Chapter 40 They stood together for some time, holding each other, before Nereida needed to sit. Her muscles ached from too much swimming, too much magic. Ael helped her toward the bed, and together they sat. The Admiral lit a mp so they could see each other as the light was fading outside.

  “In the mp light, your hair looks almost purple,” Ael observed softly. “Could I touch it?” Nereida sagged in relief, trying to keep the tears at bay.

  “You still want to?” she asked, her voice cracking. She didn’t mean to let her beloved know how much she had feared rejection. Ael’s society cared so much about a woman’s hair. How could she not?

  But Ael lifted her hand to Nereida’s head, looping some of her wayward hair behind her ear.

  “Oh darling, I fell in love with you, not your hairstyle. Frankly, I’ve never known any woman as bad at braiding their own hair as you,” Ael said with a little chuckle. Nereida snickered.

  “I had other things to learn,” she replied cheekily, feeling a little less overwhelmed. Ael ran her other hand through Nereida’s hair, combing out the few tangles that had formed since Evander had cut it. Nereida closed her eyes, enjoying the touch, partially wishing that Ael would close her fist and tug.

  “Oh?” Ael kissed her cheek. “Other things like what, darling?” And before she could answer, Ael had leaned in and kissed her lips, a hungry, almost desperate kiss.

  When they parted, Ael was smirking at her.

  “What happened to not wanting to be a distraction?” Nereida asked breathlessly.

  “I almost lost you today, and didn’t. That doesn’t require distraction, that requires celebration.” Ael gave her a coy smile, suddenly shy. “Besides, the boys are gone and Evander is on duty tonight. I want to…” she flushed now, some of her bravado disappearing in the reality of their situation. Nereida took her hand, squeezed it.

  “What do you want to do?” she prodded softly.

  “I want to do what we did st time… but in the mplight. I want… I want to see you come undone. I want to see…” she motioned at Nereida. Nereida smiled softly.

  The siren leaned toward her lover and gently nibbled her ear.

  “Bar the door, Ael, and you can see anything you want.” Ael flushed to the roots of her hair, but stood with purpose. She sauntered over to the door, a slow, purposeful step, before sliding the bar down. It clunked into pce. The Admiral made her way back across the cabin leisurely, as if she pnned to drive Nereida to distraction without even touching her. Or perhaps she was gathering her courage. Nereida decided to make it easier on her lover, let her know in advance what she could and could not do, and let Ael take control.

  Nereida stood when Ael got within arm’s reach. She could see how flushed Ael was in the flickering mplight.

  “Tell me, love,” she said softly, gently taking Ael’s long braid in one hand. “Tell me, do you want to take control?” Ael’s breath hitched as Nereida gently tugged the braid, and the pirate stepped closer. “Or do you want me to?” Nereida leaned in, kissing her lover’s cheek softly, gently touching their noses together. “What are the rules today, love?” Ael shivered, leaning into the gentle touches. She pced a gentle, soft kiss on Nereida’s cheek.

  “I want…” she considered aloud, kissing the edge of Nereida’s jaw, “I want to take command… what if I… could I undress you?” Heat rushed through Nereida.

  “You can,” she whispered. She leaned in as Ael pulled her into a tight embrace. “Not if you hold me that way you can’t,” she added with a little ugh. Ael smiled at her, a soft, truly happy expression. “You can do more than undress me, love. You can touch anything you’d like, taste anything you’d like.” Ael’s eyes snapped to hers, full of lust but also uncertainty. Nereida smiled softly, lifting Ael’s hand to her still clothed breast. “I have you,” Nereida whispered, “and I know you have me. Touch what you want, I won’t hold anything back.” She lifted the hand to her mouth, pced a gentle kiss on each finger.

  Ael began to undo the ces to Nereida’s corset, her quick fingers slipping the ces free with very little difficulty. Slowly she slipped it open until Nereida felt the relief of being free from the pleasant pressure and control of the corset. She dropped it to the floor, and captured Nereida’s lips in a demanding kiss. Nereida pulled her in closer, enjoying the way her lover’s hands roamed her body, not quite sure where they belonged. Ael slipped Nereida’s underdress off her shoulders, and the grey cotton gathered on the ground like a puddle that Nereida stepped out of. Ael pulled out of their kiss. She took a moment to look at Nereida’s ample breasts, an appreciative smirk pying on her face. She left Nereida’s drawers in pce. Without speaking, Ael pced her hand firmly on Nereida’s chest, pushing her toward the bed. Nereida went easily with her lover, and she let Ael push her down onto the bed.

  “You’re beautiful,” Ael said softly. She climbed into the bed next to her siren, still fully clothed. She brought her mouth to Nereida’s breast, no hesitation in her movement this time. She kissed the underside, then moved slowly up the peak until she wrapped her mouth around the nipple and licked it. Nereida arched her back, reaching for her lover. Ael gave her a quick, gentle nibble, causing her to gasp, and then brought her face up to Nereida’s. “What if I… can I py with you until you beg again?” she asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice. “I liked it when you begged.” Nereida smiled softly and pced a quick kiss on her lips.

  “I like begging,” she replied softly. She rubbed her hand down Ael’s sleeve. “Can I tell you something else I like? Something I’ve never really admitted to anyone before?” She felt Ael’s shiver at her words.

  “Yes,” the Admiral nearly hissed out. “Tell me, my love.”

  “I liked it when you held my hands above me, st time… but if you wanted to make me desperate, make me need beyond reason, you’d use your silk scarves and tie me to the bed.”

  The sound that Ael made was almost musical as she leaned into Nereida.

  “Is that a yes,” Nereida whispered breathlessly. “Please?”

  “Yes.” Ael moaned, leaning in to kiss her.

  “The code to stop is winter,” Nereida reminded her. She kissed Ael along her jaw. “I want this. Want you. Trust you. Need you.” Each sentence was accompanied by another kiss. Ael sat up, went to retrieve her scarves. The siren moved to the middle of the bed, watched as the Admiral did a fancy knot to tie the silk scarves to each bed post. Ael brought the other end of the scarves to Nereida’s wrists, dragging the fabric along the inside of Nereida’s wrists with a deliberate and slow pace. The siren moaned, the touch of the fabric enough to send a shiver of need through her whole body.

  “You really want this,” Ael observed with quiet reverence. She smirked pyfully, and moved the fabric again, until Nereida made a little mewling sound. “Tell me again, my witch, tell me you want me to tie you up.”

  “Please,” Nereida whimpered. “Tie me up, love. Tie me up, and py with me.” Blood rushed through her body and she felt pleasantly warm everywhere as Ael tied her left arm, then her right. She could feel that it was loosely tied, not meant to tighten, but would not slip off either.

  “You are perfect,” Ael said softly, each word paired with a kiss that she trailed down Nereida’s bound arm. She began to kiss Nereida’s neck with slow, nguid kisses. “And I,” she continued, “I am going to learn how to undo you.” Nereida squeaked at the words, her heart speeding up and blood rushing down to her loins.

  Ael continued to slowly caress Nereida’s breasts, touching her, squeezing her, pcing kisses in unexpected pces. She became more bold as she went, at one point she trailed little biting kisses from Nereida’s colrbone to her navel, causing the siren to shudder beneath her touch.

  “More,” she whimpered. “Please, Ael.”

  “Not yet, love,” Ael whispered back. “I’m still at the helm, and it's not time for you yet.” Nereida moaned in frustration, the need building. “Where should I touch next?” Ael pondered aloud, her tone pyful. She kissed just beneath Nereida’s navel, trailing kisses until she reached Nereida’s drawers.

  “Ael! Please!” Nereida writhed beneath her lover’s slow, gentle, teasing touches. She was half mad with need for her lover,with the need to be undone. Ael trailed a single finger across the edge of the st piece of clothing the siren wore, her nail just slightly scratching her. Nereida whimpered in need, no longer able to think, but just able to feel.

  “This,” the Admiral said softly, tugging on the drawers but not hard enough to undo the string that held them in pce, “this stays on until the full moon. We won’t begin anything new until then. But…” she straddled Nereida, still clothed, and pced her hands on the siren’s breasts. Nereida moaned, the agony of unresolved pleasure coursing through her. “I think I will help you come undone now, my love.” She y on Nereida, pcing her mouth on one breast while fondling the other. She bit down, harder than she had in the past, sending a ripple of pleasure and a pinch of pain through all of Nereida’s being. Nereida cried out in ecstasy, finally coming apart. Ael trailed nibbling kisses to the other breast, her tongue flicking over the nipple.

  “Do you want more,” she asked Nereida. “Do you want to see how many times I can undo you?”

  “Please!” Nereida gasped out, and Ael obliged, pinching the nipple she had just bit before licking the other.

  Ael explored the siren’s curves with her mouth, her tongue and her fingers until Nereida was left breathless. When Nereida shuddered in pleasure again, Ael finally brought her face to Nereida’s, her fingers pying in the siren’s blue hair. She gave a gentle tug and Nereida made a mewling noise.

  “You are so reactive,” Ael whispered. “I could spend hours doing this… but I … I want you to touch me now. So I’m going to untie you.”

  “Can I undress you,” Nereida asked softly. “Same rules? I leave your drawers, but anything else?”

  “Anything else,” Ael agreed, her face flushed. “I’m not sure about the tying.”

  “Not yet,” Nereida said. She felt Ael’s fingers undo the knots, and dropped her hands to caress her lover’s face now that they were free. “Not everyone likes the same thing. But, if you are willing, I want to find out what you like.”

  Ael had more clothing on than Nereida had, with her jacket, her blouse, her corset and her shift. Nereida felt like a child on their birthing day celebration, unwrapping a present. When she finally, finally got to the final piece of clothing, she dropped it unceremoniously to the ground. She carefully, slowly, drew circles with her fingers around Ael’s pert breasts, getting ever closer to her nipples. Ael moaned at the touch, her back arching.

  “Seems I’m not the only one who is reactive,” Nereida said with a grin. She looked down at her beloved. “Can I take your braid out?”

  “Yes!”

  Nereida made sure to take her time undoing the strands of the simple braid, kissing her beloved as she did so, until Ael’s beautiful hair was spread all about the bed.

  “I like it when your hair is wild,” Nereida whispered. “When you are wild.” She threaded her fingers through the hair closest to Ael’s head, and closed her fist. Ael buckled beneath her, whimpering and pleading for more. “Can I take control?” she asked, looking down at the Admiral. When her beloved moaned her assent, Nereida began to kiss, to touch, to lick. She pced her mouth at the base of Ael’s breast, and kissed it, sucked it, until Ael was crying her name, begging, pleading for more, more, more. “Can I leave a lover’s bite here, where no one can see?” Nereida asked softly, gently caressing the soft flesh of her lover’s breast. “I want to cim you.” Ael shuddered apart beneath her at just the words.

  “Yes! Cim me, my siren. Make me yours.” She managed as she caught her breath. Nereida smiled, pying her tongue and then her lips on the base of the breast before she caught it and gently bit while sucking. Ael cried out Nereida’s name again.

  “Mine,” Nereida growled, kissing Ael’s other breast. “Say it.”

  “Yours,” Ael managed, her back arching. “Please, love.”

  “Mine,” Nereida repeated softly, reaching up to weave her hands into Ael’s hair as she took the unmarked breast in her mouth and pyed her tongue across it. She gave a gentle tug again, and Ael buckled, coming undone once again.

  Once they were both finally spent, Nereida curled up next to her Ael, resting her head on the Admiral’s shoulder.

  “I love you,” Nereida whispered. “My perfect Ael.” Ael gently stroked her face, the need finally satiated for them both.

  “My gorgeous siren, my princess, my heart. I love you.” She pced a gentle kiss on Nereida’s forehead. “We should sleep. I’m suddenly exhausted.”

  “I wonder why?” Nereida teased, a yawn stealing into her words. She pced her hand on Ael’s marked breast tenderly. “Too much?”

  “No it was…” Ael struggled a moment with her words. “I liked it,” she settled on. “It aches now, but… I wanted it. Might want it again. But not all the time.”

  “Next time,” Nereida whispered, exhaustion creeping over her. “Next time you can mark me. Next time you can cim me like that.”

  “Is that a promise?” Ael asked, her tone caught between teasing and a resurgence of need.

  “It’s a promise.”

  FionaRobinsong