Chapter 11

She only agreed to do it as a favour to her sister – but HE more than made up for the inconvenience...

Hearing the car pull up outside, Izzy flung the front door open and rushed out.

"Laura! I'm so glad that you could make it!" she cried, grinning wide.

Laura's grin matched hers width for width. "I wouldn't have missed this for the world," she told her as climbed out of her car.

They hugged each other tightly, and then Laura turned to look up at the big house behind them.

"Oh yes! I can certainly see what you saw in him," she said dryly.

"You have no idea!" Izzy responded with a roll of her eyes, and a shake of her head. "Come on inside and I'll put the kettle on."

"Let me just grab my bag." She walked around her Fiat and pulled her holdall off the back seat, and then arm in arm they entered Izzy's little home, and closed out the rest of the world for a few hours.

Up at the main house, Daniel stared down at the little car resentfully. Two days! He thought with frustration. For two days and nights he wouldn't be able to see Izzy alone ... or hold her. He shook his head; he was getting fed up of all the sneaking around any way.

This only being able to see her, and be with her, after everyone else had left ... they weren't fooling anyone anyway, not judging by all those reproachful looks from Mrs. Coats and Rosie; and the general air of disapproval hung heavy in his home.

Izzy had seen all that coming, and refused to come up to the house again.

No! He'd had enough he decided. It was time that they arranged something a little more permanent, a little more – formal.

Izzy was a sensible girl, she would realise that it was time and see the wisdom of it, he was sure of that.

Smiling to himself in relief, he went down to his cellar, to pick out a couple of bottles of wine...

The girls were sat at the kitchen table chatting, when there was a loud thump at the door.

"I'll just get that," Izzy smiled as she headed for the front door. Laura followed her into the hallway curiously though.

Daniel stood just outside, holding out two bottles. "Jessie once said, 'that you simply can't have a girly night without some wine!'" he grinned at Izzy. "So I brought these for you."

"Thank you Daniel!" Izzy exclaimed, wide eyed with pleasure.

"You are welcome Izzy," his voice was deep and husky. "You two have a great weekend."

Izzy said goodnight to Daniel, as he handed over the wine, and she closed the door with her foot.

She turned to grin at Laura as she held out the bottles. "Party time?" she asked – her eyebrow rose questioningly.

"That sounds like a plan," Laura replied with another matching grin.

They retired to the living room and over the first bottle of wine they caught up. By the time they were starting on the second, Izzy thought that Jessie had always had the right idea, and put on some music.

Later that evening, Daniel stared over at the little house with the loud music. He gave a sigh full of resignation; yes it was definitely time to make some changes. He was sure that Izzy would see the sense of this when he discussed it with her.

The weekend flew by, and all too soon the girls were hugging each other goodbye.

"You must come over again soon," Izzy told her cousin. "Before Maggie gets married."

Laura laughed. "I'll try and visit you again, before Jenny and Kitty breakup for the summer," she promised.

She climbed into her car, and with a beep of her horn and a final wave; she left Izzy standing alone on Daniel's driveway. She glanced up at the large silent house before returning to her little home.

Daniel wouldn't come round until later.

Wandering around her little home, she remembered her last few nights with Daniel. Their lovemaking was amazing. It was everything she could have dreamt of – and then some! He was a wonderful, passionate lover, soft and gentle and kind and considerate.

He could be wicked and daring as well, and always imaginative! Being Daniel's lover would never be boring – of that she was sure.

She glanced at her clock, twelve fifteen; she went into her kitchen to fix herself some lunch. As she left the soup bubbling on the stove she thought dreamily of their last night together. It would only be for a couple of days, they both knew that but somehow it had felt ... almost like it was their last time, and there had been, an urgency to it, that she'd never experienced before.

The thumping on her front door startled her out of her reverie. She switched off her stove, and walked through to open the door, knowing full well who would be standing there.

"Good morning Daniel."

"Izzy."

She stepped back and he entered her little home. He leaned back against the door so that it clicked too. All the time he kept his eyes fixed on hers.

"I've missed you Daniel," she told him softly.

She never got any further; before she knew it she was pressed flat against the wall and Daniel was kissing her feverishly.

His hands were all over her, as he pulled at buttons and straps, and anything else that got in his way. When he entered her right there in her hallway she stilled in shock, and he seemed to freeze too.

He looked in horror at her, and started to pull away.

Izzy held him fast. "Can I take it that you missed me too?" she whispered softly as she leaned up to kiss his neck. She felt the shudder run right through him, and then it carried on to her, and she gave him a little smile. "Well that was certainly different!" she told him cheekily.

He swore softly as he started to move inside her, she was tiny and he took her weight easily, as he held her against that wall. And she ... she encouraged him every step of the way, he'd thought at first she had been as appalled as him at his initial invasion of her, but she seemed to be as turned on about it all as he was!

It was a quick passion, intense and short lived. Their climax came jointly and left both of them reeling...

Especially when they realised that he'd not used any birth-control.

"Stupid ... irresponsible ... thoughtless!" Daniel ground out as he ran his fingers through his hair, and paced her living room.

It was only small – her living room, and three steps and a turn was the best that he could manage.

He was giving Izzy a frightful headache, with his attempt at pacing and his self recriminations.

"Stop it Daniel!" Izzy finally snapped. She rubbed her hand down her face tiredly. "I'm sorry Daniel but I can't do this anymore."

He looked at her, the colour slowly draining from his face. "You're ending things we me?"

"What? No!" she sighed "I mean all this cursing and swearing you're doing, and I'm not even going to mention the abortive efforts as pacing in this tiny little room."

The colour slowly returned to his face as he sat down on the sofa next to her.

"I'm sorry Izzy," he told her quietly.

"Don't be. I was there too. When you tried to stop, it was me who wouldn't let you." She leaned over to kiss his cheek. "This was my fault not yours."

He sat brooding for quite a long time, and in the end Izzy had had enough of the tense silence. "I'm going to go and make some coffee," she told him quietly.

When she walked back into the living room he was stood facing the sofa, and his face was determined. She stifled a groan as she put the cups on the table and sat down.

Something was coming! And she had a feeling she wasn't going to like it.

"I love you ... and I think that we should get married." And that was it. No heat, no passion, no roses or violins, no down on one knee, just a simple statement followed by an opinion.

She stared up at him, her eyes moist but refusing to cry.

"I love you too ... and I think that we should move in together," she countered.

He frowned down at her. "What? No! Absolutely not! I refuse to disrespect you like that!"

"Do you think that the whole neighbourhood isn't aware of the fact that we're sleeping together?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

"All the more reason for us to get married," he argued.

"I disagree. I've not had a scarlet 'S' painted on my door, and no one has yet shunned me in any way ... I think that the people around here, are a lot more liberal than you give them credit for."

"You might be pregnant."

"I'm probably not."

He sighed in exasperation. "Why do you have to make everything so difficult Izzy?"

"Why do you have to try and make everything so black and white?"

He moved away, his temper finally going out of the window.

"Fine you don't want to marry me!" he snarled. "That's fine ... But, as of now I withdraw my services from your bedroom!" he turned and left the cottage, slamming the door as he went. He banged it so hard that Izzy felt the whole house shake.

He knew that he was behaving badly towards her, but damn it he had missed being able to visit her! for those two days when her friend had stayed, he had felt like a wall had sprung up, that he could not breach.

He had hung around his own home – in the most pathetic way, staring out of the windows with the hope of catching a glimpse of her – of hoping to catch her looking up at his house – and showing that she missed him too.

But nothing – no sign of her at all, and as time went on he began to feel resentful, that he was missing her abominably, but she had cast him out of her mind.

When he saw that car driving away – it was all he could do not to rush over there, to make her remember him, to make her burn for him the way that he did for her.

When she had opened her front door and those first words had been "I've missed you," well thought went out his head and basic instinct stepped in.

He would never get over the feelings of guilt of how he had treated her in that hallway.

And as usual – beautiful and tender, soft and understanding – Izzy had forgiven him, and even taken on some of the blame.

He really needed to get control of himself, he would not visit Izzy again until he could trust himself not to... 'jump' on her.