Hide and Seek (15 page)

She reached over to nab the bottle of paint. As she settled herself fully on him once more, he raised an eyebrow mockingly at her.

“You move too slow,” she complained, upending the bottle of sauce onto his chest. A huge glob of the sauce fell out of the bottle. Shakily, Josephine returned the bottle to the bedside table.

Letting go of William’s hands, shining a brilliant smile on him when he didn’t move them from above his head, Josephine started spreading the rich sauce over his chest and abdomen. Playing as if it were finger-paint, she created swirls and patterns in the mess.

Moving down so her belly lay cradled between William’s spread thighs, Josephine could easily lap at the sauce, now much thinner as it was spread liberally around William’s large chest.

“You move too fast,” William complained, an imitation of her earlier complaint about him.

“Really?”

Palming his sacs, gently stroking the soft skin, Josephine played with the lightly patched hair on his chest. Tugging with teeth and tongue, Josephine nibbled her way around his chest, smearing more sauce everywhere and messing up her face.

Giving her a few more minutes to relish the control she had won, William gently moved his arms so he could idly stroke her back and shoulders, enjoying her silky skin. Josephine murmured her approval.

As she moved her way lower and lower, just as she decided to take the head of his cock in her mouth and
really
get the action moving, William gently flipped them both over again, so she lay on her side, and he rested at her back, a bare whisper along her skin. He didn’t press his weight down on her, so she wasn’t forced onto her stomach, not wanting to hurt the babies in any way, but by the mere sensation of him along her back her breathing speeded up.

“Now who’s moving too slow?” he taunted her.

Josephine looked at the chocolate-smeared drop sheet, and smiled. “You’re ruining the sheets, chocolate stains remember?”

“We’ll buy some more for next time,” he replied, nipping at her neck, totally unconcerned.

Josephine giggled, a feminine, unconcerned sound. “Better buy stock in cotton then.”

William gently bit her neck, sucking on the spot where he had already branded her, unconsciously re-marking her as his. They both knew the truth, but something inside him needed to taste his mark again, to warn others away. As he laved the spot, Josephine wiggled her ass deeper into the cradle of his hips.

“Come on,” she complained, “you started this, you can bite me later.”

Laughing aloud at the impatience in her voice, William refrained from pointing out it was
she
who bought the sauce and started this. He wasn’t going to ruin this moment.

He nibbled a path directly down her spine, laving the dimples down at her ass. When he spread her legs to give himself access to her creaming pussy, he enjoyed the choking breaths coming from his love.

Eagerly, he lapped at her juices, drawing out the moment as long as she could bear. When she started whimpering, begging him to enter her, he merely rumbled against her clit, the vibrations from his throat pushing her higher.

When Josephine started screaming in earnest, as her first peak hit her, he dragged himself back up to stretch along her body, not wanting to excite her overly much in case it induced a premature labor.

“Are you ready?” he breathed into her ear.

“Right now,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath.

Gently but firmly, he stroked into her, long and deep. As he felt her tight inner walls caress his cock, he groaned and rested his head in the curve of her shoulder. Pausing fully inside her to relish the moment, he took a deep breath and slowly, carefully withdrew.

The friction caused them both to groan, the pleasure intense. Slowly moving inside her, pushing them both up their peak, William couldn’t help himself from moving faster and faster. Gently caressing her clit, he made sure his Josephine was with him every step of the way, thrusting back onto him, rubbing herself against him, pulling her thighs up closer to him and wrapping his arms tighter around her.

When they both exploded, their cries mingled as his seed drenched her. Spooning their bodies together, not wanting to rest his weight down on her stomach even for a moment, William nuzzled her.

“What did you do?” Josephine finally managed to ask, when her heartbeat had settled down somewhat.

William chuckled, “I think they call it making love, but we can look it up later.”

“No, I meant when you bit my neck. I can feel that you didn’t break the skin, but it tingles, it feels…different.”

William thought carefully about his words. “You know that I have already marked you, so everyone else would realize you’re mine. I just, I don’t know, wanted to reassure myself it was still there. It’s simply claiming you as mine, a declaration like marriage vows.”

Josephine thought for a few minutes, pondering over his words and their meaning. William waited, silently, knowing there would be more questions.

“Will you need to mark our sons?”

“No, love. They’ll scent of you and me. It will be obvious to all whom they belong to.”

Josephine nodded and snuggled into his warmth. “Can we nap before dinner?”

He laughed. “How about a long shower and then maybe a nap? We don’t want to stain the sheets, and I don’t want you to nap without blankets covering you. I know I can keep you warm, but the breeze around here can often get chilly.”

Josephine squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t get up, not even for a shower. See, my eyes are shut.”

“Ah well, a bath it is then. I guess I’ll just have to carry you.”

Slowly, she moved out of bed. “No! It’s okay, I don’t need you breaking your back, thanks all the same.”

William looked her in the eye, very serious again. “I can easily lift you, Josephine, don’t worry about me. But now that you’re up, let’s go get cleaned up.”

Rolling her eyes at his tricky mind, Josephine smiled and
slowly
raced him to the bathroom. “Last one in has to clean up the sheets!”

Epilogue

“Do you accept the serious and permanent position of Godparents to this young man, eldest child of William and Josephine Rutledge?”

“We do,” Artemais and Sophie responded, holding out Alexander Thomas to the priest. The elderly man took the offered child, cradling him into one arm while the other hand dipped into the fount of holy water.

“I now christen you Alexander Thomas Rutledge,” the priest intoned, sprinkling holy water on the four-months-old baby’s head.

At the chilly water touching his brow, Alexander Thomas scrunched up his face and pouted for a moment. Flailing his arms about, fully expecting any one of a half-dozen well-known and loved adults to pick up and hold his hand, to soothe him. When only the priest’s blessings continued to fall down upon the young man, he opened one beautiful blue eye.

Only seeing a strange face holding him, he emitted a loud, lusty cry expressing his distaste for such matters.

When the priest simply poured more holy water on his head, hurrying through the blessings of the dedication ritual, young Alexander Thomas screamed louder.

Sophie looked back to the front pew, where Christiana sat in her baby basket, happily playing with her toys, completely oblivious to her young cousin’s disgust.

As the priest continued to sprinkle the holy water onto the child, his wails became louder.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Josephine muttered. Carefully placing a pristine and thankfully sleeping Samantha Monique into Samuel’s waiting arms, she crossed over to the priest to take her screaming son from him. She turned him so his head was still in reach of the priest, but cradled his body against her familiar warmth to soothe him and hopefully halt his cries.

The priest, not liking to rush through the ritual, gladly let the mother take her screaming baby.

Samantha Monique woke up at the change of hands, opened her identical blue eyes and saw one of her favorite uncles holding her. She snuggled into his arms, only slightly ruffling her dainty white dress, when she heard the unmistakable wail of her twin brother.

With an uncanny knowledge only her parents seemed to understand, Samantha Monique knew her brother was crying because he was upset at something. Not knowing or caring why her older brother was creating such a fuss, she opened her mouth and added her screams to his. Samuel tried to bounce her, calm her, but nothing he cooed to her helped soothe her.

“You’re losing your touch, brother dear—next thing you know you’ll be asking my help to pick up the ladies.” Dominic grinned at his brother. “Hand her over to me, I have never yet met a lady I couldn’t charm like a bird.”

Knowing that Samantha Monique wouldn’t settle down until she knew her twin was soothed and happy, Samuel shrugged and handed his soon-to-be Goddaughter over.

Dominic made his silly baby face and started chatting to her about computer code—actions that almost always won his little soon-to-be Goddaughter over. Today, it made her pause and wait. Swiveling her head as much as possible, she obviously sought for her twin, whose wails were subsiding, but who still whimpered in disgust.

Dominic caught Josephine’s eye. She was standing by the fount of holy water, squashed between Art and Sophie, holding her son. She gestured with her head to bring Samantha Monique over to them.

Both Samuel and Dominic crossed over to the fount quickly, passing Artemais and Sophie as they returned to their seat beside Christiana. Samuel cringed when he realized that Samantha Monique was almost certain to scream at the cold holy water as Alexander had.

Samantha and Alexander looked at one another as the priest reached out to hold Samantha.

“Do you accept the serious and permanent position of Godparents to this young lady, eldest daughter of William and Josephine Rutledge?” the priest repeated to Samuel and Dominic.

“We do,” they responded.

“I now christen you Samantha Monique Rutledge,” the priest repeated, sprinkling holy water onto her forehead.

Obviously not expecting such horrid treatment from a man—every man she knew spoiled her rotten and obeyed her every wish—Samantha started shrieking, expressing her disapproval.

Alexander Thomas started squirming in his mother’s arms, expressing his joint disapproval.

The priest whipped through his blessings and sprinkled a little more holy water on both their foreheads, for luck. Moving the entire Rutledge party on, they soon stood outside in the sunshine.

Josephine and Sophie laughed. “You’d think they had something against screaming children! I’m sure every baby I’ve ever seen dedicated or blessed has screamed in objection to having cold holy water shoved in their face!”

Josephine laughed as William caught up with the ladies and threw his arms around his wife.

“I swear it must be your genes that caused the kids to do that. I don’t think we Rutledge men ever screamed when we had holy water splashed all over us.”

Josephine laughed and leaned into his embrace. “I will remind you it was
your
son who started this. Samantha was sleeping peacefully before Alexander woke her up.”

William merely rolled his eyes. “Honestly, you women! You’re all just trying to gang up on us poor men. I shall have to have words with the person who told you there were
two
boys inside you. I think little Samantha might object.”

Josephine laughed and kissed her husband, letting them lag behind the rest of the group.

“Don’t worry…we can have another boy next time.”

“Mmm…I like the sound of that. We really should practice a little more, you know?”

“Well, Sophie and I went shopping this morning…” she trailed off as William’s breath caught and increased.

“Don’t! Save it ‘til we get home or I’ll rush you right now.”

Josephine smiled her secret little smile.

Life was good.

About the author:

Elizabeth Lapthorne is the eldest of four children. She grew up with lots of noise, fights and tale-telling. Her mother, a reporter and book reviewer, instilled in her a great appreciation of reading with the intrigues of a good plot.

Elizabeth studied Science at school, and whilst between jobs complained bitterly to a good friend about the lack of current literature to pass away the hours. While they both were looking up websites for new publishers, she stumbled onto Ellora’s Cave. Jumping headfirst into this doubly new site (both the first e-book site she had ever visited, as well as her first taste of Romantica) they both devoured over half of EC’s titles in less than a month. While waiting for more titles to be printed (as well as that ever-elusive science job) Elizabeth started dabbling again in her writing.

Elizabeth has always loved to read, it will always be her favorite pastime, (she is constantly buying new books and bookshelves to fill), but she also loves going to the beach, sitting in the sun, having coffee (or better yet, CHOCOLATE and coffee) with her friends and generally enjoying life. She is extremely curious, which is why she studied science, and often tells “interesting” stories, loving a good laugh. She is a self-confessed email junkie, loving to read what other people on the EC board think and have to say, she laughs often at their tales and ideas. She recently has developed a taste for the gym. She’s sure she read somewhere it was good for her, but she is reserving judgment to see how long it lasts.