Does it Matter?

Bernard stayed in bed for the rest of the day. Evening came and the supper bell rang, but he didn't dare go down. He had no desire to eat anyway.

Just as the stars were beginning to emerge in the night sky, he heard a knock on his door, but he didn't answer it. He had no desire to see anyone.

A few moments later, he heard a key scraping in the lock. That'll be Judy, he thought, rolling over and feigning sleep so as to avoid conversation. Judy had a passkey to all the rooms because she usually came in once a day after brewing the morning cocoa, to dust and tidy up a bit.

Outside his room, after Judy had unlocked the door for Serena, she slipped quietly away. Bernard heard what he thought to be Judy bustling busily about the room, lighting the fire, which had long since gone out. The room became at once warm and rosy again, but it did little to change the cold grayness he felt inside himself.

He heard the soft clatter of a tea tray being set down before someone said, "I thought you might like some tea."

Bernard's eyes opened wide in shock. This was not Judy. He rolled over to see Serena blushing at him from beside his small bedside table on which she had set the tea things. She had his hat in her hands, and she offered it nervously to him.

After a long while, he reached out to take it and said softly, "Do you hate me?"

"And what reason would I have for hating you?" she said, sitting down beside him on the bed.

Bernard sat up and said hurriedly, "Serena, please forgive me. I-"

"I didn't ask for an apology," Serena cut him off, her face unreadable. "I asked why I would hate you."

"Because. . . I kissed you," Bernard murmured in a barely audible whisper. He stared down at his hands, tears making his vision blurry.

"Is that a crime?" she asked kindly.

"Yes! I mean, no. . . it's just that you're so young. Here I am, an almost nine hundred ninety-nine year-old elf, and I'm in love with an eighteen year-old human. And not just any human, no, the boss's daughter. You're his daughter, for goodness sakes, I shouldn't be feeling these things for you!"

"Does any of that really matter?" she asked, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Well, maybe it shouldn't, but it does. Besides, that's no excuse for my behavior when I know that you're in love with another man."

"Bernard," she began, but he cut her off.

"How could I have been so stupid and selfish?! You just told me you were in love, for crying out loud, and I have to go and complicate matters by-"

"Bernard," she repeated, this time putting her fingers over his mouth briefly until he was silenced. "Bernard, don't you get it? The man I was talking about was you."

"What?" His mind froze and his heart leapt as his confused brain tried to make sense of what she had said.

Her eyes softened and she reached a hand up to cup his cheek. "I love you, Bernard," she whispered before covering his mouth with hers.

For the second time that day, all Bernard's control left him the minute those petal-soft lips touched his, but this time, his control was gone for good. He melted into the kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his lap.

This time when they surfaced for air, he trailed soft kisses across her cheek so he could nip at her earlobe, eliciting a gasp of surprise from the young woman in his lap. She bent her head down and buried her face in his neck, slowly brushing her lips against the pulse point on his throat.

He moaned and lay back on the bed, pulling her down with him. There, she continued to lightly nip and kiss his neck until her ministrations caused waves of arousal to shoot toward his groin.

Panicking slightly, he tried to sit up, but as she was holding onto him so tightly, he only succeeded in reversing their positions. He blushed a deep red as his body covered hers, and he was sure that she could feel his arousal pressing firmly between her legs.

He opened his mouth to apologize, but a moan emerged instead as Serena experimentally arched her hips up into his. His now prominent erection throbbed pleasurably at the sudden pressure and friction.

As she reached up to once more undo the buttons lining the back of his shirt, he pulled away one last time to ask, "Are you sure?"

"I love you, Bernard. Of course I'm sure," she whispered. "Besides, I trust you with all my heart and soul." She noticed the way Bernard was suddenly trembling, and added quickly, "That is, unless you don't want to."

"Oh, I want to so badly," he replied, cupping her face in his hands. "But you have to realize that once we take this step, there's no going back."

"That's good," she replied. "I don't ever want to go back."

"I guess I'm scared, too," he confided. "Before today, I'd never even kissed anyone before, and now here we are about to. . . well, I just don't want to ruin it by not knowing how."

"I don't know either," she said quickly. "I mean, I know the basics, but as for the rest. . . we can figure that out together, okay?"

"Alright," he said, bending down to cover her mouth with his once more, and allowing her to finish unbuttoning his shirt. He shivered lightly as the material was pulled from his body, and he sat up so that Serena could sit up also.

She gazed at his bare chest appreciatively, and gently ran her fingers over his creamy skin. Before long, she let her mouth replace her fingers as she continued her exploration of him.

Bernard closed his eyes and his breathing became ragged as her lips slowly traveled all over his chest. After a little while, she pulled back and her hands went to the buttons of her blouse, but before she had got the first button undone, Bernard's hands covered hers.

"Let me," he whispered. She nodded, and with trembling hands, he slowly undid the buttons of her blouse and pulled it off of her. All she was wearing underneath was a lacy white bra. She reached down and began to tug off her pants, revealing a matching pair of lacy white panties.

Bernard let his eyes roam freely over her, taking in as much of her as he could. "You're so beautiful," he whispered at last. A pleased blush spread across her features as she gazed up at him with a face full of love, trust, and desire.

He drew her near to him so that he could reach behind her to undo the clasp of her bra. This
proved to be a far more difficult task than he had expected. He just couldn't figure the darn thing out!

A groan of frustration escaped his lips as the stubborn clasp refused to budge. She giggled at him, and lightly kissed his nose before reaching back to undo the clasp herself.

As the bra fell away from her, Bernard stared at the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his life. Hesitantly, and with trembling fingers, he reached out to cup her breasts in his hands. She closed her eyes and arched her back at his touch, pressing her breasts more firmly into his hands.

"So soft," he whispered wonderingly. He remembered how good her mouth had felt against his chest and wondered if it would also feel that good to her. Keeping his eyes on her face in case she should indicate that she didn't like it, he slowly began to kiss at her shoulders, slowly moving down, until he was kissing her breasts.

"Oh, Bernard," she gasped as he experimentally took one of her hardened nipples into his mouth. She tangled her fingers in his hair as he continued to explore every curve of her breasts with his lips and tongue.

Eventually he kissed his way down to her stomach and kept moving lower until he reached the band of her panties. He gave her a quizzical look, and she nodded. His breath hitched as he slowly pulled her last piece of clothing from her.

He stared for a moment, overwhelmed by how beautiful her naked form was, before pulling her into a searing kiss, her soft breasts pressing against his bare chest. His hands began to travel all over her, trying to memorize every curve. Everywhere he touched her, she felt a warm tingle of magic from the tips of his fingers.

Her hands, which had been resting on his chest, drifted down to hesitantly touch the bulge in Bernard's trousers. He groaned, laying back on the bed and was sure that'd he'd die of happiness when he felt her tugging off his trousers and freeing his throbbing erection.

She experimentally grasped his arousal in her hand, and he cried out, his knuckles white from clenching the bed sheets. He had never in his life ever imagined that he would let another person touch him there, and even during the past week when he had guiltily fantasized about this moment, he had no idea it could ever be this wonderful.

"Serena," he gasped out as she began to move her hand up and down his length. "I'm going to lose it if you keep this up."

Reluctantly her fingers retreated and left him aching for more. He wanted her. Now.

"Are you ready?" he asked, once more covering her body with his.

She nodded, and lovingly caressed his face as she spread her legs to allow him entry. To tell the truth, she was a little nervous because she had heard that it was supposed to hurt the first time, and yet, as Bernard began to press into her, all she felt was unimaginable pleasure.

Perhaps, she wondered, remembering the tingles of magic she felt from his fingers. Perhaps it won't hurt because he's magic.

She didn't ponder this long, however, for soon Bernard's full length was inside of her, and they both lay quite still while waves of pleasure cascaded over them. Serena was breathing heavily, marveling at how something so large could feel so good inside her.

Bernard had his eyes screwed tightly shut, trying to take in everything at once. She was so tight and wet and warm around him that he wasn't sure he would be able to stand it. He had never known pleasure like this existed.

Serena smiled up at him and brought her hand up to cup his cheek. "Breathe," she reminded him.

"I think I've forgotten how," Bernard gasped, as he let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

He smiled tenderly down at her as he experimentally pulled himself about halfway out of her and slowly pushed himself in again. They both cried out as another wave of pleasure racked their bodies. Bernard struggled to regain a little control over himself. He didn't want the moment to end too quickly.

Soon, he began taking her slowly, pulling almost all the way out of her and then bringing himself down on her once more. She moaned and began to rock her hips in rhythm with his own, strengthening the sensation.

It wasn't long before he began to unconsciously speed up. His hips pumped furiously and his thrusts became harder. They both began moaning every time he slammed his hips back into her.

Each new thrust brought Serena closer to the edge. "Bernard!" she screamed, holding him tightly as her orgasm engulfed her.

For Bernard, feeling her tighten around his length and hearing her scream his name like that was too much. He plunged after her into the abyss, throwing his head back and groaning as the initial wave hit him, before burying his face in her neck and moaning her name softly while he filled her insides up with his warm liquid.

They stayed like that for a while, both basking in the feeling of the other's skin against their own. Finally, still gasping for air, Bernard propped himself up with his arms so that he could look at his lover's face. Serena smiled up at him tenderly, a look of immense joy on her face and a few tears in her eyes.

He wiped them away with concern and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said, laughing softly. "It was just so wonderful. Besides, you're crying too."

"Am I?" Bernard asked, reaching up to feel a few tears of joy that had gathered on his cheeks. "That was amazing. I had no idea love could be like this."

"I love you, Bernard," she whispered.

"And I love you," he returned, kissing her with his heart on his lips.