Author's Notes:
Special Thanks to my illustrator and contributing author ale_nena for the beautiful cover art and contributing ideas to this chapter.
Setting: Misthaven non-magical modern AU. The society and political system will be based on a combination of modern countries, with a probable bias toward the American system as I am an American. However, all characters are fictional and resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidence.
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
As the Unity Day fireworks shows above the capitol building came to an end, Regina sat back in her folding chair. James had his arm around the back of it casually. It was just for show and didn't really mean anything, but it made her a little sad sitting easily like that and knowing it wasn't with who she really wanted to be.
"Well," Albert Spencer leaned back in his own chair, "This was a lovely weekend."
"Yes it was," Cora said pleasantly.
"It's too bad it has to end so soon," Henry agreed.
"Are you going back to Unity City tomorrow?" James asked.
"Yes," Regina told him.
"We all are, actually," Blake chimed in, "To celebrate Henry and Cora's anniversary."
"It's your anniversary this weekend? I didn't know that."
"Yes," Henry said, glancing over at his wife.
"Didn't you meet when President Mills was in office?" he asked.
"Oh yes," the older man said, "Cora was an intern."
Shifting uncomfortably, Cora cleared her throat, "That was a long time ago."
"How did you get together?"
"Yes, you never tell this story!" Zelena agreed.
The older woman was silent, so Henry jumped in, "It was on Unity Day weekend, actually, at the beach house."
That caught Regina's attention...the irony of it.
"As I mentioned, Dear, we went there every summer even when my father was in office."
"I didn't get to go that year," Zelena complained, "I remember staying with that awful babysitter who lived next door to us. The one who always smelled like feet!"
Ignoring his older daughter, Henry went on, "Cora came as part of the Presidential staff to help my father get some work done that weekend, but once he was finished...she and I managed to spend some time together."
"Wow," James remarked, "That's an interesting story. Hopefully, Regina and I will have as interesting a one some day."
Their parents beamed at the comment, while Zelena simply rolled her eyes. Regina managed to keep a smile on her face as the conversation moved on to why Cora and Henry weren't having a big anniversary party.
Making sure no one was looking, Regina nudged James' foot sharply. Glancing over, he caught the look on her face.
"Laying it on too thick?" he whispered, leaning over.
"A little," she answered sarcastically.
"Well our parents loved it. Even if they know it's just talk, it made them happy so don't worry so much."
She sighed, but nodded in agreement.
"Besides, it's only our 29th anniversary, not a milestone," Cora finished her explanation.
"Yes, but you could still celebrate with friends," Albert said.
"It's a bit late now."
"But we could, Mother!" Zelena jumped in, "Everyone's on holiday this weekend, we could throw a party."
"That's exactly why they wouldn't be able to come, Dear," Cora argued, "Everyone is travelling."
"Well…" Henry muttered.
"What?"
"We could always have it at the beach house. A lot of our friends have homes there and go for Unity Day still."
"Oh, Daddy that's a wonderful idea!" Zelana bounced in her seat excitedly, "We haven't been in so long. Why did we ever stop going?"
Henry glanced away briefly, making Regina feel angry at her sister's obliviousness. Even though she'd only been 7 when her grandfather died, she knew that it was after that they stopped going to the beach house.
The older man recovered quickly, though, looking up with a wide smile, "You're right, it's been far too long!"
"Daddy, are you sure?" Regina jumped in, "It's very short notice and we really don't have to do this…"
"Yes, Darling," Henry assured her, "I've missed going to the island."
"Excuse me," Cora said, quietly but pointedly, "Do I get say in this?"
"You don't want to go, Mother?" Regina asked, hoping that this would be one of those times her mother was actually the voice of reason.
"I'm just not sure that throwing a last minute, slapped together anniversary party is a good idea. How would it look?" Cora said, "Would the house even be ready?"
"Oh, I could arrange a cleaning crew!" Blake said, "I know people who summer in the islands. They could get it done."
Both mother and younger daughter frowned, but Henry and Zelena were eagerly embracing the idea.
"It would be nice to celebrate with our friends, Cora. Even if it's not a lot of people, we'll know it's people who really care about us."
Cora turned to her son-in-law, "You can really arrange this?"
"Absolutely, Cora," he puffed, "Just leave it to me."
She sighed, "Alright, fine, we'll go!"
Regina let out a breath of dismay at the delayed return to Unity City.
"James, Albert, would you like to join us?" Cora wasted no time in extending the invitation, "As our guests, of course."
"We'd love to-"
"But I'm afraid we can't," James cut off his father, "Remember, Dad, we have that meeting with the venture capital firm Monday morning?"
"Ah yes," Albert nodded, "Thank you for reminding me. It's very kind of you Cora, but I'm afraid we really need to be back in Unity City tomorrow to start planning."
"Oh, that's too bad," Cora said to Albert, not even hiding the glance between Regina and James.
Regina hid her eye roll by leaning over to pick up her drink from the folding table in front of them. She was still annoyed at the fact this meant she wouldn't be able to spend any time with Robin this weekend, but was glad, at least, that wouldn't have to spend Sunday fending off her mother's matchmaking attempts.
"Well then it's settled!" Zelena declared, "We're going!"
"Yes," Cora agreed, "We'll go."
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
The sound of pounding on the door, roused Robin. Squinting against the sunlight pouring in through the window, he blinked until his surroundings came into focus. Killian's living room.
Vaguely, he remembered leaving the Jolly Roger the night before and driving out to Donald's house on the lake. He was home this time, so their entire group and gotten together, like the year before, to watch the fireworks over the water.
The entire time, though, all Robin could see what she shadow of Regina sitting by the fire, watching him as he watched her.
He'd ended up getting very drunk.
The last thing he remembered was Donald shoving him and Killian in to a Flyt, and then the two climbing the steps to his apartment to pass out.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
More pounding came from the door.
A groan and series of muffled curses came from the bedroom.
He sighed. Obviously, Killian had no intention of getting up. Tossing back the blanket, he stood up and shuffled his way to the door.
Opening it, he found Marian standing on the other side.
"Hey!" she said, smiling widely, "I see the two of you made it back alive!"
"Hmm," he leaned against the door frame, "I'm not sure about Killian."
"Aww...you poor dears!" she laughed, pushing past him into the apartment, "Not to worry, though, I brought sustenance."
For the first time he noticed the cardboard tray of coffees in her hand and large paper bag. He wasn't sure what was in the bag, but the coffee smelled heavenly.
Marian walked into the kitchen where she set down the tray, "I brought breakfast wraps. Killian! Do you want bacon or sausage?"
Killian's response from the bedroom was to roll over heavily and kick the door closed.
Smirking, Marian turned to him, "Oh well, more for us."
Taking the food over to Killian's small dining table, she passed him a wrap "Bacon and sharp cheese."
Accepting it, he eagerly undid the wrapper and dug in. The eggs were light and fluffy and the bacon perfectly crisp. They ate in silence as he polished off the wrap, taking sips of coffee in between.
By the time he as done, he felt slightly human, "Thanks, Marian. You're an angel!"
She laughed around her coffee cup, "Well think nothing of it."
Pushing himself up from the table, Robin poured a glass of water and the tap and quickly downed it before turning to the bedroom and knocking, "Killian! Get out here and eat something!"
After a series of thumps and curses, a pale and bleary eyed Killian Jones, opened the door. He stumbled to the table and accepted a wrap. Holding it by his side, he lurched back to the bedroom.
"You should have some water too," Robin told him, but Killian simply slammed the door in response.
Shaking her head, Marian chuckled, "I forgot how grouchy he is when he's hungover!"
"Yeah," Robin nodded, lowering himself back into the seat at the table.
"So," she set down her coffee, "Are you staying town the rest of the weekend or-"
Whatever she'd been about to ask, was interrupted by his phone buzzing loudly. Hopping up from the table, he hurried over to rummage through the sofa cushions to find it.
Swiping it open, he found a new text from Regina.
"Drake's about to call you. SAY YES!"
Wrinkling his brown in confusion, he looked up at Marian, "Excuse me. I need to call in."
She nodded as he went to the front door to stand outside.
Before he could ask Regina what she meant, though, he phone began buzzing with a call, as she'd said, from Drake.
"Hello?"
"Locksley?"
"Yes, Sir," he answered, "Is everything alright?"
The older man sighed, "Not exactly. There's been a change of plans!"
"What's going on?" he asked anxiously. Had something happened in FD? Was Regina alright?
"The family has decided to extend their weekend plans and go to the beach house on Isla Calypso."
"Yes?" Robin questioned.
"And apparently Kronk is having some kind of family emergency! Quite coincidentally," he said, skepticism clear in his voice, "Something happened to his father! So we're going to be short staffed. I know you're off this weekend, but you're the only person close enough to make it to Calypso by train in less than a day."
Robin leaned his head back, Regina's text suddenly making sense.
"You'll get time and a half pay for-"
"I'm on my way," he said, a little too eagerly.
Drake paused on the other end of the line before finally saying, "Alright, good. I'll text you the address."
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
Regina tired to pretend she wasn't watching the security team in Zelena's dining room. She knew she couldn't ask about who they'd gotten to replace Kronk without rousing suspicion, but she'd overheard them discussing Robin and got ahead of it by texting him.
"Alright!" Zelena came into the room with a wide smile, "I spoke with my clients and I can extend my vacation through the middle of next week!"
"That's wonderful, Honey!" Blake said, "It'll be a challenge but the political office came function without me until then."
"Are you sure, Blake?" Cora asked, looking at him sharply, "With both of us gone…"
"Don't worry, Cora!" Blake assured her, "Our team is competent...I hired most of them myself!"
The older woman didn't exactly look reassured, so he went on, "Wouldn't you have noticed if something were a missin the political office...in FD or UCity?"
"Yes," she nodded, "I suppose.
"Well great! And I'm sure the Foundation can survive a few days without Regina and Daddy," Zelena tried to change the subject, "We haven't been on a vacation as a family in forever!"
"If we can get it arranged safely," Cora reminded her daughter.
"I already contacted a cleaning company and caterer on the island," Blake told her, "They'll have the house ready for us within the hour and food and drink for tonight covered."
"There's still the problem of security."
"If I may, Mrs. Mills," Drake walked into the room, "There's no problem. I called Locksley. He's agreed to come to Calypso to replace Kronk. With him and our men here in FD, we should be alright."
"Well, then it's settled!" Henry rose from the couch. Ever since the discussion last night, he'd been showing more and more excitement about the idea of going back to the Mills family beach house after so long.
For her part, Regina was cautiously optimistic. She was glad for the opportunity to see Robin and that her father seemed happy, however, her mother still seemed iffy on the idea and that might spell trouble for everyone.
Cora didn't object, though. Simply stood from the couch and agreed, "Alright. I suppose we should pack. Oh, and we'll need to do some shopping before we leave the city…"
As Cora and Zelena got into a discussion of the need to stop at the shops for beach wear, Regina simply took the chance to go to her room and start packing.
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
The train ride between Sherwood and coast was only four hours, but it felt like much longer.
He caught the ferry out to Isla Calypso directly from the train station as Drake instructed.
Isla Calypso was a famous beach location for the rich and famous. Once there he managed to find a ride to the Mills family house through Flyt, but he paid three times what he would have even in Unity City.
As the driver dropped him off, he noted that there were two towncars in the front driveway. Smiling in anticipation of seeing Regina soon, he hoised his duffle onto his shoulder and made his way around to the stars to the staff entrance.
On his way he sent Drake a text, "I'm here."
"Great," he got a reply quickly, "Second room in the staff quarters. Limited space, so we'll be sharing."
Robin opened the door to the second room and set down his duffle bag. He was relieved to see that there were twin beds rather than just one, because he certainly didn't fancy the thought of sharing a bed with Drake.
As he did so the door behind him swung open and Drake stepped in, "Ah you're here."
Ignoring the dig at his travel time, Robin answered, "Yes, Sir."
"Alright," the older man said, "Mrs. Mills is bringing in a local security company to back us up tonight during their anniversary party. It's a bit spur of the moment, so I'm not sure how many guests. I'll ask Ms. French later, but I think it should just be a few family friends who are on the island for the weekend. Until then, however, we're shorter staffed than usual. I think the family is getting ready to go out to the beach, so we should both get changed for that. Tennis shoes and khakis should do just fine," he instructed.
"Yes, Sir," Robin nodded.
"Good. Be quick about it, they're waiting for us!"
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
Upstairs, Regina made her way down the stairs from her room where Zelena and her parents had gathered to wait for security to escort them down to the beach. She couldn't help be be excited, the sound a smell of the ocean was already calling to her.
"Where did you get that?!" Zelena demanded before her feet even hit the last step.
"I bought it," Regina answered in confusion.
Staring at her over the tops of her designer sunglasses, her sister stared at her swimsuit, "From a prostitute?"
"Zelena" Cora warned, "Is that any way for a lady to talk?"
Since her back was turned, Zelena dared roll her eyes, before answering "Sorry, Mother."
Cora looked at Regina in response, frowning, "She has a point, though, Regina. That suit is very revealing."
"Mother, I bought it at L'amour Fou. Everyone's wearing this collection this season," she argued, trying to appeal to her mother's sense of social status.
It seemed to work because Cora, although she didn't exactly look happy, grudgingly said, "I suppose it's alright since it's just going to be family here."
She sighed, sitting down on the couch next to her father. Objectively, the suit wasn't even that risque, but she hadn't worn a two-piece since she was 18, had hoped it wouldn't turn into a big thing.
Of course, everything turned into a big thing in her family, so what else did she expect?
After a few moments, heavy footsteps approached and Robin and Drake walked into the sitting room.
"Finally," Cora observed, rising from her chair, "Now we can go."
"Sorry, Mrs. Mills," Drake apologized as he opened the front door for everyone to go through ahead of him.
Regina hung behind so that she could catch Robin's eye as he stepped out and locked the door behind them.
He returned the smile she gave him warmly, making sure to discreetly look away, though not before letting his gaze travel up and down her body.
She smirked as she made her way down the back steps to the sand. At least she'd gotten a good reaction from one person.
They hiked down the beach until they got to a set of large umbrellas. The cleaning staff Cora arranged over the phone had set them up before their arrival.
As she settled down into one of the lounge chairs, Cora took off her hat and hung it on the back, "Belle has assured me that everything is on track for tonight. We've received several RSVPs and the caterer should be arriving soon to start setting up."
Henry nodded absently as he settled down into his chair.
"Senator Midas is supposed to be a definite attend," she went on as she scrolled through her phone.
Setting her phone aside, Cora laid down on the lounge chair, "I must say, I'm glad you suggested this after all, Henry. It's proving to be a very good idea."
"Well, I'm glad you think so," he answered. As Cora opened her laptop to get started on something, Regina sent him supportive smile. She knew that when he'd suggested it, her father had been hoping this would just be close family and friends.
He returned it, giving her a look that conveyed he was alright, as he settled down into his own lounge chair with a book.
She'd brought one too, but felt a bit self-conscious about just laying around with Robin and Drake standing there watching them.
At the least she was glad that they'd set up underneath another umbrella, and had folding chairs, rather than being forced to stand in the hot sun.
She knew it was hypocritical to be thinking about that kind of thing only now she was with Robin, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't even about the principle of having a bodyguard. She knew that there were real reasons why they needed security, but she didn't like them having to spend all day pretending to ignore each other. Closing her eyes, she imagined for a moment that they could walk on the beach holding hands, or talk, or even if he just sat beside her snoring like Zelena was…
Setting her book aside, Regina stood and announced that she was going down to the water.
The surf swirled around her ankles, cooling her from her toes.
Taking a deep breath, she stared out over the horizon to where the dark blue water met light blue sky. Closing her eyes, she took in the feeling of the warm sun.
As pleasant as it was, after a few moments the heat became overwhelming, prompting her to hike back up to her seat in the shade of the umbrella.
Laying back down, she glanced around at her family. Her mother was typing away furiously at something on her computer, her father had his nose buried in his book, Zelena was still snoring behind her sunglasses, and, behind her, Robin was sitting next to a stern faced Drake.
He turned up the corner of his lips slightly, a subtle smile to match the one he was sending her with his eyes.
They could, of course, only maintain the look for a little while incase Drake or her mother were to notice.
Regretfully, Regina looked away, and picked up her book and earbuds to pass the time
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
The family lay out on the beach for about an hour. Finally, Cora looked up from her laptop, "Well, it's getting a bit late. Perhaps we should head inside."
In silent agreement, Blake gently woke Zelana and they began walking up the sand back to the house.
"I think I'll take a quick walk before coming inside," Regina said as she stood from her chair.
"We need to start getting ready for tonight," Cora told her.
"I won't be long, Mother, I promise."
Her parents looked hesitant, but didn't argue. Glancing over, she subtly caught Robin's eye.
Quickly, he fell into step behind her as she walked down the beach. Drake, meanwhile, oversaw getting the rest of the Mills back to the house.
They waited until they were out of an earshot before, looking at each other and sharing a smile.
"So how did you arrange this?" Robin asked.
"I didn't!" she insisted, "The thing with Kronk was a coincidence but I heard them mention you as a possible replacement."
"I guess it was fate," he said.
The words made her smile, before she finally broke his gaze, "Come on! I haven't been on this beach since I was little girl. I want to see how it's changed."
Laughing, Robin jogged to catch up with her as she continued down the sand. After about five minutes they were far past the house into an area of only dunes.
Abruptly, Regina stopped, staring up at an old light house nestled in between the grass covered dunes.
"It's still there."
"A lighthouse?" Robin asked.
"Yes! Come on," Regina said, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the lighthouse. As she got to the door, she yanked on the rusted wooden handle and pulled it open. The rotted, salt tarnished wood creaking loudly.
"I don't think this is still open," Robin said doubtfully.
"Of course it's not," she laughed as she led him inside, "It's been abandoned since I was a kid."
"Oh," he answered as the door swung shut behind them, leaving them standing in the dark entryway surrounded by dust, sand, and cobwebs, "So what are we doing in here?"
She grinned as she took off her sunglasses and teased, "What's the matter, Locksley? Has living in Unity City this long made you lose your sense of adventure?"
With that she went toward the stone staircase, almost skipping as she started up the steps. Staring after her, Robin laughed.
He followed her up carefully, torn between admiring her swaying hips right in his eyeline and watching the staircase for any potentially unsafe steps. Luckily, however, the stairs were built into the brickwork and seemed very steady even after the obvious years of neglect.
Finally, they reached the lantern room at the top. Sun streamed through the huge window panes, lighting everything brilliantly compared to the gloom of the staircase. The glass was dirty and scratched, but, even though a layer of grime, they could see the vast expanse of water extending from the beach.
Stepping over to one of the windows, Regina set her hat and sunglasses down on the sill.
"I used to drive my parents crazy about this place. I always wanted to explore the lighthouse, but they didn't want me playing in it. They said it wasn't safe," she told him quietly.
"Well, from what I saw coming up here, they probably had a point," he said.
She laughed, "Yeah. Zelena was scared of it. She said it was creepy, but it never seemed that way to me. It just always seemed mysterious and exciting. Plus, the view is gorgeous."
"It is from where I'm standing," he commenting, his eyes obviously on her rather than the ocean.
Turning to him, she teased, "Glad to hear you noticed, I've been showing off all afternoon!"
He laughed, sliding his arm around her waist, "Oh, I definitely noticed."
"But you didn't do anything about it," she argued gently, letting him pull her toward him.
"Well, I am sorry for that, but your parents, your sister, and my boss kind of prevented that," he teased back, leaning down to meet her lips.
She chuckled, opening her mouth to let him kiss her slow and deep.
When they finally had to break apart for air, Robin rested his head against hers, running his thumbs along the bottom of her bikini top, "How come I've never seen this before?"
"It's new," she informed him, "I got it at L'amour Fou in the Federal District. Remember? Your favorite store?"
He laughed ruefully, "Ah yes. I remember all too well."
"Starting to like it a little now?" she guessed as his eyes were still glued to the curve of her breasts in the top.
"Not at all," he shook his head, kissing her again.
"But you like me in their clothes?"
"No."
"No?"
"Not at all," he answered, hands travelling up her shoulder blades to the tie at the back of her neck, "I think you should take it off immediately."
"Well if I'm going to be getting naked, Locksley, I'm not going to be doing it alone."
"Hmm," he rumbled deep in his throat, yanking the tie open, "Sounds fair."
She giggled, fingers going to his waistband. He kissed her again, and nipping her lips as he undid the second tie around her back. The bikini top fell between them, leaving her exposed to the hot, dry air.
He let it tumble to the floor, pulling her more tightly against him. Her nipples tightened, sensitized as they brushed against the rough cotton material of his shirt. He pulled back long enough to tug his shirt up over his head and toss it aside.
Taking a moment to look at her, he ran his hands up her sides reverently, "Gods, I missed you this weekend."
She laughed, "I can tell."
Pulling him back down for another kiss, she reached back to his waistband and popped open the button.
As he felt it, he pulled back gently, glancing around at their surroundings, "Are we really doing this here?"
"I thought we covered this long ago?" she teased stepping back from him. Hooking her fingers into the mesh at the side of her bikini bottoms, she slid them down her legs. Leaving them, along with her sandals, in a puddle at her feet. Stepping out of both, she stood before him completely naked. With a teasing glance over her shoulder, she padded her way across the hot, dusty wooden floor to the window, and pushed herself up onto the sill. The sunbaked bricks were almost uncomfortably warm against her tender backside, but the paint insulated it enough to keep it from burning or being too scratchy against her skin.
"Quit acting like I'm a princess, and get over here and fuck me, Locksley," she ordered.
He cleared the distance between them in three strides, lips crashing into her as his hands slid under her ass, gripping her backside tightly and lifting her off the hot window sill.
His body, however, was hardly less heated as she returned the kiss, lowering the zipper on his pants, and stroking him through his boxer-briefs. He moaned into her mouth, bracing them against the window sill as he reached for his back pocket. Fumbling with his wallet, he managed to pull out a condom before dropping it haphazardly to the floor.
She chuckled, amused at his eager hands, and reveling in how he could always be counted on to be prepared. Gods, she loved him!
She wrapped her legs around his waist, using him, and the window sill, to support her weight as he tore open the condom and rolled it on. They both laughed, acknowledging the awkwardness of doing this standing up against each other.
For her part, Regina encouraged/distracted him by nipping at his ear teasingly and letting out hot breaths against his neck.
"Mmm," she moaned, "Hurry."
The need in her voice was enough to make his knees weak. Tilting her hips, he breathily instructed, "Hang on to me."
Using his shoulders, she lifted herself up to support her weight against his body. Hands free, he reached down, eased the condom down the length of his cock, and lined himself up to slide into her wet pussy.
They both stilled momentarily, lost, as always, in the wondrous feeling of joining together.
She playfully nipped his upper lip, spurring him into action.
Gripping under her ass, he withdrew almost entirely, and thrust back in sharply. A moan escaped her throat, and she gripped onto his shoulders tightly.
Attacking her mouth with lips and teeth, he slammed in and out of her. Sharp, grinding thrusts that had her gasping.
"Oh, yes! Don't stop!" she cried.
"Hmm, my love," he purred into her ear, hitching her further up his body so that he could pick up the pace.
She bit her lip, head lulling back in pleasure. Each thrust of his cock hit that special place inside her that had her seeing stars.
His groan echoing in ear and the feeling of him gripping her ass tightly told her that he wasn't going to last, but she didn't mind because she was right there with him. Close...so close...almost…
"Regina!" her eyes flew open at the echoing call of her name bouncing off the brick walls, "Are you in here?!"
Robin also instantly stilled at the sound. Their eyes met in alarm, both recognizing her mother's voice.
"Regina?!" Cora yelled again in exasperation.
He shook his head subtly.
"By the Gods, Regina, if you actually make me come up there..."
Heart racing, she pushed him back, signaling for him to put her down.
Her legs were a little shaky as her feet in the floor, but she managed to quickly rush over and pick up her bikini bottoms. She pulled them up her legs in panic, crammed her feet back into her sandals, and ran over to pick up her bra from where it fell.
As she tied it around her back and moved on to the laces that fastened behind her neck, she glanced over at Robin, who was tucking himself away in his pants.
Getting her bikini tied, she dove to retrieve his wallet from the floor and hand it over to him. He'd managed to get his pants zipped up and clothes straightened, but she noticed in alarm that getting re-dressed didn't do nearly enough to hide the erection he was still sporting.
"Regina?!" her mother called again. She whipped her head around, the voice coming from very close.
As Cora's footsteps approached, he turned around, grabbing her hat and sunglasses from the window sill and pressing the hat strategically against his crotch.
"Regina!" Cora snapped as she entered the lantern room, "What on Earth are you doing up here?!"
"I was just admiring the view, Mother," she answered, drawing herself up, "Is everything alright?"
Her mother gaped at her, "No, everything is most certainly not alright! Our anniversary party starts in just a few hours and you're still off traipsing around?"
She sighed, "Mother, please, can we not have this argument again?"
"I agree!" Cora shot back, "We shouldn't have to because you should be old enough to know better! By all the Gods, Regina, I'll never understand your fascination with this place! The fact that you'd put yourself in danger for some decrepit old lighthouse that hasn't served a purpose in decades..."
"I was never in danger, Mother, I had security with me."
"Yes," Cora turned to Robin with a frown, "Locksley, you should definitely know better!"
Regina winced as her mother turned her ire toward him, "Mother, it's not his fault. Coming here was my idea-"
"Even if you refuse to exercise common sense, I, at least, expect my employees to do so!" Her mother snapped at Regina before turning back to Robin and placing her hands on her hips expectantly.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Mills," he muttered.
"You should be," she answered. Glancing him up and down she noticed that he was holding her daughter's hat in front of him in an odd way, "And what are you doing?"
"Um…" Robin hesitated.
Quickly Regina jumped in, "I asked him to hold my things. I got tired of carrying them around myself."
Cora met Regina's eyes before turning her attention back to Robin. She was silent for a what felt like forever before she finally reached up to pull her wide-brimmed sunhat off her head, "Here, you can carry mine too. It's messing up my hair."
Regina tried not to make the sigh of relief she let out audible.
"Yes, Ma'am," Robin answered, taking her hat from her and holding it, along with Regina's, at his hip in what he hoped look like a casual way.
With a huff, Cora turned on her heel and ordered, "Come on! Let's get out of this disgusting, old place. It's hot and dirty and looks like it could go at any moment!"
With that her mother turned and made her way down the brick staircase, leaving Regina standing in the doorway of the lantern room biting her lip in an effort not to laugh.
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
Cora scolded her the entire walk back up the beach to the house. Regina half-listened on the way, the other half of her attention was on Robin as he walked very slowly behind them.
When they got back to the house, her mother was still lecturing, "Honestly, Regina, you aren't a child anymore! I shouldn't have to be telling you not to play in abandoned buildings!"
The phrasing of that, yet again, made her purse her lips in amusement.
As they climbed the porch stairs and stepped into the livingroom, Robin set the two hats he'd carried strategically with him on a side table, but still hung back, giving them a generous amount of space.
The house was air conditioned, but she could see the flush creeping up his neck. Hiding it may have been more of a problem for him, but she was, in fact, still quite worked up herself. She shivered as she remembered the feeling of the hot air in the lighthouse, sweat beading between their bodies as they clung to each other.
"Regina!" her mother snapped, demanding her attention.
"Yes, Mother?" she turned to her.
Cora shook her head in exasperation, "I asked what you were thinking? Guests will be arriving in a couple hours and you're all sweaty and dusty from that place!"
Glancing briefly at Robin again, Regina answered, "You're right, Mother, I did get very overheated in there. I think I'm going to go upstairs, get out of this suit, and take a long, hot bath."
Cora blinked at her, "Oh, well...good. Please don't take too long, though."
Regina simply nodded as she made her way up the stairs, feeling Robin's gaze following her with every step.
As she reached the top, she made her way around to the bathroom. Shutting the door behind her, she leaned against the counter and laughed to herself. She'd only briefly managed to catch a glimpse of his face, but that had been enough to see the heated look on it, telling her that her comment had its desired effect.
She knew it was a bit mean of her to be teasing him right after interrupted coitus, but she couldn't help herself.
Licking her lips, she stepped out of her sandals and turned on the bathtub. The upstairs bathroom had a large jacuzzi tub that was wonderful for baths. It was, without a doubt, the best thing about this house.
As the tub filled, she untied her bikini and slipped it off. Lowering herself into the water she sat still until the water reached a decent level. After shutting off the water, she reached over to flip on the jets and laid back with a sigh.
She let her eyes slide closed as the pulsing water relaxed the weariness from her muscles. The sensuality of the water bubbling around her had heat building, again, between her legs. Reaching one hand up to her breast, she pinched her nipple between her fingers, moaning at the feeling.
Her body was still on edge and primed for arousal from her activities earlier. She could almost still feel him on her...inside her...thick and hard as he made love to her...about to give her such exquisite pleasure.
With a sigh she shifted, opening her legs to place her feet on either side of one of the jets so that the water hit the most sensitive part of her.
It wasn't as good as what they'd been doing in the lighthouse, but she needed some relief.
Scooting farther down in the tub to bring her sex closer to the jet, she cupped her breast again and thought of Robin, hoping that, wherever he was in the house right now, he was imagining her doing exactly this…
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
"Thank you, so good to see you again Kathryn," Regina greeted Kathryn Midas as she milled through the crowd. The party had been set up in a formal tent on the beach and it was very nice. The weather that night was lovely, a gentle breeze surrounding the gathering in the smell of seawater.
The guests appeared to be enjoying themselves. Her father was completely in his element. He'd relaxed so much that he'd even taken over for the bartender and was making mojitos.
Regina had been momentarily alarmed when she'd seen that, uncertain of how her mother would react to him making and serving their guests drinks, but she'd been able to breath a sigh of relief when she noted that Cora actually looked quite happy too.
When she went up to her mother, Cora informed her she was very pleased by the turnout, and that she'd gotten a lot of compliments about the party.
By the time they got to the end of the evening and the guests were beginning to filter out, she was relaxed enough to accept one of her father's mojitos.
Satisfied, in her own mind, that the party was peacefully dying down she allowed herself to drift out to the back exit. Specifically, where Robin was standing guard.
Letting out a peaceful sigh, she sipped her mojito as she said, "Manning your post?"
"That is my job," he answered, sounding slightly grouchy.
She bit her lip, glancing around to make sure no one was looking before reaching over to run her nail down the back of his hand, "You seem a little tense."
"You are an evil woman," he growled under his breath.
"Why would you say such a thing?"
"You know damned well why! Torturing me earlier."
"Sorry," she smiled.
"No, you aren't," he answered back, "In fact, you look downright serene!"
"Yeah," Regina said with a laugh, "Thank goodness the tub in the upstairs bathroom is a jacuzzi."
"Hm," he nodded before doing a double take, "Wait, what?"
She sipped her mojito innocently, "Hm?"
"Are you...what are you saying exactly?"
She shrugged, "Well, a woman does have needs."
His jaw dropped open, eyes darkening.
"And you weren't there to help so…"
"I…" he stammered, "Gods' Regina. I only wasn't there to help because we got interrupted!"
She laughed as she took another sip of her mojito.
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
Robin glanced around the room. The party seemed to be, thankfully, winding down. Keeping an eye on the room while fighting an erection was no easy task, and was made harder, literally and figuratively, but the fact that Regina seemed to take every opportunity she could to catch his eye and give him naughty looks.
Apparently she was intent on torturing him.
"Yes, thank you for coming, Senator. It was wonderful to see you," Cora's voice provided a much needed distraction as she saw off the guests.
It didn't last long, though, as Regina approached them.
"I'm a bit tired, Mother, I think I'll be off to bed."
"Very well, Dear," Cora agreed.
"Goodnight, Sweetheart," Henry kissed her cheek.
She didn't risk sparing a glance his way as she walked out of the room, but he knew she was watching him.
With a sigh, he settled in, knowing he'd have to stick around quite a while longer as the rest of the guests filtered out.
Once they finally did, Cora and Henry also announced they'd retire, leaving only the caterers cleaning up the remains of the party.
"Alright, Locksley, we'd better be turning in too," Drake said.
As he walked behind the older man down to the staff quarters, Robin studied the house skeptically. Like their winter cabin it was small and he was sharing a room with Drake, who, no doubt, was a very light sleeper…
Just before they got to the room, his phone buzzed with a text.
"Sorry we didn't get a chance to finish what we started. Have sweet dreams ;-)."
"Problem, Locksley?" Drake asked.
He shook his head no, stepping past Drake into their quarters. Quickly grabbing a towel from his duffle, he muttered, "Taking a shower."
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
Cora sighed as she removed the last pin from her hair and shook it out. Staring into her vanity mirror, she let a contented smile cross her lips. This anniversary party had been an even bigger success than she'd originally anticipated. Several senators and other well-connected party officials had stopped by on their way out of the capital after Unity Day, and, based on the conversations she'd had with them that, night they all seemed ready and willing to support her as the party's next nominee for President.
She picked up a brush and ran it through her hair a few times before she was startled by the door opening. Glancing over in the mirror, she watched her husband come in. He was holding two glasses of the his party trick mojitos.
"Henry," she set down the brush, turning toward him, "Where have you been? Is everything alright downstairs?"
"Yes," he nodded, "The caterers are just cleaning up. I just stayed behind to make a last couple mojitos. I thought we might have one together, just the two of us."
Cora studied him in the mirror. She'd already had two that night and made it a point not to overindulge. However, this entire weekend had gone well and tomorrow was a free day, so she slipped her earrings off and rose from her seat.
"Why not?" she shrugged.
Henry looked slightly surprised, but the expression was immediately replaced by a wide smile as he walked over to hand her one of the drinks. Once it was in her hand he clinked his glass against hers as they both took a sip.
Cora drank her mojito, letting herself wander over to the bed and sink down into it.
After a few sips of his, Henry said, "I have a gift for you."
Lowering her glass in surprise, Cora turned to him, "Excuse me?"
"For our anniversary," he clarified.
Frowning, she answered, "You never said anything about gifts."
"I know," he nodded, "But this is a special one-"
"I don't see how," she cut him off, "It may be our anniversary but it's really no different than any other! Why would get me a gift? We haven't given each other anniversary gifts in years!"
"Well, just give me a moment and I'll show you," he answered, setting his drink down on the nightstand before walking into the closet. Cora set her glass down next to his, wiping the condensation off on the sheets. Suddenly the drink didn't taste quite as delicious as it had moments earlier, thanks to her husband's unexpected announcement.
What was he playing at? Was he trying to make her look bad for not getting him anything?
Henry emerged from the coset, carrying a large rectangular jewelry box. Sitting down next to her on the bed he handed it to her.
"Go on, open it," he urged.
Letting out a breath, she flipped the box open. Sitting inside on a matching black velvet mold was a necklace of pearls.
Looking up at him, Cora questioned, "What is this?"
"Well, I know our 30th anniversary isn't until next year, but I saw these and I thought you should have them a year early," he explained, "To bring you good luck on your campaign."
Her lips dropped open in surprise. Henry, of course, knew that she planned to run, but this was…
"Do you like them?" he asked.
"They're lovely," she answered and indeed they were. The pearls were a lustrous cream color, and tapered in side from a large center pearl to several smaller ones going up to the clasp. The overall style was very pretty and esthetic.
Letting the box close, she said, "Thank you, Henry, this is very...unexpected."
"I'm glad you like them," he said with a smile, "Can I see how they look?"
"If they're for the campaign you'll see me in them plenty," Cora answered skeptically, but pried the box back open again and picked up the necklace. Tossing her hair aside, she wrapped it around her neck and started screwing the clasp together.
"Let me," Henry said, taking the clasps out of her hands and urging her to turn around. Dropping her hands, she let him fasten the necklace. The cold metal clasp falling against her neck as it was fastened.
Lifting her hand, she straightened it against her collarbone. As she did so, Henry readjusted her hair behind her shoulder and declared, "Beautiful."
He gazed at her with sparkling eyes and smile. Letting his thumb brush against her cheek, he leaned over and kissed her lips.
After only a moment, Cora pulled back, forcing them apart.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I…" he stammered, "...I'm sorry."
She watched cautiously as he moved back away from her. Clearing his throat with a muttered, "excuse me," he stood from the bed and walked straight to the bathroom.
When the door slammed closed behind him, Cora let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
Letting her feet settle onto the floor, she tried to gather her wits, befuddled at just how rattled that had made her, but between the shock and the drinks she'd had that night she felt very shaken up by what had just happened. They hadn't done anything of that sort in years either. Thinking back she remembered all the reasons why, though, to her own surprise, they didn't feel quite as relevant as they normally did.
Slipping her feet out of her high-heels, she brushed them aside and let her feet hit the floor. Standing from the bed, she fiddled with the necklace, looking at herself in the mirror.
She absently played with the necklace as her thoughts wandered.
Glancing into the mirror one last time, she stared deeply into the reflection of her own dark eyes before finally pushing away from the vanity. Drawing herself up, she padded determinedly over to the bathroom door and rapped sharply on it.
"Henry!" she called through the door, "Open the door!"
After a long moment of quiet his voice answered softly, "I'll be out in a minute."
Standing in front of the door, Cora noticed her fingers twitching. Squeezing her thumb into her palm to stop the fidgeting movements, she stared hard at the door.
Finally, it creaked open, revealing Henry standing on the other side. He looked flushed as if he'd just splashed cold water on his face, and was holding a towel between his hands.
"Cora," he started, "I'm sorry, I just got caught up in the moment-"
"Shut up, Henry," she ordered, pulling the towel out of his hands and tossing it toward the sink.
"What-" he began, but she cut him off by grabbing the lapels of his blazer and pulling his lips to hers.
He froze in shock, not able to return the kiss. When she pulled back for air, he stuttered, "I...I thought you didn't like-"
"I changed my mind," she interrupted.
This time he did respond as she pulled him back into another kiss, wrapping arms around her waist and leaning into what almost felt like their very first romantic embrace.
* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *
HAHAHA...bet you didn't see that coming!