They still refused to leave, hovering just inside the door with their hands in their pockets and their heads tilted. Mr. Bleached Tips took a step forward, reaching for my hand. I yanked it back before he could take it, and he let out a smoky chuckle before glancing at his friend again.
“I don’t think she wants to come out with us.”
“She can’t,” I said, not caring that he hadn’t been speaking to me. “She’s unavailable and needs to leave. Which means you need to leave.”
“You’re missing a great opportunity here.” Red finally walked out of the building, coming to stand much too close to me. At least he was outside, though. “We’ll show you the best time you can have. I promise.”
I stood my ground, refusing to show that I was intimidated by his antics. “I’m sure you would, but like I said, I already have plans.”
“Who else is going to show us the local hot spots?” Bleached Tips dragged his eyes over my body in another blatantly suggestive look. “We can hang out, maybe hit up some clubs, and then you can come back to our hotel with us.”
“No.” I raised my chin, already knowing they weren’t going to take my answer. “I’m afraid I really must insist that you leave now. My boss will be by in a minute, and I need to have locked up by then.”
It was a complete lie. I didn’t know where Mildred was, but she wasn’t coming back here tonight. She’d hardly been in all day.
“Come on back inside, and we can tell your boss you’re still busy,” Red offered, shuffling back until he was standing in the threshold again. “Where can we go clubbing? See, I’ve still got a ton of questions for you to answer.”
I had no interest in being stuck inside with these two. Especially not alone. Staying on the porch outside the door, I gave them a tight smile.
“There aren’t any clubs here. It’s not that kind of place. People prefer the quiet life on the island. We read books and go for walks. We don’t party in sweaty nightclubs.”
“You have to be shitting me.” Red pouted, folding his arms over his broad chest and shooting his friend a look over his shoulder. “She’s just messing with us, right?”
“She has to be,” he agreed, coming up behind his friend and draping an arm over his shoulder. “There has to be someplace to party around here. Come out with us. We’re great dancers.”
“I’m sure you are.” Reaching for the door, I placed my hand on the jamb and opened it farther before motioning them out with the other. “There are some bars and restaurants in town. You won’t find many people dancing there, but it’s the best we can offer for a night out.”
When neither of them moved, I realized I might just be in trouble. A shiver crept down my spine, and it wasn’t the pleasant kind.
It wasn’t like I’d never dealt with persistent men before. Our town might be quiet and small, but we saw enough tourists that every once in a while, an asshole was sure to find his way to the island.
Two assholes, in this case.
However, it hadn’t happened to me in a long time and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. A surreptitious glance at my surroundings revealed that the street was quiet. There were some people passing by, but none of them were paying us much attention.
To them, I was sure it just looked like I was still sharing some information with tourists while locking up. I supposed I could scream. Someone was sure to come running to my aid if I did, but that seemed a little extreme.
Plus, I could deal with this by myself. They hadn’t done anything overtly threatening. They were just making me really uncomfortable.
Bleached Tips stared at me, offering me a charming smile as he put his hands up. “Look, we don’t want to cause any trouble. Just come out with us. Show us one of these bars you mentioned, have a drink, relax. It’ll be fun.”
Red shrugged his friend’s arm off his shoulders and stepped closer to me again. He was out of the building once more, but Bleached Tips was still inside. “What do you say, sweetheart? I’m sure your other plans won’t mind if you’re a few minutes late. You can tell them it’s for work.”
“Actually.” I cleared my throat and started closing the door even though Bleached Tips was inside. If he wanted to spend the night locked in the Tourism Center, then so be it.
There was a bathroom. He could have water from the tap, and I was sure there were a few snacks in the mini-fridge. One night wouldn’t kill him. “I have to meet my boyfriend. He knows I’m never late, and he’ll be wondering where I am.”
As if my words had conjured him up, I felt William’s presence before I saw him. Sure, he wasn’t technically my boyfriend, but these guys didn’t know that.
Even before he became famous, Will had always had a presence about him. It was in the way he moved, in everything he did.
I heard the soft padding of his footfalls next, and watched as the guys in front of me noticed him. Both their gazes jerked up, finally moving away from me to look at Will over my shoulder.
They straightened and put some distance between us at the same time. And William hasn’t even said anything yet.
“Gentlemen.” His smooth, deep voice came from behind me just before he put his hands gently on my hips. “Is there a problem here?”
“No, man.” Red chuckled, moving to the steps leading off the porch. “There’s no problem. We were just looking for recommendations for dinner.”
Bleached Tips followed his friend, his eyes narrowed on Will in an assessing gaze. They clearly didn’t recognize him, but they certainly seemed intimidated. “You’re the boyfriend?”
“Yes.” Will’s fingers flexed, his grip on me tightening. His body was solid and warm behind my back, his voice firm and unwavering. “You’ll find plenty of suitable options for dinner downtown. If you’ll excuse us, my girlfriend and I have somewhere to be.”
I couldn’t see his face, but the tone of his voice was dismissive, and whatever expression he wore, it must’ve convinced the guys I wasn’t worth it. They flicked their hands up in lazy waves, then turned around and sauntered away.
Will was in front of me in a flash, his sea-green eyes dark with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Those guys just freaked me out a little.” I lifted my hands to lock the door, noticing for the first time how much I was trembling.
One of his big hands closed over both of mine, steadying them as he kept me in his gaze. “What did they do? Did they touch you?”
His nostrils flared, and I quickly shook my head. “They just didn’t listen to me. I kept telling them to leave, but they wouldn’t go. They wanted me to go out with them. I don’t think they did much research before coming here, though. They didn’t know we don’t have any nightclubs.”
Will snorted. “Of course, it would bother you more that they didn’t research the island properly than the fact that they wouldn’t leave you alone.”
“Oh, no. That bothers me just as much.” I dragged in a deep breath, focusing on the clean air filling my lungs and trying to calm down. “I’m really glad you showed up when you did.”
A small smile appeared on his lips, and he bent his head forward just slightly. It was an intimate position to be in, but my hands stopped shaking almost immediately.
Will had always had that effect on me. He’d become my safe space the very first day I’d met him, and it seemed my body remembered it too.
The nerves rushed out of me when I leaned into him, letting my forehead drop to his chest. “Thank you for coming. You appeared like you were heaven sent.”
A low chuckle vibrated in his chest, and I lifted my head up to look at him. He dropped a soft kiss on top of my head before releasing my hands and stepping back. “I wish I could say I’ll always be there for you, but we both know I can’t. For as long as I’m in town though, you can count on me.”
“Thanks.” I walked around him and locked the door, dropping the keys into my purse before turning to face him again. “Why did you come by? Did you need something?”
I didn’
t respond to his comment because there was nothing to say. William had a life in LA, and I knew he’d be going back to it soon. He wasn’t here to stay, but his subtle reminder still made my heart pang.
Now that he was here, I couldn’t imagine him not being around again. But I’d deal with that when the time came.
He hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his black slacks, the tattoos on his inked forearms rippling as he moved his fingers. His dark hair was messy, falling across his forehead in a way that made me want to push it back for him.
“I came by because I wanted to find out if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight, but I understand if you’re not up for it.”
After a week of radio silence from him, I wasn’t about to refuse. We needed to talk, and I wasn’t going to let those two idiots get in the way of what was important.
“Dinner sounds nice.” I smiled. “What did you have in mind?”
Chapter 23
WILLIAM
Men who couldn’t take a hint or a flat-out rejection irked the shit out of me. As soon as I saw those two with Anna, I knew something was off. Her posture had been rigid, her jaw set, and her movements all wrong and stiff.
I hated how uneasy they’d made her feel, and I was also sharply aware of how protective I felt over a woman who wasn’t even mine. I really needed to get a grip on myself. I didn’t usually consider myself a particularly emotional guy, but I’d been all over the fucking place recently.
As I watched the tourists disappear down the street, I had to fight the urge to chase after them to put my fists through their faces for shaking Anna up so badly. That was how much she affected me.
I hadn’t gotten into a fight in years, and now I was raring to start one. It was only the fact that she needed me more than I needed to fuck up all the good press we’d been getting that kept me from going after them.
Breathing deeply when Anna smiled after agreeing to go to dinner with me, I decided to channel my energy into cheering her up instead. “I saw your interview.”
“You did?” she asked as we walked to the stairs on the porch side by side. The tops of her cheeks flushed a rosy hue. Jesus, how long has it been since I’ve seen anyone except for her actually blush?
“I literally ran into that reporter on the street,” she continued, blessedly oblivious to the fact that I couldn’t stop staring at her as we headed toward town. “There wasn’t time to call you or to discuss our strategy for dealing with the media. I hope I did okay.”
“You were perfect.”
The sun was still high in the sky, but the light was starting to take on that hazy, late afternoon quality. Anna let out a soft sigh as we walked in the direction of the sunset. “Why were you missing this past week? Are you angry with me?”
“What? No.” I whipped my head around to face her, frowning as my eyes looked into hers. “Why would you think that?”
“Just because, you know.” She bit her lip, dragging her teeth across the pink surface slowly before releasing it. “We kissed, and then you disappeared on me.”
“I just needed some time to sort a few things out.” It wasn’t a lie, but I also didn’t want to get any deeper into that right now. “What do you feel like eating for dinner?”
“Should we get some pizza?” she asked after a brief pause. “Toni sold the diner to an Italian chef. The pizza is amazing.”
“Amazing pizza, it is,” I said agreeably, sliding my hands into my pockets. We strolled in silence for a while before I realized something. “I didn’t mean to pull a disappearing act on you. I’m sorry if it came across that way, but I’m definitely not angry about that kiss.”
“Okay.” She nodded, flashing me a smile before facing ahead again. “As long as we’re still okay and the deal is still on track, I guess there was no harm done.”
“No harm done,” I repeated, but I wasn’t entirely sure that was true. Although Anna didn’t seem hurt or any different, so maybe it was true.
The restaurant we ended up in was small, but most around there were. Square tables covered in checkered cloths decorated the space, a trio of candles flickered in the center of each one, and the low ceilings combined with the small windows gave it a cozy feel.
Anna and I huddled up at the table near the front, ordered our drinks and a pizza each, and then settled in for the wait. I wrinkled my nose at her. “I still don’t know how you can eat warm banana. That’s disgusting.”
“I thought the big debate about pizza toppings revolved around pineapple,” she said, crossing her arms. “Banana is perfectly acceptable.”
“No, it’s really not. Warm pineapple is the mainstream enemy, but warm banana dominates the underground scene.”
“There’s an underground scene?” She leaned forward. “I think you’re just jealous that I’m quirky and you’re broody.”
“Rather be broody than having to eat warm banana.” The banter brought a smile to my lips. God, I’ve missed this. More than I’d realized.
“An underground scene for pizza,” she mused. “LA must be a stranger place than I thought if that’s really a thing.”
“Hey, lots of people take their pizza very seriously. There are even reality shows about it.”
A frown flickered across her brow before she laughed. “I’ve seen those. I figured it was all just an act. Is that what’s next for you? A pizza show?”
“Nope. I haven’t ventured into reality television yet. If I do, I’ll be sure to let you know. You’ll need to play a role in it, for sure. I’m pretty sure you’re the only person who’d be able to stomach anything with warm banana on it.”
“Deal. Maybe I can open people’s eyes and lead the revolution. It’ll be glorious.”
“You’d be good at leading a revolution.” I lifted my hands and spread them apart in the air over my head. “I can see the headlines now. Small-town girl proving banana is a worthy topping.”
“That’s a terrible headline.” She chuckled. “I think it’d be more like Anna Holland’s Palate: the genius we’ve all been missing.”
“We should keep working on it.” Conversation came easily and flowed naturally between us. Our chemistry was still off the charts, and I swore at times at I could feel the air around us crackling with electricity.
Anna’s eyes hardly ever left mine, her smiles wide and infectious. It hadn’t even been an hour, but it looked like she was already shaking off the incident with the assholes.
A little while later, our pizza arrived and she inhaled deeply. “This smells incredible. Do you know that I imagine parts of Italy smell exactly like this all day long?”
I sat back in my chair, folding my arms loosely across my chest. “If only. Then again, I haven’t visited every single part of Italy, but the parts I’ve been to definitely haven’t smelled like this.”
“You’ve been to Italy?” Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “When?”
“I’ve been a few times.” I shrugged. “The first time was years ago. I needed to get away and a friend of mine suggested we go there.”
“You needed to get away and ended up in Italy.” She sounded one part awed and two parts incredulous. “What a life. That must have been an experience and a half.”
“It was.” The finer details of which I wasn’t inclined to share with her while we were having such a good time together. I doubted she’d enjoy hearing about the debauchery of that trip. Even I didn’t like thinking about that time in my life too often.
I’d just started making a name for myself, had gotten into a group of young up-and-coming guys, and had been freshly single for the first time. I’d still been hurting over the breakup, and I’d done what I could to numb the pain in the dumbest ways possible.
“What about you?” I asked. “When was the last time you took a vacation and got away? Did you ever make it to New York?”
“No, I didn’t.” Her cheeks flushed. “I never really made it anywhere. I’m not sure if it counts as a vacation, but Dad and I got away for some of his tr
eatments. We even spent a few nights in Grand Rapids once when we went to see a specialist.”
“Wait. You mean you’ve never taken a vacation?” My throat suddenly felt dry. “You haven’t left the island at all except for your dad’s treatments?”
“Well, no. I mean, I’ve gone to some of the neighboring towns and cities. I go into Mackinaw often enough. I just haven’t gone very far.”
Holy. Fuck.
Meanwhile, I’d traveled all over the world. Sure, some of my travels had been for work, but mostly, I’d just fallen into a jet-setting lifestyle after leaving this place. My friends lived, worked, and had properties all over the globe.
After making what I thought of as my great escape from Mackinac, I’d been hungry for new experiences. I’d also initially been under the mistaken impression that I could outrun the pain of heartbreak, only to discover that while the location might change, I carried all that shit with me.
It’d helped to immerse myself in different places, eating the food and experiencing the culture. Eventually, I’d even been able to convince myself that I was moving on because I was able to enjoy myself while doing it.
Anna wadded up a paper napkin and chucked it at my head, giggling as she shook her head. “Don’t look so horrified. I happen to like it here, remember?”
“Yeah. I remember. I’m not horrified. I’m just… surprised?” Despite how much she loved the island, Anna used to dream about traveling. She would never have stayed away from home for too long, but I knew she used to fantasize about seeing the world.
She propped her elbows on the table, using her fingers to form a bridge for her chin to rest on. “It can’t be such a big surprise. My priorities just changed, I guess. Judging by the look on your face, I assume you’ve done a bit of traveling?
I swallowed past the lump of guilt that wedged itself nice and tight in my throat. “A bit, yeah.”
The Billionaire’s Second Chance: A Small Town Romance Page 14