by Blair Grey
I jolted as my phone rang, my heart sinking when I saw it was Ray. Did he know? Did he think something had happened between Belle and me the previous night? What the hell was he going to do with me?
I answered the call, trying to sound as normal and non-guilty as possible. I hadn’t done anything wrong, I reminded myself. If anything, I had done the right thing, keeping an eye on her while she was at the bar and then taking her home when she’d had too much to drink. I hadn’t had sex with her or even kissed her. And when she had asked me to hang out with her again, I had told her that we couldn’t do that.
I hadn’t done anything wrong. But somehow, it was more difficult to convince myself of that when I had Ray on the other end of the line.
“Hey, Will,” Ray said, sounding tired. I winced. He had probably been up all night waiting to hear from his daughter. I wondered if maybe I should have called him to let him know where she was. But then, he would have flipped out on her, and she had been in no condition to deal with that the previous night.
Besides, I understood what she had said about just wanting to have a little fun sometimes. She deserved that.
“Belle didn’t come home last night. She said she’s over at Nicole’s place. I know it’s a stupid request, but is there any way you could run over there and just check on her? I want to make sure that she’s okay.”
I felt my chest tighten. So he had believed Belle, then. Or maybe he really did know that Belle hadn’t been anywhere near Nicole’s house last night, and this was his way of testing me.
Fuck. I should tell Ray the truth, but that wasn’t an option. I couldn’t blow Belle’s cover like that. I couldn’t tell her dad that she’d been lying. Not only would I have to admit, then, that she had spent the night at my place, in my bed (even if I hadn’t been in it), but that could seriously shake up their father-daughter bond.
Besides, I didn’t want Belle to hate me. Even if we couldn’t be together, I didn’t want to betray her trust like that.
So instead, I cleared my throat. “Yeah, sure,” I said. “No problem. I’ll head over right now to check on her.”
“Thank you,” Ray said. “You’re a great guy, Will. I appreciate this.”
I felt guilt course through me, but I tried not to let it sound in my voice. “Hey, no problem,” I said. “I’ll call when I’ve checked on her.”
I hung up the phone, wondering what to do. After all, I knew damned well that I wasn’t going to find Belle at Nicole’s house. She had never been there to start with.
She was damned lucky that Ray had called me, though. If she had called one of the other guys and he had shown up at Nicole’s house, I didn’t know what Ray would have done. I shook my head. I needed more coffee. I got up to pour myself another mug.
Then, I walked toward Nicole’s house, figuring I could at least go through the motions. If Ray had anyone watching me, I didn’t want to make it too obvious that I knew she was lying. And either way, I should probably give Nicole a heads-up, in case Ray decided to call her directly. I was sure she’d figure out what was going on; she’d seen Belle talking to me the previous night at the bar, and she probably had some inkling of how the night would end up.
She probably thought it would be a lot more…intimate than it had ended up being. I didn’t really want to field all of Nicole’s questions about what had happened. She should hear all the details from her friend. Whatever details Belle could remember, anyway.
I could barely believe that she had asked me this morning if anything had happened between us. I understood where she was coming from, but I was a little offended that she thought I was the kind of guy to take advantage of her in a situation like that.
Fortunately, when I was halfway to Nicole’s, I got another call from Ray. “Never mind checking on her,” he said. “She’s back.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” I said, really meaning it. That meant I wouldn’t have to interact with Nicole after all. I could leave all the gossiping to Belle. I paused and then said boldly, “Go easy on her, sir. I’m sure she didn’t mean to make you worry.”
Ray didn’t say anything in response, and I hoped I wasn’t going to be in the shitter for giving him some sort of parenting advice. It hadn’t been my place to say it. Maybe he wouldn’t even remember it by the time he got done lecturing Belle about how irresponsible she’d been and how she couldn’t just disappear like that.
That was a lot to ask for, I knew. But I just hoped things were going to be okay between them and that neither of them did anything brash.
10
Belle
After having the day off on Friday, Nicole practically pounced on me on Saturday. “Details,” she said immediately.
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, continuing to ring up the purchases for the table in the corner.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Nicole said, catching my arm. “You never came back! And I should be mad that you abandoned me like that, but actually, I’m just so proud of you for actually going to talk to him. What did you guys talk about, anyway? Did he walk you home at the end of the night?” She paused and lowered her voice, wagging her eyebrows suggestively. “Did the two of you finally do some good you-know-what?”
I couldn’t help grinning a little. I still could barely believe that I had ended up at Will’s house for the night. I felt a little disappointed by the fact that we hadn’t done anything. I was mostly disappointed in myself for having been so drunk that I had wasted the opportunity. It would have been nice to at least have fooled around a little. Maybe to have gotten some hot and heavy kissing in.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had done something wrong. I mean, it was all wrong. Dad had been pissed with me the following morning, and he didn’t even know the truth about where I had stayed the night. I couldn’t believe I’d had the guts to lie to him.
But with Will, specifically, I felt like I had done something wrong. From what I could remember of our conversation at the bar, I thought things had gone well and that we had really hit it off. He’d even taken me home, and the next morning, he’d been so sweet as to make breakfast for me. When I’d asked if we could hang out again, though, he’d totally shut me down.
“Come on, I know that grin,” Nicole said. “Something happened.”
“Nothing happened,” I said. “What about your guy, anyway? Will said he saw you leave with someone. You could have at least said goodbye.”
“I didn’t want to interrupt,” Nicole said. “I thought you might feel obligated to get up and leave as well. But anyway, don’t try to change the subject. I want to know what happened with you.”
“And I want to know what happened to you,” I said, grinning at her. “You have a new boyfriend now? What’s this one like?”
“His name is Chad, and the sex is great, but that’s really the only thing that’s great about him,” Nicole said, rolling her eyes. “He’s really boring, honestly. But worth it. Oh, he’s got this great accent, too. I can’t figure out where he’s from, but it’s sexy.”
I laughed. “You’re dating him or whatever,” I pointed out. “You could ask him.”
“I could,” Nicole agreed. “But I’m afraid that then he’d want to give me a two-hour lecture on geography or something, and that might outweigh the greatness of our sex.”
I shook my head, still grinning.
“Come on, I told you about Chad; tell me about you and Will,” Nicole pleaded.
“I just went home with him, that’s all. But we didn’t do anything.”
“You went home with him?” Nicole asked.
I glanced around. Even though there were no MC members in there right now and everyone seemed happy with their meals and their chosen company, I didn’t need her blabbing it all around the town. “Shh,” I said.
“Right!” Nicole said brightly, lowering her voice. “He’s your dirty little secret.”
I rolled my eyes and went to deliver checks to two of the tables that wer
e getting ready to get out of there.
“Come on,” Nicole pressed. “I want the details.”
I shrugged. “Like I said, nothing happened. I had a bit too much to drink, and I wasn’t ready to face my dad like that. Will took care of me.” I paused. “He slept on the couch, if you wanted to know.”
Nicole sighed. “I guess it’s a start, anyway,” she said. “What did your dad say?”
I made a face. “Everything that you might expect and more,” I said, shrugging again. “But I think he’s over it. I told him I was at your place.”
“I figured you would. If, you know, you didn’t make it back to yours.” She grinned. “So when are we going out again?”
I groaned. “I knew I shouldn’t have started this,” I said, even though I wished I could suggest that we go out again that very night, but it was Saturday, and I knew the bars would be busy. There was too much chance of running into guys from the motorcycle club, and I knew not all of them would be as easy on me as Will had been. I’d been lucky enough the first time; I didn’t need to go getting in trouble for real. And especially not so soon after my other night out.
“You at least have to go back to Will’s place,” Nicole said. “Next time, make something happen.”
“He doesn’t want anything to do with me,” I sighed. “I must have said something stupid.”
Nicole raised an eyebrow at me. “Or is it at all possible that maybe Will doesn’t want to start shit with your father?” she asked. “I assume that’s the only thing that’s kept his hands off you so far.”
I snorted, but it was a valid point. Maybe it wasn’t something I had said. Maybe Will had just had time to think about what the punishment might be if Dad found out that I had decided to throw myself at a biker dude.
“It’s Saturday,” Nicole pointed out slyly. “Doesn’t your dad always go out with his buddies on Saturday nights?”
“Yeah, they have that weekly poker game, but there are still too many chances that someone could see me out at a bar.”
“That’s not what I’m suggesting,” Nicole said, pausing to give me time to connect the dots, but I just continued to look at her in confusion. She snorted. “God, you’re terrible at this. Let me spell it out for you. You like Will, right? And you’d like to see him again?”
“Of course,” I said. “But he doesn’t want to be seen with me again.”
“So don’t get seen,” Nicole said. “Go to his place, at a time when you know your dad won’t be looking for either you or him. Maybe tonight, while your dad is off at his poker game.”
I stared at her, surprised but intrigued by the plan. It really could work. I didn’t know what Will’s reaction would be, but at the same time, I didn’t feel like I could just ignore him. I was sick of always having to hide my attraction to him. I wanted to act on it. And if he wouldn’t agree to go out with me, maybe this was the best option.
“I’ll think about it.”
She sighed. “I know that’s the best I’m going to get, but I wish you would be a little more positive about it.”
I laughed. “At least you know that the moment anything happens, you’re going to know about it,” I reminded her. “I’ve never been able to hide anything from you. Now, I’m getting back to work. Let’s go; there’s dishes to clean.”
Nicole made a face at me, but she obligingly took up a spot at the sink while I bussed some of the tables.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the plan she had concocted, though. It just might work. I’d have to be careful, of course, and make sure that no one saw me head over there. And there had to be some sort of plan. I didn’t want Will to think I was just there for sex or have a reason to kick me out after just a couple minutes.
Food, I finally decided. I could bring some food over there after work. Convince him to talk to me.
I felt proud of myself for at least coming up with that part of the plan. Now I just had to hope that it would work.
Shortly before my shift was done, I put in my order for a couple of burgers to go. Nicole laughed when she saw me. “So you’ve decided, have you?”
I shrugged. “It just seemed like too good of an idea not to try it,” I said, not wanting to admit that I just couldn’t help myself at this point. I was sure Nicole could already tell that, anyway.
She grinned and gave me a quick hug. “Good luck,” she said. “I want to hear all about it. And don’t worry, if Ray wants to know where you are, I’ll cover for you.”
“You’re the best,” I said, hoping it wouldn’t come to that. I felt bad, making her lie for me, but I didn’t feel bad enough not to go through with this. I wanted Will, and I wasn’t going to let my dad’s crazy strictness get in the way of things.
I headed boldly over to his place and knocked on the door, waiting with bated breath for him to answer it.
11
Will
I frowned when there was a knock at the door on Saturday night. I wasn’t expecting anyone. I had already told the twins that I didn’t feel like going out with them that night, not after the Friday night we’d had. I didn’t feel half as terrible as I led them to believe, but I was looking forward to just having a quiet night in.
Mainly because the whole night out the previous evening, I’d caught myself looking around for Belle and wishing she was there, which was stupid; I didn’t really want that. If the other guys from the MC caught her there, that would be the end of her fun. They’d tell Ray in a heartbeat, and he would start to connect the dots. He’d find out that she’d been out drinking on Thursday night, and he’d find out exactly where she’d spent the night.
It was better that she wasn’t there, but I’d had a lot more fun with her than I did when I was drinking with the guys. They’d tried to get me to go for practically every girl in the place before finally giving up in disgust. Marcus had been laughing at me behind his glass of beer, and I’d just rolled my eyes at him. Sometimes, I wondered if he knew I had a thing for Belle. If he did, he never really let on, and he certainly didn’t ask me about it.
I was shocked to see Belle standing at my door on Saturday night.
“What’s wrong?” I asked immediately, already checking my pocket for my keys. If it was something to do with the Unknowns, if something had happened to Ray, I was going to murder someone.
But then, I checked myself. Belle didn’t seem upset. In fact, she was grinning at me. She gave a little shrug and held up a bag. “I brought food. Burgers,” she said. “I wanted to see you.” She paused. “Dad’s at his weekly poker game; he won’t be back until late. He won’t even notice that I’m gone.”
I was silent for a long moment. I knew better than to let her in. Fuck, I wanted her so badly, and having her standing there, unconcerned about what her father might do if he found us together, made me want her even more. There was that sexy element of danger to this, something that I couldn’t deny.
It would be stupid for me to let her inside, but I felt powerless to stop myself. I took a step back, letting her walk past me into the hall. I shut the door and trailed after her as she headed into the living room and sat on the couch, putting the food down on the coffee table. When she looked up at me, there was an unmistakable challenge in her eyes.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” I groaned.
“Hopefully not literally,” Belle teased, laughing when she saw the face I made in response.
I shook my head and sat next to her. I was closer to her than was strictly necessary, enough so that our thighs pressed together and our hands brushed against one another’s as we reached for the food containers that Belle brought out.
“The way to a man’s heart is through a good burger,” I said around a mouthful. I swallowed. “What even are these ones? These aren’t on the normal diner menu, are they?”
“Nope,” Belle said, winking at me. “I made it up myself. I’ve always loved barbecue sauce and onion rings on my burger. And the perks of knowing the chef is that you can pretty much order whate
ver you want.”
I laughed. “True that,” I said. Then, I sighed. “But seriously, what are you doing here, Belle? You know your dad would kill both of us if he knew you were here.”
“But he won’t,” Belle said confidently. When I just looked at her, she picked at a French fry. “I know,” she said. “I couldn’t help wanting to see you, though. If you don’t want me here, I’ll leave.”
I put my wrist on her thigh, holding her from getting up even though she hadn’t made any move to do so. “It’s not that I don’t want you here,” I said, looking seriously into her eyes. “I definitely want you here.”
“I just couldn’t stop thinking about the other night,” Belle said. “You were so nice to me. And as much as I love Nicole, it’s nice having a male friend as well.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Friends? Is that what we are?”
“You don’t think so?” Belle asked, looking hurt.
I sighed, my mouth pulling tight. “Belle, you know that I’ve had a thing for you for a while now. I want something more than friends.” I wanted to list off all the reasons why we couldn’t be more than friends, but Belle was grinning at me.
“I want that, too,” she said. “We’ll have to be careful, but I think we could, you know, keep doing things like this. Just think about it, okay?” I shook my head, wanting to protest, but she put a finger to my lips. “Think about it.”
I shook my head and took another bite of my burger. “You’re going to be the death of me,” I repeated.
She laughed. “So how are you, anyway?”
“I’m good,” I said amusedly. “How are you? Better than last time I saw you, I hope?”
Belle grinned. “I didn’t look too terrible, did I?”
“You could never look terrible,” I said, thinking back to how good she’d looked in my bed that morning. “But you definitely needed that water.”
“Sorry you got stuck with me,” Belle said, licking barbecue sauce off her wrist. I couldn’t help staring at her for a moment, and I realized, as she smirked at me, that she had done that on purpose.