I think by now you've come to expect ridiculous amounts of smut from me.
Belated belated birthday present for Cookie-moi! I am generally sorry about my belatedness: blah, school.
There was something about him holding her hand that touches her beyond expression, especially out in the open like this; silently telling the world that it didn't matter to them what anyone else thought: here they were together, and here they were going to stay. Taking heart from this thought, she moved her head to rest against his shoulder, nestling into the crook of his neck. The sky is getting dark quickly, but they stay there looking out at the sea.
"Do you want to tell people about us?" he asked after a while.
She looked up at him in some minor confusion.
"Richard, we're going to get married. By this, I took it that we would live together- I certainly intend to live with you- and I imagine someone will notice as much before long. Probably Matthew," she looked at him in an attempt at condescension, but was unable to disguise her amusement at his ridiculous question, "He lives with me already."
He looked moderately embarrassed for a second, and it was more than a little disconcerting for her. She squeezed his hand as she spoke, in order to reassure herself.
"Richard, you asked me to marry you. You told me to marry you, or very nearly. You can't possibly be ashamed of me, so why on earth would you want to keep it a secret?"
"I thought," he answered slowly, "There's bound to be talk; us marrying so soon. Talk to the effect of what Lady Violet said before. I just wanted you to know that you don't have to endure it if you don't want to."
Stretching up, she planted a single kiss on his cheek.
"Wonderful man," she told him, "But I'd endure all of the gossip in the world to be able to live with you properly. I'd never be ashamed of you for a second. And they'd forget about us soon enough, at our age they'd never be interested for long. And I doubt any of them have the imagination to guess about your fascination with my body."
Mixed in with the amusement in his eyes was hunger and she kissed him quickly but passionately on the lips. As they broke apart, she felt him watching her, felt the pure, grateful love in his eyes as he watched her, and sitting there on the bench, his hand still in hers, she felt divinely happy.
"We could do it now if you like," he told her in a quiet voice, "I made a few enquiries at the town hall while you were looking in the dress shops this morning. If we stay here an extra day, we could get a license and I could marry you before we go home."
She thought about it for a few moments.
"You certainly know how to tempt me, Richard. And you mustn't think I'm not just as impatient as you are," she told him, looking down at their joined hands for a second, " I can scarcely bring myself to wait to marry you. But, if you don't mind, I'd like it if we got married back in Downton. I'd like Matthew to be there."
"Of course," he planted a kiss in her hair, "Of course you want him there. It was careless of me not to consider that, because I've never really had anyone like that."
From his voice, she knew he was not asking her for pity, simply speaking the truth. Nevertheless, it was only then that she realised the true loneliness that his existence must have been before her. Something caught in her throat for a second, but she ignored it.
"You have me now."
…...
They walked back to the hotel slowly, enjoying the idleness of their pace, the simplicity of being together, and the fresh draft from the sea. The dark closing in around them, however, made it more chilly and they quickened their pace up to the top of the hill to get back indoors.
Isobel was markedly cold by the time Richard shut and locked their bedroom door behind them, she stood shivering slightly as she removed her coat. She felt rather than saw, Richard's hands taking the coat from her, hanging it up, and then his arms wrapping around her from behind, drawing her close to him, pressing the warmth of his body into hers, warming her thoroughly. She felt a sigh escape her lips.
More intensely than she'd ever felt it from another human being, she felt his love for her radiating through into her body with the heat, making her senses swim, robbing her of her wits entirely. In her head echoed her own words You have me now, You have me now. He had her and she had him. Now it seemed as if it really was that simple between them. She felt his lips sink a kiss into her neck. Even without feeling him pressing against her, she could sense his excitement heightening in time and mingling with her own in a heady mixture.
"Richard," she whispered, taking his hand that rested on her stomach in hers and softly caressing his knuckle with her thumb, "I'm yours. I trust you entirely; have me however you want me."
She heard him groan at the words alone, for a fleeting moment experienced a pang of satisfaction that she too could use words to her advantage. Her thoughts were interrupted however, when she felt him turn her around and back her swiftly against the wall. Her breath quickened frantically at the idea, letting him guide her there and hold her, because she doubted her own knees could support her. Pressed up against the wall, she allowed herself to be kissed, undressed down to her corset and underwear, while barely able to muster enough concentration to unbutton his shirt.
His hands deftly reaching around to work the fastenings of her corset, she sighed contentedly as it came free in his hand, feeling his palms and fingers running over the skin of her arm and her breasts and her stomach, she expected- and half-wanted- him to simply unfasten his trousers and have her there and then.
However, he took her hand in his, and led her gently over to the small desk in the corner of the room. Thinking she could see where he was going, she perched herself on its edge, opening her legs for him, expecting him to stand between them. He surprised her by sitting down in the chair. Then, she took in the level that his head was at in relation to her, and was not at all surprised.
"Richard," she told him softly, "You don't-..."
"I want you like this."
Running his hands slowly up her thighs, his fingers pushed her knickers to one side for a moment and ran fleetingly over her folds before withdrawing. Then, he lent forwards and mouthed her through the silk, wetness soaking through to meet his tongue. Her hips rolled wildly at the feeling. As he proceeded, pushing the fabric to one side again, slipping a finger inside of her and running his tongue against her, she began to wonder how much longer she could hold on.
But then he stopped, stood up and stood back.
She felt her hips roll once more as he licked the end of his finger that had just used to fondle her, before running his thumb so tenderly along her face, cupping her cheek in his hand and looking at her so clearly that she had to close her eyes, completely overwhelmed by him. She felt his hand in her hair, unfastening the pins and letting it fall down over her shoulders.
She recovered herself enough to remove his shirt, running her hands over his chest, drawing him closer to stand in between her legs. He kissed her again, slowly and thoroughly, his hand resting on her thighs. It suddenly occurred to what was left of her conscious mind that she was sitting here, about to be made love to over a desk. Not that the thought hadn't occurred to her before, she reminded herself.
"What's the matter?"
He drew away, watching her curiously.
She smiled at him.
"Nothing. Nothing in the world is wrong at this moment."
He pressed her back into his chest, simply embracing her, arms stroking her back, lips playing with her ear lobe, as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
"Do you want to move onto the bed?" he asked, "Save this for late nights at the hospital?"
She barely managed to nod in reply, but it didn't matter because he scooped her up and carried her, lying her down on the covers, and stepping back to remove his trousers and shorts. As she watched him straighten back up, lying willingly before him, ready to let him take her, something completely wild and abandoned seemed to take over inside of her. Looking him in the eye, she knew he felt it too.
"Now, Richard."
It didn't take him much more encouragement than that, lying his body over hers, he dealt with her underwear in one swift motion.
"They were ruined anyway," he mumbled, "I'll buy you some new ones."
"I don't care."
She drew his mouth down to hers, kissing him as he entered her, arching her back into him, knowing it wouldn't be long before she called his name.
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