Soft morning light has already flooded the room when Leander woke up. The curtains of the canopy were parted, so that he had an unimpeded view of the window, next to which Daphne stood, clad in a soft nightdress, looking out to the garden.
The general smiled, watching the way the light played on Daphne's golden hair, which was tidied up in a single, loose braid. It appeared to him as though the lady had a halo around her head -- an amusing sight, given that he knew her more as a temptress than an angel. Still, when she turned around to face him, her face was as innocent as a babe's, as breath-taking as a goddess's.
"How did you manage to get up from the bed without waking me?" he asked, propping himself up on the pillows as her lips curved up in a smile.
"Magic," she answered, slowly walking back to the bed. "Didn't you know? I am much learned in the dark arts..."
Leander laughed. "I should say, given that you have quite enchanted me."
Daphne crawled up the bed, slithering on top of him. The impish smile on her lips reinforced Leander's conviction that she was no angel sent to save a man's soul. "Right. I'm warning you now, General Van Halen: should you try to leave me while I'm still madly in love with you, you would pay quite dearly."
"I am your thrall for as long as you want me to be," he murmured before gently pulling down her face so that he could kiss her lips.
"Perfect," Daphne purred as she pressed her body against his. She gently moved to and fro, rubbing against his naked flesh. The reaction of his body was immediate, and there was no doubt that Daphne noticed, for her smile widened even more. "You as good as promised to stay with me your whole life."
"And I will, given the chance," he said, stroking her thighs beneath her clothing. The silky feel of her flesh on his palm fueled his desire. "But where did you get this dress?"
Daphne smiled coyly, glancing down between his legs, where his cock was starting to stir up. "I brought it last night, remember?"
Leander, in fact, did not remember, yet he deduced that it was the content of the small package she dropped on the floor as soon as she was inside the room.
"You look much more beautiful without it," he told her. Unable to resist the temptation, he started to lift up the hem of her dress.
The lady giggled and slapped his hand before swiftly moving off him. "Behave, Leander. Breakfast will be served soon."
He stared at her, disappointment written all over his features. With the disappointment came the feeling of disbelief, for how could Daphne be so naughty as to deny him the pleasure of feeling the warmth of her body, even for a while? The twinkle in her eyes said it all: she was deliberately teasing him.
"I assume we cannot skip it?" he asked, opting not to give her the pleasure of hearing his complaint.
"Not today," she replied. "Papa sent a servant here earlier so that we may know that the two of us are wanted at the mess hall this morning."
That surprised him. "The Duke knows that you're here?"
"I was missing all night," Daphne said, rolling her eyes. "Since you were not shaken awake last night to lead a search for me, Papa knows I was spending the night with you."
"Makes me wonder why he did not order his men to tear down the door of this room and drag you out while I await execution," he mused aloud as he, too, got out of bed.
"He does not want more men to see me naked," Daphne said, smiling. "One is enough."
Leander raised an eyebrow, now more surprised than ever. Whatever Daphne and her father discussed the day before might have put the lady's mind at ease. Why else would she treat lightly the whole idea of her father violently opposing her decision of sleeping with Leander?
"You are worried," Daphne observed when Leander said nothing.
"What man won't be worried when he has his whole happiness on the line?" he replied. "I wish I could tell what's going on inside your father's head." When he noticed the small smile playing on Daphne's lips, he added, "In fact, I'd love to know what's going on inside that pretty little head of yours, too."
She walked close to him to wind her arms around his neck. "It's a secret for now, General. When time is ripe, you will surely know."
"I hate being kept in the dark, Daphne," he grumbled, although he took avail of her offered kiss. "I thought I told you that a long time ago."
"Hmm." The impish smile was back on her lips again. "Don't think of it that way. Just pretend that we have a little surprise for you, and that the longer you wait to know what it is, the sweeter and the better it will turn out to be."
"You, I can imagine doing that," he said. "But your father? If he ever has a surprise for me, it would be anything but sweet and good."
Daphne laughed softly. "You have such low opinion of my father."
"Low?" He arched his eyebrow. "Who told you that? How can I look down on the only man on earth I'm afraid of?"
"Ah." Daphne, now through with the game of slowly torturing him, began pointedly grinding her hips against his. Leander's member responded eagerly. "You are afraid of my father, yet you are not afraid of me? Or my mother?"
Leander groaned and kissed her head, savouring the faint fragrance of lavender still emanating from it. He could get used to this. "Ah. If you ask me about the women I'm scared of, the list will be endless."
Daphne giggled, now running her palms on his exposed chest. The touch of her soft flesh stroking its way down to his abdomen made his muscles tense up even more.
