Thank you for your response, for your kind words and for your continued support. I appreciate it.
I am trying my best to enjoy the holidays...amidst work...but I hope you guys are enjoying yours to the max.
I do not own Merlin or the characters, neither do I own Truce: The Historic Neighbor from Hell.
Gwen didn't have a chance to respond, before Arthur's lips were touching hers.
She couldn't think, as he brushed his lips softly against hers, the gentle caress taking her by surprise.
Her hands automatically went to his chest.
And she was fully prepared to shove him away, so that she could leave before someone found them and she was forced into a marriage that she didn't want, when something occurred to her.
What if this was her only chance, to know what it was like to be with a man...a man that she actually wanted?
She didn't want to live her life full of regrets.
She didn't want to wonder what she'd missed out on, by never marrying, if that's what her future held.
So, right then, she decided, that if she was going to live her life as a spinster, then she was going to enjoy this moment with….whatever his name was and give into this overwhelming attraction that she felt for him.
And after a moment, she allowed herself to relax and to enjoy his kisses and the sensations that were teasing and tormenting her body, as she lost herself to his touch.
Arthur brushed his lips over Gwen's once, then twice and once again.
Her mouth was soft and sweet, but it wasn't enough, so he ran the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip. And she gasped in surprise, opening her mouth ever so slightly, but it was enough for him.
He tilted his head to the side, slanted his mouth properly and deepened the kiss.
Poor Gwen, she didn't know what to think when his lips moved against hers, except, that somehow, for some reason, it felt right.
It felt perfect.
She noted his kisses weren't frantic or sloppy. They were sweet...so sweet.
When he teasingly slid his tongue inside her mouth, she was too stunned at first to react to the invasion.
Then slowly, she began to melt in his arms. And her hands slid up his chest, enjoying the feel of hard muscle beneath his coat, until they found his shoulders.
Arthur groaned, as he pulled her against him, enjoying himself, until his damn conscience nagged at him.
As wonderful as it felt to kiss her, he knew by the unpracticed strokes of her tongue and lips, that she was innocent.
So he pulled back and looked into her eyes, praying that she wouldn't end this.
But this had to be her choice, because he sure as hell wasn't about to stop this, if he had a choice in the matter.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
They watched each other, panting slightly, as they waited for the other to put a halt to this insanity.
Slowly, Arthur moved in, giving Gwen a chance to stop this, even as he prayed that she wouldn't.
So when his mouth touched hers again, it was anything but timid.
This kiss was hot, wild, and possessive.
And words were beyond them at this point, so much so, Arthur pulled her closer, until her breasts were pressed more firmly against his chest.
For her part, Gwen ran her fingers through his blonde hair, enjoying the soft feel of it.
Excitement ran through her, causing her to shiver, as he moved his mouth away from hers, nibbling on her ear and neck.
Then, he slipped his fingers beneath the top of her gown and slowly pulled the material down, taking her shift down as well, until her pert breasts were bared to him.
Still neither spoke.
Skillfully, Arthur ran his tongue from Gwen's neck down to her breasts, leaving a wet trail behind, that had her toes curling.
She moaned, as she ran her hands down his back, encouraging him to continue, when she should be pushing him away and running as fast as her legs could carry her, back to the safety of the ball.
But, all it took, was for him to run his tongue in a circular motion around one taut nipple, before pulling it into his mouth, to effectively kill any thoughts she might have had, of ending this.
He reached up and cupped her other breast, weighing it in his hand, squeezing it, as he ran his thumb around the firm nipple.
Then, he held the breast up to his mouth and, after one last lick of the nipple he'd been worshipping, his mouth greedily accepted the offering of the other.
He licked and sucked on the breast, until she was moaning louder and digging her fingers into his shoulders, desperate for more.
And poor Gwen, she thought she was going to die from the pleasure he was giving her.
It felt incredible.
Better than she'd ever imagined...but something was missing.
And after a moment, she realized what that something was. She needed to touch him, too.
Deciding that she wasn't going to wait for an invitation, she worked his shirt off, desperate for the contact.
Arthur was surprised, when he felt Gwen's hands working the buttons of his coat, but on the other hand, he was immensely pleased.
Releasing her breasts, he pulled his cravat off and shrugged off his outer garments, leaving only his shirt, until that too was gone.
Then, Gwen reached out with trembling hands and ran her fingers down his chest, enjoying the feel of his warm smooth skin over hard muscle.
She ran her fingers tentatively over one flat nipple, making him groan. Then, her hands moved down to trace the muscles that made up his flat stomach.
And he groaned again, but didn't say or do anything to stop her.
And she wanted to keep touching him, but her arms were effectively pinned to her sides by her dress, limiting her movements.
She worried her bottom lip nervously, as she pulled her arms out and pushed the dress and shift down around her waist. Next, she watched as he ran hungry eyes over her.
And his response gave her the courage to continue.
Pushing aside her nervousness, Gwen leaned in and kissed Arthur.
Gently, he grabbed her waist and held her firmly, as they kissed almost desperately.
Never breaking the kiss, he helped her to her feet, until they were both standing. Then, he reached behind her and undid the buttons of her disheveled dress.
He slowly pushed it down and waited patiently, until she stepped out of her dress, leaving her naked, except for her stockings and slippers.
Only one person had seen her naked before, she thought, and that had been her maid.
She should be embarrassed, but oddly enough with this man, she didn't feel shy or self-conscious.
She felt beautiful, wanted and cherished.
Gwen watched, as Arthur kneeled down in front of her.
He gently rolled her stockings down, taking her slippers off in the process.
After that, he pressed hot kisses to her skin, as he made his way back to her mouth.
And she pulled him into her arms and kissed him hungrily, unable to get enough of him.
She felt his hands roam her body, touching her arms, breasts, stomach, back, bottom and legs. And every touch made her stomach tighten and the area between her legs ache.
She wanted more, but didn't know what.
Though he seemed to know, by the way he moved his mouth to her neck and suckled her skin on the way back to her breasts.
Once he found her nipple, his hand worked its way between her legs. And he cupped her, wringing an involuntary shiver out of her.
Next, he ran his fingers through her slick curls, and she moaned loudly, unable to help herself.
And when he slipped a finger inside her, he found her hot, wet, and ready.
Arthur groaned and moved his mouth back to Gwen's, while he worked a finger in and out of her.
And soon, she was moving against his finger, her body desperate for release.
And he...couldn't wait.
He couldn't even think of anything, beyond getting inside her.
It was a desperate need that he couldn't deny.
Arthur's other hand worked frantically at his pants.
With a groan, he broke off the kiss and removed his hand from the honeyed heaven, he couldn't wait to explore.
He reached down, pushed his pants down and pulled his boots off, until he was naked as well.
Then, his lips quickly made their way back to Gwen's.
He gasped and then moaned loudly into her mouth, when he felt her fingers run curiously over his erection.
Never in a million years had he thought, that a woman would be this passionate.
He hadn't known that it was possible.
He reached between them and gently wrapped her hand around his length and moved it, showing her what he liked.
And she did it, making him pant and groan with need.
Then, he slid his hand back between her legs, sliding a second finger inside her, until she was moaning and crying softly into his mouth.
Both stood there for several minutes, as pleasure soared through their bodies.
But it was too much for any sane man to take.
So, Arthur pulled his hand away and pushed her gently onto the long cushioned bench with his body, as he brushed her hand away.
Laying on her, he kissed her deeply as he positioned himself. at her entrance. And a part of him was aware, that he was about to take her virginity, but he didn't care.
She wasn't saying anything and neither was he.
They were too far-gone at the moment to care about rules, propriety, or the consequences that were most likely going to tear their lives apart, anyway.
Arthur held himself and pushed into Gwen, unable to wait any longer.
He heard her gasp of pain and kissed her deeply, trying to distract her, as the tip of his shaft came into contact with the proof of her innocence.
When she didn't protest, scream, or demand that he get off her, he pulled back and thrust in, until he was buried deep inside of her.
And somehow, he was able to hold back, even when everything in him demanded that he move.
But one look at her beautiful face and he was knocked on his ass.
She was so lovely, as she tried to give him a reassuring smile, even as tears trailed down her face.
He pressed tender kisses to her cheeks, kissing her tears away, wanting to reassure her, that he would take care of her.
Next, he moved his mouth back to hers and he kissed her slowly, trying to show her, how much being with her meant to him.
He'd never felt so much for another person in his entire life and for someone he didn't know at that.
And it surprised him.
He never allowed anyone to get close to him.
He didn't trust anyone.
So he couldn't understand, how she consumed his every wish and desire.
Making him want to hold her all night and keep her safe from harm, something that he'd never wanted to do with another woman.
Soon, Gwen grew accustomed to the invasion and began to wiggle beneath Arthur, testing his control.
But he slowly rolled his hips, making sure that she was okay, and truly ready for him.
He could feel her mouth curve into a smile beneath his and that's when he realized, that he was smiling as well.
He chuckled.
Because, for the first time in a long time, he felt carefree.
He kissed her deeply as he slowly thrust inside her, enjoying the feel of wet silken walls caressing his member.
And Gwen instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to hold him inside her, drawing him deeper in the process.
Arthur cupped her breast, gently squeezing it, as his thumb ran over her hard nipple.
Moans, crackles of the fire, and the sounds of bodies gently slapping against each other, echoed throughout the dimly lit orangery.
And he could feel her body tighten like a vice around him.
Immediately, his actions sped up, and he groaned as he moved harder and faster, making her cry out in pleasure.
Her fingernails dug into his back, but he didn't care.
He needed her to find her release before he could pull out.
He was determined to make this good for her.
Gwen's world exploded and her womanhood began squeezing ruthlessly around Arthur's. And as good as it felt to have her grip his length like this, it felt even better, knowing that he'd been the one to give her this pleasure.
Hell, he wanted to laugh and scream for joy, that this beautiful minx found her moment with him.
His minx.
And the reality of the moment hit him hard.
She was still squeezing him and moaning, as her mouth found his neck and kissed it greedily, sucking and licking and driving him out of his goddamn mind.
With that, he couldn't hold back, as he drove into her.
But he desperately needed to pull out.
It was getting too close.
'Just one more thrust,' he told himself. 'Just one more.'
As his release rushed up on him, Arthur gasped, trying to find the strength to pull out of Gwen.
And just as he somehow found the willpower to pull out, she began squeezing him again, completely shattering his resistance.
His head dropped back and he bit back a roar of pleasure, as he found his own release.
It was the most intense moment of his life.
He continued to move, until he was sure that she was done. And when he felt her walls squeeze gently around him one last time, he fell on her, lazily kissing her neck, chin and mouth.
Still neither spoke.
But to be truthful, Arthur was too weak to speak.
Though he knew, it was the oddest way to take a woman's virginity, without any spoken words of promise or explanation.
He'd always been a gentle lover, taking a woman slowly to prolong his release. And he'd never even taxed himself before.
Right now, his body was exhausted and soaked.
This was the most intense sexual experience of his life and he didn't even know this beautiful woman's name.
Not that he ever made love to an innocent before, but surely, something should have been said.
Names should have been exchanged at the very least.
It was without question, the most passionate night of his life. He'd never been so moved by lust or need before, to make him this desperate to make love to a woman.
He pulled back to look at her, expecting her to cry, scream or hit him. He knew he'd been a cad taking her innocence.
But instead of doing what he'd expected, what he deserved, she smiled sweetly up at him and pressed a tender kiss to his mouth.
Arthur turned the kiss into a slow, deep display of appreciation, passion and need.
He was still inside of her and was surprised to discover that he was hardening again.
He wanted her once more, desperately, but he couldn't do that to her.
So he took a steadying breath and slowly began to pull out.
However, Gwen's legs wrapped tightly around his waist and trapped him.
He raised an eyebrow in question.
Then, for the first time since they'd started, she spoke.
"Can we do it again?" she asked shyly.
This was an unprecedented year...horrible at times...but I hope everyone can find a bit of joy and tons of good, before it ends.
Much love to you all.