"Why wouldn't they?" he asked with mock arrogance. "I know how to waltz."
She laughed and they walked out together.
A couple of hours before dawn Elora felt the bed move. Half asleep, she reached for Ram. "Where've you been?"
He opened his arms so that she could snuggle into his side and warm him. He nuzzled her ear and kissed her temple. "'Tis a surprise. Show you tomorrow."
She wiggled in closer. He was wearing drawstring sweat pants and nothing else. "Missed you."
"And I you. What else did I miss?"
"I danced with the king."
Ram caused Elora and the entire bed to shake as he laughed silently.
"And 'twas a roarin' good time I suppose?"
"Well, he is a little stiff."
"You had better be meanin' that in the sense of bein' dead and no' in the sense of bein' excited. Make that aroused. He probably does no' get excited even when he comes."
"You're very funny for an elf who's been up all night". She snuggled closer, wiggling until she was satisfied that she was as close to Ram as possible without intercourse being involved. "And with Storm."
"I have no' been with Storm."
"No. I also danced with Storm, practiced the waltz. Everybody else knew how." Ram was silent. "He seems a little broken and it's hard to watch. He doesn't have his usual..."
"Swagger?"
"Um, I was thinking confidence. You think he's going to be okay?"
"Give it time. He'll find the one who's meant for him. 'Tis no' you though. You know that."
She raised herself up so that she leaned on one elbow. There was enough moonlight coming through the tall window to see her hunky elf's outline on the white sheet next to her. It would be a full moon in two days and Elora secretly thought a handfasting on the occasion of a full moon was most auspicious.
"Of course I know that," she said with just the right measure of indignation. "It would serve you right if I said I wasn't sure and was rethinking things." She then set upon his ticklish spot with a vengeance and without pity for the fact that he'd been up all night and was running on empty.
When Ram woke the next morning, Elora had already taken a long bubble bath, washed, and dried her hair, and put on a sleeveless, pink, linen dress that made him think about licking strawberry ice cream.
"How late have I slept?"
She turned toward the bed. "Late. I'm going to grab a muffin, but I'll come right back. I'll get a couple extra and bring you a coffee."
She opened the door to leave the suite, but the knob jerked out of her hand as the door shut quickly in her face. She turned around to welcome an elf fresh from the bed, pressing his still warm and relaxed body into hers. She opened her mouth to ask how he had moved that fast, but the question was drowned by a kiss that stole her breath and made her forget all about breakfast.
When he pulled back, she moaned deep in her throat.
"Hmmm. The second sweetest sound in the universe." He was staring at her mouth.
"What's first?" she asked with a lazy smile.
He raised his gaze to her eyes and laughed. "The way you scream when you come, o' course."
"I scream?" She looked guileless as a summer's day. "I don't remember."
"You do no'?" His eyes traveled slowly to her mouth as he began pulling the zipper down the back of her dress. "I can help you with that."
"Stop! Ram!" She laughed softly as she pushed him back carefully, remembering to be gentle. Since becoming dedicated lovers, they had suffered a couple of mishaps when she'd been excited and forgotten how strong she was. "Quick muffins and coffee. Then zippers and slow fornication. Okay?"