Much Ado about the Shrew (26 page)

           
"
Mmm
,"
Bee murmured against Ben's lips. "Yes, hush, darling."

           
Ben deepened the kiss until he was
sure Bee could not think, much less talk.

           
"Yes, dear," he said.

           
Ben walked into the summer house,
and his chest filled when he saw Bee sitting on a settee, her feet up
underneath her, her head buried in a book. He stood for several minutes,
admiring the light shining off of her hair, and the way she sighed dreamily
when she turned a page.

           
"And what has you so entranced
that you do not notice your lord husband?" he said finally.

           
Bee looked up and smiled at Ben. The
rest of Ben's joke (poor albeit it was, he thought) was strangled in his throat
as his chest constricted at the radiance of Bee's smile.
 
She patted the side of the settee, as if to
draw him in. "I didn't hear you come in," she said.

           
Ben did not bother to tell her that
was the point of his remark, but instead walked quickly towards his wife and
slipped behind her, maneuvering them both so that he had one leg up on the
small couch, and Bee's back was trapped against his chest.
 
She leaned back, her head resting on the
upper part of her chest, and Ben gave her a quick peck on the forehead.
 
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close
to him. "And what has my lovely wife been up to this afternoon?" he
asked, whispering huskily in her ear. He felt some masculine pride well up when
Bee shivered in his arms.
 
Instead of
speaking, she held up the book she was holding.

           
"
Much Ado about Nothing
?" Ben asked. "Our namesakes?"

           
Bee nodded. "I was nostalgic, I
suppose."

           
Ben nuzzled her neck. "For
which part?" he asked.

           
Bee smiled and leaned back, exposing
more of her neck to him. "All of it."

           
"Even when
Benedick
and Beatrice hated each other?"

           
"Oh, we didn't hate each
other," Bee said.

           
"We?"
I thought we were talking about the play?
Ben raised his head to
question Bee, but noticed that he had a lovely view of Bee's breasts.
 
He reached his hands up and cupped them
gently.
Much better than arguing.

           
"No... mmm... no, we just
didn't know... ah, how to handle our...
er
...
feelings."

           
"Ah," Ben murmured into
Bee's neck. "That was the problem."

           
"
Mmmhmm
,"
Bee sighed.

           
"I say, old chap, this is one
dashed surprise of a welcome," Ben heard from the doorway.

           
Bee shrieked and tried to sit up,
but Ben held her still in his lap. "Welles," he said in a flat tone.
"You're early."

           
Bee tried to push herself against
Ben, but he tensed his arms around her. "Benedick!" she whispered
tersely.
 
"Hush!" he whispered
in her ear, "I'm not finished with you yet!" and smiled when Bee
turned a bright red.

           
Welles cleared his throat.
"Yes, well, I didn't know you were, well... otherwise engaged, or I would
have shown up later.
Er
... hello, Lady Kendal,"
he said and gave a small, embarrassed bow.

           
Bee did her best to nod, being
locked in Ben's embrace. "Lord Welles," she said in a strained voice.

           
"Yes, well, um..." Welles
stammered.

           
"Yes, so you see," Ben
interrupted. "I'll join you in the library in, oh, how long darling? An
hour?"

           
"Benedick, please," Bee
said in a frustrated tone as she kept straining against him.

           
"Did you find them?"
another voice rang from behind Welles.

           
"Milford?" Ben said.
"What an excellent and completely unwelcome surprise!"

           
"Truly?" Bee said as Milford
walked in. "Just let me up."

           
"No," Ben whispered
firmly, and grinned at Bee's harrumph. There would most likely be hell to pay
later, he knew.

           
"What the deuces?" Milford
said. "I say, Kendal, and... oh, Lady Kendal. Well, at least there's that.
 
By the by, Welles, you owe me twenty pounds."

           
Welles frowned. "Didn't you
just borrow twenty pounds from me last week?"

           
Milford shrugged. "Probably.
Don't you keep track of those things?"

           
"Milford," Bee interrupted
angrily. Ben was fairly certain the red in her face was no longer a blush. It
was more for his own safety now that he kept her from standing.
"Gentlemen," Ben said, "I'm not sure when your houses prepare
dinner, but ours will not be ready for a few hours yet."

           
"Yes, yes," Milford said.
"Welles here talked me into coming earlier. We were going to discuss some
Parliament issues beforehand.
 
And you
must talk to him about his outrageous wife- she has tried to set me up with her
friends a half dozen times now! Just because you both have fallen to this
horrid trap of marriage does not mean I mean to succumb."

           
"That does sound like a
difficult situation, but as you can see, I am... otherwise occupied." Ben
said. He looked over at Welles, who was staring quite determinedly up at the
ceiling, most likely trying not to stare at him and Bee.
 
Bee, unable to escape, had tried to shrink
herself as much as possible against Ben's side.

           
"Gentlemen," Ben
continued, "I have some fine French brandy, and some of that excellent
Scotch whiskey that Lennox brought for the wedding. It is sitting, completely
unguarded, in my library, right this very minute. I suggest you seek it
out."

           
"I'm not sure..." Milford
started to say, but Welles piped up. "Yes, excellent. Come, Milford. You
were telling me just the other day how you wanted to get your hands on some bootlegged
brandy."

           
"I don't remember ever saying
that... ow!" he said as Welles turned around and pushed him down the
stairs. Ben heard them scuffling down the steps and sighed, relaxing his hold
on Bee slightly.

           
Bee took that moment to try to free
herself from Ben. "Really,
Benedick
?" she
shrieked, and Ben winced. He was sure Milford and Welles could hear her. Oh, he
would hear about this on all sides now.
 

           
"Relax, my sweet," Ben
cooed, firming his grip on her again.

           
"No," Bee said, pursing
her lips together. "And I am no longer in the mood."

           
"I suppose I'll just have to
work to change your mind, then."

           
"No," Bee repeated.
"I don't... I don't want to," she tried not to sigh as Ben once again
massaged her breasts and breathed lightly on her neck.

           
"You don't want me to? Truly?"
he whispered, nuzzling her neck and taking her earlobe gently in his teeth.

           
"No," Bee breathed.

           
"No, you don't want to, or no,
you want me to change your mind?"
 
He reached down Bee's dress and gently freed her breast from its
confines, lightly caressing her nipple.

           
"I don't... I don't
remember," Bee sighed, and turned her head up to his.
 
He brought his lips down onto hers and kissed
her gently. He took his right hand from her breast and cradled her face, gently
stroking her cheek. Moving his lips down her neck, he slowly shifted himself
around so he was on top of her.

           
"Have you remembered yet?"
he asked, nuzzling her neck and kissing down her chest, gently tugging at her
dress.

           
"Hmm?" said Bee.
"Stop talking and kiss me."

           
Ben smiled and pressed small kisses
along Bee's neck, gently kneading her breast in his hand.
 
He then pressed up against her, taking her
mouth with his so forcefully she gasped.

           
"Kendal, you don't happen to
remember if you have any cigars in the library, do you?" Ben heard Milford
ask from the doorway.

           
"Milford, you have about two
seconds to find out on your own before I get over there and rip your throat
out," Ben growled, breaking free of the kiss.

           
"So that's a no, then?" Milford
replied, nonplussed.

           
"I will kill you," Ben
warned.

           
"Do you think they're in the
library, or perhaps you have them in your study?"

           
"Are you that bored that you
have nothing to do than prevent me from trying to beget heirs?" Ben
barked.

           
"
Benedick
!"
Bee yelled in protest, pushing her hands on Ben's shoulders as if to move him.
Ben, however, refused to move.
 
"Sorry,
my sweet," he whispered instead, then turned his head to Milford.
"Out, Milford.
 
Go find your own
amusement. Mine," he said, pulling Bee closer, "is taken."
 
He watched until he saw Milford turn and walk
back towards the house, then crushed his lips down onto Bee's.

           
"
Mmm
..."
she said after several moments, putting a leg up and around Ben's hip, "Is
he finally gone?"

           
"For the moment," Ben
said, stroking his hand up Bee's leg.

           
"Oh, yes, Ben... oh...
strike up pipers
."

           
 
"What?" Ben pulled back from her
lips slightly.

           
"From the play," Bee
reminded him.

           
"At your pleasure, my dearest,"
Ben moved his hips against her. "Consider them struck."

           
Bee giggled and nuzzled Ben's neck.
"Let's work on begetting those heirs of yours."

           
Ben smiled. "At the risk of
repeating myself," he said, "yes, dear."

Also by Elizabeth May

Wit
of the Staircase

Available for download now!

A love that cannot
be acknowledged...

Jonathan Redding is
a British soldier in Austria, fighting Napoleon's forces when circumstances
introduce him to the most attractive man he has ever seen.
 
Having fled from his home when his lover betrayed
him to his father, Jonathan knows that he cannot allow Major
Ainsley
to know how his feelings.
 
He spends his life both trying to hide his
love for his dearest friend while at the same time doing everything within his
power to keep his friend by his side.

A friendship that
cannot be denied.

Major Stewart
Ainsley
, Earl of
Durnley
, does
not know why he helps out the young ensign who is thrust into his tent one
evening, but he finds himself enamored with the unorthodox young man. Their
friendship continues until he is forced to make a decision; does he choose to
pursue a path of marriage and children, or does he spend the rest of his life
with his best friend?
 
And if he chooses
his friend, is he willing to move their relationship beyond friendship?