Four hundred years old.

What did one give someone you loved who was turning four hundred years old?

A Rolex?  No, he still used that old pocket watch he'd bought during the Gold Rush.

A book?  No, he owned a million books already and even if there was something wonderful inscribed on the inside, it still wouldn't be personal enough.

A fancy dinner?  No, you had to eat every day so that wouldn't be anything special.

Computer software?  Now, that might be a good idea.  Like any person with that pesky "Y" chromosome, he'd probably enjoy a new program but then he'd spend all his time in front of the computer and what fun would that be?   Scratch anything to do with big boy toys.

Something from the era of his birth?

Another Celtic hair tie?

BOR-RING.

No, this had to be something special.  Something he couldn't get from anyone else.  Something that would show just how much she loved him.  But what?
 

Duncan MacLeod gave his sweaty face one more swipe with the towel before he got out of the T-Bird.  After his frustrating jog in the park, he was looking forward to a warm, soothing shower.  Something, anything to wash away the doubts circling around in his head.

If he didn't know any better, he would have chalked up that last endless mile to age which was really stupid considering that just the previous day he'd completed all five miles and had barely broken out in a sweat.  What difference could one day make?

Nothing.  He knew better.

Physically, he hadn't changed in three hundred and seventy-one years.  He hadn't allowed himself.  Always, discipline of the body as well as the mind.  And now that he was back in the Game, his survival depended upon his readiness.  But damn, that last mile had been a bitch.  Of course, the fact that this day was his four hundredth birthday had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Four hundred years.  My, what changes he had seen.  From horses to space shuttles.  From firewood to nuclear energy.  From parchment to computer monitors.  Yet, despite all the technological advances, human beings had basically remained the same.  They still straddled the border between right and wrong, good and evil.  They still fought the same wars, only their weapons had changed.  They still allowed prejudice and greed and jealousy to rule their lives and insisted that their way was the only way.

Like that guy in the park who had yelled, "Damn hippie," before trying to trip him.

What was the point?

Duncan gave the door handle an automatic twist and, while still caught up in his thoughts, he entered the workshop.  Needless to say, he was totally unprepared for what greeted him.

"What?" escaped his throat as he left the brilliant sunshine outside and entered the unnatural dimness of the interior.

All the windows and doorways had been covered to block out all light yet slowly, the flickering of small flames registered in his brain as his pupils adjusted.  On the floor, on every flat surface, on the windowsill, the entire room danced with the low glow of hundreds of candles.  Large ones, small ones, colored ones, they all undulated in unison with the air circulation.  And standing in the center of the eerie lambency was Tessa.

Ah, Tessa.  Seeing her draped only in the warm gentle radiance of candlelight, an expression of unmistakable love written across her face, packed more punch than a blow to the solar plexuses.  All thoughts of the idiot in the park fled as his heart squeezed uncontrollably in response to the vision set before him.

His beloved Tessa, the woman for whom he felt more emotion than he had for any of the others he had known and loved during his entire existence.  Tessa, who had sacrificed family and stability for him and who hadn't even questioned why he had brought a young, upstart kid into their home.  Tessa.  The perfect mate for him and it had taken almost four centuries to find her.

Tessa.  Just the sound of her name echoing in his mind could send his heart into double-time and his blood boiling in his veins.  And the wealth of feelings he felt for her was so complete that when she gracefully lifted her hand toward him, he nearly exploded right there and then.

How could one person make his life so worth living?

When and how had she gained such total power over him?

She was his life.

She was the reason why he'd survived so long.

Alas, she was mortal.

What pain he would endure when he eventually lost her.

But that event was many years down the road and now was not a time for morbid thoughts so he forced them from his mind and answered her silent beckon.

"Happy birthday, Duncan," she whispered, finally breaking the silence as she brought his captured hand up to her lips.  Without another word, she began leading him from the workshop toward their apartment behind the antique store.  Somehow, she'd even blocked the store's front display windows, leaving their way lit only by a path of two parallel rows of candlelight.

The apartment, too, was ablaze.  From the kitchen to the living room, through the bedroom and finally to the bathroom, the entire place was alive with tiny, dancing flames.

He felt as though he'd been hypnotized as she grabbed his tee-shirt from the bottom hem and peeled it from his body.  He felt her hands explore the hard planes of his chest for a moment, then they drifted down to his belly and finally halted at the waistband of his sweatpants where she paused for a moment before kneeling down to remove his running shoes.

As he rested his eyes on the top of her head, Duncan's other senses kicked in and the sound of rushing water in the bathtub registered in his ears.

"Just what do you have in mind?" he asked, intrigued by the possibilities.

Tessa's response was a low, throaty chuckle.  "And I used to think you were so smart."

Leave it to Tessa Noel to do things differently.  Most women would have set a stage of seduction at night but not this one.  This one would make the world do her bidding, not the other way around.  If it took a little extra effort, no matter.  She would surmount whatever stood between her and her goal and, by the obvious atmosphere she had painstakingly prepared, seduction was her goal.

She paused after removing his second shoe and peered up at him.  "Or maybe you're just not interested."  Her hands slowly worked their way up his calves, along his thighs, around his hips then gripped the sweatpants within her fists.  Giving the material a little tug, she slowly, ever so slowly, began to pull it downward.  Inch by torturous inch, she made sure both the cotton and her hands constantly brushed against his growing erection.  "After all, maybe it doesn't work anymore."

"As I recall, it worked just fine last night."

"Ah, but you weren't four hundred years old last night.  You are today."

His total erect penis sprang out as the elastic waistband fell to a point past it.  "I guess that answers that question."

"Well, that is just going to have to wait.  You need a bath after your run."  She stood, took his hand and led him to the bathtub that was almost filled with water.  Lavender scented steam rose above a tub full of bubbles.

Calling to him like an billowing cloud of softness, his muscles suddenly remembered the strenuous workout earlier and strained to enter the soothing water.  He stepped over the edge then quickly sank down into the warmth.  A moan of contentment rumbled from deep within his chest.

Tessa turned off the faucets, rubbed some soap on her loofa sponge and began washing Duncan's shoulders.  However, the second the sponge passed over his skin, he jerked to attention and moved to get away from it.

"What the hell is that?" he bellowed while running his hand over his shoulder, fully expecting to bring it back covered in blood.  "Steel wool?"

"A loofa," she replied innocently.  "It encourages healthy circulation and removes dead skin cells."

"And live ones, too."  He continued to rub his shoulder.  "Whatever happened to the old-fashioned wash cloth?  I swear, everything these days has to be new and improved.  Better than the gadget it replaces.  Nobody is happy even if something works efficiently 'cause we can get it to run better, stronger, longer..."

"Quit ranting, Mac.  Loofas have been around for centuries.  Probably longer than you have."  She placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled him back to a reclining position.  "But, if you don't like the feeling, I'll use a wash cloth."

"It just surprised me, that's all."  He relaxed against the back of the tub.  "Try it again."

Foregoing the loofa, Tessa took the soap and built up a generous lather between her fingers.  From her position behind him, she pillowed his head between her breasts then reached her arms around his neck to massage the suds onto his chest and his abdomen.  When another satisfied moan escaped, she replied with a soft kiss on his crown.

"You'll spoil me," he murmured.

"I know," she replied and moved her arms lower.

"Why?"

"Because I love you."  She reached her goal and gently wrapped her fingers around his now his flaccid penis.

As he hardened under her touch, the rest of his body remained motionless until he was fully erect.  Then, with one swift movement, his hands wrapped around her upper arms and he effortlessly swung her around.  A huge splash of water drenched the floor as she landed on top of him.

"Duncan?!"  she exclaimed as she scrambled to find purchase against the porcelain side but she kept slipping and he wouldn't release her arms.

"What's good for the goose," he laughed as he brought her face to his and took her mouth in a mind-numbing kiss.  Diving past her teeth, his tongue demanded a response and, willingly, she relaxed against him and freely gave one.

This was the man whom she loved more than anything or anyone in the world.  The man who, for the past twelve years, had brought her more happiness than she'd ever expected to find.  And despite his little bombshell a few months before, she couldn't imagine living without him.  Everything she was, everything she could be was for him.

He released her for a second only to bring his arms around her so he could press her tightly against him.  The softness of her breasts melded perfectly with the hardness of his.  "Have I told you I love you today?" he asked lightly then gave her a peck on the tip of her nose.

"No."

He placed his lips against her left temple and whispered while giving her a gentle squeeze, "I love you, Tessa Noel."  His mouth blazed a trail from her temple to the shell of her ear, along her jaw to the graceful curve of her neck where he lingered awhile.  "If I live another four hundred years, I'll still love you."  He moved her upward to allow access to her breasts.

She groaned in delight as he first teased her nipple with his tongue then latched onto it and fiercely began to suckle her.  Waves of pleasure coursed through her entire body then settled into a spot deep within her womb.  Her reaction was to squirm against him, seeking that glorious union that always made her feel whole, made her feel complete.

But wait...

Today was his birthday.  The whole purpose of this grand setting was for his pleasure, to fulfill his fantasy, not hers.  How quickly the processes necessary for coherent thought fled her brain when she was in his arms.  Hastily clamping down on her desires, Tessa  turned her attention solely to his needs.

Following the sinewy contour of his sides, she submerged her hands into the water, wrapped her fingers around his flanks  and gave him a firm squeeze.  She lowered her face to his chest and flickered his left nipple with her tongue, evoking a sharp intake of air from him.

"You like?" she whispered as she nuzzled his chest hair.

"Um."

Digging her thumbs into his pelvic bones with just the right amount of pressure, she followed the line where his legs joined his torso to a point where they met at the base of his penis that was pressed upward between their bellies.   He shifted beneath her as encouragement, and groaned again when she wrapped her fingers around the rigid shaft.  However, she didn't move as he expected.  Instead, she squeezed gently with one hand while reaching around and underneath him with the other until she came to the spot just behind the base of his scrotum.  The sensation, as she started to massage him there, was unlike any he had felt.  Ever.

Four hundred years old, dozens of partners, every position possible and this woman, this incredibly sensuous woman for whom he'd lay down his life had done something, had found something that no other had.

It felt wonderful.

Every nerve ending clamored for her touch.

And, if she didn't stop, he was going to lose it, right there and then, like a hormonally overloaded school kid.

As a preventative measure, he wrapped his arms around her and effortlessly stood up in the tub.  Ignoring her directives to put her down, voiced in first English then more vehemently in French, he held her squirming body close while he carried her from the bathroom to the bedroom.  With a flair for the dramatic, he let gravity carry her to the mattress then he quickly followed.

"Not fair, " Tessa declared as she scooted to the far side of the bed, barely moving in time before his big body fell on the exact spot she had just vacated.

He tossed her a mischievous smile.  "No such thing as fair in love or war, Marigold."

With her plans ruined because the bloody barbarian could rarely relinquish control, her temper flared.  "And which one are you striving for with this behavior?" she spat.

Duncan pulled back, sank down on his haunches then spread his hands in submission.  His expression changed from playful to one of genuine surprise.  "You're really angry," he stated dubiously.

"Yes, I am.  You've ruined everything with your high-handed ways."

"What did I ruin?" he asked innocently.  "You wanted to seduce me, didn't you?  It worked so what's wrong?"

Tessa turned her head away from him and tried to staunch the flow of tears that threatened to start.  "Everything," she muttered.

"Ah, honey."  Duncan reached for her but she rolled beyond his outstretched fingertips.  Knowing he'd breached some sort of feminine rule without knowing the specifics, he offered, " I'm sorry but what'd I do?"

"You have no idea how long it takes to light up four hundred and one candles.  You have no idea what I had to do to block out the only sunny day in this infernally dingy city.  You can't imagine what I had to do to bribe Richie to go away for a few hours.  You just haven't got a clue about anything.  What it all boils down to is, I seduced you, you're horny so now let's f..."

"Don't say it," Duncan interrupted her, his voice conveying a powerful warning.  "Don't you dare say it."

"Well, it's true," she whimpered.  "I wanted this to be something special and it isn't anymore."

"But it is, sweetheart," he tried to convince her.  "No one has ever done anything like this for me before."  He finally managed to capture her, yet, rather than bring her to him, he scooted over to her and cuddled up to her back, spoon fashion.   "I love you, Tessa, more than you'll ever know."  He tenderly stroked a few strands of hair away from her face.  "And I'm sorry I ruined your plans but that thing you were doing to me kind of overwhelmed me."

"You liked it?"  Her tone instantly turned bright and she sounded intrigued.

"Like is too tame a word.  Where'd you learn that?  You never did it before."

She turned around in his arms to face him.  Her features were alit with happiness.  "On the internet."

"What?"

"Really, Duncan," she lectured.  "You're always telling me about the wonderful things you find out in the World Wide Web.  Why should you be surprised that I discovered some interesting information?"

He was flabbergasted.  "But...but...but..."

"Those search engines are very helpful, you know.  One can find just about anything with them."

"Tes-sa."

"And I found a mail list."  She pressed her hand low on his back and pulled him closer.  "The people on it are witty, insightful, and very well educated.  I've learned a lot from them."  Her fingers drifted lower then she squeezed his right cheek.

"Are you discussing our sex life with strangers?" he inquired, fearing the answer would be something he'd rather not hear.

"Not specifically but you have my new friends to thank for that 'thing.'"  She'd reached the spot again and began manipulating it once more.  "You did say you liked it, didn't you?"

Words failed to form as Duncan's mouth first flooded with saliva then turned cotton-dry.  Whatever she was doing, wherever she had learned it, he hoped she wouldn't stop anytime soon.   Flopping over onto his stomach, he laid himself open to her ministrations, groaning his pleasure with every stroke.

"I guess that's a yes."  She straddled him and planted a kiss in the small of his back.  His skin was so soft, such a contrast to the musculature buried underneath.  Working her way upward, she laved the contour that his spine made in the middle of his back then fanned out a trail of kisses first to one shoulder blade then the other.

This vision of masculine perfection that he was never ceased to amaze her, even after all the years they'd been together.  She still marveled at the broadness of his shoulders and the leanness of his hips.  She still appreciated his backside when he'd walk away from her.  And she still sneaked around on occasion to watch him perform his katas just so she could see all that pulchritude in action.

My...what a sight that was to behold...

"Tess?  Are you okay?"

Duncan's inquiry interrupted her train of thought and brought her back to the present.  A blush quickly flooded the capillaries in her face as she realized what she'd been doing.  How silly to spend time fantasizing about the man when he was right there and literally under her thumbs.

To bring herself back to the present and to punish him for being so beautiful that he'd distracted her, she burrowed under his hair and playfully nipped the nape of his neck.

"Ouch!"  His hand flew to the abused location.  "What was that for?"

Tessa giggled and said nothing.  Instead, she soothingly ran her tongue over the spot but stopped the instant she felt his muscles bunch beneath her.  Knowing what was to follow, she tried to not make it easy for him by willing her one hundred and twenty pounds to defy gravity, but her attempt was unsuccessful as he easily displaced her when he flipped over onto his back.

"Because I love you, I'm not going to throttle you for that," he informed her as he trapped her delicate hands in his much larger ones.

"What're you going to do instead?" she purred.  Wriggling her pinkie free, she tickled his right palm and strove to ignore the new set of calluses she felt there.

Now was not a time to fret over how much more he'd been practicing with his katana, more than he had in all the previous years they'd been together.  Now was not a time to worry about the recent changes their lives had undergone.

No.

Now was a time for frivolity then passion.  Now was a time to show him just how much she loved him because words wouldn't and couldn't ever come close to describing how she felt about him.  Now was a time to celebrate their life together, not lament it.  The Game, the Prize, there can be only one, that would all just have to wait.

Today was her lover's four hundredth birthday and she was going to make damned sure this one didn't get lost in the shuffle.

Planting her hands on both of his biceps, she bent over, curled her tongue around the chest hair surrounding his left nipple then gave it a little tug.  Before the sting had time to pass, she latched onto the tiny nub and, less than gently, rolled it between her teeth.

His body uncontrollably bucked beneath her.  "What is it with you and those teeth today?" he demanded as he pushed her face away.

Tessa chuckled softly.  "A little pain beforehand will make the pleasure all that much better."

He stared into her eyes questioningly.  "Something else you learned from your new friends?"

"Maybe," she replied with a hint of mystery.

"Well, I hope yer not plannin' ta use them everywhere."

She laughed again.  He was definitely unsettled, his unconscious slip into the speech patterns of his youth were always a sure sign.  "No, Mac, just a few choice locations."

He gave her a quizzical look then let go of her.  He could trust her, couldn't he?  She wouldn't really hurt him...would she?  He had absolutely no reason to fear her...didn't he?  He tensed for a moment then, silently answering "yes" to all of the above, he threw his arms up over his head in total submission and forced himself to relax.

Good, Tessa thought as she felt the internal war waging beneath her.  He's unbalanced enough.  Time to start the real fun.  She shifted to the other nipple and, after suckling it for a couple of seconds, began to transverse his entire chest with her mouth while her hands massaged and kneaded their way downward.

"Ya know," Duncan exhaled with a grunt when her tongue dove into his navel.  "Ya use' ta be such a sweet lass."

Tessa paused from tracking the line of hair growing beneath his belly button to look up.  His eyes were closed but his brows were furrowed, a good indication that he was tense with anticipation. Perfect.  Just how she wanted him.  "What are you talking about?" she asked, trying to distract him.

"When we met.  You were so...so..."  He couldn't find the right word to describe the young woman who had so enamored him and quickly gave up the fight when she wrapped her fingers around his erection.

"Innocent?" Tessa offered, then added when he warily nodded his head a fraction of an inch, "What did you expect?  I was a virgin."  She ran her tongue up the underside of his penis.  "You have only yourself to blame for this, if you're looking for a place to lay blame.  You taught me everything I know."

Her hand found that magic spot again and Duncan swallowed nervously.  So close.  She had him so close to the edge that he didn't know how much more he'd be able to take before he found himself falling over by himself.  His entire body was rigid.  Only extreme concentration, which she was doing her damnedest to interfere with, was keeping him precariously balanced.  Never, in their entire history together, had she ever done anything that remotely resembled what she was doing to him now and it certainly wasn't anything he'd ever taught her.

He swallowed what felt like sawdust, cleared his throat then croaked out, "I don't think so."

Tessa watched his Adam's apple bob a couple of time and arrived at a swift decision. Poor Duncan.  He looked so miserable.  The time had come to bring the Tessa Noel Torture Chamber of Pleasure to its inevitable conclusion.  Shifting positions and guiding him to her, she sank down on him.

But she didn't move.

Neither did he.

For several seconds they remained that way; joined yet motionless.

Suddenly, he took her face between his big hands, brought her close to his and stared at her with such intensity that she couldn't tell if it was borne of passion or that of anger.  Yet slowly, very slowly she noticed the lines of strain around his mouth and the beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.  For some reason, he was using every ounce of self-control to keep from moving, using her as a focal point, and since she couldn't understand why, she started to.

"Nay," he groaned and forced her to look back at him.  "Nay," he pleaded and made her stop.  "Just feel."

She did.  She felt him fill her, felt him quiver within her and, as impossible as it seemed, he grew harder and bigger as they lay there unmoving.  And then the tremors started.

They rolled through him in waves, starting at his shoulders and working their way down to his legs but he still resisted the urge to thrust and kept his eyes firmly locked on hers.   When he regained control and the shaking had stopped, he finally spoke.  He words came out in a whisper.  "Tis how I'd like to stay forever, Tess, buried so deep within you that the lines between us become hazy and we meld into one.  We are one, you and I, and I love you."

Tessa's response was the only logical one.  In all their years together, she'd never doubted his love but at that very moment something inside her heart clenched and her body exploded into one of the most powerful orgasms she'd ever experienced.  Giant waves of ecstasy washed over her as her muscles involuntarily contracted around him and she thought she would die from the intensity.

And just as it was ending, she felt him shudder beneath her, then, the warmth of his semen filling her set her off again.

Once they'd both regained their senses, Tessa cradled Duncan's face and gave him a little kiss on the end of his nose.  As she started to move away, he curled his hand around her neck and pulled her back.  Taking her mouth with his, he dove past her teeth and entered the sweet warmth behind.

She could feel him growing hard again within her.

He held her captive for several moments then broke off the kiss, remembering to take a nip at her lower lip as he retreated.

"Ow," she exclaimed.  "Why did you do that?"

"Pay-backs..."

A door slammed in the other room.

"What-the-hell..."

The two lovers exchanged a look of capitulation as Richie Ryan's alarmed voice reached their ears.

"Ah, shit, not again."  The irritation transformed into a whine.  Don't you two ever stop?"

Duncan gave Tessa a wicked grin which she returned even wickeder.

"Not if we can help it.  Happy birthday, Duncan."