Gabrielle caught her breath, her awe-filled gaze transforming into a smile of appreciation at the familiar but still incredible sight of her lover rising naked out of the lake. As Xena stood to her full height, the water cascaded down her magnificent body, glittering in the soft evening sun, rivulets pouring over the perfect curve of her breasts. "Aphrodite!" murmurred Gabrielle, her eyes glued to the stunning form that glided slowly toward her.

"You know, you should close your mouth before something flies into it" said the warrior's deep, husky voice as Gabrielle's eyes gradually focussed on the smiling face before her.
"Gods, you're exquisite" murmurred the bard, as if from the depths of a trance, reaching out to rest her hands on Xena's naked hips and pull her into a soft but probing kiss that left them both breathless.

"Wow!" sighed Xena, when they pulled slightly apart, "where did that come from?"
"From my deep love for you" replied the blonde, elliciting a surruptitious smile from her wife, who teased "your deep lust, you mean."
"Hhhmmm" agreed Gabrielle, "that too" and reached her arms up around the warrior's neck to pulled her gently down.

"Xena" the bard purred softly against her lover's mouth, "we don't really have to go yet, do we?" A tiny tingle prickled at the base of Xena's spine as the bard's talented tongue caressed her lips, pulling a moan from her throat.
"Gabrielle! I...I said we'd be in Amphipolis by tonight."
Gabrielle ran her fingertips slowly down Xena's spine, making her shiver gently. "But we're only two candlemarks away" she breathed in the warrior's ear, "I'm sure Cyrene wouldn't mind if we didn't arrive til the morning, would she?" The words were followed by soft kisses planted lovingly down Xena's neck.

The warrior's eyelids fluttered and her chest shuddered lightly as she tried to resist the feelings rising in her gut. Gabrielle's tongue slowly traced her lover's collorbone toward the sensitive well at the base of her neck and lingered just on the edge of the spot she knew to be most sensitive. Xena moaned again "Gabrielle!" she rasped, trembling with desire and clenching her fists at her sides.
"Would she?" whispered the bard seductively as her tongue slid onto its target.

"Ahhh, Gab...!" gasped Xena as her resolve shattered. She grabbed the bard desperately and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. "You know just how to play me, don't you?" she panted.
"I have many skills" replied the bard, before she was thrown onto the soft sand of the lakeshore.

Energy flicked up and down Xena's spine, sparking off a maddening tingle that lodged in the back of her throat. Without another thought she ripped Gabrielle's top apart in a show of primal strength, tearing it from the blonde's body and immediately clamping her mouth onto the exposed, rigid nipple. Gabrielle cried out at the contact, grabbing the back of Xena's head and clutching her impossibly close. They rolled around together in the sand, fighting for supremecy. In a contest of physical strength, Xena would always be the victor, but Gabrielle didn't need physical strength to overpower her lover, she had much more subtle ways to make the warrior helpless and soon Xena found herself on her back with a golden head between her legs.

Gabrielle blew lightly on Xena's glistening sex, her hands running over the twitching, sculpted muscles of the warrior's stomach. "Aaah, Gabrielle!" gasped the writhing woman, raising her head slightly to look down at her beautiful tormentor. Strong hands tried to pull the bard's lips closer but Gabrielle took Xena's wrists and pinned them to the ground. "Patience, my love," she soothed, "we have all night," and she slithered up Xena's trembling body to claim her lips. "Besides, I want to get off the beach. You know how I feel about sand up my...."
"Gabrielle, you're not planning to torture me like this all night, are you!"
"Well, the thought did occur to me, yes" she whispered, once more capturing the warrior's mouth.
Xena smiled and warned, "you know, that could be dangerous."
"How so?"
"You may get more than you bargained for" answered Xena, her eyes sparkling with lust.
"Oh, I'm counting on it" the bard murmurred as she bent her head to begin her maddening nibbling on her lover's long, damp neck.

The End

SW
28/09/01