As I stood in front of the office hours later, I had a horrible twisting in my stomach. Scott was oblivious to my distress, prattling on excitedly about a meeting we’d had with our investors. All I could think about was the dead tone of the man that had answered my call. When I introduced myself, he made no indication that was even listening other than a deep grunt. However, he’d been more than willing to meet with me when I mentioned that I was friends with Riley. Somehow, I had convinced myself that it would be fine meeting him as long as we were in a public place. The office had seemed like a logical location.
As I watched Scott pull away in his cab, I worried that I had made a big mistake. Michael Banks didn’t strike me as the type of person that would be affected by having an audience. My police officer buddy had also sent over a picture of Michael, so I was able to easily identify him walking down the sidewalk. Every muscle in my body tensed as he got closer. I was surprised by his size. For some reason, I had pictured the scrawny 18-year-old he had been when he got sent away. But that was over a decade ago.
The man walking toward me was broad shouldered and barrel chested. He was almost as tall as myself and had a number of tattoos snaking over his arms. When his eyes met mine, they were cold and unreactive. I could understand why Riley had been so sure of his guilt.
“Michael?” I said when he was just a few feet away.
“Yeah.” It was the same gruff voice that had answered my phone call. “You Moore?”
“I am. William.” I decided not to move for a handshake. He didn’t seem to mind. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.”
He nodded. “You said you know Riley. I’ve been trying to get ahold of her.”
“I know.” I gestured to the door. “Let’s go inside and talk. There are some things we need to discuss.”
His eyes narrowed at me suspiciously, but he nodded his head again and then followed me inside.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Riley
I was still shaking as I paced around my apartment. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would see William and Michael together. It felt like I had been punched in the chest. It was the ultimate betrayal. How could William have gone behind my back and agreed to a meeting with my brother when he knew that I wanted nothing to do with him?
But I was more upset with myself than I was with William. I never should have told him about my past. Anything that happened now was my own fault for letting someone into that part of my life. There was a reason why I had always kept others out, and this was proof that I never should have changed that approach to my life.
I found a bottle of scotch in my kitchen and proceeded to drink straight from the bottle. The shaking stopped somewhere around my fifth long pull from the bottle. By the time William buzzed my door, I was more than a little drunk. I punched the button to let him in and opened the door a crack. Then I went into the living room and stood near the open window. The scotch and warmed me from the inside out and the cool air felt welcoming on my skin.
“Sorry, I’m a little late.” William didn’t seem to notice that I was fighting back the urge to scream at him.
I turned slowly, determined not to let a smile from him distract me from my anger. Except William wasn’t smiling. He was holding a bouquet of freshly cut flowers while still wearing his gray suit. The smitten girl inside of me swooned, but the drunk girl in my shoved her away.
“How was your client dinner?” I asked, my words just slightly slurring.
“Fine. I missed you.” He set the flowers on the table and came further into the room. “Are you still mad at me for what happened in the office?”
“What? No.” I had completely forgotten about the scene with Georgia. It was the last thing on my mind right then. “Will, I walked past your office earlier. I saw you outside with Michael.”
His face tightened and his eyes pinched closed for a second. It was obviously not what he had been expecting me to say. When he looked at me again, I could tell that he was braced for a fight. “It’s not what you think, Riley. I just wanted to tell him to leave you alone.”
“You didn’t have the right. I made it clear that I want nothing to do with him.” I crossed my arms stubbornly over my chest, swaying slightly.
“I’m just looking out for you.” William had avoided any type of apology which made me even more angry.
“You are not my protector, Will. You are a one-night-stand that ran a week past its expiration.” I had no idea where those words had come from, and it was a terrible thing to say. The pain that flashed through William’s eyes made me cringe.
“I never forced you into any of this, Riley. I thought that you wanted to be with me the same way that I want to be with you. If that’s not the case, I can walk out of your life right now.” He kept his face unreadable, except for those haunting, hurting eyes. “Is that what you want?”
No. It wasn’t what I wanted, but I didn’t forgive him for what he had done. “What did you say to him?”
“I told him that you are very special to me and that I don’t appreciate him harassing you. I told him to knock it off or he will be sorry.” William shrugged unapologetically. “Even if you tell me to leave right now, I don’t regret it. I would do anything to keep you safe, Riley.”
“Stop.” I shook my head furiously as my eyes began to water. I wasn’t used to having anyone in my life that cared about so unconditionally.
“Do you want me to go?” he repeated.
I continued to shake my head. “No.”
“What do you want, Riley?” he took a step closer.
“You.” I looked him dead in the eyes, a moment of crystal clear sobriety washing over me. “I want you, Will.”
He closed the last few feet between us and put his arms around me, wrapping me in a gentle embrace. “You have me, Riley. All of me.”
After a long kiss that made my legs wobble even more than they already were, he pulled away with a twinkle in his eyes. “Are you drunk?”
“No,” I scoffed, acting offended.
“Riley, you taste like a bottle of scotch.” He laughed when I swayed in his arms. “Maybe we should wait for our heart-to-heart talks until after you sober up.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted, even as my stomach began to turn over. “I’m just a little tipsy.”
He held back another smile. “If you say so.”
“I just… need a minute.” I said, moving quickly away from him on unsteady feet. “Stay.”
I only just made it to the bathroom before my stomach finished turning over. As I hit the floor and cursed my stupid decision to drink half a bottle of scotch, I heard shoes walking softly over the tile floor.
“Here.” William’s hands were cool against my skin as he scooped my hair away from my face and held it at the back of my neck. His other hand softly rubbed my back. “Get it out. You’ll feel better when you do.”
As mortifying as it was to throw up with William right there, I didn’t have much control of the situation. It was coming out regardless of what I wanted. After a few minutes of hating myself, William helped me stand.
“Give me a second, please,” I said as I leaned over the sink.
“Sure. I’ll get you a glass of water.”
When he was gone, I splashed water over my face and brushed my teeth. My reflection in the mirror wasn’t nearly as scary as I had imagined, but it also wasn’t the best I had ever looked. My dress was a wrinkled mess, so I pulled it over my head. Wearing just my bra and underwear, I shuffled to the bedroom.
William returned just as I sank onto the bed. He handed me a glass of water. “Drink the whole thing. You’ll be glad you did in the morning.”
“Thank you.” I took a hungry sip before giving him an embarrassed smile. “And thanks for my flowers.”
“Any time.” He smiled and took a seat next to me, putting an arm across my shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” I continued, still feeling like an idiot. “You weren’t supposed to see me like th
is until we’d been dating for at least a month.”
He chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll see me in much worse shape soon enough. Besides, I can’t complain about what I’m seeing right now.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.” I stared at him in disbelief. “I just puked my guts out in front of you.”
“And then came out of the bathroom half-naked,” he said with a leer. “I’ve already forgotten about the puke.”
“Go away and let me die in peace,” I said, playfully shoving him.
William stood. “You should get some rest. I’ll check on you in a bit.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I insisted as I curled up on my side. The room was spinning slightly.
“I know.” William pulled a blanket around me. “But I told you– I’m yours.”
“Lucky me.” I closed my eyes and felt his lips press lightly on my temple. It was the last thing I felt before the darkness overwhelmed me.
Hours passed before I opened my eyes again. A full glass of water sat on my nightstand, along with two painkillers. I swallowed them eagerly as well as the entire glass of water. My head was only aching a little and my buzz was completely gone. All I felt was an overwhelming sense of embarrassment and guilt for ruining William’s night. I remembered what he had said about sticking around to check on me, so I headed down the hall.
I found him spread out on the couch. His suit coat had been abandoned, as had his tie, but he was still wearing his dress shirt and slacks. His long eyes lashes fluttered as he slept and I hated to wake him up. It was as if he sensed me standing there, his eyes flying open in the dark.
“What’s wrong?” he asked in a sleep-heavy voice.
I had been planning to apologize to him again. It had seemed like the right thing to do. But as I had watched him sleep, something had rushed over me. A feeling so strong and undeniable that I had to share it with him, even if it was ridiculous.
“I love you, William.”
He sat up slowly. “Riley, you’re probably still feeling the effects of the scotch.”
“No,” I said determinedly. “I’m seeing you more clearly now than ever. My feelings for you are stronger than ever. I love you.”
His eyes searched mine in the dark and when he didn’t respond right away, I worried that I had made a big mistake. When I took a small step backward, he blinked hard.
“Then get over here, Banks,” he said, opening his arms to me.
I melted into them, my body pressing down on his. My hair cascaded over us as I leaned in for a kiss and when William reached up to brush it away, I remembered how he had done the same thing just hours ago as he was taking care of me.
“In case it wasn’t already painfully obvious,” William said, tracing the line of my jaw with his fingers. “I love you, too.”
“You don’t have to say that just because I did,” I said, still feeling insecure about my declaration.
“Can I say it because it’s the truth?” he countered.
“I guess that would be okay,” I said before kissing him with more passion than I had ever felt. Who would have thought that saying I love you to someone would be such an adrenaline rush?
I hurried to unbutton his shirt and William caught my hands in his. “Slow down. There’s no rush.”
“Then you must not be feeling what I’m feeling right now,” I said as my heart raced in my chest.
“Oh, I think I am.” He took one of my hands and placed it on his bare chest. I could feel his heart pumping, matching mine beat-for-beat. “I want you just as badly as you want me, Riley. But I’m not going anywhere. We have all night to enjoy this, darling.”
“You better lead the way then,” I said, feeling breathless. I had never acted on love rather than lust and I wasn’t sure I knew how.
William smiled sweetly, caressing my cheek. “It would be my pleasure.”
Even with all night, we never made it to the bedroom. I actually preferred it that way. There was something incredibly intimate about the confines of the couch, forcing us to stay within such a small space. When were both satiated many hours later, I had no choice but to lay on top of William as I waited for feeling to return to my body.
“I’ve never done that before,” I said, my lips grazing the soft skin on his chest as I spoke.
“I happen to know that’s not true,” William said with humor in his voice.
“Not that, dork.” I playfully poked him in the side and he squirmed beneath me. “I’ve never told a man that I love him.”
“But you’ve done that other thing with other men?” he asked in mock horror.
I lifted my head. “I’m trying to have a serious moment here.”
“I know. I’m not good at serious.” He forced away the smile on his face. “While I’m honored to have been your first, you should know that I also plan to be your last.”
“That was pretty serious.” I inched up until my eyes were in line with his. “We should really move to the bedroom at some point.”
“Why would we do that?” He pulled his arms tighter around me. “I’ve got everything I need right here.”
While I certainly couldn’t argue with that, it was also an impossible task trying to fall asleep with William’s naked body pressed so close against mine. He didn’t have the same problem, because a few minutes later he was sleeping soundly. I stayed there for a long time just enjoying being held by him. When the sun started to peak through the window, I slowly rolled away.
William moved a little in his sleep, but he didn’t wake up. I pulled on his dress shirt and went to the kitchen to make some coffee. When it was done, I took a mug back to the living room and perched on a chair across from the couch. There was something oddly wonderful in watching William sleep. Maybe it was because he looked so comfortable my couch, or maybe it was the view of his amazing body. Whatever the case, I was still watching him when he rolled over and opened his eyes.
“Good morning,” he said in a hoarse, rumbling voice.
“Best morning ever,” I said, still feeling flush from the intimate night we had shared. “Do you have an early morning today?”
“I don’t think so.” William blinked his eyes a few times as he struggled away from sleep. “What did you have in mind?”
“It’s my turn to make breakfast.” I held my breath as he sat up and swung his long legs to the ground. He was literally taking my breath away.
William was oblivious to my distress as yawned and stretched, showing off an impressing rippling of muscles. “And what do you propose I wear while you do that?” he said with a pointed look at his shirt.
“Exactly what you’re wearing right now,” I said with a wink. “Just watch out for splattering bacon grease.”
“Ouch.” He eyed me coffee. “Got any more of that in the kitchen?”
“It’s all yours.” I went over and handed him my mug.
William tugged at the hem of his shirt. “It looks good on you.”
“It looks good not on you.” I leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Stay put. I’ll bring you more coffee in a bit.”
As I worked in the kitchen, I could hear William turn on the television. He was watching the local news which I found refreshing. A lot of guys I knew turned on the sports channel first thing in the morning. It was yet another way he was different than the men from my past.
My fridge was almost empty which didn’t bode well for a dazzling display of domesticated cooking. But I had eggs and bacon, and plenty of coffee. It took less than ten minutes to whip up a decent breakfast and I carried it to the living room on a serving tray.
William wasn’t on the couch where I left him. He was standing near the windows, wisely wearing a pair of boxers so as not to give the neighbors a peep show, and he was on the phone. When he saw me, he smiled. “That should work. Draft up the terms and send them over for our legal team to review. Did you have a chance to look at that other proposal?”
I set the tray on my small table and reached for my laptop.
If William was going to work over breakfast, there was no reason I couldn’t do the same. I started reviewing the draft of a motion I’d been working on while sipping coffee. William carried on his conversation, apparently comfortable discussing serious business decisions in front of me. He managed to polish of his plate of food before ending the call.
“Sorry about that,” he said after hanging up. “I forgot I had a call with London.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I finished typing my sentence and then pushed the laptop away. “It’s kind of nice being with someone that doesn’t yell at me to quit working.”
“I like that you care about your career. It’s refreshing.” William picked up his coffee and leaned back in his chair. “The last few women I’ve dated have made it clear that they were only working until the found a husband.”
I knew the kind of women he was talking about. Some of my friends in law school had been like that. “You weren’t looking to be a husband?”
“Not on those terms.” He smiled over his coffee. “Was that your way of asking if I ever want to get married?”
“Do you?” I wasn’t at all embarrassed to have been called out. Being with William was too comfortable.
“Absolutely.” His blue eyes shone as he looked at me. “I’ve just been waiting for the right woman.”
The way he was looking at me said that he thought I might be that woman. “You’ll let me know when you’ve found her?”
“I already did last night.” He didn’t so much as blink. “Thank you for breakfast, Riley.”
“It’s the least I could do,” I said as I remembered my less than glamorous bathroom episode. “I really should get ready for work.”
William kept looking at me with those irresistible eyes and I couldn’t look away.
“I’m flying out to New York later today. I’d ask you to come with me, but I’m pretty sure I know the answer.” He hesitated. “I won’t be back until Friday.”
“Okay.” I had to admit that I was disappointed and would miss him, but I couldn’t quite understand why he was being so dramatic about his news. “We’re still on for the fundraiser that night?”
Something Moore (Forever Moore Book 1) Page 10
