What If?

[Chevi]

"It's because you're a good man Felix." 

There was a moment when he thought she was going to draw her hand back, or yell, or leave. He was not sure either of them could walk back from this without being hurt, or go forward without feeling guilty. But her fingers were intertwined with his, and he held her hand, as if he was keeping her steady.

"I...wish you to do whatever you wish to do, when we are alone, now."

Felix's heart skipped a beat again. She reached up and brushed his face gently, and he leaned into her touch, keeping his eyes on hers. She was giving him permission. Offering him something he had no right to even think about. Felix felt like he was standing on the edge of something, with the exhilaration of the view before him, and a sheer drop under his feet.

"But...if anybody were to find out, even a-about this..."

"No one will know." Felix said with quiet determination. He knew he'd die first, which was a very real possibility, given his standing as a slave, and what he was about to do. Even a master as kind as Aulus would have a slave killed for that. 

Felix pulled Horatia by the had, gently, allowing her the freedom to pull back if she changed her mind. He pulled her and gathered her to his chest, where her small frame fit against him, wrapping his arms securely around her. He wanted to make her feel safe, feel wanted, to give her something she had been lacking for many years.

@Sara

[Sara]

Horatia's breath caught in her throat but she allowed herself to be pulled into his chest. After a moment, the feeling so unusual for her, she felt herself relax. The arrow straight back and pulled back shoulders softened and she allowed herself to curl into his body. She took in the warmth, the feeling of just being held as if it was an elixir that had given her life itself. When was the last time somebody had done this for her? The sticky hands of a child around her shoulders was hardly the same as being comforted, pulled close, by a man that seemingly wanted her - although she had that rumbling doubt in the pit of her stomach still that he was doing this purely to follow her orders and not through his own volition. 

She moved one of her hands to gently stroke across his arm - hugged tight around her - her soft fingers tracing a pattern across his skin. She felt so...safe here, like this - even if this was the most dangerous thing she had ever done. "Thank you." She whispered, and was unsure if he heard it. She turned her face up to his and raised her hand from his arm to lightly stroke his cheek; "Am I..." She swallowed, sadness lingering in her look, "An awful person Felix?" To do this surely she must be? She loved her husband, still loved him despite his absence and the pain it had caused her but here, now, she didn't think of him for even one second. Did that make her evil?

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Horatia melted into his arms, and time ceased to exist. Felix held her, gently but securely, breathing in the scent of her hair. It was like a wave of relief, a breath of fresh air after years of feeling useless in making her feel better. He could hold her now, and offer the kind of comfort she had been missing. And he would hold her as long as she needed.

"Thank you. Am I... An awful person Felix?" 

She looked up and caressed his face. She looked unsure and sad, and she was still beautiful, closer to him than she'd ever been. Felix looked back at her, still holding her close.

"You are the kindest, strongest woman I know." he said quietly; for the first time, he'd dropped calling her domina. "You deserve the best things the gods can give."

@Sara

[Sara]

Her lips twitched into a genuine smile, like a childish teenager who had just announced their crush and had it reciprocated. "You must not know many women, Felix." She said as a joke, but thought it likely true. Who was he going to socialise with? He was a slave, and there were a few women in the house but she only had a skeleton staff here in Baiae and it wasn't as if he was likely to meet many others.

This embrace was so comforting, so soothing for her soul that had felt so battered and weathered for so long. She was reluctant to leave it but when she did, it was only to pull the wine jug closer and pour him a cup - noting he had yet to have any. She turned her neck to look at him and held out the cup with a relaxed smile. She felt like a teenager again, if only for a brief few moments. She sipped her own wine once he had unfurled himself from her and taken his own and glanced up to look at him, a thought suddenly occurring to her. It shouldn't have bothered her - but it did; "Do you...have a woman? Here in the domus, Felix?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"You must not know many women, Felix."

It was good to see her smile, even if it was at her own expense. She was beautiful when she smiled. Felix smiled too, hoping that even if she made a joke of it she believed his words, because he'd meant them. She deserved better than what she had, even if, as a noblewoman of Rome, she had a lot, in other people's eyes.

She peeled out of his embrace to pour some wine and offer it to him. He accepted it; lines had been crossed now, there was no reason to be shy about a drink.

"Do you...have a woman? Here in the domus, Felix?" 

It sounded lik a sudden thought, and Felix looked just as surprised at the question, even though it made sense for her to ask that. He shook his head slowly.

"I don't. I mean... I have been with some women before, but in the last... few years." had it really been that long? He'd have to think hard and count the months if he wanted to know for sure. It had not been as long as for her, but he was a man, even if a slave, and things were different for him. He sipped his wine and kept an eye on her, wondering what she'd think of his answer.

@Sara

[Sara]

Horatia couldn't help the pleased smile that graced her features at his answer. She hated the thought of him being duplicitous - keeping this arrangement - even if it was actually fairly innocent - secret from another lover. Then again, she supposed, she was keeping it secret from Aulus and she felt a gnawing in her stomach. She tried to remind herself that he was likely doing far more than just an embrace with plenty of women and men in Britannia and doubted she crossed his thoughts in those instances. Why could she not enjoy the same? A hundred thousand reasons, you dolt Horatia. 

"Then you've likely got more knowledge of relationships than me." She said as she withdrew from him embrace to pick up a few loose grapes and offered him some. "I...was engaged before Aulus but it didn't come of anything and then we were married so quickly and then Titus and then he left..." She frowned and shook her head. Her life had changed in virtually a blink of an eye and she supposed she'd had the last ten years to dwell on it. Swallowing, she arched her neck up at him as she leant back against his chest with a slightly mischievous smile; "But I don't want to think of that now, I only want to think of you." And she meant it. Here in their little orchard enclave she didn't have to worry about her marriage and her children, she just had the warm embrace of a man that wished to comfort her, that wanted her. That was more than enough for her.

She moved her spare hand to softly, gently stroke his jaw and then sweeping up over his cheekbone. "I've....been thinking of you for a while." She managed, being more honest than she had in her life. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Horatia smiled at his answer. He must have said the right thing. Felix couldn't help but wonder what her reaction would have been like if he'd said otherwise. It wasn't like they would have been any more or less guilty. Would he be here, holding her, if he had a lover or a wife in the household? It was hard to tell. Felix had not really been in love, or married, in his lifetime. 

"Then you've likely got more knowledge of relationships than me. I...was engaged before Aulus but it didn't come of anything and then we were married so quickly and then Titus and then he left... But I don't want to think of that now, I only want to think of you."

Felix opened his mouth, but didn't speak, surprised by the honesty of her words. Now that they had broken the first line, she was bolder, more relaxed. He was going to tell her that he did not feel experienced or knowledgeable; maybe only in the physical sense, but as a mother of two she must have had at least some knowledge of these things too. Aulus could not have been that bad...

He lost track of his thoughts as she touched his face again, running her fingers across his cheek. 

"I've....been thinking of you for a while." 

"You have?" he sounded surprised, even though he knew what she meant. Or felt like he knew. He hoped. It would have been so unthinkable a few hours before, he could still barely believe it. Reaching up, he framed her face with his larger hands, holding her gently, brushing his palms against her jaw. He smiled a little "I think of you too. I dream of you sometimes... Does that make me a bad person?"

@Sara

[Sara]

She blushed - blushed! - and nodded her head softly, fingers still working over his cheek, "When...I see you with my children, when you ask if I'm alright you..." She breathed, "I wondered sometimes what life would have looked like had I not been who I am, and you not been born to be who you are..." She was trying to delicately skirt round the fact that they were from two vastly different worlds; but that had not stopped her day dreaming of...well, exactly a moment like this. 

As his hands came to her face she felt a shudder of pleasure work up the length of her spine. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd been held like this, it had been so long. She continued her own gentle stroking of his face as he held hers, feeling comfort come over her in a way it hadn't in years. 

"No...it doesn't make you a bad person," She shook her head lightly. She could have sung eternally that Felix was the most dedicated, respectful and discrete slave she had ever met. She knew full well had she not instigated...this, he would never have even dreamt of cross that line. Yet here they were - embracing like lovers in Spring. She smiled gently and let her hand settle on his cheek - her own still flushed. "And...what exactly did you dream about?" 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Horatia blushed as his hands framed her face. He could feel warmth in her skin. Felix felt like he could get lost in the look in her eyes, the way she looked at him now.

"When...I see you with my children, when you ask if I'm alright you... I wondered sometimes what life would have looked like had I not been who I am, and you not been born to be who you are..." 

Felix's eyes softened as she said those words. He wondered too, wondered how it would have been different if he had been luckier, or if she had not been born into nobility... would they have even met? The rules of marriage among noble families were so strict, both of them would have had to be blessed with luck from the gods to even have a slight chance at being happy together. In another life...

But she thought about it. She thought about him. And he dreamed about her, as much as it pained him when he woke up.

"No...it doesn't make you a bad person."

They were holding each other gently, her cool palm against his cheek, and his hands framing hers. Felix's heart hammered against his ribs. This, any of this, was not allowed. And yet it felt dangerously right.

"And...what exactly did you dream about?" 

"This." he smiled a little. He leaned his forehead against hers; they were a breath away now, noses brushing together, but something in him was still holding back, clinging to the rules and limits while they were quickly slipping from his mind as he whispered. "Allow me to show you?"

@Sara

[Sara]

Her eyes fluttered shut as she rested her forehead against him, swamped by his larger frame but enjoying the peace and serenity it was giving her. She could feel his breath, the touch of his skin, the gentle hold against her face. It was intoxicating and she felt more alive in that moment than she'd felt in years, almost a decade. 

At his question she opened her eyes, their rich blue hue gazing into his own - only a hairs breadth away. She nodded silently but a smile turned up the corners of her mouth. "Yes." Was all she said in answer, as her fingers moved from his cheek to his neck before settling on his shoulder. If anybody could see them know her life, her reputation would be irreparably damaged but she didn't care one iota in that moment as she waited for him to make his move.

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

"Yes."

This was real. It was happening. The one word Horatia uttered echoed in his ears. Felix drew a breath, his heart skipping. This was the point of no return.

Tilting his head, he pressed his lips against hers.

He'd dreamed about this before, but the dreams never came close to reality. Felix pulled Horatia closer, one hand leaving her face and sliding down around her waist as he kissed her gently, almost in a religious awe, as if he was kissing a goddess like the heroes of the old legends. And just about equally dangerous. But the danger was far away now, and she was in his arms, soft and warm and filling his head with a scent that was better than all the flowers in the orchard.

Whatever would happen next, in the future, it would be worth it.

@Sara

[Sara]

The feeling of his hand tracing that curve between her hip and her waist was intoxicating and she felt almost drunk on pleasure. As he finally reached down to capture her lips in a kiss, she sunk into it, eyes fluttering shut and an arm winding around his neck.

Her body responded as if this was the most natural thing in the world, when it should have been anything but. This should not be happening, she should not be doing this. Yet she couldn’t pull herself away, and nor did even a single thought of Aulus cross her mind. This was utterly, utterly perfect and she felt as if she’d been blessed by the Gods.

When she finally withdrew from the kiss, her hair was askew and her cheeks were flushed. Her hand stroked across his lips and a gentle smile crept onto her own. Her voice was breathless as she spoke; “You...you have no idea how h-happy you’ve made me.” She swallowed and leaned back in - this time taking charge herself, for what felt like the first time in her life - and kissed him deeply. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Horatia melted into the kiss, and Felix held her, lost in the taste of her lips and the scent of her hair and the feel of her body encircled by his arm. She was holding on to him, returning the kiss, and Felix was not even sure reality was real anymore. Surely, something that felt this good had to be some divine blessing? Or maybe he was still dreaming. He didn't care. If this was just another fleeting dream, he was still going to make the most of it.

Horatia finally pulled back. Felix opened his eyes, and was greeted with the most beautiful sight imaginable, a well-kissed Horatia with flushed cheeks and messy hair and smiling eyes.

“You...you have no idea how h-happy you’ve made me.”

Felix's head was swimming, with a kind of light joy and dizzy excitement, and he was not sure he could muster up any words to fit this moment, so he felt lucky she leaned in for another kiss. This time, she took charge, and this time, the kiss was different. It was deeper, and more real, and more filled with the need they had both been feeling. Felix's hand twisted into her hair, and his arm tightened around her waist, pulling her flush against him. Balance was hard to keep as they both pulled each other desperately closer, and they ended up sinking down onto the cloak, Felix trying to hold Horatia gently. The kiss slipped, and his lips traveled down along her jaw and her neck. It was hard to think clearly with so much to discover. 

@Sara

[Sara]

Horatia didn't notice or care that she was being pulled down to the cloak, lying next to Felix. All that she could concentrate on was the urgency coursing through her veins, the feel of his lips on her throat and the way his hand gently yet simultaneously firmly, worked through her hair. Her blood thrummed in her veins and even if she had the ability to concentrate she would not have been able to a recall a time where she felt such...passion, it had been that long. She would have supposed those fleeting eighteen months with Aulus had it, but that was nearly a decade ago and the memories were fuzzy and hazy. This moment, however, was as sharp as the point of a blade and she knew she wanted more.

Without thinking or second guessing herself, as she always did, she took his hand that encircled her face and moved it to her thigh - her stola falling higher up in the passion of this moment. However, the Gods had other ideas that this would progress any further at this exact moment as the shrill sound of a slavegirl sounded loud and clear over the orchard; "Domina? Domina! You must come quickly! There's been an accident!" 

Horatia broke the heated kiss immediately, cheeks flushed, hair completely askew and stola riding up her bare thigh. The voice called out again, hunting in between the saplings of the orchard; "Domina where are you? Calpurnia is injured!" Those three little words took her completely out of whatever lust or passion she'd been feeling and without even a hesitation she stood, stuttering, eyes wide and wild trying to right herself. Her hair was a lost cause but she could blame it on the wind, she supposed. "Cal...Calpurnia..." She managed to stutter and looked down at Felix, desperately seeking direction and help. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

I have it in mind Calpurnia broke her arm whilst at the beach...

[Chevi]

Felix was lost in the kiss, lost in the ways Horatia responded to his touch. He wanted to do more, to see how she'd react to other things, different kisses. She moved his hand to her thigh, and he touched her smooth skin under the stola, moving up...

"Domina? Domina! You must come quickly! There's been an accident!" 

The spell was broken, and so was the kiss. Felix's eyes flew wide open, and he was already springing up from the cloak before Horatia could get her bearings. He stumbled a few steps away, smoothing his tunic down and running a nervous hand through his hair. 

"Domina where are you? Calpurnia is injured!" 

Horatia scrambled up too, motherly instincts taking over as she tried to get her dress and hair in order. Felix glanced at her, just once, guilt apparent in his eyes before he headed in the direction of the voice. 

"Over here! She was asleep, give her a moment. Where is Calpurnia?"

@Sara

[Sara]

Horatia wobbled on legs that felt as steady as the sea as the slavegirl ran through the saplings to find Felix. Oh Gods what had she done? Was this the punishment for her lustfulness already? She felt as if she could cry, but kept her wits about her and shook her head. No, no, accidents happened all the time, didn't they? 

The slavegirl finally appeared and even from a distance she could hear the conversation with Felix. She stepped forward to be involved. "The beach, Gallus can't carry her back up the hill, it's her arm - we've sent for a  medicus to meet us at the villa." Horatia snapped her eyes to Felix and quickly, without a second thought ordered; "Felix go to the beach and carry her back up, I-I'll meet you at the villa, I'll only slow you down if I come with you." Felix - with his frame (a frame she had been enjoying for an altogether different reason a moment ago) was likely the only slave nearby who would be able to carry the slight Calpurnia up the rocky path from the beach to the domus and still have breath in his body. 

She glanced at him pleadingly as the slavegirl turned on her heel and began walking away for Felix to follow her. Without thinking she reached to take Felix's hand and squeezed it as tight as she could muster; "Bring her back." 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

The girl finally found them, and Felix resisted the urge to glance back, to see if Horatia was decent. He just had to act like he would normally act. Especially because Calpurnia was in danger. 

"The beach, Gallus can't carry her back up the hill, it's her arm - we've sent for a  medicus to meet us at the villa." 

"Felix go to the beach and carry her back up, I-I'll meet you at the villa, I'll only slow you down if I come with you." 

"Right away, domina." Felix nodded. The girl turned, hurrying back the way she came. Felix started after her, before he felt Horatia's touch on his arm. It felt desperate, and she could see the scared look in her eyes. He knew she would be blaming herself for this.

"Bring her back." 

"I will. She will be all right. Trust me." he covered her hand with his own and gently peeled it from his arm, before he turned and ran towards the beach.

@Sara

[Sara]

The excitement the afternoon had produced was exhausting. Calpurnia's arm was fractured, but the medicus had set it in a splint and her screams had eventually quietened down into sniffles of pain. Horatia had held her close until she had drifted into a fitful sleep, and then gone to check in on her son who was adamant through his tears that it had been his fault; that he shouldn't have dared her to climb the rocks, that he should have protected her. After a stern word or two about the activities suitable for rapidly growing girls, Horatia had given him a cuddle and her forgiveness and left him snoring soundly in his bed. 

She felt wrung out, exhausted, and hadn't even had the foresight to change and make herself decent before the medicus had arrived. The domus was quiet now; it was a little after ten and the slaves - excused of their duties - were largely in their own quarters. Only the door porter and her body slave remained to keep a watchful eye on their mistress who paced around the small interior garden, wracking her brain for forgiveness - trying to find a way to not blame herself. 

The thought occurred to her - during her pacing - that Felix was most definitely not to blame. He had carried the screaming girl up from the beach, he had saved her as the incoming tide threatened to sweep her from the rocks as the other slaves could not bare her weight and scramble down. She owed him a debt she didn't know how to repay, she concluded. Glancing to her body slave she inclined her head; "Fetch a lamp and my cloak, I want to walk to the cliffs." It wasn't far, perhaps half a mile or so - if that, and she needed the relief of fresh air and night winds on her face. 

She stopped her pacing and added; "And fetch Felix, I need to give my thanks for what he did today, and for company on the walk." Nobody would question that - her petite female body slave was hardly an ideal protector on a late night walk. She didn't know in her conscious mind why she needed him, but even after all the guilt she felt, all the drama of the late afternoon, she wanted him, she needed him.

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Looking back, the whole day felt like some surreal dream. The walk in the orchard, the kissing, the sudden turn of events as the slave girl almost walked right into them, and then the race to the beach. Felxi climbed the rocks to reach Calpurnia, but was not easy to calm the screaming girl down enough so that he could carry her safely down from the rocks, and back to the domus. Calpurnia liked Felix, and Felix cared for the little girl; he tried to not cause more pain than was necessary, but it was still heart-wrenching to hear her cries as he held her in his arms and carried her up to the house. Once Horatia and the medicus took over Felix retired to his room. He had a lot to think about.

It was hours before the house grew quiet again. The children must have gone to sleep, and everyone was ready to sleep of the excitement of the day. Felix lay in his bed, and knew already that he was not going to sleep tonight, even if he tried to. His mind kept going over all that happened, his emotions whirling from memories of joy and excitement to deep guilt and worry. The fleeting moment in the orchard already felt like something far away, something he'd keep hidden deep in his memories and his heart like a gemstone. Maybe it was better that the slave girl found them when she did. Horatia still had her honor, and she could chalk up the rest as a momentary weakness.

There was a knock on the door, and the slave girl called his name.

"Felix, domina is going for a walk. She wants you to accompany her."

Felix's heart jumped. He got out of bed, grabbing his cloak, and opened the door.

"Is everything alright?"

"More or less. She probably needs some air. Upset from... all that happened" the girl waved a hand in the direction of the children's rooms. Felix nodded and walked on, picking up a lamp on the way. He found Horatia waiting at the door. She looked tired. She looked beautiful. Felix stopped a few steps away, nodding his head to show he was ready. 

"Lead the way, domina."

@Sara

[Sara]

Horatia smiled gently, but tiredly, as Felix loomed into view. She ignored the flutter of something in the pit of her stomach and inclined her head. She left the villa silently, her leather sandals barely audible against the dusty track that led down the hill to the cliffs. There was a fork in the road at the bottom; one path led left and to the orchards, one path led right and to the beach, and the last led straight and to the grassy bank atop the grey rocks of the cliffs. She carried on straight, not looking behind until they were safely out of sight of the villa when she slowed to a stop and gestured with an inclination of her head that he should join her. 

"I needed to get out," She said quietly by way of explanation as she walked, "Today has felt like a dream." She didn't elaborate whether that dream was a good one or a nightmare, and instead carried on her walk until some minutes later they reached the drop. 

The moon was high and wide tonight and cast an odd gleam over the water - gently lapping the shore beneath them. She had been here hundreds of times and always found it disconcerting that the clear azure of the sea in the day could turn into such moody, inky waters by night. Yet this evening - even as the tiredness of the day caught up with her - she felt comforted. She owed that, of course, to the man next to her. 

She sat down without much ceremony, pulling her legs close to her chest and wrapping her arms around them as if she was a girl looking for comfort. She sat quiet and still for some time, enjoying the gentle breeze that swelled from the sea up and over the cliffs and tousled her red hair. When she did speak, her voice was soft but had a firm quality to it that had been absent for a number of years; "I don't regret it." She said and then glanced to him. She held out her hand. 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Felix walked in silence behing Horatia, holding the lamp up to light her way along the cliffs. This was not the safest path, so not many people walked this way after dark. He suspected that was why she chose to come this way. He could smell the scent of the orchards in the darkness, and memories came flooding back. He shook his head to clear it. He had no reason to assume she called him out here for anything but to tell him not to ever talk about this day again.

Once the domus was far behind them, she nodded her head, and he caught up, walking between her and the edge of the cliffs.

"I needed to get out. Today has felt like a dream." 

Felix nodded again. It did. A dream, a nightmare, something in between, something confusing and not quite real and deeply emotional. He wondered what she meant. They stopped, the shadows of the road behind them and the sea in the pale moonlight in front of them. Horatia sat, pulling her knees up, the way a plebeian girl would sit, not the matron of a senator's house. Felix stood by her, looking at the sea.

"I don't regret it."

She held her hand out. Against all better judgment, Felix took it; he sat down next to her, holding her hand, placing the lamp on the other side. The light of the flame flickered on her cheek and left half her face in shadow. She didn't regret what happened, but that didn't mean she'd do it again. No sane person would, when they had time to reconsider. Probably for the better. She was kind enough to take him out here to tell him. He wanted to make it easy for her too.

"I don't either." he said quietly "But we don't have to mention it again, if you'd rather not."

@Sara

 

[Sara]

She felt her heart flutter at his affirmation that he didn't either. She had been so all-consumed by Calpurnia that she had no time to consider what it had meant, what she should have felt after their embrace. Instead, for the first time in her life, her heart - her body - was guiding her decisions, not her mind. She had always been a deep thinker; planning every word she said, every look she gave and she was tired of it. This felt right - what he gave her felt right and she couldn't listen to her mind protesting anymore. How long had she lived unhappily purely because her mind had said no to divorcing Aulus? Said no to finding happiness? No longer. 

"I knew it, when you ran from me down to the beach, and then when I saw you with my daughter in your arms." She swallowed and then continued, "I knew it when you...touched me, when you held me...you gave me something I haven't felt in years and I knew I would never want to go back again Felix." She moved finally from her position until she was facing him - kneeling. She moved her hands to either side of his face - making him meet her eyes. "I want you." 

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

He wondered what came next. Would she be relieved? Would she take him up on his word? Would she try to let him gently, like the kind woman she was? They were still holding hands. Whatever she would say, unless she sent him away, he would keep serving her like he had before. Even if only as  slave of her household. 

"I knew it, when you ran from me down to the beach, and then when I saw you with my daughter in your arms. I knew it when you...touched me, when you held me...you gave me something I haven't felt in years and I knew I would never want to go back again Felix."

She turned, framing his face with her hands. Felix met her eyes, confused by her words; his heart swelled with hope. If she went back on her words now, now it would hurt. Because he hoped.

"I want you."

She shouldn't have said it. He had no answer. Why?... How? How could this possibly work? Tonight, the next day, a year from now? It wouldn't. They couldn't.

The only answer was to not think about it.

Felix reached up, pulling Horatia close with a gentle hand at the back of her head so that he could kiss her, really kiss her, this time sure they both wanted the same thing. Even now, even after thinking about it. 

@Sara

[Sara]

Horatia felt as if fire was exploding in her blood at his touch as he pulled her closer. She sunk into the kiss with heady lust that coursed through her mind. She had simply stopped thinking and it felt wonderful. She felt alive after years in hibernation and she couldn't control herself any longer. She kissed him back with heated passion and moved a hand up to stroke his face, his neck, his shoulders. She had never been so...free, in all her years on this earth. Gone were the reservations and all the rigidity and thinking, she was just a young woman with a man next to her - holding her as if she were the last woman alive.

She pulled back breathlessly, leaning her forehead against his, one soft hand moving up to stroke his cheek. She felt desperately in need of him, in need of his touch, in need of his comfort. The stress of the day, the exhilaration of feeling awoken was thrilling. 

She leaned in again to capture his lips in a kiss and moved her hand to his chest, the other winding around his neck to pull him down to the damp grass. She wasn't thinking, all she knew was that she needed him.

 

TAG: @Chevi

[Chevi]

Horatia was not unsure about this anymore. She kissed Felix with passion, igniting a flame inside him as she pushed closer. His arm went around her waist once again, his palm running up the arch of her back. They kissed like there was no tomorrow, and for both of their sake it was probably better if there wasn't. She wound an around around his neck and pulled him down into the grass. Her body was warm against his, and she wanted much more than just kissing. Felix's head spun, and in that moment, he was willing to follow her anywhere, he would have gone to Hades if she asked.

But maybe not right from here.

Kissing his way down her neck again, for the second time in the same day, Felix mustered up a sliver of self-control and pulled away, admiring her face in the light of the lamp.

"Not here." he whispered, catching his breath. He pushed himself up, picking up the lantern and holding a hand out to help her up too. No one walked the cliffs at this time of the night, but the last thing Felix wanted tonight was to be careless. He couldn't quite hold himself back from kissing her as she stood, an arm around her waist, before he took her hand and led them back a little way down the path, before turning towards the orchards again. Among the trees, they would have a safe place, away from the walking paths. The scent of flowers filled his head again. He walked until they were deep in the middle of the orchard, blossoms pale in the moonlight all around. Felix placed the lamp on the ground and undid his cloak, laying it down too before he finally turned back to Horatia. They were close, almost nose to nose, and her eyes were bright in the soft light. "Tell me again."

@Sara