Chapter 65: Treez

I sat up slowly.

Treez was still close, her breathing warm and uneven, red hair spilling over one shoulder as she looked at me with that combination of embarrassment and determination that had been following her around all night.

She had already crossed several personal boundaries tonight.

Not the unpleasant kind.

The kind where someone spends years drawing careful lines around themselves, then one evening looks at the lines and says, You know what? These are terribly placed.

I brushed a strand of hair from her face.

Treez looked at me.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“That expression says otherwise.”

“I was appreciating the view.”

Her cheeks warmed.

Again.

At this rate, her face was going to remain permanently red by sunrise.

I smiled.

Then shifted behind her and gently guided her around.

Treez understood what I wanted without needing much explanation.

She turned, settling forward against the bed while I moved behind her.

Her face disappeared partly into the pillow.

She glanced back over one shoulder.

The sight nearly murdered several of my remaining responsible thoughts.

“Still sure?” I asked.

Treez's eyes softened.

“Yes.”

Simple.

Clear.

Good.

I placed one hand at her hip.

The other brushed slowly along her back.

Treez breathed in.

Then I moved closer.

The first contact made her body tense.

A quiet moan slipped into the pillow.

I paused.

Her fingers curled into the sheets.

“Treez?”

“Keep going.”

I did.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Giving her time to adjust to the new position and the closeness between us.

Her shoulders loosened little by little.

Another breath.

Another soft sound.

Then her hips shifted back toward me on their own.

Well.

That answered several questions.

I smiled.

“Comfortable?”

Treez buried half her face deeper into the pillow.

“Yes.”

“Very convincing.”

“Caled.”

“Right. Less talking.”

I held her hips.

Then began moving.

Slow at first.

The mattress creaked beneath us.

Treez breathed in rhythm with every movement, her body following mine rather than resisting it.

I kept the pace controlled.

Measured.

The kind where every motion had enough time to register before the next one followed.

Treez's breathing gradually grew louder.

Her fingers tightened around the blanket.

Then she started moving too.

At first I thought it was instinctive.

A little shift backward.

Then forward.

Again.

But after a few moments, she found the rhythm deliberately.

Meeting me.

Moving with me.

The realization made me laugh quietly.

Treez glanced back.

“Why are you laughing?”

“You're adapting.”

“To what?”

“Me.”

Her face reddened.

“That sounded arrogant.”

“It was also accurate.”

Treez pushed back against me with slightly more confidence.

I raised an eyebrow.

“Oh?”

“Stop talking.”

“Now you're definitely adapting.”

She made an annoyed sound.

Then that annoyance dissolved into a moan when I increased the pace.

There.

Much better.

The bed shifted beneath us.

Her red hair moved across her shoulders with every motion.

I tightened my hands at her hips, keeping her steady as the rhythm grew faster.

Treez's soft voice filled the room.

Not loud at first.

Little breaths.

Small gasps.

Then increasingly less restrained sounds.

“It feels so good.”

I smiled.

“Excellent review.”

Treez laughed once.

The laugh broke into another moan.

I moved faster.

Her hips followed.

The rhythm between us became much more natural now.

No uncertainty.

No hesitation.

Just the two of us responding to each other.

I let one hand leave her hip.

Then gave her backside a playful slap.

Treez jolted.

Her head lifted from the pillow.

A louder moan escaped.

I paused for half a second.

Interesting.

I leaned closer.

“You liked that?”

Her face turned even redder.

Treez hesitated.

Then, quietly:

“Yes.”

No shame in the answer.

Just embarrassment.

Those were different things.

I smiled.

“Good to know.”

“Do not sound so pleased.”

“Impossible.”

I resumed.

Faster.

The room filled again with the movement of the bed and Treez's breathless voice.

After several moments, I repeated the slap.

Not hard enough to hurt.

Just enough to surprise.

Treez gasped.

Then her hips moved back toward me with noticeably more enthusiasm.

I stared.

“Well.”

“Don't.”

“I didn't say anything.”

“You were about to.”

“Possibly.”

Treez moaned again.

I forgot the joke.

My hands returned to her hips.

The pace intensified.

Treez moved with me.

Every time she lost the rhythm, she found it again.

Every time pleasure overwhelmed her posture, she pushed herself back up.

She was trying.

Really trying.

And apparently the Legion Magus approached intimacy with the same stubbornness she applied to warfare.

Commit fully.

Adapt immediately.

Refuse surrender unless strategically beneficial.

I moved deeper into the rhythm.

Treez gasped.

Her entire body tightened.

I repeated the same motion.

She cried out.

Again.

Her hands gripped the bedding.

I smiled.

“Found something?”

Treez's voice came strained.

“Yes.”

“Helpful.”

“Do it again.”

That was even more helpful.

I obeyed.

Treez's moan became louder.

Her body pushed toward mine.

So I repeated it.

Then again.

Each time, her control slipped a little more.

Eventually I caught both of her hands.

Treez looked back.

I intertwined my fingers with hers.

Then gently drew her arms behind her enough to give her something to brace against.

Her shoulders pulled back.

The change in angle made her gasp.

I continued moving.

Faster now.

Treez's soft voice filled every corner of the room.

The expensive inn walls had better be thick.

Otherwise tomorrow's breakfast service was going to involve extremely committed eye contact avoidance.

Treez's head lowered again.

Her hair scattered over the pillow.

I kept the pace.

She kept meeting me.

Then suddenly I stopped.

Completely.

Treez froze.

Silence.

Except for both of us breathing.

She looked back.

Confusion entered her expression.

“Why did you stop?”

I smiled.

“Changing strategy.”

“That sounds suspicious.”

“It should.”

I released her hands.

Then slid my arms around her middle.

Treez barely had time to react before I pulled her upright.

She gasped.

Her back came against my chest.

Then I rose from the bed.

Treez's feet left the floor.

Her eyes widened.

“Caled!”

“I've got you.”

My arms stayed secure around her waist.

Treez immediately reached toward the bed.

One hand caught the edge of the mattress.

Her legs hung slightly above the floor.

She tried lowering one foot.

Her toes almost reached.

Almost.

Then failed.

I looked down.

“You're short.”

Treez turned her head.

“I am not.”

“Your feet disagree.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don't.”

A pause.

“No.”

I laughed.

Then moved again.

Treez's insult became a moan.

Immediately.

No gradual pace this time.

We already knew the rhythm.

I started quicker and increased from there.

Treez's grip on the mattress tightened.

Her feet moved helplessly beneath her, occasionally trying to find the floor before giving up again.

The height difference made the position almost unfair.

For her.

Very entertaining for me.

Her body stayed trapped securely between my arms and the movement behind her.

Each motion reached her differently now.

Treez gasped.

Again.

Then louder.

“Caled…”

“Yes?”

“I think I'm losing my mind.”

I smiled against her hair.

“Good.”

“That is not reassuring.”

“Wasn't meant to be.”

I increased the pace.

Treez's breath fractured.

She no longer seemed sure whether to hold the mattress, hold my arms, or simply surrender to gravity and trust me.

Eventually she chose the last option.

Her hand released the bed.

Both arms reached back instead, touching me wherever she could.

I kept her secure.

She wasn't falling anywhere.

Except possibly into questionable judgment.

But we had entered that territory several minutes ago.

Treez's control gradually disappeared.

Her hips tried to follow.

Then stopped cooperating.

Her legs moved in the air.

Her voice became increasingly helpless.

She laughed once between moans.

Then gasped immediately after.

“I really am losing my mind.”

“Still good?”

“Yes.”

Immediate.

Good.

I continued a little longer.

Then slowed.

Treez made an unhappy sound.

I laughed.

“Greedy.”

“You started this.”

“Excellent defense.”

I stopped fully.

Then lowered her carefully back onto the bed.

Her legs touched the floor first.

Treez breathed deeply.

I held her until her balance returned.

She turned toward me.

Red-faced.

Hair messy.

Eyes bright.

She looked significantly less like the composed Legion Magus who had sat across from me at dinner.

I liked both versions.

Maybe this one slightly more right now.

I lifted one of her legs.

Treez watched.

Then understood.

She allowed me to guide it over my shoulder.

Her other foot remained planted against the floor.

I lowered my body enough for her to wrap one arm around my neck.

Treez blinked.

“You really enjoy complicated positions.”

“I appreciate variety.”

She tested the stretch.

Apparently comfortable.

I smiled.

“You're flexible.”

Treez groaned.

“Is that another compliment?”

“Absolutely.”

“It sounds dangerous when you say it.”

“All my compliments are safe.”

“That is a lie.”

“Probably.”

I drew closer again.

Treez's arm tightened around my neck.

I watched her expression as our bodies joined once more.

Her eyes closed.

She moaned.

I waited a moment.

Then started moving.

Treez immediately reacted.

A louder sound.

Her fingers pressed into my shoulder.

The raised position of her leg changed everything.

Every movement drew a stronger response.

Treez's breathing became heavy almost immediately.

“This…”

She swallowed.

“…feels very good.”

I smiled.

“We've established I'm talented.”

“You're impossible.”

I moved again.

Treez gasped.

“Still impossible?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

I leaned toward her.

Our lips met.

Treez kissed me eagerly.

Her free hand found the back of my neck.

Her mouth opened against mine.

Her moans slipped between kisses, warm against my lips.

I kept moving.

Faster.

Treez's tongue met mine.

Not timidly anymore.

She pushed back.

Answered every kiss.

Chased me whenever I pulled away even slightly.

I laughed against her mouth.

Treez bit my lower lip.

I stopped laughing.

“Dangerous.”

“You deserved that.”

“Probably.”

I kissed her again.

The pace became quicker.

Treez started losing strength in the leg supporting her.

I felt it.

Her knee trembled.

Her weight shifted more heavily toward me.

“Caled…”

“Hm?”

“You are breaking me apart.”

I pulled back just enough to see her face.

“Do you want me to stop?”

Treez stared.

Then shook her head.

“No.”

“Slow down?”

Another pause.

Then:

“No.”

Her cheeks darkened.

“I like it.”

My smile returned.

“You like me breaking you apart.”

“That is not how I would phrase it.”

“But technically?”

Treez narrowed her eyes.

Then whispered:

“Yes.”

Excellent.

I kissed her.

Long.

Her body leaned fully into mine.

The pace beneath the kiss became more intense.

Treez's breathing broke repeatedly.

Her fingers tightened against me.

She tried matching my movements again.

Her strength was fading now.

Not dangerously.

Just overwhelmed.

She rested more heavily against my chest.

When our lips separated, she breathed against my jaw.

“You keep reaching places that feel…”

Her voice disappeared into another moan.

I smiled.

“Good?”

“Very.”

Then she admitted quietly:

“My legs are losing strength.”

That was enough.

I slowed immediately.

Treez looked almost disappointed.

“Bed.”

She nodded.

I guided her down gently.

No dropping.

No teasing.

Her back met the mattress.

Treez stretched out for several seconds.

Eyes closed.

Breathing deeply.

I let her rest.

Her chest rose and fell.

She laughed weakly.

“What?”

“I cannot feel my legs properly.”

“Good review or complaint?”

Treez opened one eye.

“Both.”

“I'll accept that.”

She rested another few seconds.

Then shifted toward the edge of the bed.

Her eyes met mine.

Treez opened her legs.

Invitation clear.

I moved between them.

Kneeled.

My hands rested gently against her thighs.

“Sure?”

Treez nodded.

“Yes.”

I moved closer.

She welcomed me back against her.

A soft moan left her.

Then I began again.

Slowly.

For approximately ten seconds.

Treez's eyebrows drew together.

“Faster.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“You just said you couldn't feel your legs.”

“They recovered.”

“Miracle healing.”

“Caled.”

“Fine.”

I increased the rhythm.

Treez immediately moaned.

One hand gripped the bedding.

The other reached for me.

I caught it.

Held her fingers.

My free hand traveled to her chest.

I remembered exactly what she'd told me earlier.

One side more sensitive.

So that was where my attention went.

Treez reacted instantly.

Her back arched.

“Oh…”

“Correct side?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent memory.”

My hand moved more firmly.

Treez's fingers tightened around mine.

Her breathing accelerated.

Her other breast moved freely with the rhythm of our bodies.

Her eyes kept closing, then reopening to look at me.

I held her hip with my other hand whenever she needed support.

The pace increased.

Treez's soft moans grew steadily louder.

She stopped trying to hide them.

Good.

I liked hearing them.

A lot.

Her hips moved with mine again.

Less controlled now.

More instinctive.

She was getting close.

I could tell before she said it.

Her whole body began tightening.

Her legs trembled.

Her grip on my hand became stronger.

Then Treez whispered:

“I'm close.”

I nodded.

Didn't slow.

If anything, I found the rhythm she had been responding to most and stayed there.

Treez's mouth opened.

Her eyes closed.

Her fingers clenched around mine.

Then she suddenly tugged.

I leaned closer.

“What?”

“Kiss me.”

That was a very easy request.

I lowered myself.

Our mouths met.

Treez immediately wrapped one arm around my neck.

The kiss was soft for perhaps half a second.

Then desperate.

Hungry.

Her breathing escaped through her nose.

Little moans disappeared against my lips.

I kept moving beneath the kiss.

My own control was beginning to slip now.

The pressure building inside me had been growing for a while.

Treez probably noticed.

She pulled me closer.

I broke the kiss just enough to breathe.

“Treez.”

Her eyes opened.

“Hm?”

“I'm getting close.”

She understood immediately.

I didn't assume.

Didn't decide for her.

I asked.

“Is it all right if I finish inside?”

Treez went still for only a moment.

Not uncertainty.

Processing.

Then she leaned upward.

Kissed my cheek.

Another kiss along my jaw.

Her lips stopped near my ear.

“I don't mind.”

Clear enough.

I looked at her anyway.

“Sure?”

Treez smiled softly.

“Yes.”

That was all I needed.

I kissed her again.

Then stopped holding myself back.

The rhythm became harder.

Treez cried out into my mouth.

I swallowed the sound with another kiss.

Her nails dragged lightly across my back.

Her legs wrapped around me.

Pulled me closer.

The bed shook beneath us.

Her breathing became frantic.

Mine wasn't much better.

Treez's body tightened.

Then shivered.

She broke the kiss.

A gasp escaped.

Her arms clung around me.

I felt her reach the edge first.

Her entire body trembled.

Not graceful.

Not controlled.

Completely overtaken.

Her legs tightened.

Her nails pressed deeper into my skin.

I held her.

Stayed close.

Then my own limit arrived.

I buried myself against her and stopped moving.

Release hit.

Hard.

Treez held me even tighter.

For several seconds, neither of us could do much besides breathe and shake together.

Her forehead pressed against my shoulder.

Mine lowered near her hair.

The whole room seemed to quiet around us.

Eventually Treez calmed first.

Her body softened beneath mine.

Her legs loosened.

Her arms remained around me, but gently now.

My own breathing followed hers.

Slow.

Slower.

Finally normal enough for language.

I lifted my head.

Treez looked at me.

Her hair was everywhere.

Cheeks flushed.

Eyes half-lidded.

And she was smiling.

Not embarrassed.

Not nervous.

Sweet.

Warm.

Completely different from the woman who had nervously insisted earlier that she wasn't the kind of person who followed strangers into rooms.

I smiled back.

Treez lifted one hand to my cheek.

Then kissed me.

Softly.

No urgency.

Just affection.

When she pulled away, she whispered:

“Don't tell anyone.”

I laughed quietly.

“You really don't trust Remgar.”

“I trust Remgar.”

“That sounds contradictory.”

“I don't trust his mouth.”

Fair.

“I won't tell anyone.”

Treez studied me.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

She seemed satisfied.

Then kissed me again.

Short.

Gentle.

Afterward, she looked away.

“I still cannot believe I did this.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Regret?”

Treez immediately shook her head.

“No.”

“Worth it?”

Her eyes returned to mine.

A little smile appeared.

“Every second.”

Well.

That did wonderful things to my ego.

I kissed her.

“Good answer.”

Then I shifted.

Slowly.

Treez's eyes widened when she realized what I was doing.

I started moving again.

Very gently.

Her lips parted.

A soft moan escaped.

She stared.

“Again?”

I grinned.

“Again.”

Treez laughed breathlessly.

“You can't possibly…”

“I can.”

Her face turned red.

I leaned closer.

“I could do this all night.”

Treez's eyes widened further.

I smiled.

“Question is, can you keep up?”

She looked at me.

Then down.

Then back.

The competitive spark finally appeared.

Small.

But there.

“I'll try.”

I kissed the tip of her nose.

“That is more than enough.”

Treez stared into my eyes.

For several seconds, she simply looked.

Then she sighed.

“You are annoyingly irresistible.”

I smiled.

“Compliment accepted.”

“That wasn't the worst part.”

“No?”

Her fingers brushed my cheek.

“The worst part is that you know it.”

I kissed her before she could insult me further.

And that pretty much decided the rest of our night.

We kept going.

Not continuously like two enchanted machines possessed by terrible judgment.

Treez needed breaks.

So we took them.

Water.

Breathing.

Lying together.

Quiet conversations that occasionally lasted several minutes before one of us ruined them by kissing the other.

Then, when I asked again, I made sure she still wanted it.

Every time.

And every time Treez chose yes.

Sometimes shyly.

Sometimes with an embarrassed nod.

Sometimes by pulling me toward her before I even finished asking.

Her courage wasn't just coming from the alcohol anymore.

By then, the nervous haze had softened considerably.

What remained was Treez herself.

Curious.

Affectionate.

Increasingly bold once she realized there was nothing here she needed to perform for.

No parents.

No military rank.

No political expectations.

No Legion Magus.

Just her.

And me.

We tried different positions.

Different rhythms.

Sometimes she took control.

Sometimes she wanted me to.

Sometimes she laughed halfway through because something awkward happened, and I laughed too because intimacy apparently refused to remain dignified for more than twelve consecutive minutes.

Her soft voice filled the room again and again.

Moans.

Gasps.

My name.

Occasional complaints that immediately turned into requests for more.

Every time I touched her, Treez seemed to become more comfortable telling me what she liked.

More pressure here.

Slower there.

Faster.

Don't stop.

Kiss me.

That side.

Again.

Much better.

I listened.

Obviously.

A man who ignores useful instructions during sex deserves whatever terrible customer review follows.

The more confident Treez became, the more beautiful she seemed.

Not because anything about her body changed.

Because she stopped hiding her reactions.

She let herself enjoy everything.

Her hands were always soft.

Even when she clung tightly to my shoulders, there was something gentle about the way she touched me.

Fingertips through my hair.

Palm against my cheek.

Hands traveling over my chest.

Sometimes, between the more intense moments, she'd simply trace the lines of my stomach like she was still fascinated by the muscles she'd examined earlier.

I teased her about it.

She denied doing it.

Then continued doing it.

Eventually, she also let me become rougher.

Carefully.

Never beyond what she wanted.

I checked.

She answered.

And when she said yes, she meant it.

Treez looked delicate compared with me.

Petite.

Soft.

Especially beside someone whose body had apparently started treating fights against generals as opportunities for growth.

So I stayed aware of that difference.

Strength controlled.

Hands careful.

Even when the rhythm became harder.

Especially then.

And Treez?

She liked it.

Much more than she'd initially admitted.

Every time I increased the intensity, her voice betrayed her before pride could organize a defense.

Her body answered.

Her hands tightened.

Her breath caught.

And when I slowed because I thought it might be too much, she would sometimes look at me with flushed cheeks and quietly ask me not to.

That contradiction quickly became one of my favorite things about her.

Soft touch.

Soft voice.

Embarrassed eyes.

Then asking for enough intensity that the bed started reconsidering its career.

She was gentle without being fragile in spirit.

Shy without being passive.

And once she trusted me enough to say exactly what she wanted, she wanted far more than her embarrassed expression ever suggested.

That was what made being with Treez so good.

She was soft, but when she chose intensity, she welcomed it completely.

And judging by every breathless moan she failed to hide, she enjoyed that rougher rhythm far more than she was willing to admit.