His words made her press herself closer, kissing him harder. “Show me,” she murmured, between kisses, “prove with me how much … ” She bit at his lip, gasping in ragged breaths between each collision of their mouths.
A low, anguished moan was torn from his throat as he crushed her smaller body against his, reaching to fumble with the fastenings on her dress. “H-have we got privacy here?” he rasped out and slipped his tongue into her mouth briefly, chest heaving. “Only, I thought about taking you in front of the fireplace?”
She didn’t even try to resist, knees crumpling and virtually climbing into his lap. “No one will disturb us,” she managed, before shuddering against him at his next words. She sank her fingers into his shirt, wishing she had the strength to tear it from his body.
Her breath rasped in her throat as she looked at him. “Promise me nothing has changed,” she whispered. Slowly, she bent just enough to kiss him, seeking the passion from their few days together. She wanted the man she remembered from their first time together, who pressed her into a wall and carried her to the bed and undressed her like a precious gift.
“Nothing beyond the scenery, no,” he breathed out hoarsely and eyed her hopefully, wondering if this was leading where he was expecting it to, arching up into the kiss as he ran his hands up and down her sides. “You have no idea how much I missed you, Summer. In every single way…how much I ached for you to return to me…”
His words made her press herself closer, kissing him harder. “Show me,” she murmured, between kisses, “prove with me how much … ” She bit at his lip, gasping in ragged breaths between each collision of their mouths.
Pushing her trencher aside, she rose to her feet, never looking away from him. The silence was broken only by the sounds of the fire and the rustle of her dress. She came and leaned over him in his chair, hands cupping his face in the firelight. Softly, she traced the curve of his lower lip with a thumb.
Isaac’s breath hitched, his eyes widening just a little as they followed her movements with an unwavering gaze, head tilting slightly to the side as she walked across the room. Angling his neck back, he pushed his face into her hands and smiled tenderly, parting his lips to press another kiss to the tip of her thumb.
Her breath rasped in her throat as she looked at him. “Promise me nothing has changed,” she whispered. Slowly, she bent just enough to kiss him, seeking the passion from their few days together. She wanted the man she remembered from their first time together, who pressed her into a wall and carried her to the bed and undressed her like a precious gift.
She smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling, as they fed each other. After a little while, they began to feed each other more directly, and she nibbled his fingertips. There was a stirring in her body she hadn’t felt for ages.
Unaware that a blush was decorating his cheeks, he beamed adoringly at her, lovingly caressing her face as a shiver shook his frame, eyes widening at the playful little nibbles.
Pushing her trencher aside, she rose to her feet, never looking away from him. The silence was broken only by the sounds of the fire and the rustle of her dress. She came and leaned over him in his chair, hands cupping his face in the firelight. Softly, she traced the curve of his lower lip with a thumb.
There were fingerfoods, and Summer held out a cherry tomato to Isaac as the servants withdrew as neatly and quickly as they’d come. The room seemed very still after they’d gone, yet, she felt, it wasn’t the horrid oppressive stillness it had been before.
He smiled adoringly at her and took the cherry tomato from her, pressing a gentle little kiss to the tips of her fingers. As soon as he’d chewed and swallowed it, he held out one for her to take, lovingly caressing her wrist with her free hand, not wanting to speak and thus shatter the silence that had fallen upon them.
She smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling, as they fed each other. After a little while, they began to feed each other more directly, and she nibbled his fingertips. There was a stirring in her body she hadn’t felt for ages.
After a moment of holding and being held, she sank down into her chair. A tap sounded at the door, and the little girl peeked in, then withdrew, and a short parade of servants came in, bearing trenchers and an array of dishes. It wasn’t anything like the many course meals served in the great halls, but more like an indoor picnic.
He jumped a little at the unexpected knock, sliding down into his chair as he twisted to see who it was, smiling politely at the little girl. But then his eyes widened at the sheer number of servants just for the two of them, and he couldn’t help but compare how different this was to back home, and he felt a pang resonate within him as he realised how much he missed it all in the short time that he’d been away from it.
There were fingerfoods, and Summer held out a cherry tomato to Isaac as the servants withdrew as neatly and quickly as they’d come. The room seemed very still after they’d gone, yet, she felt, it wasn’t the horrid oppressive stillness it had been before.
“I — I don’t want to think about it. I just want to be here, right now, with you. Can we do that? Can we not think about the future, just now, and be together after so long? I missed you so very much.”
“We’ll need to talk about it soon, but for now, we can just be like this,” he conceded with a nod and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, eyes fluttering shut as he simply inhaled her scent and held her in his arms, before he smiled. “I missed you too, Summer.”
After a moment of holding and being held, she sank down into her chair. A tap sounded at the door, and the little girl peeked in, then withdrew, and a short parade of servants came in, bearing trenchers and an array of dishes. It wasn’t anything like the many course meals served in the great halls, but more like an indoor picnic.
“This isn’t my home,” she whispered. “I don’t — any home I have now is with you. Wherever you are. Before you, the only home I’ve ever known is the village I grew up in. Y-you took me away from that.” She turned her face into his hand. “I’m only happy with you.”
“I had to keep you safe. Keeping you safe, happy and loved has been my number one priority since the day I first set eyes on you, Summer…” He breathed out and gazed intently at her, lovingly caressing her face as he slowly nodded. “Do you want to go back home then? We…we could get married there, spend some time up in the meadow where we had that picnic?”
“I — I don’t want to think about it. I just want to be here, right now, with you. Can we do that? Can we not think about the future, just now, and be together after so long? I missed you so very much.”
“No.” She glanced down into the fire. “I don’t understand how you could even ask that. I am — I /was/ — so unhappy my father promised my hand in marriage to the person who could make me smile again.” A few tears slipped down her cheek. “The servants are kind to me, but they aren’t my friends. They aren’t /you/.” Very quietly, she added, “I was happier in the week I was at Hale Castle with you than I’ve ever been.”
“Your father…he wants me to stay here with you and…I want to go home, Summer, but this is your home, where you were to grow up and I don’t…is it right for me to take you away from that?” he murmured, sounding as if he were in fact talking to himself, before he flinched and reached out to brush away her tears. “I just want to make you happy, Summer.”
“This isn’t my home,” she whispered. “I don’t — any home I have now is with you. Wherever you are. Before you, the only home I’ve ever known is the village I grew up in. Y-you took me away from that.” She turned her face into his hand. “I’m only happy with you.”
Summer put her hand over his, hearing his voice change and seeing his face fall. “What? What is it? Did I do something wrong?”
“You could never do anything wrong, Summer,” he reprimanded her instantly, trying with difficulty to put the thoughts in his mind into some comprehensible words, “I…are you happy here?”
“No.” She glanced down into the fire. “I don’t understand how you could even ask that. I am — I /was/ — so unhappy my father promised my hand in marriage to the person who could make me smile again.” A few tears slipped down her cheek. “The servants are kind to me, but they aren’t my friends. They aren’t /you/.” Very quietly, she added, “I was happier in the week I was at Hale Castle with you than I’ve ever been.”