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Here's the next chapter for you…
Uncharacteristically crossing her legs, as she sat on one of Joseph's legs, and tucking her foot comfortably under the knee of his other leg, Clarisse ran the tips of her fingers through the hair on the back of his head as she thought back to their first night together, remembering how his lips felt against her skin, kissing her in places she never even considered being kissed before. She remembered how he made her feel. How young and alive he made her feel. How his body felt on hers, pressing her deliciously into the mattress as they made love and how her legs wrapped perfectly around him, and she couldn't help but blush.
She had spent most of her life accepting that she would never experience what she experienced last night. She thought that ship had long sailed. So it was a pleasant surprise now that she had, it had awoken something within her. Something that not only scared her but excited her at the same time. And she wondered that maybe Joseph was right after all, about her being a different woman, because she sure felt like a completely different woman this morning. She felt young. She felt alive. And most of all, she felt madly in love.
"So, what's the plan for today," Joseph asked after several moments of them sat in silence, and lifted his face from where it had been buried in her neck as Clarisse opened her eyes to look at him. "I sort of vaguely remember a meeting with the prime minister being mentioned."
"Yes, I should have had a meeting with him first thing this morning, but after yesterday's events and us getting married I had Charlotte push it back to this afternoon," she smiled, the tips of her fingers still brushing through his hair. "There are a couple of other things that I must do this afternoon, either before or after the meeting, but this morning and this evening is very much ours."
"Okay," he nodded and averted his gaze away, thinking a moment.
"What are you thinking?" Clarisse asked, watching him closely as he looked back to her.
Smiling, Joseph smoothed his hand resting on her hip, slowly up her back, and back down again. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"
"No it doesn't, sorry," Clarisse laughed with a shake of her head. "You should know that by now."
"I do, of course," he grinned and smoothed his hand back onto her hip.
"Good," Clarisse smiled back. "So, what was you thinking?"
"Well, I have a couple of errands to run today, and I was thinking that I could get them done while you're in your meeting this afternoon," Joseph smiled. "Then it won't take away from our time together."
"Okay, I can't wait," Clarisse smiled and studied his face a brief moment. "Also, I was thinking at some point this afternoon, if you have time once you have finished your errands that is, you have to go and pack some of your clothes to bring to my suite. So you don't have to keep going back and forth to your suite all the time."
"That sounds good, but are you going to be alright with that?" Joseph asked teasingly. "What I mean by that is,"
"Yes, I know exactly what you mean by that," Clarisse exclaimed, interrupting him with a smile, and playfully slapped his chest as he laughed. "There will be room."
"Okay," Joseph laughed and put his hand up to cup her cheek. "I believe you."
"There will be, I promise," Clarisse replied before he leant in and kissed her.
"I know there will be, I was just teasing," he said with a smile and lowered his hand from her cheek. "But remember what I said about us doing it together."
"I remember," Clarisse nodded. "I will only be making a bit of room for now, we can work on it better once this week is out of the way."
"Agreed," Joseph smiled and looked down as he took hold of her wedding hand. "I was also thinking about something else. Have been since last night actually," he said before looking back up into her eyes.
"Oh yes," Clarisse smiled, her eyes twinkling, "and what's that?"
"Well, I have a friend who owes me a massive favour, a friend who just so happens to own his own jewellery shop," he said, running his thumb back and forth over the wedding ring she was wearing.
"Right," Clarisse said, listening intently.
"And I was thinking about giving him a call a bit later to see if he can bring some wedding ring sets over for us to take a look at. Because technically this ring, however nice it is, isn't ours," he said and they both looked down at the wedding ring on Clarisse's finger a moment before Joseph lifted his head to look back up at her, "and I would like for us to have one that is ours and something that we picked out together ourselves."
"I would like that," Clarisse said as she lifted her head to look back up at him.
"So you'll be okay if I gave him a call?" Joseph asked.
"Oh absolutely, yes," Clarisse nodded, "speak to him and see what he says."
"Okay, great, I'll give him a call," Joseph smiled and leant in, pressing his lips to hers as she put her hand up onto his chest. "But in the meantime, because it's still early, why don't we go back to bed."
"Oh yeah," Clarisse smiled. Contemplating his words a moment.
"Yeah, we could cuddle, try and get a bit more sleep and send down for some breakfast a little bit later," Joseph smiled as Clarisse rose to her feet and turned to him, "or we can do whatever you like, it's completely up to you."
"Mm, can I think about it a while?" She laughed and took a step back as Joseph stood to his feet.
"Well don't think about it for to long," he smiled as he stepped closer to her and put his hands out onto her sides, before snaking his arms around her waist, "it may still be rather early now, but time does fly when you're having fun remember."
"Ooh, I remember alright, it does go very quickly indeed," Clarisse replied coyly and wrapped her arms around his neck as she gazed up into his eyes and reached up to kiss him. Before whispering between each kiss. "Especially when you're having the time of your life."
"Mmm, especially then," he said, flashing her a flirty smile while smoothing his hands down to cup her bottom, remembering how she loved it, and gave it a little squeeze as Clarisse laughed. "Come on, let's go make the most of our first morning together."
"Okay," Clarisse smiled and gave him one more quick kiss before reluctantly taking a step back and taking his hands in hers.
"Hey, you know what I just realised?" Joseph said as Clarisse took a couple of steps backwards before letting go of one of his hands and turned to walk forward.
"What?" Clarisse asked as they reached the balcony doors, and she reached out to open them with her free hand. "What did you just realise?"
"That I never carried you over the threshold last night," he said and stepped closer to her as she turned to him.
"Oh yeah, you didn't," she said and put her hands up onto his chest, "and don't go getting ideas to do it now either."
"And why ever not?" Joseph asked and put his hands on his hips as she laughed.
"Because I'm far too heavy for your knees," Clarisse replied and shook her head when she noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes. "Don't you dare."
"Oh tush, I managed it last night when I carried you to bed, and I'll manage just fine now too," Joseph exclaimed with a smirk.
"Yes, you did manage last night, but that was literally just a turn and we were there at my, sorry, our bed," she smiled as Joseph laughed, "that's going to take a bit of getting used to, saying ours."
"It will do, and I'll be fine," he said and scooped her up in his arms before she could say anything else.
"Joseph, put me down," she exclaimed in protest while locking her arms around his neck, holding on tight. "Please?"
"For years, you have trusted me to protect your life, so can you please trust me with this," he said and kissed her before looking deep into her eyes. "I'll be fine. I promise my knees will be fine."
"Okay," Clarisse said reluctantly and closed her eyes, burying her face in the crook of his neck as he stepped through the balcony doors and into the suite with her in his arms.
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