Wanderers 4: A Tough Act to Follow (The Wanderers)

by Richard Bamberg

  I hung the towels on hooks placed just far enough back to keep them from getting wet. Stopping in front of Cris, her back was slightly arched, her eyes closed, and she appeared to be enjoying the heavy flow of the shower caressing her body, I lowered my lips to her right nipple and sucked it into my mouth. She didn’t flinch, but her hands came to my head to hold me tightly against her breast.

  My teeth nibbled lightly and she yanked my head back.

  “Ow, still tender,” she admonished as she pulled my face up to hers. We kissed again.

  When we separated, I handed her one of the washcloths and took a bottle of body wash from a recessed shelf beside the shower’s handle. We wet both cloths and then applied a good amount of product to each of them. While I did her back, she washed under her arms and down her front. She ran the cloth across her breasts and tightly erect nipples and I envied her.

  I moved the washcloth lower, across her cheeks, and into her crevice. She made another of those little cooing sounds and spread her legs. I delved deeper, bringing the cloth under her groin and up her front. She stopped washing her front and leaned both hands against the wall while I continued to make sure, in excruciating carefulness, that she was totally clean.

  Cris was breathing hard when I lifted her slightly and slid into her. She gasped and collapsed against the wall. Dropping the washcloth, my fingers began to play softly against her most tender spot while I began to thrust into her. She rocketed to another orgasm while I was still warming up. I held still within her until her spasm calmed, then I lifted her off me. She gasped when I pulled out, but I turned her in my hands and lowered her back onto me. Her legs came up around my waist and I felt her ankles interlock behind my back. Leaning her against the tile, I pounded into her while her mouth found mind and she devoured me. She spasmed twice more before I finally climaxed into her. I had to hold her tight against the wall to keep from dropping her. My stamina was gone. It left me weak after my own orgasm and I could barely catch my breath.

  We stayed that way, leaning into the wall while the warm water gushed over us, until I slipped out of her. She gave me a weak smile and her legs unclenched and dropped. “Well, I don’t know if I can keep that up the rest of the night.”

  I glanced down. She followed my gaze and laughed softly. “Not that, you duffus. I meant that many orgasms. They take a lot out of a girl, even one with a teenager’s stamina.”

  I kissed her as I let her down until she could stand.

  “Then I guess we’d better finish up in here and get into bed before something else comes up.”

  “You mean before you come up again,” Cris said. She groaned. “Oh, boy, I think I’m raw. I may need that healing spell after all.”

  “Oh?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

  She patted my cheek. “Yes, my studly man. You may have been keeping fit screwing that vixen apprentice of yours, but my tender pussy hasn’t had anyone in it but once since you left.”

  “Vixen apprentice?” I queried.

  “You know what I mean. I know you two have been bumping pelvises on a daily basis. Who could blame you? Even without all that meshing you’re doing, the two of you have young bodies that look like they ought to be fucked daily.”

  “Cris!” I said with mock shock and amazement.

  She chuckled. “Don’t give me that. You know damn well that you two would be screwing like bunnies even without the meshing.”

  “Without the meshing, we’d be mentor and apprentice and I think I could have kept our relationship platonic,” I stated confidently.

  Cris chuckled again. “No way, lover boy. Now hand me that washcloth. You aren’t getting anywhere near my tender pussy with that thing again tonight.”

  I bent to pick up the discarded washcloth. “What thing? The washcloth or my–”

  Her palm came down on my butt hard enough to make me jump erect. “Ow! Hey.”

  She had a devilish grin on her face. “Oh, did that hurt? Ah, I still want that washcloth.”

  In my haste to protect myself, I hadn’t picked it up. I stepped back from her, bent at the knees, and scooped it up. I held it out and she took it from me.

  Rising, I moved against her, putting my hands against the wall on either side of her and pressing her body back against the tile with mine. We finished up in the bath, lazily, enjoying cleaning and drying each other. Cris wrapped a bath sheet around her, covering far too much of her exquisite body, and left the bath just ahead of me.

  Chapter 25

  Therese

  I lay awake, hugging one of the thick pillows that wasn’t propping up my head. I was in bed, alone, for the first time since Rafe had taken me from the hospital. Running my fingers across the sheets beside me, I marveled at my feelings. I was actually missing Rafe’s body, so much so that it was keeping me awake. It was strange, because before Rafe, I hadn’t spent the night sharing a man’s bed more than a few times. Maybe Rafe had been right in thinking we should have maintained a platonic relationship. No, I knocked that idea from my thoughts. Our training sessions left both of us hot and horny. It just wasn’t possible to mesh thoughts, emotions, and auras for that long without hungering for the other’s body.

  Frustrated, I shoved the pillow off me and slid out from under the sheet, bumping Bruno as I did. He was curled up near my feet like some kind of reptilian cat. He gave a low growl at being disturbed and then blew a puff of smoke my way that smelled of sulfur before rolling over and going back to sleep. Barefoot, I walked to the bedroom door and opened it. Down the hall, there was a soft glow beneath the master bedroom’s door. I listened and thought I heard something. Without really thinking about it, I triggered my enhanced senses tat. It glowed beneath my US Army nightshirt and I listened again.

  Grunts and groans and an occasional “Oh, my God!” came down the hallway to me. I stepped into the hall and padded slowly to the door of the master bedroom. At this distance, the magic of my tat let me hear everything going on as though I was standing in the room with them. After a minute of listening, I realized my fingers were beginning to move across my flesh as if of their own accord. I moaned and turned away from the door.

  Walking back toward my own room, I cancelled the tat and the glow faded away. The sounds of passion disappeared and the bright hallway was once again dark.

  That was when I caught my small toe on the edge of the doorframe. I stifled a shout of pain and hopped on one foot back to my bed.

  “Damnit, that’s what I deserve for sneaking around listening to them, enjoying each other after so many months apart. Serves me right.”

  I started to trigger my healing tat and then shook my head as I slid back under the sheet. No, I didn’t need to heal the minor damage. The pain would remind me to mind my own business.

  I lay back against my pillow and wondered if I’d been too noble when I told Cris that I thought they deserved some alone time. Thinking about it, I figured that I could still join them and not be refused. I’d never had the opportunity or inclination to share a man with another woman, but this was Rafe and the woman who had saved his life. We at least had that in common. The fingers of my right hand lightly caressed my lips as I remembered the kiss Cris had given me. It’d been tender with no sign of passion, but there was definitely something there besides a thank you for saving Rafe’s life.

  Rolling onto my side to face the open curtains of the window, I resolved that if Cris offered again, I would not be so quick to refuse.

  The morning sun woke me from a restless sleep. I glanced at my phone and saw that it was after six. That was after four Mountain Daylight Time. I groaned and regretted not closing the curtains before going to bed.

  I rolled away from the window and groaned again. How much wine had we drunk? My head throbbed and a moment later, the pain in my bladder brought me fully awake.

  Damn! I tossed off the sheet and slid to the floor. The guest bathroom was off the bedroom and I hurried in to relieve the immediate pain. Finishing, I washed my hands and my face, bl
inked hard at the blurry image in the mirror and at my case of bed hair. I dipped my hands back under the faucet and put enough water on my short hair to hold it down.

  Exiting the bath, I went to the guest room door and looked down the hall. The master bedroom’s door was still closed. As late as those two had been at it, I was sure they were going to be sleeping in. I padded across the great room and into the kitchen. Cris had shown me the Keurig coffee pot and where the cups were. While the machine was warming up, I looked for aspirin. I didn’t find any right away and settled for a large glass of tap water. Then I activated my healing tat and hoped it would alleviate some of my hangover.

  I was feeling better by the time the Keurig had my coffee ready. Taking the cup, I walked to the rear door that led to the deck. Cris didn’t have an alarm system; I guess she thought her wards were good enough not to need additional security. I opened the door and stepped out, feeling her wards impinging against my flesh as I moved through the opening. Personal wards were still on my list of things to learn. Rafe told me he had made a mental list of what I needed to learn, but he didn’t share it with me. On the other hand, Rafe never gave me the impression that he planned things out that far ahead. I think there was no list and he was just training me on whatever struck his fancy on a given day.

  Closing the door behind me, I crossed to the teakwood table and sat down in one of the cushioned seats. I immediately shot back up with a little yelp. I clutched at my butt while trying not to spill coffee all over myself. Damnit, the cushions were covered with dew. It wasn’t something we saw a lot of this time of year in Colorado, but I should have remembered to check for dew. The back of my nightshirt had been instantly soaked. I cursed myself for my foolishness and flipped the cushion upside down. I set my coffee on the table, hiked up my nightshirt, and settled my bare butt on the dry side of the cushion.

  I leaned back, propped my feet on the back of the next chair over, and picked up my cup.

  Birds were already up and singing loudly in Cris’s back yard. She had a hummingbird feeder hanging on a hook at the edge of the deck and a couple ruby-throated birds were currently arguing over the feeder.

  I was halfway through my first cup of the morning when there was movement under the trees at the edge of the yard. I watched, curious, as a whitetail doe stepped out from between the azaleas and onto the lawn. It looked around and saw me, but then continued a few more feet before lowering its head to nibble at the grass. A minute passed, and then two more does entered Cris’s yard. Finally, a large buck stopped at the edge of the woods before following his mates into the open. The buck had just begun to grow a new set of antlers but could have passed for another doe, if it hadn’t been for the short spikes of velvet on his head.

  Finishing my cup, I stood slowly as not to spook the animals. Then I jumped as my wet nightshirt slapped against my bare bottom.

  The deer flinched, but didn’t bolt as I expected. I guessed they were used to people in this neighborhood. People might not bother them, but if Beast and Maia came back, those deer had better flee for their lives.

  Going back inside, I slipped off my nightshirt while another cup of coffee was brewing. I had become used to being naked around Rafe and the idea of either him or Cris coming out of her boudoir and finding me naked drinking coffee was actually titillating. I toyed with the idea of going back outside and hanging my nightshirt over a chair to dry. But then I decided that would be a little obvious.

  Instead, I carried my coffee and wet shirt back into the bedroom to dress.

  A couple of hours later, the two lovebirds finally opened their bedroom door and came into the kitchen. They were leaning into each other and the fingers of their nearer hands were interlaced. Rafe had slipped on jeans rather than his usual leathers, I guessed that meant we weren’t hitting the road immediately or expecting trouble. At least that was why I had chosen jeans and one of my few blouses. Cris was wearing another sleeveless sundress, this one of a similar fabric, but with little yellow flowers on a blue background. While the hem dropped below her knees, the neckline showed off the swell of her breasts.

  “Well?” I asked.

  “Well?” Rafe repeated.

  “Did you wear him out?” I said, looking at Cris.

  Cris ginned and bumped Rafe’s hip with her own, knocking him off balance. “Did I, Rafe?”

  He copied her grin and shook his head. “No, well used, but not worn out.”

  I nodded and went back to my third, or fourth, cup of coffee. I’d found bread and a toaster so I’d eaten toast an hour or more earlier. There’d also been butter in the enormous refrigerator and honey near the bread, but now that they were up, I was thinking about a good breakfast.

  “Have you been up long?” Rafe asked.

  “For a while, the Keurig is ready. Do you want me to make you a cup?”

  “Yes, thanks.”

  “Put one on for me when his is done. So, who wants breakfast?” Cris asked.

  Both Rafe and I did. I knew why he’d be hungry, but ever since he told me to load up on calories in case I was injured, I was used to eating a big breakfast. It’s not as if either of us maintained a spare tire, but Rafe was solid and I had what he described as nice curves.

  Cris let go of Rafe’s hand and raided the Frost King for sausage, eggs, cheese, peppers, and onions.

  Thirty minutes later, my tummy was full of scrambled eggs with veggies and cheese, biscuits and sausage, and orange juice. It was an excellent meal and the sausage had just enough of a spicy kick to make it tasty.

  I told Cris as much and she took my cleaning my plate as a compliment.

  Since she’d done most of the cooking, I insisted on cleaning up while Rafe and Cris finished their second cups of coffee. They got a third cup apiece and moved to the back deck. I switched to decaf and joined them.

  “Well, did you have any ideas after sleeping on Rafe’s problem?”

  Cris eyed me as though I’d spoken a double entendre. I hadn’t, well, at least not deliberately. “That wasn’t what I meant.”

  She grinned at me and then Rafe jumped as she did something to him out of sight beneath the table. “Actually, I do have a few thoughts on the matter.”

  “That’s good to hear,” Rafe said. “Care to share?”

  “You said you have some kind of night magic taint still in you and I agree with that. Your aura has changed. When we met, you had that false green aura of earth magic, but when you dropped it around me your aura had some green, but a pronounced gray overlaying everything. Now there are patterns of black running through your gray. If it’s showing up in your aura, then it must really be impacting you.”

  I looked at Rafe and activated my enhanced senses tat. Concentrating, I could see what Cris was talking about. It was so obvious, that I was surprised I hadn’t noticed it earlier.

  “Yes, I was afraid that it would be pretty obvious to other magic users. I can’t even alter my aura until I get this crap out of me,” Rafe said.

  “About that, I think you need some form of exorcism. White magic is about the only thing that can cleanse a body of this sort of contamination. Oh, by the way, it hasn’t affected your soul. I took a good look into your eyes yesterday and there’s no sign of a change from when I first met you.”

  “Thank God for small favors,” Rafe groused.

  “That’s not a small favor,” Cris corrected. “If it had tainted your soul, I’m not sure even a white magic user could have cleaned it.”

  “Ah, Cris, what do you mean when you said you read his soul by looking into his eyes?” I asked.

  “I’m sorry, Tess, I thought Rafe told you about me.”

  I glanced at Rafe. He frowned and shook his head. “Sorry, I didn’t really mean to keep something from you; I just didn’t think to tell you.”

  “What didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

  “Tess,” Cris said. “I have a rare ability to see into a person’s soul when I look into their eyes. It’s not perfect, but I can almost a
lways get a good indication of the basic motivations in a person.”

  “And that’s why you stopped right in front of me and spent all that time staring at me? What did you see?” I asked, suddenly uncomfortable that Rafe’s lover could actually read my soul.

  Cris leaned across the table and took my hand. She gave it a light squeeze and then smiled reassuringly. “Nothing bad, Tess. I saw that you were a good soul. That you are fair and trustworthy. That you’ll do anything for Rafe.”

  I cast a sideways glance toward the man and found him watching me curiously. “Of course I will do anything for him. He’s my mentor. Without him I’d be in pretty bad shape.”

  “It’s more than that. You are devoted to him. It’s something I find most appealing. I worry about this man and knowing that he has you beside him relieves a lot of my concern.”

  I was growing uncomfortable listening to Cris say how I felt about Rafe. I was sure he knew that I’d give my life to protect him, just as I knew he would protect me, but Cris was making this sound like a lot more than a mentor/apprentice relationship. I gave a little tug, but she wouldn’t release my hand.

  “You don’t have to worry, Tess. Rafe is just as devoted to you. You two will be partners for a very long time,” Cris said. “Assuming something doesn’t kill one of you.”

  I yanked my hand back and put it in my lap where she couldn’t reach it. Rafe was still watching me and I got more uncomfortable the longer he did. I slid my chair back from the table and walked to the rail to stare out into the forest.

  There was a lump in my throat that wouldn’t go down. What was this witch thinking to blurt out my deepest thoughts? It was almost as if she could read my mind.

  I heard the soft pad of sandals on the deck behind me. Soft hands gripped my shoulders and turned me around. Cris was standing too close to me, but my back was against the railing and I couldn’t retreat.

  Cris raised her hands to my cheeks and stepped even closer. Before I could react, her lips met mine again, but this was no quick peck. This warm, deep kiss seemed to go on forever. My own hands rose to her shoulder blades and held her to me. Eventually–I don’t know how much time passed–Cris pulled her head back and released my face from her warm touch. Her brown eyes were soft and kind and I could see that she bore me no ill will. That she had said everything she had because she thought Rafe and I both needed to hear it.