Closing Time

The tavern bustled with the activity typical of a late-evening crowd. The smoke from the peat fire carried shouts and jeers from men already gulping the dregs of their third or fourth ale. It wafted and mixed with the scent of bodies, the heady musk of a day spent laboring in the sun, to spread a thick blanket over the chattering patrons.

She deftly carved her way through the fog of smoke and song, dodging tables and grasping hands, made bold by the empty tankards they clutched. Her full skirts brushed between stools occupied by men whose eyes lingered on the tightly laced bodice that accentuated the smooth curves of exposed flesh that spilled over the top, gently rippling as she walked. Those eyes followed her confident gait but then turned downcast again as lips that would speak of their desires were instead pressed to the rim of their tankards, a slight shift in the position on their stools the only indication of any residual need. Those who had been more brazen in their ogling stares might find themselves casting furtive glances to the corner where a man sat alone at a table. He was not particularly imposing of stature, but there was something in his confident air and bright, intelligent eyes that made the others in the room leave him to his solitude.

She reached around and placed a fresh ale before him, the frothy head sliding in rivulets to pool on the table. As her hand withdrew, it lightly traced the lines of taught muscle that snaked up his arm, a silent promise of a reward for his patience. His eyes slid briefly to hers as a slight smile quirked the corner of his lips, the curve deepening as he caught the flash of fiery lust he beheld in her eyes. Her hand slid from his shoulder as she swept away, the heavy air and press of bodies doing little to cool the embers smoldering in her core.

At long last, she struck the large bell above the bar and listened to the groaning of men and tables as the patrons pushed themselves onto unsteady feet and staggered toward the door. They spilled into the cool night air, stumbling into each other and breaking away again, winding their ways to homes and beds. The tavern slowly cleared as the patrons muttered their thanks and farewells, carefully keeping their eyes from roaming to the table where the man still sat, silently sipping his ale with casual ease.

As the last man crossed the threshold and sucked in a breath at the bracing night air, she closed the door and pulled down the crossbar across the lock. No sooner had she done so than she felt a gentle caress of breath on the shell of her ear and the warmth of a body pressed behind her own. Two large hands, bearing the calloused proof of a life spent laboring with them, were nevertheless heartbreakingly gentle as they traced her waistline to pull her flush against his body. She sighed and relaxed into his touch as his hands roamed higher, pulling at the strings of her bodice. Her head fell back as he trailed feather-light kisses down the line of her jaw, the stubble on his chin scraping against her neck and contrasting deliciously with the silken burn of his lips. His fingers finally loosened her bodice enough to free her breasts, the skin of which rippled with gooseflesh at the sudden exposure to the air. He took one heavy breast into his hand and massaged it gently, all the while nuzzling and licking at her throat. She hummed with pleasure as his thumb flicked over her quickly hardening nipple and he rolled the peaked and sensitive tip between his fingers,

With a sudden change to their lazy pace, he turned and pressed her into the door, his mouth hungrily moving to hers in a kiss that bordered on violent. The force of his lips was belied by the questioning sweep of his tongue against her lip, imploring, but not demanding, access. She opened for him and relished in the claiming sweeps of his tongue, the way his breath hitched when she scraped her teeth along his bottom lip. His hand traced down her back to grasp at her thigh, pulling her leg to his hip and she threw her arms around his neck and he repeated the motion on the other side, lifting her feet from the floor to wrap around his back. She could feel the hard length of his need for her pressed firmly against the place where she needed him the most and they did not break their kiss as he turned and walked toward the nearest table.

He bent forward at the waist to lay her gently before him upon the wooden table, only offering another mischievous smirk in answer to her questioning eyes. She propped herself on her elbows to watch as he pulled a stool to sit before her as though sitting down to a feast. Her head rolled back, however, as he pulled her toward him, tucking her knees over his shoulders, threw her skirts back, and ran his tongue between her thighs. She let her knees fall wider and her back arched as he set a lazy rhythm, alternating broad sweeps of his tongue with tight circles at the apex that made her head swim. He hummed as he suckled on her, making her toes curl and her eyes flutter closed. His hands traced careless circles along her thighs and he chuckled softly as the building pressure tore a groan from her throat. His tongue was relentless, flicking and circling until at last she shattered, her back arching from the table as she cried out from the pleasure. He did not stop, coaxing every bit of sensation from her body as the wave crested and crashed into a warm, expanding pool in which she could bask in the final trembling seconds.

She opened her eyes to find him looking at her with bright eyes, a half smile tilting his face. She sat up and leaned forward to kiss him and tasted the sweet residue of her own desire lingering on his lips. The tingle of warm pleasure deep in her core once again turned sharp the longer they kissed. She slid forward off of the table and into his lap, sitting astride him and once again feeling him straining for his own release. She reached between them and ran her hand along the length of him, reveling in the way his breath turned ragged. She ran her thumb over the place where the head of him pushed against the fabric of his pants, drawing another moan from his lips. He leaned forward and ran his tongue over her nipple as she unbuckled his pants. A rumble sounded deep in his throat as her hand found its way to the silken steel of his erection, pulsing with each beat of his pounding heart. She slowly brought her hand up and down his shaft and he responded in kind by nibbling at her peaked nipple.

With a grunt, he wrapped his arms around her and once again stood, setting her down upon the table and lowering his pants to release himself entirely. She gathered her skirts to her chest once again and spread her legs in silent invitation. His eyes flared as he stepped forward and positioned himself at her entrance. For a heartbeat they looked into each other's eyes and then with a single thrust he seated himself completely. He paused for a breath to let her adjust, watching her eyes flutter closed and then he began to move, slowly pulling out only to plunge back in with a force that made her gasp. He fell forward onto his hands as he thrust, watching the way her breasts bounced each time they joined fully. She arched her back, the pleasure once again gathering at the base of her spine and building each time the coalescence of their bodies brushed against her most sensitive spot. Her fingers grasped the edge of the table as his pace quickened, pushing back as he thrust forward, her muscles tightening once again in anticipation of sweet release. She bucked forward and grasped at him as they tumbled off the edge together, muscles spasming in concert with one another, wringing the last drops of pleasure from each others' bodies.

They held each other in trembling arms for a few moments as the heaviness of existence slowly returned to their limbs. He pulled himself from her and placed his lips tenderly to her brow. She sat up, already aching with the emptiness of his absence. She found her feet and adjusted her skirt and bodice while he tucked himself back into his pants and fastened his belt buckle. He looked at her and smiled, a true smile as he brushed his fingers softly down her cheek.

"Tomorrow?" he asked, his voice quiet.

Her cheeks heated as his sparkling eyes locked on hers, but a smile spread across her face to match his as she said, "Tomorrow."

With a final squeeze of her hand and a brush of his lips against her cheek, he turned to the door and disappeared into the night air.