Blake stepped out through the French doors to catch his cousin in an embrace. She looked wildly distressed and he knew it was his brothers doing.
"There, there," he stroked her head. Honey cried, tears falling to the point where her eyes should have dried out. Blake kept quiet, he knew he could find no words to stitch up the old wounds that had been left open. Soon enough, Honey was gaining a bit more composure, the crying diluted to let words pass out.
"I didn't know, I'd react like this," she mumbled into his chest,
"You are entitled to act in any way you need," Blake assured her,
"He apologised," she whispered, "it's what I'd wished for all these months and I know deep down I forgive him yet I am unable to ignore the feelings that have resurfaced." Her voice was gaining more stability, resolution.
"You suffered too Honey,"
She smiled sadly at her cousin, looking down at his feet, "You suffered more, cousin"
"Physical pain dulls with medicine but what dulls the aching heart?"
Honey hugged her saviour tightly, she played over in her head, the sleepless nights, the incessant dreams, the emptiness in her heart. She realised that the anger she felt in her heart was less at James but rather the consequences of his actions. He'd left her in such a distraught mess.
Honey let go of Blake, "I am going to try to calm these emotions, then I will try to speak to James." She turned to leave but forgotten she hadn't verbally thanked Blake.
"Thank You,"
"You are always welcome," he replied. Blake carried on his way to the gardens, his brother had disappeared but he was missing vigorous exercise. He could feel the lethargy gaining on his limbs without the inclusion of brisk exercise. He whistled for Lucky, the dog came whizzing at a blurring speed, completely missing his owner and skidding across the grass to return. Blake laughed as he watched Lucky, run around in circles and chase his tail. He'd neglected him a bit off lately.
Rosalie had aimed to venture out but when she'd seen Blake, she'd quickly hid behind the curtain. As a child, she thought but she didn't want him to think she was following him. She eyed Blake outside with his companion, for a little longer than she should have, her eyes trailing the width of his shoulders. In profile his strong nose, lips that she could outline despite being so far and his sharp-edged jaw, caused her to become intensely aware of her own body. She stopped trailing, swallowing her impropriety away.
The dog started barking wildly again, he sprinted towards the window where Rosalie stood. She tried to scurry away but the dog saw her as his sort of prize. Naturally, his owner's attention followed suit and Blake bowed gracefully to Rosalie. The dog's beady black eyes didn't leave her. It seemed to her, he wanted her to play with him. If she could even understand the dog. She left the door and the dog followed her direction, overjoyed, his tail wagging. Another tail was wagging, Blake walked back towards the house,
"Care to join us for a walk?" he smiled brilliantly, too brilliantly for such a dull morning of grey.
"I think that's what the creature has been trying to communicate with me," Rosalie said scrunching her nose,
"Do you not like dogs?" Blake seemed taken aback, and it bothered her strangely. Rosalie hadn't meant to disappoint him,
"I am just not accustomed to them much, city Parisians rarely own the big kind and the little ones are pesky little creatures who always beg for attention by doing the foulest things,"
"What about walks? Are city Parisians not accustomed to those either?" he joked, Rosalie rose to the challenge.
"I am capable of a walk," she began,
The two set off, leaving the enclave of the family gardens. They ventured off onto the inherited grounds. Blake unintentionally set a brisk pace that had Rosalie practically running to catch up with him. They walked for a while, Blake reminiscing about adventures they'd had on this path, Rosalie asking for more details, trying to imagine a younger Blake, James and Honey. Alyssa was often missing from their childhood escapades, increasingly so as they grew up. Eventually, Rosalie felt her heart would explode,
"Blake, my legs are not as long as yours, slow down, or walk-in circles like your dog," she almost wheezed.
Blake would always find himself taken aback by her way of speaking at the most random instances. He obliged, walking circles around her, making her bend over with laughter and loss of breath.
"Does this suit you better, Miss Du Pont," Blake almost set off in a jog, running loops around her. Lucky following enthusiastically.
"I feel like you are out to weaken me, first you take away my breath and now you make me dizzy,"
Her hand came to rest on the small of her waist, accentuating curves Blake had tried hard to steer his vision away from. She hadn't meant the words in the way they had come out. Although, they did fit. She moved to the closest tree, shutting her eyes to focus on regaining her breath and leaning on it to rest. He turned his head to admire her profile, her parted lips to intake air. Rosalie could feel his heated gaze and kept her eyes shut. She bit her lip,
"It's rude to stare," she exhaled.
Blake smiled slightly and turned his direction to Lucky who had run off to chase some birds.
"Rosalie," Blake started, his eyes still trailing off to the path they had come from. It was Rosalie's turn to stare, she waited for him to speak, it was clear they weren't conversing as friends anymore. Away from the house, the dynamic that had been there since they met had resurfaced, Blake boldly caught her eyes with his own, "Should we define our relationship out loud?"
Her eyebrows moved to confusion as her thoughts sought to comprehend the question, her heart hammered passionately since it knew the answer, "I don't know what you mean," she inched away, using the tree as cover.
"We are definitely more than friends," his eyes bore into hers, she resisted the urge to shiver.
"What would you want us to be?" she hushed. Blake smiled wickedly, Rosalie was sure she had never seen that smile before. She watched him as he moved from his position on the track to face her by the tree. The back of his hand rose to gently stroke her cheek, sparks flew to awaken the butterflies that could never lie dormant when she was with him.
"I would love to hear your answer to that," Blake's eyes surveyed Rosalie's slightly opened mouth.
Rosalie swallowed, moving her head away from the tight bubble of lust and desire and pushed her body off the tree, slipping away from him. She stepped back, rounding the tree trunk.
"I asked the question first," It was a weak response, she knew that but all these emotions were new to her, she didn't want to make a mistake. She also didn't want to risk her heart, everything seemed more real with Blake, entering this territory with Blake was not a passionate dalliance she was in control of. She would have to live with the consequences. She leaned her back against the side of the tree, hidden away from his hot gaze.
Explain it to him, he'll understand. The voice excited her thoughts, Rosalie knew he would understand, Blake was compassionate, she'd seen him with Honey.
Blake leaned his back against the tree, respecting the distance Rosalie had put between them.
"Allow me to court you," Blake said,
"I can't," she'd answered out of reflex, but it was partly true.
"Why not?" Blake curved the tree to find Rosalie's forehead leaning against the tree.
"Not everything is as it seems'' she pushed off the tree to come in contact with his hungry gaze. A gaze that tore her resolve to shreds.
"Explain it to me,"
"If I explain it, it exposes other people, it's not just about me, I can't"
"If it didn't expose these people, would you want to tell me?"
Rosalie thought about his question, she would, there was so much she wanted to do for him. So much she hadn't even thought off when it came to the future and feelings when it came to him. It didn't even matter they hadn't known each other long.
"Yes, probably," she whispered back, feeling the selfishness engulf her,
"Then... tell me," he wasn't asking for the sake of knowing the information, he was asking because he could feel this would be a way to connect with her, "relieve yourself of its burden and I will guard the secret for you,"
The words allowed Rosalie to consider a world she had never really envisioned.
Her heart fought her head, she closed her eyes and let the next words tumble out so fast that if he hadn't been so close he wouldn't understand the mumble
"Honey and Alyssa are my sisters,"
"Sir Michael is your father," a statement rather than a question. She nodded. Blake smiled slowly and moved to face her once more,
"Why are you smiling?"
Instead of answering, Blake bored down on Rosalie, he grazed her face with a look that lit a spark of stillness within her
"I want to kiss you".
It took Rosalie by surprise, to say the least,
"May I?"
What on earth was Rosalie supposed to reply, she didn't want to throw herself at him but neither did she want to reject him. He waited, waited for her consent. The silence seemed to stretch forever,
"Why are you smiling?" she repeated steadying the sway in her body by placing her hands on three.
"Because, you are wonderful," Rosalie squirmed slightly under his intense gaze, there was too much going on, she was on the precipice of letting him kiss her. "and you've made my plans to court you, all the more easier,"
"I don't see the logic,"
"I'll talk to your father?" Blake was confident that Rosalie would easily be swayed, he could feel her resolution wavering under his gaze. It wasn't to say he had that power over her, just that an earthly pull always seemed to consume them both.
"No!" she blurted, "that will inform him.... of something happening and anyway we aren't father and daughter like most are."
Blake leaned in closer to Rosalie's face, the proximity had caused him to suffer from restraint long enough. The point of their noses tickled from the contact.
"Then...what shall we do?" Blake hushed, he greedily breathed her in. A rush of lavender and lemon.
"Nothing," Rosalie's voice was barely audible, she could feel her nerve endings accelerating into a frenzy of desperate dizziness pulsating for the man before her. The man leaning into her.
"What do you want me to do?" Blake breathed, his breath hot on her cheeks.
"Kiss me,"
The passion that overtook the lovers at that moment had been blooming eagerly since their first meeting in the woods. The kiss was both a fire and a sating of thirst. Cool water extinguishing flames of fire. Tender hunger was being fed, air gifted so generously that they felt they could finally breathe again before it was whipped away again. Blake was thirsty, savouring Rosalie like liquid gold. Rosalie the fire, being cooled with his gentle caresses. Hands roaming further than they should have. In the cover of the forest, they allowed instinctual nature to lead the rhythm. As Rosalie's felt the hardness of the tree trunk push on her back and Blake push on her front, she thought she'd never felt such sweet desire in all her 20 years. They couldn't have told you how much time they had been trailing kisses of fire and air. Blake's mouth running down Rosalie's throat, Rosalie arching to allow more access.
An uncomfortable cough tore the lovers away from each other. James stood there grinning helplessly, shamelessly. Despite his earlier encounter, he was happy to see his brother succeeding in love...or lust.
"Well, well.." James started,
Rosalie hid behind Blake, but they both groaned a loud shut up in unison,
"I was just going to congratulate you, tis all," James said, grinning wider if that was even possible at that point. Blake scratched the back of his neck, a protectiveness warming his chest as he felt Rosalie stiffen.
"James you saw nothing" Rosalie stepped away from Blake, "because this was a mistake." Avoiding his gaze, she dashed off leaving the Franco brothers dumbfounded for different reasons. Blake glared at James, this was the second time he'd let her leave after a mind-numbing kiss.