by Sadie Jacks
My mind went back to Synra. And I’d worn out my potential bed partner for the evening. Fuck.
I made it back to my apartment, walked into my bedroom. Ditching my clothes, I headed for the bathroom. The shower. I had to wash away this disastrous day. From my body, from my mind. I needed a fucking reset.
I checked my phone before I got in the shower. I had a missed call and a new voicemail. I stabbed the button for the voicemail, not recognizing the phone number.
“Hey, friend,” Willow’s soft voice poured out of my speaker.
My breath caught in my chest.
“I'm still pissed at you for being so gross. But you also seemed pissed when you left, so I was just calling to see if you made it home okay. I had to get up to pee because I downed a whole glass of water before calling it a night. Thanks for that, by the way.”
I could almost hear her rolling her eyes and glaring at me through the phone.
“You’re still minus points, and don’t think you’re going to just waltz through and scoop them up easy peasy. Anyway, just calling as a friend. A good friend would call me back and let me know he got home safely. Happy sleep.” The call ended.
I hit the little phone icon by her name before the voicemail system could run through its options.
“’Llo?”
Shit. I looked at the clock. Winced. “It’s me. I just got your message. I made it home safe. I think that puts me back up to at least zero. Go back to sleep.” I held my breath, waited.
“You okay?” she asked. Her voice was husky, her words slurred together slightly.
I imagined that’s what she sounded like after an orgas-athon. Get your mind out of the gutter and be a good friend. I nodded. “Yeah. Now I am. Seriously, go back to sleep. We can talk later.”
“’kay. Happy sleep, Ten,” she breathed.
I smiled. "Good night, cupcake.”
Her breathing evened out over the line. “Cupcake?” I whispered.
She made some kind of noise.
Chuckling, I hit the disconnect button and dropped my phone on the vanity. Getting in the shower, I thought about her. Her body. Her legs. Her feisty mind that demanded my full attention. I almost groaned as I got hard thinking about her.
I thought about jerking off. About pumping and dumping. Something stopped me. Her face floated through my mind again.
With a sigh, I hurried through the rest of my shower. Drying off, I got another pair of boxer briefs on. I tipped myself into bed and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
Chapter 27 – Willow
“Chase, you’ve got a visitor,” Tali called from the door.
I looked up at the clock over the oven. Shit. I hadn’t planned on losing that much time to baking. I grabbed the hotpads and pulled the cupcakes from the fiery depths of the oven. “Let him in, Tali. Thanks,” I called.
I eased the cupcakes from the pan and settled them on a cooling rack. I still needed to get the frosting put together. Hopefully this affidavit nonsense didn’t take too long.
I turned around and eyed my official visitor. He was one of those guys who was utterly forgettable. Poor thing. “Come on in. Can I get you anything to drink? Dom should be here soon.”
The DA’s assistant tugged at his tie. “No, ma’am, but thank you. It sure smells good in here.”
I smiled. “Thank you, and please call me Willow. I’m not old enough to be a ma’am yet.”
He smiled politely as he set his briefcase down on the high top counter section of the kitchen island. “What are you making?” He gave a dramatic sniff of the room.
“Cinnamon cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. They’re for a friend.” I waved at the collection of bowls and utensils scattered around my kitchen.
Tali snorted from her spot on the couch. “Friend.”
I glared at the back of her head. Clearing my expression, I looked back at the junior man in the District Attorney’s office. “And you are?”
His cheeks went pink. “Sorry. I’m Chad Wentworth.” He held out a hand.
I reached over the island and shook it. “Nice to meet you. Have you been a lawyer long?”
My front door opening stalled his answer.
Dom strode forward, his gaze hard, his body straight and stiff. “Let’s get this over with.” He didn’t bother looking at me. In fact, I think he made it a point to not look at me. “Wentworth, set it up.”
My heart broke a little at the coldness. I felt like something between us had been damaged. I had no idea what or how to fix it, either.
Tali moved on the couch, drawing my attention.
“You better pull that stick out of your ass when you talk to her, big brother, or I’ll sic Massi on you. You know what to do if you want the situation to change. Don’t you dare take your frustration out on her.” She glared at him, her dark eyes gleaming in the early morning sun streaming through the windows.
He acted like he hadn’t heard her. “Wentworth?”
The younger man nodded. His hands trembled slightly as he set up a small device and laid it on the counter between us. “Ms. Chase, if you’ll give me your version of events, someone on our team will get this typed up. You can sign it by the end of day.” His pale blue eyes showed his fear.
I nodded. Smiled. “That sounds great, Chad. Thank you.” I wanted to reach over and pat his hand or ruffle his hair. It wasn’t his fault Dom was in a shitty mood.
I made it through the affidavit without issue. Dom made some clarifying statements when Chad asked me some oddly worded questions. By the time it was all over, I felt like I needed a stiff drink and a long nap.
Dom showed Chad out the door. “I’m leaving, too. Bye.”
“Dom, wait!” I tried to rush after him. I could walk without assistance thanks to Ryker and his magic hands, but I couldn’t manage too much speed yet.
“Not now, Willow. I can’t talk to you yet.” With that, he closed the door in my face.
I turned back to Tali. “What is his problem?” I felt the tears pushing at the back of my throat.
She gave me a sad smile. “Nico considers you to be his. I think last night, finding you and Ryker in your bed,” she held up her hand before I could speak, “even though you weren’t having sex, it shook him. Made him reevaluate his world and your place in it.”
I walked to the couch, slid down onto the seat next to her. “I can’t give him what he needs, Tali. But I also can’t lose him.”
She sighed, pulled me into her arms. “I know that. You know that. And I think Nico is coming to realize that. You’ve got to give him some time to readjust.” She rested her chin on the top of my head. “He’ll be back to normal. You two will go back to weird sexual talk that makes everyone else uncomfortable. And all will be right with the world.”
I chuckled. “Oh please. The Amatucci children wouldn’t know uncomfortable if it bit them on the ass.”
She drilled her fingers into my rib cage. “That’s rude. I think I’m going to steal one of Penn’s cupcakes for that remark.” She jumped onto the seat of the couch, launched herself over the back.
“No! I need all of them for the message I’m going to spell out.” I tried to get my butt out of the cushions I’d been wedged between.
“Too bad. Now you’re going to have to make some more.” She picked up a cooling pastry and licked the top of it. “I licked it, it’s mine.”
I laughed. “You bitch.”
She raised one dark brow high. Bit into the cupcake, paper wrapping and all. “Now, I’m going to go give these to the boys.” She scooped up as many as she could carry and darted towards the door.
“Talia Maria Amatucci, you walk out of my apartment with those cupcakes, and I’ll…” Damn it, why was I so bad with threats? “I’ll…” I finally heaved myself up and out of the sofa. A glint of metal on the coffee table gave me an idea. I snatched it up in my hand. “I’ll use your fountain pen for doodling.” I stabbed my finger in the air at her.
She stopped as if she’
d smacked into the door. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Oh, I would.” I pulled the cap off the end, reached down slowly, and got her empty legal pad. “I’m going to write my name all over this. In swirls and hearts and curlicues and angles and flowers and –”
She shoved the hostage cupcakes into my arms, grabbed her pen. “Give me that, you terrorist.”
I smiled serenely as she looked back up at me. “Don’t steal my cupcakes.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Touch my pen again and die a slow gruesome death.”
I shook my head. “You might want to get a psychological evaluation concerning your obsession with pens and office supplies.”
She smirked. “You might want to shut up.”
We stared at each other in silence for a long moment. Then we burst into laughter at the same time.
“Glad to see you’re both feeling good,” Rafe said as he walked in. “I’ve come to check on your legs, Will.”
I straightened and walked around the coffee table. Still slow, but, man, did it feel good not to have to use someone’s arm to help me stay upright.
“Well, fuck. I was kinda hoping he was wrong,” Rafe said.
I rolled my eyes. “Why do you guys hate Ryker? He saved my life.” I just didn’t get it. Were they seeing something I wasn’t? Did the man wear more than one mask? I knew he wanted in my pants, but I didn’t really see that as threatening. He hadn’t touched me when I was unconscious. I doubted he was going to force me.
Rafe heaved a sigh. “I don’t really hate him, to be honest. I just don’t like his attitude.”
I burst into more laughter. “He reminds me of you and your brothers. Seriously, he could be an Amatucci if he weren’t so white.”
Rafe glowered at me. “No. Yes, he’s white, but he doesn’t have what it takes to be an Amatucci. Too soft.”
I raised a brow. “And it’s bad that he doesn’t travel the same roads you do why?”
Rafe clutched at his heart dramatically. “Willow, baby, that stings.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I can see that you’re mortally wounded. You’d probably think the Punisher was soft.”
Rafe tipped his head to the side as he considered it. Shook his head. “No. He does what needs doing. He’d be a good Amatucci.”
I chuckled. “Figures you’d be on the Anti-Hero’s side. Until he proves me wrong, Ryker is my friend. You guys need to be nicer to him.”
Rafe’s eyes widened. “You can’t be his friend, Will. He wants in your pants. As soon as he gets in them, he’s going to be out of your life faster than you can yell at Dom.”
I shrugged. “He’s already told me he wants in my pants. But I’ve already told him that he’s not invited. He can be my friend, or he can not be in my life. Those are his options.”
Rafe and Tali looked at each other for a long moment.
Tali looked back at me, back to Rafe. “I’ve got a hundo on our girl.” She stuck her hand out.
I smirked, crossed my arms. Looked at Rafe with one eyebrow raised.
He snorted, looked at his sister. “I’ll take that action.” They slapped their palms together and shook on it. He looked over at me, his expression darkened. “But if he hurts you, you don’t get a say in how we deal with him.”
I opened my mouth to argue. Decided there was no point. I wasn’t sleeping with Ryker. The end. I nodded. “Deal.”
Rafe came over, his hand stuck out for me to shake.
I put my hand in his, shook it. After we dropped our hands, I stepped over to the kitchen island, set down my rescued cupcakes. “Well, now that that’s done, I need to get to frosting these cupcakes. Once I get them done, I’m going to go down to the shop, get started on Natalie’s birthday cake.”
Rafe sat down next to his sister on the couch and they put their heads together, chatting about something involving the Foundation.
I tuned them out as I got the buttercream frosting base ready. I was going for easy and simple. Not some big extravagant gesture or anything else. Just one friend saying thank you to another friend.
Calling him in the middle of the night had been a bad move. But, last night, when I’d gotten up to pee, the need to talk to him, hear his voice, kept bothering me. I’d tossed and turned for an hour before I picked up the stupid phone and called him. One friend to another, of course.
I shook off the thoughts as I got the cupcakes finished and stepped back to look at them altogether. I put the finishing touches on them: plastic kids’ rings with Thor on them. Each tiny cake had a letter on it’s top. THANK U RYKER was spelled out across the tops.
I got one of the custom baker’s boxes from my home supply and settled them in the individual slots. I grimaced at the blank twelfth hole. Damn Tali. I didn’t have a backup plan for the missing cupcake, so I scribbled a short note and stuffed it in the empty space. I closed up the box, sealed it, and gathered the dirty dishes.
Once I got everything cleared away and was ready to go, I turned to the two Amatuccis on the couch. “I’m out of here. I’ll be at the shop if you need me.”
My purse on my shoulder, my hands full of cupcake box, I eased my way out of the loft and down to my car. I was itching to drive. Any kind of freedom I could grasp, I was taking it.
Now it was time to deliver my gift and get those Harry Potter cakes put together.
**
“Hi. I have a delivery for Mr. Penn,” I told the lady at the reception desk. I held up the light blue baker’s box for proof.
She barely glanced up from her computer before lifting a finger in the universal gesture of ‘wait’ before she got back to her call.
I probably should have just texted Ryker to come get the damn things. I set the box on the countertop, tried to keep my legs from stiffening up. I might have overestimated my abilities today, but I wasn’t going to call anyone unless I just couldn’t walk anymore.
I hated being at anyone else’s mercy. I shuddered. Hate would be mild for how I felt about being helpless and dependent.
“Ma’am?” the receptionist called.
I blinked. “Sorry. You were saying?”
She gave me a polite, professional smile. “You’re not on the schedule. You’ll need to come back when you have an appointment. Mr. Ryker is a very busy man.”
I grimaced. I hadn’t thought this through…obviously. I looked at my watch. Shit. “Look, if you could just call him and tell him that I’m here, I’m sure he’ll come get the package.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, no. That won’t be happening.”
I rolled my eyes. I’d forgotten how Important People surrounded themselves with layers of peons. I reached into my bag, grabbed my phone. Hit the name I wanted.
“Willow?” he answered and I hadn’t even heard the phone ring once.
I turned away from the receptionist. “Hey. Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I brought you something. Your lady at the front desk won’t let me in because I don’t have an appointment. I need you to either come down here or let me up. I’m running later than I thought.” I rushed to get the words out.
My belly tried to revolt now that I was talking to him again. I felt the low-grade panic set in. I shouldn’t be here. I should have left well enough alone and gone to the shop. I was an idiot. A stupid idiot.
“Hold on.” The line closed for a moment.
The receptionist’s phone rang. Her eyes widened after she listened for a moment. “Yes, Mr. Penn. Of course, Mr. Penn. Right away, Mr. Penn.”
I rolled my eyes. Oh sweet goddess. He had them all either cowed or groveling.
She hung up and glared at me. “You’ve been cleared, Ms. Chase. Next time, just give me your name.” She looked away before I could say anything.
I grabbed up my baker’s box and headed towards the elevators.
“Willow? You still there?” Ryker said in my ear.
“Yeah. And thanks for making me look like an asshole. I’ll be there in a minute.” I ended the call and hit the but
ton for the thirty-eighth floor—the top floor for public access. There was no canned music playing in the moving car. Nothing to distract me.
Just this one time, I wished for music to be playing. The crappier the better. My thoughts were spinning all over the place. I almost hit the stop button to let me out on a different floor so I could escape without actually seeing him.
I wasn’t sure what my problem was, but I’d woken up this morning with a burning need to see him. To make sure he was alright after last night. He’d been an asshole, but by his own admission, he didn’t know how to be a friend.
That saddened me. Ryker was larger than life in many ways—which could just be my hero-worship shining through. But parts of him seemed so…lonely. And broken. I could relate to both of those.
The elevator slid to a smooth stop and the doors ghosted open with nothing more than a soft sigh.
Well, guess my time to ditch had passed me by. I straightened my shoulders and stepped out into the lobby of his executive offices. The inner sanctum was guarded by another huge reception desk.
I chuckled mentally. The man had more layers than a freaking onion, and those were just in his business life. I wondered what his personal life looked like.
Almost slapping myself in the face, I told myself not to go down that path. Friends. I don’t ever want to have sex again, he only wants sex. We’re friends. That’s it. I don’t care how protected his personal life was. I wasn’t trying to be all up in it. Just get to know him a little better.
“You can go right in, Ms. Chase,” an older man said from behind the massive desk. “He’s waiting for you.”
Those words made my belly tighten. Damn it. No. Drop off the cupcakes and get the hell out of here.
I smiled and nodded at the receptionist and turned in the direction he’d pointed. The marble floors squeaked under each step of my Dansko shoes. I winced with each soft squeeaaaak. Shoot me now.
The hall was never-ending. I bit my lip and forged on. I’d come way too far to chicken out now. Not to mention he could probably hear me coming.