Caydrick's lips were the softest she had ever felt – and the only. Nevertheless, she knew she would not find anything sweeter, more savory than his lips, nothing more indulgent. He tasted like the berries he had sampled, along with something else – himself. The most intricate taste ever, better than any sweet treat she could ever bake in the kitchen.

As their tongues mingled, she heard a groan coming from the back of his throat, turning into something almost choked. When she reached for his chest and planted both her palms on it, she felt him stiffen. Not wanting him to pull away, Beth exhaled a small moan, hoping it would encourage him to stay. But the damage was already done.

He pulled away, forcing their lips apart, when she stepped onto her toes. They were both panting heavily. "Bethia. We cannot do this."

She did not mean to whimper, but she did. Those words were like poison in the air. "Why not?"

"You know why."

"No, tell me. I want you to say it to me."

She opened her eyes to see him close his. "Please do not make me." He begged.

She pressed her lips tightly together when tears pressed in the corners. "I will not let you go before you do."

He groaned. "Beth, please."

"Say it."

"Because I am an outlaw and you deserve so much better."

She knew he would say that. That is why she stepped onto her toes again and pressed her lips to his again, catching him by surprise. Her hands combed through his thick blond locks, as her lips worked against his, until he groaned and kissed her back. Warm hands touched her sides and held her gently, kept her from moving both forward or away.

"Do not ever say that you are not of worth," Bethia whispered, breathing heavily against his lips. He licked them, as she continued, as if wanting to taste her that way, "You are a good man, Caydrick and.. and... I want you to spend the night with me."

There. She said it. The words that made her cheeks flame up and her stomach twist in anticipation. This was unfamiliar territory, not something ladies said. The man made the first move, but she feared he never would.

And true enough, Caydrick stopped breathing and took a step back, his face mortified. "God, Bethia. You cannot mean that. You cannot."

"But I do," She whispered, still blushing. "I want you, Caydrick. No one else. Do you... want me?"

A low groan came from the back of his throat again and he looked down, placing his hand on his hips. Her eyes automatically fell to them, and that was when she saw it; A big, straining bulge-thing behind his breeches, jerking ever so slightly. It looked like he was hiding a small, thick snake.

She had been so hypnotized and confused by that sight, that she did not realize before now that he was whispered low prayers. Maybe he was scared of whatever that thing in his breeches was. She knew she was a little.

"Caydrick? What is... what is that?" She asked, feeling embarrassed for some reason, as she nodded towards the throbbing thing in his breeches. It was right where his manhood was, what did that—

Gods. It was it, was it not? His... cock. It had... stiffened for some reason.

"Oh, Bethia..." He groaned again, raising his head to look at her through those dark shades. "You are so pure, so innocent. I... I cannot take that from you. I will not."

Oh. He did not want her. Could it be that she had totally misread his desire as awkward 'do-not-know-what-to-do-so-I-will-just-kiss-her-back' behavior? Oh God, if that was the case...

Beth crimsoned up to a flaming shade and spun around, feeling embarrassed beyond belief. "I understand. Please forgive me, I should not have said anything. Forget I ever spoke..."

"No, Bethia, I..." She heard him take a step, but on better thought, he paused. "I am glad you told me, but it can never be. It is not that you are not lovely, for you are, Bethia. So lovely," He whispered, "but I could never let myself touch you. I would ruin you."

She blinked and turned around again, facing him with an open mouth. "You think... I am lovely?"

He pressed his lips tightly together, as if restraining himself, but then he took a measured step forward and closed the distance between them. He cupped her face and leaned down to just one inch above her lips. Beth's breath faltered and her eyes closed.

"Many things can be discovered with the eyes, but some are seen through the heart. Believe me when I say with my heart, Bethia; You, are, lovely."

Her eyes opened when he did not kiss her as she expected him to, and she met the dark frames of his shades. She could almost see through then, just barely shape out the lines of his eyes. On impulse, she slowly reached up to his face as well and placed her fingers on the frame of the shades. When she grabbed them, he frowned.

"No, Beth, do not."

She froze. "Please?"

He opened his mouth, but after a moment, shut it again. When he sighed and bowed his head, she took that as her permission.

Carefully she slid the shades off, only to find his lids closed underneath. She folded the shades and tugged them inside the pocket of his breeches, before cupping his face with both hands. She kissed each eyelid tenderly.

Shuddering, Caydrick captured her lips again, assaulting them in yet another heated liplock. Beth moaned and stepped closer, pressed her hands to his firm pectorals. That was when she felt that straining bulge-thing press against her lower abdomen, making her gasp when it felt warm and jerked at the contact. Another half-choked sound came from Caydrick and he tore away from her again, only Beth would let him. "Bethia, we cannot—"

"Say you do not want me."

"No. That would be a lie."

"Then what is stopping you?"

She could feel his heart hammering below her palms. "Bethia. There are... there are things in my life that has made me..."

"Yes?"

He shook his head. "I... cannot... I... I do not know how to... make love."

An involuntary gasp passed her lips. "You are a virgin?" She had never expected that of him. Just look at him; He was a God by appearance, an angel by heart, and a saint by soul.

"No. I am not a virgin." He darkly replied, turning his head away from her. He forced her to let go of him. "But you are. And you should stay that way. For god sake, Bethia, you should only give yourself up to your husband in a marriage that has been blessed by God."

"I am a penniless baker, who works from dusk till dawn," Bethia said, feeling a coldness flood the room. "I have no family, no rank, no status. What marriage prospects do I have, but hoping to find a man who will wed a woman with a job? Caydrick, I wish not to get married, I wish... I wish to stay with you."

She really was going all the way, faring into those uncharted waters. Caydrick had now frozen up completely, looking at her as if she had grown another head.

"Why?" Was all he could whisper.

Should she say it? Did she dare? "Because I... I... I love you, Caydrick. I love you."

He stumbled backwards, hitting her door, as if he had been kicked in the stomach. "No... no, you c-cannot. Nobody... I... nobody has ever..."

"Said that before?" She finished for him, when the words got stuck on his tongue. She was stunned, if that was true.

But he shook his head. "Nobody has ever loved me. You have to be mistaken, Beth, your heart is fooling you. I am not someone you love."

Now that was ridiculous. "Listen," Beth said, walking up to him. "The heart never lies, but mouths do. Whoever told you that you are not lovable is incorrect. Whether it is yourself or another person who told you, they are wrong. You are human like me, which means you can be loved, Caydrick. Let me love you."

He looked positively slapped. "Bethia... Oh, Bethia..."

She could not take his banter anymore. She placed her palms against his chest once more and kissed him delicately, their lips but grazing each other. He responded by shuddering again and kissing her back, as if submitting at last. Beth curled her fingers around his neck and tugged, begging him to lean down. He did. His hands held her carefully again, wrapped around her, and that was when she realized they were both heading for her bed. He did not object.

He oh-so-carefully let them both fall onto the mattress of her bed, keeping his weight off her with his elbows. Their kiss intensified, their breaths grew hotter, as did the room and their bodies. That bulging thing was pressing against her lower abdomen again, and curiosity was killing her. Letting one palm travel downwards, she met the fabric on his breeches. Then palmed what had to be his stiff member.

Caydrick jerked and made a guttural sound, before solidifying into stone. "God, do not do that, Bethia."

She blushed and immediately retracted her hand. "I-I am sorry. I did not mean to hurt you—"

"God, you did not," He groaned. "That you did not."

"Then... what did I do wrong?"

He opened his mouth again, but like before, not a sound passed his lips. It was as if he wanted to tell her something, but was spellbound not to. Or perhaps just too scared.

Finally he closed his mouth and dipped his head into the crook of her neck. "You did nothing wrong, sweet Bethia. It is me. I... I do not... I mean I... I usually do not like it when..."

Oh gods, he did not like it when she touched him there. She should not have been so brazen, Gods. "I am so sorry, I will not touch you again, I promise. You can do the touching – you should – I do not know what I am doing," she confessed, ashamed.

He let out what could have been a snort of a laugh, but nothing was joyous about it. "Neither do I."

What did that mean? What had he meant when he said he did not know how to make love? He said he was not a virgin, so... how could he not know? And why was it that intimate contact bothered him?

She instantly knew why. It was because of those whiplashes she was currently feeling on his back. All the torture. It has made him... skittish. With good reason.

"We can do this however we want to," She whispered, cupping his face and brushing a thumb over cheek when he hovered silently above her. "If we are both new to this, let us explore together. We can say stop and say no, if there is something we do not like. That way, neither of us will cause each other any harm or displeasures."

He shuddered and squeezed his already closed eyelids even tighter together. "Beth... I do not know if I could do this to you... God, there are so many countless reasons why I should not do this, and the fact that I am here now, in this position, it makes me feel... guilty."

She frowned a little. "Why guilty?"

He sighed and shook his head. "You know close to nothing about me, Bethia. If you knew the truth about me, you would not want to be here with me, asking me to do this with you, lying on top of you. Yet here I am, choosing not to stop it. Gods, I should, I need to get--"

When he was about to move, Beth hooked her legs around him and made the escape impossible. "Caydrick, wait!" She pleaded, cupping his face gently. For a moment, she just watched those black lashes rest against his cheekbones, that little worried crease between his brows. The slight quiver to his bottom lip and the shaky breaths coming in and out of his nostrils. "You are right. I know nothing about where you come from and where you have been, what you have been through. But I know this," She said and slipped her hand down to his heart, feeling it beat its heavy tha-thud against her palm. "I know your heart and it is good, Caydrick. So good, strong and pure. That is all I need to know. Your past might have made you, but it is not you. This is."

When she tapped her finger against his sternum, right above his heart, he let go of a strangled breath. He looked... oh, he looked absolutely shattered. As if... as if nobody had ever been so genuine with him.

"Whatever did I do to be so lucky to find you..." He whispered, his lip quivering again. And then before she could respond, his mouth found hers and kissed everything he could not say. Kissed his fears, kissed his feelings, kissed his very heart out and into her. He gave her... everything in that kiss.

Beth felt a tear slip from her eye as she buried her fingers in his blond locks, raking through them. So soft, like his soul. Not moments later, they were yet again panting, but this time, there was no stopping.

"If we are going to do this," Caydrick whispered against her lips, taking intervals to kiss her and to speak, "I need to know... that you are absolute sure... about this."

"I am sure," Beth whispered back, breathless from the honey-sweet kisses he was administering. "As sure as stars are shining and the moon is glowing."

He hummed something against her that got drowned in a kiss. But whatever he wanted to say was not important, she learned, as his lips moved down to her neck, kissing her shoulder, softly. She moaned and urged him to continue, arching her chest up when his lips traveled to her collarbone.

"Oh, Caydrick..."

He groaned again. His bulge was now pressing against her thigh, probing her. The sensation was otherworldly.

"Beth..." He grunted, dragging his lips away from her. "I... there is something you should know."

She was almost so far gone, she barely heard him. "W-what?"

"It is important. It is about... this," He said, gesturing to the two of them. "I have heard that... women they... they tend to hurt their... their first time. This could be painful."

Beth blushed for some reason, perhaps because she could not really fathom that they were talking about... intercourse. "Oh... well... how long will it hurt for? I mean... does it go away?"

"I am told so, yes, but I do not know how long it will last," He said, pressing his lips together. "I should know more, God, I should. But I do not. I wish I--"

"Hey," she whispered, looking up at him, even though he could not tell. She wished he would open his eyes. "We will just take things slowly then. Yes?"

After a moment or so, he nodded, and that made Beth lift her head to kiss him. It did not take long for them to slide back into what they had been doing seconds earlier, and just like before, Caydrick's lips traveled down her throat until they reached her cleavage.

He began the job she had been doing, untying her leather bodice, until it loosened the tight grip her corset had on her body. She noticed anxiousness flicker across his face, before he begun sliding the corset out from under her. All she had on now was her skirts and her shift.

Insecurity struck Beth as his lips slowly kissed the middle section of her chest, right above her heart, dangerous close to her bosom. She had never been this undressed before, not with a man lying on top of her. Nobody had ever seen the private parts of her, and even if he seemed intent on keeping his eyes closed, she felt insecure about her measurements. What if he did not like the way she was shaped?

But just as that thought flew through her head, she heard Caydrick groan throatily as he carefully moved her shift a little to the side and exposed her left breast. Beth's breath caught, but then she gasped when his mouth lower, pressing one feathery kiss to the soft swell.

She shuddered and arched her back, feeling her heart drum against her ribcage as his sweet mouth savored every inch of her skin, as if he had never felt anything so soft in his life, so delicate. So precious.

"Oh God, Beth," He hoarsely whispered, exhaling a warm breath against her nipple, which then hardened. "I... I..."

"More," Beth mewled, when the fever she was feeling was growing so hot, perspiration started to form on her skin. Yet she wanted more of it. "Caydrick, please, more..."

He gave a hoarse groan but then dipped again and kissed her, his tongue now hesitantly sweeping out to have its taste, too. That made Beth moan again and dig her nails into his shoulders.

He spent so much time there, just kissing and loving her breasts. He could have stayed there forever, she was sure. But now an ache inside her was begging for its release.

"C-Caydrick," She whispered, completely out of breath. "I need... God, I need... I do not know."

"Am I hurting you?"

"No," She said, truthfully. "I just need... more."

She saw him grit his teeth, before he took an exhale. "Sit up for me, then. I have to... I have to take this off." He gestured to her shift and her skirt, and it immediately made her cheeks heat up.

"A-alright."

"We can stop at any—"

"No," She fiercely said as she sat up. Caydrick leaned back on his knees. "I still want this. Do you?"

His throat bobbed. "More than you possibly know."

She gave a little smile. "So help me with this."

Both of them, with fumbling hands, managed to first smooth her skirt down, leaving her with her shift. But when Caydrick's hands came to the hem of that one, he pause. Swallowed. Took a deep breath. And then he lifted it.

All the way up, his fingers trailed along her sides as the material crawled up her waist to her torso, then finally, off her arms. With shaking hands, Beth now sat on the bed before him, completely naked.

She covered herself up, shyly. Even though his eyes were closed, she felt as though he was looking with his heart and soul. His body had frozen up, all except the member in his breeches which was now throbbing more so than ever.

Some half-choked sound now gurgled from his throat. After another moment, he took a deep breath and then exhale through his mouth. "Is this... all right?"

Beth nodded. She was a little nervous, but not scared. Even naked before him, she had never felt safer. He would never harm her. "Yes."

She gazed upon his bare torso, looked at the bandage that covered his wound. Without hesitation, she removed her hands from her own parts and pressed them against his pecs. He shuddered. "Beth..."

"Kiss me, please."

That he did. As if he had been holding himself back or waiting for her to say the words, he leaned down on his hands and pressed his lips perfectly against hers, an act she found impressive when his eyes remained closed. All of her insecurities vanished the moment their lips met and she kissed him back, feeling the slide of his tongue against hers.

A wetness was forming between her legs, making her squirm when his hips undulated against hers, perhaps on their own accord. She saw him fist the mattress out of the corner of her eyes, before he pulled back and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Beth, I need to know for the last time; Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her, exhaling.

She nodded again, pressing her palm to his cheek. "I am. As long as you do, too."

He nodded back, before swallowing. "Then I hope God forgives me."

And so he pressed his lips to hers again.

She bucked beneath him, cupping his face. She could feel him wiggling out of his breeches above her, pulling them down.

- She just had to look.

Drawing away from his lips, she looked down and saw... "Oh, Lord..."

He cupped her face and shook his head. "Do not be scared. We can stop."