Tale of Obsession: Courting Daphne Ch. 10

"Are you hungry, Daphne?" he asked levelly.

Although her stomach was starting to ask for food, Daphne shook her head. She had missed breakfast due to her decision of remaining in Leander's arms, and the whole household must already have eaten lunch, but she wanted to quickly get over with whatever it was her father wanted to talk about.

"Then, let's get to the heart of the matter," the duke said, a frown now marring his handsome features as he leaned against his chair and gestured for his daughter to sit on the chair in front of the desk. "Tell me what kind of relationship you share with Leander Van Halen."

Daphne blanched as she sat on the chair indicated. Her relief about her father's decision of letting her off the hook for most of her misdemeanours suddenly faded away. Certainly, he was not about to let her get away with this one.

"I'm waiting, Daphne."

She looked at him with worried eyes. The duke's voice was hard, icy. Even the look in his eyes was unforgiving. Daphne wanted a moment to think, but she knew that time was not a luxury she had right then.

*****

The summons from the duke did not come, as Leander expected it to. There was not even a message telling him that the duke wanted to talk at all. Like the other generals who were staying in the estate, he dined with the ducal family earlier that night, but there was no word at all about what he was supposed to do in the house.

Daphne, he noted, was somewhat not her usual self. After her meeting with the duke, he had not seen her until dinner, and after the meal, she was basically whisked away by her ladies-in-waiting. Leander wanted to talk to her, if only so that he could ask if she was all right.

He was just contemplating how he could see Daphne again when he heard urgent, although soft, knocks on the door of his assigned room. The general put down his glass of wine to open it.

When the door was ajar, he peered out to see Daphne nervously standing outside. She implored him with the look in her eyes, while softly saying, "Quickly! Let me in!"

The urgency in her voice propelled him into quick action. As soon as she was inside, Daphne bolted the door, making sure that the bar was secure before facing him.

Leander looked at her from head to toe. She was wearing a black hooded cape that reached the floor. Underneath it, he could make out the gown that she had been wearing to dinner. Daphne pulled back the hood to reveal her smartly dressed head before finally smiling at him.

"Good evening, Leander," she said.

He raked his eyes over her attire one more time before responding. "Good evening, little one. I was just thinking of you."

A light blush coloured her cheeks as she dropped a small bundle on the floor and began untying the ribbon at the neck of her cape. "As I was. I wanted to see you badly, but it was so hard shaking off my ladies! I thought I'd get caught before I could knock on your door."

"Lucky of you to have escaped detection," he commented, amused.

Daphne did not seem to mind the taunting in his voice as she said, "Indeed. They will be looking for me, though. I just hope that they don't tell Papa."

As she shed off the cape, her whole outfit was revealed. Leander stared.

She looked exquisite in her gown. Earlier, when he glimpsed her from afar, he was immediately astonished. He knew that there was nary a man in the room who was not quite taken by her beauty. Up close, she looked more stunning. The purple colour of the dress emphasized her blonde hair, making her appear like a golden goddess wrapped in the colour of royalty.

When Daphne realized that he was studying her, she threw the cape away and held the skirt of her gown before giving him a deep curtsy. Leander was thus given an unimpeded view of her cleavage, emphasized by the corset she was wearing underneath. The sight of those creamy globes of flesh peeking out of her gown aroused him.

She glanced up at him then. He realized from the coy smile that adorned her lips that Daphne knew what effect the sight of her was having. Meanwhile, Leander suppressed the impulse to pull her close and ravage her. Instead, he took her hand and kissed her fingers.

"You look ravishing," he said, staring into Daphne's eyes. "I'm completely captivated."

She stepped closer to him, stopping only a foot away. "Are you really?" she asked softly, her eyes trained on his lips. "You did not look like it when I was wearing this for dinner earlier. You hardly even looked at me."

"Ah, my love," he said, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Your father was watching."

"Is that the real reason?" she asked, her eyes blazing. "I had a thought that it was because of my ladies-in-waiting." Before Leander could say a thing, she added, "I saw them looking at you, and you exchanged smiles with at least one of them."

Hearing her talk like this made Leander want to kiss her. He grinned. "I have to be polite to your ladies if I want to sneak into your room again without causing any one of them to run to your father."

"Polite?" she sounded aghast. "Did you see the way they blushed? You know, General Van Halen, if that's the best excuse you can give, then, forget about it. You're banned from entering my chambers anyway."

"Banned? And why?"

Daphne narrowed her eyes. "I don't want a roomful of ladies eyeing you with the clear intent of seducing you as soon as my back is turned."

Leander could not resist chuckling. He put his hands on her hips, whispering, "Is that so?"

The lady sighed and finally closed the distance between them, pressing her body close to his. There was no trace of amusement in her eyes when she looked up at him. "Don't laugh. I'm serious."

He pulled her closer and asked softly, "Why do you worry so, Daphne?"

She stared into his eyes. "I hate rivals, Leander. What's mine's mine. I never share."

He took her hand and kissed it. "Who said that you'd ever share anything, my love? Why would I look at another when the most beautiful, most enchanting woman is standing right beside me?"

"You mean it?"

The smile that lit her face made her eyes twinkle. For Leander, she had never looked more beautiful. Groaning his agreement, he planted a soft kiss on her lips. Daphne responded with the same soft kiss, before they stared into each other's eyes.

He felt his heart beating and imagined that he could sense the pounding of blood in his veins. Staring into her eyes, he felt as though time was frozen, as if the whole world has stopped moving.

For a moment, Leander was breathless. Everything about Daphne radiated joy. Love. She was here of her own accord -- here to seek him out. She was here knowing that she was defying the orders of her father, the most powerful man in the land. She was here to be with him, not because of some call of the flesh, but because her heart has spoken.

"Daphne?"

The gaze she turned on him was full of trust, of anticipation. "Hmm?"

Leander smiled, himself feeling a kind of joy he had never known before. "I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"You already know it," he observed, seeing the way she curbed a big smile.

"No, I don't."

Her attempt at lying was not working. Leander could read her eyes too clearly. "Of course you do."

"What are you talking about?" Her eyes were laughing now, although she kept her face straight. "You must be mistaken. I have no idea what you want to tell me."

"Ah." He kissed her lips briefly and whispered on her ear, "Go on lying and you will never hear it."

Daphne giggled like a child, snaking her arms around his neck and kissing his lips again. "Of course I know. But I want to hear you say it."

So he held her closer to him, staring into her eyes, "I love you." He touched her lips. "I love you with everything that is in me, with all the fervour and passion my heart knows, more than everything in the world combined. I love you more than life itself."

He saw tears glistening in her eyes even as he watched her smile. Daphne then took his hand and kissed it, before softly saying, "And I love you, more than I could ever express in words."

Not a second later, their lips were locked as they gently savoured each other's mouth. Daphne's hands rested on his chest. Leander put his own on her waist. No rush and no urgency this time around; they ran their palms along each other's clothed bodies to slowly explore.

One by one, Leander removed the pins holding Daphne's hair in an elegant style. He watched the wavy strands fall down little by little, finally framing her lovely face. He ran his fingers through its silkiness, bringing a fistful of hair close to his nose to smell its intoxicating fragrance. Lavender. Blossoms that spoke of devotion, of love -- blossoms that best symbolize what he has to offer.

With gentleness, he helped her out of the gown until it became a pool of purple silk around her feet. Neither of them spoke. In that stillness of the hours of soft shadows, all that they could hear was the whisper of skin rubbing against skin, the rustle of clothes being shed, the sound of their own breaths shaping the night.

Leander helped Daphne shed her corset, followed by the poor excuse of see-through fabric they dared call a chemise. Both items fell on top of the silk as dark shadows that fell on a purple sea.

As Daphne stood completely naked before him, the general was able to take in the sight of her glorious body. Every curve, every contour was emphasized by the soft light of the candles around the room. She stood before him as proud and noble as only a lady of her rank should, yet as humble and yielding as a woman in love would.

Lovely. She was heartbreakingly lovely. Leander was certain that, when the authors of times past imagined the splendor that personified the goddess of beauty, they had in mind a woman as exquisite as Daphne.

She smiled at him before starting to rid him of his clothes. Like him, she moved without hurry, as if shouting to the world that she was no longer a little girl eagerly tearing the wrapper off her most anticipated gift, but a young woman secretly taking pleasure in the art of carefully unwrapping a most precious present.

Once she was done peeling off every piece of his clothing, Leander noted the way Daphne studied him -- as if she were memorizing every bulge of muscle, every scar, every line. He noted the way her eyes lingered on his cock, noted the way she lovingly admired it with her gaze. No wonder why it stood in full attention, grateful for the intimate acknowledgement.

Having watched with slightly parted lips the way his member grew in size, Daphne met Leander's gaze. He could not suppress the grin that spread across his face. The lady, although blushing, smiled back. Her own nipples were starting to get hard.

Daphne slowly moved to his arms, and Leander lifted her up from the floor, keeping her in the upright position. She touched his face, placing her forehead upon his, so that her hair fell like a veil of golden waves, shielding their faces from direct light.

Leander closed his eyes as he felt Daphne's lips pressed against his. Those were the same pair of lips that had been all over every inch of his flesh numerous times before -- a pair of lips that he had always found intoxicating, lips that had taken him to the brink of pleasure and beyond. He kissed back with equal passion, matching the very heat with which she kissed.

As soon as the breathtaking kiss ended, Leander headed for the bed. He deposited her gently before lying beside her. Another kiss was shared, before Daphne climbed over him.

"Say it again," she whispered, staring into his eyes. "I want to hear it, over and over."

The general smiled at her, kissing the tip of her nose. "I love you." He rolled over so that she was now under him. "I love you" -- a kiss on the corner of her mouth -- "I love you" -- a kiss on her cheek -- "I love you."

Daphne smiled, reaching out to kiss him fully on the mouth. Leander positioned himself between her thighs, caressing her folds. She wrapped her legs around his waist, silently telling him that she was ready.

So he made love to her -- slowly, gently, passionately: willing her to know how much he cared, how much he treasured her; he made love to her knowing that the moments they were sharing were something sweet, sublime, sacred.

And when she was finally asleep in his arms, he whispered a heartfelt "I love you" on her ear, before kissing her hair, savouring the faint scent of lavender until he drifted off to a dreamless sleep.