Will slept badly that night after he dropped Elizabeth off at her house. He couldn't think of anything but her and after sleeping restlessly, his bed clothes were tangled and strewn all over the place.

He was tired and in a bad mood when he and Georgie picked up Elizabeth. He didn't speak to either of them on the way to the high school. As they got out of the car he barked, "I will pick you both up right here after school, don't be late."

Lizzie glared at him with disgust and wanted tell him what she really thought of him but remembered that he had her car in his garage and just threw a malicious look his way and said, "Yes sir, Mr. Darcy." There was a wicked glint in her eyes as she said when she left, "Hey dude, you really need to get laid." She threw him an insolent smile as she stalked off to class without a backward glance.

Darcy was stunned that she had said that to him and couldn't help but give her a begrudging smile as he watched appreciatively as she moved into the corridors. She would always keep me on my toes. But she probably wouldn't be saying things like that to him if she only knew what he wanted to do with her; he closed his eyes briefly as his fantasies took on a life of their own. Damn, Darcy stop thinking about her like that she's only 17 just a kid like Georgie. No she's nothing like his little sister and he definitely did not think of her as a sister.

When he got to his office at the winery, Charles Bingley was there to go over the business that needed to be discussed. Bingley gave up trying to get his bosses attention when Darcy kept muttering distractedly at him.

"Will, what's bothering you?"

"Charles, do you remember Elizabeth Bennet?"

"Oh yeah, her father is Thomas Bennet from Accounting." Bingley answered Darcy before adding, "I also know her sister Jane, who also works for the company."

"Do you remember the Christmas party a couple years ago?" Charles nodded, "Did I do something that would make Elizabeth mad at me?"

"Well yeah." Bingley looking at him with incredulity, "Wait, you don't remember what you said about her?" Bingley laughed, "But I guess if I said something like that, I wouldn't want to remember it either."

"Charles, stop playing with me and tell me what I said to her, this is really important." Darcy pleaded with his friend.

"It was two years and we were standing together and Mr. Bennet brought over his daughter to introduce to us."

****

"Miss Bennet, it's so nice to meet you, your father brags about you all the time." Bingley told her as he flicked his eyes toward her father. He saw Elizabeth blush slightly at the compliment.

"I can assure you, none of the praise has been exaggerated." Darcy smiled at her as his eyes roamed appreciatively over her slight frame with its beautiful curves.

"Excuse me, Miss Bennet," Charles motioned toward his boss, "This gentleman is William Darcy the CEO of Pemberly Wineries."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Darcy." Her voice had a pleasing quality and Darcy found himself drawn to her.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Bennet." He glanced at her father, "I envy your father, as he has the prettiest date in the room."

"I thank you for the compliment but I know that's not the truth."

"If that is what you think than you didn't look in a mirror before you left home Elizabeth." He loved the way her name rolled off his lips. "Any man would be happy to have you on his arm tonight."

Elizabeth laughed, "You'll have to excuse me Mr. Darcy but the manure you're shoveling is getting a little deep over here."

He laughed as he watched this enchanting woman walk away and he profoundly regretted losing her refreshing presence.

"Darcy are you okay?" Bingley asked him.

"Yes, of course I am." Will whistled, "That woman is gorgeous and I've got to get her number."

"Will, are you out of your mind that girl is only 16?"

"What." Darcy shot an unbelieving look at Charles. "That can't be true; she looks a lot older than that, at least 18."

"I can assure you that Elizabeth Bennet is only 16, she's a sophomore in high school for goodness sake."

As if in a fog, Will just left the room and walked upstairs to his bedroom. He sat on the bed and leaned over with his head in his hands not quite able to contemplate what had just happened. The woman he had been longing for all of his life had walked in the door and she was a 16 year old girl.

He didn't know how long he had been there before Bingley came to get him.

"Will, people are asking for you, please come back down"

When he got downstairs, Darcy saw that the dancing had started. His eyes found Elizabeth immediately and couldn't help watching her as she danced with her father.

He went through much of the night on auto-pilot and watched as Elizabeth Bennet danced with one man and another. His heart tightened and felt the knot of jealousy rise in his throat, he wanted to be the one dancing with her.

"Will, you really should dance at least once, it's expected of you." He followed Darcy's gaze and saw Elizabeth sitting at a nearby table by herself. "You could even dance with her." It was as though Bingley had read his thoughts.

"What, Elizabeth Bennet." Darcy dragged his eyes away from her and he protested a little too loudly, "No she's not my type and she's not pretty enough for me, plus she's a child and I'm no cradle-robber."

"It's just a dance, Darcy." Bingley said, "Just a dance."

"No, I can't," Will said quietly, "You just don't understand."

Will chanced a glance to look at Elizabeth but she was gone and he was devastated.

****

"I'm pretty sure she heard what you said." Charles felt sorry for his boss.

"God no," Darcy laid his head on his desk with his arms over his head, "What did I do to her? I didn't even mean what I said."

"I never thought it was true."

"I don't even remember saying that about her."

"I would have blocked it out too."

"I couldn't dance with her because I was afraid that I might lose control. I was incredibly attracted to her and she was young, my response would have only scared her."

Charles Bingley exited the room to leave his boss and friend to work through his grief.

Will Darcy didn't know how he got through the rest of the day. When it was time to pick up Georgie and Elizabeth, he left the office and drove to the school but he felt defeated.

When they got to the car, Georgie said, "Elizabeth you take the front seat, I can sit in back."

When they arrived at the Darcy's house, Georgie took Elizabeth upstairs and they listened to music for a few hours while they did homework and chatted.

Will was restless and paced through the house. He wanted to go to her, explain and beg her forgiveness. The problem was that she was still underage, still a child. How could he handle that when all he wanted to do is take her in his arms and make love to her?

Elizabeth found him in his study, desperately trying to catch up on the work he had neglected today. When he heard a knock on the open door, his heart felt lighter and he smiled at her, "I'm leaving so I need to get my car."

He closed his eyes with disappointment and sighed for a moment before he got the keys and walked her to the garage and opened the door.

She said good-bye, got in her car and drove down the driveway. He watched her car until it disappeared and then he walked slowly into the house.

He went up to Georgie's room and asked her about her day. "You know nobody even talked about the e-mail because Lizzie made sure that everyone knew that I was her friend." She sighed, "It was like it never happened, except that now I have Lizzie as a friend. Do you know, we had lunch together and she told me all about her family especially her sisters."

Will smiled at her affectionately, "So it was a good day."

"Yeah, it was great."

"How were your classes?"

"Okay, I guess. I don't remember, there was nothing special."

"Goodnight Munchkin." He kissed the top of her head and closed her door.

Will didn't know if he could get Elizabeth to forgive him but he knew he was going to do his best to win her heart and he would start as soon as he found out when she was going to be 18. With his decision made he actually slept that night.

The first thing he did when he got to the office the next day was to find the companies health insurance policy. He had realized sometime during the night that the health insurance policy had a record of all birth dates for every employee and their dependents. When he found the name Thomas Bennet, he scanned the dependents and there it was, Elizabeth Bennet and her birthday was November 26 just a couple weeks away. Darcy sighed with relief.

Bingley wandered into his office and noticed the difference in Darcy's demeanor right away, "You're in a good mood today."

Will explained what he had found out and Bingley said, "So do you know how you're are going to win her?"

"I'm working on it." That was all Will would tell him.

The next couple of weeks were the longest in Will Darcy's life. He saw Elizabeth almost every day when she would bring Georgie home from school and they would hang out for a few hours. Georgie was flourishing with Elizabeth's friendship. But it tortured Will to see her and not be able to do anything about his feelings. He kept telling himself that he just had to be patient

By the time Elizabeth's birthday arrived, Will's patience was hanging on by a thread.

He wanted to surprise Elizabeth by taking her dancing on her birthday. To make sure that his plan worked he called the Bennet house and got permission from Mrs. Bennet. She had actually been quite accommodating when she found out who he was.

In the spirit of romance, he had arranged for a dozen red roses to be sent to Elizabeth at school and he wrote a note.

Elizabeth,

Your parents have already given their blessing and I will be taking you out to dinner for your birthday. Wear something comfortable and dancing shoes. I will pick you up at 7:00.

Yours

Will Darcy

Elizabeth was horrified and embarrassed when she received the roses at lunch. But when she read his note she was furious.

She located Georgie and told her, "I need to get your brothers cell number."

Georgie was excited, "I just knew you two would be perfect for each other."

Elizabeth ignored this and left to find some privacy, she dialed the number, "Will Darcy." He answered.

"You are an egotistical, arrogant ass and I'm not going anywhere with you." She didn't give him the chance to say anything before she hung up on him.

She turned her phone off and stalked off to her next class.

Will was shocked when Elizabeth called and tried to reach her for the rest of the day but either her phone was off or she was ignoring his calls. He decided to drive to the school to talk to her but he never found her. There was no doubt about it, Elizabeth was avoiding him.

When she got home, Mrs. Bennet who was waiting for her said, "I couldn't believe it when Mr. Darcy called and asked for permission to take you out tonight." She looked at her daughter, "Are you excited?"

"No." Elizabeth replied as she glowered at her mother, "I called him and told him that I wasn't going anywhere with him."

"Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy is your father's boss, so go put on the new dress I bought for you. I laid it out on your bed then call Mr. Darcy back and tell him you are sorry and that you will be delighted to go out with him tonight."

"I will not."

"Tom, tell your daughter that she is going out with Mr. Darcy."

"Daddy…"

Mr. Bennet cut her off before she could continue, "I'm afraid that you will have to go out with him, Lizzie."

Sighing, Lizzie went to her room, turned on her cell phone, ignored all of the voice mails and called Darcy. When he answered, she said grudgingly, "I'll be ready at 7:00." She hung up and closed the phone and laid back on her bed in misery.

When Darcy arrived to pick her up, she answered the door. She looked stunning in a simple green dress that clung to the curves of her body enticingly.

Before Lizzie could leave with him, Mrs. Bennet appeared at the door and pointed out how beautiful Elizabeth looked and Will couldn't help but agree, "She looks lovely tonight."

Mrs. Bennet told her daughter, "Make sure that you are on your best behavior and do everything that Mr. Darcy tells you."

Will could hardly suppress a laugh and Elizabeth threw a glaring look in his direction.

"You can keep her out as long as you want, Mr. Darcy." Mrs. Bennet told him, "We trust you and it is Friday night and such a special night, too."

Will put his arm around Elizabeth's shoulder and walked her to his car and she saw he had brought the sports car.

"So what made you change your mind?"

"I didn't." Her response was perfunctory.

"Then why did you agree to come with me tonight?"

"I didn't have a choice." She said flatly and motioned to her house where Mrs. Bennet was spying out the window.

"Do you still think I'm an egotistical, arrogant ass?" He smiled at her.

"Yes."

Good Lord, this wasn't going as he planned but he had to turn it around.

"Well, let's hope that my head fits through the car door then."

A small laugh escaped from Elizabeth. Well, that's a start. He helped her into the car, went to the driver's side and took his seat.

He had chosen to take Elizabeth to a fine dining restaurant that would have dancing later in the evening. As they were waiting for their dinner they had a pleasant conversation about, books, music and Georgie.

Elizabeth was surprised to learn that Darcy liked a lot of the same books that she did. Also, he even liked the music she liked. Their conversation turned to what classes she was taking while he questioned and challenged her thoughts on each subject.

When the music started, he led her onto the floor and they danced a waltz. Both of them danced well and Will was thrilled to find out how well they fit together. He loved the feel of her body against his as they moved around the dance floor.

During the course of the evening, Will romanced Elizabeth and was incredibly attentive. He hoped that she could begin to forgive him and that he could make a start to capture her heart.

They danced a few more times during the evening and Darcy couldn't help but notice that she was the object of other men's admiration. As they moved to leave, he put his arm around her waist and possessively led her out to his car. He helped her in and climbed into the driver's seat.

He stopped the car at a local park and she asked, "What are we doing here?"

"I thought it would be good to take a walk and work off our meal." He helped her out of the car and with a smile led her onto one of the paved paths. As she looked up, she noticed that all of the trees along the path were lined with twinkle lights and it was incredibly beautiful.

She looked up and saw that he was smiling down at her, "I guess you arranged all of this?"

He smiled with delight that he had been able to surprise her. Will pulled his jacket off and put it around her shoulders. "I don't want you to get cold."

They walked in silence for a while before Darcy pulled Elizabeth close to him and kissed her gently while his tongue was seeking entrance through her lips. She refused to allow him to deepen the kiss.

"Happy Birthday, Darling." He whispered to her as he presented her with a gift box.

She opened the box and picked up a beautiful emerald bracelet. "I can't accept this."

"I want you to have it; I had it made especially for you." His voice was husky as he ran his fingers across her lips, "It's not every day you turn 18, please let give you this small token of my admiration."

She sighed and nodded her head in consent; he took her wrist in his hand and clipped the bracelet on her. He lifted the hand to his lips and placed a kiss along the back. He looked into her eyes and saw a fleeting light shine in their depths and heard a small intake of breath.

With a growl of pleasure, he kissed the hollow of her neck while his hands were moving along the curve of her breast. He persuaded her lips apart and with a sigh took possession of her mouth with his and passionately deepened the kiss.

With a gasp, she pushed him away and stepped back from him.

He caught her hands while he teased her, "I remember distinctly your mother telling you to be on your best behavior and to do anything I asked you to do. You don't want me to call your mother and tell you are not obeying me." He pulled his cell phone out in a mock threat and to his great joy, she laughed.

"I would actually like to hear that conversation." She adopted a forced baritone, "Mrs. Bennet, this is Will Darcy and I'm calling you because Elizabeth is refusing to make out with me."

With a laugh Will said, "Making out, is that what you call it. I just call it loving you."

Elizabeth's eyes flashed, "Well, if you want to 'love' someone like that, you're going to have to find one of your blonde, air-headed bimbos."

"If I wanted one of those, I wouldn't be here with you." Will countered, "You don't have to be jealous you're the only one I want."

"I am not jealous."

He bent his head, kissed her and without any intention to do so, she wound her arms around his neck, she ran her fingers through his hair and he embraced her tighter with a moan and drank of her lips with a passionate kiss.

He reluctantly pulled his head back and she slid out of his arms, "I'd better take you home before I completely lose control."

He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him as they walked back to the car.

The drive to her house took no time at all and when he had walked her to the front porch, Will took her face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers and she opened her lips while his tongue sought the depths of her mouth.

In a voice dark with passion, Will asked her to allow him to see her the following day. She refused and told him she already had a date.

With angry jealousy, he insisted that she call and break the date, "You're my girlfriend and I will not allow you to go out with other men."

Her eyes blazed with anger, "In what twisted world am I your girlfriend because I was forced to go out on one date with you." She was full of angry wrath and spat out, "I will not break a date just because you tell me to."

Will was too stunned by her sudden rush of anger to say a word.

Lizzie saw a movement from the window and saw her mother and younger sisters watching them. She suddenly realized that she didn't have much choice. All her anger was released and she felt overwhelmed, "Okay, I'll call and tell him I can't go out with him."

Will was confused by the sudden change of mood but he rushed to agree, "I'll pick you up in the morning and we'll make a day of it."

After she had made her escape from her mother, Lizzie lay awake in her bed. In fact, Mrs. Bennet had insisted she go to bed early so that could get 'her beauty sleep'. Her mother insisted that she look her very best for Mr. Darcy tomorrow.She turned over on her side in disgust. Why did Will Darcy have such a power over her? She hated him but her traitorous body had melted with his kisses and she longed for his touch. She was so angry that tears started down her face as she cried herself to sleep.