Designing Abigail Kilton's Dress - #1 The Wedding Dress

Chapter 37 - In Love with a Fairytale

Kayleigh sat against the wall and ran her fingers through her hair before twisting it into a braid. Her eyes flitted to Marcus as her fingers worked automatically, appreciating how his muscles flexed over his broad back.

"Do you really love me?" she asked suddenly.

Marcus slipped his shirt over his head and buttoned up his jeans. He studied her for a moment before a boyish smile broke across his face.

"Yes," he answered as he tied his hair up into a bun at the back of his head.

Kayleigh counted three shallow breaths. Her heart was still fluttering like a flustered butterfly that hadn't yet learned how to fly.

"You're not just saying it to protect me."

It wasn't a question, but Marcus's brow arched sceptically. "What do I need to protect you from?"

Kayleigh grinned instinctively. "You!"

The man crouched down in front of her and took her face in his hands. "Don't be wicked. You're an adult now," he winked before kissing her tenderly. Then he lifted his shirt again.

On the left side of his perfectly sculpted abdomen - seriously, when did that happen? - was an angry, red claw mark. Kayleigh's jaw dropped. Then she blushed, remembering how she almost tore his shirt off him, wanting to feel his skin against hers.

"Besides," Marcus went on with a teasing glint in his eye, "after today, I think I'm the one who needs protecting."

His soft tone, his gaze, finally open and unguarded for her to see, sent Kay's heart into a frenzy. She heard the seagulls, the church bells and finally, civilization.

Southwold had awoken and people were flocking the streets after mass. The beach, the pier, the pubs were rising from the dead and Kayleigh wasn't particularly happy about it. She wasn't ready for their moment to be over.

All too soon, Marcus stood up and walked to the wooden door of the tiny hut, opening it just a sliver so that he could peek through the gap.

He let out a low whistle and whispered, "The beach is packed."

"Good thing we had the sense to seek shelter this time," Kayleigh smirked.

It wasn't easy. Her shirt was already halfway off and she was just about to push down Marcus's jeans when she remembered that was exactly how Rosemary Nicholson found them six years before. Now that she'd finally gotten a long-awaited confession out of Marcus Burrows, she was determined not to let anything or anyone interfere.

Marcus looked over his shoulder and eyed her hungrily. His voice was full of lust when he said, "As much as I would love to stay locked in here with you till next Sunday, I have to ask... How exactly do you plan to get out of here?"

Kayleigh felt the anxiety seep through her giddiness. They could not be seen coming out of the hut together. They would be the talk of the town. Her brother would find out and he would kill them both, even if she was an adult. She thought of Leon's reaction when Marcus told him he was taking her to the Secret Garden and suddenly, she understood why Marcus was so afraid of making his feelings for her known.

She stood up and ducked under Marcus's arm so that she could look outside. She tried not to shudder as her back brushed against his chest, his warmth trickling her skin with goosebumps. A group of girls she knew to be a few years older than her were playing volleyball right in front of their hut.

"You go out first," she said focused. "Those girls haven't seen you in ages. They will swarm around you before the door can hit you on your way out. Then I'll sneak out unnoticed and go to the pier. I'm dying for that ice cream."