The Art of Wooing

Writers: Heather, Miriah
Date Posted: 2nd September 2019
Series: The Hallmaster's New Wife

Characters: Enamra, Thayde
Description: Thayde begins the subtle art of wooing his wife.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 12, day 25 of Turn 9

Enamra

Thayde

The past sevenday had been confusing, a little easier, but also
exhausting for Enamra. She had buried herself in scrubbing their
quarters from top to bottom each day in an effort to exhaust herself
and sleep deeply on her side of the bed without the temptation to curl
up next to Thayde's warmth. She didn't know if she'd be able to sleep
closely beside him and not wonder what else she'd been doing wrong
with him. Or think about him getting up at night. If he did, she was
simply too asleep to notice.

But the man had taken to certain habits that she was sure were normal
for married couples, but hadn't been normal for them. Thayde had
started giving her light pecks on the lips before leaving for the
Dolphin infirmary and upon returning home, something he'd never done
before. The first time had startled her, but now she liked them. She
just didn't know how to really respond to it.

Now laying in bed, she found herself unable to sleep. A dull ache had
settled right between her shoulder blades, and no matter which way she
lay, it kept her awake. She'd scrubbed the floors on her hands and
knees today; perhaps she'd been a little too rough about it, she
decided. Sighing, she carefully rose, glanced over her shoulder at the
sleeping man on the other side of the bed and padded out.

The couch was comfortable and coals still crackled in the fireplace,
so she wrapped herself in a thin blanket and sat, flexing her
shoulders in an effort to find some sort of relief.

Even though she had made very little noise, the moment she left the
bed Thayde stirred and rolled over to see where she was going. He
caught a brief glimpse of her as she closed the bedroom door. Perhaps
she was visiting the water closet, he thought as he stretched out onto
his stomach, balled his pillow up under his head and waited for her to
return.

After several minutes had passed, Thayde kicked the blankets away and
left the bed. He wore only loose linen pants to sleep in, and he had
even contemplated sleeping in nothing at all, all a part of his plan
to woo his wife. She had been his for the taking before but now he was
having to work to regain her trust and he was pulling out all the
stops.

"You okay?" He asked as he padded into the living area to find her on the couch.

She jumped a little at the sound of his voice and half turned to look
at him. "I can't sleep. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." The
movement caused the ache along her shoulders to spike just a little
and she flinched, rolling her shoulders again. "Just a little sore,"
she admitted. "I over did it today, but just give me a little while
and I'll be okay."

Thayde rubbed a hand over his bare chest as he approached the
fireplace and added more wood and then stoked it back to a brighter
flame that lit the room. "Here, let me see if I can help ease that
tension some," he said as he crossed around behind the couch.

Her eyes followed his hand, then went back to the fire, thankful for
the warmth and glow. that illuminated the dark room. "It's really
nothing. I've been sore before." She felt him behind her, then looked
over her shoulder at him with a furrowed brow. Moving the long curtain
of her hair over her shoulder, she rolled them. "It just takes time is
all."

"You are married to a healer, you shouldn't have to go around with
knotted muscles when I can help." Thayde said as he put his hands on
her shoulders and began massaging, his thumbs taking special care to
knead the more tense areas. Her sore muscles served his purposes, he
thought, since he needed every opportunity he could get to put his
hands on his wife and make her realize that she was ready to have sex
with him.

At first she stiffened under his touch, then as his thumbs began to
stroke at knots that had been created from both recent tensions and
work, she gradually relaxed. With a sigh, she finally let her head
roll forward. Shells, it felt good, his fingers seemed to know just
where to press and it was indeed helping. Her eyes closed and she gave
a soft groan of appreciation.

"I told you," he said as he worked his thumbs up the back of her slender neck. What he wouldn't give to be hearing that moan in a different context.

"Uh huh." His hands felt warm and strong, the ache between her shoulders now eased. "Feels good."

"What about your feet?" he asked.

"Hm?" She lifted her head, eyes half- closed, then looked down at her feet, wiggling her toes. She'd never had a shoulder rub and was rather enjoying it; she felt cared for and almost a little special. Now more relaxed and more inclined to be sleepy, she stretched her toes towards the fire and gave a murmured purr at the warmth. "They're warming up."

Thayde smiled, trailing his fingers along her neck and shoulder as he came around the couch, picked her feet up, and then sat down with them in his lap. With expert hands, Thayde began pressing his thumbs down the middle of her small feet, the rest of his fingers working in firm circles, down over her heels and then slightly up her ankles.

"Wait, what are you doing? You don't have to..." Her voice trailed off into a sigh as his thumbs began to knead her feet. Her toes curled at the pure pleasure of it, and she leaned back against the side of the couch. There was a tension now in the room that she couldn't explain, but what his hands were doing felt to good for her to really care. Instead, she relaxed into his touch, watching him with sleepy eyes and a smile of relief on her lips.

'My hands could do this everywhere' Thayde's brown eyes seemed to say, gleaming in the firelight as his hands worked their way up to massage at the tense muscles of her calves. His calloused fingers never strayed higher than that for fear of scaring her off.

There was no healing the soft moan as her calves turned to butter in his hands, legs limp and pliant. Other parts of her were far less relaxed, her body visibly answering the invitation her sleepy mind didn't completely understand. Her breasts felt tight and her abdomen quivered, breaths becoming shallow even as her half-lidded eyes met his. The heat she saw there made her swallow and lips part, but she found words tumbling out of her mouth before she could think them. "Maybe I can sleep now. "

Thayde had been hoping for the opposite of sleep, but he knew that she had not been unaffected by his touch, which was progress. "Maybe," he agreed, returning her feet to the floor as he stood and offered her his hand.

Feeling as limp as a noodle, Enamra rose, but wobbled only for a moment, using Thayde's hand to steady her. Her eyes met his bare chest, then slowly slid upwards. "Thank you. "

"Any time," he said, holding her gaze for a long moment while the air crackled between them. "Let's get you to bed then," Thayde said, running a hand up her arm, and then down to the small of her back as he guided her toward their bedroom.

She shivered at the touch along her back, leaning into him, then caught herself and allowed Thayde to guide her back to their bedroom. He was touching her more now and Faranth help her, it was like every touch prickled down her spine and directly to her lower belly with that familiar ache she'd experienced before but had always been left unheeded. She approached their bed and instead of crawling in, looked up at him through her lashes.

That was an invitation Thayde was no longer going to resist. Taking Enamra's chin in his hand he tilted her face up to his and tasted her lips, lightly at first, but then deepening the kiss as he curled his free hand over one of her slender hips; kissing her as he never had before, kissing her the way a husband was meant to kiss his wife.

There was a gasp against his mouth and hesitation as the kiss deepened past what she had expected. Uncertain at the new experience, she parted her lips against his, eyes fluttering closed with a soft sigh. This felt right and good, but so intense it was almost frightening. She hands lifted to his bare chest, meaning to put distance between them, but then with a moan of acquiescence, she lifted them upwards to his shoulders.

**Easy,** his brain warned, but Thayde's body had already surged ahead, heady with the intoxicating taste of his young wife. Faranth, she was sweet, he thought. He dipped his tongue between her silken lips, teasing her tongue with his as his hand slid from her chin to nest in her hair.

All thought fled, as her knees wobbled and she clung to her husband. Unconsciously mirroring him, one hand slid to the hair at the nape of his neck, nails lightly scoring as she surrendered to his kiss and answered it. She was awkward at first with her response, but followed his lead, instinctively learning as he taught. It wasn't until she pressed full length against him and felt his body against hers that her mind protested.

She could feel _him_ against her belly and the memory it brought forth of his bare back in the moonlight, moving and flexing, was like a bucket of cold water. Enamra pulled away, panting and aching. Everything she'd been taught screamed at her that if he wanted her, she should allow it, to let him continue. He was her husband and had all rights to her body. But that memory... "Wait." She swallowed and licked slightly swollen lips. "I'm not... I'm not ready. "

**Damn,** he had the presence of mind to think, rather than to say out loud. Thayde pressed his forehead against hers, one arm still wrapped around her torso as he breathed hard, his body tingling from the deprived desire that still thrummed through his veins. "Okay," he said pressing his lips to her foread and then reluctantly setting her away from him as he took a step back. **Slo close,** he thought as he took in her wanton appearance; the mussed hair and red lips.

"I'm sorry. " she tried to catch her breath, and swallowed at the frustrating buzzing of her own body. She ached more than she ever had after the late night touching she'd gotten from him. And she knew from a quick glance at his sleeping trousers that she shouldn't gave stopped him. What kind of wife was she? "I'm so sorry. "

"You don't have to apologize, I started it," he grinned, eyes twinkling. "I am just going to go enjoy a nice cold bath," Thayde said, gesturing to the living room.

"Not out to the ocean?" The words spilled from her before she could stop them and she winced at her own lack of thought. "Sorry." She turned quickly away and hurried to the bed, biting her lip hard as she crawled up to her side of the bed and clamped her thighs shut, trying to ease the ache that remained.

"Not out to the ocean," Thayde confirmed, knowing that he deserved the question. "I'll be out here if you need me," he told her, leaving the bedroom door cracked so she could hear him dragging the tin tub into place.

Enamra listened to the dragging tub, one arm flung over her faces to cover her eyes as she shifted her thighs together in a hopeless effort to calm herself. She finally allowed the sounds of splashing water to soothe her into a fitful slumber.

Last updated on the September 3rd 2019

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The Art of Wooing