Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps

| пять|

          The dance floor was empty now, and the last of the drunken guests had been led to their rooms. Nikolai and Alina ran hand in hand back to his bedchambers, laughing and stumbling like rebellious schoolchildren. Skipping, incoherent, and gloriously sober. Perhaps they were drunk on elation, bubbling up inside of them like the fizz of champagne.

As soon as the bedroom door closed behind them, they practically collapsed in a fit of giggles. Alina was doubled over, gasping for breath, and grinning like her face might split in two. Nikolai heaved a sigh and massaged his sore cheeks.

"I don't remember the last time I laughed this hard," he said breathlessly, his chest still stuttering from humor.

Alina brushed her wisps of hair out of her face. "I don't remember the last time I had this much fun."

A few seconds passed as the couple released their last chuckles, and then a silence fell over the room. Nikolai dared to look at his wife, who dared to look back. Suddenly, the air changed, like someone could strike a single match and the whole room would go up in flames. Nikolai's collar felt too tight and he cleared his throat.

Alina glanced at the bed right behind her. "Tonight," she said.

"Tonight."

She took a step towards him and turned around. "Would you mind unzipping?" she asked.

"Of course," he practically choked. He took the zipper in his gloved hands and pulled it down. Slowly, he pushed the sleeves down her arms and off completely. The dress slid down, pooling around her hips, and revealing her bare back. Nikolai didn't know what to do next.

"Now my hair," she murmured. He couldn't tell if she was nervous or not.

He pulled the ribbon out of her braid and ran his fingers through her white hair. The length reached the small of her back. With the task done, he put his hands gently on her waist and leaned forward. He slid her hair over one shoulder and breathed in her scent, feeling overwhelmingly dizzy. His lips pressed against the space between her neck and shoulder blade and sent a shiver down her spine.

In an instant, the waist in his hands twisted around, and her mouth was on his. His vision went black, and it was then that he realized his eyes had been closed. Her lips were softer than silk, and her hands caressed his jaw and neck. The sensation felt almost too good to be true. Nikolai pulled her closer to him, cupping his cheek with his hand. Alina pulled back.

"Nikolai," she said, gasping softly. "Can you take them off?"

He took notice of her bare torso and felt his stomach plummet into a panic. This was supposed to be something beautiful, or at least pleasant. Why must his horrible past and darkness taint this for him? He didn't want to touch her pure pale skin with such sinful ugly hands. She deserved more.

But then he saw her pleading eyes. When she whispered "please", the gloves were already half way off. And when he tilted her chin and ran a thumb over her bottom lip, she didn't flinch. Her gaze didn't even stutter. So he leaned in and they were kissing again. This time, he felt stiffer and didn't know where else to put his hands other than her waist. Alina's hand slid to the back of his neck and deepened the kiss.

Nikolai's heart was nearly beating out of his chest. He could feel the knots in his stomach tightening around each other. He tried to focus on the softness of her skin or the quiet moan in the back of her throat that he caught in his own mouth.

He didn't realize how long they had been lip-locked until Alina pulled back once more.

"You know," she said, her lips rosier than they were before, "Eventually, we're going to have to get to the whole "making an heir" part."

Nikolai let a laugh escape his throat. "I was getting to that."

Alina smiled, humming as her hands skimmed over the buttons of his shirt. She undid the first three and then he kissed her again, finishing off the buttons and tossing his shirt to the floor. Her hands found their way to his chest, sliding over the lean plates of his torso, and his skin broke into gooseflesh. The kisses became more feverish, and Nikolai could barely keep track of when his mouth was open and when it wasn't. He could feel warmth pulsing off of his body, and every breath that escaped her mouth. At some point, her tongue flicked over his lips and he very nearly keeled over.

He knew this would continue until dawn if they allowed it to if he didn't do anything else. But he needed to be sure of one thing first.

"Alina," he said, pulling back only slightly and looking into her round eyes. "Are you sure? Do you want this?"

She nodded once confidently. "Yes," she whispered.

So Nikolai put his hands on her shoulders, pushing her gently on the bed. He placed himself over her and allowed his mind to empty as he lost himself in the beauty that was his bride.