Just when she was about to reply, a thought struck her. Something she had brought up earlier in the evening but somehow the thought had popped up in her mind again and an even worse realization followed it.

The coachman had done his job by letting her out at the back entrance, as if it was his normal routine to do so, as if he had done so with other women before. She wasn't the first that had been here, neither would she be the last. A feeling of shame washed over Alina, and her entire demeanour changed in an instant, her eyes stared at him coolly where only just now they had stared in admiration, and she stiffened beneath.

And he knew then that she had changed her mind, or at least he knew her answer, which became all the clearer when she pushed him away from her, corrected herself and stood up. She hardly dared to look at him, so she looked at the floor.

"What is it?" he asked her. "What just happened?" he asked her incredulously as he too stood up, which was difficult for him since he was still in a 'certain state'..

"I was dropped off at the service entrance today... "

"I know, didn't we establish that? I told you I am not I am not ashamed of you.. Why are you bringing this up again, I do not- "?

"Your coachman seemed to know exactly which entrance to take", she interrupted.

"Yes... and? I don't understand what you're talking about, Alina" he said visibly puzzled about how the mood had shifted suddenly. Benedict took a step forward, but she immediately took one back.

"Oh. So, you mean to tell me that he never brought women with to spend time with you before" she asked him sharply. His face blanched immediately and for a long time he seemed at a loss as to how to answer. He swallowed a few gulps but even that did not seem to help; it seemed as if there was suddenly ash in his throat which forbade him to speak.

She was right, after all. His coachman had picked up women for him before, in a discreet manner, usually a few streets away from where the ladies in question lived or... worked. This was to avoid a scandal; both Benedict and these women had no interest in getting into Lady Whistledown's paper; as two of them had been married; something he found out afterwards.

It was not exactly something that challenged Benedict's conscience; but neither was it something he was particularly proud of, he now noticed. Genevieve had never visited him at home; their amorous encounters usually took place upstairs, in Genevieve's bedroom which was located above the shop.

Nevertheless, she was right; he had received women at his home before, but what hot-blooded bachelor had not? He knew many an upper-class man who dallied around, frequently, only to marry some debutante meekly. That was the way things were... but this was not why he had brought Alina here. This was different; this felt very different. His previous encounters had been casual, and his main concern had been to pursue his pleasure and have a lot of fun in the process. But casualness was not what he felt; what he had felt today, counting down the hours until she would come; making sure that the evening's menu was to his taste and hopefully hers.

He had changed several times only to end up with the first ensemble, a high neck dress shirt, combined with a black waist- and tailcoat.

Before that, he had bathed extensively, and his valet had spent some time keeping his sometimes unruly hair in check with all kinds of aids. When he had finally been satisfied with his appearance, the time had come, and she was there.

The sight of her made his heartbeat faster, as she was wearing a beautiful long pink evening gown, which accentuated her body in exactly the places that seemed so alluring to him. Her breasts looked exquisite in the dress as they possessed something of a cleavage (a modest one) perky and full and he longed to feel them in his hands.

The evening had gone well so far; they had amused themselves and one thing led to another; he had understood her hesitation and then wanted to withdraw until she had placed her hands on his body and begun to caress him shyly and by God did he wanted to take things further with her, but he wouldn't do anything against her wishes, so he had to know. And asked.

But he did not expect the discussion from earlier in the evening to be repeated. And this time much worse too; it seemed.

"How many seamstresses have been here before me?" she asked him, straightforwardly, as he did not respond.

"Or how many chambermaids?" she continued, to her own surprise, as she knew she was crossing a line.

"How many kitchen-"

"You can stop now... I get the point!" he suddenly exclaimed with a loud voice, and she abruptly fell into silence, to her initial annoyance. She could see from his eyes that she had struck a chord and he seemed extremely annoyed at her but even then she did not know when to stop.

"You do this often I presume? Lure poor, underprivileged ladies to your house and then bedding them... and perhaps buying them off when they bear the unfortunate result of your -"

"I said stop it!" he had shouted, and this was the second time he had raised his voice towards her, and he hated to do so but it happened.

"You don't know what you're talking about" he said.

"To answer your question" he said bitterly. "I have.. entertained ladies in my house before but I don't understand why I have to account to you for something I have done in the past" and his words had been uttered crisply, one by one.

"But no, I have never had someone like you over".

Christ, that sounded wrong he thought; he ought to have rephrased that differently.

"I mean with that you are the first that. .. I- "and as harsh as his tone of voice had been before how unsure he sounded next, and he noticed that he got stuck in his words and didn't know how to end the sentence.

"Well in that case I'm flattered" she said sarcastically after a moment of silence on his part. Benedict looked at her in disbelief and he pursed his lips out of frustration.

"What do you want me to say Alina? Do you want me to lie? Do you want me to say that I'm not incredibly attracted to you, that I don't want to spend time with you and.? even lie about wanting... to go upstairs with to my room. Because that would be a lie" he said seriously and he took a second step forward, this time she did not take one back.

His words had an immense effect on her and she wanted to flush her face again and speed up her heartbeat.

"But know... you know there's more between us than... that" Benedict said with difficulty.

Damn. He suddenly couldn't get out of his words again; much to his annoyance. Eloquence would not be visiting him this evening, unfortunately.

"How do I know you're not like the other Lords and rich people who use and chase away their inferiors when they're no longer... at their service".

She didn't believe that he did so such a thing and honestly didn't know where the statement had come from, but the damage was done and what should have not been spoken out loud, had been.

"So, you do think so low of me. Apparently I was right after all, you don't trust me do you Alina?" he said in a bitter voice while his features expressed disappointment and resentment at what she had implied. Alina didn't know how to react to so she didn't say anything, not for a while, and inwardly scolded herself for she might have gone too far.

He didn't say anything either though. They just stared at each other, defeated and tired, felled once again by yet another reminder that no matter how much they seemed to fit together, there would always be something of an obstacle standing between them.

And this obstacle was called trust.

"I think it is better that I go" she said softly, and he nodded but then took a glance in the direction of the clock and saw that she could not go and that it was already quite late, after 1 o'clock as both had lost track of time.

The coachman had no doubt gone to sleep at this hour and even if he would wake him to drive her home, she would get off at Church Street, but not where she Lived, so he suspected she would be walking alone for at least another few minutes... at this hour.

When he explained this to her she seemed to be upset for a moment as if it dawned on her what the only logical thing to do was and yet she did not agree.

"I will walk" she said in a determined voice, and this annoyed him terribly.

"Like hell" he retorted annoyed with her suggestion.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me... You're not going to walk home, not now and no I'm not going to run around London for half an hour now with you either and purposely seek trouble at his hour. Sorry but you are going to have to stay here" Benedict said and it felt like an order somehow.

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in surprise, but before she could react to his proposition he had already responded...

"You don't have to stay in my room. There are plenty of others" he had quickly added, at which point she had been silent for a moment and seemed to have lost some of her bravado.

"I, I have nothing to change into" she said in a small voice. Damn. Now he had to tell her something and he knew she would draw the wrong conclusion, but he couldn't avoid it.

"I um, asked the housekeeper to prepare a room and in the process also provide for you something to wear in case you wanted to stay" he said in a pinched voice. The result of his statement had an immediate effect on her and it did not take long for her to address him.

"So, you actually already assumed that I would be spending the night with you" she said in a bitter tone.

"No. No. I just thought, I hoped you would be comfortable if, if you would stay" he began but was somewhere glad that she was now interrupting him for the umpteenth time.

"Ah, how kind of you" she said mockingly "yet I am certain that your housekeeper did not have much trouble finding a nightdress lingering about in your residence" she snapped at him, making the very clear insinuation that several of Benedict's flings had undoubtedly also worn this garment.

Instantly he became angry with your accusation because this was not the case, he had given the housekeeper money to buy a new one; if available at a modiste of course and she had found one in what seemed to be Alina's size.

He had only wanted her to be comfortable regardless of the end of the evening, he had anticipated that it might be too late to return but no he had not assumed she would spend the night with him. Ben had hoped so, he couldn't lie about that. He wanted her, but he would never force her to do things she didn't want to.

"Regardless of what you might think I do not keep a vast assortment women's nightwear here, Alina" he said irritated.

"Of course not, they don't need it now that I think about it" she retorted, and this statement seemed to upset him for a moment. He scoffed and shook his head in response and looked at her reproachfully; he wanted to say so many things, but he believed that would only make things worse between them as he would sorely regret them later. So, he retreated.

"I'm going to bed. I will instruct the butler to take you to your room and only to your room, and not to go and arrange transportation for you nor allow you to run off. Goodnight Alina, see you in the morning" he said with gritted teeth before walking away and leaving her alone.

He was already in bed when he heard her and the butler, Mr Ainsworth, walking upstairs. He heard some mumbling between them and then a door closing.

Benedict closed his eyes and heaved a breath of exasperation. What a disastrous evening this had turned into, and he now felt terribly conflicted because that's what she did to him, feeling conflicted, while sentiments of guilt, regret raced through him. He realised now that he had got it all wrong this evening and Benedict understood very well what kind of impression he had left with her.

His first mistake was to meet her at his home. The second: he hadn't instructed the coachman to drop her off at the back, but he certainly hadn't instructed him to do it from the front either.

And the third one was an innocent mistake... Benedict had had a room prepared in case things run late and, but she had, of course, taken on a completely different view on the matter, and understandably so.

He did not know how he felt; it was a mixture of emotions that affected him, but in the end he called it 'frustrated'. He was frustrated about several things; that she wasn't lying next to him, for instance, but also about her and them together. Why did everything have to be so difficult? Why did every evening, every time they were together, have to end with a discussion, initiated by her? He didn't want to have to explain every time that he had feelings for her... well, he hadn't really done that until now... Oh God... He hadn't done that so far! Benedict hadn't told her how he felt! He had explained that he was attracted to her; more reason for her to suspect that he had only come here to do one thing.

But he also couldn't deny that he didn't want her that way. It was all so difficult. Why was it so difficult? Benedict had a privileged life with few problems and had grown up comfortably with a family that loved him. People often thought that he, out of 8 siblings, was the one who was the most cheerful, even though Colin was the joker of the family. Having said that, Benedict did have a temper that could suddenly rise; Benedict was hardly ever angry. What reason did he have for that? To be angry... Not at all. Yes, apart from his earlier quarrels with siblings perhaps, but who doesn't quarrel with his younger brother when he has taken Benedict's favourite toy from his room for the umpteenth time? But Benedict had a good-natured disposition and was difficult to anger. Normally speaking..

But she... she... It was a good thing he had run left, or he would have muttered words he would have regretted. It meant something, of course; that she had struck a chord with him; it only meant one thing; that he cared very much for her opinion.

He sighed once more and closed his eyes, hoping to get a few hours of sleep. In the morning an uncomfortable conversation awaited him.

The sound would have disturbed his sleep the other nights of the week, but this night it did, and the accompanying curse only drew his attention even more. A door closed a little too loudly. Someone who wanted to leave.

He looked at the window and saw some light shining through it, which led him to conclude that it was probably only half past four, confirmed by a glance at the clock on his bedside table. Benedict wanted to turn around again, he didn't have to be at Simon's birthday/ breakfast/lunch/brunch thing until he realised who the person was who tried to leave early in the morning and Benedict sat up with a jolt.

Benedict just barely stumbled out of bed; sped towards the closet where his dressing gown hung and put it on in a matter of seconds and opened the door and looked around the corner... where he saw someone who suddenly stopped moving.

Benedict's house had a large diamond-shaped window on the second floor; an eye-catcher, he thought, especially seen from the outside, and through that window shone enough light to be able to definitively identify her, even though he obviously knew who the person was standing there, even though she had not turned back.

She was obviously perplexed to see him and somewhere, he noticed from her attitude, annoyed that she had been 'caught'. He shook his head and crossed his arms and then looked at her even though he couldn't make out her face just yet.

"Are you going somewhere?" asked Benedict in a quasi-nonchalant tone but underneath his annoyance was thinly veiled and clearly audible.

She bit her lip and remained silent.

"Well?" he asked her.

"I thought it would be better to leave" she answered in a soft voice.

"Oh really? What, like a thief in the night " and the effect of statement was visible, even from a distance, because he saw her posture stiffen.

"If you like you can check your room, Benedict. I didn't take anything" she grimly stated, and he didn't quite know how to respond to that so his mouth kind of fell agape.

"Well? Are you?" she asked defiantly and this time she crossed her arms in front of her chest, mimicking him.

"Am I going to do what?".

"Check if I stole something of course" she snippily stated.

He grimaced; oh, dear God, she was the most beautiful, wonderful woman in the world but at times she could be insufferable, and this was one of these moments.

"I didn't mean it like that... For God's sake It's just an expression" he sighed.

"A stupid one" she retorted venomously which startled Benedict a bit.

"How so? I thought it was rather fitting.. for the.. circumstances because you.. it is in the middle of the night-"

"It is not" she retorted.

"What?"

"It is nearly morning, so it's not 'in the middle of the night".

"Fine, it's not but still I think the expression can be applicable to what is happening right now but wait. Are we really arguing about semantics right now?" he asked and then paused, shaking his head.

"So, you intend to go home by yourself I presume?" he asked, and she nodded as a reply.

"How, may I ask?" he inquired as he took several steps into her direction.

"The cabs start driving from half past four... I have some money with me, I thought I could get one home".

"I didn't know they started driving this early, good to keep in mind, the next time I want run off without saying goodbye" he spoke in a sarcastic manner, and she grimaced, or it looked like that, he wasn't sure.

"Of course, I would not expect you to be aware, but some people have to go to work early in the morning, hence why the cabs start driving at this hour"; she snapped. The sneer was clear with one remark she had made clear to him that he knew nothing about the 'common people' and how they, unlike his 'kind' did not have the option to sleep in.

"Ah.. It's a good thing you informed me, being the snob that I am I would never have found out" he spat.

"You're welcome" she said in an angry tone not even refuting his claim that he was a snob and then both fell silent for a little while.

"I had left a note. On the desk, for you." she suddenly remarked.

"You did?" he said as he got closer to her once more. "And what does your note say?" but he could tell from her look what the message would be. A word of farewell; forever and his heart sank. And his pride was hurt; that she didn't even want to say goodbye to him in person.

"So that's it.. you end everything with a note, apparently I mean so little to you that you don't even have the decency to say goodbye to me in person".

"Would you have listened to me, then? If I had told you in person. Because I have tried to end things several times so far, but you didn't listen" she said angrily.

Benedict remained silent for a moment and thought, in fact it was true what she said, he was the one who had insisted every time to continue seeing each other, when it was clear that she didn't want to or had doubts. He felt awful now, for being so adamant and felt shame creeping up to his face.

"You're absolutely right. My apologies. It won't happen again" and hearing him say that it was disappointing to say the least and jolt of pain soared through her.

"Perhaps it is better that you go, alone as you wish, since you undoubtedly do not want me or anyone else to escort you" he said coolly, cutting her off.

And it broke her heart, for she was doing the right thing, in her eyes. In her eyes she was doing the right thing but the heartless way in which he now spoke to her still hurt her. She did not let it show, however.

She just nodded, took a deep breath, and then spoke the last words she would ever tell him.

"Goodbye Benedict".

"Goodbye Alina".

She turned slowly and walked towards the stairs.

He watched her for a few minutes until he pivoted and walked back to his room, sullenly but when he got there a sudden sense of panic and dread came e reached his room... where he suddenly felt panic. What the hell was he doing? Everything in him screamed that he had made a mistake.

Everything in him told him that he had to go back and find her and before he knew it he had exited his room again in a hurry, intending to go down and find her but... saw her standing there.. in the hallway once more and could have cried from relief.

It seemed as if she had run upstairs again because she seemed out of breath. The two locked eyes, and he did not know which of them moved first but all he knew was that the next moment she was crying in his arms.

"Oh, Thank God.. I am so glad you came back; I am so sorry" he said.

"I'm so sorry too. I behaved horribly" he heard her say. Benedict sighed a breath of relief, overjoyed to have her back in her arms. He lifted her head towards hers and gripped her even tighter.

"It's all right, sweetheart" he said while rubbing her back gently to still her shaking.

"I wanted to leave. I really wanted to, but I couldn't" she explained after a little interlude of

"I am happy you returned.. I, I don't want to lose you, Alina". She pulled back a moment to look at him and Benedict wiped her tears away and then placed his right palm on her face. She took hold of his hand and placed a kiss on it, then pressed herself against him in an embrace. There they stood for a moment; lost in the moment; lost in each other.

"I hate arguing with you... though I must say our discussion about whether or not it was morning; was rather amusing just now". Alina had to chuckle; it was indeed, in hindsight quite funny.

"I was right though.. and it was a poorly chosen proverb", and she could have sworn she felt him smiling but didn't know for sure because she didn't look up.

"Stubborn lady you are, always need to win the discussion" he teased.

She nodded against his chest, and he laughed a little before taking a deep breath. This was it. This was the moment he had been waiting for..

"I'm in love with you" he confessed. "Very much so" he added.

And there it was, open and bare, his confession. Benedict had to say it. Even though he might regret it later, he had wanted to communicate his truth to her and by doing that, a revelation was brought upon with Alina who realised there and then that she too was in love, yet at that moment was still so struck by his sudden confession words evaded her..

He remained tense, waiting for her reaction. She remained silent for what seemed forever and but then very softly, very carefully, he heard her say it.

"I'm in love with you too" and it was enough, and it was everything and nothing at the same time but above all it caused an undeniable change in their relationship. Benedict tilted her head forward with his finger and stared at her until he leaned forward and kissed her.

This kiss was initially sweet and slow but ran hot quick and their hands became more restless, seeking out each other but before they took things to another level, Benedict had to know something..

He reluctantly broke the kiss and took a few steps back and watched her intently. Alina was struggling to understand what occurred just now and felt terrible, thinking she had done something wrong, was this punishment for earlier tonight but then he reached out his hand to her.. and she understood. She understood that if she accepted it, they would take things further and he wanted to know if she would be okay with that.

He left the choice up to her and whichever one it was, he would be fine with it. She stared at his hand for a moment and then at his face before, slightly shyly, reaching out and taking his hand. He looked at it and then at her to detect some hesitation, but he saw nothing and in confirmation she squeezed his hand and kissed it briefly.

Knowing enough, Benedict began to walk slowly and with a thundering heart she followed him to where he had just ended up. His bedroom.

He opened the door for her and gestured that she could enter which she did with small steps. She could not see much but she could see that it was a comfortably furnished bedroom with a large bed in the middle of it.

She glanced around the room, out of curiosity, until she heard him approach. Benedict grabbed her arm and slowly, but deliberately, turned her towards him and pulled her into his arms. With both his hands he grasped her lower jaw, lifted it up and kissed her, and this kiss felt different. It was as if all obstacles had been removed and the air had cleared.

But it felt good, even for Alina despite her earlier reservations. He had to be a fantastic actor if it wasn't so, but his confession seemed sincere and she wanted to experience 'this' with him, only him. She could not imagine doing this with anyone else. No other man could offer her this feeling and she didn't want to.

Benedict let his tongue entwine with his and gorged himself in her sweet taste. He could kiss this woman forever if he had to. His fingers caressed her upper belly and she shuddered for a moment at his sudden touch. He gathered it would be wise to prepare her along the way and be as gentle as he could.

He began kissing her neck softly, starting from her lower jaw and working his way down.

Until then she had held back; she had been quiet, but the feel of Benedict's lips on her neck and the way he kissed them sweetly and pressingly finally caused a verbal response. Encouraged by this, he became a little more impertinent and finally reached her neck and what lay by... below.

He looked at her as he slowly brought his fingers up to her chest, which she suspected was her chest. She held her breath. When he finally reached her breasts, cupping them, she exhaled.. loudly as his hands squeezed. His fingers slid slowly over her breast but became more insistent and her breathing became more and more irregular.

Benedict returned to her lips and kissed her again fervently, pushing her towards his bed slowly, by walking her backwards but evidently this took too long for the next moment, he grasped her bottom and legs and lifted her.

She gasped in his mouth when he suddenly reached for his backside, caressed it, and found herself lifted in the air the next moment.

Allina had no option but to put her legs around him in an attempt not to fall but Benedict would never let her fall. Especially now that his grip was not so firm on her rump, oh dear lord he kept touching her there and stroking her ass. As if it wasn't already hard enough to breathe; especially now that she was in contact with something firmly pressed against her belly.

Benedict was glad that the bed was finally in sight, for he could no longer restrain himself and just barely threw her onto his bed where she assumed a sitting, waiting position over the edge of the bed, struggling to stay calm.

Benedict then stepped back and quickly took off his dressing gown and then the top of his pyjamas as well, leaving him in only his shirt and trousers. Benedict walked slowly towards her, standing still in front of her, looking deeply into her eyes.

He put his hands on either side of her shoulders and then began to explore her body with light touches, slipping down to her neck and collarbone, towards the place where he had previously delighted her. Benedict repeated his earlier move and cupped her but this time his touch was more emphatic and his squeezing even harder, and the sensation was blissful.

To her disappointment, however, he ceased with these motions, and she was slightly perplexed until she understood why he had again placed his hands on her shoulders and specifically on the sleeves of her dress.

Benedict pulled them down, carefully, along with her petticoat, and her bra was visible, and immediately his attention was drawn to her voluptuous breasts.

He let his eyes roam over her body. She had a warm ivory skin tone, and her chest had some lovely moles here and there that he intended to kiss fervently, her hips curvy and toned.

She was beautiful and he was going to kiss every inch of her.

Benedict pushed her back slowly, so she lay down, still standing on the edge of the bed. He now wanted to get rid of her dress but to do that he had to get closer, so he carefully spread her legs and stood between them. She jolted upwards but he soon put his palm on her thigh, making her fall backwards again.

Benedict knew he had to take it easy on her; that she needed time and he was prepared to give it to her, no matter how hard it became for him to hold back. Having said that, he continued to touch her sweetly, this time giving his full attention to the top of her legs, stroking her thighs, her knees, and ankles. He did this for a while until he undid her suspenders and with deliberate intent let her pantyhose slide down her legs.

It was almost there; the momentum was almost there. He reluctantly stepped back again but this time to take off his shirt and trousers so that they were both now left in only their underwear.

Benedict bent down and laid on her waist with his head on her stomach. Benedict groaned; the skin on skin contact with her was indescribable, the feeling of lying between her legs was indescribable.

He started placing kisses on her belly, while his fingers started touching her sides. She breathed faster and faster as she felt his mouth coming closer, teasing, kissing, licking, from her belly, closer and closer to him, gripping her arms in place.

When he finally reached her breasts, he gave her a look that made her melt, his beautiful blue eyes lustful and touching. He reached for her back with his hands, lifted her up and against him for a moment and then unhooked her bra. He then carefully laid her down again, his fingers going to the straps of her bra, stroking it as he went. When that was done he finally did what he wanted to do, grabbed her bra, and yanked it off her upper body.

He was in raptures at the sight of her bared breasts. She was blushing profusely, but he didn't seem to see that and was also embarrassed but he kept staring at her plump breasts, her hardened nipples and before he knew it he had bent over to taste her.

He knew he should have warned her but at that moment he lost control. He licked her left breast again and again and caressed and squeezed the other with his fingers. Hers were in his hair now; gripping, as if she wanted control over him, which she did not have. And Benedict had no control either. He now turned his attention to the other breast and licked, suckled it extensively, and she moaned loudly. Until now she had tried to hold back, as if she should be ashamed of feeling pleasure, probably because of her upbringing, but at that moment it no longer interested her.

When he took hold of her mouth once more, she kissed him back as fiercely as he kissed her. She touched him everywhere on his back, arm, shoulders, revelling in the softness of his hair, and was absorbed in this overwhelming feeling. When he put his hand 'over there' and slowly over exactly that spot, she was slightly startled at first but encouraged by his friction there, she started moving her hips faster and faster after a while.

She was ready for him, he thought, damp enough so that hopefully the pain would not be too bad, so he got up and pulled off her knickers, then removed his quickly, and the sight of his.. rather large member made her blush even more severely than before.

Not that she had any previous experience of seeing... the male anatomy but still. He didn't give her long to study him as Benedict climbed on top of her and then... heaven. His naked skin on hers. Heaven and he hadn't even started yet.

He positioned himself between her legs and now lay on top of her, with his face just above hers.

He was so close to taking her but waited, she was trembling very much and breathing very fast again, too fast it seemed.

"Don't be afraid, sweetheart. It will hurt just for a little while", now that wasn't exactly true, it would undoubtedly hurt but he hoped to lessen it.

"If you want me to stop, please tell me and I will".

She took a deep breath, more to reassure herself but just as she did that he claimed her lips once more and moved his hip forward, entering her. She gasped and grabbed onto his arms as a response and winced in pain. He placed a comforting kiss on her forehead but otherwise remained silent.

Everything in him screamed to move, to go deeper but he did not want her to suffer. When he thrust into her the second time, and she let out a sound that was more pain than pleasure and he looked at her with concern.

"Are you alright, do you want me to stop?" he asked her.

She looked at him shyly but then shook her head and he almost wanted to know if she was sure until she pulled on his arm, lifted his head to the left (perhaps it was better that way, she was less embarrassed, Benedict thought) so that now he was lying with his face in her neck.

The third thrust was considerably less painful for Alina and even more pleasurable for Benedict, good God, she was so tight, and he had not yet completely sheathed himself in her but that would not be long now.

"This might hurt" he warned, looking at her. She swallowed the lump in her throat and gave him a look that amounted to "Ok, I'm ready." Not taking his eyes off her, he slowly pushed himself forward until he was completely inside her.

The pleasure was so overwhelming for Benedict that he closed his eyes for a moment but soon he wondered how she was doing. To his relief, she did not seem to be in pain; her mouth was open and her expression something between rapturous and amazed, her breathing irregular.

He withdrew for a moment, not quite, only to fill her again, but this time his thrusts were firmer, which influenced Alina, who clung to him harder and harder but at the same time became more vocal, moaning with each push and Benedict... let himself go.

He crashed her lips into her, pushed his tongue deep inside her and devoured her mouth the only moment, then roughly kissed, licked, and stroked her neck and breasts. They were both moaning loudly now, and the sound of their bodies colliding was even more intense as he filled her time and time again.

He drove harder and harder into her, pushing them both to an unavoidable climax, which she reached first. Alina felt it coming but didn't know what it was until her lower abdomen erupted in spasms and she felt a sensation; one that took her breath away and made her scream.

Benedict's felt her clench around him and rammed a few more times. pushed his body and face up, before he spilled himself into her with a moan was so loud it echoed through the room it seemed.

Never this good. It had never been this good with anyone else, he realised, as he collapsed on top of her, breathless, wrecked from pleasure, shaking from his climax. They laid there for a while until Benedict got off her and positioned himself next to her.

There he waited for his breath to calm down and as it finally did, his first impulse was to take her into his arms where she folded herself into, her face resting on his chest. His fingers went through Alina's hair and played with a lock here and there.

"Benedict." She said with a shaky voice while looking up at her.

"Yes, Alina?" he replied as they locked eyes.

"Where do we go from here?" she asked to his surprise. Not that the question was odd, of course, it was a legitimate one to ask.

It took him a little while to respond for he was a bit lost for words, his mind was still a bit foggy if he was honest after what had just happened, but he decide it would be best to be honest. So, he gazed at her and answered.

"I don't know.. All I know is that don't want to lose you, Alina. I don't.. I love you; I do"he said.

She gave him a poignant look and it seemed like she appreciated his honest answer, and settled back to her previous position on his chest, and as her eyes fell shut from fatigue she loved him too.

He had gone to see her yesterday to invite her to dinner. Her mother had told them that she would be alone for a week and asked if they could keep an eye on her. He'd been happy and hopeful; maybe he could convince her to go out for some fresh air together in a veiled attempt to get to know her and maybe... maybe then he'd have the guts to finally ask her out, too.

But she was not there. He had waited half an hour. Then an hour and then he had gone home to tell his mother that she was probably working late. But when it was eight o'clock and he was at her door again she was still not there.

And now, as he stood at her closed door again, early in the morning, she was still not there.

The question was... where was she? And more importantly? With whom?

Tommy knocked one more time on the door in vain before he gave up and went to the bakery. It was going to be a long day at work.


WRITER'S NOTE

Will be short, this chapter kicked my goddamn ass. I hate writing smut; I fucking do, and I suck at it. Anyway, read Hyacinth's book the other day or was it Gregory's and in it they mentioned 'cabs' so I stole that and used it. So that was historically accurate, her wearing a bra thing probably not but as I said I will take historical liberties. Sorry for shitty grammar/errors, this took a week to write, because I struggle so much with the.. naughty parts. I understand furthermore that Alina is rather fickle but most of my characters are so maybe I should work on that.