come to accept the situation.'
'I don't think I quite believe that.'
'He's not an ogre, Jon, he doesn't wish you any harm.'
'That wasn't the case a couple of weeks ago when he primed Victor Platnauer to complain to Miss Piprelly about me.'
'Pip's nobody's stooge; she makes up her own mind about things. In fairness to Daddy, though - and I don't condone for a minute what he did - your past is a tiny bit disconcerting.'
He could not help but smile as he curled clogged strands of her hair around his finger. 'Does it still bother you?'
'How can it not, Jon? Especially after recent events. You know how much I care for you, so how can you expect me to put aside everything that's happened?'
'Nothing's happened since, Amy, not after the dinner party. I don't feel so uneasy any more, I'm not jumping at shadows. I can't explain it, but I feel as though a huge pressure has been lifted from me. At least for the moment.' He hadn't told her of the night alone in his cottage when the strange tension in his mind had brought him to his knees. In the following days, the sense of foreboding had slowly dissipated as though he were being released from an outside force, a debilitating spell lifted. He felt the threat had somehow passed him by. And yet that malignant snicker of laughter still echoed inside his head.
'I hope so, Jon,' Amy said, her soft voice dismissing the final dregs of doubt.
'I like the old you better, the one I first met. Quiet, easy-going, sometimes amusing…' he tugged her hair '… sometimes sexy…'
He drew her hair down so that her lips pressed against his. Their kiss, at first soft, soon hardened, became almost fierce, their tongues tasting each other's warm moistness. Her body pushed firmly against his, one slim leg parting his knees.
'Hey, take it easy,' he said breathlessly after a few moments. 'I'm only wearing swimming trunks, remember, and this is a public place.'
'Nobody's watching.' She nuzzled his neck and her thigh was strong against his.
'This is no way for a schoolmarm to behave.'
'School's out.'
'And so will I be if you carry on.'
'Oh, is it peeping over the top?'
'Amy,' he warned.
She chuckled and drew away. 'What a prude,' she said, sitting up and continuing to dry her hair.
He sat up too, drawing up his legs and resting his arms over his knees for the sake of modesty.
'Shame,' she mocked.
'I've got an idea,' he said brightly.
'Oh yeah?' she replied, still mocking, but her voice deeper, a huskiness to it.
'Why don't you dry off properly back at my place. Unless you've got to get home for some reason?'
'As a matter of fact, I said I wouldn't be home for dinner tonight.'
'Is that right? You had plans, huh?'
'No, but I thought you might.'
'Some ideas are coming to mind…'
They drove to the cottage, not bothering to change back into their clothes, semi-nude figures driving cars being a common feature of the island when the weather was warm, and they were soon inside the small, grey-stone house.
Amy shivered as Childes closed the front door. 'It's cooler in here,' she said.
'I'll get you my robe and fix you a drink.'
'I'd like to soak off this salt.'
'I'll get you my robe, fix you a drink, and run the bath.'
Her arms went around his neck and she kissed his nose. 'You just do the drinks.'
He gripped her waist, hugging her close, his lips seeking hers.
Amy returned his kiss with equal fervour, feeling him hard against her stomach, but she pulled away when things began to get out of control. 'Let me get cleaned up first,' she said, slightly out of breath.
'You've just come out of the sea - you're clean enough.'
She broke free. 'Do the drinks and read your mail. I won't be long.' She
'I don't think I quite believe that.'
'He's not an ogre, Jon, he doesn't wish you any harm.'
'That wasn't the case a couple of weeks ago when he primed Victor Platnauer to complain to Miss Piprelly about me.'
'Pip's nobody's stooge; she makes up her own mind about things. In fairness to Daddy, though - and I don't condone for a minute what he did - your past is a tiny bit disconcerting.'
He could not help but smile as he curled clogged strands of her hair around his finger. 'Does it still bother you?'
'How can it not, Jon? Especially after recent events. You know how much I care for you, so how can you expect me to put aside everything that's happened?'
'Nothing's happened since, Amy, not after the dinner party. I don't feel so uneasy any more, I'm not jumping at shadows. I can't explain it, but I feel as though a huge pressure has been lifted from me. At least for the moment.' He hadn't told her of the night alone in his cottage when the strange tension in his mind had brought him to his knees. In the following days, the sense of foreboding had slowly dissipated as though he were being released from an outside force, a debilitating spell lifted. He felt the threat had somehow passed him by. And yet that malignant snicker of laughter still echoed inside his head.
'I hope so, Jon,' Amy said, her soft voice dismissing the final dregs of doubt.
'I like the old you better, the one I first met. Quiet, easy-going, sometimes amusing…' he tugged her hair '… sometimes sexy…'
He drew her hair down so that her lips pressed against his. Their kiss, at first soft, soon hardened, became almost fierce, their tongues tasting each other's warm moistness. Her body pushed firmly against his, one slim leg parting his knees.
'Hey, take it easy,' he said breathlessly after a few moments. 'I'm only wearing swimming trunks, remember, and this is a public place.'
'Nobody's watching.' She nuzzled his neck and her thigh was strong against his.
'This is no way for a schoolmarm to behave.'
'School's out.'
'And so will I be if you carry on.'
'Oh, is it peeping over the top?'
'Amy,' he warned.
She chuckled and drew away. 'What a prude,' she said, sitting up and continuing to dry her hair.
He sat up too, drawing up his legs and resting his arms over his knees for the sake of modesty.
'Shame,' she mocked.
'I've got an idea,' he said brightly.
'Oh yeah?' she replied, still mocking, but her voice deeper, a huskiness to it.
'Why don't you dry off properly back at my place. Unless you've got to get home for some reason?'
'As a matter of fact, I said I wouldn't be home for dinner tonight.'
'Is that right? You had plans, huh?'
'No, but I thought you might.'
'Some ideas are coming to mind…'
They drove to the cottage, not bothering to change back into their clothes, semi-nude figures driving cars being a common feature of the island when the weather was warm, and they were soon inside the small, grey-stone house.
Amy shivered as Childes closed the front door. 'It's cooler in here,' she said.
'I'll get you my robe and fix you a drink.'
'I'd like to soak off this salt.'
'I'll get you my robe, fix you a drink, and run the bath.'
Her arms went around his neck and she kissed his nose. 'You just do the drinks.'
He gripped her waist, hugging her close, his lips seeking hers.
Amy returned his kiss with equal fervour, feeling him hard against her stomach, but she pulled away when things began to get out of control. 'Let me get cleaned up first,' she said, slightly out of breath.
'You've just come out of the sea - you're clean enough.'
She broke free. 'Do the drinks and read your mail. I won't be long.' She
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