Status: In Time

To Caress My Day

Chapter 168: A Lot of Seclusion

The week before Christmas, Seth returned back to the UK from the states on a belated flight. He had hoped to linger in the UK instead until Christmas and then return to the States, but work required him so he had to take an early flight back the following morning. He’d relayed a text to Twigs notifying her on his landing in the UK to track her down. It turned out she was at her apartment, but instead of authorizing him to drive there to meet her, she called Derek to drop her off at his mansion. Her words were because she ‘wanted to warm up his sheets for him.’ Upon showing up at his mansion in a rental car, Seth ditched his luggage by the doorway and dragged his debilitated form up the stairs to his bedroom. Once inside, he began to expel every article of clothing he had on in the pitch darkness. Through memory, he lumbered over to his bed and dragged back the sheets to slither underneath, sighing at the emanating warmth he felt in front of him. Seeking her out with roaming hands, he drew her soft toasty figure across the bed, groaning in her ear because he hungered to nourish off of her listless warmth. Twigs let out a moan of discontent at being messed with while she was asleep, but hushed down once she resettled herself into a more cozy position. Kissing her bare shoulder, Seth sleepily rumbled. “I missed you.”

“Missed you too.” Twigs murmured back, barely lucid.

“I love you, Tahliah.” Seth breathed, burrowing his face in her loose dark curls, thoroughly inhaling the scent of jasmine.

Shuffling in his hold, Twigs rolled herself over to cuddle against his chest. “Mmm, I love you too, baby.” She felt him tightened his hold on her before succumbing to sleep.
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The subsequent afternoon, Mrs. Guadalupe, Seth’s maid, roused the couple in bed by opening the thick drawn curtains aside. The sun spotlighted right onto the slumbering duo, who simultaneously recoiled and whined in turmoil for being disturbed. Mrs. Guadalupe couldn’t resist laughing as the couple rolled over to turn their backs to the sun. “Get up, you two love birds! Your afternoon breakfast is waiting downstairs for you.”

Seth groaned along with Twigs as he pouted in his barely awoken state. “Don’t wanna…”

“And I don’t wanna hear it.” Mrs. Guadalupe dismissed him in good spirits, delicately smacking him on the arm with a dish towel. “Now, get up or I’ll have to pry you both from that bed myself.”

“Fine fine fine! We’ll get up. I promise.” Seth griped like an unruly teenager, wrestling his own pillow from under his head to cram it over his face.

“You better!” Mrs. Guadalupe recommended as she made her way to the door. “Don’t make me come back up here or there will be trouble, mister! Mark my words!”

As soon as the door was shut behind her, Twigs sat herself up and awarded her body a good morning stretch in bed then clambered off for another one right beside the bed. She was still sleepy, but nowhere near as bad as the night he’d called her to brief her he was in the UK. “My body feels like a magnet being drawn back to bed.”

Grasping that she’d escaped his side, Seth’s head surfaced from below his pillow to pout at her next. “Wait, why are you leaving me?”

Ignoring his clingy morning self, Twig’s mind went back to the last time she’d seen him as she beamed down at him. “God, I can’t believe that you’re about to meet my parents soon!”

“You’re telling me!” Seth conceded, easing back into the mattress as his eyes fixed sluggishly at his ceiling. “I keep pinching myself every once in a while just to be positive that it's gonna happen.”

“Are you still nervous about meeting them?” Twigs inquired, wondering if he was in the same state of jitters as she was upon meeting his sister followed by his father.

Twisting to sprawl on his side, Seth propped his head up with his hand to gaze at her. “I still am, yeah. Weeks ago when I would envision this whole meeting going down in my mind, I was never a nervous wreck, but now that it’s about to FINALLY happen, I feel like I’m coming apart at the seams.”

“Aww, my poor baby is scared.” Twigs taunted him briefly before placing her hands on her hips, her tone turning stern. “It's okay to be scared, just so long as you promise not to get cold feet and abandon me.”

“As if!” Seth parodied in a preppy girl voice.

Giggling, Twigs shook her head at his goofiness as she sashayed into his bathroom to shower and brush her teeth. Seth followed soon after. Customarily, they got distracted with other...things in the shower, but soon enough they were downstairs attacking the breakfast his maid, who had taken off to tend to chores, had provided for them both. With her mind back on their expedition to Gloucestershire, Twigs inquisitioned him on his arrangements thus far. “So, where do you plan to stay when we reach Gloucestershire?”

Too enthralled with his breakfast, Seth inserted a piece of buttery toast he scaled with scrambled eggs and bits of bacon into his mouth, moaning. “Mmm!”

Laughing behind her hand at how charming he was, she gestured with her fork to their surroundings. “Baby, where do you plan to stay once we’re in Gloucestershire?”

Reflecting on that, Seth couldn’t cite if he had made the mandatory preparations yet. He had gone as far as to look up locations, but hadn’t made a selection yet. Swallowing a gulp of orange juice, Seth engaged her in. “I’ve checked out some places, but haven’t made a decision yet.”

Twigs nodded, and restarted devouring the rest of breakfast. “Okay, but you better get to hurrying on that. You don’t want to procrastinate and then before you know they’re all booked.”

Furrowing his brows, Seth began to question her on her pick. “I take it you’re staying somewhere else?”

“In my old room at my parent’s house.” Twigs answered him.

Seth’s eyes magnified. “No way!”

“Yeah, why not?” Twigs asked him, not seeing what the issue was with staying with her parents during their trip.

Leaning over, Seth whispered to her with a naughty grin. “How are we gonna find the time to have sex in your old room at your parents house?”

“And what makes you think we’re gonna have sex at my parent’s house!?” Twigs gasped, her eyes enlarging on him incredulously.

“Because we did so in my room!” Seth reminded her.

“Touche.” Twigs granted reluctantly.

“So, how are we gonna have sex in your room?” Seth challenged again, sincerely wanting to know.

“How about we just have sex at wherever you’re staying at instead.” Twigs proposed with a generous smile.

“That’ll just ruin the magic of a tradition we just started though.” Seth considered aloud then shrugged. “But okay.”

Laughing at his ridiculousness, Twigs shifted the subject. “I think I know of a place you can stay at.”

“Oh yeah? Where?” Seth queried, sipping his orange juice.

“There is a cute little farm cottage you can rent outside of town.” Twigs educated him.

“Are you gonna put me to work at this farm too?” Seth teased with a wink.

“I wouldn’t dare.” Twigs feigned a gasp. “It’s a really fascinating place, and it gives you a lot of seclusion.”

“You mean it gives YOU the seclusion you need.” Seth corrected her. “I’m the one that doesn’t mind if the world knows about us, remember?” Before she could object, he stilled her by forking a small strawberry and popping it into her open mouth. As she chewed it, he said. “I’ll see about this cottage.”