Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

AUGUST 19TH, 1666

S omething wet and rough touched Fox's face. He swatted at it without opening his eyes and settled back into sleep.

Again, the warm wetness swiped across his cheek, dragging him back to consciousness.

"Gaaaaaa?l," he whined. "Let me sleeeep."

Meow.

Finally Fox opened his eyes to find a slightly chubby gray cat perched on the pillow beside his head. The cat stared at him with wide blue eyes, then booped his cheek with its cold nose.

Ga?l wasn't in bed with him, only the cat.

He sat up quickly, scanning the room, but Ga?l wasn't there.

Fox inhaled sharply, panic instantly sparking in his gut. He'd quickly grown used to waking up beside Ga?l. Being crushed in his arms more often than not. Ga?l had been diligent about soothing his fears of abandonment, always waiting for Fox to wake up before getting out of bed.

Fox gathered the cat into his arms, trying to regulate his breathing and stave off the tide rising all around him. The cat mewled at him inquisitively.

Oh gods, it was happening again. Ga?l was gone.

Fox blinked back tears and cuddled the cat close. His breath came fast. Hyperventilating.

The door squealed open .

Fox's head snapped up to see Ga?l entering the room with a basket, his hair still messy from sleep.

"Ga?l," Fox choked, trying to swallow past the lump in his throat. He scrambled to the end of the bed, discarding the cat who chirped in protest.

"Good mor— What's wrong?" Ga?l noticed Fox's distress and abandoned the basket on the floor. He hurried to the end of the bed, where Fox was kneeling on the mattress, and gathered him against his chest.

"You weren't… I thought…" Fox stammered. Despite the relief that was flooding him at the sight of Ga?l, panic still curled through his chest. He fisted his hands in the front of Ga?l's shirt.

"Oh, sweetheart." Guilt crossed Ga?l's chiseled face as he realized what had happened. He cradled the back of Fox's head in his hand, pressing Fox's face into his shoulder. "I'm sorry." He kissed Fox's hair. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone. I'll never leave you. I promise."

Fox felt foolish for having such a reaction. For letting the panic overtake him so quickly. But in the moment it had seemed like the worst day of his life was happening all over again.

"I just went to get some food," Ga?l soothed. He pulled Fox away from his chest to look at him, cradling his tearful face between his palms. Fox bit his lip, trying to blink away the residual tears.

"Foxy, are you alright?"

Fox nodded, and Ga?l leaned in to kiss his forehead.

"Sorry," Fox murmured. "I'm pathetic."

"No. It's my fault. I should have waited."

The fact that Ga?l blamed only himself made Fox feel more pathetic, even as his heart clenched with fondness.

"You can't live your whole life waiting for me to wake up. I need to get over it," Fox said quietly.

"Everything takes time," Ga?l soothed. "I'll be here."

Fox smiled up at him gratefully.

"So…breakfast?" Fox asked.

"Ah." Ga?l helped Fox off the end of the bed. "Not breakfast. I was hoping to take you on a date."

Fox felt much calmer as he followed Ga?l out of the house. Ga?l hadn't let him see what was in the cloth-covered basket, and Fox was becoming increasingly more curious about what he had in store.

"Where are we going?" Fox asked, taking Ga?l's unoccupied hand and threading their fingers together.

Ga?l's dimples dented his cheeks as he smiled.

Fuck, Fox wished he could live in those dimples.

"My favorite place on the island," Ga?l answered, swinging their hands between them. "I think you'll like it."

The day was warm and sunny, bright blue waves just visible through the trees as they walked. After an hour, Fox heard the distant rush of water growing louder. Then they rounded the corner, and the scene opened before them.

A waterfall about twice Fox's height rushed over the edge of a mossy cliff, plummeting into a sparkling pool. A clear, slow moving river snaked off between the trees toward the sea.

"It's amazing!" Fox gasped. Ga?l squeezed his hand.

"You like it?" Ga?l sounded pleased.

"Of course!"

They picked their way down the bank to a wide, flat rock that jutted out into the water. Ga?l unpacked their picnic while Fox crouched at the edge of the rock, running his fingers through the cool water.

"Come eat," Ga?l said.

They settled onto the warm rock and tucked into the meal Ga?l had packed. Cheese, bread with butter, and fresh late summer blackberries.

"Mmm," Fox sighed, popping a blackberry into his mouth when he'd eaten his fill of the cheese and bread. He closed his eyes, letting his head fall onto Ga?l's broad shoulder.

"Foxy."

Fox opened his eyes.

"Are you feeling better?" Ga?l asked gently.

"Yeah." Fox laid back against the warm rock.

"I hope you know I would never leave you," Ga?l said seriously.

"I know. It's just… I couldn't help but get scared."

"I'm sorry," Ga?l apologized again for the hundredth time.

"Let's just enjoy the day." Fox sat up, a smile spreading across his lips. "Let's go for a swim. "

They stripped naked and jumped into the pool at the base of the waterfall. Fox gasped as he resurfaced, the shock of cold water forcing the breath from his lungs.

"Wimp," Ga?l teased. Fox splashed him, shrieking as Ga?l tackled him in turn.

"No fair!" Fox yelled. He tried to tackle Ga?l back, intent on tickling him into submission. But Ga?l dove away toward the waterfall. Fox followed.

Ga?l resurfaced beneath the tumbling water. Then reached out and pulled Fox in when he got close. Fox couldn't control his laughter—the joy of being with Ga?l like this, lighthearted and free, bubbled up uncontrollably.

"Foxy."

Ga?l was gazing at him lovingly, the waterfall cascading down over his head and shoulders, flattening his hair against his forehead. Fox pushed his own soaked hair out of his eyes.

"You look handsome," Ga?l said.

"As always." Fox smirked. Ga?l reached out to wrap an arm around Fox's slim waist, pulling their bodies flush against each other.

"I love you." Ga?l's deep voice vibrated through Fox's body.

Ga?l had never stopped saying it since that first day. He didn't ask Fox to return his feelings. He only wanted Fox to know he was loved. And Fox felt more loved, more taken care of, than he ever had before. His chosen family on the Siren and his true love were all together in one place, and the scars that held together his fragile heart were healing, slowly but surely. He'd known from the moment of their first kiss all those years ago that he loved Ga?l, and he hadn't stopped loving him since. That was why it hurt so much, why he'd pushed it down and pretended it was hatred instead.

But now he was safe. Now he could bring it back to the surface.

"I love you too."

Ga?l's whole face lit with surprise, then joy, and Fox felt warmth spreading through his limbs like a tropical tide. He leaned further into Ga?l's embrace, lifting his face to bask in the sunlight of his beloved smile.

The kiss was slow and tender at first. Ga?l's tongue parted Fox's lips gently. Fox sighed into his mouth, melting at Ga?l's touch. They'd slept together countless times since their reunion on board the Siren . Sometimes Fox topped, sometimes Ga?l. But Ga?l's touch always ignited passion no matter where they were or what they were doing.

The kiss deepened, Ga?l's hand slipping down Fox's waist to cup the curve of his ass. Fox flattened his palms against Ga?l's warm chest. They moved through the water toward the back of the waterfall, only up to their waists in the pool.

Ga?l's hard cock pressed against his skin beneath the water.

"Ga?l…" he moaned.

"Here." Ga?l broke their embrace, taking Fox's hand and leading him behind the waterfall. They climbed three steps that had been cut into the rock, ending up on a shelf of rock tucked behind the waterfall.

Sunlight shone through the falling water, shimmering on their soaked skin and reflecting in waves off the roof of the shallow cave.

Ga?l eased Fox down onto the rock. Its surface was smoothed by decades of water wearing it away, and Fox knew better than most the changes that time could bring. Ga?l's hands moved over his skin, trailing warmth and tingling pleasure. He kissed beneath Fox's jaw, moving down his throat and over his chest. Fox's soft moan was lost beneath the rushing water as Ga?l's tongue circled his pebbled nipple. He arched into Ga?l's touch, seeking more heat. Ga?l's mouth continued over his ribs and stomach, then sank down around Fox's cock, the warmth of his tongue dragging over the supple skin.

"Mmm." Fox let his hands fall back against the smooth rock behind his head, his legs falling open to allow Ga?l the access he needed. He was still a little loose from the night before, and Ga?l's wet fingers sank in easily, quickly finding the small bundle of nerves at his core.

Ga?l's nimble fingers moved as expertly as his mouth. Quickly building the pleasurable heat throughout Fox's body and loosening him further.

"Ga?l, please." Fox wanted more; impatient heat desperately pulled at every nerve in his body. The sound of the waterfall roared in his ears, drowning out everything else. Ga?l complied to Fox's begging and withdrew his fingers and mouth. Fox whined, but he wasn't left untouched for long. Ga?l flipped him onto his stomach, propping his hips up and kneading the pliant flesh of his butt cheeks with strong hands.

Fox lifted himself to his elbows, hands clasped almost prayerfully before his face. Ga?l's breath feathered across Fox's exposed hole, causing him to clench down on nothing.

"You're so pretty back here," Ga?l murmured. His thumb brushed the pink edge, and Fox whimpered. "So pink and cute."

A shiver broke across Fox's skin as the breath of Ga?l's words wafted hot over him. Ga?l separated his cheeks further.

Fox's body jolted in surprise as Ga?l's warm, wet tongue circled the pink bud of his entrance. He clenched again, desperate to be filled. He felt more than heard Ga?l chuckle at his desperation. Ga?l's tongue swirled the other direction, then gently probed into Fox's hole. Fox's hips rutted back involuntarily onto Ga?l's face, and Ga?l squeezed his ass cheeks harder to keep him in place.

Ga?l's tongue stroked tantalizingly into Fox's interior, sending warm tingles through his body. Fox imagined he could almost feel Ga?l's taste buds pressing to his soaking walls. Fox's teeth sank into his lower lip hard, stifling the pathetic little mewls and whimpers that tried to tumble past his lips. One of Ga?l's fingers slipped in beside his tongue, catching on the rim then intruding further and curling down to massage Fox's prostate.

"I need you," Fox keened again. He could barely stand this cornucopia of sensation as Ga?l feasted on his insides like a starving man. Drool coated Ga?l's face and Fox's ass cheeks, mixing with the water that still beaded his skin. Ga?l's tongue continued to lick along Fox's desperately quivering walls as his finger massaged and stretched him. Ga?l was indulging himself, sumptuously lapping at the pliant pink flesh and listening to Fox's pleasured sounds.

Fox's head was fuzzy and warm with euphoria, the waterfall's roar buzzing in his ears. If he let Ga?l do whatever he wanted, Fox would tumble over the edge into an orgasmic puddle before he even got the chance to be filled with Ga?l's delicious dick.

"Ga?l…" Fox managed to moan. The pad of Ga?l's finger pressed into Fox's prostate and it was as if he could feel everything, the whorls of Ga?l's fingerprints, the texture of his tongue, imprinting themselves forever on his insides. "P-please…fuck me…"

With one last indulgent stroke, Ga?l's tongue and fingers withdrew, replaced by the tip of his cock teasing Fox's soaked entrance. He pressed forward slowly, careful not to cause Fox any discomfort in the absence of proper lube .

Fox bit his knuckle. He wanted to move, to take all of Ga?l in. But he knew he had to be patient. Ga?l liked to take his time.

"You're so tight," Ga?l groaned. His lips trailed up Fox's spine, and Fox's hips pushed back just a little more, taking all of Ga?l's thick cock. Ga?l's teeth grazed Fox's bare shoulder, and he began to move, hips rolling like the waves beyond the horizon, powerful and fluid. The thrusts quickly grew in intensity. Fox tried to match the pace, rutting his hips back to take Ga?l up to the base with every thrust.

"So perfect," Ga?l praised, his hands gripping Fox's waist hard. He was always like this when he was inside Fox, worshiping him body and soul.

Fox's cries of pleasure echoed off the ceiling of the cave. He reached between his legs to wrap his hand around his own cock, pumping in time with the rhythm of Ga?l's thrusts.

Ga?l panted, planting one foot against the stone to get a deeper angle and now hitting Fox's prostate with every thrust. Fox's carnal need sharpened.

"Fuck. Right there," he panted, his own hand moving more desperately around his weeping cock.

"Come for me, sweetheart," Ga?l moaned.

Fox was swimming in Ga?l's touch, drowning in it. The ecstasy left him feeling drunk as he crested the wave of his orgasm. Ga?l rode him through it as Fox's cum spilled between his fingers onto the damp stone.

"You're so perfect. So beautiful," Ga?l rasped as Fox's slick walls clenched and quivered around him. "I'm gonna make you come again."

Fox's first orgasm was barely even over, but Ga?l's words ramped his need back up again, moving him quickly past overstimulation and into shuddering shockwaves. Every thrust of Ga?l's exquisite cock sent another jolt through him.

"I'm close," Fox panted. All he could do was brace against the rock beneath him. Suddenly Ga?l pulled out, pushing Fox onto his back and burying himself in again. He captured Fox's lips with his own, and his hips stuttered. Fox's mind blanked out for a moment, filled only with the rippling sensation of his second orgasm. A moment later, Ga?l's cock throbbed, and his cum rushed hot into Fox's quivering cavity .

Ga?l groaned as his hips stuttered to a stop. He leaned down to nuzzle into the crook of Fox's neck, kissing the spot where his pulse thundered beneath his skin. Fox wrapped his arms around Ga?l's broad shoulders, still panting as they both came down from their orgasms. Ga?l's now softening cock was still seated deep inside him.

After a few moments, Ga?l withdrew, but he stayed hovering over Fox, gazing at him.

"Gods, you're beautiful, Foxy." His lips brushed across the freckles on Fox's cheek reverently.

Fox's stomach fluttered. It was such a simple compliment, yet from Ga?l's lips, it sounded like poetry.

Ga?l sat up and helped Fox up as well.

"Was this your plan all along?" Fox asked teasingly.

Ga?l's cheeks flushed prettily.

"Maybe."

"Naughty." Fox bumped his shoulder against Ga?l's. Ga?l just smirked back.