Chapter 11
Clarke
Will followed me into the lobby of my apartment building, rambling on about the amenities. Men. They always cared about stupid things like the rooftop pool and the sauna in the gym.
“How can you afford this place on a journalist’s salary?” Will asked as his eyes roamed around the posh space. “No way you’re making that kind of dough selling stories about corrupt politicians.”
“I own the apartment.”
His eyebrows lifted. “How?”
I hated talking about my family, but what choice did I have? Will did not want to let go of the fact I owned a pricy apartment at the dead center of our nation’s capital. This was prime real estate, a building occupied by moguls and politicians, an exclusive lifestyle that catered to the clientele.
I tugged on his arm and steered us toward the elevators. “Do we need to discuss my father again?”
“You never talk about him.”
“My childhood sucked,” I admitted. “I had pretty much everything a girl could want, but I never cared about material things.”
“Because your dad was never around,” he said somberly.
“Yeah.”
Will adjusted the strap of the duffle bag on his shoulder. “So that’s how you can afford this place? Your dad.”
“Yep. I’m a trust fund baby.”
“I never got that impression from you.”
I rolled my shoulders. “Thanks, I guess.”
“You don’t dress like you come from money. And you don’t act like it either.”
“I didn’t want this apartment.” I hit the button on the wall, and the elevator doors opened. “When I moved to D.C. for work, my dad bought it for me to apologize for the past.”
Will held out his hand, gesturing for me to get in before him. I leaned against the glass wall, and he took his place beside me. Our elbows touched as the door closed, and I felt a strange sensation shoot up my arm. I always felt something with Will, even when I didn’t want to.
“Did it work?” Will asked as the elevator shot upward. “With your dad. Did the apartment help fix your issues?”
I shook my head. “How can a fancy apartment with a city view make up for years of him being absent? It just can’t. No matter how much money he throws at me, our relationship will never change.”
“I won’t be around much,” he said after a while. “Once my season starts, I have to stay at my place to make it to practices and home games on time. And I travel half the year…”
“It’s fine. This isn’t real, anyway.”
“It could be,” he muttered as his eyes found mine. “If you want it to be.”
“Stop trying to get into my pants.”
He brushed the pads of his callused fingers down my arm. “I never had a girlfriend before. So I don’t know how to do this the right way. But I meant what I said at my sister’s wedding. I will try to make this work.”
“It’s three months,” I pointed out. “There’s no way I will fall in love with you.”
Lies, all lies.
I had fallen so hard for him three years ago, only to feel my heart shatter when it didn’t work out. My heart was too fragile after my divorce. I wanted so badly to fall in love again. And Will damn near decimated me, taking a piece of me with him.
Afterward, I decided to never let another man into my heart. But when I met his sister and eventually had to see him again, all the old feelings had resurfaced. So, I locked up my feelings and threw away the key.
“I’m sensing another bet,” Will chided.
“Nope. My heart isn’t for sale, Romeo.”
“You don’t think I can do it, do you?”
“I’m not interested in playing any more games with you. I made the sex deal to keep you from touching me. And I agreed to this marriage to save face.”
“You get me,” he shot back. “Of all the things you could have asked for. Why would you want to know the real me if you hate me so much?”
“Because I want to see if I was wrong about you.”
He flexed his jaw. “Wrong, how?”
“Think of this as a social experiment. I’m working on a story idea, and you are my guinea pig.”
“No way, babe,” he grunted. “You’re not publishing some bullshit story about me.”
“I don’t publish bullshit. Whatever I write will be the truth.”
“I knew you had an ulterior motive.” He nodded and sighed as the elevator doors opened onto my floor.
“You should have asked me to define the terms of the deal.”
He snickered. “Smart girls. I should have known this was too easy.”
Will followed me down the long hallway in silence. I unlocked my door and pushed it open for him to step inside. His jaw unhinged at the glorious view of Washington, D.C., monuments and all.
“Damn, girl. This apartment is the shit.” He dropped his duffel onto the marble floor and strolled toward the wall of widows. “Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.”
“You live on the Camden Waterfront.”
“Yeah, but a view of the river is nothing compared to this.” Will spun around to face me. “So, what do you want to do today? We could check out some touristy shit.”
I laughed. “Go right ahead. I have to work.”
He made a snoring sound. “You’re such an old lady. Live a little, would you?”
“I have a deadline to hit. My boss won’t make an exception just because I got married.”
He inched closer, invading my personal space with his musky scent. I drank him in because I loved how he smelled. Once upon a time, I loved everything about him.
“Since we’re not going on a honeymoon, you can at least indulge me.”
“You saw the traffic on your way here. Do you want to deal with that?”
He pressed his lips together, considering my question. “Okay, fine. You have a point. But we’re doing something together.”
“I need to finish this story. My boss has already texted me three times for an update.”
“Please.” He gave me one of his boyish smirks that tore through my chest. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Fine.” I let out a sigh.
Will flashed a victorious smile that lit up his face. Even his eyes shimmered like sapphires when he looked at me. He was gorgeous, a delicious hunk I often thought about kissing. But we had a bet, one I would never lose.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Since you don’t want to leave the house, I thought we could play a game.”
“Hmmm… What kind of game?”
“A video game. Have you played The Fallen?”
“I’ve never played a video game.”
“What?” Will’s mouth opened in shock. “Are you kidding me? Not even as a kid?”
“Nope.”
“What did you do for fun? Read books?”
“Winner-winner.”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s easy to see why you became friends with my sister.”
“Our choice of profession also didn’t hurt. There’s nothing wrong with reading books and staying in the house. Life isn’t one big party.”
“For me, it is.”
“This is exactly why we will never work as a couple.”
His grin turned into a frown, but he rebounded quickly and slapped a fake smile. “I can’t wait to prove you wrong, woman.”