Page 37 of All The Wrong Notes
“Later.” She let her small bag fall off her shoulder and crossed the short distance to where Will stood, his expression a mixture of uncertainty and wonder. She doubted he’d ever had a woman in his room before. “I’ve got other plans for you this evening.”
Elise reached up to kiss him, and he met her half way. After a minute, though, he broke away, laughing. “You’ll be the death of me! I have plans, too, but mine start with dinner. We’ll need our energy! And if we want to enjoy the hot tub, I should turn the heat up so it’s the perfect temperature when we’ve finished our meal.”
Her eyebrows rose to punctuate the grin on her lip. Well, if there was a hot tub involved, she could keep her hands off Will for a while longer. Mostly. She reached her arms up around the back of his neck to pull him in for another kiss.
Dinner was a bit late.
Now they were cuddled together in the frothing water, watching the sky through the steam rising in tendrils from the hot tub. What a joy this was, leaning against each other, talking, kissing, and enjoying each other’s presence in that wonderful, comfortable silence when no words were needed. Only the lapping of the water in the lake and the strains of the old favourite by Jones and Kahn playing on the house’s sound system, cushioned the silence.
Elise sighed and nestled against Will’s shoulder, letting her hands wander a bit. Ah, yes, he really did like her.
“Happy?” he whispered, letting his own hands move freely.
“Hmmm… Exquisitely.”
“And you really didn’t like me when we first met?”
Elise tilted her head to kiss him quite thoroughly before answering. “No. Not at all. Not even a little bit. But I like you now.”
“What made you change your mind, so I can keep doing it? I plan to keep you happy for the rest of our lives.”
“Now that I know the real Will, I can’t imagine not being happy with you. But, if you have to know, my opinion started to change when we came up here at Thanksgiving. Seeing you in this place, away from the city, showed me a different side to you.” Another kiss that left him gasping. “I nearly didn’t come, you know.”
“How dreadful that would have been. What convinced you?”
“The promise of this hot tub.” She turned a huge smile towards him and wriggled until he had to hold her away.
“Is it time to get out?” he asked.
“Oh, yes. I’m turning into a prune. You’ll have to help me dry off and rub lotion all over me.”
He sucked in a stream of air between his teeth. “Minx. You’ll have to do the same for me.”
“Of course. I love you, Will.”
He captured her face for another kiss. “Almost as much as I love you.”
Still teasing, she quipped, “And how much is that?’
“Come upstairs with me, my love, and I’ll show you.”
For nobody else gave me a thrill
With all your faults, I love you still
It had to be you
Wonderful you
It had to be you.
***
The End