Page 112 of Don't You Dare Marry Me

“I’ve never been married, Nic.” Abagail cupped her cheek and pulled her in for a kiss. She stepped forward, pushing Nicola backward. “Why would I know anything about prenups?”

“Because you’re not stupid.” Nicola laughed and pressed her hands against Abagail’s hips, half-pulling her backward toward the stairs. “Are we going to your room tonight or mine?”

“Your choice.” Abagail smiled, loving that Nicola knew exactly what she was seeking. She moved in, pressing their lips together in a deeper, longer kiss. “But it got me thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” Nicola breathed heavily. She walked around Abagail so that she was behind her and started to pull at the zipper on Abagail’s dress, slowly moving it down. The chilly air in the house hit Abagail’s skin, but it was quickly warmed by Nicola’s hands.

“Marriage.”

Nicola tensed. Abagail didn’t even have to be looking at her to see that reaction. She could feel it. Abagail wanted to turnaround and look at her, see every reaction in her face, but she was so scared by it too. They’d found a nice rhythm between them, but intuitively, Abagail knew that Nicola still wanted more.

“Do you still want to get married?” Abagail asked, tentatively.

Nicola dropped her hands from Abagail’s back. Abagail turned around, but Nicola wouldn’t look up at her, her face drawn and her shoulders tight.

“Nic…” Abagail trailed off, no clue what to say in order to entice this conversation to continue. She hadn’t even been sure why she brought it up. “Do you still want to get married someday?”

“I don’t think we need to talk about this.”

“Yes, we do.” Abagail reached for Nicola’s fingers and grasped them tightly. “We need to talk about it more than we do. I know this isn’t what you wanted when you started a relationship with someone, and so I need to make sure that you’re okay with it.”

“Relationship?” Nicola furrowed her brow in confusion. “We’re not in a relationship, Abs.”

“I think I tried to convince myself of that before, but I was lying to myself. Thisisa relationship.” Abagail worried her lower lip. It hadn’t hit her until Warren had been talking about the prenup and about making plans for the future stability of his partner. Abagail had done all of that for Nicola already. She hadn’t needed it reciprocated in the least, so that hadn’t been a concern, but she’d made sure to set up Nicola and Alanna so that they could live without financial struggle for years to come.

“If we’re in a relationship, then I’m fine with what we have. I don’t need anything more.” Nicola smiled at her, stepping closer so that their chests brushed. “I love you, that’s what matters to me.”

“But what if you could get married?” Abagail asked. She wasn’t sure why she was pressing the question so much, but she desperately wanted an answer.

“Abs, stop. Just stop.”

“No.” Abagail shook her head. “No, I don’t want to. Is that something you still want?”

“Yes,” Nicola whispered. “Yes, I still want that, but I’m willing to not do that if it means being with you.”

Abagail’s lips thinned into a line, and she looked down between them, at their joined hands, at the connection they so clearly already shared. She still had no desire to be married, to be confined in that way, legally bound to someone. But it didn’t seem so repulsive now as it once did.

Then again, maybe that’s just because the only time Abagail even thought about it, it was in relation to Nicola.

“But you said you won’t get married, so I don’t need that.”

Abagail nodded. She closed her eyes and pulled Nicola toward her, pressing their foreheads together. She breathed in Nicola’s scent and listened to Nicola’s breaths, the gentle rise and fall of them, the sounds around the house, the way the house felt, the way she felt.

“That wasn’t the question I was asking, and thank you for answering.” Abagail lifted up her chin and pressed their lips together in a quick kiss. “I appreciate your honesty.”

Nicola frowned. “But what does that mean?”

“Nothing,” Abagail answered, a smile in her voice. “Nothing. Not unless you want it to. It just had me thinking tonight, that’s all.”

“You spent all night thinking about marriage and me?”

“Well, not all night.” Abagail grinned broadly then, her eyes glittering with mischief. “I did also think about you tying me up and fucking me raw until the image and memory of the last few hours left my brain.”

Nicola gave a full-bodied laugh. “You really do have one thing on your mind most of the time, don’t you?”

“You bet your ass I do.” Abagail dragged Nicola in hard, their mouths locking together in a kiss that stole her breath. She ran her hands down Nicola’s back, against her ass, tugging her in even tighter as their tongues collided in a duel for possession and passion.

Breaking the kiss sharply, Abagail took a step away. She beckoned Nicola with just a look before turning on her toes and starting straight up the stairs. They’d limited sex in the main areas of the house since Alanna had come to stay there, and for this, Abagail absolutely wanted to be alone with Nicola.

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