Courting Miss Greene Ch. 06

Thomas glanced over his shoulder, a bit surprised to find Abby holding the box of chocolates still unopened in her lap. "I didn't spike them, if that's what you're worried about," he assured her while he kicked off his pants.

"Oh, I wasn't worried," said Abby, suppressing a grin. "I just didn't want to miss watching you undress."

"Ah!" Thomas climbed onto the bed. "And are you going to return the favor?" he asked in a low voice, leaning so close it made the girl shrink back and blush.

For a moment Abby wondered whether he could actually see anything, staring down her nightgown like that. She quickly opened the box to distract him. "Here, you should have one too," she said.

Thomas peered down. "Which one has any liquor, do you suppose?" he asked.

"The oval one, I think," she answered.

Just when Thomas reached out his hand, Abby pulled away the box. "Wait!" she cried, remembering he had just scaled the wall again. "Wash your hands first." She nodded at the washing table next to the door.

For a moment the young man was stunned, but he chuckled when he moved away. "Yes, ma'am."

Abby was amused to see Thomas cross the room in his bare buttocks. She thought he looked innocent enough, standing at the washing table she had grown up sharing with her sisters. "You're the first boy to visit this room," she explained when he cast her a curious glance, "and you'll probably remain the only one, judging from the way things are going."

"I'm honored," replied Thomas, "although I really am a man by anyone's definition." He flexed his muscles to illustrate his point.

Abby suppressed a giggle. "Perhaps," she teased in a skeptical tone.

"Perhaps?" echoed Thomas with mock indignation. "Oh, but surely Abby Greene would never allow an immature boy into her room." He climbed back onto the bed with a mischievous grin on his face. "A mere boy would never be allowed to kiss her... and touch her... all over her beautiful body."

Abby closed her eyes to enjoy the sensations while Thomas followed his words with actions. "You've got that right," she said with a smile.

All of a sudden Thomas paused. "We'll share one," he said, taking one of the chocolates from the box. "You bite the other half." He straightened his back and placed the candy between his teeth.

Abby sat upright to follow his suggestion, but the liquor spilled out when she did so and it subsequently traveled down her throat to disappear under her collar.

"Interesting," said Thomas with a grin. His kisses followed the liquid trail across her skin.

Abby pulled down her nightgown to accommodate him. "You knew perfectly well this would happen," she accused him, feeling like a proper hussy.

"My love, you overestimate me," protested Thomas. "Calculating the trajectory of any possible spillage is quite beyond me."

"True enough," reckoned Abby. She noticed the molten chocolate on Thomas' fingers and decided to get back at him. She took his hand and brought it to her mouth.

"My love!" exclaimed Thomas when she started licking his finger tips. "How you tease me!"

"How so?" asked Abby, feigning ignorance. A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. "I thought this was teasing." She wrapped her lips around his fingers and sucked on them.

Thomas swallowed hard. "That's teasing me more," he said. He could not stop himself from wondering how far she would go. "I don't suppose if I'd melt any chocolate on my..." He broke off the sentence when Abby frowned at him. "Or on you," he suggested instead. "Somewhere? Anywhere?"

Abby's frown deepened. "No, Thomas," she said, "I was taught not to play with my food."

The young man shrugged. "So was I," he replied, "but all's fair in love and war."

His words amused the girl. "So what's this?" she asked him. "Love or war?"

"Hm, the battle of the sexes," mused Thomas. Then he grinned. "I do carry something of a weapon, a rather versatile one. It can stab or shoot according to the situation."

Abby stood aghast at the analogy. She folded her arms across her chest and tried to look stern. "And is there any way I might defend myself against such an onslaught?" she asked.

"Nature did not design a defense for women," answered Thomas in a solemn voice.

"That's hardly fair," said Abby, "considering a woman has no weapons of her own."

"I beg to differ," said Thomas. "A woman's weapon is her charm, and I daresay yours is quite effective."

Abby's mouth curled into a grin. "Do you speak from experience?"

"I do," confirmed Thomas. "I must admit I am entirely under your spell. You have bewitched me quite completely."

"And quite by accident, I assure you," added Abby.

Thomas blinked at her. "Do you regret it?" he asked her, unable to hide his disappointment.

Abby almost wished she could take back her words. She had meant it as a jest even though it was the truth. "No, I don't regret it," she assured him. "I regret nothing we did in Northfair." She paused for a moment. "But I do regret being so mean to you after the dance. Please forget the things I said."

"No," said Thomas, "I deserved all of that." He gave her a pout. "Don't you regret hitting me with that bucket though?"

"That was warranted!" cried Abby. Before she knew it, she grabbed her pillow and used it to hit him on the head.

"Ow! Pillow fight!" cried Thomas. "Mercy, milady!"

"What need have you for mercy when your skull is made of concrete?" asked Abby, but she put down her pillow anyway.

"Well, yes, but the hair!" cried Thomas. He tried to rearrange it, but only seemed to worsen the static.

Abby suppressed her laughter. "Don't worry about your hair," she said. "Your father still has all of his, and so does Robert."

Thomas chuckled at the idea. "That's no guarantee though," he argued, but he did not stop her from ruffling it up some more. "Would you still love me if I grew bald?" he asked instead.

Abby pursed her lips. Thomas was not supposed to have overheard her confession. She needed to punish him for this. "What if I said 'no'?" she asked him in turn.

The young man could not stop himself from pouting. "I suppose if you said 'no' then you wouldn't really love me," he answered, "in which case it would be best to leave things at this and simply be friends."

"Oh?" Abby cocked an eyebrow at him. "But I'm willing to go all the way with you," she reminded him. "I thought you'd be eager for that."

Thomas cringed. "Well, yes," he admitted, "I'm quite desperate actually, but that's no reason for you to do it. You need a reason of your own or you'll end up feeling used."

"I could do it out of curiosity," suggested Abby, "because I'm tired of being a virgin."

Thomas frowned. "Surely you didn't wait this long only to lose it because of that," he replied.

"That's true," the girl confirmed. "Perhaps I'm just feeling all hot because my period is coming up."

"Hormones can be quite bothersome," the young man agreed, "but it's nothing I can't help you with the usual way." He moved his hand up her thigh.

Abby leaned back to allow Thomas to play with her, but he did not continue. She realized he was still waiting for her to give him a reason. Her mind raced to think of one. It did not dawn on her until she looked into his eyes. Then a smile crept across the girl's face. "I do love you, Thomas," she said, "because you're you," she explained, "wonderfully, uniquely you. I love everything I know about you and I want to get to know you more."

Thomas could hardly believe his ears. "A-Abby...!" he stammered. "My love...!" He wanted to say something equally heartfelt in turn, but instead he only found himself falling down into her welcoming arms.

Lizzy studied Robert's face while he scanned the crowd in the market square. "Can you see them?" she asked.

"Indeed," he answered, "I'm glad to inform you that my aunt and uncle have successfully intercepted your parents."

Lizzy sighed with relief. "That should keep them busy for a while."

"It might be a little too obvious if we join them right away," continued Robert. "May I suggest we do some actual shopping to pass the time before we casually run into them?"

"Sounds like a good idea," agreed Lizzy. "Not to mention I could use the distraction." She let out a nervous giggle.

"Lizzy..." Robert placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You need to let it go or we'll end up running back and forth to your house all morning."

Lizzy sighed. "Well, if you put it that way..."

"Come on. You like shopping, don't you?" He led her away. "Is there anything you're looking for? Anything you need?"

Lizzy glanced at the nearby stalls. "I suppose I could use some new stockings," she said.

"Stockings?" Robert tried not to grin at the images popping up in his mind.

"Yes," confirmed Lizzy, "all of my old ones have seen better days."

"Oh? Is that why you never let me watch you undress?" asked Robert.

Lizzy blushed and nodded.

Robert scolded himself, wondering why he had not guessed as much before. "Well, that won't do," he said. "Let me get you some nice ones," he offered. "It'll add an element of play, you know..." He lowered his voice. "When we get... cozy-cozy." He gave her a wink.

"Oooh...!" Lizzy covered her mouth to hide her grin.

Robert maneuvered them towards the stall. "How do you like these?" he asked, pointing out a pair with ruffled lace. "I think they've got your name written all over them."

"How well you know me," answered Lizzy with a naughty twinkle in her eye. "But they also come in red," she noticed. "That's your favorite color, right?"

"It is," confirmed Robert. "Even so, I'd prefer seeing you in the white ones."

Lizzy gave him a puzzled look. "Dare I ask why?"

Robert grinned at her. "It'll look sexy yet innocent at the same time," he answered, "just like you." He teased her by brushing the tip of her nose with his finger.

Lizzy frowned while she thought about it. "Would you prefer seeing me completely naked or in stockings?" she asked.

Robert opened his mouth and shut it again. "Is that a trick question?" he asked in turn.

Lizzy shook her head, not sure of it herself.

"I suppose there's something enticing about seeing your lover in a certain state of undress," said Robert.

"Oh, I know!" cried Lizzy. "Like you in your shirtsleeves?"

Robert raised his eyebrows. "My shirtsleeves?"

Lizzy blushed. "Yes, when you leave them unbuttoned," she explained. "It makes me feel all giddy. As if I'm not supposed to peek at your chest, but I do... because I'm naughty that way. And then it's a bit of a shame when you take it all off."

Robert blinked at her, not knowing how to respond.

Lizzy misunderstood his silence. "I'm such a bad girl!" she cried and hung her head.

"What? No, not at all! You're just so... so..." Robert chuckled in his fist. "You're just too damn sweet, that's what you are."

Lizzy glanced up, biting her lip. "That's good, right?" she asked in a small voice.

"I think it's your most appealing feature," Robert assured her.

"Oh? I thought my breasts were my best feature," said Lizzy with a confused look.

Somehow Robert managed not to lower his gaze. "Then consider it a tie," he suggested.

Lizzy nodded and returned Robert's smile. He had such a way of solving these issues. It took a while before she noticed a woman standing behind Robert, staring at them from the corner of her eye.

"Oh! Good day, Mrs. Stevenson," said Lizzy.

The woman cocked an eyebrow at her. "Well, at least you seem to be enjoying yourself," she replied, shaking her head. "Flirting with men the moment your sister's not looking. And a perfect stranger too!"

Lizzy pouted. "Robert's not a stranger," she said. "We're getting married." She resisted the urge to show off her ring again.

"Pah!" scoffed Mrs. Stevenson. "What difference does that make? Men can marry you, cheat on you and divorce you. I should know. It happened to me twice. The only question is how many children he'll leave you with. Especially at your age, poor thing."

Robert's face flushed red. "Now, ma'am! I must object. I only have the best intentions toward Lizzy."

Mrs. Stevenson was unimpressed. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions," she replied in a cool voice. "Paved," she repeated before she turned on her heel and strode away with her chin in the air.

"What could she possibly mean by that?" asked Lizzy.

"Who knows?" asked Robert in turn. "Somehow I keep making a bad impression on the villagers in this town. Perhaps she thought I'd only corrupt your values."

Lizzy blinked at him. "Because you wanted to get me a pair of stockings?" she asked.

"Well, I did fail to ask your opinion," answered Robert. "I suppose I should have checked whether you were comfortable with the idea of entertaining me that way. I didn't mean to take you for granted, baby."

"Oh, Robert," said Lizzy with a sigh. "you ask so little of me, even though you know perfectly well I'd do anything to please you." The girl paused for a moment. "Well, within reason of course," she added.

Robert chuckled. "Of course," he agreed.

"So it's the white ones then?" asked the vendor, startling the couple.

Robert coughed in his fist, always quick to compose himself. "Yes, please," he answered and reached for his wallet.

Abby released her pillow and lowered her arms to cover her heaving chest. Not so much out of modesty as in an effort to calm her racing heartbeat. She opened her eyes to find Thomas gazing down at her, still resting his hand on the inside of her thigh.

Thomas thought she had never looked prettier with her hair fanned out across the pillow and that contented, little smile on her blushing face. Perhaps it was the morning light trickling through the curtains that caused her skin to glow with such radiance. Or he was really that good at what he did. "Do you still wish to go on?" he asked.

"Of course," she answered.

"Then... tell me how you want it to be," he said in a low voice.

Abby averted her eyes. "I don't know..."

"Come on," urged Thomas, giving her thigh a gentle squeeze. "Any naughty fantasies? Secret desires? Don't be embarrassed. I'd never tell anyone, not even Robert," he assured her, "but if you're shy, you could just whisper it... very softly..." He turned his head with his ear toward her.

At first Abby thought she would take his suggestion as a joke, but then she lifted her head from the pillow to bring her mouth closer to his ear. "I'd like..." she whispered, "I'd like you to..."

"Yes?" asked Thomas when she paused.

"... stop me from thinking," finished Abby and dropped back her head.

Thomas cast her a curious glance.

"I'm always over-analyzing everything," the girl explained, "but that's not what I want. I just want to... feel your love, that's all."

Thomas almost choked up. He recognized his own words echoing in hers even though she could not possibly have known. "Oh, Abby," he said with a sigh, wrapping his arms around her. "My love...!" He tightened his embrace and gave her a slow, deep kiss. He would make her feel his love alright.

For a while they kissed and touched each other like before. It felt familiar yet new to Abby now that both of them were completely naked. Recalling her own words, she ignored the tickling and prodding when Thomas moved between her thighs. Instead, she only pressed her hips against his and as a result she could not be sure who was responsible for the sudden breach of her barrier. She flinched and whimpered a little when he slid further into her. A mixture of shock and outrage at the intrusion rushed to the surface of her mind. Abby shook her head at herself, banishing the unwanted feelings from her thoughts.

"My love?" asked Thomas when he saw a tear trickling down the corner of her eye. "Relax. Keep breathing," he urged, reminding himself to do the same.

At first Abby did not think she could, but then she looked up at Thomas and saw the concern on his face. It reminded her how much he cared for her and she knew she could trust him completely. Taking a deep breath she arched her back and loosened her lower muscles, surrendering herself to the man she had chosen.

"That's it," he muttered and showered her with kisses while he slowly rocked his hips back and forth.

Abby gasped for breath. She was a bit sore, but it felt so good regardless. "Thomas..." she said with a sigh. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a heel on his buttocks as if she wanted to feel him closer still.

Thomas felt emboldened by her response. "Oh, Abby..." he muttered in her ear, quickening his pace accordingly.

His passion overwhelmed her. Abby felt like Thomas was claiming her, but she was claiming him just the same. He was part of her just as she was part of him. Their bodies moved as one. Their hearts beat as one. One against the other yet together at the same time. Abby held on tight, not loosening her grip for fear Thomas would move away and break the trance. She wanted to go on longer, but deep inside her lower body the pressure was rising higher and higher until it became almost unbearable. "Oh, Thomas...!" she cried between shallow breaths. "Please...!"

"Abby...!"

"Please, oh!"

"Uhhh...!" Thomas felt Abby contracting around him, pushing him dangerously close to his own edge. If he had been thinking he might have remembered to pull out at that moment. Perhaps it had been too long. Perhaps he had misunderstood her plea. After all, she kept clinging on to him as if for dear life. Thomas despaired when he realized he was losing control, but it only lasted a fraction of a second. He held the girl close and buried his face in her neck, groaning while his body convulsed with uncontrolled spasms.

"Oow...! Yes!" cried Abby when another wave of pleasure crashed over her. She did not want to miss any of it. She wanted to receive everything Thomas would give her. Abby lay slack in his embrace, simply marveling at the strength of his body, the energy of his love.

It only seemed to last longer than it actually did, yet Thomas could not remember the last time he had felt this exhausted. His throat was dry and he had to swallow hard. "I love you," he finally whispered to Abby. He kissed her once more before he slowly withdrew himself and rolled over to lie down next to her.

Abby turned on her side to face him, allowing him to pull her close to his body. She smiled when she saw the sweaty hair clinging to his brow. She carefully cleared his face and gazed into his eyes. "I love you too."

Robert was hardly aware the conversation had died out until he found himself listening to the clock ticking in the parlor. That was when he realized he was staring down into his empty teacup.

"More tea?" his aunt offered when he moved to return his cup to the table.

"Oh! Yes, please," he answered, even though he had had enough. He noticed the woman's hands shaking when she lifted the teapot. She must be on edge. He could hardly blame her.

"Eleanor? George?" asked Mrs. Clark.

Her guests shared a brief glance, but shook their heads with an apologetic smile. "Really, Isabell," answered Mrs. Greene. "Thank you so much for your hospitality, but we really should be going."

"Yes, I can see dark clouds moving up ahead," added Mr. Greene. "We wouldn't want to get caught in the rain and catch whatever Abigale's having." He did not think it was a particularly funny comment, but for some reason it made the others laugh unusually loud. He glanced at his wife, but she did not catch the humor either.

"Oh, what's taking Thomas so long?" Lizzy asked Robert when her parents had left the room with the Clarks.

"I haven't the faintest clue," he answered. "I can't imagine he's still at your house. He was supposed to be out of there by noon. Perhaps he got lost or distracted on the way back."