Love Throughout Time

Chapter 20

*Millie*

I pull Will along with me at first. It’s clear he’s confused for a moment, but he eventually keeps in step with me as I lead him back to his room.

For a woman who came back in time and should know everything about the Titanic in 1912, I’m terrible at knowing what the future holds. I don’t know why I’m here, or if I’ll die along with so many other people on this ship. I don’t know whether Will is going to die or whether anything we do over the next couple of days will change anything about the future as I know it.

But I do know, from the way my heart races when I look at him, the way delicate tingles of pleasure touch every nerve when his hands are on me, and from the powerful draw that I feel when looking into his eyes that I’m done catching feelings for Will Stewart.

I’m already in love with him.

Even the slightest touch of his hand, warm and strong in my own as we make our way back to B Deck, feels right. This is the way it should be.

It’s possible we only have forty-eight hours left to be together, and we need to make the most of it. I interlock my fingers with his and squeeze tightly as we make our way up to his door. His brow furrows in confusion for a moment, but he opens it, and we step inside.

“What is it?” he asks when we’re alone.

I just shake my head, smiling and squeezing his hand for a moment before I let go.

I’m getting much better at undoing my dresses, and after quickly locking the door behind us, as well as the connecting door, I reach back to unbutton everything.

“Millie—”

“We have two days, Will.”

His eyes go wide. “What are you doing?”

I get all the buttons undone and slip off my long sleeves, letting the dress pool on the floor. “We have to make the most of the time we have together,” I explain. “I have no idea if we’ll live or die. For all I know, I could be whisked back to the future at any moment.”

It takes him a beat, but his eyes soften and he nods lightly, his eyes flicking down toward my chest. “Is this what women are like in the future?”

I let out a chuckle as I move in close to him. He’s going to need to help me with the rest of the layers. “Only when we’re in love.”

He hitches a breath, his gaze looking up to meet mine. I swallow at the intensity in his eyes, and he draws me in with his arms. “I love you, Millie Baker. This is a feeling I’ve never had before.”

I nod, swallowing as my heartbeat gets faster. “I feel the same way, so we can’t waste this chance to be together.”

“We won’t,” he whispers gravelly as he brings his lips to mine. His kisses are so light at first, but then he deepens them, and I feel his arms tighten around me, his hands wide open as if to touch every inch he can reach. I wrap my own arms around his neck, reaching up to deepen the kiss even more.

This kiss is so much different from our first one. I was pretty tipsy then, still coming down off the excitement from the party. But this… this is just Will and me, completely enveloped in each other for this moment, all those feelings that I have built up for him rushing out as I bask in the knowledge that he feels the same way about me.

His hands lower, and he works to undo the corset, and I feel the heat rise in my core with his hands so close to my bare flesh. I reach for his jacket button and our kisses part for seconds at a time as we pull off each piece of clothing. When almost all of our clothes are off, I lead him toward the bed.

Locking my hand in his, I lean back, scooting up onto the bed and lightly pulling him with me as he tucks the pillow behind my head. We lay for a moment just gazing into each other’s eyes. I savor every second. Everything else around us—this giant sinking ship, the decades of time maybe lost to me forever, the many differences in our lives—fades into the background, and all I see, think about, or feel is his hands on my body and his eyes looking at me as though I’m the most beautiful creature on earth.

He pauses for a moment, resting one arm on the bed and placing his other palm on my cheek, his thumb softly stroking my lips and his eyes locked on mine. His breathing is calm, yet I can feel the exhilaration in him. I can hear his heart pounding like mine is even though there are several inches still between our bodies.

A gentle smile forms on his lips as he moves closer, those lips replacing his thumb as he kisses me. I let my eyes close even though I don’t want to take them off him for a moment, just so I can feel him against me without the distraction of vision. The intensity of our hearts beating together erupts in a soft, breathy moan that escapes my lips. He responds by parting his lips and deepening the kiss, his tongue gently dancing against mine as my core warms deeper in response.

I don’t want to wait anymore, so I tug down his silk boxers, the last piece of cloth between us besides my chemise. He removes them in one motion and comes back down to kiss me again, and I start to explore the smooth plains of muscle that make up his pecs, sliding my hands down his firm back and stopping just short of grabbing his perfectly sculpted ass.

Will lifts up and looks me in the eyes, as if asking permission, before my nod allows him to lift my chemise up over my head. He lets out a whispered moan as he takes me in. I don’t feel self conscious at all having his eyes roam over my bare body. In fact, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.

He caresses my breasts while trailing kisses down my neck. This is not lust but love. I see it in his eyes. He looks at me as though he’s appreciating a rare work of art he will cherish forever.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispers.

“You won’t,” I assure him, though, judging by what I can feel against my thigh, he’s definitely the biggest man I’ve ever been with. Yet, I’m completely confident he’ll be gentle.

He enters me slowly as though he’s still afraid of hurting me, and I rock my hips to encourage him. “You’ll let me know if I need to stop?” he asks me midway. I nod, and he slides in further.

Once inside, he reclaims my lips. I’ve never felt so completely connected to another human being in my life. We move gently in a steady rhythm, roaming hands feeling each other everywhere we can reach. Our rhythm picks up, and I let go more than once, calling out his name loudly while warm tingles of pleasure erupt over every inch of my body.

I open my eyes to see him staring at me intently, nothing but love in his eyes. He places his palm on my cheek again gently. “Millie.” He says my name like I’m a priceless treasure, still gazing into my eyes as I feel his own pleasure erupt inside me.

The next time he calls out my name, his voice is deep and gravelly.

When we’re finished, he lays beside me, and it takes several moments to calm my breathing. He pulls me gently toward him in the meantime, and I lay my head on his chest, listening to his quick heartbeat gradually slow into a calm, relaxed rhythm as mine does the same. He pulls the blanket up over us, and I feel safe and warm in his embrace.

I’ve never felt so bonded with a man. I didn’t know feeling like this was possible. I suppose this is what it’s like to be truly in love.

“I love you,” he tells me again, as if reading my mind.

“I love you, too.” I trace my finger along the muscular wall of his chest.

“I want to do everything I can to help you save lives on this ship.”

I pause, lifting myself onto my elbow so I can look into his eyes, then I kiss him again as if drawn by a powerful magnet.

When I pull back, I ask, “How?”

“I’ve already lifted a keyring from a steward to give to our friends below deck,” he explains.

I inhale, my eyes going wide. “You stole his keys?” I can’t help but chuckle at the thought, and he joins me. I’ve never seen him look so relaxed and happy.

“I suppose that’s what I did.” He tucks a stray strand of my hair behind my ear. “I love the way you care about people, and I want to be part of that.”

I nod and settle back down with my head on his chest. “We should get some more sets of keys,” I say. “That way, we can give them to people whose rooms are in different parts of the ship so they can unlock different gates.”

“I agree.”

We lay quietly for a few moments, his hand lightly stroking my bare back. “Do you want to go back to the couch in Agatha’s room or stay with me tonight?” he asks.

“I want to stay with you,” I say instantly. I find his hand with mine and hold it close. “I want to make every moment count.”

“And that’s exactly what we’ll do.”

I close my eyes and relax against him, letting his steady heartbeat lull me to sleep.