The beauty of the lake was soothing to Angelina's frazzled nerves. She'd been cranky and out of sorts the entire day, snapping at her sisters and unable to concentrate on even the simplest of needlework. An afternoon nap had helped ease some of the tiredness, but her waking hours had been filled with lusty urges that she had been unable to control, appease or even totally comprehend.
Finally night had fallen and her dream prince had returned, to row her across the lake to the glittering castle in the distance. If only all her dreams were this nice.
Dante studied his princess as he rowed. The dark circles under her eyes were clearly visible against the slightly paler than usual skin tone, the stress obvious in her face and the way she held herself. He smiled secretly, knowing it was the result of his handiwork.
He had enjoyed last night immensely and had no intentions of losing the game so soon. He'd carefully laid the ground work for weeks to reach this point. Now the fun could truly begin.
So he watched intently, waiting for her night memory to return, not wanting to give her too much thinking time. As Angelina's blank expression turned to bewildered hurt, he internally cheered, but carefully kept his face neutral.
"Why?" She was almost in tears. "Why didn't you–"
Her voice caught in her throat and her eyes snapped wide as Dante's invisible hand seized her between the legs.
"It doesn't matter, little princess. We're together now." His magical fingers were tickling and teasing her as he rowed, his eyes never leaving her face.
Angelina struggled to maintain her composure. "But it ... it does matter. You...just walked away."
"Do you think I wanted to leave you? It was all I could do to keep my hands off you and then we wouldn't have got you back to the other side in time." He let his gaze fall to the bottom of the boat, stilled his magic fingers but kept them cupping her. "I stuffed up. I thought we'd have more time before you had to go back. Now you hate me, don't you?" He dramatically slumped his shoulders, let the oars go slack in the water and withdrew his invisible hand.
"No! Oh, Dante! Of course I don't hate you!"
It was lucky for both of them that Dante had anticipated this response or Angelina's wild leap at him would have resulted in them both going in the water. As it was, the boat rocked wildly and shipped enough water to slop around their feet.
"I love you. I love you, don't say things like that!" She kissed him hard and fast on the mouth between exclamations. "I'm sorry, Dante. I thought...I don't know what I thought."
The pent up emotion of the past twenty-four hours spilled over and Angelina burst into tears, covering her face with her hands.
Dante cradled the sobbing princess, then settled her back in her seat and retook control of the boat, rowing steadily to shore, some distance from the castle but still within the manicured gardens surrounding it.
He ran the boat up onto a small beach and helped Angelina ashore, miraculously remaining dry, whereas her slippers and the hem of her dress were sodden from the water sloshing about in the boat. She didn't notice, still trying to get her emotions back in order. Dante led her away from the lake and onto a path that meandered through the gardens from the castle to a small stone cottage.
Angelina was almost back in control, furiously dashing away the tears and wiping her face, wanting to appear fine by the time they arrived at the ballroom. She looked gratefully at Dante; it was so thoughtful of him to bring them to shore away from the main dock, giving her more time and a walk to calm herself.
Dante hesitated on the path, looking toward the silent, dark cottage. He had planned to go straight there tonight, but perhaps it would be better to delay a while.
He turned away from the cottage, a firm arm steering Angelina in the right direction. A dance or two should settle things, calm the princess and would only postpone his plans a short time. He smiled behind her back – anticipation adding a sweet ache he hadn't considered. Indeed, combining his plans seemed like it would work to his ultimate advantage and total enjoyment.
By the time they reached the castle, Angelina's gown had mostly dried, the damp hemline looking merely like a darker accent. Her slippers no longer squelched, but they were discoloured and misshaped.
They danced, twirling around the dance floor, arm in arm in perfect synchrony. Angelina floated around the room, lost in the feel of Dante's strong arms guiding her.
She sighed, content in Dante's arms, and just a little excited. The memories of last night sparked a warmth within her. She wanted to feel those hands again, this time with her prince visible and attached to those deliciously devious fingers.
She didn't see the signals that flickered between him and a couple of flashily dressed noblemen who lounged around the room, watching the action on the dance floor with lazy, bored expressions. She did not see those dandies nod to Dante, their expressions coming to life as they melted into the night. She was caught in the sheer joy of being in the arms of her gorgeous partner.
The orchestra began playing a number from the previous night, a not uncommon occurrence. Some dances were far more popular than others and so their music was heard more frequently. But Angelina blushed as it began, reminding her of the previous night's dance – in the arms of a relative stranger, with Dante's invisible presence, his fingers magically toying with her as she struggled to remain calm and in control, her partner oblivious to her growing excitement.
Dante held her a little closer as he felt her change in mood and posture, concentrating on keeping his touch feather soft, almost undetectable. His magical breath flickered across Angelina's nipples, his invisible fingers teased her skin, barely touching it. He watched the flush spread across her delicate skin as he spun her around the room, to the tune from the night before – his special request.
As the dance wound down and Dante leaned in close to kiss her, suggesting softly that they find somewhere more private to continue their evening's entertainment and lightly, invisibly, licking her nipple, Angelina was more than ready to agree.
They left the ballroom, Dante allowing Angelina to lead him from the room into the cool night. Again the smile drifted onto his face as he imagined the feel of her arse in his hands. Her accompanying gasp turned the smile into a full grin, which quickly disappeared as she turned to face him.
"Don't, Dante. Please, someone will see."
"Not if you don't react. There's nothing to see, remember? It's magic." His eyes glinted, watching her jaw clench as he let his fingers explore.
"I can't keep this up, Dante. It's...oh god..." She stumbled against him, composure faltering as the fingers teased across her mound and tickled around her now wet entrance.
