Regrets Chapter 10
Without hesitation, Xena fluffed her bedroll in the air, so it would float back to earth, and it landed along side Gabrielle's as usual.
Gabrielle blinked sleepily as she watched Xena unfasten her breastplate and remove it. "You're fading fast, " Xena said, affectionately.
"Mm hmm…" Gabrielle managed, her eyelids rapidly growing heavier.
"You might want this back," Xena told her, removing the pouch of money from her leathers, and bending over to hand it to Gabrielle.
"Thanks," Gabrielle breathed. She had almost dropped off, but her eyes suddenly snapped open. "Aren't you coming to bed?" she asked Xena, realizing the Warrior Princess was still on her feet.
"In a few minutes," Xena answered easily. "I'm going to check the perimeter; I'll be back soon."
Gabrielle mumbled a "kay", and then was asleep. She didn't even have time to muse over Xena's "perimeter" excuse.
It had a multitude of different meanings, although more times than not, Gabrielle suspected Xena would get away to
release some of her sexual tensions. Gabrielle would often take advantage of the solace for the same purpose. Many
times when they were snapping at each other, irritated over any number of things, Xena would stalk off to "check the
perimeter", only to return a short while later, her mood drastically altered. The bard's mood would be similarly placated,
and whatever they'd been quarreling about would be long forgotten.
Tonight, checking the perimeter involved a trip down the path to the river. Jamen had finished rinsing the dishes, and
was just turning to walk back to camp, when he spotted Xena approach, looking like a moon goddess. Her hair, the color
of the blackest night, billowed out around her head and down over her shoulders. Jamen's fingers twitched at the memory
of stroking the ebony tresses. Her brilliant blue eyes shone blazed in the moonlight, and Jamen's mind raced as he
remembered the many different emotions she would express with them, especially in regards to their lovemaking.
She smiled at him, her teeth piercing the darkness with their perfect whiteness. Jamen involuntarily groaned as he
remembered the amazing things she could do with those teeth and the rest of her mouth. She had nibbled, nipped,
licked, and sucked at various parts of his anatomy until he was aware of nothing but waves of pleasure.
As she neared him, he could make out the curves of her statuesque body. Most of the women had had bedded in the
past, had been much more diminutive, closer to Gabrielle's size rather than Xena's. Some had been petite, some had
been plump, but none of them had the delicious firm feel of Xena's powerful body. His mind flashed back to her leaning
over him, supporting her body by her arms as she plunged her lower half up and down on his erection. He could vividly
recall the strength in her thighs when she wrapped them around his back as he was thrusting mindlessly into her silken
tunnel. He could picture the firm grip of her incredible hands on his manhood, stroking him to harden even more than
he thought possible. Every part of her fluid body took an active part in their sexual pleasure, and he felt his cock suddenly
straining at the front of his pants.
He walked a few steps to meet her, and they were face-to-face. "Hey," she intoned lightly, and Jamen felt the warm
sweetness of her breath on his face, far more exhilarating than the gentlest of summer breezes.
"Hey," he whispered, repeating her own greeting.
"Gabrielle's sound asleep," she told him. "I thought I'd see if you needed any help."
He glanced down at the small stack of dishes in his hands. "Thanks, but I was able to handle it without too much difficulty."
Xena raised an eyebrow drolly, chuckling at his absurdity. The sound filled Jamen's ears, leaving none of his senses untouched by her essence. He swayed slightly where he stood, trying to keep from tossing the dishes to the ground and throwing himself on her.
Xena's gaze intensified even further, as though she were aware of his impulses. Every nerve ending in her body suddenly
seemed to be alive, all of them sending messages to her core. "Are you tired?" she asked Jamen.
"No, not yet," he answered, the dishes clanking together as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Me neither," Xena replied, with a deep sigh. "I just can't seem to get relaxed." Her face held a perfectly innocent
expression, except for the tigerish gleam in her eye.
Jamen took a deep breath involuntarily. By the gods, the woman knew how to push all his buttons! Xena saw his
response, and felt an answering tug at her crotch. She took the dishes from his hands, and laid them on the ground.
Jamen stood, not moving, entranced by her seduction. Xena took his hand. "This ground is too rough to get comfortable
on," she told him, her voice husky.
"What would you suggest?" he asked, extremely curious as to what she had in mind.
She glanced around them, and he saw a spark fire up in her eye. "Come on," she said, over her shoulder, and he followed, still holding her hand.
He was puzzled as she led him to a single tree, and then stood with her back to it. "This will do perfectly," she whispered,
and before he found his voice, her hands were traveling down his ribs and onto his hips. One hand stole around to grip his compact buttocks, as the other moved to the fasteners on his pants. She knew they had to make this brief, and besides that, she was already too enflamed to spend much time on the preliminaries. She pulled Jamen's trousers down, and his breeches soon followed, leaving his erection to stand proud inches from her. She pressed her head forward, her mouth meeting his in a demanding kiss. Jamen returned the kiss, his hands coming up to her shoulders. Xena's mouth worked hungrily at is lips, her tongue probing forward to pry his lips open, then moving inside to taste every recess of his mouth. His own tongue tangoed with hers, and she nipped it gently with her teeth, silently telling him she wanted him to be passive. He immediately acquiesced, and contented himself with entwining his fingertips in her luxurious hair.
Xena was tormenting herself, intentionally remaining fully dressed as she continued to devour him. Her center throbbed continuously, seeking stimulation and getting none. Her nipples tightened beneath her leather clothing, but all she did was press them against Jamen's chest, causing them to itch and ache even more. Jamen's fingers made her scalp tingle, but he was doing nothing else to bring her relief. He seemed to sense she was in control.
Finally, her need grew too great, and Xena felt her mind being overloaded with he
r own desires. Her eyes snapped open, and she pulled her head back abruptly from Jamen's. His flinty eyes opened as
he missed the pressure of her warm mouth on his.
Jamen could see Xena's blue orbs had clouded over with passion, her breaths coming harshly. "This isn't helping me
relax," she muttered, and her hands reached beneath her battle skirt. She grasped the waistband of her breeches, and
as she pulled them down, she had to gasp as the cool night air rushed over her heated flesh.
She had seen the confusion in Jamen's eyes earlier, but he knew what she had in mind now. He took a step forward,
grasping his erection in his right fist. He had no doubt her body was ready for his.
Xena parted her thighs, and he slipped easily inside. For brief seconds, he wondered how they would be able to achieve
their pleasure in this awkward position, but all doubts fled his mind when he felt Xena lithely lift one leg, and wrap it tightly
around his waist. The tree at her back would help her maintain her balance on one foot.
Tentatively, he began to move, his stokes short and slow as he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stay inside her. Xena tilted her hips upward, and with the amazing strength in her legs, urged him to pump faster and harder. Jamen readily complied, and before long, they were humping each other furiously.
Xena moaned deep in her chest as her clitoris responded heartily to the friction caused by his powerful movements. Her hair tangled in the rough bark of the tree, but she didn't feel it as she threw her head back in exquisite sensations. Her leg gripped Jamen's body impossibly tighter as her rapture rapidly grew, and her hands moved to knead his pistoning buttocks.
Jamen pressed his head to her bared throat, licking and sucking at the sensitive skin there. His teeth and tongue tasted every square inch of exposed flesh, delighting them both.
He couldn't get much length into his strokes in this position, but he found the sensation of having to stroke upward inside of Xena made up for it. The pressure of her smooth thighs and raking fingers on his backside were an added enticement.
Xena was making little noises in the back of her throat now, in tune with her breaths, which were short and rapid. She was close, very close, and seemed to be hovering at the brink of her climax. One of Jamen's hands, which had been busy at the back of her neck, untangled itself from her hair, and reached down to tweak her slippery clitoris…hard. That's all it took. Xena shuddered violently against him; her head crashing forward so she could bury her face in his chest, muffling her groans of ecstasy.
Jamen felt Xena's leg relax against him a little bit, but she never lost position. Her inner muscles convulsed around his manhood in concentric waves, causing his seed to burst forth almost before he was ready. His body bucked harshly against hers as he grunted out his pleasure.
Gradually, his movements stopped, and Xena finally lowered her leg, her arms still holding him close to her. Her hand stoked his back, and he clung to her, his head on her shoulder.
"Are you all right?" she asked, feeling the tremors in his body.
He hesitated a few seconds, just enjoying the scent of her hair and skin, then pulled his head up. His smile lit up his eyes. "I'm great," he said. "You…uh…your body does amazing things to me."
That puzzled Xena a bit, but she smiled back. "You make me feel pretty amazing too," she whispered. She meant it.
He leaned forward again, and their lips met in a tender kiss. "All relaxed now?" Jamen purred in her ear.
"Yup," she replied, teasingly. She bent to pull up her breeches, and Jamen refastened his own clothes. Xena watched him silently, then said, "I'd better get back to Gabrielle."
Jamen nodded, and after she had taken a few steps, Xena grinned back over her shoulder. "Don't forget the dishes!"
He returned her grin, as she disappeared from sight.
Gabrielle was sleeping soundly when Xena returned to the campsite. She sat down on her bedroll, and reached for the saddlebag next to it. She rifled through it, and came up with the small bag she had been hunting for. Reaching inside, she tore off a bit of a leaf, and put it on her tongue. She took the cork from the water skin by her pack, and took a deep swallow. Replacing the cork, she put the water skin down, and then looked inside the cloth bag. There were very few herbs left inside, and as she lay down, Xena told herself she was going to have to find some more soon. The herb would keep her from getting pregnant, and as long as Jamen was around, she knew she'd be given plenty of opportunities to conceive. Whatever it was that was blooming between them included a physical attraction that Xena wasn't able to ignore. Just thinking about being near Jamen made Xena's breath quicken.
She shut her eyes, and cleared her mind of all those thoughts, willing sleep to come to her. The moist, gently throbbing feeling between her thighs wasn't helping any, but she was tired, and felt the darkness begin to overtake her.
Her eyes opened abruptly when she heard a noise, but it was Jamen approaching. He gently set the dishes down near the fire, and quietly laid out his own bedroll on the opposite side of the camp. He glanced over at Xena, and wasn't surprised to see she was watching him. He walked to her side, and knelt. "You need to sleep," he whispered to her. He lifted his head to look at Gabrielle's dead-to-the-world expression. "You could take lessons from her."
Xena smirked at him. "So could you," she softly chided.
"Just one more kiss," he said, and he bent to claim her lips.
Xena pulled back before the kiss could deepen further. She was already hungry again for him, but her good senses reigned. "Go to bed," she whispered, " and I'll see you in the morning."
He grinned at her, shaking his head. Her beauty had a hypnotic effect on him. "All right," he sighed. "But I wish I was the one sleeping beside you."
"Sorry," Xena replied, closing her eyes, "but I couldn't do that to Gabrielle."
Jamen got the point. He still didn't know what the young bard meant to Xena, but he was beginning to. "G'night," he whispered, and he quietly made his way to his own bedroll. They were both asleep in minutes.
The sunlight filtering through the trees woke Xena first the next morning, and seeing Gabrielle and Jamen were still out cold, she picked up her saddlebag and walked to the river for a quick bath.
After finishing up, she returned to camp, to find her companions had awakened. Jamen must have held Gabrielle to her word, for she was telling him the story of their run-in with Bacchus. It had been a dangerous adventure, and Jamen was caught up in the excitement of the tale. Xena approached them, smiling, and settled herself down next to Jamen to hear the end of the story.
Gabrielle finished the story with a flourish, and Jamen praised her storytelling skills. She thanks him graciously, then Jamen turned to Xena.
"How did you know you'd be able to keep from losing control with Bacchus?" he asked. "His powers of seduction are famous…even I know that."
Xena shrugged. "I saw what he had done to Gabrielle," she said finally. "I knew how powerful he was and focused on remembering why I was there."
"It took a few minutes for his power to truly kick in," Gabrielle added. "When we were at the dryad site, I began feeling really odd. By the time Xena noticed, it was too late." Xena nodded her agreement.
Jamen shook his head in amazement. "No one's adventures could ever compare to the adventures that you two have had," he said, real admiration in his voice.
"We've had some wild ones," Xena responded, "but they're not all as exciting as the Bacchus one."
"Thank the gods," Gabrielle quipped.
"Maybe not," Jamen drawled, "but the ones I've heard you-" he indicated Gabrielle "-tell about have all been great. I hope I get the chance to take part in one."
"You may get that chance," Xena told him. "You never know what we'll run across. Speaking of which, we should be getting started out."
Gabrielle stood up. "I need a few minutes," she said simply, and Xena nodded as the blonde disappeared from the campsite.
Jamen watched her exit, then leaned over to Xena. "You smell great," he said, with a warm smile.
Xena returned the smile. "Thank you," she leaned in for a good morning kiss.
Their lips met, and lingered for long seconds, then Xena pulled back. "We've got to break camp," she said, regrets filling her voice.
He smiled a resolved smile. "I was afraid of that," he replied, gently.
Xena gave him a crooked smile of her own. "Let's make ourselves a promise," she said.
"What kind of promise?"
"Let's promise ourselves that when this is all over with, you and I will get ourselves a room somewhere, and not leave until we are both totally sated." The searing look she gave Jamen made him swallow hard.
"Sounds good to me," he said, finally, after he had regained the power of speech. "But I'll warn you, it's going to take a while."
"As long as there are plenty of places to shop, Gabrielle will keep herself entertained," Xena replied, "so there won't be anything to stop us."
"Shall we seal it with a kiss?" Jamen asked, a glint in his eye.
Xena narrowed her eyes, teasingly, but leaned in again. The kiss was long and satisfying, and they didn't break from it until they heard Gabrielle approaching.
They both quickly stood. Gabrielle looked surprised. "I figured you'd have everything packed by now," she said, eyeing them both.
Xena smiled wickedly at her. "What…and let you miss out on all the fun?"
Jamen laughed at the expression of dismay on the bard's normally placid features. "Let's get to it," he said, reaching for his bedroll.
It didn't take long to gather everything up, and after Xena had whistled for the horses, they were ready to go.
"We're going to have to backtrack in the direction of Valinis," Jamen said, mounting his steed.
Xena nodded her agreement, then reached down for Gabrielle's arm. "Come on," she said, "We'll ride at least part of the way." Gabrielle hopped up behind her, as they started the trip back to Valinis.
Chapter 11
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