Chapter LXXI – With a Bottle of Jack's
Aeyrin took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh night air.
It wasn't much use. She could still smell the rum on her.
It was almost painful to think about the long journey that would await them before they finally got to the inn. Before, all she could smell was ash and death and now it was rum. Granted, it was better now. And the journey wouldn't really be that long. She just wished that they would be there already.
She let out a tired groan pointedly as she felt Bishop approach behind her. Would he be willing to carry her back into the city? She was sorely tempted to ask, although with their packs filled with armor, she suspected that she already knew the answer.
Bishop stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around her stomach, dragging her onto his chest. He let out a groan of his own, although it was far from tired as his hands began slowly running over her flanks.
"Finally," he smirked before he dipped his head down to teasingly bite into her shoulder.
He was getting quite friendly there in the middle of the pier. Not that it wasn't pleasant, but they should really wait until they were finally alone at the inn.
"Yeah, we should go. I can't wait to take a bath," she gave him a soft smile and took a step forward, but Bishop didn't move at all. Instead, he coiled his arms around her again in a tight embrace and yanked her back into his chest with a chuckle.
It was when she realized that the strong smell of rum wasn't just a lingering odor from the cabin.
"Are you… are you drunk?" She pried herself off him a little so that she could have a proper look at him. His eyes were a little glassy and his smirk kind of answered the question for him. When in Oblivion did he get drunk?
"Maybe," he snickered. "Come here." Another quick yank brought her back into his tight embrace once more and he quickly nuzzled his face into her neck. His hands were always squeezing her, running over her stomach, before he started to snake them upwards without much subtlety.
"Bishop!" Aeyrin yelped as she quickly grabbed a hold of his hands, holding them at bay. There were people still walking around. Granted, most of them were probably drunk too, but still. "When… how did you even get drunk?"
"What? You think I should have left all that rum there? Come on, would've been a waste," he laughed merrily in response. "He didn't want it anyway." He still wouldn't let up, running his hands over her shirt, although he had at least stopped the attempts at anything more for now.
"So you decided to get drunk right now?" Aeyrin gave him another incredulous look. She still didn't know how she hadn't noticed anything. Although, she was rather preoccupied with Jack. And she did actually notice that something was off about Bishop. She just didn't think that he would really be drunk.
"Hmm-mm." Bishop murmured into the skin on her neck, sending hot puffs of air at her. "Got any better ideas?"
She couldn't deny that she was craving some drink and relaxation too, true. But she was craving a bath much more. Besides, he was already drunk and he didn't even offer any. Likely to keep his theft a secret, but still he could have…
"I saved you some." She could feel the grin on his lips against her skin as he uttered those words. There was a brief moment of fumbling when one of his hands left her stomach, but a second later, it outstretched towards her, presenting Bishop's waterskin.
And she had naively thought that he was drinking so much because of that ash.
Still, she grabbed the waterskin and rattled it a little to see how much was left. It wasn't just one sip as she had feared. And Bishop was already quite drunk, it was only fair that she would get to unwind as well. She uncorked the waterskin and promptly took a deep swig.
Damn, that was quite strong.
"That's my girl," Bishop chuckled again while he squeezed her in his arms once more. He leaned towards her and planted a long kiss into her hair, but right after he did, he pulled back in surprise with a brief cough and a resounding 'bleh'. "Fuck, you're all ashy."
True, her hair must have still been full of ash after rolling around in that furnace. Her clothes were probably the only relatively clean thing about her right then. Relatively.
"Hmm. I need a bath," she nodded morosely while she took another swig from the waterskin. It was warming her up even more than Bishop's arms.
"Yeah," Bishop nodded. Suddenly, the warmth of his embrace was all gone as he straightened up with determination. Aeyrin didn't even manage to react before he playfully smacked her backside with another chuckle. "Come on then. What are we waiting for?"
With a light giggle, Aeyrin began to walk again, across the pier and towards the stairs. Bishop was instantly on her heels with his hands always wandering around her back or backside at every opportunity. It was getting tougher to keep her mind on just walking with the distractions. But they were hardly alone at the docks. She was still all too aware of the passersby looking at them.
But at least it was already dark. Soon they would find themselves on the road back to Solitude.
As they continued on, Bishop seemed to get increasingly impatient. Whenever there was no one in sight, which was happening more and more often the further away from the ships they got, he got bolder in his touching and groping. Aeyrin wasn't sure anymore if she was getting more heated from the spicy rum she had been continually sipping, or from how riled up he was getting her. It was hard to be thinking about anything else than what they would get up to once they were somewhere alone.
When they passed the last platform leading back to the road, Jack's crate of rum was no longer there. The Altmer had probably sent someone to get it already. It was a shame. Bishop was thinking about taking one or two more bottles with them. After all, Aeyrin definitely seemed to like the drink too. And they might not get a chance to get more somewhere if they wanted. At least not this 'cheap'.
They continued along the path, back towards the scorched ground around the mill. Bishop was getting too distracting by now. Even when she tried to take a sip from his waterskin or readjust her backpack, he used the brief pause in her steps to press himself against her or yank her into his embrace. The journey was getting longer than necessary with the constant interruptions, and it didn't help how much those were making her eager to just get to the inn already and do something about the constant teasing.
But just as she tried to turn towards the road to the city proper, Bishop dragged her to his arms again. This time, he didn't use the move to stop them though. He wrapped his arm snugly around her waist and directed her toward another direction altogether. He stepped forth again, taking her along, heading past the mill and towards the shore again.
"What are you doing?" Aeyrin giggled at him. "I wanna get to the inn already."
"No, it's too damn far," Bishop let out almost a whine as he adamantly continued in his strides. It wasn't that far anymore, but… right then, everything seemed far. Even the shore that he was undoubtedly dragging her towards.
"There's a sawmill down there," she gasped a little. And while that part of the shore was a bit hidden by the surrounding rocks, it was still uncomfortably close to the docks. She really wanted a bath, and she could probably use some cooling off too, but she was more used to bathing in actual wilderness when outside. Never this close to civilization.
"It's night. Who do you think hangs around a sawmill at night?" Bishop snickered while his hand slid down slightly below the hem of her trousers. "Come on, love. It's late. No one's around," he gestured with his other hand to the surrounding area before he leaned his head closer to her, sending another hot puff of breath against her ear. "I can't wait anymore."
Bishop nipped at the tip of her ear teasingly, sending shivers down her spine. Gods… he had a point. Well… not really, the inn was not that far and they could have all the privacy there that they could want, but he was too tempting. And, despite her trepidations, so was the thrill of being somewhere they definitely shouldn't be. At least not naked.
They made it down to the shore soon enough and, when they slumped their packs onto the ground, Bishop didn't waste a second before he pulled Aeyrin into a deep kiss. She didn't care about the smell of rum anymore after drinking it herself. In fact, it was pretty nice, like she could still feel the spices on her tongue when he kissed her.
The kiss was cut shorter than she would have liked, since she was enjoying the taste of rum mingling between their tongues. Soon enough though, Bishop's embrace turned looser and his hands grabbed the hems of her shirt instead. He broke the kiss promptly and without much ado, draped the shirt off her before he threw it on the ground somewhere.
The freezing air instantly assaulted her, even through her slight inebriation, but Bishop was quick to dispose of his own shirt and bring her into his arms again. He was comfortingly warm. She could almost forget that it was almost winter again when he was warming her up like that. She did look around carefully to see if anyone could see her this exposed there, but it looked like they were finally completely alone.
Bishop lowered his head again to capture her lips in his and eagerly slide his tongue in her mouth. His embrace got firmer, almost crushing, as he suddenly started to drag her upwards along his body. First, she was forced on her tiptoes, but soon enough he lifted her off the ground completely with a playful chuckle escaping his lips in between kisses. Aeyrin quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself, but just as she did, Bishop let out another chuckle. His hands quickly shifted, rearranging his grip on her below her thighs. She didn't have many other options than to wrap her legs around his waist in turn, but just as she did, Bishop started to spin around in place.
It felt like the movement was really fast. Aeyrin wasn't sure whether it was because of the cold air or because of her inebriation, but she let out a surprised yelp while she held onto his neck as tightly as she could. She felt like she would fall off him otherwise. She had to close her eyes to escape the dizzying display of stars and distant light swirling in front of them, as well as the air slashing her face. When she did, it felt oddly… pleasant. The cold created a nice contrast where their bodies met and Bishop's amused chuckle strangely warmed her too. She giggled at his antics in turn and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Soon, she began kissing and nipping at his flesh there eagerly.
The spinning stopped after a while, at least she thought so, but the air was still assaulting her exposed torso mercilessly. She never stopped kissing his neck and jaw with vigor though. She didn't even mind the faint traces of ashen taste on his skin. Although it would definitely be much more pleasant if they finally washed themselves. For the both of them.
Aeyrin suddenly felt her back press into something unbearably cold and she let out a loud hiss. There was something scratching into her skin as well. She barely realized that she was propped against one of the nearby rocks before Bishop pressed his body to hers tightly, rubbing his skin against her. The hard contours she could feel under his trousers left little guess about how eager he was to move things along right then and there.
Although… they really needed to wash already.
Aeyrin pulled back for a second. It felt like she could never actually get used to the feel of the freezing stone on her back. "Bish, come on, let's go finally wash that ash."
He let out a low growl in response, likely not excited about the prospect of cold water just then, but he eased his grip on her and let her feet fall back to the ground again.
"Fine, let's go wash that ass," he snickered like a little kid at that joke.
Aeyrin shook her head at him, but couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips. She quickly stepped away from him, not to get even more delayed by his groping, and she bent down to remove her boots. She couldn't wait to wash the grime off herself already, although the prospect of the freezing water was not very encouraging.
Bishop didn't waste any time before he began to haphazardly yank his remaining clothes off as well. Soon they were both naked, alone on the small moonlit piece of the shore. Even in the dark, Aeyrin could feel Bishop's gaze roam over her body hungrily. She quickly grabbed his waterskin that had been carelessly thrown on the ground at some point, and she drank the rest of the rum in it in one go to warm herself up a bit more.
It kind of worked, at first. She could feel the pleasant heat spreading through her core, but once she moved to the water and submerged her legs, the horrible cold began seeping in again mercilessly.
She hugged herself tightly, shivering in spot. She did not want to submerge herself fully, but the cold air was hardly any better on her skin. Before she could make up her mind, however, a sudden noise of splashing water interrupted her thoughts. In a matter of seconds, she was grabbed around her waist tightly and yanked down, right into the icy water.
"Aah! Bishop!" she shrieked in shock as the cold water enveloped her body. She barely managed to keep her head dry. But her cry was only met with a bout of mischievous laughter from Bishop. It was still a little annoying that he didn't mind the cold at all.
"You wanted to wash up. That's not gonna happen if you're just gonna stand there like that," he laughed. She quickly stood up to get away from the water again, but that proved to be a bad idea now that she was all wet. The air was much worse. She promptly submerged herself again and tried to concentrate on the feeling of all that ash and grime washing away instead of on the cold.
Bishop swam closer towards her almost immediately and wrapped her in his arms again.
"You're so fucking cute when you're freezing," he chuckled at her, earning a playful punch into his shoulder.
"I'm glad you're enjoying my suffering," she scoffed through her occasionally rattling teeth. "And you know what? You were kinda cute too when you were freezing," she couldn't help but snicker at him. It was both worrying and satisfying at the same time in the catacombs.
"'Cute'? Seriously, ladyship?" Bishop groaned in annoyance. What? He was allowed to call her that but she wasn't? She only giggled at his grumbling, but she soon came to regret that response.
Bishop gave her a sudden malicious grin before he submerged them entirely into the freezing water without any warning. Aeyrin barely managed to let out a yelp as her head disappeared under the surface along with him.
Fortunately, he didn't hold them under water for longer than a few seconds, but when he hoisted them both up again, he gave her a shameless grin in return. "I am not 'cute'."
"Clearly," she snorted in between her attempts to wipe the water and her wet hair from her face. She needed to wash her hair and face anyway, but she was still a little miffed about having that happen so suddenly. Then again, if it didn't, she may have never forced herself to dunk her head down.
Bishop still didn't look even a little apologetic, but once she gave him a small smile, finally a little accustomed to the water, he leaned in for another hungry kiss.
Washing off all the ash and grime might have been their priority, but it was clear that the night was going to be a long one yet.
…
Aeyrin and Bishop rested on the shore, still a bit wet from the bath.
Neither of them was certain about how long they'd stayed in the water, or now on the shore. It was probably still before midnight, but they were not very concerned about the time. The place felt so serene just then. Behind the thick clouds, swirling colors of the northern lights illuminated the sky dimly and there was no sound around aside from the distant waves of the Sea of Ghosts. And the occasional drunken yells coming from the harbor, but those were getting sparser.
After they had gotten out of the water and somewhat reluctantly put their clothes on, Bishop eagerly produced another bottle of rum from his pack. Aeyrin looked like she could use the warmth and they weren't in a hurry to go back to the city yet. So they stayed there on the shore longer, with Aeyrin nestled into Bishop's lap to avoid the cold ground, and a bottle of rum warming them.
"How many of these did you steal?" she chuckled briefly when he passed her the bottle again after taking a swig.
"Just three. Should've taken more, right? With the way we're going tonight," he smirked in turn. The cold water certainly sobered them up a bit from the first bottle, although neither of them had been that drunk in the first place. It was just one bottle, rum or not. The cold air was somewhat sobering on its own and Aeyrin didn't get that much of the waterskin left. Otherwise it would have surely had more of an effect on her. But this felt like a perfect balance to replenish – the pleasant warmth and the content careless feeling accompanying the light inebriation.
Aeyrin was still shivering occasionally, despite the alcohol. But she also didn't feel like leaving that place yet. Somehow, she wasn't in the mood for having more people around. They'd barely left the wilderness and it already felt like something she missed, being with him alone, far from anyone else. In fact, this was different from the wilderness. They didn't care about security, precautions. They didn't worry about their enemies constantly. Even if it was careless, given their recent troubles, it was too nice a moment to ruin it.
"How are you still freezing?" Bishop chuckled at her when she shivered again in his arms.
"It didn't suddenly stop being cold, you know?" she scoffed. "There are some things that even rum can't beat." She took another swig and closed her eyes, nestling herself more into his arms. He was radiating so much heat, even more than the alcohol. When she closed her eyes like that, she could almost imagine that she was resting on a nice sunny beach somewhere on the Gold Coast. She missed that place. The warmth and the sea air. Skyrim's sea air was different. It was chilling and it felt like it was seeping under her skin.
"Too bad that this isn't a hot beach on the Gold Coast," she lamented out loud. There were probably better beaches somewhere, like the Summerset Isles or Hammerfell, but she'd only ever been at those in Cyrodiil. And out of all of them, the ones on the Gold Coast had no match.
"Thank the fucking Gods for that. One thing I don't miss about Cyrodiil," Bishop snorted at her. He really didn't miss the heat at all. It often got unbearable during the day. He was lucky that he didn't spend a lot of time on the Coast.
Aeyrin opened her eyes again with a curious expression on her face. 'One thing'?
"You miss Cyrodiil?" she asked. He had mentioned before missing things like Cyrodiil wine and… that was probably it. She had always assumed that his time there wasn't really pleasant.
"Hmm… some stuff, I guess. It's a nice place. There were some… good memories there too, even if only rarely," he nodded thoughtfully. Whenever Torban and most of his siblings were far away for instance. He had some good days hunting with Jules, or sneaking around the cities.
"We could go one day," Aeyrin mused idly. She couldn't help but start to imagine the two of them there, back where she had spent the majority of her life. "We could go delve into Ayleid ruins. Or raid Skingrad wineries. See a play at the Imbel's House. Or just stay like this for a while on a beach on the Gold Coast."
"The last one doesn't sound that appealing," Bishop chuckled. He wanted to make some other quip about that fancy brothel she was still so fascinated with too, but he stopped himself when he noticed her wistful expression. A thought occurred to him that he had never really considered before, oddly enough.
"Were you planning to go back? When you left." He felt as if that question hung uncomfortably in the air, although that may have been his imagination. Rationally, he knew that he wasn't the reason why she stayed in Skyrim in the first place. If she had been staying only for him, she would have left instantly after the events in Falkreath. She was staying for her duty as a Dragonborn, for everything that she had started and left unfinished here, maybe even for her pilgrimage still. But what if those things were over? What would happen when those things were over?
"Yeah. I was. I might have gone to some other province next, but… I wasn't going to stay here," Aeyrin nodded. Bishop wasn't even sure why he asked just then. He knew that it was just an adventure for her in the first place. This wasn't her home. Well… not back then.
"Do you still wanna go back?" he looked at her intently. He wasn't afraid of her wanting to go back, of her leaving. He knew that she wouldn't leave him to go back. That wouldn't make any sense. There was no reason why he should stay in Skyrim after all if she didn't want to. But still, he was starting to imagine their future here together. It would be disappointing to let those thoughts go.
"I don't know," a brief scowl appeared on her face as she pondered the question. The thought hadn't even occurred to her ever since she got here. Strange. "Would you go with me, if I did?" she looked back into Bishop's eyes. She knew that he would. She wasn't sure why she asked. But she still wanted to hear it.
"Of course, love," he gave her a warm smile in return. She must have known that he would go anywhere with her. They could travel the world together too. It would definitely be something he would enjoy. But Skyrim felt like… home. At least now it did. He still hoped that this would be the place to always return to for them, no matter where they went.
"So… do you?" he asked again.
"I don't know." Aeyrin's answer was the same, but the fond smile on her lips suggested a bit more certainty. "I kinda like it here. Even if it's always freezing," she giggled when Bishop squeezed her tighter into his embrace with palpable affection. "As long as I have someone to warm me up."
"Always, sweetness," he chuckled. That was one task he would never mind at all.
It did seem a bit insurmountable on this particular night though. Despite the fact that more than a half of the second bottle was gone and his adamant attempts at warming her with his embrace, she still shivered with cold every now and then. Her damp hair was probably not helping matters either.
It was likely time to find some shelter.
"Come on, love. Rum's not enough. You need to get warmed up properly," Bishop grinned at her before he leaned down to give her a languid kiss. While the kiss was slow and sweet, she could already feel the tension of anticipation in the way he gripped her tighter in the process.
"Here?" she chuckled. Not that they haven't done plenty during their bath already out in the open like this, but still, even if he 'warmed her up properly' the cold ground wasn't exactly inviting.
"No. Let's go," he nodded resolutely and eased his grip on her.
She was reluctant to leave his body heat behind, but it was probably a good idea to go back to the city. It would be much warmer there and they could wash their clothes and sleep on an actual bed. She still kind of didn't want to go back among people though.
Bishop got himself up swiftly and he grabbed his pack without delay. He seemed all too eager to get back to the city suddenly. When she finally gathered her things as well, too slowly for his liking, he grabbed her by the wrist and practically dragged her back towards the mill.
Aeyrin only let out a giggle at his eagerness while she still clutched the half-finished bottle in the other hand. She took the occasional sip as they walked briskly, only warming herself up more, but soon, she forgot all about the drink.
Bishop stopped holding her by the hand almost instantly and he quickly snuck his arm around her waist instead. In a matter of seconds, things were feeling much more heated than during their peaceful respite on the shore. He pressed her close, while running his hand over her flank and buttocks constantly. And on occasion, he leaned towards her to interrupt their journey with a deep kiss. It was no longer soothing and languid – a very familiar barely contained passion was seeping through, consuming and exciting.
When they reached the charred ground of the nearby farm, Bishop let out a frustrated growl. The atmosphere was getting more and more heated and the idea of going all the way back to Solitude suddenly didn't seem so tempting.
They stopped once again in front of the mill. Bishop enveloped her in a tight embrace and leaned down to kiss her once more. His hands seemed to be roaming everywhere on her body. His fingers began sliding almost subtly under her clothes every now and then while she gripped firmly at the hair on the back of his head. She was still holding the bottle in one hand and their packs were very uncomfortably in the way, but that didn't stop them from getting lost in the moment entirely.
They only stopped when a loud sound of shattering glass echoed through the area. Aeyrin didn't even notice the bottle slipping from her grip. The two of them separated with a start and looked to the ground at the shards covered in the golden liquid.
There had still been a lot of rum left in the bottle. Bishop would ordinarily feel a bit regretful over all that delicious and expensive spirit wasted, but that was definitely the furthest thing from his mind just then. With only a smirk, he grabbed Aeyrin's hand again and started to walk briskly, yanking her along.
Much to her surprise, however, he changed directions right before they reached the path leading back to the city. And before she could even question him, he quickly hurried with her into a nearby barn.
It was a small barn, barely big enough to house two or three animals. It was surprisingly preserved, away from the scorch marks left by the dragon's attack, but when Bishop dragged her fully inside and shut the large doors behind them, it became apparent that the place was entirely empty. Whatever animals used to live here before, they must have been killed in the attack. There was nothing there aside from lots of hay and a still filled trough.
"Someone could find us here," Aeyrin whispered, but she couldn't hide the giddiness from her voice. This was definitely preferable to going all the way back to Solitude. She was too riled up to be patient. And it was quite exciting to be technically breaking into this place.
"I think the owners got eaten by the dragon," Bishop smirked. Maybe not all of them did, but the house near the mill looked empty too. And even if it wasn't, who cared? There were plenty of places around the barn they could hide without actually getting naked right in the middle of the place in plain sight.
He grabbed her by the hand once more and led her towards one of the step ladders on the side of the structure – it led atop a shelf-like platform where a lot of bales of hay were being stored. It looked like a good place to stay the night.
"Come on, love. Time for a roll in the hay," he chuckled at that as he began to climb up the stepladder.
With an amused eye roll, Aeyrin followed him up the ladder without much prompting. They both had to crawl their way towards the end of the platform, in order to avoid hitting their heads on the ceiling, but eventually, they settled there in the very corner of the structure, hidden from plain view should anyone by any chance come inside. There was hay everywhere, scattered around the wooden boards and lying about outside of the bales. It was a small miracle that the dragon hadn't hit the barn. It would have gone up in flames in a matter of seconds.
They quickly tucked their packs in between two nearby bales before they turned their attention to one another once more. Bishop captured Aeyrin's lips in another insistent and hungry kiss while he nudged her down slowly, pinning her on a layer of straw. The whole place felt pleasantly warm without the cold wind howling around them and Bishop's body heat and her flushed state, both from her arousal and her slight inebriation, made the place only all the more pleasant. She ran her hands across his flanks while he continued to kiss her and nip at her lips, before she grabbed the hems of his shirt. She was eager to feel the warm hard contours of his body under her fingers already.
Aeyrin dragged his shirt off him quickly and tossed it beside herself towards one of the bales. Then, she wrapped her arms around him immediately and started running them over his shoulder blades and toned back. Bishop's kisses turned much more insistent as soon as his tongue slid over her lower lip teasingly and before he moved it back to tangle with hers again. He concentrated on her jaw and neck occasionally, sucking on her skin or biting lightly into her flesh.
He was constantly pressing down on her, pushing their bodies closer and closer, as if that was even possible, and rubbing against her with every motion. The extent of his excitement was hardly subtle that way, and Aeyrin couldn't help but let out low moans every time she could feel his body shift on hers, every time his rough stubble scratched the skin of her neck or collar.
It didn't take long before Bishop began to run his hands over her sides, under her shirt, bundling the fabric along his motions. She had to raise her torso with effort, with his weight largely on her, to help him along, but the moment she relaxed into the hay and wooden boards below her again, the discomfort of it hit her. Bishop had already managed to bare her almost entirely, rolling her shirt to stay bundled right above her exposed breasts, but she couldn't help but shift and wriggle every now and then, as much as her position allowed. The straw beneath her was constantly pricking and scratching her naked skin. Whoever thought that a 'roll in the hay' was actually something desirable? Hay didn't seem like the best thing to roll in.
Bishop promptly moved his mouth and hands to her breasts, kneading them eagerly while he kissed and sucked on her nipples. As enjoyable as the feel of him on her sensitive skin was, she could still not make herself comfortable with the constant stinging on her back. Though Bishop was already moving one of his hands between her legs with eagerness. He shifted his hips just enough to give himself some space before he started to rub against the fabric of her trousers, pressing her clothes against her folds firmly.
She wasn't sure what sensations to concentrate on, it all became overwhelming quickly. Her back was still in a lot of discomfort while spikes of pleasure jolted through her core from between her legs. All the while Bishop's lips were still teasing her breasts, making her whole body heat up even more.
She let out a high-pitched gasp when his rubbing started to hit a particularly good spot, but as soon as he heard that, he stopped. She almost whined at him in accusation. Now she was much more aware of the prickling on her back.
Bishop disentangled himself from her completely, which made her even more morose, but she knew that he wasn't actually stopping for long. He moved to yank her boots off her as quickly as possible, then he continued with his own. His trousers came off right after that and it only took him a second before he hooked his hands under the hems of hers.
She raised her hips again, reluctantly pressing her back more into the straws beneath her. Every slight shift of her body sent so many stings to her. She barely even noticed Bishop yanking off her trousers while she concentrated on wriggling herself into a bearable position. Maybe he should be the one lying in the hay. He was the one who suggested they should 'roll' in it in the first place.
Before she could find a good spot for her to lie comfortably though, Bishop had already pinned her down with his weight again. He pressed his chest against hers, letting her breasts get squeezed in between their bodies while he cupped her cheeks with his hands. He moved in for another passionate, eager kiss as his hips continued pressing against her teasingly. She instantly spread her legs wider, but it only made her realize that, even if she ever found a comfortable position, it wouldn't last even a second with the constant moving. She wiggled again, but before she could nudge Bishop away from her for a bit, he broke the kiss with a confused look on his face.
"What's with all the flinching?"
It must have looked like she was trying to get away from him.
"Hay's not really comfortable," she groaned in response. Was it her imagination or did he look kind of relieved that it was the cause for her constant twitching and wiggling. As if she would have any other reason to want to stop now.
Bishop only chuckled after that and, for a second, she thought that he would just leave her in her discomfort when he didn't move off her. But of course he wouldn't. He straightened himself up a moment later, but instead of letting her get up as well, he swiftly grabbed her by the waist and flipped her over. He made it look so smooth and effortless. She only let out a yelp as she felt herself be turned around and lifted. Almost instinctively, she propped herself on her hands and knees. It was much more comfortable like that. And it was an even bigger relief when Bishop began to clean the few stray straws still sticking to her back and buttocks.
It didn't take long before Bishop pressed himself against her again. He snuck his hands below her torso, cupping her breasts once more, before she felt the tip of his cock tease her entrance slowly. He let out a low growl right after an excited moan escaped her lips. Now that any distractions and discomforts were taken care of, she was all too eager to get lost in the passion. Bishop kept teasing her for a while, even though they were both clearly already impatient, but he still continued rubbing himself against her, occasionally running his fingers through her folds, while at least one of his hands always remained on her breasts, squeezing her hungrily.
"Bishop… please," she panted through her heavy breaths.
He loved that desperately eager tone her voice took in these moments. He wanted to keep the teasing up, but he couldn't help himself anymore. With a loud groan of pleasure, he buried himself inside her slowly at last, eliciting a moan from her in turn.
The pace did not remain slow for more than a few seconds. Bishop moved his hands to her hips, digging his fingers into her flesh, before he started to thrust into her at a fast, hard pace. Every move he made had Aeyrin gasping in pleasure. It's been a long time coming. She tried to match his pace, clenching around him with every stroke and moving her hips to the rhythm. Her hands gripped at the straw beneath her fingers as jolts of electricity coursed through her body and a knot of tension was fluttering in her core. The previous teasing only made her ready for release all the sooner.
Bishop's hands moved to her breasts once more, but this time, he began pulling her backwards. She ended up straightened up, with her back pressed against his chest, being held firmly by his hands palming her breasts. He never stopped thrusting into her as he let out hot puffs of air against her ear. Aeyrin felt like she needed to steady herself. She raised her hand, before she moved it to snake towards the back of his head. She gripped his short hair firmly, holding onto him as if for dear life, while he kept moving inside her, rubbing against her and making every motion flood her body with heat. She let out another loud moan when his teeth nipped at her earlobe and his hands began kneading her breasts even more vigorously.
Gods, it felt so good to get overwhelmed by the wild pace. She felt like she could explode at any second. And when Bishop snuck his hand down her belly and began rubbing her clit, she felt her release come swiftly. She shivered under his touch as she felt the knot in her core ease. The pleasant, warm feeling spread through her entire body and she let out a long satisfied sigh. Bishop stopped his motions through that, but as soon as she riled herself up only a little, he continued moving into her at the same pace as he did before. His thrusts were becoming more and more shallow and she could already tell that he was very close too.
She clenched herself around him again, as much as she could, and she arched her back against him. A steady lustful moan escaped her lips before she let out his name from her lips, almost in a whisper.
"Bishop." She punctuated the call with another moan and it got just the reaction that she had been hoping for. Bishop let out another groan at the sound and his head dipped down to bite into the side of her neck lustfully. His pace got even faster, even harder to match, but she wasn't very concerned about that anymore. She just concentrated on the feeling of the slight sting of his teeth on her neck, the scratch of his stubble on her shoulder, and the feel of his throbbing cock inside her. She could feel the tension building in her again already and, as if sensing that, Bishop's hand moved down towards her slit once more to rub against her once more.
It only took a few seconds before Bishop let out a loud moan and his whole body shuddered against her. His hand gave her breast another squeeze and the motions of his other one stilled while he found his own release. He didn't take much time to relax though. Only a few seconds later, he started to thrust inside her again, now much slower, but the rubbing of his hand got a lot more fast-paced.
Aeyrin shivered again as another powerful jolt shot through her and her body got enveloped once more in the scorching heat. She felt like her whole world was spinning as she slumped against his back with a deep sigh.
Bishop slipped out of her at last soon after. His hands were still on her body, but his tight grips and hungry gropes turned into soft caresses now. Just then, he wanted nothing more than to lie down and have her curl against him with that gorgeous content smile on her face that he loved so much.
But she had a point. The hay didn't really sound like a comfortable place to rest.
He only reluctantly let one of his hands fall from her body before he started to blindly feel around the area. Their packs had to be there somewhere, but he was not willing to actually look. Not when he was too busy watching her body, glistening with sweat, heaving from the deep breaths as she rested herself against his chest.
He finally managed to bend down a little to unfasten the bedroll from the bottom of his pack. He felt way too heated to actually rest inside the furs, but at least it could help them fend against the prickly straw. He tossed the bedroll right in front of Aeyrin, still reluctant to disentangle their embrace. He wasn't sure what he was hoping for. The bedroll wouldn't just unroll there perfectly so that they could just slump down as they were.
Aeyrin must have been just as eager to cuddle up to him there though, since she quickly moved herself back on all fours to spread the bedroll on the straw properly. Fuck, that sight wasn't really helping in calming him down, with her displayed like that again in front of him. But he didn't get to enjoy it for that long. As soon as the bedroll was spread out to have any uncomfortable bumps smoothed out, she curled herself down on it with a satisfied sigh leaving her lips. Bishop didn't hesitate before he joined her there.
It had been a long night and their fatigue was already claiming them. But they still couldn't stop entirely. Their hands still roamed over each other's bodies and lazy kisses were constantly exchanged before sleep finally claimed them.
…
As unusual as it was, Aeyrin was the first to wake up that morning.
The sunbeams were shining into her closed eyes through the cracks between the wood of the structure, but more than that, it was the occasional cold draft hitting her back that riled her up.
It took her a while to remember where she was. First, she could only concentrate on the warmth of Bishop's body next to her. Her hand was gently laid on his chest, rising and falling along with his steady breaths, and her body was curled to him, pressing into his arms as much as she could. But it didn't help much for her exposed back. Even though the place was much warmer than the open air, sleeping on the outside of the bedroll was still not exactly a good idea. At least not for her. Bishop likely didn't care at all.
She lazily pulled out a few stray straws from under herself. It got everywhere, no matter their attempts to cover it, but it was considerably better than just laying right on it. She really had to wonder again about the whole 'roll in the hay' idea. Whoever did this so often to even come up with the phrase? But… she couldn't deny that this empty silent barn had its charm.
She gently started to run her fingers over Bishop's chest, occasionally twirling them in the hairs there. She was sure that once he woke up, he would be more than eager to warm her up again. And why not? There was no rush to leave this place, was there? Aside from the slight dry-mouth, she wasn't even hungover from the rum, surprisingly enough, so there was no rush to go bury their faces in the snow or go drink a lot of mead to chase the hangover away. They had as much time to kill as they wanted to. And rations to stave off the impending hunger.
It barely took a few seconds before Bishop's eyes fluttered open.
He looked like he needed a second to realize himself as well, but soon, his eyes turned towards her and a content smile appeared on his face.
"Morning, sweetness," he murmured. His voice felt a bit hoarse after only just waking up.
"Morning," she smiled back at him before she nuzzled her head to his shoulder. It didn't matter how much she was used to waking up in his arms by now, it still felt so good. The whole morning was so peaceful when she was only focused on his heat against her.
It felt like nothing could ruin that content moment just then.
But before they could engage in anything more that would make the morning even better, a sound interrupted their sanctuary.
It was the barn doors opening.