Closed [Ivory Aerie] Discussions, Winter Looms (Kovac)

[Lavira]

Timestamp: Fall 91, 513

They had walked home in silence, most of the crowd from the Inclement and meeting having milled around in an attempt to catch Kaden as he worked his way out with the other leading individuals. It had taken over half a bell for them to even get near the Inclement's exit/entrance and still, hundreds were milling around impatient to talk with the Valintar. A lot had happened in the meeting and a lot needed to be talked about.

Home was another full bells climb through the city. During it, Vira stayed near her partner, friend, and lover, her hand slipping into his again as they neared the Endal quarters (some of which was still roped off as masons and hydroponic teams worked diligently to repair the damage the rock and mudslides had caused to these intricately carved aeries). Her fingers would squeeze as they reached the Ivory and without a word, she opened and slipped inside.

Qeeta was calling from the mew room, the golden eagle still recovering from the shock of being half-buried in mud when the ceiling collapsed, but the calls were ones that wanted attention, not need. Vira tuned them out. The Commons had been cleaned up, for the most part, the masons having been true to their word regarding the team of Dek they would get to clean up the water and mud. There wasn't a speck of dirt left in the commons and much of the furniture had been replaced as well, all of it (like many of the other Endal) having been compensated for. The only signs the storm had even hit the mountain and nearly ruined their home was the temporary support beams around the door to their bedroom and the bathing chamber.

Though the doorframe had been repaired by the reimancers, the masons had warned them to not sleep in the bedroom itself until they could come back in and repair the stone in the ceiling. Mohya and her mates cave had gone mostly undamaged, thankfully. As such, the pair had been sleeping on the new couch until their bedroom had been deemed safe again.

The storm had struck some seven days ago now. Or was it eight? And Vira just wanted to nap for a while. She was exhausted, and knew Kovac must have been as well. "Do you want me to get us a sandwich? There's a bit of bread left from my trip the other day." She asked, turning towards the dining area for another thing. The semi-dried deer steaks that Qeeta was being given were dry-stored in the cold-box (one of those curious wonders. When the rest of the city burned, these funny little spots that sometimes occurred in the volcano did not; their temperatures often went between thirty two and forty degrees, a perfect temp, many had found, to make food last!). She pulled one out and made her way to the room to toss the meat into the feed bin of the smaller mew where Qeeta was temporarily being kept until the larger mew could be replaced. The eagle hissed in frustration at her but took the steak nonetheless.

If her queery of food was an affirmative, she would make the sandwiches; otherwise, the young Endal was going to flop down onto the couch, her back against the arm and her lap open for him to come to her, an offer to rub his temples both for his sake and to keep her hands from fidgeting. They had quite a few things to discuss, not the least of which was the pending Rations.

[Kovac]

Kovac had made a cursory patrol through the aerie, an unnecessary practice but one that made him feel more comfortable. There was little to no chance there was anything amiss in their home, especially with Mohya around. But some of the events during the season, not the least of which was the attempted assault on Vira in the Baths, compelled the Avora to ensure they were safe, even in the comfort of their aerie.

As he ducked his head into the bedroom and bath chamber, he heard the eagle screech anxiously for treats. When Lavira asked if he wanted a sandwich, Kovac simply replied, "Not right now, too much going on in my head."

When he returned to the common chamber, Lavira had just dropped onto the couch, her lap invitingly open. Kovac gave his lover a weary smile, then laid on the couch as well, resting between her legs to lay his head in her lap. He knew what the Endal was offering, a pleasure she often gave him after long hunts, the ministration of her small fingers upon his temples often dispelling the headaches that came with riding eagles and carrying game through the wilds and melting away stress better than a glass of Kenash wine.

"I don't know what is going on Vira, I have never seen it like this, things getting this bad. Since the release of Ivak, the world seems off canter. Starvation is a terrible thing, and a terrible way to die, and I fear there will be many people here who will starve. People will be doing desperate things, especially with this whole thing with...well...Zulrav." He was pretty certain that was the entity in the club. Wind Reach has suddenly become thrust into the realm of divine attention. Kovac sounded unusually sober and analytical, most likely traits influenced by the sharp-minded Endal upon which he reclined. "We need to talk about what we can do." His hand reached out to idly caress Lavira's leg.

[Lavira]

Vira followed her man with her eyes as he went through the aerie, acutely aware of what he was looking for. The fright in the baths had left the woman more wary than she usually was and it was rare that she left the company of a close friend, if only out of fear that that man would find her again. She did not want a confrontation and her emotions were painfully torn regarding the punishment he had received.

Kaden was a smart man, a diplomatic man, and he was trying to maintain the system as best as he could with what was available. A man still fully capable of work, but now a risk to certain members of the city could not be left where he had been. It was too dangerous for those affected. The more frightening part of it was how it had happened. Had he done this to other women? How many of them were out there in the city, if he had? How did they feel now that the Valintars decision had been put into actions. The former Avora was in the mines, now, far from where the eagle aeries or even Tisuma Baths were. His free time would rarely allow him to even come near the baths, let alone the visitors therein.

When at last Kovac determined their home was still safe, Vira watched as he came to her at last, the exhaustion in his face as obvious as Syna at noon; and as soon as he came to her and sat, the young woman moved her hands to either side of his neck, rubbing her thumbs in concentric circles against the pulse point she felt. The rub would move methodically higher until she was massaging at his jaw and cheeks, eventually coming to the fragile temple toe more carefully work her index, middle, and ring fingers over in long, languid strokes.

She watched him as he talked, nodding a little here and there while calculating what to say. That a god had come to Wind Reach again after the storm last year was horrifying. And it was an angry one at that! Zulrav was a threat that Wind Reach could ill afford to contend with considering his dominion over the wind and weather. If the citizens lost favor with him, things could go very badly for the realm! They all knew what had to be done, but how were they to do it? And worse, the famine. Winter was always very difficult, sometimes a dozen or more of the lower caste members perishing before the first thaw. But the amount of changes the Valintar sought to make in lieu of Winter was absurd! Jobs lost, stricter rations, forced apprenticeship. It was as if Kaden had gone mad!

Her hands eased on their massage, one folding over his forehead and the other reaching out to give the one which stroked her leg a squeeze before lightly resting on his shoulder. "We face starvation every year, Kovac. Sometimes it's closer than others, but if what he is saying is true, it's not just going to be the Dek to suffer. The Chiet, the Yasi, all of the non-hunters or providers...and those we have to take with us now? I can barely keep up with myself out there let alone some other young up and coming. My shot is still sketchy at best and my familiarity with big game needs serious improvement. Qeeta's not ready for flight training and I can't shoot from Mohya's back." The grumblings of her flight leader every training session they had were shameful enough to admit.

"I wish Kaden would let me go with the traders. I feel I could be more useful on that front than in the field. If nothing else, I can ride with one of the others since Mohya wouldn't be able to make the flight." But this was just talk, even her tone spoke that much. There was something beneath the tone that she was covering for. "At least Alori will be alright; I can see about getting a good cot for her whenever she stays. And Isa should be okay, too. The Enclave will be closed to the public, but the training the Valintar mentioned will be held in there. She'll have work on those days." That just left worrying about the other hunter in their lives, Marrin. But he was a smart young man. "I bet Alori would take Marrin on hunts with her, too. We can work as a team, then; two in the air, two on the ground to flush prey."

Her mind drifted as she listened for his reply, focusing upon something that she and Alori had talked about before the storm that had trashed their home. The look from her sister had reminded her. It had to be brought up. But was now the right time?

[Kovac]

Tension dissipated as Lavira ministered to Kovac, focused fingers smoothing taut muscles in his neck, head and face. Lavira's word declared her doubt in her own abilities as a new riding hunter, and Kovac knew she was questioning how she could best serve Wind Reach. Kovac didn't like the idea of her going with the traders, traveling so far away, with no idea of whether she was alive or dead..

"Vira, I, more than anyone, know you learn quickly. We can work on your shot, and Mohya will work with you of shooting from her back. She would do anything to keep from being left behind if you went to the other cities, both of us would. Crappy shot or not, the kills you bring in, few or not, will be more than if you were not here at all." Kovac, a bit selfishly, tried to justify keeping Vira in the region.

"As for our friends, Alori is about as close to family as we have, and what we have is hers, as far as I am concerned. I will also do whatever I can, and I know you would to, to make sure Isa is alright." Kovac omitted Marrin in his comments. He would always be grateful to his fellow hunter for rescuing Lavira from the attacker at the Baths, but he was not close to the younger Avora. "And a team effort sounds like a good idea, though, with the apprentices we will be required to drag along, it could turn into a small army." Kovac sighed, still a bit overwhelmed by the austerity measures being implemented.

Kovac rolled over, placing a hand on either side of Lavira's hips, bringing his face before hers. "All we can do is work our hardest to provide. I have money, so if we need more gear to get the job done, we can get it. " He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the young Endal's lips, which lingered for a long moment. His hand lifted to tenderly run a finger over the ridge of scarring along her side. "How have you felt? Is the riding hard on you?" Vira would know that her lover was referring to the injuries she had suffered over the past seasons, from the tragic fall from the cliff to the storm that had recently tore at the aeries. There was no longer a shyness about her injuries. Kovac asked after Vira often, making sure the ambitious woman did not push herself to further injury. The coming Winter would be hard on them, especially Lavira, as they would be pushed to their limits by the aggressive regimen hunting citizens will be compelled to follow.

[Lavira]

The young woman laughed a little at the image of them all roaming through the pines and along the mountain trails in search of game while three giant birds shadowed them from above. "Lookout, you deer, here come the gingers." Her fingers had paused on his neck as she spoke, grinning down at him after the laugh before continuing with her minstrations, feeling the tightness in his muscles finally beginning to loosen.

When the laughter faded, her smile softened. "We can put the chicks in a camp and give them different tasks while we're hunting. If they're an older lot, we might be able to do some tracking with them but..." She shrugged, only half believing her words. Even the Endal were not exempt from this demand, which sucked beyond reasoning.

Vira's hands drifted off of his neck when he rolled, his hands on either side of her waist and hers now folding atop her lap, the leg hanging off the edge of the massive couch shifting some to relieve tightness in her hip. Even with only one eye to see him, the teen found herself lost for a moment in his foreign stare while he talked about money. She only stirred from this lapse in awareness when his lips met hers, the rusty taste absorbed and sought with a press back of her own, mouth opening only a little to let her tongue dab at his lower lip, then returning to its own confines as he withdrew.

His fingers brushing upon her right side made her shy out and to the left, the everpresent reaction whenever touched there. It was still sensitive, the glaring tissue at least fully healed after over a seasons time, though still appeared freshly mended. "The riding is always hard, but never unenjoyable, even when the weather is completely horrid." She replied quietly, relaxing once more and lifting her hands to cup his neck and bottom of his jaw. "I try to fly whenever we can, afterall. It gives me some peace of mind to separate from here sometimes and just soar with her. I wish you could share in that with your own Eagle..." Her forehead leaned forward to rest against his, her eyes closing and a slow breath drawn in, the nearness of his face and feel of his neck and cheek against her fingers and palm pulling her lips into a smile.

"It will be good, too, when Qeeta can fly. I will have to take her out a bit in Winter so she can test her wings. Her foot is doing so much better." Her forehead moved off of his and her head tilted slightly so that she could kiss him once more, drawing joy from the act that always bolstered her confidence. Especially now. But it wasn't the recent events which bothered the young woman to even consider joining a trade Flight. She worried of something more as she rubbed her cheek against his then simply wrapped her arms around his neck to hold him, wanting his closeness, his strength. "Kovac..." She whispered, clinging for a moment before relenting and releasing his neck, sliding her hands to his shoulders and then his biceps.

Her eye twitched between his forest sights, almost seeing the wildness of the tom cat he sometimes seemed. He had such a feralness about him at times, aggressive, yet tender, a strutting cock whose feathers have been preened too much. But that was before they had came together, before their whole existence changed and their lives began to weave around one another instead of alone on the paths of whatever Lhex had planned for them. "Would you still love me if things went awry?" She knew the answer, but wanted to hear him say it anyways.

"Would you still love me if a wrench were thrown into our gears?" Another pause to hear him out.

"Kovac, would you still love me if..." Her gaze moved to the windows the couch faced, the world outside dark and brooding. "...if that wrench might not be from the expected?" She knew he would be wondering what she was talking about now and chewed her lip a little, afraid to say the words.

"If...if I thought I ...if I thought I might be..." Why must it be so hard? She feared he would move away from her, and out of anticipation for this, her hands lowered back into her lap, muscles as tight as a doves before startled from its nest. "...If I thought I might be...." The teen raised her eyes to his, the barely discernable tick of time which passed between those words and the next seeming to go on for eternity. "...pregnant? And...that it might...might not be yours...?"

Fear.

Fear of rejection.

Fear of his anger.

Fear of the hurt she was sure would appear in his eyes for something she knew was beyond his control.

Fear of the agony it would be to her if he left now.

Vira dropped her eyes, afraid, ashamed, and fell quiet and still.

[Kovac]

Kovac knew Lavira loved flying. He also knew that even if riding Mohya did cause her injuries to ache, she would have to be nearly incapacitated by it to ever stop. Still, the Avora wanted to know if his lover was in pain. Satisfied, and unsurprised, by the endal's reply, Kovac saw something else lingering in the petite Inartan's gaze, heralded by her hushed, hesitant utterance of his name. Then came the question, spoken with sincerity, one that Kovac felt could not be answered lightly.

"I think quite a bit has already gone awry, and I still love you." He replied softly, if not a bit perplexed. Lavira persisted, her cryptic words beginning to stir suspicion in the mongrel hunter. "We have had wrenches in our gears before too, Vira, and we are still in love."

The Endal's inquiries continued, vague, but obviously steering towards a specific subject. It became more and more apparent that Lavira dreaded bringing up whatever it was she was not bringing up. The woman averted her gaze, visibly struggling to find words to express the emotional topic that refused to slip between her soft, quivering lips.

Then it came out.

Pregnant. That in itself would not have been a shock. Kovac and Lavira were an amorous couple, they loved each other and that was usually how children came to be in Wind Reach. But the tagline to Lavira's bombshell gave Kovac a hitch and a pause.

Maybe not his?

An explosion of emotions, conjectures and questions flooded Kovac's mind. If she were, and it wasn't his, then who's? Even though Lavira had never leashed Kovac, never demanded he remain hers alone, the mongrel had curtailed his usual philandering when the two of them became serious. Kovac had always assumed Lavira was a one-man type. But, she was Inartan, moreso by blood than even he was. He wasn't angry with her, he had no right to be, really. Had the tables been turned, (it would have been more believable if they had, Kovac having gotten someone else pregnant), he thought Lavira would be hurt, but wouldn't turn from him. He did feel an odd sensation though, jealousy.

A moment of stunned silence lingered until Kovac gathered his thoughts.

"Well, that is an unexpected wrench. But I don't think we throw out the gears just yet." Kovac said, softly, shifting to sit next to Lavira. His hand reached over to take hers, fingers entwining. "Whose else might it be, if you are?"

[Lavira]

The ticks that passed in complete and painful silence weighed upon the Endal as she glanced sidelong at him, her hands bunching in the fabric of her bryda. She was sure she could hear the creak of snow in the higher cliffs of their mountain home for how quiet it had become in the commons of their dwelling. His features did not seem to shift too much, though she thought she saw an avalanche of emotions when she first said the words, and at first, she was sure none of them were good. However, the younger woman did not see anger yet; but there was definitely jealousy. And seeing that alone shamed her more than anything and made her lower her eyes to her lap again.

She would not fault him for seeking the affections of other women in the city; it was who he was, and to make him change for little ol' her? Why, it was hypocrisy! Vira wanted only his happiness, as had been reiterated time and again when with him, even going so far as to have suggested they invite Isa into the relationship, once the Chiet had had time to heal completely. It was a subject they were not lingering long on, for they couldn't know if Isa would even want to.

And then, his voice broke the silence at last as he moved in beside her on the large couch and took up one of her hands from her lap. She was now forced to stare at the interwoven digits and feel a moment of gladness that it was not immediate rejection from him. However, he now wanted to know whose it could be. "There'd only be one other it could be." She said slowly, tightening her fingers in his as if it might provide an anchor so she wouldn't drift away (or was it that he might?). "And he'd said it would take a long time..."

Her brow knit pensively and the Endal rest her head on his shoulder, folding her free hand over his palm so that he was momentarily captured. "I'm not ready for a child, Kovac." She whispered. "Maybe one day we can try, but...I am not ready. I'm barely settled into this new life as it is and there's so much I need to do first, and now that bastard comes back to haunt me with such as this." Vira's head rose off his shoulder then and turned to lock eyes with him. "Twenty days is still early. A lot can happen, and winter's soon to start. Will you think ill of me if I pray against this right now? I don't want him haunting me like this when he still haunts my dreams. I don't...I don't want to wake up one day with some babe with his eyes and his skin staring at me." She sighed and closed her eyes removing her hand from his for a moment so that she could slide it around his waist and then fold the other into his hand instead.

"I want to be rid of him completely. It's too coincidental. I would spend days upon days wondering with no assurity until summer if it could be yours or that Hai-petched abandoner, Garren's." The teens face grew hot and agitation. "You know he had the nerve to suggest the possibilty after we- you know -and then went on and on about it as if it should be completely normal. I was completely freaked out for a good ten or twelve days. Who tells a girl that when they..ya know...it's just tacky. Sex is..." She trailed off, frowning at his abdomen for a few moments while the hand around his waist itched compulsively at his side. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

Vira drew a deep breath in and released it, drawing back into a calmer frame of mind. "Twenty days is still early, hon. With all that's happened, it's probably just stress related and nothing to fret over. But if it is worthy of caution and concern, I wanted it out there on the table, okay?" Her gaze rose to his face, apologetic but still loving. "Priskil willing, it won't be his, it will be yours. I may not be ready, but I'll take the time out of the sky for a belly full of baby from you." She tried to lighten the mood then, turning her eyes onto his hands. "Alori thinks I'm too serious. Ramrod straight like that log at the loch." Oh the puns.

[Kovac]

Lavira was visibly struggling with her revelation, though Kovac was grateful for the courage to face him with the possibility. The Avora had the right, he believed, to know who else it might be, though he knew the question could be unpleasant for the Endal to answer. Her small hand tightened in his as she answered. It was not the direct answer Kovac wanted, but it took only a tick for the hunter to understand. He knew of only one other for sure that had been with Lavira. Garren. The bastard Akalak.

Any grudge Kovac could have unfairly harbored towards another possible lover faded at the realization. Lavira had suffered greatly because of the Riverian, emotional scars that she, they, still faced. His hand squeezed hers in reassurance, accepting the gentle press of her head on his shoulder. Kovac could not help but mull over the possibility. What if Lavira was pregnant, and it was Garren's? Could he handle that? Raise the child with her? Kovac wanted to give a resounded yes. But in all honesty, he could not say for sure.

Then Lavira's small voice continued as she wrapped her arm around his waist. Kovac remained silent as she spoke, partly so she could voice her mind without interruption, but mostly because the Avora didn't know what to say. It was all still so unknown, she may not have even been pregnant. But the consequences if she were rolled around in his mind. Honestly, a baby would not be the end of their world. Couples had babies all the time, even Riders. It would mean an even more domesticated life for them, maybe more so than Kovac had planned. But, the possibility was always there. If the baby came out blue like Garren, well, the thought made Kovac's gut twist. He supposed he would learn how much he loved Lavira then.

The mongrel was still a bit egocentric, and felt some angst when Lavira went on about how bad it would be if the possible baby was the Akalak's, and not how good it might be if it was his. Vira seemed to catch Kovac's mood, and shifted to a more positive angle, her more pragmatic perspective and sly humor working to sidetrack the Avora's musings. Honestly, Kovac loved the innuendo-laden quips Lavira often made about his manhood, and the comment about the 'log at the loch' managed to assuage his consternation. The hunter allowed his lips to widen into a soft smile.

"Thanks for telling me. We can't do anything about it now. Pray against it if you want. I won't. If you do have a baby in there, and it is ours, I am not going to wish it away." Kovac surprised himself with the comment. He had no real desire to be a father. But, after he found out Chemar had been pregnant with his baby, and she miscarried, he looked at the whole thing a bit different.

The Avora leaned to kiss Lavira on the head. "Don't worry about Alori, that girl just needs to find the right guy to ramrod her with a log." Kovac's smile widened and he pressed a kiss to Lavira's lips. "Like everything, Vira, we will take it a step at a time."

[Lavira]

The teen felt the bite of a stinger for a moment when he replied about not wishing it away, Vira staring sideways at him while she thought. "You make it sound as though it is foul that I should want it gone with the worry that it's his and not yours." She murmured, disheartened. "Were my certainty so high, Kovac, you could not keep me on this floor for the elation I would feel at it being yours. It would be such a blessing of Light if I am and it is yours, even if I'm- no, we're not ready."

Vira adjusted her position so that she was facing him completely with her back to the windows and a hand rising to cup his jaw, her thumb tracing the lines and muscles thereupon. "A child with your lips and dark hair, hints of rust in the curls; my eyes and my kindness with your wit...it would make a lovely child, I should think. But I'm not ready-" Her hand fell to his shoulder, leaning up and in to press her lips to his long and firm, an answer to which he'd given her just before. "-and it isn't for lack of want. Just not right now, not yet. I'm too young, too inexperienced yet. There is much I still need to see through before I could have the confidencee to step into the mantle of motherhood."

She let her eyes lower to follow the contours of his chest, tracing his pectoral with a finger, slowly, letting it drift southward along the dips and divots of his form. "One day, perhaps..." her shoulders shrugged and her eyes rose to meet his once more. She thought about telling him about the book she had read after the storm and incident in the baths. It had been a good book, one in which she had kept hidden from him to prevent awkward questions (considering the title). In the end, though, the teen decided against it. They were still relatively new, and for all that they loved one another, a lot could still happen. Instead, Vira turned to the topic of Alori and the joke that had been made.

It was funny enough that the Endal actually barked a laugh, a hardy 'HAH' that made her clap a hand over her mouth and blush. "Just wiggle that ol' eel in. Turn that U into an O!" The teen grinned, pressing her forehead into his chest to further stifle the laugh that threatened to overwhelm. It was a good stress relief after the serious talk before. "Bet she'd sit cockeyed for a season then, hah!"

Vira rolled her head back, still laughing, but not on the verge of complete hysteria and locked her eyes with him for the umpteenth time. "..." But the younger riders thoughts went out the window as she stared at him, completely fixated. The worrisome skies outside still bubbled and roiled threateningly, hinting at the weather that was coming in Winter; it was grey and unpleasant, except for one rogue beam which had burst through to shine upon his face. The teen did not know if he could see through it, and for all she knew, perhaps he couldn't, but what she saw took her breath away.

The older lines of the mongrel were softened in the beams light and the midnight hair which clung to his scalp like a used mop had taken on a dark wildflower sheen. His eyes, which she had always loved, seemed to almost be aflame, green and bright. One side of the womans lips curled into a crooked smile after she had savored the moment long enough, and said, "By the gods if you aren't stunning." Her hand reached up again to run her fingers through his shaggy hair. "You keep shocking me like that, people are gonna start wondering about the twitch."

Vira manuevered out from beside him, though it was only so she could sit up, arching her back until it popped and then rolling her shoulders forward to loosen them up, her hands on her knees during this. Then, the teen was standing, her back to him and her head tilted so that she could see him through left periphary. From the couch, the Endal headed to the large window-wall's right side where the curtains were currently. Pausing at the handle that would be used to pull them closed, Vira rolled her left shoulder down and twisted the arm around behind her, toying with the knot that kept her vinati on. "And speaking of twitches, there's this itch that I just...can't quite...reach...Do you mind?"

Vira began the walk towards the other side of the windows, pulling the curtains as she strode and turning her eyes onto him, inviting, now that the world had been shut out of their home.

[Kovac]

Sweet words, flavored with Lavira's soft feminine voice, tamed Kovac's agitation over the discussion of the possible pregnancy. The Avora believed his lover when she declared the joy she would have, if there was a child, and it was his. But Kovac fully understood that the teenage Endal was not ready for motherhood. He had no doubts she would be a fantastic mother, for her heart was compassionate and nurturing. But Lavira had only just become a rider, was reveling in the joy of her bond with Mohya and the dream of flight she had realized.

"Vira, I know you aren't ready, I'm not saying I am either. When and if it does happen, I know we will be fine."

The Endal woman turned the conversation to lighter matters, making another one of her 'eel' jokes regarding their friend Alori. Kovac laughed out loud with her, and the laughter seemed to clear the air and cleanse them both of more serious matters. When she combed her slim fingers through his hair, Kovac fixed his amorous gaze upon the glittering orb of her single quickened eye, his heart swelling. Already, he sensed Vira's ardent intent as she rose to close the curtains over the large aerie window. Kovac rose from the couch, striding over to his petite lover and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her against him.

"Come here, my randy rider, and I will scratch that itch to your heart's content."