Chapter 20 : Early Afternoon

Kianna's eyes went wide as she realized what she felt was Anton's fingers holding her ear in place.

“W-wait!” she whimpered as she confirmed she couldn't simply flick her ear out of his grasp “I-i-its!”

“Ssh...” hushed Anton as he put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze “It's okay, Kianna. I'm not going to hurt you...”

The dark elf whimpered though her nose as she clamped her eyes shut.

“Just relax Kianna...” breathed Anton as he gave her ear a tiny tug “I promise you're going to be okay”

Kianna whimpered again and swallowing the lump in her throat she gently nodded her head.

“Good girl!” whispered Anton as he gave her shoulder another squeeze “Such a very good girl!”

Keeping her eyes shut tightly, Kianna began to breathe slowly through her nose in an effort to calm herself down.

Anton's grip was firm but gentle as he held onto the tip of Kianna's ear and kept her in place whilst at the same time making every effort not to pinch her. Staying relaxed himself, he waited for her to calm down enough to go still, before raising his other hand and slowly running his fingertip down along the helix, or top edge, of her long and sensitive ear.

Kianna groaned softly in her throat and began to quiver from the sensation. Every instinct in her being was screaming at her to pull away and escape but her logical mind squashed these feelings and forced them back down as she became determined to trust her Master.

Though he could only see a portion of Kianna's face from his vantage behind her, Anton still watched her intently and smiled as he recognized the resolve take shape in her determined expression. Moving slowly and deliberately, he ran his fingertip back up along the edge of her ear before going back down again. He did this several times over the course of the next few minutes and each time he could feel her tremble less and less.

Superficially, the outer ears of the elves were very similar in design to a humans, with the major differences being their elongated shape, their heightened sensitivity to touch and the fact that unlike in humans, the intrinsic and extrinsic musculature along their base was fully functional and allowed their ears to move. Unbeknownst to most elves, these same muscles that gave them the ability to move their ears were also responsible for supplying the dreaded hypersensitivity to the skin that surrounded them.

Beyond these key features though, there was very little difference between the ears of an elf and those of a human. Like humans, the elves ears were made of a pliable elastic-like cartilage that gave them their shape, and was covered in a thin layer of skin. This cartilaginous frame had an overall shape that was similar to humans in that it had a lobe at the base, though in elves this lube was more rounded and not as bulbous as it was in humans, a pointed tragus that protected the opening to the ear canal, a thin helix that ran along the top edge of the ear and gave it a rim-like overhang as well as it's sharp point and an elongated, bowl-like concha that worked to collect sound waves and funnel them down into the inner ear.

Anton paid close attention to each of the nervous murmurs that Kianna made as he both examined and “played” with the different parts of her ear. He would move on to a new target only after she seemed to get accustomed to his touch in that area and began to go quiet.

From tugging on her lobe, to rolling his fingertip in her concha, to pressing down on her tragus, to moving her whole ear up and down on it's axis and to even folding it in over on itself. He worked gently but thoroughly to at least partially desensitize her ear to his touch.

The poor dark elf did her best to remain as stoic as she could, but her discomfort was more than obvious. And several times it became clear that she was fighting the urge to pull away from his grip. At these times Anton would stop what he was doing and speak soft encouragements to her as she whimpered in response and made the effort to calm herself down.

Once Anton was satisfied with the progress he had made and was able to run his fingertips across the majority of Kianna's ear without triggering any response from her, he let her go completely and chuckled as she immediately began to twitch her newly freed ear wildly up and down.

“You are so mean!” whined Kianna in embarrassment as she hid her face with her hands and flattened both of her ears down submissively behind her head “That was really, really intense!”

“I know, and I'm sorry...” said Anton as he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a comforting squeeze “But we're almost done, just one more to go...”

Kianna stiffened in his arms before hunching in on herself and groaning in misery. Although she was clearly unhappy, she offered no resistance as Anton gently twisted her head to the side and began the same process with her other ear.

This instance went by much quicker as Kianna was already familiar with what was going to be done to her and knew that Anton wasn't going to cause her any pain either deliberately or accidentally. And as such she wasn't nearly as nervous this time around.

When he was finished, Anton released his hold and chuckled again as she immediately twitched her ear wildly before flattening it down along side her other one.

With an annoyed pout on her face, Kianna turned back to him and narrowed her eyes in irritation.

“I hope you enjoyed that because I didn't!” she declared as she folded her arms over her chest in protest “That was not a fair trade at all!”

“No, no it wasn't, and I'm sorry about that.” sighed Anton as his face softened “But it was very important Kianna. Because it's going to make this next part a lot easier...”

The dark elf stared at him for a moment before blinking in confusion.

“Wha, what do you mean?” she asked as her eyes became laced with a thread of nervousness “What are you talking about!? What next part!?”

“The part where I take care of you...” said Anton as he turned away from her “You're probably going to hate this...”

Twisting at the waist, Anton reached back behind himself to his deck chair and unzipped the top compartment of the travel bag that was sitting in it.

Kianna's eyes went wide as she watched him rummage around a bit and pull out a bag of cotton balls.

“Wait, what are you doing!?” she whimpered as she eased herself away from him.

“Kianna, I don't want to have to put you into “golem mode” like your sister.” said Anton as he set the cotton balls down on the edge of the tub and reached back into the bag “That's why I messed with your ears the way I did. So that you could get used to what it feels like when I touch them.”

Kianna was silent as she stared at the bag of cotton balls. After a short moment, a look of understanding took form on her face and this was quickly followed by an expression of nervous acceptance.

Anton set a small bottle of alcohol down on the edge of the tub next to the cotton balls and turned back to Kianna with the thin metal rod in his hand. As his eyes landed on the dark elf he couldn't help but to chuckle at the sight of her.

Kianna had wrapped her arms tightly around her torso and hunkered herself down in a subconscious effort to look as small as possible. With her ears laid flat behind her head and her large eyes moist with early tears she looked for all the world like a terrified puppy that was cowering during a thunderstorm.

“Oh c'mon now Kianna! There's no reason to look so pitiful!” exclaimed Anton as he wrapped his arms back around her and pulled in against his chest “You poor little thing! You're acting like I'm about to stick a bunch of needles in you!”

Whimpering softly, Kianna offered no resistance as she let herself be pulled in against him.

“Just, go slow, okay!” she whined as she made an obvious effort to avoid looking at the metal rod by turning her head away from it “Please!”

“I will...” soothed Anton as he gave her another gentle squeeze “I promise...”

Shifting her to the side, Anton angled the dark elf in such a way that she ended up laying sloped with her head resting in the crook of his left arm. In this way he was able to easily reach her ear and was even able to cover her eyes by curling his hand back over them.

“Just relax...” breathed Anton as he let his aura seep into the dark elf “This will all be over before you know it... I promise...”

Though her eyes were already hidden beneath Anton's hand, Kianna still clamped them shut and made an effort to distance her mind from what was going on around her. But even with her mental preparation she still couldn't help but to jerk back as she felt the rod come close to the opening of her ear.

“It's alright Kianna...” whispered Anton as he tightened his arm around her head and actually held her still “It's okay. I promise it's okay...”

The dark elf whimpered softly as she hugged herself tighter and splashed at the bathwater as she nervously shifted her legs back and forth.

Doubling the power in his aura, Anton held the rod with two fingers and angled it outwards as he laid his hand on top of Kianna's head and began to softly stroke her hair in an effort to relieve her fear. After several minutes of this he again tried to approach her ear with the rod and this time she remained still and let him begin his task.

Although he couldn't see her eyes as they were hidden behind his hand, Anton still knew that she was constantly blinking in nervousness as he could feel her eyelashes brushing against his palm and fingers with each blink.

“Such a good girl, Kianna...” he breathed in a calming tone as he gently worked to clean her ear “My brave little dark elf... She's such a good, good girl...”

Making tiny, little moaning sounds with every other breath, Kianna remained still and calm as she kept her mind focused on Anton's voice.

Once the wedge at the end of the rod was fully covered in grime, Anton flipped it around to the still clean end by twirling it between his fingers. Within less than half a minute of starting he was already finished with the rod and was able to set it down on the edge of the tub before awkwardly fishing a cotton ball out of the bag. Still only using only one hand, he then popped open the cap on the alcohol and by pressing the cotton ball against the top and flipping the bottle over he was able to soak the cotton ball.

Kianna's ear twitched involuntarily at the sensation of the soaked cotton ball being pressed against it.

“We're almost done Kianna...” soothed Anton as he slowly ran the cotton ball along the length of her ear “You're doing great... Such a good girl...”

Being as meticulous as he could be, Anton went through three more cotton balls before he felt satisfied enough to call the task complete.

“That's one down!” praised Anton as he lifted the now limp dark elf up and gave her a light squeeze “You doing such a great job Kianna! You're such a good girl!”

Kianna moaned quietly but happily as she leaned back into him and nuzzled her head under his chin.

“Just one more...” said Anton as he held her for a moment “And then we'll be done...”

Loosening his hold on her, Anton twisted to his side and quickly cleaned and prepared the rod to be used again.

Kianna had gone quiet and stayed completely compliant as Anton shifted her to his opposite side and held her in the same way as before but with his other arm.

Now using his less dominate arm, Anton was far more cautious and took nearly twice as long with his task this time around. But having experienced this already, Kianna was better able to stay relaxed and unmoving.

As she laid still and let her mind go blank, Kianna began to feel a subtle shift in how the sensations coming from her ear felt to her. Without even realizing it on a conscious level she began to register these sensations in a completely new way. And as Anton, now moving in an even more slow but no less meticulous manner, continued his soft and gentle efforts to groom her, she began to gradually crave the feel of his touch against her skin more and more.

With a feeling of relief in his chest, Anton set the rod down on the edge of the tub and began to prepare a cotton ball for the next phase of events. Finally finished with the most hazardous portion of his task, he couldn't help but to feel a sense of elation.

“We're already done with the worst part now Kianna!” he exclaimed softly as he smiled down at her “My little dark elf has done such a great job! She's such a good girl!”

Aside from taking a quick breath, the dark elf remained completely still and unresponsive as she laid limp across his arm.

“Kianna?” questioned Anton as he lifted his hand away from her eyes “Are you okay!?”

Kianna kept her eyes closed for a moment before slowly opening them and staring straight ahead at nothing. Blinking slowly she took in a deep breath through her nose and let it out with a sigh as she closed her eyes again and went back to being still.

“...Hm.” mused Anton as he cocked an eyebrow at the clearly relaxed dark elf “...Okay then?”

Deciding not to question good luck, Anton covered Kianna's eyes back up and set about completing his task. With the dark elf staying as still as she was, he was able to finish cleaning her ear rather quickly despite being forced to use his impaired arm.

Once fully done, Anton went still for a moment as he looked down at the dark elf. Taking the very tip of her ear between his fingertips, he tentatively rolled it back and forth as he felt it's soft, sharpness.

Aside from making a small noise as he gave her ear a slight tug, Kianna didn't seem to even register any of the attention he was currently giving to her ear.

Grinning to himself, Anton let go of her ear and moving slowly, lifted her back up to a sitting position.

Kianna made another tiny sound in protest as she blinked open her eyes but other than that she made no effort to resist. Now sitting with her back to him, she slouched forward and let her ears hang limp from the sides of her head as she otherwise went completely still.

Watching her for a moment, Anton pursed his lips in thought and turning to the side, prepared another cotton ball.

“Okay, Kianna...” he soothed as he reached down and retook hold of the tip of her ear “I'm just going to go ahead and get this last part and then we'll be completely done...”

The dark elf stayed silent and made no move to resist as Anton lifted her ear up by the tip and held it outwards as he ran the cotton ball along the back and behind the base. When he was finished, he quickly did the same to the other side.

“...Alright!” said Anton as he put his hands on Kianna's shoulders and gave her a playful squeeze “We're done! We're completely done! And see? That wasn't so bad! ...Was it!?”

Kianna remained absolutely still as Anton tilted his head from one side to the other in an effort to gauge her condition.

“...Kianna!?” he asked as he gave her shoulders another squeeze “...Are you okay!?”

The dark elf was still for another moment before she gently nodded her head.

“...Alright then?” questioned Anton as he cocked an eyebrow at the back of her head “...How do your ears feel!? ...Any different?”

Kianna was still for yet another moment before she tentatively lifted her ears up from their limp state and slowly moved them back and forth.

“...So, how do they feel? ...Any different from before?” asked Anton as he watched her ears stop at their resting position and go still “...Do they feel odd? ...Or, better? ...Or?”

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Kianna was quiet for another moment as she moved her ears back and forth one last time.

“...They feel, ...amazing!” she whispered softly.

Anton eased back a bit as the dark elf lowered herself down on her hands and began to shift to the side so as to turn around and face him.

“Thank you!” exclaimed Kianna as she lifted her head and locked eyes with him “Thank you, so much!”

Anton was completely taken aback by the sight of Kianna's irises. Though he had seen them glow red in anger several times before, he had no idea that they could ever look like this.

Kianna's eyes had literally begun to sparkle.

“...Oh, my, wow!” breathed Anton as he leaned in closer and gazed mesmerized at the dancing lights in the dark elf's eyes “...Kianna, your eyes!”

“Huh? My eyes!?” questioned Kianna as her features scrunched up in worry “Wha, what about them!?”

“...They're!” whispered Anton as he shook his head in wonder “They're so, beautiful!”

Kianna was still for only as long as it took for her to fully register what he had just told her. And without another word she folded her ears back so that the tips were pointed down and away from her head, and threw herself at him.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Kianna pressed her lips to Anton's for the first time and kissed him fiercely and with all the passion and madness that had been building and boiling within her. She began to whine loudly in joy as she felt his arms wrap themselves tightly around her back and frantically pull her in to crush her against his chest.

Anton's surprise had melted away almost instantly, and the moment his mind registered what had happened he let go of his own inhibitions and returned Kianna's gesture with his own. Holding her against himself, he drank in the heat of desire that permeated from her entire being and used it to fuel his own passions.

Lifting herself up on her knees, Kianna forced Anton to lean back against the sidewall of the tub as she pressed herself into their kiss. She began to moan in pleasured excitement as she both heard and felt a beastly growl rumble up from deep within his chest.

Lifting his right hand to the back of her head, Anton planted his open palm against her and pressed her into his lips before closing his hand and taking her hair in his grip.

Kianna gasped and began to take in deep labored breathes through her open mouth as her head was pulled back and held painfully in place by her hair.

“Oh! My naughty, naughty little dark elf! She's so excited she just can't wait! She forgot what she needs to do though...” breathed Anton as he locked gazes with her and smiled at the desperation that he found in her eyes “First, Kianna! You need to tell your Master, how you want to please him!”

Kianna was still for a moment before her eyes went wide with understanding. Pulling her arms forward she cupped her hands on either side of Anton's jaw.

“I want to touch you!” she whined as she held his face and pulled against the unmoving grip that held her back “I need to touch you!”

Anton's smile broadened as he leaned his head a little closer to her.

“And!?” he growled through his smiling teeth as the dark elf tried to pull him closer.

“I! I want to move for you!” cried Kianna as she began to roll her torso in a waving motion so as to rub her breasts against his chest “I want to breathe for you!”

“Good... good!” snarled Anton as he moved in just a bit closer “And what else!?”

“Oh! I'll beg for you! I will! I want to!” exclaimed Kianna as she wrapped her arms back behind his head and tried desperately to pull him forward “I'll scream for you! I swear!”

“Good...!” breathed Anton as he moved in a little closer “Now tell me more! I want to hear more!”

Letting his free hand drop down to her bottom, he reached around her hip and grabbed her butt cheek tightly before squeezing her roughly and lifting her upwards.

“Oh yes! Yes! Yes!” moaned Kianna as her legs weakened and she let herself partially hang in his grip “Please Master!”

“I said more!” growled Anton as he forced her lower half against him while thrusting his own hips towards her “Tell me more!”

Kianna froze with a gasp as she was suddenly aware of his swollen manhood moving between her thighs. Her body aching with a desire so intense it was now bordering on painful, she moaned loudly through her open mouth as she dug her nails into his shoulders and pulled against him with a new level of ferocity.

“Please! Please, I want to feel you! I want to know you! I want you! I want you!” she cried out in anguish as she gyrated her hips against him in an effort to entice him “Please Master please! Just let me feel you please! I need you! I want you!”

“...One more!” breathed Anton as he let their foreheads rest against each other and moved his lips in within an inch of hers “Tell me one more!”

With them each now breathing heavily through both their noses and open mouths, Kianna was able to catch just the tiniest bits of scent and flavor from Anton's breath and this was still enough to make her system jump and break it's own rhythm.

“Taste! I want to taste you! Please!” she cried as her mouth began to water in anticipation “Please Master! Please!”

“Good girl!” growled Anton through his smile as he released her hair.

Kianna's lips fell against his the instant she could move, and locked together again she began to answer his hungry growls with her own feverish groans.

Dropping his now free hand down to join it's partner at her bottom, Anton grabbed hold of her other butt cheek and gripping them both tightly, lifted her up and pressed her in against him.

Curling herself into a reverse S shape so that she could still keep her lips locked to his, Kianna spread her now floating legs to either side of him so that when she was finally lowered, she would be able to straddle him.

Poised and ready, Anton brought the dark elf down and maneuvered her bit by bit until his probing member found it's place.

Kianna squealed happily into their kiss as the head of his manhood finally slid inside her. Clamping her knees together on either side of his hips, she squeezed him between her legs as she fought to lower herself further down onto him and force him to go deeper into her aching body.

Amused by her eagerness, Anton let loose a deep, rumbling laugh as he lifted his hips upwards while at the same time forcing her's down onto him.

Kianna jerked and made a small pleasured whimper as he slid his full length inside her and filled her completely. Before she could even respond any more than that she found herself being bounced upwards and then slammed back down again as she was impaled over and over onto his thrusting member.

Feeling the heat of her body now surrounding him, Anton began to lose focus on Kianna's kissing lips at almost the exact moment that she pulled away from him and threw her head back over her shoulders. Following her lead he did the same as he let himself get lost in the intensity of their rocking bodies.

Moaning loudly, the dark elf's mouth hung slack as she began to gyrate her hips in time with her Master's upward thrusts.

Taking in one haggard breath after another, Anton kept furiously pumping into her as he listened to her sounds of pleasure. Rolling his head forward, his eyes went wide in appreciation as he was greeted with the sight of Kianna's supple breasts bouncing up and down in time with her body. The soft mounds of female flesh were far too tempting of a sight for his male mind and with a gruntled growl he drove his face in between them before mouthing and lightly biting at her as he inhaled her sweet, elven scent deep into his system.

“Ah! Oh yes!” cried Kianna as she arched her back and pressed herself into the face that was now invading her bosom “Yes Master! Yes!”

Spurred on by her cries Anton gave both of her butt cheeks a brutal squeeze as he lapped away at her breasts with an even more intense fever.

Kianna moaned into the sky as the raging fires within her body began to roar as they demanded release. Days of nearly constant stimulation as well as the recent activities with her sister and the cruel teasing, followed by the gentle attention from her Master had left her body in a state of need like she had never known before and as her Master now filled her with his entirety the painful feelings of emptiness that had plagued her for so long had finally been quelled and in it's place was something new that she had never truly felt before, a sense of wholeness.

“More!” cried Kianna as she dug her nails into Anton's back and urged him on in his efforts against her body “All of it...! I want, all of it...! All of...!”

Anton brought his eyes upwards as he felt the dark elf begin to spasm and constrict the walls of her vagina around his member. Looking to her face, he found her head arched back with her mouth open wide and her ears pointed up towards the ceiling as she was locked in the middle of a silent scream. The sudden sight of her short but sharp fangs gleaming in the bright lights of the bathroom fixtures caused him to instinctively fall back and nearly break his rhythm. Blinking away the unwanted reaction, he berated himself and pushed the feelings of dread and anger back down by telling himself that she was not the one! That her's were not the fangs that had scarred him so deeply, she was innocent and it was time that he put that pain behind him. Forever.

As the waves of ecstasy rolled throughout her body, Kianna's mind went blank and shattered apart as she fell and began to float thoughtlessly into a void of white and static. One by one, the pieces of her consciousness found their way back to each other and worked together to bring her back to reality. As she slowly came to her senses a single image took dominance in her mind and became her one and only desire.

“Ah!” moaned the dark elf as she raised her head upright and then let it fall forward “Please!”

Anton's eyes went wide as they became locked with Kianna's.

The dark elf eased her head downwards until she was able to rest her forehead against his. Once again her irises had begun to sparkle in an almost otherworldly way. Staring into his eyes, Kianna was blind to the ethereal red lights her own eyes had caused to dance across his face.

“Please! Master!” she begged in a barely audible whisper as she tightened her arms around his neck “I want you!”

Sensing the meaning behind her words, Anton clenched his jaw, tightened his hold on her bottom and redoubled his rhythm in order to thrust himself as deep into her body as he could go.

Kianna's breath became caught in her throat as her entire being was suddenly flooded with the soul touching power of her Master's aura. Clean, with no malice or calming essence, she was feeling the true intensity of his power raw and unfiltered for the first time. Frozen in both fear and awe, she could do nothing but widen her eyes and pray that the power now swirling within her was still under his control and wouldn't tear her apart.

Anton's mind lost all sense of reason as he sped ever closer to his own release. With his hips rocking ever onward he dropped his head back against his shoulders as he suddenly felt the dark elf tighten herself around him in anticipation. Pausing for just the tiniest of seconds, he gave one last mighty thrust upwards and let himself go.

Moaning loudly in bliss, Kianna's hips began to quiver uncontrollably as she felt both the jolting spasms and the faint heat of Anton's release spread itself deep inside her. The feeling that she had at that moment would be something she could never truly put into words. As there was no way for her to fully describe the sense of achievement, fulfilled purpose, gratification and above all the feeling of wholeness that came from becoming truly complete, and one with another being. Her Master had answered her call and had given her a part of himself. A piece of his being that she could feel and hold inside her, safe and for her alone. And even as the heat of their act died away, and regardless of how many times it may or may not be repeated, it didn't matter. The knowledge and the memory of this feeling, in this moment where she knew, beyond all doubt, that a piece of him had now become a part of her, would be with her, forever.

With his head still laid back against his shoulders, Anton remained frozen in the mid-motion of his last upward thrust. As the bliss that flooded his head began to fade he collapsed back against the sidewall of the tub and began to breathe heavily through his open mouth. Despite his fatigue, the corners of his mouth still curled up into a satisfied smile. He groaned happily as he closed his eyes and let his head rest against the top edge of the tub while he recovered.

A sudden motion startled him back to reality and as he blinked open his eyes, he found himself staring upwards into the large, still sparkling rubies that were the eyes of his dark elf.

“...Hey!” breathed Kianna as a broad smile spread across her face and her bliss filled eyes tightened as light tears formed in the corners “Hi! You! ...That was great!”

“Whoa! Kianna!” exclaimed Anton as she fell from where she had been holding herself up on the edge of the tub and collapsed limp against him “Careful!”

Falling against Anton's chest with her head landing safely in the crook of his neck, the exhausted dark elf made no response beyond a gentle moan as she curled herself up against him. Feeling the living warmth of his body against hers caused Kianna's mind to reel in a blissful elation. She could feel him, truly feel him, she was touching him, all of him, and he was touching her, feeling her, holding her, wanting her, caring for her. There was nothing between them, no stigma, no hesitation, no lace of fear to hold them back. He had told her before and had proven his words were true.

She was not alone, not anymore.

Mewling quietly and pressing herself into the safety of Anton's warmth, Kianna let her eyes fall shut and almost immediately began to drift away into an exhausted but blissful sleep.

Chuckling and silently congratulating himself on what was apparently a job well done, Anton lightly wrapped his arm around the dozing dark elf and settled himself back against the sidewall. After warming the water back up to a comfortable temperature, he wrapped his other arm around Kianna and held her against him as he let his head lay back onto the edge of the tub.

Staring up at the ceiling and listening to the soft sounds of sleep as they came from the slumbering dark elf, Anton's mind began to wonder aimlessly until with a sigh he closed his eyes and gave Kianna a gentle squeeze.

“...What's going on Anton? ...How did this happen to you? ...How did you even get here?” he whispered softly to himself as his eyes moved slowly back and forth behind their lids “...Where did this even come from? ...This, need. This, want. ...You know how dangerous this is going to be. ...You know this isn't going to be easy. For you, or them. ...Is this really what you want to do?”

After a long moment of silence, Anton opened his eyes and stared upwards at the nothingness above him. As he sat there pondering and unmoving, he felt Kianna begin to lightly stir against him.

“...Hm, yes!” she breathed softly around a sigh as she nuzzled her cheek against him and went still again “...He's mine!”

Anton sat motionless for several moments before closing his eyes and chuckling quietly.

“...You know what? ...You cheeky little thing!” he whispered around a smile as he gave her another gentle squeeze “...I think you just might be right about that!”