At the Billionaire's Pleasure Christmas Stocking (7 page)

But had
he really? He hadn't said that he believed her. But I could tell
from the look on his face that he was confused by what was going
on. If I went after him I was certain that I could make him see
that it was all untrue. That Lucia had spent her time trying to
tear us apart. Surely if he loved me he would see the truth of the
situation. Wouldn't he?

Standing
I made my way into the hall. I jogged to the door and back out into
the main area of the house. I could hear the rest of the people
laughing and chatting in the living room. I knew it wasn't where
David would go. He wouldn't go back in there, not if he wanted to
be alone.

Hurrying
to the kitchen there was no sign of him but when I peered out the
window I could see him sitting on the seat beside the lake. Lucia
sat beside him, I could see her blonde hair blowing in the wind
that had come up since the afternoon.

Making
my way to the little room that was filled with skates, boots, and
coats I tugged on a coat and my snow boots. Pulling the door open
the cold air immediately hit me, stealing the air from my lungs. My
eyes began to water as I climbed down the steps and made my way
across the icy ground to where they both sat on the
bench.

There
was something odd about the way they sat together. But from where I
stood I couldn't make out what it was. I drew closer as the wind
whipped my hair across my face obscuring my view for a
moment.

When I
pulled my hair from my eyes I froze. My heart shattering into a
thousand pieces as I realised that Lucia was draped across David's
lap. Their faces were joined together and I knew they were caught
in a passionate embrace.

David
pushed Lucia back and away from his body. The look on his face
registering with me as one of shock and surprise but I assumed it
was because he had caught sight of me.

I gasped
as they both turned to look at me. Turning, I started to run. My
sight blinded by the wind and the tears that were cascading down my
cheeks. As quickly as they fell they seemed to freeze on my cheeks,
leaving little icy droplets on my skin.

"Carrie,
it's not how it looks! Lucia kissed me! She means nothing to me! I
was showing her the ring I had gotten you when she kissed
me!"

He was
gaining on me, I could hear his breathing and the crunch of his
steps in the icy snow growing closer. I changed direction, running
blind. All I wanted to do was get away.

My feet
slid on the ice but I kept running.

"Carrie!
No!" David's voice rang out like a shot in the night.

My
balance disappeared and I found myself crashing towards the ground.
As I fell I had one split second to look around and realise that I
had in fact run out onto the ice. I hit the ground, the impact
knocking the wind out of me. My head impacted with the cold hard
ground and stars exploded behind my vision.

I was
vaguely aware of David's voice as he came to a stop beside me, but
the world grew dark and I didn't know anything else of his
betrayal.

***

Waking
in the hospital I stared around at the stark white room surrounding
me. I remembered running out onto the ice and I remembered David
kissing Lucia... That memory lanced through me causing me to wince.
It hurt worse than the pain in my head.

"You're
awake!" David came into view, his face creased with worry as he
stood over me. He put his hand on mine and instinctively I pulled
away.

"Carrie,
please..." There was something in his voice and the way he looked
at me that made me stop. I stared up into his face. The face of the
man I loved. The face of the man who had broken my heart. I didn't
understand how it had all gone so horribly wrong.

"Why?" I
croaked out, my voice was terribly hoarse and it made my head ache
even more.

"I swear
I didn't kiss her. I went outside to think and she followed me...
She was saying all these things about you, how you didn't deserve
me and how you had betrayed me... I didn't think it was possible.
Not after what had happened with Richard, but she had your phone
and the messages... I was hurt... I had planned something special
and then all of this happened..."

"So you
kissed her to get back at me, to hurt me?"

David
shook his head vehemently. "No, I didn't. I pulled the ring out and
she leaned over and kissed me. I pushed her away immediately and
then suddenly you were there and you were running... I chased after
you but you ran out onto the ice and well..." David looked sad, his
eyes filled with remorse and pain as he looked down at me in the
bed.

His hand
was still on the edge of the bed and I found myself brushing my
fingers against his. I had no reason to doubt him. I had seen
firsthand what Lucia was trying to do. Hell she had even tried to
frame me... It wasn't a stretch to imagine that she had thrown
herself at David.

"I
didn't send Richard that message." I added.

David
nodded, "I know... If I had known Lucia was going to behave this
way I would never have come up here... We were friends and I
thought that was how it would stay... I didn't kiss her I
swear!"

I
nodded, tears filling my eyes. He was sincere and I knew when he
was lying, now was not that time. David seemed so relieved, he
released a deep breath and dropped to one knee beside the
bed.

I pushed
myself up further in the bed and stared at him suspiciously. "What
are you doing?" I asked.

David's
eyes were once more filled with worry and apprehension. He pulled a
small box from his pocket and took my hand in his.

"I had
planned to do this at a more romantic location but seeing as we
seem to end up in the hospital more and more often, I thought I
should do it here... I couldn't bear to lose you. The thought of
never having you in my life or ever losing you is far too painful
to even contemplate. So I want to make it official."

My eyes
opened wide in shock and surprise as he opened the box. The ring
sparkled, catching the stark white hospital light. The diamond was
bigger than anything I had ever seen before, but it was beautiful
and without even realising it I was crying.

"I
wanted to do it over a romantic dinner and I had planned everything
out for up at the Chalet... But... Miss Carrie Grant, will you do
me the greatest honour by consenting to become my wife?"

His eyes
were filled with worry and hope. As I stared from him to the ring,
David licked his lips nervously. It was the first time since we had
been together that I had ever see him behave nervously.

"Yes..."
The word hung there between us. Neither one of us moved and for a
moment I wasn't sure if I had said the word out loud or not.
"Yes..." I repeated again, louder this time.

David's
eyes widened in shock, as though he hadn't truly believed that I
had given him the answer that he wanted.

"You
mean it?" He answered, a grin breaking out across his
face.

I smiled
back at him through my tears. They had begun to flow faster and as
David pulled the ring from the box and slipped it onto my finger I
stared up at him in wonderment. It felt like a dream. That I was
sleeping and at any moment I would awake and it would all fade
away.

David
hopped onto his feet and wrapped his arms around me. His lips
crushed down on mine and I closed my eyes, giving over to the
sensation of being in his arms. He drew back from and stared down
into my eyes.

"I
promise to make you happy every single day of my life. And to love
you forever."

I
grinned up at him, words failing me as David pressed his lips to
mine once more.

"If you
want I can ask you again when you get out of hospital?" He asked,
holding my hands tightly in his.

I shook
my head and glanced down at the ring glistening on my finger. "No,
it’s perfect as it is."

David
kissed me once more before standing. "You need to rest, love. The
sooner you recover, the sooner you get out and we can celebrate
properly." He smiled at me, the slow predatory curl of his lips
that I had come to recognise as sheer desire.

Settling
back against the pillows I traced my fingers across the ring on my
finger. David moved to the door and gave me one last lingering look
before stepping out into the hall. Closing my eyes I let the wave
of exhaustion wash over me. If it was a dream I didn't want to wake
up from it. But I wanted to recover. I knew what David would do to
me once I did and I for one couldn't wait for it happen.

Catching
sight of my cell phone on the locker beside the bed I picked it up
and scrolled through the messages. The one Lucia had sent was still
in the phone and I deleted it. But one unread message caught my
eye. My heart sank as I thought that Richard had replied to Lucia’s
hoax. Instead it was a reply to the drop dead message I had sent
him the morning we had left for the Chalet.

You’ll pay bitch. Mark my words. You’ll be sorry.

Reading
the message sent shivers down my spine. I didn’t honestly believe
he was capable of anything. But the fact that he felt he could
threaten me was creepy enough. Switching the phone off I placed it
back on the table and lay back against the pillows. I let my eyes
drift shut. Now was not the time to be thinking of Richard. Not
after what David had just asked me. My fingers rolled across the
ring just to make sure it was still there.

I
drifted off to sleep as I felt the ring on my finger. I was his...
Utterly and completely and soon everyone else would see what I
shared with him. They would see that we were together and that I
was his, for always.

#

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