Hey everyone, to all those reading and leaving reviews on this story, thank you :) I really really appreciate it. Also, I noticed yesterday when I posted chapter 3 that the date didn't update so I just wanted to let you know that it's there if you missed it.
Here's the rest of day 2 for you all :) please enjoy and remember any feedback/reviews are, and always will be, much appreciated :) thank you.
Oh, and one more thing ;) this chapter is rated M.
Day 2 - Part 2.
Sipping her wine after dinner, Clarisse moved to stand in front of the fireplace in the sitting room and studied each of the photos sitting on the mantlepiece a moment when one particular photo caught her eye. It was one off Joseph as a young boy, she had never seen one of him as a kid before, but he hadn't changed much over the years, he still had the same smile and twinkle in his eye.
"That's all the washing up done, dried and put away," Joseph said as he walked into the sitting room with his glass in one hand and a unopened bottle of wine in the other.
"Oh, so that's what you were doing," she said, turning to him and saw, like she did everyday, that same smile and twinkle in his eyes that matched the photo sitting on the mantlepiece. "You should have let me do that," she smiled and took another sip of her wine, trying desperately to ignore the butterflies forming in her stomach, "I am the guest after all."
"Well you cooked dinner, so it's only fair that I do all the washing up," he smiled and placed the bottle of wine down on the coffee table before standing back up straight. "Dinner was delicious by the way, thank you."
"Oh you're welcome, and I did tell you that I could cook," she smiled, watching him take a seat on the edge of one end of the settee and moved to sit like a typical male. Legs apart, hunched forward with his arms resting on his legs. She even had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.
"Yes you did," he smiled and gestured to the bottle of wine as he looked over at her, "I don't know what plans you had for this evening, but you are free to join me if you wanted."
"I would like that very much, thank you," she smiled and moved to sit down in one of the armchairs before glancing from the mantlepiece to Joseph as he took a sip of his wine. "I was just looking at the photos on the mantlepiece and all I can say is that you haven't changed much from when you were younger, have you?"
"Only got older," he smirked over at her before laughing, "bolder and grey."
"There is nothing wrong with that, especially the grey hair," she smiled as their eyes met a moment before she looked away.
"No, I suppose not," he said half smiling as he watched her look back at the mantlepiece. "Anyway, I hope you are starting to relax a bit now and relishing being away from the palace, even if it is just for two days?" He asked and watched as she looked back at him.
"Oh yes, I certainly am," she nodded and smiled, "thank you and thank you for insisting on planning this."
"You are welcome," he smiled while picking up the bottle of wine and stood to his feet. "Would you like some more?"
"Please," she nodded and held out her glass to him as he stepped closer to her and opened the bottle. "So, have you thought anymore about your decisions for next year? Are you going to retire or are you going to stay on?" She asked, watching him pour some wine into her glass before moving to pour some in his own glass.
"You mean when Prince Philippe takes over from you?" He asked and turned back to her.
"Yes," she nodded and looked up at him, "when I step down, or should I say, when I retire?"
"Well, because there is still so much that I want to see, and do, I am leaning more to retiring too at the moment," he answered with a smile and sat back down on one end of the settee.
"I see," she nodded and tucked her foot behind her ankle, out of habit, "and then, with you not being married to your job anymore, do you think you will find that someone special and settle down?"
"Now that, I haven't thought about," he said, resting back in his seat and placed his arm along the back of the sofa while looking over at her, "what about you, do you think you will remarry?"
"I know that Rupert wanted me to remarry, but I don't know if I will or not," she said, watching him take a sip of his drink before looking back over at her, "well that's even if I can find someone at my age."
"Oh a beautiful woman like you, I'm sure you will find someone special with no trouble at all," he said and watched her look down at the glass in her hand, "sorry, I shouldn't have said that," he said and placed his glass down on the coffee table before standing to his feet. "I shouldn't have even asked you, knowing how much you hate people asking that question."
Looking up, Clarisse watched him walk over to look out of the window. "It's okay.. it's just I'm not like you, or anyone else for that matter. Being royal is all I've ever known, I have only ever been with Rupert, and the last ten years of his life weren't all that great. We lived and slept in separate suites and only shared our beds a handful of times out of that whole ten years," she said and watched as he turned back to her as she rested her arm over the armrest of the armchair she occupied. "I loved him, but only as a friend. Like you with Beth, I didn't love him like a wife should and we both knew that."
"I know," he nodded as she looked up at him in surprise, "but what I don't understand is, why did you stay with him if you didn't love him?"
"For our sons, well that's what I told myself anyway," she said and found herself shrugging, "I stayed with him because I felt no one would want me, or the opposite. They would only want me for my money, for their fifteen minutes of fame because of who I am."
"That's not true, not all men are like that," he said watching her as she leant forward and placed her glass on the coffee table.
"You mean, someone like you?" She said and looked up at him while placing her hands down on her thighs and smoothed them up to her knees. "Joseph, I know how you feel about me. I have done for years and truth be told, I feel the same way about you."
"You do?" He exclaimed in surprise and watched as she slowly stood up and walked over to him. "But how did you know?"
"The maids know everything, remember?" She said and stepped in front of him.
"Well this is really embarrassing," he said, looking away.
"Why?" She asked and closed the distance between them while tipping her head back to look up at him, studying his face as he turned his head to look back at her. "Don't be embarrassed over your feelings, we are both human you know?"
"I know that," he said and looked into her eyes. "But I'm your bodyguard, your head of security and I shouldn't be having these feelings for you."
"And I'm your Queen and your boss," she said as he put his hands up onto the tops of her arms and began smoothing them up and down, tickling her in the process, "but we can't help who we fall in love with, can we?"
"That is true, but we are both completely different people, I'm a leather wearing, bike riding bit of rough who likes to break the occasional rule here and there, and then there's you," he said and looked into her eyes.
"Then there's me, what?" She smiled and said it for him, "I'm that prim and proper Queen, who has always had to follow the rules?"
"Well yeah, something like that," he nodded and they both laughed.
"Well how about this," she said while studying his face, "I want to finally break a rule, by being with you."
"You do?" He asked in surprise, and watched as she took both his hands in hers.
"Yes, I do," she whispered while tilting her head to the right and reached up, pressing her lips to his as they both closed their eyes. That first kiss between them was everything she had hoped it would be, his lips were soft and her body was reacting how she thought it would. It had been a long time since she had been intimate with anyone, he was awaking something deep within her that she hadn't felt in so long and it felt good.
Breaking the kiss a moment later, Joseph pulled his head back just enough to look into her eyes and put his hands up to cup her face. He didn't want to be the one to break the most magical kiss he had ever experienced, but he felt this needed to be said. "There is something you should know before this goes any further," he said softly and brushed her hair back behind her ear.
"Oh really? And what would that be?" She asked and licked her lips in anticipation.
"That I'm not a one night stand type of guy," he answered and studied her face.
"That's good, because I don't want this to be a one night stand," she replied and looked up into his eyes. "Joseph, I want more than just one night. I want to be with you, live everyday with you."
"I want that too, I have done for as long as I can remember," he said softly and smoothed his thumb over her cheek, "but are you absolutely sure that this is something you really want?"
"Yes, of course it is," she nodded, "do you really think I would be telling you all this if it wasn't something I really wanted?"
"That is true," he smiled and watched as she looked down between them momentarily before looking back up into his eyes.
"Sure its not going to be easy with me ruling a country and with you being my head of security and there will be times when it's going to get really tough, but I know that, if we really want to be together then we will find a way to make it work." She said softly.
"I understand that, and believe me when I say that I am going to do all I can to make this work between us, I promise," he smiled and lowered his head to kiss her once again as she closed her eyes.
Clarisse could hardly believe that this was happening, that she was laying naked, albeit covered with the sheets, in her head of security's bed. She was nervous, scared even, about what lay ahead as they cross over from friends to lovers. It had been a long time since she had been in this position, and even then it had only ever been with her husband. Whenever they shared their bed it was always boring and never lasted very long and she always believed that you have to really love someone to experience pleasure and with Rupert it always felt like a duty, but with Joseph it already felt different, it was a choice and how he was making her feel tonight she knew she was going to experience something she had never experienced before, especially if the other rumours she had heard from the maids were anything to go by.
Joseph's heart was racing. He could hardly believe that he was laying in his bed with his boss, his Queen and the woman he had loved for most of his life. This trip that he suggested she take with him was sorely meant for her to get away from the palace, to rest and at least relax but never in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine that this would happen. He wanted to pinch himself.
Caressing her side lovingly, Joseph raised his head and looked down into her eyes as she wrapped one of her arms around his shoulder, placing her hand on the back of his head. "Are you absolutely sure about this, because there's no going back once we," he stopped as her lips pressed to his.
Resting her head back on the pillow, she smoothed her hand from the back of his head to cup his cheek and nodded. "Yes, I am absolutely sure." She smiled, a blush creeping over her body.
"Okay, I just wanted to make sure," he smiled in return and kissed her several times before lifting the sheet to admire her beautiful body laying beside him. Lowering his head a moment later, he cupped under one of her breasts and took her taut nipple in his mouth, eliciting a moan from deep within her.
"Oh god, Joseph," she moaned with pleasure, her back arching in response as he moved to enjoy her other beautiful taut nipple.
Lifting his head a moment later, he took her mouth in a hungry kiss and carefully climbed on top of her, his strong thighs resting between hers as his body pressed her deliciously into the mattress. "You look so beautiful," he whispered huskily in her ear before placing a kiss to the curve of her neck and raising his head to look down into her eyes.
"Do you know earlier? When I said about the grey hair?" She asked, looking up into his desire filled eyes while putting her hands up to frame his face.
"Yes," he nodded and kissed her on the corner of her mouth.
"Well, you should know that I actually find it incredibly sexy, especially in the beard," she said seductively and reached up to kiss him a couple times.
"Oh do you now," he asked with a coy smile and watched as she bit her lip. Lowering his head back down, he whispered in her ear, "please let me know when you are ready."
"I am ready," she replied and watched as he raised his head to look back into her eyes.
"Sure?" He asked.
"Yes," she nodded, "please make love to me, Joseph."
No other words were spoken as he reached down between them and positioned his erection at her entrance, rubbing it up and down a couple times before slowly thrusting forward and entering her as she gasped. Filling her completely, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and closed his eyes. He was terrified, terrified he would hurt her.
"Oh, Joseph," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and placed one of her hands on the back of his head, "you feel so good."
What did she just say? He wondered as he opened his eyes, did she just tell him he felt good? Raising his head, he looked into her beautiful eyes and asked. "What did you say?"
"I said," she laughed, "you feel so good."
"I thought that's what you said, but I wanted to make sure," he laughed and rested his forehead against hers, "I was worried I'd hurt you."
"Don't be," she said softly and watched as he raised his head once again, "I'm not going to break."
With that, he began to thrust in and out, slow paced at first but he soon began a faster rhythm making the bed creak and the headboard rap against the wall behind the bed. Not that they took any notice, they were both wrapped up in their lovemaking to care.