From Friends To Lovers Ch 11

Beth was more herself the next morning, and I grinned at her as she pulled on her bunny rabbit trousers and a t-shirt to go down for breakfast. "I think I smell bacon."

Mum smiled as we sat down at the kitchen table, sliding heaped plates in front of us. "What do you think you might do today?"

I glanced at Beth. "I think we have some things to talk about, don't we, love. Maybe we could sit in the summer house?"

"Of course," nodded Mum. "We'll leave you to it, you can come back across when you need anything."

We made short work of our breakfast, and Beth glanced at my shorts and t-shirt. "Do I need to get dressed?"

I shook my head. "Not really. It's lovely and warm, and nobody can see into the garden."

"I just need my tablet, then," she nodded. She quickly climbed the stairs, returning with her iPad and a notebook and pen. "Some things seem more certain when they're written down."

We made our way across the garden, and my eyes were drawn to Beth's bare feet as they pressed into the grass. "You have very sexy toes."

She threw me an amused glance. "Really?"

"Really."

I pushed open the door of the summer house, the sun spilling inside onto the old swing seat Dad had put there. "Oh, I love these," Beth enthused, sitting down and swinging her legs.

I sat beside her, looking across at the tall hedge, mingled with climbing flowers, that hid the house from view. "So, where shall we start?"

Beth took a deep breath. "Well, maybe we should think about what to do with Grandad's money. I know the wedding will cost a bit, but we should probably think of something more permanent first?"

I silently blessed my sensible fiancée. "Exactly."

I looked across at the house again. "There's one thing I thought of straight away. Instead of spending money on hall fees or rent that we'll never see again... why don't we just buy somewhere to live?"

Beth's eyes widened. "You mean -"

She leaned closer to me, pillowing her head on my shoulder. "That would be beyond amazing."

She grinned. "Maybe we could even stretch to that hot tub."

I picked up her iPad. "Why don't we take a look what sort of thing is available down there?"

Beth chuckled. "Slow down a bit. What kind of place would you like? We might find we have quite different ideas."

I mused. "If I could have anything at all... I've always imagined somewhere big, old but really well looked after, lots of rooms, high ceilings. Definitely an attic - I've always wanted a room with one of those windows that looks out over the roof."

Beth blinked in surprise. "That's so weird. That's exactly the sort of house I always wished I lived in."

She chuckled again. "Probably comes from reading so much Enid Blyton."

I let her take the tablet from my fingers. "Right - estate agents."

She tapped in a search, scrolling down the list. "This one sounds posh, probably they have bigger houses, maybe out of town a little."

She clicked on a link, and I leaned closer to look. "Hmm. That one's too modern. And this one with the stables - we weren't thinking of horses, were we."

Suddenly Beth pointed at the next image, with a 'Just listed' logo. "Tim?"

I read the description. "Large period house, own grounds. Recently refurbished in keeping with the original character."

Beth clicked through the photographs. "Look, there's the attic, and it has real chimneys - I love open fires."

She scribbled in her notebook, and passed it over. "Tim - do you want to give them a call? I'd rather you did it."

I pulled out my phone, taking a deep breath and tapping at the screen, dialling. The number rang twice, then I heard a pleasant female voice. "Farquarson's, how can I help?"

"Ah, my name's Tim Oakes," I did my best to keep my voice steady. "My fiancée and I have seen a property on your web site -" I gave the reference number - "and we're very interested."

I heard her riffle through papers. "Ah, yes. It's literally gone on the market this morning, we've not arranged any viewings yet."

I flashed my eyebrows at Beth. "Could we see it?"

"Of course," I heard at the other end of the line. "It's vacant - sadly the previous owner passed away - so I could arrange to meet you today, perhaps five?"

"That would be wonderful."

"Done, then." I heard a brief hesitation at the other end. "Have you already made your financial arrangements, may I ask?"

I squeezed Beth's hand as I replied. "Actually this would be a cash purchase."

A pause, then, "Of course, sir. That makes things much more straightforward if you decide to proceed. Till this afternoon, then."

I ended the call, and I couldn't help my broad grin, which Beth echoed. "It might be the only time in our lives we ever get to say that," I chuckled, "but damn, that felt good."

She nodded. "How long will it take us to get there, do you think?"

"Only a couple of hours on the new road," I reassured her.

"Then we have some time to ourselves," Beth smiled softly.

She leaned across to kiss me, and I moved one hand to cup a breast through her t-shirt. "Mm - this is different, no bra."

Her nipple hardened against my palm, and her lips on mine were more urgent. "It'd be nice to make love on this swing," she whispered, "but I think it'd move around too much."

I glanced outside. "Well, we have all this lovely grass."

Beth's expression was mildly shocked, then she gave me a knowing smile. "No chance of anyone seeing us, though."

"As if I'd think that," I teased. I bent to press her nipple gently between my lips through the thin fabric, and she gasped. "Oh, take it off."

I lifted her t-shirt over her head, as always unable to tear my eyes away from her body. "Earth to Tim," she teased. "It's a pity the girl from the estate agent will be there this afternoon, I can just imagine exploring a whole empty house with you, maybe going up to the attic, letting you lose my clothes..."

My mouth was back on her nipples, and she gasped. "Unless the estate agent girl is tall, dark-haired, open to suggestions," I teased.

"I do miss 'Cesca putting her mouth where yours is," Beth admitted. "And elsewhere."

I tugged her pyjama trousers down, and moved to kneel in front of the swing. "Maybe you mean here?" I teased, burying my mouth in her wetness, and she gasped. "Oh... what were you saying about that grass?"

I watched as she stepped off the balcony of the summer house, lying back and putting her arms behind her head. "It's deliciously cool."

I quickly shed my clothes and joined her, kissing her on the lips. "Want my mouth back where it was?"

She shook her head, moving her thighs apart. "I want to feel you in me..."

I slid my body across hers, pressing my hardness into her, and she tilted her head back. "Mm."

I began to move in her, pressing her bottom into the grass with each thrust, bending my head to tongue her nipples. Beth gasped, her fingers now tightening on my back. "Oh - yes - whenever you want."

I moved more urgently. "Getting close, love."

"Let me touch your chest," she urged, and I raised my body, arching my back to give her access. Beth's eyes were on mine as she wet her fingertips with her tongue, then began to use them on my nipples. "Oh god," I gasped, "yes, now..."

I gave a last thrust, and Beth's eyes turned dreamy as she felt me stiffen inside her, then my warmth filling her. "Mmm."

I wrapped my arms around her, stroking her hair. "Thank you, love."

I felt her smile. "Maybe you'll get a chance to indulge me more later."

I reluctantly moved back from her, getting to my feet and helping her up. She brushed at her bottom, and I chuckled. "'Fraid the grass has left its mark."

"We both needed a shower anyway," shrugged Beth with a smile.

"You can have first turn," I nodded. "Lunch on the way? There's a really good service station on the toll road."

An hour or so later we were in the car, Beth looking at the map. "It looks like the house has woods behind it," she said.

We passed the toll plaza on the other side of the motorway, and I glanced at Beth. "The service station will be soon."

"Goody - I'm definitely starting to feel like something to eat."

I pulled off the motorway, and we walked hand in hand through the food court. "I fancy fried chicken for a change," Beth pointed.

I ordered for us, then carried the tray over to a table. "Mm," said Beth, picking up a chicken wing and nibbling. "I love this coating."

She finished her piece and licked her fingers. "Put the straw in my milkshake for me?"

I put the tall cup in front of her and she sipped, signalling her thanks with her eyebrows. "Mind you don't suck too quickly and get brain freeze," I teased her.

We finished our lunch, and I waited while Beth went to the loo. "OK?"

"Mm-hm."

We set off again, picking our way through the motorway interchanges and onto the new road which struck out cross-country in an easterly direction. Beth looked up into the sky, shielding her eyes against the sun. "I think there are supposed to be kites on this bit."

The road seemed to go on and on, but finally we started to see signs for the university town where we'd be spending at least the next three years. "It's the next exit," Beth indicated, and I slowed, pulling off onto the B-road. The countryside was much flatter here, and Beth pointed ahead. "That must be it, I can see the woods."

A gravelled drive left the road, leading to the front of the house. A shiny Mini was already parked, and a young woman got out as we drew up.

She walked over to us, smiling. "Hi, I'm Sarah."

"I'm Beth, and this is Tim," Beth introduced us.

"Shall we?" Sarah offered, taking out a set of keys and opening the front door. She let us go ahead of her into the wide tiled hallway, then stepped inside, closing the door behind us. "It's a late Georgian property originally," she began her obviously-prepared presentation, "but the last owner restored and refurbished it extensively, so there's nothing significant that needs doing in regard to the fabric or fittings."

She paused. "Unless of course you have strong ideas about remodelling - I should mention, though, that the property is Grade 2 listed, so there are some changes that wouldn't be approved."

"We don't have anything like that in mind," Beth reassured. "Though we might want to change the colour scheme."

Sarah nodded. "Shall I take you round the ground floor?"

We followed her down the hall. "This is the dining room," Sarah indicated. "And at the back on this side is the first reception room, or of course it would be suitable as a family lounge."

She continued to the end of the hall. "These doors lead out to the garden, of course."

To the left was another spacious reception room, then Sarah indicated a short passage leading from the hallway. "Personally I think this is the best feature of the whole property."

At the end of the passage was the kitchen, with an Aga fitted into the space under the chimney breast, and a long sink beneath the wide windows. Around the rest of the walls were polished granite worktops, oak-faced cupboards above them, and in the centre of the room was a solid-looking table that would easily seat eight. A doorway beside the Aga led through to a sizeable utility area, and beyond I could see a conservatory connected to the reception room.

"Wow," Beth nodded. "This is definitely the heart of the house. Meals, board games and talk at the table, and in the summer enjoying the sun in the conservatory."

Sarah waited as Beth made her way round the room, her fingers brushing the worktops, standing for a moment at the sink. Finally Sarah glanced at me. "Ready to see upstairs now?"

We returned to the hallway, and Sarah indicated the staircase leading upwards. "It's designed this way to maximise the useable area upstairs," she explained.

At the top of the staircase, landings led to left and right. "Two bedrooms and a bathroom that way," indicated Sarah. "But again the feature I think will appeal to you is the master bedroom, with full en suite of course."

The main bedroom ran the full width of the house at the back, deep windows looking out over the woods, with the en suite at one end and a walk-in dressing room and wardrobe at the other. "That's mine," grinned Beth.

I nodded. "I'm impressed."

I turned to Sarah. "And the attic?"

She looked a little surprised. "Of course. The stairs lead up from the other end of the landing, please be careful."

She picked her way up the narrower staircase. "There are three rooms up here, all with dormer windows, as well as a bathroom - very compact, I have to say."

I stepped into the nearest of the three rooms, opening the two leaves of the window and leaning out. "This is perfect - just as I imagined it."

Beth nodded. "Let's go back down."

When we reached the hall, Sarah glanced at Beth. "Would you two like a few minutes to talk? I can wait in the car, then you can let me know if you may want to consider the property further."

Beth glanced at me, then shook her head. "Sarah - we don't need more time. This is exactly what we're looking for."

Sarah blinked in surprise, but she let Beth continue. "I know you'll get other people wanting to view, but we'd be so disappointed if we lost the property, wouldn't we, Tim."

I nodded. "Sarah, what would we need to do to secure it?"

Sarah didn't quite manage to conceal her nervousness, and I guessed she might never have been put quite so much on the spot before. "Well, a deposit would suffice. Then as soon as possible an offer letter, and the instruction to your solicitor to proceed with the searches and to start the conveyancing process."

I glanced at Beth, getting a nod. "That's no problem. What percentage deposit, and how do we pay?"

Sarah took out her phone. "Let me call the office."

She took a few steps away, tapping the screen, but I could still catch most of the conversation. "Yes - definitely. Straight away if possible."

She smiled. "Yes, I know. Maybe New York is within reach now."

She listened for a few more moments. "OK - I'll put the client on."

Beth took the phone with a smile. "Hi. Yes, that's right."

Sarah politely moved out of earshot while Beth gave whoever was at the other end the details they needed. She waited a few moments, then nodded. "Thank you."

Beth handed the phone back to Sarah. "I hope you enjoy New York," she smiled, and Sarah looked slightly embarrassed, but nodded.

"Sarah," I spoke up. "This will probably sound like an odd request, but... as the formalities are in process now, would you mind if we had another look round, by ourselves? We'll drop the keys at your office afterwards."

Again a hint of nervousness crossed Sarah's face, but she looked at Beth's hopeful expression. "OK - that won't be a problem."

She took out the keys, handing them to me with a smile. "I'll get going, then. Definitely I'll see you again soon."

Beth moved to my side, and we watched as Sarah got in her Mini and pulled away down the drive, lifting a hand in farewell.

Beth turned to me, her face simultaneously delighted and disbelieving. "Did we really just buy a house?"

"Barring a whole lot of paperwork, basically yes," I grinned. "Come on, let's go back inside and see what we got."

I let Beth turn the key in the door, and we stepped into the hall. "Rats," I suddenly remembered. "I was supposed to carry you over the threshold."

"We can save it for that other special day," Beth hinted.

She wrapped her arms around me. "A whole empty house," she grinned. "What shall we do first?"

I kissed her softly. "I have an idea. We visit all the rooms in turn, and in every one we both lose an item of clothing and see what happens."

Beth chuckled. "That sounds like a lot of fun."

She looked around. "Well, we're already in the hall. What shall we take off here?"

"Easy," I glanced down. "Shoes."

I bent to untie my laces, pulling my shoes off and putting them by the door. "Now you."

Beth slipped off her low heels, putting them by mine. "Mm, these tiles are nice and cool."

I looked down at her bare feet, neat toes. "Could you sit on the floor for a minute?"

"Sure," Beth nodded, sitting down and leaning with her back against the door.

I knelt in front of her, lifting her feet into my lap and starting to gently stroke them with my fingertips. "Feels nice," she murmured. "Be careful not to tickle."

I caressed each foot in turn, then lifted one in my hand, bending to kiss the tip of each toe. Beth's eyes widened, but her relaxed, almost dreamy, expression didn't change.

I took her big toe between my lips, starting to brush it gently with my tongue. The smart skirt Beth had chosen for our meeting with the estate agent had ridden up, letting me see her white cotton panties, and as I continued to use my lips on her, I saw a wet spot appear on the soft fabric, then grow. "Mmm," she breathed, "I didn't know I'd enjoy this so much."

I carried on for a little while, then reluctantly put her feet down. "Shall we carry on exploring?"

We made our way through the ground floor - in the dining room I shed my socks and Beth left her handbag, and in the big lounge my shirt and her blouse ended up on the floor. By the time we reached the kitchen, I had nothing left and Beth was in her panties, looking triumphant. "Beat you."

"So you have to take them off now," I pointed out.

She slipped her panties down, tossing them on the worktop, and I blinked as she sat on the kitchen table facing the window. "So what if someone happens to walk past?" she grinned.

I moved one of the kitchen chairs and sat facing her. "Mm, this has possibilities."

I leaned forward, and Beth gasped as my searching tongue found her hard nub. "Oh, yes. I can see our reflection in the window and it looks sexy as hell."

She started to touch her breasts, obviously watching herself in the glass, and I chuckled. "Remind me that we need a big mirror for the bedroom."

I began to use my mouth and tongue on her more insistently, and her breathing quickened. "Pity Sarah had to go," she murmured. "She had a great bottom in that tight skirt of hers, and she'd have looked good bent over the table while you took her from behind."

I blinked at Beth's frank fantasy, but concentrated on pleasuring her, and after a few moments she leaned back a little, supporting herself on her hands. "Mm - oh god, Tim, yes..."

Her hips bucked against my mouth as she gasped out her pleasure, and finally she brought her thighs together. "Mmm, enough for now."

I helped her put her feet back on the floor. "Ready for upstairs?"

We climbed the staircase, and Beth turned towards the master bedroom. "Not much to see in the others," she shrugged.

She sat down, leaning against the wall. "Come a little closer," she hinted.

I knelt down, wondering if she wanted me to give more attention to her feet. "It's your turn," Beth shook her head as I reached to touch them.

She stretched out one leg, her toes brushing my hard tip. "Mm, good, you've been leaking."

Carefully she spread the slippery fluid as far as she could, then extended her other leg, my hardness now between the soles of her feet. "I think you have to do some of the work," she hinted, and I nodded, starting to move against her surprisingly soft skin.

"Mm," Beth murmured. "Feels good to me too."

She deliberately dipped fingers between her thighs, then brought them to her lips, putting her fingers into her mouth in imitation of her movement on me when she had my hardness there. "Oh, yes."

She put her now-wet fingers back on herself, moving them slowly. "I don't mind if you get there first."

She pressed her soles together more firmly. "Why don't you touch your nipples," she queried, and I quickly wet my fingertips and did as she'd suggested. "Pity I can't do that at the same time," she murmured.