Her Kiss

Henry was bored out of his wits. And if it was not enough that his mother was pestering him with the whole marriage thing, his best friend was in on it as well.

Daniel kept asking him questions about his ideal woman and what he was looking for in a wife. He kept repeating to him that he already had a woman in his life, but the duke did not seem to understand.

Henry was not the heir of House Flock, lucky for him, that pressure fell on his older brother. He was not the one responsible for continuing the bloodline, so he did not see it necessary to even marry. That is why he did not mind having a relationship with a woman he could never take as a wife. Marriage was not important in his opinion.

'I knew I shouldn't have come to this party.'

Henry walked away from the crowds of guests watching the fireworks. He was tired and needed to be alone. His mother made sure he danced and spoke with as many young ladies at the ball as she could push at him.

He sighed.

He walked toward the woods, on a gravel path at first, then on the damp forest floor. It was dark and quiet, exactly what he needed.

His feet led him to a clearing and then he saw a beautiful lake. The full moon's reflection on the water made it look magical. Henry took a deep breath and gazed at the scenery. He took a step to get closer to the water but halted when he heard a voice.

"Who goes there?" the female voice asked.

Henry squinted his eyes at the direction of the woman and saw a silhouette at the end of the pier. He had not even noticed the wooden structure. The woman rustled to stand up.

"My apologies, my lady, I–" The words died in his throat. He watched with wide eyes as the woman stumbled and fell into the lake.

Henry hurried toward the pier. He heard the woman calling for help. His feet stomped on the wood as he ran while taking off his jacket. He jumped into the cold water without hesitation.

She was sinking fast. Thankfully, the moon light penetrated the water a bit. That, along with the lady's struggling, helped guide Henry to her.

When he reached her, he took the arm she extended toward him and tried to pull her up, but he could not. He realized that her dress was a death trap.

Henry reached for his dagger and cut right through the corset first, then through her skirt and crinoline. He had to do it fast but also carefully, so he did not injure the woman.

As soon as she was free, she rushed to the surface, coughing while taking in some much needed air. Henry was up next to her in seconds.

His arms were around her waist and hers wrapped tight around his neck. She was trembling against him, he instinctively brought her closer to him.

As soon as the moonlight hit her face, Henry recognized her. Florence Kalwen, Richard's sister.

"Are you alright?" he asked after her breathing had calmed down.

"I am. Thanks to you, sir," she answered, her voice was hoarse.

"Please, allow me to take you to shore."

Florence gave him a small nod.

Henry turned her gently, pulling her toward the shore. He was as gentle as he could, he felt like she could break in his arms at any moment.

When they reached shallow water, he helped her walk as she stumbled a bit. He guided her to a nearby tree to lean on.

"How do you feel, Lady Kalwen?" Her eyes met his, searching his face for a moment. He could tell that she had recognized who he was.

"Thank you, Lord Flock," she said with a weak smile.

"I am just glad I was close enough to help." He was. She would have never made it on her own. Henry also felt a bit guilty, he was partially the reason she fell into water to begin with.

"It would have been some tale if I had died on the same day as my birthday," she tried to make a joke but failed miserably.

Henry watched her for a moment. 'What a thing to say.' He brushed off her comment and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Can you walk, my lady? We can stop at the pier to get my jacket before walking back to the castle, you must be freezing."

Florence just stared at him. Henry could tell that she was deep in thought, he wondered what she was thinking about at that moment.

"Lady Kalwen?" he called.

"Ah, yes," she uttered.

As soon as she did, they heard voices approaching. Henry immediately placed himself before her, hiding her from sight. After all, she was only wearing a wet sheer undergarment.

'We should hurry toward the pier and get my jacket. Most of the guests here are gossip whores.'

"My lord," Florence whispered, making Henry turn to look at her. "I deeply apologize to you."

Henry frowned. 'What is she apologizing for?'

Before he could ask her, Florence pulled him from his collar and crushed her lips against his so forcefully they both fell against the trunk of the tree.

He felt her wince at the impact, he barely had enough time to place his hand on the tree to avoid crushing her against it. Florence's lips were quivering and cold, in fact, her whole body was shivering.

'She is probably just shocked from the near death experience.'

Henry tried to pull away, but Florence laced her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer. He could tell that she had no experience, all she was doing was pressing her lips flat against his.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, like when a child was scared of the dark and someone turned off the lights. He could not fathom why she was kissing him, if he could even call that a 'kiss'.

Suddenly, a moan escaped her lips and for some reason, Henry lost all rationale. His right arm tightened around her waist, almost lifting her from the ground and flattening their bodies against one another. He licked her lips. Florence jolted against him in surprise, her eyes flew open and met his hazel pools. He grinned.

Her lips parted and that was all Henry was waiting for. He dove right in, deepening the kiss and earning him another moan from her. He could not think straight anymore.

He did not even notice the voices from earlier growing closer to them.