It was surprising how quickly they fell into a routine: John would leave the back door unlocked and switch off the porch light to confirm he was alone. After Mildred would discreetly enter, his warm and eager lips would press against hers no sooner had she closed the door behind her.

After overcoming his initial apprehension, John proved himself an exceptional study in matters of the flesh, even going so far as to ask her what she might like.

"I'm not the most experienced, as you know," he told her awkwardly, stilling any movement as he braced himself above her one night after their bodies, limbs entwined, had hit the bed, and their clothing was all but removed, "but I've been thinking, is there… Is there anything that you'd like me to do, to try?"

"I uh-" Mildred stuttered a little, blushing as an idea came into her mind.

A few years prior, not too long after she'd married George, she had found a copy of Cosmopolitan, just left on the ferry during a return trip from seeing her sister. She had heard of the magazine and how racy it was in hushed tones from other women at the church, but she'd never actually seen a copy before. Her eyes darted over the cover as she scanned the article headlines. Sufficiently intrigued, and after making sure no one was watching, she picked it up cautiously and quickly squirreled it away in her bag before anyone could see. Later that evening, when George was asleep, she retreated to the bathroom with it in hand. After sliding the lock closed just to be extra sure, she drank in what was on the pages. The things that she read about were eye opening to say the very least.

Oral sex was something she only the vaguest of notions about, and that was in relation to a woman performing the act on a man - it had never even occurred to her it could happen the other way around. George had used his fingers on occasion to help build her desire before he would enter her, but the idea of a man using his mouth in such an intimate place was shocking, scandalous even. But still, she couldn't deny the tingle of desire she felt at the prospect of it.

While she had considered suggesting it to her husband, but any sex between them happened more as routine than anything, and whatever they did or didn't do was certainly never discussed. So she pushed the magazine down into the bottom of the trash along with any ideas of ever trying what she had read about. But now, John was asking, and to him she could be open with.

The lack of shame or embarrassment she felt at the prospect of discussing such things with him surprised her - she knew implicitly that she could trust him, that he would never mock her or make her feel small, even on the chance he refused her. But wasn't it a sin to have sexual pleasure when the outcome meant no possibility of a child being conceived? While Mildred knew she was ridiculously beyond that now, already committing adultery with a man of the cloth, the thought still gnawed at her.

She took a sharp breath. "There is something I read about once…" She paused, swallowing. "You could use your mouth…there," she motioned vaguely at her pelvic region. "where we…connect, where you've used your hand before."

John frowned for a second, considering her words. "OK," he finally nodded with - much to Mildred's surprise - a look of what could only be described as nervous excitement on his face. "I'll…try my best, I don't know…" His brow creased. "You can guide me, tell me if I'm doing it wrong."

Mildred smiled warmly with just a tinge of embarrassment. "I'm afraid I don't have much more idea than you do. I've only read about it, you see, never…"

John was wide-eyed with surprise, only to break into a huge smile. "OK," he nodded, "we can learn together." Beaming, he leant in and kissed her again and removed what was left of her underwear with an added urgency she didn't realise was possible. He was excited, she realised, because this would finally be a first for both of them, together.

After moving down Mildred's body, he stood for a moment trying to think of the best way to do this, logistically speaking. While Mildred had been naked with him before, being laid completely bare on top of the bed covers whilst he stood above her, still in his underwear, required her to learn a new level of trust. Sensing her awkwardness, the way her head turned to the side a degree as her eyes moved from his gaze, John bent down and touched her face gently before pressing his lips to her forehead.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered into her ear, and moving to look her straight in the eye, he was relieved to see her smile. "You don't ever need to feel ashamed about anything with me, ever."

Mildred let out a breath of relief that she didn't even know she was holding. "I know."

Pleased she was more comfortable, John stood again, assessing the situation and biting his lip before deciding on how to tackle it. "Maybe if you…" He gently nudged her down the bed until her legs were bent over the edge, her feet touching the floor. "OK."

Getting onto his knees, he drank the sight before him in. She really was beautiful, he thought, and while he obviously had no prior experience, he was as sure as he'd ever been about anything that no other woman could ever be as wonderful in his eyes.

Slowly, gently, he guided her legs to open further, rejoicing over the small twitch Mildred's hips made when nothing more than the warmth of his breath came into contact with the heightened sensitive flesh between her legs. Maybe this wouldn't be so difficult, he thought with relief.

Unsure what to do, he took the initiative and decided that if Mildred had previously guided his thumb to press in a particular spot, his mouth in the same place could bring her a similar pleasure. What he didn't realise was how much more intense the pleasure he provided for her would be.

After seeing her eyes close and breath hitch on the initial contact, he knew he'd had the right idea and sought to intensify his actions. His mouth was so warm, the suction so intense, and his tongue so insistent, that the pleasure almost became painful and too much for Mildred to bear.

The orgasm rippled through her with a sharp intensity while John's tongue continued to work, flatter now creating an even pressure, as his hands held her hips in place.

Mildred lay flat on the bed, a blissed out smile on her face as he came to lie next to her. When he put his lips to hers, his tongue slipping into her mouth, she tasted herself on his lips: a little bitter, a little sweet, and oddly erotic. As they kissed, she felt his arousal press against her stomach, stoking her own sexual desire.

"Please, John," she pleaded, her eyes closed as he kissed her neck before moving down to her breasts, her body beginning to again flood with the now familiar feeling of desire. "I want you."

He needed no further encouragement, he was all too acutely aware of what her need was as it was also his own; he prayed silently that he would be able to hold his release, already feeling dangerously close. Quickly shedding his underwear, he entered her quickly, before she had time to catch her breath.

"Oh," she gasped, shuddering as he thrust into her with what took a remarkable degree of control. Although it was her second orgasm in a matter of minutes, coming together with John added a new intensity, different from what she'd felt before. While Mildred was normally a quiet, almost reserved lover, she found herself relieved of the relative secludedness of the rectory in relation to the island's other residents when a noise she'd never made before, something akin to a moan and a scream at the same time, came loudly from her mouth.

She enjoyed sex with George - he was a gentle and considerate in his own way - but now she understood, this was what she'd heard women red faced, whispering and gossiping about. This was what Cosmopolitan said was "life changing". This was what she had read once that the French called "the little death". This was how it should have been.

"That was…" a flushed Mildred said a little breathlessly as she turned to John, "amazing."

John just kissed her and then smiled, looking every inch the cat who got the cream.

"I'd erm-" Mildred bit her lip, pushing her hair from her face. "I could try using my mouth on you next time, if you'd like that."

"Millie, you don't have to feel like-"

She cut him off by placing her finger to his lips. "I want to. I've never…" Her eyes darted away from John's face for a second before she again gained the courage to look at him. "I've never done it before, but I'd like to try. That's if you want me to, of course."

John nodded in acceptance, a spark of excitement in his eyes. "I would like that, yes."

As great as the sex between John and Mildred had grown to be, it would have been nothing not for their deeper and more emotional connection. They understood each other innately and could share easy and comfortable silences in a way Mildred never could with her husband; with George, she was always flitting around busily like a bird, full of nervous energy and always keeping herself occupied to ease any awkwardness, but with John she felt calm, centered and at peace with herself; their silences felt easy and comfortable - theirs was a love that needed few words.

"When you asked me once if I had ever wanted a normal life and I said that wasn't God's plan for me, I know I didn't answer the question," John said with a sigh, holding her close to him as they shared some moments quiet of contemplation after they'd made love, her head resting on his shoulder. "I didn't answer it because the truth was it had never really bothered me, even as I saw friends marry and have children, but then I met you. I met you and Lord help me, I wished I'd taken a different path - that God had given me a different path."

Mildred pressed a kiss to the arm he held her to him with, wishing there was something more she could say to solve things. "Do you think we would have found each other?" she asked, idly contemplating what might have been. "If you'd been just another boy at a dance and I'd been just another girl."

"I hope so," John said, smiling at the notion. "I really hope so," he added quieter, dropping a kiss to her shoulder.

"I thought about joining the church once, you know," Mildred informed him, surprised she had never thought to share this information sooner.

"What, to become a nun?" John asked with genuine surprise, although on reflection he supposed it wasn't all that shocking for a devout young Catholic woman to consider it.

Mildred nodded. "I was about to start the novitiate actually, but then I met George and things just…happened."

John nodded in understanding. "It wasn't God's plan, and God doesn't make mistakes. Just like you and me, here and now, it isn't a mistake - it isn't a sin. Nothing that feels like this could ever be a sin."

Mildred turned to look into his eyes, and touching his jaw, she kissed him with the sweet tenderness. Settling back into her place on his chest, she considered for a moment before admitting something she'd been thinking for a while.

"The worst thing is…I-I don't want George to come home. It's wicked of me," she shook her head at her own words, "but I just…I want it to be me and you, even though I know that it can't be - even though I know that it isn't now, not really - but I just-"

"I know," John cut her off before placing a soft kiss on her head. "I do too."

They were quiet for some times, almost but not quite dozing off.

"You know," Mildred said, lightening the mood a little as she turned to face him after being struck by a thought, the smile on her face just visible in the dimness of the early hours. "I thought that you'd have a twin bed."

John laughed. "Actually, I tried that when I came here, but I talked them into getting me a double because," he motioned to the top of head, "height."

Mildred chuckled. "That makes sense."

"Or at least that was the reason I gave," John continued, pausing to think. "But I think maybe…maybe I always knew I didn't want to be alone."

Smiling, Mildred leaned in and kissed him, long and tender.

The next morning, John was humming to himself as he opened the doors of the church, buoyed by a magical night before and excited for Mildred's pending arrival. While they couldn't afford to be too affectionate in those early morning meetings for fear of getting caught, he was sure he would at least be able to hold her hand discreetly as they chatted, and maybe even steal a kiss.

He was just walking towards the front of the church when he heard the door open and signal her arrival.

"Good morning," he beamed as he turned around, his face falling when he saw her.

Mildred stood still in the doorway. Her already fair complexion was paler than usual as she uncomfortably pulled her cardigan around herself and bit her lip, a crumpled piece of paper visible in one hand.

John frowned as he walked towards her, placing a soothing hand to her shoulder. "Millie, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"It's George, he's…" She could hardly bring herself to say the words. "He's coming home."