When Meliara returned to her room, she found Mora there, waiting to help her remove the cumbersome ball gown. She must have sensed Mel's exhaustion and distraction because Mora did not speak, only performed her duties and left, allowing Meliara to climb into bed.

And distracted Mel was.

Meliara's mind was racing, keeping her from actually sleeping even though she was tired. All she could think about was that kiss. When she had suggested it, she had not expected the passionate embrace they had shared in front of everyone. She thought it would be just a kiss, but it had been deeper than what she was used to. Vidanric's mouth had been hot and soft and hard all at once, and Mel had forgotten that she was in public as she when she gave in to the embrace. And when he had slipped his tongue into her mouth, her whole body had turned to flame that settled low in her belly. Even now, she could still feel the liquid fire coupled with flashes of desire for more of him. Mel wanted Vidanric. She wanted to know what that sensation would feel like when she gave in and let it take hold of her. But she had left the ball, and Vidanric was probably still there with Russav.

With a sigh, Meliara curled up in her blankets and tried to fall asleep.

Vidanric was suffering from a similar lack of ability to sleep. His head was filled with the possibilities of what would happen if he and Mel had shared that kiss somewhere very, very private. He stared at the ceiling above his bed for what felt like an eternity before he decided that he was not going to get any sleep just lying there. With a sigh, he stood and stepped into a pair of slippers and shrugged on a dressing gown, leaving his hair loose. Not caring if anyone saw him, he padded down the long corridors until he arrived at Mel's door. Manners dictated that he knock as soon as he arrived, but he did not want to wake anyone else that lived along the hallway, so he just tapped the doorframe lightly, hoping she was still awake.

Vidanric heard the rustling of the tapestry to the bedroom on the other side of the parlor and a glow globe flicked on before her finger poked out and pulled the edge of the tapestry away from the frame. Mel's one eye, that he could see, widened in surprise before she pulled the hanging back to let him in.

"What are you doing here?" Mel whispered.

"I couldn't sleep," Vidanric replied, taking in the sight of her. She hadn't bothered with a dressing gown or slippers, and her bare feet poked out from beneath her nearly sheer white nightgown. She was beautiful. He did not bother to say anything more. He went to her and pulled her roughly against him, capturing her mouth in a kiss as roughly passionate as the one they had shared for the entire ballroom to see. Vidanric wrapped an arm beneath her bottom and lifted her up to bring her face level with his.

Meliara wrapped her arms around his neck once again and returned the kiss with as much enthusiasm as she had the first one. When his tongue sought her mouth, she parted her lips and responded by meeting his tongue with her own. Meliara's breathing sped up and something low in her belly tightened at the sound of Vidanric's growl as she wrapped her legs around his waist as far as she could. She was hampered by the nightgown though, so Vidanric raked it up over her hips and pressed her as close to him as he could.

After what felt like hours but could only have been a minute or maybe two, Vidanric moved them into Mel's bedroom and onto her bed. He supported himself on his elbows, afraid to crush her beneath him and stretched out over Mel, keeping his hips over hers and moved from her mouth to her throat, kissing his way down to the neckline of her nightgown. Meliara made little gasping sounds that only made him more aware of her fumbling for the knot on his dressing gown. She was soon going to realize what all of this was doing to him, and he didn't know how she would react.

Mel finally got the knot undone and opened Vidanric's dressing gown, hands sliding over Vidanric's shoulders and pushing the garment off of him. He sat up and let her remove the robe, then covered her body with his once again. Mel felt for the laces on his shirt and undid those without thinking. She couldn't think as she pulled the hem of the shirt up and ran her fingers along Vidanric's muscular stomach and up to his chest. He groaned into her mouth and broke the kiss to divest himself of the shirt. Before he returned to continue their kiss Meliara realized he was dragging the nightgown she was wearing up over her belly and she was suddenly nervous. She tugged the gown down a little to cover her stomach and struggled into a sitting position. Vidanric, realizing she was uncomfortable, removed his hands from her clothes and knelt before her.

"What's wrong?" Vidanric asked breathlessly. Even in the darkness, he could see her blushing.

"I—I don't know," Meliara stammered. "I've never done this before."

"It's alright," Vidanric said. "Really, you don't have to do anything if you do not want to."

Meliara reached past Vidanric and touched what, he realized when light flooded the room, was a glow globe. They both blinked in the sudden light, and to distract himself, Vidanric admired her long, braided auburn hair. The end of it, which lay next to him, was tied off with a white ribbon. Vidanric fiddled with the bow on the ribbon and wondered if she would let him untie it.

While he was looking down, distracted by her hair, Meliara admired the way Vidanric looked without a shirt. She had never really wondered about what was under men's clothes, but she liked what she saw of Vidanric, despite her blazing cheeks. His long hair was unbound, strands of it falling over his muscled shoulders to lay against his chest. Meliara reached out and ran a finger down the middle of his chest, over his stomach to his belly button where Vidanric caught her hand and kissed the finger she still held outstretched, meeting her eyes. Instead of the usual flat gaze of his court mask, she gasped, wide-eyed, when she saw the burning desire in his eyes. Desire he was trying desperately to hold back, so he would not frighten her. Vidanric knew he had failed when Meliara's face became even redder.

Vidanric let go of Mel's hand and caressed her cheek before taking her face in both of his hands and drawing her in for a kiss. Instead of the burning hot need she expected, Meliara thought that this kiss was sweet, undemanding, and this time, she did not resist when Vidanric tugged her nightdress up over her head. Now she sat before him in nothing but her underthings, and when he moved to lay over her, she laid back with him. Vidanric's hips ground into hers, and Meliara felt something warm and hard press against her. She gasped as desire flooded through her and pooled low in her belly.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Vidanric asked, pulling away.

"No," Mel whispered, pulling his face back down for another kiss. His hands roamed over her bare torso, tickling, and making her gasp and moan. Vidanric's fingers hooked around the waistband of her underwear and tugged, pulling them down as he trailed kisses along her belly. When he had removed that last bit of clothing he undid his trousers and yanked them off along with his underclothes. Vidanric was suddenly self-conscious as he watched Meliara's eyes widen when she saw him naked for the first time. He knew that he was her first experience. No peeking at the men's side of the bathhouse for her! Then Mel's eyes met his, and she smiled, banishing the awkwardness.

Meliara was nervous, but Vidanric was gentle. After a few uncomfortable moments, they moved together in unison with little breathy moans between kisses. For Meliara, everything was new and exciting and sensory, and Vidanric could have burst from the utter bliss coursing through him. Both of them soared higher and higher until Meliara, and then Vidanric, teetered over the edge, and they lost themselves in pleasurable oblivion.

Meliara caught her breath as the euphoria faded and realized that Vidanric was still was still lying on top of her, no longer holding up his own weight, and making it difficult for her to breathe. His face was buried in the crook of her neck, but when she squirmed uncomfortably, he raised himself up on shaking arms and rolled to lie beside her. Meliara, limp and sleepy, curled up on her side and snuggled up to Vidanric, who wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"Did I hurt you?" Vidanric asked, his voice soft and sleey.

"No, Danric, you didn't," Meliara replied.

"Good," Vidanric replied. He roused enough to pull a blanket over them, then settled back down with his forehead resting against Meliara's.

"Mel?"

"Hmm?" she murmured, already half asleep.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too, Danric."

Vidanric smiled and stroked her hair until he heard her breathing become even, and he knew she was asleep. He smiled and followed her into sleepy oblivion.