His eyes were shining, and he pulled her toward him. “‘Sweetheart?’” he whispered.
“Yes,” she said shyly. “It’s a much better endearment than Ferdinand, isn’t it?”
He kissed her gently, his fingers light on her cheek.
Elizabeth’s skin tingled at his touch. A wave of emotion hit her, and she leaned into his hand. She remembered an encounter at a refrigerator last fall when, crouching down, she’d eavesdropped and judged him, not for the first time, to be a stuffy jerk. He was nothing that she’d assumed or misjudged him to be. She’d missed, rather deliberately, his real essence. She looked up into his face, his dear face, and covered his hand with hers.
“I love you.” Her heart full and pounding, she let go a tremulous breath.
His mouth fell open. “Elizabeth.” Darcy’s voice was full of wonder. His eyes widened, and his expression, already soft, dissolved into a joyous smile. He leaned toward her and touched his forehead to hers. “You must know I love you, too. So very, very much.”
She stepped into his arms, touched that unshaven cheek she loved, and softly whispered the words again just before she kissed him. They both were trembling and overwhelmed. When the doorbell rang with the weekend’s order of clams and scallops, Darcy sighed and reluctantly walked away.
Elizabeth closed her eyes and swallowed.So much for overthinking.She shook her head in disbelief that she’d managed to tell him how she felt. He’d been the loquacious one in this relationship; she was simply happy to have made him so happy. Blinking back tears, she stepped over to the freezer and pulled out the promised cheesecake and chocolate treats. She was standing in the doorway and looking outside when Darcy returned with the seafood.
He sighed shakily and put the packages on the counter. Elizabeth turned around, an expression of heartfelt delight on her beautiful face.
“I love it here. I’m so happy.”
Darcy strode toward her and pulled her into an embrace. “Youmake me happy. You beingheremakes me speechless with happiness.”
Elizabeth stood on her tiptoes to kiss his brow, his nose, and finally his lips. “Don’t lose your tongue. I love your words too,” she murmured into his mouth.
He kissed her deeply and held her closely until she spoke again.
“Let’s get in the water. Pool or beach?”
“Both?”
“Let’s get our suits on,” she said cheerfully.
Darcy scooped up both bags and led her upstairs. He walked halfway down the hall and stopped, looking uncomfortable. “Your room, the one you stayed in last May, is right here. Um, the views are great, as you know. I didn’t know if you’d like the same room or…”
Elizabeth stopped walking. “Fitzwilliam?”
He looked at her, an expectant expression on his face.
She nearly laughed at his good manners and worry for her feelings. So sweet, so well-bred. “I’m your girlfriend, and I’m spending the weekend with you. And if you feel better giving me an official room, that’s okay. And if you want me to have my own room because you don’t want to share a bathroom, that’s okay too. What doyouwant?”
He stared at her, working his jaw and swallowing. “I want you to stay with me.”
“Me too,” she whispered.
He grinned, dropping the bags and pulling her toward him for a long, lust-fueled kiss. His hands glided down her waist to her hips, and he drew her closer. After a few minutes, they broke apart, both breathing heavily.
“But maybe,” she said, her voice betraying a glimmer of nerves, “since your room is quirky and all, could I have my own room to change in for the beach?”
In the bright sun, everything was on display—flaws, freckles, follicles, and scars. There were no shadows or firelight to hide behind. Elizabeth saw the full effect of what Darcy’s T-shirt had concealed from her family. His left side bore scars, and a few thin lines trailed down his chest, but the worst, deepest marks wrapped over the shoulder and down his back. Elizabeth blinked, but she didn’t look away. She’d touched those terrible wounds last November without understandingwhat they meant, but she’d make sure that, today, she would touch them with the full force of her love.
When they’d been at Pemberley in May, Darcy had kept his shirt on to keep questions at bay, but today, he’d paused for just a moment before deciding to head to the pool shirtless. Elizabeth might not fully remember, but she knew about them.She’d touched them. It was no time to be self-conscious, not about anything. In May, he’d been thankful he could hide his stares behind his Ray-Bans. Now he had the right to look without restraint at the woman in the tiny black bikini.
Fortunately for him, Elizabeth felt the same, and after a few minutes in the pool ogling her man in his black trunks, she climbed out and joined him on a chaise built for two.
While the sun quickly dried their skin, her thick hair remained sodden. It took but one drop of water dripping slowly down her neck for Darcy to finally lose control. He leaned over and began tracing it with his finger. Down over her collarbone and forging a path to the tiny gold clasp between her breasts. “Elizabeth,” he breathed as his face neared hers.
Whatever he planned to say next was swallowed by her kiss. When she drew back, breathing hard, she gasped, “I can’t wait anymore either.”
“Oh, thank God.”
