She flicked the button to the coffee maker and shuffled out of the kitchen, heading to the window for her first look at the world on a sleepy Sunday morning.
Opening the drapes, she let a shaft of the bright morning sun slip into the dimly lit den, which became His for most of the day.
However, this time of day, her favorite time, the den, and this window, almost always belonged to her.
It wasn't her favorite room in the expansive home, but the view this time of day was just so perfect. The sun crept over the trees and exploded on the neighbor's colorful garden.
The scent of the freshly brewed coffee drifted into the room and she was about to turn, when a movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. Patty, the Glover's daughter, was wandering out the patio doors and heading for the bountiful bed of multicolored roses with a basket and pruning shears.
As her eyes followed Patty, she smiled wistfully to herself and secretly envied the young girl. "Oh, to be twenty again and home from college for the summer. Free to do as she pleased and so young and pretty." At thirty-five, she knew she still looked good, but she supposed every woman would stay young, if given the chance.
Deep in thought, she jumped as His hands rested upon both her shoulders. She hadn't heard Him slip into the room and became a little nervous for not having His coffee poured and ready.
As she took a breath to apologize, He whispered in her ear to be quiet and peered over her shoulder at the young woman carefully cutting roses and placing them into the wicker basket.
One hand left her shoulder, and He slowly opened the drapes all the way, opening the huge window to the outside world, the movement catching Patty's eye. She looked up to see them both looking down at her. She smiled and looked away quickly, a little nervous at seeing the woman so close to the glass in only her morning robe.
He chuckled and slid His hands down her arms, the flesh tingling at His touch. Before she could even react, she heard the metallic click as the steel snaps locked around each ring of her wrist cuffs.
He nuzzled her neck with His mouth as He raised her arms above her head and clicked the snaps on the other end of the tethers to the rings above the window. She whimpered a little and whispered "Not like thisβ¦. not with someone actually in the garden. What if she looks up again and sees us?"
A soft chuckle slipped from His lips as His hands came around her and began to loosen the tie to her robe. She whimpered again and became quiet, knowing nothing she said would matter, the warm feeling taking over all her thoughts. As the robe fell open, the warm morning sun fell across her skin and she started to melt back against Him.