Wowza, we're seven chapters in already and it only took me like almost a year! Thank you for your enthusiasm and the kind reviews! I'm absolutely grateful that you all like it. I don't know why, I think I'm just screwing this story all over with my bad writing, but thank you anyway! And since I found that I wasn't so busy this week (or I could be, I'm just choosing to ignore being a responsible adult in the name of fanfics), thought I'd go ahead and finish the update. And here we are!

For my momsie, Latifraise, for her support and for bolstering my confidence and for offering advise here and there that help me tremendously. Thanks momsie :)

Unbeta-ed forever, mistakes are mine, sorry.

Rated M for a reason, this is the reason (partially, anyway) so please avert thy eyes if you can't deal with that.

Enjoy.

Chapter Seven

Robert brought her around and dropped her off at her apartment complex at Belgravia. She had been apprehensive at first, throwing him a shy glance when she'd told him where she lived, but he hadn't even so much as bat an eyelash, and she sighed in relief. Sometimes, she found it hard to believe that there were still men like him, men who didn't see women as commodity and didn't measure her worth by the value placed upon her shoulder by her wealth.

It made her fall more into him.

Not that she'd tell him that at this point of their relationship, just in case it sent him running the other way, but he had been and was a wonderful man, and she'd like to keep him around for a very long while.

He parked his hand on her thigh, and she smiled, lowering her hand on his and holding it tightly, squeezing it gently. The silence that ensued between them as he drove her to her apartment wasn't at all uncomfortable, in fact she thought she preferred it, liked that she could just be quiet with him and not have to fill in any silence to erase any awkwardness. They liked each other, and they liked each other's company.

They drive was short, it was late and the traffic wasn't so bad, and before they knew it, he was parking his car in the lot of her apartment complex. The engine gave one last purr before it turned off completely, and he turned to her with a soft smile.

"Thank you, for tonight," he said, shyly, as he took her hand in his and held it up to his lips, placing a kiss against her knuckles. "I've had a great time in your company."

She could feel the blush rising up her cheeks and she smiled, nodding. "Thank you, Robert," she said, feeling her heart racing. She leaned in and he met her halfway, kissing her softly, quickly turning passionate as he slid his arms up her arms, threading through her mid-length bob. Her right hand came up to rest on his thigh, the other on his shoulder as his other arm snaked around her waist.

"Robert," she whispered as he lets her lips go for a moment to nuzzle his nose against her cheek. She was panting, her breaths coming in short gasps, as she tried to calm her racing heart. It was explosive, the way they kissed, the first touch of his lips feeling like heaven.

He leaned in again and caught her mouth in a heated kiss, his tongue grazing the seams of her lips, making hem part involuntarily (or voluntarily—it didn't really matter), as she shivered in excitement. He teased her, made her crave for him, as the taste of him fully registered to her. She felt alive in his arms, every nerve ending tingling and her heart racing so hard and so fast, she wondered how on earth it still hadn't burst out of the seams just yet.

He made her feel wanton, pliant in his arms as his lips part from hers to place soft, wet kisses against her neck. She felt a shock run through her as he let lips peak out long enough to have a taste of her succulent flesh, and she could literally feel all her control slipping from her—if he didn't stop now, she was going to throw all cautions to the wind and sleep with him, regardless of the fact that this was technically their first date.

She shifted her hips, feeling the gearshift poking her leg. It wasn't painful, but it was uncomfortable enough that it had her pulling away from him, her breathing heavy, and the heat pooling low in her belly growing and growing.

God, she needed to get a grip.

She chuckled as she ran her fingers through her hair. He looked hazed, his lips a fetching shade of the lipstick he'd kissed off of her lips, his eyes a deeper, darker shade of blue. It took a whole lot of restraint not to have him kiss her senseless. She took his hand and hers and held it, squeezing gently and smiling softly at him.

"I'm only stopping because we need to control ourselves," she told him softly, trying to ignore the blatant display of his desire for her. She looked up at his eyes. "I don't…I'm not ready for that yet."

She felt her cheeks burn out of embarrassment and she ducked her head, feeling him cup her chin and tilt it up. He leaned in and nuzzled their noses together, and she smiled—this was quickly becoming their thing.

He kissed the tip of her nose and smiled, breathing out, "Whatever you want, we'll do it whenever you're ready, my darling." He smiled at her and let his fingers run through her hair once more. "I'm not here just to…you know?"

She really did find him extremely adorable, especially now as he flushed out of embarrassment.

"I know," she said, nodding. She pulled away and noticed that her seatbelt had been loose all this time, he must have been the one to undo it without her noticing. "Would you like to come up with me and have some coffee?"

He chuckled and shook his head, making her frown. He rubs softly at the corners of her lips, cupping her jaw. "I'm only saying no because I don't know how well I'd be able to control myself when I'm in a more public setting with you," he confessed as he pulled his own seatbelt away from his body and took his keys from the ignition. "But allow me to walk you to your door." And with that he opened the door and climbed out of the car, going over to her side and helping her out as well.

They walked to her apartment, hands entwined all the while, and she let it swing between them, feeling like a teenage girl in throes of her first romance. She felt young and giddy, felt excited because this was something new, this was something she'd never experienced before.

It was not to say that she'd never had her experience, she'd had them and then some. She'd had a boyfriend in the past and was no stranger to this whole dating game, Robert wasn't her first—but this was something different. She could feel her desire for him spiral out of control sometimes, and that was something she wasn't entirely used to. But she was okay with that, all because she trusted him.

They entered the building and headed straight for the elevators. She pressed the up button, surprised when he took her by the waist and tucked her by his side as they waited. She let her head fall to the crook of his shoulder, enjoying the warmth he offered as he held her. When the elevator dinged, and the doors opened. They walked inside, hands holding each other's, resuming to their old position—her head on his shoulders—once the door closed.

"What floor?" he asked, his index finger positioned over at the buttons.

"Twelfth," she answered, watching him press the button and sighing contentedly. She was surprised when he turned and locked her in his embrace, pushing her up against the railings and making her head fall against the wall. "Mmhmm," she managed to hum as he kissed her senseless.

She let him have his fill, let him kiss her and kiss her as much as he wanted because this was what she wanted too. He had his arms around her waist whilst hers were looped around his neck, holding him close to her as she tilted her head, changing angles and allowing him to deepen their kiss.

They only pulled apart, breathing in and out heavily and extremely hot and bothered, when the elevators dinged and the door opened as they now arrived on her floor. They piled out of the lift and he walked her to her apartment door. Stopping right outside and letting her open her door first, he kissed her once more before he nuzzled their noses together.

"Have a good night, darling," he said softly, his breath ragged and his voice husky now. His grip on her waist was tight and she could feel the harsh way he heaved for breath.

"Thank you, Robert," she told him, her arms coming around to embrace him. "You too."

He nodded before pecking her lips one last time before he let her go. She turned and opened the door to her apartment, biting her lip to keep herself from screwing it all over and asking him to stay the night. This wasn't going to be a one night thing, that much was obvious, so why the hell not?

But she didn't do sex on the first date, and honestly, she really wanted to wait, to see where this was heading before they took that plunge. But god, how she wanted him now, wanted him so much.

Would it be very wrong to want to see him again, soon? Tomorrow, perhaps?

"When can I see you again?" he asked, sounding almost desperate, and she could understand, could honestly say that she was glad that wasn't the only one who felt that way. "I'm sorry, I don't want to…I just can't possibly wait for Tuesday to see you again." He paused and sighed. "Is tomorrow too soon?"

He looked so shy, so embarrassed, but his upturned face looked so openly anxious and distressed that she could not have denied him had she wanted to (she didn't of course, she wanted to him just as desperately).

"No, of course not," she said with a smile. "We could hang out here in my apartment tomorrow." He gave her a look, making her grin. "I'll be on my best behavior."

He sighed and shook his head. "It's not you I'm worried about," he admitted forlornly, making her chuckle. He tickled her sides, his fingers coming to brush against her ticklish spots, making her swat her hand at his shoulder. "What time?" he asked.

"Lunch?" she said, scrunching her nose. "I could make something for us?"

He nodded and smiled. "I'll come before one?" he asked.

She nodded, reaching up once more to peck his lips, unable to resist, before nuzzling their noses together—yep, that was absolutely their thing.

"Goodnight, Robert," she whispered against his cheek as she embraced him again.

"Goodnight, my darling, Cora," he whispered back before she pulled away and walked inside her apartment, waving at him goodbye and closing the door when he walked towards the lift.

She leaned back against the door and smiled, her fingers touching her swollen lip. She was so happy, so happy it was almost ridiculous. But it felt right, everything felt right, and so she smiled, beaming.

She carried that smile to her sleep.

(*)

The next day started bright and early for Robert. He was too keyed up from last night to remain sleeping for so long, and though he'd gone to sleep later that usual—he'd been preoccupied with things—he woke up with a renewed energy.

He'd started with a bit of a walk in the neighborhood, as he usually did. He wasn't the one for exercise, he despised any other forms of it, but walking was a habit he'd had since he was a lad and he'd never been able to get rid of it, not even when he was busy. He then had a shower and some breakfast before he had some work done so he could spend the rest of the day with Cora without interruptions. It was a Saturday, yes, but it didn't mean that there had no work to be done, and before Cora he'd usually be in the office sorting through it, but times had changed, shifting his priorities and schedules. There was not anything in the office that could not wait until Monday.

But working was an old habit that was hard to kill, and so work was what he did to pass the time. Before he knew it, it was half past twelve. Hurriedly, he walked up the stairs and got changed. He grabbed his keys and his wallet before walking out of the house.

He couldn't wait to see Cora.

He made a mental note to get her some flowers as he backed his car out of his lot, and then drove away to Belgravia, a smile on his face.

(*)

Cora walked out of the bedroom when she heard the knocking on her door. She opened it and found Robert on the other side, looking at her with a small grin. He had his arms behind his back, and she narrowed her eyes as she sidestepped to let him in.

"Hello, Cora," he greeted, leaning in to kiss her and nuzzle their noses together.

She smiled at him, feeling her day brightening further. "Hello, Robert," she said.

He grinned and presented her a bouquet of flowers he'd been hiding behind his back, a mixture of pink, white and yellow carnations that made her smile further, her lips threatening to split. She could feel pure giddiness rise up at her.

She took his hand and led him to the kitchen where she'd been cooking them some lunch. She ordered him to sit and he took a seat on of the stools on the counter island, watching her as she puttered around her kitchen. She'd made sure to put her flowers on a vase first, however.

"What are we having?" he asked, smiling as the smell wafted through his nose, making his stomach grumble.

She chuckled. "Chicken parmesan and some garlic bread," she answered with a smile that he couldn't see with her back turned as she stood by the stove and took the lid off one of the pots, letting the smell of what was cooking fill the room. "I hope you don't mind."

"Mind?" he asked, and at that moment she felt his arms envelop her waist, his voice dangerously close to her ear. "I think I might have died and gone to heaven." He placed a kiss on her shoulder and she felt it through the material of her long-sleeved shirt.

She nudged him with her elbow and shooed him away, telling him to get useful and take out the salad and bring it over to the table. He nodded and agreed, exiting the kitchen to do as she bid. She was struck with how easy they fell into domesticity after one date, and where that should have sent her running down the hill, scared and anxious, now it only made her smile. She'd known Robert before their first date, had been comfortable with him and had been friends with him long before, and so this wasn't as though they were just strangers still getting to know each other. And while she could say that she knew little about him as of now, she knew enough, and thought the rest could come easily. It was a process, anyway.

And really, she couldn't wait to get to know him.

(*)

Lunch went without a hitch, their conversation flowing easily and smoothly. He'd asked more about her life, how she'd ended up in here, studying art in London and playing with a bad for a pub. She'd told him that one of her friends from the art school, Becca, and who was also in the same program as she, was the girlfriend of her band mate now. Becca had introduced Cora to the her boyfriend who had been looking for a vocalist, upon knowing that Cora liked to sing and could play certain instruments. It had gone from little gigs here and there, to being hired full time when the bartender, Jimmy, had come across them at a gig.

"And you?" she'd asked as they both moved to the living room, lounging on the couch his arm resting comfortably around her shoulder as her head was pillowed against his chest. "What about your life?"

"I studied in Oxford, you know that already," he said. "I joined the polo team. That might be the only sport you could make me willingly do or play. My parents live in Yorkshire in an estate we call the Abbey."

Cora sighed. "I know that already," she said, rolling her head so she could look at him. "Tell me something I don't know." She paused and smiled. "How about your mom? Dad? Your sister?"

"My parents, well you know their names, Violet and Patrick," he said. "My Father has long since moved with mother to the Abbey, but he still works from time to time, oversees the company, even a few miles away." He chuckled. "My mother is a stern woman who likes thing done precisely. My father often bows to her wishes. It's always just so much easier to bow to her and acquiesce than defy her. She insists that she's always right."

"And is she?" she asked with a smile.

He dropped a kiss to the crown of her head, hiding his smirk. "Of course," he said. "I want you to meet them, Cora, but…" he trailed off.

"I get it," she said, trying to hide her disappointment. "You want to be sure of me, first."

She understood.

He shook his head. "No, I'm sure of you, of what I feel, of me wanting this to go somewhere," he admitted, making her heart stutter. "I just want to make sure you do, so they don't drive you away, because mama will try to. She always does." There was a darkness to his voice that she wasn't used to.

She wondered if there was something more to it. "How about ex-lovers? What's your magic number?" she asked, scrunching her nose, realizing she didn't really want to know. But she needed to know.

He shook her head. "I don't have much," he admit, shrugging as he lifted his hand to run his fingers through her hair. "I had two."

"What happened?" she asked softly, lulled by his fingers carding through her tresses. She was interested in him, in his life. She really wanted to know him, and he felt like if this was about to head somewhere, this was very necessary.

"Nothing," he said, voice clipped. "It didn't work out. The first one, I'd been too young…and the other, well that was shot to hell."

She sighed, taking his free hand in hers and playing with his fingers. "Tell me, please?" she pleaded. "You asked me not to lie or keep things from you. I ask you to do the same."

She felt him heave a breath, his chest rising and falling quickly as he grabbed her hand and squeezed. "Her name was Adeline," he whispered. "I was so in love with her."

She frowned, not liking that at all. "Do you still?" she asked in a small voice, feeling him pull away from her. He tilted her chin and looked at her square in the eye.

"I loved her, and there will always be a part of me who would," he admitted. "She was my first great love. But that was the past now. She's out of my life for good, and there's another woman I'm planning to woo."

She let the doubts dim for now, she'd revisit them next time when and if needed be, but for now she just wanted to enjoy him, his company.

"That night," she whispered as she looked back at him. "When you got drunk in the pub—that was because of her, wasn't it?" She didn't want to ask but the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Yes," he admitted, leaning back once more and pulling her in his arms. "It seems such a long time ago." It does. "How about you? What's your magic number?"

"Two," she answered giving him a one-shoulder shrug. "I was young then." She turned and faced him, her hands resting against his chest. She looked up at him and leaned in so their lips almost touched. "But they're not as interesting as present company, so would you rather I bore you to death with stories of them, or just kiss me instead?" She lifted her head and let their lips finally, touch, kissing him with all she had. She felt her heart soar as she tasted him, her mouth opening under his when he regained control.

She could feel him lifting her from her seat and onto his lap, his arms around her waist and his hand spanning her back. She was surprised, but had no time to dwell in it as his tongue slid into her mouth. She shifted a little, straddling him better, as she tilted her head in order to deepen the kiss further. She felt his hand travel up and down her back, coasting through the light material of her shirt, before he slides inside and feels her warm skin with his hand.

He wasn't doing much, nothing too dangerous or risky, but his hand was warm on her skin, and she could feel shivers running up and down her spine. She felt eager, felt like a horned up teenager experimenting with her boyfriend.

But she was not a teenager (and Robert was not technically her boyfriend), and there were things that was not allowed for her to do when she was younger that she could do now, that she knew how to do now.

Scraping her nails lightly against his nape, she lifted herself up higher on his lap, until their sexes were aligned and she pressed down against him, making him growl against her lip, his hands cinching around her waist a little tighter. He let her lips go, as he breathed through his own harshly.

"Cora," he breathed out, looking puzzled.

He looked so confused and adorable that it would have made her laugh, had she not been so aroused.

"We're not having sex," she clarified and he nodded, saying something like, not till you're ready, dearest, and then she grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, revealing her black lacy bra to his hungry eyes. "But that doesn't mean we can't do other things together." She leaned in and kissed him again, heart dropping when he didn't respond. "What is it?" she asked as she pulled away.

"Are you sure?" he asked, unsure, and looking so cute she'd have melted if it wasn't annoying, "because we don't have to, not yet."

She sighed, grasping his chin so they looked at each other dead in the eyes. "I'm sure," she told him softly. She guided his hand to her breasts, letting him feel her through the scrap of lace. "I wouldn't do this if I am not. And I trust you. I trust you aren't going anywhere."

"Never," he promised as he let his thumb fan her sensitive peaks, already puckered and standing in attention for him.

"It's settled then," she said as she leaned in and caught his lips in a heated kiss. She felt his hands roam against her body, spanning her back, cupping her breasts, circling her hips and then sliding down her thighs.

She felt his finger slide the straps of her bra down, before he let her lips go to dot kisses down her neck to her collar bones, to the rounded curve of her shoulders. He didn't stop until he reached her clavicle, looking up at her as if asking for permission. At her nod, he slid the cups further down, his hand coming behind her back to unclasp it. He pulled it away from her body and threw it somewhere behind them, not caring where it landed. She'd feel insecure with the way he'd stared at her intensely, if he wasn't looking with reverence.

"You're beautiful," he said with reverence, making her blush from head to toe before he leaned in and took one pink nipple into his mouth, suckling and nibbling, nipping and licking. He let her go and kissed her skin up to her neck, to her jaw, then down again, only to capture her other rosy bud in his mouth and suck and nibble.

"Robert, mmhmm," she moans out, hips gyrating down his very erect member.

Was this wrong? Oh, good god, but it felt so right.

He suckled harder as his hand came down to her navel, flicking through the smooth, soft skin, before coming down to the fly of her jeans and undoing them. She let him, lifting her bottoms just enough so he could slide her pants down her legs just enough to gain access to her core.

"Cora?" he asked, pained now as she continued to grind into him.

She reached down and took his shirt off his body, her hands immediately attaching to the hard planes of his chest. "We're still not having sex," she repeated, shaking her head. "Doesn't mean we can't make it pleasurable, right?"

She didn't know what she was doing, or why she was doing whatever it was she was doing, but she wanted him, wanted him so badly, and had wanted him for so long, so if she needed to fuck him with their clothes on and dry hump him like a teenager, that was exactly what she was going to do.

He nodded, seeming appeased by her eagerness, and he took her pants all the way off. She'd made a move to do the same for him, but he stopped her.

"If you take that off, we're going to throw that no sex rule out the window," he told her, making her gulp and then nod.

"At least take you pants off, for easier clean up," she whispered, already trying to undo his pants.

He seemed to mull it over, hand on her wrist before he nodded, letting her continue. She removed his pants, watching when he stood up to chuck it away. He then flipped them over, making her lie on her back on the couch as he settled between her. He leaned down and took her breast in his mouth once more before he began grinding into her, still with his pants on.

The friction was fucking wonderful, Cora thought as she laid their wantonly, letting Robert have his way with her the best that he could with that stupid rule of hers. She's tempted to throw it out of the window really. But her thoughts fled her as she felt the first strings of her orgasm ripping through her, starting low on her belly, surging through her veins and reaching every nerve endings, making her feel alive. She could feel herself coming, coming closer to the edge of precipice and he must be too, because he groaned, his hands tightening around her waist.

"I'm close, Cora," he rasped, his thrusting intensifying, going faster, making the friction feel even more wonderful, even more delicious, and mmhmm, yeah, there, she's close, just a bit more.

She held on to his wrist and clasped harder, letting him know she's close too, and he moved faster until she's calling out his name, coming apart, he soon followed, her name tumbling from his lips.

He collapsed on her bare chest, and she held her to him, wiping away the beads of sweat on his forehead. She felt him kiss her chest softly as their hearts thudded from the exertion of their activities. He lifted his head and smiled at her, leaning just enough to kiss her lips and nuzzle their noses together.

"If you don't call me again and never show your face again, I'm going to be offended," she said, half seriously, making him chuckle.

"That's not about to happen," he promised.

She grinned at him and he grinned back, and they could look like fools, or could be like fools, but it didn't matter, not when they're in each other's arms.

A/N: wew. that was so hard to write, you have no idea. I have no clue what I'm doing apart from what I've read and ugh, please pardon the mistakes I might have committed at the end part of the story. -_- I hope you liked it and more to come, yo. Let me know what you all think :) If you'd rather I don't make it THAT racy next time, please let me know :)