by Ward, Alice
“Why do you think I’ve been crying?” I snapped, turning away from him.
“Willow, I’m not a mind reader. I’d do anything to help you, but you have to talk to me. Do you really have a headache?”
“I do now,” I said, wiping my puffy face with a corner of the sheet. “What are you even doing here? Shouldn’t you be with your new girlfriend?”
James let out a long, exasperated sigh. “That’s what this is about? I just danced with her a couple of times, Willow. She was flirting with me, what was I supposed to do?”
“You could have lied,” I ground out. “You could have said you have a girlfriend back home. You danced with her because you wanted to, not because you didn’t have a choice.”
“Was I flattered that a beautiful woman was paying me a little attention? Of course I was,” James said defensively. He stood up and started pacing the room. “It was nice to have someone openly flirt with me instead of sneaking around and whispering behind closed doors. She made me feel like a man, instead of a dirty little secret.”
“Well if that’s what you want, I’m sure Layla would be happy to come over and stay on the fold out mattress with you. You should give her a call,” I snorted.
“If I wanted to be with Layla, I’d already be in her hotel room,” he snapped. “I don’t know what the fuck you’ve done to me, Willow. Four months ago, I’d have accepted her invitation without a second thought. But you know what I was thinking about while she was pressed up against me on the dance floor? You,” he said angrily. “I was thinking how great it would be if I could dance with you. But I knew you’d never agree to it.”
“We can’t give people any reason to talk right now, you know that,” I argued.
“What I know is that I can’t stay on this roller coaster much longer,” he said. “You say we can’t be together, but you beg me not to move away. I’m not allowed to touch you, but you get upset when I dance with someone else.” He shook his head and looked at me in disbelief. “You’ve got me begging for you and professing my love. Do you have any idea how many women have tried and failed to do this to me?”
“I know I haven’t been fair and I’m sorry,” I said with a sigh. Fresh tears fell from my eyes as frustration and guilt consumed me.
James sighed too and sat next to me on the bed. He leaned against the headboard and wrapped me in his arms. “Please don’t cry,” he whispered. He kissed the top of my head and lightly stroked my hair. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I promised not to push things this weekend and then I turned around and deliberately tried to make you jealous.”
I pulled away and stared at him. “You were trying to upset me?”
He frowned. “More like hoping I’d upset you. You’re the first woman who’s ever pushed me away, Willow. I don’t know how to handle it… I needed to see some sign that you still cared. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too,” I whispered. I lay down next to him on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. “I don’t know how everything got so damn complicated. I just keep waiting for something to give or for the universe to send me a sign, telling me what to do. I’m exhausted and I don’t know how much longer I can go on like this,” I confessed.
I felt the mattress shift beside me and turned to see James climbing off the bed. He stripped down to his t-shirt and boxer shorts, returned to the bed, and curled his body around mine. I was surprised to feel his cock flaccid against my leg.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“You just said you’re exhausted. When’s the last time you got a decent night’s rest?” he asked.
“I don’t remember,” I confessed. “I’ve had the most horrible dreams lately. I wake up scared to go back to sleep.” It was the truth. I’d had nightmares since the day Bradley caught James and I together on Eagle Point.
James tugged at the blankets and we wiggled beneath them. He lay on his back and cradled me in his arms. I relaxed for a moment and then pulled away.
“James, we can’t…”
“I’m not making a pass at you, Willow,” he assured me. “You have to get some rest. Forget about everything else and let me take care of you, just for tonight. All I want to do is hold you so if you wake up from a nightmare, you’ll know you’re safe. It doesn’t have to mean anything. I won’t get carried away.”
The fact that he’s offering this means everything.
“Okay,” I agreed. I laid my head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around me. My body relaxed as I inhaled his scent. Our breaths synchronized and I started to feel drowsy.
“You were right,” I whispered. “I feel safe with you.”
“You are safe with me,” he said, giving me a light squeeze. “And nothing will ever change that. No matter what happens, I will always have your back. I love you, Willow,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.
I couldn’t keep my feelings to myself any longer. “I love you too, James,” I replied just as softly. “I don’t know what it means, but I love you.” He kissed the top of my head and with a final yawn, I drifted off to a dreamless sleep.
CHAPTER 6
Late the next morning, I woke up to find James staring at me as I slept. He was perched on the edge of the bed, already dressed for the day.
“Good morning,” he said, smiling down at me. “I was just about to wake you. How did you sleep?”
I stretched and let out a long yawn. “I slept like a rock. Thank you so much for last night. I really needed that.” I felt rested and refreshed for the first time in weeks.
“It was my pleasure,” James said, not looking at me. “It’s getting late. We’re supposed to be down for breakfast in half an hour.”
I jumped out of the bed, rifled through my luggage, and found the sundress I’d packed for the day. “I need a quick shower,” I said, pulling an ironing board from the closet. “But first, I need to get the wrinkles out of this.”
James took the dress from my hands. “I’ll take care of it. You get cleaned up. I’ll leave the dress on the bed and wait for you in the living room.”
He meant what he said yesterday. He’s not going to push me about our relationship. He really does just want to take care of me.
“Thanks,” I said. My stomach grumbled and I remembered picking at my meal the night before. “I’ll be fast,” I called over my shoulder as I stepped into the bathroom. I took a three minute shower and blasted my hair with a blow dryer, all the while thinking about James.
He really has changed. If he hadn’t, he’d have tried to have sex with me last night. Hell, if he hadn’t changed, he’d have gone home with Layla. James loves me. Is that really something I can walk away from?
I pulled my hair up in a simple, sleek bun and applied a light layer of makeup. I brushed on a silver shadow to compliment my blue eyes and studied myself in the mirror.
I’m not going to worry about this right now. James isn’t pushing me for an answer. I’m going to relax and enjoy his company. I deserve to have a good time this weekend.
I returned to the bedroom where my ironed dress was waiting on the bed. I slipped into it, stepped into nude heels, and met James in the living room.
“You look fantastic,” he told me. “And with eight minutes to spare. Matt just called. He and Lucas are going to meet us in the lobby.”
James rose from the couch and we walked to the door. We stepped into the hallway and I looped my arm through his. He looked down at me, his eyes full of pleasant surprise. He raised an eyebrow and I smiled back at him.
“You’re my escort for the weekend, right? I just want to relax and enjoy ourselves, like we did in Kentucky.”
James stood up a little straighter and a broad smile spread across his face. “That sounds like a fantastic plan,” he agreed.
The elevator doors opened and we stepped into the car. “We have a few free hours this afternoon between the stable tour and the formal dinner. Maybe we can sneak away for a while, take a walk on the beach,” I suggested.
; “Your ideas keep getting better and better. I should make sure you sleep through the night more often,” James teased.
The elevator slowed to a stop, the doors opened, and we stepped out into the lobby. I heard Bradley’s voice before I saw his face.
“Fancy finding the two of you together.”
This can’t be happening. I’m imagining it. He can’t really be here.
I turned to my left and saw Bradley leaning against a marble pillar. I felt the color drain from my face as panic squeezed my chest. James untangled his arm from mine and stepped in front of me as Bradley approached us.
“What are you doing here, Bradley?” James asked, his voice a low growl.
“I came to see by best girl, of course,” Bradley replied. He maneuvered around James and kissed me on the cheek. I shrank away from him and he let out an amused chuckle.
“You didn’t think I’d miss your big weekend, did you?” he asked.
“This wasn’t a part of our deal,” I said softly. My eyes darted around the lobby. To my relief, no one seemed to be paying us any attention.
“The deal is subject to change, at my discretion,” Bradley replied. His voice was calm, his body relaxed. “You’re going to have lots of cameras on you this weekend, Willow,” he continued. “My story wouldn’t hold much weight back home if I’m not in any of the pictures.”
“You’re crossing the line, Miller,” James warned. He stepped between us again and put a hand on Bradley’s chest. “I’m not going to let you ruin this weekend. Willow’s worked hard for this. She deserves to enjoy it.”
Bradley scowled down at James’s hand and then stared up at him, rage smoldering in his eyes. “If I were you, I’d take your fucking hand off of me,” Bradley hissed softly. “Unless of course, you want me to ruin more than the weekend.”
“Stop James, please,” I begged. I stepped between them and covered James’s hand with mine. His nostrils flared with anger, but he dropped his hand and took a few steps back.
“You can’t keep giving in to him, Willow,” James insisted. “This will never end.”
I turned back to him and saw Matt and Lucas step out of the elevator. Matt looked from me to Bradley, his eyes wide with confusion. I shook my head and mouthed “Not now.” Matt nodded, took Lucas by the arm, and led him to the other side of the lobby.
I looked at James with desperate eyes. “You know what he’ll do if we don’t play along. I can’t afford a scandal this weekend, James.”
“I’d listen to her if I were you,” Bradley taunted.
James clenched his jaw and balled up his fists. “Fine,” he finally agreed. “But I’m doing this for Willow, not because I’m afraid of you,” he growled at Bradley.
Bradley shrugged. “Whatever makes you feel better about it,” he sneered. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, Willow has a bunch of people to introduce me to… as her boyfriend, of course. We don’t need a third wheel if it’s all the same to you.”
Bradley wrapped an arm around my waist and James took two steps towards him. He towered over Bradley and leaned into his shoulder. “You’re safe today, but mark my words, you pompous ass. The time will come that you don’t have power over us anymore. And when it does, I’m going to make you wish you’d never been born.”
Bradley puffed up his chest and turned to me, ignoring James’s threat. “I believe we’re late for breakfast,” he said firmly.
I looked over my shoulder and mouthed “I’m sorry” to James as Bradley led me away.
***
Bradley hadn’t been able to get a room at the Excelsior so after fourteen miserable hours, I was able to escape his company and retreat to my suite. I was surprised to find Matt, Lucas, and James in the living area, huddled around a laptop. When I walked into the room, Matt jumped up and faced me, his hands on his hips.
“Willow Rose, I can’t believe you’ve been lying to me!” he exclaimed.
I groaned and turned to James. He blushed and looked to the floor. “You told them everything?” I asked, my shoulders low with defeat.
“Of course he told us everything,” Matt continued. “The question is, why did he have to? I knew something fishy was going on when you had dinner with Bradley the other day. Why didn’t you tell me that the bastard was blackmailing you?” He stared at me, demanding an answer. James’s eyes darted back and forth between us while Lucas’s remained fixed on the computer screen.
I tossed my purse onto the coffee table, kicked off my heels, and collapsed into a club chair. “I’m sorry, Matt,” I sighed. “I didn’t want to bother you with my problems.”
He narrowed his eyes, obviously unsatisfied. “You didn’t tell me because you knew I’d agree with James,” he argued. “And I do. You were so determined to convince James that the two of you could be together. I wondered why you suddenly changed your mind. I can’t believe you let Bradley bully you into giving him up!”
My day with Bradley had left me exhausted and frustrated. Arguing with Matt was the last thing I felt like doing, but I felt compelled to defend myself.
“It’s not just Bradley,” I insisted. “It’s everyone like him. I met some of his friends at that dinner, I can tell they all think the same way. They might accept James and me eventually, but only after the initial scandal dies down. I can’t let Bradley release those pictures. Not when all of my hard work is about to pay off. Surely you understand that.”
Matt frowned, but let his hands fall to his sides. “I know, James explained all of that too. I just wish you’d come to me after Bradley took the pictures.”
“I’m sorry,” I said again. “I knew you’d be frustrated with me. And there’s really nothing you can do to fix it.”
Lucas cleared his throat but didn’t look up from the computer. “Actually, that’s not true.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice cautiously optimistic.
Matt gave me a triumphant smile. “It just so happens that my boyfriend is quite the hacker. He’s taking care of your little problem right now.”
My mouth dropped open in shock as I stared at Lucas. “You can do that?” I gasped.
He nodded and gave me a smile. “I spent a lot of time alone as a kid. I taught myself how to hack, played some pretty nasty pranks on some of the more intolerant families in town. I gave it up before I got into any real trouble. But I’m always happy to dust off my skills for a good cause.”
“But how is this even possible?” I asked. I was hesitant to get my hopes up.
“After James told us what was going on, I created a ghost account and sent Bradley an email. I posed as a reporter interested in interviewing him for a story about the best new agricultural minds in the country, so I’m sure he’ll open it. There’s a link in there that will take him to a page of interview questions. The link also contains a virus. As soon as he clicks on it, I’ll have total access to whichever device he’s using.”
“But that won’t work,” I frowned. “I’m sure he’ll open it on his phone and I’ve already deleted the pictures from it.”
Lucas was undeterred. “I’m willing to bet that all of Bradley’s devices are linked. If I have access to one, I can get access to them all. We just have to wait for him to open the message.”
We sat in silence for the next ten minutes. Finally, Lucas’s laptop chimed and a look of satisfaction spread across his face.
“I’m in,” he announced, tapping rapidly on the screen. The rest of us breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“He opened the email from his phone. And… yes, it’s linked to a laptop and a desktop, both of which seem to be turned on. I’ll delete the photos from his cloud storage first and then go through the other devices,” he explained.
“Will he know that you’ve been in his stuff?” I asked.
Lucas shook his head. “He won’t know that anything is missing until he goes looking for it.”
“This is really over, just like that?” I asked, afraid to hope.
“It will be in a few h
ours,” Lucas assured me, his hands still moving a mile a minute. “Unless he’s printed hard copies and tucked them away somewhere.”
I shook my head. “He thinks he’s invincible. And the pictures didn’t turn him on, they disgusted him. I don’t think he’d have printed hard copies... so I don’t have to go to the race with him tomorrow. I don’t have to spend another second with him.”
“Let this be a lesson, Willow,” Matt said, his tone half scolding. “You should always tell us what you’re going through. You never know how we may be able to help.”
I jumped up, crossed the room, and wrapped Matt in a hug. “I’ll never keep anything from you again. Lucas, you’re in for one hell of a hug when you’re finished with that laptop. I can never thank you enough for this.”
“Bradley Miller is an arrogant ass,” Lucas replied. “Taking him down a few pegs is thanks enough.”
“You have to let us be there when you tell him to fuck off,” Matt added. “I can’t wait to see his face.”
“I’m supposed to meet him in the lobby tomorrow morning for breakfast,” I told him. “We can all go down together.”
“Let’s go down early and meet him in the parking lot,” James suggested. “It will save me the trouble of dragging his ass outside.”
Lucas looked up from the computer. “This is going to take some time. And no offence, Willow, but you look exhausted. Why don’t you go to bed? You have a big day tomorrow.”
“That’s a good idea,” James agreed. He stood up and crossed the room to offer me his hand. “Come on, I’ll tuck you in.”
I wanted to stay up until I was certain the pictures were gone, but I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. I took James’s hand and he helped me to my feet.
“We’re going to celebrate like crazy tomorrow night, no matter whose horse wins the race,” I promised as we walked to the bedroom.
“You bet your ass we are,” Matt called after me.
“Sleep well, Willow,” Lucas added.
James and I stepped into the bedroom and he closed the door behind us. I fell into his arms. “I can’t believe this is finally over,” I sighed.