Quaranteam, Hebridean Hame: Part 2

Based on posts by Reader737b. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.

Emma was curled up on one of the oversized chairs, with Skye beside her. She was watching a rerun of a cooking show and wasn't too bothered by the conversation interrupting her viewing. The three of them chatted for a bit about Christmas plans. Emma had been thinking about food for that day and was in favor of trying to trade one of the local farmers some fresh venison for a goose, if any had such a thing. That would mean Callum getting one of Rory's hunting rifles out and taking one of the local deer, something he could do, but something he had never been very keen on. Which led to a discussion on hunting versus foraging.

The talking made them thirsty, which led to Callum fetching some drinks from the well-stocked alcohol cabinet. Red wine for Mira, a straight single malt with ice for Emma, and he had chosen a Calvados, a French apple brandy, mixed with apple juice. Callum quickly checked via an instant message to Alison whether she wanted anything, but she declined.

The three of them nursed their drinks, continuing to chat, before Mira decided to head upstairs and write down her initial plans before she went to bed. Goodnights were said, and Mira went off with more of a spring in her step.

Callum sat in his usual place on one of the comfortable couches, surrounded by more cushions than anyone could ever need. He half-listened to the TV, sipping his drink and hearing Mira ascend the stairs to her room. Emma had excused herself for a moment, leaving him with the crackle of the fire and the Geordie chatter of two men cooking in an orchard somewhere, he could tell it was something filmed pre-covid by the way people stood near each other.

He jumped slightly when Emma unexpectedly placed a hand on his shoulder from behind, trailing it along the top of his spine as her fingers dipped under the rear neckline of his t-shirt, and over his other shoulder as she walked behind him. He suddenly felt goosebumps running down his arms. He hadn't heard her come back into the room.

Callum raised an eyebrow as he watched Emma move around the other end of the couch, emerging from the shadow into the low light given off by the television and embers of the much-reduced log fire. His breath caught in his chest as he saw that she'd changed her clothes since she left.

She sat beside him, both legs curled under her, so her knees were pressed together and almost touching his thigh. Somehow, she seemed to be able to make this simple action seem sensual. This position highlighted how short her nightdress was, as it revealed her thighs and a scandalous amount of her bare hip. In her usual elegant way, she rested an elbow on the back of the couch before resting her chin on her hand. Her other hand causally traced from her neckline down her torso, attempting to draw his attention before pulling at the bottom of the nightdress to remain at least slightly modest. This caused the material to pull tight across her tits, which bounced slightly at the movement, showing she wore no bra.

Callum watched her from almost the corner of his eye, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of showing his interest by observing her directly. He tutted and shook his head in a faux annoyed manner as she settled beside him. Turning towards her, he kept his eyes on hers as he took another sip of his drink. This wasn't the first such approach Emma had made. However, it may have been the most obvious one. When they were watching TV earlier, she'd been wearing a loose woolen jumper and jogger bottoms. Now, however, she wore a dark-colored low-cut silky nightdress, its thin straps barely remaining on her shoulders. The material clung tightly to her curves, especially given her current arrangement on the couch. Her legs were bare, besides a pair of slipper socks she usually wore around the lodge. The nightdress was just long enough that it had covered halfway to her knees while she stood but was now a little higher due to her seated position. There was a slight slit in the side at the hem, making it slightly more risqué and showing a little of her hip, and showing no sign of any underwear.

She smiled at his antics with a similarly exaggerated look of innocence, her free hand making a 'who me?' gesture, before responding quietly, almost whispering "What?"

Callum did his level best to keep his eyes on her face, but failed repeatedly. He would be lying if he said he wasn't highly aroused. Despite his intentions, his eyes kept moving from hers down to her jawline, to her shapely neck and shoulders, to the swell of her tits outlined against the material, to the top of her ample cleavage, which was visible in the low light before descending into shadow.

"Don't play coy, Em. We both know what you're doing. And we've been over this before." he found himself whispering, mimicking her lowered voice. And somehow, that made the interaction so much more intimate, which wasn't reducing his state of arousal any. "It's not a good idea and wouldn't be appropriate. I'm your boss, and we need to keep things professional."

Emma tilted her head slightly and looked at him with what could be considered something between a smirk and a smile. She could see his eyes wander over her while he told her he wasn't interested.

"It's okay, I understand," she whispered back. "You've been very clear about boundaries. I wouldn't force you to do anything that would make you; uncomfortable." Emma reached out and placed her hand on his lower arm, his goosebumps reappearing as her warm touch met his bare skin. "But I want you to understand that I'm attracted to you. So that things are crystal clear."

Callum began to respond, but Emma continued, raising her palm towards him in a 'stop' motion and hurrying not to let him interrupt.

"And no, it's not just because you're the only male here. I've always been open about my sexuality. Girls, boys, whatever. But you all just jumped to the conclusion I'm some sort of nympho. I'll admit I am a very physical person, but I used to struggle with feeling enough of a connection to enjoy sex. Then I realized I'm what's called demi sexual. I need to have a mental connection, an emotional connection before I feel any sexual interest or attraction to a person. It's not like I can't tell when someone is physically attractive, but my emotional relationship with them matters more to me than how they might look." She paused, watching him to see if he understood. Callum nodded at the unspoken question. Emma continued "What you did tonight for Mira just made my heart ache. She needed something to give her a bit of hope. Something to look forward to and help her feel secure. And you gave her that. Seeing how brightly she smiled while we were making plans was amazing. I know we are friends, and you've made it clear things can't really go beyond that. But that emotional connection we have, it's special to me. You're a good man, Callum Scott. I really, really appreciate that."

Callum could see that Emma was attempting to express the intensity of her emotions and to do so seriously, but this heart-to-heart discussion seemed at odds with her current attire.

"I'm not good at receiving compliments but thank you." He whispered after a moment of silence between them. "But I'm confused what being a good man has to do with; " he gestured, indicating her current lack of clothing.

She grinned cheekily at that. "Oh, good men deserve to be rewarded."

With that, she quickly shifted, rising onto her knees and swinging one leg over his. She straddled his lap, facing him, sitting slightly taller than him, given their positioning, as she knelt over his lap without touching it. Her arms went over his shoulders. Callum's hands automatically moved to hold her, more from surprise than any conscious thought.

"What are you doing?" he gasped, slightly louder than a whisper this time. His shock showed on his face. Fear began to bubble up within him.

Emma giggled slightly, bringing a finger to her lips in a 'be quiet' gesture. Upstairs, a door closed, and footsteps could be heard. They froze until they heard another upstairs door open and close, and the footsteps receded. There was a patter of feet on the stairs, but too quick to be Alison or Mira. As they waited in silence, Callum looked up at Emma. She returned his gaze and bit the corner of her lip; he realized that his hands were resting on bare, soft skin at the top of her thighs, somewhere around her hips. He could feel her smooth, and warm under his fingers. He also realized that he'd made no attempt to push her away, though nothing was stopping him from doing so.

Piper trotted into the room, finding a space in front of the fire and flopping down. Her tail slowly wagged as she noticed who was in the room, but only briefly before she returned to whatever nap had been disturbed upstairs.

"I told you," Emma whispered, answering his earlier question as if they had not been interrupted. "You deserve a reward." She giggled before continuing. "I wanted to tha...