Chapter 27
I stretched my toes toward the foot of the bed while I pulled Liz’s very naked and very lush body closer to my side. Even though I didn’t open my eyes, I could just imagine how her breasts looked pressed flush to my ribs while her head rested on my chest. She was a goddess—my goddess—and I was in no hurry to get up and disentangle myself from those enticing curves I’d explored until early in the morning.
“Mmm,” she moaned. “Go back to sleep.”
A chuckle rumbled low in my chest. “It’s nine in the morning. We’re going to have to get up at some point.”
“How do you know what time it is?”
I opened my eyes and grinned as I pulled her on top of me. “I may have glanced at the clock about four minutes ago.” My palms reached down and caressed her ass. Gigi would kill me, but the last thing I wanted to do this morning, Christmas morning, was get out of bed and go downstairs to open presents with my little sister. No, I wanted to stay right here in our warm cocoon and ravish Liz until she begged for mercy.
“I don’t want to get up,” she said.
“I know. I don’t either, but I can’t leave Gigi alone on Christmas, and you can’t leave Mary.” The dirty lecher down below wanted to keep Liz here all day long, but I did possess some rational brain cells above my waist that knew it wasn’t possible today of all days.
Liz’s soft lips began kissing my chest. “That isn’t fair.” Rational Will was making one last-ditch effort to do the right thing.
She pulled her hair back from her face and flashed a wicked grin. “Whoever said life was fair?” Her words were spoken in low, seductive tones that sent a jolt straight to my morning erection. Maybe we could get away with one more time before we went downstairs.
I lifted up and caught her lips in a kiss that threatened to devour, but she didn’t hold back. While I sat on the bed, Liz was straddling me and ground down, making me hiss. I could never get enough of her—enough of this. Sex had always seemed so superficial until now. I’d never realized someone could give over their entire body, mind, and soul in the process.
My lips began to trail down Liz’s neck when something clicked. “Oh, my God!”
When Liz squeaked and dove under the comforter, a sharp pain jolted through my dick and balls, and a familiar nausea made me fall sideways onto the bed. I didn’t need someone to tell me what happened. Gigi had opened my bedroom door. My little sister had then seen me and Liz in a compromising position, and when Liz scrambled off my lap, she had kicked the hell out of me.
“You’re old enough to know how to knock!” I was going to die a slow and exceedingly painful death.
“I’ve never needed to! When I passed fifteen minutes ago, you were snoring!”
“I don’t snore!” Why did she always claim I did?
“Yes, you do,” said Liz from the foot of the bed. Her response was followed by peals of laughter. “We’ll be down in a bit, Gigi. We need to figure out how to handle today. Mrs. Hill is making a big afternoon dinner for me, Mary, Annie, and Char.”
I looked to the door that was now mostly closed, but Gigi’s back was to the crack and an arm was up by her head. Was she covering her eyes too?
“Gi, go downstairs. Once I can stand, I’ll get dressed, and we’ll talk out our plans.”
The door clicked, and I dropped my head onto the bed with a groan. This was the worst pain in the world!
It became cold when the comforter was pulled away and Liz emerged from underneath. She frowned when she saw me in a protective fetal position, my hands over my groin. “What happened?”
“You kicked me when you dove under the covers.”
She snorted, the little devil!
“How is this amusing?”
Her lips pressed tightly together until her features evened out. “You’re right. It isn’t at all.” She snorted again.
“Fine! Have your laugh. I gingerly rose. “I’m going to get in the shower. Maybe a cold shower will prevent any swelling.”
That one infuriating yet sexy eyebrow rose. “You act like swelling is a bad thing.”
I paused long enough to glare, but she wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. Her teeth scraping across her bottom lip while she attempted to stifle a grin made that abundantly obvious.
A few minutes after I had the hot water running, Liz slipped into the shower. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh. The entire situation was just so embarrassing. How am I going to look Gigi in the eye ever again?”
“She’s twenty. She knows how to knock. Usually, she does.”
Liz smoothed my forehead. “You’re so cute when you’re grumpy.”
“I’m not grumpy.”
“Should I call you Scrooge McDarcy or Grinch?” She was enjoying this far too much!
“How about you call me Will?”
Her head shook while she soaped her hands and began washing my chest. “I don’t think so; not today anyway.” With her bathing me, I wasn’t going to argue. Maybe later when she wasn’t making me forget how much pain I’d endured less than ten minutes ago.
We didn’t linger in the shower, and once I dressed, I begged Gigi for some clean clothes for Liz to borrow. When she joined us downstairs, I handed her a latte Mrs. Reynolds had made for her.
“Will Mrs. Hill have enough food for us to join you and for Richard to join us later if he wants?”
Liz gave a bark. “Are you kidding? She makes enough for twenty people since a few stragglers always stop by. Mia didn’t make it home for today. It’s a long drive to spend one day, so she spends a few hours with friends and comes over for a while in the evening.” I shook myself. “What I’m saying is, yes, you and Gi are more than welcome to come over. We’ll be happy to have you.”
“Maybe we should open gifts here first,” said Gigi.
“Let me see how long it’ll take to have a car here.” My driver was off today of course. We’d be using a car service that was always open on holidays. The wait was thirty minutes, so I went ahead and submitted the request. We then gathered around the tree.
Gi gave me a couple of books, some nice bars of shave soap I loved, and a couple of ties and socks. As far as I was concerned, her gifts were perfect. I was well aware that I was difficult to buy presents for, and since I detested shopping, Gi was doing me a favor.
Since I’d bought Gi her piano for her birthday a couple of months ago, I had nothing major for her. Some new sheet music, a gift card to her favorite bath products store, and a necklace that made her gasp when she opened it.
“This was mom’s.”
I nodded. “Opals were her favorite. Dad bought it for her not long after you were born.”
“It’s beautiful,” said Liz.
Gi threw her arms around my neck. “Thank you!” When she pulled back, she turned and lifted her hair. “Help me put it on.”
As soon as I had it clasped, I pointed to Gi’s gifts. “Why don’t you take those up to your room?”
My sister glanced between us, and with a grin, did as I asked. Thank heavens she didn’t decide to argue. It wasn’t exactly in her nature, but she was learning from Liz all the time. A year ago, she was incredibly shy. Now she had friends and was more willing to tell people what was on her mind.
Liz was side-eyeing me. “She had to put her things away right now? What are you up to?”
I scooted closer to her on the floor and held out a jewelry box in my hand. “This.”
She shook her head. “Will—”
“No, hear me out.” I opened the box and revealed the ring I’d been debating over. Yes, it was soon, but I wanted to put that ring on her finger more than anything. We didn’t have to marry tomorrow. The caveman in me just needed to know it would happen—one day.
I took in a deep breath. “I know it’s quick. I do. But being with you is different. There are a bunch of crazy theories out there, like past lives and soulmates and such, but I’ve been comfortable with you since we met. I admit it weirded me out some at first, but it’s true. Deep in my heart, I know you’re who I was meant to be with for a lifetime—or maybe more if those theories are right. We don’t have to get married tomorrow or even next month, but I want you to be mine in more than just words. I want you to wear my mother’s ring. So, Elizabeth Bennet, will you marry me?”
I couldn’t stop gaping at Will while he spoke. We’d only known each other for three months! Was this normal? Was I insane for even considering it?
The thing was. . .no hint of fear surged through me at the idea of it: no trembling, no uncomfortable pang coursing through my gut, no tightening either. The only protest seemed to be my brain questioning whether we’d known or liked each other long enough. Did that honestly matter? There were couples who married after twenty-four hours or two weeks, or even two years, but the time they spent getting to know each other didn’t necessarily contribute to their happiness, or their longevity as a couple.
“You’re too quiet,” said Will. He must’ve run his fingers through his hair while I’d stared at the ring. A few of his curls were sticking out. His hair was never completely tidy. Longish hair with curls rarely was.
“It’s not freaking me out, but we hardly know each other.” Way to state the obvious!
He scooted closer. “I know you’re funny and I love talking to you. You’re also business savvy and I find that as well as your body being an enormous turn-on, there’s no one I’d rather lick buttercream off of.”
I covered my face with my hands but didn’t keep them there. “That’s incredibly simplistic.”
“Do you want children?”
“Well, yes.”
He threw his hands up. “Hey, so do I! How many?”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Two maybe three?”
He nodded. “I can live with that.”
Oh, my God. “Wait. How many do you want?”
He grinned. “With the way I can’t keep my hands off of you, I thought we’d end up with six—at least.”
My eyes bulged and had to be huge by the way my vision became a bit distorted. “Six! When you have to carry them and give birth, then we’ll talk. In the meantime, I’d rather keep to a smaller number—do our part for overpopulation and climate change.”
He chuckled. “And I have no problem with that whatsoever, as long as we can practice as much as we want.”
My cheeks burst into flames—as did other parts of me. “Where is this Will coming from? I don’t know that I’ve seen him until recently.”
“That’s because you make me like this. I’m happy when I’m with you.”
I rose to my knees and cradled his cheeks in my palms. “Then, yes, you mad, crazy man. I’ll marry you.”
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his lap at about the same time a squeal made us both jump.
“I’m so happy! I can’t believe this!” Gigi came running through the door and took us both in a big hug. “I want to be a bridesmaid!”
I smiled when I caught Will’s gaze. “I suppose we don’t need to ask for Gi’s approval.”
He pressed his lips to mine. “Now, let’s get this on your finger.”
“Um, Will? That ring is bigger than anything I wear. How many carats is it?” The white gold band had a large white diamond in the middle with two smaller ones flanking it.
“Only three.”
“All the stones are three carats?”
“No, just the middle; the other two are one point five.”
Only three? Will’s perception might be somewhat skewed. “Most people don’t have six carats on one finger, Will.”
“I know you probably won’t wear it to work. I can imagine it’ll get in the way. But I wanted you to have it.”
Gi finally released us. “She could get one of those silicone rings people wear. They’re very trendy. They can also be washed easily.” I didn’t know if silicone rings were trendy, but I wasn’t going to burst Gi’s bubble.
“Get what you need,” said Will to his sister. “The car should be here soon.”
As soon as Gigi was out of the door, Will took the ring out of the worn jewelry box and slipped it onto my finger.
“It fits.” I sounded surprised, but I was. What were the odds another woman’s ring would fit my finger?
“I believe that’s further proof you’re meant to be with me.”
I kissed him on the lips. I loved his lips. They were soft and when they touched or caressed me in the right places, they were my favorite things on the planet. “You would say that.”
He laughed and lifted a shoulder. “I can’t help it if it’s true.” He brushed some of my hair behind my ear. “You should know that I don’t care where we live or how many kids we have or whatever little things that most people quibble over. The only thing that’s non-negotiable in my life is you.”
When he said such sweet things, all I could do was turn in his arms and devour his lips like they were my last meal.
“Eww! What is wrong with the two of you?”