Chapter 9

The town wasn't as far as Richard originally thought it would be. He was glad for that. Kahlan looked exhausted and she was used to trudging through the Midlands. The other two looked much worse. They weren't used to this planet's gravity and had both been through quite the ordeal. John had mentioned something about how the gravity worked in space, but he wasn't sure he really understood the words that were coming out of his mouth. He'd finally stopped him from trying to explain.

"Look!" He pointed down the ledge of the bluff they were walking next to. "There's Repeffel. We're almost there."

"Thank God! My head is killing me." John looked over at Aeryn and could tell that she was also relieved. She tried to put on a brave face but the heat delirium scare had taken a lot out of her. "You need some water, baby?" He handed her the skein that Kahlan had offered him have earlier.

"Thanks, sure." She took a long drink letting the luke warm water wet her throat. She was so used to the controlled environment of Moya that the drier air here was making her dehydrate slightly.

They walked mostly in silence none of them having enough breath for the constant chatter. They were all injured or recovering from injury except Richard, and he'd been hauling them around all day and into the night. The Wigmore Inn's swinging sign was a welcome sight, and each of them were picturing a soft bed and a warm bath. The days sweat and grim sticking to their skin and clothes.

"We'll only need two rooms, Richard." Kahlan grabbed his hand as they walked through the door.

"One for men and one for women." Richard tried to suppress the smile that was trying to creep up on his face. Her expression was priceless, part horror part disappointment. "Just kidding."

The whack across his shoulder was unexpected. If it had come from Kahlan he wouldn't have been as surprised but Aeryn's fist connecting with him wasn't something he had anticipated.

"Leave the poor woman alone. She's had a rough day." Aeryn winked at Kahlan and leaned down close to Richard's ear, speaking loud enough so the confessor could hear her as well, but no one else. "Give her what she wants. You'll both feel better."

Kahlan turned pink at her words. She wanted it, wanted him. He looked almost willing to give in. Before he turned away to talk to the innkeeper. She stood back with Aeryn and John as Richard was handed two keys.

"We're in luck! Only two rooms left, both with a private bath and a large comfy bed, the man assured me we'd be quite comfortable." He tossed one of the keys to John and the man caught it easily. "Shall we get settled in? It's almost dark we can meet in the tavern for dinner or just have it brought to our rooms."

"I think I just need to rest." Aeryn's voice wavered.

"If she's admitting she needs rest…" John cupped her elbow and ushered her up the stairs. "We'll see you two at breakfast?"

"Yes, then we can arrange all the supplies and the horses." Richard's key slipped into the first door and he unlocked it and held it open for Kahlan. "Goodnight."

John fitted the key in the lock a few doors down and walked in with a wave. Aeryn followed behind and shot Richard a big smile before closing and latching the door behind them.

Richard walked in and secured their door. Kahlan was already getting bath water ready. The small stove in the room was already bringing the first pot to a boil. She'd filled the basin a third with the water from the pump and was slowly adding the hot water to it.

"We could save water and bathe together…" His hands touched her shoulders, rubbing and massaging the ache away.

"You shouldn't say things that you don't mean." Kahlan poured another pitcher into the water. The room was nice, the bed looked comfortable and she was anxious about being alone with him.

"How do you know I don't mean it?" Richard took the pitcher from her and took over filling the tub. She walked across the room and unlaced her dress, letting it slip to the floor.

"You refuse to… until we are in Aydindril." Her hands were behind her now undoing the lacing of her corset.

"What if I've changed my mind?"

"You don't." The sadness was evident in her voice and she turned her back to him while she she pulled the corset off. Her skirt was next and the quickly fell clear of her body.

His hands startled her as they touched the soft skin of her belly. He'd slipped behind her and slid his arms around her. He drew circles with his palms on her stomach, his thumbs dipping under the tight, black shorts.

"I have." He nuzzled the hair on her neck out of the way and his mouth found her skin. The first taste of her flesh made him moan and he tightened his grip on her.

She placed her hands over his and hugged him closer to her. Leaning back she could feel his hard chest against her back. He had too many clothes on.

"You're sure?" She wanted this so much, but not if he wasn't ready. She needed him to be okay with his decision.

He didn't answer but a hand slipped up and cupped her breast. Lightly, he squeezed it. Her nipple tightened and poked against his palm. Her lower lip was between her teeth and she was worrying it trying not to call out. The skin of her neck and shoulders was crying out for him to kiss and lick it so he gave in and tasted her flesh while his hands caressed her belly and breast.

"I want to show you how much I love you, Kahlan. Be with you in every way. No doubts and no regrets." She turned in his arms then, her mouth against his. Her lips open and hot and wet as she devoured him. He was startled at first but quickly shook himself free of his surprise and began to give as good as he was getting.

She tugged at the tails of his shirt wanting to feel his glorious skin against hers. The hard muscled of his chest and arms were calling her name. She needed more. When she was desperate for oxygen she yanked his shirt off his body and threw it out of their way. The tan skin caught her eye and she just stared at him for a minute. She soaked in the feeling that he was hers. She was going to know him intimately soon. The feelings that rushed through her veins made her moan as she reached forward and let her fingertips graze over his nipples, enjoying the feel of them tightening under her ministrations. She traced the lines of his muscles down his chest to his abs. Panning out she stroked over his ribs and the followed the indentation that was made from his hips. The delicious lines that lead to paradise. She took the path to his belt buckle and begun undoing the rest of his layers.

Richard let her work at disrobing him. While she unlaced the flap of his breeches he toed off his boots. The sweet touch of her fingers had sent his erection to full mast. Soon she would find what she'd been begging for for weeks. Soon both of their dreams would be realized. He hoped that it was all worth it. The chill of the air tickled his skin as she pushed his trousers to the floor.

"That's going to fit inside me?" She hadn't realized how large he would be.

"It's going to fit. Don't worry. Hopefully it will feel really good." He was worried about her first time but he was going to try his damnedest to make it as good for her as possible. He had no doubt that he'd find it extremely pleasurable.

"Can I…" How did she ask?

"Touch it?" Richard almost came from her asking permission.

"Yeah…" Her voice was small and slightly embarrassed. She should know what she could and couldn't do. She hated asking. She wanted it to feel good for him. She was worried about doing something wrong.

"Whatever you want to do. Wherever you want to touch me. I'm all yours." He pulled her face close to his and rubbed his nose against hers. "Everything… anything you want. I want it too." Then he kissed her.

His lips, she knew his lips, they made her feel more confident as they slid across hers. She opened her mouth and his tongue dove in. He'd never kissed her like this. Now she knew he'd always been restrained, always holding back. She understood he didn't trust he would be able to quit her before. Now, now he didn't have to.

She'd had her hands on his hips and one of them slipped between them and her fingertips caressed his hardness. It was softer than she thought. It was warm, hot really, and it felt like velvet. His moans vibrated against her tongue as he kept kissing her. His hips bucked against her on their own volition as she palmed him, eclipsing her fingers around the hard shaft. It was like the hilt of one of her daggers. It felt like hard steel under soft skin. She was fascinated.

He let go of her cheeks, his hands craved more flesh. She was still wearing the shorts and he followed the lines and planes of her back down to her ass. He squeezed the round globes over her shorts before slipping both hands beneath them. How was she so soft everywhere? Only one more piece of cloth and they'd be naked. No more barriers between them, save one. He was planning on breaking through it as well, very soon. He wondered how ready she was. He pulled her even closer, squishing her hands and his cock between them, locked against their stomachs.

His hand extended further sweeping under the cheeks, between her thighs, until he felt the moisture. Spirits, she was slick already. He felt his erection twitch with a need to feel that moisture surrounding him. He pulled her shorts over her hips and she wiggled around till they joined her skirt on the wooden floor.

The desire to explore her body overwhelmed him for a second. He drew in a few deep breaths trying to calm his response. She was naked, in his arms, and he had to tap down the urge to thrust into her. Instead he pulled away. He wanted to see her.

"You're lovely." She stole all of his senses, just the sight of her high, pert breasts, flat, soft stomach, the dark vee of the her womanhood covered in curls, all of her made him weak. She was every enemies most powerful weapon. He'd do anything for her. He could see the glistening curls, wet with her essence. His mouth watered and he held out his hand, palm up, offering to assist her to the comfortable bed that was behind him.

"I'm not afraid." With those words she set her palm against his and his fingers curled around hers. She felt glued to the floor her eyes feasting on his body, but at the slight tug on her arm she found the will to move. Her feet carried her to the bed and she stopped in front of it, next to him. The bed was raised and he lifted her up and as she started to scoot backwards the hand on her thigh gave her pause.

Richard added a second hand to her other thigh and pressed them apart. Her legs spread willingly for him as he moved between them. He wanted his mouth on her. He wanted it everywhere, but he knew that he wouldn't last that long. Just looking at her was sending the blood flowing into his cock to levels he'd never felt. He didn't remember ever being so hard and he'd barely touched her.

He needed to make the most of the little control he had. He grabbed her neck and pulled her down to kiss him, only a quick, chaste peck, before he started his journey. From her mouth he followed her neck down to her clavicle. He nipped at the skin over the bone heading towards her shoulder. When he was halfway there he started to descend again. His first destination was right below. Soon he was kissing the smooth skin of the top of her breast. The tissue beneath his mouth was firm but pliant and he took his time sucking little bits of it while he moved down her body. Her nipple touched his chin and he moaned.

The roughness of his scruff against the hardened peak of her breast made her squeak. The sensation was almost painful. The flood of moisture between her legs told her it was extreme pleasure. Then his hot mouth was on her nipple and he was suckling her. The sweet pressure on her breast made her cry out his name and her hands flew to his hair. She griped the strands and pulled his mouth closer to her. She didn't want this feeling to end. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her hips rocked. The first contact of his erection on her sex made her arch harder. A happy accident that led to more pleasure. They were lined up nearly to perfection. The stiffness of his organ rubbed along the hard nub of her clit and she felt like she was strung up tighter than a ball of yarn. She felt her muscles clenching, gripping at nothingness. She needed him inside her.

He freed himself from her death grip and quickly kissed her neglected breast, he'd worship it another day. There was too much pent up frustration for him to dawdle there right now. He skipped over her ribs and his mouth rejoined her flesh at the swell below her belly button, right above where her curls began. He inhaled her scent and moaned.

"Lay back."

She almost refused, not wanting to take her eyes from him. She wanted to see what he was doing to her. But he just needed a little more room so she complied, letting herself lay back but propping her body on her elbows. His hands were rubbing up and down the insides of her thighs and with every stroke they seemed to part a little more.

She was intoxicating. He swallowed hard as the saliva gathered in his mouth. On the upstroke his hands stopped. His fingers slowly inched toward each other until they were at her slit. It was swollen and wet and he parted her. The nub at the top was hard and red, he thought he could see it throbbing with need. The wetness leaked from her opening and he couldn't wait any longer. His head descended, mouth open, tongue ready.

The first taste almost sent him over the edge. He had to reach between his own legs and clamp his fist around the base of his cock. He licked her from her tunnel to the tiny bud, slowly collecting all the juices that had gathered there. She was divine.

Her back arched and her hands clenched the quilt that was under her as he licked her. She wasn't going to last long. She'd made herself come a few times before but it had never felt this powerful. She could feel her magic gathering beneath her skin. It was bubbling right there, barely in her control, she'd never felt like this. She mumbled his name and her head fell back. The strength that she needed to hold herself up was waning. Everything in her power was being channeled to that place between her legs. The very spot that his tongue was now lapping delicately at. It wasn't enough. She needed more.

He could tell that the gentle licks from his tongue against her clit was just light enough to not send her flying. He was careful not to push her over the plateau too quickly. His body had settled enough and his second hand returned to hers. He removed his mouth and looked on as his pointer finger probed at her sheath. He watched as he slowly pressed the digit inside of her. Her hungry body clenching against him and pulling him deeper.

He was inside her. It was hot and wet, so very tight.

"More… please, I need more." Her words were desperate she wanted release.

He didn't reply with words he simply ducked his head back down and took her clit between his lips. She screamed his name when he started to suckle her. His finger continued moving in and out in a slow, steady rhythm. He could feel her trying to clamp around him and hold him deep within her. On the next retreat he added his middle finger.

The additional pressure was slightly uncomfortable for a second then it felt incredible. Her hips rolled forward as he pushed into her again and just at the right moment his tongue swiped over the head of her clit. Her magic burst forth and her body sang as the climax took her. She felt her eyes roll back into her head and she couldn't breath. The sweet caress of orgasm had made all her senses useless. The only thing she knew was that she was rippling over his fingers and his mouth kept the waves crashing over her. She wondered if she would die from the pleasure. Then it was waning. She could breath again and her eyes opened. Her hands were on her belly rubbing circles as her hips still undulated against him. Soon she would be coherent again.

The smile on her face hurt as she tipped her head to look down at him. His cheek was on her thigh and he was pulling his fingers free of her body. She felt incredible loss as they left her but she was distracted from the feeling when he placed them between his lips and cleaned off her juices.

"Don't make me wait ever again." He shook his head at her words. there would be no more waiting. He stood up and helped her scoot to the center of the mattress while he climbed up to join her.

She looked between them his erection was dark and the veins looked larger now. The head was glistening with fluid that she could see was leaking steadily from the opening at the tip. She automatically spread her legs for him and he settled against her. Her slick heat could be felt along his sex and he bit his lip to try to hold himself in check.

"Guide me in." At her confused expression he captured one of her hands and lead her to his cock. "Show me where you want me to be."

Kahlan used her free hand to touch his cheek. Her eyes held contact with his as she gripped him and moved him so the head was lined up with her opening. She gave a nod when he felt right and gasped as he pushed forward. There was a little pressure as the head entered her. She brought her hand out from between them and rubbed his back. Her legs opened more and that cause him to slip in a little more.

They never broke eye contact as he added more pressure and continued to slide in. Her sheath opened and accommodated his size. The amount of moisture made everything easy. Nothing was truly painful, it all felt right.

After what seemed like hours to Richard, but couldn't have been more than a few minutes, he was fully sheathed inside her.

"Tell me again, why did we wait?" He couldn't remember his reasons. All he could do was feel. He felt the wet warmth of her body surrounding him, the soft slide of her hand moving across his back, the stickiness that coated her thighs as they moved up to hold him inside her, the gentle heat of her gaze that was pouring endless amounts of love into his soul. This wasn't what he imagined at all. It was so much more than that.

"Someone is stubborn." She pulled him down for a kiss. She liked the feel of them connected. She wanted it to last forever. His mouth covered hers and his tongue picked up a tempo that his hips soon followed.

In and out.

In and out.

The rhythm increased and soon they had to stop kissing. Both of them were in desperate need for oxygen. The movement of their lower halves picked up and he was soon slamming into her. She could feel the ridge of his pelvis connecting with her clitoris and it felt like she could build to a second climax.

Every time he was inside her completely he felt her gripping him and eventually he didn't leave all the way. His strokes became more shallow and her muscles seemed to pull harder against him. They massaged his cock as he pushed into her and begged him not to retreat as he pulled back. He could feel the flutter around him and knew he could make her come again. He dipped his head and captured a nipple in his mouth. He suckled hard at it.

Spirits! His mouth added almost too much sensation. It was like she was hovering over the edge of a cliff but she couldn't fall. His hips were grinding into her harder on each stroke and she was almost there again. Then his teeth grazed the peak of her breast and she was gone again.

Her climax made him tumble right into his. There was no hope for him after she started to come around him. He felt his balls tighten to his body and spurt after spurt of his seed surged up his cock and was deposited deep within her. He hissed at the incredible feeling of each rope of cum leaving him. He loved that it was inside her, that they could be making a child right now.

He collapsed on top of her. His arms couldn't hold him up and he didn't want to leave her body yet. He was still hard and throbbing, tremors still surged through his erection. He could feel that he was empty but he was at the outer edge of an orgasm that seemed to go on forever.

She kissed his temple, his head resting beside her, his breath covering her shoulder in the soft pants as his heart rate slowed to a normal rate. She loved that he was still part of her and moved her legs up to lock around him not wanting him to leave her just yet.

"Thank you." She whispered in his ear.

"For what? I should be thanking you."

"For not waiting any longer. For loving me and for showing me how much." Kahlan's hands moved over his back and shoulders she had a compulsion to keep touching him.

"Waiting was the worst plan I've ever had and you don't have to thank me. You love me back, that's more than I deserve."

"No. No, you deserve so much more." He was about to interrupt her but she silenced him with a kiss. "But I'm glad that you're mine. I'm never giving you up, no matter what I feel you deserve."

"You better not because you're stuck with me. Forever."

He felt himself slip free of her, his hardness has dissipated and he rolled them over. They were on their sides facing each other. He stroked her cheek and she swung a leg across his hip. They didn't need any more words. Richard freed the blankets from under them and pulled them across their cooling bodies. Sleeping naked in each others arms would be something he wanted to get used to. Right now it was going to be an indulgence, but soon enough it would be every night.