Page 92 of The Devil In Blue
“Perhaps,” she said. “So? What shall we do next?”
“You have not seen a ballet yet.” I slid my arm out of her grip and instead tangled our fingers together. “And I have a feeling you will love it.”
“If you think I will love it, I will love it,” she smiled. “You know me so well.”
When we arrived at the theatre in the early afternoon, lines of carriages were arranged along the street around a giant fountain. Briar touched every single horse, whether it was a small pat or a long stroke, she wanted to feel every giant beast under her fingers and she refused to wear gloves for that reason. She was addicted to feeling and I was addicted tohowshe felt. I was addicted toher.
She’d changed into another gown with equally rich colors, that time in jewel purple and gold. I dressed to match with a black and gold suit and knee-length coat with purple lining. Hand in hand, we entered the grand ballet house where crowds of eager onlookers filed in to take their seats.
“Ahh, Count Mortis,” a man with a graying beard greeted us, tipping his top hat.
“Yuri,” I inclined my head.
“It’s been quite some time since you’ve graced our ballet house with your presence. Gods above, you don’t look like you’ve aged a day.”
I chuckled softly as he averted his attention to Briar. She greeted him the way she greeted everyone. With a beaming, too-trusting smile.
“This is my wife. Briar.”
Yuri had a kind disposition and bowed his head at her and she returned the gesture with a small curtsy.
“So, this is where you’ve been all these years. Finding the most beautiful woman in the world to inspire even more envy in the rest of us.”
Briar dropped her eyes, her cheeks flushing. My heart leapt at the pink forming on her face. It was my favorite thing to do to her, make her blood rush and her skin heat. When her eyes found me, my cock twitched behind my breaches and I almost wished I hadn’t brought her to the ballet. It had been a long couple of days and she looked absolutely delicious in the corset she found so uncomfortable.
Yuri escorted us both to a box above the main seating and though a good half dozen people could fit in it with us, I slipped Yuri a few coins to make sure we were the only ones. When I closed the thick red curtains behind us and looked back at Briar, she was standing at the edge of the box staring out at the giant stage.
“I’ve read about these,” she said. “In the library. I can’t wait to see them dance.”
It didn’t take long for everyone else to find their seats and for the show to begin. The orchestra just in front of the stage took their positions and the building filled with the gentle sounds of them tuning their instruments. Violins. Pianos. Cellos. Briar was entranced as soon as she heard them. It wasn’t until the music truly began that she finally took a seat beside me. Multiple sun lights gleamed down onto the stage, lighting up an intricate set of painted trees and silk fabrics that rippled across the background.
And the moment the music picked up, a slender woman in layers of flowing white silk skipped onto the stage like she was floating. I glanced at Briar and saw exactly what I wanted to. Her lips stretched into a smile.
I’d seen ballets. Operas. Horse shows. And I had seen everything in between a hundred times, searching for the excitement she was feeling at that moment. Finally, I was feeling it again and it was because of her. My glowing little bird. My candle in the dark. My flame.
Our hands twined together, we watched the ballet progress through a story of two lovers divided by war. The tragic and beautiful dance turned Briar’s emotions into a symphony. I could hear her happiness and her sorrow through every flutter of her pulse and I devoured it, wishing never to lose it. The untainted, unused, unbroken beauty of her soul was my life. My everything.
When a man on stage in black tights and a flowing shirt caught the woman now wearing a black dress and lifted her above his head in a graceful spin, the music reached a climax that sent Briar’s heart into a frenzy. I squeezed her hand and she turned her eyes to me, showing me the little diamonds of tears glinting unashamed in her gaze.
No words passed between us. Just a look. Just one, all-consuming stare that made both our hearts jump. Why were her tears and her smiles so potent? My heart punched the inside of my chest and I flared my nostrils, smelling the sweet jasmine perfume on Briar’s skin.
“Keep watching, little bird,” I said, a sinful smirk on my lips.
Her pulse raged as she slowly turned her head to the stage again, watching the dancers illustrate their tragic love on pointed toes. As she did, I began crawling my fingers along the layers of her skirts, dragging the heavy fabric up her legs. She shifted slightly, doing her best to keep her eyes on the show like I’d told her. The music began to pick up again as a slew of dancers in masks fluttered onto the stage, tearing the lovers apart in a sea of movement.
When my fingers found Briar’s stocking, I dragged my nails upward across the soft fabric until I felt her bare skin. Those thigh stockings instantly sent quivers to my cock. Imagining her in only those stockings made me hard in seconds.
Sliding my hand further, I glimpsed Briar’s chest. The way her breasts were pushed up with her tight corset made every breath look exaggerated. I licked my tongue across my lips, wanting to taste her, but also wanting to feed on the way she looked flushed and overwhelmed watching the show and absorbing my touch.
Continuing, I could feel her thighs part ever so slightly to welcome me. When I met bare, wet heat, I paused and glimpsed Brair’s mouth as she bit her lip to conceal a naughty smile.
No undergarments. My breath hitched and she spread her legs further, completely aware of what she’d just done to me.
The dancers began a wild, chaotic number, crowding the stage with movement, and as the lovers met again in the middle, I plunged two fingers into Brier’s slick entrance. She gasped, biting her lip again and gripping the arms of her chair. The way she trembled around me made my cock strain even tighter.
I slowly worked my fingers back and forth, my thumb stroking over her clit until she was squirming, doing her best to stay still as the dancers rippled in exaggerated patterns below us. I watched her throat bob and then her lips parted in a silent cry.
Gods, she was beautiful when she was in a sexual haze. And I wanted her. I wanted all of that untamed wonder. Leaning over, I spoke in her ear, my fingers curling upward and making her jolt.
