With passion

After her initial shock Brenan felt Red's arms entwine around his neck and her mouth open invitingly. She tasted like salt, wind and sea and Brenan pulled her even tighter as their tongues explored each other's mouths.

“Wow.” Red exhaled when the kiss finally ended as suddenly as it had started. “I didn't think that would ever happen.” Brenan stared at her in confusion until she remind him of their time together on the Kranderkill. “I invited you twice to my bunk, Brenan. You turned me down flat both times.” The memory of swinging in his hammock those nights with a raging hard-on made Brenan grimace in a pained smile. He kissed her again, softly this time and for not nearly as long as the first kiss before he even tried to explain.

“I wasn't into 'Good Boy' rewards, Red.” Brenan muttered uncomfortably. “I didn't want to sleep with you because I learned the belaying points for the mainsail ropes, or how to coil a perfect ballantine.” Brenan could see Red didn't understand what he was talking about so he tried to explain. “Most of the other trainees were just boys Red, they would have done anything to earn your approval.” Red nodded slowly and Brenan took that as a good sign. “That wasn't me. I'd been killing people in the Veer army when they were still in day-school.” It was no lie, Brenan had dropped out of school when he was only ten, but most boys finished day-school when they were around fourteen. At fourteen he had been living out on the streets, running with a gang, stealing his food and sleeping under overhangs. In a way being drafted into the army had been a step up in his life...

This time it was Red who initiated the kissing, loosening the buttons on his vest as she pressed her lips to his ear. “I know.” She whispered “I remember how angry you were, all the time.” Her tongue traced a line around his earlobe making it difficult to even think. “I almost didn't ever invite you Brenan, because of that grim face you wore.” Red's palm had slipped under his vest and he could feel the warmth against his right flank as she stroked him. “You were scary as hell.” She admitted softly into his ear as she kissed it again “But every once in a while, I thought I saw some hint of humanity in you Brenan. That's what I was hoping to see; why I invited you to my berth.”

“And I turned you down.” Brenan chuckled at the irony of the decision.

“Honestly, the first time you rejected me I was relieved.” Red laughed freely as she pulled his vest off his shoulders. “Don't look shocked. You were one mean bastard when we picked you off the docks. Green and bitter as a sourgrape, and once people saw you using your knife, no-one wanted to get on your bad side.” Brenan grinned as he remembered his first few knife drills, he had been good with knives even before joining the army, and after almost ten years honing his skills there weren't many people who were even close to his skill level. After struggling for days to learn the dozens of mundane tasks that sailors did without thought it was a relief to be able to find something that he excelled at.

“But you asked me again.” Brenan reminded her as he unbuckled the holster and slipped it off to one side. Truly, Brenan was more interested in making up for lost time than rehashing those lonely days after his desertion, but he never understood Red's rational for her sporadic invitations, and it had always bugged him.

“It was because of something I saw on shore-leave one morning” Red recounted pulling his tunic free from his belt. “I saw you pull a kicking and screaming kid from a fight and march him back to his mom.” Brenan vaguely remembered the incident, the boy had reminded him a little of his childhood. “You gave that young mother a silver crown and walked away before she could even thank you. It must have been half your shore-leave money.” Brenan didn't remember that part, but he'd done other stupid things in his past so he just shrugged his shoulders. Red was in his arms again and this time as they kissed she had her hands beneath his white linen shirt exploring his chest and back.

“I was the first-shift duty officer for the port-watch that night, and had just been relieved when you came back much earlier than the rest of the shore-leave, probably because you had no money.” Brenan remembered the next bit all too clearly, Red had led him to the officer's wardroom and had her arms around him just like this. Somehow he had been able to resist the temptation that night and she had never mentioned it again. Not this time. In one fluid movement Red slipped her arms out of her dress and tumbled back into his embrace pressing her breasts to his mouth and sighing with pleasure when he turned his attention to the puckered nipples that crowned her tits.

Red held him firmly as he sucked and licked at her breasts, it was a while before Brenan finally managed to pull away long enough to strip off his shirt so his chest was as bare as hers. He could feel the warmth of her skin on his and the definition of her shoulder and back muscles. She was somehow soft and hard at the same time and he loved the way she quivered as he explored each square centimeter of flesh.

There wasn't any talking for the next few minutes, just a sudden scramble to tear off of the rest of their clothes and then the moment that Brenan thought he'd never experience. There was no bed, or even a blanket to lay on the rocks. Eventually after a few awkward experiments they ended up with Red leaning against one of the great rounded boulders and Brenan standing between her legs holding tightly to one of her knees as he pushed up into her.

Despite the unorthodox position Brenan savoired the experience. He had thought to tease Red until she melted in his arms but in the end he lacked the control to govern his passion. He thrust deeply into her warm sheath again and again, each time lifting her off the ground and pressing her against the smooth stone at her back. Red was as needy as he; her long leg curled around his waist and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders clinging to him with wordless moans and grunts.

Brenan came far too soon; the heat of her sex gripping his shaft and the undisguised passion with which Red responded to his urgent need was too much for him to resist. For a fraction of a second he cursed his lack of control, but then Red cried out in pleasure too as she too exploded flooding him with hot fluid as he lifted her off the ground and held her aloft. Only after his last spasm did he set her down against the warm rock releasing her leg so she could stand again as he slowly softened deep inside her.

“Damn.” Was all Brenan could manage when his breathing finally slowed enough for him to speak. “I didn't plan for that to happen.”