A Family Affair
Disclaimer: I don't own the Witchblade characters. I'm just borrowing them. Enjoy!
Author's Note: I inadvertently gave the wrong location of Slally's masterpiece, "Breathing Space." It was formerly on the Digitablum Magae storyboard, but now can be found in its entirety on the Llan an Cailleach storyboard. I strongly recommend you check it out -- unless you have a problem with NC:17-rated content, that is. If that's the case, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. Although not as graphic as the previous chapter, more naughtiness awaits! Okay, I warned you, so please don't report me to ff.net! Enjoy!
Chapter 46.
Something woke Sara well before the alarm went off. She lay still, listening to Ian's deep, steady breathing, and realized that they were in the exact same position as they'd awakened in that morning. Her Protector's big, warm body spooned with hers, his left arm, slack with sleep, was draped around her, and his hand was once again cupping her right breast. Sara glanced down as she felt an unfamiliar, drawing sensation at her nipple, and froze in shock. Curled up in the crook of her right arm, a naked, dark-haired infant, perhaps six months of age, nursed contentedly at her breast, its tiny, dimpled fist wrapped securely around Ian's thumb. As Sara gazed in wide-eyed fascination at this small, perfect being, it opened huge, thick-lashed, gold-flecked green eyes and stared up at her with an intensity that was at once unsettling in one so young and hauntingly familiar.
"Are you my daughter?" she whispered. At the sound of her voice, the corners of the baby's mouth curled upward in a miniature version of its father's provocative almost-smile and it kicked its chubby legs excitedly. Sara blinked as this revealed that it was most definitely male. "I guess not," she murmured, smiling back at her son. "You're practically a mini Ian, so I should have known."
"You should have known what?" Ian asked sleepily.
Sara's eyes flew open, and she sat bolt upright, causing Ian to wince as his left arm was unceremoniously dislodged from around her.
"I just had a vision," she told him, shoving her hair out of her face. Sara glanced at the Witchblade just in time to see the blood-red stone fade to darkness.
Gingerly flexing his stiff and extremely tender shoulder, Ian also sat up. "What did It show you? It chose not to share the vision with me this time."
"Our child." She placed a trembling hand on her as yet flat stomach. "More importantly, our son."
Ian froze in the process of rubbing the sleep from his eyes and gaped at her. "Our son? How can that be?"
Sara smirked. "Well, my human reproductive biology is little rusty, but if I remember correctly, you got your X chromosomes and then you got your Y chromosomes --"
Nottingham actually rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean," he interrupted her. "Are you sure it was not a dream?"
"It was so real, like the Witchblade's visions always are," she told him. "And the stone was glowing just a moment ago." Her fingers brushed the place on the bed where their infant son had lain, and she imagined she could still feel the warmth left behind by his tiny body.
Ian's gaze searched hers. "How do you feel about this?" he finally asked her quietly.
"I'm not sure," she replied honestly. "How do you feel about it?"
He looked thoughtful, his right hand absently scratching his bearded chin. "I have mixed emotions," he said at last. "Although I have never pictured myself as a father, the idea definitely appeals to me."
"Well, I guess this means you aren't sterile," Sara said flippantly, surprised by how calm she felt given the circumstances. "I wonder why the Witchblade allowed me to conceive a son, though. I thought Wielders only gave birth to daughters."
"While it is true that there has been no record of a Wielder bearing a male child for centuries, it is not unheard of," Ian informed her. He hesitated. "Sara, as I am sure you are aware, events in the visions sometimes do not take place for years, if at all. You might not be pregnant. And the child you saw might not be mine," he told her.
Sara shook her head. "Trust me on this, Nottingham. He was yours. It was like looking at a miniature version of you. He even smiled like you do. Plus, you were there in bed with us."
"And the infant was definitely male?"
"Yep. I saw the family jewels. He took after you in that department, too!" she grinned. Her eyes roamed his muscular torso speculatively. "Hmmm. Now that we don't have to worry about birth control, what do you say we fool around some more?"
"I am ready and willing, my Lady," Ian said instantly, deciding he could ignore his painful shoulder as long as he took care not to place any weight on his left arm.
"I notice you left out able," Sara said. "Your poor shoulder must be really stiff and sore. I'd better be the one on top," she purred, reaching beneath the covers to see for herself just how ready he was.
Ian groaned as her fingers encircled his burgeoning erection. "If you insist," he breathed, laying back down.
"I insist," she smiled, leaning down to kiss him. He made a little moaning sound in the back of his throat when her tongue darted into his mouth to spar with his.
Sara loved the fact that he was a vocal lover. 'Very vocal,' she thought, remembering the yell he'd let out upon climaxing. 'I wonder if that was a fluke, seeing as it was his first time. Hmmm, I'll just have to find out.'
Ian ran a hand down Sara's flank, and was rewarded with the sensuous shiver that went through her slender body. It amazed him how quickly she responded to his untutored touch. 'It is like she is tinder and I am flame,' he mused, 'which is only fitting since I burn for her.'
When the alarm clock's buzzer sounded ten minutes later, they both ignored it.
****
"Sorry we're late!" Sara said as she and Ian entered the main house's side entrance at 6:30. They paused in the coatroom to hang up their coats.
Paula Siri was standing in the kitchen at the island countertop, turning a salad spinner. She eyed the two of them, noting Sara's heightened color and Ian's happy, relaxed mien. "Not a problem. We're running a little behind schedule ourselves," Paula told them. 'Probably for the exact same reason,' she thought to herself with a smile.
A mouthwatering scent permeated the house, and Sara realized that she was famished. "Is that London broil I smell?" she asked, sniffing the air appreciatively.
"Yep, and it's almost done," Paula said.
"Good, because we're both starving! Right, Ian?"
"Yes," he agreed. "I feel as though I could eat the proverbial horse!"
Robert Siri walked into the room. "I thought I heard the door. Hey, guys."
"Hey, Robbie," Sara greeted her brother.
"Good evening, Robert," Ian said.
"Can I offer you both something to drink? How about a glass of wine?" he said.
"Um, seltzer's fine for me," Sara said, unconsciously touching her belly.
"A glass of red wine would be nice," Ian said. But at Sara's frown, he swiftly changed it to "Actually, seltzer will be fine for me, too."
"Coming right up. Why don't you come into the living room? Joey and Gina Marie are in there playing checkers. Think you two would be up for some bid whist later?" Robert asked them. "I can set up the card table in here."
"I'm game," Sara said, grinning. But she noticed that Ian looked a bit downcast. "What's wrong?" she asked him.
"I do not know how to play bid whist," he admitted, as they followed their host down a hallway.
"No problem. It's really easy to learn, especially for a brainiac like you," she told him.
"Well, I am a fast learner," Ian said slowly.
"I'll say," Sara grinned, remembering the extremely enjoyable lovemaking sessions they'd had less than an hour ago, first in bed and then in the shower. Ian's eyes met hers, and they shared a not-so-subtle look that said he, too, was recalling their recent activities.
Robert looked from one to the other and then smiled and shook his head. 'Boy,' he thought, 'did the temperature just rise in here or what?'
They entered the living room, where Joey and Gina Marie Siri lay sprawled on a braided rug in front of a roaring fire, a checkerboard between them.
"Hey, Aunt Sara. Hey, Ian," Joey said, glancing up at them.
"Hi, Aunt Sara. Hi, Ian," Gina Marie smiled up at the adults. "I'm beating Joey!"
"No way!" Sara said, taking a seat on the sofa. "I thought he was the King of Checkers."
Ian sat down beside her, so close his thigh touched hers. He felt a swell of satisfaction as she reached over and interlaced the fingers of her left hand with those of his right.
Joey shrugged. "Can't win 'em all," he said, doing a double take as he noticed their intertwined fingers. He smiled broadly at the sight.
"I'll be right back with your drinks," his father said, noticing the couple's closeness, too.
But before he could leave, his daughter said "Daddy, can you get me another Coke with three ice cubes, please?" She held out an empty glass to her father. "Thanks."
"Sure, Sweetie. Anything for you, Joey?"
"No, thanks. I still have some soda left," his son said, indicating a half-full glass on the floor next to him. "Some more Cheese Doodles would be nice, though."
"I think you've both had enough snacks. Dinner will be ready in less than half an hour," Robert said, picking up an empty, orange-tinted plastic bowl from the floor. "However, I'll refill this for Ian and Sara."
"What, exactly, are Cheese Doodles?" Ian whispered in Sara's ear.
"Cheesy hors d'oeuvres. You'll love 'em," she whispered back.
"Is ravenous hunger normal after, um, a certain activity?" he asked her softly, thinking that these Cheese Doodles could taste like sawdust and he'd still consume them.
"You mean after wild monkey sex?" Sara murmured, grinning as he blushed and glanced nervously at the oblivious kids.
"Yes," he muttered, appalled to feel his groin tighten in response to her sexy grin.
"'Fraid so. By the way, I advise you to keep your fingers away from the vicinity of my plate or you're liable to lose a couple during the feeding frenzy, or dinner as it's more commonly known."
"Duly noted."
Robert returned carrying a tray with their drinks and the bowl of Cheese Doodles, which he set down on the coffee table in front of them. Ian eyed the bright orange curls dubiously, watching as Sara grabbed a handful, most of which she shoved into her mouth. She crunched away happily, washing them down with seltzer. Prior to taking a seat in the wing chair adjacent to the sofa, her brother grabbed some, too. Robert picked up a glass of red wine from the side table and sipped from it before eating his snack at a much more sedate pace. Leaning forward, Ian took a single Cheese Doodle from the bowl. Sara watched closely as he put it in his mouth.
After a moment, he raised an eyebrow. "Not bad," he said, savoring the cheddar cheese flavor.
"Told you," she grinned, grabbing more. "Allow me," she said, offering him another. He opened his mouth and she popped it in.
"They are pleasingly crispy," he murmured, enjoying the way they crunched as he chewed.
"More?" Sara asked him, her eyes suddenly riveted to his full lips.
"Yes, please." She fed him a couple more.
"Oh, dear, look at that," Sara murmured, "you've got some cheese powder on your mustache and lips. Let me get that for you."
Ian stiffened as she leaned over and delicately began to lick his lips clean. "Sara," he said warningly, feeling himself swiftly becoming aroused.
"Mmmm?"
"I, uh, think you had better stop that," he whispered, unable to suppress a low moan as she ran her tongue along the ultra-sensitive rim of his mouth.
"There," Sara smirked, pulling away. "All done." She stood up. "Wanna take a tour of the house before dinner?"
Ian quickly grabbed a magazine off the coffee table and placed it in his lap. "Uh, not right now. Maybe later," he muttered, coloring. He glanced at Robert, who was shaking his head and unsuccessfully trying to hide a grin behind his wineglass.
Joey looked up from his game. "What'd I miss?" he asked, noticing the wildly differing expressions on the faces of the adults and his father's barely suppressed mirth.
"Just Sara getting all kissy-faced with Ian," Gina Marie answered without taking her eyes off the checkerboard.
"Darn!" Joey swore.
Sara chuckled evilly, sitting back down next to a red-faced Nottingham. She placed a hand on his thigh, and he actually jumped. "Hey, easy there, cowboy," she purred, stroking the corded muscles beneath the denim. "I don't bite." She leaned closer to him again. "At least not in public," she whispered in his ear.
Ian very deliberately picked up her hand and placed it back on her own thigh. "I suggest you keep your hands to yourself, my Lady," he whispered back. "Unless you wish to give your niece and nephew an impromptu lesson in sexual education."
She batted her eyes innocently at him. "Whatever do you mean, Mr. Nottingham?"
"You know what I mean, Ms. Pezzini."
Sara lowered her gaze to the magazine in his lap. "Oh, Time Magazine! What's that on the cover?" she said, reaching for it.
"Get your own magazine!" Ian growled, fending off her hand.
Sara pouted. "Fine. Be that way." She started toying with his hair, which he wore loose, grabbing a curly lock and stroking his cheek with it. "Are you ticklish, Nottingham?" she asked him huskily, a devilish glint in her green eyes, "'cause this is giving me ideas for later."
"Are you enjoying yourself, my Lady?" he inquired, his pulse speeding up.
"Getting there," she grinned, lightly brushing his ear with a curl. She laughed as he shuddered, eyes closing, easily evading him when he tried to blindly bat her hand away.
Gina Marie Siri decided to take pity on poor Ian. "Hey, Aunt Sara, come with me. I wanna show you something in my room!" she said, jumping up.
"Thank God!" Ian said beneath his breath.
"What was that?" Sara asked him as she started to rise.
"Nothing."
"Are you sure? I could have sworn you said 'Don't go, Sara.'"
"I said nothing of the kind."
"Okay, 'cause I'll stay if you really, really want me to."
"You have my leave to go, my Lady."
"Are you coming, Aunt Sara?" Gina Marie asked impatiently from the hallway.
"Yeah, baby, here I come." Reluctantly, she followed her niece from the room, but not before flashing one last mischievous look at Nottingham.
Ian actually wilted with relief once she was out of sight.
"Want that glass of wine now?" Robert asked, expression sympathetic.
"God, yes!" Ian said emphatically. "But you had better make it quick. There must be no evidence of my imbibing by the time Sara returns."
"Women!" Joey said knowingly from where he still lay on the rug, drawing startled stares from both men. "What?" he asked innocently.
More to come. Okay. That will probably be the last lighthearted chapter for some time. Sadly, reality will soon intrude on the lovers' snowbound idyll. Mean, bad ol' Kenny is lurking in the wings! As always, thanks to everybody for reading and reviewing my latest effort. I really appreciate your feedback and encouragement. Keep it coming, please!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Witchblade characters. I'm just borrowing them. Enjoy!
Author's Note: I inadvertently gave the wrong location of Slally's masterpiece, "Breathing Space." It was formerly on the Digitablum Magae storyboard, but now can be found in its entirety on the Llan an Cailleach storyboard. I strongly recommend you check it out -- unless you have a problem with NC:17-rated content, that is. If that's the case, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. Although not as graphic as the previous chapter, more naughtiness awaits! Okay, I warned you, so please don't report me to ff.net! Enjoy!
Chapter 46.
Something woke Sara well before the alarm went off. She lay still, listening to Ian's deep, steady breathing, and realized that they were in the exact same position as they'd awakened in that morning. Her Protector's big, warm body spooned with hers, his left arm, slack with sleep, was draped around her, and his hand was once again cupping her right breast. Sara glanced down as she felt an unfamiliar, drawing sensation at her nipple, and froze in shock. Curled up in the crook of her right arm, a naked, dark-haired infant, perhaps six months of age, nursed contentedly at her breast, its tiny, dimpled fist wrapped securely around Ian's thumb. As Sara gazed in wide-eyed fascination at this small, perfect being, it opened huge, thick-lashed, gold-flecked green eyes and stared up at her with an intensity that was at once unsettling in one so young and hauntingly familiar.
"Are you my daughter?" she whispered. At the sound of her voice, the corners of the baby's mouth curled upward in a miniature version of its father's provocative almost-smile and it kicked its chubby legs excitedly. Sara blinked as this revealed that it was most definitely male. "I guess not," she murmured, smiling back at her son. "You're practically a mini Ian, so I should have known."
"You should have known what?" Ian asked sleepily.
Sara's eyes flew open, and she sat bolt upright, causing Ian to wince as his left arm was unceremoniously dislodged from around her.
"I just had a vision," she told him, shoving her hair out of her face. Sara glanced at the Witchblade just in time to see the blood-red stone fade to darkness.
Gingerly flexing his stiff and extremely tender shoulder, Ian also sat up. "What did It show you? It chose not to share the vision with me this time."
"Our child." She placed a trembling hand on her as yet flat stomach. "More importantly, our son."
Ian froze in the process of rubbing the sleep from his eyes and gaped at her. "Our son? How can that be?"
Sara smirked. "Well, my human reproductive biology is little rusty, but if I remember correctly, you got your X chromosomes and then you got your Y chromosomes --"
Nottingham actually rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean," he interrupted her. "Are you sure it was not a dream?"
"It was so real, like the Witchblade's visions always are," she told him. "And the stone was glowing just a moment ago." Her fingers brushed the place on the bed where their infant son had lain, and she imagined she could still feel the warmth left behind by his tiny body.
Ian's gaze searched hers. "How do you feel about this?" he finally asked her quietly.
"I'm not sure," she replied honestly. "How do you feel about it?"
He looked thoughtful, his right hand absently scratching his bearded chin. "I have mixed emotions," he said at last. "Although I have never pictured myself as a father, the idea definitely appeals to me."
"Well, I guess this means you aren't sterile," Sara said flippantly, surprised by how calm she felt given the circumstances. "I wonder why the Witchblade allowed me to conceive a son, though. I thought Wielders only gave birth to daughters."
"While it is true that there has been no record of a Wielder bearing a male child for centuries, it is not unheard of," Ian informed her. He hesitated. "Sara, as I am sure you are aware, events in the visions sometimes do not take place for years, if at all. You might not be pregnant. And the child you saw might not be mine," he told her.
Sara shook her head. "Trust me on this, Nottingham. He was yours. It was like looking at a miniature version of you. He even smiled like you do. Plus, you were there in bed with us."
"And the infant was definitely male?"
"Yep. I saw the family jewels. He took after you in that department, too!" she grinned. Her eyes roamed his muscular torso speculatively. "Hmmm. Now that we don't have to worry about birth control, what do you say we fool around some more?"
"I am ready and willing, my Lady," Ian said instantly, deciding he could ignore his painful shoulder as long as he took care not to place any weight on his left arm.
"I notice you left out able," Sara said. "Your poor shoulder must be really stiff and sore. I'd better be the one on top," she purred, reaching beneath the covers to see for herself just how ready he was.
Ian groaned as her fingers encircled his burgeoning erection. "If you insist," he breathed, laying back down.
"I insist," she smiled, leaning down to kiss him. He made a little moaning sound in the back of his throat when her tongue darted into his mouth to spar with his.
Sara loved the fact that he was a vocal lover. 'Very vocal,' she thought, remembering the yell he'd let out upon climaxing. 'I wonder if that was a fluke, seeing as it was his first time. Hmmm, I'll just have to find out.'
Ian ran a hand down Sara's flank, and was rewarded with the sensuous shiver that went through her slender body. It amazed him how quickly she responded to his untutored touch. 'It is like she is tinder and I am flame,' he mused, 'which is only fitting since I burn for her.'
When the alarm clock's buzzer sounded ten minutes later, they both ignored it.
****
"Sorry we're late!" Sara said as she and Ian entered the main house's side entrance at 6:30. They paused in the coatroom to hang up their coats.
Paula Siri was standing in the kitchen at the island countertop, turning a salad spinner. She eyed the two of them, noting Sara's heightened color and Ian's happy, relaxed mien. "Not a problem. We're running a little behind schedule ourselves," Paula told them. 'Probably for the exact same reason,' she thought to herself with a smile.
A mouthwatering scent permeated the house, and Sara realized that she was famished. "Is that London broil I smell?" she asked, sniffing the air appreciatively.
"Yep, and it's almost done," Paula said.
"Good, because we're both starving! Right, Ian?"
"Yes," he agreed. "I feel as though I could eat the proverbial horse!"
Robert Siri walked into the room. "I thought I heard the door. Hey, guys."
"Hey, Robbie," Sara greeted her brother.
"Good evening, Robert," Ian said.
"Can I offer you both something to drink? How about a glass of wine?" he said.
"Um, seltzer's fine for me," Sara said, unconsciously touching her belly.
"A glass of red wine would be nice," Ian said. But at Sara's frown, he swiftly changed it to "Actually, seltzer will be fine for me, too."
"Coming right up. Why don't you come into the living room? Joey and Gina Marie are in there playing checkers. Think you two would be up for some bid whist later?" Robert asked them. "I can set up the card table in here."
"I'm game," Sara said, grinning. But she noticed that Ian looked a bit downcast. "What's wrong?" she asked him.
"I do not know how to play bid whist," he admitted, as they followed their host down a hallway.
"No problem. It's really easy to learn, especially for a brainiac like you," she told him.
"Well, I am a fast learner," Ian said slowly.
"I'll say," Sara grinned, remembering the extremely enjoyable lovemaking sessions they'd had less than an hour ago, first in bed and then in the shower. Ian's eyes met hers, and they shared a not-so-subtle look that said he, too, was recalling their recent activities.
Robert looked from one to the other and then smiled and shook his head. 'Boy,' he thought, 'did the temperature just rise in here or what?'
They entered the living room, where Joey and Gina Marie Siri lay sprawled on a braided rug in front of a roaring fire, a checkerboard between them.
"Hey, Aunt Sara. Hey, Ian," Joey said, glancing up at them.
"Hi, Aunt Sara. Hi, Ian," Gina Marie smiled up at the adults. "I'm beating Joey!"
"No way!" Sara said, taking a seat on the sofa. "I thought he was the King of Checkers."
Ian sat down beside her, so close his thigh touched hers. He felt a swell of satisfaction as she reached over and interlaced the fingers of her left hand with those of his right.
Joey shrugged. "Can't win 'em all," he said, doing a double take as he noticed their intertwined fingers. He smiled broadly at the sight.
"I'll be right back with your drinks," his father said, noticing the couple's closeness, too.
But before he could leave, his daughter said "Daddy, can you get me another Coke with three ice cubes, please?" She held out an empty glass to her father. "Thanks."
"Sure, Sweetie. Anything for you, Joey?"
"No, thanks. I still have some soda left," his son said, indicating a half-full glass on the floor next to him. "Some more Cheese Doodles would be nice, though."
"I think you've both had enough snacks. Dinner will be ready in less than half an hour," Robert said, picking up an empty, orange-tinted plastic bowl from the floor. "However, I'll refill this for Ian and Sara."
"What, exactly, are Cheese Doodles?" Ian whispered in Sara's ear.
"Cheesy hors d'oeuvres. You'll love 'em," she whispered back.
"Is ravenous hunger normal after, um, a certain activity?" he asked her softly, thinking that these Cheese Doodles could taste like sawdust and he'd still consume them.
"You mean after wild monkey sex?" Sara murmured, grinning as he blushed and glanced nervously at the oblivious kids.
"Yes," he muttered, appalled to feel his groin tighten in response to her sexy grin.
"'Fraid so. By the way, I advise you to keep your fingers away from the vicinity of my plate or you're liable to lose a couple during the feeding frenzy, or dinner as it's more commonly known."
"Duly noted."
Robert returned carrying a tray with their drinks and the bowl of Cheese Doodles, which he set down on the coffee table in front of them. Ian eyed the bright orange curls dubiously, watching as Sara grabbed a handful, most of which she shoved into her mouth. She crunched away happily, washing them down with seltzer. Prior to taking a seat in the wing chair adjacent to the sofa, her brother grabbed some, too. Robert picked up a glass of red wine from the side table and sipped from it before eating his snack at a much more sedate pace. Leaning forward, Ian took a single Cheese Doodle from the bowl. Sara watched closely as he put it in his mouth.
After a moment, he raised an eyebrow. "Not bad," he said, savoring the cheddar cheese flavor.
"Told you," she grinned, grabbing more. "Allow me," she said, offering him another. He opened his mouth and she popped it in.
"They are pleasingly crispy," he murmured, enjoying the way they crunched as he chewed.
"More?" Sara asked him, her eyes suddenly riveted to his full lips.
"Yes, please." She fed him a couple more.
"Oh, dear, look at that," Sara murmured, "you've got some cheese powder on your mustache and lips. Let me get that for you."
Ian stiffened as she leaned over and delicately began to lick his lips clean. "Sara," he said warningly, feeling himself swiftly becoming aroused.
"Mmmm?"
"I, uh, think you had better stop that," he whispered, unable to suppress a low moan as she ran her tongue along the ultra-sensitive rim of his mouth.
"There," Sara smirked, pulling away. "All done." She stood up. "Wanna take a tour of the house before dinner?"
Ian quickly grabbed a magazine off the coffee table and placed it in his lap. "Uh, not right now. Maybe later," he muttered, coloring. He glanced at Robert, who was shaking his head and unsuccessfully trying to hide a grin behind his wineglass.
Joey looked up from his game. "What'd I miss?" he asked, noticing the wildly differing expressions on the faces of the adults and his father's barely suppressed mirth.
"Just Sara getting all kissy-faced with Ian," Gina Marie answered without taking her eyes off the checkerboard.
"Darn!" Joey swore.
Sara chuckled evilly, sitting back down next to a red-faced Nottingham. She placed a hand on his thigh, and he actually jumped. "Hey, easy there, cowboy," she purred, stroking the corded muscles beneath the denim. "I don't bite." She leaned closer to him again. "At least not in public," she whispered in his ear.
Ian very deliberately picked up her hand and placed it back on her own thigh. "I suggest you keep your hands to yourself, my Lady," he whispered back. "Unless you wish to give your niece and nephew an impromptu lesson in sexual education."
She batted her eyes innocently at him. "Whatever do you mean, Mr. Nottingham?"
"You know what I mean, Ms. Pezzini."
Sara lowered her gaze to the magazine in his lap. "Oh, Time Magazine! What's that on the cover?" she said, reaching for it.
"Get your own magazine!" Ian growled, fending off her hand.
Sara pouted. "Fine. Be that way." She started toying with his hair, which he wore loose, grabbing a curly lock and stroking his cheek with it. "Are you ticklish, Nottingham?" she asked him huskily, a devilish glint in her green eyes, "'cause this is giving me ideas for later."
"Are you enjoying yourself, my Lady?" he inquired, his pulse speeding up.
"Getting there," she grinned, lightly brushing his ear with a curl. She laughed as he shuddered, eyes closing, easily evading him when he tried to blindly bat her hand away.
Gina Marie Siri decided to take pity on poor Ian. "Hey, Aunt Sara, come with me. I wanna show you something in my room!" she said, jumping up.
"Thank God!" Ian said beneath his breath.
"What was that?" Sara asked him as she started to rise.
"Nothing."
"Are you sure? I could have sworn you said 'Don't go, Sara.'"
"I said nothing of the kind."
"Okay, 'cause I'll stay if you really, really want me to."
"You have my leave to go, my Lady."
"Are you coming, Aunt Sara?" Gina Marie asked impatiently from the hallway.
"Yeah, baby, here I come." Reluctantly, she followed her niece from the room, but not before flashing one last mischievous look at Nottingham.
Ian actually wilted with relief once she was out of sight.
"Want that glass of wine now?" Robert asked, expression sympathetic.
"God, yes!" Ian said emphatically. "But you had better make it quick. There must be no evidence of my imbibing by the time Sara returns."
"Women!" Joey said knowingly from where he still lay on the rug, drawing startled stares from both men. "What?" he asked innocently.
More to come. Okay. That will probably be the last lighthearted chapter for some time. Sadly, reality will soon intrude on the lovers' snowbound idyll. Mean, bad ol' Kenny is lurking in the wings! As always, thanks to everybody for reading and reviewing my latest effort. I really appreciate your feedback and encouragement. Keep it coming, please!