I start to wobble away on my foot. I can’t let him see the tears that are starting to roll down my face again. I only manage a few feet when he calls out to me. “Wait!”
“What the hell do you want, Reid? Like I said, there are a ton of women in there who would love the chance to talk to you… or sleep with you, if that’s what you are searching for.”
“I don’t want any of them.” He furrows his eyebrows. “I only want you.”
“I hate to be a disappointment, since I’m sure you always get what you want, but that will never happen.”
This time, I ignore the pain and walk away for good. I fight against every nerve in my body that wants to stop and turn around. I fight every instinct that tells me to turn around and run back to him, or wobble in my case, and let him take me right there. I barely know the man, yet I want to do things with him that I have only ever dreamed about. I continue the direction I am going and never look back.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
HALFWAY THROUGH THE HOUR walk home, it starts to rain. By the time I get past my stubborn front door, I’m soaked to the bones. My body is shivering, and my nose is runny. The pain in my ankle intensified as I walked, and it’s taking everything in me to work through the searing pain. Eli tries to call my cell phone several times, but I ignore each of his calls and send them to voice mail. I strip my clothes off, peeling layer after layer of wet clothing as I limp down my hall. I enter the small bathroom in my bedroom and turn the shower on, waiting for it to heat up. Just as the steam begins to fill the bathroom, I hear a knock on my door, and I shut the water off. I pull my fuzzy pink robe off the back of my door, wrap it tight around my body, and slip my feet into the matching fuzzy slippers.
Another knock raps across the door as I near it. The chain at the top is in place, and I decide to leave it there and open it slightly. I peek out and see Reid standing on the other side of the door. “What. Do. You. Want?” I ask sharply.
“Can I come in?”
Man, I want him to so bad. But he can’t. I have a date with a nice hot shower, ice pack, and a marathon of horror movies. I can’t let him come in, because I know he is either going to question me about tonight or he’s going to kiss me. And I can’t let either of those happen in my weak state of mind. “I’m sorry, but no.” I close my door and sigh. I hear a slight thump against the door as if he lays his forehead on the door. I can hear him mumble something, but through the door, it’s unintelligible.
What am I going to do?
Tonight has been nothing short of disastrous. Another sign as to why I need to stick to my list. I walk over to the window and look out just in time to see Reid’s car pull out of the parking lot. I sink down on my couch and flip on the TV. I pull the fleece blanket off the back and drift off to sleep, forgetting all about the plans I had before sitting down.
The sun filters through my open window, shining brightly on my face and warming it. I wake up slowly, rubbing my eyes and groaning at the first sign of a migraine beginning. I let my eyes adjust to the light and glance over at my clock. “Oh crap!” I say out loud when I realize that it’s nearly lunch time. How on earth did I sleep that long? Great, now I am late for work. I don’t see the point in going in this late in the day, so I pull my cell phone off of the coffee table and send a quick text to Heidi to let her know that I am not coming in today.
I toss it back on the coffee table, not caring at the loud thump it makes against the solid oak wood, and close my eyes again. Finally, I get up, grab a glass of water and some ibuprofen out of the kitchen, and down them both. I return to the living room, opening up my laptop that is resting on the table in front of me, and log in to my work account. Might as well try and do something since I’m not going in. Over two hundred new messages flood my inbox when I log in, but the one that stands out to me is the most recent one that was sent at almost the exact same time I woke up. I hover over the message and click on it without a second thought.
From: Unknown Sender
To: [email protected]
Dearest Elizabeth,
It seems as though you had a rough night. I would be surprised if last night wasn’t a harsh one, what with your reunion with the boy who broke your heart and the near close call with the paparazzi. It’s no wonder why you decided to stay home and nurse that swollen ankle of yours. Poor Eli, though, he seemed absolutely devastated when he saw you sitting out in the alley with that gorgeous boss of yours. I don’t blame him for getting drunk and causing a scene last night in the bar at the restaurant. But don’t forget, whomever you choose will suffer pain. Though it seems like you may have chosen already? Maybe I should go pay Reid a visit in his office today. What do you say? Think you can beat me there?
I’m off my couch in a blur. I pull the first thing on that I see in my closet, not taking the time to see if the outfit even matches. For all I know, I can be modeling stripes with plaids. I slam my front door behind me, not taking the time to lock it, and rush out to my car. My ankle protests with stabs of shooting pain, but I keep trekking forward. I open the car, place my key into the ignition, and turn. Nothing. I slam my hand on the steering wheel and scream out. I try the key again and still nothing happens. “Please, just start for me.” A soft sob escapes my throat, and it seems to trigger the car to start.
Finally, the engine roars to life, and I slam the car into reverse. I pull out of the parking lot with the wheels peeling and the car making a loud screeching sound. I speed down the road, stopping only to momentarily check for oncoming cars at stop signs, and blaze through the green and yellow lights. I pull into the parking garage fifteen minutes later and park in the first spot available, not caring that my car can be towed away for not parking in my assigned spot.
I jump out of my car just as soon as I have it in park and kill the engine. The elevator seems to be taking forever, so I opt to take the stairs four flights up. The walk further pains my ankle, but I keep running up the stairs and never slow my pace. Everyone stops what they are doing when I reach the lobby of my floor, staring at me as I carelessly maneuver my way through the cubicles and desks. I open the door to Reid’s office and stop dead in my tracks at the sight before me. He really doesn’t waste any time, does he?
My breath catches, and my heart lurches as two sets of eyes turn their attention to me, both staring at me, wildly confused at my entrance. They aren’t the only ones confused by what is going on here. I’m not sure what I expected to see when I barged into his office, but I certainly didn’t expect to find him entangled in the arms of some nearly naked tall blonde. As soon as I enter, Reid pushes away from the girl, who lets out a yelp and stares at me. I can feel the deadly glare that the blonde is shooting my way. I spin on my heels and quickly walk out of his office, my hands clenched at my sides.
“Liza!” Reid calls out to me. I stop, aware that everyone’s eyes are on me, but I don’t turn around. “It’s not what it looks like.” His voice drops, and I am aware that he is right behind me now. “I swear… it isn’t what it seems like it is.” Such a classic line.
I laugh loudly, still noting that everyone is watching us and wondering what is going on. Hell, I’m not even sure myself. “Really?” I laugh again and face him again. His eyes are wide, filled with worry, and his face is pale. He seems weak, almost vulnerable, and I almost want to let it go— but I don’t. “Because I’m pretty sure it’s exactly what it looks like.”
“Liza, if you wou—”
“Save it, Reid.” I raise my hand. “You don’t have to explain anything to me.” I spin on my heels, with my head and chin held high, and walk to the only place I can get away from the burning eyes. My office. I slam the door behind me and barely manage to sit down and take a breath when Reid barges in. “Honestly, do you even know how to knock on a door?”
He shrugs his shoulders, and I can’t help but feel even more aggravated. “It really isn’t what you think…” He pauses for a moment. “Okay, maybe a little, but I want to explain to you what happened.”
“I already
told you that you don’t have to explain yourself to me. You’re twenty-five years old, a grown man, and if you want to have sex with some slutty blonde chick in your office, then damn it… have sex with her.” Reid says nothing, and his large, million dollar smile spreads across his face. He starts to laugh loudly.
“Do you really think I would have sex in my office?” I raise an eyebrow and shrug my shoulders, as if to say I wouldn’t put it past him. “Okay… so maybe I would, but I would have my doors locked…” My jaw drops at his admission. I try to regain my composure, but I’m too late. Reid’s face beams with a half crooked smile, he stares into my eyes, and his voice drops. “And only if that person is you.”
His words hang in the air. I am too stunned to say anything. I mean, he just said he wants to have sex with me… in his office of all places. What am I supposed to say to that? I knew he was going to be that kind of man, because really, what man isn’t. Reid crosses the distance from the door to my desk in three long strides, leans forward, and rests his hands on top of my desk. “It really isn’t what you think,” he whispers. He’s so close to me, and his scent overwhelms me.
“Since you are so determined, enlighten me then.” I rest my elbows on the desk. We’re close enough now that I can feel the warmth radiating off of his body, and I eye him curiously.
He sits down in the round leather chair in front of my desk, leans back, resting one elbow on the arm rest to prop his head up, and is quiet for a long time. I watch as his forehead creases with lines, no doubt contemplating what he wants to say and how he wants to say it, without seeming like a complete ass. He sits up, opens his mouth, then stops, and leans back into the chair. “Go to dinner with me?”
“You honestly expect me to say yes?” I straighten myself in my chair and glare at him. “You seriously have the worse timing imaginable.” Reid says nothing, so I continue my rant. “You would think that working in Romance, you might know a thing or two about how and when it is appropriate to ask a woman on a date. News flash: this isn’t one of those times. But even if you did, I don’t think you’re capable of being romantic. It’s clear that isn’t your thing.”
“You know nothing about me.” His voice is rugged and deep.
“I know enough from the pictures I have seen online. Woman after woman being displayed as nothing more than arm candy. And it’s never the same woman twice.” The weekend of our steamy kiss, I did what any woman would do when meeting a rich, utterly handsome man; I searched for him on the Internet. Just like I told him, every gossip blog and article showed and talked about him and his globetrotting dating life. They showed the many women of Reid Harder’s life, stating that he can’t settle down and just choose one woman; it isn’t his forté. One reason why I try to stay clear of him. He is the kind of man that just takes what he wants, because he knows he can, and then moves on to the next person in line.
However, I still can’t forget about that day in the park and what he shared about his mother. I’m sure that is something no one knows about him, the fact that he isn’t as arrogant and big-headed as he portrays himself to be. Except for me. I’ve seen the softer side of him. I put on my best smile and stare hard into his eyes. “I’ve seen enough, and that’s all I need to know. I’m sorry, but I have to decline your invitation to dinner, and I have to pull out of being your date to the charity event this weekend. If you remember correctly, I don’t date.”
“So this is what you think of me?” He stands up and gazes down at me. A flash of anger, followed by hurt, dances in his eyes before they turn into a black cold mask. “You are basing who I am by what you have seen on the Internet.”
“Well, that and the make-out session I just witnessed.” I slide my chair back and stand up.
“And that day in the park?”
“I’ve chalked it up to just being an oversight on your part. Everyone is allowed a slip up now and then. Or maybe even a ploy to suck me under your spell.” If the latter, it totally worked, for a moment at least. I really don’t think it is just another game to him, just another ploy to get a woman to swoon at his feet. I remember the look in his eyes when he told me about his mother and the kind of person she is. That is something you can’t fake.
“What else do I have to do to prove to you that I am worth breaking whatever rule it is that you have created that doesn’t give a guy a chance?”
I let out an irritated sigh. “You really haven’t done anything to prove to me otherwise in the first place.”
He glares at me, glances up to the ceiling, runs a hand through his dark hair, and lets out an exasperated sigh. “That’s because you won’t let me.”
I laugh. “Are you kidding me?” I walk around my desk and towards him. “Like you have really made an effort? Let’s see… first, you blackmail me into going to that godforsaken club with you, and you don’t even abide by the condition I set for the interaction. Then, you show up to my apartment, kiss me, and take off after like a bat out of hell.” I shudder at the memory of his soft lips against mine. What I wouldn’t do to feel them again. “Then we go to lunch, where we’re supposed to be talking about how you were going to help me sign an author, which if I may remind you, we still haven’t started yet. So comforting to know that you are not a man of your word.” Reid flinches when I say that. I really should stop while I’m ahead. “At lunch, you make fun of me because of my apartment and the car I drive, which I happen to like. You flirt with the waitress in front of me, and then you disappear for a few days—”
“I already explained to you why.” His voice is low.
“Yes, you did. And while the walk was nice, I can count a couple more times where you have been a complete ass when it hasn’t been necessary.”
“That’s your decision, then?”
I say nothing and nod my head. What is he expecting me to say? It’s not like he’s been the nicest guy on the block. So what if he ignites my blood on fire? Or the fact that we have some magnetic pull to one another? It doesn’t excuse his jackass persona. Reid spins on his heels and heads to the door. He hesitates for a moment before turning back around and closes the distance between us. Before I can comprehend what is going on, his lips are crushing against mine, and I find myself kissing him back.
“It really wasn’t what you thought.” He whispers against my lips. I start to say something, and he cuts me off. “No, let me explain. Lilith, that’s my secretary—” so the skank has a name “—she came on to me. At first, I thought I wanted it, anything to distract me from thinking about you. Which only made me think about you more, so I told her to stop. She wouldn’t, and when I tried to push her off of me, her hair got tangled up in the buttons of my shirt. Th—”
I burst out laughing, a full on head thrown back, loud laugh filling the air. My stomach muscles ache at the spontaneity of it. “You seriously cannot expect me to believe that. That’s like one of the most ridiculous, oldest excuses in the book.” I completely forget that just a second ago our lips were locked into a passionate kiss.
Reid frowns. “I’m being serious, Liza, and I have no interest in her or any other woman that comes my way. I only want you.” He’s whispering again, his voice seductive and making my toes curl inside of my flats.
“Why?” I push away and turn my head. “Am I just another challenge for you to conquer? Just someone you plan on tossing aside after you get what you want?” Way to ruin the moment with my big mouth. But Reid makes me a little irrational at times. “Because I will tell you right now, that will never happen. We will never happen.”
My heart aches as I say the words out loud, because as much as I want him, I can’t go there. I want his lips to touch every surface of my body. I want to hear his low, seductive voice telling me how much he wants me. I can’t let it happen. Not matter how much I want it to.
“I’ll admit,” he says as he comes closer to me, “I’ve never had to work this hard to get someone to go to dinner with me. Neither have I had someone so openly dislike me.”
“I n
ever said I didn’t like you,” I say quickly.
“No, but you did point out every reason why you shouldn’t.” I sigh. I can’t disagree with that. I have been pretty cruel. “Regardless of the fact, I don’t see you as just another notch on my bedpost.” I raise my eyebrows. “Not that I do that. But I genuinely want to get to know you better.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re the first person who sees through the bullshit, the first not to be affected by whatever charm I apparently have or my money, and because… well… because when you look at me, I know you see me. You see the person I want to be, the person that I can be. You make me want to be a better person, and not the kind who thinks of women as an accessory.”
I gasp softly. This is not what I expected to hear. I glance back at him again and find that his dark eyes have softened to a soft black, taking over his predominately glossy cold stare. “If I say yes to this, it comes with one condition.”
Reid smiles. “You and your conditions.”
“We can go to dinner as friends.” He frowns, not afraid to show his disappointment. “We’ll go to Mercury’s Diner on whatever day works for you.”
“How about Saturday?”
“That’s the date of the charity event.” Reid shrugs his shoulders. He seems to care about the event just as much as I do. While it’s a good event, raising money to donate books to the local schools, I can’t stand them. “If you’re sure, then Saturday it is.”
“It’s a date,” he says, finally flashing his breath taking, charming smile.
I frown and shake my head. “It’s not a date. Just two friends having dinner.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” he says before he turns and walks out of my office, closing the door behind him. As soon as the door shuts, my phone beeps, alerting that I have a new text message. I pull my phone out of my pocket and see that it’s an unknown number.
Great, now whoever it is, is sending me messages. With the thought in mind, I click on the message and open it.
If I Say Yes (Say Something #1) Page 9