So damn predictable. “You heard right.”
“How… surprising.” She simpered a smile and flicked her gaze over my navy sundress and white linen shirt.
My gut clenched, but I didn’t flinch. “Why’s that?”
“You’re not what I expected. I thought he’d go for someone a little more…”
“Like you?” I supplied, pleased when she began to blush.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Like hell it wasn’t.
“I just—he’s never mentioned you at work.”
“Hmm. He’s never mentioned you at home.” I flipped my hair and stepped forward. “And while I’ve seen his office, all you’ll ever do is dream about his bedroom.”
In the corner of my eye, Will pocketed his phone, so I stepped away and left June red-faced and speechless. Still got it.
Will took one look at my grin and narrowed his eyes. “What did you do?”
“Moi?” I blinked innocently.
“Oui. Did you insult my colleague?”
“Not in the least. We just cleared up a little misconception. So,” I hooked his belt loops and tugged. “What are we doing, Langer?”
He palmed my waist and put his forehead against mine, and June became a distant memory. “You drink too much whiskey and beer,” he murmured, then dusted my lips with a kiss.
“Glass houses, buddy.”
Will just grinned. “Indeed. I thought we should drink some wine instead. Come on.”
He took my hand and led me to the ticket counter where the agent slipped two tickets into an envelope. I had to bite my lips to swallow a scream when he said, “Here you are, Mr. Langer. The flight to San Francisco boards soon, so you’ll want to head straight to the gate. Your first-class tickets allow you access to the lounge if you have time.”
You’re not what I expected.
June’s words whispered in my head while I followed Will through security. In defiance of the universe and anyone else who might agree with her, I kept my lips pinched tight. That Girl could play it cool anywhere, even in a VIP lounge with a glass of complimentary champagne in her hand. That Girl could act like it’s no big deal to settle into her first freaking class seat. That Girl could keep her poker face while an airline attendant offered her a hot towel and took her dinner order. That Girl could sneak a peek to figure out that the towel was for her face and use it like she knew what to do all along. She just had to be a little quiet about it is all.
Which, of course, Will noticed.
“Are you okay?” he asked once we were airborne. “You’ve not said two words.”
I took his hand and smiled. “I’m great. Tell me what we’re going to do.”
Over dinner, he said that we’d spend the night in San Francisco, then drive up to Napa Valley tomorrow and stay there. Sunday we’d return to the city before our flight Monday morning. I picked at my food until Will finished by saying, “It’s all a bit last-minute, I know. Feel free to modify anything that doesn’t appeal to you.”
The cabin lights had dimmed, so I slid my hand along his inner thigh and leaned to whisper, “It all appeals to me, Langer.”
Will rumbled and caught me for a kiss before I could withdraw. “Then look a little happier about it and stop making me worry I’ve chosen the wrong thing, Milani.”
So, I did.
We touched down in San Francisco just in time for sunset thanks to the two-hour time difference. A car took us to a gorgeous boutique hotel tucked among rows of colorful houses. We walked into the lobby, and again I had to clamp down on my lips to keep from squealing or gawking.
Will checked us in while I looked around. The clerk caught my attention when he said, “We have you in a room with two double beds—”
“I asked for a king,” Will interrupted.
The keyboard clattered. “Ah, yes. Well, unfortunately we had several guests check in this afternoon, and I’m afraid—”
“What else do you have?”
Clatter, clatter. “We have a suite. The upgrade cost would be—”
“We’ll take it.”
The poor dude was lucky to get out two words in a row. He bumbled an okay, and Will nodded at me. “Please send up a bottle of champagne. Liv, is there anything else you want?”
“Fruit sounds good. Oh, and definitely some ice. I’m really thirsty.”
Will’s voice was thick when he said, “Fruit and champagne. Do not forget that ice.”
The room was a mini palace. I didn’t bother to hold in the squeak as my heels sank into the carpet. A view of the skyline could be seen from the huge four-poster bed where two plush robes sat waiting.
“Oh, god. How much do I owe you for all this?”
Will turned from the dresser where he’d dropped his wallet. His lip curled in distaste. “That’s a joke, right?”
“But—but—you can’t pay for the whole thing.”
“Can’t I?” He laughed, but I plopped on the loveseat and frowned at the cream-colored carpet.
You don’t belong here.
That Girl got drinks bought for her, not freaking vacations and luxury hotel rooms. I had never been spoiled in my life. Panic fluttered in the bottom of my heart as I realized I didn’t know how to accept this from him, didn’t know if I should or even could.
“What’s wrong?” He stood in front of me. “Out with it.”
I sat back with a sigh. Will’s eyebrow quirked, but he mirrored my crossed arms, clearly ready to wait until I spilled.
How to say my thoughts aloud didn’t come to me right away, so it was a long stare-off until I fumbled out, “You’ll be surprised, but I’d eaten at nice restaurants before you. I’d drunk coffee and wine, too, but damn if everything you do isn’t nicer, better, somehow.”
The line appeared between his eyes. “I like nice things. I want the best. After how I grew up…” He shrugged.
That comment clenched my throat as I imagined young Will, so quiet and stoic. A poor, ranch hand childhood definitely deserved all the luxury he could afford.
“And that’s awesome for you, really. You work hard, you earn your money. Enjoy it. But me…” My hand dropped hard on my lap at the same moment my chin hit my chest. “I don’t deserve this. This is too rich for a girl like me.”
Long fingers squeezed my shoulders. Will dropped to his knees in front of me, his eyes narrowed. “You don’t deserve it? This is exactly your problem, Olivia.”
My face pinched in a scowl. “I don’t have a problem, William.”
Why does fighting with him ground me? Just when I’d gotten all thoughtful and moody, snapping at Will brought me back to reality. He squeezed again, and anger and lust flashed through me. I wanted to put my hands on him, but Will had me pinned to the seat.
“Hear me for once when I say this. You have a huge problem, and it’s you. For years you’ve sold yourself short, underestimated your tremendous talents and hidden behind a sharp tongue. I know how you grew up, how your family babied you, but fuck that, Liv. Just because something is difficult doesn’t mean you can’t handle it. You need to grip the world by the collar, just like you did me in the kitchen that night. Take what you want. You deserve it, and I—”
He broke off suddenly, eyes cut down.
My breath was shallow at his impassioned words and the depth with which this man knew me. God, sometimes he knew me better than I did. I wet my lips. “And you?”
Will’s left hand glided down to slip off my sandal. He traced the black ink on my instep. “‘Not all who wander are lost.’ You got this tattoo when you were eighteen. Your mom flipped her shit.”
Well, that derailed the conversation. “And you were surprised I remembered the first time we met?”
“Did you ever get your passport, Olivia?”
He lifted his gaze, and I tilted my head at the strange wording. “I don’t have one, no.”
His smile was pure Mona Lisa, totally enigmatic and unreadable. “I knew you were drunk, but you don’t remember anything about that night
, do you?”
“That night? Oh. The one at your apartment.”
That night had tickled my memory more in the last month than it had since it happened, but I always pushed the thoughts away. They hurt too much.
“Mm-hmm. We decided you’d get your passport, and we’d go to—”
“Egypt.” I sat forward suddenly, hand on my mouth. “Oh, god, yeah, I do remember.”
Will’s easy grin broke. “Exactly. You wanted to see the world.”
“I’d still travel the world if I could,” I admitted. “Life—money—kind of got in the way.”
Will rose up on his knees, hands on either side of my hips, our faces close. “You deserve precisely what you want from life. Say it, Liv.”
I took a deep breath, opened my mouth—and shut it again.
I’d always known how to be myself, give zero fucks, and handle whatever life brought. If my family had indulged me too much, at least it had let me be myself through all my phases and fascinations.
So why is it so hard to say those words? Don’t you believe that you deserve what you want? You’ve always done as you liked. Why is this different?
Because it meant I deserved things I didn’t yet know about. It wasn’t about impulse, it was about confidence. Rather than careening from whim to adventure, it meant I had to be a woman who possessed her own path.
Not a wanderer.
Will was right. I’d gotten the Tolkien tattoo when I’d wanted to see the world. Over the years, though, the phrase had morphed into a validation of my lack of plans. Declaring that I deserved what I wanted effectively changed my approach to—well, to life.
“I deserve to have what I want.” I tested the phrase and glanced around, a little smile on the corners of my lips.
My gaze came back to Will. “I want to be right here with you.”
His eyes glinted. “I want you to have everything, Olivia, and I’ll give it to you if I can. You’re,” he laughed and hung his head. “You’re my dream girl, Liv Milani, and if you’ve not figured that out by now, then there it is. I’d do anything for you.”
My face melted off. “I’m your dream girl?” I whimpered.
He twisted his lips in an obvious yes.
“Since when?”
Will Langer flipped me off.
I yelped and smacked his hand before I grabbed his collar. “Think you’re cute, huh boy?”
“No. I think you’re cute when you’re surprised. And I think you’re fucking amazing every,” he nipped my lip, “single,” another nip, “day.”
Before I got sucked into the hurricane of his kiss, I locked my knees and stood up. “I’m going to freshen up.”
I took my suitcase and left him wide-eyed on the floor. Ten minutes later, I peeked out of the bathroom. Will had one leg over the arm of the loveseat while he read on his phone. He spied my eyes and glared. “I’m falling asleep over here. What the hell—oh.”
My pulse thundered so hard, I’m pretty sure he could see my heart through my sternum like a cartoon. Or he would’ve, if his eyes hadn’t dislocated from their sockets. I toyed with the hem of the negligee and waited.
Will drank me in forever without speaking. Finally, his gaze lifted to my face. “Well,” he croaked. “I didn’t think the simple sight of you could turn me on more than that night you barged into my room in your pajamas. As usual, you’ve blown me away. One second.”
I watched him rise and walk toward the door where a room service cart now sat. He filled a glass with ice and water, drank it down, then stalked me across the room. I scuttled to the foot of the bed.
Will bent his head so our lips touched lightly. “I’m still thirsty,” he whispered.
My knees shook. Will laughed just before he swooped in and sucked a hard kiss on my neck.
“Hold the post above your head,” he commanded, palms already all over my little getup.
I wrapped both hands around the polished wood. Will teased my breasts through the lace until every swish of the fabric made me hiss. He had to remind me twice to hold on when my hands wanted to grip his hair. His lips traveled slowly down, hands too, until he knelt in front of me and kissed my inner thigh.
“So wet already,” he said as he ran his nose over my panties.
“You said you were thirsty.”
“Indeed I did.” He hummed as he inched my underwear down my legs.
My knuckles squeezed the hell out of that poor bedpost while his tongue and lips brought me to climax almost immediately. I threw my head back and screamed his name.
My thighs trembled as Will pulled away. He swept one arm under my knees, the other behind my back, and threw me onto the bed. I lifted my head just in time to see him drop to his stomach between my legs. Strong hands braced me apart. Two sneaky fingers sank deep inside me while his tongue teased. My body coiled tight again.
I drifted my hands over my breasts. Will’s hum of approval when I started to pet myself jolted all the way up my body. The ache in my core reached DEFCON-5. His tongue flicked wickedly over my clit, fingers pulsing steady and deep. I wailed when a tsunami of an orgasm crashed over me, muscles quaking from my thighs to my forehead.
“Shall I continue?”
Will’s question rumbled from between my legs. My palms rested on my breasts while I blinked, surprised by blurry vision. A single tear rolled to the quilt.
“Come here.” I reached for him and blinked again when he knelt over me. Another tear trickled down my temple. I ran my finger over his wet mouth. “Jesus, you’re a mess.”
“And you are the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted.”
Will slid into me, no friction at all, sighing when I wrapped my legs around him. “I’m going to fuck hard, Liv. You’re so wet. Just tell me if it’s too much.”
“It’s not too much.” It’s never too much with you, Will.
With his pelvis grinding against me, my body glowed again. I turned a wild-eyed look up to him and sank my nails into his shoulders to brace for another round of ecstasy.
“That’s my girl. Come on, baby, let go for me once more.”
The sound I made was something like “unnghhhh” when I surrendered again. Will didn’t give me a chance to recover before he thrust harder than ever. The flush on his cheeks, the shininess of his lips, the crazy mess of his hair mesmerized me.
But then he spoke. “There is nothing better than this. You’re a dream come true, and I’m never… going to get… enough.”
He groaned and pitched forward, so I wrapped my limbs around him tight.
“Since always,” I mumbled, brainless and only half aware I’d spoken at all. Sleep claimed me more and more by the second. You and me. This was always the dream.
Will lifted his head and gave me a sharp look. “Since always.”
He whispered it like a vow, the last thing either of us said that night.
27
Will
I opened my eyes in the thin gray light of pre-dawn. Liv’s dark brown and pink hair swirled in front of me, her back snuggled to my chest as she slept peacefully. I lifted my head and gazed down at her, so fucking beautiful I could hardly take it.
My dream girl indeed. Only her warmth and the taste of her pussy lingering on my tongue kept me certain this was reality.
I rolled out of bed carefully, so she kept sleeping. While the shower warmed, I thumbed through my old photos again. The one I wanted was the last one in my college albums. It was a shot of a Sprite can on a coffee table, taken at almost exactly this same time of the morning.
That Sprite can was the only shot I had from the night of that graduation party. I didn’t have any photos of Liv from that night, but I didn’t need any. She wore a halter top and miniskirt. Her hair was long, her heels were high, and she was radiant with excitement at being at a college party. To be fair, all three of us were glowing by the time we’d had a few drinks.
Four years of college had done a lot for me. I grew into my body and developed a sense of self that wasn’t presc
ribed by a strict, ranch hand upbringing. Contact with the people who raised me became minimal, but I didn’t miss the manure or the sermons. Besides, the Milanis took me in from day one. Holidays were spent with them, and if they came up to Knoxville to visit, I was automatically included in family fun.
Every time I saw Liv over those years, there was something different about her. Her hair was longer. Her hair was shorter. Her braces were off. Her legs weren’t so skinny anymore. Her laugh was even better. I didn’t think about her—she was just a kid, for fuck’s sake—but I did notice.
Then came that night. When we got back to the apartment, Tom passed out almost immediately. Liv disappeared to the bathroom while I spaced out on the couch with a Sprite to sober up.
I expected her to go to bed, but she reappeared and sat beside me. As usual, she took control of the conversation. She asked me about my plans post-college, which opened the door for us to talk about life goals.
I remember the way the room was lit by the TV, dim and cozy. I remember exactly how she looked. The way her voice was soft while we talked. She admitted she didn’t know what she wanted to be, and I said, “I think you could be anything you want to.”
In typical Liv fashion, she started inventing wild career choices that ended with her as a tightrope walker. I watched in amusement as she stood, her back to me, and wobbled a line down the couch. She returned the same way and plopped down, and I saw in the breath before it happened how off her aim had been.
Her body crashed into my chest, her ass bumping my thigh. Dark hair tickled my forearm, and my body went tight as the Sprite sloshed out of the can.
“Oh, sorry,” she gasped, turning to look at me.
Oh, god.
Suddenly, little Liv wasn’t so little. She was a stunning young woman whose warm, soft body was pressed against mine. I knew I had to get us out of this. I knew it—and totally failed to do it.
I teased her instead. “Good, since you’re the one who sat on me.”
She gave it back by jostling my shoulder. “I said sorry, you ass.”
We stared at each other. Her eyelids drooped, and her gaze settled on my mouth. I swallowed hard, and she caught her breath.
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