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"But you did dance with me that evening didn't you?" She winked as she stood at the door to the bathroom unzipping her dress from behind. She appeared to be struggling, so he walked over to her. He had dealt with these strange running metal closures they seemed to favour in this land, they could be quite tricky if material was caught within during the closure, and Thorin couldn't fathom why they would put such closures on the rear aspect of women's clothing. Although, the way she had got into such clothing and had managed this much, she was clearly rather flexible.

"May I assist my Lady?"

"No… I should be – Oh…" she said continuing to struggle. So he grasped her shoulders and spun her around. The upper part of the zip had indeed caught some of the material. He gently pushed her wrists aside and began to slowly release the material, finally releasing the mechanism and undoing her dress all the way. Mahal! She was a temptress! As he slowly unzipped her dress it revealed her dark honey brown skin and rather lacy, sheer undergarments. He imagined she would look very inviting wearing only that. He must have lingered too long, as she seemed to stiffen self consciously. All the tension was having certain affects on his own body, so he grunted that he was done unintelligibly and turned away to hide his own arousal and walked towards the couch.

"Thank you…" she acknowledged softly and shut the door gently.

He sat on the couch heavily, panicking about whether or to sleep in his trousers or not, and whether or not to remove his shirt, as he slowly removed his boots. Then the bathroom door opened quietly, and Shobha stepped out. Mahal! She was a vision! Her hair hung damp down to her bust, and she wore only a large towel wrapped tightly around her chest which stopped just above her knees, revealing the start of her deliciously slender thighs. She clutched a bundle of her clothes to her as she tip toed in towards the blanket bench at the foot of the bed.

He stood up automatically and couldn't help himself as he took in her appearance with open appreciation. Seeing him look at her like that made her feel rather naked – as though she were not even wearing the towel. She wasn't certain what she would wear at night. She couldn't sleep in the dress she wore – she would need to wear that tomorrow.

"Um… your turn… for the bathroom." She whispered, feeling a little shy suddenly.

"Are you warm enough, my lady?" He stood and slowly walked towards the bathroom himself. He was used to roughing it in the wild, but then he had travelled with a change of clothes and they had usually dried their clothes out by the fire.

"I think once I get the blankets out I should be fine."

"Please let me take the couch – you must be rested enough for work. And you work such long hours." He said looking genuinely concerned looking at her over his shoulder from the bathroom door.

"Ok – let me find the right blankets and pillows." She smiled.

And so nodding he turned and shut the door to the bathroom, finally realising that she must have been worried to move about in her towel in case it came undone.

As soon as he had shut the door, she quickly walked over to the dresser and folded her clothes carefully so that they were not creased and set them on top. She pulled her knickers on and then her bra before wrapping herself back up in the towel and rushed to the blanket box. Inside there were ample blankets and a few extra pillows, which she pulled out and then cast her eye over the couch again where Thorin had draped his longline blazer. It was rather small – there was no way he could sleep on there and not be stiff in the morning. Then she looked at the bed – it was rather large – perhaps too large for only her. There would have been enough room for them both comfortably. And there was an extra duvet so they didn't have to share. She quickly pulled the duvet over to one side and spread the other one on the other side. She felt a bit silly given that he was right, she had indeed spent Friday night using his body as a mattress. Surely this would be nothing in comparison. So she quickly tucked herself in on one side, just as he emerged from the bathroom.

He wore his boxers and his shirt, while using a towel to dry his hair with one hand and carrying his trousers in the other. His thick muscular legs were covered in a thin layer of dark hair and his shirt had quite a few buttons undone, but it also clung to his broad muscular torso from the residual damp of the shower. It didn't look very comfortable – and then she realised, while she had bought him some rather nice smart clothes, he didn't have any comfortable loungewear. It made her wonder what he wore normally to bed – perhaps he wore nothing – a thought that made her heart race!

"Sorry my lady, I cannot wear those fitted breaches to sleep…" he walked over to the blanket box to collect some blankets when she stopped him.

"Um Thorin – please don't sleep on the couch. You'll feel terrible in the morning: there isn't enough space on there for you." She said softly, as he looked at her, his eyebrows raised. "There is enough room in this giant bed. Besides you're right – I did sleep on top of you on Friday.."

"I am sorry my lady. — I am not sure I heard you correctly – did you say I was… Correct?"

"Ok! But don't get used to it!" She blushed. "And you you don't need to keep your shirt on, if its too uncomfortable… Sorry, I need to sort some lounge wear and casual clothes for you. Particularly if you are going to be here for some time…"

"Well, I should be able to make those purchases soon. Gandalf has offered my a job working for him in reading runic texts and performing translations into common speech." Thorin smiled walking to the door to lock it before returning to the bed and beginning to unbutton his shirt.

Shobha couldn't help but watch him as he took his shirt off. Her look made him smile lightly in satisfaction knowing that she found him attractive. Seeing his reaction, she blushed and looked at her phone, setting her alarm for the morning to occupy her, while he got into bed.

"Oh that's great news!" She smiled. "But I think I will sort out a few things for you soon, at least until you get your pay check…"

He finally settled himself in bed next to her. She was so close – he wasn't sure how he would be able to sleep like this. He even thought she was naked under her bed linen – for surely that towel would not remain secure for long. Then he recalled how she had slept on Friday: she was a writher. She had moved around so much during that night, it had been hard for him to sleep well. And the way she had moved, clinging onto him, her soft dark hair surrounding him and her body rolling and rubbing against him, it had given him several erections throughout the night. He needed to rid himself of these thoughts if he wanted any sleep.

"Good night Thorin …" she whispered turning her light off.

"Good night Shobha." He replied back softly.

…

Thorin stood on the stone bridge in front of the great gates of Erebor. It was a warm summer day, and he felt at ease. There were groups of dwarrows and dams travelling on the path to Dale as far as he could see, all happily conversing and going about their travels. He began walking out towards the fields. The grass was long, wispy and overgrown, abundant with wild flowers. There were clumps of lavender, daisies, poppies as far as the eye could see, and the fragrance was sweet and subtle. It reminded him of her. He bent down and plucked a small handful of poppies and lavender. And carried on.

He could see her not far from him now. He looked back towards the mountain, where his guards stood watching them. She wore a soft white linen dress without the thick skirts and petticoats, and her soft raven hair was loose and long, hanging almost at her waist now, and it glistened in the sun, similar to the way her brown skin glowed. She was laughing, the sound felt like home to him, and busy chasing two young boys. They both had raven hair, olive skin, and were running wildly, laughing themselves. And then she saw him stopping to smile and wave, but only to be caught by the two boys. One grabbed hold of her skirt lovingly, clinging on to her. The older boy saw him and came running over.

"Adad! Adad! We are faster than Mama now!" He cried as he reached Thorin. The lad had large brown eyes, like her.

"Aye, my little one," Thorin smiled and stroked his head. "But you shouldn't rush Mama too much at the moment…"

The boy looked up solemnly and nodded.

"Don't worry Adad, I will protect Mama." He then reached up to take Thorin's hand and walk towards Shobha and the other little one.

She was now seated on a blanket by a basket of food covered with a tea towel. The younger boy was seated next to her and playing with her long locks.

"Amralime," Thorin knelt down in front of her and planted a soft kiss on her lips, handing her the small post of flowers he had collected. "Are you well?"

"Yes, my love, the fresh air has really helped my sickness," she smiled gently, but he could see she still looked tired.

"Now, my little Prince, are you looking after Mama also?" Thorin asked as their youngest child giving him a big hug. He looked at his father with his big emerald eyes.

"Adad, Mama was puking – I was scared!" He spoke with wide eyes. "But Unca Fili took us fighting with Unca Dwaley."

Thorin looked at Shobha worried again.

"Don't bother looking at me like that: whose idea was it to go for a third..?" She smiled lying her head back.

"I will have to take some time off I think – "

"Not yet Thorin. Fili, Dis and Oin have been fussing around me enough. Besides Fili and Dwalin are great with the boys. I will need you in the last few months."

Thorin sat down and stroked her hair gently.

"If you can do lunch for the boys though… even looking at that basket makes me feel sick…"

"My heart, we shouldn't have done this so soon after the last." He looked down at her worried again, as she lay there with her eyes shut. Then she opened one eye and looked up at him smiling again.

"That too is not my fault, horny husband of mine."

"Mmmm.." he bent down to pepper his wife with kisses as he gently placed his large hand on the small swell of her belly that was already beginning to develop. "Oh no, my beautiful wife, I assure you my 'horn' is entirely your fault!"

He leant in to kiss her deeply only to receive a playful swipe…

Thorin woke in bed to find her small hand lying across his chest. That had been a most vivid dream. It made him wonder whether the White Lady had been responsible for that.

He was facing Shobha, who lay on her side, facing him, surrounded by her dark hair, sound asleep. He gently reached out and brushed some of her hair from her face carefully. She had somehow managed to kick most of her covers off including the towel, he peeked down to find she was wearing some very sheer undergarments, which could have easily been ripped off to leave her completely bare. He gently moved across her and picked up the end to pull it over to cover her. And then turning over to face her, he lay there studying her face, her soft features, the dark lashes resting on her cheeks, her high cheekbones and her kissably soft, full lips. And slowly watching her steady breathing, he drifted off to sleep.

…

Shobha woke, her eyes fluttering open. She had found herself snuggled against him, his thick muscular arms wrapped around her. Her back leant on his broad chest, as he snored softly. He was like a warm blanket, and the soft hairs on his chest and legs gently brushed her skin as his chest rose and fell. She was only in underwear and rather skimpy ones at that, and she had clearly kicked her towel off at some point along with her own duvet, and it appeared he had wrapped her in his. She needed to get dressed before he woke, but also needed to get out of bed without waking him. She untangled her legs from his gently and shifted. Perhaps it was the morning or the way their bodies lay angled together, but she could feel him hardening against her derrière, and instinctively he pulled his arms tighter around her. She didn't know why she was being awkward about it. They clearly fancied each other, he had proven on several occasions that he would look after her, and she couldn't imagine he would treat her as a one night stand.

She shifted herself slowly, but even the gentlest movement was enough. He was rock hard and had started to stir. She wriggled to free herself from his vice like grip.

"Uh.. Morning…" he grunted letting her go when he realised what he was doing. Apparently he too had been moving a lot in his sleep. He blushed realising he had been pressing himself to her. "I apologise for that…"

She sat on the end of the bed and made a tip toe to the dresser grabbing her dress and stockings. He should have looked away, but her form was beautiful. Her small, slender frame drew his eyes in, and wearing those lacy, sheer undergarments – she was perfection.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked putting her dress on still facing away trying to make polite conversation.

"Aye, my lady." He considered getting out of bed, but he was still sporting a raging erection.

"Sorry, I think I might be quite an active sleeper." She glanced over at him blushing. The truth was she had probably had the best sleep in many years with him. And then she realised she must have looked a mess with her bed hair. She quickly tiptoed into the bathroom with some hope of making herself look a bit more presentable.

….

They had early breakfast with Gerald, Glenda and Caleb. They had all been rather matter of fact about them having shared a room that night.

And then Thorin had walked her to work. He had been silently brooding throughout the journey, while she had been looking through her emails.

"I'm on call this evening Thorin." She said. "I won't finish until eight, and even then it may be later depending on how busy things are. I will call you to let you know –"

"I would be most grateful if you did, my lady. In fact I think perhaps I will come and pick you up." He said a little sternly. "I will be meeting Gandalf again. He will show me his place of work and the texts I am to help translate."

"Do you know what… yes and we can pick up a take away." She smiled, wondering how he would fare with spicy food. "I think it is time I introduced you to curry. You will eventually be forced to have dinner with my family..."

"As you wish." He nodded, searching her face softly. He had been worried that she would distance herself from him, after waking up wrapped in his arms this morning. That dream had been extraordinarily vivid, as if he had truly held her in his arms. And she had felt his arousal. His sister always said he was able to woo a dam as well as a large rock. So he was grateful she didn't seem particularly distant.

"I have another oncall on Thursday and then we have Friday off. We need to meet Mr Jenkins to pick up your documents on Friday." She sensed he may have been thinking about how they had woken up that morning. So she gently placed her hand on his and gave it a reassuring squeeze, gaining a faint upturn of the corners of his mouth. He held her big brown eyes in his sapphire gaze. He was allowing his heart and his hopes to run away with her. How could he, when his people had suffered for so long living without a proper home, and treated badly by so many, slaving for a pittance. He was torn. He had suffered with his people for so long, had given up any hope of any happiness for himself, and then he had met her. She was like a glimmer of hope, in the deepest darkest depths when all was lost. It was hard to imagine he had ever truly lived before he had met her.

"Hey! Shobha!" A young woman interrupted them, smiling and placing her hand on Shobha's shoulder, then looking at Thorin with curiosity.

"Morning Samantha!" Shobha smiled back. Samantha was a colleague, who was a few years older, but someone she trusted. "This is Thorin – he's staying with me for a bit."

That was the best Shobha would do for now.

"Well hello, Thorin," Samantha grinned at him, her hazel eyes giving away what she was thinking was going on between them. "So you are the reason, this one has been running home quickly after finishing up…"

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Samantha," Thorin nodded his head in acknowledgement. He would never get used to how people in this land address one another without title, but he followed as he was instructed by Shobha.

"You and Nina have been nominated to wear the bunny suits for the charity ball by the way – Oh Thorin, you should come..."

"Ugh!" Shobha rubbed her face. "Can't I just give them some money? When did this happen-"

"When you were rushing off every evening. I have kids and even I stayed for that meeting!" Samantha had wildly curly chestnut hair that moved as she laughed at her colleague.

"Isn't there another nurse that can do it with Nina?"

"Um, everyone felt the two of you were probably the ones with the bodies to pull it off… hey girl, I would do it for you, but no one wants to see my mummy body!"

"Oh please! I don't have the rack to fill that out… unlike you!" Shobha rolled her eyes. "Right Thorin we are going to head to work, I will see you later."

Thorin left them to their giggly female conversations, whatever a 'bunny suit' was, and why ever someone would have another dressed as an animal he did not understand.

He would go home wash and dress before going to meet Gandalf.

"Make sure you get her to come and bring you along Thorin! You will want to see this!" Samantha called out to him over her shoulder.