Title: I Knew I Loved You Before

  Authors: Sarah ([email protected]) and Alex ([email protected])

  Rating: NC-17 for two people doing the naked pretzel thang

  Category: Romance

  Status: Dunno. If you think it's worth continuing, email us and let us know

  Spoilers: None really, but it would help if you've seen the TMR

  Notes: A little story about Rick and Evie's past lives together. In this fic, Evie is known as Nefertiri, obviously, but we decided to call Rick Asim. So now you know. We would also like to warn you in advance that this story may not be historically accurate. If you want accuracy, go read The Crucible. Bear in mind that this is a work of *fiction* so if you find something that you disagree with, please don't complain to us about it. 

  Disclaimer: Nefertiri, Seti, Imhotep and Anck-su-namun do not belong to us, but Asim does.

 

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  Nefertiri stood on her balcony watching with boredom the land of Thebes move along into the coming of the night. She sighed and began to tie and weave her hair with gold jewellery, slipping on her strapless gown. She wore no shoes, but her ankles were tied with gold bands. She finally headed down the hall, walking past her father's guards and into the grand room for the party.

 

  Pharaoh Seti stood beside the huge golden doors, surrounded by guests and his Med-jai protectors, waiting for his daughter to make an appearance. She was a little late and Seti was worried that she might not turn up at all when suddenly, the doors were opened again to allow somebody entrance-finally, his daughter had arrived. "Nefertiri, there you are!" he called, waving her over.

 

  She smiled and hurried across to her father, wrapping her arms around him. She didn't really want to be here, but she knew it was necessary, being the princess and all. "Hello, father," she said, plotting how she could sneak out as soon as possible. She pulled back to look up at him. "A great turn out tonight."

 

  "Indeed it is, Nefertiri," he said, taking his daughter's arm and guiding her over to the crowd of people. He knew how much she hated these events, but this party was important. It was to announce his engagement to Anck-su-namun to his people. "Now, Nefertiri, I wish for you to enjoy yourself tonight," he told her, expressing his fatherly concern. He sensed a disturbance within his daughter as of late; she didn't seem to be getting as much out of life as she used to and had become somewhat withdrawn.

 

  "I always enjoy myself, father." Nefertiri watched out of the corner of her eye as the sexily-clad Anck-su-namun entered the room. As her father's head turned to gaze upon her, she shuddered and suddenly needed to get outside. She was thankful when her father kissed her cheek and went over to his mistress. Taking her cue, she hurried past the guards, not knowing that one was watching her as she slipped away out of the temple. Now that Anck-su-namun was there, nobody would even miss her. Once outside, she breathed a sigh of relief.

 

  Asim, one of the Med-jai who had been standing guard in the temple noticed the Princess Nefertiri suddenly take her leave of the party which confused him somewhat as she had only just gone in. Quietly, he followed her outside. What she did was none of his business, but he had been told by the Pharaoh to protect the royal daughter so off he went to make sure that no harm came to the princess. She was standing with her back to him and so was unaware of him approaching her from behind. "Going somewhere?" he asked.

 

  She jumped and pulled out a small dagger from her side, turning on him roughly. She was quick to protect herself and had told her father countless times that she did not need the protection of a bodyguard. Though she had been thoroughly scared by his presence, she soon realised that he was no-one to be feared. Taking a deep breath, she replaced the dagger at her belt and looked at him, her eyes narrowing a little. "Why are you following me?" she asked, beginning to turn around and walk away, not wanting to be bothered by him.

 

  "Because it is my duty to protect you," he told her, somewhat amused by her anger. She was walking quickly, apparently eager to be rid of him and he allowed himself a small smile as he walked after her, not letting up on her for a moment. She was fast, but could not outmatch his longer strides and soon, he began to wonder when she would call a halt to this little game of cat and mouse. Or how long it would be until she pulled out that dagger again.

 

  She stopped suddenly, turning to face him and said, "you are my father's bodyguard, not mine." She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, her catlike eyes narrowing under the golden make-up and she seemed to hiss at him a little. She hated being followed around, but she was surprised at the small part of her that wished he would stay. She brushed it off as nothing.

 

  "Unfortunately, not true," he corrected her, imitating her stance as he ignored her attempts at scaring him off by glaring at him. He fought the urge to smile again. "My name is Asim and whereas most of the Med-jai are bound by oath to protect the pharaoh, your father told me personally that he wished for someone to keep an eye on his headstrong daughter, and that someone is me. It is my duty to make sure that you are safe at all times, Princess."

 

  She walked closer to him, staring up into his face. Most girls in Egypt swooned over the Med-jai warriors or turned away in fear. Princess Nefertiri was not about to do either. "I suggest you march yourself back to that party and tell my father that I am alright. *I* am going for a walk." The young princess not even twenty years old had flair to her and she eyed this man closely, waiting for him to do as she had told him.

 

  He didn't move an inch. "I don't believe that is possible, Princess," he told her, using his height advantage to move down into her personal space, the corners of his mouth turning upward at the surprised expression on her face as he did so. "It is my duty to keep you safe from harm and as I am not about to break that oath anytime soon, I'm afraid you are stuck with me." He leaned back slightly, unfolding his arms. "Now, where are *we* going for a walk?"

 

  Nefertiri sighed, knowing that for once, she was beat. She tossed her arms into the air, her golden charms jingling together in an exasperated movement. "Fine," she muttered, giving him a look so sour it could have curdled milk. Good-looking or not, this man was trying her nerves as all men did. Her father had tried to get her to marry, but she had refused, saying that no-one had caught her fancy. "*We* are going for a walk down to the river. *I* am going for a swim," she stated clearly and began to walk the short distance to the river.

 

  Asim followed her, shaking his head in private amusement and wondering what he had got himself into. He knew that the Princess didn't suffer men gladly, but yet despite her rudeness towards him, she hadn't semed to put up that much of a fight against him accompanying her, considering the fiery reputation she had. They made their way down to the river's edge and he stood beside her, awaiting her next insult.

 

  She slipped the bracelets off her wrists and let them tumble to the solid earth, then she untwisted the beads from her hair, letting them join the rest of her jewellery. She turned around, staring at him as she took off her anklets, shaking her head at him. "Must you watch me so closely?" she asked, not really caring one way or the other. She was going to take off her dress and go swimming and there wasn't a thing he could do to stop her. Let him watch, watching was all he would be doing.

 

  She took slow steps into the water, turning her back on him as she untied her garment before it got wet, pulling it up higher until she finally threw it to the shore, offering him a glance at her back before diving underneath the water.

 

  He caught the gown and placed it with her other belongings, keeping watch by the water's edge. The last he saw of her was the skin of her pale back as she disappeared beneath the surface of the water. He stood there for what seemed like hours as he waited for her to resurface. When he saw no sign of her, he began to grow worried. "Princess?" he called, narrowing his eyes in search for her. Still no sign. "Princess!" he shouted, a little louder this time.

 

  She had always been really good at holding her breath, but a couple of minutes later, she emerged from the water upon hearing the muffled cries of her name. "Oh, what?" she asked, brushing back her hair, black as midnight. Water dripped down her cheeks and she spat some of it out of her mouth. "You can stop staring at me anytime you want," she said, covering the upper curve of her breast.

 

  He quickly averted his gaze, blushing deeply. He hadn't meant to stare, he just hadn't been expecting it when she burst out of the water like that and his eyes had automatically strayed down to her chest. He muttered an apology and turned his back to her, wondering why she affected him the way that she did.

 

  "The water is nice, why don't you come in?" she called. If she couldn't get him to leave, he might as well do something so that she could play with him, as she had played with many men. It would be a look but don't touch situation. She wrung out her hair in her hands and it glistened like silk under the moonlight.

 

  He turned and looked at her suspiciously. She had to be up to something, she couldn't wait to be rid of him earlier. He hesitated for a moment then shrugged, ridding himself of his clothes and his weapons. He stepped into the water, wading in until it reached his waist before swimming out to join her. He stopped upon reaching her and he just tread water and grinned at her. "Well, I'm here, Princess," he said, wondering what she would do next.

 

   "I can see that," she replied, facing him. "Now we are going to play a little game," she whispered, swimming in circles around him. She tried to stay calm, but it didn't seem to work as she kept staring at the strong curve of his shoulders.

 

  "And what game would this be?" he asked, trying to keep her in his line of sight, but she just didn't want to stay still it seemed. He fought the urge to brush some of the wet hair from her face, trying his best to figure her out. There were many mysteries in this world, but the biggest of them all had to be the Princess Nefertiri.

 

  She brushed her hand over the air of his shoulder, close but not touching, much the way she had seen Anck-su-namun do with Imhotep. Her lips were close to his neck, her breath warm against him, welcoming from the chilliness of the water. "If you can catch me, I'll let you touch me," she told him, knowing that as soon as she did, she could get him dismissed as her body guard immediately.

 

  He sighed, both at the sensation of her lips near his skin and also at her words. So that was how she had planned to get rid of him, by tempting him with the sins of the flesh, knowing that it would lead to his dismissal if he accepted. But she *was* tempting and it was taking all of his willpower not to reach out and grab her so that he could press his lips against hers, hard. He swam away from her a little so that he wouldn't be so distracted. "What makes you think that I want to touch you?" he asked coyly.

 

  She swam closer to him, moving around him once more. The gentle splashing of water was sweet and tempting and she watched him with her catlike gaze. She found him interesting and her heart began to pound as her eyes kept flickering back to his lips. And then she turned around, giving up. She couldn't handle this so she stood up out of the water, dripping wet. "I'm going to bed," she announced.

 

  Asim shook his head, confused, but following her out of the water. He ws still supposed to watch out for her and he did not want anything bad happening to her so he stepped onto dry land, picking up his clothes and wishing for something to dry himself off with. He shook his wet hair out of his eyes, keeping his gaze respectfully lowered to the ground so that she could get dressed.

 

  Nefertiri pulled her clothes over her wet body and took off at a run towards her bedroom, towards safety. She wanted to escape her feelings as her heart pounded and her flesh burned. she couldn't stop thinking about him, his body so close to hers, his smile, everything about him. She didn't know if he was following her or not.

 

  He was, having already yanked on his clothes, grabbing his swords and daggers as he ran off after her. He was feeling very confused now as one moment she openly hated him, the next she was being playful with him and now, he seemed to have upset her. He came to a halt before her bedroom door and knocked gently. "Princess!" he called. "Princess, is everything all right?"

 

  "Go away!" she ordered viciously as she dried herself off, pulling on her gold silken robe and laying down on the bed. "I said go away"! she shouted, dropping her head onto the pillow. He wasn't supposed to make her feel this way. She was supposed to hate him, so why did she feel the urge to command him to climb in bed with her and never leave?

 

  He knew he was meant to obey her commands, but still he stayed, wondering what he should do. If he had upset her, the least he could do was say he was sorry. He knocked again, louder this time. "At least will you have the decency to speak to me civilly?" he shouted through the door. "So that I can at least apologise to you for whatever I may have done wrong?"

 

  "Fine, come in," she said, exasperated, rolling over so that her back was facing the doorway when he entered. She heard his footsteps approaching her and she buried her face in the pillow, feeling warmth in his presence.

 

  He walked over to the side of the bed and after a bit of dithering, stood there sighing. He supposed that having a conversation with the back of her head was preferable to having one through the door though.

 

  "Look," he began hesitantly. "I know that you and I haven't had the best of starts here, but your father did assign me personally to watch over you. I also know what you don't want me protecting you, but I cannot refuse your father's orders, nor do I want to see you hurt. So whatever reason you're angry with me, I'm sorry all right? Let's just start over again." He smiled. "And maybe this time, we can actually be nice to each other."

 

  She nodded slightly, rising up from the bed to circle him, stalking him like a lynx around her prey. Nefertiri was well-know for her beauty and grace and the candlelit room only highlighted her figure, showing curves, but hiding details. No Med-jai cared about the royal family being hurt, they only worried about loyalty. It was just their job to protect her. "Hmm, perhaps," she said, her gaze travelling over the sleekness of his shoulders and bared chest.

 

  "Perhaps?" he asked, brow creasing in puzzlement. He watched as she circled him, feeling a little uneasy about this whole situation. It seemed like she always had the upper hand when it came to him and he wasn't sure how he felt about not being completely in control. Still, he couldn't take his eyes off her slim body as she walked around him and it eventually got to be so much that he snapped. He grabbed hold of her shoulders and stopped her, asking, "do you ever stay still?"

 

  She was shocked when he grabbed her like that and she stared at him blankly, her eyes wide as she stuttered, "well, I...I.." She didn't make a move to escape his embrace and it confused her. Had any other man done such a thing, she would surely have slapped him. She broke free from his gaze, searching for the right words. "I don't know. Sometimes...if I am asked nicely."

 

  He gently tilted her chin so that he stare into her eyes and he smiled. He had surprised her with that little outburst and he was secretly pleased. He had the impression that the princess was a cool, collected individual so to catch her off-guard like this was something interesting. He wondered what she was really like underneath her calm exterior. He lowered his head and said softly, "please Nefertiri, just stay still for once." And with that, he released her, taking a step back to put a respectable distance between them once more.

 

  He had called her by her first name. No-one was supposed to address her as anything other than 'Princess,' and she should have been furious with the liberties he had allowed himself. But she had been so close to him that she had felt his breath on her face and now that warmth was gone as he stepped away from her. She stumbled slightly and in her nervousness, she did not notice she had walked into one of the burners and she began to fall.

 

  Asim rushed forward, catching her before she hit the floor. "Are you all right?" he asked in concern, lifting her up into his arms and gently placing her on the bed. This time, he couldn't stop himself from brushing a strand of hair away from her face. He bit his lip suddenly and he rose from the bed. "I'm sorry...I must go," he said, making off to walk out of the room.

 

  "No," she said harshly, then realised how it must have sounded. She changed her words quickly as she lay down on the bed, adopting a seductive position as she told him, "I mean, I could hurt myself, or be attacked. Then what would happen?"

 

  He stopped upon hearing the sound of her voice. "Well, I suppose it *is* my job to keep you safe at all times, Princess," he said hesitantly, not sure if she was teasing him or not. When he turned round to look at her however, he could see that she was not. He sucked in a breath at the sight of her laid out on the bed and he felt the blush rise to his cheeks. "Um, I'll just stand here..." he mumbled, looking away from her. His gaze kept flickering back to her every now and then, however, he couldn't help it.

 

  Nefertiri sighed. Her thoughts were on other matters and she thought sleep would never come to her, but soon enough, her breathing deepened and she fell asleep. She was nestled on top of the sheets for once, the warm Egyptian night breeze providing enough of a blanket for her exhausted skin.

 

  He stood and watched her openly for a moment when she slipped into slumber and he smiled. He walked back over to the bed and shifted her slightly in order to pull some of the covers over her body. Just in case she got cold, he told himself. Not for an excuse to touch her body, but he was lying to himself and he knew it. Her skin had been so soft when he had touched her and he sighed, pulling his mind away from such thoughts and he walked outside onto the balcony to keep watch for intruders.

 

  *******

 

  It was late in the night when Nefertiri cried out, wrought with terrible nightmares and she stirred in her bed, her arms flailing in terror. She kicked the blankets off her naked form, her forehead dotted with sweat. "No...nooo!"

 

  Asim quickly barged into her chamber when he heard her cries of distress, his sword drawn and ready to kill any attacker who had disturbed the Princess. He was surprised though and somewhat relieved when he found that she was still alone and just having a bad dream. He sat down on the bed, nudging her shoulder gently. "Princess," he whispered, shaking her. "Princess, wake up!"

 

  She sat bolt-upright, looking around the room in panic and feeling as though she would break down into tears at any moment. She stared up at her Med-jai and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face into his neck as she cried softly. She had dreamt again of her dead mother, and of the murder which had taken place. She didn't let go of Asim, didn't think of the fact that she was completely naked.

 

  He ws shocked when she held onto him tight, sobbing into his shoulder and he brought his own arms to circle her body. He held her close, rocking her soothingly, shushing her as she cried, paying no mind to the fact that was unclothed. "Are you all right?" he asked gently as he rocked her.

 

  She nodded, pulling back a little to look at him. She wiped a hand over her eyes, moving her lips, but she couldn't finding the strength to talk. She was hypnotised by his eyes. No-one in Egypt had blue eyes and she just stared into them, entranced by their beauty.

 

  He smiled at her reassuringly, moving one hand to gently brush the tear stains from her cheek. He couldn't tear his gaze from hers, couldn't stop his hand from touching her face, tracing over he eyebrows and cheekbones. His palm came to rest on her cheek and his thumb stroked the soft skin there.

 

  It felt good to be touched like that and she eyed him carefully. He had control of this situation right now and that fact made her heart flutter inside her ribcage. She sighed and leaned against his hand. Her eyes showed her obvious nervousness and she closed them to block out any thought of that, but her body did not want to shut it out.

 

  His heart beat faster when she leaned into him and he shivered, suddenly aware that she was naked and in his arms. This was wrong, they shouldn't be like this, but it just felt so right, so good. He could feel her body trembling slightly against his and he held her tighter, allowing himself to gently kiss her forehead. "We shouldn't be doing this," he whispered softly. "I should leave."

 

  She didn't know what to do, but she shivered in his embrace. She slowly pulled away to lie back on the bed, letting his eyes trail over her body. Letting him see her for who she really was, the way she had never let any man see her, or touch her. She was now going to allow him to do both these things. "Asim," she whispered testingly, letting his name fall from her tongue.

 

  He bit his lip at the sound of his name on her lips and his eyes ran over her naked body, laid out on the bed and waiting for him. "Yes, Nefertiri?" he asked shakily as his gaze rested on her full lips, wondering what they would feel like against his own. His fingers slipped from her cheek to rest lightly on her mouth.

 

  She parted her lips at the touch of his fingers and let her tongue tentatively brush against the tips of those fingers, closing her eyes and breathing softly.

 

  He swallowed when he felt her warm tongue touch his fingers. He longed to lower his body over hers, to kiss those lips that his fingers were on, but still, he held back. She wanted to take this further, that much was obvious, but he was so confused. He knew this was wrong, but he wanted it so much, it hurt. "Are you sure we should be doing this?" he asked softly.

 

  She opened her eyes at his question and stared into his blue depths, curious and needing. She had never thought that any man could move her the way he did and she sighed, letting her eyes fall shut once again. She wanted more and nodded to him slightly.

 

  Taking that as confirmation that she wanted him to continue, he moved his hand from her face, lying down beside her and propping himself up on one arm as he stared down at her. His head lowered toward hers ever so slowly and his eyes slipped shut when his lips finally met hers.

 

  She brushed her lips over his and it felt marvellous. After a few minutes of light kissing, she wrapped one arm around his neck, pulling him closer to her. She could taste him and it warmed her senses, her soft sighs escaping from her mouth and into his as she held onto him tightly. He was the first to ever touch her in such a way and she was revelling in it.

 

  Encouraged by her pulling him closer, he smiled against her mouth, parting her lips with his to slip his tongue inside, gently tracing over her tongue, her teeth and the roof of her mouth. He willingly explored her soft body, moving a hand over her slim shoulders, wanting to memorise every curve of her.

 

  Her own hands moved up and down his back, eager to familiarise herself with every muscle of his body. She broke the kiss in order to look at him, eager to move things forward. "May I undress you?" she asked softly before pressing her lips back to his.

 

  He nodded his consent, loving the way her soft hands felt on the bare skin of his back. He lowered his head to kiss her again, savouring the taste of her mouth as his hand traced its way down from her shoulder, barely grazing her breast and coming to rest on her hip.

 

  She worked at his garment, pushing the soft material off of his body until he was naked above her. She ran her hands over his body, sighing as his lips took hers again. She spoke no words, but Egyptians were well-known for being good with body movement.

 

  He deepened the kiss, letting his tongue play with hers as he ran his hand back up her body to rest on her breast. He squeezed the soft flesh gently, releasing her mouth to kiss his way down to her neck, licking and suckling at her pale skin. He nuzzled the hollow of her throat, lapping softly at the smooth skin there.

 

  She moaned, encouraging him on. She questioned what it was about this man that she found so beautiful, so loving, why she in his arms, laying naked with him. Each touch was new to her and she revelled in this feeling of completion.

 

  Her fingers searched him out, touching him. She ran her hands along his back, dragging her nails along the strong skin there, letting her heart beat in pure time with his.

 

  His lips travelled from her throat to her chest, kissing the valley between her breasts. He nuzzled them gently in turn, enjoying the sounds of her soft sighs. "Do you like this, Nefertiri?" he whispered, taking a nipple into his mouth and suckling at her lightly.

 

  "More than anything," she said and pulled her leg up a little, bending her knee and rubbing her leg against his thigh. Her hands came down to tangle in his hair, keeping him to her, wanting this moment to last forever.

 

  He continued licking and suckling her breasts, working his way from one to the other. He loved the taste of her warm, bare skin which still lingered with traces of the water they had swum in earlier. He moved back up to her mouth, wanting to kiss her again and he smoothed his hand over her thigh.

 

  She pulled him closer to her, her hand reaching up to his neck to keep his lips on hers. Her hands ran over his backside, stroking the sensitive skin there, moving closer and closer to his erection.

 

  He gasped at the touch of her nails along his skin and he squeezed her thigh, letting his fingers wander further up to where he could feel the heat of her body. He touched her gently, not wanting to hurt her or scare her. He tugged on her folds, pressing the tip of one finger inside of her as his thumb searched out her clit, rubbing over it.

 

  The sensations rushed through her in a swift wave of pleasure and she instantly moaned out, parting her legs to get more and urging him onward into unchartered territory. She sighed and her own hands began to move underneath him until she felt his hard flesh against her fingertips. She touched him gingerly, wantingly.

 

  He closed his eyes and moaned when he felt her touch him. She seemed slightly uncertain about this and he wanted to put her at ease. "Feels good," he sighed, letting her know how he felt, how much he was liking this. He pushed a finger inside her slowly, letting her get used to invading her body in this way. His thumb still massaged her clit, a little harder this time.

 

  She began to stroke him softly upon hearing his words. It felt so good to have his finger deep inside of her and she whimpered at his touch. She had never known about these sort of things before. She had heard about this before from other people, but it was another thing entirely to actually experience them. "I like that," she told him, widening her legs and running a foot over his backside.

 

  "I'm glad," he said, smiling at her increased confidence in touching him. He slid another finger inside of her up to the knuckle and he began thrusting them gradually in and out of her body. "Let me know if I hurt you," he said, brushing his lips over hers.

 

  She was feeling a little pain at this, having never felt something inside of her before. It felt slightly sore and a bit tight, but she wasn't going to let him stop. "Not a lot of room in there, is there?" she said softly, moving her hips with his fingers.

 

  "We can stop if this is too much," he told her, easing up on the movements of his hand. As much as he wanted her, he didn't want to hurt her and he kissed her nose gently. "I just want this to be good for you," he murmured, pressing his mouth to hers.

 

  She kissed him back as her hand moved to grip his wrist which was coated with her slippery warmth, coaxing him to continue. "It does feel good. Just tight." When he started again, she reached up to grasp his cheeks. "I want to fit myself to you," she whispered.

He bit his lip at that statement. He wanted her desperately, but he didn't know if she was ready for him yet. He kept up the movements of his hand, but began to move down her body until his mouth hovered over where his fingers worked her, gently easing them out. He kissed her gently, his mouth finding her clit, suckling at the sensitive flesh.

 

  She couldn't help but quiver in delight at the sensation of his lips on her and she moaned softly, instinctively rocking her hips against his face. Her hands reached down to grasp his hair, holding him to her tightly.

 

  His tongue slid inside of her, lapping up her juices before moving back to her clit, sucking hard as his fingers slipped back into her body, trying to prepare her for what would come next.

 

  Nefertiri didn't think it could get much better than this as her hips pushed rhythmically against his lips. Pleasure soared through her body and she wondered if he and she would always share this.

 

  He doubled his efforts, not letting up on his suckling for a moment as his fingers pumped at her harder. She seemed to be liking this a lot if the sounds of her constant moans were anything to go by.

 

  Her release was strong and powerful and it rocked her body. She was practically writhing beneath him, wanting more of this feeling. Her hands gripped his hair tightly as she crossed the threshold of her first climax.

 

  He pulled back from her as she came down, holding her in his arms and pressing small kisses to her face. She was so beautiful, her face flushed, her chest rising and falling rapidly and he forgot his own condition for a moment, content to just watch her. "Was that okay?" he asked, smoothing her hair back from her face.

 

  "More than okay," she whispered as she felt him push back the damp strands of her hair. She felt relieved and happy to be under him like this and she held his erection tightly in her hand. "I want more," she murmured, watching his face which was twisted with his own pleasure.

 

  His eyes were clenched shut and he groaned harshly when she squeezed him tight. He shifted slightly so that he was lying on top of her and he gently tugged her hand away, replacing it with his own. He grasped his cock, rubbing the tip of himself through her slick lower lips. He knew this was going to hurt her at first and he vowed to be as gentle and careful as he could. He thrust his hips slightly so that just the tip of him slid inside, then the first couple of inches, but then he stopped. "Is this good?" he panted, holding still. "Is this okay?"

 

  She nodded slightly. He wasn't at the breakage of her hymen yet, so just the sensation of him rubbing against her and then entering her were enough to send marvellous chills of pleasure throughout her body. She felt him move a little deeper, knowing that this was about to get painful for her and she spread her legs a little wider.

 

  She hadn't made any indication that she was in pain yet, so he continued, pushing further into her. He braced himself on his elbows above her, not resting his full weight on her. It felt like heaven just to be in her a little way like this, but he was ever mindful of the fact that he might hurt her. "Still all right?" he gasped.

 

  She nodded again, but the pain came when he pushed a bit more to break down her wall and she gave out a cry. It hurt so much in that tiny area and she closed her eyes, reaching for him.

 

  His hand moved to cup her cheek tenderly when she cried out and he fought the urge to cry himself. "I should stop, I'm hurting you," he said, getting ready to pull out of her. "I don't want to do this if it hurts you, Nefertiri."

 

  "No, Asim, please...the pain will stop if you push into me deeply," she murmured, gripping his shoulders tightly. She let her head rest on the pillow and gazed up at him adoringly.

 

  He gave her a crooked smile, his eyes sad at the fact that he was causing her pain, but he was helpless to refuse her commands. "As you wish, Princess," he whispered, staring into her eyes. He smiled at her reassuringly and then pushed into her all the way, sliding in so deep that his balls rested against the curve of her ass.

 

  She gasped out when he was fully embedded within her and it took a while before the pain became a dull ache and soon, the pleasure of having him inside of her took over. She let her arms cradle his back as she buried her face into his shoulder. She sighed, contracting her inner walls around him, getting used to feeling him deep inside her.

 

  He moaned when he felt her inner muscles clench tight around him and he shifted his hips slightly. "You feel so good," he told her, pulling out of her slowly and then sliding all the way back in again. "Is this nice?" he asked.

 

  "Oh yes...very good," she told him. The pain had all but left her body and although she knew she was going to be sore later, she really didn't care. She felt him push in and out of her in small strokes and she encouraged him for more. "That's right, just like that...oh, make love to me, Asim," she murmured.

 

  He sighed at the sounds of her encouragement and he began to build a rhythm, stroking smoothly in and out of her with long, deep thrusts. It felt so amazing and he let her know about it as he moaned deeply, kissing her neck and face. He pushed a hand between their bodies to massage her clit, wanting the pleasure to be even greater for her. "How about this, is this good?" he gasped, always wanting to know how he made her feel.

 

  She groaned when his fingers found her aroused pink flesh and she nipped at his neck, sucking harder the more he rubbed against her. "Feels incredible," she managed to breathe out as her mouth released his skin, leaving a pink mark on his neck.

 

  He moaned when he felt her sucking at his neck. It was just one more sensation after another and it was growing so much that he felt like he would burst. He continued rubbing over her clit as he thrust in and out of her, speeding up his movements a little.

 

  She gasped into his ear as she drove her hips hard against his and it wasn't long before she was experiencing her peak, feeling her body tighten around him in every way possible. She went weak in his arms, exhausted from their activities.

 

  He groaned when he felt her inner muscles spasming around him and he pushed into her hard and fast as he sought out his own release. His body stiffened when he climaxed, calling out her name as he spilled his juices inside her. He collapsed, absolutely spent, but he rolled them a little, making sure he didn't crush her.

 

  She lay against his chest, breathing hard as she came down from her wonderful climax. She let her hand trail through his hair as she told him, "that was beautiful. Thank you...thank you for sharing it with me." She took his hand in hers, kissing each knuckle.

 

  "You're very welcome," he said softly, trying to slow his breathing. His arms wound around her tightly, holding her to him. He kissed her forehead as his hands stroked over her back soothingly. "I've never seen anything more beautiful than you, Nefertiri," he whispered, not wanting to ever let her go.

 

  She smiled sleepily, her hair scattered over his chest, quite content to lay in his embrace like this. She gave into her exhaustion and closed her eyes. What had started out as fighting had ended in the ultimate act of companionship and she gave a small, kittenlike yawn, letting sleep take over her mind.

 

  He nuzzled her hair, feeling her chest rise and fall in deep, even breaths, signifying that she was asleep. He smiled, allowing himself to whisper, "I love you," into her ear and hoped that one day, he would be able to tell her while she was awake. For now though, he was content to stay as they were and he tightened his arms around his lover, watching over her as she slept.