me. I gasped at the feeling of fullness, twinging at a brief pinch of pain. It had been so long. He paused, in tune with my body and kisses me gently on the forehead. I wrapped my legs around his waist urging him to continue. It took seconds for our bodies to sync, connecting and matching each other in every conceivable way.

He stilled on the brink of ecstasy, and I moved my hips sending him over the edge. One last thrust of his hips and I joined him. He settled on my chest, planting a kiss on my collarbone. I rested my hands on his head to play with the curls on his temple. He sighed contentedly as his breathing began to slow and I smiled. Kissing the top of his head, he began to drift off to sleep.

~*~

I had risen early as the sun began to crest the horizon and now stood at my window, his shirt draping my body. This was always one of my favorite times of the day, the stillness and a quiet of a day just dawning. I breathed in the fresh air scent of morning as he wrapped his arms around my waist. He planted a kiss on my cheek and then my neck. "Come back to bed," He whispered in my ear.

I smiled and turned my head to face him, "Ask me nicely."

He leaned down and kissed me, slow and sure. He turned me around to face him and pressed me against the wall. He kissed my lips one more time and then proceeded to meander his way to my neck, down the centerline of my chest as he slowly sank to one knee. He gently placed my foot on his knee and kissed my leg at my knee. He slowly began kissing his way up my inner thigh, his stubble adding a new sensation. I tilted my head back as his lips and tongue found their target, like one of his arrows.

My back arched as he continued his assault, and I couldn't control the moans that came from my mouth; sounds that only seemed to spur him on. He kissed and licked and lathed and I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming his name. Finally, he stood to his feet and picked me up laying me gently on the bed, climbing in next to me he enfolded me in his arms.