The moonlight filtered through the bedroom, illuminating portions of the bed in an ethereal glow. The power had gone out a few hours ago thanks to a raging thunderstorm and the loss of electricity had doused the house in darkness.
Once the power was out, they had both decided to retire for the evening. He still found himself stopping to watch his wife get ready for bed.
She was soft and feminine and perfect, removing every trace of makeup from her face and rubbing lotion into her hands, arms, and legs. Tonight she wore a semi-sheer nightgown and Lucien enjoyed trying to catch sight of what was beneath, convinced she was intentionally twirling about the bedroom to tease him.
Jean was in the process of lighting candles and placing them strategically around the bedroom and bathroom. Lucien reclined on the bed, admiring the way the flames flickered and danced over her skin. She fluttered past his side of the bed, dropping the candle on his bedside.
He grabbed her arm and tugged, pulling her down on the bed, and rolling on top of her, pinning her to the mattress. She looked up at him through thick, dark eyelashes, a smile playing about her lips and her eyes filled with happiness.
Ever since their marriage, Jean had smiled a lot more. In the same way that he blamed himself for causing her such grief, he took great pride in being the source of her happiness.
She reached a hand up to brush a hand through his hair, tilting her head to the side and admiring him. Lucien thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. He ducked his head and slotted his mouth over hers, sipping at her lips before pressing into the kiss more urgently, deepening the kiss.
Jean's legs instinctively wrapped around his waist and pulled him tighter to her, nails scratching down his back. The feel of her nails against his skin drew a groan from him and he broke away, forehead leaning on hers.
There was no hurry here; just exploration. Lucien reached out with a shaky finger and traced the patterns of the dancing shadows on her skin: over her cheek, across her shoulder, down her chest and across her breasts...
Lucien grinned as Jean shivered beneath his touch. His name fell from her lips easily, "Lucien..."
He felt her tug at his shoulders again, eager for him to resume his ardent kiss, but Lucien had other ideas. He leaned down and used his tongue to trace the path his fingers had just taken, stopping occasionally to punctuate his touch with a kiss.
"You." Kiss. "Are." Kiss. "So." Kiss. "Beautiful." Kiss.
She sighed beneath his touch, hips wriggling and rolling, eager for him to pick the speed up. Lucien continued his steady exploration, though. His hands slipped beneath her nightgown, calloused fingertips ghosting over her skin.
"You astound me, Jean. So beautiful, so responsive. Look at you." He dragged his hands up her torso, pushing the nightgown up over her head and palming her breast in his hand. He rolled her pebbled nipple between his fingers, pinching slightly. Jean gasped and arched up off of the bed and into his touch, crying out his name.
Lucien's voice was husky, "Look how responsive you are, Jean. Do you know how that makes me feel? Watching you react like this to me? To my touch?"
Jean bit her lip, breathless before narrowing her eyes. Two could play at this game. She hooked her leg over his hip and shifted their weight, rolling them so she straddled his hips. Jean sat back, bracing herself on his chest and rocked her hips against his hardness.
Lucien gasped and his hands flew to her hips, encouraging the rocking motion his wife had started. Her body was bathed in moonlight and firelight and he thought she had never looked more beautiful, more powerful.
Jean's head was thrown back in pleasure, her hips still rolling. "Oh, Lucien..." She caught his eye and her hand cupped his face, thumb brushing over his bearded cheek.
Leaning down, she pressed her lips to his. "I love you."
Lucien brought her hand to his lips and pressed a lingering kiss to the cool metal band of her wedding and engagement ring. "I love you, too, Jeannie. So much."
Rolling them back over so she was beneath him, Lucien stepped back from the bed and quickly undressed, removing his pajama pants and top (wondering when Jean had started unbuttoning it...)
Settling himself over her, he slipped inside of her, relishing the sound of her gasps and groans. He hitched her leg over his hip, pushing himself inside of her even deeper and set a quick pace, the warmth of her body spurring him on. The moonlight and firelight set the backdrop for their lovemaking. The rumbling thunder and pounding rain against the windowpane outside proved to be their own personal orchestra, their climax overcoming them both as the thunder crashed outside.
Gathering Jean to his chest and pressing a kiss to the top of her head, nuzzling at her sweat-dampened hair, Lucien thought there was no better way to spend a blackout than by making love to his wife.