Caroline couldn't sleep. It wasn't that she wasn't tired - all the work involved in shaking up the company and firing new energy into some of the wearier departments was exhausting in its own way. It wasn't that she was uncomfortable, exactly; her new suite of rooms in the big house was opulent, the lap of luxury. But she was alone, and she missed the sound of a familiar heartbeat beneath her ear as she slept.
With the arrival of warmer weather, Richmond had been out of the harbour for over a week now, and though she thought he might be back tonight, she'd heard nothing. Which was why she had ended up sitting on her windowsill in her nightie, wrapped up in a shawl, staring out at the cultivated wilderness of the Maple Grove Gardens.
The hammock swayed slowly back and forth as Richmond stared up at the timbers of the floorboard over head. He had a hand behind his head and the other lay upon his bare stomach. He, too, couldn't sleep. It'd been more than a week since the sweet smell of her hair tickled his nose as she dozed with her head upon his chest. His mind wandered as he wondered where she was, what she was doing. There was a pang of loneliness that he quickly recognized from missing her. The rest of the ship was dark and empty. Because the party had run so late, Richmond didn't dare risk going to Maple Grove and waking her. No, he'd wait until the morning, as much as it pained him to do so.
"Oh, this is ridiculous," Caroline muttered to herself after realising she'd been staring at nothing for half an hour or more. Sliding off the windowsill, she picked up the phone by her bed, dialling Richmond's number. If he was at sea, he wouldn't be sleeping yet; and if he was in harbor, he probably wouldn't mind her calling to check in with him. Listening to the ring tone, she bit her lip, her foot twitching agitatedly.
As if on cue, his phone began to softly play The Lady in Red by Chris Deburgh. Richmond couldn't help but smile. The song alone brought back a tender memory. And the thought that she was thinking about him when he was thinking about her just some how seemed right in his mind. Reaching above his head, he pulled the phone from it's resting spot and opened it up. "Hello, beautiful."
Just the sound of his voice made her smile, a wide curve of relief and pleasure as those familiar deep tones reverberated in her ear. "Did I wake you?" she asked softly, sinking back down onto the windowsill, grinning stupidly at nothing but her sheer exhilaration at hearing his voice again.
His smile, just as bright as hers, curled his lips and tightened his cheeks. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed her until just that moment. "No, you didn't wake me. Are you alright?" He shifted a little in the hammock and sighed as he got comfortable once again.
"I am now I'm talking to you." What a corny line, but she didn't even groan. It was completely true. "Are you home yet' Safe?" Tucking her heels up onto the sill, she rested her chin on her knees, curled into the telephone.
He laughed softly at he corny line, but he couldn't deny feeling the same way. "I'm in the harbor, safe and sound. The party went on a lot later than I should have let it. I'm sorry I didn't call. I didn't want to wake you." He closed his eyes and put his arm across them. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow."
Caroline felt herself relax further when he assured her he was home and safe, that nothing had gone wrong to keep him away from her. "You can call me anytime, captain," she promised him. "I won't even swear at you." His expression of impatience matched her own, but unlike her, he didn't have a faint inability to stop himself from being impulsive when it came to them. "Why wait?" she asked with a cheeky smile that was audible. "I can be there in less than fifteen minutes."
"But I like calling you Caroline." His sense of humor accented by the mischievious sparkle in his eyes and soft laughter that followed the punch line. He tried to think of a good reason why she shouldn't come to see him, but couldn't come up with a single one. "Then I'll see you in less than fifteen minutes, hmm?"
"Damn straight." She didn't even say goodbye, too eager to be on her way to him. Slipping her feet into boots and grabbing a coat, she snuck out of the big house - no mean feat with all the security - and clambered into her beloved Mini, letting the engine roar as she drove out and across the city to the Docks. Parking at this time of night was easy, and pretty soon the patter of her running footsteps could be heard coming up along the wooden piers.
He chuckled the moment she hung up the phone. He folded his own phone and stowed it away before gracefully slipping from the hammock. He wore a pair of gauzy cotton sleep pants and nothing more. And while she was making her mad dash in her little Cooper, Richmond was preparing the room for her arrival. A candle was lit in the corner on the night table that he'd installed just for her. The bed was carefully turned down as it awaited it's owners to occupy it. And as he heard the patter of her little feet upon the boards above his head, he checked his look in the mirror and tried valiantly to use spit on his fingers to tame the cowlick that had taken over his forehead.
There was a faint crash as she ran straight into the ladder rather than using it to climb up, and a scramble when she reached the deck. By the time Caroline got to Richmond's inner sanctum, she was breathless, red in the face, and still grinning like a loon. She launched herself across the room and into his arms.
He cringed when he heard her crashing about, but couldn't help but chuckle softly. The image was pretty clear in his mind. When she reached the room, he only took a single step forwards before she was in his arms once again. He bowed his head and kissed her, the loneliness and ache slipping away into nothingness.
Leaning into him, she stroked her hands up his back, one slipping around to cradle his jaw as her lips parted to play with his, loosing a soft sound of aching pleasure at finally having him back where he belonged. "Gods, I've missed you," she breathed against his lips.
"I'm sorry I was gone for so long." He truly meant it. While the party had been a lucrative deal, in the end it hadn't been worth the trouble. He'd missed Caroline something fierce. "I won't do that to you ever again."
"You love being at sea," she countered, though there was barely a moment between her words and yet more kisses. "Don't keep yourself here just for my sake." They were token words; at heart, she didn't mean them, wanting him nearby all the time. Part of that scared her, to be so dependent on one person when she was the dependable one in her circle.
He craned his neck so he could look into her eyes. "Not as much as I love being by your side. I couldn't stop thinking about you, Caroline." He smiled then and kissed her again. His arms were around her frame and he clung to her.
With the arrival of warmer weather, Richmond had been out of the harbour for over a week now, and though she thought he might be back tonight, she'd heard nothing. Which was why she had ended up sitting on her windowsill in her nightie, wrapped up in a shawl, staring out at the cultivated wilderness of the Maple Grove Gardens.
The hammock swayed slowly back and forth as Richmond stared up at the timbers of the floorboard over head. He had a hand behind his head and the other lay upon his bare stomach. He, too, couldn't sleep. It'd been more than a week since the sweet smell of her hair tickled his nose as she dozed with her head upon his chest. His mind wandered as he wondered where she was, what she was doing. There was a pang of loneliness that he quickly recognized from missing her. The rest of the ship was dark and empty. Because the party had run so late, Richmond didn't dare risk going to Maple Grove and waking her. No, he'd wait until the morning, as much as it pained him to do so.
"Oh, this is ridiculous," Caroline muttered to herself after realising she'd been staring at nothing for half an hour or more. Sliding off the windowsill, she picked up the phone by her bed, dialling Richmond's number. If he was at sea, he wouldn't be sleeping yet; and if he was in harbor, he probably wouldn't mind her calling to check in with him. Listening to the ring tone, she bit her lip, her foot twitching agitatedly.
As if on cue, his phone began to softly play The Lady in Red by Chris Deburgh. Richmond couldn't help but smile. The song alone brought back a tender memory. And the thought that she was thinking about him when he was thinking about her just some how seemed right in his mind. Reaching above his head, he pulled the phone from it's resting spot and opened it up. "Hello, beautiful."
Just the sound of his voice made her smile, a wide curve of relief and pleasure as those familiar deep tones reverberated in her ear. "Did I wake you?" she asked softly, sinking back down onto the windowsill, grinning stupidly at nothing but her sheer exhilaration at hearing his voice again.
His smile, just as bright as hers, curled his lips and tightened his cheeks. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed her until just that moment. "No, you didn't wake me. Are you alright?" He shifted a little in the hammock and sighed as he got comfortable once again.
"I am now I'm talking to you." What a corny line, but she didn't even groan. It was completely true. "Are you home yet' Safe?" Tucking her heels up onto the sill, she rested her chin on her knees, curled into the telephone.
He laughed softly at he corny line, but he couldn't deny feeling the same way. "I'm in the harbor, safe and sound. The party went on a lot later than I should have let it. I'm sorry I didn't call. I didn't want to wake you." He closed his eyes and put his arm across them. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow."
Caroline felt herself relax further when he assured her he was home and safe, that nothing had gone wrong to keep him away from her. "You can call me anytime, captain," she promised him. "I won't even swear at you." His expression of impatience matched her own, but unlike her, he didn't have a faint inability to stop himself from being impulsive when it came to them. "Why wait?" she asked with a cheeky smile that was audible. "I can be there in less than fifteen minutes."
"But I like calling you Caroline." His sense of humor accented by the mischievious sparkle in his eyes and soft laughter that followed the punch line. He tried to think of a good reason why she shouldn't come to see him, but couldn't come up with a single one. "Then I'll see you in less than fifteen minutes, hmm?"
"Damn straight." She didn't even say goodbye, too eager to be on her way to him. Slipping her feet into boots and grabbing a coat, she snuck out of the big house - no mean feat with all the security - and clambered into her beloved Mini, letting the engine roar as she drove out and across the city to the Docks. Parking at this time of night was easy, and pretty soon the patter of her running footsteps could be heard coming up along the wooden piers.
He chuckled the moment she hung up the phone. He folded his own phone and stowed it away before gracefully slipping from the hammock. He wore a pair of gauzy cotton sleep pants and nothing more. And while she was making her mad dash in her little Cooper, Richmond was preparing the room for her arrival. A candle was lit in the corner on the night table that he'd installed just for her. The bed was carefully turned down as it awaited it's owners to occupy it. And as he heard the patter of her little feet upon the boards above his head, he checked his look in the mirror and tried valiantly to use spit on his fingers to tame the cowlick that had taken over his forehead.
There was a faint crash as she ran straight into the ladder rather than using it to climb up, and a scramble when she reached the deck. By the time Caroline got to Richmond's inner sanctum, she was breathless, red in the face, and still grinning like a loon. She launched herself across the room and into his arms.
He cringed when he heard her crashing about, but couldn't help but chuckle softly. The image was pretty clear in his mind. When she reached the room, he only took a single step forwards before she was in his arms once again. He bowed his head and kissed her, the loneliness and ache slipping away into nothingness.
Leaning into him, she stroked her hands up his back, one slipping around to cradle his jaw as her lips parted to play with his, loosing a soft sound of aching pleasure at finally having him back where he belonged. "Gods, I've missed you," she breathed against his lips.
"I'm sorry I was gone for so long." He truly meant it. While the party had been a lucrative deal, in the end it hadn't been worth the trouble. He'd missed Caroline something fierce. "I won't do that to you ever again."
"You love being at sea," she countered, though there was barely a moment between her words and yet more kisses. "Don't keep yourself here just for my sake." They were token words; at heart, she didn't mean them, wanting him nearby all the time. Part of that scared her, to be so dependent on one person when she was the dependable one in her circle.
He craned his neck so he could look into her eyes. "Not as much as I love being by your side. I couldn't stop thinking about you, Caroline." He smiled then and kissed her again. His arms were around her frame and he clung to her.