Author's notes: I don't own any of the characters nor the original Inspector Lynley Mysteries – they belong to Elizabeth George and the BBC.
Reviews and comments are very welcome! But since I'm no native speaker please let me know if I did something terribly wrong (rating, grammar, spelling...). Thanks!
And thanks for your reviews - this keeps me writing though I'm terribly having any time at all.
Oh, and sorry for the ridiculous picture - I couldn't resist ;-)
Barbara and Thomas were back in the cottage trying to get themselves warm again. Like Thomas mentioned before, that's what they're here for.
(Sequel to the T- and M-rated series starting with Merry Christmas, previous episode was St. Ives/Strolling About.)
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They came back to their refuge frozen to the bone. When they had left the cottage shortly after noon it hadn't been nearly as cold as it had become after sunset. Luckily Thomas had discovered a hidden fireplace in the bathroom so now he took some logs from the downstairs fireplace and carried them upstairs. They had decided to take a long hot bath straight after their arrival at the cottage.
"I'm going up. I'm going to fill it." Thomas said and with that naughty grin he displayed Barbara blushed, understanding exactly that he intended that pun. "We're going to dive." Thomas added, grinning even naughtier.
"Oh, get off!"
"Yes!" he laughed.
Shaking her head Barbara went to get the bottle of champagne out of the fridge. The glasses were still in the bathroom on the little board next to the tub. She also grabbed some preciously looking crisps Thomas had brought this morning. She followed him up but first went into the bedroom and was reading the text on the crisps' bag.
"What's that? Sunbites – oven roasted onion and rosemary flavour multigrain crisps." she read aloud. "Can't you just buy crisps?"
"What?" came from out of the bathroom.
"Nothin'!" Barbara sighed.
She undressed and wrapped herself in the fluffy bath robe she had found.
Entering the bathroom Barbara had the wonderful sight of Thomas' naked bum. He knelt in front of the fireplace.
I've seen that before. she thought. And I can't get enough of it. Barbara laughed inwardly and put the bottle and the bag of crisps on the board. A condom laid next to the glasses and she felt a little tickling in her abdomen. Something told her that the bath would become not just platonic. In fact she thought about it all day.
She placed the candles in the window, on the board and on the sink and lit them. Afterwards she turned off the ceiling light. Meanwhile the tub nearly was filled up.
Thomas finally managed to light the fire, came over to the tub and put his arms around her from behind. Barbara read the inscriptions on the bath salt.
"What's your choice?" he asked kissing her neck.
"Blue Roses." She dispersed it into the tub and the water went cyan. She raised an eyebrow about that colour.
"Looks strange." she said.
"But smells of roses, no doubt." he answered sniffling.
While she put the rest of the bath salt flasks onto the sink Thomas entered the tub with a deep sigh and started to open the bottle. He stopped in the middle of his movements when he got aware that Barbara was very slowly opening the knot in the belt of her bath robe. Smiling he drunk in the sight of her undressing.
The bathrobe finally slid off her shoulders and fell onto the floor. Standing there with nothing on but her necklet she woke his desire.
Patience! he thought. Thomas stood up and held out a hand.
"May I help you?" he offered hoarsely.
Barbara took his hand and climbed into the tub. Their bodies were just slightly brushing. Fully aware of his arousal she breathed onto his shoulder and Thomas felt the urge to take her in his arms but he didn't.
Touch me! she thought. She wanted to feel him on her skin.
Patience! he thought again and kept his hands to himself.
Both sat down and indeed had plenty of space. She leant back and sighed. "Aaah, that's comfy."
Thomas reached to the floor and got that small item he bought without Barbara noticing.
"I'll open the bottle and you could entertain that little diver."
He pushed a little rubber duck with diving goggles and snorkel over to Barbara who snorted with laughter.
"I thought this was going to be a romantic event, you funny chap."
Shaking her head in exhilarated disbelief she took the rubber duck, made it squeak once and put it on the board next to the condom.
Meanwhile Thomas got the bottle open and poured the champagne into the glasses. He handed one over to Barbara with a smile.
"I raise my glass to you, my dear, and to a romantic evening. Cheers, Barbara."
"Cheers." They clinked glasses, took each a sip and dwelled on thoughts for a while. Both relaxing with their heads back and their eyes closed.
We'll have a nice long hot bath and afterwards I'll dry her up and she'll dry me up and I'll carry her to the bed where I make love to her the rest of the night. Thomas thought, feeling a tingling in his belly. Well, I'm no twen anymore, I'll make love to her for half of the night. He smiled. Yes, and presumably I just gently push her into the direction of the bed instead of carrying her. But I won't forget the prevention this time!
He didn't forget the prevention this time. Barbara thought. And he considered we need it in the tub. Gosh, that would be a splashy one. She giggled soundless about that double meaning. There's plenty of space here, it could work. And we wouldn't need to shower afterwards. Oh, hell, and that would be another nice place to reward him for his patience. She felt that lovely prickling in her belly she had all day when she thought about this bath.
Then she noticed that his feet stroke her on the outside of her thighs all the time.
"Thomas?"
"Hmm?" He opened his eyes.
"I like that." She looked him straight in the eye.
"I can see it." he smiled and moved his feet on the inside. Barbara closed her eyes and let her head fall back.
"Even better?"
Barbara just hummed. After some seconds she opened her lips to breathe. Her heart raced. The caress of his feet really was stimulating.
Thomas watched her. Barbara had her arms spread on the rim of the tub and her hands slackly hanging down. The glass she held nearly slipped out of her fingers.
She looks extremely pleased. he thought.
Her chest moved up and down with deep regular breathing. Her breasts were too far away to touch so he stroke her knee with his thumb. As if she felt his gaze and knew that he imagined her breast her peaks hardened.
Oh boy, and that's just my knee! she thought feeling a sudden desire for more.
She moved her legs a little so his were now fully between them and in return she caressed his thighs with her own feet.
"Barbara?"
"Hmm?"
"I like that, too."
"Mhmm!"
With her muscles relaxing even more she slipped a bit deeper in the water thus accidentally letting his feet touch her on a more intimate spot. She startled, opened her eyes widely and moved herself up.
Thomas chuckled.
"I wouldn't mind touching you there." he said smiling.
Barbara blushed. "...just didn't expect that."
Grinning widely Thomas stretched his leg and touched her there again without breaking the gaze. They stared at each other, both with an intense expression clearly saying More!
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