Chapter 10 – Thoughts They Cannot Defend

Elizabeth slowly awoke, feeling sunlight warming her face through a gap in the curtains. For a moment she wondered while she felt so good, so drowsily content. Then she remembered the night before and she couldn't help a smile.
She slowly sat up and glanced around. No Barnabas… but that was to be expected. He would have retired to the safety of his coffin before dawn. If it wasn't for the two small fresh wounds on the side of her neck and the deliciously relaxed state of her body she might have thought it was all a dream.
A glance at her clock told her it was almost time for breakfast. Reluctantly she tumbled out of her warm soft bed and pulled on the dress she had laid out the night before. It was a deep rich blue that brought out the color of her eyes.
She quickly ran a brush through her messy curls before heading downstairs. Barnabas, Carolyn and David were seated at the breakfast table. Carolyn mumbled a greeting and David piped hello. Barnabas looked up, giving her a warm smile. Only the look in his dark eyes gave away that anything had changed since the day before.
She took a seat next to him, across the table from David and Carolyn. Once she had helped herself generously she started to eat, making small talk with the children. All the while she was very aware of his eyes on her.
When she glanced sideways at him his face showed nothing but polite interest in what she was saying but just before she looked away the corners of his mouth curved in a slight grin.
Carolyn's voice brought her back to the conversation and she tried her best to pay attention as she talked about an upcoming school trip and a science project that she was having trouble with.
Luckily the teenager didn't seem to notice Liz's distraction as she started to argue with David. Usually she would have broken it up but it was at that moment she felt cool fingers brush her leg under the table.
Her eyebrow rose slightly as she looked over at Barnabas. He was watching the children argue, a look of complete innocence on his face. The only thing missing from his expression was a halo.
Elizabeth told Carolyn and David to stop it but her voice came out much less strong than she would have liked it to thanks to his fingers slowly pushing down her knee high stocking.
Once it was down around her ankle his fingers slid lightly and teasingly up and down her calf. She had to force herself to pay attention to the children's protests and get them to mercifully cease arguing. Silence came over the table as both Carolyn and David sulkily continued to eat.
A small shudder went through her and she felt her breath hitch slightly in her throat as his fingers slid under her dress and over her knee to lightly stroke her thigh. She gave him a look that said this wasn't the time or place and he gave her a slight grin. Luckily David and Carolyn were looking at their plates rather than at them.
His fingers had just started to inch a bit higher up her thigh when the door opened and Roger walked in, apologizing for being late. Elizabeth greeted him, fighting to keep her voice steady.

Barnabas made conversation with Roger about the business, giving no indication whatsoever that he still had his hand under Liz's skirt making slowly teasing circles on her thigh.
She felt a combination of relief and disappointment when Julia walked in and quickly withdrew his hand, placing both hands on the table. Julia looked suspiciously at Liz as she saw the slightly flustered look on her face but said nothing about it.

It was after midday when she got the chance to talk to him alone. "You are a genuinely wicked man…" she said as he walked into her office. A cheeky grin spread over his face. "You seemed to enjoy it…" he pointed out.
She looked up from her paperwork, unable to help grinning a bit herself. "Are you referring to last night… or this morning when you were doing inappropriate things to me under the breakfast table?" she said dryly.
"Both" he said, walking closer to her desk, his grin reaching Cheshire Cat proportions. She took of her glasses and looked at him. He was so handsome… and damn near impossible to resist.
"Last night… shouldn't have happened… but I can't bring myself to regret it…" she said softly. His face took on a more serious look at her words and she could see relief on his face as she said she didn't regret it.
"Forgive me…" he said. "You are entirely too tempting…" he added, a husky edge to his voice and his dark eyes fixed on her. She slowly got to her feet and walked over to him.
They looked at each other for several moments, neither of them saying a word. She reached up to brush his cool smooth cheek with her fingers and saw his eyes darken slightly at the soft touch.
His hands slid around her waist, pulling her closer to him as he leaned down to press her lips softly against hers. She kissed him back just as softly, her eyes sliding half closed as her arms around around his neck.
Once they had come up for air she looked at him with a grin. "I'm not going to get any paperwork done with you here am I?"