The One: The Complete One Series Collection (20 page)

I circled around my desk until I was standing in front of him. “Thank you, but no.” I smoothed down his suit lapels and kissed him on the lips. “This decision needs to be what’s best for both of us, not just you.”

“I know.” He smiled sheepishly. “You can’t blame a guy for trying, can you?”

“Certainly not.” I kissed him again. “But you don’t need to save me, William. I can take care of myself.”

“Trust me, I know. But that’s not going to stop me from looking out for you.” He kissed my cheek. “Just promise me you’ll at least consider my offer. We can talk about it more when I get back from Rome.”

“The answer will still be no,” I said, confidently.

He regarded me carefully. “I have this horrible feeling that if you move to D.C., I’m going to lose you.”

“That will never happen.” I sounded more certain than I felt though. Like William, I was worried about what would happen to us if I took the job. “Have a safe trip. I’ll miss you like crazy.”

“Likewise.” Another ten minutes of kissing and groping and we finally completed our goodbyes.

Two days later I found myself missing William terribly. If this is what it would be like to move to D.C., I didn’t think I would be able to make it. I kept myself busy by checking in on Bob and the kids. The house was actually in good shape which I quickly learned was because William had paid for a housekeeper to come in three times a week. He had also hunted down a terrific nanny that was keeping the kids well-fed, groomed and properly dressed. She had taken them for a walk so that Bob and I could talk openly.

“Still no sign of Courtney?” I asked him over a cold beer.

“Nah. She cleaned out our joint bank account, too. She’s gone,” Bob said. “I don’t think she’ll ever come back.”

“So what’s your plan?”

“I don’t have a plan.” Bob laughed and sounded very much like his brother. “One day at a time. Keep breathing. Worry about tomorrow when it comes.”

“Do you think that will work?” I wondered what it would be like to be able to focus only on the present.

“It has to. It’s the only way I know how to do this.” He looked at me thoughtfully. “William mentioned that you are considering taking a job in D.C.”

“He told you that?” I was surprised that William had talked about me at all with Bob. They didn’t really have that kind of relationship, but I guess a lot had changed in the last week.

“Are you going to take it?”

“I have no idea.” I was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Bob. He had a calming way about him that reminded me of William. “I don’t want to move, but it’s a great job.”

“I’m surprised William didn’t make you an offer to get you to stay.” Bob took a long drink from his beer.

I sighed. “He did, actually. He wants me to quit my job but stay in Chicago. He said he would take care of things until I find something else. I said no.”

“Sounds like a pretty sweet deal.” Bob chuckled and finished his beer. “I wish someone would make me that offer. Why did you turn him down?”

“Because I need to figure this out myself. I can’t explain it.” I didn’t even completely understand it myself.

Bob leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I get it. I really do. You need to be able to stand on your own two feet. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to give you some advice.”

I nodded. “Fire away.”

“It’s good to be able to stand on your own, but sometimes it’s just as important to know when to lean on someone else. William is a good guy. He cares about you more than I’ve ever seen him care about anyone. Don’t be afraid to trust him.” Bob shrugged. “Then again, what do I know? My wife just left me.”

“Bob, I don’t know Courtney, but I think I’m beginning to know you. And based on what I know, I have to say that Courtney is a lunatic and you and the kids will be better off without her.” I stood up hastily. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go buy a plane ticket to Italy.”

CHAPTER FIVE

The flight to Rome took just over nine hours. Normally, I’m able to sleep like a baby on a long flight, but the adrenaline running through my veins kept me wide awake. I couldn’t begin to imagine how William had handled the flight considering he suffered from an intense flying phobia.

I thought about the way his jaw would clench and his lips would press into a thin line as he tried not to let his anxiety show. Thinking about William, a smile spread over my face and I couldn’t wait to see him. I thought about taking the train into the city but I had just missed one and I wasn’t in the mood to wait around for thirty minutes until the next one left so I tracked down a taxi instead. My driver spoke English very well and he gave me a private tour of the city as we made our way to William’s hotel.

I was awed by the massive Coliseum and impressive Vatican City in the distance. I had spent a week in Florence when I was in college but hadn’t made it to Rome. Where Florence had amazing art stowed away in museums, Rome had stunning architecture for the entire world to see.

“Rome is a very romantic city,” my cab driver said when he saw me staring out the window at a couple in a passionate embrace. “You have husband?”

“No. No husband.” I thought about William again and grinned. “A boyfriend.”

“Even better!” He laughed and whipped the car down a narrow street. “Rome is a city for lovers and married people only fight.”

“Are we close to the hotel?” All of the buildings looked the same to me- old and Italian.

“Hotel Roma, straight ahead.”

Leave it to William to pick the nicest hotel in Rome. As a bellman helped me with my bags, I took in the grand exterior of the hotel. Marble columns, gold trim and a red plush carpet leading inside.

The inside was even more glamorous and I got to spend a lot of time enjoying it because it turned out that William was out. I sent him a text to see what he was up to, keeping my surprise trip a secret. He replied that he was at dinner with the new client and would probably be out late. I tried not to imagine William having dinner with some Italian princess.

The hotel staff went out of their way to make me feel welcome. A particularly friendly young man brought me a glass of wine and kept it filled. After what was at least my third glass, he very politely asked if I would like to accompany him to one of the rooms. In my semi-drunk state, it took me a minute to figure out what he was implying.

“Oh. Thanks, but no thanks. No
grazi.” I hoped my rejection wouldn’t cut off the supply of wine.

When William walked through the front door, I sensed him before I saw him. The room became electric and every nerve in my body jumped to attention. I turned to the door, and I saw him before he saw me. He was wearing a dark gray suit, white dress shirt and red tie. He was typing away on his phone, completely oblivious to my presence. My phone vibrated on the table next to me and I grabbed it.

It was William letting me know that he was back at the hotel and he missed me. I smiled as I typed my reply. “I missed you, too. Look to your right.”

When he saw that I had replied, he smiled but his smile wavered as he read the message. Very slowly, he turned his head to the right, looking right past me at first. It wasn’t until I stood up and waved that he realized it was me.

“Olivia. What are you doing here?” William sounded as though he didn’t really believe it was me.

“Surprise,” I said quietly. From his blank expression, I wasn’t sure if this was a good surprise or a bad one.

One second he was staring at me in utter confusion, and the next he was rushing toward me. I put a hand on his chest and pushed him away. “Wait.”

“Wait?” Again, complete confusion. I had never seen William this frazzled. “You just flew all the way to Rome and you want me to wait before I can hug you? What’s going on, Livy?”

“First, I have a business matter I would like to get out of the way.” I reached into my back pocket and removed a folded piece of paper. “My resignation, Mr. Connor.”

William hesitated before taking the paper. He unfolded it, read the contents, and then smiled. “
I quit. My job, that is, not our relationship. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me. I love you
.
” William shook his head. “You are a total dork.”

“This is true.” Fortunately, William had a thing for dorks.

“Are you taking the job in D.C.?” William folded my resignation letter and tucked it into his interior suit pocket.

“Nope.” I had to take a deep breath before I could plow ahead. “I’m quitting, and I don’t have another job lined up. I can’t stay at Gravity because I’ve lost my credibility and I can’t take the job in D.C. because it’s not what I want.”

“What do you want, Olivia?” William’s blue eyes drilled into mine.

I didn’t have to force myself not to look away as I answered. Being honest with myself had been hard, but being honest with William was frighteningly easy. “You. I want you. Always you.”

“You have me, Livy. Always.” This time when William reached for me, I didn’t push him away- I pulled him close. Maybe it was the intoxicating effect he had on me, or maybe it was the tantalizing allure of being in Italy, but whatever the case, I threw inhibition to the wind. I didn’t care if everyone in the hotel was watching as I threw my arms around him.

William had the good sense to know that we should take our excessive groping to his room. He was staying on the top floor, and when he opened the door to his room I was transported back in time.

“Déjà vu,” I muttered as I took in the wall of windows that revealed an amazing view of Rome at night. William and I had spent our first night together under circumstances not very dissimilar from this one, the key exception being that I could see almost all of Rome in the distance rather than the ocean.

“There’s one big difference this time,” William said, drawing the curtains open even further. I couldn’t help but be awed by the sight.

“What’s that?” I said as he wrapped his arms around me from behind, nuzzling my neck in the process.

“This time there’s no way I’m letting you leave in the morning.”

I turned in his arms and kissed him like I had that first night. I remembered how he had tasted like champagne, and how my body had responded so receptively to his touch, the same way that it still did. So many nights had come and gone since that first night, but my desire for William hadn’t faded in the slightest. In fact, it had grown exponentially.

William had made the first move back then so now it was my turn. I guided him over to the bed and pushed him down on the edge of it. He tried to pull me onto his lap but I resisted. I first moved to turn off the lights and then I took a few steps back toward the window, letting the lights from outside be my guide. Standing in front of the wall of windows while maintaining eye contact with William, I slowly peeled off my shirt. I could just barely make out his face and the playful smile on his lips.

My jeans came off next, very deliberately. What had started as a striptease quickly became more about stripping and less about teasing. I was dying to feel William’s hands on my body. My bra and panties were disposed of without much fanfare. I stood in front of the window for a beat, feeling bold and uninhibited. I was naked to the world, or at least to anyone who might be looking up at that very moment, and I didn’t care. I had nothing left to hide.

William stood up quickly, hastily stripping away his clothing. It wasn’t much of a performance, but anytime William got naked it was a must-see event. Once he had the layers of fabric out of the way, nothing else was stopping him from acting on his desire. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me against his body. His skin was deliciously warm
against mine. His lips were perfectly moist when he touched them to my neck and then trailed them down between my breasts.

When he lifted his head again, I kissed him urgently and draped one leg around him. He lifted me and I wrapped the second leg around him and let him carry me to the bed. William was in charge now and I was more than happy to let him work his magic. He placed me on the bed and then climbed over me. His hands were the perfect combination of firmness and gentleness on my body.

By this point in our relationship, William had to know that I was always ready for him but that didn’t stop him from sliding a hand down the length of my body and between my legs. Anticipating what would happen next, I lifted up and met his hand as it found its target. He didn’t slip inside like he usually did. Instead, he stroked his finger softly over the slickness, fluttering briefly over my clitoris.

“
Damnit, Connor.” I panted. “Hurry up and get inside me or I’m going to have to take control.”

William’s lips had been skimming over my collarbone and I felt his warm breath as he laughed. “That would be terrible,” he said with mock exaggeration. “I guess Willy and I better cooperate.”

“Really? You’re going to go there?” I smacked his arm, thinking about how that same lame joke had nearly mortified me in the past. I grabbed for his penis, Willy, and gave it the gentlest of squeezes. “Do I have to hold Willy hostage until you comply?”

William laughed again, but then he got down to business. He pushed a finger inside me, catching me off-guard. He circled and pulsed it quickly until my body began to respond and
I started to press against him. Then he removed his hand, trailing his wet fingers up my body until he was cupping my breast, his thumb circling hurriedly over my hard nipple.

“Are you just fucking with me now, Connor?” I demanded, my body desperate for a climax to all this stimulating activity.

William was already opening the condom and putting it in place. “That’s exactly what I am doing with you,” he said.

I gasped audibly as he thrust himself inside, rubbing against all the right places. I dug my fingers into his back and he waited for me to adjust.

“Ready, love?” he asked, staring into my eyes with hunger and longing. We had been joking, exchanging playful banter leading up to the moment, but now that we had reached it, our focus had returned.

“For you, always.” I kissed him on the lips, and while we were kissing, William began to move inside me.

Each movement was urgent but not forceful. It was a gentle coaxing that my body couldn’t ignore. I moaned against his lips and spread my legs apart even further, pulling them up in the process. This slightest of movements was the perfect adjustment and now the warm, familiar flush began to build. William had picked up his pace and both of us were panting, our breath escaping in short bursts with our lips still lightly pushed together.

Our bodies trembled and pulsed together with William holding back until he felt me convulse and then relax around him. He thrust one last time and then jerked as he achieved his release. After our orgasms, we usually collapsed on top of each other, our
bodies piles of mush. But this time, William held himself over me and tilted my chin so that I was looking in his eyes.

“Thank you,” he said, kissing me tenderly.

“You’re welcome?” I said. I thought that he might be making a joke and I started to smile, but then I noticed that he was serious. “Why are you thanking me?”

“For being here.” He kissed me again. “For choosing me.”

“I didn’t have a choice.” I stroked two fingers down his check. “When it comes to you, there is no choice. I’ve been yours since that first night.”

“Ditto.” William smiled before laying his head on my chest. I ran a tired hand through his hair and felt perfectly content for the first time in my life. This is where I was meant to be- in William’s arms, desperately in love.

That’s not to say that we wouldn’t have any challenges in our relationship. I was going back to Chicago without a job and no real idea what I would do next. William was still facing Tara’s lawsuit, and he would have to deal with the remaining backlash over our relationship. Both of us had pasts filled with pain and loss. In many ways, it was true that we hadn’t gotten a perfect ending, but we had each other. Because of that, we had everything we needed. Love had turned us into two of the lucky ones, and it was all because of that one night.