Chapter Fourteen
Jack continued to kiss Will, his hands running over the muscles of his lover's body and kneading them softly. He could not believe how strongly Will was built, and yet Will was afraid to use his body in some ways. Afraid he would hurt something, Jack thought, but he wanted him to use them on him now! He had never thought to be turned on by muscles, but just the idea of Will and he doing it was enough to make him so hard that he feared his sword would rip through his clothes if he did not find release.
Will's hands had been running all over Jack's body, caressing each inch that they could find, but still he was not satisfied. He ached for more of his lover, and Clark's words floated back to his mind from the night before. He was just going to have to take matters into his own hands, Will decided, for Jack did not know how to lead them. Thanks to Clark, however, he did, and he began to push Jack gently down onto his back on the bed.
Jack opened his eyes, but he had trouble seeing as they were so glazed over from passion. "Will, we've got to do something to get release, something besides kissing."
"My thoughts exactly," Will assured him before taking his lips with his own again. He kissed him passionately once more before beginning to work his way down Jack's throat. Already, his hands had began seeking out the buttons of Jack's pajamas.
Jack could not stand it! He wanted his clothes off, but he wanted Will's off at the same time. Will's method was taking too long. He reached out, ripped Will's clothes off of him, and then ripped his own off while Will was too dazed to know what had happened to his clothes.
Will stared at Jack in disbelief. "Huh . . . Jack? You know, we're gonna need these for tomorrow . . . "
"We'll find something. Don't worry about them." Jack's hand reached out and grasped Will's sword. His fingers encircled it, his fingertips massaging it as his hand rubbed up and down his sword. He felt Will's sword grow even harder in his hand. He began to kiss Will's chest, moving from one breast to the other, licking and nibbling at each. Each new touch brought another moan of pleasure from Will, who reclined backwards, allowing Jack to have his way with him and relishing in every second.
Jack's mind was awhirl with what Lex had told him. He was trying to follow it, but it just wouldn't come out the way Lex had told him. Instinct took over, and he began to follow the trace of hair that trailed down Will's stomach, kissing every few inches. He reached the bellybutton and kissed and licked him in the bellybutton. He rubbed his face gently on Will's stomach, moving ever closer to Will's sword.
Jack hesitated as the sword loomed larger and came into his direct vision. Did he dare take the plunge? It had sounded so easy when Lex had told him, but now it looked like an obstacle he might not ever surmount. He wanted it! Grabbing his courage, he leaned forward and licked Will's sword only to have Will jerk as though he had shot him with an electric prod. "Will?" he asked, worried that he had done something wrong.
Jack's actions were amazing Will ever more, but when he licked his sword, he began to shoot straight into the heavens. "Jack . . . " Will whispered his name.
Jack glanced at Will and saw that he was alive, breathing, and had not fainted. Instead, he appeared to be glowing. Lex was right! It was working! he thought. He rose above Will so that he could get a better position on it and ended up straddling him, his own sword dangling like a tempting morsel before Will's salivating mouth. Jack's mouth descended once more upon Will's sword. He was careful not to use his teeth, but he began to lick and suck at it as his hand moved up and down.
When Jack's mouth descended on Will's sword, he shot upward with a near scream of pleasure. When his vision became less dazed, he realized that Jack's sword hung a mere inch away from his mouth. He leaned further and ran his tongue over Jack's sword, beginning at its tip and going all the way up.
The minute Will's tongue touched Jack, he jerked, lost his balance, and fell on his side but did not lose Will's sword. He found that it was a much more comfortable position lying on one's side and left him more easily accessible to the sword. He was about to take Will's again when Will turned more fully toward him; their mouths descended simultaneously upon each other.
Jack's hands massaged Will's back, buttocks, and legs even as his tongue worked with relish on his sword. He found that while working on Will, he got more excited. He felt himself grow even harder as Will lavished attention upon him.
As Will had been licking Jack's sword, his hands had been caressing his legs and stomach but growing ever closer to the groin area. Finally, he reached out to take Jack's testes into his hands and began gently massaging them. At the same time, he sucked Jack's sword.
Jack released Will's sword and buried his face in the hair that surrounded the sword. He knew that there were two balls in there somewhere and he had to find them. Finally locating them, he took them one at a time into his mouth and sucked on them even as his hands continued stroking Will's buttocks, legs, and stomach.
Will had already been shooting ever higher as Jack worked on his sword, but as his lover took each of his testes into his mouth and gave each one delightful attention, Will felt himself growing harder still. He knew that he could not hold out much longer but still wanted to pleasure Jack as much as possible. It was then that he remembered Clark's advise about the teeth and decided to try it. His hands rubbed Jack's testicles even faster as he took as much of Jack's sword into his mouth as he possibly could. He then circled his tongue around the heated flesh before ever so gently touching his teeth to it. Being extremely careful to make sure that his teeth were barely touching Jack, he began to bring his mouth slowly down.
Jack almost jumped out of his hide! For a moment, he forgot he was supposed to be pleasuring Will as he almost shot over the edge from the pleasure Will was giving him! He tried the same maneuver on Will, trying to keep his mind on what he was doing even as his senses pushed him closer and closer to the edge.
Will could feel himself beginning to reach the explosion point as he had often while dreaming of Jack. He tried to warn him but had no time to as he felt Jack quiver inside his mouth.
Jack felt himself cumming and knew he couldn't hold back. He was exploding everywhere! At the same instant, he felt Will let go. He held tightly to him, remembering to drink deeply of all that was coming out. It seemed a never-ending river, but it was the best taste he'd ever had in his life! He had thought it would be disgusting even though he loved Will, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't. He wanted to make sure he got every drop!
As Jack held to Will so did Will hold to Jack. He swallowed as Jack poured into his mouth and relished each sip. He had not known what taste to expect but nothing had ever tasted better to him, and he realized then that nothing could for this was the purest part of Jack that he could ever possibly taste. Will held to Jack until he at last grew calm. Then, ever so slowly, he drew his mouth the rest of the way downwards, his tongue lapping up the last bits of juice.
Jack held on to Will as though he would never let go even as he felt himself grow small. He turned around and pulled Will up beside him on the bed. "My Gods, that was beautiful! I was scared. Even though I love you, I was afraid I would disappoint you. You were wonderful!" He kissed Will and held him close.
Will cupped his hands around Jack's handsome face, and when their lips parted, he let his forehead drop to press against Jack's. "Jack," he whispered a reply against his lips, "I was scared too, but you could never disappoint me. I love you too much to let something like . . . like your or even my lack of knowledge in that area disappoint me. I'm just glad that Clark and I had that talk."
"Yeah, I'm glad Lex had a talk with me. Those two are great together, and they've got it all worked out! I want our lovelife to be as great as theirs is."
Will's hands ran up into Jack's long hair, and he began to caress its silky strands. "It will, my love," he promised him, feeling sure that it would indeed. After all, when two people loved each other as they did one another, a great lovelife was sure to follow . . . given the proper advice, of course.
Piper was still readjusting the bodice that clung tightly to her breasts and brought them up higher and tighter than she'd ever thought possible. She was also mentally chastising herself for wearing such an outfit when she should be in mourning. It was only then that the color occurred to her, and her mouth nearly dropped open as she realized that she was at least finally wearing the appropriate color! Besides, if this worked as Carl claimed it would . . . She shook her head even as she began to descend down the staircase. There was no need to even think about that. After all, Cole wouldn't see her until the next morning unless her cooking happened to awake him. Could she be that lucky? she wondered.
Cole was not having any luck getting to sleep. Upstairs, Brendan had been keeping him awake. Downstairs, the couch felt like it was made of granite, and the pillow was a rock. He had punched it several times but had finally given up and thrown it to the floor.
He heard a slight sound and turned to look toward the staircase. He could not believe what he was seeing! The room was dark yet he could still see by the one candle that it was Piper and she was dressed in leather! How had she known he was downstairs? He had prayed that she would come seeking him of her own free will, but he had not expected it to happen so soon.
He did not move but lay very still and watched her enter the room. The leather was tight on her body, and curves that he had only guessed at were now accentuated. It was low-cut, and he could see the tips of her perky bosoms which made his loins grow even hotter and his sword extremely hard. He did not make himself known but watched as she slowly descended the stairs, scarcely daring to breathe least he startle her and she run.
Piper could have sworn she felt eyes on her as she descended the stairs, but she knew that everybody was asleep. Well, asleep or doing what her younger sisters were, she amended silently. It's just a house, Piper, she thought to herself. The dinosaurs aren't in here; Carl said it wasn't even possible. Still, she held the candle up higher and tried to cast its light into the dark shadows of the room. She froze when she finally found the pair of eyes that were looking up at her. Cole! What was he doing down here?
"Piper? You came! I was dreaming and hoping that you would come." He rose to meet her and walked toward her as silently and stealthily as a cat. He could not believe how beautiful she was nor that she had dared to wear something so . . . intriguing. He couldn't wait to scoop her out of it!
"Cole," her surprise sounded in her voice, "you were dreaming of me? But I thought . . . after you shut yourself away with Brendan . . . that you didn't want me any more . . . "
He reached her. "You think I don't want you, Piper? There's not a second of the day that I don't think about you and want you! I shut myself up with Brendan for the same reason that he shut himself away from Prue! He can't control what he feels around Prue, and I can't control what I feel when I'm around you. I want you beneath me. I want to see you in the throes of passion! I want to hear you call my name as we cascade over the stars together!" He realized what he was doing and immediately shut his mouth. He had promised himself he would not pressure her into letting him have his way with her.
She could not believe what she was hearing. She was so surprised that she nearly dropped the candle she was carrying, but he caught her hand and steadied her grip before she could. "Cole . . . " she breathed his name from a shaky voice as she gazed up into his handsome face and the dark orbs that she knew to be the windows into his very soul. "I . . . " She had to fight to think of what to say for her body was screaming at her to take him though she did not know how, and her mind was simultaneously protesting that she must be a lady for her family's sake. "I wish it were that easy . . . "
"It can be, beautiful lady. It can be easy. All you have to say is that you want me as much as I want you. I have to stay away from you, Piper. You want to be a lady, but if I come around you, the dark side of me is going to overpower you and I'm going to have my way with you even though we'll both hate me in the morning. I can't help what you do to me. Just one look from you, and all my good intentions go out the window!"
Afraid that he would try to shimmer away from her again, Piper's free hand reached out and grasped his arm before he could. "Don't," she pleaded, "stay away from me. I know that it would be the wisest thing for both of us, Cole, but . . . it's not what I want. I do want you, but at the same time . . . with everything being the way it is . . . " She sighed and looked back up into his eyes.
Could she find a way to make him understand where she was coming from, to explain to him that though she wanted him desperately she was scared by a fear that had nothing to do with him? She knew she had to at least try. "I've always put my family first, Cole, always. It's never really mattered before what I wanted to do for myself; I've always put them first. Now my mother's dead. So's my grandmother. That leaves Prue and I to be the only ones for Paige and Phoebe to look up to. I love Prue, but you see the way she runs after Brendan. That's not the way Phoebe and Paige should be raised, so if I'm not the lady . . . who's left to show them the proper way to act?"
"Let your aunt do it," Cole said. "For one night, Piper, be true to yourself. You can be the proper lady tomorrow. Neither of us have to tell any one what we do tonight. Let us have this one night together to show each other how much we love each other. And if you still feel the same way in the morning, I'll go away and leave you alone. All I'm asking for is one night of your time so that I can show you how I feel." His voice was husky due to the feel of tears he had rising. This woman reached a part of him that he had thought long since dead and gone, and yet she brought tears to the surface. He felt weak-kneed when he was near her. He wanted her and felt that he would die without her, but if she sent him away, he'd go even though he didn't want to.
She could feel the emotions vibrating from him, heard them in his voice, and saw them in his eyes. They tore at her heart which was already torn, yet Cole's words made her think. Why did she have to be the one to always put aside what she longed for the most, especially when it was this most wonderful man before her who brought feelings out in her that she'd never thought any man could? Why indeed when her aunt, Gods bless her soul, had already condemned herself to a life as a straight-laced lady? She knew that Cole spoke the truth to her and believed him when he told her that they could keep their encounter secret and never have to tell a soul about it. What her sisters did not know could not hurt them, but she knew that if she turned him away this night, she would forever regret it. "Cole . . . " she whispered his name once more before leaning up on her tip toes to press her lips to his.
He took her kiss to mean yes and scooped her up into his arms. He knew he could not make love to her on the couch where any one coming down could see. Where could he take her? Where was there an empty room? The only room that he knew would be a sure thing was the original room he had taken with Brendan. Still kissing Piper, he shimmered to the room, deposited her on the bed, reached down, picked up Brendan, and shimmered him to the couch. Then he returned and joined Piper on the bed.
Piper had started to fret when Cole had suddenly shimmered out, but she then realized that he had taken Brendan out of the room. She slipped from the bed and walked over to the door by the light of the candle. She quickly locked it, walked back, set the candle onto the nightstand, and returned to the bed just in time for Cole to rejoin her.
"For this one night, Piper, I want you to be the you that you have locked away, dreamed of, and turned your back on because you fear she's not the lady you need to be. I want your inhibitions to run wild, and whatever fantasy you have, I want to make come true." He did not make a move toward her but watched her intently, waiting to pleasure her and not knowing if he could hold back.
Piper's heart was racing a million beats a second, but though she was frightened by the unknown of what was to come, she was determined to see this chance in a lifetime with a man who was better than anything she could have ever dreamed up through. She gazed up at him now. He had told her that she could tell him to leave her in the morning and he would forever, but she wondered if he would still want her in the morning. Still, the morning was yet to come. The night was here now, and whatever Hell might await her should he turn against her or her sisters find out, she would deal with that in the future. For now, the only things she wanted to be concerned about were the two of them and the feelings they invoked in each other.
She leaned up in the bed to sit beside him. She wondered if she should speak and try to tell him of all she was feeling but decided to let her actions do the talking for her. She took his lips again, and this time her hands rose to caress his muscles through his shirt.
He removed his shirt quickly, wanting her hands to touch his skin. He turned them each over and kissed the palms before taking her lips again. Many things played through his mind -- many scenes he could perform if she wanted them, but she had not spoken of her fantasies yet and he had no clue of them although he did have some of his own.
When her burning lungs demanded oxygen, Piper released Cole's lips again, but after taking a deep breath, she did not turn back to his mouth. Instead, she moved her lips to his neck, allowing her instincts to be her guide.
"Piper . . . have you no fantasies? No daydreams that you want carried out? You have but to tell me; I will not laugh at them."
She set back on her heels, realizing that perhaps she should have talked instead of acted. "Cole," she spoke softly, her eyes downcast, "I hardly even know the details of what goes on between a man and a woman. I have had thoughts of kisses and dances, but any time that they have began to grow beyond that point, I . . . I would not allow myself. It would not have been ladylike," she tried to explain. "You are the first man who has ever shown any interest in me. The others all wanted one or more of my sisters." She shrugged. "Besides, I was never interested in them."
It was then that she realized something her sisters might later come to inform him of. She knew it would be an accident, but Phoebe and Paige both had a tendency to let things out into the open. "They thought there was one, a doctor back in our hometown, but I was not even interested in him. He was nothing like the man I dreamed of, but I tried to make him fall for me. I tried, because I knew that he would bring money into the family." She still felt guilty for toying with Leo's heart.
"Well, I don't have any money to offer you, Piper. I have but myself and a heart that knows how to love, two arms that can hold you tightly, a shoulder to lean on any time you want it, two lips that will kiss you until you're breathless, and . . . "
As he was fumbling for words, Piper spoke again. "Cole, I did not want the money for me; that was another thing I tried to do for them. You already offer me more than you realize. You are . . . everything I've ever dared to dream of. You're gentle with me, but I've seen you in action and know that you are strong when you need to be. You're courageous but not foolhardy. You're sweet, kind, intelligent . . . Just the way you talk and look at me take my breath away. You make me feel like a woman, feel important, feel beautiful . . . " All were things she'd always wanted to feel but never truly had.
"Piper, you are beautiful," he told her even as he lifted strands of her hair, bringing them to his lips and kissing them. "You have but to believe it in here," he said, touching her forehead. "You want to dance? I will make music for us. Just the thought of holding you in my arms rocks my world." He got off the bed and made a small bow to her, offering her his hand. "May I have this dance, my lady?"She was smiling as her shining eyes lifted to his and she took his hand. "You amaze me," she admitted.
"How is that, my lady?" he asked as he began to whirl her around the room, humming a tune.
"A million ways," she replied, gazing up into his eyes. "The way you look at me sometimes. The way you touch me. The way you actually care for me . . . love me. And, Cole, I know I'm hard to understand and I know things have happened so quickly, but I also know that I love you."
"Your words of love, my lady, make my heart have wings. I feel as though I could fly like a bird up in the sky taking you with me." He held her even closer as he whirled her around the room. He did not stop to think that he was bare-footed and had only his pants on. If he had, he would have hoped that Piper would forgive him for that.
Her head lay next to his chest. He had not realized just how short she was until the night before when he had danced with her, but her size meant nothing. She could have been shorter or she could have been taller; it would not have mattered to him. What mattered was that she loved him and was giving them the chance for a night of love. He was not sure how to proceed without scaring her, but he wanted to give her every bit of his love. He tilted her chin upward and kissed her even as he continued to dance with her.
She returned his kiss in full, but when his lips lifted from hers, she told him, "Cole, if I were free, I would go anywhere with you. I want you to know that. The only reason why I hold back is my family, and I would not even consider trying to be . . . as you said, the me that I've held back if you did not mean so much to me and I did not love you as much as I do. Whatever happens tomorrow or any day beyond that, I want you to know that and always hold to that truth."
"I know what your family means to you, my lady. I will not try to come between you and them but will do what I can to help them, as well. Tonight belongs to us, and as such, I will try to make it as magical as I can." So saying, he dipped her backwards in the dance and she found herself lying on the bed with Cole beside her. Cole leaned down and kissed her gently at first and then with ever increasing passion, pledging his undying love with his kisses.
Her hands ran up his body, running over his muscular chest first and then his face before embedding her fingertips in his dark curls. Even there, she continued to caress him as her lips poured all that she was feeling, all the feelings that only he invoked in her, into their kiss.
Connor's eyes opened, and his stomach rumbled. It had been a long time since he'd had something to eat, and he had no idea how long he'd been out. "Hello?" he called. It seemed as though he was the only one there, but he knew that there were people because he had heard their voices and had actually seen one of them, a girl. He did not recall if she had told him her name or not.
"Hello yourself," a voice from further in the cave called back to him. "Are ya hungry?"
"Oh, yes! I'm hungry enough I could eat a bear!"
"No bear here," she replied, "just some raptor stew. It doesn't taste as bad as it sounds, though." She moved into his sight, carrying a steaming bowl with a spoon already in it. She knelt beside him. "How ya feeling?"
"Very tired and . . . a lot of pain, but it could be a lot worse. Thank you for rescuing me. I thought I was done for."
She shrugged his gratitude off. "Think you can eat?"
"Yes, if you can help me to sit up. Even raptor stew sounds good."
She put the bowl down and began to assist him to a sitting position. Just as she'd thought they had him sitting, however, he started to slide toward the other side, but a tiger quickly caught him.
"I . . . I didn't dream you," Connor said, looking at the tiger.
Vang growled in response. "Actually," the blonde amended, "you didn't dream me. You were out cold when I met back up with Vang there."
"You're a Weretiger?"
She shrugged. "I'm something. Who knows what though."
"That must be awesome," Connor said, "to have all that power and strength flow into your body at a moment's notice."
"It can be a rush," she admitted. She pushed the bowl closer to him.
He began to eat the stew. "Tastes better than it sounds," he agreed with her. "My name's Connor. What's yours?"
"Zora," she answered.
"Did some one carry word to the ship wrecked people about me?"
She shook her head, her shaggy blonde hair whirling about her shoulders as she did so. "No. I told you then, but you must've passed out before you could hear me. They couldn't've understood Vang, and Sebastian was busy cooking. Once we ate, we figured we'd just wait for you to wake up, feed ya, and get ya back to them."
"My Father's probably going crazy with worry as he'll think I'm dead." He finished eating the bowl of stew. "Thanks."
She nodded. "But actually, it's Sebastian you should thank. He cooked it."
"Thank you, Sebastian. It was pretty good stew."
"Sebastian," Zora turned her wild, green eyes to the spot where she knew he was hiding, "you might as well come out. We've gotta get him back to his people, and this late at night, it wouldn't be a good idea for us to leave you alone."
Connor looked around but could see no one Zora could be talking to. "Who's Sebastian?" he asked.
Sebastian poked his head out from under the blanket. "Glad you like the food, mon."
Connor looked at him. "You're a crab! How can you be talking?"
"Well, mon, I have no idea. I was born talking, cooking, and other things."
"I swear I'll never eat a crab again!" Connor exclaimed. "I can't believe you're real!"
"Mon, I'm as real as you are!"
Connor shook his head. "They're never gonna believe me."
Zora's eyes snapped back to him. "That's why you're not going to tell them," she informed him in a low voice.
"Why can't I tell them? What are you afraid of?"
"I'm not afraid of anything, but you'd better be afraid of the consequences if you do tell them," she warned him. "There are people who, if they knew Sebastian existed, would try to crabnap him so that they could experiment on him."
"Experiment on him! Who would do something stupid like that! None of my people, that's for sure!"
"Maybe, maybe not," Zora told him. "But if somebody does come after him, I'll know who let the cat out of the bag."
"Okay, I'll keep it to myself. They wouldn't believe me any way. I don't want any hard feelings. I appreciate everything y'all have done for me."
She nodded. She didn't really mean to sound so hard on the kid, but she knew there was no other choice. "You feel up to riding?"
"Riding what? I dreamed I rode a tiger here."
"You did," she replied. "Me."
"That's a whole 'nother story," he said, looking at her. "Nobody's gonna believe that either. Don't worry; I won't be telling any one. They'd think I was crazy and lock me up and throw away the key. Guess we'd better get started; they'll be out looking for me."
Zora did not answer verbally. Instead, she nodded her head to Vang and Sebastian in a silent command that they get ready. Then, she began to morph. Black and orange fur covered her body and clothes, spreading out into stripes as a tail shot from her rear. She fell onto all fours as her arms and legs became the tiger's and whiskers sprouted from her face. Her ears rounded and moved to their new positions. It all took but seconds, and then a tiger stood in her place.
Connor watched it all but did not say anything. He still found it hard to believe that under all that poundage of tiger was a slim girl. "I guess you want me to get on your back?" he asked her.
She laid down, giving him the chance to do just that, even as Sebastian put out the fire scuttled onto Vang's.
Connor climbed aboard, and they headed out into the unknown darkness. Connor hoped there would not be any raptors along the way.
