A/N: Thanks for all your reviews! I shall be tying Greg's part of the story to Sara's part of the story in the next chapter. For now I have given him some romance, hope you enjoy! Also, since I'm keen to get this moving I'm going to try and update on Sunday... love Charli xx
Greg drove to Robyn's straight from work. He had big plans for this weekend; it wasn't often he was gifted a Friday night off. Especially not with Sara gone too and he intended to get as far out of town as he could to minimise the risk of being called in at the last minute.
He knocked lightly at the door even although he knew it would be unlocked and she kept her spare key under the snail shaped statue in the rockery. He had told her countless times how dangerous it was to keep her key there but she always shrugged and changed the subject.
Joel was sitting at the table, his legs swinging back and forth. Greg ruffled his hair with a smile as he moved through the space looking for Robyn. He could hear her humming in the shower, the steam escaped from underneath the door filling the hallway with the scent of her shampoo.
He continued into Joel's bedroom, confident he had a few minutes to spare before she emerged from the steam. He searched through the boys drawers feeling slightly clueless as he packed Joel's things into his small dinosaur bag. With a satisfied smile he placed the bag on Joel's bed and went back to the dining table to sit with the kid.
When she emerged he was fully engaged in colouring and barely noticed her entering the room. She smiled down at him as she towel dried her hair and padded around the room. With an embarrassed smile he stood from his seat and approached her, sliding his hands around her waist and pulling her close for a soft kiss.
"You smell good" he whispered, hovering his lips close to her collarbone.
"Thank you. Dinner tonight?" she smiled, twirling out of his arms with a flourish.
"I have a better idea..." he grinned, nodding at Joel who hopped down from the table and ran into his bedroom.
"Oh you do, do you?" Robyn drew a comb through her hair slowly, watching him as he cleared away the pages he had coloured. Her eyes stayed on him, casting over his body making him feel suddenly self-conscious.
"I got us a place, on the lake" he muttered with a shrug.
"You did!? What about Joel?"
As if on cue Joel bounced into the room with his dinosaur backpack around his shoulders and his red jacket on upside down.
"I got him a sitter" he declared as she righted his jacket. "Mrs Parish, next door"
"Mrs Parish is taking him?" she raised an eyebrow in surprise both at his apparent relationship with her elderly neighbour and at his show of initiative.
"She's perfect" he defended "think about it… you've known her forever right?"
"I moved here when I was 15, Greg" she shrugged.
"So, we're talking more than 20 years then"
"Yeah, thanks Greg. Pile on the flattery" she teased, feigning offense.
"She's practically his grandmother, he's known her forever and she loves him" he continued "and her record's totally clean"
"You checked my neighbour for convictions?" Robyn smiled, shaking her head at him.
"Well…yeah. I wanted to be sure… I checked you too" Greg shrugged, following her into the kitchen.
"Oh you did?" she grinned, pulling him into an embrace "and?"
Greg paused for effect, Robyn's gentle hands resting on his chest and her wide eyes holding his with an impish smile on her soft pink lips.
"You drive too fast" he teased, pressing his lips against hers "now go pack; I have a date with Mrs Parish"
With a wink he left the room, following Joel to the neighbour's house. Turns out Mrs Parish was a bit of a mother hen, plying him with cookies and stories about her own son. By the time he escaped, with a trayful of brownies she had packed a small overnight bag and was seated at the table flicking through a magazine. He silently praised himself on a job well done; he had known it would be a risk arranging a babysitter without her okay.
"Sorry, Mrs Parish is….something else!" he shrugged, picking up her bag "let's go!"
Without waiting for her response he marched outside and threw her bag in the trunk, starting up the engine and pulling out of the driveway before she even made it outside. The smirk that crossed her features when she stepped outside was reward enough. She shook her head, her hair dancing around her shoulders and shimmering in the sunshine as she locked the door.
"I can't believe we're really doing this!" she remarked as she settled in the passenger seat "how did you convince me of this?"
"It's all strategy Robyn" he winked "like a game of Chess – I anticipated your moves and developed a strategy to combat them"
She looked at him for a few long moments, a bewildered expression on her face.
"I've never played chess Greg that analogy was lost on me" she shrugged, slipping her sandals off her feet and casually painting her nails.
"How can you have never played chess?" he questioned, somewhat astounded at her revelation. She simply shrugged a shoulder, peering at him under her hair with a smirk. "I was captain of the chess team"
"You were obviously really popular in school" she teased "I guess I had other things to occupy me back then"
"Were you a cheerleader?" he beamed, secretly hoping she still had the uniform at the back of her closet.
"No" she narrowed her eyes at him, trying hard to supress her smile "but I did go to a few clubs, just not anything as exciting as Chess club"
The drive took over an hour. Robyn painted her toenails, and her fingernails and the nails on Greg's hand closest to her. She braided tiny braids in her hair then pulled them all out, she played 'name that song' with Greg and they covered every conversational topic from chess club to quantum physics.
They finally pulled up to a tiny wooden cottage nestled among the trees. Brass had guided him here. His own sanctuary from civilisation he'd called it. Told him it was 'cosy' and 'secluded'. He had obviously left out 'over-run with weeds' and 'probably home to several endangered species'. With a look of disgust he stepped up the small and crumbling steps and fished in his pocket for the key Brass had given him. He had warned Greg that he hadn't been there for a while, that it was probably a bit dusty and unloved but Greg hadn't been prepared for it to be debilitated. The creaky door swung open and he held his breath, expecting to be hit by the smell of mould and abandonment but the interior seemed to be incredibly untouched by nature.
Robyn appeared at his side, seemingly unfazed by the run down exterior. Stepping into the living area he cast his eyes over the huge stone fireplace and the old fashioned furniture. Brass' idea of 'a while' must have meant 1972 judging by the décor. Robyn began opening curtains and letting light pour into the space capturing dust particles in its beam like stardust. Her positive attitude was infectious and he immediately started opening windows and dusting off countertops. The fridge was empty, as he expected but he had come prepared. With a smile towards Robyn he dashed outside to retrieve the bags while she shook out the rug on the back porch.
He returned with bags stuffed with every kind of food he could find. Realising the power was out he searched outside for the generator and cranked it up while Robyn filled the fridge.
"Pink champagne?" she grinned when he returned.
"Only the best for you" he countered with a wink.
"Of course. The $6 label doesn't take anything away from that sentiment Greg"
He reached out and took her hand, pulling her outside and across the back yard, down to the side of the lake. The sunlight glistened over the surface, reflecting the dramatic cloud formations as they lay back on a blanket side by side. The next few hours passed with them spotting shapes in the clouds, drinking champagne and laughing until the only sound accompanying their sigh's was the hum of the generator and the birds in the tree's.
"You're amazing, do you know that?" she muttered, gazing up at him as he hovered over her.
His lips danced along the sweep of her neck, across her jaw and found her lips while his hand gently stroked the soft skin of her face. He could feel her blood coursing through her veins, her pulse throbbing on her neck as his lips brushed across it. He could see her breath hitch in her chest as he pressed against her, carefully unbuttoning her trousers. He could anticipate how it would feel to have her body tangled with his, to hear the sound of her passion disappearing into space.
"All my other girlfriends say so too" he teased as she folded his shirt from his shoulders.
A dark cloud loitered above them, ominously watching their embrace before releasing a torrent of heavy rain and thunder over them. They stumbled back inside, dripping wet and breathless. The blanket abandoned by the lake with their shoes and his shirt.
Her hair clung to her face as moisture glistened across her skin. The blouse she wore moulded into her body and he crossed the space between them to peel the fabric away.
"We need to get you out of these wet clothes" he whispered, pressing his forehead gently against hers and meeting her eye in the darkness of the room.
A shiver crossed her body, her trembling breath making a puff of smoke as the temperature dipped with the storm. Her clothing fell to the floor and he cupped her chin, tilting her head upwards to meet his lips. He could taste the rain from her skin, cold and fresh as it raised Goosebumps on her skin. Greg slowly slid the straps of her bra down her arms and she stood before him with a nervous smile as she unhooked it from the back.
"You're so beautiful" he breathed, holding her close and covering her collarbone with feathery kisses.
Another shiver made her tremble and Greg moved across to the fireplace, making quick work of raising a fire in the hearth. The heat filled the room almost immediately and Robyn joined him in front of the fire, her fingers wrapping around his belt and freeing him from his wet jeans.
The lights flickered as the storm grew in power, whirling around the building violently. Wind howled through the trees and shuddered the tiny cabin but they were oblivious to the wrath of nature as they sunk onto the thick red rug. Greg kissed every raindrop from her skin; he gratefully received every sigh that escaped her lips as he carefully explored her body enchanted by every tiny detail of the woman before him. The fire roared in the hearth and the lights cut out as they made love in the sanctuary of the cabin.
Her touch burned his skin, her eyes searched his soul and he gave her everything he could, surrendering his entire body and soul to her before breathlessly tangling his fingers through hers and hovering his face close to hers, his breath shivering on the skin of her neck.
"I love you" he muttered, the words barely making a sound as they left his lips.
Robyn nodded, catching his eye with her breath still quivering in her chest. Her hand tightened around his as she met his lips. He could feel her body trembling beneath him, her arm snaking around his neck to keep him close to her as she breathlessly returned his confession.
The generator sprung back to life bathing the cabin in light and Greg hastily tore himself from her embrace hanging their clothes by the fire and digging in his bag for more. Robyn wound a dusty blanket from the couch around her body, padding across the floor towards the front door.
"What are you doing?" he asked, regarding her suspiciously as she peered out at the rain still falling in dense sheets.
"My bags still in the car" she shrugged.
"I'm happy for you to be naked the whole weekend" he smiled before digging in his bag and throwing a t-shirt in her direction "here; I'll get your bag when it doesn't look like a tsunami outside"
Robyn closed the door and slid the shirt over her body, watching as Greg peered in cupboards and searched in drawers with a frown.
"What are you looking for?" she questioned.
"This" Greg declared, triumphantly holding up a chess board "you are going to learn to play chess"
"I can think of better things to do with our time" she smirked, quirking a suggestive eyebrow
"later. Right now it is essential you learn to play chess"
Robyn studied his face trying to decide whether he was genuine or not. He kneeled on the rug, placing the board in front of him. With a sigh she sat cross legged across from him watching as he arranged the pieces carefully.
"I really don't see how this is important Greg" she huffed.
"Everyone should know how to play chess Robyn, it's a life skill"
She pursed her lips and raised a sarcastic eyebrow at him. In a short amount of time he had explained the roles of all the pieces and the rules of the game. He had moonlighted as a tutor in college, even leading a small high school team to the regional finals. After 3 'practice' games he challenged her to a real game. The loser being forced to cook dinner.
"Ready?" he grinned excitedly at her across the board.
"Yes" Robyn responded in a flat tone, holding his gaze defiantly.
"Really? You're sure? Because I'm not going to go easy on you" he teased.
"Fine"
"And I was champion 6 years in a row Robyn…" Greg continued.
"Ok" she shrugged.
"Although you did have a great teacher"
"Greg, just play the game will you" she smiled, despite attempting to feign disinterest.
"Ahh… I see you are keen to lose!" he teased.
Robyn simply smiled and moved a pawn forward two spaces with a defiant stare.
"I'm supposed to go first" he protested.
"You shouldn't leave a lady waiting" Robyn countered, removing her piece and leaning back against the sofa. Greg moved his pawn two places and she simply repeated her initial move leaving her wide open for his legendary 3 move checkmate.
Greg moved his queen two spaces diagonally, Robyn then responding as he had expected by moving her pawn to a defence position. She smirked at him happy with her strategy until he moved his queen another 3 spaces, directly in line with her king.
"Checkmate" he smirked.
"You totally cheated Greg!"
"You can't cheat at natural greatness my dear" he gloated.
Robyn rolled her eyes and began clearing away the set "if you say so"
"I don't know why you're so surprised" he shrugged "I was always going to win"
"In 3 moves? That's just mean"
"What can I say? I'm talented" he grinned, kneeling in front of her.
"Modest too" she teased.
"The record is two you know. I still have a way to go"
"I can show you a way to go" she smirked, tossing an errant pawn in his direction.
Greg leant forward, meeting her eye as he crawled across the rug throwing the chess board out of the way as he did so.
"Oh Ms Morrissey, do I detect a certain competitive edge shining through?" he stopped moving as she remained unwavering in her place, his face lingering close with barely a space between them.
"Shut up, Greg" she said, narrowing her eyes at him.
"It's lucky I'm not after you for your brains, really" he teased, placing his lips on hers gently.
"it must be my creative cooking skills then" she smirked, moving into the kitchen "Grilled Cheese and Spinach?"