He falls against me, his body shuddering from the intensity of his release. Our chests are heaving as we gulp for air and I feel like I’m floating from the incredible high he just brought me to. As tears of happiness silently slide down my cheeks, I wrap my legs and arms around him, holding onto him as tightly as I can. I close my eyes and memorize this moment as I never want to forget what he’s making me feel.
He makes me feel alive again.
He makes my stomach do somersaults with just one glance.
He makes my heart pound in my chest with just one touch.
He lights me up from the inside with just one kiss.
He makes me forget about the pain of my past.
He gives me hope for my future.
Hope that I have found a home again with him.
27
Chase
I wasn’t expecting the ache I felt after dropping Layla off at the house this morning, but something shifted between us last night and the gravity of our situation weighs on me. If it was torturous leaving her today, I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it will be tomorrow when she goes back to Chicago. I worshipped her body until the early hours of the morning, sleep only coming when our bodies finally gave out from exhaustion. We continued where we left off when we woke up, exploring each other in the shower before I took her to my favorite breakfast dive to satisfy our hunger pains.
I turn my phone back on, having turned it off so we wouldn’t be disturbed last night. I’m not surprised to see that I have missed messages from Rhys. I send him a short text saying I’m on my way into the office and head in that direction. My mind wanders back to Layla, the vision of her last night when we finally made love forever engraved in my brain. I know she loves me - I felt and saw it in her eyes. I recall how she looked at breakfast this morning with her hair unruly from my hands and her lips swollen from my kisses. She looked even more gorgeous than normal, her face glowing with happiness. I want to make her that happy every day for the rest of my life. I almost told her I loved her, but held back as I’m unsure if she’s even ready to hear it as I don’t want to scare her away.
“Damn it!” I yell as I hit the steering wheel in frustration at the uncertainty of our future. I go over scenarios in my head on how to try to make a long distance relationship work with her. Would she be willing to move to Vancouver? Can I move permanently to Chicago and still do my job? But with the amount of time, energy, and traveling Wilson Enterprises is going to demand of me, I would barely see her whether she was here or me in Chicago. I can’t negate my promise to my mother and brother on getting Wilson Enterprises back on its feet. I have to figure out a way to make this work because I’m not going to lose her. By the time I arrive at the office, my mood has blackened and I have to shake off the bitterness toward my father that rears its ugly head at the situation he has put me in.
“You’re late for your final fitting.” Rhys arrives in my office no more than a minute after I cross the threshold. His handsome face is pinched tightly in irritation at my absence and his attitude toward me only heightens my anger.
“I know!” I bark out, glaring at him with irritation. “Considering we just got fitted for our tuxedos last week, I’m sure it fits just fine.”
“Why did you ignore my calls?” Rhys questions as he pushes himself off of the door frame and sits down in one of the chairs across from my desk.
“I was with Layla. Got a problem with that?” I sneer, casting a murderous look in his direction to squash any objections he might have about it. His lips form a thin line and I can tell he’s trying to choose his words wisely before speaking.
“She’s quite a beautiful distraction, Chase. One that we can’t have at this moment. I need you here — mentally and physically.”
“I promised you and Mother that I would honor my responsibilities as heir to Wilson Enterprises and I will fucking keep my promise!” I growl as I slam my fist against my desk in exasperation. Rhys’ eyes widen slightly in surprise at my outburst. He nods in acknowledgement and stands up to leave.
“I will send the tailor in to see you,” he says and walks out of my office to leave me alone with my dark mood.
Guests start arriving right on time for the private party we are throwing in Cal’s honor. The venue we rented has unobstructed views of downtown Vancouver’s waterfront, with the mountains providing a magnificent backdrop. We hired only the best caterer and florist to turn the venue into a formal garden and vineyard. Beautiful white flower vines hang from the ceiling, white portable walls filled from top to bottom with roses alined along each corner for photography purposes. Grapes hanging off of vines are used as centerpieces for our guests to consume, food stations along the perimeter, and of course, bottles of Wilson Wine on every table. My mother, Rhys, and I start working the room, greeting and talking to the arriving guests. The invite list was purposely kept to a couple of hundred people, with our intention of inviting the elite businessmen and women of Vancouver and Canada in hopes to gain their interest in investing in Wilson Enterprises. The costs for this week have been exuberant, but will be well worth it if we can get a couple more investors to sign on the dotted line.
I look at my watch to see how much longer it will be until Layla arrives with Cal and Jenna. We specifically gave them an arrival time of one hour after the scheduled start time. With fifteen minutes left to spare, I make my way to Ellory and her family since her father is the next person on my list to recruit.
“When does training camp start for the Lynxes, Rhys?” I hear Roger Davis ask as they sit at a high top table near the dance floor, sipping on champagne. The Kelowna Lynxes are the last remaining sport steam we own and the team Rhys last played professional hockey for. He has been working closely with our general manager on what players will be on the roster for the upcoming season.
“Training camp starts in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, it will be an exciting season ending with us hoisting up the Cup.” Excitement lights up Rhys’ eyes and I miss seeing his passion for the game.
I turn my attention to Ellory, wanting to catch up on how she has been doing when the words halt in my throat as I watch her look at Rhys. Raw passion radiates out of her brown eyes as she checks my brother out while he engages in conversation with her father. Ellory and I started dating when our fathers forced us to spend time together during college. Our relationship quickly turned into us becoming best friends and acting more like siblings than lovers. She has been a rock in my life, especially with the events surrounding my father. She would always tell me about the men she was dating, but she never once mentioned her interest in Rhys.
How did I not know about this?
Does Rhys know?
Does Rhys feel the same way?
Commotion at the front entrance draws her attention away from Rhys and the moment is gone. She looks at me with a smile as we watch the arrival of Cal entering the main entrance.
“Looks like the guest of honor is here, which also means Layla has arrived,” she says enthusiastically as she throws an arm around my shoulders and squeezes. I give her a questioning look with a knowing smile, which causes her to narrow her eyes at me. “Why are you looking at me that way?” she questions.
“I think there is something you’re not telling me. We are long overdue for a talk,” I stand up and straighten my jacket to get ready to go and greet Cal.
“Yes, we are because you need to tell me what the plan is with Layla!” She masterfully steps around my questioning to have the subject back on me.
“I have no plan. In fact, I have no idea what in the hell I’m doing,” I tell her.
Rhys and I excuse ourselves from the group to head to the entrance. Cal is already working the room, shaking hands and introducing Jenna to people. She looks beautiful in a maroon dress with a metallic lace overlay that is fitted to her body, nude heels and her hair down in soft waves around her shoulders. Blonde hair catches my attention behind her and everyone fades away the moment Layla comes into full view. She lo
oks stunning in a long black off-the-shoulder dress that has a heart shaped neckline with three quarter inch sleeves. The dress has a high slit that shows off her shapely left leg in high black heels. One side of her hair is pinned back with an elegant clip, while the other side is down in curls. She completely takes my breath away as images of her with her legs wrapped around me while I fuck her in that dress start to appear. I see her look around the party for me before she is greeted by Ellory, who manages to get to her before I can. I watch Ellory give her a hug, point to me, and maneuver Layla through the crowd toward me.
“Angel,” I breathe out as I shake my head in awe at her. “You look gorgeous.” I wrap my arms around her and kiss her cheek. “I approve of this dress since it gives me wonderful access to some of my favorite parts of you,” I whisper in her ear while my hand grazes her exposed leg. Her cheeks are stained pink and she shivers as my fingers make their way underneath the fabric of her dress to her delectable ass.
“Behave, sir. You’ll get that later.” She winks at me and my pants instantly feel tighter as my cock hardens. “This is quite the party,” she says in appreciation as her eyes scan over the room. Suddenly her eyes bulge in shock at something she sees. “Who invited the wicked witch of the East?” she gasps and I follow her gaze as she is looking at none other than Cora Gregory. She’s standing with Sean Lindsey, who is missing his usual charming smile. Instead, he looks angry and is whispering something into her ear. But whatever he is saying to her has fallen on deaf ears as she stares at Cal, watching his every move.
“You invited her here?” she questions as she stares at me incredulously.
“No, I didn’t invite her. I have no idea who did.”
Business wise, it would make perfect sense to try to sign her as a celebrity endorser. But I’m a loyal type of guy and know how Jenna feels about her, so I wouldn’t even try to go there. Plus, there is something about Cora Gregory that gives me the wrong type of vibe. There’s definitely more to her story than she lets on.
“I’ve got to go talk to Robert to see if he knows. Wait, where did he go?” she wonders as she looks around the crowd to find Robert.
“I see him, but whose the guy he is with?” Robert is huddled close to a handsome black man in a navy suit, their heads so close together that it looks like they are about to kiss.
“That’s Kellan, Cal’s stylist, who dressed us all tonight and Robert’s new obsession. Robert looks like he wants to eat him for dinner,” she laughs as she leans in close to me and presses a soft kiss on my lips. I’m pleasantly surprised by this gesture as I wasn’t sure if she was ready for public displays of affection. “Let me go step into their sauna and cool them down.” She winks at me and heads toward them.
As soon as Layla walks away, Rhys swoops in to tell me we need to start the evening program. We start the program with speeches from my mother, myself and Cal, who introduces a short video of himself being interviewed and touring the vineyard. Three hours of schmoozing and talking with guests goes by before I have a moment to myself to try to find Layla. Cora is trying to talk to Cal, who only has eyes for Jenna as he watches her on the dance floor with Sean. Robert and Kellan are sitting close on one of the lounges, gossiping about the people they are watching. I look around in confusion as to why Layla isn’t with any of them. I walk past one of the rose walls when I finally see her head bent, talking to someone from a distance on the other side of the room. They’re looking out the window at the incredible view of downtown Vancouver. It is only when she shifts on her high heeled feet that I recognize the other profile to be my brother. Anger starts to fill me as I notice his serious expression while talking to her. She nods her head at him while staring out the window with a look of utter sadness. She responds back to him and his face registers surprise. He then takes her in his arms and hugs her, a gesture that is so rare for Rhys that it makes my steps falter as I approach them. Dread starts to seep through me as I know exactly what my brother is telling her to do.
He’s telling her to let me go.
And she is going to do it.
I don’t have to see the words come out of his mouth to know that is what he’s suggesting to her. But for her to agree to do it is a knife to my heart. My brother sees me walking over to them and pulls away from her.
“Chase, I was just telling Layla about…” I don’t give him a chance to continue as I punch him in the face, his body crumpling to the floor from the impact.
“Chase!” Layla screams as she kneels down next to Rhys to see if he’s okay. Rhys looks up at me, blood trickling from his busted lip, hurt and confusion glaring through his eyes.
“What did you say to her, Rhys?” I yell, needing to hear those words come out of his mouth. “Why can’t you be happy for me for once? Is this still punishment for Dad? For leaving you with the burden of the company? Tell me!”
“This isn’t the appropriate place for this,” Rhys growls as he gets up off the floor. He looks around to see if anyone saw us, but fortunately, a wall of roses conceals our every movement and the band is playing at full volume. He looks between Layla and me and rakes his hand through his hair.
“I’m not trying to punish you, Chase. I didn’t tell Layla anything different from what she was already thinking.” I look over at Layla, who looks down at her hands, her refusal to look me in the eye is all the confirmation I need.
“Layla, it was a pleasure meeting you and I hope you have a safe trip back to Chicago. Chase, I will see you at the office on Monday.” Rhys holds the back of his hand to his lip and walks away.
I look over at Layla in disgust, more so with myself than with her. “So, that’s what you came all this way for? A quick fuck to get out of your system so you can tell me goodbye.” All this time I thought I could save her, make her see she’s worthy at a second chance at love. But, she was never going to let me in. She chooses to stay scared over taking the risk of finding happiness again. I laugh bitterly at the irony that all this time I thought she was the one afraid of getting hurt, when in reality, it’s me who ends up getting shattered by her.
“Of course not, Chase. I was hoping that we could try being together, but these last couple of days have shown me how important it is for you to be here with your family. This is the real you! You thrive being the leader of Wilson Enterprises!”
“We can make it work, Layla. I’ll do whatever it takes to make us work. That’s what airplanes are for, what the telephone is for. I’ll make the time for us to work, but you’ve got to do the same.”
“Chase, I know we’ll eventually work, but I think we need to have some time to ourselves. You need to be fully vested here in your business and for your family. We won’t work until we heal and we both have a lot of healing to do. You know you need to work on your relationship with your brother.” She grips my arm, her eyes pleading with me to understand.
“That is for me to decide!” I yank my arm away from her, not being able to stomach her touch.
“If I was here, I would only be a distraction. You know that! You don’t have time for me right now, Chase, and that’s okay! Let’s get ourselves where we need to be so we can have a healthy relationship together.” She grabs my hand and squeezes it, holding on as tightly as she can. I look down at our adjoined hands, my eyes clouded with betrayal and anger.
“Relationship?” I laugh maliciously at her, wanting to hurt her as badly as she is hurting me right now. “Who is going to want to have a real relationship with you when you keep using your dead husband as an excuse for why you’re damaged?” She flinches at my words and drops my hand.
“You accomplished what you set out to do, Chase. I fell in love with you.” Tears are now streaming down her face, her words slashing at what is left of my heart. “But it’s because I love you that I’m choosing to let you go. I won’t selfishly stand in the way of you working on being the best version of yourself that you can be.” She picks up her purse off the floor and stands back up.
“Goodbye, Chase.” Her vo
ice cracks with emotion as she looks at me one last time before departing.
She walks past me and out of my life.
And I let her.
28
Layla
Seven Months Later
I punch the code into the keypad to open the gate to Jenna and Cal’s new house that they recently moved into. The gates slowly open and I drive my car through until I make it pass the gates. I look in my rearview mirror to them fully close behind me before parking the car. The death threats against Jenna and Avery still continue, the FBI having zero leads on who could be behind them. Even though Cal has added a second bodyguard and they’re living in a gated community with their own private gates and security cameras on the outside and inside of their house, I’m still paranoid and always make sure I watch their gates close behind me without someone slipping in.
My cell phone starts to ring and I look at it to see that Emma, one of the assistants at work, is calling. Since I’m ten minutes early, I decide to take the call in my car before going inside.
“Hey Layla, sorry to bother you on your day off, but Torrin has not arrived yet and his scheduled guests are here to tour the building,” Emma says, her words making me close my eyes in irritation at Torrin for once again being late to an important meeting.
“I’m sorry, Emma, but I’m already in the suburbs. Can you do the tour, write down all of their needs, and I can draft up a proposal for them once I get to Los Angeles?” Cal and Jenna are taking us with them to the Academy Awards ceremony this weekend. It has been a busy awards season with Cal being nominated for Best Actor, but the Academy Awards are the most prestigious awards out of them all because it’s your own peers nominating and voting for you. We’re having our final dress fitting with Kellan and his staff before departing for the airport. Torrin is supposed to be going with me as my date, meeting us in Los Angeles Sunday morning since he’s working to cover both of our shifts Friday and Saturday night. I will cover his shifts the following weekend.
Perfectly Lonely: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Let Me In Book 2) Page 16