Chapter 70

Emma left her father in the morning, and arrived home. Will was waiting for her.

​ “Come with me,” he said. “We’re going somewhere.”

​ “Ugh,” Emma protested. “Why?”

​ “Come,” he insisted. Emma rolled her eyes, and remembered what she said to herself last night. *Just play the part, Emma.*

​ “Fine,” she acquiesced. “Whatever.”

​ She followed him out to his car, and hopped in. Will drove in silence, and Emma’s head leaned against the window. There were many things she’d rather be doing. Hunting for a job topped her list. While Spencer’s offer was tempting, it still didn’t feel right. Winning opportunities through favoritism might be okay for the wealthy elite. Emma was determined to earn her place, to work for it. She zoned out during the drive, the hum of the car settling her frazzled mind.

​ “We’re here,” Will’s voice pulled her from her trance.

​ “Where?” she said, but looked out and was surprised. Will had brought them to the hotel they went to when they first met. “What are we doing here?”

​ “Come with me,” Will offered her his hand. Emma placed hers in his and he guided her through the hotel. They got on the elevator and got off on the top floor. The sense of déjà vu was strong. This was all very familiar. He led them to the room where they went that night.

​ “What’s going on?” she asked.

​ “Open the door.”

​ Emma opened the door and gasped at the sight. Every inch of the room was covered in Emma’s favorite flowers. Freesias, lilies, tulips and magnolias adorned every free surface. Candles were nestled in the center of every bloom bundle. The room was bathed in a fresh, floral scent, and sensual golden glow. A small table in the center of the room held a glass of wine and two crystal glasses. Emma walked in, and looked around. It was the most beautiful scene she had ever seen. But she was so confused.

​ “There’s no way this is for me,” she said aloud without realizing.

​ “It is,” Will said, hugging her from behind.

​ “Why?”

​ “For a lot of reasons,” Will’s voice was soft, but commanding.

​ “This is so romantic,” she whispered.

​ “I’ve not been fair to you,” he said. “I’ve been trying to explain, but I know things wouldn’t have gotten so bad I had just spoken up in the first place.” He turned her around so she could face him. “I need you to know that I didn’t arrange to meet with Grace after the funeral. I did go somewhere to be alone. I wasn’t thinking and went somewhere she knew about. She came to find me, and comfort me. I won’t lie to you, it was nice, but I was thinking about you the whole time. And that day at lunch. She begged me to go to lunch with her. I only agreed because I was feeling jealous. Nothing is happening between us. I don’t want her anymore. I’m sorry, Emma. I know I haven’t been good to you, but I want to try.”

​ Emma stood on her toes, and kissed Will. Will stepped back in surprise. He wasn’t expecting that.

​ “I’m sorry, too. I’ve unreasonable and jealous. I haven’t given you a chance to explain, and I was horrible to you after the funeral. I was so hurt that you lied to me, but that I didn’t think about how much you were hurting.”

​ “We’re bad at this,” Will sighed.

​ “We are,” Emma chuckled. Will stepped towards and pulled her into him.

​ “There is one thing we are good at,” Will smirked. He picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist.

​ “We said we wouldn’t do this,” Emma chided.

​ “No, you said we wouldn’t do this.”

​ “But you agreed.”

​ “Mmhmm,” Will hummed as he trailed kisses into her neck.

​ “Will,” Emma cautioned.

​ “Tell me to stop,” he said. “Tell me you want me to stop, and I promise I’ll stop.”

​ “Will,” she repeated. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and tilted her head to the side. *Tell him to stop. Say the words, Emma. Tell him no.* They stared at each other, surrounding by flowers and candlelight. Will walked them over to the bed, and laid Emma down. He started stripping off his shirt.

​ “I’ll only do what you want. But you have to tell me. I’m not strong enough to stop unless you say you don’t want me.”

​ Emma gulped at the sight of his bare chest. He crawled over her, and began to undo her clothes. He was slow, milking every moment, giving her every chance to stop him. But Emma couldn’t stop him. She didn’t want to. But, Will wasn’t satisfied with her silence.

​ “You have to say something, Emma,” he kissed along her collarbone. “Tell me to stop, or to keep going.” He continued to undress them. He made an event out of it. Each article of clothing that was removed was its own story. “Please say something. Not saying no isn’t the same as saying yes,” Will said as he moved down her to legs. He kneeled at the base of the bed. They were both nude, his hands touched everywhere except where she wanted him to touch.

​ “I want you,” Emma finally said. “Please Will, I want this.” Emma’s words set him free and he descended upon her. He caught her lips in a smoldering kiss. They kissed each other with the pent-up longing, anger, jealousy and pain that had built up in both of them. Emma felt Will hardened against her leg, and she wiggled against him. She clenched her legs together, in an attempt to create some much-desired friction. They separated from their kiss, panting from the loss of air.

​ Will hovered above her, and rested his forward against hers.

​ “Emma, I—”

​ “No, don’t say anything,” she put a finger to his lips. “Just make love to me.” Will’s eyes were nearly black with lust. He knelt back on the bed, cradling her hips with his thighs. He entered her slowly, inch by delicious inch. Emma pushed her into the bed, her mouth falling open with a silent moan. Emma’s hips seemed to involuntarily tilt up to meet his, to spur him to move. But he had no intention of taking her quickly. He would draw this out, bring her to the edge over and over again until she was a shuddering shell, a quivering mess at his mercy.

​ He moved in her, all the way in, and all the way out. The angle he had her was reaching undiscovered places. His hands held her tight against him, and restricted her movements.

​ “Faster, please,” she begged. His torturous pace was maddening. He was setting on fire from within, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. Her fingers tangled in the bed sheets, and she used that leverage to push herself harder against him. Will hissed, trying to maintain control of himself. She did it again.

​ “Emma, don’t,” he stopped her.

​ “You’re driving me crazy,” she whimpered.

​ “If you keep doing that, I won’t be able to control myself.”

​ “Then don’t,” Emma said and pushed herself against him. Will threw his head back and moaned. Emma felt him twitch inside her. She took the chance and started grinding against him.

​ “Holy fuck,” he moaned. “Fine, you asked for it.” His arms looped around her back, and he stood up with against his chest. He then put her knees over his shoulders and growled into her neck. “Hold on tight.”

​ Will thrust into her while holding her up in the air.

​ “Fuck!” Emma cried as Will bounced her against him. Will walked them over to one of the tables, and threw the flowers off.

​ “The candles,” Emma breathed. “They’ll burn the carpet.”

​ “I’ll fucking pay for it,” Will grunted as he set her on top of the table. He held one of her legs in the air, and drilled into her. Emma screamed his name as she came, but Will wasn’t stopping.

​ “Will, I can’t,” Emma moaned.

​ “Shut up,” he snarled at her. Emma came again and again as Will took her on just about every available surface in the hotel room. The came together one last time, and they collapsed into the bed.

​ “Holy shit,” Emma panted. “What was that?”

​ “That,” Will tried to catch his breath. “is what I’ve been wanting to do ever since I got back from Italy.”

​ “I’m not good at enforcing my own rules.”

​ “Shut up,” Will teased and kissed Emma. It was a softer, more tender kiss. They had never kissed like that before. “There’s somewhere else I’d like to bring you to.”

​ “Will, I don’t think I can walk,” Emma laughed. “I think you broke me.”

​ “Hmmm,” Will smirked. “I’ll do it again, too. I’m serious. It’s somewhere important.”

​ Emma smiled at this playful, vulnerable Will.

​ “Okay,” Will got out of bed, and picked her up.

​ “Are we going now?”

​ “First we’re going to get cleaned up,”

​ Will brought Emma into the shower and turned on the water. He backed her into a wall and pinned himself against her.

​ “Remember when I caught you touching yourself while thinking of me in the shower?” his voice was deep and husky.

​ “Yeah,” Emma breathed.

​ “That was hot as hell.”

​ They made love in the shower before finally setting off for the day. To Emma’s surprise, they were driving back towards their home. When they arrived, Will led to the wooded area behind the house.

​ “How cute!” she gushed when they arrived at the tree house.

​ “This is my secret place. This is where I went after the funeral.”

​ “Why are you sharing this with me?” Emma asked.

​ “Hold on.” Will walked over the tree, and revealed a blanket and packed picnic basket. He laid the blanket out on the ground. He sat and gestured for Emma to come over. She giggled and sat beside him.

​ “A picnic?”

​ “You don’t like it?”

​ “I love it!” Emma assured him. “What is all this?”

​ “I promise I wasn’t always a heartless jerk. I have issues with emotions. I’m sure you’ve noticed my parents and I aren’t very close.”

​ “I have.”

​ “Did Pop tell you anything about it?”

​ “He said that they sort of used you as a weapon against each other,”

​ “Hmm,” Will chuckled darkly. “That’s an interesting way to put it. I have no idea why they got married. They hated each other from the start. They used me as an excuse to stay married, but they were separated. It made for rough childhood. They put on a good show for Pop and Gram. They were fooled for a while. My parents were horrible. They’d forget to pick me up from school, or to make sure I ate. I only existed when it was convenient for them.”

​ “I’m sorry,” Emma reached out and held his hand.

​ “It wasn’t all bad,” Will said staring at their entwined hands. “When Pop found out, he moved me into this house and had this treehouse built for me. He was a hard ass at first. I was a little shithead,” he laughed.

​ Will told Emma stories about his childhood and she shared some of her own. They ate the snacks packed in the picnic basket and stayed out there until the sun began to set. They went inside. Emma never wanted this day to end. The Will she had fantasized about existed and he was everything she dreamed of. It was too much. There was no denying now that she was in love with him. She admitted it to herself fully and openly. That didn’t mean it was a good idea. Grace was back in the picture, and it was clear she wanted Will back. And Grace was no Vivian. Vivian only fought dirty. Grace would fight smart and dirty.

​ Emma wanted to cook dinner for Will. She dug up one of her mother’s recipes and began cooking. As she prepared the meal, Will walked into the kitchen.

​ “What are you doing in here?” She scolded him.

​ “I want to help,” Will hugged her from behind and kissed her neck.

​ “That is not helpful,” Emma laughed. “Here, mix this.” They cooked dinner together and then snuggled up on a couch to watch a movie. It was the greatest day of her life.

​ No matter what, she’d keep this day in her heart. Regardless of how many steps they took back after this, she would keep this day in her heart. Will got up to grab them some drinks. Emma’s phone buzzed in her pocket. A message flashed across the screen.

​ *Don’t forget. See you tomorrow.*

​ Emma didn’t reply. *Hold on to this day, Emma. Hold on to it no matter what.*