Kilniara looked at him again, shock seeming to shine through at what he was saying but no longer any anger. She looked at him for several moments as her mouth open and shut for a bit before she simply threw her head back and laughed, her lively giggle brightening the room like a flash bang, instantaneous and brilliant. She immediately threw up a hand to her mouth, cutting off her laughter as it had been quite loud. She continued giggling softly through her hand and stared at him. Joe smiled back up at her, saying nothing, but happy to bring her joy.
They stayed like this for a few moments until her laugher came under control and they both simply stared at each other. After a bit, she hesitantly leaned forward a bit then stopped, uncertain. But when she saw his acceptance, her uncertainty vanished and she collided with him, her lips seeking his in desperation. The humor of the moment quickly shifted to heat and the two lost themselves for a bit in each other embrace until Joe pulled back, his breath shuddering. She kept after him, chasing his lips and he had to put his hand on her shoulder and hold her back.
This brought her back to awareness and her heat turned to embarrassment so Joe quickly pulled her in again, kissing her deeply once again. He maintained the kiss for a bit before pulling back once again, but slowly. He looked into her eyes carefully.
“It’s not you. If we kept going, I was going to throw you down on this bed. I think I’ve told this to you… a lot of times.”
Her embarrassment receded, replaced by calm and a bit of confidence, “You really mean that.”
Joe chuckled, “You don’t know much about men, then, but yes.”
She looked deeply into his eyes as her smile grew before she leaned forward for a quickly peck on his lips and laid back down on his chest, “I’ll… try to remember that. And not be bothered anymore when you stop.”
Joe grunted at that, shaking his head, “If were married, I’m not going to stop! So if you’re going to do that to me again after we’re married, be ready to suffer the consequences!”
Kilniara looked up at him, confusing painting her face a bit, “Consequences?”
Joe looked at her a bit, raising an eyebrow, “What does a man usually do to a woman who kisses him like that?!”
Kilniara’s eyes widened even as she blushed a brilliant red, almost to purple. She ducked his head into his shoulder again and Joe chuckled a bit at her reaction. His laughter brought out a hint of anger and she raised a hand up to smack his chest.
“Stop it,” Kilniara whispered.
Joe’s laugher only grew, and her embarrassment grew in equal measure as she continuing telling him to stop and smacking his chest. Joe quickly brought his laughter to an end before her embarrassment turned to anger and hurt and he brought his arm up to her shoulder, caressing it.
“What do you think was happening?” Joe asked with some humor, but tried to be serious.
Kilniara looked up at that, searching his eyes for intent. She saw the humor in it, and frowned a bit as she smacked his chest once again but answer him honestly as she also saw his sincerity, “I… I… I know what you speak of… but… I … it’s not something to speak aloud…”
Kilniara trailed off and Joe smiled, his humor returning as he saw her embarrassment return, “You didn’t know what a beautiful woman lying on the chest of man would do to a man?”
His humor in full return, Kilniara punched him again but her embarrassment turned to humor, confidence, and sexiness, “I’m beautiful?”
“Very much so.”
“Hmm.”
“I think I’ve told you this many times now.”
Kilniara put her head back down on his chest, but this time rested her chin on her arms and looked up at him, “Mmhmm.”
“I’ll say it many times more.”
Her smile grew, “Mmm.”
“Although someone seems to be getting pretty cocky!”
Kilniara cocked her eyebrow saucily and Joe found his own eyebrows rising in a bit of shock at the show. Joe smirked.
“Very cocky!”
“Mmhmm!”
“I guess I’ll have to say it less.”
“Hey!”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Can’t let too much pride…” Joe cut off, laughing as Kilniara quickly flipped from cocky confidence to annoyed indignation as her fists drummed his chest.
“Hey! Hey! Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare!”
Joe laughed as her indignation rose as the two wrestled a bit and her indignation faded by a slight amount although her anger still veiled her glances.
Joe put on a thoughtful expression, “Hmm… well… it might be easy to say if I were to know how handsome I was?”
Kilniara’s indignation vanished under a flood of embarrassment as she ducked her head and red ripped across her face as quickly as a flash fire. Joe laughed at her reaction and she once again struck his chest a few times with a free fist as her other hand was covering her face, hiding her embarrassment. Joe laughed a bit until he heard a mumble into his chest.
“What?”
Kilniara squirmed before she glared at him and dropped her head again, mumbling once again, a bit louder.
“Huh?”
Kilniara scowled, “I said… You are…” She trailed off again, embarrassment sapping her courage as she dropped her head again, “I said… you are… very handsome.”
Her voice trailed off at the end, but it was enough for Joe to hear this time, and as he began to tease her after finally hearing her, he stopped and reconsidered, noticing her eyes looking up at him through her bangs in trepidation at his response. Her look stopped his humor, and the humorous smile dropped from his lips, morphing into genuine gratitude.
“Thank you. I’m glad I’m at least a little attractive to you.”
Her head dropped again, burrowing into his chest, “More than a little!”
Joe chuckled, warmth suffusing through him, “Yeah… more than a little… for you, too!”
She looked up again, this time brilliant relief shining through.
Their verbal conversation died, replaced by one of intimate looks and smiles. They stared at one another for a few moments before Joe finally sighed in fulfillment and Kilniara dropped her head on his chest. They remained like this for another few moments before Joe sighed again, but this time in resignation as he needed to return to his exercise.
“Well… time to practice.”
Kilniara smiled at that, nodding happily, “OK.”
Joe looked at her, but only found acceptance and smiled back. The two stared at one another for a moment again, loosing themselves before Joe groaned and turned away.
“OK. Now it’s really time to practice!”
Kilniara laughed, her giggle a crystalline moment of sound, before she returned her head to his chest and nodded, “OK.”
Joe didn’t reply and returned to his previous exercises, shifting between using his MP and manipulating his points. The pain from emitting mana proved to be quite a bit more overwhelming this time and Joe chose not to emit after he bottomed out his system MP. Using only the system MP allowed him to not stress his mana organ but still allowed him to practice how to emit appropriately.
* * *
Kilniara felt Joe return to his mana practice, the mana swirling past in swaths just beyond her sense but enough so that she could feel the swirls brush against her own mana much like a breeze against her skin. She did begin her own practice, if a bit half-heartedly, her mana emitting in spurts and sprays, a few brushing across Joe’s skin which caused him to moan quite distractingly. It obviously was distracting enough that he spurted a mana burst across her chest as well before stopping just as quickly. Her immediate moan was cut short when he cut it short as well and he slapped down on her thigh as he did so.
“Stop it. You’ll distract me again.”
She had had no intention of distracting him, her own thoughts too scattered to be aware of where her mana was going that his response and moans had surprised her until she realized what she’d been doing. His response, however, was given in good humor and her quick glance up saw him looking down at her with a smirk and a smile.
“Back to work!”
Kilniara giggled, excited that his feelings for her were still so genuine and responded with another spurt of her own. She felt her breath hitch when his eyes burned, passion leaping rapidly to dangerous levels and he actually growled looking at her before panting a few times, closing his eyes, then restraining himself, the muscles of his body jumping wildly under her fingertips and torso. He looked back at her, passion still wild in his eyes but now under iron willed control.
“Please, stop. I don’t want to go too far.”
Kilniara felt her heart flutter and she nodded, wide eyed even as she stuttered under his predatory stare, “I really, really want to!”
Joe closed his eyes again, breathing deeply before nodding as well, “So do I.”
Kilniara’s breath stopped, the realization of what he was saying not at all in what she had meant. She had wanted to continue teasing him, her passion rising ever more in being able to see the impact she had upon him, but his response short circuited that immediately. He wants me! She shuddered, and nodded, eyes closed as she tucked in under his chin, “I’m sorry. I’ll stop.”
Joe chuckled, his laughter a deep rasp as his breathing was still harsh, “You have no need to be sorry, but I’m grateful for your apology still. Please. It is… part of who I am. Honor me and who I wish to be, and I promise that I will do the same for you in everything I can.”
Kilniara’s heart rushed at that, the promise powerful even as she struggled to understand what he meant. It seemed to have some kind of meaning that was deeper than it appeared. How can you not be who you are? Everyone is who they are? Despite her confusion, she understood the importance it had for him, and he offered the same in response. She nodded, staring up at him.
“I will try, but you will have to teach me.”
Joe laughed, “Of course, I will.”
“Then I will be your Queen?”
Joe laughed, “I hope I already am treating you like a queen.”
“Like a queen or an actual Queen?’
Joe smiled at that, “Well, we’re not married yet, so only like a queen. My wife, she will be my Queen.”
Kilniara fell silent at that, unable to speak even as her heart raced. It meant everything to her that he saw her as Queen and his ambition was mind boggling. He seeks a Queen. Her only thoughts were to support him in his desires, for he would take her with him, quite far, she could only be grateful and exhilarated at the ride she would find herself on. But…
“Do you know of the Acokzua?”
Joe looked at Kilniara, a bit confused now, “You and your brother are the only Acokzau I know.”
“Your plane… clan… do not have Acokzau?”
Joe chuckled at that, “My plane only has base humans. I know nothing of the Acokzau, but I am very happy to have met you and am more than willing to learn, as intimately as I need to,” he whispered the last in her ear.
She shivered, her whole body zoilshaing, the bumps skittering from her neck down her torso onto her limbs in a shivering wave of feeling. She snuggled in closer, smiling even brighter. No wonder…
* * *