Back to Life Ch. 04

Having found a table in the courtyard garden of a favorite local pub, Peter watched as Karen sipped her drink and perused the menu. Her cheeks were warm from the time spent in the sun, and there was a faint sheen of perspiration on her upper lip that teased his senses. He wanted to taste it, to taste her again, but he also wanted to enjoy this quiet time with her without the strain of out-of-control emotions. They shared a pitcher of lemonade, and a fish and chip lunch.

"It's such a beautiful day!" she enthused as she sat back, relaxed, watching the other diners.

"It is, isn't it?" he replied. "I hope the evening is as fair for our plans."

"I'm not sure I have anything to wear," she said. "Perhaps I should buy myself something in the shops before we go back."

"I'm sure what you're wearing now is fine, Karen," he said, allowing himself to look at her from her eyes to her chest. "You look beautiful!" He watched her cover her lips with the napkin, ostensibly to wipe them, but more, he sensed, to hide them from his hungry scrutiny.

"If you'd like to do a bit of shopping before we go home, I'll be happy to take you," he added, and looked away, letting her off the hook for now. He fully intended to kiss her again before the day was over, so he could afford to be generous now and allow her to relax again.

After lunch, she declared herself so full that she needed a walk to work it off, so they strolled down Market Street, visiting the shops, and she bought herself a bracelet she admired in a little boutique. She also bought a gift for Jannie -- a pashmina shawl -- and worried that she didn't know what to buy for Duncan.

"Don't worry about that, love!" he reassured her. "Neither of them is expecting anything from you."

He smiled at her, and let her wander off on her own so he could pick up the scarf he had seen that would go beautifully with the dress she was wearing, as well as the perfect chain for the pendant he had bought her two months earlier. She was paying for her purchases as he approached the cash register, and he smiled at her as she waited for him to pay for his own. They drove back in companionable silence, and as soon as he got to his room, he transferred the pendant from the leather strap to the chain he had just bought, and then put it aside for later. Before long he was knocking on her door again, waiting anxiously for her to admit him.

"May I come in?" he asked when she finally opened the door. He tried not to react to the sight of her in her dressing gown from the night before. "I have something for you."

Karen stepped back, allowing him to enter, and he walked into the center of the room, waiting for her to turn and face him. When she did, without closing the door, he said,

"You were worried about what to wear later, so I thought this might add a little something to your dress, and also be another layer to keep you warm, in case it gets chilly."

He handed her the tissue-wrapped scarf, and watched as she unwrapped it and stared. The scarf was silk, a pretty mixture of golds and reds and blues, slashes of color that would enhance any of a number of things that she might wear, but that would pick up the gold highlights in the dress she had taken off. He knew he should feel guilty for disturbing her when she clearly had undressed so she could have a lie-in, but he could feel nothing but a rising desire to see what was under the thin dressing gown, and a wish that it were thin enough to let him see through it.

"Oh my! How thoughtful of you, Peter! It's beautiful! Thank you! You're very kind!"

He listened to her gush, and knew she was nervous, probably because she recognized the look he was giving her for what it was -- the intention to kiss her mindless. He didn't wait for her to protest his desires, but stepped closer and kissed her without touching her anywhere else but on those luscious lips. He knew that if he held her he would forget where he was, that her door was open for anyone who happened by to see, and that he would ravish her. He searched her mouth as though she had treasure hidden in it, and his body tightened when she groaned. He answered her groan with his own, needing so much more than one kiss and sternly denying himself.

"I'm glad you like it, liefje!" he whispered against her lips. "I'll let you get some rest now. See you later!" he said, smiling into her eyes.

She licked her lips, and touched his dimple again, and the caress broke the thread of his control.

"Karen, I want you more with every minute I spend with you. Don't tempt me, love!" he begged her, but wrapped his arms around her anyway and kissed her some more.

He was hungry for her, and by the way she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to her, she was for him, too. He drank from her, and pulled her body hard into his own, letting her feel him, letting himself feel her, fighting to keep from writhing against her in an agony of need and lust.

"Get some rest, baby!" He rested his lips on hers fleetingly one more time, and walked out before he lost it completely.

Karen watched him go, but could not seem to move for a minute after he disappeared. She stood trembling in the middle of the room, wanting him with a fierceness that shook her, though it no longer surprised her. She had loved to feel his hard body, all muscles and desire, pressed against her earlier, and she knew he was stopping himself from rubbing against her, as she had been doing herself. It wouldn't do to get physical in his cousin's house. When they made love, she wanted it to be where no one could have any reason to care, one way or the other, what two people who had fallen in love were doing behind closed doors.

Fallen in love...she knew she had. How could it be possible, she wondered, as she closed the door and lay on the bed, that two people who barely knew each other could have fallen in love so soon? It was beyond her understanding, and she remembered, as she set her cell phone to alarm at six, and drifted off to sleep, that her aunt had once told her that no one can choose who to love. Karen supposed she was right. Unbidden, Niall McLaren came to mind. He was as handsome as Peter, bolder, brassier, the sort of man most women fell head over heels for. And yet, he had sparked nothing more in her that warm feelings of friendship. It was Peter who made her think raunchy thoughts, Peter who made her hot all over, Peter who made her dream wet dreams.

The tolling clock on her phone dragged her out of sleep, and she took a second to recall where she was. It was time to get ready for her evening. She had hung the dress up to air, and now with the scarf Peter had given her, she would look presentable for an evening out. She made sure no one was in the bathroom before going in to wash her face and brush her teeth. Back in her room, she applied makeup again, put the dress back on, and swathed the scarf just so around her neck. Spritzing herself with her favorite fragrance, and taking Jannie's gift with her, she went back downstairs to wait for him.

Jannie was standing at the kitchen table putting the last few items into the picnic basket. She looked up as Karen entered.

"What a lovely picture you make, my dear!" she said. "I'll have to take a photo of you and Peter when he comes down!"

Karen smiled at her, finding her obvious matchmaking amusing.

"Peter bought me this scarf to wear this evening, as I was moaning about not having something different to wear out," she explained to Jannie. "That's why the dress shines now!"

"He certainly has good taste, doesn't he, my dear?" Jannie replied with a smile. Turning away for a moment, she took up a small pack and turned back to place it in the basket. "There now, that's ready!" She looked up at Karen and added, "I'm sure you'll have a lovely time this evening! The performances are usually stellar, you know!"

"I bought you something as well," Karen said, and handed her the gift. "I hope you like it."

Jannie unwrapped the shawl and declared herself perfectly pleased with it. "You needn't have bought me a thing," she added with a wide smile, "but I appreciate your thoughtfulness, my dear!"

Peter walked in at that moment, and Karen turned to smile a welcome at him.

"I think Jannie has packed food to feed the five thousand, Peter," she joked as he approached.

He laughed as he surveyed the contents of the basket, and Jannie chuckled.

"You had a long walk today, I'm sure, and food keeps your bones warm on chilly evenings!" She was unrepentant, which made Karen laugh aloud.

"Is there wine, Jannie?" Peter asked.

"Of course, love! And some cheese for afters."

Karen looked at her. "Afters?" she wondered.

"After dinner, my dear. I didn't have much by way of dessert, but cheese is always a good thing to pair with grapes. I hope you'll like that?"

There was concern in her voice, which Karen hastened to address. "It sounds perfect, Jannie. Thank you!"

Peter picked up the basket, and turned to Karen.

"Shall we go?" he invited her, but before she could follow him, Jannie interrupted.

"Come on, then, let's have a shot of you!"

She had concealed her camera on the kitchen counter, and now she retrieved it and bid them smile at her. Satisfied with their facial expressions, she snapped the shot, looked at it, she declared herself happy with the results. She showed it to them, and promised to send a copy to Peter before she went to bed. Finally, Karen followed Peter out to the car, carrying the two lawn chairs Jannie had placed by the front door.

Parking and finding their way to a suitable spot for picnicking and seeing the stage took more time than Karen had anticipated, and they had just settled into their lawn chairs when the performance began. The play was Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing", which they both thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. The actors were well cast and the play innovatively interpreted. As it progressed, they feasted on steak and kidney pie with greens, a full-bodied port, and cleansed their palates with cheese and grapes. Karen took the opportunity to watch the others around her, noting the families, the couples, and even a lone watcher or two in amongst the crowd. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the performance equally well. When Beatrice and Benedick kissed each other around their teasing words at the end, Karen felt Peter's eyes on her, and turned to see the hungry look on his face again. She smiled, and turned her attention back to the stage. By the time the cast was taking its bows, she had completely relaxed. She helped Peter to pack up the basket, though he insisted on leaving the wine and glasses on top.

"For a final toast before we go back home," he had said by way of explanation.

Now, they were walking back to the car, and Peter was greeted by a few people who recognized him. She could feel their eyes on her, and almost hear them wondering who she was. She was glad he didn't stop to talk, as she could not have borne their scrutiny. Once the things had been packed securely in the trunk, Peter handed her the unfinished bottle of wine and the two glasses and settled her in the passenger seat.

"There's a little clearing behind Jannie's house," he said, starting the engine, "where we can sit and watch the night. I'm not quite ready to go back home yet, are you?" He turned to her, his hands on the wheel, and waited.

"Not if you're not," she answered him, hoping she didn't sound coy or simpering. She wanted to be careful, but she could feel the tension that the evening's outing had kept at bay building again between them, and she didn't want to douse it unless he did.

He nodded and drove off, arriving at the small clearing and shutting off the engine. Karen could see Jannie's house behind her, a lone light on in the kitchen, she imagined. She listened to the sound of wine being poured, and turned to accept her glass from Peter.

"I'd like to propose a toast," he began, "to a most beautiful woman."

Karen chuckled. "I don't think you can expect me to raise a glass to that, Peter!" she retorted. "Perhaps something else, more specific?"

He smiled at her. "What do you suggest, then?"

"Well," she hesitated, considering, "why are you toasting this woman?" She wanted to test him, to see what he would say.

"She's intelligent, feisty, funny," he began, and when she smirked at him, he continued, "and I've fallen in love with her."

Trying not to show her shock at his admission, and endeavoring to keep from spilling the contents of her glass, she said,

"A toast to newfound love, then?"

Her voice was low and husky, but she couldn't help that. She was floored by his confession, and unprepared to respond as she knew she should. She needed a few moments to gather herself, to calm her quaking nerves, to...

"To newfound love!" he said, interrupting her thoughts. He watched her, not doing anything, just waiting.

"To newfound love!" she echoed in a shaky voice, and lowered her eyes from his to take a gulp of wine. Liquid courage, she knew, but she needed it right then.

She felt his hand on hers as he took her glass, and she noticed for the first time that he did not have one. She watched him turn it so his lips would rest where hers had done, and then he took a sip. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she stared helplessly into his face, watching his head descend, opening her mouth to receive his kisses. She suckled his tongue as he did hers, and rested her hands on his broad, hard chest, feeling his heart racing under her fingertips.

"I have something else for you," he murmured, his hand trembling on her cheek as he drew away from her at last.

He finished the wine in the glass that he had managed to hold steady, and put it on the dashboard. Then, switching on the ceiling light, he reached into the glove compartment in front of her and withdrew a jeweler's box. Karen's heart beat rapidly. It was too big to be a ring box, but she couldn't tell what it could be from the size. It wasn't long enough to be a necklace, but then again, what did she know? She was not in the habit of receiving gifts from men, particularly gifts of jewelry.

"I bought this for you when we were in London," he began, "on the day after we had supper together. I hope you like it."

He held out the box to her, and Karen took it, opening it immediately to reveal a brilliant crystal pendant attached to a shimmering silver chain. She picked up the chain, a sturdy, beautiful herringbone necklace, and felt the weight of the crystal. It was a faceted oval and sparkled beautifully in the dim light.

"Oh Peter! It's lovely!" She looked up at him, and on an impulse, raised her lips to thank him with a kiss. "Thank you!" she whispered when she drew her mouth from his.

"You're welcome!" he whispered back, and put a finger under her chin. "If I asked, would you give me a longer thank you?" he teased.

He chuckled when she smiled at him and kissed him again, and she felt herself grow damp at the way he went from a friendly 'you're welcome' to a hungry 'I want you now' kiss. She let the gift fall back into the box so she could cup his cheeks and kiss him back the way she wanted to, and maybe show him that she felt the same way that he did. They held each other tenderly, but kissed wildly, and before long, Karen was pulling away to drag in a ragged breath. Placing her fingers over his warm lips, even as he sought to capture hers again, she said,

"I'd like you to put it on me, please, love!"

She let the endearment slip, a kind of advance notice of her feelings, and looked him in the eye. He pushed through her fingers and ate at her lips again, and Karen gave herself up to the fire that threatened to consume them both.

"Liefje!" His breath was warm on her mouth, his pulse racing when she laid her head on his shoulder. "Tell me, do you feel the same way I do?"

Karen smiled. "I'm sure you know I do, Peter!"

"Tell me, liefje!" he prompted. "Say the words!" He caressed her lips with his thumb to encourage her.

"I've fallen in love with you, too!"

He sucked the words off her lips, pulling her closer to him, taking the kisses she willingly gave him.

"I think perhaps we should go in now," Peter said at last, pulling away from her. "Here, let me put that on for you first!" He took the necklace from the box in her lap and pulled her head down so he could put it on. Lifting her chin, he touched his hand to the pendant. "Okay?" he asked.

When she nodded, he stole one last kiss before starting the car and driving them the two minutes home. Duncan was already in, and Karen braced herself for meeting her hosts before she could go to bed. The voices in the kitchen stopped for a split second when they walked in, and then the conversation resumed. Peter steered her up by the front stairs, stopping before her door to wish her a good night.

"I'll see you in the morning, liefje! Sleep well! Good night!"

He kissed her cheek and walked away, bypassing his room and going down to the kitchen by the back stairs. She assumed he would make her excuses for her, and she was grateful. She wasn't ready yet to face his matchmaking cousin. Instead, she stripped and hurried through her shower before crawling into bed, her body still tingling from the promise in his kisses. The shower had not cooled her ardor, and as she drifted off to sleep, she wondered what he had told them.

She did not wake till the sun was high in the sky, having slept through her phone's alarm. Her eyes snapped open only when there was a discreet knock at her door, and Jannie's voice called her for breakfast.

"I'll be a bit late, Jannie," she stuttered. "Please go on without me!"

She listened to Jannie's demur with half an ear, choosing instead to pack her bag, rush through her morning ablutions, and dress. She was only a half an hour late, as she pulled her luggage down the back stairs with her to the kitchen. The others were sitting around the table when she walked in, but Jannie rose immediately and retrieved a plate from the warming oven.

"Have a seat, dear!" she invited Karen, who sat gratefully in the only other chair available. "I see Peter wore you out yesterday, eh?" Jannie smiled, and added, "I hope you slept well!"

Karen fought the blush that rose in her cheeks at the thought of Peter wearing her out, and replied, "Like a log, apparently! I slept right through my alarm! I'm sorry to be late!"

"No worries," Peter assured her. "We're right on time. Take your time, and enjoy your breakfast. I'll just do my own packing now. See you in a bit!"

He left her to the tender mercies of his cousins who began to speak almost at once.

"I hope you enjoyed your time here," Jannie said.

"You must come again, and bring Peter with you!" Duncan teased.

Karen laughed. "Shouldn't that be the other way around?"

"We understand you didn't take in the sights inside Blenheim Palace, so we will take it as read that you'll be back for that!" Duncan explained. "We're happy to have met you, Karen," he added, " and we wish you the best."

His last comment was made with an intonation that told Karen he and his wife were very worried about their cousin and hoped she would be the answer they wanted for him. She didn't know how to answer the underlying message, so she just said,

"Thank you both for having me!"

She left it at that. Peter returned as she was finishing her orange juice, and she stood up to put her dishes in the sink.

"No, that's quite all right, my dear. I'll take care of these!" Jannie took the things out of her hands and put them in the sink, and then crossed to Peter, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a sound kiss on each cheek. "It was lovely to have you," she told him. "I'll call you about the reunion in Scotland as soon as I have more information."