[Ren’s POV]
I had a rather difficult time convincing myself to get out of bed.
It wasn’t because I was particularly tired, although that was certainly part of it. The problem was that Sera had somehow managed to make staying in bed considerably more appealing than anything I had planned for the day.
She was lying beside me, her back against my chest, with one of my arms resting around her waist. Sunlight slipped through the curtains, illuminating parts of the room, but neither of us seemed particularly interested in acknowledging the morning.
"You’re awake," she said.
I opened my eyes.
"Was I supposed to pretend otherwise?"
"You’ve been moving around for the past few minutes. I was beginning to wonder whether you’d developed some strange sleeping habit."
"I was trying to get comfortable."
"On your side of the bed, perhaps?"
I glanced down at her. "I wasn’t aware there were designated territories."
"There are when you spend half the night stealing the blankets."
"That’s a serious accusation. Do you have any evidence?"
She turned her head slightly, looking at me over her shoulder. "I spent a considerable portion of the night trying to recover my blanket from you."
"Sounds like a personal problem."
Sera laughed and turned around, resting her hand against my chest.
"You really are impossible sometimes."
"Yet here you are."
"Unfortunately, I’ve grown rather fond of you."
"Unfortunately?"
"Don’t let it go to your head."
I grinned and leaned forward to kiss her. She returned it, though she pulled away before I could make any attempt to extend it.
"We should get up," she said.
"That sounds like a terrible idea."
"I have work to do, Ren."
"Your business will survive another hour."
"That’s what you said yesterday."
"And was I wrong?"
She gave me an unimpressed look.
I sighed dramatically. "Fine. I see how it is. A man tries to spend a peaceful morning with the woman he likes, and suddenly he’s competing with merchants and shipping records."
"Those merchants actually pay me, you know."
"I could pay you to stay."
Sera raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly would I be paid for?"
"Excellent company."
"You’re going to need a better offer."
I laughed, finally releasing her so she could get out of bed.
There went my plans for a lazy morning.
Breakfast was served in the smaller dining room overlooking the gardens. Sera had already changed by the time I arrived, wearing a dark dress with her hair arranged neatly. I was beginning to suspect she had some secret method of becoming presentable within minutes of waking up.
I, on the other hand, was still trying to convince myself that the day had begun.
She looked up as I entered.
"You’re late."
"I was enjoying the morning."
"Alone?"
"Well, someone decided that running a merchant house was more important than spending time with me."
She smiled and gestured towards the chair opposite her.
"Come and eat before your suffering becomes unbearable."
I took my seat and reached for the food.
We ate while discussing the arrangements she needed to make over the coming days. There were several shipments awaiting approval, and apparently one of her suppliers had decided that changing the agreed delivery price at the last moment was an acceptable business practice.
I listened as she explained the situation.
"Why not simply find another supplier?" I asked.
"Because the goods have already been purchased, and replacing the supplier would delay delivery. It’s not quite as simple as dismissing someone who has annoyed you."
"That’s disappointing. I was beginning to think being rich meant you could do whatever you wanted."
She laughed.
"Being wealthy means having more expensive problems. That’s about the extent of it."
"Sounds awful. Perhaps I should remain poor."
"You’re welcome to try. Although, knowing you, you’d probably find a way to get yourself involved in something expensive within a week."
"That’s an unfair assessment of my character."
"Is it? You’ve been in Haremdale for a relatively short time, and somehow you’ve managed to involve yourself in more trouble than some people manage in an entire lifetime."
I paused with my fork halfway to my mouth.
"Well, when you put it like that..."
"Exactly."
I shook my head, smiling.
It was easy to forget how much I enjoyed conversations like this. Sera could be serious when she needed to be, but she wasn’t constantly trying to impress me or turn every interaction into a negotiation. She could laugh at herself, challenge me when I said something ridiculous and occasionally make me regret opening my mouth in the first place.
It was refreshing.
"So," she said, setting down her cup. "How much longer do you intend to stay in Haremdale?"
There it was.
I swallowed before answering.
"I haven’t settled on an exact date, but I can’t stay indefinitely. There are places I still need to visit, and the Dragon Kingdom is one of them."
"I assumed as much. You’ve never struck me as someone who enjoys remaining in one place for very long."
"Is that a complaint?"
"No. I’m simply trying to understand what being involved with you is going to look like."
I put my utensils down.
"Fair enough."
She watched me for a moment before continuing.
"Ren, I enjoy spending time with you. I think that’s fairly obvious by now, unless you’ve somehow managed to misunderstand everything that’s happened between us."
"I’d like to think I’ve been paying attention."
"Good. But I also have a life here. I have responsibilities, people who depend on me and a business that requires my attention. I can’t simply disappear because someone I’ve grown fond of decides to travel across the continent."
"I wouldn’t ask you to."
"I know. That’s why I’m bringing it up now rather than waiting until you’re standing at the gates with a travelling bag."
I smiled.
"That would have been a rather unpleasant conversation."
"Indeed. Especially if you expected me to wave you goodbye and pretend I wasn’t bothered."
I reached across the table and took her hand.
"I don’t expect that. I like you, Sera. Quite a bit, actually. And I’d like us to continue seeing each other even after I leave. I know distance will make things difficult, but I’d rather deal with that than pretend this is something temporary."
She looked down at our hands.
"You make it sound rather straightforward."
"It isn’t. I’m not going to promise that I’ll be back within a few weeks or pretend that travelling is going to be convenient. But I don’t want to leave you wondering whether any of this meant something to me."
Sera was quiet for a moment.
Then she smiled.
"You’re surprisingly serious when you want to be."
"I have my moments."
"I’ve noticed."
She squeezed my hand.
"I don’t want you to abandon your plans for me, Ren. You’ve made it clear that the Dragon Kingdom is somewhere you intend to go, and I’m not going to ask you to give that up. But I also don’t want you treating me like someone you can simply visit whenever you happen to pass through Haremdale."
"That’s fair."
"I mean it. If we’re going to continue this, then I expect you to make an effort. Letters, visits when possible, and perhaps the occasional reminder that you haven’t forgotten about me."
I grinned.
"Are you asking me to send you love letters?"
"I’m asking you not to disappear for six months and then arrive expecting everything to be exactly as you left it."
"That’s a very specific example."
"Perhaps because I’ve met men who think that way."
"Well, I suppose I’ll have to distinguish myself."
"You certainly have your work cut out for you."
I laughed and brought her hand to my lips.
"Then it’s settled. We continue this, and I’ll do my best not to become a disappointing travelling companion."
"You’re already a disappointing breakfast companion."
"That’s just cruel."
We spent the remainder of the morning together, although Sera eventually had to attend to her work.
I accompanied her to the study, where she reviewed several documents and gave instructions to a pair of servants. I occupied one of the chairs near the window, occasionally commenting on the amount of paperwork she had accumulated.
At one point, she looked up from a document.
"Are you planning to sit there all day?"
"I was considering it."
"Don’t you have anything else to do?"
"Not particularly."
"You’re a very strange man."
"Thank you."
"That wasn’t a compliment."
"I’ll take what I can get."
She shook her head and returned to her work.
I watched her for a while. There was something rather attractive about seeing her in her element. She was confident, decisive and entirely comfortable giving instructions. It was a different side of her from the woman who had spent the previous evening teasing me in her sitting room.
I liked both.
Eventually, she set down her pen.
"You’re doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Watching me."
"Am I not allowed to admire my surroundings?"
"You’ve been looking at me for the past ten minutes."
"Perhaps your surroundings are particularly interesting."
She laughed and stood.
"Come here."
I rose from my chair and approached her desk.
"What is it?"
Instead of answering, she reached up and straightened the collar of my shirt.
"Nothing. I simply wanted you closer."
I smiled.
"That’s a much better reason than anything you’ve given me all morning."
"Don’t become accustomed to it."
"Too late."
She shook her head, but before she could return to her desk, I caught her around the waist and drew her towards me.
Her hands settled against my chest.
"Ren, I still have work to do."
"I know."
"And you’re making it rather difficult to concentrate."
"That sounds like a compliment."
"It wasn’t."
I leaned down and kissed her.
She returned the kiss, her fingers moving towards the back of my neck. Whatever objections she had been preparing seemed to disappear as she drew me closer.
When we parted, she looked at me with an amused expression.
"You really are troublesome."
"Yet you keep inviting me back."
"Perhaps I have questionable judgement."
"An unfortunate condition. I’m sure I can help you with it."
She laughed and kissed me again.
This time, neither of us seemed particularly interested in returning to the documents.
I pulled her closer, and she responded by slipping her arms around my shoulders. There was a familiarity to the way we touched now, a comfort that hadn’t been there during our first evening together.
We had already crossed that initial uncertainty. Neither of us needed to wonder whether the other wanted to be there.
Sera eventually drew back, though her hands remained on my shoulders.
"Come upstairs with me."
I glanced towards the desk.
"What about your work?"
"It will still be there later."
"Are you sure? Those documents looked rather important."
"They are. But I can spare some time."
I smiled.
"Well, who am I to argue with such a reasonable decision?"
She took my hand and led me out of the study.
The door closed behind us.
Sera turned towards me, and whatever teasing expression she’d worn earlier softened as I approached her.
"Stay with me a little longer," she whispered.
I brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"I wasn’t planning on going anywhere."
She smiled before drawing me into another kiss.
The kiss deepened, and I wrapped my arms around her, following her lead as we moved further into the room. The rest of the day’s responsibilities could wait. For once, neither of us seemed particularly interested in allowing them to interrupt us.
I kissed her again, and she pulled me closer.
The door remained closed, shutting out the noise of the estate and the countless obligations waiting beyond it.
Sera’s hands roamed over my chest as she pressed her body against mine, her lips moving urgently against my mouth. I responded in kind, my own hands sliding down to grip her hips, pulling her flush against me.
We stumbled backwards, kissing, until her back hit the wall. I pinned her there, my body caging her in as I deepened the kiss. She moaned into my mouth, her hips grinding against mine.
My hands found the hem of her dress and slipped beneath, caressing the smooth skin of her thighs. She broke the kiss, panting, her eyes dark with desire.
"Ren," she breathed, her voice husky. "I need you."
I didn’t need to be told twice. I lifted her up, wrapping her legs around my waist as I carried her towards the bed. We tumbled onto the mattress in a tangle of limbs and lips, kissing, touching, exploring each other with a desperation that bordered on frenzy.
I reached for the fastenings of her dress, working them open with shaking hands. The fabric fell away, revealing her breasts, already hard and aching for my touch. I took one in my mouth, suckling, as my hand cupped and kneaded the other.
Sera arched into me, her head thrown back in ecstasy. I lavished attention on her breasts, teasing and tasting until she was writhing beneath me, begging for more.
I released her with a pop, trailing kisses down her stomach as I worked my way lower. I hooked her legs over my shoulders, spreading her open to me.
"Ren, please," she whimpered, her hands fisting in the sheets.
I looked up at her, my gaze burning with lust. "Please what, Sera?" I purred, my breath hot against her dripping core.
She bucked against me, trying to pull me closer. "Inside me," she gasped. "I need you inside me."
With a growl, I positioned myself at her entrance and thrust in deep, burying myself to the hilt. Sera cried out, her nails digging into my back as I began to move, pumping into her with long, hard strokes.
The bed creaked and groaned beneath us, the sound mingling with our moans and gasps. I set a relentless pace, driving into her again and again, feeling her clench around me like a vice.
Sera was close, her body tensing, her breath coming in short, sharp pants. I could feel her walls fluttering around my shaft, signaling her impending orgasm.
I reached between us, my fingers finding her clit and rubbing in tight circles. The added stimulation sent her over the edge, her back arching as she came hard, her pussy convulsing around my cock.
The sensation pushed me over, and with a final, deep thrust, I spilled myself inside her, filling her with my seed as I rode out my own climax.
We collapsed together, panting, our hearts still racing from the intensity of our coupling. I rolled onto my side, pulling Sera with me, and held her close, our bodies still joined.
For a long moment, we simply lay there, basking in the afterglow, the world outside our bedroom fading into insignificance.
I lay beside Sera, watching her as she rested against me. Her hair was no longer arranged as neatly as it had been that morning, and she seemed considerably less concerned about maintaining the composed appearance she usually presented to the rest of the world.
She traced a finger along my chest.
"You’re awfully quiet."
"I’m enjoying the moment." I said.