Author's note: This chapter may be closer to a mature rating.
They walked hand in hand back to the dining room and paid their bill before slowly making their way up the stairs to their room. Once inside, he locked the door and turned to see her staring back at him with hungry eyes. He advanced toward her, peeling his shirt off in the process. Without a word she turned away from him and his fingers found the zipper of her dress, pulling it down slowly, pushing away just enough fabric to plant several kisses across her back. She reached up, taking the dress first in one hand, then in the other, and shimmying out of the wet fabric. Before she could turn back around to face him, his lips were on her again, gently sucking on the spot behind her ear...the one he knew drove her crazy. His hands reached around her body, landing on her abdomen and pulling her against him. She ran her hands over his forearms as he held her in place. He was in no hurry tonight, and to be honest, nights like these were her favorite.
He loosened his grip in order to work on his belt buckle, giving her the chance to turn around and face him. She watched his expression as he unfastened his belt and pants, letting them fall to the ground. She let her hands find the waistband of his boxer briefs, running her fingers gently along the edges before pulling them down as well. He reached for her, unclasping her bra as she slid her panties off.
Both of them were still soaked, so she quietly walked to the bathroom and grabbed a towel. When she returned, she wrapped it around him first, running it up and down his body before drying herself. Dropping it next to their discarded clothes, she took a step toward him, placing her left hand on his chest. She examined the ring on her finger, letting a smile stretch across her face. It was small, simple, but beautiful. He knew she wouldn't want something large and extravagant. But beyond the ring itself was the promise it held. She had waited a lifetime for him, and now he was asking her for forever.
He rested his forehead against hers, looking down at her hand, feeling his heart beating against her. "It looks good on your finger," he said, bringing his hands to rest on her hips. "Do you like it?" She slid both hands up to wrap around his neck, planting a kiss on his bottom lip. "It's perfect," she said. "You are perfect," he whispered before capturing her lips firmly with his own, his tongue gently exploring her mouth. "Elliot," she breathed, reveling in the feel of his kiss.
Slowly, he guided her back onto the bed. She sat, pulling him down with her. Carefully lowering himself over her, he brushed her hair away from her face. The moonlight flooded through the open window, and it reminded him of that very first time on the deck at the lake house. He felt the smile spread across his face as he stared down at her, memorizing the way she looked at that moment. Time stopped when he looked at her like this...like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She dragged her hands down his back, lightly teasing him with her nails to get his attention. "What are you thinking?" she asked. "I'm just trying to take it all in," he said. His eyes remained locked on hers, and she felt so damn lucky to be the woman he looked at like that. Reaching between their bodies, she wrapped her hand gently around him. "Me too," she said with a wink. His mouth captured hers again, kissing her painstakingly slowly. "Elliot," she breathed, certain she would never tire of his kiss.
She wrapped her legs around him and the distance between them disappeared. His body was flush against hers and his lips moved across her collarbone, nipping gently before darting his tongue out to soothe her skin. He took his time working his way down her body, stopping to give every inch of her the attention he felt it deserved. Every move he made was slow and deliberate, and she wasn't sure how much more she could take. "El, please…" a sharp intake of breath rendered her momentarily speechless as his lips found her inner thigh. "...I need you." He quietly granted her request, his lips migrating to where she ached for him. Her back arched and her fingers ran restlessly through his hair. As he worked, he felt himself growing painfully more aroused. He brought her to the edge, to the point where she was ready to come undone, and then he moved again. He ran his hands up her body, stopping to knead her breasts gently as her hands grabbed his ass, lining him up and grinding against him. She moaned when he ran his tongue over her nipple, the sound of her gratification causing him to throb. "Liv...I love you," he whispered into her ear as he entered her.
"El...oh God...right there," she said breathlessly. No one had ever satisfied her the way he did. She met him thrust for thrust, marveling at the way they fit together so perfectly. Aching for release, she looked into the ocean of his eyes and saw everything she had ever wanted reflected back at her and suddenly, a wave of pleasure washed over them both.
Elliot was an early riser. Typically he was back from his run and in the shower before she had even stirred. This morning, however, she awoke first. The first rays of sunlight were peaking through the open window and the smell of salt water drifted in on a breeze. She was facing away from him and he was holding her, his chest pressed against her back. She resolved to stay as still as possible...to enjoy this moment a little longer. Starting at her feet, she made a mental checklist of all the places she could feel him. Her favorite was the way his left arm was tucked under his pillow and his right was draped over her. For years she had spent a majority of her nights sleeping alone, and when she pulled the covers tightly around her, more often than not it was his arms she imagined wrapped around her.
And now here he was, his arms wrapped firmly around her body, and she couldn't remember ever feeling more safe or more loved. She felt him move behind her pushing himself up against her even more. She could feel him hard against her and with a smile she pushed back gently, The friction causing a small moan to escape him. "Good morning," he said, his voice low and raspy with sleep. "Mmmm," she hummed as she turned to face him. "It's always a good morning when I wake up next to you."
He let his eyes travel over her before finding her brown eyes looking back at him. As absolutely gorgeous as her body was, it was her eyes that were his absolute favorite part of her. No matter how they both had changed with age, those eyes held every memory of their past and promise of their future. "Ready to wake up next to me every morning?" he asked as he nuzzled his face against her cheek. "Sounds like a dream come true,'' she responded.
"Are you hungry?" he asked. "We can get dressed and go down to the dining room...or we can just order room service and stay here." He made a show of wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and she laughed out loud. "Hmmmm…get dressed and go downstairs, or stay in this bed naked with you...decisions, decisions." He gave her a quick peck on the lips before grabbing his phone and calling the front desk. Ten minutes later there was a knock at the door - scrambled eggs and french toast for them both, a fruit cup for her (because she would say she wanted to eat healthy), and two orders of bacon (because he knew she would end up stealing some of his). They ate in comfortable silence, stealing food from each other's plate and glances between bites.
"Do we really have to leave?" she asked, laying her head on his chest. Fingers raked through the hair on his chest and her dark, sunkissed waves. "As much as I'd like to say no, I'm pretty sure the B & B might frown upon us staying indefinitely." She sighed. "El, this weekend was perfect. I just want to stay in this moment with you." "Me too," he said, "but I guess the sooner we get home, the sooner we earn another getaway."
An hour later they checked out and headed back toward the city. She was sad to say goodbye to the beach, but looking down at her finger and then at him made up for the loss of sand and sun. They hadn't been on the road long when she suddenly realized she would have to tell Noah. He and Eli had become very close, and she knew both were supportive of their relationship, but this would be a big change. "Hey El? Have you thought about how you are going to tell Eli?" He glanced at her, then back at the road. "Actually, he already knows. At least he knew that was my plan for this weekend. In fact...he helped me pick out your ring." She stared back at him, not sure what to say. "He did?" was all she managed. He smiled back at her. "I had it narrowed down to two rings. When I went to make the final decision, Eli came with me. He looked at both, pointed at the one on your finger and said, "This one, Dad. It's simple but elegant...just like her."
A tear rolled down her cheek as she imagined the two of them picking out her ring together. "He really said that?" she whispered. He nodded, taking his eyes off the road just long enough to wipe the tear away from her cheek. "Liv, I'm not the only one who loves you. And that made the decision to ask you to marry me so much easier. As for Noah, if you want to tell him alone I completely understand. But if you want me to be there, I will."
She thought for a moment, then took his hand in hers. "From here on out, we do things together."