Marian slammed the phone down hard enough to endanger its continued integrity, then whirled to face Adamant. She paused a moment, slightly disoriented at having to look up at him; even after several weeks, she still wasn't completely used to being in human form again.

        "They aren't coming," said Marian, regaining her composure. "The storm is too bad for normal travel. And since we are in no danger, San Savant won't use the Garden Express to send them in or bring us out."

        "Makes sense," said Adamant, flopping down into an easy chair. "He's always complaining about people making frivolous use of it. I suppose we should be grateful he sent us here by it, instead of making us fly or something."

        "So we're stuck here until the storm blows over." Marian sighed, and rubbed her eyes. "After all the work we did getting ready for the conference... renting this chalet, stocking it with food, cleaning and preparing..."

        Her voice trailed off and she shook her head.

        "Hey, may as well enjoy it," said Adamant, draping a leg over a chair arm. "I mean, we've got a free weekend in the Rockies, out in the wilderness and away from people, with a warm place to stay and plenty to eat."

        "A very large amount to eat," replied Marian, wryly. "You'd think that for something this important he'd have one of his wizard friends adjust the weather."

        "Nah," said Adamant, with a dismissive gesture. "That's something else he complains about. It's not nice to mess with Mother Nature."

        Marian started to say something, then suddenly frowned and swayed, feeling dizzy.

        "Are you all right?" asked Adamant, abruptly standing.

        "This is so weird," said Marian, shaking her head. "I feel like I'm about to change back, but it's not even sundown yet. I should have at least a couple more hours."

        "Don't forget, we moved two time zones west this morning," Adamant pointed out.

        "Uh-oh," said Marian. She started quickly for her room, hoping she could get in there and out of her human-sized clothes in time. She didn't make it.

        She had to stop and grab hold of the wall as she was overcome by dizziness. She let out a shout of irritation as she changed back into her centaur form, this accompanied by multiple tearing sounds as she suddenly grew too large (and in some cases much the wrong shape) for her blouse, brassiere, skirt, panties and shoes.

        "Oh, shit!!" yelled Marian, trying to hold her clothing together with her hands.

        Adamant cackled gleefully and began to caper around the room. "Marian said a bad word, Marian said a bad word, Marian sammff..."

        Something soft and warm struck Adamant in the back of the head. He looked around, startled, to stare at Marian, who was now completely naked, hands on hips, glaring at him. She blushed, but decided that leaving Adamant in stunned silence for once was worth a little embarrassment. Summoning her dignity as best she could, Marian resumed the interrupted journey to her room, tail swishing behind her.

        "I still can't believe you did that," said Adamant, later.

        "What's the big deal?" asked Marian, with a shrug. "You've seen me naked before. For that matter, I've seen you naked."

        "Yeah, but both times were during emergencies." Adamant paused a moment, then triumphantly delivered what he obviously felt to be a telling point. "Besides, if it didn't bother you being naked, why did you go and put a long-sleeved, heavy wool sweater on? I mean, you're the one who's always complaining about being too warm."

        "Ed, we're in the Rockies. It's cold outside. Even I'm not that warm natured."

        "Speaking of cold, I better go and make sure the fuel tank on the generator is full." Adamant rose from the couch and stretched. "No sense having the power go out in the middle of the night, when we've got plenty of fuel."

        "I'll start supper, then," said Marian, also rising.

        He returned a few minutes later and joined her in the kitchen, reporting that all was well with the generator. He watched her for a moment, then casually asked if he could help.

        "I don't believe it!" exclaimed Marian, with exaggerated surprise. "You, volunteering to help with domestic chores!?"

        "I'm bored," said Adamant. "There's no TV, the only thing on the radio is blizzard updates, and there's nothing here to read."

        Marian put him to work peeling potatoes. With his help, supper was soon ready.

        "Whatever happened between you and Clint?" asked Adamant, as they washed the dishes after supper. "I mean, I know he moved away to take another job, but..."

        "I made a mistake," said Marian, wistfully. "Two of them, actually. I let him know I was ten years his elder. Then, when I saw his reaction, I hastened to reassure him that Gifted don't age, so he didn't have to worry about me growing old on him. Two days later, he told me he was taking a job offer in Cleveland."

        "Oy," said Adamant.

        "Well, I wasn't expecting it to last," said Marian, pulling the stopper and letting the dishwater run down the drain. "Though I did hope things would go on a little longer than they did."

        That killed the conversation for a while. With the dishes drying in the rack, they moved into the living room. Marian lay down in front of the fireplace, draping her arms over one end of the couch and leaning sideways, letting it support her upper body. To her surprise, Adamant lay down next to her, reclining against her lower portion and putting his arm around her waist. The wind howled outside, occasionally making the flames roar up into the chimney, as they lay there together, watching and listening. Marian was just beginning to enjoy the cozy feeling the situation had produced when Adamant's hand slipped between her forelegs.

        Marian couldn't help herself; she started, violently.

        Adamant jerked away, turning to stare back at her, eyes wide.

        "I'm sorry," he said, quickly. "Did I hurt you?"

        "Uh, no," said Marian, blushing again. "It's just that - well - that's a major erogenous zone for me."

        "There!?" said Adamant, disbelieving.

        "Well, its more psychological than physical," Marian replied, blushing even more. "Think about what part of my anatomy that corresponds to when I'm in human form."

        "Oh. I see. Yes," said Adamant, sliding even further away, this time mentally.

        Marian realized that she had unintentionally alienated him. Ed was a very shy man in some ways, and reacted in an exaggerated manner to even the slightest sign that he had done something accidentally offensive.

        As opposed to being deliberately offensive, thought Marian wryly, which he does as a defense mechanism.

        "Look, we're all friends here," said Marian, after a moment. "I don't see any reason to be afraid of a little cuddling."

        "If you're feeling so casual about all this," said Adamant, slowly, "then why are your nipples trying to push through your sweater?"

        She suddenly realized that she was indeed aroused.

        By Adamant? some small portion of her mind asked.

        "Yes, by Adamant, another small portion replied, He's not such a bad guy, once you get inside his shell.

        She considered a moment, then reached down and peeled off her sweater.

        "You know, you were right. It is too hot in here for this." She wasn't wearing anything underneath. Adamant stared at her huge breasts, and Marian hoped that her blushing wouldn't show in the ruddy light from the fire.

        "You were complaining about being bored," said Marian, trying to be casual. "Well, so am I. Or is it - that you would prefer me in human form? I could do that, now. I've rested long enough that I could stay human for a while."

        Adamant hesitated for so long, sitting there staring at her, that she was afraid she had gone too fast, or maybe just too far. Suddenly, he looked away - left, down, anywhere but at her. And then he looked her directly in the eye.

        "I never knew you before you became a centaur," said Adamant, softly. "This is the way I think of you. And I've always thought you were beautiful."

        He turned to stare into the fire, his hands twisting his shirttail.

        "I used to - fantasize about you, especially when I helped you wash, but..."

        "Actually, I'm glad you didn't take it any further," said Marian, gently, as he hesitated. "At that time, I wouldn't have known how to handle it. I was so shy and insecure about my appearance."

        He turned back to her, and Marian raised an eyebrow at him, an expectant look on her face. "That, however, is no longer true."

        With surprising grace, Adamant moved from his sitting position before the fire to kneel in front of Marian. He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her full on the lips. She returned the kiss, putting her arms around him to pull him closer, surprised at the intensity of her passion. She had been paying so much attention to their words that she hadn't realized how aroused she was by the situation.

        When the kiss went on a bit too long, Marian gently tickled him on the ribs.

        "Hey, no fair!"

        "Get your clothes off," said Marian, her voice deep and husky. She helped him, barely able to keep from tearing instead of unbuttoning.

        "Talk to me," breathed Marian, as Adamant gently cupped her breasts and began kissing them.

        "Just like a woman," he replied, grinning as he rubbed her hardened nipples with his thumbs. "Which do you want, sex or conversation?"

        "Just like a man," she returned, also grinning. "There's no reason you can't have both, at least at first. I like to talk during foreplay. It sets the pace, keeps the man from going too fast."

        Adamant complained, but complied, talking with her as he used his hands and mouth to caress her body. Marian dug her fingers into his flesh, kneading his back, thighs and buttocks, thinking about how nice it was to have a partner who could not be hurt by such treatment, who was immune to her great strength. Indeed, he seemed to enjoy the experience.

        To Marian's surprise, Adamant proved to be a talented and imaginative lover. After several minutes in front of her, he slid around to sit on her lower back. He wrapped his legs around her waist, so that the front of his body pressed tightly against her bare skin, and reached around to resume fondling her breasts as he kissed her neck and nibbled her ears. Marian felt his erection against her bare skin, warm and hard and pulsing. Then, slowly and deliberately, he slid his heels between her forelegs, gently working them against the muscles there. This produced such an intense erotic feeling that Marian thought she might climax just from that.

        Marian's reverie was interrupted by a rhythmic thumping. Startled, she realized that it was caused by her tail, which was striking the couch as she vigorously and unconsciously swished it back and forth.

        "I think I'm ready," she gasped, feeling dizzy.

        Adamant pushed away from her, sliding down her back and over her rump. This caused an almost overwhelming wave of unfamiliar sensation, leaving her thinking vaguely of mares and their mounting reflex. Before she could properly analyze this, Adamant deftly guided himself into her. Marian cried out in pleasurable surprise, then again as he began thrusting. Somehow he managed to use the angle she needed without being told, though he moved too fast at first, and Marian was afraid she would come too soon. Adamant seemed to realized this, or maybe it was just his style to change pace; he slowed, drawing out their pleasure until it was almost intolerable. The feel of his bare skin sliding across her rump, of his hands rubbing her sides, of him inside her, drove all conscious thought from Marian's mind. Finally, she climaxed, groaning uncontrollably through clenched teeth as the orgasm swept through her body. Adamant, in response, made several hard thrusts, grunting as he filled her.

        "Wow," gasped Marian, still panting a few minutes later. "That was great, Ed. I didn't know you had it in you."

        "Well, now it's in you," he quipped, returning to character all too soon. "Just name the colt after me."

        She was too pleasantly exhausted to hit him.

        Marian woke with delicious slowness, still feeling a faint glow from the night before. The fire had died to embers, and a dim blush of light through the windows foretold the approach of dawn. She grinned as she realized that Adamant was lying face down, draped along her equine back, sound asleep and still naked. Her grin broadened as she noticed that he had a full erection. Looks I'm not the only one who enjoyed last night, she thought.

    This work is Copyright 1998 by Rodford Edmiston Smith, who can be reached at: stickmaker@usa.net. Please contact the author for permission before reposting or reprinting. Thank you.