Lucien watched with a dry mouth as Jean continued to fan herself in the garden, the glass of lemonade in her hand coated in condensation. He watched as each bead of water dripped down and over her fingers. Instead of shaking off the moisture, she instead chose to use the ice-cold water to cool her down, streaking the water across her forehead and the back of her neck.

There was a time when looking upon her like this was forbidden; only a fleeting moment for him to savor at a later date. Now, he could look upon her openly, eyes dark with desire and that desire meant he needed to make his presence known.

Stepping out from the shadow of the vines in the sunroom, Lucien spoke from behind her, "You're teasing me, Jean."

His sudden intrusion clearly startled her and she jumped, spinning around in her chair. The lemonade sloshed over the glass over her hand and ice scattered into her lap. "Lucien!"

Lucien took the opportunity to rush forward and kneel beside her. She reached for the napkins beside her, but Lucien stilled her hand.

"Let me."


He turned his attention to her wrist and the back of her hands, skin sticky with spilled lemonade. Ducking his head, he darted his tongue out and lapped up the lemonade from her skin. The taste exploded over his tongue sweet and sour and Jean.

He peered up at her from beneath thick eyelashes and watched her mouth part in surprise and arousal as his mouth and tongue continued to cleanse her skin.

With a soft pop, Lucien released her hand and licked his lips. "Absolutely delicious." He pressed a tender kiss to he back of her hand. "Thank you, Jean."

At this, Jean couldn't help but laugh. "I think I should be thanking you, sweetheart." She moved to cup his face but the movement jostled the ice still in her lap. Lucien's amorous attention to her hand had completely distracted her and she now took notice of the cold seeping against her skin.

"Oh!" She moved to stand up and brush the ice off her, ready to excuse herself and change skirts, but Lucien had other ideas. Still kneeling beside her, he placed a warm hand on her leg, silently commanding her to stay still.

"I said I would clean it up. Let me."

With wide eyes, wondering what on earth he was up to now, she watched as Lucien settled on his knees before her. He placed one of the cubes in his mouth, sucking on it. "Lucien, what–"

Silently, he raised an eyebrow at her, still sucking at the ice cube in his mouth, and proceeded to take another cube in his hand. He lifted her skirt slightly, exposing the smooth skin of her knee. Rapidly melting in his hand, he hurried to swirl the ice against her skin.

The sound of her surprised gasp would stay with him forever. He drew the ice even higher, slipping his hand under her skirt and tracing a trail of icy cold up her inner thighs.

Jean's knuckles were white as she grasped the arm of the chair. Every nerve ending in her body was rapidly firing, sending waves of arousal through her. The sensation of the warmth of his fingers, the cold of the ice, the image of Lucien kneeling between her legs, it all swirled together in a haze.

Giving into her own feelings of desire, she spread her legs for him, sliding a hand through his hair and sighed out, "Lucien…"

Lucien growled as her nails scraped along his scalp and he surged up, pressing a bruising kiss against her lips. The force of the kiss surprised her and she was helpless to do anything else but return the kiss just as ardently. When his tongue entered her mouth, sweeping over her own tongue, Jean gasped at the sensation of his tongue, still freezing from sucking on the ice.

The combination of her hot mouth and his cold lips and tongue skyrocketed the pleasure for both of them and for a moment all that could be heard in their garden was the sound of their moans and the gentle smack and pop of lips breaking and resealing over the other.

Jean felt Lucien shiver beneath her touch, the tips of her fingers still chilly from trying to brush the ice from her lap. Her mind unwittingly wandered to other possibilities with this play on sensations. Wondered what it would be like to suck on the ice and then suck on him….

The sinful thought left her breathless and her heart pounding in her chest. Lucien was constantly challenging her, constantly pushing her boundaries and bringing her to new heights of pleasure. She had never felt so adventurous, so wanted, so loved.

Breaking away gently, Jean leaned her forehead against his, tilting her head to steal another kiss from him occasionally. With a start, she realized her legs were wrapped around his waist and he was half on top of her in the chair, her skirt rucked up around her waist.

Lucien's eyes flickered open and she felt a thrill at what she saw: desire, want,love.

I did that, she thought proudly.

Using her thumb, she wiped away the remnants of her lipstick from his mouth. Her breath caught as he teasingly nipped at the pad of her thumb.

"I hope that was okay?" He searched her face anxiously, hoping he hadn't pushed her too far. She pressed a kiss to his forehead and briefly tightened her legs around his waist.

"It was more than okay. In fact," she teased, "I think you may have given me some ideas, Dr. Blake."

He groaned and buried his head into the curve of her neck, the images immediately filling his head and already imagining the feel of her cool mouth on his body.

"I can't wait."