"...Ngh...hah...ngh..."
She nipped at his bottom lip, then soothed the sting with a flick of her tongue, pulling back just enough to let him gasp.
He could barely focus on unbuttoning her shirt and she was enjoying the way his fingers fumbled with the simple task.
"Hehe...mhm, keep breathing for me," she cupped his cheek with one hand, pressing her thumb against his racing pulse on his neck with the other.
Lucian made a soft sound in his throat that she answered with a deeper kiss, her tongue mapping out his mouth, tasting, exploring, claiming.
Their legs intertwined, one of hers between his and she shifted, pressing her thigh into his crotch.
He jumped slightly as a jolt shot through him.
"Hmm..."
Her last button came free and he groaned in relief, sitting up on his knees, his eyes fixed on the skin of her torso.
The binding around her chest made his breath catch, and she watched him swallow hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.
She was skinny, her ribs visible. She was usually so layered in clothing, it was easy to miss.
He always wondered if her small waist was from the corset she wore. It seemed not. But there was still strength in her, even as her form looked so fragile.
Celine licked her swollen lips, looking to the side. Lucian noticed her expression fall into something melancholic.
He ran his knuckles along the side of her stomach, the muscles in her abdomen contracting at his touch. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her navel, "You worked hard."
She chuckled softly, a light airy sound that made him smile, "I'm a Lady. I don't work."
"..." He puffed a hot breath onto her skin.
"Haha...stop it..." She tried to push his head away, but he didn't budge, "Haha...that tickles...Lucian...!" she protested quietly.
He grinned and slid his hands under her back, lifting her slightly and arching her into his mouth, "Shh...I'm trying to appreciate you..."
She pumped his head with her fist, her legs squirming at the sensation of his wet mouth sucking at the skin below her navel.
"Lu-cian," her voice trembled, "D-don't leave marks..."
He let go of her, kissing the spot one last time before moving up, pressing his lips against her chest, above the binding.
She was breathing heavily, her eyes half lidded. He pecked her chin with a wide smile, then her cheek.
She also grinned, her arms wrapped around his neck.
It felt like it was just the two of them in the world, content. For just a moment, everything felt okay.
"...pfft...stop...haha..."
"I'm not doing anything," he laughed.
She covered his face with her hands, "Too much smiling. It's unlike you."
"I'm the one who should be saying that," he mumbled through her fingers, "You're always scowling at me."
"You give me reasons to," her hands dropped away and she kissed the tip of his nose.
He was about to say something, but his ears caught on a faint sound, and his head snapped to the side, towards the door.
Celine quickly began to button up her shirt.
Lucian swore under his breath and slid off the bed, removing his shirt to put a new one on. She fixed his hair for him as he buttoned his own shirt.
She kissed him for the last time, a quick peck, before stepping away as a knock echoed through the room.
She cleared her throat and made herself at home by taking a seat before his desk.
Lucian dragged a curtain that separated the bed from the office, hiding the mess they made. He then went to the door and opened it.
"Boss?" Jax called out from outside the door. "There's a problem with the storage. Some rats got in and ate a part of our inventory."
"Can't you handle it yourself?" Lucian's voice came out rough, his mind still on Celine.
"I can," Jax said, his voice sounding a bit panicked, "The customer who ordered the goods is here. He's demanding compensation."
"Then just compensate him," Lucian sighed, running a hand through his hair as he followed Jax outside. There were two of her guards guards standing by the staircase and probably more undercover ones scattered around his store.
He dealt with the problem, gave a refund and a promise of a discount for the next purchase, then returned to his office.
He found Celine looking at the rolled out map of the Rochefort's house outdoor layout. She brought it and then left it on the ground when she found him on his floor.
He lifted her up from the chair by the waist, making her yelp in surprise.
He moved her toward his chair, sitting her down on his lap as he took over. He rested his chin on her shoulder, looking at the map.
"..." she was speechless.
"This is better," he said.
"..." she still didn't say anything, but her expression said it all. 'I like it.'
He wrapped an arm around her stomach, the other hand pointing at a spot on the map, "I'm thinking of using the pond as a starting point. It has potential. A big gazebo, perhaps, a few small boats, and some weeping willows for shade. For the path, I want to use something that matches the house's stone. Maybe... a light gray flagstone, with grass growing in the gaps. It would look natural. What do you think?"
She just listened as he placed a sheer sheet of tracing paper over the map, sketching out his ideas with a charcoal pencil.
He couldn't draw beautifully as her, but his lines were confident, showing he had a clear vision in his mind. "The Rocheforts have a lot of land. We could section it off. The large labyrinth can be improved upon. A maze of hedges is classic, but I was thinking of something different. Maybe... add a few hidden paths that would lead to small secret gardens, each with its own theme..."
If he wanted to meet up with her in the future, he needed to carve out a path. In his case, plant. Literally.