Chapter 18

Two and a half hours later the front door opened. I had been curled up in a high-backed armchair, deeply immersed in my book and nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound. Quickly I calculated that the only way upstairs was blocked by whoever was at the front door. My only possible retreat was into James' office, out into the back garden or into his garage, if it was open.

"Emily!" James voice called, and I relaxed, thinking that his mum probably wasn't with him if he called after me like that.

"In here!" I said and got up to meet him. He walked determinedly over to me and wrapped one arm around my waist, pulled me close and gave me a long kiss. His face was cold from having been outside, and his lips gave away that he'd just had coffee. "For a second I thought your mum would be with you, I was preparing myself to dive into a hedge in the garden."
"We had separate cars, she went straight home. I'm don't know what I'm more sorry for, forgetting that I had lunch with mum or leaving you here alone."

"I'm just glad she didn't come half an hour earlier. That would have been just around the time we were busy coming," I smirked, and to my satisfaction James blushed like a bothered teenager.

"Oh god..." He mumbled, flinching at the thought.

"Yeah, I think that was what you said, too!" I screwed my face up in concentration, pretending to think back.

"Emily!" He laughed embarrassedly, and I laughed with him. "Here, I brought you this as a way of apology," he said as he held up the bag he had been holding.

"Aw, you didn't have to-- oh screw it, what did you bring?" I said and accepted the bag eagerly. Inside was a cardboard box.

"Cake! Chocolate cake!" I squealed happily and threw my free arm around him. "You perfect man! Thank you!"

"Go sit down, I'll get you a spoon," James laughed and disappeared into the kitchen. He handed me the spoon as he sat down on the sofa next to me.

"So how was lunch?" I mumbled through a mouthful of cake.

"Unexpected, mostly...! And long. She kept asking me about a new year's party I never went to, which always makes conversation a bit.. trying. I think she suspected something was up. Or maybe she really did believe I was still having the willies from drinking too much. I don't know," he sighed. " Food was good, though. Mum jabbered about dad, and her sister being poorly and all the usual things. It's only a few days since I saw her last, but still..." I leaned back against him, listening and eating my cake as James talked.

"You should've just told her you got so drunk you couldn't remember the party at all," I pointed out. He opened his mouth to retort, closed it and thought it over again.

"That wasn't such a bad idea, actually."

"Always the tone of surprise," I sighed, focusing on my cake.

"I feel bad, going out to eat. Did you make yourself some food?"

"Oh yeah, gourmet cheese toasties and tea. It was pretty good actually. But cake was much better," I smiled and offered him some cake off my spoon.

"Not bad," he agreed. We shared the rest of the cake and I made a deliberate mess of it, just so I could kiss it away again. Having finished the cake I slumped back against James again, feeling too full from rich, dark chocolate cake. But it was a pleasant kind of full. "Thanks for not... making a fuss today," he mumbled into my hair.

"A fuss? About what? You having to go out with your mum?"

"Yeah."

"What would be the point of that - it was just for a few hours, it wasn't the end of the world? I missed you though, as sappy as it sounds." I felt myself blushing as I admitted to it, but it was the truth. He hugged me tighter and kissed my cheek.

"So what did you get up to while I was out?"

"Nothing much. Had some food, watched telly. Tried to play piano but got frustrated. Read in a book. Basically pottering around, not doing anything."

"Would you mind spending the rest of the day pottering around with me?"

"Sounds perfect," I smiled. James made to get out of the sofa, but I refused to move, leaning heavily on him.

"Get up. I'm making tea. You can't potter properly without tea," he said matter- of-factly. I laughed and moved out of his way and he disappeared into the kitchen. While James was in the kitchen making tea I turned on the telly and switched between channels.

"What's this? "James asked interestedly as he place two cups on the table and sat down next to me.

"You're joking! This is one of my favourite TV-series ever! I was sure you would have seen this, aren't you into this sort of war.. stuff?

"I haven't seen this before, I think." He frowned at the screen, thinking.

" I think Spielberg was involved in it, somehow. It's called Band of Brothers, it's about the 2nd World War and the invasion of Europe."

"I can see it's 2nd world war, that's a C-47," he pointed out dryly, and I rolled my eyes. Of course he'd know that.

"Anyway, it's about this one company out of the 101st Airborne Division. It's interesting, each episode usually starts with some bits of interviews from some of the veterans who was in the actual company. This company saw so much action it's ridiculous, they went in on D-day, liberated Holland, was in Battle of the Bulge and took Hitler's eagle's nest.. What was that town called, up in the alps? Berchtesgaden?" After this little rant James just stared at me as if was someone he had never seen before. "...What?"

"Nothing, I just.. didn't peg your for a war-film kind of woman. At all," he added with feeling.

"If this is another one of those "because you're a girl"-deals then I will punch you," I growled. "For your information I like war-films. I'm not even sure why, really. Most of my favourite films are about war in some way. Even though I absolutely hate the idea of conflict and war, particularly after Syria. But I like history. And extraordinary events like war make for extraordinary stories. And even I  know that's a Sherman," I ended, pointing at the screen.

"Originally called an M4 tank. You know, we named it after an American Union General because - "
"All right, all right! You stare at the tanks, I stare at the handsome chaps in uniforms," I cut him off, not really interested in a long lecture on war tanks. James just chuckled and put his arm around me.

"Fair enough." We curled up on the sofa and watched the episode in silence. Every now and again I asked about something I was curious about, and James often knew the answer. He was miffed when the episode ended, wanting to watch more of it. I suggested we could download it, or we could get the DVD box. He decided on the latter and ran for his iPad, went online and ordered it. He fiddled around with the iPad for a while, reading newspapers and checking twitter, while I tried to find something new to watch. James nudged me suddenly. "Oh, by the way, Richard sent me an email a while ago with a few of the photos he took in Syria. I meant to show you this."

"Ooh, photos!" I said, turning down the telly and turning my attention to the iPad. He found the email and flicked through a few, landscapes and scenery, shots of the crew, your typical tourist snapshots. I recognised a few from around Damascus. James stopped at a photo, and I felt a jolt go through me. There we were, James and I, on the steps of a Syrian hospital. It was like looking back into a previous life, it immediately brought back so many memories. I remembered the smells of the city, the sounds from the minarets calling people to prayer, the dry, irritating sand and the searing heat of the sun. I was in my light green scrubs and worn-out sandals, my hijab pulled down and draped around my neck like a shawl - my hair slightly on end from having worn it. I looked tanned, and too hot, but was smiling widely. James was wearing a pair of bleached blue jeans and a crumpled, beige linen shirt. He was more tanned as well, had shorter hair and had a ridiculous head-bandage. He was standing close to me with his arm around me, also smiling. We looked comfortable with each other, like we'd known each other a long time.

"Aw look at that!" I exclaimed. "Look at us! Wow... I really did a hack job of that bandaging, didn't I? I'm sorry. Just be glad I wasn't the one sewing your head shut."

"I'd forgotten he even took this. It was a confusing couple of days..."

"I have barely looked at my photos from Syria, I went home and was so busy preparing to move to London, and... It seems like years ago, looking at that now."

"Here, there's more." The photo changed, and there we were again, same stairs, same clothes but now deep in conversation. We were smiling kindly at each other, looking into each other's eyes, obviously talking about something heartfelt and completely oblivious to anything around us. It was a beautiful photo, seen from a photographer's point of view, capturing a tiny moment perfectly. Richard had obviously been observant.

"What were we talking about? Saying goodbye?"

"Yeah, more or less. I remember you asked me to stay away from towropes and rocks," James said and I laughed, remembering.

"I was worried! God knows what you three could get yourselves into!"

"Here, one more." Again the photo changed, and now we were hugging. That goodbye hug. Even if I couldn't remember what we had talked about, I remembered that hug; the sensation of his arms around me, the smell of him, the way it had made me feel.

"That paparazzi!" I shouted. "That sneaking..." My voice trailed off, I wasn't even angry, because it was such a sweet photo. Not everyone had photos from the first time they'd met. I looked at James, he was studying my reactions. "I remember thinking I wanted you to hit your head again," I admitted.

"Is that your way of trying to tell me you didn't want me to go?" James chuckled.

"Yeah..." I squirmed, feeling awkward. "I... liked you. I wanted to get to know you better."

"Why do you think I gave you my phone number?" It was James' turn to look awkward.

"I just figured you'd hit your head pretty badly," I said sarcastically and giggled. Then I flicked a fingertip over the iPad, going back to the previous photo where we were looking at each other. "You know, we look kinda..." I tilted my head, studying the photo.

"Gushing and in love?"

"Yeah, kind of. Or at least like we are very, very interested in each other."

"Well, I was," James said pointedly, put the iPod away and closed his arms around me, pulling me closer.

"Remember you told me I was short?" James closed his eyes, sighed and hung his head in remorse.

"Yeah, I do remember saying that. I wanted to punch myself in the face when I said it, feeling like a blithering idiot."

"You think I haven't heard that a million times before, that I'm short?" I laughed and kissed his forehead to comfort him.

"You are. You are really, really... tiny," he teased and nibbled at my bottom lip.

"And you have really stupid hair," I shot and nibbled back.

"Yeah, but you..." I could see cogs whirring in James' brain.

"You can't think of anything, can you?" In an effort to hide that he'd been unable to come up with a retort, and to stop me from teasing him about it further, he wrapped his arms around me and sank backwards on the sofa, pulling me down with him. Initially he was unhurried and tender, kissing me just because he enjoyed it, enjoyed the closeness and the sensation of our lips against each other, not because he wanted to get something out of it. Even though I had probably kissed him hundreds of times in the time since he'd showed up in Norway, it still felt completely new and every bit as exciting as that first time. My stomach did a swoop and my heart was pounding in my chest every time. I ran my hand down side and his hip, then back up again over his crotch feeling through the denim the beginning of an erection. Slowly I rubbed my palm against it, causing friction and heat, and he hummed encouragingly. One-handed I undid his belt and jeans, then slipped my hand inside his boxers. James drew a deep, ragged breath as my fingers played with his head, and I could feel how his erection grew harder under my hand. As I closed my hand around his cock I trailed kisses across his cheek and down to his neck. He hummed again, louder this time.

"Fuck, that feels good..." he breathed, and I smiled against his skin, satisfied with the response. I maintained a slow, firm pace, kissing his neck for every thrust with my hand. His hand found my breast and kneaded it roughly through my shirt, the tension in him mounting. He made a movement as if to sit up and I scrambled up from where I had been lying against him. He sat up with his back leaned against the backrest, and with a sigh of anticipation pulled me into his lap, making me straddle him. Giving me a piecing look he lifted my shirt up over my head and discarded it absentmindedly, then reached around my back and undid my bra, tossing it to the side. Following his lead I tore his T-shirt off and shivered with delight as his warm arms wrapped around me and I could feel his skin against mine. He buried his face against my neck, causing me to erupt in goose-bumps when he kissed and licked his way down to my shoulder. My arms was wrapped around his neck and I was running my hands through his hair. Wanting him to kiss further down I straightened up and he leaned down, taking my nipple into his mouth. It was my turn to hum happily. Lazily his palms ran up and down my back and over my shoulders. "Stand up," he mumbled as his mouth let go of my nipple, it felt cold as the warmth disappeared. Wondering excitedly what was going to happen I climbed out of his lap and stood in front of him, naked from the waist up. He spread his legs slightly and put his hands on my hips, pulling me closer so he could nuzzle my stomach. Determined hands tugged at my trousers and slid them to the floor, along with my panties and once again I found myself naked in front of him. With his face still buried against my stomach his hands ran lazily over my hips and bum, I could feel the cold metal of his wristwatch against my skin. Lovingly I ran my hands through his hair and caressed his neck, and he looked up at me through bushy hair and smiled. Mesmerised by his eyes and his smile I didn't even notice him moving his hand, and I startled when a fingertip brushed over my clit. Open-mouthed I gasped at the sensation, and James' eyes glittered with satisfaction. I had to cling onto his neck just to keep upright when he rubbed his finger against my clit in firm, slow circles. It's incredible how hard it is to remain standing on your own two feet when someone is giving you intense pleasure. Unable to take it anymore I huffed at James.

"I'm going to fall over if you keep this up.." He smirked gleefully and sat up straighter, giving me room to straddle him again. I leaned over him and tugged at the pockets of his jeans, they were still undone and all I needed was a little help from him to pull them down. I didn't need them completely off, just out of the way. With a frustrated sigh I sank down onto his lap and kissed him hurriedly, his erection was pressed between us, enticingly warm and hard. He pulled back from me so he could look into my eyes, and cupped my face gently.

"I just can't get enough of you," he sighed, almost apologetically.

"Good," I smiled and felt his cock find its way into me when I raised my hips from him slightly. "Because I can't get enough of you either." We did our best to study each other's eyes when I started rocking my hips gently. His arms were tightly clasped around my waist, controlling the pace of my movements. Sitting like this, me straddling him on the sofa, enabled us to hug and cling on to each other, making me feel closer, more intimate with him than I ever had before. We hovered over each other's mouths, huffing and gasping, staring into each other's eyes. Every uncontrolled moan and grimace of pleasure from one pushed the other closer. Feeling I was close I wasn't able to keep looking into James' eyes, it was too much for my senses having to focus on his eyes and on this intense pleasure I was feeling at the same time. I clapped my arms tightly around his neck and hugged him, breathing heavily against his ear as our pace quickened. In an effort to muffle my own desperate moan as I came I buried my face against his shoulder.

"Keep going," James moaned and I had to concentrate to be able to keep up my hip movements when my orgasm had subsided. I was so sensitive now it was sweet torture having to continue moving, but I desperately wanted to please him. James licked and kissed my neck as I tilted my head back and gasped for some much needed air. From his sharp breaths and moans I knew he could come with every thrust. To my immense surprise I felt how a second orgasm suddenly rushed towards me like a steam train, building and peaking so fast I was barely able to register it.

"Oh, shit...!" I gasped just as much from surprise as from pleasure as I shook and trembled. Lost in my own climax I vaguely noticed that James groaned and seized up in his own orgasm. As the rush of pleasure subsided and my breath and ability to speak returned, I looked down at him with eyebrows raised, still trembling. "T-t-that second one, I wasn't quite prepared for that," I stuttered breathily.

"Yeah, you sounded a bit surprised!" James grinned, and I ran my hand across his face.

"Let's just say I'm not used to double whammies," I said softly. "So thank you."

"My pleasure. Believe me!" He assured. I climbed off him and sank back on the sofa, resting my head on a pillow propped up against the armrest.

"Come here," I beckoned, holding my arms out to him, feeling cold as I lay naked on his sofa, now removed from his warmth.

"I'll crush you," he said smiling, shaking his head.

"Oh stop it, I might be small, but I'm a Viking," I scoffed, grabbed him by the arms and pulled him down towards me. He came to rest on top of me with his head on my chest. I snatched the blanket that lay crumpled on the floor next to the sofa and with some effort managed to drape it over us. Then I draped my arms and one leg around him and sighed heavily.

"You all right? I'm not squashing you?" He asked, looking up at me with a worried expression.

"Not even slightly," I smiled and I felt how he relaxed against me once again. For a while we lay there, quietly enjoying our post-orgasmic buzz. I had just been about to nod off when James' voice pulled me back into consciousness.

"Emily?"

"Mm?" I mumbled lazily and ran my fingertips lightly over his back.

"Let's go away somewhere." By the way he asked, it sounded like this wasn't the first time he had the idea.

"Go? Where?" I opened my eyes and looked down at him.

"I don't know, just... Somewhere. Anywhere. Some place where my mother can't ring the doorbell. Didn't you say you wanted to see more of the UK?" He looked back up at me for a second, then rested back down.

"Yeah, I did say that," I nodded slowly.

"Then let's go. We can take turns driving, go wherever you want, have a road trip?"

"Are you suggesting we elope together?"

"Something like that," he chuckled. "I was just thinking... We have about a week until reality sets in again, until we're both back at work...  And I want to make the most of this time with you. I want to take you places, have fun, just..." His voice trailed off.

"Just be in our own little world?" I finished, and he nodded.

"Yeah. Just you and me, away from everything else."

"Okay," I nodded simply. "Let's go." He lifted his head off my chest again and looked at me, pleasantly surprised.
"Really?"

"Yes, really! Of course! I'd go anywhere with you, haven't you figured that out yet you silly sod?" I chuckled, and received a big, wet kiss from James.

"How about this; I'll cook dinner while you research where you want to go and plan a route? I didn't get to make breakfast, I can at least make you dinner."

"Deal."