“I know, right?” I continued. “William is willing to watch anything I want to watch on television, even Christmas movies in April. He listens. He isn’t scared of the saddest and darkest parts of me, like my grief. He lets me have it, I don’t know, like…helps me until it passes.”
“Oh, my god.” Veronica grimaced as she plopped back down next to me. “Are you in love with this guy?”
Again, I was glad my face was already red from the sauna because I was fully blushing as I asked, “It’s too soon to know that, right? Like, three months is too soon to know if I’m in love with someone or not? How did you know you were in love with Gus?”
Veronica pushed her head back and raised her eyebrows. “We went on two dates, and I started wearing his favorite hoodie, and I just never gave it back. I’m pretty sure he’s just sticking around until he can get that hoodie back.”
I laughed and leaned forward to let the sweat drip down my face. “I know that I really, really like William. I am just trying not to get too far ahead of myself.”
“Okay, what’s the reservation then?” Veronica asked.
“I don’t know. A few years ago, I was so against Matt moving to Creekstone to be with me. I pretty much broke up with him as soon as he mentioned me moving to Los Angeles or him moving back to Georgia when he could.” I shook my head.“But with William, I’m dying to talk to him about the future, but I don’t want to sound like …like …”
“A Psycho. Needy. Desperate,” Veronica said, batting her eyes at me.
“I was going to say putting the cart before the horse, but yeah, those things, too.” I sighed.
Veronica sat back on the bench. “Look, I say give it some time. But if you’re feeling this strongly about him, I think it’s okay to do a little temperature check. Maybe ask him how long he wants to stay in Creekstone.”
I nodded. “I thought he was going to ask me about the future earlier this week. We were in my office, and he saw the letter from Harvard. He asked me a few questions about the fellowship deferment, then he just changed the subject.”
Veronica scrunched her nose. “Was this right before you two had hot office sex?”
“Um, yes. Why?”
“Maybe he was distracted, sweetie,” Veronica said with a chuckle and then more seriously she said, “But there’s nothing stopping you from initiating the conversation. You don’t have to wait on William or anyone to talk about the future. It’s your future, Kit.”
“It’s scary,” I admitted. “I’m afraid if I say the wrong thing William will lose interest in me.”
“Kit, I don’t know how to tell you this, but no one but you wants to watch Christmas movies in April. I think this man is in love with you,” Veronica said matter-of-factly. Then more softly she said. “Look, you don’t want to do what you did with Matt again. You don’t want to just go along with things until you finally can’t take it anymore. It’s better to communicate how you’re feeling so the relationship has a chance to go in the direction you want it to go in.”
Veronica and I left the sauna and headed for our scheduled facials and other treatments. Instead of relaxing during the expensive facial and skin treatments, I worried about our conversation. I couldn’t help but think about what Veronica had said about how I needed to handle this situation with William differently than I’d handled things with Matt.I realized she was right. Things with Matt were very nice in the beginning. We didn’t have nearly the heated passion that William and I do, but I enjoyed dating Matt, and I just went along with the direction he wanted the relationship to go. I knew what I wanted with William, but what direction did William want to take this relationship?
Veronica and I had a late lunch, then she dropped me off at the hotel because she had to pick up Preston from her mom’s house.
When I got back to the hotel suite, William was standing by the window in the living room looking out as he talked on the phone. He’d gone to the barber at some point, and the new cut looked very handsome. William was wearing a tie, but no jacket. He wore a pair of slacks and a pair of leather dress shoes I had never seen before. He had one hand in his pocket and the other held the phone to his ear. He turned as soon as he heard me by the door, and his warm smile melted away the more serious look of concentration that was on his face as he listened to the other person on the call. He held up a finger, and I nodded.
I headed into the bedroom portion of the suite, put my bag on the bed, and let my hair down. William had talked about going out to a nice restaurant for dinner, and my hair was a wild mess from the spa. I combed my fingers through my curls wishing that they would lay down. I took off my earrings, put them on the dresser, I slipped out of my shoes, and started to undress to get into the shower. As I was pulling my dress over my head, I felt arms around my waist. I gasped a little asWilliam’s deep voice whispered in my ear, “Damn, you smell so good.”
I giggled as my dress fell to the floor, and I looked at us in the mirror. William was much taller than me, but he was bent over so that his cheek nuzzled against mine, and his arms were wrapped around my bare waist.
“We’re a handsome couple,” William said, looking at our reflection. I felt my heart flutter a little hearing William describe us as a couple.
“I think we are,” I agreed. I was wearing only a lace bralette and matching panties. As William held me, I pulled the soft lacy cups of my bra down and watched William’s eyes flash as his gaze looked at my topless reflection. I kept my eyes on William’s expression in the mirror as I cupped my own breast and slowly caressed my nipples until they were hard. William’s lips parted, and I heard him sigh into my ear.
“Do you like that?” I asked.
“You probably don’t remember this,” he said as he gently rubbed his hands along the waistband of my panties, “But on Christmas Eve, you made a comment about how you didn’t need a man to have an orgasm, and I have to admit I’ve fantasized about watching you pleasuring yourself so many times since then.”
“Oh,” I said licking my lips and keeping my eyes fixed on William’s face in the reflection. I liked that William still thought about something I’d said in passing. The fact that it had stayed with him made me feel powerful and attractive. I slowly moved my hands down my stomach until they covered his. Then I pushed his hands so that they hooked into my panties and slid them down. My panties fell to the floor so that I stood naked in front of William. His expression changed from playful to longing. I saw him clench his jaw as he tried to show restraint.
“You waxed?” he said, his eyes on my reflection.
“I treated myself at the spa,” I said nonchalantly. I pulled William’s hands up my body until they palming my breasts.
“You're so beautiful," he said in a low voice. I kept my eyes on him as I pinched my nipples, slowly rolling them between my fingers, until William’s hands moved over mine and he mirrored my touch. I pressed against him enjoying the way his fingers created pleasurable pressure that radiated throughout my chest.
Chapter 18: William
