Dealing with the book of love (cw/tw)

He was brave. Or stupid. Perhaps a bit of both, but she gave him a gaze. One that said she was actually considering it. However the moment passed. Her friends were worried, she knew that, but somehow she wondered if they actually cared. Moving to her feet, she could feel the fabric cling to her body, showing her real curves underneath the shaping dress. Looking at the man, she felt herself wonder. Wonder what it would've been if she had been in the same social rank as him. Would she had chosen him as a husband? He handed her a small bag, a promise of dry clothes was all she needed. "I'll make it stylish," she replied in almost a teasing tone. She looked to her friends, gesturing for them to surround her and hold out their skirts so that she may change.
As they did, she carefully got out of the dress with the help of one of her friends. Luckily her corset was mostly untouched, probably because of all the other layers, so she decided to keep it on. Then she put on the pants that were rather loose on her, folding up the cuffs to make it fit her leg. Then she put on the shirt, the holes she didn't mind, and right now on this hot day, she felt almost relieved to be wearing this little clothes. Borrowing one of her friend's summer capes, she looked almost herself, despite her hair being drenched. She looked at the man, curtseying him for the clothes. "Thank you, I'll be in debt to you," she said in a polite voice, yet there was something soft about it.

The woman smiled at her friends' words, looking down as she thought of the gaze he had sent her. Even the suggestion of a kiss had come up, but she wasn't some easy girl who fell for anyone. He had saved her life, that much was true, but they both knew that they could never be something together. However the thought was intriguing. If men could have lovers while married, why couldn't a woman? Surely, she wasn't married, but she now considered it, if only to take on a lover like the man who had saved her.
His words made her look at him, tilting her head a little to the side. "Well, I guess it is a fair bargain, seeing as you did fetch me out of that lake," she said, looking at her friends. Even dressed in clothes like these, it was impossible to deny her beauty. Her face almost like a doll, and her golden hair now loosely hanging over her shoulders. "My friends and I were having a picnic, however maybe I should be excused to stay by your side," she said. She looked at her friends, hoping that they either leave or perhaps not judge her for this. She just couldn't stay away from this opportunity.

She returned the hug of her friends, and watched as they left. The men started wooing at her, yet she kept her posture, her chin held high even though she was dressed poorly. They left and standing here alone with the stranger, she felt a certain type of nervousness. Not one where she feared that he would hurt her, but the thought of what her friends would gossip about. Those who had husbands sought to find release for their needs elsewhere, at least if they were sodomites, however it was another talk with unmarried women.
His words about his friends made her scoff, shaking her head a little. She was used to men, used to how they viewed her either as weak or a possession. Sometimes both. However when he looked at her, it seemed different. She frowned a little as he said she got what she deserved. "Are you saying you wouldn't want a peak of me if I were naked in a lake with my friends?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Scoffing softly at his words about joining them if it had been reversed she looked at her clothes hung up to dry. What was her friends not thinking she was doing right now? "I didn't risk my life to see you naked," she protested, folding her arms in front of her as she looked at him. Did he really flatter himself that much? "I have just never seen anyone have fun like that ... It looked so freeing," she said, looking out to the lake with a faint smile. "Besides, a lady like me isn't supposed to be swimming either way," she said, a light sigh following as she clearly wasn't pleased about that prospect.
When he said she wasn't supposed to be talking to him, she shrugged a little. "It might do me some good to dumb myself down - Would make my father's job of finding me a suitor easier if I was more incapable of thinking for myself," she admitted, just looking at the lake. She could feel his eyes on her, making her smile softly. "You are staring again," she chuckled, turning to look at him.

"You would teach me to swim?" she asked, a light in her eyes showing just how much she actually wanted that. Ever since she had been a little girl she had wanted to swim in the sea when their family visited their summer house. However being her status, she was supposed to only traverse the promenade, not jump in the water with the other children.
Chuckling softly at his remark about her company, she shook her head a little. Many would perhaps disagree. A strong willed and well read woman was a dangerous thing in many men's eyes. When he started to apologize for staring she turned to look at him, a warm smile on her lips. "I didn't say I didn't like it," she noted. She wanted to reach out, touch his damp chest just to see what it felt like. But she decided not to, not when she felt her focus return to the water. "What would you like in return for helping me to swim? Money perhaps?" she asked, because frankly she didn't care if he turned out to be greedy like the rest. The attraction she felt towards him were greater than her worry.

“Why not?” He said with a frown, making a small shrug. If a lady wasnt supposed to swim, wasnt she floating on water then? At least that was his logic. If they werent supposed to, they wouldnt be able to right? He felt like his mind was just going in circles.
What surprised him was when she answered his apology with her saying she liked it. He blinked a few times before he swallowed a little nervously, scratching the back of his neck, "I'm honored," he admitted, never thinking a pretty woman like her would like someone like him to look at her. He shook his head at her question and frowned a little, "I spend all my days working for my daily bread. Teaching you to swim wouldnt be work to me," he remarked before he narrowed his eyes a little. "It's payment enough to know you'll be able to do what most fine ladies cant," he said before he chuckled. He looked at the water before he looked at her. "I should warn you. Clothes make you sink, and I'm not saying it to lie to you. I just want to warn you now than having to hang another set of clothes," he said before he let her decide if it was something she wanted.

"So ... You not only wanted a kiss, now you also want to see me naked?" she asked with a smirk on her lips, however she couldn't see anything wrong in it. She took off the small summer cape that her friend had borrowed her, placing it over a rock before she removed the pants. She looked at him with a teasing gaze as she grabbed the shirt, pulling it off. She was still wearing her underwear and her corset, but the rest of her body was on full display. If her father would have seen her now, she would've been punished for being so naked.
It didn't seem like he believed her, so she went over, grabbing his shirt and pulling it off of him with a smile on her lips. As his chest was exposed she just looked at him, feeling her breath slow down for a while she just looked at him. His skin was tanned, some place even a little red from the sun, but it was the muscles that shone through that caught her by surprise. She took a step away from him, feeling her cheeks rush with color. "Sorry, I ... You must have a wife, I'm sorry - Wouldn't want to intrude on something as sacred as a marriage," she said. She hadn't even considered it, but perhaps that was because she herself was not married.

"Uhhh..." he answered a little nervously at her question because that hadnt exactly been what he had been thinking when he suggested it. Frankly he probably would have been able to come with some smart backhanded remark, had he known he would be meeting her like this today. But being caught off guard like that had made him a little slow on his wit.
Even more when he looked at her again and she began to undress. His eyes widened a little as he just kept looking at her, feeling the hairs on his neck stand up. He had seen a girl naked before a few years back when he was younger, but her shape was completely different, a real woman. When she grabbed at his shirt, he let her as he felt himself a little frozen in the moment. He looked at her as she looked at him. "Not... um... married," he managed to stammer as he looked up at her and shifted between her eyes. He wanted to reach out and touch because there was no way she was real, standing here in front of him in her undergarments, but he could never touch her with her standing. "So um... swimming..." he said as he tried to remind himself why she was almost naked here in front of him.

She let out a small "ooh" as he said he wasn't married, making her a little confused. He looked about the age where farmers usually got a wife, but perhaps he didn't have enough to offer yet. Not that he would ever be able to court her, but she thought any woman would be happy to have a husband as handsome as he was. She felt a little silly now, mostly because she usually was rather free spirited, but there was something about ruining a marriage that she just couldn't handle. As he started she followed him in to the water. It was a little cold, making her want to stiffen up and huddle closer to him. "How is it fun to be in this cold water?" she asked, chuckling a bit, shaking a little.

He could tell from her confusion that it was something surprising to her. He made a little shrug and sighed to himself. "There are not near enough girls in this world that would take a farmhand's hand in marriage, and we're far too many farmhands," he said before they went into the water. When she asked about the coldness, he looked a little confused with a soft chuckle leaving his lips. "It's not that much different than a regular bath," he thought out loud but that was because he never really had the patience to heat his water before he washed himself. "I always dip my head in first to get it over with," he said before he went under, only to come up with a smile, looking at her as he wiped the water off his face. "A deep breath and under, then it's over," he encouraged her.

The woman frowned at his words about baths, because she preferred hers hot, often asking for refills of hot water if she decided to soak longer. However mentioning that seemed weird, like she was trying to sound better than him. Instead she listened to his instructions, however before just dunking her head under, she felt the need to hold on to something before doing so. But the closest thing to her was the man, and so she grabbed his arm before dipping under. It felt much nicer now that it was on her own terms. Getting above the surface again, she gasped softly for air as she felt the water drip down her forehead. A little disoriented she fell against him, her head leaning against his chest as she tried to regain her orientation.

He was a little surprised when she grabbed his arm but he didnt mind it that much, letting her hold on as she went under. When she came back up he looked at her with a smile but gasped softly in surprise when she fell against him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to make sure she wouldnt fall under once again, "It's alright. Just calm down, I've got you," he assured her. He then realized how close she was to him, his breath trembling a little as he looked into her eyes, "I'm staring again..." he whispered but he couldnt stop it, especially not when she was this close to him.

His words were calming, looking up at him with an apologetic smile as she was slowly regaining balance. That was when she noticed his arms were around her, looking up at him with soft eyes. His mumble made her scoff softly, almost like a choked chuckle. "Don't stop," she whispered almost in a pleading voice. She felt so safe in his arms, nothing she had ever experienced before. She looked at him, getting a little lost in his eyes as she just stood here, feeling his warm body against her own. Was it weird imagining that she could marry him if only to feel safe in his arms? If there was anything more comforting than his arms, it was his gaze, the way he just looked at her with awe in his eyes. "Swimming," she whispered, her hand not being able to stop itself from moving up his arm, touching his chest carefully.

Her whisper made him frown a little but it wasnt because he was confused or surprised, it was more because he liked the sound of her tone, it was something he hadnt heard before. He couldnt help but keep his arms around her because he couldnt tell if she was trying to regain her balance or simply just saying here in his arms. "Yes... Swimming.." he repeated before he shook his head a little and felt her hand touching his chest. "Are you safely on your feet?" he asked because he wanted to be completely sure before he let her go. He could feel his heart beat faster but he wasnt sure what to do....

.. But then Baal closed the book as he realized he had gotten caught up in his own reading, because it hadnt been completely as he had recalled it to be and that was interesting - However he didnt seem to mind that things had been getting quite tense. He made a deep sigh as he checked the time. "It's awfully late, my love." he remarked before he looked at Buffy with a soft smile, touching her cheek gently.

The woman smiled as she nodded at the man's question, however she didn't want to move, she just wanted to stay right there in his arms. However they had to continue their lesson, so getting drawn away from him she started following his instructions.

Buffy jumped a little as he closed the book, looking up at him she chuckled a little. She sat up, her lower lip pouting a bit as she was getting rather invested in the story. "Your voice is just so nice to listen to," she said, smiling at him as she leaned close to him. The story was quite riveting, and she could feel her body wanting to be close to him. She kissed him softly, her hand moving up his chest. "I know ... I know, we should sleep," she sighed in defeat, but she really just wanted to kiss him. Moving up from the couch she gave him a lingering gaze before she walked towards the bedroom.

He didnt mean to startle her but he probably wouldnt have stopped if he didnt make himself so abruptly. Her words made him scoff lightly as he placed the book on the couch just as she was leaning closer to him. He returned her kiss happily, but her words made him raise a brow at her. He got a little suspicious as she gave him a lingering gaze, folding his lips for a moment before he got up and followed her. He stopped in the door and leaned against it as he looked at her with soft eyes, "What was that look that you were giving me just then?" he asked curiously with a smirk on his lips, like he wasnt aware at all.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, removing her shirt, letting it hang over a chair in his bedroom. She then went to unbutton her pants moving them down slowly along her legs. "I'm just ... Being my normal self," she said, taking off her pants completely, removing her socks as well. Standing in her underwear, she turned to look over her shoulder, flashing him a small grin as she slowly removed her bra, if he hadn't jumped in already to remove it.

Her reply only made him more suspicious as he bit his lip a little as she unbuttoned her pants. When she moved them down slow and words were teasingly oblivious to what she was doing, he felt his breath stagger a little because his eyes fixated on her behind. He swallowed hard and moved over to grab her as he pulled her close to him and started kissing her on her neck in soft small kisses. "Your normal self?" he asked against her skin, closing his eyes as he inhaled her scent. His hands grabbed her bra straps and pulled at them to let them fall down from her shoulders. "I have a hard time believing that," he purred as he unhooked her bra and sighed to himself.

As he grabbed her she giggled tilting her head to the side as he was busy with her neck. "Would you say I'm not naturally alluring to you?" she replied, smiling as she closed her eyes. The way he was so eager to get her bra off was almost endearing, how he clearly couldn't help himself when it came to this. "If you want me ... Then you'll still have to go and get the condoms in the kitchen," she whispered, letting her bra fall to the floor, mostly because it felt so good to be in his arms and she didn't want to move.

Buffy sighed softly, moaning as he grabbed her breast, pulling her close she could feel how he was yearning for her. As he said for her to get under the covers, she smiled, watching as he left for the kitchen. She crawled under the duvet, feeling her heart pound in her chest as her hand moved down her stomach. She just needed to keep herself busy while she felt like tossing and turning just from the excitement of it all. Her fingers moved slowly over her underwear, closing her eyes as she did as she always did; Thinking of Baal. Turning her head, her toes curled a little as she moaned softly in to the pillow next to her.