Chapter 36
CHAPTER 36
Lizzy stopped, her feet planted in the pavement. “Will.”
He raised his head to look at her. “Elizabeth.”
She glanced up to her yard. The house was dark, everyone clearly in bed. Then she turned back to the man in front of her. His black sweater and jeans made him blend in with the night. Blond hair fell around his face, messy and unkempt like he’d been out for a late-night jog.
“What are you doing here?” she asked slowly.
“Currently, I’m reading.”
Oh God .
“Listen,” she said, squeezing her eyes closed to ward off the embarrassment. “I wasn’t expecting to have to actually watch you read it, and to be honest, I don’t even know what I wrote, it’s so dark out—”
“Since Montauk?” he said, his voice low.
Her stomach dropped. “Um. Yeah. Yes.”
He lifted his head to meet her gaze. “I’ve been falling for you a lot longer than that.”
She stood frozen in place, questioning whether she’d heard him right.
He slipped his phone into his pocket and started toward her, stopping just inches away. A nearby streetlamp silhouetted his towering frame, highlighting every strand of his golden hair.
“Is that why you’re here?” she breathed.
“I would have come sooner. I wanted to. But that would have meant admitting something to you—”
“You got Mary out of jail.”
He released a deep sigh. “How did you know about that?”
“Your aunt was here. Just dropped me off about a mile down the road, actually.”
“What?” His soft expression suddenly wavered between shock and anger.
“It’s all right. I’ve never ridden in a Mercedes before.”
Will cursed under his breath.
“She told me about the Montauk house,” Lizzy continued. “That you’re not going to sell. I think she blames me for that, like I’m the one who convinced you not to—”
“You were.”
She swallowed around the lump in her throat and tried to smile. “I’m just glad you changed your mind.”
He was staring at her from under the hard line of his brow, his eyes so intense she looked away, down at her Converse.
“She also mentioned your lawyers at Page, Lefroy, and Brandon,” she said, and let out a shaky breath. “That’s the same law firm you told me to call about what Tristan had done to your dad.”
He nodded once.
“Those are the same lawyers that witnessed Tristan’s affidavit that dropped all charges against Mary. And I bet if I looked at who paid back Hank, I’d find the names Page, Lefroy, and Brandon, too,” she said.
He took a step closer and brushed a strand of her unruly red hair behind her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. “You weren’t supposed to figure that out.”
Tears were already forming in the corners of her eyes even as she smiled again. “Then you should have done a better job covering it up.”
He smiled back, that same unpracticed grin she loved so much.
“You have no idea how much it means to my family,” she whispered. “How much it means to this entire town.”
He cocked his head to the side, as if picking his words carefully. “I didn’t do it for them, Lizzy. I did it for you.”
She shook her head. “But I just left. I barely said anything, and when I did, I was so angry and scared, I didn’t—”
“Lizzy.” His voice was deep, demanding. She looked up to meet his gaze. “It was all for you.”
She could feel the tension radiating off his body, as if it was taking all his energy to hold himself back. Like he was waiting for her to tell him it was okay.
So she reached out and rested her hands on his chest.
He let out a long sigh, then ran his hands down her arms, pulling her closer to him. His face lingered close to hers, his breath hot on her skin until he moved to kiss her cheek, softly. Then he pulled back enough to look at her.
“I love you,” he breathed.
Her heart was hammering in her chest as she studied his face, her gaze darting from his eyes to his mouth, then back up again. His hands drifted down to circle her waist, pulling her closer.
“I don’t need you to say it back,” he continued. “And I don’t need you to feel the same way. But—”
“I love you, too,” she whispered. “Of course I do.”
He stared at her for a moment. His expression was like stone, but his eyes… there was a vulnerability there that was so intense it made her breath hitch.
His hand moved to cradle her face, his thumb gently tracing over her cheekbone until he tilted her head up toward his.
“Of course,” he repeated. Then a small smile ticked up the corner of his mouth. “But I loved you first.”
Time seemed to stop. It was only them. Her heart drummed against her chest while his lips hovered above hers. Then he drew her mouth to his. His lips were soft as he kissed her, his movements unhurried as she arched into him. She hummed into his mouth, the grip of his hands lacing through her hair sending shivers down her spine.
Standing on her toes, she fell against him, desperation taking hold. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in his hair. He groaned, his kiss deepening. Their hands were everywhere, grabbing at each other, pulling at one another’s clothes, until Lizzy remembered where they were. “Where… can we… go?” she whispered between kisses.
“Lizzy. We’re at your house.”
“Can’t go inside,” she mumbled, licking at his full lips. “Whole family…”
“Right…”
“Your place?” she asked.
“I don’t have a car,” he panted, nipping her jaw.
She pulled back to look at him. “How did you get here?”
“I took a helicopter from the city, then walked from the airport. Marv said he had five other rides before me. So…”
“But it’s after dark in a town that barely has working streetlights,” she said, mimicking the same tone he had used with her outside the Fourth of July party.
He smiled. “Are you trying to convince me to get in your car?”
“It’s a single cab truck. And currently blocked in by my mom.”
“Damn it.”
She leaned her head against his chest. “This is ridiculous.”
“You don’t have an old boathouse packed with surfboards nearby, do you?” he asked.
“No…” Then she lit up. “But I do have a boat.”
She grabbed his hand and led him to the side of the house where her father’s boat sat shrouded in darkness. The lights were off, and at this time of night there was no way her dad would be there, she was sure of it.
“Shit,” Will said as he tripped on a rogue twig. “I can’t see anything.”
“Shhhh.” Lizzy motioned to the windows of her parents’ home.
The rickety wood ladder hung off the side like it was waiting for them. They barely made it up to the deck before Will grabbed her by the waist as she kicked off her sneakers, then followed suit, flinging his shoes off the side of the boat to the grass below. Together they stumbled backward toward the outdoor cushions, which immediately slid off the bench, landing with a smack on the wood deck.
“Damn it.” He laughed, looking up at her from the ground.
“Oh! Right. The cushions aren’t attached,” she said, covering her mouth to suppress a laugh. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down.
Lizzy let out a shriek and landed on top of him.
“I thought we were supposed to keep the volume down,” he murmured, holding her close so he could kiss her neck.
“I don’t know if I can do that,” she whispered.
“Try.”
She gasped when he started to move his body against hers in a slow, addictive rhythm, as his fingers roamed to the base of her sweatshirt to lift it higher.
She stopped him and leaned back. “This way… bed… follow me.”
Then she took his hand and snuck over to the steps, crouching down so as not to hit her head on anything. The cabin was narrow, barely big enough for one adult, but a full bed fit snugly in its berth. With only a small curtained window to let in any light, Lizzy waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
“Watch your—”
Will smacked his head against the low doorframe. “Shit.”
“Step.”
“Where the hell is the light switch?” he murmured.
“No light switch,” she whispered, crawling up onto the bed. “Just follow my voice.” She lifted her hips, pulling off her jeans and kicking them to the floor, sinking back into the boat’s threadbare quilt in only his Columbia sweatshirt and her underwear.
She could just make out his silhouette as he undressed down to his boxers before moving over her again. The bed creaked with his weight, and she felt his body at her side, his warm skin against hers. They were all shadows and figures moving in the dark, feeling their way toward each other.
“I feel like I’ve just snuck into my girlfriend’s dorm room,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her body as they lay facing each other.
“Girlfriend?” she asked, running her fingers down his chest, his heart beating fast beneath her palms.
“Yes. And she has entirely too many clothes on.”
His face was so close, but she could barely make out his expression. Still, she brushed her nose against his before kissing the side of his mouth and what felt like a smile.
“That’s unfortunate,” Lizzy replied, deftly lifting the sweatshirt over her head, then lying back down in just her bra and underwear. “How about now?”
“Let’s see,” he mumbled, his voice deep.
His fingers pushed her bra to the side so he could graze his thumb across her nipple. He pulled back, then clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Can’t have this.”
He ran his fingers around her back, unfastening her bra. She helped remove it down her arms and threw it to the floor. He cupped her breast in one hand, then leaned forward to capture and lick the other one, teasing her nipple while her fingers threaded through his hair.
“Will,” she whispered, sucking in a breath.
His hands moved to her thighs, skimming up to her right hip, hovering there until he finally traced his fingers along the lacy material of her underwear.
She whined softly, squeezing her legs together.
“Or this,” he whispered in her ear.
His thumb hooked into the fabric and pulled it slowly down her legs until she had nothing on at all. She kicked the material to the floor as his hand continued its slow journey over her hip bone to her stomach, and up to her rib cage. His palm splayed across her body and stayed there.
“Fuck,” he whispered. His breath was labored and hot against her skin.
She touched the elastic waist of his boxers. “What about these?”
He swore and yanked them off, pulling her against him once he was bare. She could feel him hard against her, but when she tried to move, he stilled.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered.
He began planting soft kisses down her neck. “I don’t want to rush this.”
She touched his forearms. “I know. But you’re stuck with me. I’m not going anywhere.”
She ran her fingers across his chest and felt him inhale sharply, as if it were killing him to hold back any longer.
“Neither am I.” His hand grazed across her collarbone, sending chills down her spine, then his palm slid up her neck to cup her face. He traced her jawline with his finger as if he was trying to memorize her silhouette in the dark. Then he slowly tilted her chin up to meet his mouth and slowly, deliberately, pressed his lips against hers.
It was as if the darkness heightened all her other senses: the sweet smell of his skin—sandalwood and leather—mixing with the cool fall air, the taste of his lips as it melded with her lip balm, the light touch of his rough hands against her skin.
“More,” she breathed.
“I’m trying to control myself,” he murmured.
“Don’t.”
With that, he captured her mouth in a hard kiss, the restraint quickly replaced by a raw hunger. His arms wrapped around her frame, her legs circled his hips, and they sank into each other. She traced the taut roped muscles of his arms as he moved down her body, planting kisses down her abdomen before settling between her legs. Then his hands gripped her thighs. She could barely make out his movements in the dark, but she could feel everything . His mouth was on her, soft at first, teasing, tasting, until she felt the pressure building, untethering her from reality.
She drew in a breath, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth to stifle a cry. “Yes… right there…”
His tongue worked faster, her hips jerking up to chase the feeling that threatened to consume her. Her hand twisted into his hair, holding on to him as he sent her over the edge.
She shuddered as warmth and pleasure flooded through her entire body. She lay bare in front of him, her heart beating in her ears until suddenly he was next to her again, nuzzling into her neck and kissing her hot skin.
“I could watch you come undone all night.”
“Okay,” she responded breathlessly. “We can do that.”
He let out a gravelly laugh.
Turning toward him, her hand moved down his abdomen. She traced the chiseled outline of his hip, threatening to go lower, feeling the restraint in his muscles, the tension in him. She wrapped her fingers around his hardness, thick and substantial, and squeezed gently, eliciting a groan from his lips. He kissed her fiercely, his tongue fighting for dominance as she moved her hand up and down again and again, stroking his considerable length.
“Fuck…” he groaned.
He moved her body, lifting her to straddle him as he lay back, the sounds of their labored breathing filling the small cabin. The ceiling was too low for her to sit up, so she hovered over him, using her knees for balance, and they locked eyes in the dark night.
“You okay?” he asked, his hands running down her thighs.
“Yeah,” she breathed. “Promise.”
A hint of that crooked smile, then she slowly sank down onto him, the stretch already addictive and familiar, and a moan escaped her throat.
She started to move slowly but deliberately, a steady pace to satisfy the need already building again deep within her core. His hands ran up over her chest, teasing her, then down her arms until he grabbed one of her hands. He held it, entwining his long fingers with hers.
“Lizzy…” he whispered, moving his other hand to her jaw to pull her over him and press his lips against hers.
Their rhythm picked up and then, suddenly, there was no way she could be quiet. She gasped loudly, moaning and demanding more as her hand tightened around his.
“God, you’re gorgeous,” he growled. Then his arm was around her waist, flipping her onto her back. He grasped one of her thighs, hiking it over his hip, so the angle was deeper, and he was rewarded with a string of soft whimpers.
“Yes… yes ,” she moaned. “Will…”
It was all the coaxing he needed. He snapped his hips into her, a slowly building crescendo. Then his hand journeyed down her stomach, lower, and his thumb circled her, slowly applying pressure until something inside her exploded.
She cried out, waves of pleasure crashing over her as she shuddered underneath him. He watched, his gaze intense and movements offbeat and frenetic, until he finally threw his head back and came with a groan.
They were still for a long moment, clinging to each other, the sound of their ravaged breathing filling the small space until he finally fell beside her.
She exhaled, turning to look at his profile illuminated by the smallest sliver of moonlight streaming in through the cabin window. His eyes were closed as he reached over, wrapping his arm around her waist and bringing her back to his chest to cradle her body against his.
There were sure to be a million different problems to tackle tomorrow. She had to figure out logistics for Columbia, help her family adjust to running the bakery… But where anxiety usually rose to fill her chest, there was nothing but warmth and peace. Then Will sighed, his breath falling in her hair, and suddenly, every ounce of worry left in her body disappeared. She didn’t need to face tomorrow alone. She never would. They would face it all together.