Cora became somewhat cranky by early afternoon. They'd eaten what little bit was left in their basket from the night before, and she was still hungry. The rain fell relentlessly, and Robert refused to have either of them go out to the motor in the downpour.
"Robert, you're being ridiculous. I'm famished, and I am this close –" she indicated how close with her thumb and forefinger almost meeting – "to seeing if hay would be a good main course for a countess."
He paused in pacing to and fro across the wooden floor, unclasping his hands from behind his back and lifting them in a gesture of helplessness. "What would you have me do, Cora? I can't have you ill, and if I go retrieve the things from the motor, they'll be drenched before I can get them here." He knew it was somewhat unreasonable of him, but ever since his wife's Spanish flu, he got nervous if she had so much as the sniffles.
She was sitting on their perch in the hay, her legs and arms both crossed in annoyance. Her face grew red with exasperation. "I won't get ill! I'll be fine. Please – you promised me a feast, and we've barely had crumbs!"
Robert's shoulders slumped, and he sighed heavily. "Well, putting aside the fact that you'd meant a very different kind of meal when you said that –" he almost took a step back when she fixed him with that disapproving, stony stare of hers, but held his ground – "I wouldn't call a loaf of bread split between us 'crumbs'. And I won't have you going out there, Cora." He set his jaw and drew himself up to his full height, his hands balled into fists at his sides.
Cora's eyes flashed at him, and she stood, putting her hands on her hips. "And just how do you plan on stopping me? Hmmm?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, she'd already darted toward the door. "Cora, wait!"
Robert spun around and headed for her, but she danced out of his grasp and wrenched open the door. Not sparing even a glance behind her, she flew through the wet grass on bare feet, lifting her skirt to allow her to run freely, beginning to laugh at the feel of the rain upon her face.
"Cora, come back!" Robert yelled, pulling the door closed behind him and trotting after her. He caught up with her soon enough, but stopped short when he saw why. He watched her pirouette across the grass, her head tilted back and her arms thrown out with joy. Her laughter filled his ears and heart like melodious birdsong, and he thought it might be the loveliest thing he'd ever heard. The rain soaked through her clothes, and they clung to her figure, allowing him to discern her delicate curves as she twirled around.
She took his breath away.
He stood there for several moments, simply staring at her, wondering once again how on earth he was so fortunate as to have such a wife. When she grew still, needing to catch her breath, she caught his eye and – seeing his expression – smiled widely, blinking against the raindrops hitting her face. She extended her hand to him, beckoning. Robert walked the few steps and put his hand in hers. Immediately, Cora laced their fingers together and started running toward the motor, bringing him along with her.
But when they got there, instead of opening the door and getting in, Cora leaned back against the passenger door, on the side hidden from the road, still holding his hand.
"Cora, we should –"
Cora shook her head. "Shhhh…." she said, placing a finger over his lips. Then she swept her eyes over him. He'd left the barn so quickly in order to stop her that he was still in his shirtsleeves. They'd been so casual that day, in fact, that he had on neither tie nor waistcoat. His shirt was open at the collar, and his cuffs were rolled up several times. It was a state of undress in which Cora rarely saw him. Her eyes darkened as she studied him, noticing the blush that crept into his cheeks at her careful regard. He began to fidget, and she appreciated how the rain molded the white cotton of his shirt over the muscles of his chest and shoulders.
Robert nearly lost his balance and collided with her when she unexpectedly let go his hand to take hold of his braces and tug him toward her. He just managed to catch himself – and not step on her bare feet – as she crushed her lips to his. Startled by this, it took him a few seconds to respond properly, kissing her in return and placing his hands upon her upper arms. The way she leaned back against the motor and had pulled him forward caused their lower bodies to press together, and Robert became keenly aware of a certain physical response to her impetuousness and their contact.
Running her hands languidly up and down the braces, she made sure the backs of her fingers brushed over his nipples with each pass. He moved his hands down her sides where they rested upon her waist for a few moments. His tongue explored her mouth ravenously, and her delighted sighs encouraged him to slide his hands lower to cup her bottom. She purred from somewhere in her throat and pulled him even closer to her.
Groaning, Robert lifted his head and met her eyes. "Cora, I want you, please…."
Cora appeared to have more surprises in mind for her birthday than he did. She let go of one of the braces, snaked her hand down between them, and pressed her palm against the prominent bulge in his trousers, fondling him. Even in the grey dimness of the rain he could see that her blue eyes were several shades darker than normal. And she smirked at him. "Then why don't you have me?"
It amazed Robert that after so many years together, his wife still had the uncanny and unmatched ability to make him blush. It didn't happen all the time, but sometimes – like now – her ideas simply took him aback. He looked around them. "We – we're getting in the motor, right?"
Shaking her head slowly, she leaned toward him and merely said, "No."
"But – but –" he sputtered in disbelief as she reached down and underneath her skirt, bending a bit to remove her undergarments. These she tucked into his trouser pocket.
"We wouldn't want to lose those in the middle of nowhere, would we?" She giggled at the incomprehensible expression on his face. Excitement battled with astonishment and possibly embarrassment. She seemed to have struck him speechless. Then she turned her eyes downward. If anything, the bulge in his trousers had gotten bigger. Looking back up, she waggled her eyebrows at him.
Taking advantage of his apparent frozen state, she bent down slightly again, caught at her skirt, and raised it, tucking it into her waistband. The fabric now just covered the juncture of her thighs. Robert watched this, gawking at her with his mouth agape. But he couldn't seem to stop her. He wasn't sure he wanted to stop her. Raising his eyes and looking at her now expectant face, he blinked and shut his jaw with a snap.
Once again, she took the lead, gripping his braces and drawing him to her. "Robert," she purred. "Show me how much you want me."
Robert knew she was toying with him. He knew it, but he didn't care. She had woven her spell over him, like a sorceress, and he was helpless to resist her. Furthermore, he had no desire to resist her. His blood had quickened; there was an unquestionable titillation to the scenario she'd put forth, even if it was only meant to tease. Recognizing that she wholly expected him to insist they get into the car before carrying things any further, he was determined to be the one to surprise her.
So he pressed himself more fully against her and captured her lips once more, cupping her face and rubbing his body against hers. She let out an astounded gasp. Robert glided his hands down her front once she'd succumbed to the kiss and then to his trousers. He unbuttoned them and pushed down his undergarments, raising her skirt a bit so it draped over them both, his arousal resting against her hip.
"Robert!" she exclaimed in bewilderment, her hands still twisted in his hair where they'd ended up during the kiss.
"You began this little game," he growled into her ear before sucking lightly on the delicate skin just below it. "If you want to quit, we can get into the motor right now." His breath was hot against her skin, clinging to her like her wet garments.
Cora closed her eyes, noises of pleasure at his attentions to her neck being rent from her throat. "N-no," she managed to say. She wrapped one leg around his, rubbing a bare foot over the back of his calf. "Please," she begged. "Please, I can't wait any longer." She tugged gently upon his hair so he would kiss her mouth again.
Sliding one arm around her waist, Robert used the other hand to guide himself into her, then hooked his arm under her thigh, lifting it to give him deeper access. He groaned into her mouth and slowly began moving against her, kissing her even more eagerly.
Cora found herself grateful for the steady, light rainfall; it kept her cool as the heat between them rose. Eventually, she untwisted her fingers from his hair and let them stray down to his back, slipping her hands beneath the waistband of his undergarments and down to feel the tautness of his muscles as they flexed with his motions. Moaning at her touch, those motions became more frenzied still, until the motor car was rocking with their love-making.
The need to take a deep breath made Robert break off their kiss, and he nuzzled his face into her neck, panting. The feel of this was interesting to her, his cheeks and chin being rough with stubble – somewhat unusual, but not unpleasant. Then he grazed his hand across smoothness of the thigh that he supported, sending a frisson of delight through her, the contrast between multiple sensations proving her undoing. She let out a series of sharp squeaks, and Robert felt her toes curl and bear into the back of his thigh.
"Robert, yes," she cried out, her voice lost in the sound of a thunder clap. The storm had become worse around them, but they had been too busy to notice.
He kept thrusting into her, lifting her leg a little higher, triggering a unexpected second wave of bliss for Cora. She threw her head back against the motor door and pressed her curled toes once again into his trouser leg, making noises that were virtually inhuman.
"Oh God, Cora," Robert murmured against her throat, fascinated and taken to new heights by her unmistakable satisfaction in their feverish coupling.
Cora bent her head down to his ear, breathing into it, "My darling, more… please, more…."
He could have had his own release right then – her desire, her need, providing the catalyst. Instead, he steeled himself to deliver as best he could. His wife wanted more, and he so craved to give her everything she wanted.
It took all he had in him not to give way. He concentrated upon giving her pleasure: he nibbled at her neck and grazed his fingers over her thigh once more. Bringing his arm out from behind her back, he molded one of her breasts, flicking his thumb over her nipple through her sodden blouse. She sighed and moaned, and squeezed his buttocks, and his heart raced as he plunged into her with both measured deliberation and unconstrained passion.
Robert hung on to his composure by a mere thread when finally – finally – she dug her fingertips into his behind, holding him against her and contracting strongly around his arousal. Her mouth opened, but no noise came from it, as if she was beyond crying out. Then she rocked against him with a whisper of, "Robert."
These smallest of motions were more than he could take, and involuntarily he pulled back and then pushed into her one last time before stilling completely, his hand over her wildly beating heart; he couldn't help thinking that his self-control had reaped unimaginable rewards.
Cora brushed her lips over his forehead and then rested her cheek upon his head. "Mmmmm…." she hummed, in a haze of elation.
"Mmmmm…" he murmured in agreement, his head in the hollow of her neck. After a moment, he gently lowered her leg and encircled her waist with his arm, holding her.
Each felt as if they could stay just like that for hours, the rain continuing to shower over them. But Cora noticed lightning striking the sky, and Robert felt, rather than heard, her stomach grumble with hunger.
"Cora," he said, lifting his head and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "How about you get comfortable in the backseat, and I'll get one of these baskets out of the boot? I know you're still hungry, and we should take shelter. The storm's only getting worse."
"One more kiss," she breathed, extracting her hands from under his waistband and placing them on his face, kissing him tenderly.
Touching his forehead to hers and gazing at her, he moved his hands down and underneath the cover of her skirt to make himself presentable again. Tugging at her hem, he draped the rain-soaked cloth over her legs with a grin. Sliding a hand in her hair, he bent his mouth to her ear. "I'll keep these undergarments in my possession for now, shall I?" Nipping at her earlobe, he reached behind her to open the door.
She hopped into the motor with a chuckle and watched through the rain-streaked window as he went around to the boot. Curling up in a corner of the seat, Cora tucked her bare feet up under her and waited only a few moments before he opened the door once more, handing in the hamper, then climbing in himself, sitting beside her.
He leaned across the seat and pecked her lightly on the lips before opening the basket. "It's not as roomy as the barn, but it'll do in a pinch."
"It's cozy, I think," Cora remarked, devouring the fruit he handed her and grinning at him.
Robert could barely see her in the semi-darkness, but he could tell she was a vast deal more contented than she'd been an hour before. He chuckled and kept putting a variety of food between them on the seat. "There," he said once he'd made a whole spread. "A veritable feast for you, darling."
"Thank you, my dear."
He joined her in the meal. They fell silent, eating and – in Robert's case – thinking. When they were close to finishing all the food in front of them, he said, "Cora, I hope you're not disappointed. This wasn't how today was supposed to go."
The disheartened tone in his voice struck her. "Robert," she said softly, "I'll admit that being stranded and in the middle of a rainstorm hasn't been ideal, and I know I was surly earlier, but…." She took a deep breath and reached across to clasp his hand. "For the most part, it's been marvelous." Casting her mind back over their morning, and their remarkably naughty encounter against the motor car door, she giggled. "I am storing up quite a few memories that will no doubt make up a least part of my fantasies for years."
Robert chuckled then grew silent again. "But – that's not all that today was supposed to be about, sweetheart. Not that I am in any way complaining about those bits." He raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it and then turned it to kiss her palm lovingly.
"I should hope not. I think I'd be devastated if you hadn't enjoyed them as thoroughly as I did."
"Hmmmm," he purred, his lips being otherwise occupied in feathering the inside of her wrist with kisses.
"Darling," she said, laughing, "you're very easily distracted today." She turned her wrist slightly to brush her fingers across his cheek. "And bristly."
Robert covered her hand with his and ran it lightly over the lower part of his face. "I can't help being distracted by such an intoxicating creature. As for the bristles…. I can try to do something about it if we can get back to the barn with some of our things. If it bothers you."
"No, I don't think it's bothersome. But it's certainly different." She chuckled. "Perhaps we can experiment with it like this while we're out here."
"'Experiment'?" he queried.
Leaning forward across the remnants of their luncheon, Cora pressed her cheek to his. "Um-hmmm. Experiment." Her low chuckle sent an electric current of expectation through him.
"Well, I wouldn't want to try shaving in such a place anyway, would I?" He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her hair that had fallen forward in a damp tangle across his face.
"No, I don't think so," she whispered.
Robert reached up to thread his fingers through her hair and turned his head to cover her mouth with his. With one hand on the seat beside his knee, Cora deepened the kiss, leaning heavily into him, compelling him backwards. Ending the kiss reluctantly, Robert drew his head back to look at her. "Did you get everything you wanted to eat?" he asked huskily. The effect she had on him today was incredible, and he realized that he was even now prepared to take her again – if she so desired.
Her nod and her uneven breathing assured him that she did so desire. And where Robert was ready to sit up fully and put what was left of their meal neatly back into the hamper, at his words she merely shunted it all into the floor and leaned into him again. She encouraged him to lie back, shifting so he could do so comfortably, straddling his waist as she kissed him earnestly.
Kicking off his shoes, Robert bent his knees and rested his feet on the seat. He twisted both hands into Cora's hair, holding it back from her face, and, leading by example, transformed their kisses into a leisurely, comprehensive rediscovery of what had sparked that first true flame for them as a couple. Robert kept picturing when she'd drunkenly kissed him in a restaurant and how astonished he'd been at just how acute his reaction had been. One kiss from her and he'd nearly forgotten everything else around him.
Cora, on the other hand, was remembering the carriage ride home that night and how apprehensive she'd been that her behavior in the restaurant had angered him. But, instead, he'd asked her to kiss him that way again. When she did, and he kissed her in return, the entire carriage had spun – and even more so when he'd tentatively brushed his fingers over her décolletage….
She felt a decided tingling and smiled against his lips at the memory. Until then, Robert had been able to fully concentrate on his exploration of her mouth, but at her perceptible shiver of delight, he let go of her hair. As his hands strayed down her body, Cora took her cue and, keeping a hand behind his ear where it had come to rest, she used the other to twist her hair and pull it all forward over one shoulder, holding it back for them. Robert tugged at her skirt, pulling it out from beneath her knees. Slipping his hands under the hem, they wandered over her thighs and up over her behind, kneading it gently before sliding back down her thighs. He made countless passes over her this way as they continued to take their time, striving to reawake facets of their love-making they'd not realized lay in slumber within them.
Eventually, Cora began unbuttoning his shirt – with agonizing slowness in Robert's opinion. He groaned as her fingers flitted between them, baring his chest and then helping him shrug off his braces and then out of his shirt. His breathing became even heavier once her lips began trailing down his throat and over his chest, her dusky hair tickling him. She refrained from touching his nipples for a while, so that when she finally twirled her tongue around one of them, attaching her lips to it, he involuntarily bucked his hips, and she nearly toppled into the floor.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled, blushing and getting a firmer grip on her thighs, while she simultaneously giggled and ran a fingertip over the other nipple.
"Don't apologize, darling. It gratifies me to no end to have you react so intensely." The low rumble of her chuckle teased him before she bent down again, returning her attention to his nipples.
Robert closed his eyes firmly and let her work her magic. It was such an exquisite form of torture and soon had him writhing and groaning. Her answering trills merely heightened his need to where his trousers felt far too constrictive. "Cora," he moaned out.
She didn't heed him; his exclamation simply seemed to spur her on. To get her attention, he slid his hand up the inside of her thigh and over her very deliberately. She gasped in surprise and nearly bit down hard upon the nipple she'd been teasing. Luckily, she remembered herself enough to avoid that particular outcome and instead inhaled sharply, pressing her forehead into his chest as she moved her hips, grinding against his hand. Cora had succeeded in maintaining a slow burn with regard to her own desire during the preceding activities between them, but at his purposeful touch, she felt her whole body suddenly ignite.
In no time at all her blouse had joined his shirt on the floor, and they scrambled to unbutton her skirt, lifting it over her head. Cora bent down again to kiss him, dipping her tongue into his mouth. Her bare breasts pressed into his chest, and her elation at feeling their skin meet once more made her moan with pleasure. Robert fumbled with his trouser buttons, her kisses and the contact of skin against skin breaking his concentration. He couldn't say how he finally divested himself of his trousers and undergarments, but he evidently found a way, because the next thing he knew, Cora was straightening her back, gliding backwards and taking him deeply into herself, purring with delight. Her buttocks rested against his raised thighs, and he wrapped his hands around her waist, sighing both his satisfaction and his longing.
Now that their bodies were joined, their previous languor prevailed over haste. Robert kissed her with enthusiasm, but encouraged her to take the lead otherwise. His fingers skimmed over her waist and hips as Cora gyrated her hips in tiny circles, keeping herself tightly against him otherwise. She purred rapturously when, soon enough, she began shuddering. Needing to change tack, she stilled for just a moment to enjoy the delicious convulsions. Once they'd waned, she ran her hands down Robert's chest. Feeling him twitch inside her as she grazed her thumbs over his nipples, gratified to hear his corresponding grunt of delight, she rolled her hips up and down over him.
The renewed fervor of his kisses revealed to her how much he liked what she was doing. He tried to lift himself up to meet her, but she slid her lower legs back over his thighs, communicating to him that he should be still. Robert did his level best to comply; it was such sweet agony as her tongue slowly plunged into his mouth and back out, mirroring the movements of her hips. Instinct took over again, and Robert found Cora seizing his hands because he couldn't stop himself from attempting to guide her hips into a faster tempo. She endeavored to distract him by placing his hands on her breasts, sighing into his mouth when he fondled them. Fortunately, this had the effect he'd wanted all along, and she steadily increased her cadence until she could hardly catch her breath, much less continue to kiss him.
At long last, she removed her legs from his thighs, resting them down on the seat on either side of him. He grunted happily to be allowed to drive his hips up, and she met him stroke for stroke with renewed vigor, her cries echoing in the small space. Her climaxes became more intense and closer together, and Robert marveled again at what seemed to have come over the pair of them that day. Watching – feeling – his wife's excitement tided him over for a while, but ultimately he knew he was close to his own release.
"Cora," he breathed, lifting her head from where it reposed upon his chest to look at her as best he could in the dim light. Still caressing her face, he closed his eyes and moaned deeply as she tightened around him once again. "Oh God, I…." He crushed his lips to hers.
Knowing exactly where he was and what he needed, Cora sat down hard upon him. She kissed him tenderly and rotated her hips, contracting her muscles around him very consciously. He heaved a great sigh of ecstasy, and she ceased moving, aware that he'd reached his climax.
As she rubbed her lips gently over his, she felt him smile. Cora had slipped her hands underneath his shoulders, her fingertips barely brushing over his skin. Robert still cupped her face in his hands. Opening his eyes, he smiled even wider. "My love," he whispered, running his thumbs tenderly over her cheekbones. She kissed him in response, then lay her head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly.
Robert glanced around the motor car as he wrapped his arms around his wife, holding her tightly to him. The windows now sported a thick layer of fog, and clothes and bits of food littered the floor. The sounds of the rain had almost completely abated, the storm evidently having either passed or broken off for a while.
"Cora? Are you comfortable?" He drew lazy patterns upon her back with his fingers.
"I'm a little cold… now," she murmured with a little chuckle.
Robert pressed a kiss to her hair and grinned. "Well, you're the one reclining with your, er, back exposed." He felt a tiny swat of her hand upon his shoulder, the most she could do with her arms under his back. "I think the rain has stopped at last. I can't tell exactly because of how much we've steamed up the windows –" here he chuckled – "but if it has, it might be a good time to gather some things and head back to the barn." He whispered against her hair, "As truly magnificent as that was, I'm not sure I would want to try to sleep in here tonight. And I would like to do some of the things I planned for your birthday."
Cora nestled against him, sighing. "As much as I would love to just stay right here, I will admit that there is some logic to your thinking." She let out a small yawn. "Besides, my legs are becoming cramped."
"Let's sit up then, darling. Depending upon what this weather has in mind, perhaps we'll take a nice slow walk back to the barn. Unless, of course, you're about to fall asleep." He brushed her hair back from her shoulders.
"No, no, I'm alright, Robert…." Yawning once more, she sat up slowly, carefully, and waited for him to swing his legs over the side of the seat before she plopped herself down next to him. She laughed when she saw their clothes strewn about the floor. "Goodness, what a mess!"
"Ah, we'll soon have it righted." He picked up his trousers from the top of the pile and twitched her undergarments out of the pocket. "I think you can have these back." He grinned at her. "For now."
Cora giggled and plucked the delicate silk from his hand. Pulling them over her legs, she remarked, "You know, I think I'm actually hungry again."
Robert's bark of laughter filled the motor car. Shaking his head, he turned and kissed her soundly on the lips, his hand under her chin. "Cora Crawley, you are incorrigible, and I love you."
"Come away with me and we'll kiss
on a mountaintop
Come away with me
And I'll never stop loving you"
