Her head drooped a bit, jostling her awake as she sat upon the sofa with a book in her lap. She ran a hand over her face, doing her best to wake up. She was tired from staying up so late the night before, and she contemplated lying down for a nap before she would be forced to go to dinner with her husband and his colleagues yet again. It certainly wouldn't have hurt her to get a little more sleep, as she had nodded off several times in a row by then. She had spent the day to herself, her husband having disappeared upon rising. Had she been in a better state of mind, she would have visited the abbey or even stepped out for a bit, but she felt her thoughts were a bit messy for that. She needed time alone.

Her entire evening with Georg had been nothing short of perfection. She continued to replay every second of their conversations in her head, every second of their dance together. She saw every smile and felt every touch so vividly that it felt as if she were still living in that very moment, suspended high above reality. While she had not intended to entertain the idea of spending time with him alone again, all she could think about was how she was going to return to his side in the hotel bar that evening. She scolded herself for the thought every time, but she still couldn't stop herself from fixating on it. Her heart ached to be near him. She needed him more than she could comprehend.

Suddenly, Otto burst into the room, having been out on business most of the day, and she felt her guard rising immediately. He bashfully tried to meet her eyes, which she refused, before he came to sit next to her upon the sofa. It was surprising to her that he even had the courage to try facing her. She looked to the bruise that had formed upon her wrist, the reminder of how out of control things had gotten the night before. It was easy to pretend the evening ended after she left Georg's side, until the return of her husband brought the rest of the night into focus.

"I can't express to you enough how sorry I am, how ashamed I am of what happened last night." His words were sincere, and she knew he meant them very much, but she was having the most difficult time even thinking about forgiving him. He placed a long, velvet box upon her lap, and she frowned. She was highly disappointed in the gesture, always thinking he was better than that; or at least that he knew her a bit better than that.

"You think jewelry is the way to buy my forgiveness?"

"I had hoped it would help." She met his eyes incredulously, and he sighed, remorse incredibly apparent across his face. "I swear to you, Maria, I didn't mean to hurt you. I would never hurt you intentionally."

"You did, though." She felt tears prickling behind her eyes, but she willed them away. She would never allow him to see her cry because of him if she could help it. "You only behave that way when you're drunk."

"I know, I become so out of control, and it's appalling." She shook her head, scoffing.

"Then stop drinking. If you know you get out of control every time, then I don't know why you do it at all." He looked ashamed, unable to meet her eyes for a moment. They had rarely had any form of disagreement at all since they met, so they were treading unfamiliar territory. She simply couldn't just let it go though, there was no way.

She was asleep by the time he returned to their hotel room the night before. He barreled in, kicking off his clothes and leaving them haphazardly thrown about the floor. She was awakened by his naked body pressed tightly to her backside, sloppy, drunk kisses falling against the back of her neck. She was disgusted, unable to hide it, as she pushed him away from her and refused his advances. He whined to her for a moment before trying again, and again, until finally she looked him straight in the eyes and told him to keep his hands off of her. He angrily grasped her wrist, shouting something about her being his personal property, as he tried with all his power to bring her hand to his erection. She wondered if he had crushed her bones by the time she finally squirmed free of his grasp and locked herself in the bathroom. He passed out quickly after, but she had been completely shaken ever since. She had never realized just how much stronger he was than her, and it had been alarming, to say the least. She felt violated beyond words, empty and confused by it all.

"I promise I'll do better. I know it's a problem." He took her hand in his, fully prepared to beg if she asked. He looked like a child to her, all of a sudden. He had always had an immaturity about him, there was no doubt about that, but after spending the evening with a man like Georg, she could no longer see past it.

"I will not be married to a man who puts his hands on me like that." He gently wiped an escaped tear from her cheek with his thumb, and she involuntarily flinched at his touch. He frowned, wishing he could take it all back. She had very vaguely opened up to him about the abuse she suffered in her childhood, unwilling to tell him many details, but she tried, so he knew she was already quite damaged in that way.

"No, you won't. I won't let it happen again. I love you too much not to get myself together." He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, and she gave him a weak smile, which she knew couldn't have possibly shown in her eyes. He gingerly leaned forward to kiss her lips, meeting her eyes afterward and revealing all of himself to her. "I do love you so much, Maria."

"Then show me." She stood, the velvet box upon her lap falling to the sofa in her haste to end the conversation, as well as avoid the expectation that she would return his sentiment.

xxxxx

Georg sat at the bar waiting for her…what a fool he was, he knew. He couldn't deny that he was waiting for her; what else would he have been doing, after all? It was so wrong of him though. While he could easily admit that he had stayed in town a couple of nights to spend time with her, he knew his intentions were less than honorable by meeting her for a second night. He could have easily taken advantage of her the night before, and she would have been a fully willing participant, which frightened him quite a lot. In his heart, he did not wish to do a thing that would threaten her marriage or her current life. She had built a very good life for herself, after all. Who was he to disrupt that? He made his choice and suffered for it ever since.

He sighed, taking a sip of his drink as he glanced at the clock once more. He had been there for an hour, listening to the music, chatting with the bartender, anything to occupy his mind as he waited. He wondered how long was too long to wait. Was there a certain time he needed to simply give up? She would have likely had to go to dinner with her husband's colleagues, he was on a business trip after all, but he couldn't imagine she would want to leave her husband's side for a past would-be love. She would be fulfilling her duty to her husband, naturally, and she would be happy to do so. She had promised to come and visit the children the next day anyway. It wasn't like he would never see her again, he reasoned with himself.

"Always brooding." He jumped to find the object of his thoughts standing directly next to him, a smile gracing her beautiful face. He had been so preoccupied with his thoughts, he hadn't even seen her come in.

"Something like that." He laughed and motioned for her to take a seat next to him, which she happily did. She ordered a lemon drop, and he smiled at how adorable she was to him. The idea of his former postulant turned governess drinking even a sip of alcohol felt strange, but he found she was different in many ways after so many months of her new life. Different, yet still the same Maria who had stolen his heart.

"I'm sorry I took a moment. Dinner dragged on for the longest time." She rolled her eyes, remembering the older men telling stories of their youth, neglecting then remembering their meals at an agonizingly slow pace.

In truth, she had decided she wasn't going to meet him at all. She knew she was treading on thin ice with her life choices, with her own thoughts, and she had made the decision to remove the temptation by returning to the hotel room with her husband after dinner. She needed to talk with him more anyway, to allow them a chance to begin healing their bond. And then Otto accepted a drink, and then another, and soon enough he was on his way out again with his colleagues. She told him she would not be in their room when he returned, but he was tipsy enough at that point that he didn't seem to mind much. In fact, he spoke to her a bit cruelly, daring her to find a better way to spend her time, taunting her even. After promising he would make a change, she felt completely let down by his actions.

"I know those dinners well. Endless."

"The perfect word to describe it." They shared a laugh, and she took a drink, taking a deep breath at the coolness in her throat.

"What on earth did you do to yourself?" He frowned as he pointed to her wrist, and she quickly noticed that her cuff bracelet had slid down enough to reveal her bruises. Her heart leapt with dread. She didn't want anyone else to know, especially him.

"Oh…I, um, I got it caught. It looks worse than it is." She smiled and pushed her bracelet to cover it again, but he very clearly didn't believe a word she said. He didn't push the issue, but they each knew it was not the last time he would ask.

She tried to focus on her time with Georg, but she was still quite angry with her husband, for many reasons. He had been absolute perfection when they began courting, but as time passed, he was becoming more and more frustrating, more aggressive in many ways. She supposed that was one of the reasons couples tended to wait a bit longer before marriage, and it was a reminder of how she should have done the same. Being so impulsive had never caused her as much pain as it was in her current state, and she wished she had been able to see the future a bit more clearly.

"You're sad." She met his eyes as he stopped her from talking about some nonsense she was using to change the subject. He had always had the ability to read her so well, it was slightly alarming. Her first instinct was to laugh away his words, but she stopped herself. She had only ever been able to be honest with him anyway.

"Yes, I suppose I am."

"Do you want to talk about it?" She laughed a bit, shaking her head.

"No, it will pass." In reality, she was well aware of the mistake she was going to make that night, and no matter how she screamed for herself to leave, she wanted to do it. He took her hand in his atop the bar, and she felt her body shudder with warmth. His thumb trailed over her knuckles before he brought her hand to his lips for a gentle kiss. She couldn't stop staring at his eyes, taking in every variation of blue staring back at her.

"I am a good listener."

"We both know that's not why we're here." He frowned, unsure exactly what that meant. She bit her lip, not meaning for the words to come out, in her typical fashion. She shook her head and quickly finished her drink, sighing.

"What do you mean by that?" She met his eyes incredulously, but he wasn't making assumptions about what she meant. In fact, he was quite intimidated by her meaning. It was one thing for him to have unfulfilled intentions with her, but for her to feel the same was something he had not anticipated. The idea that any feelings could be acted upon made him feel concerned for her well-being. He was supposed to be the immoral one in the situation, not her. Without her keeping them grounded, he wasn't sure what would.

"Could we go for a walk or something? It's stuffy in here." He nodded immediately, tossing some money upon the bar and helping her stand. She smiled and took his arm, allowing him to lead her out of the hotel bar as if he had done so a million times before, as if they belonged like that. They stepped outside, and she immediately shivered at the brisk air.

"This is the exact opposite of stuffy. Here, take my jacket." He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over her shoulders before she could decline his offer, and the heat from his body made her feel cocooned in his presence, in his scent. He smelled like heaven. Her knees suddenly felt so weak from it, she thought she would faint any minute.

They chatted for a bit as they reminisced about the few walks they took together around his lake when she was his governess. Every conversation they had at the time was completely electric, and they always left feeling so much closer to one another. The fact that he, being the experienced one between the two of them, didn't see what was right beneath his nose was something he would regret for the rest of his life. She only knew how he made her feel, she had no idea why or what those feelings meant at the time.

She smiled as he led her down the streets of Salzburg, remembering outings she had taken with the children and the dress shop she had frequented many times in her life. Her current wardrobe was more incredible than she had ever imagined it would be, and she had no desire to sew anything as of late. She knew her husband would be appalled if she tried to make a dress on her own, let alone if she actually wore it. He would probably think her mad, she mused.

"Thank you, I needed to get out." They entered the hotel, making their way toward the elevators. It must have been late, as there was no one else in sight, she noticed.

"The pleasure was mine, believe me. I've very much enjoyed seeing you the past two evenings." She smiled, taking his hand in hers as the elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside, alone. Her heart was pounding at their close proximity as he pushed the button for his floor. She pushed her button as well, noting that she was only one floor above his, as the apparatus ascended.

"I apologize for being a bit distracted tonight. I have a lot weighing on my mind."

"I can tell. I do wish you'd let me help you with it." She smiled, wishing she could open up, but knowing their spell would be broken completely if she did. Their eyes met, heavy and full of meaning.

"Perhaps another time." She whispered, smiling softly as she realized how close they were standing to one another. He returned her smile, the elevator ascending at an agonizing pace. His heart was pounding in his chest, he would miss his chance if he didn't take it.

"Maria…please forgive me for doing this now." She raised her eyebrows in question before he quickly pressed his lips to her own. She sighed in surprise, and complete longing, as she closed her eyes and returned the kiss wholeheartedly. It felt like heaven, as if she had shot straight up to the clouds at the touch of his lips against hers. He began to pull away, but she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer, needing a moment longer against his body. He felt like pure perfection to her.

The elevator dinged, stopping at his floor as they quickly disentangled themselves from one another. It would have been detrimental for anyone to find them like that. She held her hand to her mouth, shocked beyond belief by how hot her entire body felt. They maintained eye contact, chests rising and falling from pure adrenaline. Desire permeated the elevator, the air heavy and thick around them as he placed his hand in the door to keep it open. She bit her lip, knowing she was making a mistake, but unable to stop herself if she tried, as she exited the elevator and took his hand in her own once more.

He led her to his room, their legs unable to carry them quickly enough, and he looked about for anyone who may see them as she rushed inside. He closed the door with her body, pressing his own against her as he took her face between his hands. The darkness of the room left only their eyes to shine in the moonlight, sparkling as they looked deeply into one another. He kissed her passionately, and she wrapped her arms around his neck once more, his jacket falling to the ground from its place upon her shoulders. She pressed her body against his, wanting nothing more than to feel every inch of him, as he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

She began hastily undoing the buttons of his shirt, untucking it from his pants with urgency, and he pushed it from his shoulders. Touching his bare skin sent chills across her entire body, her hands unable to take him in fast enough as she moved her fingers over his chest. He bit her bottom lip before renewing their kiss, and she quickly began to push the straps of her dress off her shoulders as he worked on the zipper at her back. The dress itself was one she didn't need to wear much beneath, and he felt himself nearly explode as he pushed it down, leaving her clad only in her panties and stockings. He ran his hands over her backside, one hand moving rapidly up her body to palm one of her bare breasts. She gasped with need, never having been touched so decisively, so completely overwhelmingly. His hands left trails of fire everywhere they touched.

She reached down and unhooked her garter belt while their tongues battled, kicking off her shoes as he began to pull her toward the bed. The moon shone through the window, illuminating the room in pale shades of blue and white. The atmosphere was calm and safe, as if they were the only two people in the world. He reached for his belt, but her hands were faster, quickly unbuttoning his pants and pushing them to his feet. He kicked off his shoes, finally breaking their kiss to allow them a moment to breathe as he trailed his lips across her neck. He could hear her gasping for air as he pressed his hips against hers, his erection more than apparent. He tried to slow them down a bit, knowing he needed to be responsible for them both, give her a second to think. Her heart was beating dangerously fast against his lips as he suckled her pulse point.

"Touch me." Her words were breathless, floating across his ear like a feather, and he knew there was no chance of stopping even if he wanted to. She gasped as he brought a hand between her legs, finding her panties completely soaked through as he began to rub her with his fingers. He couldn't stop himself if he tried, his kiss trailing down her neck, between her breasts, as he fell to his knees before her. He placed heated kisses against her stomach, removing her stockings before pushing her panties down her legs to leave her completely bare in front of him. He bit her hipbone, suckling to leave a mark for her to find later. Before she could decide his next move, he nuzzled his mouth between her legs, his tongue jetting out to taste her arousal as his hands grasped her backside and pulled her close. She moaned loudly, the most heavenly sound he had ever heard in his entire life, he was certain. "My God…"

He smiled against her desire, her complete surprise at what he was doing to her, and he moved his tongue a bit faster as he pushed her toward the bed. He lay her down, wasting no time in positioning her legs over his shoulders as she opened them fully for him. Her fingers grasped his hair, her pelvis unable to stop its movement against his mouth as he claimed her. Her head was spinning, her body hot and breathless. She had no idea such pleasures could be brought to her, let alone with someone's tongue. The thought would have appalled her only hours before, yet suddenly as she was taken with the most desire she had ever felt in her life, she couldn't think of anything more sensual than his lips between her thighs, his tongue licking every possible point of her pleasure.

She needed him more than she could have possibly said in that moment, and she quickly grasped his shoulders, stopping his work and pulling him up the length of her body. He wiped his mouth with his hand, having fully intended to bring her to the peak of her pleasure in that way, but thrilled at her impatience to have him inside of her. She began pushing down his underwear, and he quickly helped her as he removed them from his body. He kissed her, and she found herself incredibly aroused by her own taste upon his lips, as she quickly spread her legs and guided him inside. She bit into his bottom lip, and he groaned at his own desire as he slipped deep into her. Their fit was undeniably tight, and he knew he would have to control himself to ensure he brought her pleasure before he couldn't take it anymore.

"You feel incredible." His words were gruff in her ear, and she smiled in pure excitement as she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, pressing kisses to his cheek.

"You do too." He pulled out and thrust once more, and she felt herself beginning to pulsate around him. She rocked her hips with him, pulling him as deeply as she could as he set a slow, deliberate pace. He intended to make their time together last as long as he could, especially for as rushed as they had been to get to that point.

She ran her hands over his back, feeling his muscles flex as he moved above her, as he consumed her. He thrust a bit harder, and her insides jolted with pleasure, throbbing at their tight connection. He ran a hand through her hair, pressing a kiss to her lips as he moved his fingers down her body to rest upon her hip. Her skin was softer than he had anticipated, and he couldn't stop himself from caressing every part of her he could reach. She wasn't sure she had ever been touched so tenderly, and she felt her skin prickling with each passing touch. She held him closer, pressing kisses against his shoulder as he picked up the pace once more.

Suddenly, he moved upon his knees a bit, leaving her uncovered below him as he took in the sight of her body. She did the same, never quite realizing how physically fit he was beneath the layers of clothing he always wore. He wrapped a hand behind her lower back, guiding her movements to grind harder against him as he thrust, and the new angle nearly sent her over the edge. She spread her legs wider, feeling herself sliding against him, their skin wet from perspiration and complete desire at their connection. She closed her eyes, her body beginning to shudder as the pressure building in her pelvis held her tightly. He quickly moved his hand between them, rubbing circles against her with his thumb, and she felt her entire body jolt upright at the intensity of her orgasm, her toes tingling and her vision going white for a brief moment. She gasped weakly as they moved through her pleasure, her body tense and convulsing against him, but he never stopped, refusing to give her anything less than the sensations she deserved.

She bit her lip, eyes still closed as her body pulsated around him, and he moved to fully cover her once more, his hands taking hers as he pressed them above her head. She opened her eyes to find his staring deeply into her soul, and she continued to move her pelvis with him, swirling her hips to meet his own needs. He groaned, deep in his throat, and his body began to shudder against her. She held tightly to his hands, watching in complete awe as he came undone on top of her, her legs pulling him as deeply as she could. He shivered and shook, his movements becoming labored and weak until he could move no more, nearly doubling over upon her.

He gasped for air as he rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed from the sheer weight of everything that had just occurred. In reality, he had only kissed her a mere ten minutes or so prior to that moment. Everything had happened so fast, and yet, neither of them could find it in their hearts to regret one second of their time together. The consequences of their actions were pushed so far to the back of their minds in that moment, as she pressed deep kisses to his lips, holding him as closely as she could to maintain their connection. He ran a hand through her hair, meeting her eyes as he pulled away. The love they knew they could never speak passed between their gaze in that moment, and somehow they didn't need the words anyway.