by Shawn Wall
His fingers slid to her hips and released the last two ties. Then, in almost the same instant, he cradled her in his arms and laid her across the four poster bed. She watched him undress in anticipation. Speechless in the moment, she didn’t care if he only wanted sex. She’d pretend his feelings were the same in this moment. She wouldn’t dare ruin it. She was far too selfish for that. They said few words for hours, only whispering one another’s name in the heat of passion.
She awoke in his arms in the now-setting sun. They had spent the remainder of the day in bed, not wasting it in her opinion. Then, his lips gently kissed the back of her left shoulder.
“Are you hungry? It looks like we missed lunch.”
“I could eat.”
She dared not ask what the last few hours meant to him. It was everything to her. The chemistry between them was undeniable. That had always been true. She had yearned for his touch. The thirst was not quenched, and without a doubt, she knew he would have to make love to her all night to accomplish that. Seth kissed her lips and was out of bed in a flash. Then, he pulled on his shorts and headed downstairs. She was almost in physical pain without him and wondered if this was the last time she would feel his touch. Her cheeks felt hot as tears came to her eyes. Reluctantly, she made her way to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. I won’t let him see me breakdown.
Suzanne gasped when she looked in the mirror, not at her naked body, but her left hand. On her ring finger was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The band was white gold, a one carat Marquise diamond in the center, flanked on each side by a half-carat. She moved her hand back and forth in the light, watching the ring sparkle and admiring its splendor against her skin. What was going on? How confused could she be? Was she wrong about the signals he was giving off? She slipped on the closest garments she could find, her tiny camisole and night shorts, and then rushed down the stairs.
“Seth. What is going on?”
He was waiting on her at the foot of the stairs, kneeling on one knee, and grinning from ear to ear.
“Suzanne, will you marry me?”
“What?” Her brain couldn’t process it.
“Well, that wasn’t the reaction I was going for.”
He looked up at her with the full force of his baby blues.
“Wait a minute. Why the one-eighty?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Seth, I’m not quite as stupid as I may look. Yesterday you didn’t even want to so much as kiss me, much less see me naked. The sex was good, but even sex can’t do that.”
“How can you say these things after the past few hours? Was my response not enough for you to know how much I want you?”
He stood and pulled her to him. Holding her face firmly, he forced her to look into his eyes.
“You look at me and tell me you really believe I don’t want you, don’t need you, that I don’t ache for you.”
Then, he released her and crossed his arms over his chest. As he gazed deep into her eyes, the waterfall welled up and spilled out.
“Suzanne, honey, what else can I do? I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. How can you doubt that?”
She placed her hands on her hips. “Then explain yesterday.”
“It almost drove me insane seeing your wet body glistening when you stood up in the tub. But I controlled myself. You needed to rest. For goodness sakes, you fell off a cliff. I want you with every fiber of my male being, but I’m not an ogre. I don’t think of you as my sex slave who must perform on demand. You cried yourself to sleep last night, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I was so hurt. I wanted you desperately.”
“I thought your face looked puffy when I went to bed. Oh, baby. What do I have to do to convince you? You never have to question my love.”
He grabbed her in his arms and carried her back up the stairs. And she gave in, if only for a few precious seconds. Laying her head against his shoulder, she breathed in his wonderful scent. Then, he sat her on the bed and slid in beside her.
“Suzanne, when we met, I was independent. I made my own way and didn’t need anyone. My entire life was planned, fixed, and set because of my visions. I knew I would marry someday, have a couple kids. My goal of becoming a doctor was always first and foremost. But it was like you fell out of the sky, dropping into my life, shattering everything, leaving me dazed, day after day, by your face, your scent. I think I loved you from the first moment I saw you. The love we have I never knew could exist. My parents never had it. My brothers don’t have this in their marriages. You are my destiny. Now I know that every moment, every event in my life was a step toward you.
“When that monster took you, for one night, I thought you would be snatched from this world. It was unbearable. I knew that I would go on, but my life would be like a black hole, empty and lost forever. That night I realized I wanted you to be my woman, my only lover. Please marry me. Be my wife.”
She didn’t know how to react. She wanted to say yes and had dreamed of this moment since before she even knew him. This was the man her grandfather had told her was coming. Seth really was her soul mate.
“I think your ring looks beautiful. I was afraid you’d wake when I slipped it on. Do you like it?” Seth kissed her left hand as they both watched the light dance and sparkle off the diamonds from the delicate band on her finger.
“Yes, Seth. It’s perfect.” More tears were falling from her eyes again. “I will marry you.”
He pulled her on top of him, kissing her entire face, mouth, cheeks, and nose over and over. He had them undressed in seconds, and their hands were on one another, touching every place they could reach. Trembling at each tender touch, she released everything. Giving him her heart and soul, now she realized she deserved to be happy. She deserved to be loved. When they made love this time, it was slow and sweet.
“I can’t wait until you’re Mrs. Seth Griffin.”
“I can’t either. Promise me you will never leave me.”
“I promise.”
“Promise me you will love me forever.”
“Suzanne, you are mine, and I will never let you go.” He slowly sounded out each word. “I will love you forever.”
THE END
www.shawnwallbooks.com
www.un-sweetdreams.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shawn Wall has lived in the heart of the Bible belt most of her adult life. Immediately following high school, she attended Southern Arkansas University obtaining her degree in nursing. During this time she met and married her college sweetheart, and together they’ve spent the last nineteen years raising three rambunctious children. After fifteen years as a registered nurse, she searched for something more and began writing almost a year ago. The setting for Un-Sweet Dreams takes place at her alma mater, and the idea for the novel first began with the heroine’s gift of dreams. Now with a love of writing, Shawn hopes her stories give readers a break from reality remembering their own first loves, or those to come.
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