Chapter 23: Chapter “Don’t fall asleep just yet.” Sucking Maxi’s lips, Riftan slowly rubbed the part where they were joined together. Her eyes snapped open. He laid her on her back before tossing off his tunic. Their bodies, still connected, quivered in the afterglow of pleasure. Spent though they were, he grabbed her ankle and propped her leg on his shoulder. He lifted his hips. Maxi let out a low moan as the obscene sight of their nude bodies entered her vision. She remembered the cleric who had once preached to her about the conduct of a virtuous wife. But as Riftan began to rock his body again, she found her hesitation fade. “Ah... A-Ah...” “Look at this.” He lifted her head to make her see how they were joined. She stifled her breath in shock. He pushed himself in to the hilt, his lean torso pressing against her with every thrust. Wave after wave of burning heat wreaked havoc on her insides. She writhed beneath him like a harpooned fish. “Ah...!” “Don’t close your eyes. Look. I’m inside you... Mmm...” Riftan moved urgently inside her, a vein rising to the surface of his neck. Maxi wavered between the impulse to push him away and the desire to embrace him. Riftan gritted his teeth and shuddered as if he were suppressing something. Then, he began to rock his hips with unrestrained vigor. He swelled to a degree just short of breaking her skin as he grated against her insides. With each movement, he broke and remolded her, their lower bodies emitting wet sounds. Maxi covered her face with her hands and moaned. The agonizing rapture continued all through the night. *** Maxi awoke to the sound of raindrops striking the window. Her blurred vision registered droplets of water trickling down the window, beyond which was a stormy sky. The chilly air made her shiver. As she drew the covers closer, the sinewy arm that had been draped around her shoulders drew her into an embrace. Maxi blushed and lowered her gaze. Riftan’s large hand was cupping her breast. His thigh, hard as marble, was pressed between her legs where he had entered countless times the previous night. After shifting away from him without waking him, she turned her head to look at him. He was deep asleep with his head half-buried in the pillows and an innocent expression on his face. Innocent...? She shook her head. It was the last word that she would associate with the man. Still, she could not take her eyes off his peaceful face. His usually stern eyes looked soft and relaxed, and with the frown gone from his face, he looked like a twenty-year-old youth. Maxi felt a sudden urge to brush back his unkempt hair. Feeling her touch, Riftan shook his head slightly and exhaled sleepily. Her heart skipped a beat. She fought the desire to run her hand across his smooth forehead and cheeks. “R-Riftan... It’s time to wake up...” Though it was impossible to tell the time from the cloudy skies, she knew that they had been in bed for a long while. Gingerly, she tried to slide out of his embrace. Riftan murmured something unintelligible and nestled against her. The faint scent of sweat and musk emanating from his tanned skin ignited heat in her lower belly, and she held back a moan. She lay on her stomach and clenched her thighs together. The region between her thighs stung and her limbs ached from the previous night. Biting her bottom lip, she waited for him to fall asleep again. She soon felt his arms relax and began to cautiously rise from the bed, but she found herself pressed down by Riftan’s weight. “R-Riftan...!” Pushed flat against the bed, she flailed her arms. He seized her buttocks and spread her open before thrusting into her, though she was still swollen. She gripped the sheets and gasped for air. “Feels like I’m melting...” His sleep-laden voice tickled the back of her ears. Maxi buried her face in the soft sheets as he placed himself behind her and cupped her breasts. His manhood began to move inside her. “Mmm...” “O-Oh...” She let out a quiet moan as she received him. His hands released her breasts and moved down to tenderly rub between her legs. The steady warmth inside her grew into a full blaze. She spread her toes out like a fan and buried her face in the sheets. He pushed deeper into her, his broad chest pressing into her back. She felt a bite of pleasure on the back of her neck. Though she had experienced it several times during the night, the feeling of him swelling and pulsating inside her felt strange. Her whole body convulsed. “It’s only morning, and you’re already making me go crazy.” He pressed his lips to her quivering back and pulled out slowly. She whimpered at the foreign sensation. “Wait here.” Riftan ran a hand through his tousled hair and yawned loudly before springing out of bed. Maxi watched as he strolled across the room stark naked and pulled on his trousers. For a man whose first act in the morning had been to ravage her, he looked as languid as a cat basking in the sun. “Bring us some bathwater and a change of clothes,” he instructed a maidservant who had been waiting outside the door. With that, he ambled back to bed. Maxi trembled softly in the aftershock of her climax. He gazed down at her with his dark eyes before perching on the edge of the bed to smack kisses all over her bare shoulders and back. She groaned. “I-I’m t-tired...” she mumbled, fearing that he might try to enter her again. Riftan frowned. He brushed a hand across her pale buttocks, which were wet with bodily secretions. “Are you in pain?” His voice was thick with concern. “It’s a b-bit s-sore,” she managed to stammer. Again, deep creases appeared between his brows. “I must have pushed you too far,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. Maxi could only blush in response. Moments later, maidservants entered with towels and a bathtub filled with hot water. After sending them away, Riftan scooped her into his arms and carefully lowered her into the tub. She moaned quietly as her aching muscles loosened. As Riftan shed his trousers and slid in behind her, water spilled over the edges and splashed onto the floor. “You can relax. I won’t do any more today.” Sitting with his long legs spread open, he tenderly embraced her tense shoulders. Maxi curled into a ball, watching as he soaped his face and hair. After rinsing his hair, he poured fresh water into the tub and proceeded to wash hers. She was embarrassed to be treated like a child, but she was too tired to object. “Your hair is so fluffy, like a red cloud.” Her long tresses floated on the surface of the water like the tentacles of a red jellyfish. He took a few locks in his hand and twirled them around his fingers. Her eyes went round. She had never imagined that anyone would compare her dreary, unruly hair to something as beautiful as clouds in the sky. “It’s always g-getting t-tangled up. I-It’s uncomfortable.” “But your curls are so cute.” Her eyes became rounder still. The man had peculiar taste. “Let your hair down when you’re with me. I love seeing the way it falls across your shoulder. And I love feeling your curls on my skin.” Hugging her waist from behind, he nuzzled her shoulder with his nose. Chin-deep in water, Maxi tried to smooth down her hair. After soaking in the warm water until their fingers and toes pruned, they got up to dry themselves. Riftan sat her in front of the fireplace and dried her hair with a towel. She did the same in return. Riftan pulled on the tunic and trousers that the maidservants had prepared. The neckline of the snow-white tunic was embroidered with gold thread, and wearing it, he looked like a masterpiece. ... “Just stay in bed and rest today. It’s raining, so you won’t be able to go out.” Maxi nodded. She was still wrapped in sheets, lacking the courage to dress in front of him. Riftan put on a pair of long boots over his starched trousers and fastened the leather straps. “A-Are you g-going out?” Maxi looked at him quizzically as he donned his armor and gathered his sword and robe. Riftan turned to look at her with a gentle smile, fastening the sword to the belt around his waist. “Do you want me to stay?” Maxi opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what she should say. He draped the robe around his shoulders and continued to speak in a detached tone. “I’ve been away for a long time, so there are duties that require my attention. I’ll be inspecting the estate all day. Send a guard to me if anything happens.” “B-But it’s r-raining so heavily...” She looked at the rain pounding against the window. Riftan shrugged. “I once made my way through a mountain in a heavy storm. A stroll around my estate is nothing.” With that, he lowered the hood over his head and strode toward the door. ... “I’ll be back.” “T-Take care...” He gave her an indecipherable look over his shoulder before exiting the room.