Page 22 of Love Letters & Lemon Drops

Emotions well up within me and I don't really know what to do with them. At a loss for any other ideas, I step forwards and kiss him, trying to convey everything I'm feeling in the gesture. I need him to know how much his words mean to me. To know he's loved me for so long, and that he's chosen to remain faithful to a relationship that was just in letters, means the world to me.

"I love you too," I whisper.

A loud bang cuts through our conversation, and we both jump, only to laugh as the first firework lights up the sky.

"I forgot about them already," I admit. "They're amazing."

"They're from Shengda," he says. "I've never seen anything like them from anywhere else."

Bright lights fill the sky along with a few more bangs. The lights sparkle like stars even as they shimmer and fall to the ground. It feels a lot like I do, and perfect for the moment I'm sharing with Arthur. Except that I don't want this to end.

"Arthur?" I whisper.

"Mmm?"

"You don't have to leave after the fireworks, do you?"

"Not if you don't want me to," he says. "But if you do at any point, just say the word."

"Stay," I respond, nestling myself back into his arms and watching the remaining fireworks. But no matter what I do, I can't stop thinking about how it felt to touch his bare skin, and wonder how long it's going to be until I can do that again.

Chapter 11

I don't even think about it as I draw Arthur through my sitting room and into my bedchamber. Should I be doing this? Not if I listen to all of the things Mamá told me before I came here. But if I listen to the way I feel, then this is precisely where I should be.

I tug him to me and kiss him just as deeply as outside on the balcony. My whole body is tingling, and it's hard to tell if it's just because of the cold, or because of the anticipation. I don't suppose that I care very much, all I want is to feel good.

Arthur breaks the kiss and turns me around, his lips nuzzling against my ear. "How complicated is your dress to take off?" he murmurs.

A thrill I don't recognise shoots through me. "Not too hard," I respond. "It's a day dress."

"I don't know what that means."

"There are ties at the back of my bodice."

"All right." He steps back, and the cool air rushes in. I miss his touch until I feel it tugging at the laces of my bodice. He's surprisingly patient, and he manages to get it undone.

I reach up and untie the sections of my sleeves attached to it, allowing me to pull them off. There's a lot more of my dress to go, even if it is a simple one, but I'm eager to get the rest of it off.

It only takes a few moments for my bodice to be discarded, and my skirts soon follow, leaving me in the thin shift I have underneath.

Arthur's hand presses against my stomach, pulling me back to him. He brushes some hair off my neck and leans in, kissing the soft skin there. My breath catches in my throat and the desire for more keeps growing inside me.

I break away, taking his hand and leading him over to the bed.

"What do you want me to do?" he asks, his dark blue eyes full of desire.

"I'm not sure," I admit. "Just, something that feels good."

He nods and gets on the bed beside me. I want to suggest that we get rid of more of our clothes, but I'm not sure if that's what he has in mind. He cups my cheek in his hand and draws me to him, giving me a tender kiss that says that this is about far more than the physical need that's growing within me.

I take his hand in mine and place it on my hip. The warmth of his palm seeps through my shift and I'm almost desperate for him to do more.

He deepens the kiss as his hand drifts lower, finding the edge of the fabric.

I gasp as his fingers skim against the bare skin of my leg. No one has touched me there, not like this, and I want to feel more of it. He kisses down my neck and across my collarbones as his hand slips up higher. It's unlike anything I've ever felt before.

“What..."

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