psl; [a marriage of inconvenience]

[hedgemaze]

THE AUBEL ESTATE is located in Derbyshire, England, a stately old home reminiscent of centuries long past. Long ago, it had fallen into disrepair and abandoned until previous generations of the Aubel family purchased the land for themselves, having found their fortunes in matters of real estate. Since that time, the outside has been restored and the inside has been renovated at least three times. Four, if you ask the uncle who remembers the one summer where the chandelier fell from the dining hall, taking a large portion of the ceiling with it. How embarrassing, if such a thing is true.

In its present state, it straddles the line between the old and new. The large, prominent rooms are ostentatious as they are filled to the brim with austere English culture; the smaller quarters, traditionally used by the servants and staff, are far more modest, and over time have allowed the tendrils of modernity to creep in as a result. Regardless, the home is impressive no matter how you look at it, and there are few who do not cast an envious glance at the estate as they pass by Derbyshire on their way to town, or perhaps northwest to Manchester, if they've even farther to go.

PHILIP AND JAMES AUBEL, father and son respectively, are the owners of the home, though only the father remains for any extended period of time. And even then, he only stays perhaps one or two seasons at a time, until he returns to his home in London, spending one or two seasons there, before returning again, living out his life of retirement to the fullest. James visits nearly every week (driving in from Manchester, and back) in the Spring, until the first freeze of Winter, when nothing will grow. Though they have a staff of two dozen -- give or take, depending upon the time of year -- taking care of the estate and its grounds, James is more diligent about keeping up appearances of the house, showing a special interest in maintaining the complex hedge maze on the land directly behind them. Only he keeps access to its center, a literal walled garden of seasonal flora.

AS RECENT DEVELOPMENTS WOULD HAVE IT, James has been drawn into an arranged marriage by his father and an old business acquaintance. She is scheduled for an extended visit soon, and the staff have done a meticulous job of preparing the hall for her arrival -- and the rest of the rooms, as well, if she is expected to make her living here permanent, one day. Today, the weather is clear and the help is eager to aid her in unpacking. The grounds are green and the family dog, an old greyhound with cataracts in one eye, bounds up to her with a slow wagging tail. The father will greet her, of course, with all the usual formalities, and though he doesn't know her all that well at all, she at least seems nice enough. He disappears soon after, leaving her to her own devices as she sees fit. James himself is nowhere to be found.

Somewhere, sooner rather than later, a collision course of first impressions will take place.

----------

D I R E C T O R Y;

➤ shitpost.
➤ first impressions.
➤ diamonds.
➤ text her, texter.
➤ saviour.
➤ flirt.
➤ closer.
➤ cross-examine.
➤ PARTY CRASHERS.
✶ elle + devon
✶ elle + corvus
✶ ian + james + corvus
✶ devon + james
➤ alien abduction.
➤ sleep now.
➤ bathe.
➤ remember.
➤ drink.
➤ welcome home.

Comments

[hedgemaze]

Devon... [He turns his head to look at her, his expression taking on something more serious than it might usually.]

You're not losing me. I don't plan on going anywhere.

[winterheart]

[She takes his words and his expression to heart. If she had been a lesser person, Devon may have assumed that those words were empty platitudes meant to placate her. But something, instinct or love, tells her otherwise. It tells her that it's a serious truth.

So she kisses him on the cheek.]

Doesn't look like I can shake you off anyways.

[Smiling, she pats a spot on the bed.]

So? Gonna nap until dinner with me?

[Yeah, that's all they're gonna do, right? Devon's sure of it.]

[hedgemaze]

[He grins, feeling warm at the little peck on the cheek.

Of course, when she pats at the empty spot next to her, a different sort of thought begins to worm its way into his head again. He quirks a brow at her.]

Well... I could. Or we could do a little more than nap. We have the house to ourselves for now.

[He leans in a little closer, a sly smile on his face.] Those shorts of yours are terribly distracting, you know. You should remove them.

[winterheart]

[Give her a second.]





What.

[Okay, maybe another one.]

[hedgemaze]

[He gives her a look.]

Should I spell it out for you? I can.

[winterheart]

You don't... I know what you mean!

[Her face is red now because she IS caught off guard and feeling self-conscious about how she was dressed. For her, it's casual and something she could wear around the house on a normal day with just family around, but with James...]

But... Like... You're already in the mood??

[Thinking back on it, Devon realizes it's been a while since her first time with him, but she had never really thought about the passage of time that went by.]

[hedgemaze]

You aren't?

[For James, the time in-between their last together was more than tangible. Something about no longer having a dry spell ironically makes him far more conscious of the passage of time.

And the way she's blushing now, well. How can that not encourage him?

James slips a hand under her shirt, gently. Fingertips teasing lightly at her skin.]

I can fix that for you.

[winterheart]

[She doesn't resist him, not entirely. There is an attempt at a mild protest.]

H-Hey... [Devon puts her hands on his shoulders, steadying herself. Focus, she tells herself. It's not like they couldn't wait and go back to the hotel for this instead of doing any funny business in her old bedroom and...]

There's... Everyone's gone right?

[Wait, wasn't she trying to argue?]

[hedgemaze]

[Her hands on his shoulders stop him, though her lack of any real protest is telling. He smirks at her, certain that his answer will be more convincing than otherwise.]

Ian left just as I was coming up the steps to see you. So the house is quiet -- for now.

[He leans in even closer, teasing her with how near he is.]

Whether it stays that way depends on you.

[winterheart]

[Something about this moment between them feels different; was it the spontaneity? She had invited him on a whim at first, but that had been in her control, a setup that was a gateway to giving themselves to each other and allowing her a safe first. This? This was pure temptation, one that flares up unexpectedly, a taste of a small flame Devon feels herself wanting to chase after and to give in.

God, she hates losing, but when he leans in even closer, her iron will is not so iron anymore. Or was it ever to begin with?

Devon tries to hold on before being swept away to see how he would pull her into his gravity even when she pushes.]

So you're saying you can be quiet the whole time? Or that you're going to make it difficult for me?

[Her hands move from his shoulders to the collar of his shirt, two fingers on the first button, but ceasing, waiting to see what his answer is.]

[hedgemaze]

[He gives a self-satisfied "mm" at her question. He's more than ready to pull her in, to let her bask in the flare of temptation and impulse. Sometimes, that made it more fun that way, more thrilling. She deserved that much, didn't she? It wasn't only pure selfishness that drove him, he tells himself.

He slips both hands under her shirt this time, resting at her torso. He leans in close, his lips at her ear, his voice low.]

I'll make it as bloody difficult for you as possible, if you'll let me.

[winterheart]

...

[Well. With a challenge like that (spoken with that tone of voice so close to her ear, damn it's like fighting a losing battle that hadn't even begun), there's no way Devon can back down, not when she wants to know what "bloody difficult" is like with James and maybe prove her strength to him.

Who knows? Maybe she could handle it. But neither of them will know unless tested again, and again, and again...

Desire wins out and Devon swears under her breath, moving her legs so that she can face him properly and straddle his lap. There's an undeniable if low key hint of heat in her voice. ]

Do your worst.

[hedgemaze]

[He slides his hands down from her midsection, down to her thighs which are so keen on straddling him right now. He could get used to this.

He grins up at her, a flicker of mischievousness in his eyes.]

You'll regret saying that when I have you screaming my name.

[How's that for a challenge? James knows she thrives on it, just as he knows this one game that he's quite good at.]

[winterheart]

[God, he's really just riling her up isn't he? One button is released from his shirt and Devon quickly gets to work on the second before retorting back.]

Not if I make you regret it with me.

[She leans down giving one last harsh whisper.]

I know for a fact that I'm not the only one who can make noise.

[And with that she makes the first move, having her lips meet with the base of his throat, near the collarbone, lavishing it with attention as she continues to unbutton the rest of his shirt.]

[hedgemaze]

[He laughs, though it's a breathy one, especially when her lips meet the base of his neck, teasing at his collarbone. His hands grip at her thighs ever so slightly, as if in response. However, he can be just as competitive where challenges are concerned; he attempts to bite back anything even sounding close to a groan.]

I won't be the one to lose this time, Devon.

[But he will be the one to shrug off his shirt once she undoes all the buttons. He allows his hands to snake under hers again, letting her kiss him, letting her stay straddled against him like she is.]

[winterheart]

[It's only their second time together so in a way, the newness and inexperience is still there for her. Even when driven by instinct and by the seduction, there's still a need to figure out how to touch him, a need to learn how to kiss him, to find the places where he would weaken under her lips and fingers.

When she feels his hands under her shirt, Devon's body shudders and almost, almost lets out a noise, but she pulls back instead to take her shirt off over her head instead. It's getting hot and her insatiable craving for the sensation of his skin against hers is taking over her mind.

The kissing resumes, but this time starting with his lips. And she teases with a surface level one as her hands get busy exploring his shoulders, his chest, and his torso. Fingers trace, her palms rub against him. There's something more fervent with her actions towards him as if she's trying to not only meet his challenge, but rather, express something deeper, something more loving that's only for James.]

[hedgemaze]

[James knows that she's still inexperienced; one time doesn't change that, it doesn't give her the advantage in a situation such as this. He's conscientious of this fact, and perhaps may utilize it a bit more slyly than he did during her first time.

(And yet he knows, secretly, that it doesn't matter who wins or who loses. It only matters that she can touch him like this, right now, that he can feel her warmth, that their bodies can intertwine in a fit of passion and love once more.)

Her touch is electric, as it was the last time. He shudders into her lips, but he refuses to let the sensation weaken him; James allows Devon's fingers to trace his skin, and his hands run up her sides, stopping at her shoulders. And then, suddenly, he pushes her playfully down onto the bed, so that he can shift on top of her.]

[winterheart]

[Despite their competitive banter towards one another, when he pushes her down in that playful manner, Devon lets out a delighted laugh. Her smile is glowing, enhanced by the color in her cheeks that runs all the way to her bare shoulders.

Her hands remain at the sides of his torso before moving one hand to trace a path from his chest to his chin, stroking him in a similar playful manner.]

You're impossible.

[hedgemaze]

I don't hear any complaints from you.

[He grins down at her, his own smile wide and exuberant. This way, he can press his body close to hers, skin on skin -- but for a moment, he delights in her touch, the way her fingers move from chest to chin.

And he kisses her again, this time at her collarbone. It's playful in its touch, but just as hungry -- betrayed by the sensation of teeth against skin this time. Not quite hard enough to leave his mark, but maybe they'll get there, in time.]

[winterheart]

I could, but-... [Her banter is cut short by his kisses on her collarbone, the feel of his teeth that teases her with a bite, but not quite. She's only barely able to hold back a moan, but breathes out some words.]

Not... Fair...

[The flame he presented her and she chased after, she's beginning to feel it envelope her, making her insides begin to burn, like embers being fanned. She wants to touch him even more, she wants him touch her everywhere, she wants to consume him, she wants them to consume each other.]

[hedgemaze]

Plenty fair. [-he manages in-between kisses. She may be able to feel the way his lips curl up into a grin, him being so close to her.

While he busies himself with teasing her with light bites, one hand moves down to rest at her hip. A part of him -- the hungry, lustful side -- wants to unleash everything he's feeling right then and there; but that would defeat the purpose of their little challenge, whispers the more cognizant part of his mind. Best to make it tantalizingly slow and teasing, make her writhe for him, until she was practically begging for him to continue.

He wasn't sure which of the two sides was more mischievous than the other, honestly.

And so instead of removing her shorts, or even hinting that's what he wants, he keeps his hand there and moves his kisses downwards. From collarbone to chest, to torso, tasting every part of her that she bares to him.]

[winterheart]

[Devon bites her lower lip as James continues first with the nips and when she feels his hand on her hip, she braces herself...

Only for him to continue kissing and leaving what feels like no part of her skin untouched, a trail of heat that stokes the flames of her desire. She thought she was aching before, but this was just cruel and torturous. No, this was not fair, not fair at all; not with how good it felt, not with how he kept unraveling her, making Devon want to take him right away.

Her heart is thumping heavily against her chest and her breathing that had slowed down at first begins to ramp up and her voice threatens to spill out. Hands fly up to cover her mouth. He may be unrelenting with his touch, but she's proving more stubborn in reacting (but she's quivering, her breathing that escapes between her fingers is growing more feverish, her thighs clench together trying to contain her excitement).]

[hedgemaze]

[He stops kissing, only briefly, to lift his head up and take in Devon's expression. The look on her face -- the way she's covering her mouth so stubbornly to keep from making any noise -- makes him grin, and it only makes him want her more. But he can afford patience for the sake of the game they're playing. It's only more torturous when he stops completely, after all.]

Problems, Devon?

[What a tease.]

[winterheart]

[The pause causes Devon to drop her fingers slightly so she can exhale and relax from her effort to stay silent. She almost wants to ask if he's going to stop there, but thinks that would be too close to begging. He's making it hard for her to think, but she isn't so far gone yet that she'll ask him to continue. And thus, she shrugs at him, moving so that she's sitting up against the headboard of the bed, hand dropping to her sides.

Her reply is light and airy, relaxed even as she brushes her long hair behind her shoulder]

No. No problem at all.

[She might as well be taunting him.]

I could keep causing some though.

[hedgemaze]

[He shifts up, leaning back on his knees and looking at her, as she rests against the headboard. James should commend her for her brave face, he really should. But it merely tells him that he just needs to continue his assault, one way or another.

One hand presses against the headboard next to her, and he leans in close. His eyes lock with hers, mere inches away, and at this proximity it's not difficult to see the teasing spark of lust in his gaze.

His other free hand works on undoing the button of his pants as he speaks.] Cause away, or I'll beat you to it.