Enraptured

Chapter 58

I mindlessly trailed my finger along a sliver of Belle's bare leg sticking out of the blanket as I laid down with my head resting in her lap. Her free hand was nestled in the messy strands of my hair as she continued to rest her book next to the fireplace, taking no mind to my wandering hands.

It was one of the rare moments in the week when neither of us had any work to do, and Theo was still out of the house, spending the day with the professor I had found for him to study under at Princeton.

I skimmed my hand up along her calf and under the blanket, squeezing the mark on the inside of her thigh and earning a light hum from her in question.

She pulled her fingers out my hair and gently brushed my hair out of my face, quietly asking me, "Is something wrong?"

I shooked my head as I continued to run my hand back down her thigh, stopping at her knee right before it left the warmth of the fluffy blanket. "I was just thinking."

She continued to stroke my head soothingly and asked, "About what?"

I mindlessly rubbed my thumb in circles on her kneecap, unsure about telling her about my wandering thoughts before eventually confessing, "What do you think about having a winter wedding?"

Her hand paused mid-motion. Lowering her book, she asked, "As in a year from now?"

"... More like a month from now. Maybe some time in February?"

"Oh..."

"It's okay if you think it's to early... We can wait until next year too."

"No... It's fine. I don't mind getting married earlier. I just thought you might be busy with work for the next few months."

I pursed my lips at the thought. She wasn't wrong, but still...

She gently started to stroke my head again, "I just don't want you to overwork yourself again between work and trying to get a wedding ready on time."

It was a reasonable worry, but I was busy year-round without any down time. There would never be a break.

I grumbled, "I would never be able to get married at that rate then..."

She chuckled softly and offered, "How we do a smaller ceremony instead? Just family and close friends. Something simple and push date the into the later half of February to give us a bit more than just a month of time to plan."

I turned over onto my back and looked up at her worriedly, "But I want to make your dream wedding for you. It's a once-in-a-lifetime type of thing that you will remember forever."

She gently brushed her thumb over my cheek and assured me, "I will get to spend the rest of my life with you afterwards. That's already more than enough for me. Besides... I never thought that I would ever get married before you came along. The idea of becoming that close to a man was too frightening to even consider."

I nuzzled my face into her stomach and wrapped my arms around her hips in content. "It's probably selfish of me to say this but I'm glad that I am the only man you can find comfort in."

She giggled softly as she tangled her fingers back into the waves of my hair. "Demetri, I'm sure I would've still chosen to be with you."

My eyes closed with a soft hum as I melted under her soothing touch. I mumbled mindlessly, "Everyone is always trying to steal your attention away from me because you're too pretty and kind."

"..."

I cracked an eye open when she didn't respond and her strokes started to slow down. She was biting the inside of her cheek with an indecipherable expression. Cupping her hand in my own, I asked, "Is something wrong?"