This fic is set immediately after “Knit Together.”  It shifts in tone a bit, and may simply be kettles for the sake of kettles (not that there’s anything wrong with that!)  Actually, it’s definitely KWP (Without Purpose).

I’d say 3 1/2 kettles are on the hob for this one.

Shelagh felt a warm glow rise up through her body.  He wanted her, and the rest of the world, all her worries fell away.  She moved closer, so their bodies were almost touching and breathed his scent in deeply.  “You smell clean.”  Her finger traced the pattern on his pyjama top, then pressed against his heart.  

His hands covered hers and he looked her squarely in the eye.  “Shelagh, you don’t have to do this.  It’s only natural if you need more time.  Your body’s been through so much-”

“All is as it should be,” she answered.  “You’ve been wonderfully patient for so long, darling.  I’d started to forget how important this is.  Not simply the…the sex,” her whisper grew softer on the word,  “but being us, together.  A couple.”  She slid her arms around his waist and pressed her head against his chest.  “Even if you don’t want to tonight, I’d like to be near you.”

A rumble deep in his chest made her smile.  “I think you know I want to,” he teased.  His voice grew serious again and he bent his head to meet her eyes.  “Are you certain?’

She raised her face to his.  “I am completely certain.”

Patrick stepped back and grinned appreciatively.  “I was right, you should wear my jumper.  It suits you.”  He twirled her in a tight circle before him, letting his gaze trace her form.  “You’ve got the legs for it.”

A dimple appeared.  “Ridiculous man,” she giggled.  She wove her arms around his neck and tugged his face close to hers.  They lingered for a long moment, their lips a bare inch apart.  Long dormant feelings rose to the surface and she felt a familiar ache grow within her.  Unable to wait any longer, she pushed up on her toes to kiss him.  This was no longer simply about being available to him.

His lips were warm and firm, yet she knew instantly that he was holding back.  She sighed against his mouth, excited by his restraint.  Even now he would let her take the lead, let her offer what she was ready for.  She tugged gently on his lower lip, darting her tongue against its fullness before she pulled it into her own mouth.  Their tongues met and grazed against each other, deepening the kiss.  She stretched even taller, eager for more contact, and she protested when he pulled back.

“Bloody hell, Shelagh, I’ve missed you.”  He let his gaze wander over her again, and she thrilled at the passion she saw there.  His arms pulled her tight to him and he pressed his face against her hair.  “It’s taking all I have not to push you down on our bed and ravish you,” he murmured.  

They stood together for a long moment.  Then with a deep breath, he sat back on the edge of the bed.  Catching her by the hips, he tugged her to stand before him.  

There were no words, no sounds but for the soft suss of their slow breathing.  She grazed the back of her fingers against his cheek, up along the sharp edge of his temple and into his dark hair.  Her lips followed her fingertips, lingering at his temple, her nose in his hair.    

When his hands slid in gentle circles along the backs of her thighs, she exhaled in pleasure.  They kissed, intimate and slow.  She moved again, her head lowered to his and her arms about his shoulders, and she gasped at the scratch of the coarse wool against her sensitive skin.  Her breasts tingled, and she leant lightly into him.  

He moaned softly into her mouth and slid his hands beneath the jumper, cupping her bottom and Shelagh gasped.   “Yes, Patrick, please,” she whispered.  

His hands skimmed over the smooth skin of her arched back, fingertips tracing along her spine, and she felt the heat build deep inside her.  She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him again, humming with pleasure.  Her back arched in an invitation and felt his hands slide around to cup her breasts.  

Suddenly it wasn’t enough. Breaking their kiss, she straddled him.  She pressed herself tightly against him, her arms wrapped around him, and gloried at the feel of him between her legs.  “I love you, Patrick,” she purred.  “Whatever else there is there will always be us at the center.”  She kissed his cheek and sat back.  Lifting herself up, she reached down and pulled the jumper off and tossed it to the side.

“Let me ravish you, Patrick.”

His smile was dazzling.  “That’s my girl.”

Later, after their hearts had returned to a steady beat, they lay facing each other in a cocoon of blankets.

“Teddy will be up soon,” Patrick whispered.  “I’m afraid we won’t get much sleep tonight.”

“Mm-hmm.”  She stretched her legs so that her toes found the tops of his feet.  “We’ll simply have to go to bed early tomorrow night, dearest.”

“I’ve got rounds, I’m afraid.”  He rolled onto his back with a sighed of regret.  

She followed him and nestled against his chest, her sigh echoing his.  “Angela has a dress rehearsal, and Timothy asked me to help him with revising for his Trigonometry exam.  Oh, and I simply must get into those patient files—they’re a mess!”

“Sometimes I wish we were workers on the clock like everyone else.”  He gently massaged her back.

“A rain check, then?”  she asked, then pressed a kiss to his chest.

“Absolutely.  Especially if you take to wearing all my jumpers.”  His shoulders shook with laughter.  “Perhaps I should get a blue one…”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Patrick.”