Chapter 2
Clarke
Shit.
I slid my legs off the mattress, scanning the room for my purse. My heart leaped out of my chest as I remembered how I got to my room.
Is this my room?
Yeah, I guess.
My suitcase and purse were on the opposite side of the modest space. The decor was modern and tasteful, worth the pretty penny they charged to stay at the Bellagio.
I hadn’t drunk this much in years, not since the last time I was around Will.
Being around him again stirred up memories of the past I tried to forget.
We’d met during one of the worst times of my life.
But he also brought me some of my greatest moments of joy.
Until he fucked me over and left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.
I removed my cell phone from my purse and sighed at the list of text messages and missed phone calls from Mia.
You are off to a good start, Clarke.
I never hid my disdain for Will around Mia, and she never asked why I had an immediate dislike of her older brother. They were as close as two siblings could be. I was an only child and kind of envied the relationship they had.
I dialed Mia, who answered on the second ring. “Hey, what happened to you? I thought you and Will ended up killing each other.”
“Not yet,” I joked. “I think Will put me to bed. I just woke up. Sorry for being a total lush on the plane. I thought I could hold my liquor.”
She chuckled. “I know how you are around Will. It’s all good.” Mia paused for a second before she said, “Is Will with you?”
“No, why?”
“I can’t can’t get in touch with him. Ethan’s tried a few times. We even stopped by his room. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?”
“No. Maybe he’s gambling.”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “I’m sure he’ll turn up.”
“I need to shower,” I admitted. “I smell like a bar. Are we still on for dinner at 9?”
“Yeah. Stop by my room a half hour before. We’re going to do a little pre-gaming.”
I snorted with laughter. “I’m not sure I can handle more drinks.”
“I’m getting married this weekend,” she yelled with laughter in her tone. “We need to celebrate with a bang.”
“Okay, okay. But if I get sick again, I’m returning to the room to sleep it off.”
“Deal. And if you hear from Will, let me know.”
I agreed and hung up the phone, dropping it onto the table so I could rummage through my suitcase.
My breath stunk of whiskey and whatever mystery shots the guys fed me on the plane.
Every time Will glanced over at me, I drank more.
I tried to forget he was there, that just the sight of him incited something wicked inside me.
When he cornered me by the bathroom, I wanted to drag him inside and join the Mile High Club. But that was my body talking. My brain was too busy screaming not to put myself through the hassle of losing Will again. I’d had enough men disappoint me in my life. Will was one of them.
A loud banging from the room next door pierced the silence. I unzipped my bag, ignoring the noise until it became persistent. Thump, thump, thump. Then nothing. A loud groan, then tapping on the wall.
I balled my hand into a fist and pounded it against the wall. “Keep it down over there.”
Someone punched the wall where I stood.
So, I mimicked their response.
As I walked away from the wall, the asshole knocked on the door adjoining our rooms. What the fuck? I opened the door, checking the handle to ensure I locked it. I sighed in relief when I saw the lock flipped toward the wall.
The door handle jiggled, and I took a step back.
“Seriously, asshole, knock it off, or I’m calling hotel security.”
“Clarke,” a male voice boomed.
How does he know my name?
And then it hit me. Duh. How could I forget? Will was in the room beside me.
I flipped the lock and cracked open the door. “What the hell are you doing over there, Will? And I swear to God, if you’re fucking some random bimbo before we’ve even had dinner, I will murder you.”
He laughed as he opened the door all the way. “Really, Clarke? You think I have no self-control?”
Nerves stirred in my belly as our eyes met. Will was a hunter who loved the chase. He could make sex last for hours while taking turns torturing and pleasing me. Control was not something he lacked.
“What are you doing, then? It sounds like you’re railing some chick into the wall.”
He stroked my cheek with his fingers. “We both know I’m still holding out on you, baby girl.”
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped.
Will propped himself up against the door frame and smirked. “Okay, sweetheart.”
I punched his arm. “Stop being annoying. You know I hate pet names. And stop making noise. I have a headache.”
I attempted to shut the door, and he stepped into my room before I could close it. “Get out, Will.”
“Be nice,” he taunted. “We promised not to fight this weekend.”
“Only around Mia.”
“C’mon, Elsa. Let it go,” he sang. “Let it go.”
I raised my foot, holding it dangerously close to his balls. “Call me an ice queen again, and you’ll never have kids.”
“I don’t want kids,” he said dismissively.
“Your sister is looking for you. She’s worried about you.”
“I was in the casino. The banging you heard was me trying to reach for my phone. I dropped it behind the dresser.”
“Great.” I forced a smile. “Go call your sister. I need to shower before dinner.”
“What a coincidence?” Will said with a cocky grin. “Me too. You should get in with me.”
“How about no, stud?”
The jerk wiggled his eyebrows. “Remember that night we fucked in the jacuzzi at the Hilton?”
How could I forget?
Will had talked me into meeting him at his hotel when he was playing an away game.
At first, it was harmless. Just two horny, drunken idiots making out in the hot tub.
Until I dropped my phone on the ground and leaned over the side of the tub to grab it.
Will gripped my hips, bending me over the tub as he took me from behind.
That was one hell of a night.
“No, sorry,” I lied, pushing the memory from my mind. “I don’t recall that night.”
The corner of his mouth tipped upward. “Yes, you do. You came five times in a row in that hot tub.”
My skin heated from his dirty words. I hoped like hell my cheeks weren’t as red as they felt. Because I hated showing Will affected me.
He hooked his arm around me, his fingers trailing down my stomach. “You sure you don’t want to join me? You look like you could use a good fuck.”
Yes… No.
My body hummed with excitement. The promise of a few orgasms from Will almost tempted me. We were good at fucking, so at least I knew he could do that right. But I just couldn’t…
Don’t go down this road again, Clarke.
I shook him off me. “I’d rather eat glass than shower with you.”
He rolled his shoulders. “Offer still stands.”
Will left the door open as he turned his back to me and raised his shirt over his head. Ripped with muscle, he was a gorgeous specimen I could not take my eyes off. I don’t know why I stood there and watched him undress, but I did. Next, he slid his jeans down his long, toned thighs.
He ditched his black boxer briefs, giving me a show meant to entice me. To change my mind. So many times during sex, I dug my fingernails into that sexy backside of his. I screamed his name and begged him for more.
My core ached with desire, desperate for his touch. But I had to stay strong. No good had ever come from sex with Will.
Now naked and standing there in all of his glory, Will turned so I could see his cock that was really fucking hard. He fisted himself, giving his length a few strokes, then winked. My nipples were painfully sore, so damn erect they were poking through my top.
I should have walked away.
A smart woman would have.
Instead, I stood there and watched him stroke his cock. When was the last time I even had sex? Ugh, it was with Will. Most of my sexual encounters over the past three years were with him. We were never technically dating, but we had a long history of fucking.
He must have noted the indecision in my eyes and lowered his hand to his side. Will almost looked disappointed that I didn’t jump at the chance to get in bed with him again.
“If you change your mind, I’ll leave the door open.”
“Call your sister when you’re done,” I told him before slamming the door shut.
I pressed my back against the door, my heart pounding.
What is wrong with me?
After moving from New York to Philadelphia and then Washington, D.C., I tried my best to forget Will. To put him in my rearview mirror. Maybe Will was right all of those years ago. Perhaps fate brought us together.
Dinner with Mia, Will, and his teammates got interesting right before dessert. Of course, Will had to sit next to me—anything to get under my skin and push me out of my comfort zone.
“Let Elvis marry you,” Will suggested.
Mia’s mouth dropped in horror. “No way, Will. We’re not getting married in some fake chapel by an Elvis impersonator.”
“But he’s The King,” he joked. “How many people can say Elvis married them?”
“A lot,” I chimed. “There are over ten thousand wedding ceremonies in Vegas each month.”
He gave me a curious look.
“What? Surprised I know such an unimportant statistic?”
Will shrugged. “Help me out, Clarke. Don’t you think my sister and Ethan should get married by Elvis?”
“No, you’re drunk and an idiot.”
“Why don’t you let Elvis marry you?” Ethan suggested.
Will tipped back his head and laughed. “I’m never getting married.”
“You will,” Mia said as her eyes flicked between her brother and me. “When you’re done being Romeo.”
Mia confused our mutual hatred for one another as a connection. There was nothing between us. Not a single thing to keep us together.
“He’ll never stop being a player,” I interjected.
He slid his hand to my thigh and tapped his fingers as our eyes met. “I would if the right woman came along.”
“Good luck finding her.”
Will muttered about already finding her. Ha! He could not have been talking about me. He never took me out on a date when we were together. He never apologized for fucking me over when I lived in New York.
Our server appeared a minute later, ending the staring contest between Will and me. Shivers crept up my arms as I thought about his words.
I never wanted to like him.
I never meant to fall for him.
But that night spanned years, from city to city, and eventually ended in heartbreak.
Because Will was never mine to keep. We were both focused on our careers, intent on living our best lives separately.
And he only cared about hockey and sex. Women were just accessories to a player like Will—Romeo, as the media and his teammates liked to call him.
Will slid his arm behind my back, pulling me closer to him.
His lips brushed my earlobe, sending a chill down my spine.
It looked harmless to everyone at the table, a subtle gesture.
I downed the rest of my drink and ordered another.
I was still slightly buzzed from earlier and needed to get as drunk as possible to handle Will touching me like this.