Page 70 of Gracefully Yours

“You have to tell me, or I won’t know what’s going through that mind of yours, darling.”

“I thought that after last weekend…” She bit her lip, and I raised an eyebrow. “Besides kissing me the other night, you haven’t tried anything.” Her gaze dropped to her feet. “I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”

Did she think that was all I wanted from her? Just sex? I was trying to prove to her it was the opposite. That I wanted everything with her.

“Fuck. No. Charlotte. Why would you think that?” Stepping closer to her, I guided her chin up to look at me. “That would be impossible. I just didn’t want to start it if that wasn’t what you wanted. And you’ve been up here, practically avoiding me.”

She frowned. “I have not.”

I chuckled. “You have. But it’s okay. We’ve both been busy. We’re getting married in a few days.” Like she needed the reminder. “And you’ve been making your dress.”

Charlotte looked up at me through her lashes as she fidgeted with her fingers. “So… is sex back on the table?”

“Was it ever off the table?” I tried to hold back my throaty rasp. Fuck. Hearing her say those words, with the delicate lilt of her voice, was almost too much. Her angelic voice talking about sex made me hard, and I was still gripping my towel tightly.

“Just sex, right? That’s what this is?”

I swallowed roughly. If that was what she wanted, that was all she could give me… I would take it. Even though I knew I’d want more.

I’d always wanted more from her.

“Just sex,” I confirmed, dropping my towel, pulling her close to me.

And I proved that to her with my mouth, making her orgasm twice before she fell asleep, and then I slipped out of the bed, retreating to my own to think about just how fucked I was.

* * *

“So… Here we are.”I said, dropping onto the guest bed and turning back to look at Charlotte, who was sitting at the vanity, not saying much.

We’d spent the last week with her family and mine, entertaining both and trying to keep the peace between everyone. Charlotte was distant, and even I knew it wasn’t just our impending nuptials that had her withdrawn into herself.

We had been living together for a month and a half, and I’d thought the last week had been good—better than good. We’d coexisted in the way we’d always seemed to, spending our free time together. And falling in to bed together wasgood.But she wasn’t her usual bubbly self.

Somethingelsewas bothering her.

I just needed to figure out what. After we got through this weekend, it would just be us, and hopefully she would talk to me then.

Since we’d opted out of a big wedding, we’d chosen to have the wedding practice and then dinner at my dad’s house with our family and closest friends. The weather had been colder than normal this week, with a cold front coming from the north. We’d practiced walking down the aisle quickly while bundled up in our thick winter coats.

When we’d gotten back inside, the tip of Charlotte’s nose had been pink.

I wanted to warm it up myself, but I held myself back.

“Are you ready for this?” I murmured, brushing her hair off her shoulder as she stared at me in the mirror.

Dinner wasn’t for a little longer, and even though the rest of our friends were downstairs, we’d come up to change out of our clothes and into something nicer.

For Charlotte, that meant a white dress that cut off at her knees, complete with long puffy sleeves and covered in sparkles. It matched her sparkly hair clips that were pinned in the loose, curly up-do she had somehow done in the last hour.

She looked every bit the bride, even though she was still wearing her fleece lined tights.

“Honestly?” She tilted up her head to look at me, our eyes connecting in the reflection. “I don’t know.” She fiddled with the hem of her dress.

I slid onto the bench next to her, resisting the urge to swipe my fingers through her silky hair. “Want to talk about it?” I asked in a low voice.

Charlotte bit her lip. “Yes. No. I don’t know.” Her finger rubbed her finger over her ring absentmindedly, like she was still getting used to it sitting there. “Can we just pretend that this is actually real? Just for this weekend? That you’re madly in love with me, and we’re getting married because we can’t imagine not being together?”

I am,I wanted to say.We are.

---