James stared at her for a long dumbstruck minute.
“Are you sure?†he finally asked. Cecily almost laughed. She wasn’t used to him being the reticent one.
“Would I have planned this whole thing if I wasn’t?†Her smile grew more girlish, her cheeks more rosy as she stared at him.
“Oh, Cecily,†he breathed, and his lips sought hers. She returned the kiss with equal fervor as James slowly became his old self again, the one that had been pursuing her so ardently since the night of Dorothy’s birthday party. Wanting to encourage him, she kissed him harder, more deliberately, doing all she could to show him that she loved him and not anyone else.
They fell back against the softness of the couch, and Cecily’s concentration broke. She wasn’t waiting for his proposal anymore – she had lost herself in a flurry of kisses and caresses, and all she wanted was for it to go on forever.
But it didn’t. Something changed – James’s kisses grew desperate, his hands started clutching at her skirts, and Cecily felt a heaviness closing in around her. She heard an odd sound – a moan – but she couldn’t say where it came from. Was it her own voice? Or James? It reminded her of her mother’s ghost…
“No!†Cecily cried, rolling out from under James and catching her balance on the arm of the sofa.
He looked at her in amazement. “What?â€
The heaviness was gone, but the uneasiness remained. Cecily walked away and stood apart from him, trying to collect her thoughts. Why was she afraid all of a sudden?
She heard James come up behind her. “I’m sorry,†he said, touching her arm. “We can leave now.â€
“No,†she said, turning around. He looked more handsome than ever standing there. “I just…felt strange for a moment, but I think I’m better now.†She smiled reassuringly.
“I can go more slowly,†he said, stepping forward and sliding his arms around her waist. “You do know I love you, right?â€
Cecily nodded and looked into his eyes. She felt certain that what she saw in them was nothing but the deepest adoration. She tried to return the sentiment in her look, but it didn’t quite match his.
“Kiss me,†she heard herself murmur, and he obliged. This time he tilted her backwards so that she almost lost her balance, but he held her steady. His kiss was light, almost playful, and Cecily felt comfortable with him again.
“Better?†he asked, leaning over her with his admiring gaze.
“More,†she laughed, and again he obliged, covering her face with a dozen dancing kisses.
“And what about me?†he asked, raising a brow. Cecily smiled slyly and lowered one hand to tickle his side.
“You don’t get any!†she teased.
“Is that so?†he exclaimed, and he lunged for her, burying his nose in the crease of her neck, which made her giggle and wrench away from him.
They continued this lighthearted tussle for several minutes until they fell laughing upon the looming four-poster bed. It seemed perfectly natural, and Cecily no longer felt afraid or anxious. She only wanted things to be comfortable between them, just like this, and they spent the next hour kissing, laughing, tickling, sighing, advancing — until what had been unthinkable an hour before became the inevitable.
When it was all over, they lay happily in each other’s arms, until Cecily became conscious of time again and rose from the bed. As she adjusted her hair and garments, James straightened the bedcovers and pillows, all the while glancing at her with high color in his cheeks.
“You go first,†she said, smiling winsomely.
“Come here,†he said, catching her up in a gentle kiss before bidding her farewell. After he was gone, Cecily took a deep breath and examined the room to make sure everything was in order. She couldn’t believe how peaceful she felt about everything, despite the fact that she was deceiving everyone, including herself. But was she really deceiving herself? She really did love James, didn’t she? And it was as plain as day that he loved her back.
With a sigh, Cecily turned off the lights and closed the door, making sure to lock it behind her. It was late – no one stirred in the hotel – and she made her way down the staircase and out the back door undetected. As she drifted into the star-filled night, she again felt the shivering thrill – and necessity — of being secretive, and glanced down the dark alleyway.
Upon entering the street, she saw a group of men exiting a tavern across the way. At least one of the men was roaring drunk, and a very well-dressed man in a top hat was trying to steer him towards the hotel. The man in the top hat happened to glance up just as Cecily left the alleyway, and for a second he paused, peering through the dimness at her.
Cecily realized with a sudden horror that the man in the top hat was Max De Groff. Pretending she hadn’t seen him, she hurried off down the street, breaking into a run as soon as she was out of his sight.
AWESOME!! How amazing! I lkove your style of writing! I wonder how Cecily will manage, maybe Max is her ment to be lover who knows what goes on in that head of yours! LOL
OH NO!!! Cecily…how stupid of her. She was asking for trouble and she didn’t even know it. I am looking forward to finding out how this turns out. Too bad she can’t be the legacy child because she is really much more interesting than her brothers. But, they haven’t become teens yet.
Ok,I’m a little creeped!Lol.It’s just,I don’t know,but I felt uncomfortable with what Cecily did with James.I have the feeling that he’s using her,and I just wish she would somehow find Samuel still loves her!I wonder if Max is going to say anything?!Does Cecily really love James?And are James,Cecily,and Samuel teens or young adults?Just curious because they look young.Keep the updates going!
Ashley, to answer your question — James, Samuel, and Cecily are all adults. :-)
… Squee. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
*flails hands, unable to find any words* :D
Gack.
She’s DOOMED, I’m telling you! DOOMED! *falls over*
I /hope/ she’s not, b ut I’m so afraid she is. x_X;
I think she /is/ doomed, then disowned, and then looked upon as the family black sheep, and shunned, and then, generations later, her great-great-etc. grandchild (if she has one) meets one of the grandchild’s distant cousins, and the rift between late Cecily (who probably COMMITED SUICIDE. Really! I’ll bet on it!) and her family will somehow be healed from beyond the grave.
But that’s just speculation. ^^;
Ahhh! Cecily! These updates always have me on the edge of my seat! XD Wonderful job! Can’t wait for the next one. :D
Such a great update Jen and I’m so happy it’s come so soon after the last one. It’s exciting to see what happens in Cecily’s life. She seems to stir up all kinds of drama, even when she is not trying to. :lol: I can’t wait for the next one.
Oh boy! Cecily thought she would not be seen and now this….shameful LOL! Well let’s just hope for her sake that they have a quickie wedding…OyVey!
.. *rolls on the floor at Blu’s comment* :D
Hahahahaha! *falls off chair* Ow.
Sorry, just made me laugh. The mental image of the whole post. Just ignore me, I’m weird. My theory is: James will die in a freak horse-and-carriage accident leaving Cecily unconsciously chuffed but sad on the outside. Her and Samuel will bond over their grieving and get it together, leaving his fiancee to go off the rails or whatever. Their romance will become one of the most famous in history due to Samuel becoming famous by inventing highlighters (the felt tips) and he will proclaim his love for Cecily on top of buildings or horses and such and then they will have lots of babies and their romance will be spoken of throughout the generations. And finally, their family line will create the person who ends world famine and finds the cure for cancer.
:D
*joins in the rolling and falling*
Blu and Helen, I like your plots way better than the one I came up with! ;-)
AAAAAAAHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Oh no, Ceily is doomed!!!!! *falls over, ends in a coma*
Blu and Helen you guys are hilarious!!!!!!
Jen Great UPDATE!!! Can’t wait until the next.
Jess
Rolling and falling at the same time? Ouch.
Aah, I am the queen of hilariosity! Blu rocks too! w00t! I’m in an excitable mood because I just booked the plane tickets for my holiday. Holidaaaaaaaaaay! *does an Irish jig on the table* Wooo!
Most of the sim stories I’ve ever read have bored me silly, but I’m really enjoying this one. Granted now I look ahead at the chapter to see if Cecily does something overly stupid (like “the kiss”), however I love how everything ties together. How far ahead do you plan? Is everything thats going to happen set in stone, or do you think of a few scenes and see what happens between?
I’m a hopeless romantic who’s easily pleased, so whilst I was er.. routing for Samuel, now that she’s with James I want them to stay together.. although trying to think of what could happen next only one of the scenarios had that happen..
..am now a little scared of what could happen in the next update..
Hi Claudia, glad to hear you’re enjoying the Brayton stories. As for planning ahead, I have a few things planned, but nothing is set in stone. I don’t really know what’s going to happen until I sit down to write it, which is why I have to take so many pictures — I try to account for different variations of each scene. But I usually end up taking more pictures after I write the update anyway!
Oooooh, I like Helen’s take, but I see Cecily pregnant with James’ baby and Samuel deciding to do the right thing. LOL.
Silly Cecily! Her mother needs to up the ante in the haunting stakes!
WooHoo! Way to go Cecily! Oh well, it figures I’d be the only one here who actually likes James (he is a Romance Sim right?) I can’t wait to read more!