Sarah Jane hadn't seen Anthony the entire day. Her last meal had been the eggs and toast from breakfast and she had not been able to take any food for the rest of the afternoon due to the building anxiety in her stomach.

Her mind held the morning conversation on repeat as she mulled over her infernal words that provoked Anthony's hungry gaze and sultry smile. Even as the words left her lips, she didn't know what she was about. Maybe she had assumed too much, been too pushy, and then unwittingly unleashed a beast inside her affianced.

All she knew was that she wanted him, and she wanted him to trust her.

If he had taken her in that drawing room, then she would not presently be in this perpetual state of inquietude. She wouldn't be in this room at all.

She stared at the timepiece that silently ticked atop the writing desk as she wondered what exactly Anthony had in mind when he said "tonight." Tonight could be any time between the sunset and sunrise. She had been wringing her hands for the past hour as she anticipated his arrival.

Sarah Jane bathed in vanilla tonight, thinking that the scent might be pleasing for him.

She was in her favorite nightclothes, a very thin cotton chemise that had a demure ribbon around her neck. She had no idea if it was his favorite, but the chemise ended around her ankles, and stretched over her arm, covering half of her hand with ruffles. This was the very same chemise that she wore when she stumbled upon him in his study at Kinsmen Place. It was their first sexually charged kiss, and Sarah Jane thought that he might have wanted to see her again in it—if just to bring back desirable memories.

Quite unsure of what to do with herself, she started to pace the room, brushing her hair repeatedly as she thought that maybe she should have better prepared for their lovemaking. What was to be prepared further than a long bath?

There was a light scratch on the door.

She whispered for him to come in, quickly stepping away as her shaking hand grabbed a hold of the only lighted candle of the room.

Anthony entered, his crisp white shirt on his back, loosely tied breeches and boots hugged his legs. He carried with him a large velvet robe and a dim candle in the other. She came to him then, and he planted a chaste kiss on her lips as he set the candle down on a table. His hands worked quickly, and covered her with the robe.

She shivered as his hands felt warm against the cool muslin on her skin. "Where have you been all day?"

"Hiding," he told her with a grin. "I had an interesting discovery this morning on how you have been watching me. Which was why it was necessary to take the extra pains to hide from you to make our tryst all the more exciting."

She swatted his arm. Sarah Jane liked the way Anthony had become playful and carefree after having chased his demons away. Sarah Jane couldn't believe how she had trapped a man like him into a marriage with her.

"You are going to marry me..." She reminded him since her mind just wouldn't allow her to proceed with this if its main concern was not appeased.

"Yes." He agreed and extinguished her candle with a swift puff of air, left it on the desk, and then pulled her into the hallway. His fingers guided the door to gently close behind them as if they were thieves stealing into the night.

Anthony smiled, thinking that he is very much a thief with the way he was taking Sarah Jane from her room to ravish her in his.

"You are going to marry me," She continued in a whisper, "even with my very atrocious manners and savagery?"

Anthony did not answer right away, instead, he pulled her as he pushed his index finger against his mouth, and led them both to tiptoe to his room.

Upon entering, he immediately set his candle on a nearby desk. Anthony gave her one long sweet kiss. "Especially because of your atrocious manners and savagery."

His smile made him look a few years younger. He gently pushed her further in the room, taking her shoulders in his hands. "But I shall marry you simply because I love you."

Sarah Jane smiled, the kind of smile that definitely reached her eyes and made it sparkle with unconcealed happiness from his revelation. She reached up to kiss him again, but he held his head back, his hand stretching out to reach for a glass of sherry from a table beside him.

"Drink," he offered her a glass of the sweet liquid.

Her mouth turned down slightly, "I don't like the taste." And she then turned to shift her attention to his room.

This was the first time that she was able to step foot in his room in London, and it was surprisingly much simpler than what she had imagined.

Anthony took her hands and wrapped her fingers around the glass. "It's not wine. It's sherry. I even added a little bit of honey."

She took a sip and was surprised to find it sweet.

Sarah Jane looked around the room and noticed that Anthony had lighted more candles than usual. "Is it not too awfully bright in here?"

His hands went up to her shoulders and peeled the robe away from her body, his contact caused her to shiver. "I wanted to see you, every single inch of you."

She downed her glass and handed it to him as the warmth steadily spread throughout her body. Anthony removed it from their attention and pulled her towards a large window where there laid a big bouquet of flowers.

"I know I am a little late in our formal courtship, but I cannot marry you without even having the decency to bring you flowers." He frowned a little, before continuing, "I did not even know what your favorites are."

"I have no favorite," she replied, astonished at the sight of the variety of flowers in a single bouquet. Many of the flowers present were some she hadn't seen in her life. "You have certainly outdone yourself. This is quickly becoming my favorite."

"Which one?"

"This bouquet."

He laughed as his hands started to coax her shoulders, massaging in circles unable to keep them to himself. He pulled her to the next box. "Some chocolates, of every variety I can find except for the bitter ones. I don't know which one you like."

"I like them all."

"You are surprisingly very easy to please."

She grinned as if she had a secret. Her fingers purchased one small piece from the box, and brought it to his mouth. He accepted, and she took one for herself.

These ordinary chocolates seemed to taste like the very best from the world.

"I will give you everything that pleases you. Everything in my power to give you, you may have it." He vowed, his eyes glittering under the candlelight, a dark curl of hair falling between his brow.

Sarah Jane kissed him then, a slow dance of tongues that tasted sweet of sherry, hearty and rich of chocolate. Her hands cupped his face as he hungrily dragged her towards his body.

His large hands grabbed her bottom roughly, his fingers squeezing and kneading before traveling the length of the back of her thighs, and hitching both her knees to wrap around his hips.

Anthony deeply inhaled her scent through her kisses and her hair wafted around his face. She smelled of vanilla, tasted of sweet sherry and honey, but was warm as fresh butter. He was ready to come undone.

"Only you." She murmured between her innocent kisses.

"Hmm?" He inhaled her heady scent, causing a wild throbbing in between his legs.

"I don't need anything else, only you. I love you."

Anthony moved to the bed with her legs wrapped around his waist. He kissed her tenderly, moved lips with lips, swept moist and tender skin with his tongue as he laid her on his bed. A look of satisfaction graced her face, and he longed to do it all over again.

He sought to taste the vanilla on her skin and drink the honey from her lips.

"You're so beautiful."

Anthony kicked off his boots quickly, joining her on the bed, his knee pressing between her legs, urging her to open for him. Sarah Jane's hands trembled as she reached under his shirt to feel the taut expanse of skin over his stomach. His skin jumped, caving inwardly as her fingers wandered and burrowed under the springy trail of hair leading beyond his breeches.

Reveling at what caused him pleasure, her emboldened fingers worked towards his middle, pressing upwards to the light dusting of hair on his chest as she removed his shirt.

Anthony was so handsome, and every inch of him seemed godly and strong. Her fingers stilled, and she closed her eyes as she felt him tug the ribbons from her neck.

His voice came out tight and raspy as if he'd slept a thousand nights and was only awakened tonight. "Was this...?"

She nodded, unable to focus on anything else other than the slight movement of the muslin against her skin. She found it absolutely satisfying that he remembered the shift she had on that night.

It was on that particular night that she discovered that kisses were not made equally. She had been kissed as how a man was intended to kiss a woman—a kiss that showed open desire.

He unwrapped her slowly, tugging the ribbons with exaggerated calculation to prolong the sweet anticipation. He flicked the buttons of her front expertly and then allowed his fingers to brush against her heated skin with deliberate sensuality that made her groan.

"I've dreamed of your breasts over and over." He couldn't sleep without thinking of them. He had lost hours of sleep just by imagining them bouncing and pressing on his face. In moment's time, Anthony intended to do just that.

He hovered over her then, and kissed her lips to capture the exquisite sounds as he trailed a daring finger down her body, circling her navel before teasingly moving across her thigh to her knee. His fingers splayed over her thigh and circled inwards as he bunched up the skirts to her waist.

Her scent enveloped him, a mix of her desire and vanilla. His head dipped as he sought to blow on her navel, pursuing a hot trail of wet kisses below her belly. His hands kept busy and expertly lifted the chemise from her body and over her head. He wondered if she tasted like honey there.

Anthony met her again with his lips, body to body, skin to skin, with only the rough texture of his breeches separating them. He strained and struggled for control. He would have to postpone tasting her to much, much later.

He paused to look at her, his blue eyes intent on her silvery orbs which had communicated a wonder of intimacy and contentment. Anthony watched her face as he brushed his knuckles over the moist folds of her womanhood.

She gasped, her vision clouding as the sensation bit through her skin.

He murmured sweet words, love words, as his thumb pressed on its mound, dragging down to open her an inch at a time. And then he inserted a finger, dipping into her wetness, sliding easily through slick folds much to her embarrassment.

She watched him through hooded eyes, surprised to see that it pleased him to find her drenched in moisture.

Anthony kissed her then, dropping low to give proper attention to her hardened peaks as another finger prodded her, beckoning for her release. She gasped, squirmed tightly as two different sources of pleasure wracked her body. Her legs opened further, sheathing him comfortably between her. His fingers plunged deeper, sending her wits sparkling and breaking at every pleasure-ridden movement.

He shifted to the other breast and tugged with his teeth as he pressed his thumb once again to the mound of pleasure while a finger caressed the length of her opening. She cried out.

"Anthony..." She was begging now, helpless to his ministrations. "Please, oh please..."

He crooned at her ear, and gently released her despite her protests. He quickly removed his remaining clothing and spread her legs wide enough to accommodate him, her thighs anchored over his.

Anthony nudged the tip at her opening, relishing the warm and squirming flesh that invited and drew him inside. His chest covered hers as he leaned, his belly on her belly, her legs hitched on his hips as he pushed forward, ready to dive deeper into her.

"Sarah Jane," He uttered hoarsely, his voice husky from unspent desire.

She shrank back as her body anticipated the painful invasion. Her brows furrowed in concentration to accept him, holding her breath as she felt him at her entrance.

He kissed her roughly, a tongue invading her mouth as his hand on her breast decided to do very wicked things to her nipple. Distracting her, he pushed forward once more, the movement sheathing him into some tighter territory.

Anthony scooped her bottom and raised her hips in demand to receive him fully as his mouth sucked on her gasps. A hiss escaped his lips as he felt himself being gripped and pushed and pulled all at the same time. He buried his head at the crook of her neck, breathing heavily as he controlled his movement, pushing further... further...

"Please tell me this does not hurt. Please..." His voice was muffled in her hair.

It was agony to be going so slow.

She nodded, only noticing pain after he mentioned it. There was a dull ache of tired muscle, but nothing too uncomfortable. It felt as if she was being stretched and opened and pressed, but there was no slicing pain, no biting hiss of tearing flesh.

She felt him push through her, slowly, delicately, and maddeningly tender, fitting together as if she was made for him, only for him.

He brought his palm to graze her nipple, sending a ripple of pleasure that buckled her hips forward in a start, fully sheathing him in.

Exhausted, they breathed together in silence and waited as Sarah Jane adjusted with the thickness and hardness of him. She embraced him then, loving his weight and body pressed to her as her legs slid over the rough curls of his calves.

She felt him smile on her skin.

"Are you ready?" He pulled his head just far enough to look at her, his eyes shining with mischief.

She couldn't help but smile at his expression.

"What do you mean?" Isn't it over?

And then he moved.

This was far from over. Sarah Jane felt herself building. She did not care to decide if she had wanted him to come closer or to push him away.

Breathing heavily, Anthony shifted his position, aiming higher as he brought her hips heavenward to accept him. Slowly, he pulled out, dragging the movement, and then with just enough sweet force, drove swiftly back in with such accuracy that sent Sarah Jane wheeling into delirium.

His thumb found her pleasure spot, pressing and kneading in light lovely circles as he relentlessly thrust in her over and over again, lost in an ancient rhythm. She became a madwoman, a strangled cry catching in her throat as she met his hips, surrendering herself to him.

He grunted, murmuring her name, coaxing her to come over the edge. She shivered, tightening around his member, once, twice... convulsing in ecstasy silently, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as her body arched with enough strength that lifted them both from the bed. Her reaction propelled Anthony to blackout in a frantic pace of rapid insertions.

He delved into her in one last agonizing push, trembling as he sheathed his own moan on her skin. He moved only to share a kiss with her, but his limbs trapped her in his embrace.

A moment later, dazed and seemingly intoxicated in her scent, Anthony found himself gripping the sheets on the sides of her head as another release coursed through him, his body refusing to let her go.

A hum vibrated at the back of her throat as she watched his face contort, his neck stretched its veins from exertion. Her fingers lazily caressed his skin. She traced the blue lines towards the v of his collar in uncultured interest.

At that moment, Sarah Jane believed that she could spend a decade just marveling at the man who made her fall helplessly in love and had in fact given her the most coveted form of happiness and bliss.

He stayed inside her for another minute, kissing her hair, her forehead, her cheeks, anything but her lips, and then withdrew limply, pulling her close on his chest as they basked in the aftermath of their lovemaking.

"This is making me quite sleepy." Sarah Jane murmured, twisting to face him, an arm draping across the springy curls of his chest.

"I have exhausted you. It's time to rest." He said, kissing the top of her hair.

Sarah Jane closed her eyes, contented with the way it all turned out.

"Will you ever leave me alone, my lord?" She smiled, eyes still closed, as she remembered how they ended up like this, tangled in sheets when she had begged him to leave him alone in her room a mere night ago.

"Never." He replied, his voice low and intent on its meaning.

She sighed sleepily. "Then will you take me away?"

"Where do you want to go?"

She yawned heartily, her legs encasing one of his as she snuggled closer. "Home."

"We are home." His hand caressed her back, soothing her aches and sores for the moment.

"No, back to Kinsmen Place." She said, her voice softer now, as her mind threatened to bring her to slumber. "I want you to make love to me under that vase."

He smiled, laughing at her enthusiasm. He bent down, lulling her to sleep as he whispered all the different nooks and crannies of his house where he will definitely make love to her.

———-
A/N: Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I did a lot of research for this 😍 thank you and I hope you're all doing well despite the quarantine!

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