Music Recommendation: Together again--Stephen Rennicks

The only sound that was heard in the living room was the soft crackling from the fireplace while the chatter of the people in the house dulled down. A soft thud was heard from the main door as if someone had walked out of the house.

Eve partly closed her eyes when she felt Vincent's lips touch hers. It was nothing less than the sparks in the clouds before the rain, where the two until now had refrained from having more than a mere touch since they had met. Her hands gripped the front of his shirt, crumpling it when his lips started to move against hers.

Not a murmur of protest spilt out of Eve's lips; instead, she revelled in this new feeling. Her heart raced and it felt as light as a butterfly's wings. It was as if it was flapping so quickly that it would crumble in colours that she didn't know she possessed.

How could she deny something that he had already stolen? Unaware to both of them, Vincent had stolen her little by little, and this was the last piece she willingly gave it to him, for him to have the whole of her.

Vincent caught her upper lip between his lips, tugging it enough to cause a hurricane in her chest. With his hand behind her ear, he weaved his fingers through her golden-blonde locks of hair, and continued kissing her.

Eve felt her body hum, his hand on her waist, slither to her back and pull her closer to him. A soft gasp escaped her lips, and he pulled away from the kiss to stare at her.

Vincent watched Eve with a fascinated gaze like he had never had at anyone before. He knew with every breath of his that this woman was his and his alone. That she would be the only one to hold his heart. His heart raced as fast as hers, looking at her blue eyes where hints of gold specks appeared, but he didn't care for the colour of her eyes or who she was.

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"We'll get caught," Eve whispered with a slight daze, and her cheeks burned as bright as the flames in the fireplace.

Vincent responded, "Forget about the world..." He leaned in for another kiss as he wasn't satisfied with the previous one, he whispered on her lips, "Just look at me." He caught her lip one more time, sucking it as if he wanted to consume her soul for no one else ever to know.

He pulled her lip into his mouth, gnawing and sucking until it turned tender. He pulled her impossibly close to his chest as he continued to kiss her.

To Eve, the kiss was nothing less than a sweetness that made her almost cry with how he held her. Having never thought something like this was possible, where the man she had feelings for would return it while also knowing her secret, it was as if God had suddenly decided to bless her after all the hardships she had gone through.

Vincent's hand held the back of her head, angling her head as they continued to kiss. He ran his tongue over the seam of her lips and heard her heart shudder. The fragile woman in his arms parted her lips for him just like she had opened his heart. He didn't hold himself back and slithered his tongue into her mouth, exploring the sweet cavern of her mouth. Their tongues danced with each other, teasing and tasting, while feeling the warmth each of them offered to the other.

The whole time, Eve's heartbeat didn't stop beating loudly, and she closed her eyes, getting lost in the kiss that made her toes curl. She felt Vincent's hand let go of the back of her hair, his fingers trailing down her back before placing it on the other side of her waist.

When Vincent pulled away from Eve's lips, she opened her eyes and met his blood-red eyes that stared right back at her with a heated gaze. With her quickened breathing, her chest moved up and down as she breathed.

He placed his forehead against hers and remarked, "You are truly intoxicating in every way." Her already warm cheeks turned warmer.

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Her eyes lowered from his, suddenly shy. She finally let go of his shirt that she had been gripping, bringing down her hands to her side. She could feel him staring at her with his undivided attention.

They had kissed, and it was something she would never forget. She said, "We should go back before they find us missing."

"Wait," Vincent stopped her before she could disappear from his sight for the night.

Eve wondered what he wanted to say. But then she felt him let go of her waist before he raised his hands to tie the lace on the front of her dress. His action pulled the strings of her heart. When he was done tying it, his eyes met hers, and they stared for a moment before she stepped away from the little gap between the walls where they had been hiding, like young lovers, even though there were two grown-ups.

"My hair ribbon," Eve stretched her hand towards him.

Vincent noticed how adorable Eve looked with her hair let down. Her face appeared younger than her age as if she had only stepped away from her teenager years, even though she was in her mid-twenties. He said,

"Something to hold on to when we are apart."

Eve stared at him, a shyness in her eyes, and she said, "I am going to be in the next corridor."

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"Yet so far," Vincent replied to her.

They heard Lady Paloma asking her husband, "Where did Theo go? Did he go out looking for Eve and Mr. Moriarty?" Footsteps could be heard approaching the living room where they were.

Eve decided to walk back to her room before someone noticed her bright red face. But when she was ready to leave, Vincent wasn't done with her, and he caught her wrist. Her eyes widened, and she said, "I need to go."

Vincent was barely bothered by the possibility of being caught and he enjoyed her flustered face. He said, "Isn't it something they will be witnessing in the future. We can now continue our discussion that we left halfway earlier."

"Theo?" Lady Paloma called her son's name.

Not knowing what else to do, Eve brought their hands up to her face and bit his hand for him to wince and let go of her hand. She quickly stepped out of the living room, while Vincent stared at the bite mark on his skin.

"Seems like you haven't changed," Vincent murmured.

Eve quickly walked through the corridors, and on her way met Lady Paloma, who asked, "Have you seen where Theo went?"

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"I think he stepped outside," Eve replied, and the woman turned surprised.

"What is he doing outside at this hour, when the weather is cold," said the woman, making her way towards the main door, while Eve slipped into her guest room.

Closing the door, Eve let her back lean against the door. She raised her hand and touched her lips, feeling it reverberate with the memory of Vincent's lips on hers. Things were already changing around them, and as happy as she was, she realised her time in Berkshire would have to be cut short.