Author's Notes: It's been nearly two weeks since my last post, and it's all thanks to work keeping me so damn busy lately. In addition, with the lead tech on vacation, I've been working twice as hard and haven't had a chance to relax very much. In the midst of all that, I worked on this piece, which is another request per FoxyKhai0209, and I also want to apologize to her for having taken so long to write this one. With so much that happened this year, I just haven't had much of a break. So, I hope you enjoy this one, honey, and I hope the rest of you do too!

The princess elect was suffering an internal panic as the twenty-third of January inched closer and closer by the second. The reason? That particular day was the birthday of her chosen prince consort, Leo Crawford, and she didn't have anything prepared for him. Running both hands through her sandy brown bob hair, Gloria took a deep breath in a feeble attempt to calm down. Her amber eyes found the vast mirror, and she saw the anxious look reflected right back at her.

At the very least, she could bake him a cake since she was aware of his love for sweets. However, she remembered that the kitchen would be off limits for the next couple of days due to an upcoming banquet Giles and the staff were assisting to prepare.

Guess I'll be heading to town to find something to give Leo. I just hope that I can find something that he'll like.

Letting out the deep breath she held in for a brief moment and ruffling her hair, Gloria slipped on her shoes, grabbed her purse and left her chamber.

Let's hope the winter weather doesn't give me too much of a hard time as I walk the streets today.

There was no sign of Gloria as Leo walked throughout the palace corridors and throughout the outside perimeter of the palace itself. She wasn't in her chamber, nor was she around in her usual spots around the palace. He started wondering if there was a place in particular that he had yet to discover. A part of him became concerned; where could she have gone without so much as a single word to him?

"Leo?"

The bureaucrat looked up to see his twin brother, Alyn approaching him.

"Ah, Alyn," he spoke, obviously caught off guard.

"Is something the matter?"

"I'm actually looking for Gloria. I can't seem to find her anywhere in the palace or even outside in the courtyard."

"I actually just saw her a moment ago," Alyn announced.

Leo's crimson eyes lit up at his brothers' statement.

"Where was she headed?"

"She was heading to town to do some shopping, according to what she told me," Alyn replied. "I asked her if she needed me or one of the other guards to escort her, but she politely declined the offer. She said she'd be okay by herself."

He didn't miss the expression of surprise on Leo's face.

"Thank you. I'll be on my way to town to find her."

With a simple wave, Leo turned and was on his way towards town to look for Gloria, leaving the captain of the royal knights alone.

He's an entirely different person when it comes to Gloria. She must have had her reasons for not telling him where she was going.

Right then and there, he put two and two together, and he let out a chuckle while he shook his head.

Let's hope she finds what she's looking for before he finds her.

Gloria made her exit from the third shop that caught her attention in town. She held two bags in each hand, the goodies she bought consisting of some new dresses, shoes, lingerie and a couple new seasonal perfumes. Yet, despite having found some new things to wear, she had no luck finding the perfect birthday present for Leo. She needed to find something soon; with his birthday just a few hours away at the stroke of midnight tonight, she was running out of time.

As she was trying to figure it out, something clicked in the back of her mind. She remembered that Leo liked to read due to his status as a tutor, and she remembered a particular bookstore that she passed by when she arrived in town earlier.

I think I just discovered a solution. Time to go hunt for a book. I'm just hoping I can find something that he hasn't read, much less even have in his collection of books.

Taking a deep breath, Gloria walked off in the direction of the bookstore, and when she walked in, she was almost certain she stumbled into Leo's kind of place. There were numerous different kinds of books ranging from history, classic literature, romance, horror and many more. Her amber gaze studied each title and author carefully until one particular title caught her eye in the middle of the shelf she was looking at. It was an astrology book of some kind, and there was no way she was going to pass up on something involving her love of the stars.

When she picked it up, she must have spent at least twenty minutes reading the first couple chapters, for she refused to put it down, much less miss a single word etched into the numerous pieces of parchment. Based on what she read, the book broke down details of each of the astrological signs, and she thought she found the perfect birthday present for Leo. Closing the book with a smile, Gloria brought it up to the front counter to pay, accepting the gift wrap offer and smiling at the astrology-based wrapping the clerk used. Once the clerk handed her the bag, she gave her a smile and made her exit.

When she prepared to head back to the palace, she paused mid-step, letting out a small gasp when she saw a familiar pair of crimson eyes accompanied by a sweet smile coming towards her.

"I heard that you were here in town, my sweet, little dove," he spoke in his usual, teasing tone.

"Leo! Hi there," she greeted with a smile of her own.

Before she could even say anything else, he was taking her bags from her to carry. The only bag she wasn't letting go was the astrology one.

"I got this one, Leo. Thanks."

"If you insist, Princess."

She then linked her arm in his, and the young bureaucrat led the way towards the direction of the palace.

The trip back to the palace was in silence, Gloria keeping her arm hooked around Leo's as he escorted her to her chamber. The second she set the astrology bag down on the vanity, she felt him wrap his arms around her waist from behind.

"Leo?"

She jumped slightly in his hold when he began showering her neck with small kisses and nuzzling the tip of his nose against her skin. A small sigh left her lips as she tilted her head back against his shoulder. He pulled her sweater off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor and then pulled the strap of her dress down, leaving a kissing trail from her neck down to her shoulder.

"I'm sure you know what day it is tomorrow, Princess," he purred in her ear.

A small smile formed on Gloria's lips.

"Yes. It's your birthday, and if you were wondering, that was the reason why I was in town and didn't tell you. I was looking for your birthday present."

"Oh? Is that what's in that bag on the vanity?"

A simple nod was her response.

"Well, I can wait until morning. The present I want to unwrap is already in my arms, wanting me to unwrap her and make those sweet sounds for me."

Gloria arched her back when she felt his hands roam towards the back of her dress and began the process of loosening it. Her hands clenched the fabric of her skirt as he undid the clasps holding her corset together. Leo kissed down her back with each loosened clasp, and she could feel the sparks going off through her nerves. She knew the feeling all too well, and Leo was the only one that could trigger it and set her off.

A shiver tore through her delicate spine when his fingertips stroked the exposed skin of her back before parting the corset and then pushing the fabric of her dress down. She didn't waste time stepping out of the fabric, and she didn't move as she heard the rustling of her dress as Leo put it up to hang. She soon heard the rustling of more clothing, and she felt her cheeks heat up at the thought of him stripping down to nothing.

She gasped as she felt him press his muscular chest against her back, and she was sure she turned to jelly when his hands kneaded her bare breasts and fingers teased and twisted her hardened nipples. She didn't have time to react as he spun her around and kissed her hungrily. Her hands flew to the back of his head, tousling his short, silver locks as she mewled into his mouth. Leo's hands roamed every inch of her body as he pushed her down on her bed, swallowing another gasp when she felt the exposed, hardened tip of him pressing against her inner thigh.

He broke away from her lips to gaze at her as he took a hold of her wrists and held them over her head with one hand. Gloria attempted to move, but the grip on her wrists in combination with his body against hers prevented her from doing so. She was at his mercy, and that was exactly where he wanted her.

"My darling looks so sexy, exposed and ripe for my mouth and body to claim," he whispered.

His seductive, husky tone made her heart leap in her chest, and her breath hitched in her throat when his lips enclosed around her nipple and sucked hard. His free hand found the hem of her panties, and his fingers went underneath the fabric, finding her entrance and stroking her gently. Her fingers and toes curled, and he pushed a single finger into her. She moaned, arching her back and pushing her breasts into his face. The tip of his tongue lavished the bud of her nipple, and then he began planting kisses all over the swell of her breast. A second finger followed into her core, and he began to alternate between her breasts and nipples, kissing and sucking each one.

"Oh, Leo!" Gloria exclaimed, squirming underneath him and bucking her hips against him. He could feel how soaked she was on his fingers, and when he pulled them out of her, Leo licked them clean, savoring the taste of her.

"So sweet and delicious, love. The only thing that will complete this wonderful present is me inside you."

He let go of her wrists and pulled down her panties in one swift movement of his hands, leaving her naked before him. He then spread her thighs apart, and soon enough, Leo was inside her in one, rough thrust. He buried his face into her neck as he moved hard and deep, rocking her core with his movements. Gloria wrapped her arms around him, holding him close as her walls squeezed around his hardened length. He sank himself deeper into her, their moans mixing together as they neared their respective releases. Eventually, she moaned his name as she convulsed around him, and he let out a groan as his seed flooded the deepest pit of her core. He then collapsed on top of her, his breathing becoming steady with each passing second. Gloria ran her fingers through his hair, letting out a small sigh as his breath tickled her neck.

"I'll open the other present you got for me in the morning when you wake up," he announced. "I just want to stay wrapped up in you tonight."

Unable to speak thanks to her still being breathless, she simply nodded before she drifted off to sleep, her arms still wrapped around him.

The sound of the birds chirping in combination with the sun's morning rays roused her from her deep slumber. Slowly cracking open her eyes, the first thing she saw was Leo's crimson gaze as he stared at her, one hand caressing her hair.

"Good morning, Princess," he greeted with his sweetest smile.

"Good morning, Leo. Happy Birthday," she greeted back, returning the smile. "Are you going to open your other present?"

"Why, of course. As I said last night, I wanted to see your reaction, and I waited for you to wake up."

With that, Gloria watched as he got out of bed and grabbed the astrology bag off of the vanity. He then reached into it, trying to feel what it was, and once he got a grip on it, he pulled it out of the bag. His crimson eyes widened slightly; it was a book all about astrology, and he was aware of how much Gloria loved the stars.

"Call it a piece of me to add to those many subjects you teach on a daily basis," she stated.

"Thank you, Gloria."

He set the book down on the vanity and got back into bed with her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. She let out a small squeal when she felt the hardened tip of him press against her inner thigh.

"May I be wrapped in you again for such an amazing gift?"

She smiled at him as he leaned forward to kiss her, rolling her over so that he was on top of her and ready to make love to her once again.

End Notes: FoxyKhai0209, I really hope you enjoyed this piece. It has been a while since I wrote for the Midnight Cinderella fandom, and I've been anxious as a result. In addition, my recent discovery that the Midnight Cinderella game wouldn't be getting any further updates made me take a step back from it too. Hope I didn't let you down, girl! As for what I'll be working on next, I plan on finally finishing the fifteenth chapter of Beauty Slept in Sodom, and I've got a couple more one shots that I want to write out too. Keep your eyes peeled, and check back!