Regrets Chapter12
The basket contained a large pot of beef stew, fresh bread, and fresh fruit for dessert. "Mrs. Basil's a pretty good cook," Jamen surmised, leaning back against a hay bale. He had finished off three bowls of the stew.
"Yep," Xena replied, smiling at "Mrs. Basil". She gathered up the dishes and put them back in the basket, then laid it aside. Jamen was still laying back, one hand on his stomach and his eyes closed.
"You gonna take a nap?" Xena asked.
He opened his eyes. "Not on your life," he answered, with the same leer he had used earlier.
"Good", came the reply. Xena crawled the few feet to him, and resting her weight on one hand, pulled his head to hers for a kiss. Jamen pulled her into a deep embrace. He didn't plan on letting her go all night.
Hours later, the storm finally died down, although the rain continued to fall. Jamen lay on his back, with Xena half-laying on his chest. She absently rubbed her fingers across his right nipple, while he stroked her hair. They watched the rain, falling into a comfortable silence for a long time, neither of them feeling sleepy.
"Xena?" Jamen spoke, finally, feeling the need to get something out in the open.
"Mm hmm?"
"I want to tell you something."
Xena lifted her head, and then rested it on her crossed hands so she could look at him. "All right," she said, a bit of trepidation in her voice.
He reached down and cupped the side of her face. His voice was very soft as he said, "I'm finding myself becoming very attached to you. I don't think you're going to find it easy to get rid of me."
That wasn't exactly what Xena had been expecting. "Who says I want to get rid of you?" she responded.
He shrugged. "I'm just afraid when all of this is over, and we've stopped Barclan, that you and Gabrielle will decide that three is too many."
Xena studied his eyes. He was serious. She uncrossed her hands, and moved to straddle his midriff. Jamen's eyes widened when she took his hands and abruptly pulled them above his head, pinning him to the blanket. He wondered if he had angered her, but there was no malice in her stormy blue eyes.
Xena leaned in so her mouth was nearly touching his. "Listen to me, Jamen," she said, her voice serious and
firm. "Gabrielle and I are a team; that's for sure. But there is definitely room on that team for one more. I've
already discussed it with Gabrielle, and I know how she feels. She wants me to be happy, and it makes me
happy to be with you. So get it out of your head that we're not going to want you around. All right?"
He paused before he responded. "All my life, I've never dared think of myself caring for a woman. And here
I am, with the most beautiful woman in the world, and she tells me she wants me to stick around. It's kind
of hard for all that to sink in."
Xena released her grip on his hands, but he didn't bother moving them from their position, even when she
bent down to gently kiss him. The kiss was brief, and she was smiling when she brought her head back up.
"Believe me," she told him, "I'm just as surprised about it as you are. The last thing I thought when we
helped out that village is that I'd find someone I care about."
Finally, he moved his hands. They came down to gently hold her upper arms. "I don't think I can ever get enough
of you," he whispered.
Xena could feel him hardening against her stomach, and felt the answering warmth in her own core. She smiled
seductively up at him. "Let's take advantage of it while we can," she whispered. She lowered her mouth to his
chest, and began to work her tongue over the same nipple she had been stroking earlier. She dragged her tongue
along it, and across to the other one, to which she gave the same attention. Jamen threaded his fingers through her
hair, but let her take control.
Xena's head eventually left his chest, and she began to work her way down his stomach. She used her sharp
teeth to nip at him, making his skin tingle. She dipped her tongue in his navel, making goosebumps rise along him.
Finally, she reached her destination. She laid a hand on his stomach, and looked up at him, her eyes dancing with pleasure.
Jamen's eyes had been closed, but when she stopped, he opened them to see what had made her quit. His breath caught when he saw her expression. She was up to something, but he knew he'd like whatever it was.
Slowly Xena's hand crept in the direction of his semi-hard organ. He though of the fact that he was still sticky from their earlier lovemaking, and the fact that Xena wouldn't care. She wasn't shy about enjoying her sexuality at all, and that excited him beyond reason.
Letting the back of her hand brush against him, Xena could clearly hear the answering moan. All Jamen's attention was focused on Xena's hand and what she was doing…or not doing…with it. Finally, she grasped his manhood firmly in her right hand. She looked up at him again, the wonderfully mischievous half-smile flirting at her lips.
"You are so mean," Jamen panted, without heat.
Xena let her pink tongue wet over her lips, and then she lowered her mouth to his erection, which was growing in rigidity by the moment. She let her warm breath caress the head, and watched his stomach muscles dance as he tried to cope with the sensory overload she was causing. Slowly and deliberately, she rubbed her thumb up along the length of him and over the head, not stopping until she had teased the small slit at the end.
"By the gods, Xena!" she heard him gasp, and then his body gave a tremendous shudder.
Sensing he was near his limit, she gave the head a lick, and then sucked him in.
"Yesss…" she heard him hiss. His hands, which had been gripping her head convulsively, relaxed some. Xena smiled, and that tightened her mouth around him even more.
Xena was so good at this. Jamen had been orally pleased by other women, but none had the skill to match the raven-haired woman hovering over him right now. She didn't get in any hurry, and was an expert at maintaining a level of stimulation that kept him incredibly aroused, but prevented him from coming. He felt as if every drop of blood in his body was rushing to that area of his anatomy, and he found the pleasure almost border lined on pain.
Xena continued this pace for some time, slowly nuzzling her lover and stroking his abdomen and the base of his manhood. Jamen took a deep breath to calm himself, then chanced a glance down at her. He immediately froze. Xena's attention was focused on his manhood. That much he had expected. What he hadn't expected was to see her left hand stroking his body, while her right hand was between her thighs, stroking her own center. His eyes were glued to the sight, and when Xena realized he was watching her pleasure herself, she spread her thighs a little further and slipped three fingers inside.
Jamen emitted a deep moan, and Xena could feel his climax approaching. She sucked harder, and felt his body tense up before he began depositing his seed. She swallowed him down, then used her tongue to clean him off. Her own body was singing from her fingers, but she wasn't in immediate need of release. Before she moved up his body, she gave him one last lingering kiss.
She slid her body back up his, her hardened nipples tracing over his flesh, until her head was above his, once again. Jamen hesitated a moment when he realized the taste on her tongue was his own, but he couldn't resist the movements of her lips. Finally, they came up for air, and Xena laid her head on his chest again. Jamen stared at the top of her head, cradling her to him. He was thoroughly amazed by the command she had over his body.
The rain stopped in the early morning hours. Xena was up first, and fully dressed by the time Jamen woke up. She smiled at him. "Good morning," she said, giving him a quick kiss.
"G'morning," he replied, before a yawn overtook him. His eyes felt like they were full of sand, and he knew it was going to be a long day. They had awakened several times during the night, sometimes making love tenderly, sometimes coupling furiously, but each time the bond between them had grown a little tighter.
The pair saddled their horses and led them outside the barn. Gabrielle must have been watching for them, for seconds after they were outside, she was walking out the front door of the house.
"How'd you sleep?" Xena asked, as she approached.
"Not as well as I thought I would," came the answer. The blonde rubbed her eyes, subconsciously, "Out of eleven kids, at least seven of them spent part of the night with me."
"Scared of storms?" Xena asked, amused.
"Storms, ghosts, snakes, feathers, radishes, you name it and at least one of them was afraid of it."
Xena chuckled at that, and clapped a friendly hand on Gabrielle's shoulder. "We'll take it easy today," she said. "Jamen's a little worn out too."
Gabrielle glanced at the warrior who was stifling another yawn. Then, she looked back at Xena who seemed as wide-awake and alert as usual. Xena saw her curious look, and shrugged innocently.
Basil came out of the house then. "I wanted to thank you again for your help yesterday," he told them.
"It was our pleasure," Xena replied, and her partners nodded their agreement. "We're headed in the same direction they were, so we'll keep a watch out for them in case they try to double back."
Basil nodded. "Thanks" he said. "With the thrashing you gave them, I doubt if they have the guts for that, but if they do, it's good to know I've got some insurance."
As he spoke, a series of small heads poked out around him. Xena and Jamen had to grin at the curiosity of Basil's numerous children. One of them tugged at Basil's sleeve, the little red-haired girl handing a sack up to her father.
"Thank you, Pamrya," Basil said, taking the bag. He held it out to Xena. "My wife made some breakfast for you."
"Thank you!" Gabrielle said, intercepting the bag. "Marl is a wonderful cook." Xena and Jamen added their thanks.
"We'll be seeing you, Basil," Xena said then, offering her forearm to Basil. He shook it, then clasped Jamen's and Gabrielle's as they said their goodbyes.
Chapter 13
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