Garden of Serenity

by Nina Pierce

  Dipping his head, he brought his lips to her breast. The shadowed stubble of his beard rasped pleasantly across her skin, adding another dimension to the sensations rippling through her. She arched her back, gasping at the unexpected sensation the heat of his mouth created. His palm dragged from her belly to the other breast, trailing goose flesh in its wake.

  He kissed his way down her torso, stopping only long enough to remove his shirt. She buried her fingers in his hair, her body quivering with each nip of his teeth on her sensitive belly. The breeze brushed over her damp skin, cooling her heated flesh. Squirming with pleasure, she tried to slow her own breathing. But the more he licked and kneaded, the harder she panted, until she heard nothing but the pounding of her heart and her own moans of blissful contentment.

  Brenimyn stared at her body for a long time. His appreciative gaze on her was as intoxicating as his touch.

  “Jahara, never have I seen such a body. Your beauty takes my breath away. You’re so much more than I could have dreamed.” He maneuvered himself between her legs and ran both hands slowly up her thighs and belly, sending unexpected shockwaves of pleasure straight down her core. She closed her eyes, reveling in the heat of his hands on her skin.

  He nipped and teased, seducing her until her body was thrumming with need. He brought her to the peak and drove her until spent and weak, she begged him to stop—not sure she really wanted it to end.

  She ran limp fingers down his torso, enjoying the way it made him gasp. Brenimyn captured her hand in his, kissing her palm before holding it tenderly against his face. Jahara didn’t remember ever feeling so at ease with her own nakedness and the thrills she’d just experienced from his skilled caresses.

  They lay like that until the sound of blood rushing in her ears gave way to the chirping of the birds singing in the trees nearby. Inhaling the sweet smell of the hay grass, she filled her lungs with contentment. Her heart finally slowed, no longer working to jump out of her chest. Jahara could have stayed like that forever.

  She stirred only when Brenimyn stood to remove his pants. She rolled on her side, slipping her arms out of the dress. He was truly a handsome man, his muscles sculpting a physique she had seen only on the statues at art museums. Her gaze traveled the width of his broad shoulders, over the satin skin of his chest, following the deep grooves of his chiseled abdomen to his sex, heavy with desire.

  He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his lap. She wrapped her legs around his hips, loving the solid feel of him against her body.

  Breathless, Jahara spoke into his neck. “Brenimyn, I want you deep inside me, now.”

  “Look at me, Jahara, don’t close your eyes. Feel my body join with yours.”

  He lifted her, lowering her slowly until he was fully sheathed in her body. Once again she was aware only of him and the incredible pleasure of their mating. Nothing had ever made her feel so complete. Through heavy lids, Jahara watched the curve of his mouth bring out his dimples. She would never forget this moment or the man to whom she had willingly given herself.

  “Jahara.” Arching his hips, Brenimyn buried himself to the hilt. “It feels incredible being with you this way.” The dreamy look in his eyes told her this time together meant more to him than the physical release it would bring. She was unwilling to acknowledge that perhaps it meant something more to her as well.

  Giving in to the bliss, she leaned back and rubbed herself against the heat of his stomach. His hands and mouth roamed her body, adding another dimension of sensation to their joining. Slowly she rolled her hips, feeling him fill her completely. Jahara had never known such satisfaction with a woman. Another pang of remorse speared through her. What was happening between her and Brenimyn had been preordained by law. Jahara needed to let go of her guilt.

  Brenimyn stopped moving. “Jahara, are you all right?” He ran a hand over her face, no doubt trying to smooth the lines pinching her features. “Does it hurt? We can try another position.”

  It occurred to her then, how quickly he’d come to understand and know her. But she couldn’t admit that she was ashamed for finding more satisfaction in copulating with a man than being with a woman. “No, this is nice. You’re truly skilled.” Her voice was a sultry whisper of breath. She brought her mouth down on his, swallowing her uncertainty.

  He pulled back, running his knuckles down her cheek. “Jahara, this is right. It’s the way it’s meant to be. A man and woman joined intimately. Just sit here in my arms, with my body deep within you and feel me.” Embracing her, Brenimyn’s arms covered her back and she relaxed against him. Nothing that felt this amazing could be wrong.

  She laid her head on his shoulder, kissing the curve of his neck, tasting the heat of his efforts to please her. She savored the feeling of him, hard and rigid, filling her body in this exquisite way. Her heart tripped over itself as it beat with his in synchronized harmony with the world around them. Even the breeze breathed in rhythm with them.

  Reaching behind her, he unfastened the binding at the base of her braid. Unhurried, he unraveled the twist of hair, running his fingers through the strands, working his way up her back. The wisps danced on a puff of air and tickled her back, making her quiver with the sensation. Focusing on the strength of his hands, the warmth of his breath on her shoulder, the wet heat of his kisses on her skin and the places his body touched so deep inside her, she gave herself completely to him.

  “I love being with you like this, Brenimyn.” Perhaps there was more than the physical connection happening here. Copulating was different from loving a woman. In this place, at this time, it was right to experience a sense of love for Brenimyn.

  Brenimyn’s fingers continued to work in her hair. When at last he had it completely unbound, he pulled the tendrils around to her chest. Trailing his fingers from scalp to breast, he combed out the last of the tangles.

  “Your hair is striking. I’ve never known hair the color of onyx could feel like glossy strands of silk on my skin. You shouldn’t bind something so beautiful. It should be free to float on the breeze or caress your lover.” Burying his face in the hair at her neck, he inhaled deeply.

  Embarrassment heated her face. “Thank you.”

  He leaned back, capturing her eyes in the heat of his. “You really don’t understand how truly remarkable you are, do you, Jahara Khateri?”

  “I’m just a simple woman. I’ve been gifted with healing like so many others, but there’s nothing extraordinary about me.”

  “No, you’re so much more. There’s so much more you’re meant to become. But don’t fret. I’ll be with you, loving you every step of our journey.”

  Brenimyn had finally admitted their joining was more than a physical pleasure for him. She’d sensed the undercurrent of deep emotion, but saying it aloud made her a little uncomfortable.

  “Don’t worry, my sweet Jahara. It will all be revealed. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. For now, let me just show you how much you mean to me.” He arched back and forward again, thrusting deep inside her.

  She bent her legs under her, coming up high on her knees. The motions of copulation seemed natural and fluid. Her body knew what she needed before it tripped into her consciousness.

  “Brenimyn, I’ve never felt so complete.”

  “Nor I, Jahara.”

  Clouds of desire stormed in his eyes, fueling her own need. He grabbed her hips, thrusting harder, pushing himself impossibly deeper. She gave control of her body over to him, riding the waves of bliss crashing over her. Love and lust rolled into one as she lost herself in power of their mating, nearly drowning in the intensity of the pleasure multiplying with each thrust.

  “Jahara, open your eyes and look at me.” Brenimyn gasped out the words. “Feel what we are together and see in my eyes how much you mean to me.”

  She forced herself to obey him. Their gazes locked. The pale blue of his irises had been nearly swallowed by his pupils. A smile trembled over his lips. The muscles of his shoulders grew taut under her hands
as he worked to hold his own release. Seeing the pleasure on his face, knowing her body had brought him to this point, pushed her over the edge. Jahara bucked against Brenimyn, shocks of ecstasy blazing along her nerves. She screamed with the sheer joy of her release, her nails digging into his skin.

  Her name ripped from his throat as he followed her into the sweet ecstasy that rocked through them both, shattering her into tiny fragments of bliss. As their tempo slowed, he dragged his hands up her back, gathering the fractured pieces and holding them tight. They gasped little quivering breaths as the last of the euphoria shimmied through them.

  When he fell back on the bed, Brenimyn took her with him, careful to keep them joined. She stretched her legs the length of his body, enjoying the heat of his skin on every inch of her. Laying her face on his chest, she inhaled deeply, enjoying his unique scent mixed with the essence of their mating. She held it in her lungs, not wanting the emptiness to replace the intoxicating bliss. Jahara waited, but once again, it never came.

  “I love you, Jahara.” Brenimyn whispered the words so quietly, she was sure she wasn’t meant to hear them. Overtaken by exhaustion, she closed her heavy lids, shutting out the world just as the sun set in the meadow.

  She wasn’t sure how long she slept. When she opened her eyes again, night had descended upon them. The moon sparkled in ways she’d never seen, casting their shadows in a wild dance around her. Confused, Jahara lifted her head and realized they were back in her bedroom. The glow came not from the moon but the flickering of candle flames. She wasn’t sure how much of their mating had been real and how much had simply been a figment of her imagination.

  She wondered if their mating had been nothing but a figment of her imagination and was immediately filled with disappointment at the thought. But the pleasant ache of her body and the red marks Brenimyn’s stubble had left on her breasts confirmed that everything she’d felt in their dream world had actually come to fruition. She started to roll away from him.

  “Where’re you going?” His arm came around to stop her.

  “I just want to clean up. Sleep.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Pushing the sheets aside, he pulled her back on top of him. I was just resting long enough to repeat that performance. You think you can satisfy my desire for you in one go-round? There’s so much lost time to make up for. His dimples flicked around the amused curve of his mouth, but his lips never moved.

  Stacking her fists on his chest, she set her chin on them, enjoying their banter. “And what makes you think I would be interested, breeder? Hmmm?”

  He folded his arms behind his head. “Well, it was presumptuous of me to be sure, most honorable Jahara. Perhaps I should sleep in the other room?” He rolled her off him, the light from the candles dancing in his eyes.

  “I don’t think so.” She tackled him back to the bed and found his mouth with hers. They tried to kiss even as they laughed. “Perhaps one or two more times. I’m not sure I completely understand the technique.”

  Chapter Eight

  Brenimyn studied the exotic creature snuggled in the bed beside him. Though she’d only been part of his life for a mere three weeks, the promise of her arrival had occupied his dreams for as long as he could remember. But this woman—the one who lay snuggled in the crook of his shoulder, her breath feathering across his chest and her ebony hair tickling his skin—far exceeded the fantasies of a young boy and the hopes of a man.

  She came to him with so much history. Jahara wasn’t a warrior as he’d expected, but a healer committed to another. Toying with the ring on her finger, he had to admit, he hadn’t expected that complication.

  Now, while she lay sleeping, her face held none of the lines of guilt he’d seen shadow her features on numerous occasions. It surrounded her like an ominous cloud when he spoke of love. Merenith. He knew nothing of the woman other than her name. Jahara was very careful to keep her personal life from him.

  He could reach in with his mind and share her dreams, but he’d promised he wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t go there anyway. He didn’t really want to know if Merenith was who entertained Jahara’s sleepy thoughts and brought a smile to her full lips. He wanted to be the one who held her heart.

  Only in the quiet moments of their meditation, in the places where he took them, could Jahara utter words of love to him. He hoped the time would come when she could admit her feelings outside the confines of their lovemaking. They shared their physical intimacy without reservation. There wasn’t an inch of her body he hadn’t kissed or caressed and she, his. But they hadn’t been able to make that leap into their personal lives. Their trust in one another was but a tenuous thread without the solid material of life experience to make a tight connection.

  But wasn’t he just as culpable? He hadn’t yet trusted her with all of himself either. For as much as he loved her, he’d withheld the one thing she truly wanted from him—his life essence.

  Last week, when Jahara had sat on the edge of the bed, her face streaked with tears, he’d held her and consoled her. She’d cried because her menstruation had begun. They both knew two weeks would hardly be enough time to conceive, but she’d seemed genuinely disappointed. He should have shared the truth with her then. But the woman had yet to let go of everything she’d come to believe about men and procreation. She thought he was an anomaly, a unique male specimen. Until he knew she was completely committed to their love, he refused to give up his seed. He didn’t know how she would react when they conceived a child, especially if she found out she carried a son.

  He was sure his heart wouldn’t survive having another child being ripped from his heart.

  The first woman he impregnated had been sequestered in another part of the Garden. He’d moved on to other breeding partners as the law required, so he’d lost track of her. He’d found out quite arbitrarily weeks after she’d given birth to a healthy male son that the Garden had taken the infant. He’d petitioned the Governmental Body to allow his Dame to take the babe, but they scoffed at the idea. Males—infant or adult—had no rights.

  The child would be a year old next month, and he ached for the son he’d lost. Not sure he could endure another loss, he’d trained himself to copulate without releasing his seed. Through deep meditation, he’d learned how to control his body. He found great satisfaction when he made love to Jahara, but oh, how he would like to allow himself the abandonment of total release.

  He’d told no one of his secret until last week when the responsibility of Jahara’s tears had been more than he could bear. In a moment of weakness he’d confided in Sebastian, a dear friend and supporter of the cause. But the confession did nothing to assuage his guilt.

  Perhaps today, when he told her of the visions his birth-sister had shared with him so many years ago, he’d also share his fears of the future. He prayed to the Creator of this earth that he wouldn’t frighten her when he shared the details of the overwhelming task that lay ahead of them.

  But nothing was going to happen if he didn’t wake her soon.

  Running his fingers down her side, he let his hand rest in the curve of her waist. He couldn’t believe she was real. He’d meant it when he’d told her she was so much more than he’d ever dreamed. To have her with him in the flesh was to make all he’d envisioned a reality. He still marveled in the fact she’d been gifted to him. Now he only had to make her believe in their love—a daunting task at best—an impossible dream at worst.

  “Brenimyn?”

  I’m here, my love. If he said the words enough, even telepathically, perhaps she would come to believe them. Watching her eyes flutter open, he nearly melted with the smile that curved her mouth.

  “Last night wasn’t another dream, was it?”

  “No, my sweet.” Leaning close, he whispered the words in her ear, nipping the fleshy lobe. “It was as real as my love for you.”

  Rolling over, she snuggled her back against his chest, rubbing her bottom provocatively against him and his body responded. As much as h
e’d like to take advantage of the warm cocoon and make love to her again, they didn’t have time. He’d already let her sleep too long.

  “I’ll take the first shower and get everything ready for our picnic. You jump in after me.”

  She rolled toward him, the sleepy satisfaction adding to her breathtaking beauty. “How about we don’t go for a picnic and we spend my day off right here in bed?”

  Guilt churned his gut. Knowingly withholding information from Jahara made him uncomfortable, but telling her everything would surely send her fleeing from him and that would be unbearable. After today, there would be no more lies. But right now he needed to get her out the door.

  How about I show you the lake everybody talks about and we make love out where there are no cameras?

  She came up on her elbow. “Then I say let’s get packing.”

  He left her humming in the bed and rushed to ready them for the day. Many were depending on Jahara’s arrival and he didn’t want to keep them waiting.

  After he’d showered and dressed, he hurriedly worked to pack the picnic lunch as he stared at the time. Not knowing they were on a time schedule, Jahara was taking her time. He could hear her blissfully humming in the bedroom. He wondered if she would be so happy if she knew what this simple trip to the lake held in store for her.

  “Do you want cheese, tomatoes—or lettuce, or all three?” Lifting his head, Brenimyn hollered into the bedroom

  “All three sound lovely.”

  “Oranges or apples?”

  “Strawberries and grapes. There’re some in the bottom of the fridge. And perhaps some bananas.”

  He heard her rustling in the closet. “They don’t travel well,” he mumbled as he shoved the food he’d chosen into the pack. “Forget it. I’ll pack both.”

  “There’re some crackers in the cupboard to the left of the sink. They would go nicely with the cheese,” Jahara said, stepping into the kitchen, tucking her tank top into the waist of her flimsy pants.