I was just getting more comfortable, and now my stomach's trying to turn itself inside out again. Gruyère had been with nonhuman lovers before—a kind and patient fekra, a not-so-patient em—that wasn't the issue. There would be fumbling, and nothing would be graceful the first time. Not a problem.
But this was Snillek, who was so damn gorgeous and impressive. And muscly, let's not forget muscly. Gruyère dithered outside the tent. There was no other word for the shuffling rearranging and re-rearranging of supplies.
Finally, Snillek stuck her head out. "Change your mind?"
"No, I, um…" Gruyère blew out a breath and decided continued honesty was best. "Working up the nerve."
"Hmm." Snillek held out a hand and waited until Gruyère grasped onto it like a railing on a rope bridge. "I'd say there's nothing to be nervous about, but that's not my call, is it? Come on in. It's too cold out there. We don't have to do anything but share warmth again if you want. Or if you want more, then change your mind? We can still just share warmth."
"Can I put acted as Paladin Snillek's snuggle buddy in my field notes?"
"I'll even initial that part if you need me to."
"Perfect. Corroboration's important." Gruyère managed to get her feet moving and squeezed into the dome-roofed tent. There was barely enough room for them to sneeze—if they made sure to do it one at a time—but she managed, with some misplaced knees and elbows, to skootch in facing Snillek.
"Not getting undressed." Snillek reached across to fasten the tent opening. "Too cramped in here, and it's too rotted cold."
Gruyère shivered and moved closer. The temperature had dropped considerably as night fell. "I can live with that. It's the altitude, and it's just going to get colder."
"Do the big dragons have fur?" Snillek cautiously unfolded a wing to spread it over Gruyère.
"Not that we've been able to observe. We think it might be a matter of subcutaneous fat layers… You don't really want to talk about dragons, do you?"
Snillek grinned, showing her sharp teeth. "No. Not right now."
Something incredibly witty and urbane had been Gruyère's next comment. She was sure of it. But Snillek took her face between both hands and kissed her again, the eager press of her narrow lips sending shards of sunlight through Gruyère's body. Snillek's hard, calloused hands slid down Gruyère's throat, and Gruyère threw a leg over Snillek's thigh as she tried to get closer. The clothes were a little frustrating but better than hypothermia.
At least Snillek stowed her armor before she crawled in. A little challenge? Great. But not to the point where she'd need a laser cutter.
Snillek's hands were already roaming south while Gruyère overthought everything. She inhaled sharply when Snillek unzipped Gruyère's coat and slipped her hands inside. "Holy crap, your hands are cold."
"Which is why they're inside your coat," Snillek muttered, nuzzling against her throat.
"Crap." Gruyère snagged the edge of the blanket already spread out beneath them and heaved the unencumbered half over both of them. "There. Now maybe you won't be such an ice queen."
"I'm not an ice queen." Snillek lifted her head with a mock-offended snort. "I have a very warm, squishy center."
"Oh, I see. You're one of those molten chocolate desserts."
"Mmm. I'll see if the palace chefs can make one when we get back. Being a princess has to come with some advantages." Snillek went back to nuzzling and licking at Gruyère's throat, which was doing all sorts of warm, squishy things to her own insides.
While Snillek wasn't wearing a coat, getting inside her quilted shirt would take some doing. Instead, Gruyère concentrated on what she could reach and the parts she'd wanted to touch for some time. Though before she got carried away… "Is there any place you don't want me to touch?"
"No place off limits. I get annoyed when people want to pet my scales or my wings out of curiosity, but that's not the same." Snillek sucked in a hard breath when Gruyère stroked the pads of her palm. "Oh, um, except there. That's how you get extended claws. Unless you want claws? Some people are into that."
"Oops." Gruyère moved her thumb down to Snillek's wrist. "No, I prefer the no-claw option."
"I could file them so they're not as sharp."
"Paladin Snillek, if you take the time to file your claws now, I'm going to scream so loud the scorparachs will come and eat us."
Snillek chuckled and started nibbling down Gruyère's neck. "We can't have that. It'd probably scare Mortimer."
"Right. Poor little guy." After a little struggle, Gruyère rucked the quilted shirt up under Snillek's armpits. Probably not the most comfortable way to wear it, but skin. Though… not quite what she was expecting. "Don't take this the wrong way, but no titties?"
Snillek slid a hand inside Gruyère's waistband to cup her ass, and the miniature plasma shots of pleasure nearly uncoupled her brain.
"Not nice, soft pillows like yours." Snillek unbuttoned Gruyère's shirt and buried her face between aforementioned pillows, her voice muffled and vibrating into Gruyère's bones through her boobs. "I do have them. The physicians tell me they might expand if I had kids? Don't know yet, since that hasn't happened."
"They're just extra muscly." Gruyère ran her hands down those hard planes to the even harder washboard of Snillek's stomach with a little moan and unfastened Snillek's pants. "So many muscles…"
Gruyère's hand slid across scales as she stroked below the belt, smooth and warm like skin, but harder, protecting the pubic area. Stop it. Stop thinking about comparative anatomy. Snillek rocked into her hand, growling against her shoulder. Labia, clit— Yep, all where expected. Gruyère grinned when she got a little yelp spreading Snillek and tapping her button with a forefinger.
The grin became a gasp of pleasure when Snillek slid a hand between her legs. Just having that big hand cupping her made her whine and twitch. Then Snillek fastened onto her nipple, sharp teeth scraping softly, and Gruyère thought she might come apart down to the amino acid level.
"Gods. No fair," she gasped out. "How am I supposed to concentrate now?"
"Not supposed to concentrate. Less think, more do."
"Right. Easy for y— Oh!"
Words packed up and went on holiday as Snillek slid a finger into her, sending wild zips of pleasure up into her chest. Reaction took over for a moment as Gruyère rocked against Snillek's hand, muffling a shuddering gasp against Snillek's shoulder. She soon recalled that she was also clutching between her new lover's thighs and had her own territory to explore.
Cautious at first, Gruyère stroked the pad of her middle finger around the rim of Snillek's pussy. Slow and steady was apparently not what Snillek wanted though, as she tightened her thighs around Gruyère's arm and shoved her hips so that single questing finger dove inside wet heat. Snillek thrust against her, pleading, demanding more. Gruyère slid in deeper with two fingers, eliciting a hiss and a pleasured moan.
Snillek pressed the heel of her hand harder against Gruyère and began pumping in and out, hitting against the spot inside that set off more incandescent lightning jolts with each thrust. She seized Snillek's lips, no longer caring about sharp teeth as she drove her tongue inside. Snillek's moans became muffled cries into Gruyère's mouth. Her walls clamped tight around Gruyère's fingers, and she threw back her head with a roar that shook the tent.
Heaving beside her, Gruyère slammed herself against Snillek twice more and came hard, writhing and whimpering with her free hand clawing at the blanket beneath them. Snillek held her tight as their movements slowed, and they both snickered at Mortimer's answering roar—more of a fierce shriek—from outside the tent. Challenge or support, it was hard to say, but he seemed to have surprised himself, since he broke off with a soft peep.
"Ha. I think we both needed that," Snillek murmured as they disentangled enough to get comfortable in each other's arms.
Gruyère tried not to frown. "Was it just need?"
"And want." Snillek took her under the chin and kissed her gently. "I've wanted you for a while now. That was wonderful."
"It was, wasn't it?" Gruyère offered a grin and kissed Snillek's nose. "This is so much better than sleeping outside in my micro-blanket."
"I fully accept my role as camp heater. See? I warm up fast."
"You do." Gruyère yawned and rolled carefully to get into spoon position. She snuggled close as Snillek draped an arm and a wing over her. "It was wonderful. You're wonderful."
"I'll try not to let it go to my head."