Chapter 4 #2
“Why did you shake your head when I asked you to marry me?”
“You caught me by surprise.”
“How could you be surprised after everything we’d shared? You knew how much I loved you. I’ve never loved anyone the way I loved you. You knew that.”
“Past tense?”
“I… I don’t know. I just don’t know. You’ve caught me by surprise this time.”
“Does that make us even?”
His sinfully sexy lips curved into the slightest of smiles, which she took as a small victory. She’d made him smile. “I should get going.”
“Going where?”
“Back to town to find a hotel, since I missed the last boat.”
“You can stay here, Lizzie.”
“I don’t want to put you out.”
“You’re not putting me out. I have five empty bedrooms.”
She took it as a good sign that he wasn’t planning to send her away. She wouldn’t have blamed him if he had. “When did you buy this place?”
“A couple of years ago, after I came here for a friend’s bachelor party and fell in love with the island.”
“You never brought me here.”
“I hadn’t brought you here yet. The place in the Hamptons is closer to the city.”
“I like this one better.”
“You haven’t even seen the house yet.”
“I already know I like it better.”
“I do, too. I’ve become quite fond of it in the last month.” He stood but kept a firm grip on her hand as he reached for the backpack she’d abandoned on the pool deck. “Let’s get you settled.”
Thankful for the familiar feel of his hand wrapped around hers, Elisabeth let him lead her inside, her eyes glued to the back of the board shorts that hugged his sexy rear.
From the first minute she’d met him, she’d been struck by his incredible smile, those sharp blue eyes, his crackling intelligence and the cocky arrogance that was somehow charming on him.
In addition to all those things, the fact that he was incredibly good-looking hadn’t hurt anything.
She’d found out about the money a few days later—days in which she’d spent every minute with him while he literally swept her off her feet into love.
That first weekend had been dizzying, and he’d kept her off-balance ever since.
She, who’d prided herself on being a level-headed, modern, career-oriented woman, had fallen hard and fast for a sweet-talking billionaire with a heart of gold.
She’d become someone she’d always mocked—the woman who wanted to be with her boyfriend all the time, at the expense of other relationships, at the expense of sleep and time to herself and the extra hours she’d always given to the important work she did on behalf of homeless women and children.
She wanted to be with him every second of every day.
He showed her to a bedroom that included an en suite bathroom. “Is this okay?”
Elisabeth didn’t tell him she’d much rather share his bed like she had every night for a year.
Instead, she nodded. “It’s lovely. Thank you.
” She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do now.
Should she release his hand and send him on his way?
Or should she do what she really wanted and ask him to stay? Even if just for a little while longer.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said after a brief silence.
“I’m glad to be here. Will you stay awhile?”
The battle he waged with himself was plainly obvious to her, but only because she knew him so well. “Sure.”
It wasn’t a resounding “sure,” but she’d take it.
She released his hand to remove her sandals.
“I’ll be out in a minute.” Taking her backpack with her, she went into the bathroom to freshen up and change.
She debated over her limited options—a tank top and boy shorts or the silk nightgown she’d brought in case things went really well.
Fearing the nightgown would send the wrong message, she settled on the tank and shorts.
He’d always told her he loved her in anything—and nothing.
The memory of that nearly doubled her over in pain.
The possibility that they’d never get back to where they’d been was almost too much to bear.
She brushed her teeth and hair and waited until she’d gotten herself together before she returned to the bedroom.
He’d stretched out on top of the bed, and she took a moment to appreciate the well-defined pecs, the golden blond hair on his chest and the rippling muscles on his belly.
She’d never understood how he managed to spend twelve hours a day at work and still stay so incredibly buff.
Suddenly, she felt self-conscious about the amount of skin she had on display and what her extreme thinness would say about how upset she’d been. When he took a greedy look at her, she wished she’d gone with the nightgown.
He held up the covers, inviting her into bed.
Anxious to be covered, she scooted under the white comforter with the yellow daisies. “I like this room. Did you do it yourself?”
“Hell no,” he said with a scoffing laugh. “Sydney Donovan did the house. She’s a decorator on the island.”
“She did a nice job.”
“Yes, she did.”
“Are we going to talk about comforters and paint, Jared?”
“I don’t know. Are we?”
“It’s safer.”
“Probably,” he acknowledged. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do or say right now, and that never happens. I always know what to do and what to say.”
Because she couldn’t help it, because she’d missed him so terribly and because she loved him more than anything, she reached for him. “You could hold me. I’ve missed having your arms around me.”
For a second she thought he might reject her, but he didn’t. Rather, he slid under the covers and put his arms around her.
Elisabeth released a sigh full of relief as she pressed her face against his chest and heard the strong beat of his heart for the first time in far too long.
Acting out of habit, she slid her leg between his and closed her eyes against the burn of tears at the familiar scratch of his hairy legs against her much smoother skin.
He held her so closely, so tightly she could barely breathe. “Lizzie… God, am I dreaming this? Are you really here with me?”
“I’m here. I’m right here.”
And then he was kissing her and stealing the breath from her lungs with his fierce possession of her mouth. He quite simply devoured her. All she could do was surrender to him, which she did willingly. She met every stroke of his tongue with one of her own, wanting to give him everything he needed.
He pulled away abruptly, startling her. “What?”
“I can’t do this. I can’t be with you this way unless I know you’re here to stay. Are you?”
She wanted to say an emphatic yes so he’d go back to kissing her, but she couldn’t do that. Not yet anyway. “I… I don’t know, Jared. We have so much we still need to talk about.”
“Then we’ll talk, but until we do, I can’t do this. I’m not Superman, Lizzie. I’m not made of steel.”
She blinked back tears brought on by the pain she saw etched into his face. “I’m so sorry I hurt you. I never meant for that to happen.”
He leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Get some sleep. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
Elisabeth watched him go, remembering how he’d once told her he couldn’t stand to sleep without her on the rare nights they’d spent apart, all due to his business obligations. She could only hope they could find their way back to each other, because she hated sleeping without him, too.