As the sun faded lower into the horizon, Daphne felt a chill overcome her naked body, stirring on Simon's chest.
He kissed her head and reluctantly said "We should dress, it's getting late." He did not wish to move either, for this day had exceeded the meaning of the word perfect. He ran his fingers gently down her back, causing her to stir once more, but this time it wasn't from the cold.
Daphne put her chin on his chest, and pouted, "Must we really?"
Her eyes bore into the depth of his, crawling their way to his heart and clutching it tightly, and he was about to give in. He could so easily take her once more on this glorious hill, as it had become a sacred spot for them. Maybe it was the connection to his mother's past, or the way his incessant worries seemed to eradicate all together up here. But as Simon looked at his entire world, so beautiful and small on his chest, he knew that anywhere they would go together would become sacred somehow. Their love seemed to linger, wherever they went.
Alas, he had more that he wanted to show Daphne tonight, and so he reluctantly reached for her top to help her dress. Simon pulled her up with him in one graceful movement, bracing her in his chest with one arm to keep her warm, and using the other to slide her top on. Daphne then started to plant wet kisses on his chest, slowly up to his neck, sucking the tender spot she knows he loves. Simon sucked in a breath, but kept at the task on hand as he buttoned up the front of her top, but god did she make it difficult.
"I should warn you that your attempts to thwart my focus will not prevail," Simon teased.
"Would you like to bet on it, your grace?" she asked, her tongue gliding over her bottom lip.
Simon could not hide his instant pleasure, just the sight of her drove him wild. He wanted to be her tongue, tasting the sweetness of her lips, and the confines of her mouth that did such wonderful things to him. He had already lost one bet today, he refused another. Ignoring his urges, he put on the remainder of his clothes quickly. Daphne could not help but stare at him as he dressed, following his every movement with disappointed eyes, then reached for her bottoms to finish dressing. Simon reached for her hand, and took them from her, shaking his head.
"I believe I am to start training for my lady maid duties, let me" he said as he knelt down, running his hands down each side of her legs, sending a shiver through Daphne's body. He lifted one of her legs, putting it through one leg of the trousers, and repeated the process on the other leg. As he was kneeling face to face with the luscious figure of his wife's legs, his eye's averted up to her folds, and he was beaten. He would make this quick, and only for her, he wanted to make her scream his name one last time on this hill. So instead of pulling them up her legs, he ran his fingers ever so slowly up both of her legs, and back down to her ankles. Leaning forward he planted a kiss on the inside of her knee, while his hand traced circles along her right thigh.
"Simon, please" she begged, already. Simon was truly amazed how ready she was for him, always wanting him to take her at the slightest touch. He slowly kissed his way up her thigh, pausing to suck at the skin before moving on, while his fingers circled closer to her sweet spot. Just as his fingers reached her folds, he switched hands, beginning his trace on her left thigh, while his mouth moved to the inside of her right knee.
Daphne groaned, she was not one for delayed gratification. Simon had to make this quick, so he forged his sleuth attack and dove tongue first into her nub, taking her by surprise as she gasped and gripped his hair for balance. He massaged her in his mouth, going from gentle to rough, his way of driving her mad. Then he paused, and began licking up the wetness that had escaped to her inner thighs.
"Sss-imon," she stuttered out.
"I thought I was the one with the impediment," Simon chucked against her inner thigh, raising his eyes to meet hers as he stuck two fingers inside her. Daphne threw her head back, and instinctively grinded against him, trying to gain some friction. He thrusted in and out of her, matching her movements, and slowly kissed his way back to her most sensitive part. This will do it, he thought to himself. Simon stilled her body with his free hand, then started to quickly thrust his fingers in and out of her as his tongue wrapped around her nub like it was the last food on earth. Daphne gripped his shoulders as she screamed his name into the open field, ripping through the flowers and reaching the ears of the nearest town. Simon continued massaging her legs as she came down from her release, enjoying the show above him.
Once she was relaxed, Simon pulled up the remainder of her trousers, and as he stood, Daphne pulled him to her, planting a soft kiss on his lips.
"I win," her smile evident on her lips as they brushed his when she spoke.
"No Daphne, I'll always win, because I have you," he said as their foreheads touched, and he kissed the tip of her nose.
Daphne beamed, as if her body stole the very glow from the sun, causing it to wither away in the sky.
"Thank you for this, I enjoyed it very much," she said, pulling back from him as she took in the view once more.
"I'm glad you did, but our day is not over yet," a playful smile forming on his lips.
Daphne tilted her head, grinning as she slid her gloves back on "What ever do you mean?"
"You shall see my dear, let me pack our things up and I will lead the way to our next destination," he replied, and Daphne clapped her hands together in front of her lips and smiled, as anticipation swirled in her stomach. Simon felt elated himself, and proceeded to fold the blanket back into the basket, then strapped it to his horse. Once they had their boots on, Simon helped Daphne atop of her horse, as he did want her falling off once more. His Duchess was strong, but he had seen her hurt enough for one lifetime, so he was bound to be overly cautious of her now.
"We will be riding to a small city nearby, I have already arranged for a carriage to pick us up later, so that we do not have to ride back home in the dark. It is only another 20 minutes from here, is that okay or should we call it a day?" he asked, a little nervous, as he hoped she wanted to continue on.
"I would love nothing more. I will follow you anywhere Simon," she answered, pulling up next to him on her horse and reaching over to squeeze his hand in hers. Simon pulled their hands to his lips, and kissed them softly as he closed his eyes for a moment, truly enjoying every second with her.
"Would you like to race again?" Daphne asked, her eyebrow raised suggestively.
"I believe your ego is already quite inflated as it is, we wouldn't want your head to explode, now would we?" he joked. Daphne rolled her eyes, pulled her hand back and shot out in front of him with her horse. She was the most stubborn and competitive person he had met, and he was grateful that life with Daphne would never be dull as she kept him on his toes. Simon pulled on the reins, and they continued racing and laughing abundantly through the fields.
In the distance, they could see the twinkling lights of a town, and hear the infectious music that was being played from within. As they approached, Simon was watching his wife's reaction as she took in the scene before her. It was a small city, with colorful buildings nestled against one another, string lights connecting those from opposing sides, with a live music performance that was being played as people danced around the fountain in the heart of the open street, and food stalls lined up outside the shops. He knew she would have never seen anything like it before, as ladies like herself were not allowed to promenade these kinds of towns at night. Daphne's face was in a trance as she absorbed the town's lively atmosphere, and a smile spread widely across her face.
"Can we promenade here?" she asked, her eyes wide with excitement.
"We are going to do more than promenade, come, follow me" he replied, hopping off of his horse and tying it along with Daphne's to the fence of the park they were stopped beside. He walked over to Daphne, catching her waist as she threw one leg over to climb off, spinning her in the air and slowly bringing her body down until her lips found his, one arm wrapped around the back of her thighs. She giggled into his mouth, the vibration reaching his core, and he felt like he would burst with the happiness he felt. He pulled back, smiling brightly at her as he set her down, and led her towards the music.
As they walked, her arm wrapped around his, Simon warned her "This is a very small town, they will probably not recognize us, especially dressed as we are. So, we can do whatever we please, no stories to follow after."
"What does that entail exactly?" she asked, perplexed by this.
"It means," he stopped, pulling her to his chest, "That I can do this, however much I want," and kissed her seductively, his lips sucking at her bottom lip, biting as he pulled back. Daphne was breathless, as the unexpected intensity of the kiss shocked her, but nodded that she now understood what he meant.
As they strolled towards the heart of the town, Daphne suddenly stopped and was staring at the ice cream vendor. Without even asking, Simon went up to the young man, and bought a cup of her favourite, vanilla.
"Thank you," she blushed, as she reminisced on last night's activities. Daphne held his gaze, picked up a spoonful of ice cream, and put it into her mouth, sucking as she pulled it out, and wrapping her tongue around the spoon to lick every bit off. Simon was thankful for his loose trousers, because her actions went straight to his length. Distracted as he was by this, he could not help but notice the dazed look of another man, the young vendor. His mouth was open slightly, his eyes glued to her mouth, and his cheeks flush. Simon groaned inwardly, and could not resist from glaring at the young man. How brave of him to ogle at his wife so openly, as if Simon was not even there, and he now knew exactly how Daphne had felt about Clara. But, this is not the first time he has experienced jealousy when it comes to her, as it is what drove him to accept his feelings, and flee her from the prince.
"May I have a taste, my wife?" he said, emphasizing the word wife, as he glanced briefly at the vendor who stiffened instantly. Daphne scooped him a spoonful, and went to give it to him, but Simon shook his head, and took the spoon from her. She looked at him quizzically, but she was feeling more care free than ever, so she went along with whatever he had in mind. Simon put the spoon to Daphne's lips, forcing them to open, and scraped the ice cream against her tongue. He then pressed his lips to hers, entering her open mouth his tongue as he danced with hers to taste what he requested. He moaned into her mouth, then pulled back and said "You are quite tasty my dear, far better than the ice cream." Daphne bit her lip, and Simon knew they had to keep going, otherwise he would be forced to find an empty ally and take her right there.
He grabbed her hand, and pulled them back toward the music. As they walked, Daphne inquired, "May I ask what that was all about?" her eyebrow arched in curiosity.
Simon scoffed, "He was about ten seconds away from having his eye's put back inside his head, as they were running wildly over your mouth."
"Ah, now you know what I have been feeling towards that unholy woman who's name I will not speak of," she replied, partly annoyed at remembering her own jealousy, but partly enjoying his. Simon now stopped, pausing them at the outskirts of the dancing ring around the fountain.
His eyes held hers intently, as he searched for the right words to say.
"Daphne, this is not my first duel with jealousy. Every time I saw you with the prince, laughing with him, or even simply imagining him thinking of you...marrying you, I was wrought with jealousy. It crawled under my skin, until it reached my heart, tearing it to pieces. There was no other option for me, I had to have you for myself, and only me," he said, his voice rough and eyes intense.
Daphne was speechless, as this was the first time he had admitted this to her. She smiled at him sweetly, her cheeks flushed, and said "Oh Simon, I never want to be me without you. For you fill my world with colour, I have never felt so alive until you came along. I am yours, never mind those who stare, all I see is you."
Simon drowned in the feelings her words brought to him, and when he resurfaced, the jealousy was washed away, for now. He flashed her a wicked smile, then grabbed her hand, "Hmm, let's give them something to stare about, shall we?" and pulled her into the dancing circle.
Daphne burst into laughter as they joined the couples dancing around the fountain, fumbling into strangers as they found the pace of the crowd. Simon's hand escaped to her bottom, pulling her tighter to him, and resting there as they danced. In a normal ballroom, this would be dishonorable, even for a married couple, but in the streets of this quaint little town, nothing mattered more than the high that love alludes in any form. In this moment, Simon had felt like he was floating above the clouds, free of anything holding him back. He looked at his wife, her wavy hair blowing in the rush of the dance, her smile that beamed brighter than the sun, her warm body against his, and the twinkle of the overhead string lights that reflected in her eyes, and inwardly thanked the Prince for forcing him to let his heart guide his decisions for once. Simon could not think of a better addition to this day, but this was it. The pull of the music, stringing them along the cobblestone for what seemed like hours as they stared into one another's eyes, full of love and elation.
The tempo of the music then changed into one that signaled the change of partners as you danced, known as a Quadrille. Simon sighed as they were whisked away by strangers, but they both kept their eyes on each other, never breaking contact. He had no idea who he was even dancing with, it could have been her brother for all he knew, as he could not take his eyes off of her. Simon looked at the man she was dancing with, who looked similar to him in stature, except he was much paler. The man's eyes were undressing Daphne, as he gawked at her every curve silhouetted by her riding gear, and Simon felt as though he would erupt at any second. This was an attractive man, one who could see himself worthy of Daphne, and was surely imaging all the things he would like to do to her, Simon could see that on his face because he once held that same look. Except this man was not worthy of Daphne, no man was, he barely was himself. His entire body was aflame with jealousy, even though he knew she was his, it still bothered him to see the hunger in his eyes to devour her entire being, like a starved animal.
Daphne had still not looked at the man though, her eyes still locked on Simon as he watched the man intently. The man then dropped his arm a little lower, to the small of her back and pushed her closer to him. Before Daphne could even react, Simon was already pulling him away from her.
"That's close enough for my wife I do believe," he said as calmly as possible, fighting against his nature to strike the man, for Daphne had asked him to fight no more.
The man was clearly drunk, and stumbled over his words as he spoke "Maybe she could be my wife for the night, I hope she bagpipes as well as she dances."
Simon's world spun for a brief second, as his rage bounced back and forth throughout his body, revving his muscles up to go. He could barely process what was happening in front of him, the colour of plum flashed before his eyes as Daphne thrusted forward and shoved the man into the fountain.
"And maybe you could drown," she shouted at him.
The man sloshed around the fountain as he tried to get up. Once he stood, Simon put one arm in front of Daphne, his way of telling her to stay there, then strode forward and struck him once in the jaw, knocking the man out cold on the ground. The crowd cheered and the couples resumed dancing, this must be a normal occurrence here, drunk men pissing off ladies who did not wish to lay with them.
He was on a high with the adrenaline coursing through his veins, and took a steadying breath before he gently reached for Daphne, escorting her back to the outskirts of the dancing ring. Once they were away from the commotion, Simon spoke, "Must you always prove your strength time and time again? Your safety is my top priority, let me do my job in protecting you."
Daphne gripped his collar with her hands, bringing him closer to her as she said "I was not going to let him speak in dishonorable terms towards me, plus, you did your job at the end. I thank you for that. And, I know I asked you not to fight anymore... but," she stammered, biting down on her lip.
"But...." Simon echoed her.
"I didn't mind it this time, because he was of no threat. The way you strode over to him, with all the confidence in the world to protect me, and the way your muscles enlarged through your shirt... it was...it made me feel warm," she flushed, and looked down at the ground, unable to meet his gaze.
Simon was thanking the gods for his wife once again, for how easy it was for her to desire him even in the strangest of situations, for he knew the feeling all to well himself. Daphne could be in her own world, playing the piano, and he would be lost in the way her fingers glided across the keys, wishing he could feel her touch at once. There no was no explanation that Simon could gather, except that they were tethered to one another, drawing them in without reason.
Simon tilted her chin up so that she was looking into his eyes, "As much as I relish in the fact that I've ignited your core, I must say I do not wish to do that again. I have experienced enough jealousy for the rest of our days to come."
"I second that," she whispered as she smiled up at him. Something behind Daphne's head then caught Simon's eye, a vendor selling jewelry. No courting is complete without a gift he thought, even though he ordered all the flowers within Clyvedon house to be waiting in the foyer for when they return. Simon reached for Daphne's hand, a habit they had formed, always wanting to be close to one another, and walked towards the vendor. Once they were close, Simon whispered in her ear "Turn around for a moment, and no peaking." Daphne nodded and turned to face the fountain, enchanted once more by the dancers who danced without purpose, not for a ball, to fill their card, but simply to dance.
The elderly woman running the stand smiled at him, and said "Is there anything I could help you with?"
Simon's eyes were immediately drawn to a dainty gold bracelet that held a sun in the center, and he thought of her, for all the light she has brought to his life. He knew the jewelry was not of the finest craftmanship, or even real gold, but he knew Daphne would not care.
"I will take this one, please" he said as he pointed to the bracelet.
"Most certainly, and might I add, I have been watching you two from across the plaza, and it reminded me of my late husband. Two people utterly enamoured with each other, and you looked at her like she puts the stars in the sky at night. It made me miss being looked at like that, so thank you for the reminder of how that felt tonight. Please take this, no charge," she said, her voice shaky but warm.
Simon nodded, unable to speak as he felt touched by her words and sorry for her loss, despite not her being a stranger. But she had one of those voices you feel soothed by, and her face reminded him of his mother from what he had seen in paintings, her toffee like skin and deep brown eyes. Simon dug into his pockets, and paid far more than it was worth.
The old lady's breath caught, "Thank you very much, and in case you were wondering, she looks at you like you're her entire world. Cherish what the two of you share sir."
Simon lip twitched, unsure of how he felt. This complete stranger touched his heart, and he would never forget it. He then smiled and thanked the lady once more, then turned to give Daphne the gift. What he saw before him, did not shock him, but sent irritation firing throughout his body. The ice cream vendor was talking to Daphne, who was barely looking at him, clearly uninterested. As Simon came up behind her, he wrapped his hand around her and pulled her close to him. Daphne let out a breath of relief.
"Young man," Simon addressed him, "I suggest you ought to go back to your ice cream stand, now. The Duchess and I would like to spend some time alone." He had gone easy on him, since he was young, and Simon could not blame him for being in awe of his wife, as she was the very word of beauty in the form of an angel.
The young man's eyes opened in shock, and he stammered out an apology before running back to his stand. Daphne giggled as she watched him run away, and Simon took this opportunity to fasten the bracelet around her wrist. She looked down and brought a hand over her mouth, gasping at the bracelet.
"Simon," she exclaimed, "This is... so meaningful. It reminds me of the hill, the way the sun was shining down on us as we.... I love it," a tear rolling down her cheek.
He swooped in towards her face and kissed her tear, then the corner of her lips, and finally putting his lips on hers. "Yes, that too, but Daphne, it is a representation of you. It is the way your love makes me feel, and how you radiate the glow of the sun when you smile. You bring the light into my life," he whispered against her lips.
Daphne pushed her lips into his, entering his mouth with her precious tongue. Simon melted into her touch, he loved it when she took control. He scooped her up into his arms, not once breaking their kiss, and walked to where the carriage should be waiting for them. At least he hoped it was there, otherwise that empty ally might become appealing.