Chapter 91

The first thing she was aware of was warmth. A heavy warmth pressed next to her and something holding her around her waist. Her eyes flickered open and for a moment she was confused. This wasn't her room at Brandy Hall... Crickhollow. She was at Crickhollow. And the warmth nestled up against her was Pippin. She smiled and turned under the arm he had thrown over her waist to face him.

Pippin was still sleeping. Not surprising, considering they didn't get to sleep until the candles had long burned out. Her wedding night had been well worth the wait and just as wonderful as Kel had said it would be. She brushed her fingers through Pippin's hair and sighed in contentment. He stirred a little, smiling and mumbling something that included her name, but didn't awaken. She kissed him softly and slipped out of bed. Given the amount of exercise he'd had last night, Ivy figured he'd sleep for a while. Estella had said they always did.

She flinched at her first step. She was a little sore. Her mother had warned her about that. She'd have a soak in the bath after breakfast. They'd told her about that, too.

She found a dressing gown in the wardrobe--everything they needed for the week had been brought over ahead of time. She picked up their discarded clothing and Pippin's armor, moving it out of the middle of the floor. Then she took a last look at her sleeping husband and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. That should wake him up.

On the way, she went into the bath to light the fire for the big copper boiler to heat the water. Then she went into the kitchen and stopped in the doorway. The small table was already set with two plates, and a platter covered with a cloth sat in the center of the table next to a jar of strawberry preserves. She picked up the cloth. Underneath was a plate of scones and a note: In case you're too "busy" to make breakfast. Love, Aunt Celly.

Ivy shook her head, chuckling. Aunt Celly could be just as bad as Éowyn and Estella.

She got a fire going in the stove, put the kettle on, then went down to the cellar to get some sausages. She appreciated Aunt Celly's gift, but she felt like making something herself for this first breakfast with her husband.

Soon the smell of cooking sausages was wafting through the house. If that didn't wake up Pippin, she didn't know what would. She set the tea on the table next to the scones and opened the jar of jam. Then she sat down to wait, reaching over occasionally to turn the sausages. Once again she felt a longing to stay here, to make Crickhollow her home again. Their home. She sighed. She wondered if she'd even be allowed to cook at Great Smials, or was it considered 'improper'.

She got up to get the sausages. She was kind of surprised Pippin wasn't awake yet. The sausages had been cooking for a while. Estella had always used this little trick to get Dad out of bed when they lived here. Then she couldn't actually be accused of waking him on purpose.

Ivy smiled at the memory and turned to put the plate of sausage on the table. Pippin was leaning in the doorway, already dressed, watching her. "You were gone and I was worried you had taken Legolas' advice and ran away with him," he said.

She set the plate down and sighed dramatically. "As tempting as it was..." She squealed when Pippin grabbed her and kissed her.

"Good morning," he mumbled against her mouth.

She didn't have a chance to answer, as his tongue was tangling with hers, his hands sliding over her body. Their breakfast was in serious danger of being forgotten, but Pippin was a true hobbit and his stomach growled, reminding him there was food on the table.

"You'd better eat," Ivy said. "I don't want to be accused of starving you."

Pippin gave her a quick kiss and they sat down to their first breakfast as husband and wife. Ivy couldn't help but glance at him, watching him while he ate, not quite believing that this was real, that they would really be together for the rest of their lives.

Pippin was glancing at her, too, and finally their gazes met and he leaned over and kissed her, his tongue flicking out to brush the corner of her mouth. "You had jam on your mouth," he said, winking at her.

"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "And you couldn't hand me a napkin?"

He shook his head. "Oh, no. This works much better. Here, I'll show you." He swiped his finger into the jar, then dabbed some jam on her cheek.

"Pippin!" She picked up her napkin to wipe her cheek, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Let me," he said. He leaned in and licked the jam--very slowly--from her cheek.

"Oh," she breathed when he pulled away from her. "I see what you mean." She scooped some jam from the jar with her fingertip. "Like this?" she asked. She drew a little circle on his cheek, then leaned in to lick away the sweet strawberries, as slowly as she could.

He was breathing a little heavier when she'd finished. "Very good," he said. He dipped his finger in the jar again. "Of course, sometimes you can get it on your nose, and then--"

They both looked down to where the dollop of strawberry jam had landed, inside her slightly opened robe and onto her breast, dripping into her cleavage. His eyes lit up. "I'd better get that, then." He pushed her chair back from the table with his foot, then went down to his knees in front of her. He pulled open her robe and chased the strawberry trail with his tongue, while his fingers found her erect nipples.

Ivy moaned and pushed her fingers into his hair, watching him through half-lidded eyes. He pressed his face between her breasts, then moved lower, painting a trail with his tongue to her belly. She widened her knees, without even thinking about it, and tilted her hips. Should they move back to the bedroom, or was he planning on doing this right here...

A distant, impatient whinny made Pippin stop and mumble something that sounded rather rude into her belly. Ivy snorted and leaned forward to kiss his head. "I think someone else wants their breakfast."

Pippin took a few deep breaths. "He's getting turned out into the pasture for the rest of the week," he mumbled. He looked up at her and patted her thigh. "Sorry, love." He stood up.

Ivy shrugged and smiled up at him. "It's fine. Go take care of him. I was going to take a bath anyway."

"Need someone to wash your back?" He waggled his eyebrows at her.

She made a show of thinking about it. "Possibly... " She grinned.

He leaned down and touched her cheek. "I'll be back soon." He gave her a quick kiss, then headed out the back door.

Ivy stood up and winced a little, a twinge reminding her of why she wanted a bath. It was probably good that the pony interrupted him. She could really use that warm bath first. She tied her robe closed and went to start the tub filling from the boiler. It was full by the time the dishes were washed. She dipped her fingers into the water she'd scented with rose oil. A bit too hot. She'd have to let it cool.

She left the bath and wandered through Crickhollow, making her way into the parlor. She stopped to smell a vase of tulips that the Gamgees had placed on a small table and spotted the package that Pippin had distracted her from last night. Not that she had minded being distracted.

She picked up the folded paper tucked under the ribbon of the cloth-wrapped object.

Ivy,

Congratulations! Here's a gift we think you and your husband will enjoy. It's become quite popular among ladies in Minas Tirith, though it is very rare. You wouldn't believe what we had to go through to get you a copy! It's finally been translated from Haradric, so you won't even need a dictionary! Of course, you really don't need to read the words anyway!

Enjoy!

Love,

Kelian, Gwen, Eifa, Brenna

Ivy raised an eyebrow. Why would they be sending her a book from Harad? And one that she didn't need to read the words?

She pulled open the ribbon, the cloth covering falling away. In her hand she held a slim, leatherbound book. On the cover was embossed some words in the flowing script of Harad. She flipped open the book, saw that the inner pages were indeed in Common...then the illustrations caught her eye.

She nearly dropped the book. There were drawings of people, and they were...they were...

She sat down in a chair, a blush burning her face. Glancing over a few of the passages, she realized it was some sort of...instruction book. She flipped through a few pages. She certainly would need instructions, because she'd never have dreamed of most of the poses the couples were putting themselves into.

She turned to the front of the book. No illustrations, just lengthy passages on the duties of a husband and wife in marriage. Well, duties of a wife, mostly. The husband was mostly instructed on how to run his household and how to manage...concubines? Ivy snorted. Over her dead body.

She turned a few more pages and peered down at one of the illustrations. Her eyes widened. The woman was putting her mouth around the man's...

"What are you reading?"

Ivy slapped the book shut and looked up. Pippin was standing in the entry of the parlor. She hadn't even heard him come in. She saw the confused look on his face and realized how she must look, blushing over a book.

"Are you all right?" he asked, coming towards her.

She nodded, trying to control her breathing and her racing heart. She clutched the book to her chest.

"Ivy--?"

"It's a present. From my friends. In Gondor." She looked down, blushing again, feeling a touch guilty for...well, she wasn't really sure.

"Can I see it?"

"Um..." She didn't dare look up at him. She suddenly had an image of how Pippin would look if he were the man in the drawings. It made her get that achey feeling low in her belly that spread down between her legs.

"Ivy?"

"All right." She handed him the book, risking a glance at him. He was smiling at her, that lovely smile that always made her feel... "I need to go take a bath, though," she said. "It's probably ready now." She rushed out, not bothering to get a reply.

She ran into the bathroom and shut the door. She didn't know why she felt so...guilty? nervous? embarassed? She wasn't a shy maiden anymore. She thought any shyness or nervousness she'd had was taken care of last night. Why did the book make her so shy again?

She dropped her robe, the cool air caressing her skin, making her nipples harden. She shivered and quickly got into the tub, not even testing the water. Luckily, it had cooled some.

She dunked her head in the water, trying to calm herself down. She tried not to think about Pippin and the book. Tried not to think about him reading the book. Right now. Looking at those pictures...

She got that feeling between her legs again and gave an involuntary moan. She couldn't get the thoughts out of her head, the thoughts of those pictures, of what it would be like for Pippin to take her like that. She drew her knees up, keeping her legs tight together, but it didn't help get rid of that feeling. If anything it made it worse.

She busied herself with her bath. She washed her hair first, working out the tangles from her pillow, which helped distract her from her state. But as soon as she started washing her body--she nearly dropped the soap, amazed at how sensitive she was to the feeling of it sliding over her skin.

She had nearly finished when she heard the door open. Her heart started pounding. She didn't turn to look at him. She couldn't. She was too embarrassed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him kneel down behind her. Her breath quickened.

"Ivy?" he asked, calm and soothing. "What's the matter? Did the book upset you?"

She shook her head. "No. It didn't upset me. It's just... embarassing."

He stroked her wet hair, down the back of her neck. "Why is it embarassing?"

His hand continued to stroke down her neck. "Because...I...I was..." She gave a sigh when she felt his warm breath against her ear. "I was thinking about..." His lips grazed the edge of her ear. "...thinking...about you and..." He trailed his mouth down to her neck, just below her ear, his teeth and tongue scraping the sensitive skin. "...you and me...doing..." His hands touched her shoulders, resting there for a moment, before sliding down over her chest, into the water, to cup her breasts. "...doing..." She moaned as his fingers rubbed over her nipples. He kept them there, rubbing in small circles. "...doing those things...and...it made me feel..." His fingers grasped the nipples, pinching a bit. "Pippin!" Her legs fell open, her knees hitting the side of the tub and she pushed up against his hands.

He pulled his mouth away from her neck, moving his head up to whisper in her ear. "Do you want to do those things, Ivy?"

"Yes," she gasped. His hands were kneading her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her hard nipples. The ache between her legs was throbbing now.

"Do you want me to do those things to you?"

She whimpered, writhing now under his touch. She didn't think she could take it anymore. She wanted him. Now. But he held her fast, his arms pinning hers. She couldn't even turn to look at him.

His right hand moved from her breast, sliding down her body until he touched her between her legs, exploring, rubbing her in just the right spot...

"Please..." she sobbed, squirming in his hold. "I need you...I can't..."

"Just relax, love," he murmured in her ear.

She let her head fall back on his shoulder. He was murmuing in her ear now, 'love you, love you', over and over again, matching his words to the rhythm of his hands on body. She whimpered and moaned and sighed as he tortured her.

Then she felt it, the tightening that spread out into her thighs, tinglinlg throughout her body, out to her fingers and toes. She cried out at the wave of pleasure that swept through her, her body no longer in her control. Pippin moved his mouth to swallow her cries, still keeping his hands on her.

She relaxed into his arms. "Gods, Pippin!" she breathed, her heart pounding. Her mother had told her that women could climax, too. She hadn't expected it to be like that.

He grinned at her. "Learned that from Chapter Two."

-o-O-o-

"I just don't see how that one could work." Ivy peered at the picture in the book. She still hadn't figured out if that was the woman's arm or a leg around the man's neck. She turned the book sideways. No, still didn't help.

Pippin snorted. "I suppose not." He flipped to the next page. They were lying side by side on the bed, on their stomachs and naked, looking through the Haradric book. Once she'd gotten over that initial embarassment, Ivy was finding the book to be quite...educational.

"That one looks quite nice." Pippin pointed to one of the drawings. The woman was sitting in the man's lap, facing him, her legs wrapped around his back. The man was kissing her breasts. Ivy licked her lips and shifted her hips. That ache was coming back.

She looked at Pippin and grinned. "I suppose we could give it a try."

Author's Notes:

The Book. Yes, it's based on The Kama Sutra and/or The Perfumed Garden. The Book was actually in the first draft of the original version of this story but, being a little more timid about these scenes back then, I ended up removing it. But The Book refused to die and it showed up again in a drabble. Then in a short story, entitled The Art of Love, which is the most explicit thing I've ever posted (to date). The first half of that short story (and the last little scene) has been incorporated into this chapter (with a few edits to try to make it a little more FFNet friendly), starting with the scene when Ivy returns to the parlor. The second half of The Art of Love is far too naughty for FFNet.

If you want to know what happens next in the bath scene, you're going to have to read the short story The Art of Love, which will be at the LJ and my website. Be warned, it is mostly PWP (Plot? What Plot?), rated NC-17/MA/"very naughty". If you're underage or don't like very explicit scenes, you certainly don't have to read it for the overall storyline. There's really not much plot in it. ;-)