17. Anevae

Iwoke the next morning in my bed with no recollection of how I'd ended up there. The last thing I could recall was falling asleep on Maeyve's shoulder. I reached over to the other side of the bed to see if she was there, but it was unoccupied. As I sat up, she walked through the door with two plates and a couple of forks hanging from her mouth.

After she handed me a plate, she reached up and took the silverware out of her mouth, flashing a bright smile. "Good morning. You look so cute when you sleep. I didn't want to wake you." She kissed my forehead lightly, then handed me a fork and sat beside me on the bed.

I didn't realize how hungry I was until I smelled the omelet she made me. When I took my first bite, my eyes rolled back, and I let out a small moan. I wasn't sure what she put in the omelet, but it was delicious.

"Well, I'm glad to see I'll be able to make you moan outside of the bedroom as well," Maeyve said with a giggle.

Trying not to choke on my food, I swallowed and smacked her arm. "Wow! I wasn't expecting that from you! You already know you can make me moan anywhere you want."

In a matter of minutes, my omelet was gone. When we were both done eating, I placed our plates on one of the end tables and climbed back onto the bed in front of Maeyve.

Putting my finger on her lips, I purred, "Let me show you my appreciation." Then, I replaced my finger with my lips, kissing her long and slow. But before pulling back, I bit her lip, and she chuckled.

"I like where this is going," she whispered, eyes darkening as she looked at me.

Wetting her lips, she pulled me in for another kiss, and I skimmed my hands down her sides. When I found the hem of her borrowed shirt, I slid my fingers underneath to feel her smooth skin. Separating for a moment, I pulled the shirt over her head and pushed her onto her back.

Moving to straddle her, I admitted, "You know, I've never been given the opportunity to be in control during sex, but I'm finding that I like it sometimes. I love hearing all the sounds you make and knowing I'm the one causing you to make them."

Maeyve smiled and placed her hands on my hips. As she started talking, she ran her hands up and down my thighs, sending a heat wave through my core. "You can't have control all the time, sweetheart. Know that I feel the same way about pulling those delicious sounds from your lips. I'm finding that I kind of like letting you take over sometimes, though."

Leaning down, I whispered in her ear, "My question for you is, how much control are you willing to give to me?"

Her hands stopped when the last word slipped past my lips. I tried to sit up to look at her, but she gripped my hips and flipped us over so I was pinned beneath her. Lowering her mouth to my ear, she nipped at my earlobe. "One step at a time there, sweetheart. Just because I said I like letting you take control didn't mean I would give up all control right now."

As she started kissing down my neck, I said, "Well damn. I was just about to have a lot of fun."

When she reached my collarbone, she sat up and reached for my shirt to work on the buttons that adorned the front. After a few torturous seconds, her hands slid underneath the open fabric to the bare skin of my belly.

"You're so beautiful," she murmured as her eyes skimmed over my exposed skin.

Sitting me up, she removed my shirt. As I laid back down, her lips were on mine again. After several sensual and deep kisses, she trailed kisses down my neck, where she bit me playfully. Then, she licked the spot, sending more heat waves through my body.

I reached up and tightly held her shoulders as she descended lower. When she reached my chest, she licked a line to my nipple. Arching my back, she took the opportunity to pull the hardened peak into her mouth, biting it lightly. After releasing it, she played with the piercing. When I arched my back again, she moved to the other side, giving it the same treatment.

Lifting her head, she looked at me through her lashes and asked, "Do you like it when I bite you?" When I nodded, she planted a kiss on my sternum and gave me a sly grin. "Does it allow you to feel more pleasure?" When I nodded again, she let out a short laugh and trailed kisses back up to my neck.

Moving to sit up, she skimmed her hands across my skin. "I love how you react when I bite you; you make such beautiful sounds, and your pulse quickens every time. They say pain can induce pleasure. If you like biting, I wonder how much you'd like it if I spanked that juicy ass." When the last word left her lips, the pulsing in my center amped up, wishing she would do it.

A devious grin crossed Maeyve's face as I squirmed beneath her. "Have you ever been spanked before?" I chewed my lip ring as I shook my head. "Do you like the idea of being spanked?"

With another nod, I said, "I'd love to know what it feels like."

Maeyve's orange eyes lit up like a fire had been ignited behind her irises. She slid her fingertips under the hem of my shorts and stroked the sensitive flesh there. Then, she gripped my hips and flipped me over, lifting my ass into the air. She groaned as she pulled my shorts and panties down, discarding them on the floor.

My ass was still up in the air, and just the thought of her looking me over had wetness dripping from between my thighs. I glanced over my shoulder at her. She was sitting back on her haunches and had sucked her bottom lip into her mouth; her stare was locked onto my ass.

As I watched her, she raised her hand and brought it back down on my sensitive flesh. The sting of the impact shocked me at first, eliciting a gasp, but then my skin began to tingle, and I whimpered. The sensations sent a direct shot to my clit, and it throbbed. I wanted more. How would it feel to have her do it time and time again?

I'd experienced pain in the past when I was engaged to Ambrose, but never like this. His goal was to break me; Maeyve's goal was to bring me more pleasure. I'd dabbled in some BDSM during my hook-up phase after my engagement with Ambrose ended, but my relationship with him continuously haunted me. No matter how much I tried to avoid thinking about him, he always snuck in at the worst possible times.

Maeyve rubbed my ass in the spot where she hit, pulling me back into the moment. Then she arched her hand up and around, coming down on my ass again. I let out another whimper and flinched on instinct. When she shifted, I glanced back at her.

Her brows had furrowed, and her lips pursed before she asked, "What's wrong? Did I hurt you? Did I hit you too hard?"

Biting one of my lip piercings, I took a deep breath and lied, "I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You've got a death grip on the sheets, and you flinched when my hand made contact the last time. Please talk to me."

Turning around, I sat up on my haunches. The red-hot skin on my ass bumped up against my heel, and I winced. All thoughts of pleasure had been erased from my mind.

"I'm sorry. It's a very long story for another time, but I was hurt in a past relationship, and it still haunts me. I know you have no intent to hurt me the way he did, but it still plagues my mind at the worst possible times."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I want you to know I would never hurt you intentionally. Where is this prick?" Maeyve asked.

"Well, I'm not sure what happened to him after our engagement was called off."

"I hope he got what he deserved. If anyone ever lays a hand on you again, I will waste no time in causing them ten times more pain than they ever could have thought to cause you."

Tears lined my lower lids. When the last words left her lips, I whispered, "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," she murmured, caressing my cheek. "Let's go downstairs and make some coffee so we can truly start the day."

After finishing our coffee, we headed upstairs again to get dressed. The weather was warm enough that I didn't need a jacket, and I was ecstatic. Autumn was my favorite season back home, but late spring here was beautiful so far. The mountains" temperatures drastically differed from those I was used to on the East Coast.

I pulled on a long-sleeved flannel and thick leggings while Maeyve put on the clothes she had worn the day before. Most of my clothes wouldn't fit her taller and leaner frame without falling off or being too short.

As Maeyve followed me through the greenhouse with an armload of supplies, she teased, "Aren't you glad I'm here to help? You would've had to make more than one trip to take everything outside." I turned to glare at her, but the grin plastered on her face made me smile instead. "Where are we starting today?"

"We're going to the plots on the edge of the woods so I can keep a close eye on everything from the greenhouse."

"Okay. Sounds like a plan. Please let me know how I can help you as we go. I'm interested in what you're doing and hate feeling useless."

"You're silly. I hope you realize you're the exact opposite of useless. I'll let you know if I need help, but I'll gladly have your company. I love spending time with you."

Her cheeks turned a bright red. "Thank you. It's been a long time since I've had company, and I enjoy being around you, too. Are you ready to head out?"

When I nodded, she opened the door for me, and we wandered out to the garden plots. The sun's warm rays danced over me. It was invigorating. However, the closer we got to the woods, the harder it became to feel the heat through the trees.

Once we reached our destination, I set down the items I was carrying, and Maeyve followed suit. Grabbing my tools, I began preparing the soil in both plots. One plot would include the soil additive, while the other would be untouched. Doing this allowed me to compare how well the increased amount of Manganese helped the plants grow. All the other components would be the same for each side: temperature, amount of water, and sunlight.

As I did my work, Maeyve sat on the ground, watching me, and asked several times if she could help me. Laughing every time she asked, I refused the help until I was ready to plant the seeds.

Pulling two seed packets from my pocket, I handed one to Maeyve. "These are tomato seeds. I want you to make shallow little holes about a quarter of an inch deep and keep them an inch apart, then put two seeds in each hole and lightly cover it."

"I can do that," she said and then set to work on the control side.

I watched her for a moment, appreciating the effort she put into this small thing that was so important to me. Refocusing on the task at hand, I made my small holes as I'd told Maeyve to do and added three drops of the additive to each one. Capping the bottle, I ripped open my packet and placed two seeds in each hole before covering them and leveling the ground. I'd see seedlings erupting from the soil in about a week, but it depended on how much the temperatures fluctuated. I was still excited. I loved seeing each plant's stages and how each was slightly different from the one next to it.

When I was done planting, I brushed my hands on my pants, shaking away the excess dirt. Looking over, I was surprised to find Maeyve staring up at me from her spot on the ground, already done with her task.

"You were fast." My voice was lighthearted as I added, "Did you do everything just how I told you to?"

Maeyve's mouth dropped open. "Are you saying I'm incompetent?" Standing up, she approached me with a smirk.

My cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "Th-that wasn't at all what I was trying to say!"

"I know you were just kidding. It was my turn to give you heck. I did everything just as you told me to. What else needs to be done out here?"

"I just need to water the plots and do some paperwork to document the start of my experiment. Other than that, I have no other plans right now."

Grabbing my hand, she pulled me to her and gave me a light kiss. "Let's take these tools inside and grab your watering cans. Then, we can eat lunch and figure out what to do from there. How does that sound?"

Pulling her knuckles to my lips, I gently kissed them. "That sounds like a great plan."