24.
For Emily, the ride from Aren Hall to nearby Arendale provided her with some much needed time to gather her thoughts. Something that had been a challenge, since meeting the striking woman sitting next to her. Her whole world felt upended, and she was having a hard time keeping up with the changes. There was just something about the marine pilot that frankly fascinated her. The woman's striking features were offset by kind eyes and a lopsided grin that melted her heart. She did not want o think about what it did to that other parts of her body right now.
"And, god those cheekbones," Emily thought before letting out an audible sigh.
She cut her eyes towards the other woman, hoping the engine noise was enough to cover her faux pas. The rakish grin she got from the brunette said otherwise, causing Emily's cheek to burn from embarrassment and something else.
She felt a pull towards the other woman that went deeper than Allie's looks. There was something about the woman's quiet confidence and strong bearing that Emily found hard to resist. And to be perfectly honest, she didn't want to.
She knew that when she fell, she fell hard. It had certainly been that way with her ex, which was why it hurt so badly when it ended. There had also been her brief flirtation with Sam. Thankfully, the young woman let her down easy before her feelings could get any stronger.
She knew she should be more cautious with Allie, but.
She smiled to herself ruefully as she finished that sentence in her head.
"But it's already too late."
She closed her eyes to enjoy the ocean breeze and soon drifted off.
Sometime later, she awoke to the sound of Allie announcing that they'd arrived. Emily blinked a few times as her mind attempted a slow reboot. It wasn't until she went to reach for her purse that she realized that her unconscious mind had allowed her hand to wander over to Allie's thigh.
"Muscular thigh," a part of her brain tried to correct before she shushed it.
Emily gave the other woman a dirty look because this was all her fault, after all. When she got one of Allie's endearing crooked smiles in return, her glare turned downright nasty.
But honestly, how dare she look so adorable while Emily was doing her best to be pissed.
Oh, of course, she knew that she as being a bit unreasonable, and maybe it wasn't Allie's fault that her subconscious wanted Allie to fuck her brains out.
"Just your subconscious," some traitorous part of her mind added.
Trying to regroup, she very belatedly removed her hand from Allie's leg, resolving not to do anything about these feelings until after a full night's sleep.
Unfortunately, fate, in the form of one Samantha Dean, had different plans for her evening.
Her resolve started to crack as soon as Allie opened her door and offered her a hand. This kind of chivalry had been severely lacking in her life of late. Once out of the car, Allie offered her arm. So despite her earlier annoyance, Emily graciously acceded to the chivalrous gesture, allowing Allie to guide her into the hotel. Emily was immediately charmed by the warmly lit hotel lobby. It reminded her of a hotel in Paris that her adopted parents had taken her on holiday. Her fond memories mixed with Allie's kind gesture got Emily to relax and just enjoy the moment.
Allie gave the woman standing behind the reception desk, the name Sam had chosen as her alias.
"Ah, Mrs., and Mrs. Clark. Congratulations on your recent nuptials. We've reserved the honeymoon suite for your stay," the woman said in Parisian accented English.
When Allie's stunned silence lasted a little too long, Emily smoothly stepped in.
"We couldn't be happier to be staying at your hotel for our honeymoon. It reminds me so much of the Hotel d'Aubusson in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It was were she proposed," Emily concluded, really getting into character.
"My parents own a chocolate shop on the Rue de Richelieu," the woman whose name tag said Rene responded.
Emily's eyes lit up as she reviewed the shops along Richelieu.
"Chocolat pécheur," Emily said, remembering why the young woman looked so familiar.
"You've been there?" Rene asked.
Allie wondered if Emily was even aware that she'd was no longer speaking English. While Allie's French was decent, if a little rusty, she had a hard time following the two women's rapid-fire conversation. From what she could pick up, they were discussing the relative strengths and weaknesses of Swiss and Belgian chocolates.
Allie gave the woman pretending to be her spouse and indulgent look that was only partially feigned. Despite the instant attraction she felt towards the other woman, Allie was worried that it was purely a physical thing. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but she wanted that spark; she felt to mean something deeper. Now seeing Emily speak with passion even on such an inane topic gave Allie hope that her instincts were correct.
Something in the way Allie was looking at her pretend wife must have caught Rene's attention, as the young woman quickly turned the conversation back to business.
"Your room, meals, and all incidentals are paid for, so all you need to do is enjoy our hotel," Rene said, handing over wristbands the hotel used as keycards.
"I'm afraid we won't see much of the hotel outside of our room for a few days," Emily said, sounding quite convincing to Allie's ears.
When Rene gave her supposed wife a conspiratorial wink, Allie felt her cheeks warm from an unexpected blush. She looked at her fake wife and got a smile so warm that Allie knew that it had to be genuine. When Emily took her arm, Allie suddenly felt like they were no longer playing pretend.
Allie opened the door to the suite, resisting the urge to carry her bride over the threshold. She thought she caught a look of disappointment as she held the door for Emily to enter first.
Emily wasn't really expecting Allie to carry her into their room, but it would have been nice to feel the woman's strong arms on her body. Whatever disappointment she may have felt was erased when she caught sight on once of the most romantic settings she'd ever encountered. The suite was softly lit with fresh cut flowers on just about every surface and beautifully set table for two sitting in the middle of the suite's living room. The soft grin on Allie's face made it clear that she was also affected by the intimate setting.
But when Emily's eyes fell on a particular flower, she could not help the laughter that escaped her mouth. She wanted to explain things to Allie, but the confused look on the other woman's face only added fuel to the fire.
When Emily's doubled over with laughter, Allie gave the pretty redhead an amused look.
"Ok, what's so funny?" Allie finally asked.
"Freesias!" Emily barked out between laughs.
"Fucking Feesias!"
"I'm guessing there is a story in there somewhere," Allie said, still sounding amused.
Once she got her laughter under control, Emily told Allie the story of how Miranda had demanded that a one-legged Emily remove every single Freesia from the hotel's grand ballroom during Paris Fashion Week."
When Allie didn't quite get why the situation was so funny, Emily broke out into laughter again.
"I guess you had to be there!?" Emily said as she laughed so hard that tears were now in her eyes.
"You have a good laugh," Allie said, causing the atmosphere to change.
"Most people believe that I'm incapable of experiencing humor, so no one tries to make me laugh."
"Their loss," Allie said.
The moment intensified when Emily looked up into Allie's dark, intense eyes.
Emily felt her breath quicken as Allie moved into her personal space. The brunette reached out and gently stroked Emily's cheek before saying, "Well, I'll have to give you a reason to laugh more often."
Emily leaned into the caress, unable to remember the last time she'd been treated with such tenderness. Despite Allie's pledge, the last thing Emily wanted to do right now was to laugh. In fact, there were several things she would rather do.
"or have her do to you," she a part of her mind added.
The rest of her wholeheartedly agreed.
But, before any of those things could happen, they were interrupted by a knock at the door. To her credit, Allie did not immediately withdraw her hand. Instead, she brushed Emily's cheek before saying, "I'll see who that is and get rid of them."
'Because they aren't as important to me as you.'
Even though that last part went unsaid, Emily heard it none the less.
She felt a little breathless, wondering what would happen when Allie returned.
Despite her promise, when Allie returned, she was not alone. She escorted in three waiters bearing gifts. The first waiter set the table for them while the other two laid out a platter full of fruits and cheeses, a bottle of expensive wine, two slices of a divine looking chocolate cake, and a carafe of what smelled like her favorite tea.
Seeing the items laid out before them, Emily narrowed her eyes, wondering how Sam had conscripted her mother into her little conspiracy. She shook her head at the unlikely duo's ham-handed matchmaking. Then she took a look around the suite and begrudgingly admitted that they had, in fact, created the perfect atmosphere for her and Allie to get to know each other.
Allie walked the men to the door then pulled Emily's chair out, allowing her to sit.
Next, she opened the bottle of wine and poured each of them a glass. While they ate from excellent cheese and fruit platter, Allie was the first to speak.
"I want you to know that while I am happy, we are where we are. I played no part in Sam's little scheme."
"Oh, I knew that from the moment Rene called us Mrs. and Mrs. Clark. You should have seen the look on your face," Emily said, unable to contain her laughter.
"I was just a little taken aback," Allie said a little defensively. But when she let out her own soft laugh, Emily could tell that the woman didn't take herself too seriously. Emily knew she had a reputation for being stuck up and aloof, but in reality she was neither of those things nor did she want those characteristics in a mate. As the conversation continued, Emily found that Allie's parents had done an excellent job raising their daughter to ignore the trappings of her station. Instead, she was raised with a sense of duty to her country and its people.
"It's why I joined the Royal Marines after their deaths," Allie said, and Emily could tell what it cost her to mention her parents' deaths. Emily wanted to show sympathy, but worried that her gesture would be mistaken for pity. She didn't pity Allie.
She admired her for turning tragedy into purpose.
"I never met your parents, but I imagine they would be proud to see what you've done with your life."
Allie couldn't speak for a moment as she digested Emily's words. On some level, she knew that her parents would be proud of her choices, but for some reason, hearing Emily say it brought tears to her eyes.
"Thank you for saying that," Allie finally managed unable to hide the emotion welling up in her throat.
Allie's willingness to express her emotions so freely and to accept comfort when offered left Emily with the strong desire to take the other woman into her arms and just hold her.
"Fuck it," Emily thought before walking to the other woman and pulling her into a hug. She felt Allie's arms around her as she held onto Emily like she was a life preserver.
The two just held each other until Allie's tears ran dry.
"I seldomly talk about my parents with anyone except Mia or our grandmother," Allie admitted.
Emily smiled at the other woman before saying, "I am honored that you felt comfortable enough to share with me."
As she held the other woman, she reflected how her ex had never been willing to be this open with her. It had been the undoing of their relationship. Well, that and the fact that the woman had been playing hide the salami with that fucking hockey player. She decided not to spend another moment thinking about she who must not be named. Instead, she chose to focus on the remarkably strong woman in her arms.
Eventually, the two women resumed their seats, and Emily took over the conversation, sensing that Allie needed a moment to recover.
She gave Allie a brief summary of her time in England. It wasn't that she didn't love her home country or her adoptive parents; she just felt like her current life began the day she first met Miranda.
Predictably the story got far more complicated as she described her time at Runway and her eventual discovery of her deeper connection to her boss. She went on to describe the fallout after Miranda's ouster from the magazine and finished by describing her frantic search for her mother.
It was Allie's turn to offer comfort stroking Emily's hand as she expressed her fears of not finding her mother alive. The gesture meant to be comforting, elicited another reaction as Emily felt herself become aroused. Emily was not big on the one night stand, and when she gave her heart, she gave it completely. So she needed Allie to know it all.
She told Allie the sad tale of the woman she'd loved, and she'd broken her heart.
When she described her ex's nearly successful attempt to seduce her into a threesome with her new husband, she could hear Allie whisper, "that bitch."
Finally, she told Allie how she'd sought comfort in the form of her boss Erica and the woman's secretary slash girlfriend.
To her credit, Emily saw no judgment in Allie's eyes, just compassion and something more profound. No one had ever looked at her that way before. Years later, she would think of this as the moment she fell in love with the woman who would go on to become her wife.
After that, the subjects became lighter as they enjoyed their chocolate cake and tea.
Emily didn't want this evening to end, but when she yawned for the third time, Allie intervened, saying, "We should probably get you to bed, princess."
Emily's sharp tongue was seconds from lashing out, thinking that the other woman was making fun of her somehow. The earnest and caring look on Allie's face caused her to swallow the barb. Allie gave her a curious look, obviously picking up on Emily's sudden change in mood.
Realizing that Allie was incapable of that kind of cruelty, Emily felt a sudden need to apologize for the unsaid barb.
"You are going to have to be patient with me. It happened earlier tonight and again just now. You said something in all earnestness that I mistakenly believed you said in jest.
Both times I managed to stop myself from saying something hurtful disguised as wit. I get that talent from my mother, whose words can cut to the bone.
I care about you, Allie, and I don't want to ruin whatever this thing between us could be. So please be patient with me when I speak faster than I can stop myself."
Allie gave Emily a warm, indulgent smile that spoke of a deep well of patience. Patience that Emily was afraid she would sorely test.
"Consider me warned, now come here," Allie said.
Emily melted when Allie enfolded her in her arms. She lowered her head onto Allie's broad shoulders, reveling in the other woman's comforting warmth.
They held onto each other swaying gently, perfectly content to share the same space, to breathe the same air, and to enjoy the start of something meaningful.
AN:
A bit of a shorter update, but I did promise that Emily would not be alone for long. I know that this is a change of pace from the action in the previous chapter, but a necessary one, in my opinion. The next chapter will pick up where we left Mia and Sam, and we will move one step closer to the Andy Miranda reunion. I know it's been a minute. Overall I would say the story is past the halfway point, but don't worry, there is still a lot more story to tell. I continue to appreciate all the great feedback that I've gotten on this story. It helps to keep going even on the days when writing is harder than I would like it to be. So thank you!