Page 161 of Perfect Liar
I stared, my jaw hanging, and looked around our dreamy bedroom.
As Will beamed with satisfaction, he opened another door and nudged me inside.
I turned and turned in awe. We were inside a posh dressing room. Not just a walk-in closet, but an entire room with its own little fireplace, antique settee, and pretty crystal chandelier. On one of the shelves sat a glass box displaying Pearl. My eyes stung with unshed tears. The old gun didn’t really mean much to me, but what he’d done with it meant everything.
He put his arms around me from behind.
“The gun is a lovely family heirloom, baby, meant to be treasured, not fired.”
“Will, I don’t even know what to say. This is all just…it’s magical.”
His breath hit my neck. His arms tightened around me.
“You’ll fill it in time.”
I spun around to see his face, lifted on my tiptoes, and nipped at his earlobe.
“So that’s your trick. You build an irresistible dressing room and temp me to fill it.”
He pulled me in with a grin on his face and squeezed my ass with both hands.
“Whatever it takes to tie you down. There’s one more space for you to see.”
Holding both my hands, he pulled me back through the first room and stopped in front of another door. He opened it, and natural light flooded the space. The north wall was mostly windows. A vintage easel with a blank canvas stood near them. A tall project table with supplies anchored the center of the room.
Hugging me from behind again, Will kept my body against his while resting his chin on my shoulder.
“It’s the lighting and the privacy you wanted.”
He’d blown my mind, leaving me speechless…the thought he’d put into that incredible little art studio…just for me.
“We’ll change anything in the suite that doesn’t suit you, Elle. I want you to be comfortable.”
I whirled around to see his eyes. At first my voice only squeaked, but then it came back.
“Will, everything is perfect. It’s everything I could ever ask for, and I’m so grateful you put it together for us. I know I’m going to be happy here with you.”
I hugged his neck.
“You deserve more,” he said.
“No, I don’t. And you were only supposed to protect me, not give me the world.”
A warm smile hit his mouth as he pushed hair off my face.
“I plan to do both.”
Then he pressed his lips to my forehead, and I shivered. The backside of his fingers brushed over my cheek.
“Elle, you did say you’ll marry me.”
And I’d meant it when I said the words to him. But we hadn’t talked about it since, not even when we were making our plans earlier that morning. It hadn’t occurred to me that he might want to get married right away. Nervousness cut into my stomach.
“It’s too soon, right? It’s too soon for us to get married.”
“No, baby, it’s not.”
His lips grazed over mine once, twice.