Harvey Scott was reading a book. His glasses were placed low on his nose and Eliza watched as he turned pages after pages quickly. Her father was a fast reader, she knew that. She had seen him complete lengthy novels in a single day. However, right now it seemed like he just wanted to avoid talking to her. His face was fixed in a frown and she didn't know if it was for her or for himself but one thing was clear — the conversation she wanted to have with him would have to wait.
It had been two days since the night of Christmas. Two nights since she had slept with William and he had then locked himself in his house and she hadn't seen him. Now, she wanted to as she longed for company and she didn't want that company to be her poor, old father whose reputation had diminished quite a bit in her eyes since his Christmas tale. She had called James in the morning and he told her that he was in Paris with Arabella. Now with Eliza gone from the picture, they were together and she was happy for them. Even though it hurt.
She rose from the couch from where she had been observing Harvey and walked out of the hall. Her father didn't call her back. She sighed and grabbed her coat from the stand near the door. Wearing it over her black frock, she grabbed her boots and chose to head out to William's.
The weather was chilly when she stepped out and for a moment she missed her warm bed but then she remembered the heat of William's body and something made her like the second option of keeping herself warm better. With a sly grin, she crossed the snow-covered street to William's house.
He was upset with her. She understood that but she missed him and she knew exactly how to calm down his anger. She knocked at his door.
"It's open." He shouted from inside and smiled. Turning the knob, she pushed open the door. It opened with the creek of old wood and she saw the sight of him sitting at his desk, busy scribbling something on a sheet of paper. His eyes focused deeply on it.
When he looked up to spot her, she saw an anxious look cross his ruggedly handsome face and she was surprised when he hurriedly hid the paper in between some other books. He then turned back to look at her as she entered and locked the door.
"What are you doing here, Scott?" he scowled and she flinched at the harshness in his voice.
"Don't yell at me," she said and he scoffed before turning back to place his arms on his desk.
"Get out of here."
His words weren't welcoming and she could feel how upset he was with her but she wasn't going to give up. She opened her boots, got out of her coat and threw it on his bed. The heater in the room was on but still, the chill caught her and she shivered.
"William," she called out, placing her hands on her hips. He turned to her and was surprised to see her without her coat or a sweater.
"What are you doing? You will catch a cold," he said.
"Then keep me warm."
William raised an eyebrow at her words.
"Don't try that again, Scott. I told you, I'm not that kind of a man," he reminded her with a feral grin.
"But you promised you will always keep me warm," she said and saw his features softened.
"Go away, Scott. I don't want to deal with you." He rubbed the bridge of his nose but she strode towards him and he lifted his head to look up at her when she was near. She gave a grin when she saw the quick movement of his Adam's apple.
He was nervous.
Her grin grew wider as she removed his hand from his lap and climbed on top of him, straddling him and she heard a gasp escape him.
"Get out of here, Eliza," he said again.
She smiled at his resistance and put her arms around his neck as his hand moved to her back and he held her closer so that she wouldn't fall.
"You're denying what you want. Did I upset you that much?" she questioned innocently, peering into his bright eyes.
He gave a small smile. "I can never be angry at you but I won't let you take advantage of me."
"I'm not taking advantage of you. I don't like it when you ignore me," she confessed.
"But you don't want anything to do with me."
"I do." She smirked. "I want to do a lot of things with you."
He chuckled. "Let me guess," he said, faking a look of deep thought and then continued, "That involves, kissing me, making out with me, fucking me and not to forget, breaking my heart. Right?"
She didn't say anything but her gaze travelled to his lips and she recalled him under the shower. The moment she had wanted to fulfil her weird fantasy.
William was surprised when she started looking around and when her eyes fell on the flask kept on his table, she smiled.
"You are thirsty?" he asked and she laughed inwardly at his naivety. She reached out to take the flask and opened its cap.
"Why the hell am I supposed to marry you again?" she ridiculed him and felt the grip of his hands on her waist tighten when instead of pressing the tip of the bottle to her lips, she held it above his head.
"Close your eyes, Ray," she ordered and she was in awe when she saw him follow her command.
She smiled an evil smile as she titled the flask and let the water from it fall on his head and wet his face. She smiled and placed the flask back on the table.
"Open your eyes," she commanded and once again, he followed.
She watched as the droplets of water fell off his face, his lashes and his lips.
"What do you have going inside that evil mind, Little Witch?" he questioned when he saw her studying him.
"Shh..." She placed a finger on his wet lips to silence him and then leaned closer to stick out her tongue and brush it against his cheeks, drinking in the water. He could add taste to water; she would never understand why he never took advantage of his seductive body with her.
He groaned and pressed her body closer to his and she felt him hard between her thighs. She smiled against his skin.
"You still want to deny him the pleasure?" she whispered huskily into his ear.
"Why do you do this, Eliza?" he moaned when she pressed her lips to his eyelashes and licked the water dripping from it. Her hand grabbed a fistful of his soft, messy hair and yanked him, tilting his head back and trailing her mouth to his chin and sucking the droplets from there too. She moved a little, intentionally, and he grabbed her hips to stop her.
"Don't you feel sorry for me? Do you want me to go away?" She was surprised when he asked that question.
She met his eyes and bit her bottom lip when she saw the pain in them. She didn't know when a different emotion took over her but she felt pity for him. His face looked sad and his body had lost weight because he appeared thin; she could see the toll that he was going through and couldn't control her empathy for him. Tears stung her eyes and she didn't stop herself from throwing her arms around him to hug him. He returned her hug as he tightened his grip on her and she didn't know what was happening but she was crying.
She was crying for William Ray.
"I do want you to go away..." she said between sobs and felt him tense but then she added, "but I am afraid that if you go, you will take my heart with you."
His shoulders relaxed and he placed his hand on her hair to comfort her, "Why won't you marry me, Love?"
She pulled back to look at him and caressed his cheeks. He held her hand and brought her palm to his mouth, pressing his lips on it. She looked at him with a sympathetic gaze.
"I'm not capable of a relationship like marriage, William. I'm lazy," she voiced her fears.
"It's not that complicated, Eliza."
"It is. Marriage requires effort. There's no such thing as a 'lazy marriage'," she said and the look on his eyes darkened.
"Don't break me like this, Love. I don't want to go back if you are not in my world anymore," he said with a restrained voice.
"Then stay. Stay with me, please," she argued as she pressed her forehead against his and brushed her nose on his lips. "Just stay with me."
"I can't, Love. I will lose you one way or the other." He bit her bottom lip making her kiss him hard.
"But why? Why can't you stay?" she asked, her voice quivering from the tears she let out before.
"Time won't let me. I'm dying, Love."
She stilled at his words.