"Mmm," Alfred agreed, mumbling through the kiss. He knew he ought to stop, because it wasn't as though he could actually do anything. She was all dressed up, and he was probably risking wrinkling her dress already; it would only be worse if he actually tried to touch her. And her hair was done up so prettily, and he'd ruffle it if he kissed her any more intensely than this. And her skin was so perfect, and he was going to get carried away and leave a mark on her somewhere. This space on the dock wasn't really private, though they seemed to be alone for the moment. There were a dozen reasons why he couldn't do anything beyond what they'd already done, in short, and even when none of those reasons had existed she'd said no before. She'd been alone in his bedroom not even a month ago, wearing only her underthings and with no one who would see her for at least hours, maybe days, depending on how the snow held out, and she'd said no, and this was far riskier than that had been.

But she hadn't said no now; she'd said if I could, which was a tantalizing idea. "If you could," he echoed in a teasing tone, leaning in to kiss her again more strongly. He let one hand drift down over the curve of her back to her thigh, pulling her towards him until he could feel her hips on his, while his other arm wrapped more tightly around her back.