She studied him for a moment, taking in the awkwardness, the gesture toward his mouth, and the penny dropped. "Oh, you mean a blowjob," she said with a relieved smile. "I know what one of those is. I walked in on my first nanny giving her boyfriend one when I was seven."

"Oh, thank God!" he breathed a sigh of relief, before realizing what he'd just said. "I mean....sorry, I don't know what I mean." There was that nervous tension again in the pit of his stomach again that was a mix of desire and anxiety.

She giggled at his obvious relief, but she, too, felt that strange mixture of desire and anxiety as she re-imagined that memory, with both of them taking the place of the main players. She didn't quite know what to say to ease past that moment, and on impulse, decided to embrace it. "I'd like to do that to you, if you'd let me."

That suggestion made his face flame with embarrassment and desire, though in all honestly, he wasn't sure he was ready for third base. He wasn't even sure if he was ready for second base, thinking it might be better to skip right to home or start back at first. "I, uh....I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet." The hell was he saying" It was a dream come true, but it was too one-sided. Should he offer to do the same for her" The thought of that made his face flame hotter.

Her fingers gently touched his flaming cheek, recognizing that perhaps that had been a bridge too far. Odd, how she felt ready to do such a thing to him, but had not even considered if she was ready for reciprocation. Smiling, she leaned close, kissing him once again. "What are you ready for?" she whispered, daring the flickering flare of nervous longing deep inside to let her hand twitch beneath the hem of his t-shirt.

"Actually..." he started, now that she had asked him, the flare in his face easing a little. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous about this suddenly, but he had a thought about something that might help ease the tension between them and get them past at least second base. The only problem was, he wasn't sure what she'd think of the idea, and he was a little embarrassed to suggest it. "I was thinking maybe a shower?" Together, obviously, as taking a shower separately accomplished nothing but getting clean.

She blinked, surprised by the suggestion, but not put off by it. Despite the blush that colored her cheeks, she smiled shyly, feeling her heart beating a little faster at the thought of that kind of closeness. "I ....yes," she nodded, almost ashamed of how breathless her voice sounded. "Yes, let's."

The color in his face deepened with shy excitement and desire. "Shall I, uh....start the water?" he asked uncertainly, feeling a little awkward once again.

She couldn't have explained how it was that she felt so ready for this, though perhaps it had something to do with the fact that she hadn't been exposed to so much media and imagery as he had been. She was more excited than afraid of doing as he had suggested. "Kiss me first?" she asked softly, not wanting him to feel awkward and uncomfortable. Not when they were alone.

He didn't bother to answer her with words, sliding close to touch his lips to hers in a brief but tender display of affection, his heart beating fast in his chest, those butterflies making themselves known once again. Whatever happened between them, however awkward things were, he thought they could only get better with time as they grew to know each other better.

However brief, it was perfect in Dru's eyes, a tender sharing of affection to brace them both against the nerves that were playing with them. And yet what were they really nervous about' Of seeing one another, touching one another" They had already agreed to be together for the rest of their lives; what, then, was there to be anxious of? Gently drawing away, she touched her lips to the tip of his nose gently and smiled, reluctantly releasing him to roll onto her back.

As for himself, he knew what he was nervous about. He was mostly nervous about not pleasing her, about her finding him unattractive or undesirable in some way or of doing something wrong, making some mistake and not pleasing her the way he wanted to. Though he didn't know it, these were the same worries that went through nearly every young person's mind the first time they were intimate with someone they cared for, but in time, those worries would fade as they grew in intimacy and surety of each other's needs and desires. It was all part of discovering and learning each other. He smiled back at the kiss, though he felt like he was trembling with nervousness on the inside. "I'll go first and you can join me when you're ready, okay?"

"Okay." Though some part of her would have preferred to go with him, to stay close to him, Dru seemed to recognize that perhaps he wouldn't like that closeness to continue right to the moment of stepping under the water with him. What was a good distraction for her might not be so much for him, and though she could feel her own nerves racking higher as she considered waiting until he was ready for her to join him, she wasn't going to push to stay at his side while he undressed.

He was being a little shy for a guy who had strutted his stuff on stage for the past couple of weeks, though this kind of a performance was much different than any he'd ever given previously, and he found himself shy to undress in front of her, even though she was going to see him in his full naked glory as soon as she was ready to join him. It was going to be hard to hide his feelings then, hard to hide the fact that he wanted her, hard to control the desire he felt for her. His body would speak for him and there would be no denying what it said. "Whenever you're ready," he told her, not realizing she was ready now, thinking he was doing it this way more for her sake than his own, though that was not entirely the case. He kissed the tip of her nose before rolling away and heading toward the bathroom to start the shower.

"I won't be long," she promised him in a soft voice, leaving him with a smile as he rolled away from her and moved toward the bathroom. As he stepped out of sight, she rolled to press her face into his pillow, breathing in the scent he had left behind with a tiny shiver of anticipation.

It wasn't long before the sound of water running could be heard coming from the bathroom, signaling the fact that he was already undressed and in the shower, awaiting her arrival.

And it didn't take her long to react to that sound, giving him just enough time to step under the flow of water, hoping that it would make it easier for him. Of course, she hadn't considered how shy she would feel until she stepped into the bathroom herself, her fingers twitching in the hem of the shirt she wore, suddenly very aware that not only was she looking at her first naked body, but that Josh would be seeing her naked within moments.

Neither of them seemed able to hide anything from the other, caught up in this slow dance that they were both learning step by step. She had never felt so exposed, so vulnerable, so willing to bare everything she had. The trust that came with loving him was her greatest ally, knowing he would never hurt her, desperate to prove to him that she could please as well as he could. As his fingers found the tender flesh of her inner thigh, she trembled in his grasp, filling his mouth with the taste of her soft moan as her own hand smoothed down and over his hip. She wanted to touch and be touched, and yet still she didn't know quite what to do, unused to allowing natural instinct to lead the way.

She needn't fear not knowing what to do, as all this was nearly as new to him as it was to her. Going mostly by natural instinct and what little he'd seen and experienced before her, he took the lead in this dance, letting his body lead the way and following what cues she gave him in reaction to his touch and his kiss. His pulse quickened, encouraged by the trembling of her body against his and the muffled moan against his lips. He pulled her up hard against him, their bodies pressed tightly together, no room for mistaking the need that was making itself known between them. He swallowed her moan and deepened his kiss, the eagerness of young love overcoming the awkwardness of inexperience.

Pulled up against him, there was no room to be afraid or shy or even nervous. Without the need for conscious thought, Dru wrapped herself around him, arms and legs rising until he held her slight weight, answering the call deep inside her to kiss and touch, to be as close as they could possibly be. She could feel him against her, so close to that secret part of herself that only she knew, moaning once again with eager delight for the promise that closeness brought. The water beat down on his back and her legs, a strange juxtaposition to the heat they generated with one another, the only clue left to tell her that she was anywhere but in paradise, wrapped up in her lover's arms.

It would have been so easy for him to take her. He sensed her readiness, her eagerness, her willingness to cross that threshold and share herself with him, join together in the sacred dance shared between two lovers. As agonizing as it was, he reluctantly pulled away, kissing her once more as if to silently tell her that he was not abandoning her, not yet. He'd made a promise that he intended to keep, despite the heat and urgency of the moment. He pulled away just far enough that he could focus the attention of hands and lips elsewhere in slow and eager exploration of her body, over every soft curve and valley, lingering where he elicited the deepest moans, slowly traveling downward until he found himself on his knees before her, as if to worship at her feet.

Any disappointment she might have felt at his gentle drawing back was swiftly overcome as he turned his full focus onto her, learning in an instant what it was to be the sole recipient of loving attention. He drove all thought from her mind, leaving her gasping, moaning, clutching at him as his lips and hands traversed the virginal planes of her body, finding places she had never known were so sensitive to linger and tease until she was certain she might soon forget her own name under his ministrations. And yet there was still that longing for something more, something just beyond the edge of her perception that throbbed with need as she found herself looking down at him, on his knees before her, her hands buried in his hair. "Josh ....oh gods ....wh-what are you ..."

He was relentless in his exploration of her body, wondering at every secret she had to share, every gasp and moan of pleasure, each time he felt her tremble at his touch. And still, despite her pleading, he kept his promise, taking his time, letting her blossom slowly and sweetly. Denying his own aching desire that was agonizingly apparent, he hesitated a moment, trembling with mingled fear and excitement. What if he did something wrong" What if she didn't want him to go further" But so far, she only seemed to have enjoyed his ministrations and had done nothing to discourage or stop him. He hesitated only a moment, just long enough for her to stop him, if she wanted, before his kisses found that sacred place that made her a woman, that was at the very core of her center and the key to ecstasy.

It was just as well he hadn't asked - there couldn't be a woman alive who hadn't hesitated when it came to this point for the first time, and Dru was no exception. The shock of feeling his mouth there was unmistakable, her sudden gasp cutting sharply through the sound of the water falling on them as those instincts came into play once again. Even as her hands clenched in his hair, responding to the primal pleasure that lanced white hot through her body, she was embarrassed to find that she had somehow hooked one leg over his shoulder, giving him better access without even considering it, leaning back against the cold tiles as she tried not to squirm or fall over.

He held fast to her, one arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her snugly against him as his lips plundered this new treasure, encouraged once again by her reaction, which seemed to urge him onward. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing or how to do it, relying on her reactions to guide him, awkward at first, a little too gentle, growing bolder as he gained confidence. For a time, he forgot about his own needs, putting her foremost in his thoughts, focusing all her energy and attention on pleasing her, on sending her up and over the precipice of pleasure. Nothing else mattered in that moment - only that he made her understand the depth of his love as evidenced by his willingness to put her needs and desires first and foremost, above all things, even that of his own aching need. She was a goddess and he worshiped at her feet.

If she was his goddess, then he was the reason she fell from grace, crying out as something entirely new ripped through her perception, something she vaguely recognized as an orgasm from one very clinical textbook on the subject. But clinical words couldn't have prepared her for the feeling ....not the physical feeling, which was beyond anything she could have thought to expect, but the surge of tenderness that followed it, the warmth in her heart that was the outpouring of love she felt for him in the shuddering, whimpering aftermath of the pleasure he had given her.

He rode the tide with her up and over the crest, his ministrations turning gentle and tender as he felt her body tense and shudder in delight, not quite realizing how new this all was to her, that he was her first and quite possibly would be her only - the only man to ever touch her and love her in this way for all her life. The thought of it filled him with renewed desire to please her, to love her, to be everything she wanted and needed him to be, terrified of disappointing and failing her. He pulled slowly away, trailing soft kisses against her stomach, hands rising to cup the gentle curve of her breasts before lifting his gaze at last to meet her gaze once again.

Breathless and awed by what she'd felt - what he had given her - Dru forced her eyes to open as he rose once again, unable to catch the last quiet moan from escaping her lips as his hands cupped her breasts once more. She stared into his eyes for a long moment, not a single word passing her lips until she suddenly seemed to find focus under his gaze. "I want to make you feel that."

He, too, was just as content to remain there forever, if not for the traitorous rush of cold water dousing them both. He shrieked and then laughed, moving to shield her from the chilly water as best he could. "Get a towel!" he cried, as he reached behind him to fumble with the faucet.

He wasn't the only one who shrieked, shocked out of the peaceful moment by the sudden intrusion of water that was far too cold for her liking. Dru scrambled to get out of the shower, dripping everywhere as she groped for a couple of towels they could dry off with. "That wasn't funny!" she protested at Josh's laughter, but there was a little smile playing about her lips as she did so. He had sort of screamed like a girl, after all.

He laughed again, finding himself laughing a lot in her presence, even at his own expense. "Sorry! I forgot about the shower!" he exclaimed as he got the water shut off, shivering from the douse of cold water.

Swaddled in one of the towels she had found, Dru waved the other one in his direction, hunched up as she shivered along with him. "That was fun until the water changed," she complained with a grin, tucking the towel as tightly around herself as she could.

Fun wasn't quite the word he would have used to describe it, but he was glad she'd enjoyed herself. It was important to him that he made her happy, not only today but for as long as they were together, as long as she wanted him. He snatched the towel up and wiped the water from his arms and chest before tucking it around his waist. "If I recall correctly, I promised to teach you how to make breakfast."

"And I promised to do the dishes," she countered with a faint smile, arms sliding from beneath her own towel to tuck it neatly about her chest. And given the freedom to move now she was a little warmer once again, she took advantage of it, stepping closer to teasingly nip at his chest, soft eyes sparkling impishly as the tip of her tongue circled one nipple. And then she stepped back, some unknown imp of mischief deep inside her urging a wicked little thought to be made known. "I don't think you should get dressed. You should spend the day like that."

He opened his arms to her, expecting her to mold herself to him, to tuck herself into his embrace, but instead she teased him with a nip of teeth and a lash of tongue, surprising him with her unexpected boldness. It seemed that one shower later and the shy girl had indeed blossomed into a woman, and he wondered at the change in her. It wasn't a bad thing, necessarily. In fact, her teasing elicited a sharp intake of breath, and he had to almost push her away before she rekindled the flame that had only moments before flickered out. He smiled a little at her suggestion, knowing that if he agreed, it was likely they'd get to home base before the day was out, so long as no one came looking for her. "Oh, really?" he asked, his eyes mirroring that hint of mischief in her own. "What about you? Can you get through the day in just a towel?"

Perhaps it wasn't so surprising that she had come away from their new found intimacy with a bolder approach to him - innocent she might still be, but with that physical innocence came an innocence of the insults bandied about through the media and popular culture that might have made her ever more shy in the aftermath of their closeness. She saw nothing wrong with expressing herself when she was alone with him; he was privileged, in a way. As he laid down his challenge, she smirked sweetly, fully intending to spend the day there anyway. "I'm sure I can," she told him confidently. "Is this a wager, or simply a test of wills?"

"It's whatever you'd like it to be," he replied, sweeping damp hair away from her face, thinking she was the loveliest creature he'd ever laid eyes on, even with tangled hair and no makeup. She was the only girl - no, woman - he'd ever met who was real, at least to him. "I have nothing planned today, do you?" No school, no job, no rehearsal, no show. Nothing at all to do and all day to do it.

"Nothing," she promised with a warm smile. After the aching absence she had been forced to endure from him last Sunday, when all she'd really wanted was to stay with him, she had rescheduled her phone call home and her debriefing with Xoren to Monday mornings. She beamed up at him as he toyed with her damp hair, finally feeling a little self-conscious of the mess her hair must be in. "I'm glad I have a comb in my bag downstairs, though."

He had to chuckle a little at that. "What' You don't think I own a comb?" he asked, amused by the preposterous nature of it. He had a goodly amount of hair on his head, after all, and with any luck and a set of good genes, he always would. They had just shared something so intimate there were no words for it and she was worried about sharing his comb' The thought amused him to no end. He caught her around the waist and pulled her close, feeling a strange surge of energy, as she seemed to suddenly give his life new meaning. "Who cares what your hair looks like" I love you, messy hair and all," he told her, leaning close to leave a trail of kisses against her neck. If they kept going like this, it would be noon before they ate breakfast.

"I didn't mean -" Whatever she'd been about to say was cut off by the laughing yelp that skipped from her as he caught her close against him, reminded all over again of the heat of his skin against hers as her hands began to roam once again of their own accord. Her laughter eased away as his lips traced the line of her neck, eyes falling closed as she leaned into him. "Josh ..." Her lips brushed his ear as she whispered his name longingly, that flame beginning to flicker once again, only too happy to be rekindled.

"Hmm?" he replied lazily and somewhat distractedly, his attention focused on the slender line of her neck, his own rekindled desire making itself know beneath the flimsy cover of that towel. It seemed like her every kiss and every touch, however innocent, set his soul on fire. There were never going to get to eating breakfast this way.

Her fingertips smoothed their way from his arms to his waist, trailing feather-light patterns over his back as she swayed closer into him, losing herself in sensation all over again. And this time there was no threat of a sudden cold shower to knock them to their senses. "Never mind," she breathed, dismissing any protest she might have made as her own lips found purchase against his shoulder, trailing upward as her hand moved once more, inching between them to curl her fingers into his hair as her lips sought his.

She would have responded to his tease, were it not for the abrupt question that followed it. Her smile faded, her gaze turning distant as she considered how to answer that question. Of course she had thought about it - for all her privilege, she was trapped. If she'd had a normal life, she wouldn't need to worry about whether or not she would be able to have what she wanted most. If she'd had a normal life, her mother might still be alive. She sighed softly, raising a hand to let her fingertips comb through his hair as she answered him. "It's been my favorite daydream for years," she told him honestly, closing her eyes as she pressed back into his arms. "This is as normal as my life will ever be."

"I wonder if that's what I've been trying to escape all these years," he ventured aloud, not that it mattered. He had already made his decision and had chosen her. There was no turning back now. If anything, he was more determined than ever to share her life and make her happy, knowing how difficult and lonely her life might be without him. "This will be our special place then. Where we go when we want to get away. Our children should know they have family here." Yes, he was talking children, though that was more than likely some years away. He was talking about a future, not only hers, but his own - their future, together.

She twisted in his arms, pressing her face into his chest as her arms wrapped tight around him. Nothing he could have said in that moment would have touched her so deeply as to hear him confirm that the people here were his family, too ....that they did have a future together, that their children would know a little of the normality the Grangers offered and not be trapped by their royal duties. Children, she realized, blushing as she looked up at him. "An heir and how many spares?" she couldn't help asking, curious and just a little teasing.

He smiled down at her, not only seeing his beloved, the woman his heart beat for, but also seeing his future. "As many as we can manage," he replied with that warm smile, leaning in to brush a kiss against her lips. It didn't have to happen today or tomorrow or even next year - it was enough that it would happen, that they both wanted the same thing. It had taken him a long time to realize that the dreams of his childhood were nothing compared to the possibilities that now lay before him.

She smiled against his lips, not even breaking the kiss to make a small point with mumbling words between kisses. "Any chance ....you could cook ....without ....moving me?" As though to illustrate her point, she inched that little bit closer, taking advantage of her new found confidence with him to lower both hands and squeeze his rear end. Albeit with another one of those brilliant blushes.

He chuckled again, both at the question that was being mumbled between kisses, but also at this new found boldness in her, unafraid to touch and be touched, to flirt and to tease and to love. "Mmm," he murmured back between reciprocated kisses. "It would be awkward," he replied, not making any move to disengage or untangle himself from her embrace.

"I think," she mused, pressing a fresh kiss to his lips before continuing, "that after the last week or so, we are possibly experts in awkward." She drew back just enough to let him see her grin, one brow rising in a cheeky challenge.

"Maybe, but if you want me to make breakfast, I think we're going to have to try to keep our hands to ourselves for at least a little while," he pointed out, before dropping a quick kiss against the tip of her nose.

"But I thought you liked having my hands right where they are," she countered impishly, drumming her fingers on his rear end with a teasing chuckle. If he wanted her to move, he was going to have to convince her more forcefully than that, or risk losing his shorts in his own kitchen.

"If you want any chance of an encore performance, we both need to eat," he countered with a smirk. It was pretty obvious that they weren't going to get any cooking or eating done if they couldn't resist the temptation the other posed for at least a little while. He wasn't complaining, but he didn't want her to pass out from hunger either.

Dru sighed, deliberately exaggerating the sound to match her teasing pout as she finally removed her hands from his rear end, wondering if he minded the new possession that colored the way she touched him after their shower interlude. "Fine," she conceded, playing at being grumpy about his pertinent point. "What do we do first?"

"Depends on what we want to eat," he replied, with a slightly amused smirk on his face at her pout. It seemed they'd opened a Pandora's Box in the shower that both were having trouble closing the lid on. "What do you feel like?" The choices were limited, due to his somewhat understocked kitchen, but there were enough of the basics on hand to suffice.

"What do you think I can handle?" she countered his question with her own, stepping back to give both of them a chance to stop filling everything with innuendo and attend to the serious business of trying to teach her how to cook a breakfast without setting fire to anything.

"I think you can handle whatever you put your mind to," he replied seriously, not just referring to breakfast. He pulled open the fridge to take a look at what he had on hand, muttering a thoughtful, "Hmm..." before pulling out bread, eggs, milk, and butter. "You know how to make French toast?" he asked as he set the items on the counts.

From the blank look on her face, it was a pretty fair bet that she'd never eaten French toast, much less made it. "Um ....I would imagine the safest thing to say here would be no," she managed with a chuckle, her eyes bright with warm amusement as she glanced at the collected ingredients.

"Okay, well....I don't have the right ingredients to make it too fancy, but I think it might work." He took charge of the kitchen, pointing a finger toward the cupboard where the pots and pans were kept. "We're gonna need a skillet or a frying pan," he instructed, while he pulled open the cupboard to fish around for a mixing bowl.

"Fried eggs are so ordinary. I want to make you something special," he said, forgiving her without so much as a thought for teasing him. He had it in mind to do a little shopping sometime soon and make her a really nice meal, but that would take a little more planning and a lot more time. "French toast is..." He furrowed his brows, unsure how to explain. "It's French toast," he declared with a shrug. "Can you get me a fork?" he asked, as he took up the carton of milk and poured a little into the bowl that already held the raw eggs. He couldn't really explain this part. He'd never had a recipe for how to make French toast. It was something he'd learned from helping his mother in the kitchen on Sunday mornings when she'd insisted on giving the cook the day off and doing things herself. Like his mother, he just instinctively knew how much milk to add without measuring.

"Nothing is ordinary with you," she murmured softly, letting her hand stroke down the groove of his spine as she moved away in search of a fork. "Where did you learn all this, anyway' I didn't think anyone in our rank knew how to do more than mix a drink."

He could have told her he'd taught himself, and that was in some cases true, but not when it came to breakfast. "Promise you won't laugh?" he asked with a small frown as he waited for her to come back with a fork, distractedly thinking he'd probably melted the butter too soon.

"Of course I won't," she promised him, returning with the fork. Like him, she spared a thought for the butter, lifting the pan to swirl the contents before they burned and give it a chance to cool off before it was returned to the heat.

"My mom taught me," he replied with a slight flush of embarrassment again. While Jamie was off learning how to become a proper duke, Josh was in the kitchen cooking breakfast with his mother, like the daughter she'd never had. He shrugged again, a little embarrassed but unashamed, not bothering to offer any excuses. He thought he'd put his mother's memory to rest years ago, but every now and then he'd think of her. He didn't want to linger on that right now or talk about it much, more for Dru's sake than his own. He knew she had to be missing her own mother, and it didn't seem right to dismiss her own grief by thinking of his own. He'd held onto the happy memories, and breakfast was one of those happy memories. He slid the bowl with the milk and egg mixture toward her. "Stir that up until it's mixed."

"Oh." Again, just a single syllable, but there was no pity or sadness in it. Just understanding, and a very subtle hint of envy. As close as she had been to her mother, they had never shared anything like that. She'd been taught how to be the very best princess she could possibly be, and it was a little distressing to realize that she'd never done anything but those lessons with her own mother. As she set the fork into the mixture to beat it as firmly as she could, she made a decision. "We'll do this with our children," she promised him quietly. "You can teach me, and we'll teach them."

He knew from her reaction that he'd hit a nerve, and he felt horrible for it, but he wasn't sure if he should apologize or just let it go. He hadn't meant to poke at any open wounds, but she'd asked, and he'd promised not to lie to her. Her suggestion made him smile, if a little wistfully. "I'd like that," he replied, reaching for the loaf of bread. "Now comes the fun part," he said. The messy part.

She glanced at him, glad to see the smile, however wistful it was. "The fun part?" she asked a little warily, her lips parting in a smile of her own. "Dare I ask what you are about to do with that bread?"

It wasn't so much what he was going to do with the bread as it was what he was going to teach her to do with the bread. "I'm about to show you," he told her with a smile before moving around behind her and sliding his arms around her waist to hand her a slice of bread.

Surrounded with no room to escape even if she had wanted to, Dru chuckled, tilting her head back to look up at him as she took the slice from his hand. "How much of this am I going to end up wearing?"

"None of it if you're careful," he breathed in her ear, as he leaned forward to guide her hand toward the bowl so that she could dip the bread into the egg mixture. It was a messy business, and there was no real way to do it without getting at least a little of the mixture on your fingers. He gave her no mercy, purposely dunking the bread deeply into the mixture so that both their hands came away dripping, along with the bread.

She couldn't help but react to his breath on her neck as he spoke into her ear, momentarily forgetting what it was they were doing as, despite the loose hang of his t-shirt on her, that very physical reaction made itself known through the thin material. "That is very distracting," she murmured back to him, but her distraction lasted only as long as it took for him to immerse her hands in the slimy, cold mixture. "Oh, this is disgusting."

"We're going to do it three more times!" he exclaimed with a smirk in his voice that made it obvious how amused he was by her reaction. He guided her hand toward the pan that held the sizzling butter so that they could fry up the egg and milk covered bread. "Just wait. The mess is worth it. Trust me." He had planned to let her dunk the next slice herself, but it was too much fun trying to distract her while she was cooking, and so he stayed where he was.

She grimaced at the revolting feeling on her hands, dripping the milky eggy mixture as they dropped the first slice into the pan. "You're enjoying this far too much, you know," she accused him, genuinely unused to willingly getting herself dirty in any way.

"I know," he admitted with a grin, taking up another slice of bread to do the same thing all over again, only this time, he tried to distract her further with kisses against the side of her neck and t-shirt covered shoulder while she tried to make breakfast.

He was in the perfect position to tease her and enjoy how helpless she was to retaliate, at least for now, having caught her between the lovely distraction of his kisses and the revolting dunking of the bread. "Oh, this isn't fair," she breathed, her head falling back to offer him more skin to play with. She let go of the bread to slide her slimy fingers over his in the mixture, breakfast forgotten already.

His fingers slid between hers, half tempted to grope her breasts with the slimy mixture still on his hands, but he thought that would be going too far. The thought, however, had a strange effect on a certain part of his anatomy that seemed to have a mind of its own, and he pulled back a little so she wouldn't notice. Besides, he was hungry, and they did need to eat. He wondered what she'd think if he told her he was fantasizing spreading the egg mixture all over her and licking it off.

She blinked, confused by that allusion. Whether it was a kink or pure discipline, no one had ever raised a hand to her in her life. "What in heaven's name for?" she asked with another quiet laugh, using the spatula to peek underneath the slice in the pan. "I have no idea what I'm doing here."

"For..." He trailed off again, furrowing his brows quizzically at her, wondering if she really was that naive or if she was teasing him again. "You're doing fine, Dru. Just flip it over when it gets golden brown on the bottom." He turned his attention to the coffee, leaving her in charge of the toast.

He missed the look of sheer panic in her eyes when he turned away again. The thought of being in sole charge of whether or not something burned was genuinely scary to the little princess, resulting in her obsessively checking the underside of the toast every few seconds, just in case it had turned golden brown without her noticing.

"So, you've really never been spanked?" he asked, curiously as he went about getting the coffee going and setting the table for breakfast. He asked as nonchalantly as he could, knowing he could count on one hand the times his own father had laid a hand on him. He couldn't imagine anyone ever wanting to hurt Dru for any reason, but kids were kids.

She shook her head, still concentrating fiercely on not burning the toast. There was a sizzle as she flipped it over. "No, never," she told him. "Not that I remember, anyway. But as far back as I can remember, there was another little girl the same age as me in the palace, and I was told that if I was naughty, she would be punished for it. So I was never naughty."

Josh glanced over at her with an undisguised look of shock on his face, surprised by this little revelation and wondering how different her childhood must have been from his, despite both being noble-born and bred. "That doesn't seem right," he said, understanding the reasons behind the sort of thinking but still not agreeing with it.

She hesitated, frowning herself as she glanced up at the same time. "It-it's all to do with treason and what constitutes it," she tried to explain. "Anyone who lays an aggressive hand on a member of the royal family without consent is technically committing treason. It hasn't been enforced for over a hundred years, but it's still there, in law. If anyone had spanked me as a child, they would have been risking the death penalty."

It still didn't seem right to Josh, though he didn't really agree with spanking as a good form of punishment anyway, but maybe it was different with girls. "There were a few times when I thought my father was going to kill us," he said, presumably referring to both himself and his brother. He turned back to set two place settings at the table, his memory turning back to his own childhood for a moment.

Startled, Dru turned to look at him, horrified by the thought of any violence coming his way, even if it was parental, mild, and earned as a child. "What happened?" she asked, clearly shocked by the suggestion that Duke Oliver could get that angry with his sons.

He shrugged at the memory, as if it was no longer important, which it really wasn't. It had been a long time ago, and his father had long since forgiven them. "We took the horses out on our own, and one of them got spooked. I fell off and broke my arm. I thought my Dad was going to kill us both. He said I was lucky I didn't break my neck."

"You were," she agreed in retrospect with his father, belatedly turning back to the pan just in time to rescue the last slice of toast from burning. "Um ....this one is a little overdone," she confessed, dropping it onto the plate still smoking at the edges.

"It's okay. It's extra anyway." He went to the fridge to fetch the jam and add it to the growing still life of objects on the kitchen table that made up breakfast. "Anyway," he continued. "That was the last time we did that. We were both grounded from riding for six months. It hurt Jamie more than it hurt me, I think. My Dad was pretty hard on him, being the older brother and all."

Turning off the heat and setting the pan in the sink to soak, Dru could imagine what Jamie had gone through. The responsibility of being the firstborn, especially with a younger sibling who had gotten hurt ....that was something Josh's brother was never going to escape. "You both turned out pretty well, though," she mused, bringing the plate over to the table. "Admittedly, I'm biased - I think you turned out best - but Jamie will do in a pinch."

"Oh, I see how it is," he teased with a good-natured smirk. "If it wasn't for me, you'd be satisfied with my brother." He was only teasing, but there was a part of him who hoped it wasn't true. There were people growing up who'd always compared him to his elder brother. Thankfully, his father wasn't one of them. "You want some coffee?" he asked as he moved to fetch the pot. "They say it stunts your growth," he teased, knowing she wasn't going to get much taller than she already was, which wasn't very tall compared to him.

"Oh, yes, your brother, who doesn't seem to be able to get through a conversation with me without mentioning every woman he currently has his eye on," she drawled in amusement, setting the plate down with a roll of her eyes. His comment on the coffee made her gasp in protest, turning to look at him with an indignant smile. "I am not that small!"

"Actually, you kind of are, but don't worry. It's kind of cute," he pointed out with a smile. "You didn't answer the question," he added, as he stepped over to the table to pour himself a cup. "There's milk and sugar, if you like."

"Perhaps you're just freakishly tall," she countered playfully. "Yes, I would like some coffee, thank you. Black, no sugar." She slid down into a seat, waiting politely for him to settle himself before her attention could turn to actually eating the fruits of their labors.

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult," he laughed, but did not deny it. He was tall, taller even than his brother, though he wasn't sure if six foot three was freakishly tall. "You want to hear something funny?" he asked as he leaned over to fill her coffee cup.

He almost wished he hadn't brought up the future that was looming before them. It wasn't that he dreaded it - that wasn't it at all. How could he dread the prospect of spending the rest of his life with this gentle, sweet, lovely girl that had won his heart with hardly any effort at all" That wasn't the problem at all. It was fear that was the problem, mostly the fear of failure, and yet, they had nearly a year to prepare for that future. A year he knew would fly by and be there before they knew it. A year of freedom, he thought. They should make the most of it.

When it came time to clean up, Dru was the first to rise, but before she lifted anything, she leaned down to Josh, turning his head to catch his lips in a slow, tender kiss that seemed to steal her own breath from her. "I love you," she whispered to him, needing him to know it, deep at the center of his being.

She succeeded in drawing him out of his thoughts, a smile on his lips as she kissed him. He didn't doubt her love. It was because of that love that his whole life was changing. Love wasn't the problem at all. "I love you, too," he whispered back, once again thinking the words were insufficient to properly express what he was feeling.

With a gentle brush of her nose to his, she straightened, moving to collect their plates and cups, to take them to the sink. The water was still warm, the pan soaked enough to be easy to wipe clean as she plunged her hands into the bubbles, resuming once again the very domesticated sight of a princess in nothing but a t-shirt and panties, washing the dishes.

"Do you think it's weird to like this kind of life, Dru?" he asked abruptly, out of the blue, as he got to his feet to return the butter and jam to the fridge and help clear the rest of the dishes. "I mean, have you ever wondered what it's like to be....you know..." To be what? A commoner living a simple life of your own choosing"

"Of course I have," she assured him, glancing over her shoulder with a smile that was far too wise for her years. "But if I wasn't who I am, someone else would have to be, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. This isn't my right, it is a privilege, and one I intend to enjoy for as long as I am allowed it."

"So," he started as he brought the remaining dishes to her and grabbed a towel to dry, just like he had the night before. "You don't think it's silly of us to play this game for a little while?" he asked, needing to know what she thought. If they were going to be together for the rest of their lives, he wanted to know everything about her, every thought, every dream, every wish, everything past and present and future.

"No, I don't," she said confidently, handing him the pan now it was dripping clean. "Because this isn't a one-off, and it will happen again. We have a chance that so many people don't - a chance to learn each other, to get to know each other, in our own time and our own space, without too many restrictions or responsibilities hanging over us. I don't think it's a game. I think it's a gift."

A gift, she'd said. He considered that, realizing she was right. In a way, they'd both run away from home, just for different reasons, hoping for different things, but more alike than different when all things were considered. That was the important part. "Yeah, you're right," he admitted, taking the pan from her and wiping it dry before setting it aside to put away later. "I'm just....I don't know. Scared of something. Scared that going back will change us. It won't change us, will it, Dru" It won't change how we feel about each other."

"Nothing will change the way we feel about each other," she promised him, sounding more confident in that than she actually felt. "We'll make time for each other when we get back home. I won't let them fill each and every day and leave me with no time for what makes it all worth it. I refuse to."

"I don't want it to change us, Dru. I don't want them to change us." Them meaning Parliament and anyone else who had any say in their lives besides themselves. They were in this together now, and were going to be for the rest of their lives. But he didn't want her to think he was having any second thoughts because he wasn't. He just needed to make sure she felt the same.

"Whatever they try to do to us, they can't touch us here," she told him softly. "And we can come here every year, every few months. We can decide when we come back here and how often. This place belongs to us now, and we know we can be ourselves here. Don't we?"

"That's just it. We should be able to be ourselves there, too. Not in front of the cameras maybe, but..." He sighed, leaning one shorts-clad, egg-mixture-covered hip against the cupboard. "I love you, Dru, and nothing's going to change that. I know how to play my part, but it's not just a part in a play anymore. It's real. I can pretend to be who they want me to be, but deep down, I'm just Josh."

"I don't want you to be anyone else," she rushed to tell him, shaking the water from her hands as she turned to meet his gaze. "Yes, there's a part to play, but it isn't 24/7, I promise you. And we will have plenty of time to be ourselves, with each other and with everyone else. It isn't all pretending, Josh."

He nodded his head, a lock of brown hair falling over his forehead, forcing a smile, mostly for her sake. She believed in him, even if he didn't believe in himself, but more importantly, she loved him, and he had fallen hopelessly in love with her. "I tried to resist you, you know. The first time I met you. I promised my father I'd befriend you, watch over you, but I never thought I'd fall in love with you," he told her quietly, as if he was sharing some deep dark secret, when she should know all of this already. He reached over to brush his fingers against her cheek, his heart aching for her. He wanted to keep that promise to his father, but more importantly, he wanted to keep the promises he'd made to her. He just wanted to make her happy.

Her cheek tilted into his touch, the trust in her gaze slowly becoming familiar to his eyes as she smiled faintly, reaching up to brush that fallen lock of hair from his brow. "I will never be safer than I am when you're watching over me," she heard herself say quietly, and knew she didn't mean safe in a physical sense. Josh guarded her, body, heart, and soul, from everything that threatened to make her life a true misery until the day she died. He was all she truly wanted, all she truly wished for, her heart aching with the tenderness she felt for him. "I am the luckiest person alive, because you love me."

He smiled softly back at her, knowing she was wrong. She wasn't the luckiest person alive because he loved her; he was the luckiest person alive because she loved him. "I'm the lucky one, Princess," he countered, his fingers in gentle caress of her cheek as she tilted her head into his hand. He knew she'd never agree with him, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that they had found each other and that they were together and always would be, from this day forward, Parliament or no Parliament, vow or no vow. He spared her the words that he'd already said, letting his lips tell her how much he loved her with a kiss, rather than words.

Kisses could say so much. They could comfort, or tease; they could express love, or mere affection; they could share passion with barely a moment's notice. And Josh's kisses could alter the world, in Dru's eyes. She melted into him, pouring her heart into that kiss as her arms curled about his waist, making the most of her slightness to tuck herself very firmly into his embrace, giving everything up to him. No marriage vow could compete with a kiss like this.

For a little while, the rest of the world faded away, forgotten for another day. Nothing else existed or was important but the two of them. Whatever the rest of their lives would bring, they would always have each other, but for now, they had this moment to share, to cherish, and to hold onto for the rest of their lives.

((Another somewhat epic for our lovebirds. All this domesticated bliss is going to spoil them! ~chuckles~ Huge thank yous to Josh's player for being awesome!))