Fists of Iron: Barbarian of Rome Chronicles Volume Two by Nick Morris

a quick wave of his hand, he walked off in the direction of the home’s bathing rooms.
    Belua pursed his lips as he watched him disappear . Maybe I’m getting soft, he mused. But, he’s an unusual one for sure, not like some of the rich spoilt bastards I’ve met. And, his father was right – there’s steel in him.
    Picking up the training gloves and his discarded cloak, he pushed back his shoulders to take in his surroundings.
    He’d heard it described as the ‘most remarkable garden in Pompeii’, and a quick inspection convinced him that its admirers were probably right. He realized that the garden area occupied nearly two thirds of the whole insula , and was divided by a small canal which was fed by a large fountain at its far end. As the canal approached the perimeter wall it passed beneath an arch before joining a long pond which ran along the terrace at the back of the house. On either side of the canal were trellised avenues draped with clusters of bright flowers. Smaller fountains and statues of various
heroes and gods were spotted throughout. Belua whistled through his teeth . Old Gaius said his dead wife had loved gardening. Gods, this lot must have cost him a few denarii.
    Tomorrow’s visit to an old friend came unbidden to the front of his mind, and he stood thinking about it for a while.
    The late morning sun burned hot on the back of his neck and he realized he was thirsty. Making his way through the garden, he passed through the villa’s southerly entrance onto the Via Castricio. The long rows of sycamores that fringed the palaestra opened up in front of him in the shadow of the amphitheatre.
    Picturing a suitable inn near the city’s Nocera Gate, he set off with real purpose.

Chapter 7
     
    NEW PLEASURES
     
     
    Gaius felt a strange apprehension mixed with arousal as he studied his new wife. Flavia stood naked before him, slowly removing the ivory pins from her hair. She watched him drink in her body and smiled knowingly. He felt himself grow hard beneath the linen drape that covered his loins.
    The bed-chamber was well lit by oil lamps as he studied her: the sleek lines of her limbs, firm upturned breasts and the dark bush between her legs. His love making with his first wife had always taken place in darkness, and this was new for him.
    Flavia softly shook her head, curled locks tumbling to her shoulders. She approached the bed, and then sat. Her fingers slowly raked though the grey hairs on his chest.
    “I see that you’re well prepared for our love making,” she teased, indicating the mound beneath the linen drape. Licking her thumb she traced the head of his cock through the cloth. He felt his back arch off the bed in response to her touch.
    “Do you mock me?” he asked, a little angry at her ability to arouse him so easily.
    “Never, my husband,” she bent forwards and kissed him on the lips, her tongue briefly teasing his own. He could taste the honey on her breath, smell the jasmine on her skin as she bent close. “I mean only to please you in everything that I do. Is that such a bad thing?” She wore a small, hurt look, and for a moment he thought she looked very young.
    “No, it is not,” he answered, reaching up to coax her head to his own, her lips to his. The kiss was long, her tongue eager.
    She pulled away, smiling again, leaving him breathless. Without pause, her hand slipped smoothly beneath the drape, her expert fingers wrapping around his cock. She lightly stroked him, before squeezing hard to stop him releasing his seed. Satisfied, she lowered her head, tracing a slow line down his chest with her tongue.
    It felt as if his head would split and he lay back, closing his eyes. His mind traced back to their previous nights of love making; to the delights she’d introduced into the bed-chamber. Jupiter, I never thought a woman could pleasure me in such a way ! So much so, that he’d found himself distracted during the day by eager thoughts of the coming nights with his