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Jack opened the door and was hit squarely in the chest by an armful of exhausted woman. A week’s worth of practice was enough that he could hug her back and kick the door shut behind her at the same time.
“Good evening to you, too, Miss Fisher,” he greeted her as best he could after having the air knocked out of him.
“Yes, it is,” Phryne agreed as she pulled him even tighter against her. A moment before her second arm wrapped around him, there was a small thud and he eyed the cheek closest to him suspiciously.
“What did you just drop at my feet?”
“A basket,” she told him mysteriously and it wasn’t the least bit helpful. She’d come to his house after work every night for the past week, and several times she had brought them dinner, but never without telling him first and they’d explicitly made other plans for the evening.
“Did you forget that we were going to make dinner together or are you trying to tell me something about the quality of my cooking?”
He took her by the shoulders to extricate himself from her embrace, wanting to narrow his eyes at her properly, and tried to ignore the way his heart immediately protested their separation.
The only benefit of keeping her at an arm’s length was that he could get a better look at her outfit. He was sure that he’d seen all of the individual pieces before, but never together. She wore a navy blue skirt and a long, cream-colored cardigan. A matching white shirt completed one of the most comfortable-looking outfits he’d ever seen her wear. She was beautiful. He wanted to cup her hips under her cardigan to see whether her skin would be as warm as her thick clothing suggested.
“Neither, Jack, I can assure you. It’s just that Mr. Butler is feeling rather restless, what with me being away almost every night. First I disappear for almost nine months, and now I won’t even let him cook for me. I practically felt obligated to accept when he offered to make us biscuits, surely you can understand that?” she widened her eyes dramatically.
She wasn’t wearing any makeup, but her doe-eyed expression was no less effective for the lack of it. Seeing her at the station in full regalia, only for her to knock on his door a few hours later looking like this, was giving him the most wonderful kind of whiplash and he could no longer suppress his smile.
“Well, if Mr. Butler insisted.” He shrugged, though he wondered just how many biscuits he’d made to warrant putting them in a basket.
“Oh, and I’ve brought champagne,” Phryne explained as if she’d read his mind. “And before you ask, I am absolutely trying to tell you something about the quality of your alcohol.” She grinned. His heart momentarily clenched at seeing her look so at ease in his home.
It had been five days since she’d returned from England, and he was only just coming to realize that this wasn’t a particularly cruel dream. Seeing the little hints of her presence scattered around his home helped immensely. The one time she’d left particularly late and he hadn’t managed to do the washing-up, he’d woken up and found her glass and plate in the kitchen, unable to believe his luck as he stared at the evidence that the previous night had been real.
“I should still have champagne flutes in the kitchen, and you can just leave the basket on the counter,” he encouraged her greedily as he recalled the memory, eager to at least repeat it since she wasn’t going to spend the night.
“Aren’t you going to kiss me hello?” She took a step closer to him and smiled, charmed by his eagerness but unwilling to follow his instructions without a proper greeting.
“My apologies for the oversight.”
He drew her in by the waist, running his hand under her cardigan like he wanted to and relishing in her body heat. Doing his fantasy one better, he stroked her bare waist under her shirt just before their lips met, and the way she giggled into the kiss was the sweetest thing he had ever heard.
He’d had almost a full week to grow accustomed to kissing her, but her dreamy expression just before their lips met took his breath away every time. She clutched at his neck and went up on her tiptoes as she sucked his tongue into her mouth enthusiastically. He let out an admonishing groan, willing himself not to become aroused but unable to resist her entirely. They deserved this after what they’d been through.
As soon as she’d arrived in England, Phryne had been reminded of why she couldn’t live on the same side of the world as her parents. She withdrew her invitation to him, wanting to return to Australia as soon as possible, but the global economic crash had other ideas and left her parents free to make her life hell for another six months.
By the time she made it back to him, they were both shaken by how miserable they’d been without the other. The facade she’d put on for her welcome home party had slipped the second the last of her family left. They had both been tired, months of sleepless nights catching up with them, and they clung to each other for a long time before he’d worked up the willpower to leave. They’d agreed to meet at Jack’s the following evening so that they could truly be alone, but after they shared a delicious dinner the rest of their evening had looked much the same.
They’d finally taken the hint and agreed not to jump headfirst into a public relationship. They knew they were headed in that direction. There were no doubts left between them, and they didn’t need to rush, happy to simply be without external pressure or expectations.
“Hello, Phryne,” Jack beamed when he finally broke the kiss, feeling inexplicably like they’d been transported to a new dimension, one where the whole world lay at their feet and they had no one to listen to but themselves. Their first kiss of the evening always had that effect on him.
“Hello, Jack,” she replied, just as happily.
“Shall we, Miss Fisher?” He held out his hand. He wondered if his happiness would ever fade but decided it was impossible.
“It would be my pleasure, Jack Robinson.”
***
“You look comfortable, by the way,” Jack commented casually after the fifth time he’d had to push up her sleeves for her. He rarely if ever commented on her appearance; he didn’t think it was his place, but given that she was on the verge of declaring war on her cardigan, he thought the situation warranted a little boldness.
“Thank you.” Phryne smiled, now free to cover the last of the potato wedges in oil and herbs. “I thought you might like this,” she confessed as she put the tray in the oven. Jack’s heart melted at the realization that she’d apparently considered what he might like. Just like before, his hands found the pleasantly warm skin of her waist as she washed the oil-and-herbs mixture off her hands, turning in his arms when she was done. “So, where are your champagne flutes?”
“Top right cupboard.” His eyes never left hers as he tilted his head in the appropriate direction.
“Can you lift me up?” she requested.
“I could just get them down myself, you know.”
“I know, but this way is infinitely more fun,” Phryne encouraged as she considered where he was pointing.
“Come on, then.” He grabbed her by the waist as she supported herself with her hands on the counter. He got a noseful of clean laundry and perfume as he lifted her off the ground, her cardigan effectively blocking his view of whether he’d lifted her far enough.
“A little higher… Yes, I’ve got them! Oh, these are beautiful, Jack.”
His arms buckled slightly under her soft exhalation of pleasure and he carefully put her down again. An intricate flower design curved around the bottom of the flutes and he watched, mesmerized, as his home life and his relationship merged together before his eyes.
“I’ll pass on the compliment to the decorator. Like almost everything in this kitchen, they were a housewarming gift from my mother,” he informed her, wanting to give her a piece of his backstory in exchange for the intimate display. He gently took the glasses from her and pulled her in for a long hug. Their arms wrapped around each other as he nuzzled behind her ear, breathing in the scent of flowers and the spicy undertones of her skin.
“Well, she’s got excellent taste. And you know, Jack, I’m glad your kitchen is getting so much use. I rather enjoy it when you cook for me,” she spoke softly into the crook of his neck, apparently sensing that this was important to him.
He began to sway them to a rhythm no one but them could feel. As his eyes drifted shut, he was slightly taken aback by the feeling of peace overtaking him, but it gentled into a soft pleasure at being able to be this vulnerable with her. “Then why did you suggest that we cook together tonight? Was the whole thing a ruse so you could watch me work?” he asked, genuinely interested in her answer.
When he pulled back to see her face, Phryne was biting her lip in tortured embarrassment. “It… may have sounded like a nice couple’s bonding activity.”
Jack shook his head in disbelief as her words registered. She had no powders to hide behind and the slight blush on her bare cheeks took him by surprise. Both her words and her expression seemed incredibly vulnerable. The full magnitude of her love had never been more noticeable and it crashed over him in full force.
His hands found the counter on either side of her as he was unable to stay upright on his own. “Are you saying that we work well together, Miss Fisher?” he said, happy to watch her squirm as she grappled with her own feelings.
The smell of slowly baking potatoes and herbs rising in the room told her just how true that statement was, and she nodded determinedly in the face of his teasing. “Well, I would be right, Inspector.”
His heart skipped a beat in approval. They’d finally found a space where they could be open with each other. Their affection was safe here. Satisfied with her response, he kissed her once more just because he could before returning to his task of cutting vegetables. He pointedly ignored her thoughtful gaze until she took up position next to him and took the other knife.
“Can you tell me about your house?” She never glanced up as she picked up a large bell pepper.
“I’m afraid there’s not much to tell. I bought it shortly after Rosie and I agreed to get a divorce. It felt terribly indulgent at the time; I wasn’t used to making big investments, or doing anything solely for my own pleasure. But then I saw the garden, and I knew I had to have it,” he smiled. A few nights ago it had been warm enough to sit outside and he’d shown her the garden that was his pride and joy.
His smile was contagious, and Phryne’s own heart began to thump wildly. “Thank you for sharing it with me, Jack. I like who you are when we’re here,” she confessed, placing a grateful hand on his forearm and making his eyes flicker to her in surprised joy.
“My parents were understandably worried, at first, but I’ve rather enjoyed having the whole place to myself,” he recalled as he took the neatly sliced vegetables from her, got out a pan, and lit the stove.
“Then why did you invite me, that first time?”
As he poured oil into the pan and heated it up, Jack let the question hang long enough that she thought he wasn’t going to answer. “After you… After the airfield, the house felt lonely rather than quiet for the first time since I’d moved in, and I’m glad you’re here.” He didn’t have the words to explain just how much bringing her here had meant to him. The places she’d been felt more alive even after she left, and he felt at home for the first time since she had flown away from him.
When he’d put the vegetables into the pan and she still hadn’t said anything, he turned and found her staring at him. “We’re absolutely hopeless together, aren’t we?” She shook her head, her expression a strange mix of exasperation at themselves and a proud fondness that made him chuckle.
Months of lonely nights and misery fell away as he saw her smile. “It certainly seems that way, though now that our food is almost ready, could we perhaps be hopeless together at the dinner table?” he suggested.
“Yes, I rather think we could, Jack.”
***
Jack poured them each a glass of champagne and they clinked glasses. “To being utterly hopeless,” the corner of his mouth twitched before they both tucked into their dinner.
His partner looked adorable and he studied her over their plates. Bites of her food were interspersed with smiles as she surveyed the fruits of their shared labor. The hand holding her fork was relaxed, and her sleeves had slid back down to her small wrists. He took her free hand in his without thinking.
She smiled at the gesture before asking, “I was wondering if you’re planning to keep up our evening ritual tonight or if you intend to do things differently, given that it’s the weekend?” She was blushing and he didn’t know if it was due to his touch or her own question.
“I’m happy to continue if you are,” he assured her, seeing her nervousness for what it was. “But I’m rather exhausted and I’d appreciate it if you could take over the first half of the evening’s… entertainment, as it were,” he requested.
“Mmmh, it would be my pleasure.”
He beamed, unable to suppress a shake of his head at the ridiculousness not just of her request, but of the strange evening ritual they’d developed since her return. He had surprised himself with how much he loved it. He’d always thought of reading as a solitary activity, a way to turn off his mind and lose himself in another world at the end of a long workday. When Phryne had pulled a book off his shelf, it had resulted in the exact opposite of an evening of mindless reading, but it had been pleasurable, if slightly ridiculous, all the same.
He still remembered the look of glee on her face when she’d turned to where he sat on the sofa, a small yellow volume with a red and green flower design in hand.
“Will you read to me?” she requested.
Jack frowned down at the copy of Heidi she was holding out to him. “In English or German?”
“Jack. We’ve agreed to take things slowly, haven’t we?”
He blanched as he saw her serious face. He knew he’d read the situation wrong but he wasn’t quite sure how. “Well, yes. I thought that’s what you wanted—what we both wanted.”
She nodded, her serious mask still in place, though her gaze had softened somewhat around the edges. “It is. And unless you want me to jump your bones immediately, I advise you not to bring up your language prowess until you’re ready to deal with the consequences.”
The words cut through his worries until all he felt was delight. “Get me the English version, then.”
Phryne smirked knowingly. “Good answer,” she said.
Jack smiled at the memory and after they finished eating, he made them a pot of tea to have alongside Mr. Butler’s biscuits. “Out of all the books that could have caught your interest…” He shook his head as she retrieved the book that had taken up residence on his side table. Its bright yellow cover was impossible to miss even from the hall, and passing it before work always put him in a good mood.
“I didn’t hear you complain last night when you almost fell asleep in my arms,” Phryne commented less than casually. She sat on the sofa and patted her own lap in invitation.
“I did say it’s been a difficult week,” he reminded her as he settled against her thigh. Her hand brushed his shoulder and he instantly felt at peace. It had been like this every night since she’d returned, but the wound of their long separation ran deeper than a few nights of having dinner could fix. He never felt better than in these quiet moments. She was back now. His heart would catch on eventually.
“Where were we?” she asked the room at large and began flipping through the book. “Ah. Chapter 10: Grandmamma’s Visit. ‘Next day everyone was very busy preparing for the expected guest. It was easy to see that she was an important person in the household and was accustomed to being treated as such.’ Damn right,” Phryne nodded approvingly. “Good for her.”
He snorted and settled more comfortably against her.
***
She kept on reading until she was stumbling over every word. He roused himself enough to take over, not wanting to deny her the bliss of unwinding in her partner’s arms. He only made it a few pages before he realized she was snoring gently.
They’d switched positions as Jack took the book from her, and her hair lay against her cheek in a soft curtain. He brushed it aside with a soft fingertip, wanting to study her features in slumber and smiling when she grunted but didn’t wake. Her lashes were dark and slightly curled even without makeup, and he couldn’t quite believe that he knew how her lips tasted both when they were painted and when they were bare.
“Miss Fisher?” He would be more than happy with her spending the night, but it was getting late and he didn’t want to make the decision for her. “Wake up, love.”
“Mmmh.”
“I may be mistaken, but you appear to have drifted off,” he observed when she didn’t open her eyes, though he could see slight movements behind her eyelids and knew that she was now awake.
“Nooo. I’m fully awake, see?” Phryne sat up forcefully, shooting him a glare that dared him to contradict her even though she looked like she had no idea where she was nor how she’d gotten there. He hoped she’d never find out just how adorable she looked when she did that.
“Do you want to stay the night? You’re clearly tired, and I’d rather you didn’t drive in this state. I’m not saying you couldn’t do it,” he added hastily, “but I’d sleep better knowing that you’re safe.” Her hand lay on the back of the sofa and he took it in his, wanting to touch her as he extended this offer for the first time.
She entwined their fingers automatically. “I… Really?”
He watched her look stunned but he merely smirked. “Am I right in assuming that you intend to spend many more nights here in the future?” he asked, already knowing the answer. His house was already full of hints that she belonged there, and her wide-open eyes were just one more item on the list.
“Definitely, Jack.”
“Then I believe it’s high time I showed you the bedroom,” he smiled. “Now, if you would like to follow me?” He tugged on her hand, and together they made their way down the hall.
***
“Here we are,” he gestured at the room and tried to see it through her eyes. His bed was easily large enough for two, but the furnishings were more practical than decorative. The window opened onto his garden; he loved waking up to the sight and smell of his flowers and was excited to share the experience with her. “The bathroom is a little farther down the hall to your right. If you’d like to wait here, I’ll go get an extra toothbrush while you get changed. I hear cotton pajamas three sizes too big are the latest fashion,” he said, earning himself a delighted laugh.
As she moved deeper into the room, Jack got his first-ever look of Phryne Fisher sitting on his bed. He would never forget the sight, nor the words that accompanied it. “Or we could sleep without pajamas,” she suggested so casually, she could have been talking about the weather.
His heart skipped a beat at the sweet image they would make, their bodies entwined with nothing to warm them but each other. “I… Alright, but at least put this on while you brush your teeth.” He handed her the thicker of his two robes, not wanting her to freeze in his cold bathroom.
“You don’t sound particularly happy,” she frowned and Jack couldn’t let her worries stand.
He moved over to her and pulled his jumper over his head. His shirt and singlet soon followed until there was nothing keeping her from staring pointedly at his bare chest. He reached for his hand and pulled her flush against him before flattening her hand over his rapidly beating heart. He could feel her fingers twitching lightly but he held her there, wanting her to feel what he was feeling.
“I am happy,” he said, not breaking eye contact with her until her gaze softened.
“Will you help me undress?” She was gazing up at him through her lashes, her cheeks glowing pink as she returned his vulnerable gesture with one of her own. He wasn’t often naked in front of others and she wouldn’t ask this of just anyone. She moved both of his hands to the edge of her cardigan and wrapped them around the fabric just above her breasts. The sides of his hands brushed their soft curves, and they shivered in unison.
Sliding her cardigan off her shoulders, he stared at the slight bumps of Phryne’s nipples where they were visible through her shirt. It was far from the first time he’d seen them, but never had the circumstances been so sweet and he almost didn’t want to proceed further.
“I believe that can be arranged,” he answered her question.
He was painfully aware that he was shirtless as he guided her to the bed. He dropped to his knees before her and pulled each of her feet into his lap to remove her shoes and stockings. Holding her gaze, he ran his palms up her sweet legs under her skirt in greeting. She smiled before taking his hands and lifting them to the hem of her shirt. He pulled it and her camisole over her head, and his breath caught as he saw her bare chest up close for the first time.
They’d agreed to take things slow, Jack reminded himself as he reached for her hands so he wouldn’t be tempted to cup her breasts. Sensing what he wanted, Phryne cupped his neck, tipping his head forward and pressing it gently between her small breasts. He exhaled in bliss as he breathed her in, willing himself not to cry as his thoughts quieted for the first time since she’d left the continent.
They stayed like that for long moments, Jack memorizing her scent while suspicious droplets hit his hair and forehead. He merely held her closer and waited for her signal that she was ready to pull apart. His heart had broken for them more times than he could count, but it did so again as he took in her red-rimmed eyes.
“I can manage the rest,” she promised him thickly and he stood up once he was sure that she was alright.
They didn’t stop sneaking glances at one another as they undressed, but the bedroom was cold and Jack was more concerned about getting her into his robe.
“Oh, it’s warm,” she breathed in delight as he wrapped it around her slim frame and tied the sash.
His own robe was dark green and much thinner. One look at her in his clothes was enough to make him want to sign his entire wardrobe over to her. He trailed his fingers down her lapels, enjoying the role reversal while he could.
He found himself unable to meet her eyes and he finally understood why she was always touching his lapels. Their dinner dates had been a balm for his battered heart, but this seemed to go deeper. He’d always known that she belonged here, in his life and in his heart. Saying goodbye to her before they’d made it official had broken him in ways he wasn’t aware of until this very moment.
“Now,” he said, as his heart pieced back together under her soft gaze, “I believe I said something about a toothbrush.”
“Lead the way, Inspector,” she grinned. There were a million happy memories and future promises in that smile.
Jack made a new happy memory as they stood at the sink, side by side as they tried not to smile with their mouths full of toothpaste. Clad in nothing but their robes, they looked ridiculous together and he loved it. It was the type of domesticity he had never thought she would enjoy or crave, but she was giggling like a schoolgirl sneaking out at midnight. The knowledge that they would be naked again soon created a constant buzzing at the back of his mind.
By the time he’d spit out his toothpaste, which inexplicably made her smile wider, he was fiddling nervously with his sleeves.
“Do you need anything else, or…?” He was unsure of how to finish his question.
“No, thank you.” Unlike the robe she was wearing, his own didn’t close all the way at the top and allowed for easy access to his skin. Reaching out to touch him, Phryne’s fingertips sent sparks down his chest and along his collarbones as she stepped into his personal space. There was a pause as she stared at her own hands. “You may have noticed that I haven’t been wearing makeup to your house.”
Jack recognized this as a variation of his earlier gesture. She wasn’t looking him in the eye as if unsure if she was expecting too much of his powers of observation. We’re absolutely hopeless together , he recalled her earlier statement and realized just how true it was.
“Um, yes. I may not know anything about makeup, but your eyes are softer this way,” he confessed. “That’s how I can tell.” He wanted her to know that her partner noticed these things even if Inspector Robinson didn’t.
“Jack.” Her eyes looked suspiciously watery as she stared at him in disbelief. Then she kissed him with minty lips and showed him just what was so interesting about his toothpaste.
His arms slid around her neck and her tongue slid against his before they separated again. The moment was so lovely that he barely knew what to do with himself when it was over. He squashed the little stab telling him that this was a dream and that any happiness was only temporary. They were here now. This was real.
He took her hands in his again. “Let’s go get some rest, mmmh? We deserve it.”
Phryne turned her attention to their hands and pressed a kiss to the back of his. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever done to him, and he nearly melted under her lips. “Alright,” she breathed.
***
“Do you have a favorite side?” Phryne stood at the foot of his bed and he tried not to notice that she was extremely naked.
Jack stared intently at the robe at her feet as if he wasn’t about to slide into bed with her and feel her soft nude body against his. “Not really,” he replied. “Usually it’s just me and whatever book I’ve managed to fall asleep reading,” he teased. He slid his own robe off his body as he spoke, knowing it was the only way he would get his hands to cooperate with him.
A full-body shiver shot through him as she studied him from head to toe. Though he could see the lust in them, her eyes immediately softened. He realized that there was no one he would rather be vulnerable with than her.
“Oh, don’t pretend that you don’t love it,” she continued with their banter and he shot her a grateful look.
Her silent encouragement finally gave him the strength to climb into his own bed. She’d always made him braver. He found an unexpected freedom in knowing that she believed in him. “I do, but this is better,” he smiled as he lay down on his side, but to his surprise, Phryne slid into bed behind him instead of next to him.
His heart was hammering wildly as her arm wrapped around his waist, fingertips stroking his belly gently. When she made no move to seduce him, he eventually relaxed into her embrace. Tears pricked at his eyes as she explored the topography of his skin, and part of him was glad that she couldn’t see his face.
“Perhaps we could hold our next reading session in your bed,” Phryne suggested carefully as she covered them with his blanket, her smile ghosting over his neck and cheek. He shivered at the way her breasts rubbed against his shoulder blades and her pubic hair brushed his lower back. It was just the sort of strange mix of domesticity and temptation he would expect from her.
He felt his confidence return in the face of the paradox that was this woman. “Let’s see what tomorrow holds before making any hasty decisions,” he said diplomatically, always the voice of reason.
“Oooh, I like the sound of that,” she purred. Her voice suddenly soft, she added, “Whatever it is, I’m looking forward to it.”
Jack squeezed her arm in agreement, optimistic about the future for the first time in almost exactly nine months.