“Lady Maude,” Jaspar said, his voice sounding annoyed. “Why are you following me?”

“I have been enjoying our company all evening, your grace. Now that we have arrived back at the manor, you no longer want to see me?” she asked.

Ahead of her, Jaspar sighed heavily. “I already informed you, my lady, that I am quite busy and have some things that I need to take care of in my study.”

“Then let us go together,” Maude replied. Her head was beginning to clear a bit, but she still felt as though her mind was full of the bubbles she’d had in her bath.

Jaspar turned to the left, and opened one of the double doors to his study. Maude followed him in.

“Were you lying to me, your grace?” Maude asked. “I didn’t pin you as the type to just kiss a woman and leave her hanging.”

“Lady Maude!” Jaspar exclaimed, his face flaming again. “I need to get some work done!”

Maude giggled and sat on the leather sofa in front of Jaspar’s desk. “Must you work right now?” she asked.

“I must,” he replied.

“Fine, fine,” she answered, waving him off. “I shall lay here then and wait for you to finish.”

Maude heard him pull his chair away from his desk and scrape the floor with it as he pulled it back to his desk. She heard him pick up a pen and begin scribbling on a piece of paper.

She sighed, staring up at the ceiling. Must he work now? She wondered. Who in their right mind kisses someone and then works as soon as they get home? Isn’t he supposed to be so infatuated with me that all he can think about is me?

She glanced over at him, and saw him focusing intently on whatever it was he was scribbling onto the parchment. He didn’t even spare her a glance, which caused her to sigh again.

“I hear you, Lady Maude,” he said. “And until such time that you have sobered up, I shall be at my desk, working.”

This time, her breath came out in a huff. “I know you think that I am still inebriated, but I promise you that I am quite fine right now.” she said.

“Are you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and meeting her eyes. She saw his lips moving as he formed his words and felt her breath catch. If only he would kiss her again…

“Please tell me when you are embarrassed by your actions, Lady Maude,” Jaspar was saying. “That will be the only indication that I will accept that you are, in fact, no longer inebriated.”

“You’re so cruel, your grace,” Maude said. She started looking around the room. It was the first time she had ever been to Jaspar’s study and she was genuinely surprised how plain it was. There was a wall full of shelves, several of which were bursting at the seams with old ledgers of the Rosenberg manor. The other two shelves were full of leather bonded books that Maude couldn’t read the title of.

Given what I know about Jaspar, she thought, I am sure he has read them all.

Unlike her father’s study, there was no huge arched window on the wall behind Jaspar’s desk, but rather a regular sized one that was sided by two family portraits, one with himself and his two parents and the other of a teenaged Duke Rosenberg with his glowing mother above him.

He looks most like his mother, Maude thought. What a beautiful woman.

The look on his father’s face in the family portrait was stern, as though he would have been a similar father to Maude’s. Jaspar had said that his father did not know him all that well when he passed away…perhaps his father’s death was a blessing in disguise, Maude bemused.

The wall that was nearest to Maude as similar to the other, leather bound books and heaps of ledgers and other records. This study seemed to be the place that the majority of the important documents for the Rosenbergs were stored.

Maude stared up at the ceiling, trying to will away the last vestiges of the alcohol’s effects on her body. All I want right now is for him to take me up into his arms once more…hm, once more? She thought. She relived the experience of the balcony in her mind, his hands on her body, smashing her lips against his, him pulling her closer and deepening the kiss…

Maude felt her stomach drop and her face burn. How had she been so bold?

She couldn’t help but cover her face, though Jaspar would not be able to see her face with the angle she was at currently on the couch.

I made a fool of myself, she admonished herself. I should count my blessings that Jaspar feels the same as me and he did not kick me out of the manor.

“How are you feeling over there?” Jaspar asked. Maude didn’t reply. “Are you asleep?” he asked softly. The chair scraped across the floor as he got up and began walking over to the couch that she was laying on.

“I’m fine!” she volunteered, raising her hand up. She would do anything right now not to have him see her face. He must think of her as so foolish, especially after following him to his study and implying he had lied to her!

“Ah, I see,” Jaspar said. Maude could hear the smile in his voice. “So the alcohol has worn off.” He had paused his steps when she’d raised her hand, but now, he continued walking over to the couch.

“Please don’t come over here right now,” Maude said, bringing her hand back to her face to cover it. “I can’t bear the thought of you seeing me right now.”

“All the more reason I need to see you right now,” Jaspar said.

“Please!” she exclaimed. She heard the steps stop near her.

“Too late,” he said. “Let me see your face.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“I don’t know that I will survive right now if I show you my face right now, Jaspar,” she said.

“I promise I’ll make sure you survive it,” he said, gently placing his hand on one of her own. She felt her heart starting up in her chest.

She moved her other hand enough that she could use one eye to look at him with, and met his. “I’m so terribly sorry for my behavior,” she said. “I’d never had alcohol before, so I did not know…”

Jaspar cut her off. “I did not take offense to any of your actions,” he said. “You needn't apologize for them.”

Maude felt her eye widen. “Are you certain?” she asked. “You pushed me away towards the end…”

“I knew it was important to get you home before you found a way to make a fool of yourself in front of anyone besides me,” he replied. “If we had gone back into the ball, I’m certain something would have gone wrong. And it was only a matter of time before someone found the two of us together.” He kneeled down next to her head. “The last thing either of us needs right now is rumors that someone saw us kissing at the ball.”

Maude squeezed her eye shut at the word “kissing.” What had possessed her to just grab him and kiss him?

“Though, I can’t say that I wouldn’t love to do more of that last part,” Jaspar added.

Maude felt tingles running up and down her body. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her stomach was in knots. “You’d like more?” she asked.

She felt him gently tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “I want more,” he whispered softly.

Maude felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest. How is this real? She wondered.

Maude slowly removed her hands from her face, opening her eyes. He was so close to her again, she could smell the scent of woodsy soap. Jaspar’s eyes were full of desire. Maude swallowed hard.

“May I kiss you, Lady Maude?” he asked, his breath a gentle whisper on the skin of her neck. It sent shivers down her spine.

“Please do,” she replied back, equally as softly.

His eyes stayed focused on hers until he was very close to her face before fluttering shut. Her own eyes closed moments before she felt the softest touch of his lips on hers. His breath sounded ragged, the same way it did after they had started a duel. Is he holding himself back? Maude wondered.

He pulled away after what felt like too short of a moment. His eyes met hers again. They looked hungry. Maude scrambled into a sitting position, and pulled Jaspar up onto the couch gently, but forcefully.

Their lips found each other again, but forcefully this time. Maude let out an involuntary gasp as he kissed her, pulling her closer to him. Her hands were on his broad chest, and she could feel the finely trained muscles underneath. They trailed upwards to his shoulders, under which she could feel his biceps, far firmer and stronger than her own. Then her hands moved back into his hair, soft and smooth. His arms wrapped around her waist with his hands on her back, pulling her closer, closer yet.

Their tongues met, and Jaspar let out a barely audible groan. She felt her hands become fists in his hair as he gently pulled her practically into his lap.

Maude lost herself in his kiss, exploring every inch of his mouth, her hands exploring nearly every part of his body that she’d ever desired to touch. He seemed just as enraptured with her as she was with him.

Finally, the kiss broke. They were both breathing heavily. Their eyes stayed connected, however, and she could see passion burning in his bright blue eyes. She, too, was greedy for more.

“You were right,” he said, tracing a finger along the edge of her jaw, another thing that made her shiver. “Why wait? Why did I wait so long for something so delicious?”

Maude bit her lip. “Are you certain that you want this?” she asked. She could hardly believe what had just happened. She simultaneously felt more alive and as though the moment had been a blissful dream.

He grabbed her hand, taking the glove off, and kissed it gently. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life,” he said.

Maude’s heart fluttered again at the gesture. Her face was so red, she knew she had to look like a tomato. She felt so embarrassed that she just wanted to turn away from him. Yet, her desire for more was greater.

“If I had known kissing you would feel this good, I would have never waited in the first place,” Jaspar said. Maude felt her breath catch at his words. His face came close to hers again, her breath hitching every time her heart beat until she felt his lips on hers, softly again. She pulled off her other glove and threw it off the couch and grabbed his hair, deepening the kiss herself this time. Jaspar’s hands found their way into her own hair, and he held her head, pulling her in even closer. He had smooshed her nose into his, so she had to pull away to come up for air.

“What does this mean for our relationship then?” she asked him. He looked as though he could devour her at any moment.

“What do you think this could mean for our relationship, Maude?” he asked, his voice husky with desire.

Her heart skipped another beat, and her stomach twisted. “I’m not sure,” she replied.

“You’re mine,” he said, interlacing his fingers with one set of hers. He brought them up to his face and kissed the tips of each one. “It means I’m going to do everything in my power to find a way for us to be together, and I’d expect that you’d do the same,” he replied.

Maude swallowed hard. What if we never found a way to be together? She thought. Then I’d have to give him and the way he makes me feel up. “I’ll do what I can,” she agreed.

“In the meantime,” he said, slowly ascending up her arm with more kisses, “We should enjoy our time together and stop worrying about the consequences. Our countries are at war, after all,” he said. “There is no guarantee of a tomorrow for either of us.”

He’s not wrong, Maude thought. And when he puts it that way, he makes me regret not telling him about my feelings sooner.

Maude nodded. “No more worrying about the consequences,” she agreed. She bit her lip. “What will we tell others?” she asked.

“Nothing for now,” he replied. “As it currently stands, you are supposed to be my prisoner, by order of the king. Let’s keep it a secret for now.” He kissed her shoulder. “Though, have no doubt that if we were not in these circumstances, I would be very loud about how I’m courting you,” he said. “Are you alright with that?”

Maude felt herself tremble a little. “I’m fine with that,” she replied, in spite of the twisting feeling she felt in her stomach. He would tell other people if he could, she attempted to reassure herself. He is serious about me, I’m serious about him. I’ve never felt this way before, and I just need to put some trust in him.

He pulled her close to him and gently bit her lip. She felt it tremble under the pressure. “My god,” Jaspar murmured. “My want of you is insatiable.” He pulled her into a kiss again, and Maude pushed her doubts aside. He explored her mouth with his tongue, letting out a small groan as she gently moved her tongue around his. She planted her hands on his chest, and could feel his heart pounding inside of him. It was nearly in the same rhythm as her own heart. He pulled away from her again, and looked at a pocket watch in his breast pocket.

“Oh no,” he groaned. “It’s gotten so late.” He pulled her close so that her head was snuggled into his chest. “I don’t want you to leave me,” he said.

She smiled and chuckled. “I don’t want to leave either,” she said. She could hear his heart in his chest, starting to calm down. “But we should both get some rest. I know you are busy,” she said.

“How am I supposed to get anything done when I’d rather be with you?” Jaspar complained.

“What are you talking about?” Maude asked with a laugh. “You insisted on coming home and going to work in your study after we kissed at the ball!”

“That was different,” Jaspar said with a sigh. “You were so inebriated that I didn’t know if you meant what you were saying or not.”

“I most certainly meant it,” she replied, tracing some stubble that was coming in on the underside of his chin.

“I’ve confirmed that with my own lips,” he replied, and Maude felt her face flush.

“Rest will be good for us both,” Maude said, gently trying to push away from him. Though I won’t probably get much rest myself tonight, she thought to herself.

“Five more minutes,” he replied, tipping her chin up towards his face again. His lips met hers again, and Maude couldn’t help but feel her heart soar.

His tongue found hers again, and she couldn’t help but let out a small moan of pleasure. It was so much sweeter than she could have ever expected it to be.