Blaring car horns, the dinging of the trolley bells, people pressing him on all sides so that he couldn't move and to top it all off, Violet was screaming. The sounds filled his mind with terror, but when Klaus woke suddenly, eyes shooting open to find himself in the single bed the hostel had provided the Baudelaires, the air was actually so silent that all he could hear was an intense ringing in his ears. His throat was dry; he couldn't swallow, and he was trying to catch his breath like he'd been running instead of just sleeping. He instinctively reached his hand out for Violet, but she wasn't asleep beside him. He called out for her in the silence, panic from his nightmare spilling out into waking reality.
"Violet?" he said, too loud for the early morning. There was only faint light coming though the window, through their cubby hole curtain. He felt a hand on his leg and he sat up quickly.
"Hey." Violet was there at the foot of the bed, back against the cubby hole wall, legs stretched out perpendicular over his and crossed comfortably at the ankles. She held her notebook open on her lap and held a pen in one hand. She had already showered. Her hair was damp and brushed, and she was dressed in jeans and had on his 'Read, Return, Repeat' shirt again, presumably dug out from the crumpled blankets at the bottom of the bed. Klaus knew she would normally have her ribbon in when she was working, but she hated to tie her hair up before it was completely dry. He breathed a sigh of relief to see her and only felt a little embarrassed at his panic.
"Hey," she repeated. "Were you having a bad dream?" Violet rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.
"Yeah, I guess so," he answered. "Sorry about that." She pressed her lips together in a sad, knowing smile, shrugged, and closed her book.
"Well," she said, eyes widening slightly, and her mouth transformed into a grin. "Now that you're awake, I'm going to head to the café to do some work and I need a cup of coffee. I just didn't want to leave without telling you and I didn't want to wake you, either." She reached out to run her thumb over his chin. "It's early. You can go back to sleep if you want to." She leaned forward like she might kiss him, but instead whispered in his ear. "As much as I like the view in here…" She ran her hand over his bared thigh and he followed her gaze to realize he was still totally naked, the blankets all bunched to the side or down at the foot of the bed, and of no use to his modesty at all.
"Oh, God," he exclaimed, though quietly, and he thrust his hands through his bedhead hair and scrubbed at his cheeks. She extricated herself from the cubby hole and he quietly called after her retreating form. "Voyeur!" and grinned when he heard her quiet delighted laughter.
The hostel was nearly empty this morning and Klaus didn't even have to wait in line for a shower, so took his time standing under the hot stream of water. He dressed and shaved, dropped his used clothes off in the suitcase and headed down the hall to find his sister.
Violet's interview wasn't until mid-afternoon, so they had decided to spend the morning riding the trolley to Ghiradelli Square, and maybe grabbing some lunch before she would need to take a taxi to her interview. Meeting up with Violet in the café, Klaus ordered his own espresso and a muffin, and scooted into the booth next to her, playfully bumping her hip with his, but her hair was tied up now and her mind was a million miles away as she gazed at the information in front of her.
"Good Morning," he said cheerfully, taking a large bite of muffin, before tearing off a large piece and offering it to Violet. She absently opened her mouth to take the food from his fingers.
"Can you look over these numbers here, Klaus, and just double check the math? Something seems off and I can't quite put my finger on it." She laid the book out in front of them, pointing to the right column, then stole a sip of his coffee.
He glanced at the rows of numbers knowing he practically knew this information by heart. They had been over it a thousand times, checking through every detail with a fine-toothed comb. He understood her hesitation on this particular column because the variables were unfamiliar, making the numbers seem a little skewed, but…well, it didn't hurt to check once more.
After a few minutes of scribbling on a paper napkin, he looked up to see his muffin almost demolished. He grabbed the last bite quickly and pushed it in his mouth at once. "The numbers are right, Violet," he reassured, getting up to get more food. "What can I get you to eat?"
"Do they have a lemon one?" she asked, pulling the notebook back in front of her. "And, you'll probably need another coffee." Klaus clucked his tongue in mock disapproval. He was glad she wasn't so nervous that she wasn't eating. They spent most of the morning going over the specs for the invention again. Klaus loved it when he could lose himself in a project, especially when he could work with Violet, who was as dedicated as she was skilled. Their individual talents merged well to create a partnership that sometimes transcended genius, but he was a little biased.
"Do you still want to try to get to Ghiradelli Square this morning?" she asked, putting the work away when she was satisfied there was nothing that needed any correction. It was good to review the calculation again because it would be embarrassing to show up to the tech company with faulty information.
"I wouldn't mind if you're feeling up to it."
"Yeah, I'm ready when you are. We've been sitting here long enough." They grabbed what they needed from their cubby and caught the trolley to one of the most historic sites in San Francisco. The morning was warm and the sounds of sea lions and sea gulls wafted up the hill from the pier. Rush hour was over and there were plenty of seats on the trolley.
Rows of eateries and designer shops lined the inside halls of their destination and the display windows were filled with whatever beautiful things each store was selling. A myriad of pencils and pens and erasers, cards, maps, posters, stickers and more filled an interesting stationery shop that held their attention for awhile and they took their time to pick out a few things each for Beatrice and Sunny.
Chocolate, of course, was one of the main reasons the pair had come. Several shops sold chocolates in all shapes and sizes, and Violet enjoyed picking out more souvenirs for the girls and also some unusual chocolate bars for her and Klaus to try.
Many of the shops sold designer clothes, which the Baudelaires had never been interested in, but one shop window in particular kept catching Violet's eye as they walked past. The white, faceless mannequin wore a very tasteful pants suit in a deep violet color with a patterned blouse that matched under the tailored, cropped jacket. Klaus had noticed Violet's interest so stopped her at the window on the second time by. He knew she would never ask for anything so extravagant as new clothes, but this interview was pretty important, and Violet was worth the investment.
They stared at the window for a long moment before Klaus said, "I think it would look very nice on you."
"I'm sure it's too expensive," she answered automatically, wistful.
"You should try it on."
She was shaking her head but her gaze had drifted to the open door of the boutique. "It wouldn't be fair to you. It probably costs all of the funny money we have left."
"Well, good thing that vacation is almost over, then."
She gave him a sideways glance, still uncertain. "It does look very professional. Maybe it would make me look a little older?"
"You won't know until you try it on," Klaus encouraged.
Relenting, she led the way into the brightly lit store and sifted through the rack to find her size. An older woman led Violet to the dressing room and Klaus to a chair that she said was designated for patient husbands. Cheerful music played over hidden speakers somewhere but Klaus didn't recognize the song. It wasn't until after the third song finished that Violet came out of the curtained dressing room to show Klaus the outfit.
The pants suit did make her look older and more professional. It gave her an aura of authority, but retained all of her femininity. The well-cut suit accentuated her small curves and made her legs look as long as a mile. Klaus was nodding away. "Yeah," he said adamantly. "You look really good." That was an understatement.
Violet smiled and spun around for him to see her from all sides. "I hate to admit it, but I really do like it. I was afraid that once I tried it on I wouldn't be able to say no. This is your fault. This was your idea," she accused playfully, obviously happy..
"If you like it, we should definitely get it. As long as we have enough money for the taxi to the interview and a taxi back to the airport, then it's fine if you want to use the rest," he encouraged.
She made an irresolute face and left him to change back into her day clothes. They counted out their money and were pleasantly surprised when the cashier told them the price would be discounted 40 percent, leaving them plenty of money still for dinner tonight and the two taxi rides they had to make. Violet fairly glowed with happiness at the prospect of having such nice, new clothes to wear to the interview, increasing her confidence tenfold.
On the trolley back to the hostel, Violet had opened two of the chocolate bars and was chatting merrily about their plans for the rest of the day, breaking off small bits of orange flavored chocolate, placing a piece first into her own mouth, then alternately into his. He was enjoying her happiness and the ease with which she so intimately fed him. He especially liked the way Violet would suck the melted chocolate residue off her thumb and forefinger after each time she deposited a bite in its respective mouth. He watched her for a long time, growing slightly aroused when his thoughts turned a bit naughty, thinking of other things she had put in her mouth.
The next time she reached over to pop a bite into his mouth, he grabbed her wrist, sucking her finger into his own mouth before she could get it to hers. Her happy stream of words stopped abruptly and she stared at him, her mouth parted and her brow high in surprise. He let her finger pop out of his mouth then sucked her thumb in next to lathe it with his tongue.
"Klaus," she said. "I…I didn't know…" Her words faltered as he let her thumb go. He was smiling at her, eyebrows raised for her to continue. "I mean…I think I've fallen for you. I think I fell a long time ago."
Klaus's mind burst into a million colors and you couldn't have wiped the smile off of his face. "In love?" he asked, sort of stupidly, but he had to be sure.
She nodded and his mouth was on hers, not hesitating, but desperate and sure. With his hand at the back of her head, his thumb on her cheek, he held her steady while she clutched at a handful of his shirt, chocolate bars forgotten on the trolley seat in between them. Her lips were full and as soft as they looked, not tentative either, and she tasted deliciously of chocolate and citrus, and Klaus knew he'd forever associate those flavors with this moment in time. He kissed her deeply, practically pulling her into his lap. Luckily there were few passengers on the trolley and no one took any notice of them.
He'd been so afraid that if he kissed Violet she would be able to tell that he loved her and he now knew he'd been right to hold back. He felt the emotion pouring out of him, the joy and the love and the relief that Violet felt the same for him. Also, the fear and apprehension that he associated with guilt made his hands shake just a little. He didn't know how this was going to work out. He had no plans… but, this? Kissing her? Well, kissing her made him feel like…finally. Things just clicked together in his brain, in his heart, and he knew that it couldn't ever have turned out any other way.
When he finally slowed, holding a palm to each side of her face now, giving her a series of full, soft, chaste kisses, she managed to say in-between, "So, I take it you feel the same?" She smiled against his lips.
He nodded, pressing his forehead to hers. "I love you, Violet." The full admission made him feel dizzy and heady. It made him want to start kissing her all over again. Instead, he pulled back to look at her. There were little streams of tears coming from the corners of her eyes, but she was still smiling. Klaus wiped his thumb over her wet cheeks, huffing out a small laugh. "I hope these are tears of joy."
Violet laughed, too, pulling away totally to scrub at her face with her palms, and she pointed out that they were almost to their stop. Before the trolley could come to a full stop, though, Violet reached over to Klaus and pulled him to her by his neck for another lovely kiss before they gathered their things and hopped off the trolley to climb the hill, hand in hand, up to the hostel, where they shared another lingering embrace.
An hour later, outside the hostel, Klaus helped his sister climb into the taxi. She was dressed in her new clothes and a pair of black flats. She had finagled her hair into a sleek ponytail, tied with her trusty ribbon. She wore just a hint of mascara and lipstick and seemed almost a foreign creature to Klaus as he carefully handed her the paper-wrapped invention and her small case that held all of their notes and her presentation.
"I wish you were coming with me," she sounded uncertain.
He reached through the open window of the taxi to squeeze her hand. "You'll be great."
She took a long, deep breath in and exhaled fast. She nodded. "Okay."
"See you soon. Good luck!" Klaus smiled reassuringly and tapped the roof of the car as he straightened, waving to Violet until the taxi disappeared down the drive.
They'd had no idea how long she would be, so he stuck his hands in his pockets and meandered down the hill alone, heading for the pier and the interesting tourist shops around there. He leaned over the rails to get a better view of the sea lions that fought over small floating pieces of dock. Their noise and their smell was terrible, but Klaus found the unusual animals amusing, anyway. He remembered that he sometimes used to think that the baby Beatrice had been noisy and smelly, but that had never stopped him from loving her. His thoughts drifted to the younger girls in his life and he felt a wave of homesickness. He couldn't remember when they'd been apart for this long. He stepped back from the edge of the pier when a crowd came along to make room for a young family to see the sea lions, the little boys tugging at their father's hands to pick them up.
He walked in and out of souvenir shops wanting to find a special gift for Violet. He didn't know what mood she would be in when she came back from the interview. He felt positive that things would go well, but, you never know. There were plenty of tee shirts and hats, keychains and figurines. None of these things seemed right. He found some unique objects in a back corner of a comic book store. There were several items of steampunk jewelry, with dark, heavy gears entwined with gothic roses and keys. He thought that Violet would very much enjoy the look of these, but felt positive she would never wear such heavy and showy jewelry.
A young girl with blue hair and a sleeve of colorful tattoos approached Klaus as he fingered the different pieces, testing their weight in his hand.
"Can I help you?" she offered politely.
Klaus made a face. "I'm not sure."
"Looking for something for your girlfriend?" she asked and Klaus couldn't tell if she was teasing or just curious.
"Yeah," he answered, "Something like that. These are nice. My sis…" he broke off, stopping himself. Why? He didn't know. What was it to this stranger? "Violet is a mechanical genius, but I think she might prefer something a little lighter…more feminine?" He absolutely had no idea what he was talking about.
"Violet, huh?" the blue haired girl asked. "I have an idea." She led him back to the counter where the cash register was. From the lighted glass case she pulled out a display of necklaces. "These are meant for birthday months- like birthstones, but with flowers instead. Violets are the flower for people born in February."
"But Violet wasn't born in February."
The girl actually rolled her eyes. "Look, she doesn't have to be born in February." The girl pulled out a necklace and laid it on the counter for him to view. At the end of a thin, silver chain lay a clear oval charm surrounded by an intricate silver frame and in the center of the charm was a delicately small, pressed violet. The whole thing was less than an inch tall.
"That…is actually perfect," Klaus admitted. It did seem perfect and Klaus had enough money to pay for it, though his supper tonight would have to be light, or if he was honest with himself, non-existent. "Thanks," he said when the girl put the necklace in a sheer little gift pouch with ribbon drawstrings and then into a plastic bag, which he folded up to place into his pants pocket. The girl sent him a short wave of goodbye.
Klaus wandered around the area for another hour, then walked back up the hill to the hostel, dug a book out of their cubby, and found a bench near the driveway in front of the hostel to wait for Violet…and he waited…and he waited…and he waited…and then he started to worry. Checking the time on his watch for the umpteenth time, he began to pace, cursing that the Baudelaires didn't have enough money for cell phones. Then, just when the sun was sinking fairly low over the building, just when he thought maybe he would look up the number to Omega Tech and use a pay phone to ask whoever answered if they could page Violet, she pulled up.
She did not ride back to the hostel in a taxi. Violet was driving a shiny, white hybrid car. He stared a minute at the car before he even realized it was Violet who had exited from the driver's seat and was bounding around the car towards him.
"Klaus!" she called exuberantly and jumped right into his surprised arms, throwing her arms around him. "Guess what?"
"I guess the interview went well?" he asked, dumbfounded and relieved that Violet was safe.
"Better!" she said, giving him several joyful kisses on his cheek before letting go of his neck. "Come on," she pulled on his hand, leading him into the lobby. "I have so much to tell you and we're checking out of here."
"What?" Klaus said. "I thought we weren't leaving until tomorrow?"
"Actually…if it's okay with you, we're going to stay one more day. I've already made arrangements with the sitter, so don't worry about the girls."
"But our plane tickets…"
"It's all been taken care of, Klaus. Come on. Let's load up the car and I'll explain everything on the way." Violet was already throwing toiletries haphazardly into their suitcase and looking through the rumpled blankets to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything.
"On the way to where?" He felt quite dazed.
"It's a surprise. For both of us, really."
Klaus checked out of the hostel while Violet loaded the suitcase into the backseat of the hybrid. "Do you want to drive, Klaus?" she asked him when he walked out of the hostel, holding out the keys for him to take. "I'll navigate."
"Where did the car come from?" he asked, taking the keys tentatively. They had a car at home; the oldest, rustiest, cheapest vehicle in their neighborhood, but Violet was able to keep it running for the most part. Driving this sleek, electric car made him nervous, but excited, too.
"Okay, at the bottom of the hill" - Violet checked the GPS on her phone- "Turn left."
Klaus put his seatbelt on then startled. "Wait. Where did the phone come from?"
Violet laughed delightedly. Klaus started the car and began to pull down the long drive and turned left into traffic. "Well, the interview did go very well. They love our product, Klaus. They said not only do they think it would be great for automotive use, like we planned, but also for military, agricultural and God, maybe even the space program. They were so very impressed by all the research," and she leaned over the console to run her fingers through his hair affectionately. "They can't wait to meet you and that's why we're staying another day. I knew you should've come with me today."
"Really? They want to meet me?" he asked humbly.
In between driving directions, Violet continued. "Anyway, not only did they want to buy our invention, well, they've given us a flat fee for it, but then we'll also get twenty percent of whatever profit they make from here on out."
"How much did they offer?" Klaus and Violet had had no idea, really, what to expect, but the extravagant number that she uttered so reverently almost made Klaus drive off the road.
"That's not all. So, they've offered me a job on their creative team." With eyes wide, she said another immoderate number that would be her salary for the year. "They said I can have free rein on my projects, Klaus! They let me tour the building and showed me my office and workspace…and your office, too! Depending on meeting you tomorrow, they want us both. A team."
A huff of disbelief escaped Klaus's lips. "It sounds too good to be true."
"This is our car now, and you'll get your phone tomorrow. Of course, this is all dependent on whether we accept the position."
"You haven't accepted the position?" his heart was thumping overtime.
"It would mean moving here to San Francisco. I'm not about to make any life-changing decisions without discussing it with you first. I never imagined getting a job offer, Klaus. I always thought they might be interested in buying the idea off of us. This is a whole other level that we never…" her words trailed off in her own disbelief.
They were out of the main part of the city and were driving in a more suburban area. They passed grocery stores and schools, parks and houses. "The next right," Violet instructed. This was a narrow street with row houses displaying pretty squares of lawn in front of tiny porches. The houses were painted all colors and looked very welcoming and quaint in the low light of the setting sun. "This one. Turn here. The blue one on the right."
Violet dug around in the glove compartment and pulled out a little black square with a button on it. She pressed it and the garage opened. "Are we meeting somebody tonight, Violet?" She smiled a secret smile.
"No, not tonight. This is where we're staying tonight. Pop the trunk. The button is down by seat." Klaus carried their suitcase and Violet hefted their little carry on bag over her shoulder and she fished a key out of her pant's suit pocket to unlock the door.
They walked into the kitchen from the garage. It was all blue linoleum floors and white cabinets and shiny clean appliances. The short hall led one way to a set of stairs and another to a fully furnished living room, with hard wood flooring and thick area carpets under coffee tables. A couple of plush couches lined the walls and tasteful artwork hung on them. The pair looked at each other, grinning.
Next, they explored upstairs. Here there was another common room, carpeted and with empty bookshelves lining the walls, a white bathroom with a tub and shower, and a large bedroom that featured two twin beds, two closets, and more shelves. "Let's keep going," Violet urged, looking toward the stairs. Klaus hadn't even noticed that the house was three stories tall.
The last flight took them to a huge space of a bedroom. There was a large king size bed covered in thick, white comforters and pillows galore, bookended in-between two nightstands with reading lamps, and there was a comfy looking love seat and table by a large bay window. A closet the size of Klaus's room back home led into one of the biggest bathrooms he'd ever seen, complete with a huge tub, a separate shower, two sinks and two mirrors. A stack of pale blue towels filled the linen closet next to the shower.
"This is really nice," he said, the understatement of the year. "I guess they would have somewhere like this for special guests, huh?" He turned and found Violet standing at the foot of the large bed, unbuttoning her jacket. She shrugged out of the garment and folded it neatly, laying it on the arm of the small couch.
"Do you like it?" she asked.
"Of course. It's beautiful. This bed…"
"It's ours," she interrupted. "We can live here for as long as we work for Omega Tech."
Klaus only stared at her with his mouth open, gulping for air like a goldfish. His first thought was that the girls would absolutely love living here.
"I'm sorry. I should've asked you first. I told them…" she bit her lip uncertainly. "I might've made a mistake."
He moved to take her into his arms. She had been so happy a second ago. "What?"
"I told them, well, they assumed that you and I were married, because of our names, I think, and I had told them about Sunny and Beatrice…you know, they asked about my family and they are my family. Anyway, I told them we were partners and they supposed I meant it in more than one way, I guess…and I didn't set them straight, Klaus. I didn't want to." She was close to tears now. "I lied."
"Hmm," Klaus hummed comfortingly. "Did you actually lie or did you let them think what they wanted?"
She scrunched up her face, trying to remember. "I guess, I didn't set them straight when they assumed."
"Sounds like a misunderstanding to me. Maybe we'll let them assume and just see what happens."
"But, they gave us this house in particular because they thought we are together and it only has two rooms."
"Is that a problem? I guess I was under the impression earlier today that you wouldn't mind sharing a bed with me?" he ducked down to nuzzle his nose into her neck. "Have your feelings changed toward me, Violet?"
She answered him with a kiss and he met her wholeheartedly, embracing her tightly, and still she wasn't as close to him as he would like her to be, so began to unbutton her silky blouse, her pants, unfastened her bra and pushed her panties down far enough that they fell to the floor on their own. He found himself just as naked as Violet and couldn't exactly remember how that had happened. He couldn't have said how they'd fallen into the large bed, either, but that it was as natural as if they had been doing it their whole lives.
Violet positioned herself over him, her slight weight warm and soft on his body, and this time felt so different, even from yesterday. It felt sure and right and he wanted her more than anything. He never wanted to stop kissing her. He reached behind her to pull the ribbon that held back her ponytail and her hair fell down around their faces, creating a dark, intimate shield between them and the world, making her feel comfortable enough to whisper another admission. "Klaus," she said against his lips. "I want this so much. I want us. I…I don't want to go back to the way we were before. I want us to be…"
"More," he answered. He gathered her hair to lay it smoothly down her back and he held it there when it threatened to fall back into his face.
She nodded, "But what are we? You're not just my brother."
"Yes, I am," he disagreed, "but…more."
"Boyfriend?" She said that with a dismissive laugh.
They had raised two infants together. He shook his head. "More."
"Partners?"
He nodded. "Yes, in everything, but…more?"
She shook her head shyly and closed her eyes when she said the word; "Husband?" She said it like she wished it could be true. Any man would be lucky to have Violet as his wife. Blessed indeed! He was quiet so long that she looked down at him questioningly.
"What could I give you, Violet, that you don't already have? My name? My life? My heart? It's all yours." He gave her a brief kiss. "A vow? I can promise you right now that I will do everything in my power to make you happy, to keep you safe, to take care of our family the best that I can. I love you."
And he proceeded to make love with Violet, not caring what his official title was, just knowing that she was his everything. They were overwhelmed with the fortunes of the day, joyful at the happy prospects of their future together, and felt free in their utter aloneness in that large home to love each other in any way and as much as they pleased.
Klaus didn't feel the need to prolong the lovemaking, or to take control, but gave himself easily and freely over to the pleasure of being loved by Violet and just when her body had brought his to the brink of orgasm, she trembled sweetly over him, words of love spilling from her mouth, and he kissed her warmly as he came, unable and unwilling to hold back his groan of pleasure, her name on his lips, wanting her to know how good it was.
They laid in bed together for hours, touching, kissing, talking quietly together and then like most parents whose electric need for each other have passed and their bodies sated, their thoughts and conversations turned back toward the well-being of their children. They spoke of Sunny and Beatrice, making tentative plans for their schooling, for the move across the country, and things like finding new pediatricians and dentists to attend to their health needs, all mundane things that were actually comforting to speak about when spoken with someone who also cared equally.
Hunger eventually drove them from the bed in the end. Klaus couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten. He thought maybe it was the bits of chocolate that Violet had fed him with her fingers. Violet disappeared into the large bathroom while Klaus began to dress.
"Hey," Violet said, coming out of the bathroom and bending over to pick up something off the floor. "What's this?"
She held out the tourist shop bag that contained the necklace he'd bought for her. He patted his pockets, checking for it even though he could see it right in front of him in her hand.
"It must have fallen out of my pocket," he answered, reaching for the bag. He felt embarrassed now by the small token. Violet had been offered money, a car, an apartment, a phone, a job, and then more money that day. He didn't think she would care a single wit about the necklace he'd chosen for her.
But she pulled it back when he reached for it. "What is it?" she repeated, intrigued even more by the way he tried to get it back.
"It's nothing, Violet. Please?" He held out his hand again.
"If it's nothing…" she said, teasing as she opened the bag, "then you won't mind me taking a peek."
She pulled out the drawstring pouch and he could see she was definitely curious now. He tried to explain. "I…I just thought you might…I mean, I wanted to get you…"
But she had already poured the contents of the pouch into her hand and was turning the little charm over to see it better.
"Oh," she said, surprised upon seeing the pressed violet inside. "Is this for me, Klaus?"
He nodded. "It's not much, I know."
"No," she was nodding emphatically, "I like it," she said, running her forefinger over the little flower. "It's really pretty." She handed it back to him. "Will you put it on me?" She turned around so that he could fasten the little clasp, then he pulled her hair out from underneath the necklace. She turned to face him, straightening the little pendant so that it laid at the center of her chest. "How does it look?"
Still naked from their time in bed, she was wearing only the necklace, and Klaus was sure that he'd never seen anything lovelier. He wasted no time tearing off his clothes again, to Violet's amusement, and in dragging her back into bed with him, his growling stomach coming in second to other, more urgent needs.
"Klaus!" she shrieked as they fell into a heap on the bed, laughing because they didn't make it very far, half on and half off the bed, yet he pressed her into the mattress, his hands caressing her bottom and thighs. "I thought you were hungry?"
He nodded, "I am," but he was trailing kisses across her belly, along her hip, but before he could go further she pushed him away to turn over and climb toward the middle of the bed. He caught up with her before she could lay back down, wrapping his arms around her middle and pulling her back to his chest. "All this time," he said, feeling regretful and hopeful at once. "If we had just known…if we had just said…we might have…" It was useless to say what might have been. He knew that. He let the thought slip from his mind and began a soft series of open-mouthed kisses across her shoulder.
"From now on," Violet said.
"Hmm?"
"Our time together hasn't been wasted, Klaus. Instead of wishing for what could have been, though, let's say from now on."
"From now on…what?" he asked, just wanting to hear her say it. His mouth on her neck sent shivers down her spine and the small sound that Violet couldn't hold back at the sensation had Klaus very turned on.
"From now on I'll love you," she breathed.
He clasped a hip in each hand, pulling her bottom toward him, and she fell forward onto her hands. Her body was so very provocative in front of him and though he couldn't see it from this vantage point he imagined the way the violet charm swung from her neck. He touched her tenderly, his palms on her buttocks, then traced gently along the cleft of her bottom until he reached her slick entrance, then past, pausing a moment to rub circles over her swollen clitoris.
Soon, though, he pressed into her, running his hands up and down her thighs, her bottom, and over her ribs to palm her breast, enjoying the weight of it in this position and the way it bounced whenever he thrust into her. She was working with him, rocking backwards and picking up the pace until their breaths were heavy and loud, and the bed was squeaking with their vigor. A fine sheen of sweat coated their bodies by the time Klaus was getting close and the feel of her tensing under him and a breathy plea of his name had him reaching around her and between her legs to help her along. She came so intensely that he had to press into her hard to keep from being pushed out and she was not quiet about it. Violet's voice and the sound of the bedsprings echoed through the room. She couldn't hold herself up anymore, but collapsed forward onto the bed, and he was pulled with her, laying heavily atop her prone form, huffing out heavy, damp breaths into the sweaty skin of her back, thrusting until pulse after pulse emptied from his body into hers.
They took several moments to just breathe and Klaus was again reluctant to leave her warmth. He made up for his lazy departure with small kisses across her shoulder and over her ear, making her grin, and she looked just as relaxed as he felt.
"Maybe," she murmured drowsily, "we should just order pizza."
"You really are a genius. This is exactly why they pay you the big bucks," he said, teasing and nibbling on her earlobe. He rolled off her and onto his back and thought of something. "Hey, what exactly is the plan for getting home?" Their tickets had been for the next day, but she said it was all taken care of.
She stayed on her stomach, but turned her face toward him. Giving him a half smile, she said, "I think you've forgotten."
"Forgotten what?"
"We are home." God, he liked the sound of that. Starting a new life, a better life, with Violet in this home, in this city…well, it made his heart swell with happiness.
"That does sound good, but nowhere is home without Sunny and Beatrice," he answered and she beamed at him, leaning up on elbows to kiss his cheek. "Violet?"
"Hmm?"
"Tell me again," he requested, running a gentle hand over her hair.
"What?" she teased. "Tell you how much money we have now? Tell you what a wonderful researcher you are?" He was grinning, but shaking his head. "Should I tell you how I like the way your body looks? Or how happy I am right now? Or how hungry I am? Or should I tell you that it's all going to be okay."
"No, tell me again that you love me."
"I'm afraid if I tell you that then we'll never leave this bed again and I'll eventually wither up from starvation and blow away."
He cradled her face, bringing it close to his, brushing his lips just over hers. "Please."
"I love you, Klaus," she finally said. "Welcome home."