Jenkins hurried along the dark, quiet street that eventually wound past the cemetery gates, his long legs covering the distance quickly, his quick breaths visible in the cold night air. He guessed that Cassandra would probably head back to Portland, which meant she would head back to the last location of the back door, inside the cemetery.
As he searched for Cassandra, he reprimanded himself harshly for his stupidity. He kept replaying their conversation in his mind as he walked rapidly along the sidewalk, and he was horrified by what he heard. He couldn't believe he'd actually said those things, that he had even hinted at ending their relationship. He couldn't blame Cassandra for running out of patience with him and his damnable waffling. He was, indeed, his own worst enemy, at least where affairs of the heart were concerned. He took some comfort in the fact that this time he realized his mistake before it was too late, and he was being smart enough to go after Cassandra. At least I'm making progress, he thought sarcastically.
Roughly one block away from the hotel, he saw ahead of him, to his relief, the figure of Cassandra Cillian by the light of a streetlamp, trotting quickly and shivering against the cold. Jenkins broke into a run.
"Cassandra!" he called out to her. She stopped and turned, startled at hearing her name, but when she saw who it was she turned and ran back to meet him. They threw themselves into each other's arms. Jenkins, in his elation, lifted the petite Librarian off of the ground and swung her around as she squealed in surprise and relief of her own. He held her tightly and showered kisses onto the side of her face and head. Cassandra burst into tears as he set her feet back on the ground. He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply, the taste of her tears on her lips causing him to sigh softly into her mouth. He ended the kiss and held her tightly to his chest.
"I'm sorry, Cassandra," he murmured into her hair. "Forget all of those foolish things I just said to you!" He closed his eyes and slowly ran one hand up and down her back as he held her.
"I want you, Cassandra," he whispered hoarsely into her ear. "I want to be happy with you. I want you in my life, for as long as you'll have me. Come back with me to the hotel, my love. I'll get us a room. We can talk..."
"All right," she whispered back, tightening her arms around him. "But let's talk later. There's something else I need from you right now."
#####
They quickly made their way back to the hotel. In a matter of minutes they had a room key and were on their way to the third floor of the old hotel. As soon as they were inside of the large, open, floridly-decorated room, Jenkins flipped on the light and shrugged out of his overcoat, letting it fall onto the floor in a heap. He pulled Cassandra to himself and kissed her hard, his tongue slipping between her lips and the tip tickling the roof of her mouth, his hands peeling the tweed jacket from the Librarian's shoulders and tossing it aside.
He pushed her away gently so he could look at her. "Take off your clothes," he ordered her huskily.
As the immortal leaned back against the door and watched, Cassandra slowly undressed for him, her discarded clothes dropped carelessly onto the floor in a messy pile. As soon as she was completely free of clothing, Jenkins stepped forward and lightly brushed his hands along her arms, scarcely breathing as he took in the sight of her soft, smooth body.
"You're beautiful," he whispered, his eyes immediately black and hungry with want. This was the longest they had gone without sex, and he was now realizing how much he missed the feel of her naked body against his. He wanted to throw her on the bed and ravish her, but he restrained himself, instead relishing the sensation of lust burning in his belly and spreading throughout his body. He stepped closer and began to barely brush the sides of her body with his fingers, sending little shivers through her, raising goose bumps on her flesh and bringing her nipples to firm, tempting points.
As he continued to lightly stroke her skin, Cassandra gently slipped the Caretaker's suit coat from his broad shoulders, letting the expensive garment drop to the floor behind him. Playfully, she stood on her toes and caught the end of his pale blue bow tie in her teeth, tugging the knot out and pulling it free of his collar. She slipped the suspenders from his shoulders, and as she looked directly into his eyes, a small smile of anticipation on her lips, she slowly undid the buttons of the fine cotton shirt he was wearing. It, too, ended up on the floor, quickly followed by his undershirt.
The Librarian leaned forward and brushed her open lips and her breasts against the bare skin of his chest, peppering Jenkins with soft kisses as her nails lightly raked his back, sides and arms. She lingered momentarily over each of his nipples, kissing each one and giving it a flick or two with the tip of her tongue. He inhaled sharply, and she could feel his manhood stir against her leg through the wool of his trousers.
Cassandra knelt in front of Jenkins and deliberately untied and removed his shoes, then his socks. Remaining on her knees, she reached up and unfastened his trousers and tugged them down, along with his underwear. The young woman ran her hands up his long, lean legs and over his buttocks; as she did she heard him sigh softly and his hands entangled themselves gently in her long, russet-colored hair. She glanced upward and saw that he was watching her closely. She turned her head and kissed the inside one thigh and then the other; his fingers tightened around handfuls of her hair as he took a deep breath. A soft moan escaped him as he exhaled.
The redhead began to nuzzle his manhood teasingly, very lightly nipping the sensitive skin of his testicles and along the shaft of his member. He immediately grew hard and his moaning grew louder. Cassandra giggled at the sight.
"Looks like Little Jenkins is ready to go!" she teased. She playfully licked his erection, drawing a low, guttural sound from the immortal. Suddenly she slipped the tip of his manhood into her mouth and swirled her tongue around the smooth, silky skin.
"No!" Jenkins rasped. "Stop! Stand up."
Cassandra obeyed, and as soon as she got to her feet he swept her up into his arms again and kissed her passionately.
"'Little Jenkins' is going to have to wait his turn," the Caretaker growled deeply, nuzzling her throat. "Ladies first."
He carried her to the large bed and laid her on top of the bedspread, climbing in after her and kneeling on all fours over her. He bent to kiss her, first her mouth, then a trail of kisses interspersed with light nips down her throat, along her collarbone and back up to her ear. He sucked on her earlobe briefly and then whispered into her ear.
"You'll tell me if I'm too rough?" he asked, slightly anxious. Cassandra smiled; she couldn't help but be touched by his concern for her, however misplaced. "Yes, I promise," she whispered back to him.
With a lopsided grin, he began moving down her body, kissing her and lightly biting the tender skin along her sides and stomach. He lingered at her breasts, licking them slowly, leisurely sucking on each nipple, enjoying immensely the feel of the firm little buds on his tongue and the whimpers of pleasure he coaxed from his young lover.
After a few minutes of this delicious torture, Cassandra's desire for more from Jenkins overpowered her. She ran her fingers into his white mane of hair and pulled it gently.
"Lower!" she gasped, longing to feel his mouth and tongue on her sex. He reluctantly gave the nipple he was enjoying a final kiss, then moved further down, kissing her stomach, stopping to tickle her belly button with the tip of his inquisitive tongue. Cassandra giggled and squirmed, drawing a low-throated chuckle from the immortal.
He climbed off of the bed and grasped Cassandra's ankles, and with one smooth motion drew her body to the edge of the mattress. He trailed open-mouthed kisses along the inside of one pale thigh and then the other, barely brushing against her wet sex tantalizingly as he moved from one thigh to the other. She groaned loudly in frustration.
"Jenkins, please!" she begged breathlessly. "Don't tease me! Not tonight!"
He ran his hands over the soft curves of her thighs and hips, savoring the little shiver it created in Cassandra. He casually slipped a finger into the warm, swollen folds in front of him, watching her reactions closely. She cried out and her hands clutched at the thick bedspread. Her breathing became quick and ragged as he teased her from within. "Jenkins!" she gasped, the tone pleading.
"Yes, my love?" he replied quietly, his heart pounding in his chest excitedly. He removed his finger and leaned forward, lightly kissing her nether lips. The Librarian again cried out, her back arching slightly in response.
"More!" she gasped, almost whining.
Without another word Jenkins grasped her hips tightly to hold her in place, then kissed her again, hard and with abandon, his tongue exploring every inch of her. He soon found the engorged pearl of her clit and began to lick and suck on it eagerly. Cassandra's head thrashed back and forth in blissful agony as she wailed his name. While he relentlessly worked on her, Jenkins slipped his finger back into her core and stroked the sweet spot inside. He could feel the woman's climax building quickly, and prayed he could hold himself back; her cries and writhing were almost enough to send him over the edge then and there.
He slipped a second finger into her began to suck her clit just a bit harder, groaning in pleasure as he felt her orgasm strike her hard. She shrieked his name, "Galahad!", and went limp with the release, gasping for breath.
Jenkins immediately got into the bed. "Get up!" he ordered her brusquely.
She dazedly rolled over and sat up. The knight grabbed her around her waist and positioned her on her knees, her hands against the headboard. He then positioned himself behind her, his long body resting gently against her back as he placed his hands over hers. He entered her, and began thrusting slowly, his hands clutching hers as he rocked against her. He kissed her neck and shoulders, softly at first as he whispered endearments to her, then harder as his pace quickened, leaving small, pale purple marks in his wake. As his hunger for her burned hotter within him, he began biting her, just hard enough to cause her to gasp in surprise and whimper softly at the pain. The sound drove him wild with desire, and he was soon ramming into her as hard as he could.
Cassandra's already overstimulated clit quickly dragged her over the edge into another orgasm, her sex pulsating gently against Jenkins's cock maddeningly, but he stopped thrusting and withdrew from her. He flipped her over onto her back and roughly spread her legs, then reentered her and resumed his thrusting, slower now, and loudly grunting like a beast. After a few seconds Jenkins placed one hand against her face and looked into her eyes.
"Cassandra!" he panted breathlessly. "Do you remember the first time we made love? When you asked me to look into your eyes?"
"Yes," she whispered hoarsely, her hands grasping his biceps tightly.
"I'm close; look into my eyes?" he pleaded. Cassandra nodded and cupped his face between her hands as he began thrusting again, as hard as he could now. She locked her gaze with the immortal's as he moved above her. Jenkins stared into her clear blue eyes, his brown ones feverish with desperation and desire.
"I love you," he panted, staring deeply into her, as though he was speaking directly to her soul. "I love you so much. My heart is yours, Cassandra. I want to be with you. I want to be with you forever. Say you'll have me? Please say you'll have me?"
"Of course I will, Galahad," she whispered huskily, almost moved to tears by the intimacy of the moment. "You're my knight in shining armor, you always will be."
As if on cue, the Caretaker's climax washed over him like a tidal wave. He could hold her gaze for only a second before he threw his head back and half-shouted, half-groaned her name as his release came. He collapsed on top of her for a few moments, breathing hard. As soon as he could think straight again he rolled off of her and stretched out next to the young woman, wrapped his arms around her and began nuzzling her neck as he languished in his post-orgasmic haze.
Cassandra stroked his long arms and cuddled into his body as closely as she could. The room was chilly, though. and she was beginning to shiver. "I hate to break this up, but can we get under the covers, sweetheart?" she asked softly.
The pair quickly slid beneath the blankets and immediately went back into each other's arms. As the cold sheets slowly warmed up, Cassandra snuggled against her man, breathing in his musk, his heart beat soothing and reassuring.
"Do you remember when you said that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me?" he rumbled quietly into her hair. "Did you mean that?"
"Every single word," she replied contentedly. "Did you mean all of those things you just said to me?"
"Every single word," he said.
You should marry her, then.
The thought came to Jenkins from out of nowhere. It frightened him initially, but almost instantly the feeling of fear gave way to a feeling of peace, almost joy. The Caretaker tucked the thought away for now; the time for that wasn't right yet. He had a lot of work to do on himself first. He wanted Cassandra to have the best possible man he could give her.
He kissed her tawny head affectionately, the fingers of one hand gently brushing the Librarian's throat. "I'm sorry for all of the grief I've caused you lately," he murmured. "I promise to be a good boy from now on, though. Less head, more heart."
Cassandra smiled against his chest. "So you've made your peace with all of this, then? With us, I mean? No lingering doubts?"
There was a small sigh from the immortal, and the woman closed her eyes in frustration. What could possibly be bothering him now?
"I am still a little worried about how the Library is going to take all of this," he admitted. She took a deep breath.
"If the Library expects you to do whatever a Librarian tells you, well...I'M a Librarian, so...if I order you to fall madly in love with me and to make passionate, hot, crazy monkey love to me on demand, well, then the Library can't hold you responsible, right?"
"Hmmm," he considered thoughtfully. "There IS precedence for that line of reasoning..."
Cassandra sat up quickly and looked down at the Caretaker, her eyes wide and mouth open.
"Wait. What do you mean 'precedence'? Have you slept with other Librarians?!"
Jenkins suddenly looked uncomfortable, but he forced himself to answer her honestly.
"Only a handful of times. They were purely physical relationships, nothing romantic or long-term, and most of them were completely consensual." Cassandra's heart sank as her ears picked out the one word in his incredible sentence.
"'Most'?" she probed gently.
"There was only one Librarian who ever forced me. I had to...'service' him on two or three occasions. Orally."
"Jenkins! Why didn't tell me about this before?"
"It's not exactly something one brags about," he responded dourly. "As I said, it only happened a couple of times, I just forced myself to put it behind me."
"Who was it?" she demanded. Suddenly it came to her in a flash. "Chelsea!"
Jenkins couldn't look her in the eyes, and she knew she was right. Cassandra lay down again next to him and put her arms around him comfortingly.
"I thought he was supposed to be the height of Victorian rectitude?" she spat disgustedly.
"You should know by now, Cassandra, that it's usually the most self-righteous people who have the most salacious secrets."
"That's awful! What a sick, twisted, vile...ICKY little creep! I hope there's a very special place in Hell for that man!" she said angrily.
Jenkins chuckled and gave her a hug. "Hell hath no fury like Cassandra Cillian," he teased her, lightly kissing her forehead.
"I meant what I said, Cassandra," he said quietly, becoming serious again. "I'm going to work on thinking with my heart more than with my head. I promise you that. I beg you to be patient with me, though; I've been thinking one way for over 1,500 years—I can't change that overnight."
She laughed quietly. "Deal. No more flying off the handle at you and storming off," she responded contritely. "I guess I need to work on my temper, huh? Learn to do all of my fighting calmly and coolly, like a civilized person." She gave him a peck on his cheek.
"I'm really glad you came after me this last time," she continued sincerely. "I didn't remember until after I got outside that I had no idea where I was going. And I certainly couldn't go back inside the hotel and eat crow."
"Heaven forbid!"
She lightly slapped his arm. "I just picked a direction and started walking. By the time you found me I was starting to get scared that I was lost."
"We have the dining room waitress downstairs to thank for that, my dear," Jenkins said, yawning loudly. "She was the one who all but shoved me out the door. She told me not to let you get away. That you are my 'true love'."
"Sounds like a very smart woman," said Cassandra faintly, echoing the Caretaker's yawn. "We should find her tomorrow and say thank you."
"Indeed," mumbled Jenkins. Cassandra didn't hear him, however. She was asleep, her true love right behind her.