by Pandora Pine
“So…close,” Carter managed. “Please, Fionn.”
Fionn’s vision was starting to gray out at the sides. He needed to hold on a bit longer. He would not find completion if Carter was not with him. “You are mine, princess,” he growled, finally losing control.
Hearing Fionn’s show of ownership tipped Carter over the edge. His hands tightened on Fionn’s arms when he felt their cocks jerk at the same time, Fionn’s come splattering hot and heavy on his chest. He watched in fascination as Fionn shouted through his release. He looked primitive with his long hair plastered to the sides of his face, his head thrown back, shouting Carter’s name.
Fionn’s entire body shook with the force of his orgasm. Carter was thankful moments later when Fionn had the presence of mind to collapse to Carter’s side to avoid bringing his full weight down on top of him.
Carter watched the rapid rise and fall of Fionn’s chest knowing he was partially responsible for the disheveled state his lover was in. Fionn was a mess. Strands of his golden hair were glued to his sweaty face and neck, while his hand was covered in their joint release. He managed to shift his shoulder out from under Fionn and made a moved to sit up.
Fionn’s bright blue eyes shot open when he felt Carter move. “Do not leave me, my heart.” Fionn’s eyes pleaded with him to stay.
Carter froze. “My heart” was what Fionn had shouted to him when he was on Fairy Hill during the battle that cost him his life. His heart started pounding in his chest, bringing him back to the reality of the reason he was here with Fionn, to save his life. He’s spent far too much time enjoying Fionn’s company and not enough trying to figure out how to save him. “I’ll be right back. We need to clean up.”
He slipped out of bed and went to the water stand to the now tepid pitcher of water. He soaked a clean cloth in the water and washed the drying come from his stomach and reawakening cock. The slide of the damp material sent shivers through his body. He dipped a second cloth into the water and stepped back to Fionn who was watching him curiously. He gently cleaned the mess from Fionn’s stomach before tackling his sticky right hand. “All clean.” Carter smiled and pressed an open-mouthed to kiss against the mark he’d left over Fionn’s heart. He couldn’t help but wonder if a tiny bit of the warrior’s heart now belong to him.
Carter climbed back into bed and before he could arrange himself, Fionn was pulling him to lay with his back against his broad chest. He couldn’t help but smile when Fionn twined their legs together.
“Much better,” Fionn mumbled against the back of Carter’s neck.
“Good night, Fionn.” Carter snuggled further back against his warm body feeling more content than he ever remembered feeling in his life.
“Sleep well, my heart.”
22
Fionn had fallen asleep easily but had woken for no apparent reason in the middle of the night. Carter had turned in his sleep and now his head was lying on Fionn’s right shoulder his arm slung low over his hips.
Whatever had interrupted his rest had not disturbed Carter, leading him to believe it was his pounding heart which had woken him. He shouldn’t have been surprised. He had done something last night he had never done in all of his thirty years. He actually made a lover climax. In the past he had simply used his lovers’ bodies for his own pleasure, never once making sure they found satisfaction, until Carter.
Carter had been horny as hell and eager to please. He had no doubt Carter would have given Fionn his body had he asked. It had been almost overwhelming for Fionn to watch the effect he was having on Carter as he jacked their cocks together. His eyes had been glossed over with desire and he held Fionn like he never wanted to let him go.
He had not realized he would be as sensitive as he was about the scars on his back. Every warrior was proud of the marks he earned in battle, but Fionn did not have the heart or the courage -yet- to tell Carter the story of how he got them.
He knew when he was ready to speak of that dark time Carter would be there to listen which scared the hell out of him. Both knowing Carter would listen and thinking he was actually considering telling the tale from his childhood made his heart pound even faster.
Last but not least on his list of things to worry over was calling Carter “my heart.” It was the name his grandfather, Fionnan, had called his grandmother and he remembered vowing when he was eight years old to call his true love by that same honorific someday. How had that day become today?
“What’s wrong?” Carter asked, blinking up at him in the dying firelight.
“Did I wake you, princess?” he asked on a snort.
Carter nodded against his shoulder. “Why are you so restless?”
It was the perfect moment for him to tell Carter all the worries that were troubling his sleep but he wasn’t sure he was ready for that level of intimacy. “I have many responsibilities which are keeping me from my rest.”
Carter pressed a kiss to his neck. “Come back to sleep. It’s no fun dreaming without you, stubborn warrior.”
23
I want to learn to wield a sword,” Carter said, the moment Fionn’s bright eyes opened in the low early morning light.
“Well, you are certainly up with the lark, princess.” Fionn yawned and stretched out his arms before wrapping them back around Carter.
Carter frowned. He wouldn’t tell Fionn, but he liked being called my heart much better than princess. “I got the best night’s sleep of my entire life last night,” he said shyly, pressing a kiss to Fionn’s warm neck.
“I told you clothing was a barrier to you finding your rest.” Fionn smiled.
Carter would have sworn it was the mind blowing orgasm Fionn had given him but he was willing to agree sleeping naked helped too. Carter moved to straddle his naked lover, sighing when his morning erection slid against Fionn’s. He took them both in hand as Fionn had done the night before and gave them a long slow stroke.
“What were we talking about?” Fionn smirked.
“Teaching me to wield a sword.” He punctuated his request with a few quick passes with his hand.
“Fuck, Carter,” Fionn moaned. “You’re wielding two now.” He dropped a sexy wink. “Why do you want to learn to fight? I am here to protect you,” he said, his voice strained.
You won’t always be… Carter realized before slipping to sleep last night the only chance he had to save Fionn was to be there to guard his back. “What if I want to protect you?” Carter hoped using his own pride against Fionn’s would help his argument. His hand sped up on their heated flesh with Carter turning his wrist at the last moment, his hand slipping over both drooling heads.
Fionn groaned and fisted his hands in the sheets, thrusting up into Carter’s clever hand.
“Please, Fionn?” Carter batted his eyelashes and sped up his strokes.
“Yes!” Fionn fairly roared. “Now stop mucking about and make me come,” he demanded.
“Your wish is my command, my lord.” Carter sped up the movement of his hand while using the other to reach up and tweak Fionn’s nipples.
“Fuck, yes,” Fionn shouted as the first blast of come erupted from his cock to coat his chest.
Seeing Fionn so far gone pushed Carter over the edge. He yelled his lover’s name as his cock emptied itself over his hand and dripped onto Fionn’s stomach.
When they were both spent, Carter raised his messy hand to his mouth and licked it clean, moaning over the flavor of their combined nectar.
Fionn could only stare in wonder.
24
It had been a quiet morning in the stables. Cerberus was in a much better mood, stomping the ground and tossing his massive head when Carter came to see him. It helped that he brought the high-strung horse an extra apple as his way of apologizing for not being there to see to his needs yesterday.
Davin got in a few good-natured digs about being on the time. Carter laughed and set about his duties, making a joke about the cock waking him this morning.
Once the stalls were
clean, he went to the foaling barn to spend time with Temperance, who was due to deliver her foal any day now. “Hello, beautiful. I brought you an apple.”
Temperance flicked her tail in greeting but made no move to take the red fruit from his hand.
Carter opened her stall door and stepped inside. “I know it’s hard, but you’re almost at the end.” Carter held the apple up to the horse who picked it up with her soft lips. “That’s it, sweetheart.” Carter stroked the side of her face as she chewed.
He moved across the roomy stall to grab the curry brush he’d set on the stall door and walked back to the horse to give her brush down. His thoughts wandered to Fionn. They had been electric in bed just as he thought they would be. It had surprised him Fionn didn’t want more than a hand job. It crossed his mind to suggest more or to take his cock into his mouth, but something told him to back off and let his warrior take the lead.
He brushed gently against the large swell in the horse’s belly, feeling the tiny horse from the outside. Temperance snorted in response. “That’s your baby, sweetheart,” he cooed, jumping back when he felt the unborn foal move beneath his hand. “Hello, little love. We can’t wait to meet you.”
“Talking to gestating foals now, princess?” Fionn’s voice boomed from behind him.
“I can feel it moving,” he answered excitedly, “come feel the baby.” He’d never done anything like this in his life and had even shied away from touch pregnant women’s bellies when he’d been asked.
“I have felt babes before.” Fionn rested a shoulder against the stall door, watching Carter coo to the baby horse.
Carter’s face fell. He turned back to Temperance and continued to brush her. He needed to cut Fionn some slack, he was new to relationships, but it still hurt a bit that Fionn didn’t want to join in his excitement.
Realizing Carter wanted to share the magic of the moment with him, he stepped into the stall. He slipped one arm around Carter from behind and rested his other hand against the swell of the mare’s belly. The unborn baby responded by kicking against their hands.
“Isn’t that amazing?” Carter’s dark eyes blazed with excitement.
It was amazing seeing the happy look on Carter’s handsome face. He bent to press a kiss against the side of Carter’s head. He smelled like horses and fresh hay. “Very amazing.” Fionn didn’t know if he was talking about feeling the unborn foal or Carter.
“What are you doing here?” Carter turned and pressed a kiss to Fionn’s jaw.
“I was searching for you.” Not that he would tell Carter, but he had hurried through his morning tasks because he wanted to spend more time with his princess. Shaking his head, he hated admitting to himself this was yet another new behavior Carter had brought out in him.
“Did you miss me, stubborn warrior?”
“Oh, stubborn am I? You are the one who insists upon learning to wield a sword when I am perfectly capable of protecting you.” Did Carter not think he was able to keep him safe from harm?
“Please teach me to fight.” Carter leaned closer, wrapping his arms around Fionn’s hips.
“So now you are asking without my cock in your hand?” Fionn laughed at the pouty look on Carter’s face and brushed their lips together.
“I did have you at a disadvantage.” Carter grinned, pressing a kiss against his neck.
Fionn felt his heart squirm at the thought of being a disadvantage. He was always in control of himself and his emotions, but like with most other things, Carter was changing that day by day. He had never been an overly emotional man, but Carter’s easy shows of affection made him want to return those gestures. “Tell me why you want to learn.”
“Just in case.”
In case of what? He was almost afraid to ask. “I will always have your back, princess.”
“Maybe I want to have yours as well,” Carter said shyly.
Fionn was about to challenge Carter back but something made him hold his tongue. What harm could it do to teach Carter how to defend himself? At the very least it would allow him to spend more time with Carter. “Come with me. We will go see the smithy about getting you a sword.”
Carter kissed Fionn hard. “Thank you! You won’t regret it.”
25
The blacksmith hut was constructed with rounded river stones and had a thatched roof and a stone chimney. Carter didn’t know much about how blacksmiths worked their trade, but he did know that the fire in the forge combined with a highly flammable roof was a disaster waiting to happen. Fionn ushered him inside.
“Good day, me Lord,” the blacksmith greeted with a smirk.
“Bite me, Padraig.” Fionn laughed and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m not that kind of girl,” Padraig laughed loudly, slapping Fionn in return.
Carter felt a blush creeping up his neck. He hadn’t been introduced to the burly blacksmith but got the idea of he and Fionn had a history together. Were they lovers? Carter shook his head as if to clear it. Fionn had a life here long before he came along. It wasn’t fair to be jealous of every man Fionn had known.
“Carter, this is Padraig, the blacksmith. Padraig and I grew up together and along with Donnall, we terrorized the castle with our pranks.”
It was hard to imagine Fionn as a carefree youth. He stuck a hand out to shake with Padraig. Feeling the strength in his hand, he had no doubt he could crush his bones to dust. “It’s good to meet you.” Carter released a breath he hadn’t known he was holding and relief swept through his entire body. Now that he knew the full facts, it was easy to see Padraig and Fionn were lifelong friends.
“Padraig, this is Carter.” Fionn watched the interaction between the men with curious eyes.
“Pay no attention to the stories Fionn will tell you about me, they are all lies.” Padraig burst out laughing at the shocked look on Fionn’s face. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Carter. It’s nice to finally meet Fionn’s boy.”
Fionn blushed and cleared his throat. “I’d like to have a sword made for Carter.”
Padraig nodded and sized Carter up. “I will need to take some measurements and then we can test out weight.” He moved away to gather the tools he would need.
Carter shot Fionn a questioning glance. “I don’t understand. Can’t you just give me a sword?” Looking around the hut, he saw several examples of swords, some were plain and others decorated with ornate scroll work on the handle and blade.
Fionn laughed. It was yet another example of how out of time Carter really was. “The sword will be made to match your height and strength. It would do you no good if it were too heavy to lift or was too short or too long for the length of your arm.”
Carter shrugged and Padraig stepped up to take his measurements.
“I can have this ready for you in a few days. In the meantime, he can practice with this.” Padraig held out a wooden sword.
“Wait just one minute,” Carter objected over the hearty laughs of the two men. “Didn’t I see the little kids playing with these swords on the training yard?”
Fionn laughed even harder. Padraig was laughing too and clapped Carter on the back. “Enjoy and be blessed, lad.”
26
Carter joined Fionn’s men on the practice yard. He enjoyed the feeling of camaraderie the men shared with each other and with Fionn. The men were jovial, laughing together while stretching their well-honed muscles.
“Men, this is Carter.” Fionn called out, grabbing everyone’s attention. “He’s going to start training with us.”
“With his wood in his hand?” one redheaded man called out before bursting out laughing.
Carter joined in and laughed along with the men. Even he had to admit it was a clever line. He found a grassy spot out of the line of fire to watch the warriors practice.
“He will wield steel soon enough. Now break off into partners and let me see if your skills have improved from yesterday.” Fionn tipped Carter a wink and went off to walk among the men as they sparred, offering ad
vice and correcting maneuvers and stances.
Feeling a tug on the back of his tunic, Carter looked behind him to see one of the village children smiling up at him.
“Can I hold your sword?” a tiny girl with a runny nose and messy hair asked.
“Are you old enough to hold a sword?” Carter grinned at the child who leaned over the back of his right shoulder, her small arms wrapping around his neck. From the look of it, the wooden sword was almost as tall as she was.