I stared down at the sad, now empty box before again turning my attention to Noc.
"Can we have more tomorrow?"
He grinned at me, reached out, hooked me behind the neck (again, something he seemed fond of doing, something I was fond of him doing) and pulled me to him for a peck on the lips before he let me go.
And promptly denied me.
"We"re havin" etouffee for dinner tomorrow."
"I want this," I announced, lifting up the remains of my slice.
Amus.e.m.e.nt unhidden, he stated, "Trust me. You have etouffee, you"ll want that."
I had no choice but to trust him. He had this world"s coin. I did not. I couldn"t pay for my own pizza even if I figured out how to order it as he"d done this one.
On this thought, I shared, "I want my next lesson to be about the telephone. And along with that, the ordering of food."
Noc chewed, swallowed, crinkled his eyes at me with his humor and said, "After beignets, first order of business is gettin" you and Josette your own cells. So tomorrow, we"ll get on that."
"Thank you," I murmured, taking one of the last bites of my pizza. Deciding to turn my mind from the dismal fact there may be only two bites left, I looked to Noc and queried, "How many sheaths did you procure?"
"Box of ten."
I blinked.
Rapidly.
And my voice was pitched higher when I inquired, "Can you perform that often in one night?"
Noc"s body moved, the bed moved with it, and I recognized the laughter as his voice vibrated when he replied, "They come in boxes of ten, sweetheart."
I sounded somewhat strangled when I pressed, "That doesn"t answer the question, my dearest."
"How the f.u.c.k you can make "my dearest" sweet and hot, I do not know," Noc muttered.
"Noc!" I snapped, beginning to panic, for I was a skilled lover but the way Noc made love I was relatively certain I couldn"t perform ten times in one night.
His eyes glinted as he asked, "You not up for ten times?"
Was he jesting?
He had to be jesting.
"I, well...that would...that is, I"ve never-"
I stopped speaking (or, blast it all, stammering) when Noc reached out, took the last of my pizza from my hand and tossed it into the box.
I glared at it, turned my glare to him, but the remains of his pizza had joined it and he was shoving the box off the bed.
This accomplished, before I could protest his cavalier treatment of our pizza, he pulled me into his arms and rolled me over him so I was again on my back and he was on me.
"No, baby," he admitted quietly, "I can"t perform ten times in one night."
"Oh," I said quietly in return, not certain if I should be relieved or disappointed. Just knowing a certain area in my body probably would not stand up to that challenge, even if I wanted it to.
He swept his mouth against mine.
"But you"re gonna come ten times in one night," he declared.
My breath caught.
"One down," he whispered, his hands beginning to move on me, "Nine to go."
"No-"
I didn"t finish saying his name.
Noc kissed me.
"I want you inside me," I begged.
Noc, naked on his knees behind me, me naked on my knees in front of him, his arms around me, one hand at my breast doing delicious things, one hand between my legs doing scrumptious things, his mouth at my neck suckling, nipping, kissing, he lifted it to my ear and nibbled my earlobe.
Oh my.
I made my position clear.
"Please," I gasped, hips grinding into his hand, feeling his hardness press into my bottom, wanting that for my own.
"Next go," he whispered into my ear.
I almost didn"t hear him. My climax was gathering powerfully, preparing to overwhelm me.
"Noc, hurry, take me. I"m about-"
His finger at my c.l.i.toris circled faster and harder.
"Come, Frannie," he growled in my ear.
He didn"t have to make the demand. At the workings of his finger I acquiesced, my head flying back and colliding with his shoulder, my body trembling violently in his hold, my hands shooting to his to grasp them in order to stop their machinations because I was learning there was such a thing as too much pleasure. I was experiencing it at that very moment, and it was going to devour me.
At my climax"s end, tenderly, Noc lay me on my back, covered me with his big, warm body, his hands trailing soothingly along my skin, his mouth again at my neck.
When I had control of my breath, I put my hands on him, loving how he felt, his warmth, the power at my fingertips that was a part of Noc and yet seemed a contradiction with all his understanding, thoughtful, humorous, teasing gentleness.
It was on this thought his hand traveled over my hip and in.
I drew in a sharp breath and turned my head just as Noc lifted his so our mouths were nearly touching.
"Two," he murmured and I shuddered under him at that word, what it meant and his fingers trailing through my most intimate part. "So wet," he whispered, "can"t wait to taste that for three."
"You," was all I had in me to reply.
"Later."
"Noc-"
He kissed me. He used his tongue. It was magnificent.
But it was too short.
"Later," he repeated against my lips, and before I could utter a word, his lips moved down my body.
Noc eventually tasted me.
He took his time. He demonstrated extraordinary skill.
And in the end, I got three.
We were naked and abed, Noc on his back, head and shoulders up on stacked pillows, me cuddled into his side.
The room was dark, lit only by the misty blue sparking up from Noc"s bare chest.
I had his hand in mine and was guiding his big palm under the sparks.
Together, we lifted them up and I turned his hand with my own, circling the shimmers until they formed a ball.
Willing that ball to do as I wished, I pulled my hand away and said softly, "All yours, darling."
Noc continued circling it, replying, "What do I do with it?"
I looked at his face and experienced something profound, seeing its handsomeness lit by the beautiful blue of my magic.
At the sight, I felt my body melt more deeply into his side as I replied, "It"s just a plaything. It has no power to harm. Toy with it. Or you can disburse it by drawing your hand through it. You can set it on the night table to return to later. Or, throw it across the room, and if you do that, it"ll travel back to you as it"s yours. I gave it to you."
Lazily, he drew his hand back, the ball followed, and he tossed it across the room, the blue-arced streak it made, utterly gorgeous (if I did say so myself).
It flew nearly to the wall before it stopped and slowly made its way back.
When Noc took it, he circled his hand around it several times before he curled his fingers into a fist, only his forefinger out, and he twirled the ball on his finger. Eventually, he reopened his hand, drew his fingers through it and it disappeared, leaving us in darkness.
Without delay, he turned into me, gathering me in his arms.
"You know you"re the s.h.i.t?" he asked, his deep voice deeper with obvious pride.
I knew he thought that.
I adored that he thought that.
And I loved that tone in his voice.
"I"ve done quite well, Valentine says," I shared softly. "Though now she says she"s nothing more to teach me except, how she phrases it, "in the field." This means I need practical experience to advance further. And I"ll tell you, Noc," I went on, cuddling even closer, "I"m quite excited. It"s fascinating, magic, learning to wield it, understanding my power, how to use it, how not to abuse it. Although I missed you gravely while we were parted, Valentine showing me what"s inside me and all I"m capable of doing...I"ll never forget our times together and be forever grateful for all she"s done for me."
"You missed me gravely?"
I stared at him through the dark and stiffened.
He pulled me closer. "Babe, before you freak you let that out, you gotta know already I missed you gravely too."
His words meant much to me and from the moment we were reunited he had not hidden that they were true.
Even so, for the first time since I came to his world, reality intruded and I wondered at the wisdom of this impetuous shift in our relations.
Outside Josette, Noc was my truest friend.
Indeed, the only other friend I had in my world, Frey"s mother, Valeria, I didn"t even explain that I was leaving so it went without saying I didn"t bid her farewell.
That said, the last I"d heard from her (some months prior), Frey"s father had officially severed ties with her-meaning ending their marriage-not an unwelcome happenstance for Valeria.
She was currently residing with her longtime paramour, an almost grotesquely wealthy merchant, who was still just a merchant.
Obviously, the old Franka would think that, but I was right then lying abed with a naked city watchman who had treasure, this was true (he"d told me he accepted a reward for his part in ending Minerva"s plot) but no House and no t.i.tle, and I did not care a whit. Therefore, I no longer cared if Valeria"s love was a lord, a merchant or a laborer.
Valeria, however, struggled with his lack of position. Until she had no choice but to accept it once her husband finished with her.
My friend of the other world was one to be very present when things in her life were not going well, in order to have someone with whom to complain about them.
In the rare occasions she was happy (prior to becoming the kept woman of a wealthy merchant), she"d all but disappear.
Thus I knew she was deliriously happy. So much so, I barely heard from her, such was her contentment.
This did not negate the fact that I cared about her, she cared about me, and I"d left our entire world behind, with her in it, without even a goodbye.
What kind of friend was I, doing that to Valeria?
And what kind of friend was I, jumping into bed with Noc without thinking of the repercussions that might have?
"Frannie?" Noc called my attention back to him.
My stiff body stiffened further. "Perhaps we should-"
He interrupted me. "No. We shouldn"t."
His penchant for interruption was beginning to peeve me.