In the Dark
1104 Words
The estate had finally gone quiet.
No more applause.
No more orchestras.
No more cameras.
Only the low hum of the ocean beyond the cliffs.
In the dim suite across the east wing, Aurelia stood barefoot on thick ivory carpet, her pulse louder than the silence.
He was close now.
Close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him.
“You’re tense,” he murmured.
She lifted her chin slightly. “It has been a long day.”
A soft laugh brushed the air between them.
“Yes,” he agreed. “It has.”
His fingers traced lightly down her arm..slow, unhurried. Not possessive. Curious.
Aurelia inhaled sharply despite herself.
“I thought you preferred efficiency,” she said, keeping her voice steady.
“I do,” he replied. “But some things deserve patience.”
That wasn’t what she expected.
His hand slid from her wrist to her waist, resting there,not gripping, just feeling the curve of her through silk.
The gown suddenly felt too warm.
“You surprise me,” she admitted.
“I get that a lot.”
There was something in his tone that didn’t match the man at the altar.
Less cold. More alive.
She should have questioned it.
Instead, she felt herself stepping closer.
His other hand came up slowly, brushing a loose strand of hair from her shoulder.
“May I?” he asked again.
Always asking.
Aurelia nodded.
His fingers found the zipper at the back of her gown. He didn’t pull it down immediately. He traced the line first, lightly, as if memorizing it.
Her breath faltered.
“You’re not afraid of me,” he observed quietly.
“No.”
“Good.”
The zipper lowered inch by inch, the sound almost unbearably loud in the silence.
Her skin prickled as cool air kissed it.
His knuckles brushed the newly exposed skin of her back.
Slow.
Testing.
Aurelia turned then, needing to see him to confirm something, though she didn’t know what.
The light was still too low. Shadows obscured details.
But his eyes…
There was heat there.
Not calculation.
Heat.
His hand rose to cradle her jaw, thumb grazing the curve of her cheek.
“You’re thinking again,” he murmured.
“Habit.”
“Don’t.”
And then he leaned in.
The first kiss wasn’t demanding.
It was exploratory.
Soft. Testing.
His lips brushed hers lightly before pulling back, as if giving her space to retreat.
She didn’t.
She closed the distance instead.
This time the kiss deepened,slowly, deliberately. His hand slid from her jaw to the back of her neck, fingers tangling lightly in her hair.
Her hands, almost of their own will, found his chest.
Broad. Solid. Warm.
He made a low sound in his throat,approval, maybe surprise.
“You don’t do anything halfway, do you?” he whispered against her lips.
“Neither do you.”
A faint smile curved against her mouth.
The kiss trailed lower.
From her lips to the corner of her jaw.
Down to her neck.
He paused there, breath warm against sensitive skin.
Her fingers tightened against his shirt.
“Still not afraid?” he murmured softly against her throat.
She dragged his tie to pull him closer.
“No,” she whispered.
His lips brushed the side of her neck,slow, deliberate, teasing.
Not rushed.
Not rough.
Just enough to make her breath hitch.
He kissed along the curve where her shoulder met her neck, lingering there, his hand sliding down the smooth line of her back.
Aurelia tilted her head without realizing she had.
Inviting.
Encouraging.
The room felt smaller.
Warmer.
The world beyond that door faded entirely.
He guided her backward gently until the back of her knees met the edge of the bed.
He didn’t push.
He waited.
Her eyes searched his, something electric passing between them.
This wasn’t obligation.
This wasn’t business.
This felt dangerously real.
Across the hall…
Selene stood breathless beneath a different kind of gaze.
His hand was still wrapped around hers, thumb brushing over her knuckles slowly.
“You’re shaking,” he observed quietly.
“It’s cold,” she lied.
“It’s summer.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
Unlike the playful charm from earlier, this felt grounded. Intense.
He stepped closer, and Selene became acutely aware of the size difference between them. The strength in the way he held himself.
“You don’t have to be nervous,” he said, voice low and steady.
“I’m not.”
He raised an eyebrow slightly, though she could barely see it.
“Then what are you?”
She searched for the word.
“Uncertain.”
“That,” he said softly, “is honest.”
His hand rose slowly, giving her time to pull away.
She didn’t.
His fingers brushed her cheek, tracing the line down to her chin. He tilted her face up gently.
Even in the low light, she could feel the intensity of his gaze.
“Look at me,” he said.
She did.
Her breath caught.
There was nothing teasing in his expression.
Nothing light.
Only focus.
He leaned in slowly.
Close enough that their noses brushed.
Close enough that she felt his breath.
“If you want me to stop,” he said quietly, “say it.”
Her heart pounded.
“I don’t,” she whispered.
His lips met hers.
The kiss was deeper from the start.
Not rushed.
Not careless.
Intentional.
His hand slid to her waist, pulling her just slightly closer, as though testing the distance between them.
Selene felt warmth flood her chest, her nerves melting into something softer.
His mouth moved slowly against hers, unhurried, as though he had all the time in the world.
Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt.
He broke the kiss first,but only to trail his lips along her jaw.
Down.
To her neck.
He paused there.
And then…
He kissed the sensitive skin just beneath her ear.
Selene gasped softly.
His grip tightened just a fraction.
“That,” he murmured, “is a dangerous sound.”
She laughed breathlessly.
He kissed her neck again, slower this time. Lower.
Her back met the cool surface of the wall behind her, and his hand slid to rest at the small of her back, steadying her.
There was nothing frantic.
Nothing hurried.
Just warmth. Exploration. The slow unraveling of distance.
And in two separate rooms
Two brides lay back against silk sheets.
Two men hovered above them.
Two connections forming in darkness.
Neither couple realizing.
When morning came, everything they felt tonight would belong to the wrong names.
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