A Sip of You(101)

Finally, he rose on his elbows and looked into my eyes. I gave him what I hoped was a not-too-shaky smile. “Did you hear me?” he said. “That might not have been the best timing—”

“You said you loved me,” I whispered.

“You don’t have to say it back. I’ve been wanting to tell you since before we went to Napa. I couldn’t keep from saying it any longer. I love you, Catherine.” His beautiful eyes framed with all those thick dark lashes weren’t stormy now. They were a warm silver grey, shining with what I hoped was anticipation and excitement. And the kind of love that might last a lifetime.

I smiled. “William.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I’ve been wanting to tell you since before Napa too, and now I’m afraid you’ll think I’m just saying it because you did.”

“What have you been wanting to say?”

I smiled, tears of joy coming unbidden now. Sometimes he was like a mischievous boy, teasing me until he got his way. I tilted my head back and looked at him. “I love you, William Maddox Lambourne,” I said. “I love you, I love you, I love you. God, I love you!”

He laughed heartily and then kissed me tenderly but deeply. The kiss was so sweet I had to take a deep breath to keep from tipping into full-blown weeping.

We lay in each others’ arms for what seemed like hours, kissing and repeating the words we’d both longed to hear and speak. Then we made love again and again. I would never get enough of William.

***

It was early evening when my stomach rumbled loud enough for William to hear, prompting us to take a break for some dinner. When I finally rolled out of his arms and rose from the bed, I instantly missed his warmth and his lips. Dinner sounded great, but we did have some other things to tend to. “We still need to talk, and we should probably do it now.”

“Alright. Let’s get cleaned up first.”

A few minutes later, we met back in the living room. He wore a light blue T-shirt and a pair of navy drawstring pajama pants slung low on his hips. I was clad in the dress shirt he’d discarded earlier. As soon as I entered the living room, he hissed in a breath. “You might want to talk fast,” he said. “You’re fucking hot when you wear my shirts.”

The look in his eyes was definitely motivation to begin—and end—the discussion. I glanced at the chair where I’d dropped the envelope earlier. It was still there. Waiting. “First, I want to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry for last night. You asked me about Jeremy, and I shouldn’t have been so evasive. It wasn’t fair and I should be as open with you as I want you to be with me. From now on, I promise I will be. My life is an open book. Anything you want to know, I’ll tell you.”

William stared at me, looking a bit wary. I’m sure he was wondering what I expected in return, and I rushed to reassure him. “I don’t need anything in return from you. Yes, I want you to feel like you can tell me things, but I understand if you can’t right now. I accept you no matter what. I’m not going to fight with you about that anymore. I trust you. I trust you unconditionally. I love you, William.”

He closed the distance between us and took my hands. “I love you too, Catherine. And I trust you. But you have to understand, sometimes I keep information from you for your own safety.”

“I know that’s your justification,” I said, “and if you don’t want to tell me, then I’ll deal, but the stalking has to stop. From now on, if you want to know something, just ask. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. No secrets. The photos were too much. You made your point.”

William’s eyes narrowed. “What photos?”

I slowly reached down and picked up the envelope. Did he really not know? I didn’t think he was playing a game with me. He wasn’t like that. My hand was trembling now, and I held the envelope out to him. He took it, opened it, and pulled the photos out. He glanced at them, turned the envelope over to look at the address, and then slowly looked up at me.

His eyes were an icy blue now, cold and dangerous. “Where did you get these?”

“They came in the mail,” I whispered. “I thought they were from you.”

“No. I’ve never seen these before. God, I wouldn’t do something like this to you. Send something like this.” He flipped the envelope around again. “Was there a note, any sort of correspondence?”

I shook my head.

William dropped the photos and the envelope on the chair and took my hands again. He looked at me so intensely it scared me. “Think, Catherine. Are you certain? This was all that was in the envelope?”