Page 12 of A Winter Courtship
What if Ulrich thought Lutoth was like that? Flighty. Unreliable. Just like his mother.
But Lutoth wasn’t his mother. He’d stayed in the valley for almost a year. He wasn’t fickle like her. He wasn’t! He could ignore the call of the wind. He could fight it and stay still if he was just given a chance.
He just needed to be given a chance!
“I didn’t want to just leave like that,” Lutoth said, voice strained. “But my mother is a sylph, a spirit of the wind. She said it was time to move on. She said that sylphs don’t stay still. She said it was time to go, and I was too young to have a choice.”
Lutoth stumbled over his words. He didn’t want to talk about these parts of his history. He wanted to talk about staying here and building a home. He wanted to focus on proving to Ulrich that he could be trusted. He wanted to win Ulrich’s heart.
“But I’ve spent the whole year in the valley, and I haven’t moved on!” Lutoth said. “I mean, I left for a few days every now and then. But I always came back! Every single time. And now I’ve decided to just stay still.”
Ulrich nodded slowly, as if uncertain what to make of Lutoth’s outburst.
Lutoth took a deep breath, trying to control his pulse. “But Ethel looks like she enjoys the flowers,” Lutoth said. “May I feed her?”
Ulrich held out the bag. “Of course.”
Lutoth reached in and pulled out a handful of dried flower petals and green leaves. “Here you are, Ethel.”
Ethel nuzzled at his hand and ate. He laughed at the ticklish sensation, trying to ignore any remaining panic flowing through him.
“I think she likes it,” Lutoth said.
“She does,” Ulrich said. “So you are a sylph? I thought you were an oread.”
“I’m half-sylph and half-oread,” Lutoth said but didn’t elaborate further.
“I don’t know much about sylphs,” Ulrich said.
“Hmmm.” Lutoth didn’t want to talk about this. He wanted to give Ulrich his Solstice gift and show how they could be perfect together.
Ethel finished eating, and Lutoth patted her. Ethel stepped towards him and nudged Lutoth with her nose. The force of the nudge took him by surprise, and Lutoth stumbled backwards.
Ulrich reached out and steadied him with his strong arms. “Sorry! She doesn’t know her own strength. But it means she likes you.”
“No harm done,” Lutoth said and laughed.
Ulrich gave Lutoth a shy, almost nervous smile, and Lutoth’s heart flip-flopped. They stood toe to toe. Ulrich didn’t release him as he gazed down into Lutoth’s eyes.
Ulrich smelled of smoke and metal. He smelled of the warmth of the hearth and the cosiness of a cabin on a long winter’s night. Lutoth wanted to bury down with Ulrich, cover him in kisses, and stay with him through the long winter and beyond.
He stared at Ulrich’s lips, lips he’d dreamed of kissing for twenty years. Unable to resist a second longer, he leaned in, standing on his toes, brushing their lips together.
When Ulrich didn’t pull away. Lutoth wrapped an arm around Ulrich’s shoulders, pulling their bodies flush together. Ulrich’s arms wrapped around him as the kiss deepened. The paper bag crinkled as it pressed against Lutoth’s back. Their tongues danced together, and Lutoth lost himself in slow kisses.
After a few more delicious moments, Lutoth reluctantly pulled back, dropping kisses along Ulrich’s beard. Lutoth wanted to take this slow. He wanted to prove to Ulrich that he truly cared for him and it wasn’t some passing infatuation. But how was he meant to resist Ulrich when he kissed like this?
The man seemed desperate for kisses.
Lutoth’s cock had thickened in his pants. He wondered how big Ulrich’s cock was. It was hard to tell beneath all the layers of winter clothing Ulrich wore. But he could definitely feel a large bulge. He stroked his fingers along Ulrich’s thick beard as he nipped at Ulrich’s lower lip. Ulrich shivered.
Lutoth wanted to climb Ulrich like a tree. Or undo Ulrich’s breeches, pull out Ulrich’s cock, and stroke him off right here. Then he wanted to take Ulrich back to his cabin and fuck Ulrich until his eyes rolled back into his head and he came so hard he couldn’t see straight for a week.
But Lutoth needed to properly court Ulrich.
Reluctantly, he stepped back. He stroked Ulrich’s cheek and smiled at him. Ulrich smiled back, one of those smiles he’d given Lutoth years ago. Lutoth kissed him again. And again. And for several more minutes. Finally, he pulled away.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Lutoth said, voice slightly breathy and dick throbbing in his pants. “Maybe I’ll visit you in your village.”
