AUTHOR'S NOTE: Forgive the following marriage customs described below if they seem off-key or flat-out wrong. I did some research on the Internet and found a few Arabic wedding customs and readers can note those. Sorry for any mistakes!!!! THANKS!
* * *
ANA 'IMIL [I DO]
Pre-nuptial
God. Leven was absolutely tired of this horseback riding stuff. When she first thought of doing it, she was thrilled. She had always loved horses, thought they were beautiful majestic animals, but that was before she had ridden on one for any length of time. The muscles in her inner thighs were strained and aching miserably. She had stretched and flexed muscles she never knew she had. In a way, it felt like she had just made love for the first time. The thought made her giggle nonsensically. Ardeth, who was riding close beside her, glanced at her curiously. She shook her head and uttered 'nothing.' The heat, the riding, and the morning sickness had taken a toll on her. She thought she might be losing her freaking mind. After a seemingly eternity of riding, Leven noticed that the area around her had taken on a more civilized look. Thank God. They must be close. She didn't know how much more of this horse she could stand. As they plodded along, her mind began to drift. During the night, they made camp and slept out under the stars. Ardeth had told her of his friends, the O'Connell's. He had told her how he had met them and how they had saved his people from some horrid curse of a mummy. It was a bizarre story and if she hadn't seen some freaky shit herself; she might not have believed him. He had told her that his friends wanted to offer them use of their Cairo house and to throw a wedding for them. Ardeth had only requested that they allow Leven to stay at their home, but the moment they realized he was in love and had a strong desire to marry, they simply refused to do anything less than give them a proper wedding. He was beyond touched. Complete strangers, people who didn't know Leven at all, offered a wonderful gift when the village elders had cursed them. When Ardeth spoke of the wedding, Leven asked him time and time again what he wanted. Every time, he answered simply: you. It was touching and she loved him for the gentle, heartfelt thoughts, but she was also a bit frustrated. She knew nothing of the wedding customs of his people, and he never elaborated. Perhaps once in Cairo, she could dig around and see what she could find. Ardeth had said that O'Connell's wife knew everything about Egypt. She hoped she could get some assistance to give Ardeth an incredible wedding gift.
Leven's daze ended as soon as they entered the crowded city filled with people. There were dozens of street side stands that Ardeth called 'bazaars.' She had lived in a fairly large city for years, but this was completely different, completely out of her realm of normalcy. Although she hated herself for it, she thought that if they didn't stop soon, she might start whining like an insolent child. For Pete's sake, she had to get off this damn horse. They rode a bit past the busy dusty road and the street side bazaars. Up ahead, off to the side, was a large, expansive house made entirely of adobe. It reminded her of something she might have seen in a storybook. It was completely and totally beyond explanation. There was an old car parked outside, one she had never seen in her life. Of course, she had to remember that this was 1931, not 2001.
"We are here," Ardeth said.
She sighed. "Hallelujah," she spat.
Ardeth smiled a little as he dismounted and approached her. She refused his help. She should be an expert at this shit now. She jumped down on her own and went into his arms. She placed a very gentle kiss on his lips. It had been a couple days since they'd made love, and she missed the hell out of him. There was no way she could give way before him as tired as she was, but oh, give her a chance to rest up, and she would wear his ass out. She was tempted to carry it a bit further, but she didn't think anyone would appreciate the PDA. The two of them moved to the front of the house and before they could even touch the door, it came open. A lovely, petite woman with long, flowing dark hair greeted them.
"Evelyn," Ardeth said with a respectful nod.
She smiled. "Ardeth! How nice to see you. And this?"
A little shy, Leven nodded toward the woman with the stunning smile. "I'm Leven," she said.
"By all means, come in, you look exhausted," Evie said as she stepped back from the doorway. "Rick and Alex won't be here for a couple of days, so I basically have the house all to myself. Company is more than welcome."
Leven felt awkward as she entered the house with Ardeth at her side. The inside of the home was decorated with antique furniture a dark mahogany brown. There were expensive paintings hung on the walls and she could have sworn the rug was Persian, probably from the 18th century.* It actually looked like a museum in here and Leven was stunned. She felt like a curious little kid. She wanted to look at and touch everything. She had made moves toward inspecting a particularly nice Egyptian statue when a wave of dizziness attacked her. Oh God. Here goes the baby thing again, she thought just moments before she conked out on the floor.
As she regained consciousness little by little, she could hear the soft conversation passing between Ardeth and Evie. The poor girl, Evie said, she must be exhausted from your journey. Yes, Ardeth agreed, it was difficult for her. Leven moaned and sat up. "Sick," she mumbled. Ardeth stood back a little. He was accustomed to this by now. It was the baby.
"Come on," Evie said sympathetically, "This way."
As Leven stood at the sink and washed her face, Evie stood back and watched with a concerned look on her face. "Are you all right," Evie asked.
She nodded. "Oh yeah, I'm fine, it's just mo…" She stopped. "I'm just tired."
"Oh, of course you are. Would you like to see where you will be sleeping? You need lots of rest after that trip."
Leven couldn't argue. She needed a bed, a real bed, not a pallet laid out on the sand. Of course, with Ardeth beside her, she couldn't complain much, but the temptation of bed rest was great. "Sounds lovely. Do you mind if I take a bath first?"
"No, of course not. Consider this your home away from home."
She was overwhelmed by this woman's kindness. For a couple of days, she had been faced with nothing that even resembled it. She almost started to cry. "Thank you so very much."
Evie smiled back at Leven as she left her alone in the bathroom. She went back into the front room where Ardeth was waiting patiently. She glanced at him and shook her head. "You're always so stiff and polite, Ardeth."
He smiled a little and nodded. "Old habits die hard. Is Leven all right?"
She nodded. "Oh, yes. I left her to bathe. She seemed a little ill and tired. Come on, I'll show you to your room."
* * *
Leven sank back in the old-fashioned claw footed tub [or is it old-fashioned]. It was huge and she could stretch out her entire frame inside it. The hot water felt heavenly as it worked out the soreness in her muscles and inner thighs. Oh God. She had never thought a bath would feel this good. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. If left to her own devices, she knew she'd fall asleep in the enveloping warmth. The door creaked open, but she didn't attach any significance to it. She heard what sounded like garments dropping, but she again didn't bother opening her eyes. There was a reasonable explanation. It was probably Evie bringing in towels or something.
"May I join you?"
Uh…that's not Evie. She opened her eyes and looked up at Ardeth. He had not one stitch of clothing on. She sat up a little and drew her legs toward her. "Do you have to ask?"
"It is better to be polite than to assume, maHabbi [love]," he said with a smile.
Leven carefully brought herself up to her feet and waited for him. He climbed into the tub and sank his body into the water. He looked up at her standing over him as if beckoning her to come to him. He didn't have to look again or say one word. She sank back down into the tub, but instead of settling back on one end, she straddled him. Her lips met his gently, but he returned her kiss with urgency, as if afraid he'd never kiss her again. He broke the kiss and his lips traveled lightly down to her chin and then settled on the curve of her neck.
"You are not too tired," he asked, his voice muffled slightly.
"What do you think," she asked.
He smiled against her flesh. "I think I am blessed."
* * *
When Leven lay down for her late afternoon nap, she ended up sleeping the entire night through. Ardeth had slept with her until dawn before he slipped away to his own room. She didn't sleep long after the sun rose, the baby made sure of that. She struggled with the coverlet, nearly hooking her foot in it, to get to the bathroom in time. Evie was up and around. She heard the other woman clearly and went to see about her.
"Are you okay?"
Leven nodded as she stood up. She splashed her face with cold water and a bit escaped down her throat. Just the water alone nearly brought on another wave of vomiting. Uh. This has got to stop. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Evie had any suspicions of her pregnancy. Ardeth told her that Evie and her husband had one child. She debated with herself for a moment. She had qualms telling another person, especially after what happened to her back home [home…I already think of it as home]. However, this woman seemed so much kinder, gentler. Perhaps if she told her, she could seek her advice and guidance. Leven knew nothing about children. In fact, she had once thought she'd never have a child. She hated being judged more than anything. She had not one ounce of shame in her; there was nothing for her to be ashamed of. She loved Ardeth, he loved her, and their baby was a product of that. How could it be wrong?
She reached for a towel and blotted her face dry. "I'm fine. I'm pregnant, probably six or seven weeks."
"Does Ardeth know?"
She nodded. "Yeah. He probably knew before I did."
Evie took Leven's arm. "Come on. I'll make you tea."
The two women sat at the kitchen table and Leven tentatively sipped at her tea. For the moment, her stomach had agreed to accept it. The two women made small talk, Evie telling Leven that Ardeth had left earlier on a supposed 'errand.' What business he had in Cairo, Leven would never know. When the conversation waned a moment, Evie studied the other woman curiously. It was obvious that she was American, and from the look of her, she didn't appear as if she understood much going on around her. It seemed as if she were misplaced. On the outside, she was entirely different than Ardeth, but Evie understood that they were connected by some strong force outside the realm of love.
"Leven, if you don't mind my asking, how did you meet Ardeth? You're American, correct?"
Leven glanced at the woman with the dark, dark hair and beautiful eyes. How could she tell her without sounding as if she were insane? "Yes, I'm American." She sighed. "I met Ardeth in Memphis. I found him dehydrated and worn down and I took care of him." She didn't want to go into great detail, didn't want to tell her about the time travel or the amulet or the minion. "We were together constantly, and we fell in love."
Of course, Evie heard 'Memphis,' and she simply assumed that she had met him in Egypt. Leven had saved Ardeth, as much as she had 'saved' Rick. "I often wondered what kind of woman it would take to win his heart. I can safely say that I see those qualities in you. You're exactly what I imagined."
"Thank you," Leven said with a smile. "I appreciate your kindness. Can you help me with something? Ardeth has never specified anything that he wants or would like to have at the wedding and I have no clue about the customs. Would you mind helping me dig something up? I want to give him something special."
Evie smiled. "I don't know how much Ardeth has told you about me, but digging around is one of my specialties."
* * *
NuptialsFor the next few days, Ardeth and Leven didn't really see each other that much. Both of them were cooking up separate little surprises and there was much work to be done. As soon as Alex and O'Connell arrived, the wedding would take place. The morning of the ceremony, Leven literally locked herself in the room with Evie to prepare. She and Evie had searched endlessly to find just the right dress and other little surprises Leven had in store for Ardeth. She had set about readying herself before the sun rose. She praised the goddesses for keeping the morning sickness at bay. After a couple of hours of seclusion, both women could hear the men milling about, telling 'war' stories, and grumbling impatiently. With that was Alex's exuberant reaction to his 'Uncle' Ardeth.
After a seeming eternity, O'Connell approached the bedroom door and tapped on it with his knuckle. "Could we get this going before the great Medjai Chieftain has a nervous breakdown?"
"We're coming, we're coming," Evie called.
When the bedroom door came open and the women made their approach, Ardeth turned. He felt shocked, touched, and incredibly happy. Leven entered the room wearing a floor length long-sleeved black kaftan that scooped down to a modest V-neck. Surrounding the neck was thick silver inlay that branched downward, almost meeting her navel. Very fine threads of inlay drew down the front of the kaftan to meet yet more at the bottom. Intricate designs flowed throughout the breezy/lacy material and touched the cuffs of her sleeves. The veil, which was more like a long scarf, was silky-sheer and rested upon her head without the benefit of a single pin. Her hands were adorned with henna markings reaching just to the edge of her wrist. He couldn't believe the depth of love he felt for her, couldn't believe she had made such a tremendous effort just for him.
In turn, Leven made her own once over of her soon-to-be-husband [whom she already considered her husband]. He was dressed in a black robe inlayed with silver threads from the slightly open collar all the way down the front to the bottom. He wore a black cape slung over his shoulders that was adorned with a silver etching. She didn't know what the etching was or what it meant, but it covered almost the entire length of one side. She beheld the shocked/touched look on his face and smiled at him gently.
As she approached, he couldn't take his eyes off her, couldn't focus them on anything else. When she finally made it up to him, he reached down and grasped her hand in his, still amazed that she had made such an incredible effort to please him. Without a word, he showed her the wedding ring, desperately wanting her to have it, to see it. It was tri-color gold with black etchings adorning its circumference. She had seen the etchings before, the Arabic script, it spelled out 'eternity.' She felt a tear rolling down her cheek when she thought of the beautiful gifts he had given her: his child and a declaration that their love would last an eternity. They grudgingly tore their eyes off each other and turned to be wed.
After they vowed their love each to the other and were joined as one, two goddesses and one restless soul smiled upon them, blessing the union for all eternity.
* * *
The Wedding NightWhen nightfall came, the newlyweds politely excused themselves, thanking their host and hostess profusely for such a wonderful wedding ceremony. However, their patience was wearing thin and both were eager to consummate their marriage. They stepped into the bedroom and had the door closed for approximately five seconds before they shared a deep, passionate kiss. When the kiss was broken, it took perhaps fifteen seconds to completely rid their bodies of every single stitch of clothing. They came together again and shared another deep kiss. He pulled back just a tiny bit to allow his tongue to trip lightly, delicately on her parted lips. He reveled in the taste of her mouth, so exquisitely sweet; it was something of which he could never get enough. His large, warm hands moved restlessly down her back before drifting to cup her waist. He pulled her body against his, his hands quickly moving to her buttocks. The touch, taste, and smell of him was overwhelming. She was again momentarily immobilized. She couldn't move a muscle, couldn't do anything more than respond to his hungry kiss. They had been together many, many times, but tonight it seemed as if she were reliving the first night he had made love to her.
His mouth consuming her, his hands gently cupping her buttocks, he began slowly backing her up toward the bed. She moaned against his lips at his tedious progression. Uh. He was torturing her, driving her out of her mind. When they reached it, Leven broke the kiss and sat on the side of the bed. She gazed up at this beautiful, beautiful man, her husband. Had she ever thought she would be at this point with him? With anyone? She moved closer to him, her hands gliding up each side of his waist and then meeting along his abdomen where they progressed lower. He opened his mouth to protest, to ask that she not do that. He very much wanted to be inside her. She noticed he wanted to speak and she smiled up at him.
"Allow me," she said.
She didn't exactly touch him right away. She brought her mouth to his abdomen, swirling her tongue along the solid muscle. Her hand fell on him in a deliberate, gentle caress as her lips and tongue continued to explore his taut abdomen. He closed his eyes and moaned a little, the sound emitting from deep within him. At first paralyzed by his desire, his need, he could no more move than Leven could earlier. However, as her hand expertly moved up and down the length of him, hardening him, he ran his hands through her hair almost wildly, recklessly. Only when he felt the warm push of air on his lower abdomen did he momentarily freeze. His eyes closed even tighter, his moan grew even louder when her tongue traced a delicate little circle around the smooth, broad tip of him. He wanted to speak, to utter an objection to what she was doing, but not one coherent thought entered his mind. There was no way he could stop her, no reason he wanted to. As she took him fully into her mouth, his paralysis broke again and he felt his hand tangling into her hair, holding her in place, aching for her to stop, needing her to continue. Her mouth and hand double-teamed him. Each move of her mouth was matched by a gripping stroke of her hand. He was perilously close to release, but he couldn't bring the word 'stop' to surface. His breathing came in hard and heavy, his moans and growls increased.
"Waqaf, 'ajab. Ana irâdi infajar," he begged through an almost pained moan. ["Stop, please. I will explode."]
Not quite understanding every word he spoke, she got the general idea. He was rock hard and throbbing. She withdrew reluctantly and placed a moist kiss on his abdomen. She backed away and slid her body fully onto the bed, her hungry eyes never leaving his. He came down to her, leaning over her, not quite settling the full weight of his body atop her. He placed a very gentle kiss on her lips before he began his own agonizing exploration of her quivering body. His lips left hers and he placed gentle, nipping little bites down her chin and onto the slope of her neck. She wanted his hands on her, she wanted them all over her, but he wasn't immediately gratifying that need. Instead, his nipping teeth traveled lower. She grabbed double handfuls of the coverlet as a whimpering cry escaped her. His tongue flicked a nipple, circled it, and flicked it again. He drew it into his mouth, released it, and drew it in again. She whispered an incoherent curse as his mouth wandered to the other nipple, repeating the same completely torturous movements. Oh, she would have never thought that Ardeth Bay was a tease, but he was. He was paying her back for what she had done. Of course, she couldn't complain. Who could?
His mouth moved lower and she longed for his touch at the center of her. Her back came off the bed as his lips and teeth nipped the sensitive flesh just below her navel. When he did not taste her, she groaned in frustration, and fell back to the bed panting weakly. She could feel his smile against her flesh as he 'disappointed' her. His lips made their erotic trip back up and he kissed her again. When he tried to break the kiss, he couldn't quite get away. Her lips and tongue were on his, her teeth nipping his bottom lip. She finally allowed him to draw away and she wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling the silky fan of his hair against her. Her mouth and tongue traveled along his throat, to the curve of his jaw. Her own breaths were coming in hard and fast, and she was desperately trying to pull him toward her. She wanted him immediately, wanted him inside her before she simply died from impatience. Was it possible to die that way? Oh yes. With this man, anything was possible.
He leaned up and a frustrated cry escaped her. He gazed down at her and allowed his hand to move up and gently stroke her cheek. "I will love you until I draw my last breath. When that occurs, I will search restlessly for your soul so that I may love you to infinity."
Without giving her a chance to respond, he settled his body over her and she parted her thighs to accommodate him. During the kiss, her hand found him again and put him exactly where she wanted him to be. Her hands gripped his buttocks, her nails digging in, as he began to move within her. He drew in a hissed breath at the sting of her nails, but it didn't exactly dissuade him. Oh no. Her lips sought his, found them, and his tongue made love to her mouth as much as his body made love to hers. She cried out, the sound drowned out by his possessive kiss, and it caused a little humming vibration to fill him. The shock waves traveled outside him and sent a rippling flood of sensation that consumed his entire body. He broke the kiss and heard his own moan echoing in the room. He was close, so very close to release, but he held out, held on stubbornly, not wanting the passion to subside. If only they could stay connected like this forever. Her hands moved up from his buttocks and plunged into his hair. He heard his wife crying, felt her body shaking. She uttered another sound, a soft little 'oh' as she experienced another shuddering climax. The contracting muscles inside her gripped fiercely and released rhythmically. He gritted his teeth and drew in yet another hissed breath as he felt his own release ever so imminent. This time, he began to reach for it, to grab it, but he still tried to subdue it. Fighting it as if he were facing an opponent, he managed three or four hard, driving thrusts before his body froze and gave in. This was one battle he would never win.
"Ah," he sighed through gritted teeth.
He felt Leven's lips delicately caressing the side of his throat before moving to his ear. He collapsed on top of her, his breath coming in sharply and heavily. Her hands moved over his back and down the curve of his spine.
"Eternity, my love, eternity," Leven whispered.
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*Reference from "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo." I loves me some Antoine LaConte, too!