“High strung?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. I’d never been mad at West before, but at that moment I felt the warmth turning into burning anger.
He leaned forward and kissed my nose. “Absolutely nothing wrong with that.”
And like that, it melted away.
“I think I just miss him,” I replied with a nod.
West smirked. “And you’re realizing what an ass Adam was.”
“You’re his friend!” I shot back and West shrugged.
“That doesn’t mean I think he deserved you,” he said, and his neck turned red.
“Are you jealous?” I asked, elbowing him.
He pulled me into his arms, his eyes teasing as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. The fire ignited in my heart, and the kiss deepened, taking any thoughts of either of the Beckerson boys always immediately. West’s lips moved away from mine, but I could still feel his breath on them as he tangled his hands in my hair.
“Not at all. You’re mine,” West whispered, and there was a painful edge to his voice as if there was a silent fornow at the end.
“For as long as you want me,” I replied, trying to convince him with my eyes that I meant it.
“I’d like that to be a very long time, Riv. Is that a promise you want to make?”
I leaned up on my toes, pressing my hands into his shoulders as my lips met his ear.
“I promise.”
As I pulled away, his eyes remained shut, and his Adam’s apple rose and fell. It was as if he was silently praying for it to be true, and a part of me was too. I loved what we had. It was simple, easy and most of all it felt right. I couldn’t say the same thing about Adam. Finally, West’s eyes flicked open, and his lips stretched into that cocky smile that instantly had me entranced when we met.
“How am I doing fixing his screw-ups?” he asked, and I ran my fingers up his bare tattooed arms, following the flow of the art until I laced my hands behind his neck. His skin prickled and his jaw tightened. “That’s not fair in a public place.”
The dogs yanked on their leads, trying to pull West up the steps and pushing us closer together.
“Why ever not?” I asked, biting my lip.
He leaned down, his mouth pressing against mine and then parting it to bite my lip where I had just done it myself. I couldn’t help the whimper that was my reaction. My whole body flushed. If we didn’t have the dogs, the BMW would definitely be christened.
“Lobster roll?” West asked, smirking down at me.
“Hotel?”
“Mhmm…” West replied.
Chapter 9
“Do we have to go back?” I asked as West put our bags in the back of the BMW. I leaned against the side, taking in the fall beach infused sun. The salt air wafted over me, and I inhaled deeply, trying to memorize the feeling it gave me. This time the Cape had been so different than the last. These memories would last forever, a direct juxtaposition to those of the past both good and bad.
West shut the trunk and pulled my waist to his. “Did I accomplish my goal?”
I put my arms around his neck as he leaned down.
“That depends, what exactly was your goal?” I teased. “Making me the happiest woman alive — check. Rocking my world — triple check. Amazing birthday — check times infinity.”
“Better memories?” West asked, his eyes serious despite the fact I was joking around with him.
“The best,” I replied, and he sighed.
“Even though you got mad at me?”
I began to shake my head, and his brows went up, stopping me.
“You immediately made up for it, and you were just trying to help,” I replied as he pulled the keys out of his pocket. He held them up for me, but I shook my head. “You drive back. I want to enjoy the change in scenery.”
West smiled at me before giving me a peck on the lips and double checking the pups harnesses. Where the weekend had started warm, today it was too cold to have the top down.
“So does this mean you’re not accepting my gift?” West asked as he started the car.
I sunk into the custom leather seats, running my fingers over the stitching. My gaze came up to West’s. His lips were in a stern line as he waited for my response with his hand on the shifter.
“You taking her back?” I asked with my eyebrows up, and the smiled returned to his face.
“Her?”
I patted the dash. “A car this pretty is definitely a girl.”
“For a beautiful girl?” West said, and his tone showed the question.
“I think I will call her Polly.”
West’s brows quirked. “Polly?”
I glanced over my shoulder at Walter and Sadie sitting next to Bagel and then looked at their human-father. The one who’d named them. He put his hands up.
“Point taken.”
We settled into the drive, but with each passing mile West seemed to tense. I reached over and squeezed his thigh. His head jerked liked he’d forgotten I was there.
“You okay?” I asked, and he loosened his death grip on the steering wheel.
“Yeah…of course,” he replied, and I blinked at him. He sighed. “Not looking forward to going back to reality…TV.”
“Only two more weeks, right?” I asked.
West licked his lips as he nodded. “Until filming is done, but then the show airs.”
“I thought you didn’t watch it?”
“Yeah, but people do. We’ll have to avoid being in public for a bit,” West replied with a deep exhale.
“Really?” I asked. A few people from time to time recognized him, but he’d never made a big deal about it or acted like it bugged him. He always took it in stride, posing for the pictures and then apologizing profusely to me since I was usually the person who was handed the phone to take them.
He inhaled through his nose, his shoulders lifting. “Like a hundred times what you’re used to. Some possible squealing teenagers involved. People ask if I’ll give them a free tattoo or showing me their hideous ones that they want covered up.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“You’d be surprised what people will show you. Just because I’m a tattoo artist doesn’t mean I want to see the Chinese symbol for soup that you accidentally got tattoed on your ass as a teenager instead of the right one for ‘luck’ or whatever the hell you thought was cool then,” he replied, totally serious, but I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not even joking. Talk about awkward.”
“Good news,” I replied, and his brows went up. I squeezed his hand. “I’m with you, so we can laugh about it together after.”
West let a small smile escape his lips and then turned quiet. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked, and he ran his tongue across the inside of his cheek.
“You don’t plan on watching, do you?” he said, and his eyes remained on the road.
“Why?” I replied my voice layered with a tease. “Something on there you don’t want me to see?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, and my chest tightened.
That was exactly it.
His lips twitched before he shook his head. “That’s not it.”
“Really?” I asked, and his eyes stayed ahead as if he didn’t want to look at me. “West?”
His shoulders lifted. “They just like to make a lot of drama out of nothing. I’d rather you not get entangled in the bullshit.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “First you don’t want me there during filming, and now you don’t want me to watch it?”
His jaw clenched, and when he opened his mouth to speak, he didn’t seem to be able to find the words and closed it. I cocked my head at him, and he finally gave in.
“They pick and choose what they show. It’s all for entertainment value. I don’t want you to see something and make assumptions,” West said, and his eyes darted over to me, framed by his eyebrows in his intense worry.
I swallowed. “Okay, I t
rust you.”
“So you won’t watch it?” he asked again.
I nodded, and a relieved smile came to his lips. I tried to smile back, but my stomach twisted. There was definitely something that happened on the show that West didn’t want me to see. I did trust him, and I knew the way the show had always portrayed him as a lady’s man.
I glanced over my shoulder at him in all his David Beckham-like glory. The problem was he looked it. I glanced away, watching the scenery I wanted to see so much drift by without truly registering them. Adam had been the same way, except I knew him during those days. I knew the real Adam. I didn’t know the West before I came into the picture. I didn’t know if I’d changed him, or if the impression the media gave was always false. West’s hand found mine in my lap, and I looked over at him and his sincere smile.
The media didn’t know the real West.
I did.
Chapter 10
Going back to work on Monday was grueling, and I realized that I did need to take vacations more often. I rubbed my eyes as I looked at the computer screen, blurry again from concentrating too hard on the advertisement on my screen. Despite the initial turnover in the team, we’d finally gotten to the point where everyone knew the company’s style. I smiled as I flipped from the ad sample to the branding plan. Charlie’s sass certainly showed in this new design, and it was precisely the reason I had paired her with this client. She’d nailed it, and I was happy to click the approved button.
The music I had been listening to in the background turned to a commercial, and West’s company logo flashed on the screen, catching my attention. A video played for the advertisement.
“Get a sneak peek into the hit reality television show, Brightside Designs’ new season by clicking here!” The voice talent went on to explain the channel and times along with an overview of what the show was, but I’d tuned out. My eyes locked on the image on the screen of West and his team in their shop. I swallowed hard, my hand tingling to tap the advertisement. Then, just like with Adam’s music video, my body took control and did. The video popped up on my phone.
“This season on hit reality television series, Brightside Designs — the shop gets some new friends and West falls for yet another one of his clients…”
My jaw clenched hard. Just like West warned me–drama. Just as I was about to hit the close button, the video changed to the guys sitting around talking. I knew it was something that was rare, and it peeked my interest.
“You seriously do this?” Temp asked with his arms crossed as he looked at the guys. “Take bets on your boss’ love life?”
Ryan nodded, a smirk plastering over his face. “It’s fun as hell. So what’s your bet?”
Temp shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean it’s not like I have a clue what the average is.”
Ryan looked over at Mark. “You’re good at math.”
Mark’s eyes narrowed on the ceiling as he calculated. “Average is about three and a half months.”
“Average for what?” West asked as he walked out from the back room.
My face burned as I stared at the screen, unable to rip my gaze away from my boyfriend.
“Time before your relationships implode on themselves,” Ryan replied, and Temp’s muscular arms tensed.
“Not this shit again,” West said with a roll of his eyes.
“I bet another two weeks,” Ryan replied.
West pushed his tongue into his cheek. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“I don’t know.” Mark spun in his chair to he face West. “I think this one will last about five months. You seem more enamored than usual.”
“That leaves your bet, Temp,” Ryan said, and Temp shook his head, obviously uncomfortable. “Nope, you’re not getting out of this, think of it as a right of passage to be in the family.”
Temp’s jaw clenched almost as hard as West’s did, and he looked down at his hands. “I don’t know, a year.”
“A year?” Ryan laughed. “Yeah, okay.”
West ran his tongue over his teeth. “Are you fools done?”
Ryan twisted in his chair, crossing his arms as he leaned back. “No, what’s your bet?”
My pulse skyrocketed as I watched West’s eyebrow raise. Someone clearing their throat yanked my gaze from my phone, making me jump and pull my earbuds out. West stood in front of me with almost the same look on his face as the one paused on the screen.
“I thought you weren’t going to watch?” West asked, sitting down across from me.
I ran my hand over my forehead, trying to calm the crazy beating of my heart. “An ad popped up, and I accidentally clicked on it.”
“Accidentally?”
I looked up at the ceiling before letting my gaze lock on his as the conversation from the show played over in my head, reminding me I should be mad at him.
“Fine.” I sat back, mirroring his stance. “I clicked on it.”
“And now you’re pissed.”
My eyes widened. “You were taking bets on our relationship!”
“No,” West replied with a single shake of his head. He pointed at the phone. “They were taking bets.”
I bit my lip, my gaze going to my hands. “Ryan asked you your bet.”
“And it cut off there?”
I didn’t look up at him. Instead, I hit the play button, and the advertisement went to black before he could answer.
“That’s what I thought.” He heaved a sigh. “Drama, Riv. I told you that’s what it’s about.”
I tried to inhale, but the air seemed to stick in my throat as I finally let my eyes meet his. “What did you bet?”
He stood and came around my desk before turning my chair and leaning down to tilt my chin up.
“Forever, Riv. I bet on forever.”
Whatever quick response I was calculating in my head immediately stopped. I figured he didn’t bet anything. That would’ve been simpler.
Forever.
The thought made me lightheaded.
“That’s a long time,” I replied.
“Not with you. It’s not long enough.”
My body tingled as his eyes flicked back and forth over mine.
“I’m betting you get sick of me before then,” I said, and he chuckled before kissing me lightly on the lips.
My hands moved up to his biceps. I wanted so much more than just that piddly kiss. West’s eyebrows pushed up into his forehead, and then he cocked his head to glance over at Charlie through the glass of my office surrounds. She had her pen stuck in the corner of her mouth and was eyeing us like we were a romance movie just getting to the juicy part. A blush crept up my neck to my face and West pulled away to go sit across from me.
He licked his lips, and my own tingled.
“That’s not fair,” I replied, and he glanced down at his watch.
“Lunch date?” he asked.
I grabbed my purse. “Sounds good. Where are we going?”
West wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked towards the door and his lips brushed my ear as he replied, “My office has a back entrance — no windows and a lock.”
Charlie raised an eyebrow as we passed. “Lunchtime.”
“Mhmm.” Her eyebrows remained up, and the blush crept back up to my face again.
The tattoo shop was only a few minutes down the road, and when we got to it, West parked in the back. He came around to my side of the car and opened the door, pulling me up into his arms and into a kiss that made my toes curl. He led me to the back door, and my heart raced as I glanced over my shoulder. His bright orange Audi TT was a beacon, and I was pretty sure the guys saw it drive in. It was impossible to miss. I pressed my eyes closed, about to tell West there was no possible way I could do this when a distinct howling echoed from the other side of the door.
West tipped his head back. “So much for being stealthy.”
I burst out into a ridiculous giggle, and his brows went up as he stared at me. I pointed at his car, then the door, but I couldn
’t manage to explain how impractical the whole idea seemed to me. His shoulders caved.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He pulled me into his arms, kissing my neck up to my ear. “But you can’t blame me.”
“It’s almost as bad as the fishbowl,” I replied.
“We could try to park?”
I blinked at him and looked over my shoulder at his car and back to him.
“We should’ve brought the Beemer,” he said, and I blinked at him again. It wasn’t all that much more discreet, aside from being black.
“Okay.” He put his hand up in surrender. “We should’ve just gone to your condo.”
I pursed my lips, and he looked down at his watch. “Burgers?”
“You read my mind.”
Chapter 11
I took a deep breath of the crisp fall air around me. It was one of the things I missed living in the city. While there were trees, the smell of the cool air and crisp leaves never really made it past the exhaust fumes. While we still technically lived in a city, it was nothing compared to Boston.
“I love it when you smile like that,” West said as he handed me a hard apple cider and sat across from me at the table. “What are you thinking about?”
I bent over and picked up a bright red leaf from the deck, twirling it between my fingers. “How much I love fall and being able to see it again.”
West’s lips lifted. “Speaking of fall…the holidays are coming up.”
My chest tightened. Holidays meant time with family, and that was never enjoyable for me.
“Don’t look like that,” West said, leaning across the table and brushing my cheek with his thumb to lift the corner of my lips. “The dedication wasn’t that bad.”
I put my head in my hand. “It depends on your definition of bad.”
West snorted before taking a swig of his drink. He was quiet for a moment as he tapped his fingers against the glass.
“I thought maybe we could head to my parent’s house this weekend for an early Thanksgiving. My brother always spends the actual day with his wife’s family, so my parents move it up a week so we can still all be together.” West concentrated on his glass as he chewed the corner of his lip.
Finding Perfection Page 5