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It was barely nine o'clock in the morning and the day was already scorching hot. Every window in the estate was wide open in hopes of catching an errant breeze, but the curtains lay listless against the casings.
Hawke hadn't bothered to dress. Even wearing only her loose cotton pants and breast band, sweat beaded on her skin and ran in rivulets down her back. In Lothering on a hot summer day like today, she and Bethany would have slipped off to the stream and cooled themselves in the frigid water that flowed down from the mountains.
How she missed those days.
The basement door opened then, and in walked Fenris, clad only in a pair of tight leather pants, his feet bare as always. No matter how many times she saw him shirtless, the sight of his bare chest and the flat plane of his abdomen set all her nerve endings alight. Moisture clung to his skin, and in the soft morning light shining in through the windows, he fairly glistened.
With her eyes alone, she traced the markings that dipped down to the waist of his pants, when suddenly his rumbling voice startled her.
"Hawke?" he questioned.
That particular tone of his was always a general query, which could be translated as 'What do you require?'
Looking at him half naked, standing there with his newly sharpened sword held easily in one hand, Hawke could think of a whole lot of things she required.
Unfortunately, it was just too blasted hot.
That was when the idea struck, and immediately her mood improved.
"Throw something on, Fenris," she said as she moved toward the stairway.
"Are we going out?" he asked as he followed her.
"Yes, we are going out," she replied happily.
"I would not have thought going out in this heat would cause you to be cheerful," he remarked.
"Normally, it wouldn't," she said impishly, and stopped on the landing to run a finger between his pectorals.
"This, therefore, is not normal," he surmised with a nod. "What will we do?"
"We're going swimming!" she told him, and turned to enter her bedroom.
"Hawke," Fenris said from behind her, and this time she could hear the distress in his voice.
"Fenris?" What's wrong?" she asked. She did not like the worried frown on his face.
"I do not know how to swim," he admitted, and the shame in his eyes was obvious.
That would never do, Fenris feeling ashamed. Those days were long gone. Her smile returned and she reached out and lifted his chin with her finger. "Then I will teach you."
Fenris eyed Hawke warily. She was standing knee deep in the surf, wearing only her panties and breast band. When they'd first arrived at the small cove at the base of the cliffs, and she'd started to disrobe, he'd had to stop her from removing all of her clothes.
"There's no one here but us, Fenris," she'd told him with a sultry smile.
He'd glanced up at the cliffs, remembering just how many times they'd run into Raiders or stray groups of Tal'Vashoth. "For me," he'd requested, and she had acquiesced.
Now, she was holding out her hand to him, jumping slightly whenever a wave hit her legs. "Come in! It's wonderful!"
How could he refuse her? He had never been able to, in all the years since they'd first met. His Hawke had led him to many strange places, it was true, yet this just might be the strangest. Standing on the white, sandy beach in his smalls, watching the woman he loved bouncing in the crystal blue water.
Fenris stepped into the water, and immediately felt the sand sliding under his feet. It was the oddest sensation, and for a moment he stood in the surf only up to his ankles, reveling in the cool water and the way he felt as if he were moving, though he was standing perfectly still. An old memory tried to resurface, but was interrupted.
"Fenris!" Hawke shouted, and he glanced up to see she had moved further from the shore. The waves now lapped at her upper thighs. Maker, she was beautiful, with the sun shining in her hair and that smile of hers lighting up her face. He wanted to take her in his arms, and that finally propelled him forward.
When he reached her they were waist deep in the water, and he had to admit it was very refreshing. Yet even that did not matter as he slipped his hands around her back and drew her to him. As he pressed his lips to hers, he could taste the salt on them, and the warmth of her mouth in contrast to the colder water sluicing down her face was alluring to say the least. It seemed that Hawke had the ability to negate the effects of cold water on his skin, because his arousal was growing stronger as he deepened the kiss.
Suddenly Hawke pulled away from him, and in her wet, slippery state, managed to disengage herself from his arm. Fenris reached for her again, but she flipped and dove into the next wave. When she resurfaced above the water, she was yet again farther from the shore.
"Swimming lesson now," she said with a grin as she beckoned for him to join her. "Fun, later."
Fenris pushed against the current, which seemed to be growing stronger the deeper into the water they went. In this cove, the waves were gentle enough, but the pull at his legs made him nervous. Once he reached her Hawke took him by the shoulders and shook him.
"You need to relax," she said. "Trust me."
"I will try," he told her. Of course he would, it was for Hawke.
For the next hour, Fenris was equally uncomfortable in the deeper water, grateful to be cool on such a hot day, and incredibly aroused by Hawke's hands all over him. First she had him float on his back, and he was sure that the places she touched him were not conducive to learning to swim. In fact, he was quite sure her playfulness impeded their progress quite a lot, but he did not complain. In truth, it was his favorite part of this new activity.
He'd found himself able to float on his back quite well, and was continuing to have brief flashes of memory return to him as he allowed the water to hold him in its embrace. Hawke had been right, the more he relaxed, the easier it was.
Hawke's wayward fingers had been drifting along his inner thigh, when she suddenly let out a squeal.
"Ooo! Fenris!" She released him suddenly and he nearly went under the water.
Once he had his footing again in the hard sand, he turned to see what had so excited Hawke. There, just around a large, rocky prominence, was a waterfall coming down from the cliff and hitting the sea in a spray of water and sunlight. Rainbows formed, disappeared and reformed as he watched.
"Let's go see!" she said, her voice full of enthusiasm. She planted a brief kiss on his lips and began to wade through the chest high water toward the falls. Much more used to the sea than he, Hawke's pace soon outstripped him. Granted, he found the need to be cautious, because he would not want to lose his footing and have this tide pull him under. He thought he was doing well, but he had no desire to explore under the water. At least not yet.
One minute Hawke was bouncing along happily, moving in the direction of the waterfall. The next, she had disappeared from sight.
Fenris froze, watching for some sign of her, terrified. Seconds later her head popped up to the surface again, but it was obvious she was being pulled by the tide at an alarming rate. Hawke raised one hand in the air, and he could hear her faint cry.
"Fenris!"
At first fear overcame him. How could he save her, when he was more at the mercy of water and tide than she was? Yet, he knew he had no choice - his Hawke needed him. Using his warrior's strength, he plowed through the water, his speed increasing with every step. His heart nearly stopped when he saw Hawke's head disappear beneath the roaring waters of the falls.
Fenris did not think, he acted, and it was in that moment that he remembered he did know how to swim, after all.
Once the water took her under, all Hawke could do was hold her breath and tuck her arms and legs into a ball. She'd see the rocky outcroppings at the base of the waterfall, and could only hope that she didn't strike her head on one of them. Whatever riptide had ahold of her, it was moving fast. The little bit of light she'd first seen faded to blackness and the water grew much colder.
When at last a dim, greenish light appeared in her vision, she unfolded her arms and legs and began to swim as fast as she could toward it. Her lungs needed air, and it was all she could do to fight the blackness threatening the edge of her vision and the lethargy overtaking her limbs.
At last her head broke the surface of the water and she gulped a huge lungful of air, which of course, made her begin to wretch. Hawke forced her body to be still, and allowed the water to gently support her. Soon she was recovered enough to look around. She was still moving with the current, being drawn deeper into a high-ceiling cavern. The air in the cave was warm, which created a greenish mist that hovered just above the much colder water. The light was too dim for her to see very far, but to her left she could hear water splashing, and she hoped that meant there was some solid land in that direction. Carefully she began to swim, and finally came to a wide ledge of stone cut into the cave wall. She hoisted herself up onto the ledge and stood on trembling legs.
That's when she noticed her smalls were gone – she was naked. Glad to be out of the water and into the sultry warm air, Hawke thought is was probably a good idea to rest here for a little while before attempting to swim back out into the daylight. She knew Fenris would worry, but she felt a little bit too shaky to make the attempt just yet.
The current was pulling him in fast, but because he had expected as much, he was doing well. It was as if his body remembered something his mind had long forgotten, and he was enjoying the way his muscles pulled and flexed as he moved through the water. Fenris did not allow himself to think of Hawke, but instead focused on the task of getting himself to and under the waterfall.
His plan was working well enough – until he saw small bits of red cloth swirling in an eddy. He reached out a hand and came back with Hawke's breast band and panties in a sodden clump. A thrill of fear went through him, and he increased his pace.
It happened quickly, but again, he was not unprepared. The current grabbed him as if it had the mal intent to pull him under and remove him from the world of air and light. He did not panic, but instead set his lyrium markings to glowing and allowed the water to take him to Hawke.
At first she thought she was seeing things, or that maybe some strange, glowing aquatic creature lived in this cave. It wasn't long, however, before she recognized the glow of Fenris' markings sluicing through the water. Hawke stood and went to the edge of the ledge.
"Fenris!" she called, and her voice echoed eerily through the cavern.
He stilled his movement and swiveled his head, searching for her.
"Here!" she said again, and began to jump up and down, hoping he'd see her movement.
He must have, because suddenly he was heading toward her.
Hawke leaned down and offered her hand to him. "You can swim!" she exclaimed happily. "I must be an excellent teacher."
The sight of a nude Hawke jumping up and down in the odd, misty light of the cavern had nearly undone him. Yet he'd managed to swim out of the current over to where she stood, and reach for her outstretched hand.
No sooner had he gained his feet on the slippery, rock ledge then he fiercely pulled her into his arms, and buried his face at her throat. "Hawke," he growled against her skin. His hand ran down her back until they reached the curve of her bottom where they stilled. He needed to hold her, to know she was all right.
"Ooo," Hawke teased as she wriggled her body against him. "I need to get sucked under waterfalls more often."
He may have censured her for making light of her own safety, but her body nestling itself against his pushed those thoughts from his mind. Instead, he lifted his head from her throat and looked down at her face. She gazed up at him, her eyes sultry and heavy-lidded, with a honeyed smile curving her lips.
"Hello," she said.
It was all the invitation he needed.
Fenris did not, however, hurry. He lowered his mouth to hers very slowly, and Hawke craned her neck ever so slightly to meet him. Their lips met and Fenris inhaled a sharp breath. Every time, without fail, the feel of her, the taste of her, made him come alive. His heart began to beat hard in his chest as Hawke's tongue began to paint lazy circles on his lips, asking for entrance.
He captured her sly tongue with his teeth and pulled it gently into his mouth, sucking on it until Hawke began to mewl in her throat, and her fingers began to tug at the waistband of his sodden smalls. He would not stop her. This was no game, but instead a reaffirmation. She could have whatever she wanted, in whatever way she wanted it. As long as she was in his arms, he cared for nothing else.
He felt the wet material slide down over his hips and Hawke's soft fingers fold over his length, even as he continued to devour her mouth. Her touch inflamed him, yes, and he felt the blood rushing through him as if to meet her tempting fingers in their play. Feather light touches with one hand, while her other hand dug into the hair at the nape of his neck began to pull and tug.
A shiver went down his spine. Oh what she did to him. Only moments ago he'd feared her dead, and now… now she had never felt more alive under his touch.
Hawke had been enjoying their slow, sensual dance of mutual need very much indeed. His mouth on hers, her hands on him, it was her favorite thing. Yet soon her need began to build, and she wanted more. She wanted him, inside of her.
Fenris, being the perfect lover that he always was, anticipated her before she hardly knew herself what she wanted. His fingers slipped from her bottom between her legs and began to work at the tender flesh there, sliding and gliding and now and then penetrating into her heat. His other hand cupped her breast, and soon his mouth followed and began to feast at the turgid tip. Before long, she could feel the tension in her build into an ecstasy of need. Her hips began to move, encouraging his attentions, and she arched her back, offering all of herself to him.
Her slight movements brought a sudden growl from his throat, and she squealed as she was lifted into the air.
"Hawke," he entreated her, and she knew what he wanted right away.
She scissored her legs, and as he lowered her again, wrapped her thighs around his waist. She could feel the thick tip of his length pushing against her hot center, and she swerved her hips, pushing little by little until she could feel him begin to enter her.
Fenris' mouth returned to her breast, licking and kissing until she thought she would go mad. She felt the tingling surge begin in her deepest core, as he pushed into her with all of him, and her senses began to explode. She rode him then, for all she was worth, her screams echoing around the cavern walls in an explosion of sound. It seemed her pleasure would never end, and she wanted Fenris to feel it too. She tightened her muscles and slowed her pace, pulling at him, pushing him into her in a maddeningly slow cadence.
He lost control then, but held onto her, and with his warrior's strength, bent forward and pushed into her in with ever quickening speed. His mouth locked with hers, and Hawke could only hold on and allow the bliss to wash over her in waves. His body jerked and his grip on her tightened almost painfully as he spilled himself inside of her. Both of them were trembling, soothing, whispering to each other of their love.
When he finally stilled and straightened, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I think I need to teach you to swim more often," she whispered against his throat.
Fenris' low chuckle was her only reply.