Now that they had this close contact, it was fast becoming clear just how this had opened the floodgates. He'd known her for long enough - Merlin, practically forever in his books, even if the times in the bakery had been few and far between - and even since they had been secretly engaged, there had been nothing, save one kiss on the cheek.

Well, nothing wrong with a little acceleration. Make up for wasted time. Especially because it felt so right with her, just as the honest concern and the childish sweetness of earlier had been, so natural even now they'd done away with both in favour of this. Especially not given the way this felt, the blazing warmth between them, heart pounding and the blood thundering through his veins, the growing tightness in his trousers -

And then she pulled back. From the kiss, at least; mercifully, not away from him entirely, her forehead coming to rest against his. His eyes flickered open and roved briefly over her, bemused. "Wait, what?" He murmured, breaths coming heavily against her cheek. The rational part of his brain supposed it would be slow down. However, the rational part of his brain was languid and lazy on a good day, to say nothing of the state of the rest of his reflexes right now. So, even as he waited for an answer, he began hitching up the layers of her skirts.

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