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Crash (Billionaire New Adult Romance)(16)

By:Vanessa Waltz


     



 

He shook his head stubbornly. "I'll be fine."

"What do you think about the food so far?"

Will nodded in a so-so manner. "She wins points for making and selling her own jam. And it's actually pretty good."

I spread some of the gooseberry jam over a fresh roll and I moaned at the explosion of flavor. "Wow, that is good."

"Here it is!" Mary re-entered the solarium with a heavy plate of food for me. She dropped it in front of me.

"Uh-thanks!"

There was a pile of what looked like canned beans in a red sauce, fried  tomato slices, strips of what looked like ham, and fried eggs. Will  smirked at me from across the table and laughed when I tried some of the  beans. On the whole, it was pretty unremarkable.

"What is this?"

I forked the meat, which was very thick and fatty.

He laughed. "It's English bacon."

I tried it. It was too thick and reminded me of ham. I immediately set it aside and picked my way throughout the plate.

"I don't like it," I said in an undertone.

Will gave me an amused glance. "It's a traditional dish. If you asked me, I would have told you to avoid it."

I didn't ask you. "It's not too bad." I shrugged.

After breakfast, Will and I left the cottage to explore the Cotswolds.  We drove to Bourton-on-the-Water, where a wide, slow river ran through  the whole village. Low-arched stone bridges added to the charm of the  bustling village, which looked like something out of a Hollywood set.  The little stone houses bordered the river and a market of vendors  selling wool clothing made the whole place seem somehow fabricated.  Places like this simply couldn't exist. Most of the village's population  had greying or white hair. William and I were probably the youngest  people there.

"God, I would kill myself if I lived here."

"What did you expect? We're in the country."

I bought a Cornish pasty from a vendor on the street, which was  delicious. It was filled with spiced meat and vegetables. Then we drove  to a pair of villages called the Slaughters and parked the car. I wanted  to walk around and really get a feel for the place. I had never seen  such beauty. The feeling of being sucked into a fairytale book was  overwhelming. The stone cottages side by side, the quiet, little rivers  woven through the village, the beautiful green trees and farm fields  surrounded us. Everything was so moist and green. I couldn't believe how  quiet it was. It was strange to not hear the sounds of construction, of  cars, of anything, really, except songbirds and the rustling of  squirrels in trees. I had never been in such a place. I felt totally  removed from civilization and I experienced a peace that I never felt  before.

We walked along the river, passing by people quietly tending to their  gardens, and came upon a mill on the river, which was next to a souvenir  shop. Behind the shop was a path to the next village: Upper Slaughter.

Will walked beside me and I gave him a smile. I had to keep resisting  the urge to pinch myself. How could this be real? The dirt path followed  the river and on both sides were fields of grazing sheep. There was  nothing but the sounds of our feet walking, the gentle river playing and  the baaing of sheep. I stopped for a moment just to appreciate it and  felt the strangest sensation as I looked over the fence to gaze at the  sheep quietly grazing. It was like this quiet, sleepy village cast a  spell on me.

"Getting ideas for designs?" he asked as he joined me on the fence.

"Yeah." My brain was already freezing images in my head: the yellow  stone cottages, the river, and the green fields. "I've never been to  such a peaceful place."

"I don't know. I think it's kind of boring." He pushed himself off the  fence and threw small rocks into the river, upsetting a white swan  gliding downstream.

I rolled my eyes. Of course Will would find it boring. This was  completely the opposite of his home in San Francisco, which was always  bustling with noise and activity. In general, it was hard to find peace  and quiet in California, where the brown hills were slowly filling up  with little boxes. This place looked like the Shire in Lord of the  Rings. I took pictures of everything so that I could refer to them  later.

He stood close to the river and I was suddenly overcome with an urge to  shove him into the water. I was still a little bit angry about how he  treated me, and it would be wonderful payback. Let's see how little  rich-boy handles getting his feet wet.

I tiptoed silently. He still talked to me as if I stood far away.  Excitement pounded through my rapidly beating heart as I raised my palms  to his back and shoved.

"What the fuck?" he roared.         

     



 

Will stumbled forward, his right foot sinking into the icy river. He  turned around with an extremely offended look as I doubled over and  laughed, tears squeezing from my eyes. He looked around as if someone  else must have been responsible.

"You did this? What are you, five?"

I clutched the fence, still crying with laughter as Will hopped onto the trail and shook out his drenched tennis shoe.

Through my laughter I managed to squeak out, "That's for being whiny about this place."

"I've got water in my fucking shoe!" He looked at me dangerously. "Oh, you're going to pay for this."

I screamed and sprinted down the trail as he came after me. Luckily,  there was no one else around to see us behaving like idiots. Despite his  exhaustion, he caught up to me easily and yanked me into his chest.  Before I knew it, I was flying in the air and he was cradling me in his  arms, smirking.

"Will! WILL!"

He carried me somewhere-I couldn't see.

"I can't believe you did that," he said, smiling down at me. "That's so out of character for you."

My face was on his shoulder. He smelled incredible-like pine and cedar. I  was caught between the ecstasy of being so close to him and fear that  he was planning something terrible. "Will! Put me down!"

He raised his eyebrows. "You sure? Okay."

"No! Wait!"

There was a slight splash and I knew that Will held me over the river,  ready to throw me inside. He looked crazy enough to do it. He loosened  his grip and I slid down slightly. I grasped his shoulders and he  tightened his arms around my waist. I was absolutely giddy from being  this close to him and I was sure my face was burning.

"Apologize," he demanded, grinning. "Or I'll throw you in."

I glared at him. He wouldn't really throw me in, would he? "No."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Icy water sank into my shoes. "No, stop! Ok, fine! I'm sorry!"

Laughing, he stepped back and I found solid ground. I never saw him look so happy. "I can't believe you did that."

"Me neither," I said, my breath caught in my throat. I was back safely  on the ground, but his arm was still wrapped around my waist. I could  feel every contour of his muscles and his rapid heartbeat. If I just  lifted myself on my toes, I could kiss him.

The laughter slowly died and Will's eyes looked at me with something  entirely different. His fingers splayed on my back and he seemed to  finally be aware that he was holding me.

He bowed his head, still smiling. All of his heat surrounded me; I felt  his lips claiming mine, my mouth open in shock. The gentle heat I felt  in my heart amped to a blazing forest fire. His hard body was against  mine, his hands almost lifting me up. I actually dug my fingers into his  wild hair and loved how soft it was. His kisses were filled with  gunpowder; they were nothing like the sweet pecks Ben always gave me. I  leaned into him and bit his bottom lip.

Somehow, we stumbled back against the fence. Will's mouth weakened me  over and over, and then he was planting searing hot kisses under my jaw  and down my throat. I moaned as his hands swept around my waist and  moved up my abdomen. Then he seemed to become aware of where we were and  he pulled away. Not completely, just enough to make me really  disappointed.

My nerves and skin were tingling all over, oversensitive. When Will's fingers grazed my neck, I seized as if I was in pain.

That was amazing.

I wanted to kiss him again, but Will winked at me and stepped back.

"C'mon."

A bit of awkwardness followed that intense make-out session. How were we  supposed to behave after that? Will didn't make any attempt to touch me  again, but when he looked at me, it was in a completely different way  than before. He gave me a secretive smile that made me confused and hot  all over. I didn't understand it. It was like being a kid again,  discovering a new crush.

We walked to Upper Slaughter and back in silence, appreciating the old-world, gorgeous scenery. What a charming little village.

As we returned to the car, my purse buzzed. It startled me so much that  it broke me out of my peaceful mood. I dug inside and found it, my heart  sinking. It was Ben. Why was he calling me?

"Who is it?" Will asked.

When I blushed in answer, he stepped closer to me and tried to read the screen. I answered the phone, ignoring him. "H-hello?"