Adam gazed lovingly at Belle as she stood near the balcony in their bedchamber. Her chambers had been moved to the adjoining room, though Belle had made it clear she would rarely, if ever, sleep there. She seemed caught in her own thoughts as he moved behind her, wrapping her in his embrace and kissing her in the sweet crook of her neck.
"Marie wanted me in a peruke," she giggled. "Can you imagine it? On top of all those skirts? I think I would have died!" Her face was flushed and Adam wondered, not for the first time that night, if she had perhaps had a little more wine than she usually did.
"I cannot imagine, do not wish to imagine, and am everlastingly pleased that you are currently in far fewer skirts and layers. You looked like a rather tasty bit of cake, and I must admit I am eager to devour you." Belle turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his lips.
"Devour me, husband," she said in a low voice. "We've dined and drunk our fill, and now it is certainly time for sweets." Adam smiled at her in amusement.
"You have certainly drunk your fill, my beauty!" he answered with a low chuckle. "How much have you had to drink?"
"All god Bacchus had to spare and more!" Belle moaned softly, moving to the bed as she tried to unlace her dress. Clearly she had forgotten about the buttons and she gave a frustrated little stomp of her foot. "Oh, husband, help me. The girls have all but sewn me into this wretched thing."
Adam knew he was far from sober himself as he caught her up in his arms. With one great heft, he tore the silk down the seams and Belle shrieked in horror or amusement. Mostly amusement, he guessed, judging from the grin on her face.
"Is that better?" he asked, feigning contriteness. Belle fell back on the bed, laughing in delight.
"Marie will absolutely die of horror when she sees the gown in the morning!" Belle giggled.
"When did Madame become Marie?" Adam wondered. "And why are we talking of her, anyway?" Belle gasped in delectation as he began the torturously slow kisses she'd grown to love so much.
"She became Marie and Plumette became Sophie to me when they became my femmes de chambres. They are my friends and companions and equals. I cannot see them as servants." Belle said by way of response. Adam grunted in reply.
"And why are we speaking of them?" he asked.
"Because you ripped my dress," she gasped. Adam kissed her again as he slid the torn fabric from her body.
"And did you plan on wearing that particular dress again?" He said, trailing soft, delectable kisses over her collarbone and to the soft cleft between her breasts. Belle merely shook her head. "And this corset," he continued. "This deathtrap of whalebone and silk," he traced a finger down the front of it. "Are you likewise sewn into this? It seems particularly designed to keep a prince from his wife, and while I love what it does to your most delicious waist, I do not like how very much it is in my way at the moment." Belle laughed softly, and Adam enjoyed the musical sound of it.
"It is NOT a deathtrap," she protested. "I find I like it very much, so long as they do not lace me in too tightly. There are laces in the rear. Marie left one long. You need only tug it and the whole thing should come loose for you quite easily." Adam followed her instruction and was very pleased to find it immediately did as she said it would.
"Your turn," Belle whispered. Adam feigned ignorance.
"My turn what, beautiful girl?" he said, kissing her again and discovering the taste of brandy among the wine on her tongue.
"I am nearly naked and you are nearly fully clothed and it isn't fair. I am not quite strong enough to rip your jacket to pieces, and I should like you out of it as soon as you could manage, please." Adam kissed her again, tasting her more fully, allowing himself to be intoxicated by the kiss and the slightly wicked feeling of knowing just what would come next.
"Belle," he questioned. "Have you been drinking brandy?"
"It was there," she excused herself.
"Indeed it was," he began to divest himself of his clothing, feeling himself harden under her watchful, lustful gaze. It was so unlike any look she'd given to him in the past, even on those occasions that she had pleasured him with her hands and mouth that he found himself as unsteady as he had ever been in her presence. She moved on him with unexpected speed, wrapping herself around him and planting kisses on him with such ferocity that he nearly fell over with the force of it.
"How much brandy?" He laughed out loud.
"I lost track. Enough to make me feel thoroughly warm and tingly throughout. But not enough to overshadow what is happening. Make me your wife, husband!" Belle demanded. Adam very willingly moved to acquiesce.
Slowly, he began to lay her back on the pillows, rejoicing in the artistry of her figure, the beauty of her curves, the wonder of her grace. She shivered slightly and he moved over her, kissing her first and then stroking her arms with his hands.
"Perhaps," he allowed. "Or perhaps I would rather move very slowly." He kissed her forehead, her cheek, her earlobe, her jaw and her neck. "Perhaps I could simply bask in your beauty, worship you like the goddess of love. Perhaps, just for tonight, I could raise you up on that pedestal you hate so much." He trailed kisses down her shoulders as he lifted the hem of her chemise to raise it up over her head. "Tonight I will make you my Aphrodite, my Venus, my Hathor, my Freya." His kisses continued to trail lower, as he removed the final scraps of undergarments from Belle's body. They lay utterly naked together now.
"And you will be my Eros?" Belle wondered softly.
"I'd rather be your Pan," he replied. "Eros is Aphrodite's son, and that is just wrong. Besides, Pan is wild and untamed love." Adam had kissed down to Belle's hips and back up again and was holding her gently in his arms now. "I know you love me wild and untamed."
Belle gasped softly as she felt Adam begin to probe her gently. She was pleasantly lightheaded from the drink earlier in the evening, but not so much that it overshadowed what was happening now.
He began to move down her much as he had the first time he gave her pleasure, using his mouth, but where he had at first only used one finger, now he gave her two. It was enticingly pleasant. She felt full, but not painfully so, as he continued to please her.
"That's new," she observed softly, reaching for his shoulders. She could feel the curve of Adam's lips as he smiled against her and the rasp of his beard. At least whatever oil had been put into it had left it amazingly soft and silky. His hair, now loosed from his ponytail, tickled her thighs, and Belle gloried in the sensations. She could feel the warmth rise up inside her, begin to clench at her belly as he brought her to the newly familiar peak of pleasure.
"Stop, Adam," she demanded, placing her hands on his head. "You'll finish me, and we've hardly begun." Adam kissed her fingers, but did not remove his own from inside her.
"No, dearest Belle," he whispered in dulcet tones. "For you are about to learn another great secret. A great gift that has been given to women, and to women alone. I can pleasure you now and again and again tonight. And each time will be greater than the last. Give yourself to me. Trust me. Abandon yourself to me." He placed his thumb against the soft center of her that she'd learned was the key to her pleasure and she found herself shattering in his arms. Even as she did so, even as her world began to fall apart, she could feel Adam's hand replaced with something else, something different, something new. Belle was so caught up in her pleasure that even the momentary pain meant nothing. It rolled and crashed over her like waves on a beach and she found herself grasping and clutching at her lover's shoulders, realizing that it was his own manhood she felt inside her.
She was stunned and amazed and tears sprang to her eyes.
"Belle," Adam wiped the tears from her eyes with such gentleness it made her want to cry harder. "I'm so sorry love." She couldn't speak and only shook her head at him. He misunderstood her tears. She kissed him fiercely and then laughed out loud as she floated down from her peak of bliss.
"You are altogether the most wonderful man I have ever known!" Belle declared.