Hey all, just wanted to let you know that this chapter is a little bit flirty.. well, what can I say? Clarisse and Joseph finally have some time alone so they gotta make the most of it, right? ;)
"You're... you're wearing a garter?" Joseph said in shock and cleared his throat as Clarisse nodded while lowering the skirt of her dress back down and straightening it out. "You weren't wearing that when we were out at the pavilion, were you?"
"No I wasn't, only since we returned to the suite," Clarisse replied with a shake of her head as she looked back up at him and pulled her shawl back tight around her shoulders.
"When Mia took you into the bedroom because she had something for you… It was that, wasn't it?" Joseph asked and watched again as Clarisse nodded.
"Yes, it was," she replied as he stepped closer to her.
"So you have been wearing the garter all this time and I'm only just finding out about it now?" Joseph asked in surprise.
"Yes, but you weren't meant to find out about it until after everyone had left us," Clarisse said, watching as he closed his eyes and tipped his head back.
"Oh my god Clarisse, my love, what are you trying to do to me," he laughed and lifted his head back to look at her. His eyes so full of desire. His body yearning for hers.
"That's why I wasn't going to tell you yet, because I knew how you would react," Clarisse said and put her hands up to frame his face in them as he stepped even closer to her and put his hands on her sides.
"All night I have wanted you, wanted to touch you, hold you, but have had to restrain myself oh so many times," he said, looking deep into her eyes as he stepped her backwards, trapping her beautiful body between his and the balustrade. "And now this. Tell me how am I meant to keep my hands off you now, knowing that you're wearing a garter?"
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she said softly and reached up to kiss him slowly a moment, her hands still framing his face, before pulling back to look into his eyes. "I've wanted you to tonight, so many times I have wished we were alone."
Putting a hand up, he brushed her hair back behind her ear and kissed her before resting his forehead against hers. "Don't ever apologise for that," he said softly. "I know we will be alone soon enough, it's just going to be a lot more harder keeping my hands off you now knowing this."
"I can always take it off and put it back on when everyone has gone," she suggested and watched as he lifted his head from hers with a gasp.
"Don't you dare," he replied and watched as she laughed. Smiling, he smoothed his hand down her arm before slipping it back onto her side and kissed her a couple of times before looking back into her eyes. "I want you to leave it right where it is."
"Alright," Clarisse smiled and reached up to kiss him. "I will leave it right where it is."
"It's ironic, isn't it?" Joseph said with a small laugh.
"What is?" Clarisse asked as she tilted her head ever so slightly and studied his face. Her hands now resting on his shoulders, her fingers toying with the collar of his shirt.
"Well, we've had to wait so long to finally be together openly, that even though we are now married and have been for what, thirty-three hours, we are still having to wait. It's torture," Joseph said, Clarisse's hands now snaking around to the back of his neck, her arms resting on his shoulders. "Especially now."
"I know, but it really won't be much longer until they go, I promise," Clarisse said and reached up to kiss him. A kiss so deep, so powerful, neither of them could control themselves with what happened next.
Smiling against her husband's lips, Clarisse swayed her hips from left to right, to left then back to right again, as he began to slowly gather the skirt of her dress up around the top of her legs before moving his hands to cup her bottom, and getting so caught up in the moment she didn't register his hands moving down to grasp her thighs, or him lifting her off the floor until her bottom came into contact with the cold marble surface she was now sitting on.
"Oh Joseph, that's cold," she exclaimed in surprise, her hands going down onto the balustrade next to her legs, in an attempt to lift herself from the coldness of the marble, as she started laughing.
"Oh god I'm so sorry, I didn't think about it being cold," he said, standing between her legs. Needing to be close to her as her inner thighs rested against his hips.
"It's okay, I'm okay," she nodded and smiled up at him as she slipped her hands in the opening of his jacket and onto his sides. "It's not so cold now."
"Oh good," he smiled and put his hands up to cup her face in them and kissed her again. Slowly this time, their tongues dancing together. His growing arousal pressing against her centre.
Breaking the kiss, Clarisse pulled back just enough to look up into her husband's eyes as his hands moved down from her face to rest on the sides of her neck, one thumb slipping under her chin, the other resting against her jaw. "Joseph, we can't, not out here. One of them might come out and catch us."
"Like they could have when we were at the pavilion too?" Joseph laughed, lowering one hand down onto her thigh and smoothing it around to the side, his fingers slowly slipping under the elastic of her garter.
"This is different, they are closer here," she said and closed her eyes as he lowered his head and began kissing her neck slowly. "Besides, I don't think I have the power in me to stay as quiet as I did earlier on, not when you're so..."her words trailed off. Much to Joseph's amusement.
"So, what?" He asked against her neck before lifting his head to search her oh so desire-filled eyes. His other hand now going down onto her other thigh. "So what, Clarisse?" He smirked, her hands now going to his chest.
"You know full well what I mean," she answered and smiled mischievously while looking down at her hands resting against his chest and bit her lip as his muscles rippled under her touch.
"I do, but I wanted to hear you saying it," he said huskily, a mischievous grin on his lips, as his hands grasped her thighs and pulled her that little bit closer to the edge, closer to him, causing her to gasp in surprise.
"Okay," Clarisse laughed as she slowly put a hand up onto the side of his neck and leant against him to whisper in his ear, "how do you expect me to be so quiet when you're so perfect and can do such delicious things to me."
"Mm, really," he smiled as Clarisse pulled back to look back up into his eyes.
"Yes, really," Clarisse laughed a little with a flirty smile. "More than I ever imagined."
"Well," Joseph said before clearing his throat and glancing down at his hands resting on her thighs before looking back up into her eyes with a smile. "That really hasn't helped, so how about we sneak back into the bedroom? They'll never know."
"They might come looking for us, especially if we don't go back in soon, and again, I can't promise being so quiet," she smiled coyly and watched as he laughed.
"Okay, okay, I see your point," Joseph smiled and nodded before resting his forehead back against hers as she snaked her arms up around his shoulders. "So close, but yet still so far."
"I know," Clarisse said, smiling as he smoothed one of his hands up her thigh and around to her bottom. "But let's enjoy these few moments alone out here before we go back inside."
Smiling, Joseph simply buried his face in the crook of her neck, his fingers toying with the lace material of her panties as they just stayed silent for several moments.
"That really, really tickles," Clarisse said finally, breaking their silence, and smiling as her husband laughed against her neck.
"I know, I could tell," he said and lifted his head as she smoothed her hands from his back, over his shoulders and down his arms.
"We should go back in now," Clarisse smiled as he smoothed one hand along the side of her thigh, slipped his fingers under her knee and lifted her leg to rest against him a little higher. "Joseph."
"I can't help it, you're irresistible," he smiled and leant closer to kiss her, her hands instinctively going up to the sides of his neck. "Okay," he said breaking the kiss a moment later and took a step back. "I can't go back in yet."
"Oh, I know," Clarisse smiled, trying not to laugh as he took her hands and helped her down from the balustrade. "I'll go in first and you can follow when you're ready."
"Uh-huh, yeah," Joseph nodded and moved to sit back in the garden seat he had been sitting in earlier on and tipped his head back in frustration as Clarisse straightened out the skirt of her dress. "It may take a while."
"That's okay, take as long as you need," Clarisse said, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she moved to stand beside him and gave him a quick kiss. "See you in a bit," she said as she began to walk back over to the balcony door.
Watching her walk away, Joseph's gaze lowered to her bottom. "Let me have just one more look before you go back in," Joseph said suddenly, surprising not only himself but Clarisse too, and watched as she stopped and turned back to him.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Clarisse asked as she moved slowly to stand in front of him. "You're meant to be calming yourself down. Not making it worse." She smiled.
"I know, but I just need one more look," he said with the most sexiest smile on his lips. "Please?"
Unable to resist his smile, especially one so sexy, so alluring as his, she stepped closer to him and slowly, in the most seductive way, gathered up the skirt of her dress and lifted her foot off the floor. Putting it up on the edge of his seat, Clarisse watched as her husband leant forward, his hand smoothing along the side of her thigh as he went, and pressed a kiss to the inside of her knee. Closing her eyes, the sweet memory of him doing that for the first time last night filled her mind. The feel of his soft lips against her thigh. The way his goatee tickled her skin with every kiss he placed, caused her to shiver at the sensation. Just like he was doing to her right now.
She'd never experienced anything like it before and she found it rather delicious.
"Mmm," she moaned quietly in response, her hand instinctively going to the back of his head as he smiled against her thigh. Opening her eyes she looked down at him, to find him looking up at her, the sexy grin still on his lips. For a moment their gaze locked before he continued to trail kisses along the inside of her thigh to her garter. Tipping her face upwards to the darkness of the night sky, a breath caught in her throat as her eyes fluttered closed. "Oh Joseph," she whispered.
Meanwhile, back in the suite Mia took a sip of her drink and looked across at her uncle sitting in one of the armchairs. "Do you think they are okay out there? Maybe one of us should go check."
"I wouldn't," Pierre said with a shake of his head. "I would just leave them be, especially since they were both looking pretty amorous when we left them."
"Eww, you don't think they would do any..." her words trailing off as she briefly closed her eyes and shook her head at the thought. "I'm going to turn the music up, I think."
"Good idea," Lilly agreed as Pierre and Nicholas laughed. "Shall we dance too? It's been so long since we last had a dance."
"Yes!" Mia exclaimed and they both got to their feet just as the balcony door opened and her grandmother emerged through the curtains. "Oh hey grandma."
"Hello sweetheart," Clarisse smiled across at her before turning back to the door and closing it behind her.
"Where's grandpa? Isn't he coming back in," Mia asked as she and Lilly walked across the room.
"He'll be in shortly, he just needs to.." she stopped as she turned back to the room and shook her head. She doesn't need to tell her granddaughter, or the others, that he needs a little time to 'calm' down before coming back in. They don't need to know that. "He's on a call."
"A call, to who?" Mia asked and turned back to her, watching her put her hands up to brush her hair back behind her ears before pulling her shawl tighter and folding her arms. Was her grandmother nervous?
"His sister," Clarisse said, nodding.
"But it's so late," Mia said in surprise and turned her head to the side ever so slightly.
"Yes I know, but there is a time difference between us and Joseph usually gets off work about now, remember," Clarisse replied, trying to think quickly.
"Ahh yes, good point," Mia smiled. "Anyway, we are going to turn the music up a little and have a dance. Fancy joining us?"
"I might do in a little bit," Clarisse smiled across at them, feeling relieved. "I need a drink first."
"Okay," Mia nodded and watched her grandmother walk over to the coffee table and pick up her glass.
"Hey come on, let's dance," Lilly smiled from where she stood next to the sideboard and turned the music up on the laptop as Mia turned to her. "It's one of our favourite songs!"
After taking a long drink of her champagne, Clarisse set her glass back down on the coffee table and removed the shawl from around her shoulders. Her mind was a million miles away, thinking of her handsome husband and all the wonderful things he's done. And how glorious he had made her feel. "Are you okay?" Pierre asked as he stepped beside his mother and watched as she turned her head to look at him. "You look a little flustered."
"I'm okay," she nodded with a smile and looked back down at the shawl in her hands a moment before looking back at him.
"Okay," Pierre nodded and glanced over at his niece and her friend dancing before looking back at his mother. "Would you like to dance with me?"
"I would love to Pierre, yes," Clarisse smiled and placed her shawl over the arm of the sofa before turning to her son.
Smiling, he lead the way to the area of the suite they were using as a dance floor and turned to his mother. "It's been a long time since we danced together," Pierre said as he stepped closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, his hand pressing against her back while taking her hand in his other hand and holding it up next to them.
"It has, I was trying to remember when it was but I can't," Clarisse said as she wrapped her arm around his, and placed her hand on the back of his shoulder as they began to dance.
"Must be a good few years," Pierre said.
"Hmm, it must be, yes," Clarisse nodded in agreement as she studied him a moment. "Pierre," she said softly, "Joseph told me that you asked him how he thought I would feel if you started calling him padrastro?"
"Yes, I did," Pierre nodded as he looked down between them.
"Well I'm okay with it, of course, and it's a lovely gesture. Especially using the Spanish word for stepfather, given Joseph's heritage," she said, watching as he looked back up at her. "But how would you feel calling him padrastro?"