Gentle Reader,

The wine they drink is the same type that George, Duke of Clarance was drowned in in Shakespeare's Richard III. An accident on my part, but a fun fact none the less.

Please comment!

Love,

RobinDesBois

A Bottle of White

By the end of May, Lizzie was back to wearing heels, and William was trying to come up with an excuse to go back to their Italian restaurant.

Fortunately for him, Jane and Bing provided the perfect excuse for a celebration by calling them to announce their engagement. They called at the same time, Bing calling William and talking so fast that he had to be told to slow down, and Jane calling Lizzie, who only understood her sister through the happy tears because of years of practice.

Unfortunately for him, he knew Lizzie well enough to know that she would not want to get engaged at the same time as her sister. As close as they were, she would not want to intrude on Jane's moment, and she would want her own, as well. Though she probably wouldn't mind splitting her mother's attention.

Regardless of having to put his own plans on hold, William suggested they go out to celebrate, and Lizzie readily agreed.

Lizzie and William ordered a bottle of Malmsey Malvasia, which was a new one for both of them, to celebrate their friends. Lizzie selected a tortelli di zucca with a salad, William an agnolottini di fagiano with a side of roasted seasonal vegetables. Towards the bottom of their second bottle of Malmsey, William's hand found its way onto Lizzie's thigh, tracing a small pattern on her skirt. He was entranced by the way Lizzie's face lit up when talking about her sister's joy, and how much she was looking forward to helping her with the wedding. Even knowing it wasn't the right time to propose, Lizzie's happiness made him think again about the possibility of their own future. He could so easily imagine slipping her wedding band in place, so effortlessly visualize the sparkle in her eyes right before he kissed her, so simply see them dancing to an old Sinatra song that for a moment he forgot where he was.

"William? Can you hear me?"

"I apologize, Lizzie, what were you saying?" He shook himself out of the vision.

"I was wondering where Jane and Bing would get married, where were you? You looked like you were a thousand miles away." Lizzie reached up to run her fingers across his cheek.

"I was just...thinking about Jane and Bing." he lied, turning his head to press a soft kiss to her palm. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn't believe him, but wasn't going to question him about it.

"I didn't see anything on the menu sweeter than you," he answered, kissing her hand again. "Perhaps we should skip dessert and just go home?" he suggested, moving up her wrist.

"Mmmm, perhaps we should," she said as he slowly pressed his lips to her pulse point. He asked the waiter for the check while she ordered an Uber-this level of PDA was a sure sign from William that it would be best not to let him try to walk home.

On the ride home, he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her over to nibble on her earlobe. She laughed as she wound her arms around his neck, and tried to keep his focus above her collar bone as he worked his way down her neck to avoid making the driver unnecessarily uncomfortable.

When they got back into the apartment, his mouth slid from her neck to her shoulder, shifting the strap of her dress out of his way, while his hands slid down from her small waist to lift her legs around his hips. Lizzie wound her hands tightly into his dark hair, moaning as she felt his teeth against the skin of her shoulder.

When William reached the bedroom, he deposited Lizzie on the bed and knelt on the bed above her to remove his tie. She sat up and pulled the bottom of his shirt out of his trousers and began rapidly opening the buttons. He threw his tie on the ground and started working his way down the buttons. When they met in the middle, he threw the shirt in the same general direction as his tie. His eyes rolled back in pleasure as he felt her hot tongue run across his hips; he reached for the hem of Lizzie's now rumpled dress, and-with minimal assistance from her-tugged it over her head and threw it over his shoulder.

He returned again to her neck; now that they were audience free, he placed a quick bite to the side of her neck, gratified by the way her hips moved against him in response. Her hands slipped back into her hair and she locked her feet behind him, pulling his erection against her as he retraced his earlier path down her neck, this time dipping down to the top of the breast not covered by the white lace cup of her bra. He took his time there, carefully leaving a small mark below where he was fairly certain most of her clothing would hide it. After a few moments he looked up at Lizzie, her green eyes hazed over with lust that was just for him, and her fiery hair spread like a starburst across the sheets.

William was tempted to propose right then, and damn the story they would tell their kids and grandkids; he just wanted to ensure they would have moments like this for the rest of his life. Then she smiled up at him, and he knew he had to focus on what they were doing, and that it would be enough for tonight.

Lizzie used the hands in his hair to pull William down into a slow kiss, eventually unwinding one and running it slowly, teasingly down his chest to begin unclasping his pants. He slid his hand behind her to begin working at the clasp of her bra; when she released him from his pants, he pulled back to kick his shoes and his pants to the floor, and she made quick work of her bra. He slowly slid her white lace underwear down her legs, placing soft, wet kisses along her thighs as he did so. They removed his boxers together, and he gently brushed her hair out of her face before kissing her again.

"Lizzie," he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, William," she replied.

They took their time together that night; they made love like the night was never going to end and all they would ever need was each other. Maybe he didn't get his chance to propose that night, but that night, looking into each others' eyes and repeating whispered words and promises of love, they had their own forever. And it was more than enough; it was everything.