I think we are getting towards the end of this particular story; there may be a couple more chapters to come. I've got some ideas for other DBM stories I'd like to write, including a post-wedding one, and a couple of one-shots. Thanks for all the comments - now some of you should start to write some Lucien and Jean fics too!
Lucien rested back on the couch, jacket off, his feet stretched out in front of him, and sighed with satisfaction. The meal had gone well, and now he had an hour or two of peace and quiet with the person he loved best in the world. He closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed the sensation of Jean leaning against his shoulder. He could smell her perfume, not something she usually wore, overlaying the familiar scent of soap. Putting his arm around her more closely, he kissed her temple and nuzzled gently in her sweet smelling hair.
Jean eased off her shoes and tucked her feet up on the couch, moving herself a little closer to Lucien. She'd enjoyed the meal, and knew he'd worked hard to organise it. She whispered her thanks in his ear and kissed his cheek, then ran her fingertips over his beard and down his neck.
Finding her progress impeded by his collar and tie, she started to loosen his tie, which earned her a raised eyebrow from Lucien, who now opened his eyes and looked at her in surprise. He removed his tie himself and undid his top button, allowing Jean to stroke his neck and plant some little kisses on his chest, where it was revealed under his shirt.
In return, he ran his free hand lightly up her side, feeling the curve of her waist under the smooth fabric of her dress. When he brushed against the underside of her breast she hummed slightly against his neck and he paused, not sure whether she was wanting him to stop or encouraging him.
He pulled back for a moment and looked her in the eye. She could see a flash of longing in his eyes. "Is this alright?" he asked, and she nodded, and then looked away, embarrassed. Emboldened by this, Lucien half-lifted, half-encouraged her onto his lap, so she was sitting across his legs. He started to kiss the side of her neck, moving his fingers along her hairline at the back, where her hair usually curled. "May I?" he asked as he took out a hair grip. Without answering, Jean began to draw out the pins that held her hair up, and soon he was running his fingers through her hair, ruffling it and letting it fall in messy curls.
She kissed him on the lips briefly, still feeling her way with him, learning the scent that was just him, tasting the whisky on his lips. He kissed her back, testing her lip with his tongue, but gently, waiting to see what she wanted. As she let him into her mouth, she felt a tug of desire low in her abdomen, and his hand crept over her knee, slipping under the hem of her dress.
Lucien deepened the kiss as Jean's hands explored his chest and shoulders through his shirt, but when he moved his hand along the inside of her leg, towards the top of her stockings, she wriggled away a little and he paused, breaking the kiss and resting with his forehead against hers.
"Perhaps that's far enough," he acknowledged with a smile. Jean smiled back, noticing they were both breathing heavily, and nodded. "It could be a long time until we're married, maybe we should go slowly," she reminded him.
She could feel the evidence of his arousal against her thigh as she sat on his lap, and wondered for a moment if she was being unfair to him, but he reassured her. "There's no rush; we have the rest of our lives to spend together."
Jean moved to sit next to him on the couch and he coaxed her to think about where she would like to go for their honeymoon. He knew she had hardly travelled beyond Melbourne or Adelaide, and thought it could be a chance for her to see a bit more of the world. For some time they talked about places she had dreamt of and the places Lucien had been, without deciding anything, but enjoying the new horizons opening up for them.
As the fire burned down low, they heard the sound of Charlie letting himself back into the house quietly. He went to his room without disturbing them but the spell was broken and they moved apart. Lucien offered to clear up and put everything back to normal, so Jean said goodnight and kissed him, then went to her bedroom. She lay awake for a while, listening to Lucien moving around downstairs, while she thought over the evening, wondering to herself how long the divorce would take and how long their engagement was likely to be.