The night was warm around them; some of the wisps of her long hair were already stuck to her slender neck as his hand curled against the back of it, and she imagined she could feel them, every strand against her skin. Every puff of his breath, every twinkle of the stars, every crushing blade of grass beneath her back.<br/><br/>All her life she had been taught and trained to be charming yet restrained; to be a gracious hostess, and elegant, and yet to maintain herself with care against those who would take advantage of her position or her family. Or her person.<br/><br/>Yet with Claude, such restraint and guardedness melted away. Their hearts had touched before either of them had any idea who the other was. Now, heart and body were opened to him, and they melded together until despite how she felt every inch of his touch upon her, she could no longer say with certainty where she ended and he began.<br/><br/>As with the dance, her body began to follow his movements, remaining as close as she could as her torso and hips lufted into slow and gentle rolls beneath him, quiet movements that nonetheless left her gasping at how it seemed to ignite a flame where he moved inside her.