Shadow Haven

by AJ Schippers

  She rolled on her side and flashed her a smile. “How’s that working out for you?”

  “I still don’t like it,” Julia said. “But I can see now that it won’t hurt me. It’s outside. It can’t get to me.”

  “Sounds like a metaphor.”

  “Maybe it is,” Julia sighed. “Learning a lot here.”

  Alexandra sat up in bed and pulled the covers higher. That was the problem with the sudden weather changes. It was hot one moment, then cold the next. She much preferred having Julia in her bed so they could snuggle and she could warm up that way. “Come back to bed?”

  Julia glanced at Alexandra. She shook her head lightly. “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “You have bed hair. It’s incredibly sexy.”

  Alexandra raised an eyebrow. “I’m only sexy with bed hair?”

  “What? No, you’re—” Julia’s mouth closed when Alexandra laughed. “You suck,” she grumbled.

  “I’m proud of you for facing the storm. How does it feel?”

  “Overcoming my fear? Like it was stupid to be afraid of it in the first place. I think I’m starting to realize this is the case for several things in my life now. If I’m always afraid, I will never learn that lightning is, in fact, mesmerizing.”

  “Sounds like you’ve done some deep thinking,” Alexandra said, pulling the cover back from her body. “Why don’t you come back to bed?”

  “I don’t want to?”

  “It wasn’t a request,” Alexandra said a bit more firmly.

  “Was it a suggestion?”

  “I’ll count to three.”

  “What happens when you get to three and I’m still here?”

  “You don’t want to find out,” Alexandra said sternly as she hid her smile.

  Julia looked over her shoulder at Alexandra. “You don’t scare me.”

  Alexandra arched an eyebrow. “One.”

  Julia bit her lip as she wrapped her arms around her knees.

  “Two.”

  A foot moved to the floor, and Alexandra grinned. “Last chance.” She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of internal battle Julia was having, but she immensely enjoyed watching her struggle against her instincts to get up and move over to the bed.

  “I’m not coming,” Julia whispered as she bit her lip.

  “Three.”

  Julia whipped her head around to look at Alexandra and blushed when she noticed the scowl on Alexandra’s face.

  “Goodnight, Julia.” Alexandra lay down and rolled over, grinning when the floor croaked and she felt the bed dip lightly. A warm arm wrapped around her waist, and she covered it with her own hand and placed it on Julia’s leg instead.

  “What are you doing?” Julia whined.

  Alexandra was quiet as she scurried forward a bit, putting some distance between them.

  “Alexandra? Oh, my God, are you mad at me?”

  Alexandra scrunched her nose up to keep herself from answering her. The slight tremor in Julia’s voice made her heart skip a beat. She loved teasing her.

  “Alexandra,” Julia said as she prodded Alexandra with a finger. Alexandra gently slapped the finger away. “Seriously? You’re ignoring me?” Julia pouted as she inched forward and wrapped her arm around Alexandra once more, her grip tighter this time as she nuzzled her nose in Alexandra’s neck.

  “I’m sorry” was the last thing Alexandra heard before soft purrs fell from Julia’s lips. She closed her own eyes, desperately wanting to pull Julia closer to her, but she was trying to teach her a lesson. It would have to wait until they were both properly awake, though. For now, all she wanted to do was close her eyes and dream.

  Julia had been awake for quite some time and was growing increasingly more frustrated as she had no idea whether Alexandra was faking being asleep or not. Every attempt at communication was met with utter silence, yet Alexandra’s breathing wasn’t as deep as Julia was expecting it to be. She inched closer and whispered again, “I’m sorry, Alexandra.”

  A sigh of relief soared through her body when Alexandra’s hand covered her own. “Are you?”

  “Very,” Julia responded. God, was she ever.

  “You didn’t listen to me.” Alexandra rolled over and pushed Julia onto her back, and her hand disappeared beneath Julia’s sleep shirt, then trailed up to the swell of her breast. She took the nipple between two fingers and pinched hard. “How sorry are you?”

  “So sorry,” Julia moaned as her back arched.

  “On your stomach,” Alexandra said. “Now,” she said when Julia didn’t immediately move.

  “Shit,” Julia breathed out as she got on her stomach. What in the world was Alexandra gonna do to her?

  “Hands above your head.”

  Julia obediently put her hands above her head, just as the covers were pulled away. A hand moved beneath her pajamas once more, gently stroking her back until she felt herself fully relax.

  “What makes you think it’s okay not to listen to me?” Alexandra hissed in Julia’s ear as her hand moved inside of her pants, nails scratching down her thigh.

  “I was just playing,” Julia said as the muscles in her legs spasmed. She burrowed her head deeper into the pillow when Alexandra pulled down her pants to her knees. Julia’s mind began to race with possibilities as a waft of cool air hit the back of her thighs.

  “What do you think happens when you don’t listen to me, hmm?” Alexandra said as she rubbed Julia’s ass.

  “Punishment?”

  “What did I tell you about punishments?” Her finger dipped beneath the fabric of Julia’s panties as she traced the outline of the panties and let the elastic snap against Julia’s skin.

  Oh God. “You wouldn’t punish me physically.”

  “That’s right. So, if I were to slap your ass right now, would that be punishment?”

  Julia squirmed. “No?”

  “That’s right,” Alexandra said with a grin as her hand rubbed a soft circle once more before smacking Julia’s ass. “I like to think of it more as ‘funishment.’”

  “Alexandra,” she moaned. It was more intense than she had ever imagined it would be.

  “Yes?”

  “That hurt,” Julia said.

  “Poor you,” Alexandra mockingly said and added another slap. “Imagine what it would feel like if I pulled your panties aside.”

  Alexandra’s hand soothed the stinging skin. Julia didn’t want to admit it, but she wished Alexandra would do it. To feel Alexandra’s hand on her bare ass would be bliss. But before that could happen, there was something else she needed to do. “I’m sorry.”

  Then Alexandra leaned forward and kissed Julia’s cheek. “I know you are.” She lay back down on her side, her head propped up on an elbow as her other hand drew lazy circles on Julia’s back. “Pull your panties down, just low enough.”

  Julia groaned as she did as she was told, displaying her bare skin.

  “Hands up.” She teased Julia with soft fingertips trailing down her spine. “Did you want another one?” Alexandra smiled when Julia responded with a soft groan. “Answer me.”

  “Yes, please.”

  Alexandra’s eyebrows arched. “You do?”

  “I do. I really like it,” Julia murmured almost inaudibly, and she hid her face in the pillow when Alexandra snorted.

  “You do? Tell me, have you thought about it? Have you been lusting after a spanking?”

  “Oh my God.” Julia groaned. Could she really do this, really go there? “Maybe.”

  “Tell me. Not a suggestion.”

  While Alexandra rubbed her ass and alternated between soft and hard strokes, Julia softly spoke. “Ever since you told me about what you wanted to do to me in the playroom, I have been thinking about it. It excites me and scares me. I want it, and I’m scared to want it. I don’t know what to expect, yet I’m still craving it.”

  Alexandra smiled. “Good girl. I will take you there tomorrow. Would you like that?”

  Julia nod
ded. “Please.”

  “Take off your shirt.” After Julia did as instructed, Alexandra leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on the warm skin of Julia’s back. She traced a wet trail up her spine with her tongue as her lips nipped at the skin. With a swift movement, she straddled Julia’s legs. “Julia?”

  “Mhm?”

  “I will be right back. I want you to stay exactly where you are, and I want you to close your eyes. Don’t you dare fall asleep.”

  Julia played with the fabric of the sheets beneath her as she waited for Alexandra to return. It was hard to focus with the throb between her legs, a throb that she hoped Alexandra would soon take care of, because the last thing she wanted to do was to ask her for permission to do it herself. She much preferred Alexandra’s fingers thrusting into her.

  A small smile spread on her lips when she felt Alexandra’s fingers remove her pants and underwear the rest of the way. The bed dipped, and Alexandra straddled her once more. She gasped softly when she felt the naked skin against hers, and her breath hitched in her throat as her heartbeat elevated. “Alexandra?”

  “Ssh,” Alexandra whispered as she lowered her body completely. She brushed Julia’s hair out of the way and pressed her lips against the pulse point. Her tongue darted out, and it ran over the skin. She slowly dragged a hand up Julia’s side as she kissed down her back. Slight shivers of pleasures kept jolting through Julia’s body as Alexandra explored every inch of her back with teasing fingers and a wet tongue.

  When Alexandra moved off her, Julia gave a disappointed moan at the loss of contact. She wanted Alexandra on top of her forever.

  “Turn around.” Alexandra smiled when Julia’s gaze wandered down her chest. “You like what you see?”

  Julia nodded. “You’re beautiful.”

  A blush appeared on Alexandra’s face, and it warmed Julia’s heart. She inhaled sharply as Alexandra straddled her leg, reached down to grab Julia’s hands, and placed them on her hips. Touching Alexandra like this felt unreal, as if she’d been given the crown jewels to play with, something delicate that could break at any moment. Yet she knew…knew that Alexandra would never break. “Do you want to touch me, Julia?”

  “Yes,” Julia breathed out. “Please.”

  Alexandra let go of Julia’s hands and nodded to give her permission. Julia tentatively moved over Alexandra’s skin, turning bolder as she cupped Alexandra’s breasts and rubbed the rigid peaks with her thumbs. Alexandra’s head fell back in obvious pleasure, and her hand moved between her legs. A guttural moan made its way up Alexandra’s throat as she let a finger slide through her wetness. She brought the finger to Julia’s lips with a smile. “You know what to do.”

  Julia inhaled sharply. Her tongue licked along the finger before sucking it into her mouth. She moaned at the taste of Alexandra, craving for more. Her hips gently rolled against Alexandra’s core, and the wetness she felt against her own drove her mad with desire. She wasn’t sure what had changed in the last hour, but whatever it was, she was eternally grateful for it.

  “I need you to do let me do this my way,” Alexandra whispered as she looked at Julia. When Julia nodded, she took one of her hands and dragged it down her stomach, then flipped it over and slipped it in between her thighs. “One finger, Julia. Slowly, please.”

  Julia let her finger slide through Alexandra’s wetness, and she groaned when her own wetness increased. She circled Alexandra’s clit before rubbing over it slowly, the sounds emitting from Alexandra almost driving her over the edge.

  “Inside,” Alexandra urged as she twisted Julia’s nipple between her fingers until it hardened under her touch. When Julia entered her, she leaned forward and took the nipple into her mouth, alternating between sucking it and flicking her tongue against it. Her hand moved down, and Julia’s back arched when Alexandra flicked it against Julia’s clit without much warning.

  Julia gasped as Alexandra rubbed her clit in a fast pace. “Fuck, Alexandra.”

  “Come for me, Julia.” Alexandra moved her head up and captured Julia’s mouth in a passionate kiss. Julia’s back arched at the orgasm that rippled through her, and she heard her name fall from those gorgeous lips over and over again.

  “Julia.”

  Julia groaned.

  “Julia!”

  “Please don’t stop.” Her hips jerked up.

  “Stop what?” a confused voice asked.

  Julia jolted up straight. Her body trembled, and she looked around in confusion when she noticed she was fully dressed and that Alexandra was looking at her as if she had just found a stranger in her bed. “Jesus fucking Christ,” she said, her voice louder than she had intended it to be.

  “Language, dear. Are you okay?”

  “A dream? That was a fucking dream?” Julia cried out as she let herself fall against the bed.

  Alexandra looked absolutely bewildered. “What just happened?”

  Julia rolled away from her in embarrassment. She was positively throbbing, and she was sure her dream had just given her one of the best orgasms she had ever had. “That’s just not fair.”

  “Hey,” Alexandra whispered as she cupped Julia’s chin and turned her head back to her. “What’s wrong?”

  “I think I took your assignment a little bit too literally.”

  “Tell me.”

  “You said to dream of you, and dream of you I did.”

  “Did you have a sex dream?”

  Julia groaned as she wrapped her arms around Alexandra and tucked her head beneath Alexandra’s chin. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “I do!”

  “I’m burning up here. I’ve never blushed harder,” Julia confessed in embarrassment. “I…I think I did something without your permission.”

  “Oh my,” Alexandra laughed. “That must have been some dream! I woke up because you were wriggling so much. I thought you were having a nightmare. Obviously, I was mistaken. Tell me what you did without my permission.”

  “Please don’t make me say it,” Julia whined.

  “Now, please.”

  “I’m throbbing. That was a good dream. I feel like I just had an orgasm.”

  “You came without my permission?” She arched an eyebrow.

  Julia could see the amusement on Alexandra’s face.

  “I must admit, I’m quite impressed with your ability to achieve an orgasm in your dream.”

  “Technically, you told me to,” Julia confessed.

  “Did I?”

  Julia nodded. “You told me to come, so I did.”

  Alexandra grinned as she kissed the top of Julia’s head and wrapped her arms tighter around Julia. “Well, I suppose if I told you to, I can’t blame you.”

  “Really?”

  “That doesn’t mean I won’t punish you for it later. Maybe I won’t have you write an essay, but there are other ways to punish you.”

  “Like what?”

  “Tease and denial, dear. I’ll drive you mad with desire until you beg me to come, and I won’t let you.”

  “That’s mean.”

  “That’s what you get for having such dreams! You can tell me about it later, I want all the details. But right now, you need to get your cute ass out of bed. Time for breakfast. Nicky and Ella will be leaving shortly, I’m sure. They have a long trip ahead of them.”

  “No,” Julia drawled. “I want to sleep. I’m tired.”

  “I bet.” Alexandra grinned. “All these activities must have worn you out. Doesn’t mean you get to sleep in, though. Come on, up you get. Take a shower. I’m sure you could use one.” She snorted as soon as the heat flushed to Julia’s cheeks. “I do love teasing you. I’d join you in the shower, but unfortunately my dreams weren’t quite as eventful.”

  “Oh my God.” Julia groaned. “I never should have told you.”

  Alexandra pushed Julia back onto the bed and brought her mouth close to Julia’s ear. “You should know that I’m very perceptive, and even if you hadn’t told me, I would have smelled your
arousal from a mile away. It’s my favorite scent. It makes me want to do all the naughty things to you.” She kissed Julia’s cheek and got out of bed while laughing softly. She reached for her robe and pulled it around her body before glancing over her shoulder. “Up you get, dear. The sooner you do, the sooner we can say good-bye to Ella and Nicky and the sooner I can take you to the playroom. I have big plans for you.”

  “Well, this weather couldn’t be further from ideal,” Nicky said as she looked out the window. “I’m afraid you’re in for a trip far worse than when we came here,” she said to Ella. “I promise we’ll take the plane next time.”

  Alexandra looked worried. “Are you sure you should leave now? I want you two to be safe.”

  “I promise we’ll be fine. I’ll take good care of Ella. I think she’ll be okay if she tries to nap.”

  “I’ll try,” said Ella. “Maybe I’ll just take a sleeping pill.”

  “Call me when you get home. You know the drill.”

  Nicky hugged Alexandra and whispered in her ear, loudly enough for Julia to hear. “Thank you for everything.”

  “You’re welcome,” Alexandra smiled. “Call that number I gave you, and set up an appointment. He is a good friend of mine, and he can teach you much more about Shibari than I can. Don’t suspend Ella until he tells you you’re ready, understood?”

  “Got it.” Nicky grabbed her bag and took Ella’s hand. She smiled at Julia. “You’re in good hands, Julia. I am glad I got to know you.”

  “It was nice to meet you both. I hope I’ll get to see you again. Have a safe trip home.” Julia gave Ella a sympathetic smile. “Good luck, and thank you for all your advice. It’s helped me a great deal. I will get in touch with you when I’m back on the mainland.”

  “Please do.” Ella smiled back at her, then turned her attention to Alexandra. “Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Alexandra. I’ve enjoyed my time here.”

  “I bet you have,” Alexandra grinned. “Don’t let Nicky rush over those waves. It’s okay to tell her to slow down when you need it.” She winked at Ella when Nicky scoffed.

  “Are you guys coming to wave us off?”