Fic: Burning Bright (LotS, Kahlan/Richard, NC-17)
Title: Burning Bright
Author: alyse
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Pairing: Kahlan/Richard
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 3,300
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Legend of the Seeker (TV) belongs to ABC Studios/Disney. No copyright infringement is intended. This is fanfiction, written solely for love of the show.
Author's Notes: Written for the legendland Secret Santa 2011 for asheebizzle2. Merry Yule, sweetie. Many thanks to
aithine for the beta.
Summary: "So you finally get the chance to touch, and you're still wasting time?" Cara cast them looks that plainly labelled them both as fools. "What are you waiting for?"
-o-
It was Cara, of course, who broke first. In a way it was inevitable that it would be Cara. They - all of them - had their own particular weaknesses, their sore points, their vulnerabilities, but this one was Cara's.
Maybe it was the looks she grew tired of, the ones that Kahlan snuck at Richard and that Richard returned with interest. Sly, furtive little glances that they tried and failed to keep from Cara. Maybe it was the smiles shared across the campfire, the ones that excluded Cara, but that Kahlan couldn't keep off her face anyway, not when her heart was beating so hard and fast, lighter than air. And not when Richard's smile back was just as secretive, just as exclusionary - all Kahlan's and no one else's, not even Cara's. Maybe it was all of that or none of it - with Cara, who could tell?
"Oh for -" Cara threw up her hands in exasperation, glaring at each of them in turn. This time when Kahlan snuck a little sideways glance at Richard, he wasn't looking back at her. He was watching Cara instead, and his mouth was still curled up in the slightest of smiles, this one fond and affectionate and all Cara's. Kahlan couldn't begrudge either of them that, not when she had her own repertoire of Cara-specific smiles.
Cara didn't miss Richard's fond look and her eyes narrowed dangerously. She glanced at Zedd, but got no support from that direction. All of Zedd's attention was focused on Kahlan and Richard, and if Richard's smile at Cara had been fond, then Zedd's for them was positively doting.
Kahlan felt the blood rise slowly to her cheeks. It was easier to meet Cara's eyes, bright and snapping with irritation, than it was to meet Zedd's too-knowing gaze. At least Cara hid everything she felt under layers of sarcasm and biting wit instead of wearing it clearly on her face.
"I think," Zedd said when Cara finally switched her attention from him back to Kahlan and Richard, glaring at them as though they were recalcitrant school children, "what Cara is trying to say is -"
"What Cara is trying to say," Cara interrupted him with a scowl, "is that the pair of you should stop making it doe eyes at each other and just..." She waved her hands suggestively. "Get on with it."
Get on with it. Kahlan mouthed the words, hardly believing that even Cara would go that far. She didn't dare look at Richard this time, and not just because the blood was still suffusing her face, making her cheeks burn hot and fierce. She thought that if she looked at Richard - met his eyes and saw the brightness she just knew would be in them - she'd give into temptation. Not the temptation to fall into his arms, as Cara was suggesting in her own Cara-like way, but to laugh, deeply and richly, until her sides ached with it and her breath caught in her throat, knowing that Richard would match her sound for sound.
Cara would most certainly not appreciate that. Especially as she was actually trying to help.
"Cara," she began gently, but Richard beat her to it.
"Cara," he said, casting Kahlan a sidelong look, one that held a hint of apology but which was mostly filled with laughter, the light of it dancing in the depths of his eyes. "I'm sure that Kahlan and I will..." He trailed off, a flush rising to his face as well as his mind caught up with his words. But even as he blushed, the laughter bubbled out, bringing a lift to his voice. "When the time is right..." he finished, studiously avoiding Kahlan's eyes, the little crooked smile playing at the corners of his mouth deepening when Cara responded with a snort of disgust. Kahlan had to duck her head so that Cara wouldn't see her grin now that she couldn't keep it hidden any longer.
"So you finally get the chance to touch, and you're still wasting time?" Cara cast them looks that plainly labelled them both as fools. "What are you waiting for? To make it legal?" She snorted again, making her views on that crystal clear. "Fine. We'll find you a priest if it's that important to you." Her tone also made it clear that she thought she'd won that argument.
Kahlan couldn't hold her laughter in any longer, not when Richard had already cracked and not with Cara standing there with her hands planted firmly on her hips and with one sceptical eyebrow cocked to the sky. Kahlan could imagine it all too easily - Cara hunting down a priest, bringing him here at agiel point and glaring at him throughout the ceremony, just to make sure that he - and that Kahlan and Richard, her Lord Rahl - went through with it to Cara's satisfaction.
The giggles hiccupped out of her at the clear picture forming in her mind, and Cara rolled her eyes, opening her mouth again to no doubt deliver another scathing diatribe on the way that Kahlan and Richard were dragging their feet. Before she could begin, Kahlan cut her off, the words tumbling out, one after another in her hurry, tripping off the end of her tongue and coming out breathless and giddy with her laughter.
"We don't need a priest, Cara. We just..."
And there she stopped, at a loss for an explanation that Cara would understand, leaving the 'just' hanging in the air between them.
But before Cara could do more than huff out an impatient breath, the prelude to a snippy little lecture, Zedd pushed himself to his feet, stretching theatrically once he realised that he had their attention.
"Perhaps, Cara," he said gently, "what Richard and Kahlan need is not a priest, but some small measure of privacy." He smiled at Cara softly, obviously feeling that he'd scored a point there, but Cara interrupted him before he could get going.
"Fine," she snapped out, seeming to make an abrupt decision the way that Cara often did. She reached down to haul her blanket up from where it lay spread on the ground by the fire, casting an impatient look in Zedd's direction. "Come on, old man. We can sleep on the beach."
Zedd blinked at her, his mouth half-open and his expression nonplussed as Cara efficiently took the wind out of his sails. And then his mouth curled up in a smile, full of the same find of fondness for Cara that Kahlan felt flooding through her.
"We certainly can, dear one. It won't be the worst place I've ever slept." He turned his head, his smile encompassing both Richard and Kahlan, as he scooped up his own blanket, the move more dignified than Cara's snatch. Whistling softly to himself, he ambled away in the wake of Cara's stalk.
And then there was just the two of them, sitting together by the fire.
It was strange, being alone with Richard, and it left her feeling oddly tongue-tied and a little bereft. Richard had been right when he'd said that they rarely got to spend any time alone together, just the two of them without the distraction of a quest to hold their attention away from each other. It was nice, to be able to turn her head and watch Richard's profile in the flickering light of the fire, knowing that there was no one to catch her looking when she shouldn't, couldn't risk it.
But she could look now, didn't need to hold herself back any more, not when Richard was safe from her Confessor's touch, protected by his love for her. The thought filled her with wonder, warming her like sunlight shining in the dark.
She looked her fill, letting her eyes wander over that dearly beloved face, taking in the sweet curve of his cheek, the dark lashes that framed eyes that were still honest and trusting in spite of everything they'd been through, Richard's innate goodness shining through.
Richard turned his head and met her eyes, and the look that shone in his gaze now had nothing to do with goodness, not this time.
Her breath caught in her throat in a little hitch, warmth flooding through her, warmth that had nothing on the heat flaring through Richard's eyes. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself at him, pull him closer to her, never let him go. Let her desire for him, and his for her, overwhelm them. But there was no need to hurry, not this. Not when she'd waited for so long. This was something to savour, something to remember when they were both old and grey and - please the Creator - still in each other's arms and each other's heart.
"Richard," she breathed, and he reached out for her, letting his fingertips stroke lightly along her hairline. His smile was soft, full of love for her, and she felt the same love swell in her chest, rising up and filling her until the breath that caught in her throat this time tasted like tears.
He brushed the tears away, too, finally leaning in to kiss her softly. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to it, to the salt taste of Richard's kisses, flavoured with the bitter-sweet taste of the tears of joy she couldn't hold back as she revelled in the feel of Richard's fingers on her cheek, work-roughened but so gentle. His mouth was velvet warm as their kisses deepened, and she clutched at his shirt, pulling him closer and closer, her fingers desperate and greedy in spite of her resolve to savour this, the fear that this was temporary, nothing but the most wonderful of dreams that she'd eventually wake from.
"Richard," she murmured again, against his lips, his cheek. "Richard," she whispered, lost in the feel of him, the warmth of his body against hers, and each iteration of his name was a plea.
He eased her down until she was spread across her blanket, his body blanketing hers. He braced himself above her, sparing her his weight, but she tugged him down, greedy for it, for the way it would make this real. He kissed her again and she parted her lips, letting his tongue slip inside. When it touched hers, it sent warmth flooding through her, settling low in her belly as she let out a sound that was pure lust.
Richard's body tightened against hers and he let out a ragged gasp, his breath brushing over her lips and his eyes - when they met hers - wide and blown black with his desire for her. She reached for him again, pulling him closer, arching up into him when he finally settled between her thighs, every inch of his body pressed against hers.
He kissed her again and again, alternating between kisses that were deep enough to curl her toes and ones so soft, so gentle they were little more than his lips brushing hers. And throughout it all, she let her hands wander over his body, tracing the long, lean lines of him, the muscles that bunched and relaxed under her touch.
His shirt was rough beneath her fingertips and she slid her hands underneath the fabric, letting them glide over smooth, warm skin and swallowing down the soft moan he let out. He pulled back and she reached for him again, a soft sound of displeasure leaving her lips, one that made him smile, wide and happy before he pulled his shirt off over his head.
She leant back again, propping herself up on her elbows as she looked her fill in the firelight, letting her eyes wander over his body just as her hands had done. He was beautiful - he'd always been beautiful, but he was all the more beautiful to her because she knew that his beauty ran more than skin deep. As he moved, the light of the fire caught in the shape of his shifting body, patterning his skin red and gold and leaving shadows that made her fingers itch with the need to touch.
He didn't tease her, even though there was an amused, knowing look in his eyes when he finally knelt back down on the ground beside her. He kissed her readily enough when she reached for him, but his hands were also on the move, tracing their way over her skin, feather-light and barely there, teasing and tormenting. Each brush of his fingers against her heated skin left trails of fire in its wake, spiralling through her like a forest blaze. By the time he eased her thighs apart, slipping his hand between them to brush lightly over her dampened curls, she was starving from him, soft moans falling from her lips as she pressed her mouth desperately against his.
But even that small comfort was denied her; his mouth slipped away from hers, travelling over her cheek, down towards her neck where he lingered, nipping and sucking lightly at the soft skin below her ear. The sensation sent chills through her, hot and cold all at once, and she moaned again, twisting her head to give him better access.
He eased his hand away from between her thighs, sliding it up her body to tug lightly at the laces of her corset before slipping his fingers underneath the fabric to caress the soft swell of her breast.
His touch left her breathless, too breathless to do more than gasp - moaning was beyond her now, not when his touch burned and left her aching for things she couldn't articulate. She managed to prop herself up enough to help him, her fingers fumbling as she pulled the fabric of her bodice open where his were steady and sure, but soon his fingers had free access to her breasts.
He ducked his head and followed his fingers with his mouth, lapping and laving where the pale skin, which had rarely seen sunlight, curved underneath the remaining fabric. The sun would have paled itself compared to the heat of Richard's gaze as he pulled back, staring down at the dusky pink of her nipples.
And then his mouth was there, too, hot and wet as he sucked lightly, his tongue rough against her sensitive nubs. The sensation startled another low moan out of her, slivers of white-hot pleasure surging through her with each lap of Richard's tongue, each tug of his lips.
She rocked her hips impatiently, surging up into each of Richard's touch, not sure what she wanted but knowing that Richard was the only one who could give it to her, the only one who could fill the heavy emptiness that seemed to exist low in her belly, between her thighs. She pushed herself up abruptly, dislodging Richard, who shot her a look of mingled surprise and concern. She should answer the unspoken question in his eyes, but all of her attention was focused on shrugging off the shoulders of her bodice, letting it slide down her arms so that dress pooled around her waist, leaving her breasts completely bare to Richard's gaze.
He reached out, letting the backs of his fingers stroke lightly down the slope of her breast, holding her gaze all the while instead of lingering in looking as many men would have done. She smiled at him and caught the answering smile on his face as he leaned in for another kiss, then another as his fingers played over her skin. But she had play of a different sort in mind, her own fingers finding their way to the laces of Richard's breeches, tugging them open much as he'd tugged her corset open. And then her hand was slipping inside, stroking along the hard, velvet length she found within.
Richard's breath left him in a gasp, and his fingers dug into her flesh, stopping just short of the point of pain. His eyes were wide open again, the pupils dark and black, reflecting the firelight back at her so that it looked as though he was burning on the inside, burning with the same fire that now consumed her.
His lips crashed against hers this time, hard and fierce, and she met them gladly, digging her fingers into his scalp as she pulled him closer and closer. As she pulled him back down to the ground with her.
He caught hold of her skirts, easing them down her body as she canted her hips to help him slide them off and away. And then she was naked to his gaze, completely uninhibited because this was Richard, Richard who loved her. Richard who burned for her, just as she burned for him.
She opened her arms for him, and he came, settling into her embrace and kissing her again, kissing her like he would never be able to get enough of kissing her. Like kissing her was more important than breathing and maybe, for Richard, it was. She matched him kiss for kiss, breath for breath, slow and languid kisses that turned her limbs to liquid, and that left her wet and wanting.
His chest was firm underneath her fingertips as she trailed them down his body, finally finding the opening to his breeches again. He was still hard when she slipped her fingers inside, and he dropped his head onto her shoulder with a sigh as she stroked her fingers along his length again. But he was happy enough to raise his hips at her urging and to help her slide his breeches down his legs until he was as naked as she.
He braced himself above her again, his eyes full of love, full of everything he felt for her. "Are you ready?" he asked and she nodded, because for Richard she would bear anything, and this would be no burden. This would be a joy.
There was a little pain as he pushed inside her, a sharp ache that had her digging her fingers into the muscles of his back, and he paused, giving her time to get used to the feel of him inside her, the girth of him and the weight of him above her. He watched her closely, almost too closely for her to bear, and she closed her eyes, let her fingers slacken their grip, stroking instead of clutching, soothing him as he so obviously wished to soothe her.
He moved, pushing more deeply into her, and the pain came again, sharp and fierce, but sharper and fiercer was the flood of joy that surged through her, joy that they could finally have this. She opened her eyes and the night sky was dark overhead, limitless stars stretching out forever, vast and unknowable, but even that couldn't frighten her when she had Richard's warmth pressing her into the ground, and Richard's love to hold her safe, cradle her against the world. There were closer pinpoints of light, too, dancing sparks from their fire that fluttered in the light breeze, spiralling and swirling in the darkness, moving in the rhythm of the crackling fire. When she closed her eyes again she could still see them, dancing behind her lids, pulsing with light in time to Richard's thrusts into her.
When she closed her eyes, she could feel Richard, glory in every part of him pressed up against her, hard and demanding, taking her higher and higher, to dance among the sparks, to burn bright and fierce in the darkness, burn with the fire that was going to consume them both, in this, the consummation of their love.
Kahlan opened her eyes and flew.
The End
Author: alyse
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Pairing: Kahlan/Richard
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 3,300
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Legend of the Seeker (TV) belongs to ABC Studios/Disney. No copyright infringement is intended. This is fanfiction, written solely for love of the show.
Author's Notes: Written for the legendland Secret Santa 2011 for asheebizzle2. Merry Yule, sweetie. Many thanks to
aithine for the beta.
Summary: "So you finally get the chance to touch, and you're still wasting time?" Cara cast them looks that plainly labelled them both as fools. "What are you waiting for?"
-o-
It was Cara, of course, who broke first. In a way it was inevitable that it would be Cara. They - all of them - had their own particular weaknesses, their sore points, their vulnerabilities, but this one was Cara's.
Maybe it was the looks she grew tired of, the ones that Kahlan snuck at Richard and that Richard returned with interest. Sly, furtive little glances that they tried and failed to keep from Cara. Maybe it was the smiles shared across the campfire, the ones that excluded Cara, but that Kahlan couldn't keep off her face anyway, not when her heart was beating so hard and fast, lighter than air. And not when Richard's smile back was just as secretive, just as exclusionary - all Kahlan's and no one else's, not even Cara's. Maybe it was all of that or none of it - with Cara, who could tell?
"Oh for -" Cara threw up her hands in exasperation, glaring at each of them in turn. This time when Kahlan snuck a little sideways glance at Richard, he wasn't looking back at her. He was watching Cara instead, and his mouth was still curled up in the slightest of smiles, this one fond and affectionate and all Cara's. Kahlan couldn't begrudge either of them that, not when she had her own repertoire of Cara-specific smiles.
Cara didn't miss Richard's fond look and her eyes narrowed dangerously. She glanced at Zedd, but got no support from that direction. All of Zedd's attention was focused on Kahlan and Richard, and if Richard's smile at Cara had been fond, then Zedd's for them was positively doting.
Kahlan felt the blood rise slowly to her cheeks. It was easier to meet Cara's eyes, bright and snapping with irritation, than it was to meet Zedd's too-knowing gaze. At least Cara hid everything she felt under layers of sarcasm and biting wit instead of wearing it clearly on her face.
"I think," Zedd said when Cara finally switched her attention from him back to Kahlan and Richard, glaring at them as though they were recalcitrant school children, "what Cara is trying to say is -"
"What Cara is trying to say," Cara interrupted him with a scowl, "is that the pair of you should stop making it doe eyes at each other and just..." She waved her hands suggestively. "Get on with it."
Get on with it. Kahlan mouthed the words, hardly believing that even Cara would go that far. She didn't dare look at Richard this time, and not just because the blood was still suffusing her face, making her cheeks burn hot and fierce. She thought that if she looked at Richard - met his eyes and saw the brightness she just knew would be in them - she'd give into temptation. Not the temptation to fall into his arms, as Cara was suggesting in her own Cara-like way, but to laugh, deeply and richly, until her sides ached with it and her breath caught in her throat, knowing that Richard would match her sound for sound.
Cara would most certainly not appreciate that. Especially as she was actually trying to help.
"Cara," she began gently, but Richard beat her to it.
"Cara," he said, casting Kahlan a sidelong look, one that held a hint of apology but which was mostly filled with laughter, the light of it dancing in the depths of his eyes. "I'm sure that Kahlan and I will..." He trailed off, a flush rising to his face as well as his mind caught up with his words. But even as he blushed, the laughter bubbled out, bringing a lift to his voice. "When the time is right..." he finished, studiously avoiding Kahlan's eyes, the little crooked smile playing at the corners of his mouth deepening when Cara responded with a snort of disgust. Kahlan had to duck her head so that Cara wouldn't see her grin now that she couldn't keep it hidden any longer.
"So you finally get the chance to touch, and you're still wasting time?" Cara cast them looks that plainly labelled them both as fools. "What are you waiting for? To make it legal?" She snorted again, making her views on that crystal clear. "Fine. We'll find you a priest if it's that important to you." Her tone also made it clear that she thought she'd won that argument.
Kahlan couldn't hold her laughter in any longer, not when Richard had already cracked and not with Cara standing there with her hands planted firmly on her hips and with one sceptical eyebrow cocked to the sky. Kahlan could imagine it all too easily - Cara hunting down a priest, bringing him here at agiel point and glaring at him throughout the ceremony, just to make sure that he - and that Kahlan and Richard, her Lord Rahl - went through with it to Cara's satisfaction.
The giggles hiccupped out of her at the clear picture forming in her mind, and Cara rolled her eyes, opening her mouth again to no doubt deliver another scathing diatribe on the way that Kahlan and Richard were dragging their feet. Before she could begin, Kahlan cut her off, the words tumbling out, one after another in her hurry, tripping off the end of her tongue and coming out breathless and giddy with her laughter.
"We don't need a priest, Cara. We just..."
And there she stopped, at a loss for an explanation that Cara would understand, leaving the 'just' hanging in the air between them.
But before Cara could do more than huff out an impatient breath, the prelude to a snippy little lecture, Zedd pushed himself to his feet, stretching theatrically once he realised that he had their attention.
"Perhaps, Cara," he said gently, "what Richard and Kahlan need is not a priest, but some small measure of privacy." He smiled at Cara softly, obviously feeling that he'd scored a point there, but Cara interrupted him before he could get going.
"Fine," she snapped out, seeming to make an abrupt decision the way that Cara often did. She reached down to haul her blanket up from where it lay spread on the ground by the fire, casting an impatient look in Zedd's direction. "Come on, old man. We can sleep on the beach."
Zedd blinked at her, his mouth half-open and his expression nonplussed as Cara efficiently took the wind out of his sails. And then his mouth curled up in a smile, full of the same find of fondness for Cara that Kahlan felt flooding through her.
"We certainly can, dear one. It won't be the worst place I've ever slept." He turned his head, his smile encompassing both Richard and Kahlan, as he scooped up his own blanket, the move more dignified than Cara's snatch. Whistling softly to himself, he ambled away in the wake of Cara's stalk.
And then there was just the two of them, sitting together by the fire.
It was strange, being alone with Richard, and it left her feeling oddly tongue-tied and a little bereft. Richard had been right when he'd said that they rarely got to spend any time alone together, just the two of them without the distraction of a quest to hold their attention away from each other. It was nice, to be able to turn her head and watch Richard's profile in the flickering light of the fire, knowing that there was no one to catch her looking when she shouldn't, couldn't risk it.
But she could look now, didn't need to hold herself back any more, not when Richard was safe from her Confessor's touch, protected by his love for her. The thought filled her with wonder, warming her like sunlight shining in the dark.
She looked her fill, letting her eyes wander over that dearly beloved face, taking in the sweet curve of his cheek, the dark lashes that framed eyes that were still honest and trusting in spite of everything they'd been through, Richard's innate goodness shining through.
Richard turned his head and met her eyes, and the look that shone in his gaze now had nothing to do with goodness, not this time.
Her breath caught in her throat in a little hitch, warmth flooding through her, warmth that had nothing on the heat flaring through Richard's eyes. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself at him, pull him closer to her, never let him go. Let her desire for him, and his for her, overwhelm them. But there was no need to hurry, not this. Not when she'd waited for so long. This was something to savour, something to remember when they were both old and grey and - please the Creator - still in each other's arms and each other's heart.
"Richard," she breathed, and he reached out for her, letting his fingertips stroke lightly along her hairline. His smile was soft, full of love for her, and she felt the same love swell in her chest, rising up and filling her until the breath that caught in her throat this time tasted like tears.
He brushed the tears away, too, finally leaning in to kiss her softly. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to it, to the salt taste of Richard's kisses, flavoured with the bitter-sweet taste of the tears of joy she couldn't hold back as she revelled in the feel of Richard's fingers on her cheek, work-roughened but so gentle. His mouth was velvet warm as their kisses deepened, and she clutched at his shirt, pulling him closer and closer, her fingers desperate and greedy in spite of her resolve to savour this, the fear that this was temporary, nothing but the most wonderful of dreams that she'd eventually wake from.
"Richard," she murmured again, against his lips, his cheek. "Richard," she whispered, lost in the feel of him, the warmth of his body against hers, and each iteration of his name was a plea.
He eased her down until she was spread across her blanket, his body blanketing hers. He braced himself above her, sparing her his weight, but she tugged him down, greedy for it, for the way it would make this real. He kissed her again and she parted her lips, letting his tongue slip inside. When it touched hers, it sent warmth flooding through her, settling low in her belly as she let out a sound that was pure lust.
Richard's body tightened against hers and he let out a ragged gasp, his breath brushing over her lips and his eyes - when they met hers - wide and blown black with his desire for her. She reached for him again, pulling him closer, arching up into him when he finally settled between her thighs, every inch of his body pressed against hers.
He kissed her again and again, alternating between kisses that were deep enough to curl her toes and ones so soft, so gentle they were little more than his lips brushing hers. And throughout it all, she let her hands wander over his body, tracing the long, lean lines of him, the muscles that bunched and relaxed under her touch.
His shirt was rough beneath her fingertips and she slid her hands underneath the fabric, letting them glide over smooth, warm skin and swallowing down the soft moan he let out. He pulled back and she reached for him again, a soft sound of displeasure leaving her lips, one that made him smile, wide and happy before he pulled his shirt off over his head.
She leant back again, propping herself up on her elbows as she looked her fill in the firelight, letting her eyes wander over his body just as her hands had done. He was beautiful - he'd always been beautiful, but he was all the more beautiful to her because she knew that his beauty ran more than skin deep. As he moved, the light of the fire caught in the shape of his shifting body, patterning his skin red and gold and leaving shadows that made her fingers itch with the need to touch.
He didn't tease her, even though there was an amused, knowing look in his eyes when he finally knelt back down on the ground beside her. He kissed her readily enough when she reached for him, but his hands were also on the move, tracing their way over her skin, feather-light and barely there, teasing and tormenting. Each brush of his fingers against her heated skin left trails of fire in its wake, spiralling through her like a forest blaze. By the time he eased her thighs apart, slipping his hand between them to brush lightly over her dampened curls, she was starving from him, soft moans falling from her lips as she pressed her mouth desperately against his.
But even that small comfort was denied her; his mouth slipped away from hers, travelling over her cheek, down towards her neck where he lingered, nipping and sucking lightly at the soft skin below her ear. The sensation sent chills through her, hot and cold all at once, and she moaned again, twisting her head to give him better access.
He eased his hand away from between her thighs, sliding it up her body to tug lightly at the laces of her corset before slipping his fingers underneath the fabric to caress the soft swell of her breast.
His touch left her breathless, too breathless to do more than gasp - moaning was beyond her now, not when his touch burned and left her aching for things she couldn't articulate. She managed to prop herself up enough to help him, her fingers fumbling as she pulled the fabric of her bodice open where his were steady and sure, but soon his fingers had free access to her breasts.
He ducked his head and followed his fingers with his mouth, lapping and laving where the pale skin, which had rarely seen sunlight, curved underneath the remaining fabric. The sun would have paled itself compared to the heat of Richard's gaze as he pulled back, staring down at the dusky pink of her nipples.
And then his mouth was there, too, hot and wet as he sucked lightly, his tongue rough against her sensitive nubs. The sensation startled another low moan out of her, slivers of white-hot pleasure surging through her with each lap of Richard's tongue, each tug of his lips.
She rocked her hips impatiently, surging up into each of Richard's touch, not sure what she wanted but knowing that Richard was the only one who could give it to her, the only one who could fill the heavy emptiness that seemed to exist low in her belly, between her thighs. She pushed herself up abruptly, dislodging Richard, who shot her a look of mingled surprise and concern. She should answer the unspoken question in his eyes, but all of her attention was focused on shrugging off the shoulders of her bodice, letting it slide down her arms so that dress pooled around her waist, leaving her breasts completely bare to Richard's gaze.
He reached out, letting the backs of his fingers stroke lightly down the slope of her breast, holding her gaze all the while instead of lingering in looking as many men would have done. She smiled at him and caught the answering smile on his face as he leaned in for another kiss, then another as his fingers played over her skin. But she had play of a different sort in mind, her own fingers finding their way to the laces of Richard's breeches, tugging them open much as he'd tugged her corset open. And then her hand was slipping inside, stroking along the hard, velvet length she found within.
Richard's breath left him in a gasp, and his fingers dug into her flesh, stopping just short of the point of pain. His eyes were wide open again, the pupils dark and black, reflecting the firelight back at her so that it looked as though he was burning on the inside, burning with the same fire that now consumed her.
His lips crashed against hers this time, hard and fierce, and she met them gladly, digging her fingers into his scalp as she pulled him closer and closer. As she pulled him back down to the ground with her.
He caught hold of her skirts, easing them down her body as she canted her hips to help him slide them off and away. And then she was naked to his gaze, completely uninhibited because this was Richard, Richard who loved her. Richard who burned for her, just as she burned for him.
She opened her arms for him, and he came, settling into her embrace and kissing her again, kissing her like he would never be able to get enough of kissing her. Like kissing her was more important than breathing and maybe, for Richard, it was. She matched him kiss for kiss, breath for breath, slow and languid kisses that turned her limbs to liquid, and that left her wet and wanting.
His chest was firm underneath her fingertips as she trailed them down his body, finally finding the opening to his breeches again. He was still hard when she slipped her fingers inside, and he dropped his head onto her shoulder with a sigh as she stroked her fingers along his length again. But he was happy enough to raise his hips at her urging and to help her slide his breeches down his legs until he was as naked as she.
He braced himself above her again, his eyes full of love, full of everything he felt for her. "Are you ready?" he asked and she nodded, because for Richard she would bear anything, and this would be no burden. This would be a joy.
There was a little pain as he pushed inside her, a sharp ache that had her digging her fingers into the muscles of his back, and he paused, giving her time to get used to the feel of him inside her, the girth of him and the weight of him above her. He watched her closely, almost too closely for her to bear, and she closed her eyes, let her fingers slacken their grip, stroking instead of clutching, soothing him as he so obviously wished to soothe her.
He moved, pushing more deeply into her, and the pain came again, sharp and fierce, but sharper and fiercer was the flood of joy that surged through her, joy that they could finally have this. She opened her eyes and the night sky was dark overhead, limitless stars stretching out forever, vast and unknowable, but even that couldn't frighten her when she had Richard's warmth pressing her into the ground, and Richard's love to hold her safe, cradle her against the world. There were closer pinpoints of light, too, dancing sparks from their fire that fluttered in the light breeze, spiralling and swirling in the darkness, moving in the rhythm of the crackling fire. When she closed her eyes again she could still see them, dancing behind her lids, pulsing with light in time to Richard's thrusts into her.
When she closed her eyes, she could feel Richard, glory in every part of him pressed up against her, hard and demanding, taking her higher and higher, to dance among the sparks, to burn bright and fierce in the darkness, burn with the fire that was going to consume them both, in this, the consummation of their love.
Kahlan opened her eyes and flew.
The End