Keke sat on the edge of the bed, watching the hypnotic dance of the tiny, flickering flame inside the oil lamp. Her heart hammered against her chest, and her stomach tightened with anticipation. She struggled with her nerves, chiding herself for their sudden flare-up.

This isn’t the first time we’ve been intimate, she reminded herself for the dozenth time since Ceres had left. 

But as Keke rolled the glass vial between her fingers, it certainly felt like the first time. 

She wondered what all Lucia dabbled in if she so readily had a concoction like this one and whether the woman’s interests would be considered blasphemous to Saoirse’s followers. Sex with a man was meant to bring new kittens into the world—to maintain the population and ensure Nyarela’s continued existence. No one ever talked about how fun it could be and how good it would feel.

The door opened, and Keke started at the sound. Calm yourself. She hissed in a breath and closed her eyes.

“Keke? You okay?” Matt asked as he closed the door behind him.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I was caught up in my own thoughts.”

He nodded and moved to sit next to her. “I know what you mean.”

Keke inhaled and her ears perked. Matt’s familiar scent filled the room, setting her at ease and slowing her heart. She leaned her head against his shoulder and rested a hand on his thigh. “I… I realize we won’t be separated for too long. But it’s beginning to seem like forever.”

“Tell me about it.” Matt sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I feel like I’m watching my family split one person at a time.”

She nodded into his chest. “Me, too.” She breathed him in, and her heart skipped. “I asked for you because, well, Ceres gave me something.”

“Something bad?” Matt’s eyebrows raised, and his stare flickered with concern.

“No. The opposite, I think.” Keke let the vial roll from her palm to her other hand, and then she popped off the cork. “It just takes a little bit…” After urging a drop onto her fingers, she slid her hand beneath Matt’s shirt and massaged the concoction over the length of his spine.

A gasp of surprise caught in his throat. “Ceres gave you lube?”

Keke blinked down at the bottle. “Is that what this is called?” Her fingers tingled and warmed, the pleasant sensation echoing on Matt’s skin.

“I mean, I guess ‘lubricant,’ technically.” His chin lolled to his chest, and he moaned as Keke worked the liquid into his muscles. “I didn’t think it existed here.”

There was some relief in not having to explain her intentions with the…lube. Though, admittedly, she felt embarrassed for never having heard of it before. Matt had recognized it so quickly…

Matt’s cheeks flushed as he looked at Keke, then the door. “Ceres isn’t coming back tonight?”

“No.”

He nodded and held out a hand, “Can I try?”

She passed him the vial, and her breathing sped. 

Matt accepted the bottle, then tugged at her sleeve. “Take off your shirt.”

Keke did as she was told, curious to find out what he had in mind.

“And your bra.”

Another jolt of excitement shot from the tips of her ears to her tail as she carefully unhooked the back of her bra, then tossed it away to join her shirt.

Matt tipped a few droplets of lube into one hand, then the other, before setting the bottle on the nightstand. He rested both hands on Keke’s shoulders and pressed his thumbs just beneath her collarbone on either side. His fingers traced the length of her neck and her upper back, massaging against the tension she hadn’t realized was there.

“How does that feel?” he asked.

“Really good,” Keke murmured, finding it difficult to keep track of where his hands were moving.

“I’ve never done the erotic massage thing before—”

“I’ve never heard that term until today,” Keke interjected between sighs.

Matt chuckled. “Just tell me if it stops feeling good.”

She grinned, hoping he couldn’t feel how hard her heart was pounding. “Okay.”

His hands traveled south until he cupped her breasts in his palms. Divots around his fingertips formed as he kneaded into her skin, and the warm, tingling sensation she felt on her shoulders moved with him, coating her chest and nipples with the lubricant.

A tiny hiss of pleasure escaped between Keke’s teeth, and her back arched, granting him easier access to her chest and stomach. It was unlike anything she’d ever felt before—sweat was sticky and didn’t offer the same kind of slick surface that Lucia’s concoction created. The warmth of Matt’s hands compounded with the liquid’s heat, and she shuddered beneath his touch. Yearning rushed between her legs as she gripped two handfuls of the blanket and curled her tail around Matt’s waist.

She closed her eyes, leaned her head back, and moaned. Her hair tickled the small of her back, and her hands tightened around the blanket. Matt lowered one of his arms, and Keke watched beneath heavy lids as his hand disappeared beneath her skirt. She felt him pull her underwear to the side, then the familiar pressure of his fingers against her heat.

“Damn. I must be doing something right,” Matt murmured as he teased her opening with his fingertips.

Her hips rocked forward on their own, begging him to enter. She whimpered, then shuddered when he pinched her nipple. “I-I feel like I’m melting,” she stammered. “Goddess above, it’s hard to breathe.”

“Should I stop?” he teased. He slid his fingers past the first joint, and Keke squealed.

“No!”

“I didn’t think so.” He stretched her wide as his hand explored deeper. Whether it was the lube or her own desperate desire that made her so readily yield, she couldn’t say. But he plied and penetrated her without meeting any resistance whatsoever. “Good girl.”

Keke’s heart skipped, and another breathy moan vibrated on her tongue. Hearing his praise was more addicting than any vice she’d ever encountered. More rewarding than [Fishing]. She so badly wanted to please him just to keep hearing him say those words.

Between his hand on her chest and his fingers kneading into the depths of her body, Keke wasn’t sure how long she could hold back. Not yet… She reached between her legs and grabbed his wrist. “Matt?”

“Sorry, did I hurt you?” He froze and searched her face.

Keke couldn’t help but smile. He was always looking out for her best interests. “No, not at all. I, um, was wondering if we could do something else?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure.” He carefully withdrew his fingers, much to Keke’s immediate, throbbing regret.

Ignoring the pulses between her legs, she stood and pulled down her skirt and panties. “You strip, too.”

Matt added his clothes to the growing pile, and Keke dragged him back down to the bed, positioning him on his back. She mounted him at the hips and leaned in to steal his kiss, thrusting her tongue through his lips. He groaned and gripped her thighs.

Breathless, Keke leaned back and took the vial from the nightstand, pouring another circle of lube into her palm. Matt held out his hand for more, and she did the same for him before replacing the bottle. He rubbed his palms together, then groped her backside, letting his hands slide up and around to her chest. She leaned into his touch, rocking in the same direction he moved, goosebumps prickling her skin.

She reached down and coated his shaft with the lube, carefully pumping him from base to tip. His brown eyes burned into her as she worked, and his hands moved more fervently. As she repositioned herself over him and lifted her tail, her nerves returned. Would it hurt?

“Keke, wait.” Matt paused and touched her shoulder. “I thought we agreed no kittens?”

“We did.” She sat back and spread the cheeks of her flank with one hand while slowly positioning Matt with the other. “That hasn’t changed.”

His eyes widened. “You’re sure about this?”

“More than anything.” Keke took a deep breath, lowered herself down by an inch, and then realized the fit was even tighter than she thought it’d be. “A-ah…”

“Go slow,” Matt said. “As slow as you need.”

“Okay.” With another breath, she willed her body to relax around him. She’d never fit anything bigger than Matt’s fingers inside of her. Even with the lube, he felt enormous.

“Maybe this’ll help.” Matt parted her folds and teased her clit with his thumb as he slid two fingers back into her heat.

Keke gasped, and blood pounded against her ears. The tension between her legs eased, and she sank down further around him. “I feel like I’ll burst.”

“In a good way?”

“Mmhmm.” She chewed her lower lip and raked her nails down Matt’s abdomen. They were both slicked up and slippery to the touch. “You feel so good, Matt.”

“That’s my line,” Matt murmured. He held the top of her thigh with his free hand and raised his hips.

Keke hadn’t realized how deep he was until her flank met his thighs. Her eyes rolled back, and a high-pitched moan tore from her throat. She could feel his fingers warring for space with his cock. Both of her entrances were soaking wet, pulsing around Matt in a demand for more.

“God, Keke. I’ve wanted you for so long,” Matt said somewhere very far away. “You’re incredible.” He slowly rocked against her, drew away, and then returned. 

The lamp’s flame illuminated Keke’s hazy vision, painting yellows and oranges on Matt’s face and chest. A starving need in his eyes sent a new wave of goosebumps down her spine. She’d dreamed of sharing this with him for months. Being a part of him. She couldn’t speak. Each time he thrust into her, it elicited a staccato moan that stole her breath away.

Sweat mingled with lube as they set a new rhythm together. Matt added another finger to her already stretching body, and Keke cried out in blissful surprise. He kept her dancing on the edge of her climax, and she felt dizzy with pleasure. As they moved together, she remapped every scar, every muscle, every valley of his body. Memorized the sighs and groans that she pulled from him. Until, at last, her building tension poured over.

“Matt, I’m coming!” she squealed as her toes curled.

He held tight to her thigh and thrust upward. Pleasure raced through her veins and exploded in her vision. Keke didn’t recognize the sounds that escaped her, nor could she control their volume. They echoed against the small room’s walls and grew louder when she felt Matt orgasm inside of her. His moans soon joined hers in a desire-drenched harmony.

It was carnal and base and perfect. He was hers.

Matt slowed while Keke drank in the last pulses of her climax. Her fingers and lips felt wonderfully numb, and the tips of her ears felt strangely cold. She giggled.

“What?” A drunken smile spread across Matt’s lips.

“I don’t know. I just… Everything feels so good.” She wriggled her hips and lifted herself free. “I’m really happy. That we could finally do that, I mean.”

His smile widened. “Yeah, me too.”

Keke rolled to Matt’s side and snuggled into his embrace. He cupped her cheek in one hand and kissed her. Keke swept her tail around his back and snaked her legs between his.

It won’t be long, Matt. I’ll be back at your side before we both know it. I’ll be yours before you know it.

Even if Keke didn’t completely believe her own silent promise, for now, as they lay in the lamplight and shared in each other’s warmth, it was enough.