A/N: Many thanks for the reviews and follows/favorites last chapter. This is the longest chapter so far so enjoy!


Chapter Three

Emma's eyes fluttered open, greeted by a ray of sunlight that seeped through the curtains across the room. Quickly, she closed her eyes again, not giving them a chance to adjust to the brightness. In fact, she wanted to crawl into a dark hole. Her head wasn't hurting as much as it should have been, but the mess she made of herself the previous night was punishment enough. How did she even get back to the hotel?

Opening her eyes once more, she really took a moment to absorb her surroundings. The curtains weren't the right color – no, the carpet wasn't either. Alarm washed over Emma and quickly she sat up, tangled in the sheets. Across the room was Will, eating a muffin and sitting with a newspaper as if he could read it.

"Oh God." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Will's head snapped towards her direction, eyes wide.

"Did we…?"

"Yes." His expression was serious.

Her face suddenly went pale and she shook her head frantically. "We slept together?"

"Only in the literal sense." His face broke into a grin as he chuckled lowly, putting his paper down. "There aren't any couches in here, but don't worry, I kept to my side of the bed. And before you start freaking out, Shannon knows you're here."

She visibly relaxed, the color coming back to her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, she ran her hands through her hair and sighed. This was a disaster. Looking down, she found herself wearing a large t shirt and it definitely wasn't hers. Then it dawned on her that the only things she was wearing from yesterday were her undergarments.

"And did you undress me?"

Will shrugged. "Your clothes looked uncomfortable to sleep in."

Standing up, he grabbed a tray of pancakes and eggs and began to walk towards her. He wore loose pajama bottoms and a thin grey t shirt. Emma began to twiddle her thumbs mindlessly, in deep thought. Her withdraw was broken as he climbed onto the bed next to her, placing the tray over her lap. Will searched her face to get some idea of what she was thinking and furrowed his brow.

"What is it?"

Emma shook her head. "I'm confused. When we first met, you were actually really sweet – going through all that trouble just to find me, but when we had coffee you barely paid attention! Then you proceed to get me drunk, and now all of a sudden you're worried about whether I'm comfortable or not?"

Will sat on his knees in silence.

"What's your angle?" Her voice raised in pitch.

If she hadn't been so accusing, Will might have actually laughed at the way her hands flailed in the air vividly. Why couldn't she just accept his decency? He was a lot more patient than what he should have been and maybe it was time to be a lot more honest. Leaning forward, his expression darkened.

"My angle?" Will growled in frustration. "Did you want me to take advantage of you? Because quite frankly - yes, I would like to have sex with you."

He slid his fingers through his curly mop in frustration.

"And it was damn hard keeping my hands off of you, but I was too concerned for your well-being to be that selfish, so I restrained okay?" His voice had trailed off into a whisper.

Emma's breath caught in her throat at his admission. Nowhere in her mind did she expect him to actually tell her the truth. And honestly, she couldn't handle it. Suddenly, her temper flared - all he wanted was sex?

"Is that all you want?" Her gaze bore into his with vigor.

Will shook his head. "Maybe. I won't disrespect you though, so if it's not what you want then - " He held his hands up in defeat, " - I'll give you space."

"Quite the gentleman," Emma countered sardonically. "I'm surprised you aren't married."

His body tensed. Will closed his eyes as if pained and let his head fall. What could she possibly know? Quickly, he changed the subject, making sure to appear unaffected by her words.

"Your food is going to get cold," he said in a mumble.

Ignoring his mercurialness, she looked down at her tray and sighed, "I'm not exactly hungry anymore. I usually just buy coffee every morning anyway."

Instead of fighting back, Will crawled off the bed and ambled towards his bag with annoyance. Emma watched as he rummaged through his belongings, returning with two tablets. She held out her hands and accepted them humbly.

"I'm sure you have a headache - these will definitely help."

In that moment, her anger subsided and she whispered a 'thank you.' His expression softened as he watched her. Emma took a large sip of her orange juice and swallowed, making sure to avoid eye contact. Why did he disconnect from her suddenly? Deflated, he turned so his back faced her and headed towards the window, opening the curtains. Light came in the room, consuming everything.

Biting her lip, Emma spat out in the silence, "Why did you get so… defeated when I, um, made that joke about you being married?"

Will's head shot up at her voice, "I didn't get defeated." The words seemed to tumble from his mouth with little conviction.

"Yes you did," she retorted quietly before moving the tray from her lap and sliding out of bed.

Crossing his arms, he stared out the window pensively. He wouldn't let her curiosity break through to him. Emma approached him delicately – that's how she was going to handle the situation. If they were going to get closer, she couldn't let whatever this was hang in the air between them.

"Tell me what happened." She prompted him softly.

"There's nothing to tell."

"Were you married before?"

"No." He answered quickly.

Emma looked at his reflection in the window. His expression was passive and she decided in that moment that a closed off Will was not someone she wanted to get used to – at this point, even jerky Will would be better. Wrapping her arms around her middle, Emma stood next to him as a silent plea. Out in the distance, the Eiffel Tower caught her eye, shining like a beacon of light. Maybe they'd get to go there together.

"I don't know why you're so concerned." Will acknowledged with a slight smile which quickly faded away. "No, I wasn't married. There was a time where I wanted to be, though."

He shifted where he stood, obviously uncomfortable. Unable to ignore the sympathy she had for him, Emma decided not press the unanswered question any further.

"You don't seem like the type for relationships."

"I'm not." He replied honestly. "I think you know that by now, Em."

It was a subtle warning that Emma caught but chose to ignore. However, she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Would she ever become more than just an object of his desires?

"What do we do now?"

"I don't know, Emma. What do you want?"

Will tilted his head to the side and turned to face her. He itched to touch her all morning and now he felt like he could. Tentatively, he stroked her cheek and she stared up at him wide eyed. If only her stare told him everything – then he'd feel content. Did Emma want him as much as he wanted her? He would make her if he had too.

Emma let out a shaky breath. "I need time." She bit her bottom lip before continuing with uncertainty. "To think about what I want."

He stared at her lips and rested his hands on her waist.

"You kissed me last night, Emma." Will reminded her vaingloriously. "Do you remember that?"

She flushed far deeper than her skin. The night before was mostly a blur and she silently cursed herself for being so careless. Closing her eyes, Emma ran through everything that happened. There were drinks, there was dancing – oh yes, now she remembered, but what was it like? As if Will could read her thoughts, he began to whisper with mirth.

"It was something like this…"

Her eyes shot open as his lips brushed hers and they closed just as quickly. His muscles flexed beneath her as she held onto his upper arms for support, standing on her toes to bring them closer. Her bottom lip got caught between his teeth gently before he pulled away, leaving her aching for more.

"I think you'll have to remember the rest on your own, sweets."

His voice sounded young and peaceful, leaving Emma feeling nothing more than a frustrated child. Falling back on her heels, she released him reluctantly. He was certainly back to normal.

Will smirked, "I'm gonna take a shower now." And then noticeably, he looked her up and down. "My shirt looks great on you by the way."

Ceasing any comment she could make, he winked and planted a kiss on her cheek, before heading towards the bathroom. She gaped as he slid his shirt over his head, making his sculpted back visible. It reminded her of a Greek statue. He stretched before entering the bathroom, shutting the door behind him and she stood alone. Emma longed for the day that she could wake up in his bedroom again, but under far different circumstances. If Will was going to have his wicked way, she'd have her way too.

x

Will stared at his reflection in the water and sighed deeply. Not hearing from Emma for a week had bothered him more than it should have and he hated himself for being so infatuated. Why hadn't she called? He gave her time and he definitely gave her space. And if he was being honest with himself, he hadn't been this frustrated in a while - or lonely. Burying his face in his hands, Will taped his foot on the bridge benath him anxiously.

She was sure she had feelings her him - deep feelings that were imposible to ignore. Never could she have imagined herself falling for someone like Will. Even his most imperious traits were charming in a very autocratic way that made him all the more enitcing. Emma knew however, that under that rough outer exterior was a man with benevolence that could offer her so much more than he would be willing to admit. Could she break through? Only if he felt as deeply for her as she felt for him.

"You've been out of it for the past week, Em." Shannon pointed out with concern that spoke volumes. "Why haven't you called him?"

Emma was thankful for her interference, unsure of exactly how long she had been sliding her hand acrross this abstract statue at the Louvre Museum. Her mind had been drifting lately - to a man with gorgeous curly hair that she still hadn't gotten the oppurtunity touch, along with the rest of his body.

"I can't."

She meant what she said. If he really missed her, he would call. Emma couldn't help a familiar feeling of insecurity fall over her. What if he had found someone else and moved on? No, she surely meant something to him - even if just a little. Otherwise he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble the other night to make sure she was okay.

"It's obvious that Will's crazy about you. He's probably just shaking in his cowboy boots." Shannon suggested with mirth.

He was far too experienced for that. Trying to stiffle laughter, a buzzing in her front pocket caught her attention. Pulling her phone out, Emma recognized the name on the screen. Her restraint lost to a battle of simply wanting with transformed to needing him and tentively, she answered the call.

"Emma." He breathed through the phone. "How are you?"

"I'm okay." She answered quietly, relief washing over her face.

She heard Will sigh before he spoke again, this time with less confidence.

"Can I meet you somewhere?"

Looking at Shannon, she received a nod of approval and gripped the phone a little tighter. The rest would be up to fate.

Two hours later, Emma found herself being pushed roughly against the outside of a bright building, somewhere on the lone, cobblestone streets of Paris. Will placed his hands on either side, pinning her to the surface behind them with his hips. He began to assult her face with a flury of kisses, melting on her skin like snowflakes. She flushed beneath his touch, completely thrown off. Will took a moment to let her appearence sink in and Emma glowed under the precious moonlight, illuminating her beautiful face.

He kissed her deeply then, letting all the longing and emotions he couldn't name but feel overflow from withtin. She reciprocated the kiss passionately, standing idly by as a flood of feelings began to reach the surface. Once they broke apart, he lowered his lips to suck on her neck gently and buried himself, wishing he could do this everywhere. He mumbled incoherent thoughts aloud, worshiping.

"God, I missed you Emma."

Throwing her head back in contempt despite the massive display of affection, she sighed before moving her hands to rest on his strong chest, pushing him away slightly.

"Wait."

It was a command, but seeing Emma's hair so disheleved in front of him because his desire, Will wanted to break all the rules. Keeping his hands in place, Will pulled away reluctantly and licked his lips. After a more than unwelcomed silence, he raised an eyebrow curiously.

Emma continued to breathe heavily. "I'm not really prepared for any of this - you were just some guy I met at a bookshop. And if anything is going to happen, I want to take whatever we have... slowly."

"Slowly?" His features were etched with confusion and he chuckled with dismay. "We only have two weeks left."

"I know, I know."

The words escaped from her lips from some place out of mind and her heart took over. Emma stared into his hazel eyes anxiously, lost to the point of no return. He closed his eyes as if in agony and her stomach plummeted at the sight.

"I don't think a relationship is a good idea." Each syllable hung in the air with more doubt than the previous one and he felt lost - this was not the plan. Then suddenly it clicked. If there was anyone out there that could change his facade, Emma Pillsbury would be the exception. She saw that he was distaught and quickly tried to fix the damage.

"I can't give myself to you if you won't try - but I really want to." She wanted him so badly and had to try her hardest to keep the tears that were threatining to fall at bay.

"Please, Will."

His breath hitched in his throat. With hesitation, he slid his hands down the wall and found hers with ador. Their fingers intertwined and for the first time she had held his hand. Pulling them to rest inbetween their bodies, Will held on with a devotion unbenknownest to the both of them. Under these stars, he'd do anything to be close to her. That's how much he wanted it.

"Are you sure what you want, Em?"

Slowly, his forehead came to rest on Emma's and her breath tickled his skin in the most wonderful way. Emma felt herself finally relax with content and nodded against him. In that moment, the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily, and Will looked into her eyes with a new found affection. And with one, he managed to erase a multitude of uncertainty.

"Only for you, Emma." He smiled. "I'll try."