Caledonia

Honeymoon

The next morning, Callie awoke with a jolt upon hearing the morning bells, a somber call to prayer at dawn for the monks living at the monastery. She couldn't help but think about the irony of losing her maidenhood at a place of celibacy for so many others. Alex still slept deeply next to her with a possessive arm flung tightly around her waist. She had to smile, as she surveyed her beautifully naked husband. His form had to be one of the most magnificent possible. Every section of his body was covered in powerful muscle. A start of a new beard outlined his full mouth. She couldn't look at it without thinking about his kisses last night. The experience was more scandalous than she expected. The mating animals in the barn who she previously observed went through the motions, making it seem like an obligation and it could never have prepared her for the pleasurable experience Alex gave her.  

Callie couldn't have imagined that she would marry so quickly after escaping such an potentially dangerous one, but she was grateful for her unexpected, good fortune in having Alex offer for her hand in marriage. There were times she had overheard women gossiping at her uncle's castle about the act of joining. Those women were mainly complaining about the act by saying it was only done for a man to spill his seed and they derived no pleasure from it. That certainly hadn't been her experience last night and Callie knew it meant she was lucky when it came to Alex's attentions. He had taken time to make it very pleasurable for her. She couldn't believe how brazen she had become in his arms. But, had he spilled his seed? Was it when he cried out her name before he collapsed on top of her? He had laid there for some time peppering her with lazy kisses before rolling them to their sides, holding her tightly against him.

It hadn't taken him too long to recover afterwards. Callie blushed furiously when thinking of where his mouth next traveled before joining with her again. She never heard anyone speak of such things. She wondered if she could do that for him, too. That second time felt very different from the first one. Alex had brought her to that indescribable peak over and over again before slowly moving inside her at a languid pace. Callie had tried in vain to make him go faster, but he purposely kept the pace slow and unhurried. Alex had never taken his eyes off hers while he moved inside her. She felt all kinds of emotions for him that she didn't know existed. She had been too moved to speak about it with him afterwards and then so exhausted that she must have fallen asleep on his chest just afterwards. She hoped it hadn't made him angry at her.

"If you keep staring at me like that, I'm going to have you again. It will make you too sore and you won't feel up to walking, let alone sitting on a horse with me for hours on end." Alex's deep, sleepy voice made Callie jump with fright. Realizing her own nakedness, she quickly moved to cover herself with a coverlet. He was boyishly grinning even before he opened his eyes, so he certainly didn't appear to harbour any ill feelings from her falling asleep on him last night. He teased. "Why are you awake before the birds are singing, wife?"

Callie smiled at hearing him call her wife for the first time. It was true, she knew, but it didn't lessen her joy in hearing him say it aloud. She blushed, as admitted to him. "I've slept longer than I usually do. Honestly, I've never slept this well. Not since..."

He nodded, as her cheeks continued to turn to a deeper shade of pink and her voice trailed off under his steady gaze. He knew what Callie meant. When they talked last night, she explained how her uncle's keep never felt like home. He couldn't think about what conditions she lived in there or his rage would start to show and he would never want her to think it was directed at her. He had a goal to make her feel safe and happy. Alex pulled her down onto his chest. "Maybe I can think of a worthy distraction for you..."

Callie willingly kissed him back, letting one of her hands timidly explore the hairs on his broad chest. He sneakily pulled the furs covering her body away from her grasp. She let out a squeak in shock. "Alex, no! You can't! it's daylight..."