Ceres played with her thumbs, her hands held in a semi-closed clasp. Matt was making the finishing touches to the tent, splaying the bedding so that two heaps of blankets and sheets were set beside one another. The tent was not made for two people, and so the heaps were close.
Awfully close.
Calm your wicked heart, Ceres thought.
Matt wore a blank expression while he worked. Initially, she’d helped, but mere minutes in, they realized that the restricted space offered more friction than actual assistance. Yes, this was best handled by a single person. Her Shi Island values left within her a sense of negligence, of shame. ‘Twas improper for a man to assist catgirls in such matters, especially one who grew up with a sense of Service, Grace, and Urgency.
“Sir Matt, is there anything I may do for you?” Ceres asked again, her fingers writhing, itching to push him aside and take over the work.
“Nah, I got this,” Matt said with a tone of indifference. He crawled on his hands and knees to a corner of the tent and retrieved one of the blankets and unfolded it. “You can wait outside if you want. I’m almost done, anyway.”
Ceres paused, her gaze glued to a portion of Matt’s skin showing below his shirt. He’d switched to his [Civilian Mode] for comfort while she stood guard at the entrance in her resplendent armor. She licked her top lip, then shook her head.
“I shall wait here, Sir Matt.”
Matt glanced at her over his shoulder, then returned to his work with a shrug. “Alright.”
The sound of armored footsteps approached. Ceres turned around and exited the tent, looking to her right. Cailu approached with a casual wave. “Are your preparations complete?” he asked.
“Almost, Sir Cailu,” Ceres said with a curt bow. “Sir Matt is putting the finishing touches on the tent as we speak.”
The [Paladin] crossed his arms, looking at the flap of the tent. “Very well. Kirti is placing a protective ward over our camp, so the danger of Encroachers should be minimal. See to it that he gets rest. We will need it for the journey tomorrow.”
Ceres nodded. “Yes, Sir Cailu. Thank you.”
Cailu grunted, then marched away back to his tent behind a cluster of trees. As Ceres made to re-enter her tent, Matt poked his head out between the flaps. His attention was on Cailu. He rolled his eyes and mimed his gestures.
Ceres giggled. “Does he bother you so much?”
“Oh, don’t get me started,” he groaned, retreating to the safety of the tent. Ceres followed him in, then tied the flaps down so that they wouldn’t billow in the breeze while they slept. She’d caught some nasty colds that way. “Feels like my dad is constantly breathing down my neck. ‘Make sure your points are distributed,’ ‘the duty of men is perilous and fraught with danger,’ ‘you need a healer if you’re going to be a [Battleguard],’” he mimicked in a mocking tone. “God, it’ll be a cold day in hell when or if that guy smiles.”
Ceres smoothed her skirt over her legs, enunciating, “[Civilian Mode].” The armor disappeared in a flash, giving way to her traditional Shi Island uniform. “Please know that I say this not out of disrespect, but as an observation. However…his mannerisms are not unlike those I witnessed from my superiors during my training as a [Magic Knight].”
Matt sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he sat up. The kitten in her cursed him for such a maneuver. She enjoyed the teasing of the skin at his nape. “Yeah, I’m sure,” he said in a tone that suggested he was most certainly ‘not sure’.
“I mean it,” Ceres continued. “His expressions resemble many of the catgirls I fought beside. His face is hardened by battle, exhaustion. I saw it every day.” As Matt opened his mouth to speak, she raised her hand to silence him. “I dare not compare the struggles of catgirls to those of men.” She took the same hand she raised, clenched it into a fist, then pressed it against her chest, looking in the direction of his tent.
She would need to choose her words carefully. Very carefully.
“I would not ask that you try to like him.” She looked at Matt, then smiled. “Nay, I would neither ask that you attempt to understand his position. Only that you be patient with him.”
Matt blinked, then looked at the ground. “Yeah. I’ll try.”
“Thank you, Sir Matt. You are a man amongst men.”
Matt let out an incredulous chuckle. “You give me way too much credit, Ceres.” He waved his hand, as if dismissing the comment. “Seriously. You always have. I’m bumbling through everything. If it wasn’t for Tristan and you girls—”
“And Cailu.” Ceres giggled.
Matt sighed. “And…Cailu,” he said with clear disdain, “then I would be dead. Straight up.”
“You assume too much responsibility.”
Matt frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
Ceres smiled wryly. Goddess above, he truly did not understand the magnitude of his words. “You point to me a person who has made it through life without the assistance of others. No person, catgirl or man, survives Nyarlea without help. Cailu is no exception.”
“...I know that.”
“Then why dismiss your own strengths?”
Silence surrounded them for a time. Such a thing didn’t bother her. The sounds of battle, as exciting as they could be when the cause was just, were frightening and filled with peril. Silence was a welcome calm before the storm. As she waited for Matt’s answer, she listened to the sounds of insects chirping and clicking.
“I feel like everyone’s got something…great they can do,” Matt said at last, drawing Cere’s stare back, “and I’m just…here. Tristan is brilliant, sees things I don’t. Cailu, for as much of a”—he chuckled—“a cunt as he is, is undeniably powerful. Hell, not just that, he’s obviously a great tactician, too. Compared to them, I feel a little, well, powerless at times.” He shook his head. “Forget it, I’m being stupid and self-deprecating. It’s unbecoming of a man.”
Ceres frowned. How could such a wonderful man view himself so harshly? “Sir Matt.” She crawled on her hands and knees toward him. He was still looking at the ground. When she was inches away from him, he looked up, and his cheeks pinked. “I did not say that you were ‘this catgirl’s dream come true’ thoughtlessly.” She placed a hand upon his chest, brushing her fingers across his shirt, admiring the exquisite physique underneath. “I meant every word.”
A knowing smile cracked the corner of his lips. Goddess above, she wanted to devour those lips. He gripped her wrist and gently pushed her away at the shoulder.
I overstepped my boundaries, didn’t I? I’m so—
And then he removed his jacket. “Ceres. We haven’t had a chance to be alone, have we? Privately, I mean. If that makes sense.”
“N-no, Sir…Sir Matt, we have not,” she said, her hands balled so tightly she was sure she’d draw blood. She calmed her quaking heart and steadied her breath.
He removed his black shirt next, revealing his sculpted physique. Finely toned muscle captivated her gaze, and her eyes swept over his torso with pure desire. She wondered if this was what the term, ‘eye candy’ referred to. Could anything be more striking, more beautiful, more heroic?
Matt leaned on his side, his arm draped over his knee. “Well, come here.”
Ceres blanked, though her body seemed to understand exactly what it wanted. Before she knew it, her hand was turning the light of the lantern down, offering little more than Sir Matt’s silhouette. His body was spectacular to behold in the combined light of the flame and the moon. She crawled toward him on all fours, unwilling to turn the lantern down any lower, lest she be unable to admire the man who captivated her.
I can let her out…just a little.
Ceres captured his lips before he could change his mind. She suckled at his top lip, leaning closer and pushing her tongue into his mouth. Her hands craved the curves of his skin, and so she placed them against his chest, tracing the contours of his muscles and dips in his flesh. His hands reached around her back, undoing the apron’s knot with expert precision.
She pulled away, giggling. “Goddess above, I have craved this.”
His gaze was so intense. So unassuming and filled with curiosity. She hoped he was drinking her in as deeply as she did him. He wrestled her apron off, setting it beside them, then tucked his hands under her skirt. His hands massaged her legs as they traveled upward and around her rear. Her ears flicked forward. Her skin felt like it was on fire.
As he grazed the gentle fur of her tail, however, she lurched forward and fell on top of him with a squeal that resembled a kitten. She sat up and clapped a hand to her mouth. “Oh, Sir Matt, I—”
“Well, that’s a sound I’ve never heard,” he chuckled. His hands caressed her thighs. “What other sounds do you make, I wonder?”
She blinked, unsure how to respond.
Do I tease him? Play with him? Is that appropriate? How do I…deal with a man?
“What are you doing up there?” he purred as he carefully pinched the fabric of her uniform and pulled her closer. “Down here is where the action is.”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Ceres’s tongue returned to—what she felt—was its rightful place. Claiming every drop, she explored the tunnels of his mouth according to her whim. He returned every motion, every maneuver, until at last they parted, breathless, and held one another’s gaze for a time.
“Do you remember the first night we spent together?” she asked.
“Not well,” Matt admitted with a hint of distaste. “I drank way too much. All I remember is that it was wild as hell.”
Ceres giggled. “It is the same for me.” She glided her fingers across his forehead, down his temple, descending to his chin. Cupping it with her pointer finger and thumb, she pressed her forehead against his. “Can I confess something?”
“The knight has a secret?” he chuckled. “Now this I gotta hear. Go on.”
She drew a deep breath. “I desire your seed. Desperately. I can think of no man who would better sire my kittens.” She blinked, then held her eyelids shut for a time. Knowing what his answer would be, she pulled away and placed a finger against his lips. “I know that this is not the time. You require a companion, someone who can fight side by side with you on the frontlines. I would not take that away from you.” Then she smiled. “But I wish to be forthright.”
“I appreciate it, Ceres,” Matt said, the tenseness of his muscles alleviating.
“However,” she said as she started to undo his pants, “that does not mean I will be sated with mere kisses. I wish to partake in you in any way you would allow.” Tucking her fingers beneath his undergarments, palms held against his pants, she paused. “There can be no greater honor.”
“Hang on,” Matt said, gripping her left wrist. The instinct to slap it away and pin his hands above his head came and went in a flash. “You first.”
Ceres blushed. She could not—would not—refuse an order from him. “Yes, Sir Matt.”
With trembling hands, she gripped the ends of her maid’s uniform and lifted it over her head in a single motion. It was easy. She had done it countless times before. Setting the uniform to her side where her apron lay, she allowed herself to be devoured by his stare.
“I hadn’t expected lacy panties and a garterbelt,” Matt said. That gaze insinuated infatuation…did it not?
“It is…comfortable,” Ceres admitted, grazing her braid with her fingertips. “I-in [Civilian Mode], that is. Many Shi Island maids wear such garments.”
Matt cocked a brow. “Destiny and Lara?”
Ceres nodded. “Yes.”
“I like it,” he said as he leaned forward and trailed his pointer finger down her neck and between her cleavage.
I would much rather bare my entirety to you.
Matt’s finger tugged at the clasp at the front. With deft movements, he undid the fastening, and the bra sprung to the sides, revealing her breasts.
Ceres gasped but made no effort to hide her form. Instead, she allowed one of her arms to rest at her side while she propped up her chest with her spare forearm. She tilted her head and murmured, “I hope I am to your satisfaction.”
Matt exhaled. “You are incredible, Ceres. I mean it.”
She knew her curves were much more…defined than the average woman. While she took pride in her attributes, she knew not the desires of men, and the intoxication involved with their prior sexual encounter had destroyed much of the memory.
“Good.” Her gaze returned to his waist. She could resist no longer. “Because now I require you.”
In the case that he would bar her once more, she refused to ask permission and resumed her fingers’ place beneath his trousers. She tugged once, strongly, revealing his erect shaft. It throbbed before her, inviting her in ways she could think nothing else had. Raking her nails against the side of his waist, she wrapped her free hand around him, desperately trying to recall how she had behaved during their shared evening at the hot spring.
“Careful,” Matt said. “It’s sensitive.”
Ceres nodded, worried that any word that spilled from her mouth would harm this opportunity. An idea occurred to her, and she raised a finger to indicate that she needed a moment. Reaching for her [Cat Pack], she retrieved a small vial of fluid, then poured two drops of it into her palm.
“What is that?” Matt asked.
“Something to…enhance the experience, Sir Matt,” Ceres said as she resumed her hand around his shaft.
“Oh, God. That’s the stuff you gave Keke.”
“Mhm.” Slowly, she stroked it up and down, fascinated by how the head emerged and disappeared beneath her grip. It was a simple gesture, yet it captivated her with eerie ease. “You are a most recherche man.”
Matt moaned and clawed the sheets beneath him. “I,” he breathed, “don’t know what that means.”
“Exquisite,” she said, quickening the pace. Like a practiced catgirl, she maintained her grip and watched him with a careful gaze, examining his reactions, his expressions like a duelist in the heat of combat. “Beautiful. Lavish.” She purred. “Perfect.”
He laughed, his breath hitching. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“I would,” she combated immediately. “I would use that and more to describe you. Nay, there is no word I could use to appropriately describe this. The emotions I feel. The desire that racks my body.”
The restraint I demonstrate by refusing to throw open my garments and welcome you in.
“Ceres… It’s only fair that I help you feel good, too,” Matt said as he leaned forward with evident effort, and cupped her breasts in his hands. Gently, he kneaded her chest, the hardened pinks of her nipples poking through the gaps in his fingers. After a time, he began to use his thumb to caress them, drawing a gasp from her throat. “Careful. We don’t want to wake Dad, now do we?”
Ceres clapped a hand to her mouth as she continued to stroke Matt. She vehemently shook her head.
“That’s a good girl,” he murmured.
Yes! That’s me! That’s me he speaks of! Haha!
She shook her head, struggling to steady to her breath.
No, no. Calm down. Stop. Do not overstep your boundaries. Careful, now.
“That feel good?” Matt whispered.
Ceres nodded. “Mhm. Words…are…lost,” she breathed, “on me.”
Matt hummed and captured her left nipple with his mouth, suckling on the tender skin. It took every ounce of effort not to squeal in delight; not to scream and plead for more. He maneuvered his tongue in ways she could scarcely dream, her skin crying out for the warmth of his mouth each time he parted.
Her panties were soaked. If she could not take him in with the purpose to bear a kitten, then she would swallow his very seed.
“Move,” she said, shoving him back. The sudden action seemed to catch him off guard. He opened his mouth to retort, but as she shifted her legs and repositioned her mouth over his erection, he grew silent.
Taking a deep breath, she took him into her mouth, her tongue gliding across the underbelly of his shaft. She kept mental notes of how she used her hand, and pumped him with careful precision, guiding the head to the back of her throat—which elicited a most delightful noise from him—and sucking at the opening. She repeated this motion for some time, with each movement drawing new and more intricate words and noises from him than the last.
After a while, she wished simply to gaze upon him. She circled the swollen head with her tongue, drawing him back in and gripping the sides of his waist. Her nails dug into his skin, and his shaft grew stronger, thicker, twitched more and more.
“I’m gonna come,” Matt groaned.
“Please,” Ceres pleaded.
A hot sensation filled her mouth, and she hummed with delight. As he twitched and throbbed, she drank in every drop he spent, swallowing him whole without hesitation.
She continued to slowly massage him with her lips and tongue, taking great care that he was clean of his own fluids. He threaded his hand through her hair, sliding her ear through his thumb and forefinger while she worked. The hums that escaped her throat vibrated against him, and she relished his gasps.
When she was finished, she released him from the confines of her mouth, then licked the base of his shaft up to the head.
Matt propped himself onto his elbows, searching her face. “That was incredible,” he panted.
I want more.
No. This was enough. It would have to be.
“I aim to serve, Sir Matt,” Ceres said, smiling.
“Hey, don’t think we’re done yet.”
Her eyes widened. Yes! Yes, yes, yes!
In an impressive display of speed and strength, Matt grappled her wrists, flipped her to her back, and pushed her to the ground. His body was riddled with sweat, his gaze saturated with desire.
“What kind of man would I be if I didn’t make sure you got off, too?”
Ceres squirmed against his hold as he pinned her wrists above her head in one hand. Relinquishing her control to him set her heart racing and her mind spinning. How could he possibly believe he was less of a man to the others?
He stroked her tail between her legs with his free hand, and she stifled her squeals behind pinched lips.
“I’m not the only sensitive one,” he mused.
“N…no…” Ceres rolled her hips, letting her body and instincts guide her in their dance. “How do you seem to know”—her breath caught when he nibbled her lower lip—“just what to do?”
“I listen.” Matt grinned and released her tail. “And watch.” He moved his mouth to her breast and his hand between her thighs. “You’re trembling.”
Bring me to heel, my lord. “Y-yes.”
Tiny pressures stroked over her panties. His teasing was too much. Not enough. More. She felt him push aside the fabric, and a cool digit parted her folds. Just as his tongue met her nipple, his finger caressed her clit. Ceres whimpered and rocked her hips against his palm.
“You want it bad.” His voice caressed her ears, and she moaned her reply. “Good girls get rewards, right?”
Do they? Do I? Goddess, Matt, please. “O-only if my lord allows.”
“Hm.” His half-smile was intoxicating. Ceres memorized how he looked at her in perfect clarity. Had he ever looked at her like this before? “Maybe…”
Matt slid two fingers inside her.
“Ngh!” Stars erupted in her vision. Her fingers curled until her nails dug into her palms. S-silence! Too loud, and he will stop…
“I love these sounds.” Matt nipped the skin on top of her breast. “I wish you could be louder.”
Ceres couldn’t speak. Her lips parted, and she fought to breathe as his thumb returned to her clit and his fingers explored her depths. ‘Twas the finest reward she could ever dream of. His was a gift unlike any other. “M-Matt—”
“Another one?” He added a third finger, and her back arched. “There we go.”
His fingertips kneaded and caressed at her deepest points, sending jolts of pleasure up her spine and numbing her toes. She wished to remake herself to his satisfaction, to allow him to use her however he wished. Ceres would do anything for this man so long as he promised not to stop.
The sensation of his leaving and entering on his own rhythm was as frustrating as it was gratifying. There was only so much she could do without her hands. She was certain many times that she was close to climax, only for him to slow his thrusts. If she opened her mouth to protest, he captured her kiss and silenced her with his tongue. Then he’d resume his speed, collecting the beads of sweat from her throat and breasts between his lips. The brushes of his taut skin against hers gave her goosebumps.
“Do you want something?” he asked as she neared another orgasm.
“Yes. Please don’t stop,” she begged in a rushed whisper. “Please. I will be good.”
Matt grinned. “Well, when you put it like that…” He sank his fingers into her most vulnerable domains, commanding the climax from her in a sudden assault.
The convulsions were sharp and immediate. Matt buried his tongue in her mouth, drinking her cries of release like a beloved tonic as he coaxed and coordinated every pulse between her legs. He released her wrists, and she wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him down so her chest collided with hers. She needed him close. Skin-to-skin.
His rhythm slowed, but his fingers expertly plied her walls until her throbs had almost vanished. She lived between their breaths; wrote her name into his mouth with her tongue.
I am in utter bliss.
image [https://i.imgur.com/03CUrRU.png]