Best of 2017

by Alexa Riley

  My eyes slam shut as my release spurts out in the shower against the slate-tiled wall. There was no way I’d be able to walk around with my cock at half-mast through dinner. I don’t like how my body responds as though I’m fifteen again and getting my dick wet for the first time. And yet, this is the most exhilarated I’ve felt in two decades.

  I quickly dress, attempting to keep it casual. Dark jeans and a pale grey cashmere sweater. I’d told her to wear jeans but I’d love to see her in a dress. To slide my rough palm up her smooth, bare silky thigh and—

  “Gray!”

  I’m jolted from the hot-as-hell vision by the soft feminine voice on the other side of my bedroom door. Guilt sluices through me. I’ve been hiding from one of the few people in my life who matters anymore. Lying to her. Telling her I’ve been inundated with work.

  Sauntering over to the door, I do my best to plaster on an easy smile. When I open it, I find the other part of my heart staring up at me with curious blue eyes. Kind, sweet, innocent. I’m everything to her.

  “Gwen.”

  The little sprite of a woman launches herself into my arms. She’s much shorter than me and only comes up to the top of my chest. Her wild chestnut hair has been somewhat tamed into a bun. Paint speckles her hair, and when she looks up at me, I see it’s on her freckled nose as well. “Work must have been a doozy. You never came home last night.” There’s a hint of accusation in her voice. Once again, the guilt floods through me.

  I pet her hair and shrug my shoulders. “Just unexpected was all. How did you fare last night?”

  She tugs away and plops down on the bed with a sigh. “It was lonely without you. I had to eat dinner alone. You know,” she grumbles. “A phone call would have been nice.”

  I keep my expression impassive. It’s hard to call when you’re hiding under a woman’s bed. “I lost track of time.” Mostly the truth.

  Her eyes narrow as she searches for answers. We’ve been this way for as long as I remember. Me, dutifully caring for her but never letting her see past my own barriers. I’m the man of this house and I intend on keeping my weaknesses shielded from her. Always.

  “I thought maybe we could have dinner tonight and you know…” she trails off, her cheeks turning rosy. I know what she wants, but she won’t ask for it. She wants me to go there with her. I suppress the shudder that threatens to overcome me. Until she asks, I won’t offer. I don’t miss the love flashing in her eyes, pleading for me to give it to her.

  I cringe at the very thought.

  Absolutely disgusted.

  “I actually have plans,” I lie. “Work stuff.”

  When her bottom lip wobbles, I weaken. “What sort of stuff?” she questions, a slight pout in her voice that I’ve never been able to resist. “Maybe I could tag along.”

  My chest tightens at the thought of Gwen and Violet in the same room. It’s too much. Too emotionally crippling. I scrub my face with my palm. “Another time.” My voice is gruff.

  “You’re hiding something from me,” she declares as she rises from the bed. She stalks over to her favorite place to annoy me and plops down. Her legs are crossed as she attempts to decode the numbers of the lock that’s attached to the cedar chest. “Who is she?” she demands with her back to me.

  “Enough of this, Gwen,” I seethe as I pace at the end of the bed. “We’ll spend the day together tomorrow. Just give it a rest.”

  She gives up on the lock, like always, and stands. “I have a part of you inside of me. You seem to forget. It links us, Gray. Some weird kind of sixth sense. I feel it. Something is wrong. You’re hiding something from me. You promised you’d never do this to me.”

  We glare at each other for a long couple of minutes before I relent. “Fine. Meet me at Bull and Sadie’s. Joshua hasn’t seen you in ages. He’s into Paw Patrol now so make sure you’ve googled the lingo because he’s going to talk your fucking ear off.”

  She squeals before launching herself into my arms. I hug her to me and inhale her comforting scent. “Thank you. I was going crazy cooped up in this house.”

  “Always so dramatic,” I tease before ruffling her hair. “Make sure you wash this mess before tonight. We’ll have one of my employees dining with us as well. Don’t overshare.”

  She snorts and bounds away from me. “Who me? Overshare? I would never.”

  “I mean it,” I call out to her even after a door slams shut behind her.

  Her voice is muffled. “No, you don’t.”

  A tiny smile plays on my lips.

  No, I really don’t.

  Gwen’s stories are sometimes the only breath of fresh air I get in an otherwise suffocating world. I just hope things don’t go too haywire with Violet. That woman is the exact opposite of Gwen. If you look at them side by side, you’d deem them as opposite as two women can be.

  And yet…

  Some part of me hopes that they’ll like each other.

  ON THE WAY to Bull and Sadie’s, Violet and I chatted about safe topics. Turns out she likes to read but her Kindle’s broken and she never thinks to go to the library until she’s in bed wanting to read. She loves breakfast food and sometimes makes it for dinner. And she can sing. In Latin of all languages. Her choir teacher in high school had a thing for Latin songs. I’d pressed her to sing me one but she’d just laughed and waved me off. The drive was light and fun.

  I haven’t been this relaxed in ages.

  And her scent filling my car had me wanting to reach across the console to thread my fingers in her hair so I could taste her pretty mouth too.

  Like a gentleman, I refrained from mauling her in my car. Instead, I stole glances. Tonight, she’s wearing jeans, like I’d requested, paired with some knee-high boots. Her sweater is fitted but she is clearly wearing a bra underneath. I am both annoyed and thankful for that. I’m dying to peel away her clothes and sink my cock into her hot body but I know women like Violet are worth the wait. When I finally do get my opportunity, it will be that much sweeter.

  “We’re here,” I tell her as I pull into the driveway beside Gwen’s Camaro. That shiny red sports car was my present to her for her thirtieth birthday.

  I climb out of the Range Rover and make it over to Violet’s side just as she’s opening the door. Our eyes meet as I hold it open for her and offer my hand.

  “So you can be a gentleman,” she teases. Even though she’s smiling, I don’t miss the nervousness that’s rippling from her. Her brown eyes dart down the street—both ways—before returning to mine. One day I’ll find out who she’s looking for. And if the fucker has hurt her in any way, I’ll harm him too.

  Once I close the door, I don’t let go of her hand until we reach the door. I’m not about to advertise my interest in Violet in front of Gwen. Not even going to go there tonight. I knock on the door and soon Sadie answers.

  “Well, if it isn’t my favorite guy,” she gushes as she steals a hug. “But don’t tell Jeff. You know he gets jealous.”

  We both chuckle.

  “Sadie,” I introduce with a wave of my hand. “This is my…” I trail off. I don’t want to introduce her as my girl, even though she is and just doesn’t know it yet. But “assistant” feels cold. We’re friends I suppose but I don’t like that one either. In the end, I choose the safest option. “She’s my Violet.”

  Sadie’s eyebrows raise. “Your Violet, huh?”

  “Violet Simmons,” Violet rushes out and extends her hand. “I’m Gray’s assistant at the office.”

  Sadie lets out a laugh. “Okay, that makes more sense. I thought I recognized you. I meet Jeff from time to time for lunch. You might remember my son bouncing through there, terrorizing everything and everyone in sight.”

  Violet smiles politely at her, but I can tell she feels uncomfortable. “I believe I’ve seen you a time or two.”

  “I’m hungry. What’re we having?” I question as we follow her inside. The Brownstone they live in is decorated well. Sadie does interior design. She’s the one who c
ame through and turned my masculine home into something more livable. Gwen certainly doesn’t have the touch—not like Sadie.

  “Jeff marinated some steaks. Everything’s just about ready. We were just waiting for you to get here before we threw them on the grill,” Sadie chirps as we make our way toward the kitchen.

  Joshua, their rambunctious six-year-old, is sitting on the bar playing on his iPad. But when he sees me, he screeches before launching himself off the counter like a spider monkey. I catch him with a grunt as the growing boy nearly tackles me. “Uncle Hawk!”

  Violet’s gaze narrows at me as she eases to the side of the kitchen.

  “What have you been up to, buddy?” I question as I set him to his feet.

  He starts telling me about Minecraft, droning on about creepers and some guy named Steve. I have no idea what he’s going on about so I just nod and smile. Eventually he grows bored. “Where’s Aunt Gwen? She promised to play with me.”

  Sadie answers for me. “Aunt Gwen is out back with Daddy. Tell them Uncle Hawk is here.” Sadie turns to me as she grabs the plate with steaks. “I’m going to run these out. I’ll be right back. Help yourself to some wine.”

  She knows I don’t drink often for my own personal health reasons but always offers anyway. I do, however, pour a glass for Violet, who has gone tense with nerves.

  “Relax,” I tell her as I hand the wine to her.

  Her brown eyes are cold as she stares back at me. “What sort of game are you playing, Gray?”

  Frowning, I push the glass into her palm. “What do you mean?”

  She gulps down the red liquid and sets the glass down rather roughly so that it makes a clang. “This”—she gestures around us—“bringing me here. I thought…” Heat creeps up her neck and she shakes her head. “Never mind.”

  “We’re friends, Violet. That’s what you wanted, right?”

  She glares at me. “That’s what you wanted. But yes. That’s all we are.”

  When voices resound in the other room, Violet once again stiffens. A moment later, two familiar arms hug me from behind. “There you are. Late as always,” Gwen says with a laugh. Violet’s eyes are on mine, and I sense that she’s hurt. It makes my chest squeeze.

  “Hi,” Gwen greets, peeking around me to offer her hand. “I’m Gwen Maxwell. You must be the work associate he was telling me about.”

  Violet blinks several times before reaching for the wine. I watch her with a lifted brow as she fills it to the brim, ignoring Gwen’s outstretched hand. Instead, she waves and gulps half the glass down.

  Gwen drops her hand and looks up at me with a frown. Her feelings are hurt and her brilliant blue eyes shimmer with unshed tears. Before I can do damage control, Bull comes up beside Violet and tugs at her hair before leaning in to whisper loudly. “Just because your boss is an asshole doesn’t mean we are. You can’t help who you love. Ain’t that right, Gwen?” He flashes her a silly smile before regarding Violet. “But we’re not like him.” He points at me, and I flip him off. “We’re a nice lot once you get to know us.”

  Violet seems to relax toward Bull but won’t meet my gaze. She’s a tough nut to crack. But I will crack her. I’ll get inside of her in every way that I can, and she’ll never be able to get me out.

  CHAPTER NINE

  VIOLET

  GWEN MAXWELL.

  I can’t believe the nerve of that prick.

  Parading his would-be mistress around in front of his wife.

  The pain searing through me is similar to the first time Vaughn informed me he was going to share what I thought was sacred between us with another man. I was devastated. Furious even. But when I balked at his request, I’d learned who the strong one was in our relationship. Vaughn brought me to my knees that night with the back of his hand. And through my tears and not-so-silent begging, I’d pleaded for Vaughn to wake up and see what he was doing to me. To us. In one single night, he tore the hard-earned love from my heart and replaced it with something dark and sick.

  “You’re a quiet one,” Sadie, the attractive blonde woman, murmurs as she grabs my now empty dinner plate. “Want to help me in the kitchen?”

  I’m eager to escape the dining room where their child babbles about cartoons I know nothing about, and Gray’s wife stares at me as if I’m something rotten. She’d been all smiles until I couldn’t bring myself to shake her hand. How does one shake the hand of another woman when moments before she was lusting after her husband?

  Bile creeps up my throat, and I wish I had more wine to wash it down with. Thankfully, once in the kitchen, Sadie seems to sense my stress levels. She pulls a bottle of rum from the cabinet and pours some into a coffee mug. Then, she starts the Keurig. Hot coffee pours into the mug along with the liquor. We’re quiet as it fills. Once it’s done, she pushes it along the counter to me.

  “You like Gray,” she says softly.

  Usually, I like a sprinkle of sugar in my coffee but tonight I’m after the numbing liquid that will have to suffice as a substitute. “He’s my boss,” I murmur as politely as I can manage despite the fury raging inside of me. And I don’t like him. Not at all. Especially now.

  “He doesn’t bring women around. Ever. So you must be special,” she tells me and offers me a small smile.

  I clench my jaw and try desperately not to say anything I’ll regret tomorrow. “I don’t feel very special. I feel horrible and embarrassed. Poor Gwen.” Even though Gwen seems to hate me, I can’t help but feel remorse for her. Her husband is a cheating asshole. There was heat and desire in his eyes. The man wanted to nail me, and had I let him, he would have.

  “Oh, so you know?” she questions, her brows bunching together. “Don’t you feel sorry for her?”

  “Well, if I had to live with Gray, I’d feel sorry for me too,” I hiss at the seemingly nice woman. My anger is misplaced. I want to grab him by his stupid collar and shake him for leading me on.

  “He’s not so bad,” Sadie teases. “Even if he is a bit of a neat freak. I think that’s what bothers Gwen the most.”

  I gape at her as if she’s lost her mind. Neatness is Gwen’s problem with her husband? What about his eager dick? The damn thing was hard for me.

  “You girls having fun without me?” Gwen questions in a cool tone behind us. We both jerk around to stare at the small woman. Sadie glances at me and guilt shines in her eyes.

  “I’m not feeling so well,” I tell them both as I abandon the steaming mug of hot spiked coffee. “I think I’ll catch a cab home.”

  Gwen narrows her eyes at me. “I could have sworn you rode in with Gray. Is he not taking you home?”

  Swallowing, I shake my head. “Nope.”

  At this, she scowls. “Well then I’m taking you home.”

  Before I can argue, she stomps into the dining room and announces it to the two men. I can hear her and Grayson arguing in hissed tones. Sadie simply offers me a sympathetic smile.

  “I’m sorry you’re not feeling well,” Sadie says and pats my hand. “Please come over again.”

  I nod that I will as I snag my coat from the hook. The voices in the dining room grow louder, and I slip out the front door to escape them. Moments later, Gwen comes clomping down the steps and hits the fob, making the lights on a red Camaro light up. When I steal a look at the house, Gray stands in the doorway with his arms crossed over his massive chest. He’s pissed yet he has no right to be. If it weren’t for not wanting to cause a scene, I’d run right over there and give him a piece of my mind.

  Gwen and I don’t speak aside from me pointing her in the direction of my building. When she pulls up in front of it not twenty minutes later, she turns off her car. I reach for the door handle but she touches my arm to stop me. Turning, I meet her gaze and fear for a moment that she’ll slap me for something I didn’t do.

  “I’m sorry,” she says and bites on her bottom lip. The move makes her seem young, childlike almost.

  “About what?”

  “About getting off on the
wrong foot. I was being grumpy and that wasn’t fair. He sort of blindsided me by inviting you. Work associate my ass,” she grumbles but waves me off when I start to speak. “Clearly, I love him. I just want him to be happy. I wish he would have told me about you—that he was dating you—”

  “We’re not dating,” I argue.

  “Fucking. Whatever. What I’m saying is—”

  “We’re not fucking!” I screech, horrified to even be having this conversation.

  She laughs and that confuses me. “Down girl. All I’m saying is that if he likes you, then I want him to do what makes him happy.”

  I gape at her, my mind attempting to process her words before I snap out of it.

  “Whatever kind of sick relationship you two have is your business. In two weeks, I’ll be out of your lives. I’m sorry I almost got involved in the middle of your…your…your whatever it is. Goodbye, Gwen,” I blurt before stepping out of the car and bolting to the building.

  The car door slams and she shouts after me. “Violet! Wait!”

  Ignoring the crazy woman, I rush into my building. I catch sight of a man leering from the shadows and I stop dead in my tracks.

  Vaughn?

  Panic slices through me, and I let out a garbled sob as I inch backward toward the door. I nearly knock down Gwen in the process.

  “Stay away from me!” I screech at the man hiding in the shadows.

  When he emerges, I flinch and cover my face with my hands. No! No! No! Gwen makes what sounds like a battle cry. Then, some man starts yelling. “My eyes! You bitch!”

  I jerk my gaze to see that now the man has fully come out of the shadows. It’s not Vaughn. Just one of the usual lecherous men who hang around these parts. She grabs my elbow and ushers me into the stairwell. Once the door closes behind us, she urges me up the steps quickly.