Chapter Sixteen
William reluctantly opened his eyes. Fuck. He was on Scarlett’s couch, and not in his comfy bed tangled up with the love of his life. He’d had that dream again. It had been the same for the past two weeks. He and Justin would make love slowly, then Justin, in a soft whisper, would tell him how much he loved him. But then he’d wake up alone and heartbroken. Fuck, he missed Justin so much. After what he’d done though, he knew the man would never forgive him. Tears filled his eyes as he slowly sat up.
“Good morning, William,” came Stacey’s annoyingly sweet and flirty voice.
“Morning.” William sighed and shook his head then stood to fold the blankets he’d been using. “Is Scarlett up yet?”
“Oh, she left hours ago.” Stacey smiled. “It’s just you and me.”
William rolled his eyes as she giggled. Damn. He hated being alone with her. Scarlett usually woke him up before she left, and he would spend the day just wandering around the city. Or to be more honest, moping around. Everything reminded him of Justin and what he lost.
Stacey looked him up and down with a hungry lustful gaze, and William was glad he wore shorts and a tee shirt to bed. “Whatever shall we do?” Then she batted her eyes.
William let out a heavy breath. “Stacey, I’m gay, remember?”
“I know.” She shrugged. “But have you ever been with a woman?”
“No,” he admitted.
“Then how do you really know you’re gay?”
“Trust me, I know.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but nothing is going to happen between us.”
“Whatever.” Stacey rolled her eyes before walking out of the room.
William closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before going over to his suitcase for some clothes. Stacey returned as he was rummaging through it and had to scoot around him to get to the kitchen. This was usually no big deal, but because she was pissed about him turning her down, suddenly it was.
“I’m really going to have to talk to Scarlett about the cramped quarters.” Stacey had her purse and keys, which thankfully meant she was leaving. She didn’t say another word and slammed the door on her way out.
William got dressed then sat back down on the couch with his head in his hands. Man, he had royally fucked up. The only one he wanted to be with was Justin, and, thanks to his own stupidity, he couldn’t. At this point, crying was all he had left. And that was all he wanted to do. He took out his phone, found an I want you back playlist to put on, laid back, and just cried.
“You are going to love me,” Scarlett said as she came through the door. “This moping has to stop, it’s not good for you, Will. So, I brought you a present.” She sounded smug, and behind her stood Sebastian.
“What are you doing here?” William got up, staring at them in confusion.
“Obviously I invited him.” Scarlett rolled her eyes. “I ran into him at lunch, and when I told him who I was, he got excited to see you. Anyway, I have a few things to do, so I’ll leave you boys to it.” She was out the door before William could stop her.
“I missed you, William.” Sebastian grinned at him. “It’s so good to see you.”
“The feeling isn’t mutual.” William kept his voice cold. There was no way in hell he was forgiving him for the things he had done. Who is this? And, don’t call here again, Sebastian’s last words to him rang in his ears.
“Mark and I broke up.” Sebastian ignored William’s comment.
“And I should care because?” William asked.
“You and I can get back together now.” Sebastian smiled seductively at him.
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Come on, baby.” Sebastian stripped out of his shirt. When they were together, William had loved his chest. He’d told the man over and over that simply taking off his shirt was a huge turn-on for him. This time he felt nothing. “You know you want me.”
“I don’t,” William told him. Sebastian stepped closer anyway. “I think you should leave.” William went to the door to show him out when a loud knock sounded. He opened it. “Justin,” he breathed out, and his heart pounded. Justin looked run-down and sad as he leaned against the doorframe. “You’re here,” he said softly, bringing his hand up to Justin’s unshaven cheek. Justin leaned into the contact, capturing his hand then lightly kissing his wrist.
“William,” Sebastian called from the living room.
Justin’s features darkened, and he pushed past William into the apartment. He glared at the shirtless Sebastian before turning to give William a look that broke his heart. “I see,” he said sadly.
“It’s not what it looks like, Justin,” William was quick to assure.
“Then what is it?” William could see the jealousy burning in Justin’s eyes. “Why is he here?”
“Scarlett invited him.”
“I’m here to get my boyfriend back.” Sebastian went to William’s side, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. William shook off his touch and moved out of his reach.
“Is this what you want, William?” Justin’s eyes bored into him. They looked so troubled, and all William wanted to do was soothe him. “Do you want someone who did what he did to you?”
“And just what did I do?” Sebastian tried to take William’s hand, but William moved a little closer to Justin.
“You lied to him, cheated on him, kept him a secret, and ruined his career.” Justin again looked at him. “Is this what you want, William?”
“No,” William whispered. “I’ve already asked him to leave.”
Justin turned to Sebastian. “You need to get out.”
Sebastian looked between William and Justin. For a second, it seemed like he was going to put up a protest. “Whatever.” He grabbed his shirt and put it on. “There are plenty of other guys I could go see. It’s not like you were the only one.”
“Leave,” Justin said through clenched teeth.
Once Sebastian was out the door, William locked it and returned to Justin. “How did you find me?”
“It wasn’t easy.” Justin sighed, sinking down onto the couch. William sat next to him, as close as he dared. Justin turned to him, looking deeply into his eyes. “Do you have any idea what you did to me? I’ve been going crazy for weeks, William. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, and if my boss wasn’t my best friend, I’m sure I would have gotten fired by now.”
“I’m sorry, Justin.” William swallowed hard over the lump in his throat. He reached for Justin’s hand, and thankfully he let him take it. “I was horrible to you, and I wish I could take it all back. I didn’t mean it. I was mad, shocked, and scared. I never should have taken it out on you.”
“I guess I could have handled it differently too. I should have tried to reassure you more.”
“I made that almost impossible,” William admitted.
“My friends helped me calm down, then I went to talk to your father. Once I got everything straightened out, I came to talk to you. But you were gone. It gutted me. Why the hell did you leave? Why couldn’t you stay and talk to me about it? I thought we were a real couple.” The look on Justin’s face broke his heart all over again. And it was a few seconds before he spoke again. His eyes never left William’s face. “Do you really consider us a hookup?” There was sadness in Justin’s voice, and William hated it. He hated it because he knew he was the cause of it.
“What we had was real for me. I don’t know how I could have said such a horrible thing to you.” He was on the verge of tears. Justin’s hand came up to cup his face, and his touch was warm and familiar.
“I turned your father down.” Justin stroked his cheek.
“Why?” William asked incredulously. Justin drew him closer, lips just inches from his.
“Because you’re more important to me than the company, William. I would never do anything to hurt you. I had no idea what Isaac was planning. I swear I would have told you if I did. Your father and I had a long talk. He didn’t think you wanted it. He would love to have you take over for him, but he knows that’s not your dream.”
“My dream is to be a sports journalist,” William sighed. “But I completely messed that up.”
“I know you feel that way, but I kind of did something to help you get that back.”
“What did you do?” William wondered.
“I have a buddy who works for the local paper. His sports reporter is retiring at the end of the year. We pulled some strings, and the job is yours, if you want it. I know it’s not as glamorous as what you had, but I hoped that maybe it could be enough. I want you to come home with me, William.”
“You do?” Justin nodded. “I want to come home so bad, but I didn’t know if I would be welcome. I thought that I had messed everything up there, like I did here.” William sighed heavily and shook his head. “I didn’t know how to face you, Justin. I promised you that I’d grown up, but at the first sign of trouble, I acted like a child.”
“I’m not going to pretend like I wasn’t mad about what you said. At first, I was pissed. But by the time I got to my truck, I just wanted to cry. All I could think about was what I could have possibly done wrong. How I could have messed up so badly that you could think I was just after your father’s company. I was falling in love, and you thought I was playing you.”
“Oh, Justin.” William had never felt worse. “It was all me. You didn’t do anything wrong.” How could he have done that to him? He tried to look away, but Justin wouldn’t let him.
“You have no idea what I went through to find you. There’s no way I’m letting you hide now.”
“I was scared. I had no idea what to do. S&H has always been my backup plan. If everything ever went to shit, like it did, I knew that I always had my father’s company to fall back on. But then he gave it to you, and my safety blanket was gone.”
“Why couldn’t you have just talked to me? I would have told him no right then.”
“You’d really give up the company for me?” William asked softly.
“Yes,” Justin said, like it should have been obvious.
“And you really want me to come home?”
“Yes,” Justin said again. His thumb slipped down to William’s bottom lip to slide over it in a gentle caress. He leaned closer to him, and William felt his heart pound wildly. “I missed you so much, baby,” he said softly, then closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to William’s.
William parted his, eagerly returning the kiss. His heart exploded with joy. Justin didn’t hate him and was willing to give him another chance. By the time Justin pulled back, they were both breathing heavily.
“You should call your friend and tell her goodbye,” Justin whispered. “Then we’re going to my hotel room so I can show you exactly how much I want you to come home.”
William felt desire course through his body. He pulled out his phone to call Scarlett when suddenly the door burst open, and the woman in question rushed in.
“Hate to interrupt, but I have incredible news.” She stilled when she saw Justin. “Who’s this? Where’s Sebastian?”
“This is Justin,” he told her.
“Oh,” she said, looking Justin up and down before shrugging. “I have so many questions about this. But my news is more important. I just got you an interview with the Chronicle .”
“What?” William asked incredulously.
“The Chronicle , William! The pinnacle of reporting. It’s what you’ve wanted your whole life,” she said, smiling.
“How?” he asked.
“The scandal blew over. Something bigger and more interesting came along. You get your life back.” She smiled. “Hell, even your boyfriend is newly single. Everything can go back to the way it used to be.”
William looked at his happy friend then back at Justin. The look on the man’s face made William’s heart ache. He looked defeated, like he’d already lost his boyfriend again. He took Justin’s hand and squeezed before turning back to Scarlett. “I was just about to call you. I wanted to say goodbye.”
“Goodbye?” Scarlett asked, sounding confused. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m going home,” William said softly.
“For what?” Scarlett asked incredulously. “Like an emergency or something? How long are you planning on being gone?”
“I’m moving back,” he told her.
“Have you lost your fucking mind? The Chronicle wants you , William. The Chronicle . And you’re going to give that up? For what?” She looked at him like he was crazy.
William looked shyly at Justin, biting his bottom lip. “For love,” he told her, still looking at the man next to him. Justin’s eyes widened and he completely froze, not even breathing for a second. Then a smile and a warmth in his eyes appeared. “Thank you for trying. You don’t know how much I appreciate it. But I’m going home, where I belong.”
“Are you sure about this, William? You’re going to give up your lifelong dream, to what? Play housewife in the sticks?”
“I guess I am,” William said, and Justin’s smile grew.
“I think you’re making a huge mistake.” Scarlett shook her head. “Can we talk privately for a minute?” William nodded, and they stepped into her bedroom, closing the door behind them. “What the hell are you doing? You’ve only been with this guy for like six months, and you’ve already broken up once, but you’re going to let him dictate your life?” She sounded in complete disbelief, like this was the craziest thing she’d heard.
“That’s not what’s going on here,” William tried to assure her. “This is what I’ve wished for every day since I’ve been here. I wanted nothing more than for Justin to tell me that he still wanted to be with me and that I could come home.” William shook his head. “He’s the love of my life, and I’ve never even told him that.”
“I have two words for you.” She sounded incredibly annoyed. “The. Chronicle .”
“I know, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. But so is being with Justin, and I can’t let that pass me by.”
“Okay, so if you want him so much, why not tell him to move here?” Scarlett wanted to know.
“He belongs there,” William answered.
“But you don’t,” she countered.
“Maybe I do.” William shrugged. “Maybe I do belong at home with my family.”
“But, William—”
“I’ve made up my mind, Scarlett,” he cut her off. “I’m going home.”
“For the record, I think this is a horrible idea, and you’re making a huge mistake.”
“Noted.” William smiled at her.
“It’s your life, I guess.”
“I know what I’m doing,” he assured her.
“Okay.” She blew out her breath and shook her head before going back into the living room with William following. She went over to Justin who had stood up. “We didn’t get introduced. I’m Scarlett.”
“Justin,” he told her.
“William is completely into you.” She looked him up and down again. “You better not hurt him.”
“That’s not a possibility, I can promise you that.”
Scarlett shrugged her shoulders before turning back to him. “Do you need help packing?” That’s just how she was. She always said her piece but respected any decision he made.
“No,” he told her. “Everything is already in my suitcases.”
“Where are they?” Justin asked. William pointed to the small alcove near the large picture window, and Justin quickly retrieved them.
William went to Scarlett, pulling her into a tight hug. “Are you really, really sure about this?”
“Completely,” he told her.
“Then I wish you the best, my dear, and you better keep in touch,” she said when she pulled away. “Take care of him, Justin.”
“That’s my number one priority,” Justin assured her before taking William’s hand and leading him through the door.
Justin held tightly to William’s hand as he took him down to his rental car. Relief coursed through his body. He was bringing William home. He quickly drove back to his hotel room. He needed to be alone with his man. The first thing he did when the door closed behind them was pull William into his arms and hold him tightly. He couldn’t make himself let go.
“Fuck, William.” Justin took a shaky breath. “I was so afraid that I’d never see you again.”
William clung to him. “I’m sorry, Justin, I messed everything up.” He sounded on the verge of tears.
“It’s fixable, baby,” Justin whispered.
“Really?”
“Only if you can promise me to never leave like this again. If something is bothering you, you have to come talk to me.”
“I promise.”
The words were scarcely out of William’s mouth before Justin claimed his lips. He kissed him until William was moaning and pressing closer to him. Justin pulled away slightly, drawing his shirt over his head. When his hands went to the button of his jeans, he saw William’s eyes darken with desire, and he pulled off his own clothes quickly. Then William was back in his arms, and they were kissing again. Somehow, they made it to the bed, and Justin tugged William down with him. He stroked the man’s cheek. “It hurt so much when you left.” William’s answer was to press his lips to Justin’s. Justin kissed back. He couldn’t believe that he had William in his arms again. He put everything he had into the kiss. He needed William to know how much he meant to him. “You don’t know how badly I want you to come home.” Justin looked deeply into William’s eyes. “But I don’t want you to regret it. You’d be giving up a lot to be with me.”
“All I ever wanted was to be a sports reporter. I can do that back home, with the bonus of being with you. And I want that more than anything.”
Justin stroked William’s cheek. “Scarlett said that this job is the one you’ve always wanted. What if I talked to Mom and the girls and—”
“No, Justin. I want to go home.” William kissed him again, pressing them as close together as they could get. “I need you, baby. Make love to me.” Justin got off the bed and went to the duffle bag he’d brought with him. He took out some lube and a condom. “You came prepared.” William chuckled.
“This is exactly where I hoped we would end up.” Justin climbed back into bed, kissing William again. Fuck, he needed this. He almost couldn’t believe that William was picking him. Justin ran his hand down William’s body, wrapping it around the man’s cock. Slowly he stroked him until he was moaning loudly. Justin couldn’t get enough of the sound and wanted to hear more. He reached for the lube then squirted some on his fingers. William pulled his legs back, and Justin wasted no time getting him ready.
“Justin.” William’s voice was shaky and needy.
Justin removed his hand then quickly rolled the condom on. He needed this just as badly as William did. He needed this to assure himself that this was really happening. He kissed William one more time before slowly pushing inside of him. And fuck, it felt good. Justin thrust slowly, savoring the incredible feeling of William around him. He kept his eyes on William’s face, which caused his heart to pound. William’s eyes were on him, and he was biting his bottom lip.
“So beautiful,” Justin said, wishing this moment could last forever. “All mine.”
“Only yours,” William assured him.
Justin sped up, but his eyes never left William’s. The faster he went, the heavier William’s breathing got. Justin could tell that he was close, and he wanted nothing more than to watch him explode. He reached between them to again stroke William. The man’s eyes closed for just a second, then he was staring at him again. He seemed just as reluctant as Justin to break that contact. It was as if he too needed the reassurance that this wasn’t some kind of dream.
“Justin.” William’s voice was wrecked.
“Come for me, baby,” Justin urged. William’s eyes shut again. “No. I want you to look at me.” Justin used his free hand to stroke William’s cheek. William did as he requested, and fuck, it was the most intense thing he’d ever experienced. Seeing the emotions, and need, and pleasure collide in William’s eyes caused his body to tighten.
“I’m so close,” William warned.
“Yes.” Justin was right there, and he wanted nothing more than for them to come together. William made a desperate incoherent noise, and a warmth coated Justin’s hand. “Fuck.” Seconds later, Justin’s own orgasm left him feeling like he’d slammed into a brick wall. Completely wrung out, he all but collapsed against William. William wrapped his arms around him, and Justin raised his head to kiss him deeply. “Watching you come is like my favorite thing ever,” he told the man, and William blushed slightly. Justin pulled out and disposed of the condom before pulling William onto his chest.
“I know how you feel. You are absolutely gorgeous when you let go.” William cuddled closer to him. “I’m sorry, Justin.”
“You never have to apologize again, William. What happened is in the past. Let’s focus on our future, okay?” William’s smile brightened the entire room and soothed the last bit of worry in Justin’s mind. William wanted a future with him. He tilted the man’s chin up and looked deeply into his eyes, “I never said it properly.”
“Said what,” William whispered.
“I love you, William.” He watched as relief flooded William’s face.
“You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to say those words to you.” Tears formed in the corners of William’s eyes. “I really thought I lost you, too. I thought I had blown any chance we had of being together.”
“You really love me, right?” Justin whispered.
“I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone, Justin,” William said seriously.
“Then it’s all going to be alright.” Justin stroked William’s cheek.
“I’m not sure your friends are going to see it that way. I did something they all warned me not to.” William let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes. “Henry’s going to go back to hating me, and probably demand that you stop seeing me.”
Justin had to chuckle at that, causing William to look at him quizzically. “How do you think I found you? Me, your parents, and all my friends did everything we could think of. We called in favors from everyone we know, and a few friends of friends that we’ve never even met.”
“You did all that for me.” William sounded in awe.
“I told you, baby, I’m in love with you. Even if you had told me to fuck off when I got here, I needed you to know how I feel.”
“I’m not sure I deserve you.” William’s arm, which was draped across Justin’s waist, tightened around him.
“We both deserve to be happy. And I can’t do that without you. You’re the one person in the world that makes my life make sense. So, we’ll go home, you’ll get the job at the paper and your father’s company, and we’ll forget this ever happened.”
“What if that’s not exactly what I want?” William asked, and Justin’s heart beat a little faster. Was this not enough for William?
“What do you mean?” He tried to keep the fear out of his voice.
William gently pressed his lips to Justin’s. “I don’t think you should tell my father no,” he said softly.
“What?” There was no way he had heard him right. Justin sat up, causing a disruption to their cozy bubble of perfection. “I don’t understand. You left because he gave it to me, and now you want me to take it?” He blew out a breath and shook his head. “I’m really confused.”
“I’ve thought about it the entire time I’ve been here.” William rubbed his back in a comforting gesture then turned him to face him. “And I realized my father was right. You are what’s best for S&H.”
“So, when we get home, you want to tell Isaac that we changed our minds?”
“Yes,” William said, sounding entirely sure of his decision. William cupped Justin’s face then gently pressed their lips together. “That’s exactly what I want. I’ll work part-time at the paper until I train my replacement at S&H. Then,” William said softly. “I want you and I in a little house, somewhere close to our families.”
That statement erased every other one in Justin’s head. All he could think about was him and William waking up together every morning. His heart felt like it skipped several beats. “That’s really what you want?” He stroked William’s cheek, his voice just above a whisper.
“There’s nothing I want more.” William’s answer was confident and sure. But then he bit his lip. “That’s what you want too, right?” His tone switched to sounding a little unsure.
“Definitely,” Justin answered quickly, pulling him close, kissing him with everything he had. He didn’t stop until William was making little whimpering sounds, and his own head was spinning. “I love you so much, and I can’t live without you, baby.”
“Neither can I.” William kissed him again.
“I have two tickets home for tomorrow evening. Do you need more time than that?”
“No,” William said immediately. “All my things are in the trunk of the rental car, and Scarlett was the only one I needed to say goodbye to.” William lightly kissed him. “I can’t wait to get on our way.” Relief, that’s all Justin felt. He was getting what he wanted, the love of his life back. “Besides, baby.” William stroked his cheek. “There’s no place like home.”