X.
After a few hours of mindlessly putting one foot in front of the other, I heard the jangle of bells behind us. Jay turned and then whispered in my ear. “A wagon, I don’t recognize the man driving it.” I nodded.“Hey there! Would you like a ride?” a strong voice called out. Bobby and I exchanged a glance, then shrugged. A free ride was nothing to pass up. “Are you going to London?”
“Yeah.” Bobby called out. The man pulled on the reins and halted next to us.
“Name’s Arthur. Just got back from selling some trinkets to the Scottish.” he explained, wiping his hand off on his tunic before offering it out. I shook it slowly, juggling Jay. He looked like Ryan after one too many bottles of wine, his nose was red and the veins in his cheeks appeared to have burst. An over-ripe berry. The small spattering of red hair on his head didn’t do much to dispel the illusion. “Hello, who is this?” he asked, leering at Jay.
I helped Jay onto the cart and watched as he pulled his gown around himself protectively. “I’m married sir.” he whispered, clutching at my hand. Bobby clambered into the wagon and Arthur jangled the reins to continue.
“So, why are you going to London?” he asked after a few minutes of silence.
“Well, my wife here,” I gestured to Jay, who blushed and covered his mouth with a hand, “is expecting our first child. She wanted to go and have it in a convent.” Bobby was giggling hysterically.
“Who are you then?” Arthur turned to Bobby.
Bobby gulped and sweat burst out along his scalp. “Um...I’m his brother. He didn’t know the way to London.” Arthur nodded and grinned.
Sometime later I woke up and realized that the wagon had stopped. Jay had sprawled out on my lap, his face a barely restrained caricature of unconsciousness. I shifted him gently and peeked out the front. Arthur was nowhere to be seen, and it looked like it was dark. I kicked Bobby, who was drooling into the fabrics crammed in the back.“What?” he grumbled.
“Arthur’s gone.” I said. “I don’t see him...” Jay stirred and whimpered a little before sitting up slowly.
“He can’t have gone far.” he whispered, rubbing at his neck. “The wagon still has goods in it.”
Bobby’s face paled and he clutched my knee. “He....he can’t be trying to turn us in...!” he screeched. We all stared at each other in fear.
Then the flaps at the end of the wagon flew open and we all screamed. “Ho, what’s wrong there?! I got us some rooms at a nice little roadside inn. Can’t have your wifey spending the night out in the cold, can we?” Arthur bellowed. He reached out to help Jay, who fell into his arms. I watched in dread as Arthur proceeded to pinch Jay’s bottom and wink at me. Jay grabbed his stomach and knelt on the ground. Jumped to the ground and was at his side in an instant.
“I’m okay, I think it’s just because we were in the wagon for so long.” he muttered, but his skin had taken on the color of vellum.
“Come on, let’s go inside.” I suggested, helping him to his feet. He winced and nodded, letting me guide him inside.
“Oh!” the innkeeper’s wife shrieked, hovering over Jay. “How far along are you?! When I was pregnant with my first two sons, I could barely hold down a meal, let alone drink anything!” She pinched his cheek rudely and he smiled sickly. Her hand patted his stomach and he jerked a bit, sending pleading looks in my direction.
“She’s very tired, could we possibly go to our room now?” I asked.
She gestured to the table. “Eat something first, or else the baby will be born deformed.” Jay took a look at the food, grabbed his stomach and shook his head. “Come along, I’ll fix you up some nice herb stew.”
“Just pretend for a while.” I whispered, helping him to a seat. He nodded and gulped down the glass of ale that was placed in front of him. Still his face had the sheen of sweat and stray hairs poked out of his wimple. She slammed down the bowls of stew and then bustled about in the kitchen. Whenever Arthur wasn’t looking, Bobby and I ate out of Jay’s bowl, so that it would look like he had eaten something.
He was barely able to sit up and his eyes were pretty much glazed over. “Paige...please...” he whispered, pulling on my arm.
“Um, we’ve had enough to eat. Could we please go to our rooms now?” I begged, hoping she would accept. She took a look at Jay, then at me, and nodded silently.
“Has she been like this all through it? I think you really do need to talk to a priest about this...” she advised as she led the way to the dim rooms in back.
Jay collapsed onto the bed and closed his eyes. I shooed the innkeeper’s wife out after hearing lots of advice about how to ensure that Jay had a boy instead of a girl. He groaned softly as I began helping him out of the women’s clothes. His hair was a sweaty mess of restrained anxiety, and when I finally got him out of the gown and into just the chemise he started shivering uncontrollably. “Come on Jay, stay with me.” I hissed. Body under the chemise was cold and pale, even more so than usual. Neck sore and bright red, flaming crimson that stained down his arm. Bruises purple and brown, slowly returning to the flesh, cuts scabbed over and scarring.
“Paige, just stop hovering! I’m fine!” he finally screamed after I asked him for the third time if he was okay.
I laid down facing away from him, listening to his soft breaths. Thoughts of being discovered and destroyed filled my mind and I clutched down on the straw batting. Soft pressure on my neck, chill hands pulling up my tunic. “I’m sorry.” he whispered. “Just...just fuck me...please?”
“What? You’re in no condition...” His hand went down into my breeches. Instantly hard. Breathing without panting became impossible.
“You wouldn’t deny your wife this last request, would you...?” he asked. I rolled over and looked at him. His demon side had taken over and he was eyeing me as a possible target for corruption.
“Don’t talk like that. You’re going to be fine.” Slick tongue underneath tunic, hands pulling it over my head....Jay... Then he pulled away, smiling briefly before looking down at his own hardness.
“Please Paige.” Such a sex-fiend, even when he was hurting. I touched his cock gently, stroking at the head. His eyes closed slowly in absolute delight and he tried to pull me closer. Teasing, I moved away. Whimpers of need and then a moan of supreme happiness as I finally pinned him down. “Make me forget.” he hissed.
My tongue rolled over his nipples, contemplating their texture, all the while listening to his small cries of joy. Lapped down to his belly- button, then traced the perimeter. All the while he was growing harder and harder underneath me. I couldn’t ignore that for long, I had a feeling that he was going to repay me later, after he regained his strength. Lips descended, felt the porcelain of his skin, the blatant desire that resided under its surface. Let it fill me, stretch my lips, touch the back of my throat. Moans of hysterical worship of my skills, then release.... Had to taste his mouth, had to share this with him, this taste that he could not get himself, this taste of us entwined.
While we kissed, I let my finger slip into the crevice, gently slipping into his warmth. Instant tightness, instant vocalization of pleasure. Teeth clamped down on my shoulder as I worked in another finger. His hand slid down to my cock, I pushed him down onto the bed. His eyes were heavily lidded in indifference to anything except what I was doing to him. Tongue protruded slightly as he sighed. I plundered his lips, grinding into him. High pitched squeaks of want. Took that as a sign he was ready.
Plunged into him as gently as I could, but still his eyes shot fully open and his grip tightened on my shoulders. But his legs pulled me closer, his arms encouraged me to thrust and pierce his center of pleasure. By this point I could barely think clearly and he was half insensate with delirious rapture.
Everything spun into nothing.
Panting, withdrew from him, let him continue to hold onto me as the pleasure faded. “Paige, even if you don’t love me, I love you...” he whispered, pressing his face into my shoulder.