I felt myself blush and was quite glad he couldn’t see my face. “You were quite convinced I’d go out with you, then?”
He laughed. “I’m sorry to say I was. I entirely believed you wanted my attentions.”
“Well, it’s not like there weren’t some mixed signals on all sides. The fact I couldn’t seem to keep my hands off you was probably not helpful. But, I’m not like the other girls, Austin, I’m not going to just fall at your feet because you’re gorgeous when you act like an arse. Still, you must have hated me after that.”
“Hate you? Ha. No, I was angry, but it was soon aimed in the appropriate direction.”
“And, when we met at Pemberley? You must have thought that hilarious after the way I’d behaved?”
“No, actually, I was just surprised. Pleasantly so. That I thought I’d dreamt you up certainly didn’t help.”
“Flirting with my aunt certainly didn’t help,” I laughed and he groaned. “But, your surprise can’t have been more than mine by your behaviour.”
“Well, I was trying to be the new and improved Austin, show you I wasn’t so bad after all. Besides, how else was I supposed to woo you? It wasn’t going to do me any good by acting like a pompous arse.”
“Woo me? Is that what you call talking to Aunt Nadine?”
“Ah, yes, well, you are a very intimidating woman, Lily Brewer. Mandy loves you already though.”
“The feeling is mutual, I assure you. Your sister’s great.”
We walked on in silence for a while.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Finally, she spoke, sliding out of my grasp but only enough to take my hand. She looked at me. “I take it I have you to thank for Jax and Anne?”
I was slightly startled by her words, as though it had all been up to me, but nodded. “At the party, after you left, I gave Fleur the facts. Told her there was never going to be an ‘us’. I was finally free of the harpy, so Jax and I ingested a good few too many shots in celebration. Seems I then told him that Anne had loved him all along and he had to do something about it. I can’t say I remember it. Mand says we burst into her room, gave her a full run down of events, then passed out in her bed.”
She snorted. “And, did you tell Jax this because you’d realised it, or merely what I’d told you?”
“I noticed it myself. Well, I realised after you’d…spoken to me I’d been wrong in how I’d viewed her behaviour. Since then, I’ve been paying closer attention and I saw it plain as day. I told him he had to seal the deal or she might be gone.”
“Clear as that, you realised they were meant for each other?” she asked, her tone clearly intended to tease.
Swinging her hand, I nodded. “There is one thing, I think, which is not quite so clear, though…”
“Really? And, what is that?”
“Well…I mean, it’s been danced around, implied, but not actually broached.”
“And what is that, Austin?” she laughed.
“Whether I may call you my girlfriend.”
“You’ve always called me whatever you like, Oz, how is this any different?” Her tone was steady, but there was a slight note of teasing in it.
I smiled. “All right then, whether you would call yourself my girlfriend.”
“I wouldn’t presume to call myself something when nothing’s been asked,” she said coyly.
I stopped walking and swung her to face me, wrapping her up in my arms. “Lily Brewer, would you deign to be my girlfriend?”
“Austin Cooper, I would be honoured,” she said with a smile, reaching up to kiss me.
She shuddered and I realised it was getting pretty cold. “Come on, let’s go get warmed up.”
“I know what you have in mind, and you can cease and desist with any expectations, thanking you very much!”
I laughed. “My only expectation at the moment is to get you warm and perhaps kiss you some more. After that though, I was going to send an email out to the whole school and tell them you’re off-limits now.”
She giggled. “Don’t you dare!”
I sighed dramatically and hung my head back. “My girlfriend for all of five minutes and already telling me what to do.”
“I should think it the prerogative of any woman who loves you,” she replied.
I felt my chest constrict at her words, but it was a wonderful, warm feeling I’d be quite happy to feel for the rest of my life.
“Well, Mum did, Amanda does as often as she’s allowed… I suppose I could allow you…”
“Why do I feel like there’s a condition attached to that, Austin?” One eyebrow rose and she smirked.
“Well…I couldn’t presume you loved me without you actually saying it, now could I? I mean, we’ve all seen the messes I make when I make presumptions.”
She looked at me in exasperation. “That we do. So, I suppose I had better tell you right now that I love you, hadn’t I?”
“I suppose you had.”
“You must always make things difficult, mustn’t you?”
“Life’s never boring with us.”
“That is isn’t.” Her smile went from humoured to tender as she cupped my cheek. “I love you, Austin Cooper.”
I wanted to swing her around. I wanted to take her home to Pemberley and never let her leave. I wanted to take her to my room and not come out for days. I wanted to run around and tell everyone that this amazing girl was mine.
However, I didn’t think she’d really appreciate any of that, so I merely said, “I love you, too,” and kissed her.
“All right, I call enough talk. It’s cold and wet,” she said when she finally pulled away.
“I heartily concur,” I agreed.
Grabbing her hand, we made a run for the building.
“Your dorm, Jax and Anne are doing God knows what in mine,” she said with a laugh.
“As you wish, m’lady.” I bowed and we jogged up the stairs, laughing. “Williams!” I grinned as I saw him heading down.
“You two got caught out,” he said, smiling.
I watched as he and Lily shared a look, but I could only be pleased with what I saw there. Especially when he turned back to me with a winning smile, his eyes sincerely happy.
“That we did,” I answered, “it’s bloody pitiful out there.”
“Well, get her warm, Oz. Don’t want her catching a cold and having to say with you for days.”
“No, we wouldn’t want that at all,” I replied, entirely sarcastically.
“I’ll see you guys at dinner,” Williams said with a wave before disappearing.
I finally got Lily into my room, after meeting Brickwell, Lucas and Gerald and having to stop to talk to them for a few minutes each.
“Right, heater warm enough?” I asked as I pulled off my jacket and hung it behind the door.
“Huh? Oh, yes, fine thanks.” She smiled, pulling her gaze from the room and looking at me.
Wet as we were, I couldn’t help going over to her and kissing her again.
Now I had her, I never wanted to let her go. And, well, by rights, I didn’t see why I should have to. Not on a weekend when we had no other obligations anyway. Come Monday, when we had classes… Well, that would be a different story.
She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me back fiercely.
I’d thought kissing her at that first Rosings party had been amazing, or at the post-football party, or out in the rain. But, it was like there was nothing between us now. No more misunderstandings or arrogance, pride or vanity. We were just who we were; two imperfect people who could find perfection in each other.
As I ran my hands along her body, hers found the way to my shirt buttons. Making short work of them, I soon felt her running her fingers along my chest. One hand stopped above my heart and she pulled away.
“You got a new tattoo last year,” she said, looking up at me.
I swallowed. “That I did.”
“Do I want to see it?”
“You might.”
&
nbsp; She laughed. “That’s not very encouraging. Was it some other girls’ name?”
I shook my head.
“Then it can’t be that bad, can it?”
“Well…” I petered off as I felt her hand run down my chest and stomach. The muscles twitched involuntarily under her touch and I closed my eyes.
“Austin, is that…?” She touched it again. “Is that a lily?”
I kept my eyes closed and nodded, not sure how she was going to take it. “Yes, it is.”
“But…you got this...”
“Just after you rejected me, I know.”
“Why?” her voice was full of wonder.
I breathed out heavily, took her hand and opened my eyes to look at her. “Because I thought the first girl who reached my heart deserved pride of place, so I filled it.”
“Filled it…?” She looked up quickly. “You and Jax were talking about that…”
I nodded. “That spot had always been reserved for the woman I fell in love with. That day, Jax was teasing me about whether I should put a fleur-de-lis or a lily there.”
“But, I turned you down.”
I chuckled. “I remember.”
“And, you still…”
“And, I still.” I shrugged. “I was in love with you.”
“How? I mean, once you fell, sure, you’d do a great job then. But, what made you fall in love with me in the first place?”
I shrugged again. “I cannot fix upon the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”
She blinked, obviously surprised, then recovered. “Well, my great beauty you early withstood-”
I scoffed. “I so did not, and you know it.”
She ignored me and continued, “but, I was constantly rude to you. Did you admire my impertinence?”
“I admired the liveliness of your mind.”
She laughed. “It was rudeness, plain and simple. The fact is, you were sick of the girls who simpered around you. You were sick of the girls who flirted or avoided you, in fearsome awe of your devilishly good looks, your killer abs and your vast fortune. So, you thought me refreshing and a challenge. You knew no actual good of me – but no one thinks of that when they fall in love.”
I smiled. “And all those times you looked after your sisters, and Anne? There was no good in that?”
“Who couldn’t be good to Anne! But, please, call it a goodness of my character if you want. My good qualities are under you protection and you have free reign to exaggerate them as you see fit. In return, I am allowed to find any opportunity to tease you and quarrel with you. And, I shall start now by asking why it took you so long to repeat your feelings for me. Why have you seemed so shy since you’ve got back from Australia? You looked like you didn’t care at all.”
“You gave me very little encouragement,” I replied with a grin.
“I was nervous and embarrassed!”
“And I wasn’t?”
“You still could have talked to me.”
“If I hadn’t felt so much, yes.”
“There you go again, having reasonable answers I have no choice but to concede. I wonder how long you would have gone on though?”
I laughed and kissed her nose. “My aunt’s attempt to separate us was the means of deciding me. Her words on the matter gave me hope and I was determined to find out for myself.”
“Well, Lady Celia will be pleased to have been of some use! Will you ever have the courage to tell her we’re dating?” she teased, her beautiful green eyes alight with laughter.
I shrugged. “I certainly won’t hide it, but I feel like there are more important things that can be done right now,” I said suggestively and she smiled.
“For starters, we need to get you out of these wet clothes.”
She kissed me again, pushing my shirt off my shoulders and trailing her hand down to my buckle. Before she had a chance to undo it, I pulled her jacket off her and slid my hands up under her jumper.
“Your skin is freezing,” I said with a laugh.
“I’m not the only one. You’ll have to warm me up.” She winked and bit her lip.
I groaned. “Oh, I will.”
Chapter Fifty-Nine
My phone rang and I reached out of the bed for it, laughing when Austin kissed my hip.
“Hello?” I answered it and tried to keep my eyes from the physical perfection in front of me.
The lily he’d got merged in seamlessly with the spirals swirling around his rock-hard chest and abs. And, they occupied my mind enough. Let’s not even start on the rest of what I’d just seen.
Phew!
“Lil, where are you? I thought we were getting coffee?” Anne’s voice came through.
I looked at Austin, who was tracing lazy circles across my skin as he watched me.
“I…uh…” I chuckled.
“Oh, is that why Jax hasn’t been able to get hold of Austin?”
“Anne!”
“What?” she laughed. “It’s about bloody time, is all I can say.”
“Are they…?” I heard Jax ask and she made an affirmative noise. Jax cheered.
I put my face in the pillows.
“What have you two been… Oh! Was it amazing?”
“Annie!” I cried again, looking to Austin as though he might have heard. He just looked at me in humoured question. “That is not a conversation for now,” I hissed as though he couldn’t hear me. “Look, I got caught in the rain and need to change. I’ll meet you at the café in…” I stopped to think how long it would take, getting entirely distracted by Austin’s lips on my skin. I tried to bat him away, but only half-heartedly.
Anne chuckled. “How about I get coffee, meet in our room and we can talk?”
“Yay on the first two, we’ll see on the last,” I laughed.
“See you soon,” she said before hanging up.
I dropped my phone and rolled over to face him. “I should really go.”
Austin groaned and pulled me to him. “Do you have to?”
I nodded. “I have to meet Anne. Plus, I’m pretty sure Jax will be here any minute.”
Austin frowned. “I don’t like it, but I’ll accept it.”
I laughed. “You don’t have to like it.”
I got up and hunted around for my clothes.
“You know, I have never before had the inclination to stay in bed with a girl after and just…snuggle.”
I turned to him with a ‘really?’ look on my face as I tried not to laugh at the pure ineptitude he was showing. He was lying against the pillows, his hands behind his head and his wonderful abs on full display.
“Oz, I’ll give you a tip,” I said as I pulled my jeans on. “After you’ve just…been with a girl…you might not want to remind her how many other girls you’ve been with.”
His face lost the dreamy look and he sat up. “I…I’m sorry, Lil-”
I held up a hand. “We’re both new to this, yeah. Let’s just help each other through it.” I smiled and leant forward to kiss him.
He grabbed me and pulled me back onto the bed.
“Oz, I need to go,” I laughed.
“And, I need you to stay.”
“Tough titties,” I said, wriggling from his grasp. “I’ll see you for dinner?”
“I have to wait that long?” he asked.
I smiled. “It’s like an hour away at most.”
“We’ll come past and get you.”
“I’m sure you will,” I said, pulling my jumper on and folding my jacket over my arm. When I looked back to him, he was up and wearing tracksuit pants.
He followed me to the door and stopped me before I closed it behind me.
In full view of whoever might have been passing, he leant down, kissed me and grinned as he said, “I’ll see you later then, baby.”
I wasn’t sure whether to be ecstatic that he’d made a very obvious show of our togetherness in front of people, or
to punch him for flaunting it.
“I’ll see you later,” I said, hurrying off.
“I love you, Lily Brewer!” he called with a smile in his voice, a very cheeky grin by the sound of it – he knew exactly what he was doing.
I turned to face him, still walking away. People around us had stopped, absolute shock on their faces. I couldn’t help but smile at the look on his face.
“I love you too, you idiot,” I said, shaking my head and walking away.
****
I barely had twenty minutes with Anne before my phone was ringing again.
“Oh my God! You’ll be rich. You’ll live in comfort and ease and happiness, and it will all be wonderful! Such a charming young man, so handsome, so tall! Oh, Lily! Everything that is charming and wonderful will be yours.”
“Hi, Dad. I’m fine thanks, how are you?” I responded.
“Oh, Lily…” his voice got fainter and I heard Claire chastising him before she was on the phone.
“We’ve just heard the news from Gemma,” she said, sounding like she was fishing for information. But, when Claire did it, I knew it came from the right place.
“God, it only happened like five minutes ago, is there no privacy in this place?”
Claire laughed. “Not when he’s yelling he loves you down the halls.”
“No, all right, I suppose not. What a twat!”
“And, you’re sure about him, Lil? I heard he was only half dressed and I can imagine what that means. I want you to be sure about him if you’re doing…those things-”
“Oh, gees, Mum…stop,” I said, smiling, “I’m very sure about him, thank you.”
Anne gave me a funny look and I waved away her questions.
“I know you, Lil. You might not have hated him as much as you professed, but still…you professed some fairly damning things about him.”
“I know, Mum, and I promise you I was all in the wrong. I know it now and I’m happy. Whether it’s that forever kind of thing or not, I’m very, very happy and am pleased to report I’m not a cynic of love anymore.”
“Oh, thank God!” Claire sighed. “I had begun to worry your father had had an adverse effect on you.”
Netherfield Prep: A Modern Reimagining of Jane Austen's 'Pride & Prejudice' Page 38