William's lips crash onto mine, and a shiver rushes down my spine. This kiss is somehow different.

I feel him giving me all of him, and he wants all of me, so I surrender fully.

Our kiss is nowhere near gentle. As our tongues wrestle for dominance, William wraps his long fingers through my hair and grasps what he can while pulling my head back. He kisses his way down from my mouth, along the tender skin of my neck till he reaches my shoulder, then does the same to the other side before retaking possession of my lips. If it weren't for his grip on my hair and his arm holding me against him, I would collapse into a heap with my body melting under his touch.

I'm unsure where I got the strength, but I regretfully pull away from his lips, panting, "I have to text Chris to let him know you're okay, and you need to call your dad. He's worried sick about you."

William releases my hair and runs his hands through his already messed-up hair. "Damn, I wasn't thinking straight since last night."

William releases me and steps away to call his dad while I text Chris.

Hey Chris. William's fine. He was at the lake, and we're going to hang out together. He'll call you later.

His reply is quick.

Thanks, Nicole. Would you please make sure he lets his dad know that he's okay?

I respond, letting Chris know that William is calling his dad now.

I hear the end of William's conversation with his dad.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry that I worried you. Thanks for giving me tonight off work. See you at home. Bye, Dad."

He looks at me with a sheepish grin and winks. "Looks like I'm all yours tonight."

I smirk. "Whatever shall we do?"

He draws me into his chest. "I have an idea. Let's run into town, grab food, and return for a picnic at our favorite spot."

Hearing his heart beating as my head rests against his chest, I sigh. "That sounds perfect."

He takes my hand, brings it to his lips, and kisses the back of it. Trembling from his touch makes me realize the power he has over me. I need to be careful, or my self-imposed promises will break. Although, I think I could love this guy.

We head into town and go to the drive-through window at McDonald's. We get chicken sandwiches, fries, and a drink, then head back to the lake.

On the way, I text my mom that I won't be home for dinner. I also let her know everything is good with William and that I'll explain when I get home.

When we return to the lake, we grab the blanket and head to "our" spot. William spreads the blanket down, and then we sit and enjoy dinner together.

After we eat, we lay back on the blanket. It's getting dark, and I lay my head on William's chest. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me close. We watch the sparkling stars against the navy blue sky till William peacefully falls asleep.

I take this opportunity to snuggle closer to him. Oh, how I love the smell of this man. His spicy-scented cologne permeates my senses as I breathe it in.

Lying here, safe and cared for in his strong arms, I chastise myself for believing that William would lie to me or, worse, do anything with Tessa.

Feeling guilty for behaving poorly after reading that letter, it occurred to me that William had every right to be pissed at me for invading his privacy, but he wasn't. Instead, he lost sleep and cried for me.

"I promise always to let you explain yourself before making assumptions," I whisper into William's chest.

When it gets close to my curfew, I gently shake his shoulder. "William, wake up. I have to be home soon."

He stretches and yawns. "How long was I out?"

I answer while playing with his hair, "an hour."

He rubs his eyes and responds, "I'm sorry I fell asleep. Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

I trace circles on his chest with my other hand. "You slept so peacefully that I didn't want to wake you. Plus, your dad told Chris that you didn't sleep at all last night."

He yawns again. "True. How long till you need to be home?"

I hit my Fitbit watch, which illuminated the time. "I have half an hour."

He smirks. "Then we have time for this."

We roll to face each other, and William tenderly kisses me. I part my lips, inviting his silky tongue to play with mine. He eagerly accepts and deepens our kiss. It was an incredible fifteen minutes.

It's been almost two months since William asked me to be his girlfriend. We're still at the kissing stage of our relationship. He wants to go further with me but has been very patient.

This weekend is our homecoming. I'm so excited that William's dad gave him off Saturday to attend with me.

William had to choose between Friday night's football game and Saturday's dance to take off work. I'm sure he chose the dance for me because I begged him for weeks.

My heart is falling hard for William. I think I'm in love with him. He doesn't know, and he hasn't said he loves me either. I've decided to wait to hear those three little words before letting him know my feelings and taking our relationship to the next level. Of course, he doesn't know that.

I hope he would say it because he means it, not to get into my pants. If he speaks those words to me, it will be the truth. If all he wanted was sex, he might have carelessly uttered those words to me already, but he hasn't.

That's the kind of man that William is. He treats me respectfully and has never attempted to go further than I'm comfortable with since that first time.

He makes me feel special and constantly goes out of his way to spend his non-working hours with me.

My heart flutters whenever we're together or upon hearing his deep, sexy voice over the phone.

My thoughts are interrupted when my mom tells me Dianna's here.

It's Sunday. Diana and I are going dress shopping for homecoming. We've been out several times in the past month but have yet to find the perfect dress. Today is our last chance to find something, so we must decide.

I meet her downstairs, kiss my mom goodbye, and get in Diana's powder blue VW Bug.

After shopping all afternoon, we walk into the last boutique. It's the fifth one we've shopped at, but at this shop, we could finally narrow it down to two choices each.

Diana holds up her two red selections. "I'm going to try these on. Let's see if one stands out more than the other. Ready for my fashion show?"

I clap excitedly and reply, "You bet I am!"

After trying on both dresses, Diana still can't decide, and I'm no help because she looks fantastic in both of them.

With my brows furled in thought, I ask, "Does either one of them feel more comfortable than the other? That's the one I'd go with."

She thinks momentarily before commenting, "I love the satin off-the-shoulder one, but I'm not sure about the high-low skirt. I'm more comfortable in the lace dress with the sweetheart neckline and tiered skirt, which makes my choice easy. Thank you, Nicole."

I nod in agreement and say, "Well, there you go. Honestly, you couldn't go wrong with either one."

Diana places the darker red satin dress on the return rack and faces me. "Your turn."

I grab my two choices and make my way into the changing room. I slip on the sparkling silver dress with spaghetti straps, a plunging neckline, and a full skirt. Then, step out and do a twirl for Diana.

Diana shrugs and blurts, "That fabric is way too shimmery."

I look down and have to agree.

My next dress is a pale pink two-piece halter top with sheer material from the beaded collar down to the bodice, exposing my midriff. The skirt's band is beaded to match the top with a short, flowy bottom.

Diana's jaw drops when I step out, and her eyes widen.

"That dress is drop-dead gorgeous. William will not be able to keep his hands off of you."

I giggle and retort, "Well, I need no more convincing than that. Decision made."

We take our purchases to the cashier and head home. Diana drops me off, and I stop in the living room to show my dress to my mom and dad.

My mom smiles and declares, "Honey, that's beautiful. The color suits you, too."

Dad raises his brow before adding, "Two pieces, huh?"

"Dad!" I whine and roll my eyes.

He chuckles at my response and asserts, "It's lovely, Baby Girl! I'm sure that you'll look beautiful in it."

"Thanks, Dad. I do love it," I said, grinning from ear to ear.

I run upstairs to put my dress in my closet and call William.

He answers after one ring. "Hey Babe, what's up?"

Just hearing his voice excites me. "I just got my dress. Diana said you won't be able to keep your hands off me!" I exclaim.

"Pic, please!"

I laugh out loud. "No way! You have to wait till Saturday!"

He groans with disappointment. "Meanie!"

"Meanie?" I giggle. "What are we? Kindergartners?"

His laugh is deep, but he ignores my question. "Can you at least let me know the color? You know I have to match you with my tie."

"Pale pink," I say, popping my p's.

"Any other detail that you are willing to share?" His voice is full of hope.

I think for a moment, deciding to give him more description.

Making my decision, I add teasingly, "There is pretty beading, and it might be two pieces."

He groans, "Oh, the things going through my mind right now!"

"Tell me," I respond breathlessly.

He chuckles and utters, "I'll show you later. Thanks for giving me something to dream about tonight. See you at school tomorrow."

"You're very welcome," I drawl out in my most sexy voice. "Bye."

William growls his goodbye, and I smile at how a few words from me can bring this boy to his knees.

I can almost imagine the heat in his eyes as they darken in lust when he sees my dress.

Laying back on my bed, I wish for the week to end and fall asleep with thoughts of William's large, calloused hands exploring every inch of my body.

Soon, William. Very soon.

A/N Things are starting to heat up with William and Nicole. Are you ready?