Chapter 27: Two inches too small

She pointed to the decorative braid on the bodice. "This pulls apart."

Obviously, the idea of divesting her of her cumbersome garments excited him. Using his thumbs and forefingers he gripped the top of her dress and gently pulled. The first stud loosened. His eyes changed, the color deepened, and he growled. He moved on to the next and the next.

It was unbelievably erotic. His appreciation, as each bit of her embroidered undergarment was revealed, was almost charming.

She'd been tempted many times to leave off some of the cumbersome layers. The love of tradition, all the members of the foundation had, stopped her, and she'd been walking around dressed like a Mediaeval noble woman for so long it almost became normal.

Balthazar reverently pushed the dress down over her breasts, his hands palming her hips on their way down. She stood in a pool of shimmering velvet and gold braid.