Blood & Ivy

The seaside inn

Josephine was floating for the rest of the day. She stole glances and exchanged flirtatious smiles with Keeran, completely blissful from their kiss. By the time it was nearly dark, they arrived in Norfolk, a settlement on the coast. It was busy, chaotic almost compared to Williamsburg, from the handful of times she did go into town. There were boats in the harbor, and people all along the docks, shuffling through either the start of their new lives in the colonies, or ending the adventure and returning home. Josephine was in awe at the vast expanse of inky blue waves in front of her. The last rays of the setting sun still painted the horizon with shades of deepest pink and orange, contrasting beautifully with the deep of the ocean. The sound of the waves were soothing to her soul, the salty mist that hung in the air tickled her sense of smell in a pleasant way.

Josephine followed Keeran towards an inn, close to where they would be able to see the ocean from a window, and Josephine hoped they got a view of the busy and beautiful harbor as the seagulls cawed from above. As they entered, Keeran placed a hand on the small of Josephine's back, protectively and instinctively. She looked up at him surprised, and he just cast her a sideways smirk. “One room for the night please, preferably with a view of the harbor. My new wife loves the ocean,” Keeran's lightly accented voice spoke from beside her. Josephine tried not to look even more surprised, then tried to hide her ever building blush upon her cheeks. While Keeran settled with the innkeeper on a room, his hand gradually slid from her back to her hip, settling there with a grip that make Josephine weak at the knees and her heart race. Her brain turned to mush and didn't even realize the transaction was over until they had stepped into the cool, salty air again to get their belongings and have their horses stalled for the night.

Once they arrived at their room, Josephine realized that there was only one bed, because they were pretending to be a married couple. She blushed furiously as she also wanted to change. “K-Keeran?” she asked nervous. “Yes, love?” he responded, his back towards her as he looked through his bag. “H-how am I supposed to change...?” she questioned. He turned around to face her, smiled sweetly and stepped closer. “Jo, all you had to do was ask. I'll go grab another blanket, it gets cold here at night,” he kissed her cheek and departed out of their room door. Josephine smiled at the small display of affection, his use of the nickname she always wanted someone close to her to use, and his thoughtfulness. She wanted to change into her nightdress as quick as possible, and be under the covers before Keeran returned. She then thought of how he would change, when the door opened to reveal Keeran again, with another blanket. She smiled sweetly at him as he smiled victoriously from the doorway, “Keeran, how are you supposed to change while I'm in here?” Josephine pondered while he laid the extra blanket atop of her in the bed. He then smiled deviously, and leaned close, a hand on either side of her covered legs. “Well Jo, darling, I can trust you to close your eyes since you're a lady. I on the other hand, cannot control myself around your beauty,” his voiced purred, husky with desire. Flames from the candles danced across his square jaw, accented his cheekbones and made his jade green eyes come even more alive. Josephine was frozen, entranced by Keeran as he was entranced by her. He stared at her for a few moments, lost in her emerald green eyes, that tried to stare into his soul, before he went to move. At the slight loss of pressure beside her, Josephine was instant; her soft, small hand reached his cheek and pulled him towards her, desperate for the feel of his lips on hers again. Keeran was taken aback, not expecting the action. That shocked him even more, as almost nothing took him by surprise, but since meeting Josephine's eyes across the inn, that's all that seemed to happen now. His lips danced back with hers with fervor, passion set every cell in his body on fire. Josephine's other hand found its way into his hair, and ran through each curl, which brought a deep growl-like moan to Keeran's throat. Josephine almost hesitated, but was filled with such a fiery desire at the sound, she ignored every societal warning and climbed from under the covers and towards Keeran, her lips never once lost contact. Keeran's hand went to her thinly covered waist, a deep moan of want escaped his lips as he could feel the warmth of Josephine's skin underneath the thin cotton on his fingers. Josephine wrapped her arms around his neck and straddled his lap, the space between them unconfined and closed. His large hands gripped her hips, so tightly she was sure she'd be bruised in the morning, but never wanted it to stop. She could feel his excitement slightly beneath her core, which was on fire with want and need. Keeran's lips were skilled which took her lips with his, and his tongue danced in perfect time with hers. She grabbed the hem of Keeran's cotton shirt, and in one swift movement, pulled it off over his head, their lips broke contact for only seconds. Josephine moaned in approval at Keeran's body as her hands made contact with his now bare abs. They were hard and defined, underneath just as defined a chest. Chiseled from marble, his pale skin was a masterpiece her hands needed to explore. Keeran had gradually pulled up her thin nightdress, to expose her milky thighs. His hands grabbed her soft thighs, close to her rear to pull her close to him, the heat from her body drove him wild with lust.

Josephine reached for the buttons on Keeran's breeches, when he grabbed her wrist with a swiftness that caught her off guard but didn't deter her. His lips left hers cold, and he stared into her eyes. “Jo...” His voice was deeper than she'd ever heard, and thick with lust. His eyes held a fire that made them literally glow, and Josephine gasped. She knew she had seen his eyes glow before, because they were again now. No moonlight or candlelight could make them glow, as they created a brighter light than either could. The green light mesmerized her, which slightly cooled the fire that radiated through her entire body.  “Jo... If you continue doing what you're trying to do, I may not be able to bring myself to stop. Be sure you want it,” his voice whispered, as he brought his lips down to Josephine's neck. Her head rolled and eyes closed, the soft kisses upon her sensitive throat and jaw reignited the flame within her that was extinguished at the sight of his glowing eyes. His eyes. “Your eyes were glowing..” She whispered, as she wrapped her hands around his neck again. Keeran froze against her, his lips lingering just above the skin of her shoulder, his hot breath brought goosebumps. How could he have been so careless? How could he have allowed himself to lose control like that? Josephine had a way of bringing down his guard he didn't even realize it, and now feared for what was to come. His grip on her loosened, as he prepared for the questions. “I don't care Keeran, just explain to me soon. But for now, don't stop,” Josephine's voice pleaded, desire heavy in her words. He slightly relaxed at her words, a small chuckle echoed through his chest, and his lips returned to their spot on her neck. A small moan escaped her lips, before it was cut off by Keeran's lips, less passion in the contact but more sweetness. His hands on her thighs went back to her waist, and gripped her to lift her off of Keeran's lap and beneath the covers again. Josephine looked at Keeran confused as his lips departed from her now swollen lips. Her furrowed brow was met with a half-hearted smile, a conflict behind Keeran's eyes. “You should rest, love. We had a long journey today and have more tomorrow...” Keeran whispered into the distance between them. He gently kissed her forehead, “Goodnight, Jo.” And Josephine was asleep before her head completely touched the pillow.