Editing Ancient Dances



She watched him shut the door to their room, studying his back as he turned the lock.  The day's events had gone by at a dizzying pace, starting from Flora and Josephine sharing stunned glances in her room that morning to her wedding to Ezekiel in the cathedral and the celebration afterwards.  Katherine was still chagrined that her own nuptials had slipped her mind; despite Ezekiel's patient understanding, her embarrassment had no bounds.  It had left her flustered and frustrated and even the time that Bertie and Flora's wedding had taken before hers and Ezekiel's had not been enough time for her to find composure before she herself was gathered up to be walked to the altar.

 
In contrast to the turmoil in her head, Ezekiel had been so serene waiting for her with the bishop, so breathtakingly handsome that she had paused in her steps a moment before floating to him on the air itself, bewitched by the power, the pride and the love etched on his face.  It it still stunned her a bit that she had forgotten.  How could one forget such an event with such a man?  How could she have failed to remember that with that one blessed event, she would be his forever?  She could still taste the sweet wine of the communion, still feel his hands warm around hers, hear the hobbit sniff carefully as his alleged allergies had acted up and the bishop's voice as he intoned the Latin of the Service.  She could only pray that her mind would not discard those moments; but even then, she was certain that they were etched in her heart. 

 
Blessedly, peace had found her the moment that Neecy had put her hands in Ezekiel's, everything coalescing into that one moment when his eyes met hers, as if the Host himself had made her mind and heart stop so that she could understand what was being gifted to her.  She still carried that peace now, her lips touched with a gentle smile as she waited for Ezekiel to finish with the door.  She studied him a moment once he turned to her, her arms crossed as she rested her mouth on one fist in thoughtful contemplation.  As his eyes met hers with wry confusion, she crinkled her eyes merrily and then went to him.  


"I've been a befuzzled mess all morning and I'm not certain what to do now," she stated softly, taking his face in her hands, "but I do know that I want to do this, my husband."  Drawing him to her, she kissed him, softly at first, and then with hunger, sliding her hands from his cheeks to behind his neck as she pressed herself against him.


Had it really only been two weeks? As Ezekiel closed the door and locked himself and his new bride into their room on the Scarpelli estate, he found himself amazed at how little time had passed and how much his life had changed in that scant passing of days. And all for the better, he thought, as he turned around to look at Katherine, stunningly beautiful in the white flowery dress that had served as her wedding gown. Her red hair seemed like molten flame in contrast with the simple white material and her eyes...oh, those deep pools of emerald...


The Host truly had blessed him.


Katherine had a thoughtful look on her face that had him wondering what was crossing her mind. But her look and his wonder were quickly discarded when she took in him for a kiss, a rush of pure energy filling every part of his body from the warmth of where she touched his cheeks down to the very soles of his feet. If he were to take a step as they kissed, they might fly off together buoyed by the lightness of their being.


He finally, somewhat reluctantly, pulled back from the kiss, and took her hand in his and guided her to sit on the bed. He looked into her face and knew the answer he was about to ask, but he needed to ask it anyway, a last bit of certainty.


"Katherine," he said with a quiet smile, "I know it has been a bit of an odd day. But I wanted to ask you something, now that the formalities are done, my wife." So incredible and wonderful to be able to call her that, the woman that he had thought he did not have a chance with. The woman that he had fallen in love without even knowing. The woman that had become his wife.


Ezekiel clasped both her hands and stared into her eyes, attempting not to get lost in their beauty. "Have I made you happy?"


Her eyes widened as her lips parted.  "More than I ever thought possible, my love."  She frowned lightly, searching his face.  "You are my soul and my heart.  Could I have asked for more?" 


"You will have to get used to me asking that, my love," Ezekiel smiled. "For at the end of every day, I will ask, 'Have I made you happy today?' I know there will be arguments and not every moment will be paradise. But if I have not found a way during that day to make you happy, then I will not have performed my duty as your husband." He brought her hands up to his lips and kissed them gently. "So as we approach the end of our first day as husband and wife, I ask you...Have I made you happy today?"


Katherine nodded, moving to snuggle into him with a childlike sigh.  "Yes, Ezekiel.  You have made me happy for the day."  Tilting her head, she kissed his chin and the emerald of her eyes sparked.  "Now as to the night. . ." she added with a wicked grin and then her face again softened.  Her next words were softer.  "Have I made you happy, my love?"


A firm nod. "Yes, happy in so many different ways. I had never truly thought I would be married and especially not to someone as amazing as you. Every moment with you is its own celebration of the magnificent possibilities of life." He smiled again at her, then rubbed her arm softly as he pulled her a little closer.


"Speaking of the night..." He ran a hand over her hair, still done up from the ceremony. "Are you nervous about tonight?"


"I would be lying if I said no," she answered, closing her eyes with the caress.  "But I am equally excited as much as nervous.  It is a new adventure that I have desired for what seems forever."  She caught his hand, pulling back to look him in the face.  "Would you take down my hair, my love?  It is heavy up."  


It was an invitation, she knew, but she wanted him to know that the door lay open for him to claim what little the situation would allow.  And she wanted so very much to feel his hands upon her, to know the feel of his fingers in her hair and beyond.


"Of course." He settled in behind her and reached up with his hands, searching for the elaborate system of pins and combs that kept her hair in place. As he moved through her hair, he said, "I think if we remember that we can take as much time as we need or want and that there is nothing that can be done wrong if it is done with the intent of pleasing the other person. I am not as worldly as many, but I will try and help guide you as much as I can." As he said those last words, he managed to get the last pin removed, and Katherine's hair came tumbling down in a crimson mass. He turned her around towards him and stared at her, her beauty overwhelming him. 


"I do not know if I can speak."


Her answering smile was full of mischief.  "Obviously, this cravat is putting pressure on your neck, my love."  She began to gently loosen the silk, pulling it free from his neck.  Gently, she undid two buttons, freeing his collar from his shirt and opening his shirt a bit.  "Now, speaking may be easier, will it not?" 


And that was perhaps the way that she was best for him. When he got too serious, there she was with a smile and laughter, forcing him to throw off the weight of serious in favor of the light burden of happiness.


"Personally," he replied, "the less clothes we have on, the harder it may become speaking as we attempt to devour each other whole." And he smirked a little at her, letting her know that her teasing had done its work. "But now that the cravat is loosened, I feel I might be able to handle another kiss." And he leaned her and kissed her, the taste of her sending thrills throughout his body. Then he kissed his way from her lips, slowly across her cheek down to her ear, where he nibbled on her earlobe before moving down to her neck.


She shivered as he reached her neck, a gentle exhalation of pleasure coming from her.  Her breath quickened and she reached up to run her fingers through his hair as she closed her eyes.  The movements of his lips on her skin was intoxicating, soft and seeking as he moved downwards.  When he pulled back, she unbuttoned his coat and pulled it free of his arms and unbuttoned three more buttons of his shirt.  Leaning forward, she sent gentle fingers across his chest, finally feeling what she had so desperately wanted to touch before pushing her face against the bare skin that her efforts had revealed.  "You are so warm," she whispered, kissing the hollow of his chest and kissing her way back up to the hollow of his throat.  "So very perfect."



Ezekiel gave a contented sigh as she kissed her way upward. "Your touch intoxicates me, Katherine, every kiss a white flame," he said as he ran his hands through her hair and then moving to softly caress her cheek. As he did so, his eyes moved over the entirety of her and his serious tone gave way to a small chuckle and then a truly honest laugh as the amusing nature of the situation struck him.


"For all that you feel I am perfect," he lightheartedly commented, "I believe I will need your assistance in helping to get some of your clothes loosened and unbuttoned."


The irony was quite striking, really. Ezekiel had thought there was no challenge, no opponent that he could not defeat.   He had stood toe to toe with a frost giant and not been intimidated. But now, presented with the seemingly endless layers of Katherine's clothing? Defeated like the neophyte he had been so many years ago. But perhaps fitting, since in the matters of the heart, he was indeed still at the beginning of learning.


Her eyes were wide as she pulled back, the innocent uncomprehending look soon replaced with humored understanding.  Sliding free of his grasp, she smiled wryly at him as her cheeks colored.  "I shall start and let you know when I need your help."  She could not look him in the eyes as she began the process of unbuttoning her clothing, could not look at him as she removed the dress pieces or her petticoats and the bustle.  But once she was down to her corset cover and other underthings, she looked up.  He had been watching; she felt his eyes on the whole time and she had begun to realize some of the things that Flora had spoken of.  There was a wonder and intensity to his eyes that she felt answering in her own as she sought his gaze and she inhaled slowly before speaking. 

"Now, Ezekiel, I think that I need your help."  Under the silk of her corset cover, the satin corset that she had bought for this moment seems to caress her torso in a quite interesting way; her short pantaloons and silk stockings seemed to do the same.  And yet she wanted them off her very much, as much as she wanted him out of his clothing.  She was blushing, but not all the heat in her was from embarrassment, and she knew that her heart was pounding so hard that it threatened to leap from her chest. 


And yet there was a calmness to her.  This was a dance far older than either of them, a dance that was ancient and would continue long after they were gone.  She stood and waited for him; having offered herself to the male who had made her his own, her own part of the beginning part of the ritual done.


"I think, first," Ezekiel said as he began undoing buttons, "I should perhaps not leave us unequally clothed." He knew that she was both nervous and calm, patient and excited. He wanted her to feel not as though it was his place alone to decide how the two of them were together, but something they entered into as equals.


The cravat and tie were easy enough that Katherine had loosened them, the vest slightly harder, but he inexplicably could not seem to get the top button of his shirt undone.


The corners of her mouth tilted in with a fond smile, her fingers reaching for the buttons that eluded him as she came to him. "I've already unbuttoned a few, my love. Let me finish the rest." She pulled the shirt from his trousers as she opened it to reveal his bare chest. "Oh," she breathed and slid her hands up the length of it before continuing the motion to slide his shirt from his body.


Her hands were like twin furnaces as they moved up his chest and despite the heat of them, he found his entire body shivering as she removed his shirt. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly, enjoying the feelings she caused in him. Then he turned to her and said, "Now allow me." And with two hands, he slowly lifted her corset cover over her head, enjoying the way it felt as it slid across her arms. He was so close, yet not quite touching, tantalizing in the infinite distance of those few inches.
  

She breathed in deeply as the silk went over her head, her hair returning softly down her back as it slid free of the cover and found herself helpless to do anything but look at his face, her lips parting with unspoken words. "And. . ." she found herself saying softly a moment later as she reached out to touch his cheek, "how does one remove trousers?" 


"Buttons," Ezekiel replied with a hint of a chuckle. "As with everything that we wear, it seems, many many buttons." And feeling himself growing below the waist, he reached forward to grab her hands and guide them to the buttons on his trousers.


Eyes widening, Katherine grinned as he took her hands and laid them in place. She looked down and unbuttoned all the buttons before laughing and jumping onto the bed. Wiggling her still shod feet, she held them out. "Shoes please, dearest, and then I will remove yours?" She knew her cheeks were on fire, but so was her belly. Her hand had brushed his crotch as she unbuttoned his trousers; what waited there made her insides quicken as much as it fired her curiosity. 


All the layers of clothes almost made it unbearable, having to wait longer after what seemed a lifetime of waiting. But he reminded himself that it had only been two weeks since he and Katherine had run down the London street. And besides, he thought, we have all night. We have the rest of our lives. The thought of that lifetime with her made the smile on his face even larger as he helped her remove her shoes, taking the opportunity to slowly run a hand up her closed leg, letting his hand linger on her thigh briefly before removing it.


She could not help but close her eyes as his hand went up her leg and she opened them with leisure, sliding off the bed to stand close to him again. "I think that you did a brilliant job with my shoes, sir." Katherine tilted her head before throwing her arms around his neck so that she could press hard against him. "That deserves a kiss," she announced and then locked her lips against his. Her breasts ached, she did not know why, but as she pressed against him, the sensation seemed to not quite matter so much.


He wanted to devour her right then and there, but he also wanted this moment, these first moments, to last, so Ezekiel leaned into a long kiss and let his hands move across her bare shoulders and neck, alternating between light caresses with his fingers and a firm slow touch with his palms.


Her head was swimming with sensations, from his hands on her shoulders and neck, to the feel of his lips on hers. A soft whimper came from her as she pulled back a moment and then took his lower lip between her lips to suck it gently before biting it and drawing it tenderly through her teeth. It was as she had done in Paris, but there was no maddening layers of material between them; only silk, lace, and his trousers and barest remnants of her unmentionables. She sank her fingers into the softness of his hair and sighed with happiness, freeing her lips for a moment to nip his chin before pulling back to catch her breath.


As she pulled slightly back, he took a look at her, letting his eyes rove all over her at first, unable to resist looking at the beautiful figure that had been concealed underneath all of those clothes. But then he brought his eyes back up to her gorgeous green eyes and smiling, said, "How are you, my love? Do we move too fast?"

  
"Oh no," Katherine breathed. "I am enjoying the trip. So shall I take off your shoes and stockings Ezekiel?" She bit her lip and grinned. "I do not know the order that you get dressed, so I am uncertain of how to reverse the process."


"I am not sure that I concerned that they come off in the proper order," he admitted, "as long as they come off. Start with the shoes and we can proceed from there. As long as it does not take us until morning, we can do this however we wish."



"Give me your lovely foot then," Katherine retorted with a laugh as she knelt onto the thick carpet to undo his shoes. She removed them one by one before sliding her hands up his legs to his calves to find and unfasten the garters that held his socks in place. With careful patience, she freed his legs and feet of their coverings, her fingers stroking all the while muscles and skin that she hadn't dared to dream of touching. Done, she held up a hand for him to help her rise.


  “Your hands do things to me, Katherine," Ezekiel said as he helped her to her feet. "Wonderful things, indeed." He was actually oddly thankful that they were going to be engaging in the French method rather than actual sexual congress. This first time, he was not sure he would have the willpower that she deserved. Her touch was already driving him to new heights and they had not even completely undressed yet.


  As Ezekiel's hand closed on hers to pull her up, her mind calmly noted the racing of her heart. So quickly her heart beat, it seemed to be ready to leap from her chest, her insides constricting as electricity shot from one end of her to the other. Abruptly, she came to a decision and with it came serenity and a calmness that danced over her every nerve. Licking her lips, she felt the smoldering fire within take control, knowing what she needed to do. Her face had become still as she rose to her feet, her eyes on his as she backed away from him. Without breaking her gaze, she put her fingers to the busk and removed her corset, following gracefully with the removal of the rest of her undergarments until she stood pale and slender in the flickering light of the candles, clad only in her hair. "I want to feel your skin on mine, Ezekiel," she stated softly, coming to him. "There is much to be explored and I would have your hands on me." 


Ezekiel took a sharp breath as Katherine revealed herself to him, for she was as beautiful as the angels themselves. But the sight of an angel would not do the wonderful things to his body that the sight of her did. Her breasts were beautiful pale globes with pale pink nipples crowning their perfection. Her curves made his hands ache to run them down her sides. And looking at the dark red triangle of her womanhood made his mouth go dry with the thought of what she must taste like.


"You are beyond my capability to describe, Katherine. More than I deserve, I think. But even if I am undeserving, I wish nothing more than to have us pressed against each other, no more clothes standing as barrier." And as she approached him, he removed the last of his undergarments, leaving his manhood to spring free. 


Her mouth opened with surprise, her face lighting up with a grin. Much like a boy child's, she thought to herself, only grander. Moving forward, she pressed against him, surprised at her need to feel him against her belly and even more surprised to feel the pleasant pulsing of her own secret areas. 


It was firm and yet velvety soft and she closed her eyes at the sensation of his manhood against her, her face dreamy and pleased. She sighed and then gave into impulse as she slid her hands from his waist to his soft skin of his back and sought his lips with her own before taking his hands and pulling them to cup her breasts. Her kiss became hungrier and she gave into the need to gently wander her nails over his back.


The kiss went on and on. The softness of her lips paralleled in the softness of her breasts, so silky smooth beneath his touch. He moved the thumb of one hand over her nipple and let it run soft circles over it as the other hand caressed the other breast, enjoying the sound of her pleasure as he did so.


Ezekiel pulled away from the kiss, making his own soft guttural moan of pleasure at the feeling of her nails down his back before burying his mouth into her neck, kissing, nibbling, and then softly biting the tender skin, being careful not to be so hard as to leave a mark. As he kissed, he could feel her wetness against his leg and he pressed up even tighter against her, wanting to feel every inch of her.


She cast her head back to allow him room to her neck, sighing softly as she ran the back of her fingertips down his sides. Her breasts felt swollen and it felt wonderful to press them against him; his fingers had woken in them a life of their own. Abruptly a growl rose in her, soft and urgent. She gave it voice and twisted her head so that she could suckle his chin and then bite it gently, before licking the length of his neck and then kissing her way back to his mouth again. Reaching between them, she took his manhood in her hand, too caught up in passion to care if it was improper or not. Flora had mentioned such, came the faint thought, but somewhere, somehow, something so wonderful had to be forbidden. And yet would touch it, this thing that the French had deemed so important. Letting her fingers wander as she kissed him, she began to decide that the French were quite correct and forgave Paris the insult that she still felt that they had dealt her.


Ezekiel sighed as she grabbed him and quickly the sigh became another moan. He needed to move them in a different direction, he thought. Her inexperience had her playing with forces she perhaps did not quite yet grasp the intensity of. His tongue slipped inside her lips and he could feel himself softly pulsing in her grasp with the sheer pleasure of it. He let the kiss go and said, "Love, I must ask you to go lay down, for I feel compelled to pay proper worship to the magnificent temple that is your body."


They backed toward the bed and he carefully laid her down upon it, her beauty exceeding that of the greatest works of art. She was a work of art and his and his alone to enjoy the viewing of. As she lay there on the bed, he started kissing her neck and then slowly working his way down her body, kissing every inch of skin that his lips could touch. As he reached her breasts, he spent extra time there, enjoying the sheer sensual pleasure of wrapping his mouth around her nipples, of gently licking the soft skin of her swelling breasts, of hearing her pleasure at his actions. And all the while, his hands moved about her, caressing arms and shoulders and legs, whatever he could reach, needing to feel all of her that he could.

But he did not dwell forever there, although he felt perhaps he could spend a lifetime with those beautiful breasts. And would get that lifetime, he thought, as he moved downward towards her womanhood, wanting to taste her and continue her journey towards the ultimate ecstasy provided to mortals.


If she could have done anything but tremble and sigh under his touch, she would have laughed out loud from the purest joy, but the waves of pleasure that he was creating in her were beyond her most shameful dreams. Arching her back, she pushed her body against his lips and fingers, gasping as went downward to her belly, his fingers punctuating and amplifying his every kiss and warm stroke of his tongue. 


When his lips finally tickled her belly, she shrieked with sudden giggles, moaning softly as she grasped the coverlet to keep from twisting from underneath his grasp. "Oh, love, that tickles!" she cried before gasping as his mouth found a new place to intrigue her nerves, "but, pray don't stop!" She caught her fingers in his hair, stroking his head and temples gently before he moved again and his hands began to stroke her thighs.


Closing her eyes, she gave into the wave of electricity that burned through her body, making all thoughts go to nothing as her body drowned her in a wave of pulsing pleasure. She did not know what was to come, but as Ezekiel had moved down her body, the fire within her had grown almost to a need beyond her understanding, and whatever he intended, she had no desire to keep him from it. The sounds coming from her throat would have made her red with embarrassment before; she did not care now and let them come between gasps for air.


The sounds of her pleasure were an aphrodisiac like none other -  her pleasure was becoming his and he found himself taking deep breaths to remain under control. He kept his tongue methodically moving, letting the sounds of her pleasure be his guide as to where to linger and where to move. The taste of her was a sweet wine in his mouth, making him drunk on her ecstasy.


And after a few minutes, Ezekiel could feel her approaching her peak as her body tensed up with the power of the pleasure that was about to explode from within her. He just hoped it would be as beautiful and spectacular as she deserved.


The contractions that pulsed through her body were new and wonderful as were the sensations that Ezekiel caused with his hands and tongue.  She could only grab at the coverlet, her hands clenching and unclenching like a kitten kneading.  The feelings were like pain only pain that was the purest pleasure, an agony of ecstasy that she had never dreamed possible.  And like a kitten, she heard her throat producing mewling noises as she gasped for breath as her body gathered itself for something that she did not understand. 


When it came, it was like an ocean wave, darkness swallowing her as she cried out before the tension of her body gave way to purest bliss, the fires inside exploding in waves until she lay limp under his hands.  Shuddering, her soft laughter gave way to giggles of joy and she lay there, helpless and satiated, unable to do anything else.  


Ezekiel crawled up next to her, laying his head next to her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her. He wanted the physical contact during her ecstasy that intercourse would have provided, had intercourse been available to them. While it was not the same, he would take what he could get.


He gave her a few minutes to recover, one arm lying across her while he stroked her hair with the other. "The Host gives such infinite capacity for pleasure," he said quietly. "Thank you for letting me be your introduction to it, my treasure."


Her breathing slowed, she rolled into his embrace, wrapping her legs in his as she looked him deep in the eyes.  "Praise be to the Host, love, and thank you," she whispered.  "I had not even dreamed such feelings were possible.  Oh my heart, my soul, tell me that I will be able to give you just a modicum of that pleasure to you.  I could not bear it if you cannot feel what I just felt.  Thank you so very much!"  She kissed him then, tenderly but firmly, her own tongue slipping between his lips of its own accord with a timid lick. 

She pulled back after a moment, her expression soft, before beginning to kiss his face then his neck and then his chest.  His manhood still pressed firm against her; a memory of what Flora had said finally had made its way through her pleasure-befuddled mind.  She rolled Ezekiel gently onto his back and stroked his manhood with tender fingers.  "Let me enjoy you now, my love," she said with a purr and felt no shame in letting the noise come from her as her fingers and lips began to explore.  


He was a wonder of touch and taste and she would enjoy him like candy, from top to bottom, with an intensity born of curiosity and love.  When her lips finally made their way to his manhood, she had to pause to stroke it with her fingers, cradling and exploring before finally taking him into her mouth as Flora had so carefully explained.


Katherine's touch sent a shiver down his spine as she softly ran her fingers across his thighs and genitals. He then gasped as she lowered her head and wrapped her lips around him. Her mouth was so warm and wet as she caressed him with her lips and her tongue kept moving all over him. He felt...concentrated, as if his entire self was residing in that one spot. She was a novice, he thought, amazed. Imagine what she will be able to do after some experience. But that thought reminded him of what he had not mentioned.


"Katherine," he said, trying to concentrate on his words and not on the pleasure she was creating, "when I reach my peak, you must remove your mouth if you do not wish to swallow my seed. I will let you know before that moment arrives."

 
Her eyes were puzzled as she raised her head a moment, though her fingers still fondled the twin roundness that was part of the pleasure of his manhood.  "Flora mentioned such.  Is it unpleasant?"  She then licked him tenderly before resuming her pleasure.  It was quite like a peppermint stick, she thought with fond amusement, and as tasty in its own way.  She was becoming delightfully aroused in arousing him.  No one had mentioned that at all and she was pleased to find that by giving she also received.  So many new things, so many new marvels and sensations.  She moaned softly, very content with her new toy.


"I do not know," Ezekiel admitted honestly. He was finding it very hard to concentrate as Katherine worked towards relieving weeks of constant sexual tension. "I just did not wish you to be surprised." He moaned as she began a particularly pleasant motion. His manhood felt like a steel sword and the blood pulsing, throbbing in it began to make his whole body pulse with the pleasure of it.


"It will not be much longer," he said, before letting himself fall into the enjoyment of what she was doing to him.


She nodded, allowing the motion to carry into the movements of her lips and tongue, her fingers timidly gentle yet firm.  Her mind kept a constant notation of what movements and pressures seemed to bring Ezekiel the most pleasure, what made him groan or arch in pleasure under her ministrations.  Her own body had begun to pulse again, a satiated slow fire, but a fire nonetheless, and she found herself wondering if they could keep going like this in endless circles of passion until they both gave out from exhaustion. 


As her body rekindled, she was very aware that there was more that was forbidden until London.  The thought of what she so currently savored so sweetly plunging inside her made her almost rabid with need and she closed her eyes to concentrate.   Forcing her mind back to the task at hand, she heard Ezekiel moan and huskily give warning.  


Ezekiel felt all the pleasure rush through him and concentrate into a single almost unbearable point before exploding into a burst of ecstasy that had him moaning in joy. There was nothing in the world but that glorious sensation of release. His breath came in heaving gasps, almost as if he were struggling to find the air. It was no wonder they called it the little death, he thought as he slowly came down off the high and began to recover his senses.


Katherine slid herself along side Ezekiel and reached for his face once he seemed to be focusing again, her eyes soft and wondering.  She had rolled back on her knees to watch Ezekiel, her head tilted with the tiniest frown of concern, until he had sunken back into the bed, limp and exhausted.   "Where were you?" she asked softly, her thumb gentle along his jaw.  "Did I take you to heaven like you took me, love?"  She was aware that they both were sweating; the heat of him was delicious and she bit her lip to keep from licking his neck.   In her turn to please him, she had found a second wind, but Flora had warned her not to be too demanding a lover, that consideration and understanding was needed for a man to recover from the act.  She stroked sodden locks of hair from his face, amazed to find that she could love him more deeply now than before having shared so much.


"If I went to heaven, I must still be there since you are by my side and heaven is being with you," Ezekiel replied in a husky voice, the heat of the moment still washing over him in pulses that were slowly diminishing. He took a hand and rubbed that soft, beautiful skin of hers, letting his fingers wander across her breasts, hearing her softly moan as he did so, knowing that she was already ready to begin in. And who was he to disappoint his new wife?


He smiled as he looked over at Katherine, lying there beside him. "You might find it interesting to know that it is possible for us both to receive pleasure at once," he whispered seductively to her, letting her make the connection in her head.


Her eyes widened as her nostril flared lightly.  She had to swallow as her breath caught in her throat, the heat of his breath tantalizingly gentle and yet maddening on her skin. "Lead on then, merry master," she answered, her voice low in her throat.   Inhaling with a soft growl, the cat irises of her eyes already dilated in the shadowy darkness, she locked her gaze onto his a moment to let him see her interest before giving into the need to lick and suck the sweat from his neck.  She then murmured into his ear before nipping it gently as her hands began to wander over him.  "I am ever an eager student.  Tell me how we are to do this, love.  I am yours to do with as you want."  She rose to sit up beside him then, trailing her nails along his chest and belly as she did so, her face serious and intent. 
 

He had her full attention; she was almost dizzy with desire and the heat that burned through her in waves.  Fighting and the exertion of it had been a high that she was loathe to admit that she had loved and craved.  But this, this was a physical exertion that paled those feelings to almost nothing, a mad glory that she had never expected.  His scent and his touch was intoxicating, her mind caught helpless by what her body seemed to know, desire and do.  She smiled, slow and seductive, waiting for his next words, as her body filled with a tauntness that was pain nye unto pleasure.  He was the teacher as in their fencing class and she shivered lightly awaiting his next lesson, aware that the waiting was as much a seduction as the lesson to follow.


In response, he began to kiss the skin of her shoulders, slowly working his head downwards, while at the same time letting his body rotate 180 degrees. When their mouths were aligned with each other's private parts, he lifted his head up long enough to say, "Now if you get on your knees, so that you are above me..." and he waited for Katherine to get in position.


She shifted as he asked, delighted to have at her new toy again.  As her lips found him and his found her, a sudden thought made her laugh softly and fondly.  "Love, I pray that you are less successful than you were before.  If I go where I was before, then I shall do you a disservice because I won't be able to continue pleasuring you at all."  She angled to look back at him, her eyes twinkling.  "I shall endeavor to take you to ecstasy first, but pray forgive me if I get there before you."  With a languorous lick, she sighed and settled into him, shivering as he mirrored her actions and the nerves of her body fired delightfully.


It would be the bluish twilight of false dawn before they found sleep entwined together, exhausted and happy.  And as Katherine would reflect later, even in the ancient dance, Ezekiel had proven to be quite the proficient dancer and combatant.  And as she had feared, she had failed first.  But she had long ago decided that losing to Ezekiel was her favorite thing to do, no matter what sword he wielded against her.  And more importantly, she was now convinced that London was still entirely too far away.