asters was revealed. He walked over to stand next to Vivian. “I purchased these flowers this evening for you, my dear.”
Vivian clasped her gloved hands around the delicate bouquet and stared through her veil at the small, perfectly formed blossoms. “They are beautiful, David. Thank you very much. What are they called?”
“Their name is aster, my dear. The dark shadows of the evening make it hard to discern their exact color but I was told the outer petals are a deep purple with a yellow center. I attempted to purchase some violets for you but the flower seller reminded me they do not bloom until the spring.” David concluded his brief explanation with a teasing grin.
Vivian observed David’s boyish expression as she gazed at his face through the veil. She felt her heart contract and her breathing became uneven as she noted David’s cheerful, somewhat abashed countenance as he admitted his blunder to her. Lord Maxton was indeed a very handsome gentleman and her body was reacting quite sensually to his nearness.
“You cannot be faulted for forgetting that certain flowers only bloom at brief times during the year, David,” Vivian hastily assured him. She turned away and pretended to study the surrounding shrubbery. The desperate yearning that she had experienced which caused her to act so brazenly last night was back in full force this evening. But her relationship with David was still too new and she felt wary about making the first advance tonight. Her hand shook slightly as she lifted the bouquet toward one bush. She babbled on, suddenly feeling restless and edgy, “I must make certain the flowers do not become crushed. I will place them up here on this limb. Thank you again, my lord.”
“We are back to ‘my lord’ again are we, Vivian?” David wrapped his arms around her waist after she had secured the bouquet safely away in the shrubbery. “You are shaking, my dear. Are you cold?” he asked in concern.
Vivian twisted around in David’s arms so that she was facing him once more. “No, no, David. I am fine. Please do not be distressed,” she reassured him, willing her frantically beating pulse to slow down to its normal speed.
David leaned back and studied Vivian’s shrouded face. “Because I cannot see your face, I must be satisfied with your assurances, my dear. I have a suggestion. Let us lie down together on my cloak and observe the stars.”
“What about my services that you have paid for, David?” Vivian asked.
“There is plenty of time left tonight for you to become my Vixen, my dear,” David replied lightheartedly as they walked over to stand on opposite sides of the cloak. David removed his coat, waistcoat and gloves and laid them carefully on the upper edge of the cloak. Then he kneeled down to pull the makeshift covering tight in a few places and indicated that Vivian should join him upon the ground.
She knelt down, very conscious of David’s warm gaze upon her. Vivian slowly pulled her gloves off and dropped them on top of David’s discarded clothing. Then she turned and lay down beside David. He immediately moved to clasp her hand in his.
For several minutes they each studied the night sky and listened to the murmur of the voices of the other revelers in the gardens. As Vivian lay next to David, she became aware of an urgent need to feel his hands and mouth caress her once again. She threw feelings of caution to the winds as she acknowledged this compelling hunger. She released his hand and folded the edge of her veil upward, careful to keep her eyes and nose covered. She moved her hand back toward David and shifted her palm in a caressing motion up and down his arm.
“Please, David, will you kiss me?”
David sat up and looked down at her partially uncovered face in surprise. “Gladly, my dear. Your mouth is delicious.”
David cradled his hands underneath Vivian’s neck, leaned down and placed his warm lips upon hers. He began with deceptively simple
Vivian clasped her gloved hands around the delicate bouquet and stared through her veil at the small, perfectly formed blossoms. “They are beautiful, David. Thank you very much. What are they called?”
“Their name is aster, my dear. The dark shadows of the evening make it hard to discern their exact color but I was told the outer petals are a deep purple with a yellow center. I attempted to purchase some violets for you but the flower seller reminded me they do not bloom until the spring.” David concluded his brief explanation with a teasing grin.
Vivian observed David’s boyish expression as she gazed at his face through the veil. She felt her heart contract and her breathing became uneven as she noted David’s cheerful, somewhat abashed countenance as he admitted his blunder to her. Lord Maxton was indeed a very handsome gentleman and her body was reacting quite sensually to his nearness.
“You cannot be faulted for forgetting that certain flowers only bloom at brief times during the year, David,” Vivian hastily assured him. She turned away and pretended to study the surrounding shrubbery. The desperate yearning that she had experienced which caused her to act so brazenly last night was back in full force this evening. But her relationship with David was still too new and she felt wary about making the first advance tonight. Her hand shook slightly as she lifted the bouquet toward one bush. She babbled on, suddenly feeling restless and edgy, “I must make certain the flowers do not become crushed. I will place them up here on this limb. Thank you again, my lord.”
“We are back to ‘my lord’ again are we, Vivian?” David wrapped his arms around her waist after she had secured the bouquet safely away in the shrubbery. “You are shaking, my dear. Are you cold?” he asked in concern.
Vivian twisted around in David’s arms so that she was facing him once more. “No, no, David. I am fine. Please do not be distressed,” she reassured him, willing her frantically beating pulse to slow down to its normal speed.
David leaned back and studied Vivian’s shrouded face. “Because I cannot see your face, I must be satisfied with your assurances, my dear. I have a suggestion. Let us lie down together on my cloak and observe the stars.”
“What about my services that you have paid for, David?” Vivian asked.
“There is plenty of time left tonight for you to become my Vixen, my dear,” David replied lightheartedly as they walked over to stand on opposite sides of the cloak. David removed his coat, waistcoat and gloves and laid them carefully on the upper edge of the cloak. Then he kneeled down to pull the makeshift covering tight in a few places and indicated that Vivian should join him upon the ground.
She knelt down, very conscious of David’s warm gaze upon her. Vivian slowly pulled her gloves off and dropped them on top of David’s discarded clothing. Then she turned and lay down beside David. He immediately moved to clasp her hand in his.
For several minutes they each studied the night sky and listened to the murmur of the voices of the other revelers in the gardens. As Vivian lay next to David, she became aware of an urgent need to feel his hands and mouth caress her once again. She threw feelings of caution to the winds as she acknowledged this compelling hunger. She released his hand and folded the edge of her veil upward, careful to keep her eyes and nose covered. She moved her hand back toward David and shifted her palm in a caressing motion up and down his arm.
“Please, David, will you kiss me?”
David sat up and looked down at her partially uncovered face in surprise. “Gladly, my dear. Your mouth is delicious.”
David cradled his hands underneath Vivian’s neck, leaned down and placed his warm lips upon hers. He began with deceptively simple
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