Hey everyone, I'm sorry I completely forgot to say thank you at the start of the last chapter. So, double thank you's to you all for reading this story (and any of my other stories too) and for taking time to leave all your wonderful reviews :) it's much appreciated. Thank you all so so much x
Also, hpfan144, if you read this chapter - I have messaged you regarding your request :) I hope you saw it?
Now, here's the next chapter for you. Please enjoy…
Hearing a breath hitch in her throat as she took in the magnificent view, Joseph turned his head to look back at her. The expression on her face told him all he needed to know, that she had fallen in love at the sight before her too, just like he had on his very first visit to this place two years before. "I take it you like it?" He said softly and smiled as she turned her head to look at him.
"How can you not?" Clarisse beamed and looked back out at the view while unwrapping her arms from around his neck and her legs from around his waist and turned to face the wall of the pool. Resting her arms folded together on the edge and glanced up at the sky before down at the ocean. "It's absolutely stunning with the clear blue skies, turquoise blue water, white sand, and tall palm trees. But why has it taken you three days to show me this?" She chuckled while turning her head to look back at him moving in the water to be closer to her.
"I'm sorry my love, but in my defence it wasn't just me that stopped us from coming out here," he laughed while putting his hand on her back and watched as she tipped her head down to rest on her folded arms in front of her. A flush creeping over her body. "It was you too, remember?"
"Oh I know, and I'm kicking myself for continually saying that we will go out later, or tomorrow now," she smiled and lifted her head to look back out at the view a moment while resting her chin down on her arms. "It's so peaceful and quiet. I love hearing the sound of the ocean crashing on the shore. Especially first thing in the morning."
"That's another reason why I love this place so much, it's so relaxing compared to the hustle and bustle life back home," Joseph said, smoothing his hand slowly up and down her back as they both stared out at the view in slience a long moment. "But it's even better now, sharing it all with you," he smiled.
Smiling, Clarisse glanced back at him before looking back out at the view. "I know that we have only been here for three days, and still have a good few days left here yet, but I'm really going to miss this place when we return home. The calmness. The peace and quiet. The salty, sea smell. The sound of the ocean." Clarisse said as they both turned their heads to look at one another. "And yes, I know that we don't live that far from a beach back home, but it sounds different somehow somewhere else. It feels different, too."
"Yes it does, I agree," Joseph nodded and watched as she inhaled a deep breath of fresh, sea air while turning to look back out at the ocean. "Well there's nothing stopping us from coming back here in the future. In fact, I would love to bring you back here again one day soon. Maybe for your birthday?"
"I would like that," Clarisse smiled as she turned her head to look back at him over her shoulder and briefly closed her eyes as he kissed her shoulder, letting his lips linger there a moment before lifting his head and kissing her on her lips. "I just remembered that you promised to make arrangements to bring Mia and Lilly here next time, do you remember?"
"Oh yes that's right, I did," Joseph nodded and looked away, thinking a moment before looking back to her. "We will have to make sure we behave then, won't we," he said, and they both laughed before sharing another kiss.
"That might prove difficult," Clarisse whispered against his lips and kissed him again before easing her head back just a little to look into his eyes. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"Oh I do, very much so," Joseph smiled mischievously and kissed her once more, his heart skipping a beat as he watched her turn her head to look back out at the view. "Stay right here, okay? I'm going to go and get a picture of you. Of this. It's beautiful. You're beautiful."
Laughing, Clarisse turned herself a little and watched as he began to swim across to the steps leading out of the pool a moment before turning back, and getting completely and utterly lost in one of the most beautiful views she had ever seen.
Smiling, Joseph stepped out of the pool and walked around to the lounger to get his towel. After drying his hands and arms, and dabbing his face and chest, he put his towel back down and picked up his camera from the table before walking over to the edge of the pool where they had been sitting earlier and took a picture of Clarisse as she was, arms folded up on the edge of the pool, chin resting down on her arms with the clear blue sky and the crystalline ocean surrounding her. She looked so at peace. At ease. And he absolutely loved capturing these moments of her relaxing. Something she hadn't been able to do in such a long time.
Lowering his camera, he checked to make sure the photo was okay before looking back up at her. Completely mesmerised over how beautiful she looked there in the pool. So much so, he didn't even notice when she turned around to look over at him.
"Have you finished yet?" Clarisse asked, pulling him from his thoughts, and smiled. "Did you get your photo?"
"Oh yes, I did, sorry," he smiled and watched as she took a deep breath before going under the water and swimming over to him. Unaware that he had taken another photo of her swimming towards him under the water.
Coming up for air when she reached the wall of the pool, Clarisse put her hands over the edge and looked up at him, standing in front of her. "I hope you're not filling up your camera with too many pictures of me."
"So what if I am," he smiled cheekily and raised his camera up, to take another photo of her as she laughed and shook her head. "I like taking them. They are beautiful reminders of our honeymoon, something special for us to look back on together."
"Alright," Clarisse smiled up at him, a mischievous glint in her eye, "but just so you know, I'm going to start taking pictures of just you."
"That's perfectly fine with me," Joseph smiled and watched as she turned to start swimming towards the steps. "Hey, where are you going? I was just about to get back in with you," he laughed.
"I want to get out and sunbathe for a while," Clarisse smiled as she stepped slowly out of the pool. In a way Joseph would swear was seductive.
"Okay," Joseph smiled as he walked over to the table, to put his camera back down, before grabbing her towel from the lounger and unfolding it for her while making his way over to her walking around the pool towards him. "Would you mind if I swam a bit longer?"
"Of course not. You swim as much as you like," she smiled up at him as he stepped closer and wrapped the towel around her shoulders. "Thank you," she said, grasping hold of the ends of the towel in her hands.
"You're welcome," he smiled, putting his hands on the tops of her arms while leaning in to kiss her. "I won't be long then I'll come and join you."
"Take as long as you like," she smiled and looked down at her kimono, sunhat, sunglasses, and their bottles of beer at the side of the pool before walking over to them.
"I'll help you with this first," he said, following her and picking up the kimono, sunhat and her sunglasses for her as she held the ends of her towel in one hands grasp and bent over to pick up their bottles of beer in her other hand. "You know, I was trying to remember the last time you wore a swimming costume earlier, but for the life of me, I couldn't."
"Oh," she laughed and thought a moment as she stood back up. Smiling as Joseph placed her sunhat on top of her head before making his way over to the double sun lounger. "I guess as long as it has been since I last wore a bikini."
"No it ain't," Joseph exclaimed as he put her few bits down on the lounger before turning back to her walking towards him. "You have been out by the pool since then."
"Yes I have, of course, but I was always fully dressed," Clarisse said as she stood in front of him and held out his bottle to him. Watched as he took it from her and smiled his thanks. "You need to remember that when the boys got to that age when they didn't want me around them so much, because I cramped their style, and were hardly ever at home, I took on more Royal duties to keep myself busy, so I never really had the chance to sit and relax out by the pool after that. Only for a few moments here and there, and I didn't see any point changing into my swimming costume for that."
"But you had days off, what about then?" Joseph asked and took a sip of his beer.
"I had days off, yes, but very rarely, and on the days that I did manage to have free, it was miserable weather, so I never got the chance then either." Clarisse said as he stepped closer to her and reached his free hand out onto her side.
"Oh," Joseph said as he watched her take a drink of her beer before looking back up at him.
"But all that will change now, of course," Clarisse smiled up at him, "especially if we get a property that has a pool."
"Oh, getting a property with a pool is a definite must," Joseph smiled and lowered his head to kiss her a couple of times.
"Well, I can't wait," Clarisse smiled and stepped past him, to place her bottle down on the table before removing the towel from around her shoulders and placing it down on the lounger next to them.
"Neither can I," he smiled and reached his arm out past her, to put his beer bottle down on the table next to hers before looking back up into her eyes. "Right, I'm going to go and have a swim. Unless you would like me to rub some sunscreen into your back first?" He asked.
"Oh, yes, please," she smiled and nodded. "I would love that."
"Alright," he smiled and grabbed the sunscreen bottle from the table before turning to look out across at the ocean a moment. "We will have to make sure that we go for a swim in the sea sometime before we go home," he said, looking down at the bottle in his hands and squirting a bit of sunscreen into the palm of his hand before putting the bottle back down and finally turning back Clarisse, who was now stood with her back to him, removing one of the straps of her swimming costume from her shoulder, the other one already removed and tucked under her arm. Causing a breath to hitch in his throat.
"Are you okay?" Clarisse asked, turning her head to the side while pulling her arm free from the strap and tucking it under her arm before putting her hands up to hold the front of her costume against her chest.
"Oh yes," he smiled, stepping closer to her and putting a hand on the top of her shoulder. "I was just surprised to see that you had removed the straps of your costume, that's all."
"Well I would like a nice tan, if I can. Without having the white strap lines, because I personally think it looks hideous when you wear certain things and you got the white lines where the straps have been," Clarisse smiled as she tipped her head forward and closed her eyes as he began to rub the sunscreen in across the top of her back, shoulders and neck.
"Oh yes, I agree," Joseph smiled as he continued to massage the sunscreen into the top of her back. "You can always go a bit lower if you like, no ones going to see. Only me, of course, and I'm not going to mind if you do," he teased.
"Mhmm I bet you won't, but it's perfectly fine where it is, thank you," Clarisse smiled, her heart beating that little bit faster as she took her bottom lip between her teeth when she felt his lips on the top of her shoulder. The whiskers from his beard causing a tickling sensation. "Joseph," she said softly a moment later as he snaked his arm around her waist and pressed his hand against her stomach, holding her back against him while pressing his firm body against hers and kissed her neck.
"I can't help it," Joseph whispered seductively in her ear and watched as she slowly turned around to face him. His hand smoothing around to her back as she turned.
"Have you finished rubbing sunscreen into my back?" She asked, looking up into his eyes and watching as he nodded while putting his free hand up onto the side of her neck. "Good, now go for your swim."
"But what if I don't want to now? What if I want to stay here with you?" He smirked, lowering his head to kiss her when she raised a hand up from where it had been resting, holding her swimming costume in place, and pressing her forefinger to his lips to stop him. Knowing full well that if he was to kiss her now, no swimming or sunbathing would be accomplished today. They would end up making love again, and she wasn't entirely sure they would even make it back inside the house either.
Yes, she had become that little bit braver since they were married last week, even going as far as making love out in the pavilion back home and in the jacuzzi in the middle of their first night here, but she wasn't brave enough to make love out by the open pool, not in the middle of the day. Even if it is as private as Joseph had said it was. She still couldn't do it.
"Go and have your swim you," she smiled up at him and lowered her hand down onto his chest.
"You're a tease, Mrs Elizondo, that's what you are," he smirked mischievously, knowing exactly what he had done to her. Especially after calling her by her married name. Before turning to walk over to the pool and diving into the cool water. To try and calm himself down. To try and extinguish the burning desire that had built up for her inside him.
Biting her lip, Clarisse watched him swim a moment before grabbing the bottle of sunscreen from the table and rubbing some into her face, neck, arms, across her chest and her legs, all the areas that she could reach, before putting the bottle back down and picking up her sunglasses from where Joseph had placed them earlier on and slipped them on as she sat carefully down on the lounger, and turned in the seat to put her legs and feet up, to settle back against the backrest.
Grabbing the book from the table that Joseph had brought out with him earlier on, she bent her legs up in front of her and rested the now open book against them, trying her utmost best to make a start at reading it. In an attempt to distract herself from the arousal, the desire, that had started to grow deep within her ever since he first placed a lingering kiss to the top of her shoulder when they were in the pool earlier on. Long before he kissed her there again while rubbing sunscreen into the top of her back and wrapping his arm around her waist, pressing his hand against her stomach. To hold her back against him as he pressed his oh so delicious body against hers, all while kissing her neck. To then fuel it further more when he called her by her married name.
But all she could think about now was how much she wanted her husband, how much she wanted him to take her right there on that sun lounger, and she knew that he would do it too if he was given the chance to, going by his behaviour.
Biting her lip once again at the thoughts that deliciously occupied her mind, she peered over the top of the book at him swimming a moment before briefly closing her eyes. "Nope, Clarisse, you must behave," she whispered to herself with a shake of her head and slipped down the lounger a little more, so she could hide behind the book resting high up on her legs. So she couldn't see him, the man she so desired, swimming. And tried her best to focus on the book.
I know this chapter isn't the best, I just couldn't seem to get the flow of it for some reason, but I would still appreciate all your feedback/thoughts on it please. Many thanks.