Chapter 2

Elsa doubted she would ever be able to adequately explain to someone how it felt to kiss Aaron. At least, not with measly words. How could she possibly describe the warm haven provided by his strong arms whenever he drew her into a tender embrace? Or the sudden rush in her heart when his beckoning lips would reach for hers? Of course, both of those paled when compared to the actual deed itself. Especially the river of energy that surged between them, funneling into the channel provided by their interlocked lips. It crashed through her entire body and assailed her fears, wiping them away before leaving her on a blissful plane of existence. It was during these periods of momentary harmony that her body would begin to act on its own, pressing itself against his while her hands took ahold of whatever part of him they could reach.

During this particular kiss, though, she didn't allow herself to be fully immersed in the pleasure of his lips caressing hers, instead trying to remain in control of herself. However, this proved to be much more difficult than she expected as her body raged to be released. Her hands wanted nothing more than to swarm over him, not sit idly by her sides, and it only made worse when he her deeper and deeper into his embrace. He seemed to quickly become aware of the fact that she was holding back and to make it his mission to break her control. His lips redoubled their assault as his hands began to glide across her, titillating her skin while also driving her mad with an insatiable yearning.

It felt like her restraint was just starting to give when his lips abruptly separated from hers as Aaron pulled back to look at her. Her mouth instinctively moved to pursue his but she managed to stop herself in time, if only barely, while trying to slow her elevated heart rate. She was just starting to get her breathing back under control when she heard him give a quiet chuckle and realized that he was giving her an amused look.

"I didn't excite you, did I?" he asked softly with a broad grin.

Shaking her head and glancing away, Elsa hastily replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"No? Then perhaps this will help." Before she do anything he suddenly leaned down and ran his sweltering lips along the length of her neck, from the base to the top. The wave of heat radiating into her delicate flesh was enough to force an audible gasp from her while her entire body went rigid. Her breathing elevated even higher when his mouth made a second pass, much slower than the first and lingering just below her jaw. There his lips stayed, torturing her with sensual delight until she finally had to give.

"Maybe…" Elsa panted between breaths. "Maybe you excited me a little." His fiery tongue flicked across her, sending sparks cascading throughout her. "Or a lot!"

Laughing openly this time, Aaron drew back again to give her another content look before his face became reproachful. Using a mocking tone, he chided, "You know, you shouldn't lie. It's unbecoming of a lady."

She was feeling faintly lightheaded and flushed, her heart thumping heavily within her chest, but she still managed to return the look. "I'm the queen. I can say whatever I like."

Aaron gave her a long, deep look before a hint of desire crept into his eyes. Leaning in again, he spoke in a voice that sent a thrill along her spine and left her weak in the knees. In a tone that was dark and resonate yet stilled dripped with sin. "Yes, but you're my queen."

This time when his lips stroked hers she was only able to hold out for a moment. Then all at once her strength fled and her hands were free to do as they wished. They quickly clawed their way onto his back and grabbed fistfuls of his cloak as she melted into his arms, giving herself fully to the kiss. Her submission only caused him to kiss her all the more vehemently, his body pressing into hers and his hands going into motion, which in turn served to heighten her pleasure. Feeling his one hand stroking the small of her back while the other gently rested on her waist was almost enough to drive her to the point where she could no longer form cognitive thoughts.

Then she felt his hand start to drift up towards her bosom.

Part of her desperately wanted to allow him to continue. To feel the sweet release of his deft hands handling her womanhood, driving her into even loftier realms of ecstasy. To let him cross that threshold with all the passion he could manage. But Elsa also knew that if she let him do that she wouldn't have the strength to stop him from going further. Or, worse yet, that she wouldn't want to stop him. So she had to put a stop to it before it began.

Pulling one of her hands back, she caught ahold of his wrist just before he could achieve his goal. She then drew her lips from his just long enough to murmur, "No, Aaron," before diving back into the kiss. For a moment he respected her wish, his hand yielding to hers. But as soon as their kissing was back in full swing she felt him glide upward again.

Alright, enough, she thought as a twinge of irritation flashed through her. Placing her other hand on his shoulder and giving a small push, she opened her eyes to give him a stern look. "I said no, Aaron."

He gave her an alluring look several seconds until he realized that she was no longer playing. Letting his smile broaden, he crooned, "Come on, Elsa." When her expression remained resolute he moved in for another kiss, continuing to purr softly. "You know you want this."

Turning her head away so that his lips couldn't reach hers, she curtly replied, "Maybe." There was no question that her actual answer was a definite yes but she wasn't about to let on her desire.

His attempt at a kiss rejected, Aaron leaned back but kept his arms remained firmly wrapped around her. When Elsa eventually looked back at him she saw that his seductive grin was gone and he was now giving her a measured stare. He didn't say anything for a moment, continuing to scrutinize her, and when he did it was in a tempered tone. "What's wrong?"

Shaking her head, she spoke quickly and furtively as though someone else was trying to listen in. "We can't. Not here."

"Why not?"

"Anyone could just walk in." As she spoke she shot a nervous glance towards the door.

Aaron didn't so much as blink. "So?"

So? So?! A large number of objections flashed through Elsa's mind, along with a minor wave of frustration. Imagine someone walking in on us doing something like that! However, she managed to maintain a calm exterior and went with a less obvious reason. "Then they'd find out. About us."

He didn't react at first, instead continuing to give her a long look. Then, taking a step back, he slid his hands down along her arms until they took ahold of her hands. Neither of them spoke for a moment, with her studying his face for any hint as to what he was thinking while Aaron just stared down at their joined hands, until he seemed to make up his mind. "I don't care."

Letting out a weary sigh, Elsa shook her head. "Aaron…" This wasn't the first time they'd had this discussion would it be the last. It had originally been her idea to keep their relationship a secret from the kingdom and she still felt it was in their best interest. There was enough to worry about in a budding romance without constantly being under scrutiny from hundreds of strangers. Aaron had agreed to it, if a bit reluctantly, but had made it clear that he wasn't a fan of the idea. And the more time that went by the more he pushed for them to reveal their bond.

She was about to continue speaking when he looked back up at her, his eyes resolute and his voice firm. "No, Elsa. I don't care anymore. I'm tired of this charade."

Wearing a placating smile, she tried to sound reassuring. "I know. I am too. I can't wait for the day when I can publically declare my love for you."

"Then give me one reason why that day can't be today."

Normally she would have had to think for a moment to come up with an excuse. However, there was an event approaching that would serve nicely as a reason. "The wedding. We have to wait until after the wedding. It's Anna's day and I don't want anything to take away from it."

Aaron continued to give her a hard look before nodding slightly, as though he'd already had the same thought. "Agreed." Smirking, he added, "Can you imagine what Anna would do if we released something like this on the day of her wedding?"

Letting out a light laugh, Elsa also smiled. "She'd be furious."

He shared the chuckle for a moment before his face grew serious again. "But after the wedding…"

You are not going to let this go, are you? Enough was enough, though. They would have to tell people sooner or later so what was the point of delaying it much more? Besides, it's not like I can think of another excuse not to. "Then we'll tell everyone. After the Blooming Festival is over and everyone has gone home I'll tell the council and then the people."

A few seconds ticked by before he gave a shrug. "Fine. We'll wait until after the festival." While he clearly wasn't thrilled by the prospect of having to wait another two weeks he didn't protest, instead giving her another close look. "But I'm going to hold you to that."

"I know you will." Excising one of her hands from his, she gently placed that hand on his cheek while giving him an enamored smile. "You've been so patient over these last few months. Far more patient than I could have asked for. Now I need you to be patient for just a little while longer."

His hard expression melted away beneath her touch, leaving behind a gratified smirk. "It's a good thing I love you so much. Otherwise I don't think I would put up with this."

Elsa's smile widened as she took a step closer and leaned in towards him. "I love you too."

Before they could share another tender kiss, though, she heard the door open and felt a pang of frustration. Not now! However, the irritation was quickly replaced by panic when she realized someone had just walked in on her and Aaron in each other's arms. After their compromise someone was going to find out today anyway. As a result she gave a relieved sigh when she turned to see it was only Anna standing in the doorway, giving them an apologetic look.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," she said sheepishly, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind her.

Putting on a composed smile, Elsa calmly replied, "It's alright. You didn't interrupt anything too important."

Aaron didn't seem to agree with her as he let out a sigh of his own, only his was out of agitation rather than relief. Taking a step away from Elsa but holding onto her hand, he gave her sister a reproachful look. "Anna, what have I told you about knocking?"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," she stammered, walking over to stand by the fire. As she held out her hands towards the warm flames she gave him a puzzled glance. "But, honestly, I didn't think that you'd still be here, Aaron."

Now it was his turn to look confused. "What do you mean? Where else would I be?"

"Aren't you and Kristoff going to-"

Aaron's eyes widened and his mouth slackened. "Crap! I completely forgot!" He was about to dart for the door when he hesitated and looked back at Elsa. "Sorry, love. I have to go."

Laughing at his sudden shock, she waved him off. "I know. You've been planning this for over a week. You and Kristoff have fun on your trip." After a thought she added, "Just don't do anything too crazy."

"We won't," he replied with a grin before he gave her an alluring look. "We'll be back the day after tomorrow."

She let her own expression become beckoning as she gave his hand a squeeze. "I'll be here."

For a moment it looked like he didn't want to leave just yet while they gazed at each other fondly. But then he gave her a brief kiss before turning away. After giving Anna a brief farewell he rushed to the door, flung it open and hurried down the hall. Watching him go, she suppressed another giggle. While Aaron didn't panic very often, when he did he tended to have an amusing look on his face. As though he'd suddenly realized that he'd set his socks ablaze. Which had happened once when she'd surprised him one evening by accidently dropping a snowbank on his head…

Elsa was so enamored by the memory, laughing as he sputtered and shook frost out of his hair before noticing the inferno consuming his feet, that it took several moments until she eventually realized that Anna was watching her intently. After glancing down to make sure that there was nothing amiss with her attire and seeing nothing out of the ordinary she gave her sister a confused look. "What?"

Her smile broadened while looked back at the fire. "You're a lucky woman, sis."

Smirking, Elsa shook her head. "How so?"

"A lot of women would kill to have a man like Aaron in their lives," she replied, shooting her a glance. "And yet he just sort of fell into your lap."

That drew out a smile of her own as she also looked at the flickering flames. It was true that they'd met seemingly by chance and yet now their lives seemed inseparable. She had no idea where she would be if it wasn't for him but even if nothing else had changed she was still immeasurably grateful for their meeting. "Yeah. I guess I am kind of lucky." Looking over at Anna, she said, "But I'm not the only fortunate one here. I mean, you're getting married in three days!"

Anna didn't react for a moment, staring into the fire pensively, until a warm smile lifted the corners of her mouth. "To the man of my dreams."

"Feeling nervous at all?"

"A little. But that's natural." She gave Elsa an anxious look. "Right?"

Trying her best to look reassuring, she stepped next to her sister and placed her arm across her shoulders to give her a small hug. "Of course it is. It's a big step to take in life. Everything will be fine, though. Just so long as you take that step together. I only hope Kristoff realizes how lucky he is to be engaged to my beautiful baby sister."

The uncertainty vanished, replaced by another heartwarming smile. "Trust me, he does. He tells me every time he sees me."

Elsa gave her a curious look and asked, "He actually says that?"

Shaking her head, Anna shrugged. "Doesn't have to. All he has to do is look at me like I'm the only woman in the world." Her smile faltered slightly. "I just wish Olaf could be here for the wedding."

She didn't respond right away, thinking about the snowman. It had nearly been two months since he'd left, saying that he wanted to see more of the world. The last she'd heard of him he was somewhere in northern Arendelle, working his way along the coast. They hoped he was doing fine, but he promised to be back before the summer ended. "I'm sure wherever he is he's wishing he could be here too."

Anna appeared to be lost in thought for a moment, reflecting on the little snowman, before she gave her head a small shake and slipped her arm around Elsa's, towing her towards the hall. "Come on."

Rather than resisting, Elsa went along without complaint, asking, "Where are we going?"

"To see the boys off on their trip." Anna flashed her a quick grin and added, "And to remind them of the two lucky women who will be waiting for them back at home."