Chapter 39
I ran my cold hands along my hips as I stared at my deep-blue dress in the mirror. The color reminded me of the moonlit sky over the Atlantic, and the shimmering metallic threads kind of mimicked the stars.
I’d carefully chosen something to cover the blemishes on my back. Will had beaten up himself enough over it.
His text message pinged my phone.
Last minute business. Won’t be long. Stay in your room until my brother comes for you.
John knocked two minutes later.
“Hey, Ellie. Come on out…let’s go downstairs.”
“Be right there.”
When I opened the door, John stood tall in a perfectly tailored suit. He grinned and winked, offering his arm. He was becoming more like his bold brothers every day.
Fighting the nervousness in my stomach, I pasted on a smile.
In the corridor, savory aromas wafted around, and the air buzzed with conversations.
John hesitated at the bottom of the stairs to look for Thomas.
Long wooden tables covered in white linens filled the great hall. The rugs were gone, and the wood floor sparkled. Candles flickered and chandelier crystals cast rainbows on the walls.
Red, yellow, and peachy-orange floral arrangements decorated the tabletops. Hors d’oeuvres and desserts packed the sideboards. People moved in and out of the billiard room to get drinks from the bar.
How I longed to get behind the bar and pour drinks and chat casually about nothing—I missed working at Nick’s. No, not Nick’s. I realized what I actually missed was Jess and me together at Nick’s.
Memories of us together filled my mind. Her singing. The two of us bumping hips as we served drinks.
I needed to hear her voice again. Once Will finished cleaning up in Stonington and cleared my name, he’d let me call her. But until then, I could only secretly follow her on social media.
John yanked me out of my head with his sweet insight.
“You look amazing, Ellie. You’ll drive my brother mad, you know.”
I squeezed his hand and smiled, hoping he was right.
“How many people do you suppose will be here?”
“Mum said about forty. She made it smaller this year.”
Just then a young couple came in through the foyer and waved at Thomas.
Ah, so there he was, standing in the drawing room’s arched doorway. I tugged on John’s arm, and we headed that way.
Thomas excused himself from a conversation and met us halfway.
It was crazy how he had the same desirable traits as Will. He was fiercely protective. Had charm interwoven with arrogance. He was generous and loyal. But somehow, his presentation was much different, like somehow lighter.
He kissed my cheek and whisked me into the drawing room. Two security team members followed us and stood inside the door.
“Stay here until Will gets finished. He’s just in the war room,” Thomas said.
He poured me a glass of champagne, scotch for himself, guided me to the fireplace, and then took out his phone.
“Give me a minute. I’m just going to check in with gate security.”
I drank. I bit my lip. I fidgeted. I drank more.
Thomas put his phone away, leaned against the mantel, and opened his jacket, flashing me the gun he had in his inside pocket.
“You’re safe, Ellie. We’ve taken precautions. Now slow down with the drinking or you’ll get pissed.”
After shrugging off his comment, I gulped the rest of my champagne and held out my glass for a refill.
He raised a brow and confiscated my glass.
“You’re too lovely for that.”
But before I could object, Will’s spicy heat suddenly surrounded me, and his hands gripped my waist. His breath warmed my neck, and his lips brushed over my ear, leaving two soft words behind.
“Missed you.”
The tension in my body melted as I fell back against him and ran my fingertips over his tight beard.
“Finally, you’re here,” I said.
Thomas left the room then, and my guards moved out into the hall.
Will didn’t explain being late. He didn’t have to. I didn’t care why, because he was there now, with his growing erection pushing against my backside, and nothing else mattered.
He kissed my bare shoulder, cupped my bottom.
“Your arse looks incredible in this gown.”
“You’re really naughty for a proper Englishman.”
“But you quite like that, don’t you, baby?”
The conceit, the satisfaction, the sensuality layered in his tone made me weak.
“Yes,” I whispered.
Yes, because he was the bad boy my friends swooned over at college, the billionaire bad boy in the movies and in romance novels, the badass man I never wanted...not until he rolled into town and took my breath away.
“Turn round here. Let me see the rest of you.”
When I faced him, he smirked and then he let his eyes roam and linger, burning into me from head to toe.
My body screamed for him. I needed his touch like I needed air. I squeezed my thighs together to stop the aching between my legs, to remind myself we weren’t alone.
How fucking ridiculous—what was wrong with me?
He grinned like he’d been up to something.
“What have you done, Will?”
“What? I’m still working out how to make you happy with me again.”
I played along, smiling at him from under my lashes.
“Maybe you should work a little harder.”
He winked.
“I have something for you, baby.”
Then, before I understood just what the hell he was even doing, he took out a diamond cuff bracelet from his inner breast pocket and snapped it onto my wrist.
Staring at it, I lost my breath, lost my thoughts. Endless beautiful diamonds. They sparkled, mirroring the light in his eyes. There must have been something like thirty insane carats. I swallowed hard, then met his eyes with mine.
“Will, why would you do this?”
Someone in the hall called his name.
“I bought it for you because I wanted to,” –he moved his gaze to the doorway and snapped at someone– “Wait a fucking minute.”
He came back to our conversation, laying out his position.
“We’re not going to keep doing this. I have quite a lot of money. It’s only money, and as I’ve said, I quite like to spend it. So yes, I’ll buy you many things, and you’ll accept that.”
This fight, I couldn’t win. Still, I narrowed my eyes.
“Well, at least give me the many things you insist on buying at a time when we’re alone…so I can kiss you.”
He grabbed my waist and pulled me to his body.
“You can kiss me now.”
“But—”
Will shut my mouth with his. With his amazing, wicked tongue. And when he broke our kiss, he touched my flushed cheek with the back of his fingers and winked again.
“Let’s get on with it and get this dinner over,” he said.
And then we entered the hall holding hands, him squeezing mine, commanding my behavior.
“Stay by my side, Elle. If anyone gets too close, you step back immediately.”