Some of you may have noticed that I made a minor change to chapter 1. It doesn't effect the main plot, I was just correcting an error I had made with the original chapter 1. I have reviewed this chapter and so far it doesn't like there's going to be any issue. Thank you so, so much for such favorable response to the story. I'm absolutely thrilled that you are enjoying it. To the reader who questioned the time period, it's still in the 40s, however I may have made some errors in regard to the items available or the correct vocabulary, and I do apologize for that. If you have any requests for chapters coming up or for a one shot of some sort, I'd be happy to accommodate. Just shoot me a review or private message. As I mentioned previously, please fave/follow and review! It motivates me to continue writing and updating! :)
Happy reading!
Jess
Enoch shakes his head with a grin. Jacob ignores him and focuses his attention on the others. He squeezes Emma's hand as he takes a deep breath.
"Anyway, Emma and I have gathered enough provisions to last us a while so we shouldn't have to worry about making another trip into town regarding that for a while."
Miss Peregrine nods. "Good, alright children, I will let you know when to gather for supper." The children and teenagers quickly scatter out of the room while Miss Peregrine watches them all with a fond smile. She then follows suit leaving only Emma and Jacob.
"So, Jacob, were these the only acquaintances you've had in our absence or are their others?" Emma asks, as they walk towards the sun room, and take a seat on the large sofa on the back wall.
Jacob smiles as he contemplates. "Matthew, as I indicated, was an old bachelor. He had a very successful career in the navy and rarely took anyone under his wing, except for me of course. He had girlfriends, but they were more flings than anything. His daughter, Josephina, is 17 and lives with her mother in Ireland. I've only met her a few times."
Emma rests her chin on her hands against the back of the sofa. "So, why didn't he give the house to her?"
"He did give her a house, it's in Ireland, and it's actually the one she and her mother are living in now. He wanted to make sure she was taken care of." Jacob nods his head toward a photo on the mantle showing an aged man with curly dark brown hair and warm golden eyes with a beautiful young woman with similarly colored hair and emerald green eyes.
"He sounds like a delightful man," Emma muses.
"He was," Jacob reminisces. "Gareth was at the same rank as Matthew, they were actually good friends. Mary and he have been married for about twenty years now."
"That's beautiful," Emma muses.
"Maybe one day someone will say that about us," Jacob says with a shy grin, pushing some of her hair back.
Emma looks at him with hopeful surprise. Her eyes brighten and a light blush colors her cheeks. "Jacob," she murmurs.
Jacob lifts her chin up a little and presses a soft kiss to her lips. "I'm not asking today, but definitely someday."
"I look forward to it," Emma says with glee, pressing another soft kiss to his lips. She pulls back just a moment to look into his eyes.
His eyes lock on hers as he pulls her into his lap, his arms tight around her waist. One hand cups his cheek while the other tangles itself in his dark brown curls. Jacob swipes his tongue across her bottom lip and Emma eagerly opens her mouth as their tongues begin a sensual dance. Jacob's groan as they pull back for air goes straight to Emma's core and she lets out a soft moan of her own as she buries her head in his shoulder.
"We should stop before we get carried away," Jacob whispers in her ear, looking up into her eyes. Emma smiles down at him and wriggles her hips into his eliciting another moan from Jacob.
"Too late," Emma breathes with a smirk and flips her hair back.
Jacob suppresses a groan and closes his eyes. When he opens them Emma's face is inches from his. She smirks and Jacob reaches his head and up and pulls her head down to his, pressing his lips to hers in a fervent, passionate kiss.
Before they can continue, though, there's a knock at the window. They quickly situate themselves into a sitting position and look bashfully at the window.
Olive, Enoch, Bronwyn, Claire, and Horace smile mischievously and wave.
"The one downside with all the windows for the sunroom." Jacob mutters. Emma giggles which incites a small smile from Jacob. Jacob walks over to the window and opens the window.
"Something we can help you with?" Jacob asks, a smile in his voice.
"Are you and Emma a couple now?" Claire asks.
Jacob looks back, the smile still on his lips, at Emma who grins bashfully as the blush already there deepens.
"Yes," Jacob answers.
"Of course they're together, Claire. Didn't you see them?" Enoch asks with a smirk. "Anyway, Portman, do not hurt her or you'll have the rest of us to answer to. Plus, these windows are open and we'd rather you didn't expose the others to your escapades."
Jacob nods seriously and closes the window.
Emma chuckles to herself as Jacob turns his attention to her. Jacob looks at her in confusion.
"They've never seen me in that type of position." Emma explains, covering her mouth as another round of giggles surfaces.
"Really?" Jacob asks, intrigued as he walks towards her and loops his arms around her waist. "Well, love, I'd say this room we should avoid but other rooms hold potential." He then hoists her into his arms, bridal style, and carries her up the stairs to their room.
"Potential for what?" Emma asks, her eyebrow quirked as she leans back against the closed door.
"I think you know," Jacob whispers huskily as he braces his hands on the door behind her and leans forward leaving her no room to move as his face is inches away from hers.
"Refresh my memory," Emma says breathlessly as she reaches a hand up to cup his face.
Needing no more invitation, Jacob swoops down and captures her lips with his own. His hands slide down the door and land on her waist where they wrap around securely. Emma moans as his mouth moves down to her neck, lightly sucking at the pulse point before returning to her own. Emma uses the leverage of the door to wrap her legs around his waist. One hand tangles itself in his hair, the other clutches his shoulder as he walks them to the large sofa in the room where he sits down and Emma straddles him.
They pull away gasping for air with their foreheads touching.
"As much as I'd love to continue this, believe me, we should stop before we get carried away."
"I think we're a bit past carried away," Emma smirks and wriggles her hips into his, eliciting a groan from Jacob. "But yes, you're right. It's the middle of the day and the others could burst in at any second."
Jacob starts to say something but then notices the small love bite he left on Emma's neck. He starts to laugh but attempts to stifle it with his hand.
"What's funny?" Emma asks skeptically, leaning back and crossing her arms. Her eyes narrow and she decides on a different tactic when he doesn't reply. "You know, I have ways of getting you to talk." She says with a smile, as she trails her fingers down her chest. Jacob's eyes follow the trail they make and he reaches his hand up to capture her wandering fingers.
"I'd like to see you try," Jacob says with a wicked grin.
Emma quirks an eyebrow and reaches down to pull up the hem of her blouse.
Jacob's eyes darken at the sight of the newly exposed bare flesh and his hands eagerly reach up to grasp it.
"Ah, ah," Emma waves her fingers, "No touching until you tell me."
"Well that's easy love," Jacob says, his hands eagerly exploring. "I left a love bite on your neck."
Emma's eyes raise and she looks over at the mirror near the dresser where she sees a small but noticeable dark bruise just above her collar bone.
"What prompted you to do this?" Emma asks as she stands up and inspects it more closely.
Thinking that Emma is angry, Jacob quickly scrambles to his feet. "It was in the heat of the moment, love, I'm sorry."
Emma whirls. "Sorry? Why are you sorry?"
"W-well, you seemed angry that I had done it and—" Emma cuts him off with a kiss.
"I'm not angry,"
"You're not?" Jake asks, looking into her eyes through the mirror, looping his arms around her waist, her back to his front.
"Hardly," Emma murmurs, running her hand over his. "If anything, it…" Emma trails off and a deep blush colors her face and the rest of her body, which Jake notices in amused confusion.
"You're blushing?" Jacob whispers against her neck. Emma shivers against his touch. "You can tell me anything, my love."
"It's embarrassing," Emma murmurs, her eyes closing as she shakes her head.
"Emma…" Jake prompts her.
Emma sighs and leans her head back against his shoulder. Jake presses a soft kiss to the side of her neck.
"Fine, you're being so demonstrative and possessive, it turns me on."
That was not the response Jake was expecting. A wide grin spreads across his face as he considers that. It means that she's just as affected by his presence as he is by hers.
"Don't laugh," Emma warns, turning in his arms.
"Believe me, love, I'm not laughing." Jacob says and presses a kiss to her forehead. "So you like my possessive side, noted."
Emma giggles to herself. "We should probably get down to the others. I'm sure they can probably guess what we've been up to but I'd rather not fuel the flames."
Jake nods in agreement and watches as she puts her blouse back on. "It's almost unbearable."
Emma looks up in confusion as the fabric slides over her bodice.
"Watching you clothe yourself. I rather enjoyed the view."
Emma shakes her head. "Yes, but it's a view I'd rather only you see."
Later on, they all assemble in the living room. Emma and Jacob sit together on the loveseat, Jacob's Emma's shoulder and Emma's legs draped across his lap. Hugh and Fiona sit on one of the large sofas with Bronwyn and Claire on the other end of the couch. Enoch and Olive are cozy on the other loveseat. Horace sits in the center of the room projecting his dreams while Miss Peregrine observes all of this from an arm chair near the loveseat.
Most of the dreams are about clothes, as per usual, but things get a little awkward when it flashes to Emma and Jacob in the sunroom earlier that day. Then directly after there's a short snip bit of Enoch and Olive getting close in his lab of sorts. Miss Peregrine motions for Horace to end the screenplay while Emma blushes deeply and hides her face in Jacob's shoulder.
"Alright children, time for bed. I expect to see you all sleeping when I come check in on you later." Miss Peregrine looks a little longer at Jacob and Emma as she says this. "Olive, Enoch, please hang back. Same for you Jacob and Emma."
Olive and Enoch turn around while Emma and Jacob, who are still on the loveseat, direct their attention toward the ymbryne.
"While I am delighted that you are finding happiness with each other and you are at an age where you want to explore all aspects of your romances, I would prefer you don't do it so demonstratively in front of the other children and, at the very least, attempt to refrain from any physical relations."
This was so not a conversation any of them wanted to be having with the ymbryne who was like a mother to them. Olive and Emma both blushed a deep red, and Enoch fidgets, seeming uncomfortable. Jacob clears his throat uncomfortably, and rubs his hand up and down Emma's arm, attempting to comfort her.
"Do I make myself clear?" Miss Peregrine asks with a slightly hard edge and a bit of an amused smile.
"Yes, Miss Peregrine." They all answer at once.
"Good night then, I look forward to seeing you all in the morning." Miss Peregrine dismisses them.
Olive and Enoch head to their separate bedrooms while Emma and Jacob make their way to the master bedroom where Jacob closes the door softly.
"Well that was awkward," Jake broke the silence with an easy grin and ran a hand through his curly locks.
Emma let out a small giggle as she made her way to the closet. "It was, but it was bound to happen sometime."
"Horace dream screening us?" Jake asks, rummaging through his dresser for a pair of sleep pants.
Emma chuckles. "Yes, and what Miss Peregrine said." She then quickly undoes the buttons of her blouse and sheds it to the ground before pulling at the clasp of her bra as she pulls a nightgown over her bodice.
Jake, however, is frozen as she undresses in front of him, granted she was facing away from him, but it was still a sight to behold.
He finds himself walking towards her until he is right behind her, his sleep pants hanging loosely on his hips, his day clothes discarded in the laundry basket he had constructed. He quietly collects her clothes and tosses them in the hamper easily before looping his arms around her waist.
She gasps at the sudden contact, not expecting him to be so close.
"Shall we go to sleep love?" Jake asks, his lips at her ear.
Emma nods, speechless and pulls his hand towards their bed where she climbs in first and feels Jake's weight shift the mattress and then his arms are snugly around her.
"I could get used to this." Jake murmurs in her ear.
"Hmm?" Emma asks tiredly.
"Holding you in our bed, waking up to your gorgeous eyes or sleeping face in the morning." Jake answers with an easy grin against her hair before pressing a soft kiss there.
Emma sighs contentedly and holds on to his hand around her waist. "I love you, Jake."
"I love you, too, Emma. Now go to sleep, you've had a long day."
Emma nods and Jake listens as her breathing steadies before falling into his own peaceful slumber.