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The Wedding Night
Once the lift was away, they closed the door and were totally alone in the flat for the first time today. Facing one another, as close as was possible these days. Unconsciously beginning to sway to the soft music. Eyes drinking in details of one another that they hadn't been free to discover fully until now.
Held in thrall by the intensity of blue blue eyes so incredibly close Kate felt flush, her body swayed too far and she felt Caroline's arms bring her back. Breathing in raggedly, magnetized, Kate bends her head, tilting it until their lips barely meet. As always, Caroline's lips have parted to receive her but as quickly as they kiss she pulls away. It's too soon. Kissing carries them too far, too fast. Too fast for tonight.
Caroline's gaze drifts from Kate's mouth to her arched neck, the tender throat, the delicate flesh of shoulder and breast. "Oh Kate, there aren't words for the way you make me feel at the sight of you." Beginning just behind the ear, eliciting a tiny gasping cry. Kisses that are mere whispers descend, deliberately incremental. Producing a mutual keening desire, stretching it taut, moving intently toward the culmination of an evening of restraint spent within sight and sound of one another's magnificence.
Fingering the silver necklace just above the hollow at Caroline's throat Kate's head tips back to delight in soft lips grazing her skin. Unable to contain a moan of pleasure, lightheaded again and clinging to Caroline for balance, the two of them still swaying in this most precious dance of love.
As Caroline's lips reach the tip of her shoulder, Kate's fingers find the soft skin of Caroline's back, smoothing warm flesh revealed by the low dip of the ivory dress, tracing against velvet skin to the hairline and on to adjust the beloved face to hers, into a kiss so soft, so tender it generates indescribable sounds from each to make them ache, a sweet agony that absorbs oxygen until there is no choice but to break, tingling and panting, hands resume skimming bare flesh.
Through labored breathing, "I never knew it could be like this. I think my heart might stop beating if you let go of me now."
"I'm never letting go of you Caroline. I couldn't bear to let you go."
Lips rising to a shell like ear, "I want you. I lust for you. I desire you."
Breathing out another barely audible sound of pleasure as Caroline's lips once again begin beneath her ear, "Oh Caroline… I'm too weak to bear this again if I have to keep standing."
Caroline searches Kate's body for her arms, drawing her hands down the length of them until she takes the slender fingers. Stepping back, trying to commit to memory this sight of Kate dressed for their wedding. The cream of the dress against skin so mellow and warm in the muted lamplight, her sophisticated elegance, the love in her eyes.
Kate's covetous brown eyes are memorizing the womanly appeal of the form beneath the flattering ivory gown, the glimmering sparkling elegance that is Caroline. She is exulting in the flush of excitement and passion beneath translucent skin, finds the sight unutterably devastating. Against her will the penetrating blue eyes arrest her gaze holding it hostage unwilling to release her eyes.
Taking a half step back, allowing the pianist fingers to slip unhurriedly through her grasp until it is fingers holding fingers, taking another half step back and another, drawing her until Kate follows slowly, brown eyes escaping blue repeatedly to gaze at the retreating figure, only to be retaken. Exhilaratingly, unbearably delicious this reversal of the path trod earlier.
Beside the bed, Kate advances, fingertips gliding to find ribs concealed in ivory, sliding back to the zip, running it unhurriedly, finding their way to the waist, tracing up to the tips of the shoulders, deliberately grazing the sides of the breasts in passing, hearing the quickened breath of response. Incrementally lowering the glimmering fabric to expose luscious flesh but not enough not nearly enough. Yet.
And so, the discipline of slower is faster. Loitering, lingeringly with meticulous attention they undress one another. Finally, naked and weak with sensation Caroline gently lowers Kate to the bed and bends to raise her feet onto the edge before following to straddle her, curving around the baby, a nucleus for their life together. Continuing to make excruciatingly unhurried, tender love to one another with tears and trembling until, overcome with emotional exhaustion, they slept.
Remembering
Kate woke first in the morning, unable to sleep longer due to the baby's movement within and the urgency of her bladder. Easing herself out of the bed, not wanting to wake Caroline so early, she made her way to the loo and on her return saw that Caroline, without herself to lean against was now on her stomach, in the middle of the bed, arms reaching under the pillow, her hair, sensuously unpinned by Kate last night now spread around her like a bright aura. Thankful that they had chosen such a large bed, Kate slipped in, folding her pillow beneath her head for a good view of the soundly sleeping beauty who had not stirred at her return.
Kate studied the effect of the watery early morning light on the tiny hairs of Caroline's arms, moving on to the shoulders peeking from beneath the duvet and to the face that she hoped would always make her heart skip a beat like this, a face so peaceful in repose, bearing the relaxed Mona Lisa smile she often wore in sleep these days. Kate recalled the evening before and Caroline's face as she had first glimpsed her leaving the study to stand in the passage looking back at her. The look of sheer exposure and defenselessness that could come over her so unexpectedly was there as Caroline had met her eyes. After that nothing mattered except the two of them. Even the caterer/photographer conversation was simply cover for the unbearably sweet communion of giving themselves to one another. A shield to keep the others from seeing how deeply moved they were, each so very conscious of the vibrations oscillating between them.
Other memories of Caroline last night came to her. The grace with which she had moved down the passage, the line of those exquisite legs moving the dress as she walked, that long slender hand at her middle the other moving gently by her side, the curve of fringe above her eyes. It had been all she could do to hold her pace, not let it be over too soon.
Caroline reaching for her hand over and over again as their families had gathered around them immediately after the ceremony. Whenever anyone released her, Caroline had pressed the back of her fingers against Kate's leg confident that when Kate's hand was free it would come to rest in hers, clasping it tightly until the next time one or the other had had to drop hands for the next embrace of a well-wisher.
The two of them seated at Grandmother McKenzie's long table, thigh to thigh, laughing at Margo and Marta, exchanging glances, clasping hands and forgetting to eat. Caroline's eyes on her as she danced with Dad.
Trying to think of something that wouldn't make her tearful, Caroline on the dance floor with Uncle Donald, laughing and actually making him blush, what on earth had she said to him? Caroline across the circle of cousins dancing to a rowdy rock and roll tune, eyes on her as hers were on Caroline. Caroline whisked off at the end of that dance by Scottie as Uncle Gordon commandeered her.
Caroline dancing with Will, following his direction of her gaze to the corner to see Laurence at the sound system busily preparing the next songs as he talked and laughed with Kirsty, Douglas and Kim. Telling her how they had been working out the music that afternoon with Alan.
Caroline's face when Celia stood to deliver her toast, priceless.
She'd been pleased at Caroline's gradual relaxation into the mood of a family party rather than a social ordeal to be endured. Her cousins had been a great help, dancing with her, making her laugh. That was the magic for Caroline, getting her to laugh. When she laughed she seemed a different person, younger, girlish even.
Comparing the laughing Caroline from last night to the Dr. Elliot she'd spotted in the corridors during the autumn term it saddened her to think of how deeply unhappy they had both been. How very grateful she was that it had worked out between them so well.
Last night it had been delightful to watch her laughing so hard that Kevin had to hold her upright, to watch them having such a good time together. She'd been more than a little worried about the meeting between these two. They could each be very intense; it might not have turned out as it had. Of course, Kevin had the McKenzie charm and it hadn't hurt that Mum clearly liked Caroline.
In a way, she was glad that she'd had to sit out some dances to rest. It had given her an opportunity to experience the evening differently than if she had been danced off her feet as Caroline had been. She'd had a chance to watch the younger set dashing from the sound system controls to the dance floor and back again. Conferring with one another on what the next song should be and whose play list they would use or scrabbling through her CD collection to find something they wanted. They had quickly gotten beyond any shyness, building on their acquaintance at last Sunday's luncheon. Raf and Ellie had seemed to fit in as well.
It had been like old times to see her parents sitting on the sofa chatting with the aunts and uncles as they had used to do for so many years, visiting back and forth in one another's homes. Even if her Dad wasn't fully aware of who they were or where he was, at least they were all together again for one evening, naturally, in the family setting. She'd caught Mum's eye once, they hadn't held the look for long or they would both have been in tears but they had shared that moment of bittersweet happiness.
In fact, it had been lovely to have her whole family together in one room, especially with Kevin home. In recent years the family gathering points had remained fixed, holidays and birthdays but more and more often in their busy lives one or another of the cousin families would have commitments that prevented them from attending this or that event and it had become increasingly rare that they were all together at once.
Fingering the hair away from Caroline's face, waiting impatiently for those arresting eyes to open and animate the gorgeous face. She didn't want to wake her before it was necessary, knowing that Caroline would insist upon driving the whole way to Oxford herself but Kate wished Caroline would wake. She was missing her even though she lay right beside her, Caroline was never fully present unless those intelligent blue eyes were open.
Oh the intensity of those mesmerizing blue eyes as they'd made promises to her. Tears welled even now. This lovely face, eyes brimming in turn when she'd made her promises to Caroline. Their fingers pressuring one another while Margo said the words that married them. Vows! Somehow last night they hadn't gotten around to making the personal vows they'd written, so enthralled with one another that words had become unnecessary by then. She wondered briefly what Caroline had written, then teeming memories of the tenderness of the night before flooded back and erased the thought.
It was a Lovely Affair
"They'll be here in just over an hour."
Eyes meeting, "Unless Celia arrives early which she has made a habit of doing lately." Concerned, "Isn't this quite a lot of driving for Celia and Alan?"
Giving a half shrug, "William drove them home last night and he'll likely drive this morning as well." Too mellow to be really indignant, "Anyway, originally they were meant to be off much earlier after the wedding than 1:00am weren't they?"
Giving her a slightly reproving look, "You are going to let Celia off the hook about the dinner aren't you? After the lovely affair it turned out to be?" Pulling Caroline down beside her on the edge of the bed she's just made, "She did mean well."
Giving Kate a wry look, "When I said you were in charge of my Mum from now on I hardly thought you'd be pleading her case to me."
With a chuckle, "No." Then continuing distractedly, the smile fading as her attention becomes more focused on the face so near, fresh from the shower, unable to look away from thrilling blue eyes. "Odd the way things turn out sometimes." The two gazed on for a time only half focused on recalling their ups and downs with Celia. "The thing is, if she hadn't called me and started right in telling all the 'news' when she asked me to play for her wedding, I don't know that I would have agreed to do it. And if I hadn't…"
Eyes twinkling but lips trying to conceal the smile, "You really are pleading her case aren't you?"
Giving out her adoring smile, "She's your Mum, you'll know what's best," unknowingly echoing Celia's words to Caroline about her on Christmas night. With a kiss to a freckled nose because she dare not kiss the parted lips given their time constraints, Kate rose to finish packing her bag.
Picking up the thread again now that Kate's moved away, "Well, they have the boys and since we're taking William back to Oxford and Laurence is being picked up here by Felicity and Angus there is no choice now. Impishly, "Besides they'll want another look at us after last night."
"What do you mean 'after last night'?"
"Well, you are right, it did turn into quite a lovely affair didn't it? They'll want to see if we are still as glamorous today as we were the last time they saw us."
Gliding in and laying her lips beside Caroline's ear Kate says softly, "You were certainly glamorous in your haute couture gown."
Moving to place a sweet kiss, then gently but firmly putting Kate away from her with a deep sigh, Caroline said with a regretful tip of her head, "You know you can't start that now." Turning resolutely back to her suitcase, she scoffed, "Haute couture. Off the rack at Rodgers more like."
Kate, sitting with her back to the dressing table still attentively following the progress of the lingerie clad figure moving about the room. Dreamily, "On you it certainly looked haute couture."
Straightening to regard Kate ruefully, "You only say things like that to make me blush."
Merry eyes tinged with lust, "It works too."
Moving in on the seated figure, "The only haute couture in this house last night was you." Eyeing the shoulders concealed by the russet colored dress and jumper combination, "You were devastating in that off the shoulder number. I can't tell you how many times I barely stopped myself from leaning in to kiss you just there, indicating the point of attraction with a kiss.
Face upturned, pleased, "Did you?" Then, becoming sultry, "Why didn't you?"
"I didn't think my nervous system could take the strain. Not to mention my Mum or your Auntie Chris." Face suspended above, "Seemed like we were already quite the focal point."
Reaching with her face, "Isn't that what the wedding couple is supposed to be?"