Saturday, March 27th, 1891, Late Afternoon — Emrys' Home, Bristol

Winning the tournament had been less taxing than the last - what - day? The comparison had Angelica grinning and stretching her legs, which was impressive because she'd wager she'd been hit by a rather potent jelly-legs curse at some point since she last woke. Judging by the light in the room, it was far later than when they'd last been awake. They'd certainly earned their rest.

She'd woken when the morning light was still grey and soft through the heavy curtains and after taking stock of every pleasant soreness and little mark on her body, Angelica took her time getting better acquainted with her host. It was impossible to smirk with her mouth so engaged, but her unorthodox wake-up call certainly proved a good start to the day. When he called for breakfast later, Angel commandeered a nightshirt over some insistence that she couldn't possibly eat breakfast in bed without dressing. He'd repaid her morning stunt and proven just how ineffectual the garment was when she was the chosen meal. It was enough to make her blush.

Greeting him with a chaste kiss (given the situation), Angel forced herself up from the pillows with a little groan. "It seemed we've lost most of the day. Are you certain I haven't kept you from some nautical adventure? Or,"Angelica offered with another appreciative look around the room, "Perhaps you have moved on to decorating." She teased, but the man certainly had the eye of an artist.

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Emrys Selwyn

Yup, I'm going to hell.

  

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MJ made this miracle!

There had to be a catch. That was what Emrys had been thinking as he held her body up against his and drifted off to a post-coital nap midway through the morning. There had to be a catch. To believe that he might have found a woman who was as intelligent and interesting as she was sensual and provocative, whose company he was so far enjoying just as much as he was enjoying the sex, and who would give him a great deal of privacy were they wed — as a function of her job would see her stashed away most of the year — went against every notion of marriage that he had built up through years of experience watching Trystan and Daniel. Marriage did not improve people's lives; it ended them. It was impossible to think that he might have found a woman who could enhance the hours he spent with her without derailing every plan he made that didn't involve her.

When they stirred again, then, he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. This would crumble sooner or later; it was only a matter of how. Maybe she would become far less entertaining now that some of the tension in the air was relieved. Maybe she would say something wholly unattractive that would put a stop to this entire relationship before it had a chance to get on its feet. Maybe he'd discover that her Hogsmeade residence was home to as many siblings and nieces and nephews as the main Selwyn residence, and she wanted them all to continue living with her after marriage. Maybe, maybe, maybe. For now, though, things seemed pleasant. She kissed him and then leaned forward, and he watched the way the muscles on her naked back rippled as she stretched without a hint of shame. As she sat he leaned in to the space behind her, running his hands up her back and snaking around so that he could caress her breast with one hand.

"Do you like it?" he teased lightly; ostensibly he might have been talking about the room (which was decorated with artwork he had personally acquired, so the compliment would be well-placed) but he might just as easily have been talking about the way he was touching her now, his body wrapped around hers. "I've always had an eye for design. Though I'd rather decorate you," he teased, moving his other hand up to trace over the bare skin at her neck. "Are you sure you wouldn't like a necklace to match the earrings?"

  

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Lou made this! <3

Angelica hummed a little noise of agreement as she leaned back into his body, letting him surround her. She grinned when he took her in hand and she pulled her hair over her opposite shoulder, offering him a silent gesture to enjoy himself. "I like it very much, but I am certain you're well aware." She shot him a knowing smirk over her shoulder. The skin beneath his palm was already sensitive from his earlier attention. She couldn't exactly hide her reactions in such a state.

This couldn't be real. That thought had plagued her every time he read her body or made her laugh. He was witty, clever, and had a wicked sense of humor. He was interesting, actually held her attention for more than introductions. The ease with which he'd captured her focus, how easily she was seduced, how badly she'd needed to seduce him, there was something off about the whole scenario. There had to be something she was missing, but at the moment, she was satisfied.

A hand went to her earrings at the mention of decorating her. "I would say you've done a rather fine job." She leaned into the teasing line he ran over her neck, the light contact just short of tickling. She was silent for a moment as she raised a free hand to her own throat, tracing the skin thoughtfully. When the subject surfaced last night, things took an unpleasant turn, but was there any difference now? If it was a gift, the implication was confusing; if this was some sort of payment, the insult was impossible to ignore. Though last night, she had agreed to trust him, in her own way. She had stayed with him and was well rewarded. Would it be so wrong to enjoy his tokens?

"You seem rather set on the matter." She traced her nails along his forearm, enjoying the feel of muscle even here. "I have it on good authority that responding with a gift of my own could give a man the wrong impression." His last letter had given him the last word and made the length of the day impossible. Then again, considering her little gamble the night before, it was only fair that test her restraint. "I would hate for you to think I was trying to seduce you." Meeting his eyes with feigned contrition, she offered, "But it would be rude to reject such a gift from my host. Wouldn't want that."

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"Very rude," he agreed playfully, before leaning in to deliver a series of slow, lingering kisses: her mouth, her cheek, her jawbone, her earlobe just above the earring. It had been longer than he would have liked since he'd had a woman in his arms. He had a series of ongoing affairs at any given point, but his preference so far for married women (to avoid the issue his brother often ran into with bastard children whose mothers came after their patriarch for support) it was often more sporadic than his interludes with men. Married women had to be so careful about their schedules, meeting only when their husbands wouldn't suspect. Since he'd decided to fill out his own social calendar with all sorts of menial invitations in order to put himself in the way of silly debutantes, he hadn't had the opportunity to meet up with any of them since the beginning of the year. He'd worked up quite the appetite, then, and now he was hungry for her despite having had her twice already.

"I enjoy pretty things," he continued, eyes sinking to his hand on her neck. "But I can't show off your gifts so easily as you can showcase mine," he pointed out. Unless she was going to send him earrings, but he hadn't shown those to her yet (and probably shouldn't, her being ostensibly the respectable sort) so there would be no reason for her to suspect he would enjoy jewelry of any variety.

"Should we compromise?" Emrys asked with a mischievous glint in his eye, allowing the hand on her neck to sink down over her body and towards her lap. "I'll give you some pretty things to wear, and I'll wear you."

  

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Lou made this! <3

She rewarded his kisses with a warm sound of agreement and her free hand reaching back to play through his hair. Her need to touch him was ridiculous and a bit alarming, but Angel couldn't keep her hands to herself (not that he'd shown any interest in her stopping). This was uncharted territory for Angelica. She never took a lover after her husband. She'd considered it, of course, and there were two men outside Moskva that she'd taken as far as stolen kisses, but both had proved too boring to warrant an invitation to her bed or body. She'd figured that neither man was worth confronting the ghosts of her husband's touch if their kisses were so lackluster. Apparently, the universe was now apologizing for its plethora of mediocre men; Angelica accepted the apology.

"Perhaps making a cologne of my gift would raise a few questions." She teased before offering his mention of compromise with a raised eyebrow. While her breath caught as his hand began its descent, his delightful suggestion made her laugh in earnest. "Do you think Society ready for such a daring fashion choice? You wearing me to some poor girl's debut? I am not fully opposed, but I think it would be difficult to top such a showing." Angelica grinned wickedly at the thought of how much more fun the standard social obligation would be if it included people in the throes of passion. That she would pay galleons to see. She made a point of ignoring that he meant to wear her now.

Leaning the rest of her weight against him and casually adjusting her legs - for comfort, it had nothing to do with the destination of his hand, of course - Angelica took her time getting comfortable. 'Comfortable' was code for teasing him thoroughly with the wiggle of her backside against him, apparently. Angel turned her face to tease kisses along his jaw, his morning stubble, the slight dip below his ear. "Does that excite you, Mr. Selwyn, me wearing your favors?" She asked, her voice too polite for the topic, but damn if she didn't wonder at the answer. Hell, wearing his earrings excited her. If more was added to the set, she would have difficulty leaving her rooms.

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MJ made this miracle!

"Mm, not the style I'm going for," Emrys agreed playfully, to her comment about wearing her gift like cologne. It was strong stuff, the firewhiskey she'd gotten him. A dab or two of it behind his ears or on his wrists would have made him seem a proper alcoholic to anyone who came within arm's length of him. That would be a whole other breed of rumor to contend with, and not one that would make it any easier to find himself a wife. Though in the grand scheme of things, being known as an alcoholic was probably better for his general reputation than being suspected to be carrying on affairs with men. It wasn't illegal to drink too much, and probably wouldn't see him uninvited to any of his typical parties.

He didn't bother to answer the volley of questions she put to him next, since they were obviously not serious. It was interesting that she seemed so amused by the idea, rather than repulsed, but Emrys had never been one for exhibitionism. He liked his secrets too much to want to put on a show for anyone other than his chosen partner for the evening. Discretion had always been an important character trait for him to consider in choosing a lover, too, almost as much as whether or not he found them attractive, and he'd recently been toying with the idea of cutting Elmer Macmillan out of his life for his apparent lack of discretion. He didn't like the idea of anyone kissing and telling. On the subject of her last question, though, he had a good deal more to say — or, perhaps, not to say, but to do. He moved his hand more firmly between her legs and kissed her neck again. "That's just one of many things about you that excites me," he said with a smile, then went right back to playing with her.

The following 1 user Likes Emrys Selwyn's post:1 user Likes Emrys Selwyn's post
   Angelica Selwyn

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Lou made this! <3

She's died and found the afterlife for repressed hedonists she never knew existed. It was the only sensible explanation as to why she felt this damn good. Angel buried her face against his neck, failing to muffle the sound of need she couldn't keep behind her teeth. Nipping the tendon in his neck - she couldn't resist the urge to taste him - she soothed the bite with kisses. She preferred to punctuate the moments of pain with pleasure and she wouldn't risk marking him in any way that hinted at how they'd spent the weekend. The idea of either of their reputations at risk, because she'd lost control in her quest to taste all of him, was not at all appealing. She'd been too good for too long to see her reputation ruined over something that belonged to the two of them alone. She wanted him, but she needed her good name.

Finding an appropriate rejoinder was temporarily impossible as she fell apart for him. She was so sensitive after last night and this morning's activity, but she wasn't about to stop him. At some point, she would return to the real world where her company would be her own hands and the memory of how much she preferred his. She wasn't fool enough to deprive herself now. "Absolutely Insatiable." She observed when she caught her breath, but which of them she was teasing was up for interpretation. "I could guess at a few of the things that make that list." She offered belatedly, too pleased at the moment to mind him robbing her of words. Turning partially in his arms, she trailed a hand along his thigh, taking her time to reach her goal. "This, perhaps?" She offered with a teasing smile as she took him in hand. Keeping her eyes on his, she bent at the waist to give him a series of kisses in the wake of her fingers. She had every intention of pulling them both out of bed, but reciprocity was essential (and other ridiculous things she told herself to excuse the urge to have him a third time). He could give her a respectable tour later.

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MJ made this miracle!

Emrys groaned in a pleased way as she turned her attention to his body once again. As exciting as her touch was, however, he wasn't as young as he'd once been and he had a few doubts about being able to give her the sort of performance she deserved so soon after their engagement this morning. He was planning on revisiting it again this afternoon and this evening, if she was still here, and five times in a day was... a bit much for a man nearing forty. As much as he hesitated to push her away now, he was even less interested in disappointing her later if her appetite for sexual exploits outlasted his stamina.

On the other hand, he didn't know what else to do with her. She'd only come prepared for a visit of a few hours, and only had one outfit with her, so it wasn't as though he could suggest they go and do something out and about town or on the grounds of the house. Anything that put them outside of this room might have been a little much; Emrys had every faith in the discretion of his servants, but she had no reason to believe they wouldn't make comments to anyone later if she was wandering around his home in a housecoat.

"That certainly makes the list," he said with a smile, reaching down to take her chin in his hand and pulling her face back up towards his so that he could kiss her lips (and keep them off the rest of him for a moment). "Would you fancy a bath?" he asked after half a moment. "The master bathroom is big enough for two." It was actually big enough for four, if you weren't particular about your personal space — he knew because he'd done it — but that was the sort of information that would be far too shocking for a respectable lady, which... he still thought Mrs. Vorona fit generally into the category of, despite the fact that she'd fallen into bed with him last night.

  

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Lou made this! <3

Angelica was a woman of the highest breeding. She was raised with every privilege and advantage, every virtue, every skill to be the most desirable of women, and this is where it led her. Such women would never dream of the act she initiated, let alone enjoy it. She savored his reactions and took note of what pleased him, devoted herself to his pleasure. And yet, when he interrupted her and took her by the chin to kiss her, she blushed like an empty-headed innocent. It may be the most humiliating thing she'd done in the last day, which, given the sheer amount of wicked things they'd done last night, was insane. Conquering momentary (unwelcome) shyness, Angel answered his question with a kiss of her own before positioning herself back in his lap, taking care to settle back on his thighs.

"Mmm, it's one of the things I fancy," she grinned, alluding to his own comment on her 'exciting' parts. She ducked her head, as was her habit, at the mental image that came with his suggestion. "And you'll be joining me for this bath?" The idea was surprising but most welcome. It wasn't as if she'd spent a deal of time in her bath yesterday imagining what it would be like to have him join her. Thank you, coincidence.

"I think sharing a bath would be very practical and responsible of us." She grinned, her hands smoothing over his shoulders. "There is one small problem. I did not bring additional clothing with me. I am afraid you'll have to see me in the same gown twice."

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MJ made this miracle!

"Unless you forbid me," he teased lightly in response to her question about whether or not he would be joining. That was the whole point of having offered, after all. If he'd just suggested that she go and take a bath on her own, that would have been a little offensive, wouldn't it? They could both use a bath after working up a sweat the night before and then again that morning, but it wasn't the sort of thing one was supposed to comment on, at least not to a lady.

A playful smirk crossed his lips at her mention of seeing her in the same dress twice. "Well, I shall endeavor not to be disappointed," he said, reaching forward to brush some of her hair away from her forehead and back behind one ear. "But you did set my expectations so high with regards to your wardrobe. Being one area, I believe you said, where you were sure to best me on every occasion," he teased. He could have offered her a dress easily enough — he had half a dozen stashed away, and although they probably wouldn't fit her there was a good deal that could be accomplished with magic — but he was enjoying the idea of making her suffer a bit.

  

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Lou made this! <3

"Perhaps I should, but if you agree to forgive my lack of wardrobe, perhaps we can compromise." She leaned into his caress with a tiny smile, her stray hairs tolerable if he wished to be attentive. Being trapped in bed with him wasn't any hardship for her, but eventually, she would need to find the various pieces of her clothing. What became of all the pieces after they had both worked her free of the layers was a mystery.

Angelica was not a fool or so naive to assume she was the first woman in his home. Emrys Selwyn was too intriguing and too magnetic to be wasting away as some wizarding monk in Bristol, but that didn't mean she was comfortable with some poor upstairs maid finding her lingerie shoved under a settee somewhere. She'd imagined many things, but the logistics of hunting for her clothes in an unfamiliar home was not part of the fantasy. 

"Keep those expectations high," Brushing his nose with hers, she was all warmth and affection, at least until she let her hands abandon him in favor of the nearest sheet. Yanking hard, she gathered the fabric to her chest, shifting away from him. "But for now, I will have to compromise." She smirked, cocooning up into the fabric best she could with his weight obstructing things.

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MJ made this miracle!

Emrys couldn't help but laugh at this, and shifted his weight off the sheets so that she could better wrap herself. "You'll start a new fashion," he teased lightly, as he rose from the bed. The wardrobe in the room contained a small collection of housecoats, and he slipped one onto his own shoulders before he turned back to survey her in the sheet again. "I imagine gentlemen might be appreciative of how much easier it is to get ladies undressed, if it catches on. But if you'd prefer a robe to get across the hallway, help yourself," he continued, laughing again as he gestured behind him towards the wardrobe. This was a bedroom that he typically used for short-term liaisons, so these robes had come in handy on multiple occasions. It was an easy thing to keep around, too, since the sizes tended to be much more forgiving than keeping dresses or suits or actual wardrobe items handy. And if they were only going to the bath, it wasn't as though she needed to look very put together — no one was going to see.

(A part of him hoped she stayed in the sheet and just dragged it across the hall behind her; she looked so captivating with her hair tousled and her body wrapped only in thin linen).

With one last flirtatious look in her direction, Emrys left the room to draw the bath.

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Lou made this! <3

Angelica let out an unintentional squeak (humiliating) when his shifting weight let her travel farther than expected but recovered quickly. Twisting the fabric around herself in a makeshift stola, she watched him unfold from his bed. It was a shame the wardrobe wasn't further away, she was rather enjoying the view. The graceful way he moved and showed no discomfort with her, how he seemed so self-confident strolling across a room nude; it all made him more alluring if such a thing was possible.

"Let's call it the British take on a Corvo family classic." She quipped as she watched him slide into a dressing gown, a bit concerned she was slightly jealous of the fabric at the moment. Smirking as he continued, Angel couldn't help but add, "Gentlemen should be appreciative of any favor I give them." She weighed her options as she watched him leave, meeting his attractive little look with an appreciative one of her own. Part of her wanted the audacity to strut across the hall nude, just to shock him, but even she found that too far. Pity. Browsing his wardrobe, the warm, clean scent of his was strong here. That was all she needed to make up her mind. Selecting a silky housecoat, Angel took a moment to adjust her appearance. Shaking her hair over her shoulders and leaving the dressing gown gaping, she joined him.

"How on earth do you accomplish anything at home when you have a tub this glorious?" Angel eyed the spacious tub with surprise. "I would never leave the house." She approached to dip her fingers in the steaming tub, a blissful smile on her face. With a grin over her shoulder, she stepped into the water with a hiss. This was paradise. Letting the robe slip down her shoulders, she sank into the water as the robe fell away. Ducking beneath the surface for a moment, she broke the surface with a pleased sigh. With a curl of her fingers, she motioned for him. "Well, are you just planning on watching?"

  

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MJ made this miracle!

Emrys smirked at her question. "Well, what if I am?" he countered, moving to lean against the bathroom counter for a moment as he surveyed the scene. "I'm in no rush." He had no pressing business obligations until Monday (though he had cleared his schedule less for her sake and more in the event that Elmer Macmillan ended up dying; he hadn't expected that she would have stayed the night, much less the weekend), and he assumed she would have to be gone by then anyway; in the meantime he had nothing better to do than drink all of this in, memorizing the look of her in his bath with the steam caressing the exposed skin of her neck.

After a moment, Emrys turned a retrieved a bottle from the counter top. There were a wide variety of things accrued there — potions, bath salts, soaps, lotions, all in a variety of scents and encompassing a wide range of expense points. He enjoyed a luxurious bath frequently, and he liked to change up what exactly he used to add that element of luxury, so as a result he had a rather formidable collection. The bottle he'd grabbed was something like a softener, a sort of lotion that could be used in the bath instead of afterwards, with a subtle sheen and a hint of vanilla. Suited to her, he thought.

"Give me your arm," he instructed as he knelt beside the tub. Once she'd obliged, he took some of the product and began massaging it into her skin, working his way slowly and sensually up the length of her arm.

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Lou made this! <3

Meeting his challenge with a smirk, Angel twisted her hair up loosely and used it to pillow her head as she leaned back against the rim of the tube. "By all means, enjoy the art display. I think I can tolerate your attentions." She let her eyes drift closed with a pleased little hum, the sting in her voice lost somewhere in the delicious heat of the bath. She knew he was watching her, loved the weight of his eyes on her like this. It made her body buzz with anticipation, with a confidence in her own skin she rarely experienced these days. There was a powerful thrill to choosing who could see her in so vulnerable a state; ownership of her own allure.

She felt him before she heard him, her eyes blinking open at his command. If the image of him looming over the tub in only a house robe didn't end her, him kneeling beside the tub might do it. She gave him her arm without fuss, watching his hands work through wet lashes. Free hand rising to tease her breast, Angel gave a little noise of approval at the warm, buttery fragrance. "Do you always pamper your toys, Mr. Selwyn?" She asked, wryly. His own use of words last night still fresh in her mind. She needed to think about clothing and something brilliant like remembering this was most likely some fever dream, not get lost in the exotic scent of vanilla, heat, and him.

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MJ made this miracle!

Emrys smiled slyly at the question. "What good would all these bottles be to me if I didn't use them when I had such an excellent opportunity?" he teased lightly. If she hadn't already noticed the collection of products for skin and hair care, she likely would now. Some of them could be explained away by his own vanity and his proclivity for trying new things, but it was a wider collection than one person could ever really hope to go through. Truth be told, these various creams and lotions were half the point of a bath in his opinion. Hot water was nice, but why stop there when his hands could do so much more?

"Other arm," he instructed softly, reaching down for more of the lotion.

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Lou made this! <3