Thank you for the reviews. I appreciate the positive response. If the last chapter was out of character, then this one is...more so. Definitely earning that T rating, but I don't think it crosses the line beyond that.
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Earlier that day...
Elizabeth had stopped by the jail that afternoon to see if Nathan and Allie wanted to join her and Jack for dinner. And hopefully to steal a kiss or two. With school starting next week, she was already lamenting that she wouldn't have quite as much free time to seek him out during the day.
She knocked gently and then pushed the door open to find the room empty. Her mind flitted back to just a few months ago when she had also found the jail void of Nathan - only to have him appear from the back room, shirt in hand. She wasn't going to pretend like she hadn't imagined what his bare chest might look like, but nothing had prepared her for seeing him for the first time. That one glimpse had been enough to fuel some vivid daydreams. But now that things had progressed, her imagination wandered even further. Now in her mind she was running her hands across his chest and stomach. Grazing the backs of her knuckles down until her fingers slid inside the front of his trousers. Gripping his waistband with both hands and pulling him toward her.
The sound of the door closing followed by Bill Avery's recognizable voice shook her back to reality.
"Elizabeth!"
Elizabeth tried to remember that Bill couldn't read minds and had no way of knowing what she'd just been imagining, but her voice was still a little shaky when she finally found her words.
"Oh, hi! I was, umm, I was just looking for Nathan."
"Really? I thought maybe you were here to turn yourself in," Bill returned, voice dripping with his customary sarcasm. "I know it's early on, and there was that unpleasantness with Hargreaves, but things seem to be going well for you two if you don't mind me saying."
"Yes, Bill," Elizabeth smiled shyly. "Things are going very well."
"Good. You know I'm happy for you both. You deserve this."
"Thank you, Bill. I don't know about deserving anything, but I am certainly grateful. And excited."
In one of his rare moments of showing his sentimental side, Bill wrapped his arm around Elizabeth in a brief but supportive sidehug.
"He's in the stables brushing down the horses. Including yours." Bill rolled his eyes. "He's such a goner."
Elizabeth's smile widened, and she headed out the door to find Nathan.
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Arriving at the stables, Elizabeth heard Nathan's voice before she saw him.
"What do you think?" Nathan asked whomever he was talking to. Elizabeth didn't hear a response but she didn't have to wait long before Nathan's voice echoed through the stables again. "Well you aren't being helpful at all. I know I told you a while back I didn't want to hear anything from you on this subject, but at this point you could be a better friend. Help a guy out."
Elizabeth looked around. Having just left Bill, she was baffled about who Nathan could be talking to. His tone was lighthearted and teasing, like he was speaking to a good friend. It was a tone Elizabeth knew Nathan reserved for those closest to him. When her eyes finally found Nathan's frame that had been hidden by the large body of his equine companion, realization settled in. He was talking to Newton. Elizabeth couldn't contain the grin and slight laugh at the sight and sound of the man she loved asking advice from his horse. The giggle was what gave away her presence and Nathan's clear blue eyes locked with hers. He closed them and grimaced a bit but still smiled himself.
"How much of that did you hear?" he asked sounding more than a little embarrassed. Elizabeth couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate what she'd come to think of as his "Mountie casual" look - a short sleeved Henley tucked into his uniform jodhpurs which were secured to his shoulders by his ever-present suspenders. He looked stunning. And she needed to answer his question.
"Enough to know that you don't think Newt's being very helpful. Maybe I could help instead?"
"I don't know about that. Since you were the topic of the conversation." Nathan tossed the brush he had been using into a nearby bucket and pulled a towel out of his pocket to wipe his hands.
"Oh really?" Elizabeth asked, raising an eyebrow and closing the distance between them, suddenly very grateful that the horses were the only ones in the stables with them.
"Really," Nathan replied, lowering his voice slightly and dropping the towel in the bucket with the brush. "I was trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do about you."
"Am I causing a problem for you, Constable?" Elizabeth asked with feigned innocence while finally getting close enough to snake her arms around Nathan's neck.
"Yes," was Nathan's simple response before his lips found hers. His hands went instinctively to her hips and pulled her flush against him eliciting a gasp from Elizabeth that parted her lips perfectly enough for Nathan to take the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Elizabeth allowed her fingers to run through his hair and gently pulled him even closer. The move had a profound impact on Nathan as he pulled away slightly and looked earnestly at Elizabeth. She could see how dark his eyes had become, like the depths of the ocean.
"Come here," he said, his voice husky with desire and intent. Elizabeth took his hand, and he pulled her a few feet to the left and into Newton's freshly cleaned stall, closing the stall door behind them. He then backed her up against the stall wall and placed both hands on the sides of her face.
"I get the distinct feeling that I might be causing a similar problem for you," he said as he allowed the back of his left hand to travel down her neck and across her collarbone.
"That you are," Elizabeth said, lids fluttering closed in response to the feel of Nathan's knuckles traveling lower down the center of her chest.
Her breath hitched slightly and then suddenly Nathan was kissing her again. She vocally responded to the kiss with a soft moan which clearly affected Nathan in a primal way. He moved his lips from her mouth across her jaw and then down her neck, tracing the same path his knuckles had just followed as he held her head with his right hand and squeezed her hip with his left. Elizabeth ran her hands over his chest and gently began to slide both suspenders off his shoulders. Nathan let go of Elizabeth just long enough to allow her to complete her mission. Suspenders now dangling at his sides, Nathan returned his mouth to Elizabeth's and pressed her even harder between his body and the wall. The closeness was bliss for Elizabeth, but it somehow wasn't enough. Arms wrapped around his torso, she snatched hungrily at the base of his Henley, successfully untucking the garment. Finally, she could get her hands on the skin of his back, and Nathan's body reacted in kind. He moved his right hand to her ribcage and brushed the side of her breast with his thumb as he continued the onslaught of her lips with his.
They probably should have remembered that they were technically in a public space, but that would have required coherent thoughts. Needless to say, the sound of Henry's unmistakable voice was jarring.
"Nathan, I'm sorry to, uh, interrupt your meeting, but I just found Newton wandering around outside."
Nathan and Elizabeth shot apart and immediately attempted to make themselves presentable, but there was no hiding what they'd been up to. Henry stood with Newton's lead in one hand and the other hand on the stall door.
"Ummm. Thank you for bringing him back. Elizabeth and I were just, uh, we, uh..." Nathan gave up his attempt at covering, as he worked to return his suspenders to their proper position on his shoulders.
Henry simply handed over Newton.
"I don't warrant an explanation Nathan." Henry glanced over to Elizabeth who was still blushing. "Besides. The last time I found Elizabeth in this stall she was flustered for a much less pleasant reason." He flashed his trademark smile and turned to walk away, but before he exited the stables he looked back at the pair.
"A word of unsolicited advice to the two of you. You might consider marriage. Or a chaperone. Or some other arrangement. I can't imagine what'll happen if Florence finds you in a similar state."
With that, he walked away, leaving Elizabeth and Nathan staring after him.
Well, now you know what happened that afternoon that had Elizabeth so contemplative. You can always count on Henry...what do you think of his suggested options?
I'll post the next chapter in a couple days, and we'll see what our couple decides to do about their little problem.