Robert stumbled to his feet in an instant, and Cora chuckled at his comical lack of balance.

"Gosh, that wine really was quite strong" he murmured.

"I don't know if the strength is to blame, or rather just how much of it we drank" she mused as she too wobbled up to her feet.

"As long as we can make it to the bedroom, I shan't complain"

"Then let's go before one of us has an accident"

They laced their fingers together as they moved…at least if one of them went down the other wouldn't be far behind. They snuck through the great hall like a pair of thieves in the night, guided only by the moonlight as they navigated their way to the great oak staircase and began their ascent. However, they were only halfway up when Robert felt another surge of drunken arousal burst through him, and before either of them knew it, he had Cora pinned up against the balustrade and was kissing her senseless. She gasped into the kiss at his unexpected ministrations, but before she could even think about stopping him, the warm velvet of his kisses had once again flooded her senses and she laced her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. She was truly intoxicated and as a result had lost all sense of herself and even the hard press of the wooden handrail against her back was not enough to remind her that they were moments away from making love on the staircase.

Robert, she knew, was just as drunk as she was, but from the way he pressed the hard evidence of his arousal against her pelvis, it seemed he didn't care either. The feel of his arousal against her ignited a desperate urge to touch him and Cora ran her hands over his shoulders and down his chest before making slow patterns across his starched shirt. She felt him groan against her lips before swiftly tossing off his jacket and bending down to lift Cora from her feet and place her on the balustrade in front of him. She let loose a small squeal as she found herself being handled so easily, but even in her intoxicated state, she knew she had to intervene.

"Robert" she beckoned hoarsely, "Robert we really should go upstairs"

"We are upstairs" he slurred as he pressed several kisses to her throat.

"All the way upstairs" she said with a roll of her eyes, "I don't want to risk someone finding us, besides…" she ran her fingertips through his hair and down to the sensitive spot on the back of his neck before pecking his lips, "it will be so much more comfortable in the bed"

She gave him a coquettish look, the one she only gave him during their intimacy, and she knew it was a look he could never refuse. And how right she was.

"Very well, Milady" he conceded before lifting her off the balustrade and guiding her up the rest of the stairs and to their bedroom.

He was on her the moment the bedroom door closed behind them – his head foggy with unbridled arousal and desire for his wife – and everything from that moment was a flurry of rapid movements. Jackets and dresses were peeled off and thrown to the ground, shirts and ties were ripped from chests, and shoes were kicked into the darkest corners of the rooms until Cora found herself completely bare and being pushed down on the bed before Robert descended on her yet again.

Robert pinned her to the bed and let his lips explore her body; he kissed down her neck and along her throat – nipping at the soft skin as he had before – until he kissed and licked at her collar bone and continue downwards. His lip moved across the soft swell of her breast, covering every inch of the creamy mounds as their rosy peaks tightened with need; and it was when he finally took one of her nipples into his mouth that she sighed deeply, her arms going above her head and her back arching towards the hot tug of his mouth. She could feel the flames of her desire lapping at her insides, causing a now torturous ache to flourish between her legs. Her want for her husband could not be questioned, and neither could her lack of patience.

"Robert…" she whimpered as he drew one of her nipples through his teeth.

Cora moved one of her hands from above her head and slipped it between them, moving it down the scorching skin of his chest before cupping his erection through his underwear. She felt herself flood with pride as his hips bucked towards her grasp and he hissed against her breasts. The pleasure of his wife touching him was almost too much for him to bear, but he'd rather pass out from his intoxication than be foolish enough to stop her. He gasped for air as another bolt of pleasure shot through him, and he realised that Cora had slipped her hand inside his underwear and was now stroking him languidly – his arousal like warm silk and so exquisite. She watched in fascination as his breathing grew rapid, his head dropped against her breasts and his eye squeezed shut in an effort to focus on the pleasure she was giving him. She gave him a playful squeeze and the moan he released was practically a shout. He felt his insides twist and writhe as she continued to stroke him, each movement of her wrist heightening the pleasure that crackled through him like live wires until he was sure that there was nothing other than liquid fire within him. He managed to pull himself away from her chest and looked down at her with a smouldering gaze – appearing as though he may devour her.

"I need you…now" he rasped before kicking off his underwear.

He was ready to take her, to take them both to that place of bliss when he felt her wrap her legs around him and suddenly flip them over so that she was on top. He was shocked for a moment and watched as she took a few seconds to recover from the swift movement and the alcohol that was thrumming through her system; but she gave him no chance to express his concern as soon her orbs once again turned to fire and she leaned down to kiss him hungrily. She felt her husband grip impatiently at the backs of her thighs and urge her towards his straining arousal and without breaking their kiss, she shifted her hips and finally took him inside of her warmth. They moaned into each other's mouths at the ecstasy of finally being connected and Cora instantly began a firm rhythm of her hips and took him in as deeply as she could.

She bent down to kiss him again, hungry, sloppy kisses that matched the now feverish rhythm of their love making. Their teeth clashed together, and Cora clawed at her husband's chest as his hands began to explore her yet again. He gripped her thighs, caressed her breasts, and scratched over her back before settling on her waist and urged her on in her intense pursuit of pleasure. Soon, their cries became almost desperate and primitive, their shared sensations thundering in their blood like the effects of a drug, like electric, like fire, it was far too intense to handle with any sort of control. Robert could feel his climax beginning to approach and the delicious tension that was vuilding in his lower back; he began to snap his hips to meet each of her thrusts and Cora cried out as the intensity of their connection grew and she could once again feel herself climbing towards the release that she craved so desperately.

"Robert…" she panted, "…touch me"

He reached down immediately and began to move his fingers in quick circles across the small bundle of nerves that lay just above where they were joined. Soon, Cora could do nothing but cry out as the ecstasy began to crackle through, building with each well-placed stroke of her husband's fingers and pulling her into a trance. They continued to move together as their pleasure escalated at a rapid rate, bodies sheathed in sweat, breathing intensified and words completely non-existent. Then, finally, Cora reached her point of rapture, soaring and tumbling all at once as the whole world went white and she released a desperate cry – her body shuddering with the violent force of her climax. Seeing her, hearing her and feeling her come apart, Robert felt his own release coil within him before he too began to shudder, and his climax erupted from his groin, taking over him until he was possessed by it. Her name left his lips with a shout and he spilled himself inside of her. And then, they were limp.

Cora collapsed on top of him, and he held her against his chest as their bodies rose and fell in tandem from the heaviness of their breathing. The scent of him was intoxicating to Cora, so masculine and so uniquely him, and she could have stayed on top of him and wrapped him his embrace all night, but she rolled of him eventually, and as soon as she landed on her side of the bed, the room began to spin again.

"Now I feel dizzy" she panted.

"Because of the wine, or because of what we just did?" Robert asked mischievously, still quite unable to move himself.

"Both, I'm sure" she chuckled.

She turned to face him and began to run her hand idly across his chest.

"That was quite spectacular, you know" she told him, and she delighted on the slight blush that peppered his cheeks.

"You were pretty fantastic yourself"

He kissed her then, a soft kiss that he hoped would convey to her just how much he loved her, and how wonderful she made him feel every single day. He felt endlessly lucky to have her by his side, and when they had moments such as this, when they would make love like young lovers and then bask in their post-coital bliss, he could never understand what he had done to get so lucky. He broke from his brief reverie and caught her looking at him, and from the sparkle in her eyes he knew exactly what she was trying to tell him, that she loved him too, very much so, and that she also simply couldn't fathom what she had done to be blessed with a love like theirs.

"I think we should rest, no doubt we'll be regretting all that wine in the morning" he whispered.

"What was it you said earlier about treating yourself every so often?" she teased.

"After what we just did, I think I've had enough treats for now"

"You never know what tomorrow will bring, darling" she teased – leaving him in a stunned silence.

They slipped under the covers and held each other until sleep finally claimed them – hoping with all their might that their hangovers would be kind to them the next morning.

What they didn't know, of course, was that during their ministrations on the staircase, Cora's underwear had unfortunately dropped from her husband's pocket and was now laying brazenly out in the open, ready for anyone to find…