The Boy Who Has No Hope (Soulless Book 6)

by Victoria Quinn

  After I’d had Lizzie, I hadn’t had a relationship…not in twelve years. Once dating apps became easily accessible, I occasionally had a drink with a man I met online, and it was basically a booty call. The guys never had a problem with it because it was purely physical. I’d never thought I was missing anything until now…until Derek. Lizzie was more than enough for me, gave me more joy than any man ever could, but now there was a pain in my heart that wouldn’t go away. There was one man on this earth who I wanted, who breathed new life into me, who made me want my own happiness. “I need you to understand it won’t be the way you’re probably imagining. It’s not like I can ever sleep over. It’s not like we can have a weekend getaway together. You’ll always have to share me…until you join us.”

  He gave a slight nod. “That’s okay with me. Just being with you every day and not having to pretend you’re nothing more than a friend…is a relief.”

  “Well…I think we should stay professional at work too. You don’t want to make people around you uncomfortable.”

  He raised an eyebrow as he stared at me. “I’m the boss, Emerson. I can do whatever I want.”

  “I know, but I still think it would be more appropriate.”

  He looked at me like he wanted to argue, but his silence indicated his surrender.

  Now it was just quiet, with the two of us sitting together, looking at each other.

  I had no idea what to do. He was no longer off-limits. I could walk over there and straddle his hips if I wanted to. I could stick my fingers in that thick, dark hair and kiss that mouth that had left permanent marks on my lips. But my heart was beating so hard that I couldn’t do anything at all.

  He gave me that unblinking stare. “Can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?”

  My heart started to slow down a bit, touched by the question. I half expected us to get buck naked and screw on the couch. We already knew each other so well, the emotional foundation had been established, and all that was left was the physical aspect—which I was anxious to explore.

  Come on, he was gorgeous.

  But I told my dad I would be back within an hour, and I was already late. It would be rushed, and then I would leave right afterward…that wasn’t exactly romantic. He must have anticipated that since he gave me no time to prepare for this conversation. “Yes.”

  His hard expression finally softened once he got the answer he wanted. This was a man who could have any woman he wanted, women ten years younger than him, models and actresses, but he traded all that in…for a twenty-nine-year-old single mom. He got to his feet, his strong physique stretching out that cotton shirt in such a sexy way. His sweatpants were low on his hips, and they were fitted on his muscular thighs.

  I couldn’t wait to get those clothes off.

  I couldn’t wait to make those erotic stories a reality.

  I got to my feet and picked up my purse from the table.

  He grabbed his wallet and keys.

  “What are you doing?” I shouldered my purse and looked at him.

  “Taking you home.” He headed to the door.

  “You really don’t have to do that—”

  “I know I don’t have to do anything.” He held the door open and nodded into the hallway. “I want to.”

  I held his gaze and felt a soft smile enter my lips because our relationship already felt different…and I liked it. I was always the one taking care of him, and to see him take care of me…felt nice. “Alright.”

  We stood in the elevator together, a few inches between us, and we descended to the garage where his black Bugatti was parked. His license plate read ROCKET. After we got inside, he started the powerful engine and drove me home.

  Geez, and I thought the Escalade was nice.

  He drove down the street, stopping at the lights, before he pulled up to the curb outside my building. He hit the button on the dash and turned off the roaring engine.

  “I’m surprised you don’t build cars too.”

  “I don’t build cars—yet.” He opened his door.

  “Derek, I can make it the rest—” The car shook because the door was so heavy. I sighed and got out of the car and walked with him to the building. I didn’t have an elevator like he did, so we had to take four flights of steps before we reached my hallway. I spent more on rent than I wanted to, but it was important to me to have Lizzie go to a decent school and grow up in a good neighborhood. So, it was nice, in my opinion, but probably a dump to him. “I can make it the rest of the way. I just don’t want my mom to…you know.”

  His hands slid into the pockets of his sweatpants, and even though he was dressed to lounge around the house, he looked powerful, like he was wearing a suit. His strong body filled out his clothes in the sexiest way.

  I couldn’t believe this man was mine.

  “You aren’t going to tell her about me?” He spoke quietly, his voice sexy and deep.

  “Not for a while, but I will eventually. I swear she knows everything, so she’ll probably figure it out on her own…somehow.”

  He gave a slight smile. “My parents do the same thing.”

  “Well…goodnight. Thank you for the ride.” I turned away.

  His large hand grabbed me by the upper arm, gave me a possessive squeeze, and he gently guided me back to him, pulling me closer and closer until I was practically in his chest. His hand never left my arm as he looked into my face, changing the tone of our relationship forever. He looked into my eyes for a moment before he moved closer to me, placing a kiss on my mouth. His embrace was warm even though it was cold outside, and he didn’t even have a jacket. He squeezed my arm harder as he gave me a closed-mouth kiss, like just the touch of our lips got him hot all over, when a gorgeous model did absolutely nothing for him. He made me feel beautiful with his words, but his kiss made me feel like I could compete with all the women who had come before me.

  He pulled away and looked me in the eye before he released my arm. “Goodnight, baby.”

  Fourteen

  Derek

  I slept hard that night.

  Peace had found me, all the stress had left my body, and I felt like I had done the right thing. It was a relief to know she was mine now, that I never had to worry about her going on a date with some guy who didn’t deserve her, that I didn’t have to go to another party just to feel miserable.

  I got into the Escalade the next morning, and the first thing I did was look at her beautiful face and see her smile at me. It was different from the other smiles she’d given to me in the past. This one reached her eyes, had a softness that made me want to lean across the center console and kiss her. I shut the door, buckled my safety belt, and didn’t even say hello because it felt unnecessary when we greeted each other with the exact same look.

  Ronnie pulled onto the road. “Good morning, Mr. Hamilton.”

  I kept my eyes on her, seeing that sexy brown hair that would be wrapped around my hand by this evening, seeing those full, pink lips that would be parted so she could take my tongue. How did I not notice how beautiful she was until a few months ago? And how did I not realize she was the sexiest woman on the planet until like a week ago? “Yes, it is a good morning, Ronnie.”

  I stood at the workbench when Emerson stepped inside the hangar. She had a folder of paperwork in her arm along with a carrier of coffees. She must have run an errand and picked it up for us on the way back. Now that it was fall, she’d traded her skirts for long-sleeved dresses and tall boots, wearing high-end clothes that must have eaten more than one of her paychecks. Today, she wore a long-sleeved gray sweater dress with a brown belt across her stomach, keeping the fabric tight around her petite waist. High brown boots were on her feet, and her long hair was in curls and down her chest.

  I stopped what I was doing and just stared.

  Fuuuuuck, she was gorgeous.

  She set the coffee carrier down on one of the tables. “Thought you guys might need a pick-me-up.” She opened her folder and looked through the papers as she ent
ered my office, oblivious to the way I stared at her. I wanted to adjust my jeans, but the guys were right there, so I took a breath and tried to focus so the blood would return to my brain.

  Pierre grabbed one of the coffees and watched her stand in front of my desk as he drank it. Instead of turning away in a reasonable amount of time, he continued to stand there and stare.

  “Pierre, let’s get back to work.” I didn’t like the guys gawking at Emerson, even when I’d had no interest in her. But now that she was my woman, it made me furious on a whole other level.

  He grabbed a coffee for me and brought it to me. “Sorry, man. But if there’s a woman who looks like that walking around, I’m gonna stare.”

  “Well, don’t.” I snatched the coffee out of his hand.

  “Just ask her out already,” Jerome said from the back. “Seriously, what are you waiting for?”

  “No, don’t ask her out,” Pierre said. “Because I want to ask her out—”

  “I will punch you in the fucking face if you say that shit again.” I knew I’d taken it too far because I’d raised my voice and made the concrete walls shake. Even Emerson turned to look at us because she heard it.

  Pierre raised one hand in surrender then slowly backed away. He returned to his table and got back to work.

  I took a breath and looked down at my work, feeling like a dick for screaming at Pierre, but I’d already warned him not to talk about Emerson like that, and now that she was mine, it was even more difficult to listen to it.

  I dropped my pencil and walked back to him. “Emerson and I are seeing each other.”

  He lifted his gaze and looked at me, visibly stunned.

  Jerome chuckled from the back. “Knew it…”

  I spoke with a calm voice, as an apology for my earlier outburst. “Don’t talk about her like that again.”

  All Pierre did was give a nod.

  I walked back to my table and got back to work.

  At the end of the day, the guys were packing up to leave, and Emerson walked up to me. “I talked to Dr. Salazar and got a list of questions he wants to ask you, so we have time to prepare. That way, you know what’s coming.”

  I didn’t care about the interview. Just wanted to get it over with. “Alright.”

  “Night, Derek.” Jerome waved as he walked out with Pierre.

  Pierre didn’t say anything to me.

  Emerson stared at my face until she heard the door shut behind her. “Everything alright?”

  I closed up my notebook and laptop. “Yes.”

  She gave me a slightly incredulous look, as if she didn’t believe me but wouldn’t press me on it.

  I didn’t give a fuck about Pierre right now. All I cared about was the woman in front of me, the woman I could finally have now that the workday was over. “Ready?”

  She nodded. “Not to make it weird, but I can’t change before our date. Otherwise, my mom and Lizzie will ask questions, and I don’t want to lie.”

  “Why would you want to change?” I’d been staring at her all day, my hands aching to pull up her dress and grip that ass while I kissed her so hard on the mouth that her lips would be swollen for a week. “You look hot.”

  A hesitant smile moved onto her lips, along with a dash of embarrassment in her eyes. Her cheeks even reddened, like the compliment made her neck warm. Her humility was cute since she was a goddamn bombshell. I was used to women who were hot and knew they were hot, but her modesty was refreshing. She was more than just a beautiful woman, so she had more qualities for people to notice.

  I noticed them all.

  “Let’s go now.” I packed my things in my satchel, and we left together. After we got into the Escalade, Ronnie drove us back to the city through the tunnel. “What are you in the mood for?”

  “Anything.”

  “How about burgers?”

  She grinned. “I mean, I won’t say no to that, but I don’t want to be too bloated…”

  She could be as bloated as possible, and it wouldn’t change a damn thing. “Burgers, it is.”

  Ronnie dropped us off at the curb of the restaurant I’d chosen, and we walked inside. After being shown to a table, I sat across from her. Drinks were ordered, and since it was more of a casual place, we also ordered our food.

  Now that it was October, the sun set much quicker than it used to, so it was almost dark already. The lights from the lamp overhead brought out the color of her blue eyes, her beautiful skin with a perfect complexion. She wasn’t her usual confident self. Constantly shifting in her seat, she seemed like she had an itch that she couldn’t scratch.

  It was hard to believe I was on a date with this woman, after all the stories I’d written about her, all the women I’d rejected because they weren’t Emerson. But it also felt right, like we should have done this a long time ago.

  I drank my beer and stared at her, my ordinarily steady heart rate all over the place because I was anxious, anxious to get back to the penthouse and finally have the woman I’d fantasized about. I was eager because my dry spell had been months at this point, so I wanted to get laid, and I really wanted to get laid by her.

  She continued to fidget in her chair, drinking her beer then touching her hair. She used to hold my gaze with sheer confidence, but now her eyes flicked around, like the intensity was too much since this was an actual date…and it was leading in one distinct direction.

  The date almost felt unnecessary because I’d already spent the last four months getting to know her. But last night hadn’t felt like the right time to make my move. It seemed rushed, and since she had a daughter, I knew she needed to plan ahead if she was going to be occupied overnight. And I really didn’t want to have her then watch her leave right afterward. That would feel cheap.

  The waitress brought the food. “Anything else I can—”

  “Actually, can we have this to-go? And the check too?”

  My eyes widened at Emerson’s request.

  “Yeah, sure.” The waitress didn’t have a chance to put the food down before she walked away again.

  “Do you have cash?” Emerson asked.

  Now, my body was fully alive, even more eager than before, because her overwhelming enthusiasm was so sexy. “Yeah.” I pulled out my wallet and put a few bills on the table.

  When the waitress came back with the food, Emerson got to her feet and snatched that bag so fast. “Sorry, something came up.”

  Fifteen

  Emerson

  I didn’t know what came over me.

  But I’d waited months for this man, and I wasn’t going to wait a moment longer. I didn’t give a damn about the food because I wasn’t even hungry, and the date in general felt pointless because I knew him better than anyone—and he knew me too.

  The food was left on the dining table, and I walked to his bedroom because I wanted to feel his sheets against my bare skin, wanted to take my time, wanted to slow everything down and enjoy him fully.

  My heart was beating so hard.

  But this felt right.

  When I turned around, I saw him walking toward me, most of the lights off so we were in darkness, the Manhattan lights bright through the windows. I stared at his face and immediately had a flashback to the moment I first saw him down in the lobby. I’d thought he was the sexiest man I’d ever seen, but now that opinion was stronger than before…because I knew his heart matched.

  He came up to me, his mouth close to mine, but he didn’t kiss me. He looked into my eyes as his hands rested on my hips, gripping my slender stomach. He squeezed me so the air was compressed from my lungs. He stared at my lips, watched me breathe, and then his fingers unbuckled the belt around my waist, making the fabric fall loose around me.

  I was anxious for his kiss, but the eye contact was sexier, the way he stared at me like he wanted to enjoy every single second of undressing me, like he wanted to go slow as if there was no tomorrow, even though there would be a next day…and then the next. He was such a hard man with limited emo
tions, but he could be romantic when he touched me like this, when he bunched up the fabric of my dress in his fingers and slowly pulled it up my body, revealing my black thong, my bare skin, my black, lacy bra. His eyes were on me the entire way, as if my reaction to his touch was addictive. The dress crept higher and higher until I moved my arms above my head and he pulled it free. When the dress was gone, my hair dropped down again, messy from the friction of the thick fabric, but I somehow felt more beautiful.

  He let the dress fall to the floor as his eyes lowered to look at me, his hand pressing against my flat stomach to feel my skin. He looked me over, drinking in my appearance without a hint of disappointment. There were faded stretch marks at the bottom of my stomach from Lizzie, but they were so small they were difficult to see, especially in the dark. His fingers moved across them like he noticed them, like he wanted to touch them, to know my body fully, the beautiful parts as well as the ugly ones. I wasn’t as tight and fit as the girls who usually occupied his bed, but that didn’t seem to be a problem for him. His eyes darkened as he stared at me, his breaths increasing, his skin flushing with desire. When he came closer, his hand moved up my back until his fingers tightened around the band of my bra so the hooks would come free. When the straps loosened on my shoulders, he stared at his fingers as he pulled them free, watching more of my skin emerge.

  Then it fell, landing on top of my dress.

  His eyes moved to my tits, and he tightened his jaw like the sight made him tense. One hand gripped my tit and gave it a manly squeeze, his thumb flicking over the nipple. His gaze became more focused, like a man seeing a naked woman for the first time. He lifted his eyes again and looked at me, but there was still no kiss. His hand slid down my leg until he gripped the back of my knee and raised it, making me balance on one foot in my tall boots.