Author's note: Many, many thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I'm lousy
about responding to individual reviews, but have tried to incorporate the
comments you guys have passed on to make this a better fic. Squeezy Stan,
you'll finally see the revisions you gave me for Chapter 1! To those who
say Sarah fell for Jareth too fast, I say "yeah, I think you're right" and
so do check Chapter 18 for revisions. I've also revised Chapters 17
(Punishment) and Chapter 14 (Alone At Last). Keep the comments coming if
you have them because I do pay attention and am just happy anyone is
reading this and enjoying it. (
Warning: This chapter has some steamy content. If you prefer your chapters broiled or fried instead of steamed you are plumb outta luck and should skip this one.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these people although they seem to be pretty possessive of each other.
Chapter 19
"And the World Wrestling Federation Championship belt goes to ..JARETH!!"
Toby's joyful shout echoed through the room as Sarah dropped her taco salad on the table with a thump and ran to her father who was lying in a sweaty heap on the floor.
"Dad! Are you okay?" she hollered, bending down at his side. Her father lay there panting, looking completely embarrassed. Sarah shot an accusing glare at her husband to which Jareth responded with a look of wide-eyed 'who me?' innocence.
"What exactly happened here?" she asked in a tone that would have made a glacier seem cozy.
Three sheepish pairs of male eyes turned toward her.
"Jareth was.um.showing me some new wrestling holds," muttered Richard as he started to get up and dust himself off.
"That's right," Jareth jumped in. "Your father was actually doing quite well."
Richard flushed. Sarah couldn't believe it but her father actually looked PLEASED at Jareth's compliment. Her reality had taken so many blows over the past week that life was starting to feel like one giant boot to the head. Her temper rose as she watched her father wince and rub his shoulder as he unfolded himself from the floor. Jareth was quick to offer a hand and managed to pat her father on the shoulder as he helped him up. She felt the healing spell go off and saw her father's eyes flick up in surprise.
"Is everything all right?" Jareth asked, leaning in toward her father in solicitously.
"Sure," her dad replied. "That's funny. My shoulder was a little sore, but I guess you cracked it back into place or something."
"Or something," Sarah muttered darkly. Her attention drifted to Toby, who was looking hopeful that she might have forgotten about him.
"And you - what was your part in this?" she demanded, turning on him.
"Uh.referee?" His voice cracked on the last word.
Sarah couldn't resist a smile and all three of the men before her breathed audible sighs of relief.
"Now that you three have finished beating each other to a manly pulp, perhaps you could help set up the table for dinner. My taco salad won't wait all night you know."
Jareth's eyebrows shot up. There she was going off about this 'taco salad' again. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Just what was 'taco salad'? Was she planning to take revenge for last night? And heavens! To make matters worse, she had just caught him grappling with her father on the floor. He'd only meant it as a friendly wrestling match (he kept telling himself), but the man had been baiting him until he could stand it no further.
As soon as Sarah had rushed from the room, Richard had fixed him with a steely stare and started firing questions at him about his job, his income and his intentions for taking care of Sarah. Jareth had tried to remain calm and make up suitable answers to Richard's inquiries, but this kind of treatment from a mere human PEASANT was simply too much. Jareth vowed to teach this lowly man who called himself Sarah's father some respect for those of royal station.
He started in on Richard with a few questions of his own, mainly in regard to any experience that Richard may have had with combat training. Sarah's father was only too eager to brag about all of his high school wrestling awards.
Such a pity.
Jareth had leapt at the chance to challenge the man and give full reign to his "Inner Goblin" and Toby had jumped up and begged to referee the match. Jareth would have preferred not to involve witnesses in this particular encounter, but thought better of alienating the young boy. If Toby liked him, then it would be that much more leverage on his side to win Sarah's love.
Within moments the two men were grappling violently with each other on the floor. Jareth dodged Richard's attempts to pin him as easily as if he had been wrestling with a small boy instead of a grown man measuring 6'1". After a few moments of scrabbling about, the king decided to stop playing and trapped Richard in a headlock. Had he been at home in the Underground, he would have given little thought to pounding the man into a pulp now that he had him pinned. However, he suspected that his wife might have a similar fate in store for him if he even so much as harmed a hair on her poor father's head.
Ah well.
Toby began the countdown as Jareth held onto Richard's thrashing form. The Goblin King suppressed a yawn.
Silly mortals.
He released the older man abruptly when he heard Sarah's shocked exclamation.
Crap.
He met her angry gaze with as much of a harmless and confused-looking stare as he could muster.
She didn't buy it. Not that he really thought she would. If it hadn't been for Toby's moment of adolescent cracked-voiced vulnerability, Jareth knew he would have been sleeping on the floor tonight. He felt a little chagrined at being 'rescued' by a 13-year-old.
Thankfully, Karen chose that moment to emerge from the kitchen with glasses and utensils, scolding Toby to hurry up and set out the plates.
"Are you boys behaving yourselves?" she asked teasingly as Toby made a quick exit behind her.
She took one moment to absorb the hangdog expressions on the faces of the men and Sarah's wry silence before quickly saying, "No, don't answer that. This taco salad smells so good I don't want anything to spoil it for me."
Shooting a pointed glare at Richard and a sweet smile at Jareth, Karen finished setting the table as Toby returned with a set of plates.
Sarah sighed, watching it all. She wondered if she would screw up the courage to tell Karen the truth about her marriage before she returned to the Underground. She snorted at herself in disgust. In Sarah's opinion, Karen was a very open-minded individual, but she thought that telling her stepmother that she was now royalty in the faerie realm might be pushing the envelope a little far. With a sigh of resignation, Sarah sat at her place and started dishing up the meal.
Jareth looked at the entrée his wife had prepared warily. The stuff looked AWFUL. All that greenery and meat and cheese tossed together - what a MESS! He thought Sarah should consider herself very lucky to be as beautiful and charming as she was if her cooking looked like something one of his goblins would think up. Sure the smell of the stuff was enticing, but he secretly thought that the mortals who lived Aboveground must be pretty hard up if they were looking at something like THAT with mouth-watering hunger.
Plastering his best "I'll try anything once" smile on his face, Jareth dished up what he considered to be the heartiest portion he might be able to choke down. He was horrified when Karen leaned over him clucking like his mother and dished him a portion three times the size of the one he had originally served himself.
"Now, Jareth, we have more than enough to go around. Sarah made up an extra vat in the kitchen!" she cooed, beaming.
An extra VAT?! With a warrior's will, Jareth kept his smile in place and managed a 'thank you' to Karen. He stared in disbelief as the other members of Sarah's family practically tore into the pile on their plates. Calling on every ounce of protocol he had ever learned, Jareth speared part of the mess in front of him with his fork and took a small bite.
After a minute or two he noticed that everyone at the table was staring at him.
"So you enjoy the dish?" Karen asked with a bemused twinkle in her eye.
Jareth turned royal crimson when he realized that the moans of pleasure he'd been hearing were his own.
Sarah was immensely satisfied with herself. She knew she made the best taco salad on the planet and thought it was high time that Jareth appreciated the fact that she had a few talents of her own.
Sadly, although Sarah had many, many talents to be discovered, having a clue was not one of them.
She noticed that Jareth was looking unusually handsome - if there WAS any such thing over the way he usually looked. She noticed that the room seemed to be a little warm.
She did not immediately notice the glances that Karen and Richard had started to exchange across the table.
In fact, she thought nothing of it when Karen arose from her seat, tossed a sultry look over her shoulder at Sarah's dad and sauntered over to the CD player with a deliberate twitch to her hips to put on some Cole Porter. Richard could hardly rip his eyes away from his wife and devoured his food with a hungry stare that was not directed toward the steaming mass of meat and spices in front of him. When Karen returned to her seat, her cheeks were flushed and she allowed her fork to linger on her lips as she slowly took a bite of taco salad, keeping her gaze locked with Richard's the whole time. Richard seemed suddenly short of breath.
Enjoying his dinner with all the gusto of a boy in his early teens, Toby found his mind wandering to the pretty girl with red hair that sat in front of him in science class. Suddenly he remembered that her shampoo always smelled like strawberries. He'd never cared about Valentine's Day before, but he realized it was coming up soon. Maybe she liked poetry? Candy? What did you get a pretty girl on Valentines Day without making her think you were totally stupid? He continued to munch his taco salad, now deeply in thought.
Sarah happily devoured her own portion and helped herself to seconds, still blissfully unaware of the tableau unfolding around her. Jareth, however, had never had such an erotic experience over a meal in his life. Every bite of tender chicken and beef made him think of nibbling gently on Sarah's earlobes. The spices laced through the dish seemed to explode in his mouth and another wave of shuddering pleasure washed through him. He knew Sarah's passion was every bit as explosive as those spices. The layers of melted cheese made him think of his wife melting in his arms as he did unspeakably decadent things to her.
Gods, was he really thinking of ravishing his wife in terms of CHEESE?!
Speaking of his wife, he didn't think she had ever looked more desirable. He watched with a feral hunter's instinct as she licked her soft lips and took another bite. He had to grip the edge of his chair to stop himself from grabbing her, clearing the plates out of the way and throwing her down so that he could have his way with her there and then.
Sarah looked up as she noticed the silence around the table. People seemed to be taking her taco salad very seriously.
Well good. She deserved to be taken seriously as an artist.
Wait a just a second there. Oh. Oh. OH. Now that just wasn't right. Did her dad just flick his TONGUE at Karen? Did Karen just blush and GIGGLE? Yuck!
Then Sarah noticed the way Jareth was looking at her. If he kept that up her taco salad was bound to get jealous. Feeling disconcerted in the extreme, Sarah leapt to her feet mumbling something about coffee and dessert. Karen rose to help her with a sly smile at Richard.
"Richard, darling," she cooed, "peaches are your favorite aren't they? Let's have Jareth's peaches for dessert!"
Sarah's face went white. Without thinking she practically lunged for the kitchen only to be snatched back by Jareth's firm grip on her arm.
"Don't leave us, Sarah. You've been so busy in the kitchen that you've hardly had a chance to visit with Toby," he said smoothly. "I'll help your mother."
Her father had already stood up. "Let ME help you set everything out, honey!'
Sarah was shocked to see the seductive smile Karen was giving her father from the doorway.
"Oh no! I'll help. I insist!" Jareth had no idea Sarah's parents had such a .healthy.relationship. His Sarah was unbelievably passionate, but he considered her to be the exception. Most of the mortals he had encountered in the past had been stodgy at best by Fae standards. Her parents were quite a surprise and he knew that he had better separate them quickly if those peaches were ever going to make it onto the table.
Grumbling, Richard reluctantly took his seat. Sarah was not so easily cowed. Jareth practically had to shove her back down into her chair and then kept his hands planted firmly on her shoulders to keep her from moving as he asked Karen where she kept the coffee cups. Sarah shot him a glare as she discreetly struggled to rise, but Jareth's hold was immovable as he made a big show of not understanding Karen't instructions properly until Karen emerged with the first peaches set out on dessert plates. Once the coast was "clear", Jareth set out coffee mugs and he and Karen started serving.
"Cream?"
Jareth's grin sent shivers down Sarah's spine.
"Thank YOU," Sarah ground out. Jareth didn't know it yet, but he would indeed be sleeping on the rug that night.
Karen set a plate in front of Sarah with a sliced peach on it, dusted with powdered sugar and real whipped cream.
"No thanks! I'm full!" Sarah chirped.
"Nonsense, darling," Jareth chimed in. "These peaches are very special and I selected them myself for you and your wonderful family. You really have to try them."
"Oh SWEEEEET-HEART," Sarah's voice oozed right back at him, "You're just SOOOOO thoughtful, but I couldn't POSSIBLY eat anything else." She squeezed her husband's hand with a radiant smile and dug her fingernails into it with all of her might.
Jareth didn't even flinch.
"One bite. I do INSIST." He lifted a small slice of peach to her lips on his own fork and gave her a smile that would have devastated a stupider woman.
Sarah's parents had started to look at her curiously. Not wanting to further humiliate herself since she had no explanation for avoiding the peach that she could offer them without blowing her cover, she shot Jareth a glance that should have put him in Intensive Care and took the fruit into her mouth.
Sarah had planned to pretend to cough and then spit it out behind her hand, but the sweetness of the peach wrapped around her tonge like the shimmering veil of a harem dancer. She had never tasted anything that felt as "forbidden" as that peach. The delectable taste of that tiny piece of golden fruit had already curled past her tongue and into her brain, leaving her with thoughts that the authors of the Kama Sutra would have sacrificed a cow to.
Ignoring her parents, Jareth swooped in and pressed his lips to hers, tasting the the few drops of juice that lingered on her mouth.
His senses nearly exploded with the contact.
Okay, EVERYBODY out of the pool.
NOW.
His peaches were powerful, but heavens, he hadn't made them THAT strong. He hadn't even tasted one himself yet and he was being pushed to the limits of his control. Instantly he remembered the taco salad and the feelings he'd been struggling to keep in check so that he wouldn't make love to his wife right there on the table in the dining room. Come to think of it, Richard had seemed to be experiencing the same difficulties with Karen. Maybe Sarah's parents weren't really such 'free spirits' after all. Just maybe somebody had overdone it on the magical Viagra.
His eyes shot over to Sarah in dawning comprehension. That little MINX! She had been so angry that he had brought her family such a special gift to "heighten their senses" and here she had been planning his erotic encounter with a wantonly tossed taco salad from the start.
This meant war.
"So Karen," Jareth smiled across the table at Sarah's stepmother with malicious glee, "how are you enjoying my peaches?"
"Mmmmmm."
Sarah had never heard a moan like that out of anyone she equated with a parental figure before. Even Toby had picked up that something weird was going on and looked like he was trapped between his curiosity about mature adults and being completely grossed out by his parents.
"Mom!" he piped up, his weak stomach finally getting the best of him, "may I please be excused?"
Karen was jolted into awareness and had the sense to look a little embarrassed as she nodded and Toby scampered out of the room as if he were being chased by goblins.
"Richard," Karen breathed, "these really are incredible!" Karen speared a slice of peach with her fork and then dipped it into some whipped cream. She offered the slice to Richard, leaning far closer to him than necessary. Sarah's father looked ready to yank her stepmother into his arms and then worry about tasting the peach afterward. Richard paused teasingly, just brushing the tines of Karen's fork with his puckered lips before snapping up the peach she was dangling as if he were some rabid beast.
Sarah didn't know whether to faint or run.
Karen and Richard didn't notice her horror because they had already forgotten everything and everyone else except each other. They kept feeding each other peach slices and grinning like idiots. Or like adults who are about to participate in something often described in terms of striped, winged creatures diving into trembling blossoms.
"Honey, let me help you .clear the plates," Richard breathed, practically panting all over Karen.
Karen giggled again and licked her lips.
"I guess I could use a little help back there. Those pots and pans get so heavy."
Karen rose from her chair, smoothing her clothes ALL the way down the length of her torso and took Richard's hand and lead him into the kitchen. Seconds later, Sarah heard fumbling, moans and the crash of something breaking but NOTHING could drag her into that room to check out the situation.
Not even a third helping of taco salad.
Jareth took advantage of Sarah's shock to sweep her into his arms and carry her into the living room. She saw that he was headed toward the sofa and started to struggle the minute he put her down.
"You depraved, unprincipled BASTARD!" she shouted, slapping his hands away and trying to rise to her feet. Why did he have to smell so good? That single bite of peach must still be screwing with her senses.
Jareth easily pushed her back down and then settled his weight over her legs. Ignoring her protests, he started pressing passionate kisses to her lips and throat.
"Get OFF!" Sarah yelled, striking out at him with her fists, fighting to keep a clear head as she still tasted the lingering sweetness of the peach on her tongue.
Still limber from his little 'exercise' with Richard, Jareth dodged her blows and caught both of her wrists in in his hands, pinning them to either side of her head. He covered her mouth with his own, silencing her curses.
When Jareth finally came up for air and Sarah's lips were free, she let out a stream of profanity that would have done credit to his most uncouth goblin.
"How DARE you cast a spell on my parents?! They welcomed you into their HOME! They TRUSTED you!"
Gods, she was beautiful when she was angry.
Without further ceremony, he lifted himself off Sarah and snatched her up into his arms before she could run. She kicked and twisted and called him every nasty name in the Goblin Book of Rude Phrases, but Jareth was far too strong for her and he managed to haul her struggling form up the stairs and into her old room, kissing her frequently to keep her quiet.
When they reached her room, he tossed her onto the bed, using his magic to slam the door behind them and lock it. Hmm. He'd better throw in a silencing wall as well. With any luck, this would get pretty noisy.
How the heck did he know where my room was? Sarah wondered, diving off the side of the bed as Jareth tried to pounce.
And what the HELL is going on? she thought again, evading her husband as he made another lunge for her. One minute they'd been enjoying a perfectly lovely dinner and the next.EEEEW! She did NOT want to think about what Karen and Richard were probably doing downstairs in the kitchen. It had to be the fault of those horrible peaches.
Dimly Sarah started to realize that something else was wrong. She didn't remember Jareth having any of the fruit. So why was he acting like this?
"I can't believe you'd feed my FAMILY those god-awful peaches!" she hissed accusingly, darting around the side of the double bed that now took up the space her old twin had once occupied. "WHAT the hell were you THINKING?"
Jareth's mind was so fogged with desire that he scarcely could think. All he could focus on was the tantalizing spice of that cursed salad lingering in his mouth. Fine. If his wife was going to haul off and cast a spell on him, she could bloody well deal with the consequences of her magic.
With an animal growl, Jareth leapt after Sarah like a panther and chased her around the bed. This was fun. He liked games when he knew he couldn't lose.
Finally he cornered her between her vanity and the edge of the mattress. He advanced, drawing out his triumph step by step as she backed away from him. She feinted quickly to his left and then made a break for it in the direction of the door. Jareth's arms closed around her like steel bands and he backed her swiftly onto the bed. Dropping the weight of his body onto hers, he caught her wrists and then held them above her in one hand while he swirled his other hand in the air, producing a perfect, blushing peach.
The smell of that peach was almost more than Sarah could stand. She wanted it. Desperately. But she also wanted to kick her husband where he would never forget it.
Decisions, decisions.
Jareth was so surprised when Sarah suddenly ceased to struggle that he nearly lost his grip on her.
"Could I interest Your Majesty in a bargain?" she whispered coyly.
The teasing light in Sarah's eyes ignited a fire of lust in Jareth's gut. A bargain?
"Go on," he smirked. He was much stronger than she was. He had all day.
"I'll eat your peach.and then you'll tell me what the HELL you think you're DOING!" Sarah emphasized her point by trying to wrench herself out of his grasp, but he caught her again without effort, making certain the crown jewels of the Underground were well out of harms way. He'd seen that look in her eye.
"What I'M doing? YOU were the one who cooked up that enchanted taco-whatsit- glob to nearly drive me out of my mind with desire for you! While we're sitting here cursing at each other, I'd like to ask you what in the name of a Bog-dipped goblin you were EXPECTING? Did you think you could cast a lust spell and not face the consequences - especially when you cast that spell on ME?"
Sarah gasped in outrage.
"I did no such thing! Thanks to you, I didn't even know I had any powers until only last night and then you decided to 'punish' me for trying to use them. Believe me there are a number of spells I would be only too happy to cast on you, but a lust spell is NOT one of them!"
Jareth furrowed his brow as he surveyed the woman in his arms, a little hurt by her words. Maybe he had done more damage than he realized in his attempts to keep her ignorant of her enormous power. Apparently the stuff was running haywire and she was scarcely aware of it, let alone how to control it. This would have to be fixed, though he still loathed the thought of giving up his control. Sarah was the closest thing that Jareth had ever known to someone that he couldn't dominate without question and even then, his magic and her fear of him had always given him the upper hand. He HATED admitting that he might have been wrong. But oh, he loved his wife. He didn't want her to be afraid of him anymore.
Speaking of her feelings, just how DID that taco salad of hers end up laced with a lust spell? Hmmm?
"Sarah," Jareth murmured seductively, "just what were you thinking about when you were cooking up that surprising little entree?"
Sarah remembered the direction her thoughts had taken and couldn't meet his eyes. Why did he have to hold that blasted peach so close? It looked so inviting, so cool and sweet after the spices she had thrown into dinner.
Without thinking, Sarah turned her face toward the peach, lips parted slightly. Jareth lowered it to her mouth, his own lips hovering just above hers as she bit into the soft fruit. Instantly, she forgot everything but the man who was looking at her as if he wanted to devour her as badly as she wanted to consume the rest of peach he still held before her eyes.
Jareth smiled down at the angel beneath him. Yes, the peach was enchanted, but only to bring out feelings of goodwill and love that already existed. This little fruit could create nothing that was not already there. He had brought the gift to her family not to harm them, but rather to make their time together as pleasant and warm as possible. Sarah's unwitting spell on the entrée had made things a little "warmer" than he had ever intended.
Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he bit into the peach himself and then offered her another bite. Jareth found it incredibly erotic to watch his wife's soft mouth tearing into the sweet flesh of the fruit as he fed her from his hand. As the taste of the peach reached into his own senses he found himself overwhelmed by his feelings for Sarah. She was such a delight to him - her wit, her intelligence, her humor. And by the gods, he'd never known a more sensual woman.
Lowering his lips to hers, he tasted the mingling flavors of the fruit and her soft, lovely skin. She opened her mouth under his, deepening their kiss. He finally relaxed his hold on her wrists, caressing them with his fingers and then diving into the shimmering mass of her hair, feeling it's silky texture over his ungloved hands. His need to tell this woman how he felt about her was so strong if felt physically painful.
Now that Sarah's hands were free, she wasted no time exploring every inch of the well-muscled man on top of her. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she pulled herself up to a sitting position and raked her hands through his silver-blonde hair, loosening his long locks from the band that held them. She molded her hips against her husband's, frantically tearing at the buttons on his shirt, seeking the warmth of his flesh against her own. Jareth gasped as he felt her hands trace over his bare chest and then trail over his shoulders, thrusting his shirt aside. He wanted to tear into her like a wild animal, ravish her with the tenderness of the most gentle bridegroom, bask in her slowly like the longest summer day. His heart was beating so hard felt like it was hammering against iron bars. It was as if his body could not contain the feelings she aroused in him.
Jareth pressed her back down on the bed as his hands roved impatiently over her body. His strong hands shoved her clothing aside as his mouth laid seige to every soft, secret place she held for him and him alone. He wanted to move slowly. He wanted to be gentle. He was shaking as he tried to hold onto the few thin threads of self-control he still had left.
Sarah rose up just enough to throw off her sweater before Jareth was upon her again, grasping her to his chest and freeing her soft, insolent breasts from the sheer lace of her bra. He teased her nipples between his fingers, moaning into her mouth as she left him nearly breathless with her kisses. Sarah gazed up at her husband, suddenly filled with a fierce and primal need to posseess him, to have him inside of her. She pressed her hands against his chest to lift him off so she could finish undressing, but Jareth would have none of it. Gripping her tighly by the arms, he kept every inch of her skin pressed to his chest as he rolled himself beneath her. Sarah leapt at the opportunity to slide out of her slacks, but not before she'd yanked Jareth's shirt from where it hung around his waist and thrown it to the side. Gazing at the nearly naked goddess above him, Jareth was struck by the answering need she seemed to feel for him. He had loved his Sarah for so long and here she was, finally in his arms, seeking him out and snatching him to her as if he would fly away any minute.
Never. Never could he leave this woman.
Jareth's eyes shone with a fire that made it very difficult for Sarah to keep breathing. Not that she cared as long as he would keep touching her like that, grasping her closer with his powerful hands. His long fingers twined into her hair masterfully as he brought her lips nearer to his own. She tried to complete the kiss, but he wouldn't allow it. Instead he held her face where it was as he gazed deeply into her eyes. He saw something there, something more than need, something more than fear.
Sarah broke into a slow smile as Jareth continued to stare at her. He caught his breath. Was his wife looking at him with genuine affection? Could he dare believe that she could feel even more?
Cradling her head in his hand, Jareth slowly shifted until he was once more above Sarah, looking down. She was so lovely as ribbons of her dark hair fanned around her on the pillows and her emerald eyes met his curiously. Suddenly aware of their changed positions, her gaze became wary. Her hands lingered lightly on the waistband of his jeans, asking the question. Jareth looked down on her with a positively evil grin.
With a snap of his fingers the jeans were gone. Hmm. She seemed to be missing her remaining garments as well. Sarah gasped at the shock of feeling him suddenly naked against her. He only continued to smile at her with that disconcerting twinkle in his eye. To her, he looked like the wolf in Red Riding Hood, licking his chops. My what sharp teeth you have!
Jareth swept Sarah's hands into his own and joined himself to her in one swift stroke. She gave a soft cry of surprise and then shifted into his rhythm, losing herself in his movements as if she were riding the waves of a storm-tossed ocean. She was grasping and desperate as she keened her pleasure softly in his ear. Jareth murmured back to her, frantically calling her name as he was driven on by his own feral need. Sarah felt as if waves were crashing over her and pulling her under, but she wasn't afraid. She wanted to drown in the sensations washing over her, relentlessly lured onward until she forgot everything but the feel of Jareth clasped deeply within her center.
The waves of sensation were smashing against her harder now and she felt her excitement spinning tighter and tighter until, for one moment, it lay perfectly still like the eye of hurricane. When it broke, the shockwave burst through Sarah like a ring of light, pulsing out until it reached her very fingers and toes. Jareth felt her sudden stillness and release as she cried out into his mouth and finally let his own beast free of its chains. Desire roared through him as he crushed his Sarah to his body, shouting her name, arms and legs wrapped around her, hands tangled with her own. His release was so powerful it threw him down across her soft body. He felt like a fisherman sung to his happy doom by the siren he'd trapped in his net.
With a deep sigh, Jareth moved to Sarah's side, still managing to keep her limbs entwined with his own. If this was doom, doom was looking pretty great. In fact, Jareth felt with a certainty that he was indeed the happiest man alive.
"Jareth?" Sarah's soft whisper broke in on his blissful haze.
"Mmmm?"
"Why did you marry me?"
Warning: This chapter has some steamy content. If you prefer your chapters broiled or fried instead of steamed you are plumb outta luck and should skip this one.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these people although they seem to be pretty possessive of each other.
Chapter 19
"And the World Wrestling Federation Championship belt goes to ..JARETH!!"
Toby's joyful shout echoed through the room as Sarah dropped her taco salad on the table with a thump and ran to her father who was lying in a sweaty heap on the floor.
"Dad! Are you okay?" she hollered, bending down at his side. Her father lay there panting, looking completely embarrassed. Sarah shot an accusing glare at her husband to which Jareth responded with a look of wide-eyed 'who me?' innocence.
"What exactly happened here?" she asked in a tone that would have made a glacier seem cozy.
Three sheepish pairs of male eyes turned toward her.
"Jareth was.um.showing me some new wrestling holds," muttered Richard as he started to get up and dust himself off.
"That's right," Jareth jumped in. "Your father was actually doing quite well."
Richard flushed. Sarah couldn't believe it but her father actually looked PLEASED at Jareth's compliment. Her reality had taken so many blows over the past week that life was starting to feel like one giant boot to the head. Her temper rose as she watched her father wince and rub his shoulder as he unfolded himself from the floor. Jareth was quick to offer a hand and managed to pat her father on the shoulder as he helped him up. She felt the healing spell go off and saw her father's eyes flick up in surprise.
"Is everything all right?" Jareth asked, leaning in toward her father in solicitously.
"Sure," her dad replied. "That's funny. My shoulder was a little sore, but I guess you cracked it back into place or something."
"Or something," Sarah muttered darkly. Her attention drifted to Toby, who was looking hopeful that she might have forgotten about him.
"And you - what was your part in this?" she demanded, turning on him.
"Uh.referee?" His voice cracked on the last word.
Sarah couldn't resist a smile and all three of the men before her breathed audible sighs of relief.
"Now that you three have finished beating each other to a manly pulp, perhaps you could help set up the table for dinner. My taco salad won't wait all night you know."
Jareth's eyebrows shot up. There she was going off about this 'taco salad' again. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Just what was 'taco salad'? Was she planning to take revenge for last night? And heavens! To make matters worse, she had just caught him grappling with her father on the floor. He'd only meant it as a friendly wrestling match (he kept telling himself), but the man had been baiting him until he could stand it no further.
As soon as Sarah had rushed from the room, Richard had fixed him with a steely stare and started firing questions at him about his job, his income and his intentions for taking care of Sarah. Jareth had tried to remain calm and make up suitable answers to Richard's inquiries, but this kind of treatment from a mere human PEASANT was simply too much. Jareth vowed to teach this lowly man who called himself Sarah's father some respect for those of royal station.
He started in on Richard with a few questions of his own, mainly in regard to any experience that Richard may have had with combat training. Sarah's father was only too eager to brag about all of his high school wrestling awards.
Such a pity.
Jareth had leapt at the chance to challenge the man and give full reign to his "Inner Goblin" and Toby had jumped up and begged to referee the match. Jareth would have preferred not to involve witnesses in this particular encounter, but thought better of alienating the young boy. If Toby liked him, then it would be that much more leverage on his side to win Sarah's love.
Within moments the two men were grappling violently with each other on the floor. Jareth dodged Richard's attempts to pin him as easily as if he had been wrestling with a small boy instead of a grown man measuring 6'1". After a few moments of scrabbling about, the king decided to stop playing and trapped Richard in a headlock. Had he been at home in the Underground, he would have given little thought to pounding the man into a pulp now that he had him pinned. However, he suspected that his wife might have a similar fate in store for him if he even so much as harmed a hair on her poor father's head.
Ah well.
Toby began the countdown as Jareth held onto Richard's thrashing form. The Goblin King suppressed a yawn.
Silly mortals.
He released the older man abruptly when he heard Sarah's shocked exclamation.
Crap.
He met her angry gaze with as much of a harmless and confused-looking stare as he could muster.
She didn't buy it. Not that he really thought she would. If it hadn't been for Toby's moment of adolescent cracked-voiced vulnerability, Jareth knew he would have been sleeping on the floor tonight. He felt a little chagrined at being 'rescued' by a 13-year-old.
Thankfully, Karen chose that moment to emerge from the kitchen with glasses and utensils, scolding Toby to hurry up and set out the plates.
"Are you boys behaving yourselves?" she asked teasingly as Toby made a quick exit behind her.
She took one moment to absorb the hangdog expressions on the faces of the men and Sarah's wry silence before quickly saying, "No, don't answer that. This taco salad smells so good I don't want anything to spoil it for me."
Shooting a pointed glare at Richard and a sweet smile at Jareth, Karen finished setting the table as Toby returned with a set of plates.
Sarah sighed, watching it all. She wondered if she would screw up the courage to tell Karen the truth about her marriage before she returned to the Underground. She snorted at herself in disgust. In Sarah's opinion, Karen was a very open-minded individual, but she thought that telling her stepmother that she was now royalty in the faerie realm might be pushing the envelope a little far. With a sigh of resignation, Sarah sat at her place and started dishing up the meal.
Jareth looked at the entrée his wife had prepared warily. The stuff looked AWFUL. All that greenery and meat and cheese tossed together - what a MESS! He thought Sarah should consider herself very lucky to be as beautiful and charming as she was if her cooking looked like something one of his goblins would think up. Sure the smell of the stuff was enticing, but he secretly thought that the mortals who lived Aboveground must be pretty hard up if they were looking at something like THAT with mouth-watering hunger.
Plastering his best "I'll try anything once" smile on his face, Jareth dished up what he considered to be the heartiest portion he might be able to choke down. He was horrified when Karen leaned over him clucking like his mother and dished him a portion three times the size of the one he had originally served himself.
"Now, Jareth, we have more than enough to go around. Sarah made up an extra vat in the kitchen!" she cooed, beaming.
An extra VAT?! With a warrior's will, Jareth kept his smile in place and managed a 'thank you' to Karen. He stared in disbelief as the other members of Sarah's family practically tore into the pile on their plates. Calling on every ounce of protocol he had ever learned, Jareth speared part of the mess in front of him with his fork and took a small bite.
After a minute or two he noticed that everyone at the table was staring at him.
"So you enjoy the dish?" Karen asked with a bemused twinkle in her eye.
Jareth turned royal crimson when he realized that the moans of pleasure he'd been hearing were his own.
Sarah was immensely satisfied with herself. She knew she made the best taco salad on the planet and thought it was high time that Jareth appreciated the fact that she had a few talents of her own.
Sadly, although Sarah had many, many talents to be discovered, having a clue was not one of them.
She noticed that Jareth was looking unusually handsome - if there WAS any such thing over the way he usually looked. She noticed that the room seemed to be a little warm.
She did not immediately notice the glances that Karen and Richard had started to exchange across the table.
In fact, she thought nothing of it when Karen arose from her seat, tossed a sultry look over her shoulder at Sarah's dad and sauntered over to the CD player with a deliberate twitch to her hips to put on some Cole Porter. Richard could hardly rip his eyes away from his wife and devoured his food with a hungry stare that was not directed toward the steaming mass of meat and spices in front of him. When Karen returned to her seat, her cheeks were flushed and she allowed her fork to linger on her lips as she slowly took a bite of taco salad, keeping her gaze locked with Richard's the whole time. Richard seemed suddenly short of breath.
Enjoying his dinner with all the gusto of a boy in his early teens, Toby found his mind wandering to the pretty girl with red hair that sat in front of him in science class. Suddenly he remembered that her shampoo always smelled like strawberries. He'd never cared about Valentine's Day before, but he realized it was coming up soon. Maybe she liked poetry? Candy? What did you get a pretty girl on Valentines Day without making her think you were totally stupid? He continued to munch his taco salad, now deeply in thought.
Sarah happily devoured her own portion and helped herself to seconds, still blissfully unaware of the tableau unfolding around her. Jareth, however, had never had such an erotic experience over a meal in his life. Every bite of tender chicken and beef made him think of nibbling gently on Sarah's earlobes. The spices laced through the dish seemed to explode in his mouth and another wave of shuddering pleasure washed through him. He knew Sarah's passion was every bit as explosive as those spices. The layers of melted cheese made him think of his wife melting in his arms as he did unspeakably decadent things to her.
Gods, was he really thinking of ravishing his wife in terms of CHEESE?!
Speaking of his wife, he didn't think she had ever looked more desirable. He watched with a feral hunter's instinct as she licked her soft lips and took another bite. He had to grip the edge of his chair to stop himself from grabbing her, clearing the plates out of the way and throwing her down so that he could have his way with her there and then.
Sarah looked up as she noticed the silence around the table. People seemed to be taking her taco salad very seriously.
Well good. She deserved to be taken seriously as an artist.
Wait a just a second there. Oh. Oh. OH. Now that just wasn't right. Did her dad just flick his TONGUE at Karen? Did Karen just blush and GIGGLE? Yuck!
Then Sarah noticed the way Jareth was looking at her. If he kept that up her taco salad was bound to get jealous. Feeling disconcerted in the extreme, Sarah leapt to her feet mumbling something about coffee and dessert. Karen rose to help her with a sly smile at Richard.
"Richard, darling," she cooed, "peaches are your favorite aren't they? Let's have Jareth's peaches for dessert!"
Sarah's face went white. Without thinking she practically lunged for the kitchen only to be snatched back by Jareth's firm grip on her arm.
"Don't leave us, Sarah. You've been so busy in the kitchen that you've hardly had a chance to visit with Toby," he said smoothly. "I'll help your mother."
Her father had already stood up. "Let ME help you set everything out, honey!'
Sarah was shocked to see the seductive smile Karen was giving her father from the doorway.
"Oh no! I'll help. I insist!" Jareth had no idea Sarah's parents had such a .healthy.relationship. His Sarah was unbelievably passionate, but he considered her to be the exception. Most of the mortals he had encountered in the past had been stodgy at best by Fae standards. Her parents were quite a surprise and he knew that he had better separate them quickly if those peaches were ever going to make it onto the table.
Grumbling, Richard reluctantly took his seat. Sarah was not so easily cowed. Jareth practically had to shove her back down into her chair and then kept his hands planted firmly on her shoulders to keep her from moving as he asked Karen where she kept the coffee cups. Sarah shot him a glare as she discreetly struggled to rise, but Jareth's hold was immovable as he made a big show of not understanding Karen't instructions properly until Karen emerged with the first peaches set out on dessert plates. Once the coast was "clear", Jareth set out coffee mugs and he and Karen started serving.
"Cream?"
Jareth's grin sent shivers down Sarah's spine.
"Thank YOU," Sarah ground out. Jareth didn't know it yet, but he would indeed be sleeping on the rug that night.
Karen set a plate in front of Sarah with a sliced peach on it, dusted with powdered sugar and real whipped cream.
"No thanks! I'm full!" Sarah chirped.
"Nonsense, darling," Jareth chimed in. "These peaches are very special and I selected them myself for you and your wonderful family. You really have to try them."
"Oh SWEEEEET-HEART," Sarah's voice oozed right back at him, "You're just SOOOOO thoughtful, but I couldn't POSSIBLY eat anything else." She squeezed her husband's hand with a radiant smile and dug her fingernails into it with all of her might.
Jareth didn't even flinch.
"One bite. I do INSIST." He lifted a small slice of peach to her lips on his own fork and gave her a smile that would have devastated a stupider woman.
Sarah's parents had started to look at her curiously. Not wanting to further humiliate herself since she had no explanation for avoiding the peach that she could offer them without blowing her cover, she shot Jareth a glance that should have put him in Intensive Care and took the fruit into her mouth.
Sarah had planned to pretend to cough and then spit it out behind her hand, but the sweetness of the peach wrapped around her tonge like the shimmering veil of a harem dancer. She had never tasted anything that felt as "forbidden" as that peach. The delectable taste of that tiny piece of golden fruit had already curled past her tongue and into her brain, leaving her with thoughts that the authors of the Kama Sutra would have sacrificed a cow to.
Ignoring her parents, Jareth swooped in and pressed his lips to hers, tasting the the few drops of juice that lingered on her mouth.
His senses nearly exploded with the contact.
Okay, EVERYBODY out of the pool.
NOW.
His peaches were powerful, but heavens, he hadn't made them THAT strong. He hadn't even tasted one himself yet and he was being pushed to the limits of his control. Instantly he remembered the taco salad and the feelings he'd been struggling to keep in check so that he wouldn't make love to his wife right there on the table in the dining room. Come to think of it, Richard had seemed to be experiencing the same difficulties with Karen. Maybe Sarah's parents weren't really such 'free spirits' after all. Just maybe somebody had overdone it on the magical Viagra.
His eyes shot over to Sarah in dawning comprehension. That little MINX! She had been so angry that he had brought her family such a special gift to "heighten their senses" and here she had been planning his erotic encounter with a wantonly tossed taco salad from the start.
This meant war.
"So Karen," Jareth smiled across the table at Sarah's stepmother with malicious glee, "how are you enjoying my peaches?"
"Mmmmmm."
Sarah had never heard a moan like that out of anyone she equated with a parental figure before. Even Toby had picked up that something weird was going on and looked like he was trapped between his curiosity about mature adults and being completely grossed out by his parents.
"Mom!" he piped up, his weak stomach finally getting the best of him, "may I please be excused?"
Karen was jolted into awareness and had the sense to look a little embarrassed as she nodded and Toby scampered out of the room as if he were being chased by goblins.
"Richard," Karen breathed, "these really are incredible!" Karen speared a slice of peach with her fork and then dipped it into some whipped cream. She offered the slice to Richard, leaning far closer to him than necessary. Sarah's father looked ready to yank her stepmother into his arms and then worry about tasting the peach afterward. Richard paused teasingly, just brushing the tines of Karen's fork with his puckered lips before snapping up the peach she was dangling as if he were some rabid beast.
Sarah didn't know whether to faint or run.
Karen and Richard didn't notice her horror because they had already forgotten everything and everyone else except each other. They kept feeding each other peach slices and grinning like idiots. Or like adults who are about to participate in something often described in terms of striped, winged creatures diving into trembling blossoms.
"Honey, let me help you .clear the plates," Richard breathed, practically panting all over Karen.
Karen giggled again and licked her lips.
"I guess I could use a little help back there. Those pots and pans get so heavy."
Karen rose from her chair, smoothing her clothes ALL the way down the length of her torso and took Richard's hand and lead him into the kitchen. Seconds later, Sarah heard fumbling, moans and the crash of something breaking but NOTHING could drag her into that room to check out the situation.
Not even a third helping of taco salad.
Jareth took advantage of Sarah's shock to sweep her into his arms and carry her into the living room. She saw that he was headed toward the sofa and started to struggle the minute he put her down.
"You depraved, unprincipled BASTARD!" she shouted, slapping his hands away and trying to rise to her feet. Why did he have to smell so good? That single bite of peach must still be screwing with her senses.
Jareth easily pushed her back down and then settled his weight over her legs. Ignoring her protests, he started pressing passionate kisses to her lips and throat.
"Get OFF!" Sarah yelled, striking out at him with her fists, fighting to keep a clear head as she still tasted the lingering sweetness of the peach on her tongue.
Still limber from his little 'exercise' with Richard, Jareth dodged her blows and caught both of her wrists in in his hands, pinning them to either side of her head. He covered her mouth with his own, silencing her curses.
When Jareth finally came up for air and Sarah's lips were free, she let out a stream of profanity that would have done credit to his most uncouth goblin.
"How DARE you cast a spell on my parents?! They welcomed you into their HOME! They TRUSTED you!"
Gods, she was beautiful when she was angry.
Without further ceremony, he lifted himself off Sarah and snatched her up into his arms before she could run. She kicked and twisted and called him every nasty name in the Goblin Book of Rude Phrases, but Jareth was far too strong for her and he managed to haul her struggling form up the stairs and into her old room, kissing her frequently to keep her quiet.
When they reached her room, he tossed her onto the bed, using his magic to slam the door behind them and lock it. Hmm. He'd better throw in a silencing wall as well. With any luck, this would get pretty noisy.
How the heck did he know where my room was? Sarah wondered, diving off the side of the bed as Jareth tried to pounce.
And what the HELL is going on? she thought again, evading her husband as he made another lunge for her. One minute they'd been enjoying a perfectly lovely dinner and the next.EEEEW! She did NOT want to think about what Karen and Richard were probably doing downstairs in the kitchen. It had to be the fault of those horrible peaches.
Dimly Sarah started to realize that something else was wrong. She didn't remember Jareth having any of the fruit. So why was he acting like this?
"I can't believe you'd feed my FAMILY those god-awful peaches!" she hissed accusingly, darting around the side of the double bed that now took up the space her old twin had once occupied. "WHAT the hell were you THINKING?"
Jareth's mind was so fogged with desire that he scarcely could think. All he could focus on was the tantalizing spice of that cursed salad lingering in his mouth. Fine. If his wife was going to haul off and cast a spell on him, she could bloody well deal with the consequences of her magic.
With an animal growl, Jareth leapt after Sarah like a panther and chased her around the bed. This was fun. He liked games when he knew he couldn't lose.
Finally he cornered her between her vanity and the edge of the mattress. He advanced, drawing out his triumph step by step as she backed away from him. She feinted quickly to his left and then made a break for it in the direction of the door. Jareth's arms closed around her like steel bands and he backed her swiftly onto the bed. Dropping the weight of his body onto hers, he caught her wrists and then held them above her in one hand while he swirled his other hand in the air, producing a perfect, blushing peach.
The smell of that peach was almost more than Sarah could stand. She wanted it. Desperately. But she also wanted to kick her husband where he would never forget it.
Decisions, decisions.
Jareth was so surprised when Sarah suddenly ceased to struggle that he nearly lost his grip on her.
"Could I interest Your Majesty in a bargain?" she whispered coyly.
The teasing light in Sarah's eyes ignited a fire of lust in Jareth's gut. A bargain?
"Go on," he smirked. He was much stronger than she was. He had all day.
"I'll eat your peach.and then you'll tell me what the HELL you think you're DOING!" Sarah emphasized her point by trying to wrench herself out of his grasp, but he caught her again without effort, making certain the crown jewels of the Underground were well out of harms way. He'd seen that look in her eye.
"What I'M doing? YOU were the one who cooked up that enchanted taco-whatsit- glob to nearly drive me out of my mind with desire for you! While we're sitting here cursing at each other, I'd like to ask you what in the name of a Bog-dipped goblin you were EXPECTING? Did you think you could cast a lust spell and not face the consequences - especially when you cast that spell on ME?"
Sarah gasped in outrage.
"I did no such thing! Thanks to you, I didn't even know I had any powers until only last night and then you decided to 'punish' me for trying to use them. Believe me there are a number of spells I would be only too happy to cast on you, but a lust spell is NOT one of them!"
Jareth furrowed his brow as he surveyed the woman in his arms, a little hurt by her words. Maybe he had done more damage than he realized in his attempts to keep her ignorant of her enormous power. Apparently the stuff was running haywire and she was scarcely aware of it, let alone how to control it. This would have to be fixed, though he still loathed the thought of giving up his control. Sarah was the closest thing that Jareth had ever known to someone that he couldn't dominate without question and even then, his magic and her fear of him had always given him the upper hand. He HATED admitting that he might have been wrong. But oh, he loved his wife. He didn't want her to be afraid of him anymore.
Speaking of her feelings, just how DID that taco salad of hers end up laced with a lust spell? Hmmm?
"Sarah," Jareth murmured seductively, "just what were you thinking about when you were cooking up that surprising little entree?"
Sarah remembered the direction her thoughts had taken and couldn't meet his eyes. Why did he have to hold that blasted peach so close? It looked so inviting, so cool and sweet after the spices she had thrown into dinner.
Without thinking, Sarah turned her face toward the peach, lips parted slightly. Jareth lowered it to her mouth, his own lips hovering just above hers as she bit into the soft fruit. Instantly, she forgot everything but the man who was looking at her as if he wanted to devour her as badly as she wanted to consume the rest of peach he still held before her eyes.
Jareth smiled down at the angel beneath him. Yes, the peach was enchanted, but only to bring out feelings of goodwill and love that already existed. This little fruit could create nothing that was not already there. He had brought the gift to her family not to harm them, but rather to make their time together as pleasant and warm as possible. Sarah's unwitting spell on the entrée had made things a little "warmer" than he had ever intended.
Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he bit into the peach himself and then offered her another bite. Jareth found it incredibly erotic to watch his wife's soft mouth tearing into the sweet flesh of the fruit as he fed her from his hand. As the taste of the peach reached into his own senses he found himself overwhelmed by his feelings for Sarah. She was such a delight to him - her wit, her intelligence, her humor. And by the gods, he'd never known a more sensual woman.
Lowering his lips to hers, he tasted the mingling flavors of the fruit and her soft, lovely skin. She opened her mouth under his, deepening their kiss. He finally relaxed his hold on her wrists, caressing them with his fingers and then diving into the shimmering mass of her hair, feeling it's silky texture over his ungloved hands. His need to tell this woman how he felt about her was so strong if felt physically painful.
Now that Sarah's hands were free, she wasted no time exploring every inch of the well-muscled man on top of her. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she pulled herself up to a sitting position and raked her hands through his silver-blonde hair, loosening his long locks from the band that held them. She molded her hips against her husband's, frantically tearing at the buttons on his shirt, seeking the warmth of his flesh against her own. Jareth gasped as he felt her hands trace over his bare chest and then trail over his shoulders, thrusting his shirt aside. He wanted to tear into her like a wild animal, ravish her with the tenderness of the most gentle bridegroom, bask in her slowly like the longest summer day. His heart was beating so hard felt like it was hammering against iron bars. It was as if his body could not contain the feelings she aroused in him.
Jareth pressed her back down on the bed as his hands roved impatiently over her body. His strong hands shoved her clothing aside as his mouth laid seige to every soft, secret place she held for him and him alone. He wanted to move slowly. He wanted to be gentle. He was shaking as he tried to hold onto the few thin threads of self-control he still had left.
Sarah rose up just enough to throw off her sweater before Jareth was upon her again, grasping her to his chest and freeing her soft, insolent breasts from the sheer lace of her bra. He teased her nipples between his fingers, moaning into her mouth as she left him nearly breathless with her kisses. Sarah gazed up at her husband, suddenly filled with a fierce and primal need to posseess him, to have him inside of her. She pressed her hands against his chest to lift him off so she could finish undressing, but Jareth would have none of it. Gripping her tighly by the arms, he kept every inch of her skin pressed to his chest as he rolled himself beneath her. Sarah leapt at the opportunity to slide out of her slacks, but not before she'd yanked Jareth's shirt from where it hung around his waist and thrown it to the side. Gazing at the nearly naked goddess above him, Jareth was struck by the answering need she seemed to feel for him. He had loved his Sarah for so long and here she was, finally in his arms, seeking him out and snatching him to her as if he would fly away any minute.
Never. Never could he leave this woman.
Jareth's eyes shone with a fire that made it very difficult for Sarah to keep breathing. Not that she cared as long as he would keep touching her like that, grasping her closer with his powerful hands. His long fingers twined into her hair masterfully as he brought her lips nearer to his own. She tried to complete the kiss, but he wouldn't allow it. Instead he held her face where it was as he gazed deeply into her eyes. He saw something there, something more than need, something more than fear.
Sarah broke into a slow smile as Jareth continued to stare at her. He caught his breath. Was his wife looking at him with genuine affection? Could he dare believe that she could feel even more?
Cradling her head in his hand, Jareth slowly shifted until he was once more above Sarah, looking down. She was so lovely as ribbons of her dark hair fanned around her on the pillows and her emerald eyes met his curiously. Suddenly aware of their changed positions, her gaze became wary. Her hands lingered lightly on the waistband of his jeans, asking the question. Jareth looked down on her with a positively evil grin.
With a snap of his fingers the jeans were gone. Hmm. She seemed to be missing her remaining garments as well. Sarah gasped at the shock of feeling him suddenly naked against her. He only continued to smile at her with that disconcerting twinkle in his eye. To her, he looked like the wolf in Red Riding Hood, licking his chops. My what sharp teeth you have!
Jareth swept Sarah's hands into his own and joined himself to her in one swift stroke. She gave a soft cry of surprise and then shifted into his rhythm, losing herself in his movements as if she were riding the waves of a storm-tossed ocean. She was grasping and desperate as she keened her pleasure softly in his ear. Jareth murmured back to her, frantically calling her name as he was driven on by his own feral need. Sarah felt as if waves were crashing over her and pulling her under, but she wasn't afraid. She wanted to drown in the sensations washing over her, relentlessly lured onward until she forgot everything but the feel of Jareth clasped deeply within her center.
The waves of sensation were smashing against her harder now and she felt her excitement spinning tighter and tighter until, for one moment, it lay perfectly still like the eye of hurricane. When it broke, the shockwave burst through Sarah like a ring of light, pulsing out until it reached her very fingers and toes. Jareth felt her sudden stillness and release as she cried out into his mouth and finally let his own beast free of its chains. Desire roared through him as he crushed his Sarah to his body, shouting her name, arms and legs wrapped around her, hands tangled with her own. His release was so powerful it threw him down across her soft body. He felt like a fisherman sung to his happy doom by the siren he'd trapped in his net.
With a deep sigh, Jareth moved to Sarah's side, still managing to keep her limbs entwined with his own. If this was doom, doom was looking pretty great. In fact, Jareth felt with a certainty that he was indeed the happiest man alive.
"Jareth?" Sarah's soft whisper broke in on his blissful haze.
"Mmmm?"
"Why did you marry me?"