Elizabeth Finn - The Devil’s Pawn

Morgan and her husband, Charles, as well as Frederick and Liz, will be arriving soon, and he’s right. I’m running late. It’s his fault of course. He’s hardly let me leave the bed since Morgan left this morning, and now with our dinner fast approaching, my body is sore, I’m starving, and I’m still nowhere near finished making up for lost time with Derek. I hastily pull my gray dress up my body and over my hips. Pulling my tangled curls over my shoulder, I bare my back to him so he can zip me up. His eyes are watching mine in the bathroom mirror. He’s content and happy, and so am I.

As he inches the zipper slowly up my back, he leans toward my ear. “I think I’d like you wearing this dress when we get married.”

I gasp, and then let out a shocked laugh. Marriage. Yes, please. “But it isn’t even white.”

“Well, nothing else has been traditional about our relationship. I can’t imagine why we would start with our wedding. This dress reminds me of falling in love with you.”

“Because it was the dress I wore when I was taken from you?” I lament at the memory. My face softens in remembrance of his pain, not to mention my own.

But he shakes his head. “No. I think I fell in love with you the moment I watched you try on this dress. It was in the fitting room the day after I first met you. You smiled. It was the first time I saw you smile, and I secretly wished and waited for that smile to return to your face every moment after that.” As a lone tear breaks free from my suddenly moist eyes, he asks, “Will you marry me, Ash?”

I nod, saying nothing at all. My tears are flowing freely now, and he pulls me into his arms as I continue to cry. When I finally calm enough to pull from him, I look to his eyes. I still owe him an answer after all. “Yes.” And as he pulls me back to his arms, I speak again. “You never cease to impress me, Mr. Pennington.”

“You’re pretty damn impressive yourself, Ms. Monroe.”

The End

Elizabeth Finn is an Iowa native, where she lives with her husband and son. By day, Elizabeth is a Human Resources Specialist, but by night, she checks her professionalism at the door and immerses herself in the world of writing erotic romance. Look for more to come from Elizabeth Finn.