It was late at night, but Megan lingered in Duncan's luxurious walk-in shower, playing around with the various settings and trying out three different scented soaps. He'd picked her up after her classes, and they'd had dinner together at his place, then made love for hours, until it was time for her to leave. Only she didn't really want to, not yet.
Megan might not be in love with Duncan, but she was completely and utterly smitten with his house. Situated on one of the hills overlooking Montsimmard, with a view of Lake Celestine in the distance across the rooftops of the city; it was modern in style, with big panoramic windows and lots of pale wood and steel. The rooms were large and tastefully furnished, with lots of little echoes of Duncan's Rivaini heritage: mosaic tiles in warm, earthy tones in the bathrooms; low side tables and armoires made from dark, carved wood in the spacious living room; luscious patterned carpets everywhere.
Of course, there was no way he'd have been able to afford all of it on his professor's salary alone, but Megan knew he made a fair bit of money on the side with speaking engagements and his various publications. Either way, she was only too happy to take advantage of all that luxury now and then. Her own family was quite well-off, and sometimes she missed the comforts of home in her shabby dorm room.
"Megan?" Duncan was standing in the doorway, fully dressed, and he was smiling at the look of bliss on her face as she basked in the warm spray of water caressing her bare shoulders. "Come on. I need to take you home so I can get some sleep."
"All right." With a sigh of regret, she stepped out, quickly dried herself off and threw on her short dress.
On the way to the car, a thought struck her. "Say, Duncan…" It was something that she'd wondered about for a while. "Why do you live in this big house all by yourself? I mean, it's awesome and all that, but you don't really need the room, do you?"
"No, I guess I don't." He didn't say more at first, but when they were heading down the hill, he spoke again, quiet and hesitant. "My parents didn't have a whole lot of money. I grew up in a tiny, poky apartment, with just one bathroom and even so, we could barely afford the rent. My parents were unhappy, quarrelled a lot about money, and I hated it all. So I swore to myself that I'd have this big house one day. Dreaming of it, planning every detail… It helped me through some rough spots." He cleared his throat. "It sounds silly, I know."
Megan shook her head, then remembered he couldn't see her in the dim light. "No. Not at all. It's a wonderful house." It was no effort at all to sound sincere. "And I'm glad you could make your dream come true."
"Yeah, well. It's just sentimentality, I guess." Duncan shook himself, as if to get rid of the embarrassing memories.
He'd never told her so much about himself, and Megan wondered whether he regretted it already. She rather hoped not, and she definitely didn't think any less of him now. If anything, that little glimpse of his younger self made him even more appealing.
They didn't speak for the rest of the drive. Megan was deep in thought and Duncan seemed content to leave her alone.
"All right. I guess we ought to get some sleep before our presentation." Daylen closed the file they'd been working on for the past few hours, rubbing his eyes wearily. "Maker, I was beginning to think we'd be at it all night."
"No way." Léonie glared at him from her bed, but it was obvious her heart wasn't in it. "I would have kicked you out at midnight, at the very latest. I need my beauty sleep, you know."
"Hey, I knew we were nearly done." With a relaxed shrug, Megan turned off her laptop and got to her feet. "See you in class tomorrow, Daylen. And thanks for coming along."
He smiled, but didn't reply as he gathered his things. They had met at the library earlier on, but had been forced to relocate to Megan's room at closing time. Megan wasn't really fond of this kind of last-ditch effort, but the presentation counted toward her final grade, and she couldn't afford to fail it. And since Daylen had turned out to be a bit of a perfectionist, she hadn't been able to just wing it, as she would have done if she'd been on her own.
"Night, Megan." He left with a quick, surreptitious glance at her.
As soon as the door fell shut behind him, Megan stretched and yawned, popping the button on her tight jeans open with a relieved groan. "Maker, that took forever. I'm so ready to call it a night."
Léonie shook her head. "Poor guy. He's head over heels for you, and you don't even notice him."
"I do." Megan sighed, rubbing her belly absent-mindedly. "And I think he's cute. It's just… It would hardly be fair to string him along just for the fun of it, while I'm planning to have it off with someone else, would it?"
"Your mystery lover, you mean?" Léonie made a sniffing noise. "No offense, Megan, but that thing really doesn't seem to be going anywhere."
Megan shrugged. "It doesn't have to go anywhere. I like things fine the way they are."
"Yeah, well, suit yourself." Léonie made a face. "All I know is, if I had the choice between a cutie like Daylen who worships the ground I walk on and a guy who doesn't even want to admit we-" Megan made a small, warning noise, and Léonie fell silent immediately.
Still, much as it pained Megan to admit it, her roommate had a point. Daylen was a sweetheart, kind and considerate, and he was pretty much exactly her type, as far as looks went. Besides, with him, there'd be no secrecy, no sneaking out at night for illicit meetings. She could have a boyfriend, plain and simple, just like all the other girls, and the thought was tempting, in a way.
Honestly, what was it about Duncan that attracted her so much that she was willing to put up with all of his shit? Sure, he was good-looking, but so were plenty of others. Heck, even some of the other profs were pretty hot, and as for her fellow students… Megan knew that several of them would have been only too willing to mess around with her. So why did she prefer Duncan to someone her own age?
Stretching out on her narrow bed, Megan stared at the ceiling, trying to sort out her thoughts. Part of it was that she had always been curious and eager to learn, and sex was no exception. There was plenty that Duncan could teach her, and she intended to take full advantage of it. Besides, he knew what he wanted and didn't hesitate to take it, and he didn't mind when things got a little rough. There was no shy fumbling with him, no pleading eyes, but no quarter given either. With Duncan, she always had to be on top of her game to stay in charge, and she genuinely enjoyed their little power games.
And yet… There were days when she grew tired of it all. Just occasionally, it would be nice to be with someone who didn't challenge her constantly, someone in whose presence she could fully relax... Or maybe not. With a sigh, Megan turned to face the wall. If it ever happened, she'd probably be bored to death.
Duncan had grumbled a lot. Megan knew that he was not happy about letting her stay all night. But at the same time, there was no way he would risk ruining his fancy car by driving through a hail storm. And calling a taxi for her would have been tacky, as well as inconsiderate. So in the end, she had the vagaries of the weather to thank for a whole night spent in his big, comfy bed.
He wasn't there when she woke up, so she went looking for him, after a quick trip to the bathroom. Her clothes from last night didn't look particularly inviting, so she grabbed his shirt instead and pulled it over her head without bothering to unbutton it. It went all the way down to her thighs, so she was at least moderately decent.
She found Duncan in the kitchen, where he was busy making breakfast. He was wearing only pyjama pants, and Megan paused for a moment in the doorway to enjoy the view. He really was in damn good shape for a man his age. Though, come to think of it, she had no idea how old he was. 50-ish, if she hazarded a guess, but she was by no means sure.
"Megan." He spared a quick glance at her before returning his attention to the pan on the stove. "Pancakes okay with you?"
"Absolutely. I love pancakes." It was a nice surprise, actually. She hadn't expected that level of domesticity from him.
Walking up behind him, she moulded herself against his bare back for a moment, enjoying his warmth.
"Just a moment." Carefully, he let the last pancake slide on top of the stack he'd already prepared, then turned around to place a quick kiss on her lips. "You can help me set the table."
They worked quickly together, getting plates and cutlery from the beautiful kitchen range. When they were done, Megan surveyed it all with a pleased sigh, then made herself comfortable in Duncan's lap.
"This is nice." Yawning, she rubbed her head against his shoulder. "Feels almost like an old married couple."
"Megan." He grew tense immediately. "Look, I… I'm very fond of you, but you do realize-"
"Of course I do. I'm not stupid." It was said lightly, but she still felt a pang at his words. It was one thing to know rationally that their little fling couldn't last, but why couldn't they even pretend for a moment? "I was just joking."
He was still frowning, and she jumped to her feet again, casting about for a way to distract him. "Say… do you have any syrup for the pancakes? Because I have so many fun ideas involving syrup…"
Duncan laughed softly, apparently relieved about the change of subject. "There's some maple syrup over there, on the top shelf."
Megan set off enthusiastically in the direction he'd indicated, but found to her annoyance that she couldn't reach the top shelf, no matter how far she stretched herself. She was about to give up when she heard a brief chuckle right behind her, and he was there, reaching past her to get the bottle.
"Here you go." He handed it to her, taking advantage of their positions to embrace her tightly and run his hands all the way down her body, caressing her through the thin linen of the shirt. "Mmhmm, you feel good."
Megan felt a familiar tingle inside her belly, but a girl had to have priorities. "Breakfast first." She leaned back against him for a moment, though, because it was nice to be in his arms, safe and familiar.
Together, they made short work of the pancakes. Duncan left the last one to Megan, smiling indulgently as she drenched it in syrup and polished it off. She helped him put everything into the dishwasher afterwards, but when he reached for the syrup bottle, she stopped him with a wicked smile.
"Leave it. I told you I have plans." She tilted her head invitingly in the direction of the kitchen table. "Aren't you curious?"
"So you were serious about that?" He sighed. "Of course you were. You do realize that this is going to be one hell of a mess?"
"Yeah. So?" Quickly, she arranged herself on the table and pulled the shirt over her head, then reached for the bottle.
"Wait a moment." Duncan raised his hand to stop her. "If you love syrup so much, shouldn't I be the one who gets covered in it?"
"Good point. Well, then. Come here." She patted the table's surface invitingly.
Fortunately, the table was big and solid, like most of his furniture, and it didn't even creak when he joined her, having discarded his pyjama pants. "Really, Megan," he made one last, half-hearted attempt to change her mind. "We'll be sticky all over."
"Yup. Can't wait." With a wide grin, she took hold of the bottle and poured a generous amount of syrup on his bare stomach.
Duncan groaned in despair when the amber liquid started to pool in his navel, but when Megan bent over him and started to lap it off him, he quickly found another reason to moan. Her hands weren't idle either, spreading some on his dark, flat nipples before she proceeded to suckle gently, making him arch up below her.
"Sure you don't want to try some?" Catching his gaze, she carefully dabbed some syrup on her own breasts.
Again, he moaned, pulling her up to straddle him and sucking her nipples hungrily between his lips, first one, then the other. It felt a bit weird, actually, because the syrup got smeared all over her thighs and stomach. Their skin was starting to stick together in places, and it was not an altogether agreeable sensation.
And yet… Duncan's mouth felt so good on her, and he was fully hard against her stomach, though she hadn't even tried anything with his cock yet. Which was a sad oversight, now that she came to think of it.
"Wait." She sat up, and Duncan flinched in pain, when her skin got stuck to his chest hair.
It took a moment to free herself, but the momentary discomfort was quickly forgotten when she reached for his cock, coating it thoroughly in syrup before she got to work with her tongue. Both his hands found their way into her hair, holding her in place as she licked and sucked greedily, and his moans turned frantic at record speed.
And Megan loved it all, chasing down every last bit of syrup, down between his legs, into every tiny fold and crevice. Maker, this is fun. It wasn't that she didn't like his natural taste, but the sweetness of the syrup added an extra layer of enjoyment to an activity she'd always relished. Already, he was getting close, practically unable to stop himself from thrusting up below her, begging her not to stop, in a needy tone she'd never heard from him before.
Of course, she had no intention of stopping anyway. She kept going until he came with a long, shuddering sigh, pouring himself down her throat, until he began to twitch in her mouth, oversensitive after that wild rush of pleasure. And even then she didn't really want to let go of him. Placing a last, soft kiss on the tip of his cock, she reluctantly withdrew, grinning triumphantly at the sight of him, wrecked and shivering, unable to move or speak.
When he had finally recovered enough to try to sit up, Duncan made a face. "Ugh. I would love to pay you back in kind, but really, this is-"
"Well, why don't we take this to the shower instead?" she purred. "Two birds with one stone, so to speak. We clean up and you take care of me."
"Excellent idea." He got off the table with another wince and gathered her up in his arms, heading straight for the bathroom.
Megan leaned against his shoulder, fighting the urge to giggle with sheer joy. It was wonderful to be held like this, to feel his strength and to know she could rely on him not to drop her. And when he put her down in the shower and turned on the warm spray, she happily surrendered herself to his skilled caresses.
He made her come with his hands and mouth, with the water pouring all over both of them, glistening in his lashes as he looked up to watch her face in the throes of her orgasm. And afterwards he soaped them both up from head to toe until the last vestiges of the syrup were gone and they could dry off and head for the bed for some much needed rest.
Duncan would want her to leave after their nap, of course, and she knew better than to overstay her welcome. But for now, he was holding her, tight and warm, and his lips were brushing against her forehead as she dozed off, feeling happy and sated.
No, they didn't have a future together, but they could still enjoy the present. And right now, Megan was enjoying it very much indeed.
Maple syrup sex is harder to write than I thought, folks... :D But I had a blast writing this chapter. As usual, hugs and thanks to my awesome beta suilven.