The Adventure at Baskerville Hall & Other Cases

head.
    "Oh my love," I said softly.
    "You must think," his voice drifted up to me, low with self-criticism, "that I am unutterably pathetic. Of all the partners you could have chosen, in all your life, that was surely the most one-sided, least exciting experience you have ever had. I did not even bring you off, for God's sake, you had to do even that yourself."
    I could not restrain a laugh as I tightened my embrace. "Actually, I was thinking that that was possibly the single most erotic experience I have ever had. I had to bring myself off, although I had originally had every intention of waiting for you to recover – you had aroused me to such a degree that I could not wait a single second longer for release."
    The shaking had spread from his hands to his torso, and I delicately refrained from mentioning it as I gathered him tighter still to me.
    "That was possibly the most intense experience of my life," he finally admitted tremulously, almost inaudibly, as one hand stroked my ribs.
    I nuzzled the top of his head. "I have so much to show you," I promised him shakily, "and I feel privileged that you have allowed me to share that with you."
    He was silent for a time, and then he spoke.
    "All the same, it is rather laughable. A man of my age, unable even to–"
    "Really Holmes, stop this."
    My voice was gentler than the words I spoke as I interrupted him. "I will not listen to your self-criticism – I think you are the best and wisest man I have ever known. And," I grinned against his hair, "one of the most attractive. Now that I know your feelings toward me, I don't think that your virtue will be safe in public from me again. And you can certainly rule out spending any of the next twenty-four hours in your clothes – as of this moment I am telling Mrs. Hudson that you have caught a violent cold and are confined to bed tomorrow."
    Holmes made no reply, and I wondered guiltily if I had shocked him. He was very new to this, after all.
    "Of course, you know I am only joking, my dear fellow..."
    "Are you?" He raised his head from my chest, and I saw his eyes gleaming devilishly. "How terribly disappointing. I was rather keen to get started on your proposed ... course of study."
    Feeling irrepressibly light-hearted, I tilted his chin up to me for a kiss and murmured against his lips.
    "Well now, there isn't any time to waste, is there?"

THE ADVENTURE OF THE NIGHT VIGIL

    In the aftermath of my return from Afghanistan, it took some time for me to acquire the habit of waking naturally rather than being catapulted from my sleep into awareness by the fervent desire to escape the world of blood and terror.
    However, I had one of the most pleasant awakenings of my life to date on an April morning in 1883, when I drifted slowly to consciousness because someone was gently kissing my forehead while repeating my name.
    I stirred and opened my eyes to find Holmes sitting on the edge of my bed, fully dressed, and running his fingers through my hair while he murmured my name.
    When he saw that I was awake, he drew back.
    "I am sorry for the early wake-up call," he said softly, one hand brushing my hair back from my forehead. "I'm afraid that it's the common lot this morning – Mrs. Hudson was awoken early, she retorted upon me, and now here I am to do the same to you."
    "What is it, then? A fire?"
    I was still mostly asleep and it showed, for had I been fully alert then I would have known that Holmes would most certainly not be sitting calmly on my bed and stroking my hair if the house were burning down around our ears.
    Holmes grinned at my ridiculous question, but restrained himself to saying only, "Much as I dislike waking you precipitously, I think I might make an exception in such a case. No, this is a client. It seems that a young lady has arrived in a considerable state of excitement, who insists upon seeing me. She is waiting now in the sitting-room. Now, when young ladies wander about the metropolis at this hour of the morning, and get sleepy people up out of their beds, I presume that it is something very pressing which they have to communicate. Should it prove to be an interesting case, you would, I am sure, wish to follow it from the outset. I thought, at any rate, that I should call you and give you the chance."
    "My dear fellow, I would not miss it for anything," I said, and smothered a yawn with the back of my hand.
    I stretched, growing more alert by the second, and became aware that Holmes's proximity and kisses,