"Gilbert, how many exams do you have coming up?"
Gilbert looked up from his book and mumbled what he thought was the correct number. He directed his gaze towards Green Gables, and sure enough, Marilla stood by the window, resembling an eagle preparing to swoop in on them. When Gilbert received an invitation to spend time with her daughter, studying was not what he had in mind!
"What did you say?"
Gilbert's thoughts were interrupted by Anne, who questioned him with those wide blue, soul-searching eyes of hers. "Uh...three or four."
"Don't you know?"
No, of course, he didn't know!
How could he possibly get his brain to function correctly when his girl sat only inches away, but he couldn't touch her, let alone do unspeakable things to her? Even a slight graze of her hand would be enough to cause a stir from Marilla. Thankfully Rachel Lynde had left shortly before he arrived, not to mention Matthew, god bless him, was doing all he could to stay out of their way.
To his excitement, Marilla had disappeared from the window, and he scooted towards Anne, taking full advantage. "Anne, come here."
Her eyes widened, but she allowed him to take her hand and pull her into his lap. "Gilbert…"
"Shhh…"
He took hold of her confused, darling face and brought her in for a kiss, groaning in contentment against her mouth. "This is better than studying, don't you think," he breathed euphorically against her lips. "I'd rather study you..."
"Marilla won't like this. Is she still watching us?"
Gilbert scattered soft kisses all over her face while sneaking a look towards the house, not once removing his mouth from her skin. "Let her see us. She knows we're courting. My only concern is you. If you want me to stop, I will."
"I never want you to stop…"
Gilbert's eyes darkened, and he grinned deviously, his mind overwhelmed with thoughts of the most scandalous kind. He shifted her forwards, but before he could lay her on the grass and rip her blouse, the front door swung open. The couple sprang apart as Marilla came out with a tray of milk, bread and cheese.
"Here, you two must be hungry."
"Thank you, Marilla." Anne smiled gratefully, trying to act normally despite her frazzled appearance. She was more successful than Gilbert, who was seconds away from attacking her again.
"Why don't you stay for dinner, Gilbert, and then you can spend the night with us. I wouldn't want you returning home in the dark."
Though Gilbert had journeyed home late before, he jumped at the opportunity to sleep in the same house as Anne. "Thank you. I'd love to."
…love to sneak into your daughter's room…
As they ate and drank, Gilbert groaned in disappointment when Marilla returned to her spot by the window.
Dinner reminded Gilbert of Christmas dinner years ago. The night he'd introduced Bash and when he almost kissed Anne by the Christmas tree. She had looked so adorable with her short hair and puffed-sleeved dress, and he so longed to kiss her then. He smirked as he sipped from his cup, listing various places in his head where he could kiss her some more, knowing she'd welcome his kisses. However, the two elderly Cuthberts appeared to be doing everything to prolong bedtime, even when all the plates had been cleared away.
"I hope you had a productive afternoon studying."
Studying Anne...
"That was a good idea, Ms Cuthbert. Anne and I get to see each other plus study for our respective careers at the same time."
Anne nodded in agreement. "An ingenious idea, Marilla."
"You both look tired. Matthew, you can show Gilbert the spare bedroom."
Gilbert sighed inwardly, and with one last stare of longing in Anne's direction, he followed Matthew up the stairs.
Gilbert waited for about half an hour before opening his door and tiptoeing over to Anne's room. "Anne, it's me."
"Come in."
He entered and joined her on the bed, desperate to continue where they'd left off before they were so rudely interrupted. "I didn't finish what I started earlier."
"Marilla won't like this. She's a light sleeper as well."
He leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Remember what I said to you before? My only concern is you. I can leave if you—"
"Please stay."
"With pleasure," he whispered huskily. He swept her hair to one side so he could kiss along her neck. "I remember the last time I was in your room. That was when I came to give you my love letter."
She sighed, and he felt her shoulders slump. "Oh, and I ripped it. Do you have to remind me of my most foolish mistake?'
Chuckling, he pulled back to tweak her nose playfully. "Can't be any worse than my foolish mistakes." He gave the nose he tweaked a soft kiss. "Anyway, my imagination went rampant that day. It even rivalled yours."
His lips travelled to her forehead, inhaling the scent of her loose hair. "I kept imagining what you would get up to by yourself. What you would wear at night." He fingered the fabric of her nightgown as he kissed each freckle that adorned her face. "What you would dream about."
His lips had journeyed across her cheeks towards her chin. Once he'd explored every inch of her face, Gilbert stopped his barrage of kisses to stare deep into her eyes. "Hoping you dreamt the same things as me..."
He trailed off and surged forwards to attack her lips and gave her a gentle push. Anne took the hint and lay back against the pillows as Gilbert crawled on top of her like a panther, not stopping his consuming kisses. His hands cradled her face lovingly, still wanting to be tender with her despite his overwhelming desire to be anything but. She felt so perfect underneath him, and then she started moaning, and that was it. Before he could take it even further, though, Anne pulled away from him.
He groaned in protest at the loss of contact, but then she scooted over as much as her small bed would allow. "Would you like to get into bed with me?"
Gilbert raised his eyebrow, though he didn't hesitate getting into bed beside her. "What about Marilla? I thought..."
"As you said, she knows we're courting. As long as we don't go all the way, I don't see why we shouldn't. It's just sharing a bed, isn't it? Though it might be a bit small..."
"Looks big enough for me."
Gilbert knew all too well it wouldn't be just 'sharing a bed'. That became apparent when he lay beside her, her back to his front.
How on earth was he going to get any sleep now?!
It seemed like hours had passed.
Gilbert glanced over at Anne's bedside clock, and to his horror, it had been only twenty minutes since they lay down together. Twenty minutes of agony that would surely last the night. Not to mention, the soft body pressed against his own wasn't moving anytime soon.
"Anne?"
She answered him immediately, confirming his suspicions she was awake. "Can't sleep," she whispered, and he was relieved he wasn't the only one.
"Neither can I...
Anne paused. "Let's talk then. I'm not worried about Marilla anymore. I assume she's fast asleep. Otherwise, she would've heard us by now."
Talk?! That's what she wanted to do?!
"I don't want to talk," and he moved his hips to elaborate.
"Oh..."
Gilbert smirked into her hair, feeling rather cocky. "You like that..."
She didn't need to answer him. Her sighs and moans told him everything he needed to know. Unfortunately, they only added to his discomfort. Then she arched her back, and he snapped. Not knowing how he did it, he managed to maneuver them until they resumed their previous positions—Gilbert pressing her into the bed.
"Gilbert..."
"Shhh..."
He dived to recapture her mouth. "Anne, I can stop," he breathed against her lips and raised his head to stare down at her. "Or are you still worried about getting caught?"
"Neither. Uh...I don't want you to stop. But I don't want us to go all the way, either. It's so strange! The things I'm feeling right now…"
Gilbert listened to her ramble and delighted in how she looked at that moment. She looked positively delicious, and he swooped in for more kisses, eliciting beautiful sounds from her. He grinned against her lips and couldn't resist swivelling his hips to encourage more of her sighs and moans. While distracting her with his hungry kisses, his hands found their way to her drawers, and she broke the kiss with a gasp.
"Are you alright?"
"Uh…yes. You might be disappointed, that's all."
Gilbert gaped at her, gobsmacked by the words coming out of her mouth.
Disappointed? By his Anne? Not likely! Couldn't she see what she did to him?!
He sat up to yank off his shirt. It had the desired effect, and he smiled teasingly at the surprised look on her face. "Gilbert, you're so beautiful. I still can't believe you want me. I..."
"Hush." He silenced her with his tongue, preventing any more speech. "It's your turn," he breathed. Gilbert wasn't in the mood for pleasantries anymore. He nipped at her lower lip while tugging at her drawers again. "Lift up," he growled. "I want to see you. I can't touch you if I can't see you. Let alone kiss you…."
She arched up, letting him shove down her drawers in one swift movement. With a wink, Gilbert made a slow descent, placing the sheet over his head as he kissed his way down her body. "You're beautiful, Anne," he murmured, pressing kisses to her thighs. He managed one quick swipe of his tongue between her legs before reality came crashing down.
"Marilla!"
Gilbert stilled at Anne's strangled voice and muffled a groan into her skin, knowing Marilla would detect him. Yet at the same time, he longed to remain where he was. He made his choice, not the one he wanted, and slid out from under the covers, fully prepared to face Marilla's wrath. However, she looked more embarrassed than furious. Not as embarrassed as Anne, though, who tried her best to defuse the situation in the most Anne way possible.
"Gilbert was just comforting me. I had a nightmare, and he was checking on me."
Gilbert wasn't sure why she bothered. It was clear Marilla wasn't buying any of it."
"The dutiful doctor, was he?"
To his surprise, Gilbert detected humour in Marilla's voice, and he felt a little more at ease. Forgetting his embarrassment, he wrapped his arm around Anne's shoulders. "Just a doctor caring for the one he loves. The one he wants to marry."
That got Anne's attention and made her forget about her own humiliation. "Was that a proposal?"
Feeling like the luckiest guy in the world, Gilbert scooted upwards to kiss her in answer. He paid no mind to Marilla, who remained standing there and watching them, and she interrupted them with a cough. "All right. I'm happy for you, but Gilbert, you must return to your room. Anne, we'll talk about this tomorrow."
With one last kiss goodnight to his betrothed, Gilbert followed Marilla out of the room, fully prepared to get a lecture. And he'd forgotten his shirt as well.
Marilla simply pointed to his spare room. "Off to bed. Remember, I'm a light sleeper, and if you're going to be my future son-in-law, then you will abide by the rules of this house!"
With one last stern look, Marilla headed back to her room, and he did the same, not daring to return to Anne's room and retrieve his shirt. Though, Gilbert was too excited to care about overprotective parents anymore and fell on his bed with a sigh of contentment. His only concern at that moment was…
How on earth was he going to sleep now?!