In the morning, Sassa woke to the sound of banging on her door. Grumbling and slightly hungover, she slipped reluctantly out of her warm bed and descended the stairs. There was another bang, and she called out, "Wait a minute!" to the impatient door-knocker. She pulled her cloak from the hook near the front door and quickly pulled it on before opening the door.
Of course it was Bero. Nobody else would bash insistently on the door to make her think something was wrong only to find him standing there smirking that signature smirk.
"Ohh what in oblivion do you want at this unearthly hour?" She groaned, stepping aside to admit him.
"Ooh, ah...breakfast would be a good start." He said cheerfully, rubbing his hands together as he stepped in. "Ever heard of lighting a fire? It's colder than a frost atronach's nose!"
"I would've lit a fire if someone didn't come so early and get me out of bed!" She growled, poking him in the stomach.
"Whatever." He waved his hand dismissively, and she stared open-mouthed at his audacity. "So what's for breaky, then?" He sighed, plopping himself into her favourite chair as he always did.
"You old shit, make us some breaky yourself!" She huffed. "And, you're in my chair!" She stood in front of him with her hands on her hips.
Her cloak fell open to reveal the skimpy, almost see-through shift she had underneath, and Bero unconsciously licked his lips. Suddenly, shocking even his own self, he pulled her down into his lap. "I'm willing to share the chair." He said, wrapping his arms around her.
Sassa made a strangled sound as desire flared to life from her core outwards, making every nerve ending stand to attention. She allowed herself to indulge for just a minute - for just a minute, she breathed in his familiar, masculine scent. For just a minute, she allowed her hand to subtly feel the outline of his pectorals, wanting to trace down further over his abdomen but not daring to. For just a minute, she listened to his heart, and the sound of his breathing. She let him warm her as only he could, and then she got back to her feet.
She dared to look at Bero; he was looking at her through hooded eyes, but she was sure she detected a note of disappointment in his gaze.
"Breakfast." He prompted, his voice thick and husky. Sassa was sure that her legs would give way; oh, the things his voice alone did to her!
"I'm on it." She said before scurrying away to her kitchen. She heard Bero chuckle darkly from the chair, and she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.
When she returned with a tray of oats, nuts and seeds, dried fruit and milk, Bero was already sitting at the table waiting. His hands were clasped in front of him, and he wore a pleasant smile. She returned his smile, and placed a bowl in front of him.
His eyes followed her as she busied herself with making his muesli, and she blushed. What she didn't see was how his eyes lingered on her hips, her lips, her neck. She didn't see him clasping his hands so tightly to prevent them from gripping her ass, or how he kicked his lips when he caught her scent. Oh yes, it's going to take some hard work to get rid of the lingering effects of last night's dirty dream, he thought. A mixture of lust and shame filled him, and his smile disappeared.
"Are you alright, Bero?" She said, pausing her pouring of the milk.
"Yeah. All good. Say, wanna come to Solitude with me?" He said, quickly changing the subject.
Her face quirked into a smile; she loved nothing more than going places with him. "What's happening over there?"
"Oh...I got a letter this morning asking for help - a shipment of Skooma has been intercepted by the guards, and they want us to track its origin and wipe out the manufacturers."
"Meh...sounds boring." Sassa said, shrugging her shoulders and feigning disinterest.
"So I take it that's a yes?" He said, his words slightly muffled by oats.
"Absolutely! I'll eat and then I'll pack!" She squealed, thus revealing her excitement.
The carriage trip to Solitude took three nights; most of which was spent huddling together under a waterproof blanket during the relentless rain. By the time they finally arrived after what seemed like the longest trip in history, the pair was hungry, tired, wet and miserable. It was morning, so there'd be no collapsing into bed for the night.
"We'll get a couple of rooms at the inn, seeing as how it's right by the gate. We'll put our belongings in there and get dry, and then we'll get started." Bero said.
"Sounds good to me." Sassa followed Bero into the Winking Skeever, and breathed a sigh of relief when the warm air enveloped her.
Bero walked right to Corpulus, who was standing behind the bar. "Got a couple of rooms for us?" he said.
Corpulus shook his head. "Nay, we're having a party tonight and all but one of the rooms are booked. I was hoping to save that last room for someone special." He said, giving Bero a wink.
"Is the Dragonborn special?" Bero said, eyebrows raised.
"Yes, of course – wait…please forgive me sera, I didn't recognise you." Corpulus said, bowing his head.
"Really? And I thought I was one of a kind." Bero said, feigning disappointment.
Corpulus ignored the remark. "Here's your key. I'll have Sorex show you to your room," Corpulus whistled, and a young man with a beard looked up, "Sorex, take these two up to the Emperor's Suite."
"Right away, Father." Sorex said, gesturing for them to follow.
Sorex led them to a large bedroom which housed a huge four-poster bed with bedside tables, a wooden chest, an ornate dresser, a big ugly wardrobe and one full-length mirror. Sassa nodded in appreciation, nudging Bero.
Sorex told them if they needed anything that they should just ring the bell by the door. As he turned to leave the room, Sassa gave Sorex's ass a good checking-out.
"Not bad, eh? Bero darling, you may need to sleep on the floor tonight 'cause…I'm gonna need room to ride that horse!" Sassa joked, gyrating her hips lewdly. Despite the growing sexual tension between them, she didn't expect Bero to react with anything other than his usual snarky response.
But his response was far from what she expected, and the look on his face was far from amused. Sassa could swear that the red in his eyes grew brighter, hotter. Bero clutched the front of her glass cuirass and pulled her to him. Sassa could feel the heat of his breath against her face.
"Let's get one thing straight, woman. The only man who's going to be sleeping in this bed tonight is me. Got it?" he growled. Sassa nodded weakly, her eyes wide. "And take that horrid glass armour off and sell it." He let go of her with a gentle shove, leaving Sassa standing there flapping her jaws uselessly.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Sassa snapped out of her daze, and opened the door to admit Sorex once again. He handed Sassa a folded sheet of paper. "Father extends an invitation to the party that we're hosting tonight. There will be armed guards aplenty, so you need not wear your armour tonight." He said cheerily.
"Why, thankyou Sorex. We would love to attend. Please pass on our thanks to your father."
"Wonderful. I look forward to it." Sorex smiled; and the way his eyes swept over Sassa wasn't lost on her. He turned back to the door, but then paused and faced Sassa once again. "Perhaps we could have a dance later." He said, more softly.
"I would like that." Sassa said. Sorex bowed his head, and then left the room. "See? He wants me. Perhaps I'll share his room tonight." Sassa taunted, wanting to see how Bero would react this time.
Bero simply scowled, and turned away. "Go and hock that armour and get yourself something more fitting, and a pretty dress for tonight."
Sassa clucked her tongue to the roof of her mouth, and left without a word.
An hour later, Sassa returned. She was wearing simple hide armour; a stark contrast to the shiny, grand glass armour.
"And what the hell are you wearing now?" Bero tried to sound exasperated, but the way his voice came out husky and strangled as well as the way his eyes lingered on her cleavage belied his efforts.
"Well, it was cheap and it was all they had. I did buy this lovely dress, though." She said, holding up a moss-green dress with flared sleeves. Bero wouldn't know any other details of the dress until she put it on that night.
"Lovely. I can't wait to see you in it." He smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen you in a pretty dress before." He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and the gesture caused her tummy to flutter.
"Let's go get this job done, hey? We might even have time to relax for a while before the party starts, if we hurry." She said, stepping backwards.
0o0o0o0o
Most of the morning was spent asking questions around town, until eventually, they tracked the source of the Skooma to a largish cave near the docks. Bero and Sassa crouched down behind a sand dune to watch for anyone coming and going.
Bero used the opportunity to let his eyes drink in Sassa's form while she was focused on the cave. She used to wear steel armour before she found that glass armour, both of which used to cover her right up. The casual clothes she wore around home were always demure and covered much of her as well, so this was a nice, very nice change. He licked his lips unconsciously as he took in her toned, slightly muscled arms, and her shapely, sensual neck. He could see the swell of her breasts, the creamy, soft skin calling to him. When she shifted her position, her breasts wobbled a little, and he swallowed, hard. His mouth went dry, and his pants felt tighter around his groin. Sweet Mara, I'm in trouble… he thought.
When two sentries appeared at the mouth of the cave, Bero and Sassa took them out with bow and arrow. They fell cleanly and quietly, and the duo stealthily rushed to drag their bodies behind some bushes. They then entered the cave, and the battle began.
The drug-addled dealers and bandits were no match for the highly skilled Dragonborn and his side-kick. In fact, Bero hardly worked up a sweat. When it was certain that the day was theirs, Bero let himself be distracted by Sassa. He always felt pride when he watched her; she was fast and nimble, and clever to boot; she always found ingenious ways to take down her enemies.
But this time, his appraisal had nothing to do with her battle skills. He watched her body move this way and that, letting his eyes glide over every bit of bare skin he could see, his mouth going dry as he imagined licking the sweat running down her skin. The sound of her panting went straight to his balls, and he had to wrench his gaze away.
Little did he know, Sassa was appraising him in much the same way. At one point, she watched from the shadows. She watched with her heart pounding and her loins aching as Bero brought his massive sword down from above, cleaving a hugely muscled orc from his neck to his groin like he was nothing but butter. She noticed the way his thighs bulged, and the way sweat trickled down his temples.
He turned his back on the cleaved body without a second thought and sheathed his sword. He grinned at Sassa, and she returned his smile with her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. Bero slid his arm around her waist then; it was outwardly a friendly gesture – no different from any other time he'd done that – but the heat of him against her, and the way his big hand clutched her hip made her knees wobble. "Let's check out the rest of this cave." He whispered.
When the cavern was cleared, Bero found some kerosene barrels. He lifted one with ease, reminding Sassa once again just how powerful Bero really was. He poured the flammable liquid over the stacked boxes of Skooma, and along the passageway leading to the mouth of the cave. Just as he set the barrel down, they heard the rush of feet and yelling.
Bero instinctively pressed Sassa into a deep depression in the wall, his face pressing into the bare skin of her neck. "Shhh. There are too many. We'll wait until we can sneak out, and then I'll set the place on fire." He whispered. The group of people rushed past them, and thankfully they remained unseen.
The feel of his goatee and warm breath against her skin was almost too much; had they not been in the situation they were in, she would have gladly offered herself to him there and then. Bero probably didn't need to press himself so hard against her, as the alcove in which they were hiding was big enough for them to stand further apart - but he kept himself there. His forearms were leaning against the wall on either side of her head, and he kept his face where it was. Sassa couldn't help the way her hands came up to clutch his cuirass, keeping him against her should he wish to back away. She could hear his breathing become deeper, and he pressed himself against her just a bit harder. If he'd not been wearing any armour, Sassa would have felt the bulge of his rock-hard erection pressing against her lower abdomen.
Bero pressed his nose into her neck and inhaled deeply. The smell of her was enticing; the leather of her armour mixed with sweat and something inextricably feminine called to him on a primal level. He forgot for a moment that Sassa was the girl that he'd watched grow up, that she was the girl whom he taught to fight. Right now, at this moment, Sassa was the woman who induced the most erotic, intense feelings of lust that he'd ever experienced.
"Fuck…you smell so amazing…" he groaned softly, his lips brushing against her skin.
"Bero…" she squeaked, clutching him harder. The sound of her saying his name reminded him of what he'd heard against her door the other
night, and he knew for sure that it most definitely was his name she'd called out.
Sassa was swooning, her breath coming in short pants. But danger lurked, and she had to regain her senses. "Bero. We should go while they are at the back of the cave." She said, reluctantly pushing him away. The spell was broken, and it was time to move on.
"Talos…I'm sorry, Sassa. It was wrong of me to do that." Bero said, his face pained and embarrassed.
"Don't be." She said, and then she was gone, heading for the exit.
Bero followed her, and once they were both standing at the mouth of the cave, Bero let out one little "YOL!" and set the kerosene on fire.
They ran away from the screams and explosions coming from within the cave, and back to safety. No more mention was made of the intimate moment they shared, not yet.
They collected their bounty from Falk Firebeard, and then headed back to the inn.
"I think," Sassa said rubbing her chin, "that after I've had a nice cold ale, I'd like to take a bath. Would you like to join me?" Sassa said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Uh-uh, no." Bero said, vigorously shaking his head.
"Why not?" she pouted.
"I do not want to see your white ass."
"You wouldn't have to look, you know."
Bero turned bodily towards her then, and looked her dead in the eye. "The problem is, is that I wouldn't be able to not look." He winked. "So go on ahead, and when you're back, I'll have one."
"Suit yourself." Sassa's heart was thumping; she didn't know why she invited him to bathe with her, of all things! Despite what had happened in the cave, he was now making it clear that he didn't want things to progress any further. She understood – really, she did. If something did happen between them…gods, it would change their friendship forever…maybe even end it.
An hour later, Sassa returned to their room at the inn clean and scrubbed. Bero seemed to be in an uncharacteristically foul mood, and barely acknowledged her as he left for his bath. Sassa's heart sank; her flirtatious behaviour towards him had pushed him away. She would play it cool from now on, so that things could return to normal. She didn't know what she would do if she lost Bero.
She used the time that he was away to slip into her new dress. She stood in front of the mirror, making small adjustments, and when she was done, she smiled with satisfaction. The dress was very daring for her; the plunging neck-line would draw the eyes of even the most prudish man, and the split sides would reveal creamy smooth skin begging to be caressed. She placed a small silver necklace around her neck, and then she brushed her hair. She didn't put it in a plait like she normally did; she felt that leaving it out would suit the dress better. She just pinned a few locks to the back instead.
Once she was happy with her look, she fetched a book from the nightstand and perched on the bed to read and while away the time.
After another hour or so, there was a soft knock at the door. She was surprised that it wasn't Bero; it was Sorex, informing her that the party guests were starting to arrive. "Berodyn is also downstairs." He added.
Sassa was a bit surprised that he hadn't come up to fetch her, but she shrugged and then headed down the stairs. She saw Bero sitting at one of the tables, absent-mindedly spinning a tankard around. He was only wearing brown leather pants and a navy-blue tunic, which stretched over his deltoids and biceps. She looked away quickly, biting down the feelings that were erupting within her. She made her way to the bar instead of going to him, and sat on a stool, striking up a conversation with Sorex. Well, seeing as how Bero and I seem to put the tension behind us, I might just have some fun with Sorex, she reasoned.
"How about that dance?" said Sorex, taking her by the elbow.
"Sure."
Sorex pulled her close, his fingers tracing over the soft skin just as Sassa had predicted. She put her head against his shoulder, and for a brief moment, she wished it was Bero that she was leaning against. Sorex is cute, but he's not Bero.
She felt someone watching her, and turned her face to Bero. The look he wore made her heart stop in her chest – he looked angry, and he was looking right at her. He clutched his tankard like he wanted to crush it, and she could see his clenched teeth through parted lips. Damn you, you sexy bastard. Come and get me, if you want me. Sassa danced sensuously; raising her arms bent over her head and wiggling her hips, doing her best to show off the curve of her hips and the exposed skin on her sides. She smiled to herself when she heard a few wolf whistles, and hoped that Bero was also watching. When she chanced to look his way once again, he was making his way over to her.
She couldn't help the huge grin that took over her face when he asked Sorex if he could cut in, and Sorex, ever the gentleman, politely acquiesced. Bero placed his hands on her hips just lightly, and brought his lips close to her neck. "From now on, you'll dance with no-one but me." his deep voice vibrating against her skin, causing the increasingly familiar ache in her womanhood.
"It took you long enough." she smiled, running her hands down his arms to capture his hands.
Sassa and Bero danced together for a long while - it could have been fifteen minutes, it could have been an hour. To outward appearance, their dance looked innocent enough, but each caress of Bero's fingers, and each subtle brush of his lips against her ear sent her spiraling into a haze of desperate, boiling lust that sizzled and sparked along her nerves from her toes, to her fingertips, to her scalp. Bero wasn't faring much better, and it took all of his will not to rip that sexy dress off, bend her over the bar and fuck her senseless.
Soon, the crowd began to thin out. People left the inn, or returned to their rented rooms. Sassa and Bero were still dancing - a slow and sensual dance, their foreheads together. Corpulus coughed politely to get their attention, and informed them firmly that it was time for them to go to retire to their room. They bade him goodnight, and thanked him for inviting them to the party.
Bero hooked his pointer finger around Sassa's little finger, and gently led her up the stairs. He kept looking over his shoulder at her, a small smile playing on his shapely lips. Sassa's heart raced and her loins throbbed - after all the serious flirting and sensual touches, how in oblivion were they going to resume their normal everyday friendship, especially when they had to share a bed?
There you have it. What is going to happen next? Not hard to figure out, really! I hope you're enjoying this naughty story. Please leave me a review, let me know how I'm doing! :)