The Ungodly Hour~Anthony Bridgerton

part XVII: the royal's escape plan

Songs:
You'll be Mind- The Pierces
Sad Dream- Sky Ferreira
Chasing Shadows- Santigold
Bravado- Lorde

Green shadows of sunlight reflecting off the alder trees above decorated Caroline's face. Anthony watched the prisms dance as the wind rustled against the leaves moving the projection along in a chaotic pattern that he traced with his fingers. She giggled, her breath tickling his hands as they traced her chin. She looked up and gave him yet another stern but ultimately futile warning to stop distracting her from her reading. 

"Anything worth sharing?" he asked as he wrapped a strand of her hair around his thumb over and over.

"Nothing you'd care for..."

"Oh, I can introspective as well, it is not all charms and good looks." He chuckled as he leaned down kissing the base of her neck right behind her ear. 

"And yet..." she sighed in pleasure but still managed to tease.

He stared very seriously for a second while Caroline waited for him to join her in laughter. "Okay well then," he got up from the base of the tree where he had been sitting, his legs on either side of Caroline as she read. 

"Oh stop!" she laughed when she realized he was teasing her back. She pulled him back down to her before he could even properly stand, causing him to tumble somewhat clumsily back to the base of the tree. She crawled towards him with a grin closing any space between them and then before he could speak again pulled him by his shirt into her, bringing his lips to hers. 

Her fingers played with the thin material of his shirt as they kissed, feeling his fleshy but hard chest beneath and the actuality of his presence against her. She smiled against his lips as she reached for the soft flesh of his pecks chuckling against his kiss as she grazed against his nipple.

"Stop that," he pulled away briefly before bringing his lip to her collarbone, "I'm ticklish..." his breath reflected off her skin only adding another flutter to her already weak but hedonistic state. 

"Now you stop that... mmm," she moaned undermining her own command. "That feels too good."

"And that's the point, isn't it?" he kept going his kisses trailing down her neck to every exposed part of her chest. Her breath hitched as his nose began to nestle against the cleavage of her breast with each kiss growing lower and lower. 

"For you to get carried away yet again?"

"No, for you to, yet again." He perked up his head when he reached the bodice of her dress. "What's wrong?" 

He could tell she was trying to hide it, but something was starting to bother her. He watched her turn away from his gaze, hiding the sadness filling her eyes. 

Slowly dragging his thumb beneath her chin he brought her back to face him. "What's wrong, Carrie?"

"N-nothing...?," she swallowed her words as tears began to stream down her face hitting Anthony's palms cupping her face. "I told you I don't want to talk about this anymore..." her voice cracked again.

"I know... I'm sorry I should've known," Anthony pulled Caroline into him, her head nestled right beneath his chin and her cheek pressed to his chest, listening to the thundering but steady beat of his heart. 

She barely heard the words he whispered to her but the hum of his voice in rhythm with the rise and fall of his chest against her face instantly soothed her. She felt his fingers running across her scalp playing with strands of her hair near-instantly creating a drowsy sensation in the back of her mind that she tried to fight. 

"You will be okay," he said gently. 

"Very easy for you to say..."

"I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone."