"But you've risked your life, too, as a soldier," Barbara said, pressing a hand over Stephen's chest, thrilled by its strength and its heaving as he breathed heavily while caressing her. "I know it's painful for you to think of Anzio. God only knows what else you want to forget about the war you've seen."
Stephen was sure she wanted him, but remembered she had been through a lot since leaving London. She had flown a B-17 alone to Vienna, then been shot out of her plane over Czechoslovakia. Now she was disappointed the foal she hoped to rescue was missing from its hiding place. And Soviet soldiers were patrolling the woods beyond in the mountains while Nazi fighters flew the skies overhead, searching for them both.
He did not think she wanted nor needed to be taken by storm. That was not his way, either.
Stephen not only craved making physical love to Barbara, he truly loved her. He needed to savor the moments, to hold her and stroke her hair and feel the touch of her, the reality of her, to convince himself she was finally his; all his.
Barbara spoke her own love words to him in return, while she ran a loving hand over his cheeks and face, stroked his silver hair, kissed his lips, then his closed eyes.
Slowly, Stephen began taking off her dress, then her underclothes. Barbara felt rushes of joy of anticipation as his fingers and hands played over her body while he undressed her.
Stephen did not tear off her bra and panties, as Chet had. He removed them slowly, gently, even her stockings and shoes, as if the moments in the acts of disrobing her heightened his anticipation of what he was to see next of her body.
"Oh, my God, but you're beautiful," he said as he moved his hands up and down her thighs, then cupped them over her breasts.
Raising them to his mouth, he first moved his tongue slowly and gently over one nipple, then the other. After lightly touching them with his tongue, he began kissing each of her breasts.
He started to unbutton his shirt, but she stayed his hand.
"Let me," she said, lowering him onto his back as they lay in the straw. She had wanted to take off all of his clothes from almost the first moment she had seen him in his riding clothes at Glenview Military Academy. She thought he looked wonderful even in his blue peasant shirt and gray trousers, but chose to fantasize him as she had first seen him, so stalwart on horseback in his blue Cavalry uniform.