Maria couldn't stop the gentle sigh of contentment from escaping her lips as she lay comfortably in her fiance's arms beneath the stars one evening and Georg held her close to him, his dinner jacket over her body as her head lay upon his chest and he continued to draw his fingertips slowly through her golden hair. Laying together upon a picnic blanket beneath the stars had become a regular thing for them since Georg had proposed to her in the Gazebo just two weeks earlier, the two of them kissing the children goodnight before they would go down to the kitchens and prepare a small basket of treats for them to lay and eat once they got outside. The nights were beginning to get cooler since it was slowly edging towards Autumn, Maria loving the time that she spent with her fiance all the more since he always made sure she was warm and content in his embrace as they relaxed together. 'Are you comfortable enough, my darling?' He murmured softly against the warm skin of her forehead as he trailed his hand over her side.
She tilted her head back slowly against his chest in order to meet his gaze as she gripped his dinner shirt gently in her hand, smiling up at him with nothing but pure love and devotion in her loving blue eyes when he allowed his hand to stroke tenderly against the warmth of her cheek. 'I'm always comfortable when I'm held in your arms.' She whispered before nuzzling the tip of her nose against his and allowing a soft hum to escape her when he took her bottom lip into his mouth, kissing her with as much compassion and as much tenderness as he could muster up whilst she tangled her leg slowly with his. 'Darling.' She reached up to allow her fingertips to glide delicately through the dark hair at the side of his head, his only reply being a gentle groan as he pulled her on top of him and she cupped the sides of his neck. 'Do you realize how much trouble we're going to get into if Sister Berthe happens to look out of her bedroom window?' She breathed between languid kisses shared with the man who made her feel so special and so loved. 'She'll come down here and make you kiss the floor, never mind me!' He chuckled against her lips as he slid his tongue into her mouth and buried his fingers into her warm, silky, beautiful hair.
'Then why don't we take this somewhere that's a little more...' He trailed off as he began to move his kisses away from her lips, teasing the corner of her mouth before moving to kiss along her sharp jawline, allowing his hot breath to hit against her ear which caused her to squirm above him. 'Private?' Her eyes glistened when she met his gaze once again and she cupped his face gently in her hands, catching him in a lingering and promising kiss. She then rolled off of him before the two of them stood up and packed up the blanket along with the picnic basket, their fingers lacing between them as they made their way inside. It wasn't long until they had managed to sneak through the back door that led into the kitchen without being caught, Georg leading her up the back passageway that led directly to the grand hall. 'I'm going to hope that you'll be wise enough not to tell the children about this little short-cut.' He stopped in his tracks and turned to her at the top of the stairs, pressing her gently up against the wall to capture her lips with his own in a long kiss. She then nodded in reply before the two of them hurried through the grand hall and into his study, Georg closing the door behind them before pressing his fiancee up to it.
He ran his hands slowly along the curves of her sides through the thin chiffon dress that she had worn to dinner earlier that evening as he stepped closer to her, her breathing changing slightly when he softly trailed the tip of his nose along her jawline and slid his hands around to her back in order to caress the length of her spine. 'I don't suppose you realized how tempting you looked when you entered for dinner with the children and I this evening, did you, darling?' He breathed as he nuzzled his mouth against the creamy skin of her neck and felt her fingers stroke the hair at the nape of his, a soft whimper escaping her when he closed his lips over a rather sensitive area of skin where ear met jaw. 'How it was such a challenge for me to draw my eyes away from you long enough to actually eat what was on my plate? I'm surprised I was able to resist the urge to make my way round to you and kiss you senseless, burying my fingers into your hair and disheveling it in front of Sister Berthe and the children.' A soft gasp left her.
'There's nothing stopping you from doing it now.' She sucked her lower lip at her bold statement before he pulled away from her neck with a smirk and cupped her cheek warmly in his powerful and yet loving hand, her heart pounding furiously within her chest as she watched his gaze drop from hers, down to her lips and then back up again before he drew her flush against his chest. 'What are you waiting for?' He raised an eyebrow at her new-found boldness before she went up onto her tiptoes and took his lower lip into her mouth to kiss him softly, her hand resting upon the nape of his neck as they pulled apart with a gentle smack of their lips. He then seized her waist as he brought her close to him and resumed their slow bout of tender kisses upon one another's lips, the caresses of their lips becoming more passionate as he cradled the back of her head protectively. 'I love you.' She murmured into his mouth as he slowly began to walk them backwards to the settee in the corner of the room, a small smile upon his soft lips.
'I love you too.' He growled before falling backwards onto the piece of furniture with his fiancee and allowing her to pull away momentarily from his kiss as she giggled beautifully, her hand resting lovingly on his torso through his shirt as he reveled in her laughter and stroked a strand of soft hair back behind her ear. 'Where were we?' He held her chin gently between his thumb and forefinger before pulling her to him for another slow kiss, their lips meeting much more softly than they had just moments before. As they kissed sweetly next to the glow of the lamp on the small table beside the settee, his hand rested on her waist as their tongues met and she stroked her fingertips leisurely through his soft hair. 'You are the most beautiful woman who has ever walked this earth, Maria.' He breathed when they parted sweetly.
She couldn't stop the gentle blush from rising in her cheeks as he cupped her face in his hands and he brushed his thumbs against her cheekbones, his lips warm and gentle against her forehead when he left a tender kiss to the soft skin he found there. 'Can we cuddle together for a little while?' The slight fatigue that he usually saw in her eyes at the end of every long day was slowly beginning to return as he sat in front of her, his heart swelling with love for the beautiful young woman that had managed to infuriate him and yet make him fall all the more in love with her since she had entered his life four months ago. Drawing her close to his chest, he lay the two of them down so that their heads settled on the armrest and he covered them both with the warm blanket that hung over the back of the settee.
'Comfy?' He murmured with a press of his lips to the warm skin at the side of her neck when he draped his arm over her, brushing his thumb against her stomach through her dress.
'Very.' Her voice was soft and coated with sleep as he could tell she had closed her eyes, his beautiful fiancee fast asleep in his arms within a few minutes.
'Sleep well, mein liebling.' He kissed the side of her head lingeringly before holding her close and nuzzling his nose over her creamy skin, breathing in her natural scent.
The early morning sunlight was what woke Maria pleasantly the next day when it shone through the drapes that hung in her bedroom window, a contented sigh escaping her as she nuzzled further into her pillow with a smile. She remembered how she had woken momentarily as Georg had tucked her into bed once he'd helped her into her nightgown, his gentle shushes and kisses to her forehead and cheeks lulling her back to sleep before he had left the room. As she took in the sight of the dark red rose laying beside her on the unoccupied pillow, she took it carefully into her hand and took in its fragrance. He always was a man of passion and romance, even when they had small spats every now and again over petty things and wedding planning stress. He loved her with a burning passion, she knew that for sure.
It was when she thought back to the previous night as she had lay in his arms and he had fed her chocolate covered strawberries, something finally beginning to dawn on her.
She would never feel safer or more at home than when she was in the comfort of his arms.
A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you liked it! :) xxx