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As the wife of a Roman General, Ceres Acacius knew many things. Three of the most important things would be said to herself every morning before she would leave her home.
1. Her husband's sword belonged to the Emperor of Rome. He was the Emperor's warrior to send wherever he pleases no matter the dangers.
2. There was always a chance he may not come home to her. He would be proud to die on the battlefield like the true warrior he was. She was never to question it no matter how overcome with grief she would be in.
3. He loved her more than anyone ever could and he would do everything and risk everything to make it home to her. His love was always with her.
Walking through the crowded market place looking for the freshest fruit and meat for her supper. She was inspecting a leg of lamb when she heard someone shout,
"MAKE WAY FOR ROME'S SOLDIERS! THEY HAVE RETURNED!!!"
Ceres' heart picked up in excitement. She sent a silent prayer to the Gods and Goddess that her beloved would come home to her in one piece and alive. Anxiety and panic took over. Her flight or fight instinct kicked in and she left the butchers tent without the meat in a hurry. She wanted to greet him at home.
"Cee!" A baritone voice called out to her and she froze. It was his voice, his shorten version of her name that he always called her. She closed her eyes and felt tears fall down her cheeks. She turned around and opened her eyes and saw Marcus.
She let out a bit of a sigh in relief as she watched her husband walk towards her. His eyes looked darker than usual. Almost soulless. Oh, the horror he must have seen and been though. The closer he came to her the more she noticed all the the small scratches on his handsome face. The very long scratch that curled a bit by his eyes and went to his cheek. His shoulders still broad and holding his chest plate in place. She was sure his muscles must have been achy and he was covered in blood, dirt, and sweat was glistening off his arms and legs. His beautiful hair was filthy with dirt and blood.
Marcus approached his wife with the same confidence he approached his enemy. Tears? For him? He had been gone for three months and he knew what a worrier she was. She looked so beautiful even with her pouty lower lip trembling. His grimey hand reached out and cupped her cheek and she dropped her shopping baskets and grabbed his wrist while pressing her cheek into the warmth of his hand. His beautiful wife whom he would kill for if she so wished it. She would hopefully never know the lengths he would go for her.
"Amore della mia vita." (Love of my life) She whispered and looked up into his eyes that were becoming softer by the second upon looking at her. She choked out a sob and threw her arms around him holding him as tight as she could. Her sobs were a bit loud but on-lookers understood the relief of the General's wife that he made it home safely.
"Vita mia, (my life) no more tears now. You will never have to worry about me ever again. This was the last battle." He said then pressed a kiss on the top of her head. She smelled like flowers, fresh air and female. He felt his cock half harden. She felt so soft and warm and she was his home away from battle. She was the only true reason why he fought for Rome and the Emperor. He would die fighting to keep her safe in Rome.
He smiled as he heard her cry louder in relief and stroked the back of her head softly. He loved a good battle and the sound of sword fighting but now it was time to have a simpler life. Farming, living and loving. He heard her sobbing subside and she tried to compose herself and pressed her cheek against his chest plate and took in deep calming breaths.
"Go get your leg of lamb, Cee. I want a feast, a bath and then you all night." He murmured softly in her ear.
She looked up at him and placed her hands on his face. "I will cook lamb fit for an Emperor, I will wash you from head to toe and I am all yours to do as you please, General." After all these years she still loved to flirt with her husband. She kissed him gently and tenderly.
He smiled against her lips and gladly kissed her back. When she pulled away slowly he let out a small groan. He missed her kisses, her body, and most of all her love. He watched as she smiled at him then rushed to get her leg of lamb for their supper.
******
As they walked home from the market hand in hand she would smile at him and pull his hand to walk faster.
"You're so cheerful, vita mia." He said trying to walk faster. "Eager to get me home are you?"
"Very much! I haven't cooked for anyone but myself in three months. One of the servants showed me how to cook lamb better. I'm so happy you'll get to try it." She felt giddy.
"You only want to feed me?" He asked with a half smile that made her heart flip flop in her chest. It was his flirty half smile that got her to say yes when he asked to wed her.
"You're right, tesoro mio. (My treasure) You need a bath!" She teased and wrinkled her nose at him and laughed.
Marcus let out a laugh and and pulled her close to his side. "I couldn't agree with you more."
They walked in happy silence for a few more minutes. Once they were in the house, the servants rushed to welcome the General home.
"Season this leg of lamb and I'll be by the fire shortly. Make sure the bath house is ready and no one is to disturb him. After you've cleaned the kitchen and dining hall you're dismissed to your homes for the evening." She instructed them.
The servants scattered quickly and Ceres grabbed Marcus's hand and pulled him into his study and closed the door behind them.
"We need to get this off of you." She purred at him in a sultry voice. Her eyes practically sparkled at him. She undid the ties that held up his chest plate and slowly peeled the armor away from him and set it down. The servants would wash and polish it in the morning. "You must be the strongest in all of Rome if you can walk around in all this armor." She chatted to him.
"I'm getting too old to be wearing all of this." He replied as he sat down in a chair that was near by. He was about to take his arm guards off when she grabbed his hand.
"It is my privilege as your wife to remove your armor, General." She flirted and smiled as she knelt down at his feet and took his arm guard off. She placed it with his chest plate.
"25 years married and you still insist on treating me as if I were the Emperor." He said a deeper tone than he intended.
Grabbing his other arm she slid the other wrist guard off of him and smiled brightly as she set it next to it's mate.
"You deserved to be pampered. You protect this city and bravely. You have more scars on your body than I care to count. You love me more than anyone could and 25 years later you are more handsome now than the day we wed. You, General Marcus Acacius, are my husband and you will let me care for you as I should." She explained to him and gingerly tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.
"I do not deserve your love and adoration, wife." He said softly as he placed his hand under her chin and tipped it up. He leaned down and gave her the softest kiss on her lips.
When their kiss ended she leaned her forehead to his and smiled softly. "You deserve it all. You are far too modest, Marcus."
Ceres rose up on her feet and looked down at him with a smile still on her face. She started to walk away when suddenly she felt his hand gently grab her wrist. Suddenly, she found herself in his arms and was being kissed hungrily. The safest place in this entire world to her was in his arms and her fingers grabbed his tunic and she kissed him harder. She was just as starved for his kisses as he was for hers.
When their lips finally parted Marcus smiled and said to her in a husky voice, "You will let the cook do her job tonight. There will be plenty of times for you to cook me lamb. Right now, I want the company of the only woman who can bear the smell of me. You may bathe me, vita mia, only if you want. My feast should be done by the time you finish." He kissed the top of her head.
"If that is what you wish. Head to the bath house and I will be there." She said and left the comfort of his arms to go talk to the cook.
Marcus walked a few yards to the small modest bath house he had built a few battles ago. He wanted the privacy for him and his wife. It was their little quiet place to rest their muscles and on a few occasions fornicate till the bath water was freezing.
As he entered he saw the servants filling the pool of water. He thanked them and dismissed them for the evening. He saw the steam rise up from pool. His muscles practically rejoiced at the sight.
"Still in your tunic, tresoro mio?" Ceres asked him as she entered carrying a bottle of scented olive oil and strigil (a reed scraper) to clean him. Bandage wraps and small cuts of cloth for her to clean or pack his wounds. She had a fresh sleeveless tunic for him to wear and clean under garments.
"I wanted to give my wife the pleasure of watching me undress." He teased with a smile and pulled his tunic over his head and tossed it to the side and slid his undergarments down and looked over his shoulder and winked at her then got in.
She giggled to herself and watched as her husband went underwater and glided to the other side. He looked like a majestic sea creature from her view from above.
She smiled to herself and thought how lucky she was to be his wife. He chose her among so many others who where prettier than her, smarter than her and even more domesticated than her. He told her several times over the years he chose her for her smile and bright brown eyes that seemed to twinkle at him when she looked at him. He had heard stories of her kindness towards children and the elderly and he knew she was the one for him. She would be a wonderful mother and excellent caretaker when he was old and decrepit.
When he emerged he ran his hands through his wet hair and then wiped his face. "Gods, it feels good to be in the water." He said looking up at her and watched as she lowered her self on her knees and sat on her back legs.
She looked at him proudly with a small smile upon her lips. Dipping her hand into the water she splashed him lightly and giggled as the water droplets landed on his face.
"Play nice sweet wife." He warned her gently then splashed her and heard her let out a shriek.
"Beast!" She laughed.
Some time went by and Marcus soon found himself at the mercy of his wife as she poured scented olive oil into her hands and worked the oil into his hair and gave him gentle scalp scratches to get the dirt and blood out. She started at his feet and worked her way up. Gently taking the strigil she would scrape the olive oil off his skin and watched as the blood and dirt would slide right off. She took careful note to be aware of the gash he had in his left calf and cleaned his wound out and bandaged it in the softest of cloth.
When she finished cleaning his back she moved to his side to start his chest stomach and arms.
Marcus could no longer bear not being able to touch her. He pulled her over so she straddled his lap as she massaged the oil into his skin on his chest and stomach. He wanted her close to him and he wanted to look at her pretty face as she tended to him. 25 years later and she was more beautiful now than on their wedding day. As he looked down he watched how she scraped the olive oil off his chest then leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss where his heart was.
"It belongs to you and no other." His voice said softly and watched as her dark eyes swooped up to look into his.
"I've never doubted, Marcus. Besides, whom else is going to bathe you as well as I do?" She smiled as she scraped her way down the left side of his stomach.
"I'm going to have my way with you when you've finished." He told her as his index finger traveled down the curve of her jaw.
She hummed for a moment, "You shall eat first then I am yours to do as you wish. You need your strength and I hear your stomach speaking to me. I will not be taken by a starving man." She poured some oil into her hands and rubbed it into his skin on the right side starting at his shoulder. When she was satisfied that the oil was soaked into his skin she started to scrape the excess dirt and blood away.
"When did you become so commanding?" He chuckled as he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. He loved how she would smirk when he did that.
"You always come home dirty, hungry and aroused for me. I want you just as badly but you must eat, bathe and have your wounds treated. You are the love of my life, I will always take care of you." She confessed as she worked her hands to his chest and felt the knotted muscles beneath. She felt them loosen under her fingers and settle as she massaged the muscle. She started the process of scraping then moved to his stomach.
He watched how she scraped every inch of him and how careful she was with him. When she finished she began to inspect his neck.
"You have a gash on your neck, Marcus." She said softly as she rubbed the oil around the wound then gently scrapped around it. She caught him looking at her with an amused look on his face.
"I don't deserve you." He said burying his face in her neck and suckled her flesh.
"No you don't." She replied with a giggle that only made him hold on to her tighter. She let out a happy sigh and allowed herself the joy of being in his arms and his lips on her.
"Marcus." She said his name in a whisper. How she missed his quiet strength and calm demeanor.
Marcus pulled his wife down with him and rolled twice with himself on top of her now. "I'm afraid you will have to be taken by a starving man, vita mia." He said pushing up her robes. "I cannot wait any longer."
"Nor can I." She confessed to him as he entered her and her eyes rolled back as his cock kissed her cervix.
He looked down at his wife and smirked at her beautiful expression. When her eyes opened she looked up at him with her lips slightly parted and her dark hair surrounding her. She smiled at him and placed her hand on his scruffy cheek. Her smile quickly faded when his dark eyes looked at her but his mind seemed elsewhere.
"What is it?" She asked trying not to be frightened that something was wrong.
Marcus lowered his head and nuzzled his nose to her cheek and she heard a soft, deep "mmm," sound.
"I know, I missed you too." She said softly as she prepared herself to be ravished by him.
Every time Marcus came home from battle he would become almost beast like in bed. She had always assumed it was because he missed her so much but once in a while his eyes would go dark, and the man that was her loving husband would seem almost possessed.
Only once did he truly scare her when he grabbed her by the throat and started squeezing so hard that her lips started to turn blue. She slapped him in the face and he snapped out of it and apologized profusely for what happened. He wouldn't touch her for weeks after that. It took a while for her to get him to come back to their bed.
He seemed calmer this time as he moved his hips gently. Well this was... different. Her face must have given her away because he stopped and looked down at her.
"What is wrong, vita mia?" He asked with his sweet brown eyes.
"You're never this...gentle." she confessed closing her eyes so she wouldn't see the disappointment in his face. She couldn't handle hurting him emotionally.
"Cee, look at me." He gently said.
She opened one eye and looked at him. He was trying to keep himself from laughing. Her other eye popped open and she blushed.
"You've already taken care of me physically, you don't need to worry emotionally." He said kissing her cheek. "You can tell me to go harder. We've been together long enough that you can tell me how to make you happy."
"That's not true. Your feelings count." She said moving her hips to distract him from the conversation. She wrapped her legs around his waist and looked at him as she moved her hips then letting out a soft moan.
Marcus pulled her to sit up and started kissing her collarbone. One of his large warm hands on her hip and the other stroking her back. He felt her move her hips in a sensual rhythm and he pumped his hips in rhythm with her.
Her head rolled back and one of her hands landed over his heart. It was racing beneath her palm. She loved everything about being with him. Everything from his touch, to his kisses and the way he made her body do things she never could have dreamed about.
Marcus loved to fight but he loved being with his wife more. He loved the feel of her soft skin against his skin and feel of her small hands gripping his wavy hair and play with the curls at the ends. The way she would throw her head back and moan his name when he would come inside of her. He loved her breathy sighs of contentment when she would come down from her orgasm and the dreamy look in her eyes when she would roll on her side and look at him so happy.
His large, calloused warm hands went to her hips and he pulled her roughly against him over and over. She caught him looking directly into her eyes and she bit her lower lip for a moment.
She loved when he made eye contact with her. There were times where she felt like she could read his mind with the way he would look into eyes. Somehow, Ceres understood it all.
This time it was almost an apologetic look he was giving her. He was desperate for release and he could feel his hands holding her hips harder and he might be hurting her. She felt herself clench around him tighter. Her hands buried in his hair and she grabbed a fist full and put her forehead to his and said softly, "It's okay. I'm here for you. I'm never afraid, tresoro mio." She turned her head slightly and let out a moan.
The erotic sounds of their bodies coming together and moans filled the bath house. The air around them was warm from the summer heat and she looked over to see sweat droplets form by his temples and side burns. Marcus was a man on a mission for the sweet release of ecstasy that only his sweet wife could give him.
"Faster." She groaned looking at him a sweaty hot mess. She looked perfect to him. Her head now thrown back and her hair all frizzy. Sweat rolling down her neck to her chest. Her breasts out to him. He couldn't recall when he pushed her robes down but he could still feel the fabric around her stomach.
"Marcus...please." she whined as she lifted her head and looked him in his sweet brown eyes. He leaned down and kissed her chest where her heart was pounding. He could hear her whine in frustration and he gave a wicked smile against her flesh.
He pulled his lips away just a little, "I know, sweet wife. I know, mia vita." He whispered and laid her down and thrust his hips harder into her.
Ceres knew her hips would be sore and possibly bruised with his hands holding on to her for dear life. She knew he would make it up to her and gently make love to her tomorrow morning. He would make her feel like one of the goddesses.
She was starting to see stars, he took such good care of her. Crying out his name she held on to him tightly and when she felt his warm puffs of breath on her neck and his nose buried into her jaw she knew he was almost there. She heard him grunt twice and felt his whole body weight lay on top of her.
They laid there for quite some time enjoying the evening. Small kisses and light caresses along with whispers of love and adoration were exchanged. When he pulled out of her she let out a small groan.
"This is not the end Ceres, we still have the rest of the evening." He said standing up. He reached his hand down and helped her to her feet. She watched as her robes crumpled to the floor. "You still take my breath away." He whispered upon her temple then scooped her up in his arms.
"Oh!" She cried out and put her arms around his neck quickly. "Welcome home, General." She said with a big smile.