Chapter 15

When he carried her back to his bedroom, Mrs. Lovett had once again a hard time believing that this was truly happening. But she was used to the huge feeling of bewilderment that the current situation caused her now to such an extent, that she found it relatively easy this time not to think too much and just let herself enjoy the moment.

She was pressed against his still unclothed chest and even now she couldn't help but see and feel as much of it as she could, trusting Sweeney not to smash her against any walls when she moved her fingers gently over his skin, drawing random patterns on his back while her eyes followed every movement of her hand.

It took her longer than she had expected to carry her upstairs; it almost seemed as if he was moving slowly on purpose. She hoped that he enjoyed doing this as much as she did and, judging from the look on his face when she looked up to meet his gaze, he did.

When they arrived in the large room at the end of the flight of stairs, he pushed the door open with his right foot and carried her back to his bed. He laid her down on her stomach carefully, making sure that the towel remained around her.

This wasn't really necessary however. In the bedroom it was much warmer than it had been in the bathroom, thanks to the large window in the roof that freely allowed the sunlight to reach the room. Mrs. Lovett had the feeling that Mr. Todd knew this even better than she did, and just used the towel as an excuse to touch her again. Which she, of course, didn't mind at all.

Because of the pleasant light of the sun they didn't need the blankets to keep warm. So the baker just remained lying on top of them, exactly where he had laid her down. He eased himself down on his stomach next to her, resting his head on his folded forearms just like she had done.

They looked at each other from their almost identical position and Mrs. Lovett smiled when she saw the delighted face of the barber so close to her own. She could stare at it for a long time, just appreciating the way his eyes were alive, looking at her with such intensity that she could almost feel it. And that's exactly what both of them did.

At one point, she reached for his hand again, wanting to do this just because she could. Noticing it almost immediately, he moved his hand as well, until he took hers in his own. Having to divide her attention now between the barber's joyful expression and their entwined hands, the baker was busy for quite a while indeed.

After a while however she fully realized that there was more than just his hand and face that she could see. The blankets didn't hide him from her still hungry view this time and the towel only covered the lower half of his body.

She turned around as far as the large towel that was wrapped around her as well allowed her, resting her head on the palm of her hand to take a good look at the man who was lying next to her.

His eyes were drawn to the part of her body that was visible now that she had moved, even though it wasn't much more than the moment before. The baker however wasn't aware of it, her full attention focused on the barber's pale chest.

Feeling completely at ease even though the situation was a very special one indeed, she felt that just watching wasn't enough after just a few seconds of admiring the body that was within her reach.

She managed to get up in spite of the material that was wrapped tightly around her and moved closer to the barber's side. The movements were far from graceful as they were still much restricted by the towel. Sweeney however didn't seem to notice this and all what mattered to her was the look in his eyes when she made her way towards him. There wasn't a single sign of rejection in his gaze; he simply seemed to be glad that she closed the distance between them once more.

Mrs. Lovett managed to maneuver herself almost behind her barber, her knees coming to rest near his upper legs. The pale skin of his back was within her reach, his head bended backwards as much as it could be to look what she was doing, his gaze betraying the eager anticipation he experienced.

Dozens of possibilities rushed through her head; for so many years she fantasized about moments like this, that it was difficult now to choose what she would do now that she actually had the chance after all to touch him like this.

After a short moment of hesitation she decided that she wanted to settle herself against him like she had done when they were in the bathtub, but what hadn't lasted long back than because the barber had had quite other plans. But she still longed to cover his body with her own like she had done then and she felt that this was the perfect opportunity.

The towel was in her way however, preventing her from moving freely and potentially from feeling the barber's bare skin right against her own. Not caring at all that he saw her doing so, she simply tugged at the fluffy material once more, nonchalantly pulling it off her once it came free.

She did see this time that the barber's eyes widened when she bared herself in front of him like this, and she smiled again, enjoying the look in his eyes when they roamed over her.

She could sit like that for a long time indeed, just enjoying the delightful sensations that the barber made her feel just by looking at her like that. But the muscled back in front of her was difficult to ignore. Her gaze focused on that part of him now, taking in the shape of him now that he was lying in her view like that, hungry eyes watching how his narrow waist ended in a pair of broad shoulders.

The barber made a sound of impatience and this reminded the baker that she could do a whole lot more now than just watching, although even this was so much more than anything she was used to be doing when he was around.

She eased her own body down on top of this, gasping with delight just like Sweeney himself when her uncovered upper body settled against his. She buried her face in his relatively long hair and just remained lying like that for a long while, hands gently stroking the barber's side as she savored the way he sighed happily when she did so.

Mr. Todd's body was pleasantly warm and whether she had been at least partially responsible for this – and she liked to think that she was – she wished that she could spend a lot more time like this in the future, just feeling him against herself.

Simply listening to him was a delight as well. It was her turn now to explore his body with her own hands and although she was for the moment too content to take the risk of taking things between them past the point of no return once again, she was very happy to ran her hands down his sides, caressing and stroking until she elicited gasps and quiet moans from the former demon barber.

The sounds reminded her of something that he had said to her earlier. Only now the remark that he had made to her in the bathtub made sense to her. Just before he had begun to take her to a place of which she had had no idea that it even existed, he had said something about the neighbors in the houses that were next to his own – or rather, the lack of them.

"I don't think it worked," she muttered lazily, somewhat recalling the way she had screamed when he had brought her to incredible highs just with his fingers.

"What worked?" he asked, his voice just as content as hers, although she was rather sure that there was a hint of desire in his tone.

"Your neighbors," she said, trying to make clear what she was referring to even though her mind was so deliciously empty and her limbs still felt like they were weightless. "You said that they weren't there or couldn't hear me."

"I did," he replied, his voice making clear to her that he knew now that she was talking about but didn't understand her yet.

"Your direct neighbors may not have heard me because they weren't there or simply couldn't, but I think that theirs did."

The barber had the nerve to chuckle – chuckle – when she voiced her concern. She had expected that he would be upset if others heard her screams of pleasure, afraid that he would be ashamed or at least secretive regarding her. From what she had understood, a lot of people that lived near the house were his customers – his very well paying customers. She could imagine that upsetting them was the last thing he wanted to, if only because he could finance a very pleasant way of living because of them.

It wasn't also difficult for her to image that said rich and doubtlessly very conservative people would be shocked to say the least when it turned out that their trusted barber was having such wild and intimate moments with an unknown woman. It would be nothing compared to the knowledge of the barber's actual identity, but she supposed that the woman who ended up in Sweeney's bed – and his bathtub – from out of nowhere would be a huge shock for them indeed.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the entire street heard me," she muttered, more to herself than to him as she recalled with some shame that she had lost utter and complete control of herself.

"I just didn't want you to hold back, for no matter what reason. I could imagine that you had had to be quiet for a long time, living with your family. I wanted to remind you that they were not here and that there was no one else around who could hear you."

She couldn't see his face as he told her this, but the way in which he said the words was reassuring enough for her. She could actually imagine his features as he spoke those calming words, seeing the eyes that could tell her that he was speaking nothing but the truth.

"Nellie," he said, in a way more calming than anything she had ever known, even though he couldn't even look at her as long as she was lying on his back like that – and especially if he talked to her like that, she didn't intend to move away anytime soon. "Even if they would find out, I wouldn't care. I'm not ashamed of you – more than anything, I'm proud that you are here with me, that you allow me to make love to you and that you touch me the way you do."

Those words were better than anything she had ever expected or even hoped to hear from him. She could savor them, replay them in her head – and when she had a proper chance to do so she most certainly would – but she didn't want this moment to become one of a pensive nature. After having just heard such a declaration and with the pleasure that he had just given her still fresh in her mind, there was only one thing she could do.

The barber was right in front of her, covered by nothing but the towel, a piece of fabric that for once wouldn't be too difficult to get out of her way. She wasn't in a hurry however, knew with quite some certainty that Sweeney wasn't going anywhere else soon either. She had a chance now to take matters in her own hand without letting everything get out of control so quickly that she hardly was aware of what was happening. Although such moments were shockingly plentiful since she had met him again, she didn't intend to let even a single one get past without taking full advantage of it.

She pushed herself up on her arms, creating some distance between Sweeney's body and her own. He made a sound of disappointment as she did so, but this was replaced soon by a sigh of delight when she simply shifted her weight a little, so she could reach for him more properly.

Not able to resist the temptation, she ran her right hand slowly through his hair, fascinated by the way her fingers slid through the still mostly dark tresses as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Indeed, she could look at this for hours, familiarizing herself with the slightly changed color and the texture of his hair.

The barber seemed to have different ideas however. He gave his head a light shake, freeing his hair from her curious fingertips. Taking the hint, the baker moved her attention that lay just a bit lower. She wiped the hair that was still covering his neck after the sudden movement away, baring the pale skin there to her.

She moved her face closer to it, until her lips were brushing against his skin. He held his body still then and, realizing how sensitive the area was, she kissed it carefully. Encouraged by the quiet noises of contentment that the barber made once more, she parted her lips slightly, tongue darting out to feel his skin as well. It was soft and flawless, as if this part of him was somehow forgotten when he had struggled to survive on the other side of the world and he had become Sweeney Todd.

Judging from the way he groaned softly, he liked that even more. Grinning wickedly, the baker moved downwards slowly, kissing and licking her way to the area between his shoulders. Very delighted herself to explore his body this way, she continued, eyes closed as her hands never ceased their caresses of his sides.

Before long, her tongue encountered the first parts of rough and irregular skin. She had reached the area of his body that had suffered the most during his banishment. She wasn't bothered by the scars however – they were part of him, belonged to him; all she hated were the men who had done this to him - and she was more than eager to proof that to him again.

He shifted beneath her, as if trying to wriggle the deformed part of him out of her reach. Mrs. Lovett would have none of that. She felt that words wouldn't persuade him, but she knew that she didn't need those in order to make him understand that he was beautiful in her eyes, with or without the scars.

Sweeney was much stronger than she was and easily could prevent her from touching him that way if he truly wanted to. But before he could even consider this possibility, the baker moved her face back to the area that he had just moved slightly away from her.

She kissed him again, the deep lines of the scars rough against her lips. She didn't care at all however. Those scars were part of the man who he had become, the man who she had loved even more than who he once had been.

Her lips followed the lines that countless whippings had left him with, muttering a soothing word every once in a while. Just like she had hoped, the barber relaxed after a while. What she hadn't expected however was that his body became even more at ease than it had been before, suggesting that he had actually been worried that the scars would prevent her from enjoying touching his body.

Wanting to make sure that he knew that this truly was not the case, she kissed the scars with even more care than she had touched his neck. The sound that rolled off his lips as she did so wasn't one she had heard before, but it was easy to understand for her that he appreciated the tender kisses very much indeed.

Only when his body was as relaxed as she felt it could possibly be, she moved downward again, hands and lips brushing against the relatively smooth skin of his lower back. She grew tired of this quite quickly however. No matter she had longed to touch any part of them, she could touch every spot of his body now that she wanted and she was eager to do just that.

She sat up on her knees, the movement being a rather difficult one even now that the towel was gone; even though she knew that she was doing so because she wanted to get closer to the barber, breaking away from him for even a second was something that her body almost refused to do.

Mr. Todd himself however didn't know that she intended to return to him as soon as she had him the way she wanted him to. His eyes flew open and his head turned around as soon as his weight was gone, his gaze meeting hers to look for a reason for her physical absence.

"Turn around," she said once she found the courage to do so. Even now that the barber and she truly were on so much better terms than they had ever been before, it was difficult for her to actually speak to him like that; she was still used to be the one who did exactly as Sweeney told her instead of the other way around.

Mr. Todd however replied immediately, without asking questions. His prompt obedience surprised her, the realization that she had such power over him marveling her. There was no time however to savor it – perhaps there was, but she didn't want to take it. There were a lot of things that she'd rather do now.

The towel that was wrapped around his waist had come partially lose when he had turned around, but it was still covering him. The baker looked at it only briefly however, her eyes more drawn towards the part of him that was already exposed.

He too looked at her, taking her in as she was sitting next to him on her knees, her body still complete unclothed. She was aware of his gaze and she could only smile, delighted indeed to have such a hold over him.

As they looked at each other, it dawned on her that there was a way to savor this power after all, even while continuing her exploration of the body that she had longed to touch for almost too long. At the same time she would even be able to tease him like he had tormented her earlier – or at least, she hoped so. She had to admit to herself that she highly doubted that she could make the barber feel like what he had done to her with just his fingers, but she certainly was going to try.

But first she wanted to take further advantage of this, to see how far she could go. Making sure that he had a good view on her when she did so, his eyes alone so much more encouraging than anything he had ever said or done in the decades that they had known each other before, she bended over him. Planting one hand on either side of his body, she lowered her face to his abdomen, kissing his skin just like she had done on the other side of him only a minute ago.

His back had been sensitive, especially the surface that was scarred, which was something that had surprised her. It was nothing compared however to the reaction when she brushed her lips tentatively against the lower part of his torso. His hard muscles clenched almost right beneath her mouth and the barber growled when her tongue joined her lips.

Mrs. Lovett was truly delighted to get such a reaction out of him. It was tempting to follow the trail of dark hair that disappeared beneath the part of the towel that was still covering him, but the baker had different ideas. No matter how difficult the temptation was to resist, she moved slightly upwards, ignoring the hands that entwined in her hair and lightly pushed her into the opposite direction.

Eyes closed, she discovered the shape and secrets of his body with just her mouth, using her arms to support her own weight. She would love to ease herself down on top of the barber once more, but if she could fully feel the hardening length that was already pressing lightly against her when she moved down to kiss him, she feared that she would be the first one to lose control. Wanting to give Sweeney a taste of his own medicine, she couldn't afford to do just that for the time being.

Her lips brushed over a small hole a few inches above the point where she had begun her exploration of his front side. Knowing that she had found his navel, she focused on this part of him now, licking and caressing until he was growling and the pressure of his hands in her hair increased.

"Stop that," he said weakly, but his voice made clear enough to her that he didn't mean this – or at least, not really.

Taking pity on him after one last lick, sensing that she could only tease him more if she would go on, she did as he told her. But instead of moving downwards like he expected her to, she pushed herself up on her arms again, until her face was right above his chest.

Sensing that she wasn't going to make an end to things soon, he removed his hands from her hair. From the corners of her eyes she saw that he put them down firmly on the blankets, gripping a handful of fabric in each fist to prevent himself from touching anything else with them.

Delighted but still also surprised to see that the barber completely surrendered himself to her like this, she forced herself not to think about this too much for the time being. It was easier than it appeared to be as she lowered herself on top of Sweeney, coming closer to his uncovered chest than she had been before.

She caressed his skin with light and brief kisses, caught up so much in the delight of doing so that she was only partly aware of his sighs that betrayed both his enjoyment and the frustration that her slow pace caused.

The baker herself shivered when she kissed him like this, eyes fluttering close again when she experienced both the sensations that the actual kisses caused and the way he reacted to them.

He was actually growling by the time her tongue swirled around one of his nipples. His muscles strained, not just where she was touching him, and for her too the last pretense of mere playfulness was gone.

Sweeney pushed her on her back before she had the chance to torment him even more. Managing to free himself from the towel while doing so, he captured her body with his own, settling himself between her slightly parted legs.

Both of them groaned out loud when their naked bodies were pressed together like this once more. Intuitively, Mrs. Lovett wriggled herself against him, wanting them to be as close to each other as they possibly could be. The barber had different ideas however, the right corner of his lip turning upwards in a way she found deliciously seductive.

"I don't think so, my dear," he said, his voice not as stable as the words suggested.

The baker wasn't aware of this however, only the two words he had said echoing in her mind. She didn't know whether she should be glad or disappointed that he referred to her like that, but even if she would've wanted to, the barber made it impossible for her to think about it in that very moment.

As if wanting to make sure that she wouldn't go on tormenting him, making clear to her that he would be the one doing so now and that the tables were going to be turned around, he captured her arms in his hands and pushed them gently but firmly against the mattress, right next to her own body. She was completely trapped by him now, but she couldn't be any happier about it.

Even as he was holding her like that, he moved back a little, creating some space between them again. Now it was the baker's turn to voice her disappointment because of this, but when she saw the look of admiration and lust in his eyes, she knew better than to say anything.

Seemingly satisfied by the way she was lying beneath him now, unable to go anywhere or even move more than a few inches unless he let her, he lowered himself again. He pushed her hands upwards until they were at the same height as her head, so he could keep her hands captured even while using the same arms simultaneously to rest the majority of his own weight on.

Her legs however weren't captured by him yet and, wanting to know whether he really was as much in control of both of them as he liked her to believe in that moment, she wrapped them around his waist. Before he could do anything about it, she used them to pull him closer to her, until the lower half of his body was rubbing against hers.

Both of them cried out at the intimate contact. They were just as alone as they had been when they were in the bathtub together; there was no one to catch them this time. But even if there would've been, they wouldn't have been able to care.

"Two can play this game, my love."

She was rather sure that she really heard him say this, even as his voice was shaking with effort to talk intelligibly in the first place. But when he was the one who drove his hips against her spread thighs and their bodies connected again in the way that made both of them scream out loud, she couldn't be certain of anything any longer, except for the plain realization that he was the only one who could make her feel like this, and that there was only one who could make an end to the exquisite torment.

He was trembling above her, his effort not to lose control over himself again like he had done before obvious to her. Just like she felt that she couldn't truthfully determine whether he had just really addressed her in the way that she had dreamed of for so long, she didn't know whether she wanted him to let go completely or not. She wanted to be touched by his fingers like he had done before, but at the same time there had been nothing more glorious than the feeling of his body and the look on his face when she had found his own release just before that.

But at that moment there was nothing for her to decide, the barber determined now to take the lead himself. Seeing the determined gaze in his eyes and feeling his hard body against her own, she was perfectly happy with that.

She could tell that it took him a huge effort not to give in to the promises of her body like he had done the previous time just yet, but he managed to hold still, the lower half of his body simply resting between her thighs.

The baker knew by now that she had the power to make him lose all control, but she was curious to see what he wanted to do now instead and decided to remain lying still herself, not making an end to his attempt before it had even begun.

He closed the distance between their faces and, much to her surprise, he kissed her again. His mouth was hungry and demanding and she responded in kind. But between the lustful growls and probing tongues there was once again the strange tenderness she had been aware of before, suggesting that this wasn't about lust only.

As their mouths mingled, the rest of their bodies followed to some extent. Mrs. Lovett was completely lost once more, not sure any more where her own body ended and the barber's began, and whether she wouldn't be actually explode with the pleasure that was coursing through her once more already.

At one point he had let go off her hands, wanting to use his own to caress her face and trace the curve from her waist to her thigh time after time. Able to use her own again as well because of this, she wrapped one arm around his neck, the other one continuing to touch his back like she had done before, although the movements were much were much more eager now than they had been earlier.

The kiss alone left her wondering whether she was still actually alive, if she hadn't ended up in an alternate reality or even some sort of afterlife as soon as she had returned to London the day before. But Mr. Todd wasn't done yet – the mischievous look in his eyes suggesting that he was only just beginning.

He broke the kiss, causing her to groan with disappointment – until she realized what he was going to do next. She gasped when he began to kiss her breasts, the sound turning into another scream when he sucked and bit gently, making sure not to hurt her in any way even when his teeth grazed the sensitive flesh in such a fashion that made her squirm against him, only adding to the fire that fueled his kisses.

One of his hands cupped the breast that he wasn't tormenting yet, kneading and stroking just like he had done earlier in the bathtub. It felt even better now than it had done then, especially the things he did with his tongue driving her wilder than before, even though she had thought that this was absolutely not possible.

She was trashing against him, trying to find some of the friction that she needed to make an end to the overpowering need that was taking hold of her once more. The now somewhat familiar waves of complete desire washed over her again, but this time she wasn't afraid of them any longer, even though she felt that she was drowning again, finding it almost impossible to breathe as he touched her so intimately.

Nellie could feel that he was losing his hold over himself, that he too wanted to be inside of her even though he clearly wasn't done tormenting her like this. But with a growl that sent another rush of liquid fire through her, he kissed his way down her body, covering her stomach with open-mouthed kisses.

He had moved down her body to such an extent that she couldn't see the back of his head any longer. And even though she knew that Sweeney was the one who was doing this – if only because he was the only one who could make her feel like this – she wanted to see him, to know that this really was him even when her mind wasn't capable of thought any longer.

Vaguely remembering the pillows that they had rested their heads on during the night, she reached with one weak arm above her. After a few seconds her hand came in contact with one of them. She dragged it towards her, something that was quite difficult, verging on the edge of impossible, now that the barber was paying the same attention to her navel as she had just done to his. But she managed to pull the pillow beneath her head anyway, desperate to see with her own eyes what he was doing.

She was right in time. He looked up at her only a few seconds after she had ensured this proper look at him. Chin resting on the lower half of her torso, his eyes – impossibly dark, shining with something that surprised her even now – widened when he found her looking at him like that.

The baker was absolutely sure that he now was finally going to give in to both of their desires. Mr. Todd however completely surprised her once again. Looking straight at her, not blinking once, he moved backwards a little, until he moved his head between her already widely spread legs.

She missed the moment that he looked away from her, because she had shut her eyes in anticipation before he had done so. A jolt of both confused surprise and delighted shock went through her when she realized that he was going to do add even more to the huge turmoil of sensations inside of her.

She screamed when his tongue touched her in the impossibly intimate way for the first time, but even this loud declaration of passion wasn't enough to deal with the pleasure that spread through her when he began to worship her like that. She had been absolutely sure that she couldn't feel more powerless and consumed by fire than when she had when he had been pleasuring her in the bathroom, that he couldn't possibly arouse her more than when he had done then, but she was proven wrong now.

Her hands were groping for the blankets that she was lying on, more than ever needing something to hold on to now that the consuming fire that he was making her feel overtook everything else, until it seemed as if those sensations were the only things that were left of her.

She thought for a moment that she felt his nose brushing against her, just when she realized that the result of his intimate assault was actually dripping down her thighs. The knowledge that he was doing this, that he was lapping up her arousal, caused her to be even more affected by the touches. She couldn't be sure however what he was doing exactly, all her senses completely overloaded now.

Her eyes were shut more tightly than they had ever been; just looking at him would be too much. But she felt that she had to look, that she had to savor as much of this moment as she possibly could, even though this was basically impossible now that he had seemed to have robbed her of her most basic functions.

For a moment however she managed to open her eyes, hands clawing at the now rumbled sheets beneath her. The image that greeted her was almost enough to make her come undone. The barber was settled beneath her spread thighs, head buried between her legs as his arms were wrapped around them, keeping her heavily bucking body in place.

His tongue sent another wave of pleasure crashing over her, causing her to shut her eyes as another cry of delight was elicited from her. She sensed that she couldn't take much more of this, that his tongue was going to send her over the edge at last. But just when her back arched off the bed, when she was so close to shattering that she was truly lost in the moment, he withdrew.

A sob escaped her when the release that she craved more than anything she had ever wanted in her life didn't come. The barber was gone and for a horrible moment, she feared that this was another dream – or nightmare, depending on one's point of view – in which she had been tortured by the barber like this, only to have him disappear at the moment that she needed him the most. She had been so sure that this wasn't another dream, experienced in her small bed with her thankfully sleeping nephew next to her, but at that moment she felt that nothing was certain any longer.

She thought that she heard Sweeney's voice. It sounded frustrated, but she couldn't be sure of that – didn't even know whether the words weren't part of her imagination as well. But then he settled himself against her and she moaned with relief when his very real and solid body covered her once more.

It was nothing compared however to the feeling that followed a second later. He guided himself between her widely spread legs and filled her with one powerful stroke as soon as he could. The baker cried out when he made his way inside of her once more, her voice mixing with Sweeney's almost desperate growl.

Her body felt torn – not because of pain, but because it was truly lost now because of all the sensations that he caused. She wanted this to go on forever, but at the same time she needed release because she was rather sure that she couldn't take any more of this.

Mr. Todd was facing the same dilemma. But from the way he was trying to control himself in the moment of complete abandon, even she knew in her more than heated state what he was trying to do.

He held himself perfectly still, the arms that he was resting his weight on shaking with the effort, his tightly shut eyes too betraying the difficulty he had with this. She already knew what he was wanting to do before he had even started.

Don't you dare – don't you dare hold back.

She didn't know whether she had only thought this or actually said the words out loud; the difference between those two things was fading now that he once again overwhelmed her in a way that no one else had ever done – that no one else could.

Mrs. Lovett clenched her inner muscles, wanting him to move, needing him to make an end to this before the flames that were burning inside of her completely consumed her and the intense throbbing at the spot where their bodies were joined actually destroyed her mind. And no matter how tempting it seemed at the moment, she still sensed that living for the rest of her life with nothing but the primal instincts that she was reduced to now wasn't such a good idea.

Whether she had actually spoken the encouraging words aloud or not, the not so subtle movement of her body had broken the barber's resolve. Groaning, he slid back a little, only to push himself back into her. Persuaded by the cry of delight that he elicited from her by doing so, he did this again, and again, until he gave up all pretense of restraint and pounded into her.

The ache inside of her was becoming unbearable, the barber's hard thrusts fueling the flames inside of her. The blankets weren't enough to hold on to any longer and she wrapped her arms around his torso, nails digging into the already scarred skin of his back.

Sweeney obviously was too far gone to feel it, let alone care about it. If she hadn't been just as lost in the still growing pleasure as he was, she would've marveled at the way his body was moving above her, how it felt to have him inside of her.

The speed of the pounding increased, just like his grunts became louder with every time that he slammed into her. The baker was only partially aware of it however, her body too overtaken to really notice the man who was causing it all, no matter how much she wanted to.

Her body couldn't endure the heavenly assault any longer. She was almost dragged over the edge once more, but this time she welcomed the feelings that were almost terrifying in their intensity, knowing that Sweeney was right with her and was experiencing the same.

In fact, even as her entire being shook and trembled, she was aware that his body jerked uncontrollably against her own. The realization that he had found release was enough to make her finally come apart as well.

All-consuming pleasure spread like a fire through her as he roared her name. She may have responded to him in kind, but there was no certainty of the things she did and didn't do when she came undone in the barber's arms.

He collapsed on top of her a moment later, hot breath raging against her still sensitive chest. Even though he was spent and didn't seem to be able to move at all at that moment, he tried to roll off her, as if to prevent himself from crushing her beneath his weight. In the past she had been sure that he would wanted to get as far away from her as he possibly could if something like this would ever occur, doubtlessly overwhelmed with shame and disgust for having allowed himself suck weaknesses.

She was rather sure that this wasn't the case now and that certainty was a blissful one. The baker however didn't want him to move away – not now, not ever. Whether she could breathe or not, she needed him now just as much as she just had done.

Rather sure that she couldn't make it clear to him like this with words, she simply refused to remove her arms and legs that were still wrapped around him, tightening her grasp on him even as he tried to move away from her.

He muttered something unintelligible and he ceased his attempts to break away from her, his entire body relaxing almost immediately, as if he was only glad that she wanted him to stay so close to her.

Only now that she was sure that he wasn't going anywhere for the time being, she could fully enjoy the heavenly aftermath of their lovemaking. Hands soothing the imprints that her nails had left on his back, she savored the feeling of his body against her own, the fit perfect even now.

Catching her breath was difficult indeed, but she didn't care at all. Having air in her lungs simply seemed so trivial now that the barber was lying in her arms like this, completely immobile after having used all of his strength and endurance to satisfy both of them so completely.

Just like her, he was trembling, aftershocks running through his body every once in a while. His head resting in the crook of her shoulder, body covered by a thin layer of perspiration just like her own, he was clinging to her even now, arms wrapped tightly around her since she had made as clear to him as she could that she didn't want him to move away. The realization that this wasn't only her own dream that was coming true, but that also his fantasies had become reality, made the quiet moment of connection even more precious to her.

"Now I can't breathe," he said after a while, his voice muffled by her hair even as he tried to turn his face away from it for a second.

Realizing that the way they were clinging to each other even now wasn't a very convenient one in the long run, she reluctantly let go off him. He rolled off her as soon as she did so, but the sigh that accompanied the movement betrayed that he too wasn't eager to do this.

Mrs. Lovett felt cold and alone as soon as he wasn't so close to her any longer, missing the feeling of his body against her own even though she knew that he was right next to her and that it was only practical reasons that made him move away from her.

Breathing was actually becoming difficult now that his weight wasn't resting on her petite frame any longer. It almost seemed as if her very being had trouble to begin functioning normally again now that they were separated, no matter how small the distance between them was.

A hand was reaching for her own, needy fingers entwining with hers. She didn't know whether the barber experienced the same strange moment of loneliness as she just had, but she felt at ease again as soon as their hands touched.

Her hand now firmly held by his, the baker could easily breath in, deeply taking in the air now that she could. As she was doing so, the world around her that had ceased to exist as soon as he had began to kiss her was reappearing. The barber's room was just like it had been before, the sun was still shining. But at the same time it had changed so drastically, the messy sheets on the large bed betraying their passion and the sunlight brighter than it had ever been before.

And as Sweeney squeezed her hand even as he was trying to catch his breath and was probably just as exhausted as she was, she had the growing feeling that those changes were permanent ones.