“Natalie, what’s wrong?” he asked gruffly.
She shook her head. “Nothing,” she said, but her cracking voice said otherwise. “I’m fine.”
She brushed past Connor and her brother watched her go with a concerned frown. Once she was out of the building, Connor turned his head and pinned Wes with a near violent stare that was just as livid as his next words.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Chapter Sixteen
Wes stood his ground as Connor stalked into his office, his shirt and jeans stained with dirt and grime from working on one of their properties they were flipping, his jaw clenched tight with anger. He stopped in front of Wes, his gaze blazing with displeasure and another sentiment that looked very much like betrayal.
The first emotion Wes could have dealt with. The second one was far more difficult to digest and made him feel like complete and utter shit. Connor was his best friend, and had been since before they were even teenagers. He was the guy who’d always had his back in any given situation, and there was no doubt in Wes’s mind that Connor trusted Wes implicitly.
He had a horrible, awful feeling he’d fucked that all to hell, and might not have only lost Natalie but possibly Connor’s friendship, as well, all in one fell swoop.
“You did it, didn’t you?” Connor demanded, gaze narrowed and his voice heated. “You fucking slept with my sister, the one woman I’d expect you to keep your dick out of. Was screwing around with Natalie part of your requirement for her to fulfill the terms of your bet?”
Irritation tightened across Wes’s shoulders, but he let his friend get everything off his chest before he answered, telling himself that Connor, as Natalie’s big brother, had the right to defend his sister’s honor. Even though they’d done nothing wrong.
“Yes, we slept together and no, it wasn’t a requirement,” he replied, glaring at Connor for him even thinking that Wes would stoop to that level. “Everything about it was consensual.” He wasn’t about to inform Connor that Natalie had suggested the affair. It didn’t matter at this point, because they both had agreed.
Connor jabbed a finger toward the door. “Then why the hell did she just leave here looking fucking devastated?”
Wes wasn’t sure he had an answer to that. He hadn’t ended the fling, she had. And she was accepting a great job in Atlanta with an upscale firm that was everything she claimed she was working toward, so he didn’t understand why she’d be crushed by the end to their affair. Wasn’t this what she wanted? A temporary fuck buddy before she transitioned into the next phase of her life?
Jesus Christ. He was so fucking confused.
“I need a drink,” Wes muttered, and headed over to the wet bar in the corner of his office.
He retrieved two lowball glasses from the shelf and the bottle of Macallan single malt scotch he normally reserved for clients, usually to celebrate a sale or purchase. Today, he needed a shot to soothe his ego and his nerves, and Connor needed one to calm the fuck down so they could have a civilized conversation.
After pouring a liberal amount for each of them, he carried one of the glasses over to Connor and pressed it into his friend’s hand. “Care to sit down and stay awhile?” Wes asked in a droll tone, and fully expected Connor to tell him to fuck off and die.
Surprisingly, Connor huffed out a breath, then settled his big body into one of the chairs in front of Wes’s desk, while Wes sat down in his leather chair across from his friend. He didn’t dare look at the desk itself because he knew he’d remember how beautiful Natalie had looked spread across the mahogany while his name fell from her lips not even a half hour ago, so instead he kept his gaze trained straight ahead at Connor.
The two of them stared each other down as they drank their scotch in moody silence, though Connor’s gaze was far more intimidating. He figured the man would speak when he was good and ready.
Wes understood why Connor was so protective of his little sister. For one thing, growing up, he’d always been that way, but Wes knew this current anger stemmed from the fact that Connor had been the one to catch Natalie’s douchebag of a boyfriend cheating on her. He’d been the one to tell his sister what he’d seen, and watched as she’d fallen apart. So yeah, when it came to men and his sister, Connor was definitely in protective big brother mode and had taken it upon himself to make sure anyone interested in her was good enough for Natalie.
Wes hated that Connor lumped him into the latter category and found him lacking.
Connor downed the rest of his liquor and set the glass on the desk with a loud, aggressive clack. Wes decided they’d spent enough time having a Mexican standoff, and now it was time to be the adults they were.
“You ready to discuss this rationally?” he asked, then finished his own drink and set his glass aside, not nearly as belligerently as Connor had. Wes wasn’t interested in having a pissing contest. Honestly, he just needed someone to talk to about the situation, and he really wanted that person to be Connor, his best friend—if the other man could be level-headed about the situation.
“That depends on how much of an asshole you were to my sister,” Connor said, deadpan.
So much for level-headed. “I wasn’t an asshole, and I swear I didn’t take advantage of her.” Wes plowed his fingers through his hair in frustration and decided to lay everything out on the table. What the fuck did he have to lose at this point?
“We both agreed to the affair because we’re attracted to each other, and yeah, it was supposed to be temporary and just for the duration of the bet. She wasn’t looking for anything serious and neither was I.”
Connor’s gaze darkened with animosity again and his hands gripped the sides of the chair, but he kept quiet and let Wes continue explaining.
“But then . . . that changed and it wasn’t about just the sex anymore.”
Connor made a face at the insinuation of his sister getting it on with his best friend, and Wes almost laughed. God, he couldn’t believe he was discussing his sex life and his feelings for Natalie with her brother. It was all kinds of wrong, but no way did he want Connor to think that his sister had been nothing more than a casual fuck. It was the furthest thing from the truth.
“There’s always been this thing between me and Natalie, even when we were teenagers. We’ve always been competitive, and we’ve always butted heads and antagonized one another, but beneath all that, we were both attracted to each other and trying to act like we weren’t.”
“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock,” Connor drawled sardonically. “Don’t you think I didn’t see that tension between the two of you every time you were in the same room together? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that both of you were trying not to give in to temptation.”
Wes rocked back in his chair, trying to process the knowledge that Connor had known all along. “Why didn’t you say something to me?”
“Because I didn’t want the two of you getting involved,” he said bluntly. “Not because you’re my best friend and she’s my sister. I didn’t want you to break her fucking heart, because that’s what you do, Wes.” He raised a brow, his gaze pointed and resentful. “But it looks as though that happened, anyway.”
Wes didn’t mind owning up to something that was his fault and he was responsible for, but he wasn’t keen on taking the blame for something he didn’t do. The only way Wes could have broken Natalie’s heart was if he’d been the one to walk away. But that hadn’t happened, and he wanted Connor to understand that.
“I know I don’t have the best track record with women.” As soon as the statement was out of his mouth, he laughed dryly and shook his head. “Hell, I don’t even have a track record when it comes to relationships, because I’ve never let myself get involved longer than a few dates. That’s the way I’ve always been, so I get why you think I’m the bad guy. But just to clear things up, ending this . . . relationship,” he said, because what he’d shared with Natalie had been more than just an affair or fling to him, “was Natalie’s idea, not mine.
If I had my choice, we’d still be together, officially as a couple. But clearly that wasn’t what your sister wanted.”
Connor leaned forward in his chair and braced his forearms on his thighs, scrutinizing Wes a moment before speaking again. “Are you . . . in love with her?”
Wes gave the question serious consideration. He’d always had feelings for Natalie, and a few weeks ago, had he been posed with the same question, he would have said he cared for her. Because what the hell did he really know about love?
But what he felt for her now was so much more than just affection and caring and attraction. Being with Natalie was like a powerful drug and the best kind of addiction. When he was with her, even lying in bed holding her when she was sick, he felt happy and content. And when they were apart, he was constantly thinking about her and how soon he could see her again. He wanted to make her happy. He loved fighting and arguing with her because she was so feisty and full of fire, and he loved that she wasn’t afraid to stand up to him, to go toe-to-toe over something she believed in. And he hated how empty and quiet his house was when she wasn’t in it.
But mostly, the thought of not having Natalie in his life was like a crushing blow to his heart.
“Yeah, I love her,” he said, the words sounding rusty to his own ears. But what if she didn’t love him back? The mere possibility made him feel as though he couldn’t breathe.
Connor frowned at him, obviously seeing his panic-stricken expression and guessing at the source. “Look, I’m going to let you in on something, and if you ever tell Natalie I told you this, I will not only deny any knowledge of this next conversation but I will also kick you in the nuts so fucking hard you’ll never have sex again.”
Jesus, this was serious. “Okay,” he said cautiously.
After hesitating a few seconds, Connor spoke. “When Natalie was nineteen, I read something I shouldn’t have, and she would be pissed if she knew.”
Wes was definitely intrigued.
“She was living at home and going to UIC,” he continued, referring to the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she’d attended classes. “I was working on a construction site and stopped by after work to pick up something my mom still had packed away in my room, but no one was home. No big deal, I used my key to get in, and when I walked by Natalie’s room, her door was open and I saw what looked like a book on her bed. But it was pink, and I thought that was odd, so I picked it up and flipped through it . . . and realized it was her journal.”
Connor’s face flushed and he shifted on his chair, and Wes almost smirked to see his friend so uncomfortable.
“I know I should have put it down and walked away . . . but I didn’t.” Connor’s chagrin grew. “I was a dick and read some of the entries, and I just kept turning pages, because I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Natalie was in love with you. Not a little-girl crush or a teenage infatuation, but judging by the words she wrote, it was the kind of love a woman feels toward a guy who means everything to her. You’ve always been that guy, Wes, and I’m pretty damn sure you still are.”
Wes had no words. None. He was too blown away by what his friend just told him. He could easily rationalize that Connor reading the journal entry was a long time ago, that Natalie’s feelings were no longer the same, that she’d dated other men and had a long-term serious relationship that could have led to marriage. But what did Wes expect? No woman was going to wait around for a guy who showed no signs of ever loving her back, and the easiest thing to do would be to move on and start fresh . . .
Just like Natalie was moving on to Atlanta and beginning a new life there. Was she taking the job because she believed he’d never be capable of giving her what she wanted? What she needed?
He met Connor’s gaze. “Did you know about the job in Atlanta she was considering?”
“Yeah, she mentioned it.” His friend shrugged a shoulder. “Given the choice, she would have been a great asset to this company, but you stated your reasons for not wanting to hire her on, and while I respected that decision, as did Max and Kyle, I didn’t, and still don’t, agree with it. That whole ‘it’s not smart to mix business with family’ is a bunch of bullshit, and you know it.”
His logic, at the time, had made total sense to Wes. It had everything to do with the emotional scars and the horrible memories of his parents’ divorce. How family disputes, even in a business, could cause tension and resentments and tear relationships apart—because that’s all he’d known. But being put in a situation where he stood to lose everything that was important to him—and the firm wasn’t number one on the list, Natalie was—changed his whole perspective.
“So, now that you have an idea of how she feels about you, are you really going to let her go to Atlanta?” Connor asked, his gaze direct.
No. No, he wasn’t. “I take it I have your blessing, as her brother and my best friend?”
“Yeah, you do,” Connor said, the corners of his mouth lifting in a genuine smile. “I trust you with Natalie, and I know you’d never intentionally hurt her. And I know she’s good for you, too, and that’s what matters.”
If Connor trusted him, Wes realized that he had to trust himself to be the man that Natalie wanted and needed in her life. He wasn’t letting her go without a fight. Without laying all his cards on the table and making sure she knew, without any doubts, how he felt about her.
He had to try, because he knew if he didn’t do everything in his power to make her stay, losing Natalie Prescott would be his biggest regret in life.
And he wasn’t about to let that happen.
* * *
Saturday afternoon, Natalie was curled up on the couch, finally eating the Ben & Jerry’s Wes had bought for her while watching The Notebook on Netflix. Stuffing her face with ice cream and watching one of the most tragic love stories to appear on the big screen was certainly an appropriate way to drown her sorrows and heartache.
After the many text messages she’d received that morning, she wasn’t surprised when she heard a knock on the door. She’d been expecting the visitor, even though she had no desire to have company and had told him as much. Numerous times. But she also knew he wouldn’t go away, either, and that’s why she set down her carton of Chocolate Fudge Brownie and finally went to answer the door.
She opened it without looking through the peephole, and surprise, surprise, Richard stood on the other side. “I told you I’m a total grump and not in the mood to be social.”
“Too fucking bad,” he retorted, unfazed by her cranky disposition as he walked right into her condo without an invitation, a bakery bag in his hand.
She sighed, closed the door, and followed him into the living room.
He eyed the carton of ice cream on the coffee table, then glanced at her with a raised brow. “I brought chocolate cake for the depressed and broken-hearted, but it looks like someone already beat me to it.”
“Wes bought it for me when I was sick, when he brought over the soup,” she admitted.
Richard grinned, looking impressed. “So, the guy does have potential.”
She rolled her eyes because it didn’t matter what Wes had done three days ago, the sweet gestures and taking care of her when she was sick, because all that was over. She’d gone into the affair knowing who Wes was, that there wouldn’t be any promises, and she’d certainly known not to get more emotionally attached to him than she already was.
Too late for that, her heart mocked her.
Richard gave her clothes an admiring once-over. “By the way, I approve of your mopey attire. It’s very . . . chic.”
Okay, that made her laugh, damn him. The oversized cable-knit sweater that came to her thighs and the matching knee-high knitted socks were far from chic, but they made her feel warm and cozy and comforted. She grabbed her ice cream, sat back down, and resumed play on her movie.
Richard grabbed the remote and hit pause.
She glared at him. “Hey, this is my pity party, and I can sulk and watch depressing movies if I
want to.”
He shook his head and put the remote out of her reach. “I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t help you out of this slump. Let’s go shopping and spend lots of money. Retail therapy can do wonders for a girl’s morale.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere.” She leaned her head back against the top of the couch and closed her eyes, hating the heavy, oppressive feeling in her chest that reminded her of everything that had happened the day before in Wes’s office.
The hot sex she’d become addicted to, and the fact that Wes hadn’t even batted an eye when she told him about moving to Atlanta. How he’d given her an aloof they’ll be lucky to have you that had felt like a knife to her heart. He might as well have said, “Hey, it was nice fucking you. I’ll see ya around.”
She swallowed the lump forming in her throat, refusing to cry any more tears over Wes. Last night, she could have filled buckets, but just as she’d done after Mitch, she was going to move forward and figure things out, one day at a time. On her own and without Wes. And in Atlanta.
God, what made her think she could have a fling with Wes and remain unaffected? That she could keep her emotions out of the equation when she’d loved him for so many years? And why did it hurt so damn much that she hadn’t heard a word from him since walking out of his office last night?
Because it’s over, Natalie.
“Hey, you okay?” Richard asked, his concerned voice making her open her eyes again.
“Yes . . .no,” she added truthfully as all the pain inside of her bubbled to the surface. “Everything about this situation sucks. I never should have suggested an affair with Wes, because my stupid heart doesn’t know how to sleep with a guy and not get involved.” She grabbed one of the throw pillows on the couch, set it on her lap, and gave it a frustrated punch. “Oh, who am I kidding? My heart was involved way before we had sex.”
Richard gave her a sympathetic look. “Yesterday, when you saw Wes, did you tell him how you feel about him?”
The Book Boyfriend Series Box Set Page 16
