The Effects of Pine Bark
"Dance with me. Life's too short not to."
Lucien took his fiancée by the hand and led her in a swaying dance to the music. He knew she was initially reticent to partake in his romantic whim. She usually was. But he also knew that she appreciated the little things he liked to do, like this. Dancing in the parlor for no reason other than the joy of dancing together.
He did his best to keep a respectful distance, but he couldn't help continuously readjusting his hand on her back. He wanted to pull her closer. Or let his hand slide lower down her body. Or any number of things that would surely lead her to awkwardly stop him before they got carried away. Like last night when he'd kissed her in the kitchen, suggesting that perhaps they do a bit more. That had been foolish, he knew now. He knew it then, too, but it hadn't stopped him.
Jean looked up into his eyes, so impossibly and beautifully blue. She felt the almost fidgeting quality of his hand on her back and smirked. He was trying very hard to restrain himself, which she found very sweet. Last night, she'd rebuffed him. As usual. But she hadn't wanted to. She never really wanted to. When he held her and touched her and kissed her, all she wanted was more. She'd even put on the nightgown she was saving for him with every intention of going to his bedroom and having him take it off her. But Rose and Charlie and…she'd lost her nerve. Even more so after church today. She had always tried to live a good life, do as she was told, follow the rules, and she'd done rather well.
But here in Lucien's arms, dancing in the parlor of the house they shared, Jean found she'd found her nerve again. She began to rub her hand up and down his shoulder as they danced.
"Charlie won't be home for hours," she noted quietly.
"Oh?"
Jean just smiled in response. Taking the hint, Lucien stepped a bit closer to her. Jean allowed him to hold her tighter against him until they were dancing cheek to cheek, flush against one another. She breathed in deeply, inhaling the gorgeous, comforting scent. Safe and secure and exciting and intoxicating. Everything Lucien always made her feel.
With a smirk, she rubbed her hips against him, feeling a slight twitch.
"Is that the pine bark taking effect?" she asked teasingly.
He chuckled and growled, "I think you'll find that I don't need any of that with you. We can wait until we're old and tired and we've been married for thirty years before I need any kind of…enhancement."
Jean began to laugh and tilted her head up to kiss him. Very quickly, they forgot all about dancing.
Lucien was waiting for Jean to stop him, as she always did. He could usually guess when she would pull away. But she never did. They continued kissing deeply for far longer than they ever had before. Many minutes went by.
Eventually, Jean did pull away. But not for the purpose Lucien was expecting. "I'm going to go change. I'll meet you in your bedroom."
His eyes went very wide with surprise. "Are…are you sure?"
She just smiled. "I won't be a moment."
Lucien stared after her as she hurried up to her room for whatever purpose she had in mind. When he heard the door to her bedroom open and close behind her, he regained motor function and went into his own room. He left the door open, as he assumed he was to expect her to join him. As she said she would.
He couldn't quite believe that this was real, that she would be…would she? She said she would meet him in his bedroom. But that didn't necessarily mean…did it?
Pacing back and forth in front of the bed, Lucien grew increasingly anxious. And increasingly excited. Whatever was to come, he knew he wouldn't do a single thing she didn't want. Not that he ever would in any other situation with Jean. But this was different. Especially before they were married.
Jean tiptoed down the stairs and into Lucien's room, despite the fact that no one was in the house to overhear her footsteps. She entered and closed the door behind her, turning the key to lock it. When she turned back around, she found Lucien staring at her slack-jawed. She had put her special nightgown on again. This time she had made her way into his room with it. This time he saw her wearing it.
"I bought the nightgown for you," she blurted, suddenly feeling extremely awkward and nervous.
"It's beautiful. You're beautiful," he breathed.
His words calmed her. "Thank you," she mumbled in reply.
"Jean, are you really absolutely sure you want to be here, now? We don't have to do this. I was prepared to wait until we were married. However long that takes. We can wait. I promise I don't mind."
She shook her head. "We've waited long enough. And just as you said earlier, life's too short not to."
The look of pure love and adoration on his face was enough for Jean to know she was making the correct decision.
Jean left her place at the door and walked into the room to meet him.
He trailed his fingers up and down her bare arms, tracing the lace neckline. "Absolutely beautiful."
Placing her hands on his chest, Jean suddenly realized the number of times they had given each other these small touches before. The way he would put a comforting hand on her arm, a squeeze of her shoulder. The way she would straighten his tie, let her fingers linger on the fabric of his waistcoat. But now, these little gestures of affection were so much more. Every touch made her heart beat fast and made her skin feel on fire. Jean clutched at his clothes and pulled him into a kiss, moaning into his mouth as she felt his hands on her waist, only the thin white silk between their skin.
Lucien felt dizzy. After months, even years, of dreaming of making love to Jean, it was somehow a reality. The haze of lust that overtook him needed to be quelled. This needed to be done right. He balled the fabric of the nightgown in his hands against her hips, lifting it ever so slightly as he pulled away. "Alright?" he asked, checking to be sure he wasn't going too fast.
Jean nodded. Instead of giving him a verbal answer, she began unbuttoning his waistcoat.
He was transfixed by her movements, barely registering that she'd loosened his tie and was now going to work on his shirt.
"Lucien, you'll need to let go of me if I'm going to get these things off you," she murmured. His hands were still firmly on her hips, which precluded removing the various layers off his arms.
"Sorry," he muttered, shrugging off the jacket, waistcoat, and shirt, and removing his tie. And before she could do anything else, he began kissing her again. This time, he led her to the bed, stumbling along the way as he tried to take off his shoes and socks without breaking the kiss. They tumbled onto the top of the comforter that Jean had meticulously made up that morning. "Is everything alright?" he told her, trying not to hate himself for allowing any break in their foreplay. "Jean, we don't have to do this."
"Oh yes we do!" Jean's emphatic tone was match by her actions. She rolled over on the bed to lay on top of him, resuming their kiss. Hopefully Lucien would get the hint that she was doing exactly what she wanted to do, and he didn't need to keep checking on her!
Apparently this time he got the message, because his hands found the hem of the nightgown and began their tactile journey underneath it, caressing her body.
They were a mess of limbs as remaining clothing got tossed aside with little thought beyond eliminating the barriers between their bodies.
"Oh Jean, my sweet Jean, my love…" Lucien murmured as his mouth and hands explored her flesh. He tried to use the words to ground himself, to remain present with her and to prevent himself from losing all control.
Jean couldn't seem to form words. She emitted moans and breaths and cries of pleasure. Eventually she did say one coherent word, when she screamed his name in ecstasy.
Afterward, they lay side by side, panting heavily as they stared at the ceiling. Lucien was eventually able to get his breathing under control enough to quip, "I told you I don't have any use for that pine bark."
Jean laughed, "Yes, I think I'll be needing it long before you will!"
He grinned proudly.
She rolled over and kissed his cheek. "I should go wash up back in my room. Might be best to get a move before Charlie gets home."
Lucien reached out and grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving. "Please don't go. Stay through the night."
Jean did hate to refuse him anything, especially now that they'd made love so beautifully and perfectly. But she gently pulled her arm away. "That will be something we should save for married life." In truth, she desperately wanted to fall asleep in his arms and be woken by his kisses. Those were things for a husband and wife, in her mind, and as much as she loved him and now loved making love to him, some things should be reserved for after their wedding.
Lucien watched as she found her nightgown on the floor and put it back on for her short journey upstairs.
"Goodnight," she said, giving him one last kiss before going.
"Jean?"
"Yes?"
"That is a really lovely nightgown. I do hope I'll get to see you wear it again," he said.
She gave a curt nod and a smile, saying, "Something to look forward to. Goodnight, Lucien."
"Goodnight, my love."
And with that, Jean went up to her room, and Lucien leaned back onto his rumpled bed and fell asleep with the sweetest dreams.