Trusted Company
Page 7
I lean down and do exactly what we both want me to do. I’ve missed the feel of her lips, the taste of her tongue, and the bite of her teeth. Missed them because she feels so right. She feels like the one place I’ve always belonged.
“I hate to intrude, but we’ve got to take our seats,” Rhieve says from behind me.
I pull my lips from Lyla’s, but lean my forehead against hers for just a moment. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Lyla
I do love him, and I do want to get back together with him, but I’m not going to make it easy. I have too much self-respect for that. Tonight, I have the freedom to kiss him and hold his hand without expectations, so yeah, I’m taking advantage of that.
The looks on George and Emily’s faces when they realizing they’ve been seated with us, Calum and Rhieve, and Miles and his wife Alex, nearly makes me burst out laughing. I hold it in and just smile sweetly at them.
“Oh wow, how nice that we all get to sit together.”
“Yes, it’s nice,” Emily says.
Miles and Calum aren’t playing the same game Guil and I are, so they don’t have to hide their glares. The ice in their eyes is so cold, I swear the temperature in the room has dropped at least ten degrees. As I let out a shiver, Guil pulls me close.
“Are you cold, Ly? You can have my jacket.”
“Stop being romantic,” I hiss back to him, the smile still on my face.
“Not possible with you.”
I close my eyes, allowing myself to revel in his words for just a moment. One brief moment where I can pretend this is all still real. That we’ll be going home together and making love all night. Just one moment before I open my eyes and continue on with the plan.
“Have you bid on anything yet, Emily?”
“No. I was going to eat and then have a look. It’s more fun to see where the bids are late in the party.”
“I’m going to look too, so we can go together.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t go giving away our savings,” George tells her with a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.
“Do you even have savings?” Calum asks him, leaning back in his chair with a smirk on his face. I kind of love him a little right now.
“How dare you?”
“Very easily.”
“I’m interested in you answering the question,” Miles tells him.
“I won’t sit here and be insulted.”
“Suit yourself, but if you walk away from this table, our business ties are severed.”
“I never wanted to work with you anyway.”
“I know.”
George stills and looks around the table. His eyes land on Guil, who smiles. “Give the guy a break. He just doesn’t want to talk about his finances with us right now. Let’s enjoy the party.”
If I didn’t know him so well. I’d believe everything he just said. But, I do know him, and I know being nice to the man who killed my brother is making him insane. I reach over to squeeze his thigh, reminding him I’m right here having the same thoughts.
“Thank you, Guil. I’m glad one of you knows how to act.”
He nods, but says nothing more. Dinner is a tense affair, which is exactly what we planned for it to be. We need them on edge.
“Ready to go look at the offerings?” I ask, once dessert has been cleared.
Dancing will begin soon, so this is the time I’ve been told to get her away from the crowd. Until tonight, I’d hoped she was an innocent bystander in everything, but the looks I’ve seen on her face and the vibes shooting off her tell me she was in on it.
She exchanges a look with George before standing. “Sure.”
I walk with her toward the tables, but stop before we make it all the way there. “Oh, would you mind a quick stop in the ladies room?”
“Not at all.”
I walk her into the specific bathroom I was instructed to take her, where Reina’s waiting for us. “Great job Lyla, we’ll take it from here.”
“What’s going on?” Emily asks, turning to find Faith standing behind her.
“You killed my brother, bitch,” I say, punching her as hard as I can. It hurts like hell, but I’m glad I did it.
It takes her to the floor and her eyes are wide when she looks up at me. “You should’ve just done your part, because you’re next.”
“No she’s not,” Reina tells her.
I have to apologize for what I did. “I know that was off the plan, but I had to.”
“No one’s going to see her again so it doesn’t matter. Good hit, by the way,” Faith tells me.
I walk out to find Guil leaving the men’s room, his knuckles split. “You hit him.”
“And you hit her,” he says, taking my bruise
“I couldn’t help it.”
“Neither could I.”
“We did it.”
“Yeah. I’m going to leave now. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Chapter 11
Guil
My version of “soon” is obviously different from Lyla’s because it’s been over a week since the gala and she still hasn’t reached out. Being the bastard I am, I haven’t left her alone, but we haven’t talked.
I’ve sent breakfast to her room every morning, alternating between the different dishes I know she likes. I also had painting supplies sent to her suite. I don’t know if she’s used them, but I wanted her to have that option available to her.
I also had her paintings shipped from my house to my place here in Vegas. Most of them now grace my walls there, but my favorite beach scene is on the wall behind my desk here at C&C. Everyone wants to know where I got it, but I refuse to tell them because I don’t know if she’d want me to.
My intercom buzzes and I answer, knowing it’s Miles. We’ve developed a great working relationship and I love my job here. He’s got an excellent team already, and I pretty much just help each of them with anything they’re stuck on. It’s a dream job for me.
“You’ve got a visitor,” is all he says, before my door starts to open. WTF?
My heart is in my throat when I see Lyla standing in the doorway. Her eyes go to me, then narrow when she sees the painting above my desk.
“That’s mine.”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t say you could have it.”
“I know.”
“Why is it here?”
“Because I needed a piece of you here with me. The rest are on the walls in my house here.”
“What if I want them back?”
“Do you?”
“No. Seeing you have them is making me realize even more that being here is the right choice.”
Please let her be choosing me. Us. A future.
“Do you want to sit down?”
She shakes her head. “No. I just want you to tell me when you fell in love with me.”
I don’t hesitate to answer her. “When you were sixteen. You didn’t want a big party, but you let your parents throw you one anyway. You wore a ridiculous dress, but after the guests left, you changed into jeans and a t-shirt. You kept the heels and the tiara, but the make-up was gone and you climbed on the roof with me and Brad to eat more cake.”
“I smashed the cake into your face. I wanted to lick it off you, but I was too scared to do it.”
“I wanted you to. I’d been attracted to you for a couple of years, but that night I knew it was more. I saw the smile lighting up your face and how happy you were to be with just us, and I knew. I loved you. I didn’t think I could ever act on it, but I knew it was true.”
“I wish I’d known. I was so scared to ever let you see how I felt about you.”
“I saw.”
“My birthday’s next week.”
“Yes.”
“Rhieve wants to throw me a party.”
“So would I. I wanted to have our friends over to my place.”
“Can she help?”
“If that’s what you want?”
“I do. I want to have it at our house.”
“Are you moving in?” I ask, so shocked she could knock me over with a feather right now.
“Yes.”
“You didn’t ask.”
“Do I need to?”
“Nope.”
“I’m sorry I made you wait so long.”
“I would’ve waited forever.”
“I’ve been talking to Reina about doing art classes for the people they help.”
“You’d be amazing at that.”
“I think so and so does she.”
“Because she’s a smart woman.”
“You can’t lie to me again. Not like the way you did.”
“I won’t. I swear it.”
“You always keep your promises.”
“I do.”
“My brother made you promise to stop the deal. You should’ve told me.”
“I should’ve.”
“Thank you for honoring his wishes, and avenging his death.”
“You never have to thank me for that.”
“My parents reached out. They got an anonymous letter detailing what George and Emily did.”
“You’ve reconciled?”
“No. They still think I should’ve taken their side in the vote. I love them, but we’ll never really get along.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It is what it is. Are you going to kiss me now?”
“I was thinking I’d feed you first.”
“You’ve been feeding me every morning. Right now, I want a kiss. Then, you can take me to the cafeteria.”
“Bossy.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Never.”
Lyla
He takes me in his arms and kisses me. I’ve missed this, but I couldn’t make it too easy on him. Couldn’t let him think what he did was okay. I know he didn’t, but I had to make sure he understood how hard it was for me to take a chance. And then, have to take a chance again.
As he lifts me onto his desk and pulls my dress over my head, I moan loudly. “You missed this.”
“Don’t look so smug—you know you’ve missed it too.”
“I did. Let’s make a pact to never go so long without making love again. My cock’s been weeping for you.”
“Weeping? Tears or cum?”
“Dirty girl, you know the cum’s only for you.”
“Give it all to me. Everything you’ve got,” I tell him, lying back on the desk.
He does all of that and more. It’s actually dinner time before we make it to the cafeteria and both of us are having trouble walking by then. We re-fuel before heading home to start all over again. Seeing my paintings on his—our—walls turns me on and I give him the blow job of his life before he takes me again. I’m never denying myself of this man again.
Epilogue
Guil
I’ve been given a gift. A second-chance with Lyla. I won’t blow it this time.
“This party is insane,” Calum says, coming to stand next to me as our women sit with their friends.
“Like I wasn’t going to go all out for my woman.”
“Unicorns?”
“It’s what she always wanted, but her parents wouldn’t let her have.”
“We are so whipped.”
“And we both love it.”
“True that.”
Lyla runs over and jumps into my arms a minute later. “Thank you for this.”
“This is only the beginning, Ly. I’m going to be spoiling you for the rest of our lives.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Coming Soon
Look for X’s book, Essential Company, coming on February 6!
Acknowledgments
Dominique, and Gabi, you are the two sides of my heart!
Helen Williams, thanks for another amazing cover!
Alesha and Guil, my life is so much better for having you in it! Thanks for letting me borrow your name for a character, Guil, even if I did have to look at pictures of another guy when I wrote this book