Chapter 17
I tuned out the music and the conversations, then stared at a painting of William the Conqueror hanging above the bar in the billiard room, an original 1800s composition that must have cost a fortune.
A deep thrumming vibrated over the house.
Will. He called earlier to say he would fly home in the company helicopter…and once in the air, it only took about 25 minutes to get here.
I whispered behind my glass of Dom Pérignon.
“You’re late.”
He had missed dinner.
Thomas, after learning about his brother’s plans, had convinced me to dress for dinner and have drinks with him and a few of his friends.
I’d been keeping busy, trying to stay out of the way, sorting out mine and Lissie’s personal things. Before our flight to the UK, Ben and John went back to the Stonington house and boxed up clothing and whatever else they could quickly grab for us.
More importantly, I passed the time with Lissie.
We had one more secret tour to complete.
I’d missed her bright little disposition—it came back slowly, dimming now and then when she thought about Isabel.
Will had kept his promise to make sure Lissie’s well-being remained our priority. And so did his mother, Mary Hastings, and Mrs. Bates.
They showed her around the house and encouraged her to claim it as her own “castle.” She had free rein to play and discover wherever it pleased her.
Thomas’s friend cleared his throat. His name escaped me.
“So what do you think? About this place, I mean?”
“Oh. It’s beautiful,” I said.
And it was.
Eastridge was a stately eighteenth-century Georgian country house built with native stone. A recent renovation gave the family modern comfort, though the old charm of the soaring plastered ceilings, the original oak floors, and the Baroque-style wall panels remained.
Stunning original fireplaces, ancestral portraits, and other timeworn paintings graced many of the rooms.
Builders had restored the grand cantilevered staircase to its original splendor. Balusters, newels, and the graceful, winding handrail were all carved from Scottish oak. It floated above the central great hall. At the top, the landing split the first-floor corridor into north and south bedroom wings.
At ground level, a huge modern kitchen with casual dining and a family lounge extended across the back of the house.
A drawing room and formal dining room sat on the right side of the great hall while the library and the billiard room with a custom bar were on the left.
Will’s father had converted the entire basement into their training center.
I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something undefinable about Eastridge had immediately lured in Lissie and me.
And when the house was completely quiet, an odd little breeze, slight and cold, would touch my skin, raising hairs on the back of my neck and sending a chill along my spine.
The house had a mystical presence. A silent, spiritual presence. Not at all frightening. Comforting, actually.
But the only presence I sensed now was Will’s.
He’d made it home, and he stood in the arched opening with his hands in his trouser pockets and one shoulder against the wood casing.
His charged eyes locked on to mine.
I sighed, relieved and speechless, because my god he was magnificent. After staring for a minute, I pitched him a slow, flirty smile.
The dark-blue tailored three-piece suit he wore had fine plaid detail. His crisp white shirt was open at the neck. He’d pushed back his thick hair rather than sweeping it to the side.
The entire room became only him.
The girl with Thomas’s friend whimpered, I swear. And she was right to—Will was sexy as hell. I only just suppressed the sound of my own pleasure.
I wanted to run to him, but I knew better, so I leaned back against the bar and took a sip from my glass. I instinctively knew Will was the kind of man who enjoyed the chase as much as he did his partner’s submission. And I had no plans to deprive him of either one.
A panty-melting smile dangled from the corner of his mouth as he crossed the room.
I had dressed for a first date under normal circumstances.
No, that was a damn lie. Normal circumstances didn’t exist for us. The red dress clinging to my body was meant for him and only him.
Gran used to call me Little Fancy because I loved dresses. Really, it was silly for her to say, because she also loved fashion.
She once lectured Isabel and me while looking at us over the top of her red-framed readers.
“Your dresses should be conservative enough to please the women around you. You need only one small detail here or there to satisfy a man’s imagination,” she had said.
But Will wasn’t just any ordinary man.
He left very little space between us as he walked up on me. He took my glass and finished the wine himself. Then he leaned in so close to my ear.
“Elle…”
His lips brushed my cheek, the corner of my mouth.
“…I’ll make it up to you.”
I put my hand on his chest.
“You better. Have you eaten dinner?”
He shook his head but didn’t say anything. He just stared, his eyes, his masculine scent overwhelming me.
My heart stopped for a minute. Or my breathing stopped. Or maybe both. It was like seeing him for the first time again.
He lifted my hand, pressing his warm lips there.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
“Thank y?—”
Thomas interrupted.
“If you two are quite finished, where’s Ethan? He was supposed to be here tonight.”
Will turned to him with a raised brow.
Thomas nodded, moved behind the bar, filled my glass, and then poured whisky for himself and Will.
Will shot his whisky right away.
“I need time on the mats before heading back to the city. Be in the gym by six a.m.,” he said.
Thomas grinned and swallowed his whisky.
“Yeah, sure, I’ll beat your arse for you.”
They pounded their glasses down on the bar top.
That was it. I wanted time alone with him.
I tugged on Will’s hand and led him out of the room, heading for the kitchen. Mrs. Bates had left a plate warming for him and showed me where to find it.
But once we were out in the hall, Will pushed me against the wall and kissed me, my lips, my neck, his words vibrating against my skin.
“I’m taking you to my room tonight.”
I dragged my fingers through his hair and teased him.
“Would that be appropriate for an English gentleman?”
He grinned, moving his hot stare down the front of me.
“You can worry about my virtue some other time, baby.”
He brought his eyes back to mine while pushing his arousal against my stomach.
A little breathy, I pushed back.
“Your dinner first.”
Slowly, he slid his hand down and under my dress.
“You wore this for me.”
The back of his fingers brushed the edge of my panties, and I could only manage a soft moan, no words. He smirked.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
We were still in the main hall, so I pushed his hand away and then stumbled all over my words.
“Will, I…well…yes, I did wear this for you.”
He tucked his finger under my chin and caressed my lips with his thumb.
“Good. I’ll buy you quite a lot more to wear for me.”
And as he lowered his head to kiss me again, Thomas called out his name.
Will snapped back at him while keeping his head lowered and his eyes on my mouth.
“Better be important, goddamn it, Thomas.”
“They’re all here. She needs to see them,” Thomas insisted.
Will put a soft kiss on my lips before he let go of my chin.
“Then let’s get it over with.”
He pulled out his phone and sent a group text message.
To the hall now.
I dug my fingers into his arm.
“What is it, Will? Tell me what’s happening.”
“There’s no need to panic, Elle. I want you to meet the security team while I’m here, that’s all.”
As the words left his mouth, three men came through the basement door, Ben came out of the library, and two others entered from the foyer.
The security team. Six former soldiers. Skilled shooters and combat fighters. Will’s private army. To the public, they were a security team for the family’s properties, but really, Will also employed these men to help keep me alive.
I just stared at them with my big mouth hanging open.
“This is Ellie James,” Will said.
He gave a clipped nod to one man who stepped forward.
“Elle, you know Ben, of course, head of security operations. And this is Joe Turner…your lead protection officer.”
Joe Turner took another step forward and bowed his head.
“No one will get to you on my watch, Miss James,” he said.