Soulmate: Feel My Heart Beat Book 1

by Delmire Hart

  “What part of ‘I don’t want your money’ did you not understand?”

  Who was this person who told him no? Once he had recovered from his surprise, anger had taken hold. He had wanted to help, clearly Daniel was in no position to get a new one himself. Yet he stood there glaring back at him with defiance blazing in his eyes. William sent people scurrying with his own glare and yet this brat was standing there ready to go toe to toe with him over a gift of all things.

  “You aren’t used to people telling you no, are you?”

  William wasn’t sure what to make of this person who wanted nothing from him. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he met someone that didn’t want something from him, be it money, power, or prestige. The way his soulmate lit up when they walked into that camera shop only confused him further. Why would you turn down a gift when it clearly meant so much?

  “I can look after myself. I get that you’re my soulmate but that doesn’t mean you owe me anything.”

  He had seen the panic flit across his face as he had called Daniel to the register at the store. Seen him open his mouth to protest only to be cut off by William’s phone call. Who was this brat that got under his skin in a few scant hours so that already he wanted to possess all of him, give him the world just to see those blue eyes light up with pleasure or that fiery stubbornness?

  Daniel had made it clear that he wanted nothing from him, as much as that confounded William. But what did he want from the little blond?

  Soulmate.

  It was in his nature to take and possess but in what way? The term soulmate was vague and for once he was at a loss to make sense of his own emotions. William sighed. This was not an answer he would find at the bottom of his glass of whiskey in the dead of night. Not this time.

  No, he would need to spend more time with this intriguing person by the name of Daniel Miller.

  ***

  William casually cleaned his gun as he reclined back against a long table. The dull shine of the metal caught the dim warehouse lights and gave it a satisfyingly menacing look.

  “No, please!” The desperate whimper caught his attention and he glanced down at the bloody man cowering at his feet. He contemplated his choices while one of his men cuffed their captive with an instruction to remain quiet. The scrawny coward had dared betray him by selling off some of his goods at a much lower price, undercutting the market to get quick sales then pocketing the profits.

  Wasn’t his stance on betrayal well known through Synnite by now? His men had roughened him up once he had been captured and then again in front of William. A number of guards and workers lined the walls, stone faced while they got a reminder about what betrayal meant to him. If the stupid man had just come forward and said he needed help with financial difficulties he would have been given help. William looked after his own and had many company policies in place to help his staff. He needn’t have resorted to stealing.

  Idly, he wondered what Daniel would think if he could see this dark side of him. Fear? Accusation? Disgust?

  Murder, petty crime, drugs, weapons, bribery, rigging stocks, political bargaining, information brokering.

  All were things he had dabbled in at one time or another.

  Assembling the gun with practised ease, he relished in the final sounding clicks as everything slotted back into place. The whimpers at his feet grew louder as he flicked off the safety. His eyes skimmed coolly over the traitor as he levelled his gun to point right between the eyes. They were just wasting time at this point. He had no use for turncoats and betrayal had the same punishment for everyone.

  The sound of the trigger clicking was drowned out by the gunshot that echoed around the walls. A number of his men flinched at the sound, even though they expected it. The cowering traitor crumpled to the side as blood painted the concrete floor behind him.

  “We are done here,” was all he said. The thick silence remained as his men filed out of the warehouse and even his right-hand man, Ken, had no words right then. Betrayal always left a bad taste in his mouth. He gave no other orders, trusting in his staff to take care of the clean up without instruction.

  After changing his clothes, he was finally able to leave the warehouse. He dismissed Ken for the evening and made his way to the waiting limo. It was time to pick up Daniel. As they made their way through the city streets, William wondered what the evening would bring. Answers hopefully. He wasn’t one to be so uncertain about things.

  Once at Daniel’s rather poor excuse for an apartment, William stepped out of the vehicle to make his way to the door. Thumping footsteps answered his knock before the door was thrown wide to reveal a mop of blond hair and a cheeky grin.

  “Hi! Um, I just have to grab my shoes.” Daniel ducked his head as though suddenly shy. “You can come in for a minute if you want.”

  He scampered off and William cautiously stepped inside. A glance around revealed a rather cramped space filled with things of varying quality and usefulness. A clothes rack in the corner, photos covering a wall, and knick-knacks on the desk. But it pleased him to see the new camera and accessories all unboxed and splayed out across a little coffee table by the scruffy looking couch. It appeared as though Daniel had already started playing with his new toys.

  “All right! I’m ready.”

  His soulmate wore a dark pair of jeans and a nice shirt, tidying up much better than his rather scruffy appearance yesterday suggested. He led the way outside, pausing while Daniel locked up, before opening the door for him to get into the limo. The photographer flushed at the door being held open for him and quickly climbed inside. Daniel seemed rather uncomfortable and fidgety until William got him chattering away about his day after which the grin came back and those blue eyes sparkled as he exclaimed over the new camera. The blond was practically bouncing in his seat by the time they arrived at the restaurant.

  William got to see the return of the adorable little blush after Daniel exited the limo and he placed his hand on the small of his back to guide him. There were a number of people lined up outside, hoping to get a seat at the exclusive restaurant for the night. Eyes turned towards them and many people stared enviously as they skipped the line.

  “Annisa? I’ve heard of this place. Isn’t it super hard to get a reservation here?”

  “The owner is an old acquaintance of mine,” William said as he glanced down at the awe-filled face staring at the grand entryway. “She was more than happy to give us a table provided she got to meet you.”

  “So, you do have friends.”

  “You sound so surprised. She is the widow of one of my subordinates. He died on the clock working for me so I gave her something to throw herself into before grief took over. I invested in this place, in her, and she’s made quite a name for herself. I hold numerous lunch meetings and functions with big name clients here and in return, she juggles reservations for me should I choose to drop by for a personal visit.”

  “What was he doing that he died while working for you?” Daniel asked hesitantly.

  “Do you really want to know?” Golden eyes pierced blue.

  “I…no. Not right now at least,” Daniel gave a small, uncomfortable shrug. “I don’t want to ruin the night just because I’m curious.” William was unable to reply as a short blonde woman strode up to them and threw her arms around his neck.

  “Will!” She leaned forward to kiss his check while Daniel gaped at them. “And this cute young thing must be your new soulmate!” She drew a very uncomfortable looking Daniel into a hug. She chuckled as she let go.

  “Ah, I’m sorry, I was raised by a family of huggers and I forget that not everyone is like me! But aren’t you so cute! Will, you old dog, of course you get such an attractive little thing as your soulmate.”

  Daniel seemed unable to do anything but continue to gape, but the cute blush was already making a reappearance.

  “Daniel, this is Anita, the owner of this fine establishment. Anita, this is my soulmate, Daniel Miller.”

&
nbsp; “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Anita.”

  “Please, no need to be so formal,” She laughed. “Don’t look so surprised! I’m not a stickler for formality when it comes to friends. Now, I have the perfect table for you both. It’s a lovely warm summer evening and I’m sure you have lots to talk about, so I’ve set up a private little balcony upstairs for you. If you both would follow me.”

  Anita led them up a flight of stairs and through a busy dining hall to a small open door near the back of the room. It opened onto a balcony just like she had said, with a small table for two tucked off to the side, out of sight from the door, that was complete with candles, flowers, and a bottle of champagne sitting in a bucket of ice. He raised his eyebrows at Anita in question and she grinned back at him, looking very smug. A very private, romantic dinner for two. She certainly outdid herself this time. She helped them both to their seats before pulling out the bottle of champagne and showing it to them.

  “Please have this one on the house as a gift from me. Congratulations to you both!” She poured them a glass each and sat the bottle back down in the ice. “When you are ready to order or need anything, just press this button,” She gestured to a small square device with a big button in the middle that was sitting to the side of the table. “And one of my staff will come out to serve you, otherwise they will leave you alone. I know how much you value your privacy, Will. Now, please enjoy your evening.” Anita gave them both a smile before leaving.

  “Uhh…” William looked over to see Daniel staring wide eyed and flushed at the candles and flowers sitting on the table. He chuckled, earning himself a glare.

  “I only asked for a table, Anita did the rest on her own accord. Just relax and enjoy the meal, I can promise you the food is exceptional.”

  Daniel frowned as he looked around. “It’s hard to relax at such a fancy place like this. Well, at least we aren’t sitting out on the main floor, I guess. That would be worse. I just feel so out of place.” He gave an embarrassed shrug. “I get that this place probably has a lot of meaning for you considering what you said earlier but next time it doesn’t have to be so expensive. In fact, I would prefer if it wasn’t. You really don’t have to spend so much money on me.”

  “And what if I want to?” he asked, curious to see how his stubborn soulmate would respond.

  “And if I tell you no?” His soulmate countered, blue eyes glaring at him with fiery defiance. Now that was a nice expression.

  “Money is arbitrary to me. I only want to share nice things with my soulmate. Is that so bad?”

  Daniel huffed in response. “It is if I don’t want it. You really need to learn that no is no.” William made a non-committal sound, and those lovely eyes flashed at him in annoyance. “Anyway, I wanted to ask how old you are? I mean, if that’s not rude or anything.”

  “Thirty-five and yourself?”

  “Wow, you don’t seem that old. I’m twenty-three, that’s a big age gap.” William’s eyebrows shot up at the insinuation.

  “I’m not old,” he replied, slightly indignant while Daniel snickered. “And I’ve seen bigger age gaps. No one cares if it’s your soulmate. Not that you should put stock in what other people think. Now, let’s see about ordering, shall we?”

  The evening was pleasant, and, contrary to what Daniel had said earlier, he did relax once the menu was removed from his hands and he was distracted with food. His eyes went wide at the prices on the menu and he nearly choked on the champagne once he found out how much it was worth but a few well-placed questions to get him to talk and the blond forgot all about it. He didn’t let himself get quite so distracted with William’s questions this time and asked several of his own in return.

  William felt more relaxed that he had in a long time and was genuinely intrigued by the young man in front of him. Just like his memories of the day before, the photographer lit up with excitement, gesturing wildly with his chopsticks while he recounted some crazy tale of him nearly getting caught on a stake out for a dodgy politician. His laughter was infectious and William couldn’t help but chuckle at his wild antics. He watched as emotions flickered across Daniel’s face as he expressed delight over the food, curiosity over William himself, and excitement over shared stories. A contented silence settled over them once the last of the dessert was finished off by an enthusiastic Daniel.

  “It would make a good picture,” the photographer said, breaking their silence as he stared wistfully out at the lights of the city.

  “It would be better from the railing I imagine.” William replied, gesturing for Daniel to take a look and the photographer excused himself to walk over to the railing.

  “We aren’t very high up, yet it seems like the rush of the city is just background noise here. The lights are pretty too, they seem very peaceful for a city that doesn’t sleep.” He held his hands up in front of his face, making a rectangle between his fingers as though mimicking looking through his viewfinder.

  William was suddenly struck by how he looked, the lights from the city below played across the photographer’s face, framing his wistful smile. He was moving forward before he even registered that he had stood. William reached out and pulled Daniel around before pressing him back against the railing, trapping him with his body and the cage of his arms.

  “Wha-?” He reached up and trailed his hand across Daniel’s cheek and running a thumb over his lips. Wide blue eyes stared at him and he could feel the pulsing heart beat racing under his fingers. Without thinking, William leaned forward and captured Daniel’s lips in a kiss. The photographer tensed for a moment before he melted against him. William wrapped an arm around his trim waist and pulled him closer still as Daniel reached up to wrap his arms around his neck, fingers tangling in his hair. A small teasing bite to his lip and Daniel opened his mouth with a small moan. Tongues tangled, teeth nipping and biting, both fighting for dominance. William could feel desire welling up and his control was already fraying around the edges with his need to take and possess. Another small moan rumbled out from Daniel’s throat and William knew.

  This was the answer he had been seeking in the dead of night.

  Soulmate.

  Mine.

  Chapter Four: Blush

  Daniel lay curled up in bed, covers pulled up over his head and arms hugging the pillow he had buried his face in. He had thrown himself into a cold shower as soon as he got home but even that couldn’t erase his reaction to the memories of that evening.

  It was just a kiss, dammit.

  Well, that wasn’t quite right, there was more than one kiss. No, it was more of a full-blown make out session on the balcony and then again in the limo on the way home. Daniel was now convinced that the entire reason that man got driven around in a limo was so he could have his hands free for other things. Like molesting little photographers. Not that he had done anything entirely inappropriate, although he was pretty sure those hands had wandered under his clothes at some point as there was no way his shirt got like that on its own.

  He had been fully sitting in William’s lap, arms around his neck, eager with the activities that were occurring when they were interrupted by William’s phone. And William had growled. A deep, rumbling growl from the back of his throat that sent a flash of heat straight to his groin. Turns out that was a special line they called to get hold of him only in emergencies. Golden eyes flashed and suddenly Daniel was pulled in for one last kiss, leaving him with tingling lips and gasping for breath. They had arrived at his apartment a few minutes later, William still on the phone, and Daniel had all but dashed inside. His feelings were torn over the call. If that hadn’t interrupted he knew what they would be doing right now, those molten eyes had been filled with desire and dark promise.

  The man was good. He knew what he was doing and Daniel had been like putty in his hands. Having had a taste of what he offered left Daniel breathless for more but at the same time it was too much, too soon, and he needed to clear his head.

  Soulmate.

  He gr
oaned into the pillow. He couldn’t get it out of his head. The feeling of warm hands tracing his skin, lips moving against his own. He had fought for control of the kiss at the beginning, a fight for dominance that seemed it could go either way until William apparently decided that he had indulged him enough. He had taken absolute control leaving Daniel weak kneed and reeling in response. In all fairness, his inexperience was probably to blame. He had never been interested in such things before, much preferring to spend his time with his friends or doing stakeout work. But from what he had experienced, William was on a whole other level.

  He was catching up with his best friends tomorrow and he knew they would ask him about this. About him. Daniel just knew he would blush at the barest mention of William right now so he was in for a long afternoon. With another groan, he curled up and tried to calm his thoughts enough to sleep.

  He wasn’t successful for quite some time.

  ***

  Daniel took a deep breath before he entered the quiet little coffee shop. It was early afternoon on a Tuesday, just after the office lunch time rush. The perfect time to have a catch up over coffee without it being so noisy that you almost needed to shout to be heard. He spotted his friends sitting over in the corner and waved when they spotted him. He ordered a coffee, needing the caffeine after his thoughts kept him awake the night before, and made his way over to his friends table.

  “Dan!”

  “Hey, guys.”

  “You haven’t been replying to our messages,” Rafael mock-pouted at him. “We weren’t sure if you would even show for our weekly catch up. Marcus thought that you got a girlfriend or something,” He snorted, showing what he thought of that idea. “But I figured you’d just gotten carried away on stakeouts.”

  Daniel felt the blush forming immediately. Turns out someone didn’t need to explicitly mention William; his brain was quite capable of conjuring thoughts about the man on its own accord. He saw Rafael’s eyes widen in surprise as Marcus grinned and he knew he was doomed.