Back To Life Ch 04

Karen listened abstractedly to Jannie's ramblings on about the people who had been such lively company at the party, hearing with only half an ear the things she said about them. She must have hidden her distraction well, because Jannie kept right on talking until her husband came in with Peter. She broke off in mid-sentence to accept the kiss Duncan planted on her, while Peter looked at Karen unblinkingly.

"I was just telling Karen about the walking marathon we did last year with Jack and the other chaps. She said she'd be interested in doing it with us this year. Didn't you, Karen?"

Karen fought to keep her cheeks from flushing as she realized Jannie was no fool and had known she was not being attentive. Never one to run from a challenge, Karen looked her hostess square in the eye and admitted,

"I'm sorry, I must have missed that part, Jannie. I'm not sure I have the stamina to do a marathon, even if it is a walking one!" She gave herself full marks for how she handled her response, adding, for extra points, "Besides, I live in Birmingham for the moment, so it wouldn't be too practical for me to join in a marathon all the way down here, would it?"

"Oh, but you could come and visit on the weekends to train with us, and get to know the course, love," Jannie rebutted, aided and abetted by her husband who added with a twinkle in his eye,

"It's a lovely course, and the people hereabouts are very pleasant company. And I daresay Peter might even find himself available for a visit every now and again too, if you were here!"

Karen stole a glance at Peter, and was surprised to find him smiling indulgently at his cousin. She decided that ribbing was all right, if he wasn't bothered by it, so she chuckled in her turn, and replied,

"You give me too much credit, Duncan! I'm sure Peter has many other things he had rather be doing than dance attendance, even fleetingly, on a wannabe walking marathoner!"

It sounded like she was fishing for a compliment, and Karen was embarrassed as soon as the words left her mouth. She stopped speaking abruptly, and then said again, before anyone could respond,

"Anyway, it's been a pretty long day for me. I'll turn in now! Thank you for dinner, Jannie, and happy birthday, Duncan!"

She turned and fled up the back stairs, disappearing into her room as quickly as she could. Her cheeks were red with the depth of her embarrassment, and she fervently hoped that by the time she emerged from her room in the morning no one would recall the statement, or her hasty retreat. She changed slowly, and as she brushed her teeth, washed her face, and applied a night cream, she wondered what had been said after her abrupt departure from the kitchen. They all probably found her a great diversion, she fumed, because she didn't think before she spoke. Making her way back to her room, she closed the connecting bathroom door and locked it, then rubbed a bit of lotion on her hands before turning down her bed and sitting on the edge.

She didn't think Peter would be sending her any e-mails this weekend, and she was loathe to be disappointed if she checked and he hadn't. Besides, there hadn't been time today, unless he had sent them on his way over from Leeuwarden. She chose instead to finish the book she had been reading, and was still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when Peter finally made his night ablutions. She could hear water running, and found herself blushing faintly at the intimacy of the situation, suddenly happy that he had not been privy to her own night time rituals in the bathroom. And yet she found she wanted to be able to share the intimacy to its fullest measure.

She was about to switch off the light when she heard a knock on the bathroom door. She blinked, not sure she had heard right, but then she heard it again. Snatching up her dressing gown, she went to see what he wanted, glancing at the clock as she opened the door. It was well past midnight.

"I saw the light on under the door and hoped you hadn't fallen asleep with it on," he began. Karen waited, looking inquiringly at him. "I hope you weren't upset with Duncan earlier," he went on. "I just wanted to check that you were all right."

Karen smiled. "I'm fine, Peter, though I do have to admit to feeling a bit embarrassed at the end."

He didn't answer. He was staring at her, and she remembered belatedly that her night attire was short -- a thin baby blue knee-length nightgown covered by a short, thin dressing gown, both soft cotton. Her hand went self-consciously to her throat, pulling the lapels of the dressing gown together, and resisting the blush that was beginning to warm her cheeks. She could feel the tension rising between them, thick, hot, overwhelming, and she spoke, to break it and hopefully bring some semblance of common sense back to the situation.

"Thanks for worrying, Peter, but I'm really all right. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Still he didn't answer, and when she looked into his face again, his blue eyes were blazing, and yet so dark they were almost purple. He reached for her and pulled her sharply against his chest, holding her arms to keep her where he wanted her. She couldn't move, couldn't struggle, couldn't free herself even if she wanted to.

"I also came for a goodnight kiss," he said, startling her. Before she could speak, he put a finger to her lips and explained. "I'm not the sort of man who ravages women. I don't lose control, ever. But since the moment you bumped into me, I have been anything but the stick-in-the-mud Jannie knows me to be. You're in my head sleeping and waking. I dream of you, and when I am awake, I cannot stem the thoughts that rush through my mind. And now that I have finally had the chance to taste you, I want more."

Karen watched him hold her at arms length so he could take in her whole body, and as his eyes moved seductively from her face down her chest to her knees, lingering for a while on the place where hip met thigh, she felt herself growing warmer, and beginning to tremble. He did not let her go, and when she could not bear his scrutiny a second longer, she pulled her arms away from his hard hands.

"And I'm not the sort of woman who entertains men in her bedroom after hours in her night wear. But it seems my control has also been shot by..." She hesitated, and Peter pounced on it.

"By?" He waited, now taking in her lips and her eyes.

"By my thoughts of you," she said in a small voice.

He inhaled deeply, and pulled her back to his body, this time wrapping his arms around her. She returned the favor, draping her arms around his waist.

"Then perhaps we need to lose control together," he suggested in a low, seductive tone. "It may be the only way to keep our sanity." His breath warmed her lips when he asked, "What do you say?"

Karen smiled in answer and raised herself on tiptoes to catch his mouth with hers. He groaned and took over the kiss, teasing her with sexy nips on each lip followed by arousing sucking, before he took her mouth again, ravaging it, devouring her. She moaned and relaxed completely against him, and he leaned against the door and pulled her into his hardening body, never leaving the sweetness of her mouth. They lost themselves in the sweetness of tangling tongues and the heat of hungry bodies pressed against each other. When she came to her senses and dragged her mouth away from his, Peter growled, making her smile.

"That was some kiss goodnight, Mijnheer van der Meulen!" she quipped. She was breathing as hard as he was, holding on to him now to keep her knees from buckling.

"Which you ended too soon, Juffrouw Mullings!" he complained, pulling her back to his mouth to eat at her again. "I could kiss you all night!" he whispered, finally releasing her while letting her feel how true his statement was in the hardness he pressed against her.

Karen inhaled deeply, resisting the urge to rub herself against him. She knew that they would get there eventually, because he had wakened the hunger she had kept submerged for all these years with his words, his boldness, and the kisses that she could still feel and taste, and she was suddenly impatient. But she would not give in to lust. Not without being sure the feelings she was harboring for him were fully returned. She had given her body to enough other men who didn't care about her as a person, but merely as a hole for them to jack off in, to know she was not satisfied with sex alone, that she wanted a heart connection with it. And she sensed that with this man, finally, she might have hit the jackpot. But it would be up to him to prove that to her before she let the passion she now struggled with rise fully to the surface.

"Goodnight, Peter," she said, taking another deep breath. "Thank you for checking up on me." She smiled at the glint in his eyes. "What time is breakfast?"

"It's whenever you wake up, liefje," he answered, his eyes straying again to her kiss-swollen mouth. "Jannie doesn't stand on ceremony with family."

Before she could respond, he bent his head and kissed her again, an achingly sweet and tender kiss, and she could tell from the way he held her that he was struggling to keep from deepening it.

"Heerlijk!" he said, raising his head reluctantly.

"No fair!" she answered, raising accusing eyes to his face. "I don't know much Dutch!"

Peter smiled, and the dimple in his cheek teased her. She reached up, without thinking, and touched a finger to it, and he hissed and grabbed her hand, bringing it to his mouth.

"It's what you say about food that tastes good," he explained, kissing her knuckles. "Or about the lips of someone you want to keep kissing."

Karen could not stem the rush of color to her cheeks at his words and the feel of his mouth on her skin. Her hand trembled in his, and he smiled again, before whispering,

"Goedenacht, liefje! Sweet dreams!" Another gentle buss on her lips and he retreated to his side of the bathroom, leaving her to close and lock her door again, and drift back to bed.

Peter lay in the dark room staring at the LED time display on the clock radio on his side table. His body was hard and aching, his mind awhirl with lustful thoughts, his heart awash in emotion. He knew he wouldn't sleep much, because his body was too awake, his mind too alert for sleep. And he wanted to think about the woman who was consuming his every waking moment. He wanted her with a fierceness that took his breath away. It was unsettling for a man who had prided himself on his absolute control of his emotions and his behavior to find that he was completely out of control whenever Karen Mullings appeared, in person or in thought.

He wondered if she was asleep, and what her nightie looked like under that demure dressing gown. He wondered if she slept on her back or belly or side, if she talked in her sleep, if she thrashed about, if she would hog the covers. He wondered what her naked body would look like in the moonlight that was now beginning to illuminate the darkness of his room.

His cock swelled painfully in the loose shorts he wore, and he rubbed it absently, for once too caught up in thoughts of the kisses he had shared with her to be much interested in relieving the ache they caused. He could still feel the plumpness, taste the juicy sweetness, and he thirsted for more. He had decided to take her for a drive around the neighboring country, stopping for a pub lunch before coming back in time for dinner with Jannie and Duncan. He hoped she would let him forget himself again and kiss her senseless tomorrow.

It was almost dawn before he dropped off and was wakened by the sound of the shower in the adjoining bathroom. Karen was singing, and her voice wafted to him over the sound of the water, making him hard as a board again. He sat up, groaning, and tried to hear the song she was singing, but he couldn't make out the tune. Perhaps it's a good thing, he thought, as he looked out his window to the garden below. Jannie was out and about filling the bird feeder and plucking dry leaves from the rose bushes. The dogs followed her -- she had kept them confined for the party, and they were obviously enjoying their renewed freedom -- snapping gleefully at dragonflies and roughhousing with each other.

The shower stopped, and he did his best to keep his thoughts on the animals outside, on the bright morning, on anything but the thought of Karen's wet, naked body. When he felt enough time had elapsed, he knocked on the door, and receiving no reply, went in to have his own shower, and to endeavor to calm his body. He could not appear for breakfast with an erection, which would be noticeable even in the jeans he had decided to wear for a change. By the time he was ready to face the world, and especially his cousin and Karen, his wet hair brushed back and his jaw smooth, his body was as calm as it would get. He took up his cell phone, wallet, and keys, transferring them to the pockets of his jeans, and went downstairs.

Karen was at the stove, and the smell of bacon made his mouth water. Jannie was nowhere in sight, and he knew that Duncan had already gone for the day, having a conference to attend two hours away.

"Good morning!" he said cheerfully, waiting for her to turn around so he could drown himself in her liquid brown eyes.

She was wearing a lovely sundress that clung to her curves. She turned as he spoke and a pretty blush stole up her cheeks. He knew she was remembering the kisses they had shared at bedtime, and he wondered if she, like he, was wishing they could share good morning ones as well. She smiled at him and turned back to the stove, no doubt hiding from him. The thought made his own smile wider.

"I'm making breakfast," she explained, "so Jannie can spend some time in the garden before the sun gets too hot. She told me she has an appointment this afternoon, so the gardening can't wait." She turned to look over her shoulder at him for a brief moment, and added, "I hope you like bacon, eggs, and pancakes."

"Yes, I do," he replied. "How can I help you?"

"I don't know how to make coffee if it's not instant. Can you handle that? Jannie says she has coffee in the morning, and tea in the afternoon and evening. Apparently Duncan took the first batch she made with him!"

Karen kept her back to him, and he resisted the urge to chuckle aloud. The last thing he expected was for her to be suddenly shy with him, but he supposed he understood. They had been only friendly online acquaintances until their first kiss. Now they seemed to be morphing into something much more, and he understood her reluctance to let things get out of control. They were adults, not hormonal teenagers, though you would hard pressed to prove it by him today. His body was tight, the jeans feeling constricting as he fought for control. Just the thought that she was in a similar situation turned him on more than he could remember being, apart from their shared kisses last evening.

"I can do that for you," he said, glad of something to do to occupy his mind, and set about making coffee, being sure to stay out of her way as she went to the refrigerator and the bread bin. He helped her lay the table for three, and poured the fresh-brewed coffee into the tall pot, placing it on the table as she went to get Jannie. He fetched cream and sugar for the table as well, and then waited for the women to return.

The dogs came bounding back inside ahead of the two women, and danced around him happily. He bent to scratch behind their ears, and let himself be licked.

"They're happy to see you again, Peter!" Jannie exclaimed with a laugh. "We so rarely have visitors these days, and they do love to be sociable!"

"Scrooge would love to play with them, I'm sure!" he replied, laughing as Constable, the older of the two Dalmatians, danced around Karen's legs. He was a bit lame with age, but his rear end didn't seem to care as he shared his affection for people with the new person. Peter saw the look that came and went in Karen's eyes as he washed his hands, and he realized suddenly that she had not moved once the dog began to play with her.

"Not a dog lover?" he asked softly, so only she heard him.

"I'm sorry. Does it show?" She stood perfectly still, as though she knew she would not be hurt if she played the role of a statue.

"It's okay. Constable won't hurt you," he tried to reassure her. "Come and sit."

He went to escort her to the table, and waited till she was seated before sitting himself across from her. The dogs had been called for their own food, and so were out of the way. Jannie joined them, and they dug in to the repast. The food was good, and Peter realized he was starving.

"Thanks for making breakfast, Karen," Jannie said, breaking the companionable silence between them. "I haven't been much of a hostess this morning, but I'm glad you're a good sort!" She chuckled, and looked expectantly at her cousin. "So, what are the plans for the rest of the weekend, Peter?"

"I'm taking Karen for a bit of a drive," he answered, wiping his lips on a napkin. "We'll have lunch in a pub somewhere, and be home in time for dinner." He looked at Karen as he spoke. "Is that all right with you?"

She smiled at them both. "Of course! I've never been here before, so a drive sounds perfect!"

"Tomorrow, I'll take her back home, on my way back to Leeuwarden." he swallowed the last of his coffee, and poured himself a second cup.

"Will you be leaving early?" Jannie wanted to know. "I'll need to pack you both lunch for the journey, and make breakfast, too."

"Oh, maybe around ten in the morning," he replied. He could almost see the wheels turning in his cousin's busy brain as she tried to find ways to prolong the time he spent with Karen. He knew she liked the woman he already had deep feelings for, and in her capacity as elder sister, she would do everything in her power to see him happy. He smiled at her, as if to let her know he knew what she was up to, and asked Karen,

"Will you be ready to go in half an hour?"

"Yes, of course!" She finished the food on her plate, and refused Jannie's offer of seconds, smiling into her coffee as though she also had an inkling of Jannie's intentions.

"Will you take her to see Blenheim Palace, Peter? It's beautiful at any time of year!" Jannie enthused. "The Summer Outdoor Theatre has just begin its performances, too, in case you want to eschew dinner at home for some Shakespeare, or whatever they have in store!"

"I had forgotten about that!" Peter considered it as he drained his cup again. "Can you pack us one of your splendid picnic suppers, Jannie? We'll come back in time for a rest before the play!"

Jannie's eyes twinkled with delight. "Lovely! I'll do you proud, love!" She stood and began clearing the table. "Now go on on have a lovely day roaming about!"

Before too much longer, Peter was settling Karen into the passenger seat and heading out. He stopped for gas, and then began a leisurely tour of the neighborhood, showing off the town he had come to love, and the neighboring little village where Winston Churchill was buried in the churchyard. He took her to visit Blenheim Palace, so she would have some sense of what the quality lived like, at least some of the time. They spent some time in the gardens, because Karen declared herself in need of fresh air.

"I'm sure if I return here, I'll take more of an interest in the interior," she said as they walked through the beautiful grounds.

She took lots of pictures on her cell phone, and he took some of her, unbeknownst to her, loving the way she looked in the wide-skirted dress among the flowers and on the pathways of the gardens. She wanted a turn in the maze, and he was delighted that she held his hand as they traversed the puzzling space, as though she didn't want to lose her way and trusted him to bring her back to safety. He took a picture of their hands entwined while she was distracted by thoughts of which way to go next. Holding his hand was an endearing gesture of which he was sure she was entirely unaware, and he did nothing to cause her to remark upon it. He loved the way her soft hand felt in his, and he had to remind himself more than once not to caress her with his thumb, or bring it to his lips for a kiss. The day was pleasantly warm, and by the time she had had enough of the great outdoors, they were both more than ready for a drink and some lunch.