The Lesson

When Loki woke the next morning, his hand was completely covering hers, her whole fist wrapped around his thumb. His first instinct was to pull his hand away, but he hesitated. She was so warm. As the room lightened, the sun threatening to break free of the horizon, Loki lingered.

He had fallen asleep the night before praying to his mother's spirit, seeking her guidance and wisdom, desperate for her sage advice. This morning he awoke from a dreamless sleep to find himself holding hands like a wide-eyed schoolboy. Was this her doing? He wondered to himself as he let his pinky finger stroke hers. So soft, so warm.

He was usually in the gym and working up a good sweat by this time, but just for today, he decided, just for today he could stay in bed a little longer. For her. She needed this, he told himself.

Loki kept his eyes closed as he lay there and enjoyed the warmth of her hand under his. Soon he heard her breathing pattern change, and he knew she was awake.

Thinking she had discovered him sleeping, she let out a little gasp of surprise and carefully scooted closer to place a soft kiss on his knuckle, before scooting back, making sure not to jostle his hand on hers.

He quickly tamped down the laugh that threatened to escape him. He should let her know he is awake, but after the little peck on his hand, he was curious what she may do next.

Eisa settled back down on her pillow and stared at him. Norns, he was beautiful. She had stared at him so much throughout her life, she had his face memorized. His bare torso, on the other hand, was new territory. She let her eyes trace every square inch of skin that was not covered by the sheets. His strong shoulders, his muscular chest, his arms, and the hand on hers...

He would look more like a marble statue than a man if it weren't for the smattering of dark hair on his chest and stomach. The soft hairs traveled from under his bellybutton in a straight line leading under the waistband of his pajamas directly to his...

A force, with an intensity the likes she had never felt before, squeezed her insides. Her belly clenched and a tingling throb started between her legs. Her heart started pounding in her chest and a flame ignited under her skin. Loki's touch on her bandaged hand was the only thing keeping her from writhing in flames. She rubbed her thighs together and whined as moisture dampened her panties.

He could hear her breaths start coming faster before he felt her shifting her legs under the covers. She was becoming aroused, and quickly. He laid stock still, frozen in place. When she whined and squeezed his thumb in her hand, he knew he had to get out of there, he just wasn't sure how. And when her sweet perfume danced under his nose, his body started to respond in turn.

Thinking quickly, he slowly released her hand, forced a sleepy yawn, pulled a pillow down to his chest and curled around it, hiding the tent in his bottoms from view.

Eisa rolled onto her back and laced her fingers together over her eyes, trying to slow her breaths and push the image of Loki's body from her mind.

"Are you ill?" Loki asked sleepily.

"What?! No! I... It is just getting warm in here. There is no denying summer is on its way," she forced a chuckle, "Would you be wholly against sleeping with the windows open? I cannot sleep if I am hot."

"It will not bother me, little dove." His raspy morning voice caused a shiver to run through her, "Are you sure you are feeling alright?" He could not stop the smirk that played on his lips.

"Me? Y-yes. I, I am. Yes." She looked at him, "Are you alright? You never sleep in."

"That is an inaccurate statement, seeing as how I did sleep in this morning."

She took a deep breath and smiled, "You can be so very irksome at times."

"I know." He smiled back and Eisa's heart did a little flip in her chest. "Are you hurting?"

"Huh?"

"Your wounds?"

"Oh," she poked her palms with her fingers, "not terribly."

"Let me close my eyes for five more minutes, then I will carry you to the bathroom and check your bandages."

"Oh, yes. Alright."

Eisa didn't feel like she would need Loki to carry her around this morning, but she wasn't going to let him know that.

oOXOo

Loki kept a closer eye on her after the incident, he soon resumed his usual routine, with a couple of notable exceptions. Firstly, every day after lunch, he would stay near her for an hour or two. If she was on the balcony sketching, he was on the balcony writing. If she was in the gym room dancing, he would rearrange the gym equipment. If she was on the couch reading, he was on the other couch reading. If she was at the piano playing music, he was reclined in a nearby armchair listening.

Secondly, and more worrisome for Loki, despite his firm resolve to stay on his own side of the bed, he often woke in the morning with her curled up to his chest, holding her tightly. Despite the heat of summer, his body was drawn to her warmth. It was so comforting, Loki's nightmares stopped terrorizing him nightly. She somehow warded them off with her proximity. It had started soon after the illicit hand holding...

Something smelled sweet.

He took a deep breath. The scent of vanilla and sandalwood flooded his senses.

Golden copper. Amber jewels. Soft skin.

Soft.

Warm.

So warm.

Peaceful. Cozy.

Loki was floating somewhere between his sweet dream and consciousness. He could hear the birds singing their morning melodies as dawn threatened to break over the horizon. He could feel the slight tickle of his chest hair moving as her slow and steady breaths fanned over his chest.

His eyes snapped open abruptly, suddenly very much awake as he realized Eisa's head was tucked under his chin, his arms wrapped firmly around her, holding her tightly to his chest. Their feet and legs tangled together in the silk sheets.

Oh no. No no no no no. This is not right. His heart started thundering in his chest. Maybe I can get out of bed without waking her. He thought to himself as he slowly released the vice-like grip he had on the back of her nightgown.

"Good morning, Loki," she whispered without opening her eyes.

"Eisa, what do you think you are doing?" he asked. He tried to untangle his legs from the sheets but did not let her go.

"Sleeping,"

"No. What is the meaning of this?" He pulled back just far enough to look at her face.

"You tell me. You are the one who encroached onto my side of the bed and captured me." She nuzzled her face against his chest. The sweet vanilla scent of her hair wafting to him again.

"What..." Loki looked around, trying to get his eyes to adjust in the dim room. Sure enough, he was well past the middle of their large bed, fully on her side.

"I could not have dragged you over to me, you weigh a ton." She slid her hand from his side to his bicep.

"This is not good."

"No. This is very good." Eyes still closed, she smiled, nuzzled his bare chest again and threw her leg over his. "I never want to sleep on a pillow again."

Loki lay there, holding her, trying to remember anything from the night. Trying to recall what had prompted him to seek her out in such a way. He must have been dreaming.

"Eisa? I did not do anything more than this, did I? I did not harm you in any way?" He ran his hand down her back until he felt the waistband of her panties through her gown. He was relieved she still had them on. She shivered and pressed into him further.

"No. Unfortunately, I am still a virgin."

"That is a good thing."

"Says the one of us who is not still a virgin."

This was not helping reduce his morning awakening, her hips being just shy of his. He could not move until it had abated.

She laughed.

"What is funny?"

"I was just thinking. It took you six months to give me a cuddle. At this rate, we might consummate this marriage by our millennial anniversary."

He laughed despite himself. "Do not get your hopes up."

"You are no fun." She wriggled closer to him. Loki froze as her thigh brushed his hardened cock through his pajama bottoms. "What the... Loki, are you all right? "

"I am fine. Everything is fine. Just, please, stop wiggling so much."

"Oh." She relaxed back into him. She tried to stop thinking and let herself drift back to sleep, but her curiosity would not subside. Working up as much courage as she could muster, "Can I see?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

"What did you say?!"

"I, um, I asked if I could see... it."

"No. No, you may not. If you are not going back to sleep, we should get up and get our day started."

"No! I will be good. I promise I will be good. Please let me stay here a little while longer."

Loki did not want to get out of bed either. He hated to admit it, but he was enjoying the cuddle immensely. She was so warm, and she smelled so sweet, and she felt so soft...

"If you promise to be still, we can stay like this a little longer."

"Thank you." She unhooked her leg from his and took a deep breath, savoring the scent of him.

He closed his eyes and let himself enjoy her warmth and softness as he dozed off and on.

Loki took a deep breath, smelling her hair one last time. He released her and gently pushed her off himself.

She whined in protest, "Heeyyyy. I was comfortable."

"Stay in bed if you want. I need to get moving." Loki rolled out of bed and stretched.

"The bed feels too hot now," she whined.

"You will survive," he laughed.

"Are you certain? I am not convinced." She smiled up at him as she tried to get comfortable.

"I promise if you overheat and perish, I will tell everyone you were right, and I was wrong." He placed his hand over his heart as he walked to the closet.

She rolled over and followed him with her eyes, "Liar!" She laughed and threw a pillow in his direction.

Loki caught it easily with a wide grin on his face, "Obviously." He whipped the pillow back at her and locked the closet door behind him to change into his gym clothes.

oOXOo

One day after lunch, they retired to the sitting room. She sat on the sofa across from him and hastily flipped to the page she had marked in her book.

Loki stretched his long legs out on his couch and resumed his place in the book he had been reading. As they sat reading quietly together, he could not help but notice her out of the corner of his eye. She was agitated, as she would not sit still.

He did not look at her as he said, "Stop that incessant squirming. It is very distracting."

"Huh? Oh, sorry."

They read in peace and silence for a while, then her squirming started again.

This time he looked over to her. Her cheeks were flushed. "Are you unwell?"

His voice took her by surprise, she was startled as she looked at him.

"I am fine." She sunk down into her seat and brought her book up to hide her face.

Curious, Loki raised one eyebrow at her, "What are you reading?"

"It is... it is... a fairytale."

"Is it?" There were no markings on the cover or spine. Giving no indication of what was inside. It was not a book he recognized as one of his own.

"Yes."

"Which one?"

"Which one? Oh... it is... it is a new one."

"A new one?"

"Yes."

"A new fairytale?"

"Yes."

"How interesting." Loki shut his book with a loud snap and set it to the side as he swung his legs over the couch and sat upright. He rested an ankle on his knee and leaned back in his seat. "Read a passage to me."

"Read to you?" She peeked over the book, wide eyed.

"If you please. I am quite intrigued by the idea of a new fairytale."

She swallowed thickly, "Um, it is not particularly well written. I am sure you would not enjoy it."

"You seem to be enjoying it well enough."

She looked around nervously and licked her lips, "Actually... actually... I am not enjoying it at all. In fact, I am going to take this back and choose something else." Pleased with her response, she gave him a smile as she stood, making her way back toward the library.

Loki took that opportunity to stand and snatch the book from her arms. He held it high above his own head as she flutily tried to retrieve it. "Give that back!"

"Why?" He laughed as he pushed her away with one hand. "I thought you were finished with it?"

"Loki!" She jumped and hung from his arm. "Please give that back!"

He quickly switched the book to his other hand and raised it aloft.

She stopped trying to retrieve it and stood in front of him. Pushing sweaty strands of her hair away from her face, "Please. I am begging you to just give it back to me."

He did not reply to her, he simply opened the book to the page she had marked. His eyes skimmed the page briefly before his eyebrows shot up.

"This is erotica!" He started laughing heartily. "Where did you get this?"

"Never mind that." She crossed her arms and stared down at her feet.

He was still laughing as he returned to the book, reading a different page, "Oh, my... This is quite explicit." He continued laughing. "A fairytale?" He tutted, "Really, Eisa, I am shocked."

Her face was crimson red. She balled her hands into fists at her side, "It might as well be a fairytale to me! Me, a married woman who if you get your way, will never experience such things. Who will never know pleasure!" She was crying now.

"If you are so desperate, just pleasure yourself! I will not stop you."

"Do not tease me!" she sobbed.

"I am not teasing! Kick me out of the bed anytime you want privacy."

She looked at him confused, "What are you talking about?"

"You know, private alone time."

"What does being alone have to do with... that?"

Loki deflated, "You cannot be serious?" He threw the book onto the sofa and pressed his palms to his eyes. "You cannot be this naïve?!" He looked back to her, she was on the verge of tears again, bottom lip quivering. "Are you trying to make me believe that you have never masturbated?"

She quickly looked to her feet and shook her head. "I have never heard of such a thing before."

"Really? Not even in your dirty books?"

She cried fresh tears, "The new maid brought me that book. Sh-She said I needed... an... an education. She said if I knew what to do...to you... you would desire me." She wiped her nose with her hand and gestured toward the book. "But I do not even know what half of those words mean! There were no illustrations..."

Loki started laughing again, heartily, for several moments. He held his stomach with both hands as he tried to catch his breath, "You, poor, sheltered girl. For an intellectual, you are quite ignorant."

"Do not mock me!" She was yelling loudly now. "Do not fault me for obeying my parents. I now realize how pointless it was. Being an obedient daughter did not win me any favors. I was good to a fault and now I have nothing! I have a husband who does not love me, who... who... who barely speaks to me, let alone kiss me! I have lost what little freedom I once had! And why?! What have I done to deserve this?"

"You agreed to marry a monster!" He stepped closer to her, "You are getting exactly what you deserve!"

She slapped him so hard and fast across the face his head whipped to the side.

Her eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth with both hands. "Oh Gods! I am sorry! I am so sorry!"

Loki looked at her as he brought his hand up to his lip, his fingers came away bloody.

"Loki, I am-"

He grabbed her by both wrists and walked her backward until her back was against the wall. "Tell me you are sorry now, girl." He loomed over her menacingly. His face was mere inches from hers.

"I am s-sorry. I should not have hit you." She spoke with a stuttering breath.

"No," He licked up the blood that was trickling over his lip, "tell me that you are sorry for going along with Odin's scheme! Tell me you are sorry for wanting this marriage!" He squeezed her wrists so hard, that she thought they might snap.

"I... I... I cannot apologize for something for which I am not sorry." Her chin jutted out. "I apologize for hurting you. I should not have done that. I promise I will never raise a hand to strike you again."

He glared at her, "You cannot hurt me. You are small and weak."

"I made you bleed." She glared back at him.

Loki's nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. He did not smell fear from her. He smelled something much worse, her arousal. He growled lowly.

"I could make you bleed, little dove. Would you like that?" He lowered his mouth closer to hers. "I could try to not hurt you, but it would be inevitable." He pushed his thigh between her legs, "I could breach that tight little cunt of yours and you would bleed on my cock. It would not be pleasant for you."

He manacled both of her wrists with one hand, stroking her fingers with the other. His massive hands dwarfed hers. "If you are to be believed, your cunt hasn't even had the pleasure of these little fingers of yours." He shook his head, "If I sat you on my cock, I would split you in two. Does that sound like something you want?"

Her lips parted as she panted heavily, her chest rising and falling with each breath. Her thin summer dress clung to her sweat-dampened skin. She swallowed thickly but could not reply. What he had described did not sound pleasant at all, yet for some reason, she wanted it. The dull throb between her legs became stronger as he spoke. And she desperately wanted him to close the distance between their lips. Shifting her hips slightly, a rush of electricity shot through her.

His eyes bore into hers. She dropped her gaze to his mouth and licked her lips. "Yes," she whispered.

"What?!"

"Yes, I want that. I... I... want you to do that."

He released her like her skin was suddenly a thousand degrees. She slumped into the wall with a surprised yelp. He stomped away from her, shaking his head, "You do not even know what a dangerous game you are playing."

She rubbed her wrists and watched him as he paced the sitting room. "What game? I do not understand. Please? I am not stupid. If you would just explain to me-"

"I have had just about enough of your ignorance for one day!" He screamed before he took a deep breath and raked a hand through his hair when he noticed the naughty book lying on the sofa. He had known that she was innocent, but not to this extent. "I cannot believe that someone your age has never..." He stopped as he looked back at her. Her face and eyes were red, new tears fell from her lashes and she quickly tried to hide them.

"Come on," still disbelieving but speaking softer, "everyone pleasures themselves."

She quickly looked up at him with wide eyes. "By themselves? The lady in the story-"

"The story is fiction, Eisa." He picked up the book and flipped through it. "Fantasy. Written to excite the imagination." He read a passage and raised his eyebrows. He shook his head to clear it. "This is not an accurate representation of how things usually are. And it is certainly not an instruction manual. Do you understand?"

She nodded, "It is fantasy. Imagination fodder."

"Yes, correct."

"So, why... why would someone... seek to pleasure themself, if no such pleasures exist?"

He gave an exasperated sigh, "The pleasure does exist... You have honestly never had an orgasm?" The look on his face was pure pity.

"I am unfamiliar with that term."

He could not believe he was having this conversation. "No one has ever touched you or kissed you between your legs?"

"Mother Yulla told me only my husband could touch me there. It was yours to use as you pleased, and you would want it to remain unspoiled for you."

Loki ignored the possessive instinct that flared in him when she called her womanhood his. "What about yourself? You have never let your own hands linger down there?"

She shook her head. "Mother Yulla said it was not for me to do so. It was yours alone, and you would not want it tainted by my hand. I am only to keep myself clean and kempt for you; to be ready to perform my duty at any time."

He tried not to picture what she meant by 'kempt,' but quickly pushed the question out of his mind, "Your stepmother has done you a great disservice."

She dropped her head again. "I am embarrassed. You must think I am some kind of fool."

"I just cannot believe... What do you do when you are aroused? When you get yearnings? What do you do then?"

She thought about that for a moment. Aroused was an unfamiliar word for her, but she understood yearning. She yearned for Loki to touch her and kiss her. She must have been aroused.

"Nothing. The feeling passes eventually."

"Well, that sounds agonizing."

"It is not pleasant." She toyed with a loose thread on her skirt. "Do you...?"

Loki raised his eyebrows to her, encouraging her to finish her question.

"You... you said everyone pleasures themselves." She peeked at him briefly while she fiddled with the thread. "Do you... do that?"

He crossed his arms over his chest and studied her face. "Yes."

"Really?!" She gaped at him.

"It is not my preferred way to receive pleasure, but it gets the job done."

"How?! When? Will you tell me?" She gasped, "Will you show me?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Why?"

"Because it is private."

"But we are married," she whined.

"You know that was not my choice."

"I do not recall a knife at your throat when we took our vows."

"Careful, Eisa."

"Loki, please," She begged. "I am probably the only married virgin in all the Nine." She threw her hands up in frustration. "You could at least show me what to do. Or show me something! I do not like feeling like this and I certainly cannot stand the thought of being the only person in Asgard who has not been let in on some wonderful secret."

He regarded her for a moment. The poor girl. Her parents filled her head with nonsense. She did need an education. He sighed, "Wait here. I will be right back."

She nodded obediently and took a seat on the sofa.

Loki left the room and returned a few minutes later. A thick text in his hands. Did your parents tell you anything about sex?"

"Only enough to say that it occurs in the marriage bed and when timed with female fertility, it causes babies to grow in the mother. Sex was a taboo subject in our house. Yulla told us our innocence was virtuous. If we knew too much before marriage we would become wanton."

"Again, your stepmother was very wrong. All knowledge is for everyone. We all must strive to be well read in all subjects. Being ignorant about how your own body works does not make one a good wife. Do you understand?"

She looked to him with stars in her eyes, "Yes. And you will teach me?"

He rolled his eyes, "I am not your governess. But I will point you in the right direction so you may educate yourself." He handed her the large book he had retrieved from their library.

She set it in her lap and ran her hand over the cover, 'ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY: A GUIDE TO THE SYSTEMS OF THE BODY; A FOCUS ON STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION'.

"Thank you," she whispered as she opened the section he had marked for her.

"I thought you might want to start with the reproductive system. There are illustrations and diagrams in color, and they are labeled."

Loki watched in amusement as she flipped through the pages and stopped at a reference sketch of a male body. Her cheeks flushed as she lightly ran her fingers over the lines on the page. "This is what you look like without your clothes?"

He smirked, "More or less." Much, much more, he thought, but she did not need to know that.

She tilted her head as she studied the page, "Not what I was expecting, if I am being honest."

He suppressed a laugh and watched her as she flipped through the pages. She stopped at a diagram of the female vulva.

"What is going on here?"

"You have never looked at your own body naked?"

"I have!" She ducked her head, "I have just never seen myself from this angle."

"Your assignment tonight, while you are in the bath, is to let your hands wander down and feel for this." Loki pressed two fingers to the page where the clitoris was diagramed. "After giving that some attention, move one or two fingers here." He slid his fingers to the vaginal opening.

"I thought you weren't my governess?" She nudged him with her shoulder.

"No, but trust me."

She licked her lips and swallowed thickly. "I do trust you, Loki." She spoke just above a whisper as she stared at his lips.

He looked over and followed her gaze, then dropped his eyes to her mouth. Her own lips were slightly parted, plump, and pink, and right there. He needed only to lean over slightly to capture those sweet lips...

"Anyway," he straightened up and cleared his throat, "this will teach you the mechanics, where all the parts are and how they go together. As for the finesse of giving and receiving pleasure, well, practice makes perfect. Nothing in a book can substitute hands on experience."

"Hmm, if only I had a husband who would let me practice on him."

"Let us hope your next husband has the patience to endure those inexperienced attempts," Loki said as he picked up his book and sprawled out on the sofa again.

Eisa huffed, "No need to be impolite." She set the thick text on the table. Her curiosity was piqued, "Like you are so experienced?"

"Very," he replied without looking up.

"Hrmph." She went to retrieve a pencil and a parchment notebook. She sat down and fiddled with the pencil nervously. "How... How many lovers have you had?"

"Too many to put a number on." His slim finger turned a page in his book.

Her eyebrows shot up, "Seriously?"

"I have no reason to lie to you."

"More than ten?"

He scoffed.

"More than twenty?"

"Yes, Eisa."

"More than thirty?"

"Yes. Hush now."

"More than-"

"Hundreds, Eisa. Hundreds upon hundreds."

She sat in stunned silence for a minute before asking, bewildered, "How is that possible?"

He sighed, "It is possible because I have been alive much longer than you have."

"How old were you when you started?"

"Much younger than you are now. In fact, you only had two teeth when I had my first lover." Loki looked up sharply, a thought taking him by surprise. "Norns. I just realized I am old enough to be your father."

"Hardly!" She gave him a disapproving look. "Do not say that. You were still in school when I was born."

"Secondary school. I was an adolescent. You do not need to be fully grown for all your parts to work."

"I suppose not." She dropped her eyes to her hands. "Finna and Thor. My stepmother told me how my sister let him ruin her for all other men."

"One's value as a person should not be based on who they loved or how they chose to express that love. Thor and Finna were young and in love or what they believed to be love. They were just infatuated with each other. They grew up and apart. It happens more often than you know. Your poor sister should not have been punished so harshly for decisions she made in her youth. What is worse, now you are being punished as well. You should not have had to marry someone so old."

She rolled her eyes. "You are not old. You are tall and lean, and you always smell so good. You are strong. Your hair is still black as ink, and you have a lot of it. You are the most handsome man in the realm. Do not call yourself old. You look almost exactly as I remember."

He took a deep breath, "Thank you, Eisa. But I can remember being your age thinking people my age were old. And thank you for the glowing review of my attractiveness. Do not feel that you need to flatter me."

"I was not flattering. I was just stating the obvious." Her cheeks pinked. "Sometimes when I look at you I- Never mind."

"You what, little dove?"

"It is too embarrassing. I have embarrassed myself enough for one day."

"So, what is a little more?" He smiled at her, and she thought she was going to melt into the floor.

"Sometimes when I look at you, I lose all train of thought. My mind goes all fuzzy. I get these little jolts of electricity along my skin. My mouth literally waters, Loki. You are the most attractive person I have ever laid eyes on. I have wanted to kiss you since I was a young girl."

He did not respond to her, he simply sat there staring at her. She flushed a deeper shade of pink and dropped her eyes to her pencil again.

"The Norns have heard my prayers and brought us together. I want to do everything in my power to make you happy. To make sure you feel loved. To give you the family you deserve."

Loki shook his head, disbelieving, "Why?"

"Because I like you, stupid! Because you have come to my rescue more times than you realize. Because I know you are a good person. Because you make me happy without even trying to."

"I have been wretched to you since the day you moved in here."

"Not always," she smiled. "I have decided to be patient with you. I know what you have been through is one hundred times worse than I can even imagine. I know you will let me care for you when you are ready."

"That is very presumptuous of you."

"I prefer the term optimistic." A dimple on her cheek was prominent as she looked up at him and grinned.

Loki recalled the time he had to bring her back to her mother after she had wandered off when she was a toddler. She has always been a determined little thing. Getting him to carry her and sit on his lap when he had never held a child before.

She was determined, but so was he. This was one time when she would not get her way.

This one is off limits, he reminded himself, regardless of her age.

"I can see the panic in your eyes. You can relax. I will not demand that you love me as I love you. I can be happy with us as friends while you adjust to life outside of the dungeons."

She is confusing a silly crush as love.

"Friends, you say?"

"Yes." She smiled at him sweetly.

"Friends who share the same bed?"

"Friends share beds all the time."

Loki smirked, "Is that so?"

"You are the one breaking your own rule and sneaking over to my side of the bed."

"I do not sneak. I cannot control what my body does while I am sleeping."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I never suggested as much. I am not complaining. I love it when you cuddle me. Maybe one day you will kiss me in your sleep?"

"No."

"How do you know?"

"Do you want me to return to sleeping out here?"

"No! Please don't. I am finished teasing you. Just know that I would not mind if you sleep-kissed me."

"Sleep-kiss you?" he laughed.

"Or awake-kiss me."

"That is just kissing."

"Just kiss me then."

"No," he gave her a stern look, "Can we stop talking about kissing?"

"In a minute." Eisa leaned forward and rested her forearms on her knees, "Is tongue kissing as good as people say it is? Because I do not see how it could be enjoyable. One of my father's hounds always tried to lick my mouth as I was talking, and it was very unpleasant."

Loki could not help the laugh that escaped him, "I am sure there are some people who kiss like slobbering dogs, but that is not usually the case. It is usually thrilling, especially when there are other things going on."

"What other things?"

"Touching. Teasing. Fu-" He stopped himself as he looked at her face. "Making love."

"Oh." She fiddled with the pencil in her hand. "How long do you need to kiss before you, you know, start the other stuff?"

Loki laughed again, "There is no regulatory timeframe. Kissing is all about finesse. Doing what feels good and noticing what your partner enjoys. It is better when you do not think too hard about it."

"So, someone cannot learn to be a good kisser without actually kissing anyone?"

"Not usually."

"Oh," she looked up to him and gave him a small smile, "Thank you for talking to me. And for giving me the book."

"You are welcome." He stared at her for a moment, "Eisa, I do not think of you in that way. I look at you and I see Anina's baby sister. That is all. Anything more would be crossing a line for me. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "Yes," she whispered, "I understand. I do not like it. But I do understand."

"Whatever feelings you think you have for me will wear off. Odin will realize his folly of putting us together and you can go out and find real love."

She nodded again but did not respond. She picked up the textbook and flipped back to the page diagramming male anatomy. She took a deep breath, "I have so many questions."

oOXOo

The rest of the afternoon she had her nose buried in that book. She had retrieved a dictionary from the library and looked up the words she did not know. Loki watched her from time to time as she sat on the floor behind the coffee table and scribbled notes into her parchment notebook. At one point her brow furrowed, and she flipped through the index of the text searching for something. She let out a frustrated huff and flopped back against the sofa.

"Can I ask you a question?"

He did not answer her, he simply raised his eyes from his book to meet hers.

"The male orgasm releases the seed required to fertilize the egg in the womb." She tapped her notebook with her index finger, as she read her notes.

"That is not a question."

"There is no mention made of the function of the female orgasm." Her brow furrowed again as she skimmed the index of the text.

"Still waiting for the question," he sighed.

She returned his sigh as she looked up at him, "What is the purpose of the female orgasm?"

"Pleasure," his lips curled up at the corners, "Pure, toe-curling, mind-numbing, leg-shaking pleasure," he purred.

She looked at him wide-eyed and squirmed where she sat. "Truly?"

He smirked, "Mostly. But there are theories, mostly speculation."

"Tell me, please."

"Some believe the orgasm makes the womb more welcoming for the seed, increasing the probability of fertilization. Others believe it is strictly psychological; the more the female enjoys sex, the more she remains interested in procreating. Still, others believe it helps deepen the emotional attachment to her partner, reducing the chances of her taking other male lovers."

"Fascinating..." She sat and pondered for a moment. "Do you have psychology texts?"

"In the library."

She scrambled to her feet and made her way to out of the room, returning with two thick books in her arms taking her spot on the floor. Flipping to the index of the first one, continuing her research with a renewed purpose.

Loki could not help but watch her with amusement. She seemed determined to devour as much information as possible. At one point he caught himself staring at her; she truly was lovely. She had her mother's elegant looks. She had lost her baby face. It was getting harder and harder to picture her as the feisty little girl he remembered. She had grown up to be a beautiful woman.

He let his eyes travel from her pretty face to the supple skin of her neck, strands of hair clinging there and a dewy glisten of perspiration along her collarbones. Down her bare arms to her delicately feminine hands as she scribbled in her notebook. Her feet were bare, and her calves were peeking out from under her short summer skirt as she sat on the rug. Shapely legs curled under her deliciously tempting bum.

Her long copper hair was tied up in a messy knot on the top of her head, so soft. So shiny. He recalled the warm vanilla scent of her shampoo and felt a twinge in his gut.

He took a deep breath and returned to his book, not concentrating on the words, he just stared at the page and thought about the situation he found himself in. This was much more comfortable than prison, undoubtedly. And if he was forced to have a cellmate, he was happy to have one that didn't snore or smell foul; that was easy on the eyes. Even if she was like a small tornado, leaving a trail of mess in her wake, she did make him smile quite often, even if he was resolute not to. They had comparable tastes in humor, and he was amused by the scandalized sounds she made when he would say something that shocked her.

A pang of guilt struck him. He was truly wretched to her when they first started living together, yet she still wanted to be with him, to be his friend and his lover.

"I am going to go sit outside for a while," he said as he made his way off the sofa and to the balcony doors.

She looked up at him and gave him a wide smile. "Yes, go and try to find a breeze. I am happy here for now."

He nodded to her before heading outside, looking out over the city, glittering in the afternoon sun, a tear threatened to spill over his lid, but he quickly wiped it away with his thumb. He hated to admit to himself that he was starting to enjoy her company and despite his resolve each night to stay on his own side of the bed, each morning he awoke with her in his arms made his day a hundred times better.

This strange, unorthodox union.

He smirked and shook his head, chuckling to himself, I had better reign in these emotions before I do accidentally awake-kiss her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note: In the next chapter, the temperatures keep rising in Asgard; Loki and Eisa look for ways to cope with the heat.