“I’m 32,” he said with a grin. “I’m ready for the grand tour. We should start with the bedroom.”
“Go ahead. Down that hall.” I pointed in the direction of the bedrooms and headed toward the kitchen. “I’ll just be icing down the hideous bump on my head.”
He laughed and caught my arm. “Go sit down. I’ll bring you the ice.”
“It’s fine. I’ve got it.” I tried to pull my arm away, but he held on tight.
“Let me take care of you, Riley.” The earnestness in his eyes was unsettling. “Please.”
My heart thudded as an unfamiliar feeling ran through me. This wasn’t lust or desire. It was comfort. I was comforted having William worried about me. Turning away as I pondered that thought, I muttered, “Whatever. The ice is in the freezer.”
I could hear William humming to himself as he moved around in my kitchen. I couldn’t remember the last time I had allowed a man to roam my place so freely. My head was throbbing as I took a seat on the couch. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back slowly and took a deep breath. Not all the throbbing was because of the fall. I kept replaying Matthew’s words in my head, hearing his voice each time.
“Here.” William nudged my arm with something cold and I opened my eyes. He handed me a towel filled with ice and a glass of scotch. “For the pain,” he explained.
I took them both gratefully. Even I could admit that it was nice to have someone taking care of me. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” He perched on the edge of the cushion next to me. “You should try to get some rest. I can take off.”
“No,” I said immediately, surprising both of us. “Just… stay a little while?”
“Sure.” He settled more comfortably into the cushions. “I’ll stay as long as you want.”
I put the ice to my head and closed my eyes again. It couldn’t really be this easy, could it? Letting someone into your life? “I don’t know how to do this,” I said quietly, keeping my eyes closed.
“Just keep the ice on it,” William said, oblivious to my inner struggle.
“I don’t know how to be with you,” I said, hoping it would be clearer this time. “I don’t do relationships, William.”
“Ever?” he asked, sounding surprised.
“No.” I could feel him watching me. “I know you were joking earlier when you said I was damaged goods, but you were also right. I’m a mess.”
The cushions moved as William shifted in his seat. I could feel him moving closer and wasn’t sure what to expect. He surprised me when he said, “My mother left my family when I was eight-years-old. She woke up one day and was tired of being a mom to four boys, and she left.”
My eyes flew open. “How could she do that?”
“I used to ask myself that same question a hundred times per day.” William had turned so he was facing me and I could see the deep pain below the surface of his blue eyes. “It wasn’t until recently that I realized there is no good answer to that question. Either she was weak, or a terrible mother, or she was sick, or maybe she was just human. The answer doesn’t matter because it doesn’t change anything.”
“You deserved better than that,” I said, thinking about my own mother and how amazing she had been. “No child should ever feel that their parent’s love is conditional or temporary.”
“So that’s my excuse for being 32, single, with no history of significant adult relationships. What’s your story?” William grabbed the glass of scotch from me and took a healthy sip as he waited for my answer.
I had never told anyone my story. It was too painful to say it out loud. Some days it was too painful to even think about it. I had never wanted to tell anyone about my past. But something about the vulnerable way William was looking at me almost pulled the words out of me. Almost.
“My head is still killing me. I think I should lie down.” Before I could make my escape, William dropped a heavy hand on my shoulder.
“Stop trying to run away from me, Riley. If you aren’t ready to divulge your secrets to me, fine. I’m a grown man and I can wait until you are ready. Just stop pushing me away.” He hooked a finger under my chin and turned my head to face him. “Stop expecting the worst from me.”
“I warned you that I don’t know how to do this,” I said, willing myself not to get lost in the gold flecks in his eyes.
“We’ll figure it out together.” He took the towel from me and examined the injury. “The swelling has gone down. You’ll be good as new in a day or two.”
“You should get back to your party. I feel terrible that you had to leave because of me.” My words lacked believability. I didn’t want William to leave.
His eyes searched mine. “Do you really want me to go?”
“No. But I’m not entirely sure I want you to stay either.” Before I could change my mind, I stood. “I’m going to bed. If you want to join me, I’d be okay with that. If you want to take off and never call me again, I won’t hold it against you.”
‘You’re kidding, right?” William said with an uncertain chuckle.
I shrugged and walked away. “You wouldn’t be the first man to take option B.”
My bed had never looked quite so enticing as it did when I flopped onto it, promptly burying my head in the pillow and closing my eyes. I hadn’t just been using my head injury as an excuse with William. It really was throbbing. In fact, I was so focused on blocking out the pain that I didn’t realize I was no longer alone. A blanket was carefully being tucked around me. With great effort, I opened my eyes.
“I choose option A,” William said, sinking onto the bed next to me.
“Good.” I shifted to make room for him. “I’ll try not to sneak out on you this time.”
“That would be nice,” he said with a soft chuckle as he lay down. He rolled onto his side so he was facing me. “Especially since this is your place.”
“Now shut up and let me get some sleep,” I said, smiling. “If you behave yourself tonight, I might make it worth your while in the morning.”
He smiled and put an arm around me. “I’m going to spoon the crap out of you tonight.”
“The way you use words…It’s like Shakespeare is in my bed.” I nestled closer to him and closed my eyes.
“Shakespeare’s got nothing on me,” he said confidently. “You’ll see.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
William
I woke before Riley and slid out of bed as quietly as possible. As I checked to make sure that I hadn’t woken her up, I found myself smiling. Riley was an adorable sleeper. She tucked her hands under her cheek like a child and her pink lips curled into a faint smile. It took all my self-control not to reach over and stroke her cheek.
What the hell is this girl doing to you, Moore? I thought to myself as I left the room. I was a planner. I meticulously calculated each hour of each day, each day of each week. Nothing ever caught me by surprise, until Riley Banks smiled at me that night. I had known in that second that my life was about to change.
Riley thought she was the messy one in our brief relationship. Perhaps another man might have been concerned about her commitment issues, but I could understand her feelings all too well. My longest relationship had lasted a year, but that was only because it had been long distance and the woman had cheated on me the entire time. Otherwise, she surely would’ve gotten sick of my constant absence and taciturn nature much sooner.
After that relationship ended with her setting my condo on fire, I swore off women and turned my focus to my job. The company had thrived during that time, but the same couldn’t be said for myself. My job was my life and I was starting to feel burned out. Even Scott was beginning to notice my struggle. In fact, he was the reason I had ended up in that bar with Riley.
When I was with her, nothing else mattered to me. I loved to hear her snarky quips and melodic laughter. When she laughed, my heart felt full. I forgot about everything else, including the company. But even as I felt myself falling for her, I was already preparing f
or our inevitable end.
Riley loved her job. She wasn’t willing to forget about it the way that I had. Our relationship was more than a little risky and someday soon she would be forced to make a choice. I was almost certain that she would not choose me. How could I blame her? We had just met. Neither of us was looking for a relationship. It was also clear that she was dealing with trauma from her past that she couldn’t even manage to tell me about. I knew that we were doomed from the start, but that didn’t mean I was going to give up without a fight.
I was halfway through making breakfast when Scott called. “This better be good,” I said, knowing that wasn’t likely.
Scott and I talked every day, even on weekends, but never this early. Scott had probably been at the club until just a few hours ago. For him to be awake right now, something bad must have happened.
“Define good,” Scott said, sounding like he had just woken up. “Petry called. The servers went down an hour ago.”
“An hour? Why didn’t he call sooner?” I frowned as I flipped an omelet.
“He thought he could get it back up in a few minutes. It’s taking longer than that.” Scott’s voice was muffled as he turned away from the phone and said something. “I’m going to head into the office, but I thought you’d want to know.”
Riley came quietly into the room, wearing just an oversized t-shirt. She looked toward the stove and raised an eyebrow.
I felt myself smiling automatically, even as I said to Scott, “I can take care of it.”
“No, no.” Scott yawned loudly. “I saw you leave the party with Riley. If I had to guess, I’d say you are still with her right now.”
“Maybe,” I said, my heart skipping a beat as Riley pushed herself onto the countertop next to me and crossed her long legs just a few inches from my arm. I could hear a female voice speaking to Scott. “Are you sure you’ve got this? It sounds like I’m not the only one that didn’t go home alone.”
“It’s nothing. You know me.” Scott said, “Just enjoy your weekend. I’ll keep you updated.”
My hand was already on Riley’s knee. “Thanks, bud. I owe you.”
“You definitely do.” Scott hung up and I turned my attention to Riley.
“I was quite alarmed to find my bed empty this morning,” she said with a pout. “I thought you snuck out on me.”
“It would only have been fair,” I said, moving my hand over her smooth skin. With my other hand, I turned off the stove. “Would you have been upset if I had left?”
She looked at me curiously. “I think so, actually. Turns out I might like you.”
“Wait until you taste my eggs.” I gave her leg a gentle squeeze and turned back to the omelet. After sliding it onto a plate, I turned to hand it to her.
Riley surprised me by snaking an arm behind my neck and pulling me to her for a deep, long kiss. I quickly set the eggs to the side and returned the kiss eagerly.
“Want to take this back to the bedroom?” she asked with her lips still pressed to mine.
The obvious answer was yes. It was what we both wanted. But I wanted something else too, and I wasn’t going to get that by treating Riley just like every other guy had treated her.
“I’ve got something else in mind.” I backed away reluctantly. “Eat your breakfast.”
“Breakfast?” She looked stunned. “That’s what you want me to do right now?”
“I’ve got a lot planned for us today and you’re going to need the energy.” I turned away to retrieve the coffee that had just finished brewing.
“Plans? Today?” Riley sounded horrified. “I can’t spend the day with you, William. I have to work.”
I scoffed. “On a Saturday?”
“Yes, on a Saturday. And on a Sunday. The partners at the firm expect me to be committed to my clients.” She reached for the omelet and took a hesitant bite. “This is actually good.”
“You doubted me?” I pretended to be hurt. “Besides, I’m your client. If you were truly committed to me, you would spend the day with me.”
“William.” She gave me a scolding look.
“Call me Will. Please. My employees and clients call me William. I’d prefer it if you would call me Will.” I handed Riley a cup of coffee. “What do you say, Banks? Are you committed to me?”
She sighed. “Fine. I will spend part of the day with you. But I really do need to work later today.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” I said with a triumphant smile. “Finish eating. Shower. Get dressed. I’m going to run home and do the same and then I will be back to pick you up.”
“This is how you are making your escape? I’ll give you credit– it’s a lot nicer than just waking to find an empty bed.” Riley tried to sound like she was joking, but I could tell there was some concern in her tone.
“You aren’t getting rid of me that easily, Banks. I’m coming back. And I will keep coming back until you stop wanting to send me away.”
I left Riley’s place half-convinced that I would never see her again and wondered if that feeling would ever go away. If we did somehow make our relationship work, would I always feel like a child holding onto a kite in a windstorm?
That thought was still in the back of my mind as I opened the car door for her an hour later. She had been waiting for me outside, wearing a pair of cutoffs and a light blue top that looked ridiculously good on her. She gave me a big smile. My heart skipped happily as she greeted me with a kiss on the cheek.
“You came back,” she said, sounding relieved.
“Of course.” I pulled her closer. When she wasn’t in my arms, every inch of me longed to hold her. “I missed you.”
“You were only gone an hour,” she said with a faint flush spreading over her cheeks. She turned away and got into the car, saying quickly, “I know I’m not that irresistible.”
It was such a typical Riley response. Self-deprecating, unable to accept a compliment, and turning away before I could insist that she was wrong. With a shake of my head, I shut her door and walked around the car. After turning on the engine, I said, “I would tell you how beautiful you look, but I’m sure you’d just brush that away, too.”
“You’re probably right,” she admitted with a sheepish smile. “For the record, you look very beautiful, too.”
“Stop!” I pretended to be embarrassed as I drove away from her apartment. “I’ll give you pretty, but I’m a long way from beautiful.”
“Learn to take a compliment, Will,” she teased, reaching over to take my hand. I loved the way my name sounded as it passed over her lips. “Are you going to tell me what you have planned for us?”
“I can’t tell you all my secrets.” I squeezed her hand and took the exit to Lake Shore Drive. “Just trust me, Banks.”
Her smile wavered. “I’ll do my best, but I make no promises.”
“You’re not nearly as damaged and mysterious as you think, Riley Banks,” I said, accelerating into the traffic that was headed out of the city. “I’m going to break my way through that protective wall you keep hiding behind.”
“It’s sweet that you think that, but you don’t really know me, Will. You have no idea how damaged I am.” She had turned to stare out the window and her hand had gone slack inside mine. “I think you might be too good for me, William Moore.”
“I know you’re wrong about that.” I put her hand up to my lips and kissed the back of it, causing her to turn back to me. Her green eyes had gone misty. “In fact, I’m sure my brothers would gladly tell you a dozen stories that would prove otherwise.”
“Tell me about them,” Riley said, sounded more like her normal self. “There’s four of you?”
I was glad to talk about something lighter. “Technically, there’s four Moore boys– Nick, Chase, Stone, and myself. When we were in high school, a friend of ours lost his parents and he moved in with us. Cole is kind of an honorary Moore.”
“You have a brother named Stone?” Riley asked in disbelief.
“It was my
mother’s maiden name. He is the youngest and I think my parents had run through the boys’ names they agreed upon by the time he came along.” I smiled at the thought of Stone. “He’s the wild one of the bunch. Mountain climbs, skydives, and generally seems to have a death wish. But he buckled down last year and passed the firefighter’s test and he seems to be enjoying his new job.”
“Very noble of him,” Riley said. “Are you the oldest?”
“No, that would be Nicky. Or as you may know him, Senator Nicholas Moore.”
Riley gasped. “Senator Moore is your older brother? I guess the good looks run in the family.”
“Nicky is the least attractive Moore,” I said with a scoff.
“He was voted the hottest member of Congress,” she said. “But I would have to agree that you are hotter.”
“And you’re not biased at all in that opinion?” I teased. “You haven’t even met Chase and Stone.”
“If they look anything like you, meeting them would be my best day ever,” she said with an eyebrow waggle. “A Senator, a firefighter, and a successful CEO. Those are some good family genes. What does Chase do?”
I grinned as I anticipated her response. “He’s an Olympic swimmer.”
“No way! Chase Moore, ten-time gold medalist, is your little brother?” Her eyes widened. “I’ve hit the hot-guy jackpot. When can we arrange a family reunion?”
“I don’t think all of us have gotten together since our grandfather died three years ago.” I tried not to let it show how much that bothered me. “That probably won’t happen again until another funeral… or a wedding.”
“A wedding?” She grinned. “Whose wedding?”
“Time will tell.” I returned her grin. “If you play your cards right…”
Her smile faded slightly. “What about Cole? What is your pseudo-brother up to these days?”
“Cole has been in the army for the last fifteen years. He spends a lot of his time deployed overseas, but whenever he’s stateside he makes the rounds staying with the rest of us. He’s due for another visit at the end of the month.” I had almost forgotten Cole had emailed me a couple of weeks earlier.
Something Moore (Forever Moore Book 1) Page 5