In The Beginning by Gail Daley (top 100 books of all time checklist .TXT) 📕

groin, and she made a tiny sound of satisfaction. He shifted his mouth to her neck, and her legs tightened around him, creating more pressure where she wanted it. He felt smooth and silky against her, and at the same time hard.

Andre shifted his hands to rub the tips of her aroused nipples, and she buried her mouth in his neck. It wasn’t enough, and she moved her hips against his shaft, increasing the tightening in her groin, by rubbing her nether mouth against him, but she wanted more.

Andre’s lips slid sideways, and he licked the lobe of her ear, sucking on the sensitive skin under her jaw. At the same time, he parted the lips of her nether mouth with his fingers, pushing inside until he found the sensitive bud of pleasure. Rebecca gasped and bucked against his hand when his finger rubbed it.

“Rebecca?” he asked. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No,” she gasped out, moving urgently against his fingers.

When he stroked her swollen nipple again with his free hand, Rebecca went over the edge, her womb convulsing with a wave of pleasure so strong her whole body vibrated.

Her channel was still quivering with tiny shocks of pleasure when Andre lifted her bottom and set her back down on his pulsing shaft. The weight of her body broke through her hymen and he filled her, even as his tongue thrust deep into her mouth. Rebecca clung to him when he lifted and dropped her buttocks, creating thrusts of desire as his rod brushed her bud of pleasure the way his fingers had earlier. Her second orgasm came just as Andre groaned his release, leaving both of them limp and boneless.

After they recovered enough to climb out of the tub, they dried each other off and staggered to the tall bed, where they fell asleep cuddling each other.

When he roused her again in the night, sucking on her nipples, she woke to remembered pleasure, spreading her legs eagerly, and reaching for his shaft. At her touch, Andre gave a groan of pleasure, and thrust up inside her, plunging in and out until they shuddered again in climax. Andre rolled on his back holding her with him, and they fell back to sleep still linked.

They came down to breakfast the next morning holding hands. Lewys cast a searching look at his granddaughter's face as they entered, relaxing when he saw her serene expression.

Call To Battle

SELENE'S FRIENDLY, generous nature made her reach out to the shy newcomer her own age, and soon the duo of Selene and Tyrel became a threesome that included Issa. With help from their new friend, Selene and Tyrel, under Lela's supervision, spent any time they could spare from their studies creating protection amulets for everyone inside Ironlyn and in the village.

The Harbor master hadn't been pleased to find out part of Andre's defense against invasion might be a massive storm which would cause flooding and could damage the fishing fleet. However, he yielded to Andre's argument that the storm would be preferable to being sacked by invaders. The village spent the summer preparing shelters in which they could take refuge above the flood lines and prepping their homes and businesses for floods.

As fall descended on Ironlyn and the surrounding countryside, the weather turned crisp and cold. Winter storms made the seas rough, and rains turned the roads leading to the Trade Station into boggy mires. Making it less obvious Trebottom had sent out word to avoid the area when the Shahen arrived.

Catrin had set up a nursery/play area for Mikel in a room next to the infirmary and encouraged his nurse Susl to bring him down to join her when she was working in the dispensary or tending patients. As her grandfather had surmised, Catrin was beginning to fall into the trap of thinking of Mikel as hers. This was reinforced because Logan was totally ignorant of child care, and he and Susl both depended on Catrin to make final decisions about Mikel's care.

It hadn't taken Maegan long to discover Logan spent much of his free time with the baby despite her efforts to draw him away. Although Logan appeared oblivious to the other Magi's intentions, Catrin soon realized Maegan wanted more from Logan than he seemed interested in giving. It was soon obvious Maegan resented the time Logan spent with Mikel. So when the girl kept coming into the infirmary to stare at the child, Catrin's newly aroused maternal instinct went on alert. It was possible the girl was trying to please Logan by spending time with the little boy, but Catrin doubted it. To test her theory, she asked, "Do you like children?"

"Not especially," the other girl admitted. "I can't figure out why Logan spends so much time with this one; the brat isn't even his."

"He may as well be," Catrin warned her. "Logan agreed to stand as father to him before Sylvie died you know, and he is very fond of him."

Maegan gave her a calculating look. "Maybe you could take him on."

"He's a sweet baby," Catrin said. "I'm happy to spend time with him. But my spending time with Mikel won't change how Logan feels about him."

"He could get sick or have an accident," Maegan said thoughtfully. "Kids his age do, don't they?"

A surge of protective maternal fury abruptly enveloped Catrin. She made a soft, growling sound, and Maegan abruptly found herself suspended upside down, face to face with an angry Catrin. When she attempted to free herself, Ironlyn's powerful Wards wrapped her in imprisoning bands.

"What are you doing?" Maegan demanded, struggling against the restraints. "What did I do?"

"You had best hope nothing ever happens to Mikel," Catrin said softly. "If he sneezes or gets a splinter, I'm going to blame you for it, understand?"

"Sure," Maegan said. "I never said I would hurt him. I might want him out of the way, but I wouldn't hurt him."

Catrin turned her right-side up, dropped her jarringly onto the ground, releasing her control on the Wards