The One: The Complete One Series Collection (2 page)

“We aren’t actually a couple,” I said as he led us into the middle of the dance floor.

“Last I checked, a couple means two. We are two people, therefore we are a couple.” William held out his hand and I took it after only a brief hesitation. He pulled me closer and slipped on arm around my waist, resting his hand low on my back. I could feel his warmth through the thin fabric of my dress.

“You all know how this works,” the M.C. said as he turned the music up louder. “Everyone starts dancing, and then I will start asking couples to leave based on how long they’ve been together. The couple that has been together the longest will be the last ones on the dance floor. Make sense?”

“I can’t believe you are forcing me to participate in this,” I hissed in William’s ear as the dancing began. I normally tried to avoid all wedding clichés, and this was a big one. Right after the chicken dance.

William pretended not to hear me as he guided us in a slow circle. “Could you just relax for a minute and try to enjoy the night?”

“It’s obvious you don’t know me very well.” I tended to be wound tight at all times. “I do like this song, though.”

“Well that’s something.” William smiled faintly. “A Sinatra fan?”

“My grandfather loved Sinatra. He used to sing this song to me when I was little.” I don’t know why I told William that. It was pretty personal information to be sharing with a stranger.

The M.C. was back to interrupt us. “If you’ve been together less than a year, please leave the dance floor.”

I tried to walk away but William wouldn’t let me. “My grandfather was a Dean Martin guy.”

“And you? What kind of guy are you?” I knew the music was still playing and the dancers were still moving around us, but none of that registered with me. I was completely focused on William. Our bodies had drifted closer as we danced and his face was just a few inches away.

“That’s a good question. I’m not sure I know the answer.” William’s eyes grew darker and his playful smile was gone.

“Two years. Less than two years, please move off the dance floor.”

Again, William stood firm, and he pulled me even closer. A few of the bridesmaids left the floor with their husbands and I could feel their eyes watching us. “How long do you intend to keep us out here?”

“As long as it takes.”

“To do what?”

William didn’t answer for a long time. His unblinking eyes stared into mine as he contemplated the answer. The M.C. chased away even more dancers. William leaned close until his lips were a breath away from my ear. “To convince you to come back to my room tonight.”

His words were so bold that I was caught off guard. I sucked in a breath and my hand tightened on his shoulder. As surprised as I was that William Connor had invited me into his bed, I was even more surprised when I said, “Let’s go.”

CHAPTER TWO

I would like to start by saying that I am not a one-night stand type of girl. I wasn’t even that type in college when it was still at least mildly acceptable to be that type of girl. So when I agreed to follow William Connor to the eighth floor of the Pentmore Resort Hotel , it was completely against my nature. As I waited in the lobby while William chatted with the concierge and slipped him some cash, I felt anxious and self-conscious. But I also felt completely liberated.

“What was that about?” I asked when he returned. He put his hand on my back and steered me toward the elevators.

“You’ll see.” William led me past the main bank of elevators and turned the corner. I stared suspiciously at the single elevator door in front of me. He noticed my doubt as he used his room card to call the elevator. He said, “This elevator leads directly to my suite.”

“Of course. You have the penthouse?” I turned away so he wouldn’t see me rolling my eyes. I really had no room to judge considering I was about to have sex with him in his penthouse.

“My assistant booked it for me.” He didn’t sound particularly defensive. “It has a great view of the ocean.”

“I’m sure it does.” The door slid open silently and William stepped inside. I tried to follow but my feet didn’t want to cooperate.

“Cold feet?” he asked with a sly smile. “I thought that only happened to the bride at her wedding.”

“It’s a good thing you are rich,” I said as I finally got my feet to move forward. “Your personality could use some work.”

“Surprisingly, you’re not the first woman to tell me that.”

The penthouse elevator was spacious, but somehow William and I ended up standing close enough that his arm brushed against mine. My inner bad girl thought about tackling him right then. He was rich, smug and overly confident- exactly the type of guy I usually couldn’t stand to look at, much less go home with. But when it came to William Connor, the rules didn’t seem to apply.

“Your ego hasn’t seemed to suffer,” I commented as the doors opened and the penthouse suite was revealed. My first thought was that William was right- it did have an amazing view of the ocean.

“Come inside.” William slipped off his suit jacket and tossed it on the nearest chair. “Take a look around. The balcony is through the bedroom.” He loosened his tie as he checked his phone. “I just need to make a quick call.”

“Sure.” As impressive as the floor to ceiling windows were in the main room, the bedroom was even better. The over-sized bed in the middle of the room was beyond inviting. I imagined the thread count of the sheets to be somewhere in the high thousands. I ran my hand over the silk comforter and listened to William’s faint voice in the background.

“Make sure I have the contract on my desk first thing Monday morning. If we’re going to work with Mr. Simpson, I want all of this in writing.” William sounded even more confident talking business than he did flirting with women. I was sure he had plenty of experience with both.

The air was cool when I opened the sliding glass doors that led to the balcony. The smell of salt water instantly invaded my nose. I could see the dark waves of the ocean lapping against the beach and sounds of the party downstairs drifted up to me.

“Beautiful,” William said. I hadn’t even heard him join me on the balcony, but now he was standing there holding two glasses of champagne.

“Sorry?” William’s presence had instantly flustered me. His shirt was untucked and his tie hung loosely from his neck. I thought he looked even better slightly disheveled.

“The view. It’s beautiful.” He handed me one of the glasses and our fingers grazed in the transfer. My fingers burned as if I had held them to a flame. William hadn’t looked at anything but me since he began talking.

“The ocean? It’s not bad.” I took a sip and knew that this was probably the most expensive champagne I had ever had. This must have been what William had been discussing with the concierge.

“Yes, the ocean. And other things.” William was still watching me.

His staring was making me uncomfortable so I took another drink. I felt the need to explain myself to him. “I don’t usually do this.”

“Do what?” A smile played at the corners of his lips.

“This.” I gestured to the two of us and then the bedroom waiting for us on the other side of the doorway. “Guys like you.”

“You don’t even know me, Livy,” he said, the playful smile fading.

“Exactly. This isn’t me.” But even as I said it, I knew that it was. At least for tonight.

William’s eyes narrowed as he said, “I didn’t make you come up here.”

“I know.” I did know. Boy, did I know. “That’s not what I’m saying. I just don’t want you to have the wrong idea about me.”

“Why do you care so much? We’re never going to see each other after tonight. Why does it bother you so much what I think about your character?’

I thought it over and couldn’t come up with a good reason, so I shrugged. “I have no idea. But it does bother me.”

“Well if it helps, I can tell you exactly what I think about you.” William waited until I nodded for him to continue. “Contrary to what you might think, this,” he
gestured around us, “isn’t really me either. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m a saint. I have a lot of money, and when I was younger I used that to my advantage. In business, and with women. But that was a long time ago. You might say, I’ve grown up.”

Now it was William’s turn to drink. He looked out over the ocean as he continued. “I don’t do this type of thing anymore. One-night stands, hook-ups, whatever you want to call it. But there’s just something about you.

“Like I said earlier, you intrigue me.” He turned back to me. “I don’t think you’re the type of woman I used to take home at the end of the night. I think you’re smart and witty. I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in a long time, maybe ever. I think I’m lucky that you agreed to come up here with me. And I want to have sex with you very badly, right now, and I think you want the same thing.” This time he didn’t offer me a smile. His bluntness made my heart flutter and I felt a warmth invade my body that had been missing for a long time. “Am I wrong?”

He wasn’t wrong.

Maybe he was just a charmer. One of those guys that knows the exact right thing to say to get a woman to spread her legs. It was very possible. But I didn’t care. I wanted William Connor, and I wanted him right then.

I willed my hand not to shake as I sat my glass on the balcony ledge. I took William’s glass and placed it next to mine. “You’re not wrong,” I said, staring directly into his eyes.

He paused for a just a beat before pulling my body to his. William was tall- even with my three inch heels he was still a few inches taller than me. I lifted my head to meet his lips, reveling in their warmth and urgency. I could taste the champagne and a faint hint of salt water. My head was beginning to spin and it wasn’t from the alcohol. I was drunk on William after just one taste.

I could feel his warm fingers slide across the back of my neck, and our kissing deepened in intensity. William’s other arm was around my midsection, and he lifted me off the ground. I wrapped both legs around him and he hoisted me until I was straddling him. I could feel him pressing against my most sensitive areas, even through the fabric of our clothes.

He carried me into the bedroom with ease and set me back on the ground. My legs were a little shaky, but it didn’t matter because I was still desperately clutching him. I could feel the solid muscles moving beneath his white dress shirt as his hands explored my body. First the front, and then they moved to the zipper in the back.

While he made himself busy undressing me, I tugged gently on his tie while my lips traveled to his ear. I nipped at his earlobe gently, and he let out a moan of pleasure. His hands moved up to my shoulders and he slipped the straps of my dress down, his mouth trailing kisses along my collarbone. Now it was my turn to moan.

I felt the dress hit my feet and I stepped out of it and kicked it away. I was still wearing my heels and a pair of black lace panties. William didn’t seem to mind. His hands grazed lightly over my bare skin, exploring every inch of it. I yanked one last time on his tie, freeing it from his neck, and tossed it aside. I unbuttoned his dress shirt hastily and slid it off his shoulders. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt underneath and I tugged at it in frustration. William chuckled at my impetuousness, and slipped it easily over his head. His body was something to behold.

I’ve seen the statute of David in Florence, with his perfectly chiseled physique. David is a sight to see, definitely, but William’s perfectly sculpted body was even more impressive. I touched him gently, letting my fingers tease at the faint hairs on his chest. When I found his nipples, they were hard beneath my touch. I lowered my head and let my mouth and tongue take over for my fingers. William ran his fingers into my hair and held my head against him,
The sigh that slipped through his lips came out more like a growl and it vibrated through his body.

I pushed away from him abruptly and scooted back on the bed. William stood by the bed staring at me. From his rapid breathing and burning eyes, it was apparent that he liked what he saw. He took off his shoes and socks and then his pants, moving slowly but purposefully. I enjoyed watching the smooth movements of his body. He stepped out of his pants, revealing straining boxer briefs. In one quick movement he eased them off, too.

He sat next to me on the bed at first, laying me down gently and his hand found my breast. I jerked slightly as his thumb caressed my nipple. He used his other arm to prop himself over me as his free hand slid from my breast down to my panties. He was all business as he hooked a thumb into them and yanked them down. Quickly, he slid them over my thighs and down my legs. When he got to my feet, he had a little trouble slipping them past the heels I still wore.

I made to slip them off, but he stopped me. “Leave them,” he said, his voice deeper than I thought possible. Triumphantly he held up my freed panties and then dropped them to the floor. There was nothing stopping us now. Reflexively, my legs slid apart as I anticipated him sliding between them. I didn’t have to wait long.

“Your body is even more beautiful than I expected,” he said with his mouth against my neck, our bodies pressed together at every possible point.

“I’m glad you like what you see,” I replied, my hand moving between us until I was holding him in my hand. I gripped his penis firmly and waited for him to lift his head and look at me. One look in his eyes said I had him right on the edge. “Let’s go,” I said for the second time that night.

I hadn’t even noticed, but in the process of undressing, William had tossed a condom onto the bed and now he reached for it. He tore open the wrapper and expertly rolled it on. “Remember when you asked me earlier what kind of guy I am?” he said, allowing himself to press against me but not actually penetrate.

“Yeah,” I gasped, feeling slightly desperate. William had me on the edge, too, and he knew it.

“Well I’m about to show you.” And with that, he was inside me. All the way.

The first thrust was powerful and mind-blowing. It had been a long time for me, and it took me a second to catch up to him. His rhythm was steady and unwavering,
and I quickly found my pace. William’s hand never stopped exploring my body and his eyes never left mine. He was a passionate and attentive lover, and it was both unnerving and exhilarating. I found myself anxiously meeting every thrust of his body, and at just the right moment, the slightest shift of our bodies allowed him to press against me in just the right way and I climaxed just as he found his release. His body jerked and I shuddered beneath him, letting out a cry of pleasure.

As the aftershocks rolled through our bodies, William stayed inside me. He brushed my sex hair away from my face and kissed me gently. When he finally pulled out, I could feel emptiness creeping back into my body. Fortunately, he didn’t go far. He laid next to me and pulled me against his body. As I tucked my head against his chest, I listened to his strong heartbeat as it slowed down to a more normal pace. After what was possibly the best sex of my life, I was exhausted and William seemed to feel the same way.

“Stay with me tonight?” he murmured pleadingly.

I pressed my lips to his chest, just over his heart, and then settled in more comfortably against him. “I don’t think I could stand right now even if I wanted to.”

William laughed and stroked my hair. “Good night, Livy.”

“Good night, William. Sweet dreams.”