The Better Man

by Len Webster

  It had to be the right time.

  They were both back in Boston where it started. She just had to hope a month wasn’t what he needed to move on.

  When Savannah finally reached Monty, who was still dancing with her award, Savannah grasped her arm to get her attention.

  “Savannah! You’re here. Let’s dance!” Monty yelled over the loud music.

  Savannah shook her head. “I can’t. Will’s in Boston. I have to tell him.”

  “Tell him what?” Monty asked, playing dumb no doubt.

  With a confident heart, and no longer afraid, she yelled, “That I’m in love with him!”

  Someone next to her screamed, “Get it, girl!”

  Another drunk dancer joined in. “Yas! Go fucking change his life.”

  And go Savannah went.

  To tell William Lawrence, a man more interesting than the galaxy and the brightest constellations and who also had the kindest heart she had ever known, that she loved him.

  Thirty-two

  Will

  Will couldn’t believe how late he got into Boston. So late that he missed the award ceremony altogether. He was supposed to go with Emerson, but Will had spent the day dealing with his sisters. How his sisters could fight with miles between them was beyond him. Reese was in Australia visiting their grandfather, and Lori was in New York, still home for the summer. But his sisters’ small fight was nothing compared to Lori finding out she had been suspended from the LSU cheerleading team. He had spent the day comforting her. Lori hadn’t given him the details, but he took her out for some shopping before she got her nails done.

  An afternoon together not only cost him getting to Boston on time, but it had cost him financially, too. But so long as Lori was happy, he was happy. Cheerleading had been her entire life. She chose LSU for college so she could cheer for the LSU Tigers. With his train being canceled and his replacement being delayed because of the train strike in Boston, it was now after eight, and the industry awards were finished. He had been Emerson’s plus one, but she understood why he was late. So after he checked in, he went to his room, waiting for Emerson so they could go to the bar together and celebrate her new job. Until his best friend was ready, Will would unwind and think of a plan for tomorrow. As of right now, his plan consisted of him renting a car and driving up to Vermont to see Savannah. He hadn’t spoken to her in a month. They had shared text messages, but it wasn’t enough. He knew that she felt guilt for Will’s termination from Coates and Jackson, but it wasn’t her fault.

  It was his own.

  Finding a job was tough. Whispers had obviously reached New York firms that he had gotten fired for breaching his client’s trust. He was sure had it not been Walter Vidović’s trust he’d broken, no other firm would bat an eyelash. But with every interview Will had gone to, it was over the moment the interviewer confirmed his name. Will had one option.

  G&MC with his father, who was the chief accounting officer.

  Will wasn’t sure how he felt about the possibility of working with his father, but he was up for the challenge. However, he wanted to make sure Emerson was hired first. G&MC had one opening in their finance department, but Will asked his father to consider Emerson over him after her interview.

  And his father had chosen Emerson.

  So for now, Will was still unemployed, still trying to figure out where his life would take him. He would continue to apply for jobs, but his heart was set on G&MC. If it meant moving out of state, Will was prepared to do that. All he could do was listen to his father and be patient. Tonight, while he waited for Emerson, he would apply for more financial advisor positions, but his options were dwindling with every unsuccessful interview. Thankfully, he still had some income. His loyal clients from Coates and Jackson had left the firm and followed him. So Will was now technically a freelancer. But those who still requested his services were a small portion compared to his client list with his old employer.

  As Will got out of the jobs website, he opened a new tab to search for a car rental business not too far from the Four Seasons. Will had not only come to Boston to be Emerson’s plus one, he had also come at the request of Mercer, the owner of G&MC. They had chatted in the lobby after Will had called him about his delayed train. Mercer had asked that Will enjoy his time in Boston and that they would arrange a meeting for early next week to discuss his future. Which meant Will would have a chance to head over to Vermont to see Savannah.

  The past month had tested them. Will didn’t make it easy for her. He wanted to hear her voice but decided that he needed to concentrate on his career first. But a month was far too long for him, and he decided it was time he visited her. See her. And maybe, hopefully, tell her that he loved her. Will didn’t know if she still felt the same way, which was why he never called. He was terrified to hear the truth in her voice. As he was about to book a rental, his phone buzzed on the nightstand next to the bed. Reaching over, he picked up his phone, unlocked it, and was puzzled by Emerson’s text message.

  Emerson: We’re not meeting at the bar. You can thank me later.

  Confused by Emerson’s vague message, he typed out a quick reply when he heard a knock on the door. He wondered if it was Emerson wanting to meet at his hotel room instead of the bar. Setting his phone and his laptop on the nightstand, Will got off the bed and headed to the hotel room door. He wrapped his hand around the handle and turned it, pulling the door open.

  He froze at the sight of her in her silver dress. Her curls were over to one side as her blue eyes gazed up at him, hopeful and as beautiful as ever. He also saw the hurt. That he had let her down with his distance he put between them because he didn’t want to disappoint her with his unemployment.

  “Savannah,” he breathed.

  She inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. He noticed her tight grip on the silver chain making her knuckles white. She was nervous, and it was his fault. “Hi.”

  His heart burst at the sound of her voice.

  She was here in front of him. He now understood Emerson’s message.

  “I met …” She paused.

  Met … did you meet someone tonight?

  His heart broke at the thought.

  She attempted a small smile. “I met a lot of people tonight. I met CEOs and executives …”

  Will tilted his head at her, relieved she hadn’t met someone else. “I’m happy you met so many.”

  “I have business cards, but I gave them to Emerson to give to you. They’re from finance firms in New York and some in New England. I spoke to them about you and Emerson, and they all liked what they heard. They said you should call them.”

  He stilled, realizing she had made connections for him and his ex-partner. Will knew Savannah’s boss was nominated for the Shannon Award, but he had no idea that she would also be here tonight. If he had, he would have searched for her the second he arrived in Boston. “You did that for me and Emerson?”

  Savannah nodded. “I felt helpless after you told me you both left Coates and Jackson. It was my fault. I had to do something, so I researched who would be attending and approached the best finance firms in the country. When I recognized their CEOs or executives, I struck up a conversation.”

  He loved this woman.

  He had loved her for some time now.

  But hearing her connect with people outside of her profession for him and his best friend struck him. At that moment, Savannah Peters took his heart and his breath away.

  “They want you, Will. I told them as much as I could remember about your work and the type of clients you had, and they want to interview you. They wanted to interview Emerson, but she told me she got a job at G&MC. I met Mr. Mercer, and he was inspiring. I told him about you, too.”

  “What did he say?” Will asked, knowing all too well that he had an upcoming interview with Mercer.

  Her eyes lit up like stars. “That he couldn’t wait to interview you. He said it’s unfortunate that I want to stay in Vermont or he’d poach me for his mark
eting team in New York.”

  The idea of working with Savannah in New York struck him hard. He wanted it. Loved the idea of it. But Will knew her heart remained in Vermont with her father and her boss. “Savannah, I have something to tell you,” he announced.

  Her face paled in anticipation. “Oh. Okay.”

  He let out a breath, and confessed, “I was about to rent a car and drive up to Vermont to see you so I could—”

  She swallowed hard. “So you could break up with me?” She said the words with so much pain in her voice and on her face. The month he had put between them had hurt her.

  “No, sweetheart,” he breathed as he grasped her arm and pulled her into his hotel room, closing the door behind her. Then Will settled his palms on her cheeks. “I’m sorry I let a month go by without calling. But I wasn’t going to Vermont to break up with you. That’s not what I want. It’s the opposite of what I want. I wanted to see if this could work between us. I know I haven’t been good to you for the past month. Trying to figure out work—”

  Savannah pulled away from his touch as she pressed her hands to his stomach. “Will, please don’t apologize. Had it not been for me, you wouldn’t have been fired. You wouldn’t have had to find a new job. You wouldn’t feel the way you do because of me.”

  “Sweetheart, being with you, choosing you, was the best thing that has ever happened to me. Coates and Jackson was an employer and nothing more. I would pick you if they made me choose all over again. I’m sorry I didn’t call. I didn’t want to disappoint you with every unsuccessful interview I had.”

  “You could never disappoint me, Will,” she whispered as she moved her palms up his chest to settle on his neck. “Never.”

  Her belief in him was beautiful.

  “So, if I had surprised you in Vermont tomorrow, would you have taken me as yours?”

  Her large smile had his heart clenching in his chest. “There’s nothing in Vermont to visit.”

  “There’s you,” he whispered. “And you are everything I need in Vermont. I still don’t have a job, Savannah. I’m less of a man than I was before I met you.”

  Her brows furrowed as her thumb brushed his jaw. “That’s impossible, Will. You are more of a man than any other man I have met. You’ll find a job. And I’ll believe in you every step of the way.” Then she got on her toes and pressed her lips to his. Her kiss was short yet so damn sweet. Her thumb brushed at his lips as if she were ensuring her kiss was the last he ever had. “You’re the better man, William Lawrence. You’ve always been the better man. You always will be.”

  His heart almost burst in his chest at her declaration. Savannah Peters might not ever love him, and he would accept that so long as she believed in him. “So can I call you mine?”

  The blue in her eyes softened as did her smile. “First, I have to tell you something.”

  Will prepared himself for the worst. Whatever she wanted, he’d give. Whatever she needed, he would offer every inch of himself to her. Will loved her. He wanted to tell her that, but right now, they had to talk. So he would find the perfect moment to tell her.

  It had to be right.

  She deserved it to be right.

  “Tell me.”

  She glanced down at his chest as she bit her lip. He watched her chest rise with a deep inhale before it fell with a shaky exhale. “I got a promotion at work.”

  He stared at her. The elation within him became vibrant. He was so happy for her. He knew how hard Savannah had worked at her junior position. It was time she was taken seriously, and now she was.

  “I know I got you fired. It seems unfair that I got a promotion while you and Emerson had to find new jobs—”

  “Sweetheart,” he whispered as he gripped her hands and pulled them from his face. Then he threaded his fingers with hers. “I am so proud of you. You deserve this promotion.”

  She blinked at him in awe. “You’re not mad?”

  He shook his head. “Why would I be mad? Savannah, I’m in awe of you. I will always support your dreams and your career. Being jealous of your achievements is not the man I am or will ever be. You worked so hard. I’m so proud of you.”

  Savannah pulled her hands free from his and removed her clutch from her shoulder before she threw her arms around his neck and crushed her lips to his, kissing him. Her kiss was unforgettable. Struck him the way an eclipse had. Left his heart unable to beat the way it had before her.

  It’s Savannah, his heart whispered as his tongue slipped past her lips, finding hers.

  They kissed hard.

  They kissed soft.

  They kissed as if they couldn’t stop.

  Will grasped her waist, pressing his fingers into her skin as if he couldn’t believe she was in his hotel room. He couldn’t. He had every intention of going to Vermont to see her.

  To say it.

  Just say it, his thoughts shouted.

  Savannah’s lips pressed against the corner of his mouth before she pulled back. “I’ve missed you,” she panted. “Is that crazy?”

  He shook his head. “No. I’ve missed you, too.”

  Her smile was so bright as she unwound her arms from around his neck and grasped the top button of his shirt. “Will …”

  “Yes, Savannah?”

  She stared at the button for a long moment before she tilted her chin up to look at him. That smile was replaced with unease in her eyes. “I …”

  His thumb brushed her hipbone. “Yes?”

  “I …” She pursed her lips and popped the top button of his shirt. “… need you.” She inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it seconds later. “It’s been over a month. I want to touch you and feel you.”

  He felt the need that shone in her eyes as she walked them back to his bed. They fell onto the mattress with Savannah on top as their lips found each other. It felt as if all their emotions, feelings, and unsaid words snapped.

  Will’s hands ran up and down the back of her thighs as she rocked her hips against him. It had been so long since he last had her like this. Like she was his. But unlike before, he was certain that she was. She left the NBA star for him. He was hers as much as she was his. Her fingers grasped his hair as she moved her lips to press against his cheek, and her breath hit his ear.

  “Will,” she breathed the moment his palms ran up her back and his fingers found the zipper of her dress. “Please.”

  He groaned as she rubbed against him, her dress restricting her ability to seek pleasure. As much as he loved her silver dress, it had to go. He needed to feel her soft, pale skin under his fingertips. Slowly he pulled the zipper down, Savannah letting out a soft moan as she kissed his neck. Once the zipper was down, she sat up, her hair spilling over her chest. Will watched mesmerized as she lifted her hips, grasped the hem of her dress, and pulled it up her body, revealing her perfect bare breasts and her white lace panties. Savannah threw her dress on the floor as Will finished unbuttoning his shirt.

  Once the buttons were free, he sat up, pulled Savannah onto his lap and then removed his shirt, disposing of it on the floor with her dress. She cradled the back of his scalp as she pressed her breasts to his chest. Will groaned, feeling her hard nipples on his skin, and her wet panties against the erection in his pants.

  “Sweetheart …”

  Savannah threw her head back, rocking her hips. “Will, please. God, I need you.”

  He nodded as he reached between them and unbuckled his belt. The next few moments were a blur of kisses and touches. Somehow, he managed to get his slacks undone and pushed them and his boxer briefs down.

  Savannah laughed as he held her tightly to him and kicked his pants and underwear off. Then his fingers brushed her panties, and her eyes flashed with desire. “Can I take them off?”

  Nodding, she whispered, “Yes,” as she raised her hips. Will dug his thumbs into the waistband and paused. “Please don’t torture me like this.”

  He chuckled. “I won’t,” he assured as he pulled her panties down, revealing her ba
re mound. He looked back up to find her staring at him.

  Savannah didn’t say another word as she pulled her panties off and left them to fall on the bed. Then she settled back on his lap, her wet and warm center pressing against his hard cock, causing them both to groan at the contact.

  It had been so long since their last time.

  Since he felt complete.

  “Ride me, sweetheart,” he urged in a hoarse voice, clutching her hips.

  She bit her lip and slipped her hand between their naked bodies. Savannah gripped his hard length and ran it along her core. She let out a breathy moan before she slowly sank down on him.

  Inch by inch.

  Excruciatingly slow and wonderful.

  And perfect.

  She was so wet.

  So warm.

  So goddamn tight that Will had to squeeze his ass cheeks for fear of coming too soon.

  The moment he was completely inside her and she was seated on his lap, he reached up and grabbed her face, crashing his lips to hers. He needed her closer. He needed her in his veins and in his heart.

  He needed to tell her he loved her.

  But as she raised her hips and sank down on him, his mind emptied. Lost in the pleasure as she rode him, he was entranced by her heavy breaths and the moan of his name from her lips.

  “Fuck,” he groaned, feeling the familiar lick of pleasure at the base of his spine. He was close, but he didn’t want to come without her. Sliding his hand up her stomach, he squeezed her breast as he kissed her neck. “Come for me, sweetheart.”

  Savannah panted, riding him as she threw her head back, and Will saw just how lost she was in her pleasure. She was beautiful. The sheen of sweat added to her beauty. This woman was his. There was no one after her. “Will, God, I’m close. I’m so close.”