Chapter 6
Six
LELAND
“Tilly,” Leland banged on the door again, “open up. Let me explain.” His heart was in his throat. He needed to tell her the truth. The lies had been building for too long and already they were eating at him.
“If you don’t let me in, I’ll bang on this door all night, Tilly.
” He was desperate. He could feel it. But he didn’t care.
Their kiss was lingering on his lips. In his heart.
It had all gotten too real too fast, and he needed to see her.
And he needed to hold her, if he was being honest with himself.
“Bang away,” Tilly shouted angrily from inside. “I hope you break your fist doing so.”
Her answer made him smirk. An angry response was better than no response.
“If you don’t let me in, I’ll use the secret passageway and enter by force. Some way, somehow, I’m getting into your room tonight.” And just as he realized what those words really sounded like, the door whooshed open to reveal a very stormy—very delectable—Tilly.
He stepped in.
“Thank you—”
“Don’t thank me. I had no choice. Apparently.” She crossed her arms and glared down her nose at him despite him being significantly taller than her. “And apparently I don’t have a lot of choices left in my life anyway.”
“That’s not fair—”
“I heard everything you said to the prince, Leland. I can’t believe you and my brother have been lying to me all of these years.”
“We haven’t been—”
“You told him that I was—wait. What?”
He wanted to approach her. Wanted to reach out and touch her. But he also knew he should probably give her a moment to accept what he had to say. “That was all a lie.”
“What was all a lie? I’m lost.”
“Me too,” he said, shaking his head. “This all got out of hand so quickly. But everything I said to the prince was a lie.”
“It was?” The hopefulness in her question made his lips tip up into a half smile. And finally, he took a small step toward her.
“It was.” They were toe to toe.
“Why did you say all of that?”
“I figured the prince needed a strong reason to back down. And you and I decided earlier that a lie closest to the truth was best.”
“I’m so confused, Leland. Did my family—in any way—make arrangements with yours for me to be your wife?”
“No.” The truth eased a burden off of his shoulders.
“So how was your story close to the truth at all then?”
“I’ve been drawn to you, Tilly. For a very long time.
But I wasn’t ready to settle down. Maybe that’s not even accurate to say it that way.
I didn’t trust that settling down into true love was possible.
You know my parents. They had a terrible relationship, yet they claimed love at first sight.
When I first met you, I knew I wanted you.
But look how it turned out for my parents?
I wanted none of that. I knew what you deserved in life.
You deserved a loyal husband. A devoted husband.
But I couldn’t give you that. So I backed off.
I lived my life and let you live yours.”
“What changed?”
He took a deep breath.
“It all changed when you asked me to kiss you.”
“An hour ago?”
“A year ago.”
She looked up at him perplexed. “But nothing changed then. You didn’t kiss me.”
“You’re right. I didn’t kiss you. And I haven’t kissed anyone since.”
She stepped back in noticeable shock. “What?”
“I couldn’t.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “You disrupted my entire world with that one, simple request, Tilly. I couldn’t even imagine kissing anyone else but you after that.”
“But…you didn’t do anything.”
“I was lost. I needed you. But I didn’t think I deserved you. And all I knew from you was that you wanted a lesson. A lesson?” his voice raised in obvious despair. “I couldn’t just give you a lesson—”
Her voice came softly but loudly, “That’s not all I wanted.”
“It wasn’t?”
She shook her head. “I wanted you.”
The space between them had dissolved into mere millimeters.
“You did?”
She nodded, nearly brushing her lips against his mouth, his head was bent so low.
“Why did you finally kiss me? At the table?” Her words were an invitation and his mouth spoke over her lips.
“I couldn’t stop myself, Tilly. I needed you. I do need you. Now. I’ll always need you.”
She closed the gap and opened her mouth to him fully. The kiss that had started as a slow burning ember sparked into a raging fire.
His hands roamed her body, squeezing. Massaging. Pulling her closer. She gasped at the contact of his swollen cock against his belly.
“Leland, I need you too,” she murmured. “Take these clothes off of me.”
He didn’t need further instructions. Deftly, his fingers undid all the buttons and all the ties, and mere moments later they stood naked together.
“God, you’re so beautiful, Tilly.” His voice was hoarse as his eyes took in her full body.
“Turn around for me, darling.” Raising her fingers above her head, he twirled her, taking in her plump bottom.
He loved her confidence in her body. And though she was a little bit shy, he could see that she loved being watched. Being delighted in.
He dragged his fingers slowly down her spine, making figure eights just above each cheek. When his hand cupped her bottom, she whimpered. And it nearly shook him.
“Do you like what you see, Tilly?”
She nodded.
“It’s all yours. You can touch me anyway that you want. Anywhere.”
He watched as she visibly shivered in his hands.
“Anywhere?” she whispered. And he nodded just before her hands reached out to circle his cock.
At her touch, he let out a long hiss.
“Does that hurt?” Her innocent eyes searched his face.
“No, darling. Nothing has ever felt better.”
“Can I…see all of you?”
He raised a brow. “What else do you want to see?”
When she made a circle in the air with her index finger, he turned around slowly, letting her fingers graze along his bare skin across his shoulders, down his spine, and mimicking his move over his buttocks.
At that gesture, he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He whirled around, snapped her up, and walking the few feet toward the bed, threw her on it.
“You want to explore, darling? Let’s explore.”
Her giggle didn’t last long because he lay down beside her drawing her into him. Then he rolled over, laying his body onto hers, feeling every inch of her.
“Tilly,” he spoke through the gravel in his throat, “I’ve wanted this for so long.”
“Me too,” she said, and then drew him down for a passionate kiss. The lips suctioned together, she was heaven.
Pure heaven.