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The first rays of the morning sun filtered through the room’s curtains, reflecting their soft glow onto the bed drapes, the coverlet, and the two bodies lying upon it. Jinshi and Maomao were catching their breath, taking their time doing so. He was lying on his side with his arm extended, and Maomao rested her head upon it, her arms still wrapped around his bare shoulders while he placed his other hand on her hair, stroking it every now and then, their legs still intertwined.
Perhaps they shouldn't have indulged themselves like this so early in the morning, but this time it hadn't been his idea at all. His heart was still recovering from its rapid beating minutes prior; the heat of his body and the warmth in his face didn't seem to be fading just yet. Thoughts continued to trace through Jinshi’s mind, and he couldn't hold back the smile that began to form on his lips—a dopey smile, without a doubt.
His wife had been the one to initiate. Jinshi had woken up thirsty, and after dragging himself away from her side with difficulty to drink from the glass of water set on the bedside table, he found her shifting in place as she yawned. Maomao blinked her eyes, the dim light of the distant candle casting shadows across her features, and whispered in a sleepy voice, “Come back here…” A chuckle escaped him as he crawled his way back to her. “My wife, do not worry, I will not deprive you of my warmth…”
She huffed, yet opened her arms toward him. Overjoyed, Jinshi threw himself between them, but Maomao didn't embrace him; rather, her intention seemed different. From where they lay, she had raised her face so it was level with his, pressing a kiss to his mouth. Gazing into his eyes, she spoke, her voice still raspy from sleep,
“Do you know that this will be the last private time... for us today before the children rush in, and then each of us goes off to our duties? And you will be away for an unknown period…” At the end of her words, she released a sigh, then stroked the scar on his cheek with her fingertips as she looked down, lowering her lashes.
Feeling as though his heart might burst, Jinshi swallowed hard. “Are you sure? Aren't you tired?”
He couldn't believe she was proposing almost directly that they make love at such a time, and willingly no less, especially after her exhausting day split between supervising the planting of a new batch of plants in her greenhouse and caring for their infant child, Mingyue.
She didn't answer and only smiled—a smile that reached her eyes as she pulled him closer, pressing her nose against his. That was all Jinshi needed, to finally give free rein to himself and do what he had been longing for for a while.
Still, their coupling was slow and emotional; even if Maomao was a bit demanding and impatient, he desperately wanted it to be easy on her and, at the same time, unforgettable for her—after all, he didn't know when he could return from his inspection tour of one of the nearby towns—for he knew quite well she loved it so much this way, even if it made her feel a little exposed; as he never stopped looking at her, whispering sweet nothings to her every now and then.
His heart fluttered wildly, as it had done often over the past hour. Amidst the silence surrounding them and with the warmth of their intertwined bodies, the strain in his muscles affected by their activity began to fade. His heat had cooled, leaving room for something calmer, the smile on his face widening more and more as he lowered his head toward hers, pressing his lips to her hair ever so gently.
The sound of his wife clearing her throat reached him before he saw her face rising toward his. The look in her eyes as she gazed at him was tender, and the corners of her mouth were lightly upturned, but the tone of her voice certainly did not match those expressions: “Husband, I think you have had your fill, so do not be any greedier!”
He allowed a small pout to settle on his features in an attempt to suppress his laughter, “I do not think it was I who was so eager…” A blush covered Maomao's cheeks, and her lips trembled as she looked down. How utterly adorable she was!
Unable to hold himself back any longer, Jinshi brought his lips slowly to her forehead, letting them brush against it briefly. She sighed, but did not pull away. Taking that as his green light, his lips continued their path downward, scattering kisses across every part of her face: her eyelids, her nose, her cheeks, her jaw, the corner of her mouth, her mouth, and her chin, savoring the texture of her delicate skin, the warmth of her flushed face, and the softness of her lips.
Jinshi lowered his head further, letting his nose and lips trace their way down to her neck and shoulder, nuzzling them there. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply and pressed his lips against the crook of her neck. “Ah, you smell so sweet…”
Her familiar scent filled his nostrils: a grounding mix of clean soap, a new incense of cedarwood and mugwort of her own choosing, and a faint trace of sweat from their recent tangle—all clinging to her skin. It was an aroma devoid of the suffocating perfumes of the Court. Hers, Maomao's.
His wife huffed again, attempting a stern tone that fell entirely flat: “Sir, your children could come in at any moment now. Don't you think you should stop?” Contradicting herself, she wrapped her arms around his back and buried her face in his chest.
Jinshi whispered, half-laughing, “And what do you call what you are doing right now?...”
Maomao tightened her hold around his back. “I only wanted to restrain you...”
He embraced her back, wrapping his arms around her lower back to pull her closer so her head came to rest upon his shoulder. “Yes, yes, of course.” His voice lilted at the end.
For brief moments, silence enveloped them, save for the faint sound of inhaling. His wife was nuzzling her nose against his shoulder from side to side, then moved to his neck, repeating the same gesture, and said in a noticeably affectionate voice, “You too... smell nice.” placing light kisses along his neck down to his shoulder before quickly burying her face in his chest again.
It felt as though his heart would leap out of his chest from how hard it pounded; his stomach fluttered, and the corners of his mouth turned upward uncontrollably. Jinshi released a breath steeped in satisfaction as he closed his eyes and set his chin on top of her head, stroking her lower back with his hand.
They remained like that, a still quietness enveloping the atmosphere around them, and for a long time neither of them broke the silence, content simply with being close to one another.
Maomao shifted in his arms and lifted her head to remind him that they really ought to get up, put on the rest of their clothes, and tidy their appearance before their children burst into the room.
He nodded in agreement, began to pull away from her, and stepped off the bed, walking briskly over to her side to help her down. Maomao limped slightly in her step and let out a soft groan.
Jinshi threw his robe over his shoulders, then reached quickly for hers. He helped her into the robe and tied its knot as best he could.
He cleared his throat in preparation for what he wanted to ask, saying as he scratched his head, “Maomao, would you let me help you bathe? Please?”
Maomao slowly shook her head from side to side, suspicion written across her features: “No, sir. I know very well what is going through your head... besides, your infant son will need me soon.” A small, warm smile softened her features.
Having been turned down, it might have made sense for him to sulk, but instead, at the sight of her smile—prompted by the mention of her little one—the corners of his eyes softened, and a smile broke across his lips. Jinshi reached out his hand to tousle her hair, letting it drop to stop at her cheek, where he stroked it with his fingertips. “You are so beautiful... my love.”
Instantly, her cheeks flushed a lovely shade of pink, and she let out a flustered cough, looking aside. “Don't try; you won't change my mind with such flattery!”
Even though he knew she said that to hide her embarrassment from him, he replied with a pout, “You know I didn't say that with an ulterior motive!” Jinshi turned his back and began walking away toward the bath area, a part of him hoping she might be swayed and join him.
His wife followed him, a low laugh slipping from her as she caught his sleeve with her hand. Resting her cheek against his back, she said, “And you are the most beautiful person I have ever known, husband…”
She pressed a quick kiss to his back and added, “I will let you bathe with me, on the condition that it doesn't take long... alright?”
In the blink of an eye, her husband had lifted her into his arms, heading toward the bath area as he hummed.