#79!

________ Don't tell me that you got better plans For those velvet hands, they're in demand Don't tell me that you're not a little curious Don't be so serious, it can be only us If you want more than your eyes on me, You can let me know privately RSVP Bring your love to me, It's an open invitation to an all-night situation If I'm where you wanna be RSVP I'm a fun party, yeah All you gots to bring your loving 'Cause I ain't wearing nothing Nothing you can't take off me

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It had been more than just a few days, but she couldn’t take it. She didn’t want to see him any more than she had to, not right now. The conversation was short, and polite. The Sheriff could apologise in Norse all he wanted, but it clearly meant nothing to him if he was going to do the same thing over, and over, and over… She was hell bent on ignoring him entirely. Only she didn’t want to show that attitude in front of her brother… Too good for her own good. It’ll get better… It has to get better… Hearing it from Tuck, or just simply knowing he’d been to confessional was something she could block out, after all – The Sheriff could be confessing anything. Everyone was supposed to confess something. But seeing him do it. It broke her heart. But she still watched him walk away with so much longing. Because she wanted him so badly. And it was getting even worse now. Why could they have him when she could not? Why would he not just wait for her…? So she occupied her time exploring the city on horseback; she had been allowed to keep her blue war horse Eyhamel from home. And she had spent a little bit of time (maybe too much time) complaining to him (and crying to him) in the stables whilst he adjusted. But Marcus had noticed this; pretending he didn’t or keeping his mouth shut for his own good he didn’t exactly know, all he knew was he wasn’t about to go to the Sheriff with it. And so one day around the castle, he suggested she come with him for a ride around Nottingham. “…For both defence purposes… you can see the city better when its not drawn on a map, don’t you think?” He gave a reassuring smile “And… when you get married… a city over which you will preside.” Her face almost fell at the notion, but she took a breath and turned her eyes upon the pieces of the city that she could see from the walkway. “…I’d like that…” He thought she might, it was time she got out of here, and spent a little bit of time away from the Sheriff. Marcus thought they were good together, so if he could help to cool things down a little he would endeavour to do so. Askel was walking briskly towards them, and Marcus thought there was no better time than now for this either; “…We could take your brother too, don’t you think?” She turned, with a bigger smile, and repeated herself; “I’d like that. A lot.” Marcus had spent a little bit of time with Askel himself; but thought to Nordic man was just a little too extreme sometimes. Why don’t you execute people like this or this or THIS! It made Marcus pay closer attention to his own facial expressions, he guessed. The three of them enjoyed wandering, and Marcus found himself becoming fast friends with both of them. He knew she was never going to treat him like a second in command, she never gave off that air; and he thought that one of the things she needed most right now was a friend. Marcus knew she had Tuck, but he provided her with something a little more down to earth. And beside her brother, the only warrior she interacted with like this. The rest of the guys liked her sure enough, but they were also slightly scared of her… Or in awe… or both. Askel, getting to grips with his English language, was funny and had a sharp tongue to match his sharp wit. She would often hit him or push him if she found him saying something she deemed inappropriate. Siblings…! And even though he was older, Marcus noticed that Askel listened to what she said. She’s fierce… She’s respected… When we get her out here and we give her something to defend… and she has to attack… she will be more than just a force to be reckoned with. She could probably guard Nottingham by herself. Marcus suddenly had a better thought as his head swivelled to her, now sharing in a Norse joke, the way she laughed and looked harmless. No one would ever know what she was to look at her. If she was going to remain at the Sheriff’s side… She’d be better than a personal body guard. Well, Marcus… First they have to smooth things over… Soon enough he found himself racing through the streets with her alone, she and her horse could move quick, and he’d often lose her around turns and bends, and find her 5 minutes later folding her arms and wondering where he’d got to. She was becoming more and more independent. And now she carried that map around and started marking out plans. Marcus knew she was nearly ready. She could handle all this on her own already, he reckoned. Lucian would give her complete control soon; and she would do well to shake things up. People could become accustomed to the way Nottingham defended itself. Let’s see them defend against her! Of course these solo outings between the two of them, wending through the lower parts of Nottingham, and as close to the mines as he dared to take her right now. Had her asking all the important questions. And he knew she was getting used to it being her city. A City that would soon look to her for answers, as much as it would her husband to be. Looking to her to protect them, and to care for them. Marcus watched the way she surveyed everything, how she smiled at the people passing her by, and greeted them. She could do both, and he knew she would do them impeccably well. Which led to at least a small frustration of his own with his Sheriff. Could William not see what he had? Or could he simply not see what he was doing to her by continuing down the route he’d always been on. Did William just think about consequences later? Or did he think consequences wouldn’t apply to him…? Marcus learned a lot about the Sheriff from her. But it was mostly in the form of complaints. Which he would never repeat, but had him laughing; even when he was sure by the look on her face he shouldn’t have been laughing. But he felt it was good to know, and he asked questions he felt important to his status. If he was to defend this city, he would think defending the most important man in it was also a top priority. And she seemed to know everything he did and everywhere he went. What better woman in Nottingham to know?! Today when they rode back into the stables Marcus noticed how curious she got about the ebony horse in the far end. He’d watched her watch him before; but today as she unbridled her own and led him to his own stable she approached the horse herself. “Careful Y/N…” She turned to him, eyebrow raised “Why?” “He’s a good horse… But, he has an odd temperament. And I’ll tell you this, he’d not ridden half as often as he aught to be.” She stopped by the gate to his stable and watched him calmly; if he wanted to come to her, he would. “What’s his name?” “…Vesper.” “Vesper?” She repeated a word fairly foreign to her. “Yes… As in, Evening.” There was some mythology to the name also that he’d heard rambled about, but didn’t really understand. “Clever.” She said it softly, noticing the white blaze down the horses face “His rider would probably think so, I don’t think you aught to be giving him so much credit. They have the same temperament in fact…” Marcus hung up his own tack “…Fitting really!” She lent her head on the wooden structure; the horse looked powerfully built, tall, lean – underutilized. He looked ready to run – it made her suddenly sad. “To whom does he belong?” “Uhm.” Marcus bit his lip “…The uh… man you are bound to marry.” She dropped her gaze; why did that even surprise her? “He used to ride quite a lot, you know? Vesper is pretty quick. Exceedingly calm in crowd and damn steady. If… a little unruly… Unfortunately once you become someone as powerful as the Sheriff is, going out on a horse solo is not exactly safe an-” As he turned back to her, his eyes widened. Only she--!!! She could quite believe it herself as the horse wandered to her, she outstretched her hand slow and calm as he stopped just shy of her. But Vesper let her run her hands over his muzzle, and took another few paces to let her continue to stroke him. She placed her forehead to the horses and closed her eyes. From where he was Marcus couldn’t quite hear what she was murmuring, but he knew it was Norse. She opened her eyes again, and there was a sheen to the sadness in her eyes – he knew she was going to cry again. “…Seems like you and me are the same… Vesper…”  Her head shake was gentle “…Don’t worry, darling, we’re going to change that…” *** Sitting on her bed, in her room in her night dress made her sigh in complete discontent. She didn’t want this. She knew what she did want, and she wasn’t there yet, but she sure didn’t want this. The Sheriff’s own decisions were driving her to this – but at the same time it killed her that every other woman here was having him and not HER. She wasn’t going to marry him until she knew for sure he was hers – but he still had to propose to her; and all this courting back and forth was less than successful, because he had a whole bunch of courtesans he would call upon whenever he wanted (and would like to join him at the lavish parties Nottingham could apparently afford to throw.) Her one consolation prize was every time she walked away from him, in jealousy or disgust, Wil would literally get down on his knees and beg her to stay. And sometimes it really was pathetic. Sometimes she thought it would be best for both of them if she sailed back home – her father would not be pleased, she knew. But surely once she gave her reasoning it would be completely understandable. The problem was she was in love. Or, she was in love with the thought of being in love. He wasn’t what she expected – not hearing about him, nor upon beholding him for herself… He was smart – this flicker of genius he seemed to keep hidden behind the game he was playing. He was as gentle as he was ruthless; and he drew her in as much as he scared her. He was cunning, and calculating, and his power was all in his money. Or so they all thought. She saw through that, but she couldn’t get through to that. He was a rich, powerful, single man. No wonder women threw themselves at him, and no wonder he revelled in that. She was here to marry him, and until he made the decision to walk her on down the aisle, she was stuck waiting on him. The Sheriff knew she couldn’t really go anywhere – but he COULD show her off. He infuriated her because he knew he had her trapped; he infuriated her because any time he would turn his attention to her, she had the opportunity to revel in him. When his eyes were on her she was the only woman in the world, and for a few seconds, minutes, hours maybe Wil could make her believe that he could be faithful…

Well. She simply couldn’t take it anymore.

She rose from the bed and opened the door. The halls of the castle were dark, save from the flicker of torchlight every so often. After dinner she had retired up here and she hadn’t heard anyone come by, so he wasn’t in his own room. Which meant neither was anyone else; good. She knew exactly where he would be… She trod softly on her way to the balcony that overlooked the square. Any time he had to think he went there… Sweeping silently through the rooms, dark here apart from any moonlight and starlight allowed to stream through the windows. He’d left the last set of doors out onto the overlooking walkway open and the breeze left a slight chill across her skin. She stood and watched him, not knowing if he was looking at the stars; at God. Or to the city, his people. Seeing himself as somewhere in between? She watched his shift in position, his back straightened and he pulled his feet from one behind the other to together. His hands found their usual position on the balustrade and she watched his shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath. The Sheriff didn’t hear at first. He had far too much to think about, too much weight on his mind. But he was always cautious – there was just something that always niggled him about having his back to anyone. He guessed with the way he’d grown up it was only natural to be wired into him. He could feel a presence, but it didn’t feel malicious… It certainly snapped him from his thoughts enough to have him take up a more alert position. As he moved the silver concealed knife pressed into his skin, and that at least made him feel safer. “What do you see?” She stepped out onto the balcony, keeping slightly apart from him, he could hear every step she took now, her dress brushing against the stone, then the wood. When William hesitated in answering, she voiced her question again “…When you look out there, what do you see?”

He bit his lips together and swallowed whilst he thought on his answer; “Quiet. For once I see quiet.” He drummed his fingers gently on the polished wood “I see a city full of potential I can’t quite unlock, full of people who love me for the wrong reasons or hate me for the wrong reasons and I’m not sure I know which is which. Hell, maybe they hate me for the right reasons… I see things I have worked for become fruitless, as much as I see happy accidents taking on forms I could have hardly imagined…” He turned to her “…But what I hate seeing most is a woman to whom I cannot give what she wants… I am trying… But I…” he looked away again “…She is like this city… The difference is the city voices its discontent regularly… You only look at me with this distain I know you feel. And I do not blame you or the city for your feelings.” She looked across to him, with a kind of respectful interest, she was right. He was smart, old habits apparently just wouldn’t die. He hadn’t looked back to her as he squinted out over the roof in front of him; “What do you see?” She smiled, and followed his line of sight “I see my future. A future I’m trying to build in my head. If I am to fulfil my purpose here… A future I cannot build alone… In a country I do not know, with a religion I do not understand… But I wish to.” looking back to him, as his eyes were now back on her. The blue turned silver by the moonlight, his eyes betrayed a sadness, but it was deep. And she could already tell it something that was meant to stay hidden; “…I just can’t build that future, in this city alone.” “…I will not be much of a future.” She took a step towards him “You are the only future I have. And whether I like it or not you’re the only future I want.” “…You have no idea how many times I’ve been to confessional about this… I am no good for you, and your father should never have trusted me with you…” She searched those eyes for something that wasn’t hurt, but there wasn’t anything. The Sheriff was a broken man; he was just acting this part. And in that moment she wasn’t even sure if she could put those pieces back together. “I believe in my fathers’ judgement. And I know he was right.” Taking another step forced him to turn towards her, and she closed the gap to just shy of respectful “And I’m right too. All I ask is to be the only woman… It doesn’t surprise me that it is hard for you. I just suppose I might have expected you to try harder. Only I realise that my demands are slightly one sided…” She looked back out to the city “…I want it to be your answer too.” She slid her hand across the railing to meet his and William looked from her face, her eyes bright and hopeful, to the city too; “I want you to see your future when you look at Nottingham, but more importantly… I want you to see your future when you look at me, too.” He made the move to link his fingers with hers, turning the gap between them to mere inches; “…It is not hard to wish I could…” His eyes began to search her’s too, whatever he was trying to find deep inside her too was out of reach, for different reasons. She realised there would be a disconnect as long as what was inside her was not reaching out for what lay deep inside him. She was scared. She was scared that if she gave herself to him, truly gave herself to him, that he would have exactly what he wanted from her, and have his other women too. But what if that wasn’t the case? And she herself was the only person who could change that. “You can. We are both guilty of the same thing. And we need to stop fighting it.” She closed the gap between them without even pause for thought or breath. Holding his hand just a little tighter she reached for his other and found it. Now she just had to find whatever else she was looking for. The problem was she didn’t know what it was. The kiss was longer than she anticipated, and she had to break it to breathe herself. It had done something to him she didn’t realise until she was looking into his eyes again; and he kept his closed for a good number of seconds. Savouring everything – now his nails were digging into her soft skin; he was asking her because he couldn’t voice it, he couldn’t voice the vulnerability not to leave. He wasn’t down on his knees begging but she could see it in his eyes. She took a few steps back, with a confident smile; “You need to know what you would be missing… letting me go…” She didn’t let his hands go until the very last second she could. Their eyes still locked, and his slightly wide as he caught on to her meaning. She backed down the steps and only turned at the door – she was sure he would follow her…

She was slow enough as she traced her way back through the castle, every so often as she rounded a corner, or walked through a doorway, she would look back to make sure Wil was still following her. He was, his steps slow and deliberate… She got to her room door and stopped, she heard him stop further down the corridor… and she wondered… if he would… She turned, her expression voicing her question. Here…? The Sheriff’s face remained stoic, but deadly serious as he gave a slow shake of his head. And he loved the smile he received back…  Her heart fluttered at the thought of what was about to happen. From his string of lovers he kept around she knew this, none of them ever made it to his own chambers… She took a breath, new, relaxed and full of confidence she started her walk, at renewed pace, towards his room… She reached the door and placed her hand to it, turning one last time to watch him; this time he didn’t stop. His eyes locked on her as he walked, one foot in front of the other – more like a stalk than anything – slow and deliberate, towards her. The wood was heavy but she didn’t take her eyes off him as she opened it. She didn’t know if she was scared or excited that she didn’t know what he would do the second she took her eyes off him. Especially here… She slipped inside and for a minute felt like she might begin running. She didn’t when she didn’t hear him do what she expected. He must have been in as much anticipation of her as she was him… All the shutters were open; with no lit torches the room was bathed in silver light. It was beautiful… The room was large, huge in fact; she walked slowly forward, the smile on her lips at just the mere thought of being quite possibly the only woman to see this. At least the only woman of his. The bed was huge, four poster – she couldn’t tell if the sheets were white and grey in his colours – or if the lighting was turning them those shades. She wondered how much he actually slept in here; between work and other woman… He even had a desk in here; papers and books strewn all over it; at least three candles burned completely down and one well on the way… The breeze was also present here; making her hold herself for a moment. She heard the door close behind her, and suddenly became very aware of the beat of her heart. With the strike of a match the room was suddenly bathed in a warmer glow. She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder; aware she was still holding herself. He was taking breaths she could still see, and his eyes were studying her through her dress. The dip of her spine, the curve of her hips… everything he couldn’t see, but could imagine… Wil almost let out a contented hum. She was from the Nordics; notoriously cold – how hot could she love? The Sheriff realised as he surveyed her, he was already thinking of his future. She moved her hands up to her shoulders; now looking away from him she slid the sleeves of her dress down her arms. It was not a move he expected her to make… He wouldn’t even have to undress her?! The fabric slid down her body; exposing more of her to him until she let gravity do the work, and the light, soft nightdress pooled to the floor. He bit his lip trying to hold his groan in. And he had to give himself a minute; affording her to look back shyly over her shoulder to see him fighting the urge to storm over and throw her straight on the bed right now. In both the low torch light and the glow of the moon every single definition of her body was beautiful, where there were flaws – she was flawless. Her muscles were toned and defined by years of being a Shield Maiden, and no woman he had ever been with had that. The Sheriff relived himself of his jacket, and made his way slowly over to her. He had to be careful; he’d seen the flicker in her eyes as she turned away from him once more. She was scared – he’d already guessed she may have never done this before… She reached up and pulled the fastenings from her hair, letting it tumble down her back in gorgeous waves. He was feet from her now. He watched the tense shiver that ran up her body as he unsnapped the clasp on his overshirt. Sliding that off he threw it over the back of his chair. Wil closed the gap between them, winding his arms around her body; he felt her tense again as he pulled her back against his chest… He breathed her in, placing his forehead gently to the back of hers. “Shhh…” his voice was soothing as he hushed her. He could feel her heart pounding in her chest. “…I promise… It will be alright… I’m going to take you slow… Ok?” He brushed her hair over her shoulder, kissing her exposed neck gently… “Nice and slow…” She shivered again, but he could tell this was a different kind of shiver. “Y/N…” He said her name softly “…Do you trust me…?” “…Yes…” Her voice waivered with emotions she was feeling for the first time. “Good girl…” He turned her towards him; but kept his eyes on her face, she was looking away from him; “No… No… Don’t… Don’t be embarrassed.” Her eyes met his under his authoritative tone “…You have nothing to be embarrassed about…” His eyes told her to trust him again as he traced her body again; My God…To lie with her for the rest of his life? William at least hoped he was keeping the smirk off his face. This was uncharted territory for any man… He wanted to keep it that way. He looked back to her eyes; her chest was rising and falling fast with the deep breaths she was taking; “Y/N…” He tilted her head so she looked back to him; “You are a Goddess amongst men who would have NO idea what to do with you…” He moved her hands to the opening of his undershirt; “…I am a mere mortal too… But I promise you… I will take care of you like no other man.” She seemed to understand, even if she didn’t seem to quite register it, she undid the few fastenings, and he pulled it over his own head, gathering her to him again, now his skin was against hers it made her burn on contact. He could feel her heart beating in anticipation through his skin and he ran his hands over her; careful where he made contact he leant in and she accepted his kiss. Tentatively, but with encouragement from him she ran her fingers up his arms, his chest; he wasn’t muscular like a warrior, (she’d seen her fair share of shirtless men) but he was lean; he’d been through militaristic style training at the very least. Likely too old to see a battlefield now, he might have seen a few in his time – even if they weren’t out in open warfare. He could hold her tight; and she felt safe. He could protect her, and he made her feel like he would keep all his promises. He began to move her gently towards the bed; one of his hands between them undoing his trousers. She whimpered as he left her lips; “Shhh… Shhh… I promise you, my darling, it will all be okay…” Wil kicked his boots off before lifting her up onto the bed, allowing her to get comfortable before he joined her, pulling her body back into his he kept on kissing her, he ran his hands up and down her body with varying pressure, attempting to test her. This was more than not knowing what she liked; she didn’t even know what she liked yet. He was already getting a good idea from what she was trying to hold back; from him or from herself he wasn’t sure. “Don’t.” He was commanding again “Don’t hold anything back. This is natural, Y/N. I want to make you feel better than you’d think possible to feel. I can only do that if you let me hear you… Darling, it’s okay to let yourself go. There is noone but us here…” The Sheriff got a kick out of how responsive she was to him telling her this – he worked his trousers off with minimal effort and pulled her closer; he wasn’t even sure of the last time he had had this with anyone. He had certainly been a lot younger. Wil showered her with kisses; every inch of her body he could reach he worshiped. She had closed her eyes to him; but the sighs coming of her lips; his name… his real name. He didn’t think he’d ever heard anyone ever say it that way; the way it caught with her accent, with the way her breath was hitching in pleasure. He stopped kissing her for a minute to just look at her, almost in awe… When she opened her eyes again they were hazy. She caught his, a clear point of focus, the blue a few shades darker to match his aura. She became aware of his hot breath against her skin, his fingertips applying gentle pressure as they danced across her ribcage; “Say that again…” She blinked, say what? She didn’t say anything near a coherent sentence; not in English anyway. His face changed, adoration in his eyes as he smiled; “Say my name… say it again… Just like that.” He pressed a kiss to her stomach. Moving his hands over her skin to her thighs; smoother than silk, pale and delicate as the falling snow from where she hailed to juxtapose her long dark hair. She moved her hands over his, to his shoulders and through his hair. Her breath caught again as he continued to kiss lower on her body. She could feel the blush that crept over her face, down her neck and didn’t stop there. Heat was beginning to pool in places she didn’t think possible and she had to close her eyes again, and bite back a groan as his fingers began to trace her inner thighs. She offered resistance to him pushing her legs apart and she twisted under him for just a minute. Wil moved and kissed her face lightly; “I am not going to hurt you… Not intentionally.” He knew that it could likely hurt her, but that would never be his aim. “I promise you, I know what I’m doing…” then he laughed lightly, “Well... I guess you didn’t need me to tell you that…” She nodded, kissing him back – she let it linger just long enough as his hands moved back to her thighs she parted her legs for him. “…You are gorgeous… Y/N… I have never beheld something as beautiful as you…” He whispered it against her skin as he kissed her again and moved back down her body. “I will worship you, as you deserve.” She let out a gasp, and something akin to an electric jolt as if she had been struck by lightning ran through her body causing it to arch. She placed her hand over her mouth in embarrassment but she couldn’t stop herself from groaning again. He chuckled slightly; “That’s my girl… That’s my good girl…” He almost purred it and that wasn’t helping. She sighed as he moved his fingers again to her sweet-spot (not that she would know a hell of a lot about that), but it made her cry out in an entirely different way and she could feel static building like nothing she had ever known. She was responding so well to everything he was doing it made him almost proud of her. He wondered how much of this she had explored for herself. She was as much of a princess as he was. She’d already let him know if she wasn’t fighting with her brothers, she was hanging out with them. Females didn’t often factor into her life aside from her sisters and her mother (and the occasional other shield maiden she’d mention). But he couldn’t imagine a girl like her wasn’t at least curious. Although now wasn’t the time to worry about that. She was sweet, and hot and she was going to feel so good that he almost lost his mind just thinking about it. But she was shy; and he knew she was desperate to hold herself back because she was self-conscious. Not in spite of him… He continued his movements, taking her hand in his free one he laced their fingers and began kissing trails back up her body. Her breaths became laboured and short; her groans pitched in and out and he knew she was too close to the edge for her own liking; given to how hard she was squeezing his hand, and the way her other had tangled in the sheets; her knuckles almost white. He slid his fingers out of her to a whine. It was desperate and wanton, and he had her right where he wanted her as he tasted her. He groaned to himself then, God… She’s just perfect… and she’s all YOURS… Wil kissed her again, rougher; taking her other hand, he pinned them above her head and didn’t let her lips go. He ground his hips into her; making her body arch into his and he swallowed her groans. She sounded so damn desperate for him. She even whined when he stopped kissing her. She wanted all of him, all over her. As much contact as was humanly possible. And all he seemed to be doing was pulling away from her. He forced her hips wider with his legs; and pressed his forehead to hers; “Tell me you trust me.” “I trust you.” She said it without hesitation “Tell me you want this.” “I want you.” He pushed into her gently; hating the way she cried out in pain… grateful he knew it wouldn’t last. He waited on her; he’d wait as long as it would take. Until her eyes were not squeezed shut quite so tight. She opened them and said something in Norse. He tilted his head; questioning. He knew he’d have to learn her language if he ever wanted to know her completely. And he did. She smiled, winding her legs around his to pull him further into her body; slipping her hands out of his she caressed his face, running her fingers back up into his hair and then down his chest; where they rested over his heart – not racing like hers, but calm, steady. A safe place. She repeated it, in English “We are one.”

 **

When she woke she was surprised to find he was still there. The shutters for the windows were still wide open, and they threw the morning sunlight all over the room. Upon closer inspection the bedsheets where white and blue, not grey… but close enough… She rolled herself onto her back for a moment, and let out a breath; no doubt she ached in places she’d never ached before. But she knew it was a good kind of ache… It’d get better; it must get better, that was the only explanation for her large number of siblings… It wasn’t that the night was unpleasant, far from it. It just wasn’t exactly what she had expected. She placed her arms against her forehead; thinking too fantastically would never allow her to live out a fantasy with him if she didn’t let herself go. She was still too scared to… Wil wound his arms around her and pulled her into him, opening his eyes; “You stayed?” “…I would have asked you the same thing… Sir…” “No no no, do not call me Sir here… Not here…” he mumbled, stroking her hair from her face; “Not unless I specifically instruct you to.” What!? She decided right now she’d rather not know; or was she simply too curious…? “Oh… I’m sorry.” He chuckled, “Don’t be sorry either…” He kissed her face, down her neck, into her shoulder. And everything she felt last night threatened to come flooding back, she gasped against the travel of his kisses, his arms were so strong she also couldn’t wriggle out of his grip. Was he going to have last night on repeat?! She could feel the Sheriff smirk against her skin as she struggled; how her grazed his tongue and his teeth over her skin and made her sigh, her sighs turned to groans and she stopped resisting him wrapping her arms around his neck as he continued to kiss her. But his hands never threatened to wander anywhere else. “Alas…” he whispered into her neck “I wish I could stay here all day… Duty calls… It will be Sunday service soon…” Church. Of course. Trust the religion of this country to pull him away from her “…Although…” he thought on it; propping himself up on his elbow, “I would like you to accompany me…” Her hazel eyes held his gaze for a moment; curiously “Me? To a service? To your church?” “…You said you didn’t understand my religion… I concur, I believe you will understand it more than most. And be much more of a believer than half of those already there… So… Will you?” “…I…” she looked away from him for a minute “…If you wish it…” “I wish it only if you wish to come…” “…I would like to.” “…Hmmm…Then it will be an honour to have you there…” He kissed her again; chaste but full of promises on her lips. *** The Sheriff started towards the carriage, almost ecstatic that she would be accompanying him to Church today. William needed that more than she would ever know… And he could show her off to the Church too. HA! You were all wrong all along! But he noticed that she stopped shy of the steps down, he turned, a clearly worried look on his face. He was asking her not to change her mind now – anything but that. After what they had just shared, anything but leaving him here with this feeling. As if I haven’t done to her so many times… She half turned towards the stables “Can we ride?” “Ride?” His eyebrow quirk was inquisitive as he slowly ascended back to her “Yes… Ride. You and I. Side by side, it shouldn’t be too long a trip.” “…You want to ride to the church? Through the streets?” There was a knowing smile on her face, he was worried about what would happen to him. “Am I not charged with protecting you, Sheriff?” “And yet I am worried for your safety.” Her shrug was gentle; “Marcus and I have detailed these streets ourselves. I should be ready to take over from Lucian soon enough.” He took a step back and his mouth pressed into a thin line; he wasn’t sure how he felt about her putting herself in danger like that without his knowledge; “Why didn’t you tell me this?!” “I just did.” Those hazel eyes almost pricked annoyance at his question and he held his tongue from chiding her. He wasn’t about to ruin this. “Besides…” She turned fully, taking his hand gently in hers “Vesper is a gorgeous horse.” His laugh was nearly silent; “He is.” “Then ride him.” She liked that smile, the simplicity of it. Like the Sheriff was reliving every previous riding memory in his head. Like it was just them living in the moment. “Yes…” He bowed his head with the same gentleness of his voice “My Lady, let us ride.”