Page 76 of A Tale of Mirth & Magic

He placed the knife on the nightstand and took a ferocious bite of the half he held. “I tried to find something that would taste nearly as delicious as you do, love. But I fear I failed again.”

“Hmm… perhaps we should compare? Just for the sake of fairness,” I said, sliding fully out of the blankets. Coming up to my knees on the bed, I kissed him deeply, savoring the sour-sweet taste of his mouth. His skin was still chilled from being outside, and I cupped his face in my hands to warm him.

With a pleased rumble, Barra wrapped his arms around me, picking me fully up before landing us back among the cushions. His body was a heavy, comforting weight. After a few more kisses, he pulled away, moving down my body. I protested at first, missing his lips, but stopped as he bit at my underwear and dragged the flimsy fabric down with his teeth.

When his tongue delved into my folds, I let my eyes—still hazy with sleep—fall closed and drifted into this waking dream of his hot breath against my most sensitive skin.

Firm fingers wrapped around my thighs and hips, pinning me in place even as I writhed, chasing that delicious need. He licked me until I was begging him. “Don’t stop, don’t you dare stop.”

My fingers gripped his long tied-back hair, a green ribbon hanging on for dear life as I yanked, eventually gasping my way into a most beautiful morning orgasm. “Oh, goddessssss,” I groaned as I fell back, sinking into the plush pillows.

Barra came up to his elbows and crawled toward me, kissing his way up my soft stomach, giving double kisses to the two rolls in my belly. Lifting for a few seconds, he quickly ripped his clothes off and tossed them away.

“Well?” I asked. “What’s the verdict?”

He pressed a kiss into my jaw. “No contest. Not even close.”

Barra’s chest rumbled against me as he spoke, and I could feel the hard length of his cock against my leg. I shifted my body a bit, rubbing against him. With a groan, he grabbed me with both arms and flipped us over so that I was straddling him.

I let the straps of my nightgown fall, revealing my breasts, and Barra surged forward to claim them one by one. Tracing the thick, cool links of my necklace around his throat, I guided myself onto his cock and began to ride him, slow and steady.

“Fuck, El,” he breathed against me, leaning back on the headboard. I wrapped one hand around the long chain, tugging experimentally. Barra’s pupils flooded his brown eyes. His large hands grabbed as much of my ass as they could and massaged mindlessly.

“Can you—can you do that tighter?” he said, staring at me intensely.

“Safe word still ‘blueberries’?”

He nodded, muscles tense in anticipation. “Or I’ll pinch you.”

“All right, then,” I said with a vicious smile, tightening my grip a little. He gasped in pleasure and said, “More.”

I obliged, feeding a slip of my magic into the metal chain. Willing it slightly tighter around the sides of his neck, my hands were free to roam across his broad chest, his shoulders. Power flowed through me, perfect and filled with light. I felt invincible, complete.

Grinding into him harder, I released the chain’s hold for a moment. His hips kept rising to meet me in perfect rhythm, again and again. I closed my fist, choking him lightly once more. Hands that palmed my ass stilled abruptly for a split second, squeezing hard. With a roar, Barra came, releasing himself into me.

I let my magic flow back into my body, emptying the necklace’s hold, and slid forward onto his chest with a satisfied smile as he panted.

When he’d caught his breath, Barra reached up to brush soft circles on my back and thighs. He kissed me gently, eyes sparkling.

“That was new,” he said, beaming and looking slightly bashful.

I nibbled his earlobe and said, “You are full of surprises, my dear.”

“Oh, speaking of—I found a perfect place for us to stay next week.”

“Really?!” I bounced on top of him, making him chuckle and nuzzle my neck. We’d been winding our path back south for the past month. In this northern land, cold and filled with welcoming but very small halflings and humans, it often proved hard to find accommodations that Barra and I could fit in comfortably.

Luckily, over our past year of travel he’d discovered a useful network that has accepted him into their ranks, made up of half-giants, orcs, dragonborns, and other larger-bodied people who were passionate about traveling the world. Whenever we crossed paths with one, they were able to give recommendations on the inns, rentals, and restaurants that could accommodate their size well. He compared maps and notes with them, learning and sharing valuable information that allowed us to have restful, comfortable travels.

“Met an orc at the smithy who had just come up from central Kurriel. Bit of a prickly fellow, but he was full of information. Pinpointed a few inns for me, so we can take that longer route back to Nepu along the coast if you still want to.”

“Definitely! It’s beautiful this time of year. I can’t wait to see you swimming in the ocean,” I said, reaching for the uillo on my nightstand and taking another delicious bite. Barra licked a drop of stray juice off my chin.

“Want to try that little café before you start working today?” he asked. “I’ve heard they have this rare northern drink called ice tea. Not iced tea—it’s still hot. But it’s made from these tiny white flowers that only grow deep in the ice caves, hundreds of miles north of here. It’s a delicacy.”

“You’re such a loon for tea, and I love it,” I said, giving him a peck on his nose.

Rolling off him, I padded over to our chest of drawers and rifled through it for something to wear. We’d been staying here in the city of Iwwo for about a week and a half, and despite Barra’s best efforts to keep things tidy in our room, my belongings somehow always ended up strewn about.