With My Body

by Jo Briggs

  He returned the kiss on the corner of her lips. "Anytime," his hand was still enclosed around hers, while his other hand came up to rest on her hip, the palm radiating warmth through her nightclothes to her skin, almost burning her in the process.

  "I guess we should go to bed," she said softly. "Do you have to work tomorrow?"

  "No, I am totally free to entertain you, if you wish," he said, half playfully.

  She blushed, hoping that he did not notice in the dark. "I shall have to give some thought to what we can do"

  He laughed, his palm still resting on her hip, the tips of his fingers gently moving against the material beneath. She let out a slow breath of air, as her body reacted to the teasing touch. He rested his forehead against hers, and said honestly. "I guess I need to let you go inside, and up to your own room, so you can get a decent night's sleep after your plane trip." She lifted her head off his and looked at him, eyes searching, as they both sighed.

  "I guess that would be best," she said light-heartedly, and gave his hand a light squeeze. They parted, and she followed him back into the house. She handed him the key from her dressing gown's pocket.

  "You know all my little secrets, Miss Benedict," he said with a twinkle in his eye, as he returned it to it resting place in the vase where she had first retrieved it. She grinned in return.

  They walked upstairs once more, her hand in his. She kissed him on the cheek, and whispered goodnight, before going into her room and closing the door.

  She was pleased with how relaxed things were so far. Yes, they had been some awkward moments, and there would certainly be more to come once he found out she had a son, and that he was his. She was not even sure he was even aware she had a child at this point. He was undoubtedly less uptight than he used to be, and she hoped that would stay in her favour. The old William would have been challenging her for answers from the word go, and she was not sure she would be able to put off telling him everything, if he barraged her with questions from the onset. Relieved for now, she concluded she certainly liked this slower paced part of him.

  She untied her dressing gown, and slipped between the sheets, a smile on her face as she thought about what the next day with him would bring, as she drifted off to sleep quickly.

  For William, sleep was slightly more elusive, his mind teasing him with thoughts of making love to her in their bed. Her long chocolate-caramel curls spread over his pillow, and the feel of her moving below him, as she cried out his name.

  The gift

  16 April 2010

  William had risen early. After bathing, he had gone down to let the dogs out, two blue Danes, and an Irish wolfhound. He had just finished plating the scrambled eggs that he had prepared when Elle came strolling in, yawning. "Mmm, that smells good," she said sleepily.

  He was dressed in just a dressing gown, loosely belted, showing off his well-toned chest. Turning around slightly, he smiled at her, “The tea should be brewed by now, if you can pour, that we should be ready to eat."

  She could not help, but notice how much Christian looked like him up close, the same floppy curly hair that was unruly first thing in the morning, and the deep blue eyes of the finest sapphire.

  Pouring the tea into two large mugs, she sat down at the table. They ate in silence. She tried not to let her eyes wander down to his chest.

  "Did you sleep well?" William asked once they had finished.

  "Yes, thanks, as soon as my head hit the pillow; think the time zone change took its toll."

  "Is there anything, in particular, you need to do today?"

  She shook her head, "I don't have anything too pressing until after the weekend, other than touch base with my assistant, and interior designer."

  "Interior designer?"

  "Yes, just finalising a few last-minute details for my house, and the office space. Now that, I am making Yorkshire my permanent home, rather than just a base I have been using for the past couple of years, I plan to move my team up here in the coming weeks. I am truly looking forward to being able to work while looking out at the countryside. The house sits in a large 5-acre plot with its own little forest, stream, and a stable area for my horse."

  "Do you get to ride very much, these days?"

  "Not as much as I like. This move is totally changing how my life will be, fed up of the fast pace of town and looking forward to the peace and tranquillity for Christian and me." Elle casually injected the name into the conversation, to see how he reacted.

  "Sounds like a good decision," William’s mind was buzzing with the knowledge she was settling her whole life so close by, and the possibilities that might lead to. He was so absorbed in thinking of her living within a reasonable driving distance, he did not notice the mention of a male name, at first.

  Wait, what, who is Christian, he wanted to scream.

  "Anyway, you know I have plenty of horses, would you like to go riding today and blow away the city air cobwebs?" He could not bring himself to tarnish their strong start with asking who Christian was yet. Maybe it was her son’s name; he had never found that out. Yeah, think positive, she would not have gotten so sensitive about being here again if she were involved with another man.

  "A perfect idea, if you can give me an hour or so to make a few phone calls, and then I am all yours," She stood and began placing the plates and mugs in the dishwasher. She was curious why he did not ask who Christian was; maybe he already recalled from Charlie that she had a child called that. She just hoped she could buy enough time to build a positive rapport with William, because she knew she was going to need any advantage in her favour once he found out. Although, if he started questioning about his existence in finer detail, even before she was ready, she would not lie. There had already been too many lies spun by others that had affected them.

  He nodded, picking up the letters he had already opened and needed to discuss with the estate manager, David.

  Over an hour later, her phone was still attached to her ear, as she scribbled things down on a notepad. Elle looked up suddenly, as she became aware of William leaning up against the doorframe watching her. Seeing him watching her intently, made her feel flustered at first, especially because he looked so delicious in his riding outfit of black riding boots, beige jodhpurs and a pale grey ribbed jumper that rippled perfectly against his chest. She mouthed a silent "sorry" to him, as she began to wind-up her conversation with her designer.

  "Sorry, I didn't realise the time. I will be right with you," She apologised before rushing upstairs to change her outfit. She chose a pair of jet-black leggings with an etched jacquard pattern printed upon them, a cobalt blue strappy tunic that hugged her body tightly, skimming over her hips, before ending just below her shapely behind, and matching blue suede knee-high boots. Not quite riding attire but, it would do.

  William was waiting for her in the hallway when she descended the stairs again. He held his breath, as he drank in the way she could look beautiful even in an ordinary riding outfit. He was clearly enjoying the way her top allowed a generous view of her bosom, as it bounced with each step. What he would do to be able to touch them again.

  She pretended not to notice him staring, but she was flattered at how much attention he had been paying her. There had undoubtedly been glimpses of longing in his eyes when she was on the phone, and it seemed he had wanted to take their kissing further last night in the garden. She just hoped they would continue to have fun together, even once the inevitable talk came up.

  "Ready at last," She said offering an apologetic smile.

  "The stable hand is preparing Molly for you. She is a beautiful chestnut thoroughbred who is three years old. She is seventeen hands, but that should be suitable for you." He began to explain, as they walked the five hundred yards from the house to the stable and paddock area. Elle could already see the horse being rubbed down, in the distance. "She is sired from my horse, Fitz, and Pepper." He continued casually, while sneaking a side-on glance at her, trying to evaluate a reaction. Pepper had b
een the horse, William had bought her within a week of them living here.

  "Is Pepper still here?" Elle had always imagined that William might have sold her, as he probably would not have wanted a constant reminder of her every time he went to the stables.

  "Of course, she is here. I wouldn't sell her for the world." He said, with more emotion in his voice than he had wanted to show.

  "Would you mind if I rode her instead?" She felt rather cheeky asking this.

  "Yes, of course you can….She still belongs to you." He said quietly. "I just did not want to make you feel uncomfortable by mentioning her…" He avoided looking at her.

  She felt guilty at the obvious hurt, she must have put him through, not only rejecting his love, but also by leaving behind Pepper, so rejecting a gift he had given her. She turned to look at him head on, placing a hand on his forearm to stop him walking for a second. "Will, I know we need to sit down and talk about everything, but I just want to say here, and now, that I do regret how things turned out."

  Feeling somewhat startled at first, he remained silent, not looking at her, and stiffened his pose; he did not expect her to offer an apology at that point. When he finally lifted his eyes to her face, and saw tears brimming up in her eyes, his stance at once softened, and he wrapped his arms around her body and kissed the top of her head. "It’s OK, babes. It was a long time ago." She snuggled up against his warm frame, breathing in his scent "Let's go and see Pepper, shall we?" He offered gently. He broke away from her briefly, slipping a hand into hers and lacing their fingers together.

  They took the rest of the walk to the stables slowly. She first met the horse that she was originally was due to ride, sharing several treats with her, as William explained to the stable hand they now needed Pepper to be brought out instead. Sometime later, they were both astride their chosen horse. Both accomplished riders since children, they were soon galloping through the sprawling meadows and fields of his estate. The large stretch of land could easily take a galloping horse, a generous twenty minutes, to go from an end to end.

  As he was leading the way, he guided them through a small woodland before revealing a secluded clearing. Elle recognised it straightaway as a place they used to come together to have picnics. William jumped down from his horse, and went over to help her, his hands gliding over the sides of her body, as she slid gently down the horse, and into his waiting arms. "It still looks the same," She said breathlessly, her eyes looking over his shoulder and drifting over the spring flowers and weeping willows, that could tell a story or two from the last two hundred years of history.

  "Do you mind me bringing you here?" He asked curiously.

  "No, I am sure every path we could take with horses would lead to a place or other that we had been to before," She tried to keep her voice casual. "We have probably covered every inch of your estate at one time or another"

  William smiled at that thought. "You are probably right." They spent a year living together here; the majority of that time spent riding for hours on end, often finishing each ride by making love in a sheltered outdoor space. They were always touching each other in some way, an insatiable need for each other.

  Still with her in his arms, her perfume consuming his senses, he took a deep breath before beginning to speak. "Elle, about before, I want you to know I forgave you a long time ago for how things finished. Now that, you are going to live in Yorkshire, and with Jess and, Charlie married and living nearby, I don't want you and me to be awkward strangers anymore." As the words were spilling from his mouth, the tips of his fingers were tracing the outline of her jaw, his eyes searching hers. "I want us to be able to enjoy each other's company without any embarrassment."

  "Will, I admit it was awkward at first, but you have been so kind to me, probably much more than I deserve. I have thoroughly enjoyed being here with you and dare I say realised how much I missed you." Her mouth held a rueful smile.

  With that, he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. Emotion and passion taking over, the kiss deepened rapidly, his tongue and hers entwined, as their hands wandered and caressed the other's torso. "Elle….," William groaned. "You are so beautiful; you are driving me to distraction."

  She ended the kiss, and leaned back to look at him. "And you think you don't distract me?" She teased.

  "Do I?" His expression echoed one of surprise, his eyes flickering with a tinge of hope.

  "Yes of course, you are still damn sexy even if you are into your thirties now!"

  His lips claimed hers once again, before trailing down her slender neck and shoulder. His hands found their way beneath her top and were caressing her flat stomach before wandering inside her bra, his fingertips finding her hardened nipples, as she arched against him, making her gasp sharply with pleasure. "Oh Will…." She said breathlessly. She was aware of the spreading warmth in his groin, as he pressed himself against her instinctively. As he continued to assault her breasts with teasing caresses, her own hands were wandering to the waistband of his trousers, stroking him through his jodhpur material. He took a sharp intake of breath, as he enjoyed the moment of her rubbing his most sensitive parts. "G-d, we should stop, before we get too carried away."

  "Don't you want to ravish me then?" She laughed, half-jokingly.

  "Mmm, you don't know how much I do want to do exactly that, but I don't want to spoil things when we are just getting to know each other again." He said sensibly.

  "You are probably right," she smiled.

  "Plus, I want our first time to be more comfortable than on a wet patch of grass! I want you in my bed again, Elle." He stated boldly, more boldly than he felt inside. “I know we still have so much to straighten out first….”

  “I would like that too, but let’s just enjoy our carefree time together for a bit more before we delve into the past.

  “Ok, our talk can wait until after your birthday if you would prefer.”

  Her answer was a short, but tender, kiss on the lips, and a squeeze of his bottom.

  "Ouch, you little minx."

  She giggled, happy for the first time, properly happy in seven years.

  "We had better head back as it looks like it might rain."

  He helped her onto the horse, and they rode back quickly.

  It would be her birthday the day-after tomorrow, and he had already called ahead to London to organise a surprise, that he intended to show her on the night of her said birthday. The original plan was for her family, and his, to gather for a small party, but due to Jess' accident, the party had been postponed indefinitely. He was determined to try to alleviate any disappointment she may feel by giving her a hefty surprise in London.

  After the horse rides and their talk, the afternoon had progressed quite nicely. Charlie left her a voicemail giving her an update on Jess's progress. She noticed a missed call from Jess, as well. Grabbing the phone, she stepped out of the kitchen door into a decked area that gave way to a perfect view of the English patchwork countryside sprawling far towards the horizon. Selecting her sister's number from her contacts, the phone began to dial.

  "Hi Elle," Jess' voice was still a bit scratchy from having the breathing tube down her throat.

  "Are you feeling ok?" Elle asked anxiously.

  "Yes, I am fine, don't start worrying yourself. They are taking excellent care of me, and the food, here is to die for. Don't think I want to leave until I can stand on my own two feet again and cook for myself; otherwise I may die from having to experience Charlie's soup!" There was an obvious tease in her voice. Elle could hear Charlie' feigned hurt voice in the background. Elle could not help but laugh; it was an in-family joke that you had to avoid Charlie's cooking against all costs. He caused food poisoning to his sisters and parents when he was a teenager.

  "And how are you doing?" Jess asked innocently; she knew that Elle would have been anxious over being alone with William.

  "Things are OK. We just came back from a horse ride; I rode Pepper." Elle tried to keep her voice within it usual volume a
nd neutral in emotion, but Jess would guess the significance of this horse's name.

  "Wow, I bet that felt strange?" Jess was equally surprised, as Elle had been, upon discovering that he had kept the horse, despite all the pain it represented to William and Elle's relationship.

  As well as the horse being the first ever gift he had bought her, during one of her solo rides seeking solitude, as she tried to recover from the loss of her parents, she had taken a tumble from the horse when she took a jump at an awkward angle. Luckily, Elle had taken her mobile with her, and had been able to alert William to her whereabouts. Because of a worry over internal bleeding, some routine tests had been done. The tests showed a significantly high pregnancy hormone in her blood stream, but the ultrasound showed no foetus, and when the pregnancy hormone had started to fall in a later blood test a couple of days later they had simply concluded the force of the fall had caused its loss. Little did they know at the time, but she had been pregnant with twins and the blood loss had only been one of them miscarrying.

  "Funny as it may seem, it was therapeutic to get on her again. It led to Will, and I having a heart and heart, and we have come to a tentative understanding over things." Although Jess was not aware that her son came from the same pregnancy as her lost child, she did know that the baby they lost affected her deeply, and had been one of the contributing factors for her leaving William and the UK behind for a time.

  They continued to talk about what the doctor said and agreed to talk the next day.

  William gave Elle the security access needed to hook her laptop onto the Wi-Fi. She set herself up at a large table next to his desk in his study. As she opened up her emails, she sighed, 100 unread emails stared back at her. She had her smartphone programmed to push through only the truly important emails, namely ones from her sisters, her son's headmistress, her assistant, the managers of her stores, and interior designer, so these were of lesser importance, but she never totally trusted the technology, so still always went through the lesser critical ones with a fine-tooth comb. Control freak was a nickname her sisters often teased her with on many occasions.