"Grandmamma, let's see if Tristan is awake."
Vivian smiled down at her granddaughter and squeezed her hand gently. "Sophia, Tristan is your father. You should call him papa."
Sophia shrugged, popping the last bit of bread into her mouth before scurrying ahead of her grandmother. "His room is down here."
Vivian sighed and followed Sophia down the hall."
Avery sat up in the bed. Bright sunlight flooded through the window and she looked beside her. She was alone in the bed and she sighed with relief. She didn't know what she would say to Tristan, and she was grateful that he had already risen and left. She stretched cautiously. There was no pain in her back, and she felt well-rested and better than she had in days. Sex with Tristan had sped up her healing as she had known it would.
She was just about to throw the covers back when the door to Tristan's bedroom popped open and Sophia came bounding in.
"Tristan – are you awake? Grandmamma and I are going for a walk. Will you come with -"
She skidded to a stop, staring at Avery in the bed who hurriedly tucked the bed sheet around her naked body.
"Hi, Avery!" She ran across the room and climbed up on to the bed, planting herself in Avery's lap. "What are you doing in Tristan's room?"
"Um," Avery could feel the blush rising on her face, "I was not feeling well and I don't have a bed in my room so Tristan let me sleep in his bed."
"That was nice of him." Sophia stroked her long red hair, rubbing a few strands of it between her fingers.
"Yes, it was. Your father is very kind." Avery kissed the girl's forehead. Sophia leaned against her companionably and Avery rested her chin on top of the girl's head.
"It always feels so nice to sit with you," the little girl said happily.
"Does it? I'm glad," Avery murmured. Sophia was wearing a dress and she could see a small bruise on her lower calf. She rested her hand on the bruise for a few moments and then lifted her hand, smiling with satisfaction as the bruise faded on Sophia's leg.
"Do you like my new dress?" Sophia asked suddenly.
"I do," Avery replied.
Sophia smoothed her hand over the fabric. "My grandmamma bought it for me. She said I
should wear pretty things. Tristan says I'm a country girl now and that I'll just get it dirty when I'm riding my new pony. He's going to start teaching me to ride soon."
She looked up at Avery. "Grandmamma says I should call Tristan papa."
Avery smiled at her. "Your grandmamma is right. He's your father and he loves you very much. I bet it would make him very happy if you called him papa."
"I could do that," Sophia said. She glanced towards the door. "Hi, Grandmamma."
Avery looked up. Her stomach dropped to her feet and her face turned bright red. There was a woman standing in the doorway watching them silently, her resemblance to Sophia so strong, she could only be Tristan's mother.
"Hello, Sophia." The woman walked slowly but steadily into the room. She stood next to the bed and looked Avery up and down, silently taking in her wild hair and obvious nudity under the sheet. Avery's face was so red she was starting to sweat but she made herself smile at the woman.
"And you are?" The woman said not unkindly.
Avery cleared her throat but before she could answer, Sophia piped up. "This is Avery. She's Maya's sister. Tristan," she paused looking at Avery, "I mean, Papa, bought her for me. She's a slave and I wanted her, so Papa bought her for me."
She announced this with the casual cruelty only capable by the very young and the very old.
She patted Avery's face and smiled happily at her grandmother. "She's very nice and she kissed my owie away."
The woman held a trembling hand out to Avery. "It's nice to meet you, Avery. I'm Tristan's mother, Vivian Williams."
Avery reached out and took her hand. "It's nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Williams."
Vivian frowned, staring down at their clasped hands. She pulled her hand free of Avery's grip and she flexed her hand gingerly and glanced up at Avery.
Avery bit her lower lip worriedly. Tristan's mother was ill. Very ill. Sophia stroked Avery's hair again and smiled at her grandmother. "Doesn't Avery have the most beautiful hair? I wish my hair was red."
Avery made a small choking noise in the back of her throat as Vivian smiled at her granddaughter. "Yes, my darling. Her hair is very lovely."
"Do you know where Papa is?" Sophia asked Avery.
Avery shook her head. "I do not. Perhaps he is already at breakfast?"
"I'm going to check." She kissed Avery's cheek and then slid off her lap. "Will you come
for a walk with us after breakfast, Avery?"
Avery smiled. "That's very kind of you, Sophia, but I have work to do. But thank you for
asking me."
Sophia nodded and held her hand out to Vivian. "Come with me, Grandmamma." Vivian took her hand and nodded to Avery. They left the room, Sophia leading her
grandmother by the hand. When the door closed behind them Avery groaned loudly and flopped back on the bed.
Tristan opened the door of his bedroom and stepped silently into the room. Avery was standing beside the bed, humming softly to herself as she gathered her clothes from where he had dropped them. She had obviously just finished having a bath. She was wrapped in his towel and her long red hair was wet.
He walked up behind her. "Feeling better this morning?"
Avery screamed softly and whirled around with her hand to her throat. "Gods, you scared me!"
"Sorry." He let his eyes drift down her body, grinning to himself when she flushed and turned away.
"Do you feel better?"
"Aye. Thank you for – for last night," she said.
"You're welcome." He stepped closer and she shivered when she felt his breath on her bare
shoulder. She tightened the towel around her body.
"I should go. I have work to do," she whispered.
"Let me check your back first." He gathered her hair and draped it over her shoulder.
"It's fine, my lord," she replied.
"Let me check," he insisted. He pulled on the towel and after a moment, she let it loosen a bit
so that he could peer at her back.
He stared at the smooth expanse of her back. It was perfectly healed, the skin returned to its
milky colour, and he couldn't see a single blemish or bruise.
"See, it's fine. It doesn't hurt at all." She turned her head to look at her back and he gently
pushed her head forward.
"Actually," he lied, "there's still some bruising."
"There is not," she protested.
"There is." He bent and kissed between her shoulder blades. "There's one right here." He
kissed the back of her left shoulder. "And right here."
He kissed the curve of her spine. "Another here."
She shivered prettily. "It doesn't hurt."
He reached around her and cupped her breasts through the towel. "I think you'd better use
me one more time - just to be on the safe side."
He kissed her neck, licking the droplets of water from her skin as she moaned and pressed her
ass against his erection. He tugged on her hands until she let go of the towel and he unwrapped it quickly, pulling it free from her body. He dropped it to the floor and cupped her bare breasts, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples.
She moaned again, her hands coming up to grip the back of his head so that more of her breasts pushed into his hands. He grinned and plucked on her hardened nipples as he kissed the top of her shoulder with an open mouth and roving tongue.
He slid his hand down her flat abdomen, pausing at the curls between her legs, and smiling again when she immediately spread her legs. He kissed her neck while his left hand continued to rub and knead her breast.
"I love touching you. I love how soft and warm you are. I love the way you moan my name," he whispered into her ear.
"Please, my lord," she whispered. She reached down and tried to push his hand between her legs.
He brought his left hand up and turned her head to face him. He placed a warm kiss on her mouth as her hands squeezed the back of his head.
"Say my name," he demanded.
"Tristan," she breathed immediately.
He kissed her again as he slid his hand between her legs, swallowing her loud cry when he
rubbed her clit roughly.
She shivered and moaned as Tristan explored her mouth with his tongue. He kissed his way
up her jaw and then nipped her earlobe. She sighed at the feel of his hot breath and thrust her hips against his hand. He rubbed and circled her clit, pressing hard against the small pink nub and then circling gently around it again.
"Oh please," she cried.
"Say my name, girl," he whispered into her ear. "Tristan," she moaned.
"Again," he demanded.
"Tristan."
"Again." He rubbed her clit furiously as she panted and moaned. Her body was starting to tense, signalling her orgasm, and he stopped touching her.
"Tristan, please, oh please," she begged.
"Avery," he whispered. He used the pad of his finger to rub her clit once again and then lightly pinched it between his thumb and finger.
"Tristan!" A surge of wetness covered his hand as she arched her back and came wildly. ** *
Her heart beating wildly, Avery slumped against Tristan as the last of her orgasm washed over her. He slipped his hand around her waist, holding her up as she stared at him. He kissed her urgently, his hands stroking her breasts and stomach and she reached down and took his cock in her hand. She stroked him firmly, watching his face as she stroked and rubbed and squeezed.
It was his turn to moan now, his hands squeezing her ass when she ran her thumb over the head of his cock. His nostrils flared and he stared down at her before roughly turning her around.
"Tristan, what -"
He lifted her and set her on the bed on her hands and knees. Before she could turn, he was standing against the edge of the bed, his hands around her hips and his cock pushing between her thighs. He put his cock against her wet opening and pushed hard, groaning as he watched his cock slide deep inside of her.
She gasped, her back arching and her ass slapping against his pelvis. Holding her hips steady, he plunged in and out of her. He leaned over her, sweeping her hair up in one hand and tugging gently on it. She moaned low in her throat, and he placed a trail of hot kisses down her spine.
"Tristan, it feels so good," she moaned.
He kissed her spine again and then pushed gently on it. "Lift your hips, girl."
She buried her face in the bed and pushed her ass higher in the air, spreading her legs so that
he could thrust more deeply into her. She could feel his hard hands rubbing her ass and hear his harsh panting as he pushed in and out of her.
She squeezed her muscles around him experimentally, smiling into the bed when he inhaled sharply and bucked his hips against her.
"Stop, girl. Don't do that," he muttered.
She lifted her head and looked over her shoulder at him. "Don't do what? This?" She squeezed again as hard as she could, and he cried out.
"Avery, please," he moaned.
"You don't like that?" she asked. "Maybe I'm doing it wrong." This time when she tightened her inner muscles, she pushed her hips back against him.
His fingers dug into her hips and she gasped a little.
"Avery, I..."
He made a long, low moan as she rocked her hips back and forth, pushing his cock in and out
of her in a rapidly quickening rhythm.
"Oh gods," he groaned.
Avery's body tensed as the pleasure grew in her pelvis. She was so close. She pushed her
hips at Tristan frantically, his groans of pleasure drowning out her own until with a loud cry she threw her head back and came violently. Vaguely she was aware of Tristan pumping frantically into her, of his own loud cry and then the warmth was flooding through her. She collapsed against the bed as Tristan lay down beside her and put his arm around her.
"You're mine," he whispered, kissing her temple.