With Me in Seattle Bundle One (89 page)

“And spoil the fun of you showing me how to handle the balls? Never.”

Will’s eyes narrow, and he glares down at me, and I can’t help the wide smile on my face. Have I ever enjoyed tormenting someone so much? No, I don’t believe I have.

He leans in and whispers in my ear, “You’re going to pay for that later.”

“I can’t wait,” I respond and sashay past him to join the girls.

Caleb is up next and crashes all the pins into a strike. Geez, he’s so muscular and, well, a little scary. He’s Will’s Navy SEAL brother, and he’s just as big as his brothers—tall, broad, well-built.

I’m surrounded by a whole lot of hotness. If I wasn’t me, I’d be jealous of me.

That makes me chuckle to myself.

“What are you laughing at?” Luke asks me.

He has kind eyes. I never noticed that before. Luke Williams is superhot and very sweet. And completely in love with his wife and daughter.

“Nothing, just wondering how I got here.”

He smiles knowingly. “This clan can be a lot to handle.”

“Everyone is so nice, it’s just…”

“I get it.” He smiles reassuringly. “I haven’t been a part of them for long, only about a year. It’s pretty overwhelming at first.”

“Oh, I’m not a part of them. I’m just hanging out with Will.”

“Right.” He smirks down at me and shakes his head. “Megan, I don’t know you, but I’ve spent some time with Will. Trust me, he’s not just hanging out with you.”

I watch Will throw the ball down the lane and scowl and cuss when he knocks only eight pins down. My gaze finds Luke’s again.

“You think?”

“I know. Be careful. Have fun. He’s a good guy.” And with that, he pats my knee and moves back over to his wife.

“What was that all about?” Will asks as he takes the seat Luke vacated.

“Nothing. He was just saying hi. Do you guys really do this regularly?” I ask, trying to distract both of us.

“We try to. It’s not usually this many of us at once, though.”

“It’s fun. And cool that you all like to hang out together.”

“Don’t you like to hang out with your family?” Will asks.

Fuck, why did I bring up family?

“Uh…”

“Hey, Meg, have you heard from Sylvia lately?” Jules asks and takes a swig of her beer.

God, I wish I could drink some beer right now.

“No, not for about a year,” I mumble and immediately begin to twist my fingers in my lap. Please don’t ask about Leo.

Will frowns down at me. “Who’s Sylvia?”

“Her mom,” Jules states matter-of-factly.

“You haven’t talked to your mom in a year?” he asks.

Everyone has gone quiet now, listening to this conversation, and I just want to die.

“No. It’s no big deal.”

Jules snorts. Natalie shifts uncomfortably. Matt, the quiet but no less attractive one of the bunch, sits back in his chair and watches me thoughtfully.

“More margaritas?” Sam asks brightly.

“I’ll buy this round.” Caleb and Samantha make a trip to the bar to order the drinks, and everyone starts talking about other things, much to my relief.

“This subject isn’t closed,” Will whispers in my ear.

“Yes, it is.”

“I love this song!” Jules hops up and pulls Natalie with her, who then pulls me and Brynna up to join them in a spontaneous dance about the lane. Carly Rae Jepsen is singing
Call Me Maybe
. I hate this song.

And, yet, I can’t help but love this song.

Sam and Caleb return with a fresh batch of drinks, and Sam joins us girls in our dancing frenzy, weaving and bobbing around us. Stacy grips her belly as she giggles at us and sings along to the fun song.

We are dancing about, being silly girls. I glance over at the guys, and they are staring at us with smirks on their faces.

“You all have the same taste in music as thirteen-year-old girls,” Nate taunts us.

“Every woman in this country loves this song,” Brynna informs him. “It’s a law, I think. Hey, Matt, isn’t it a law?”

Matt laughs and then purses his lips like he’s thinking really hard about it. “I don’t pay attention to the girlie laws,” he finally responds, making Brynna scowl at him.

“Traitor.”

When the song ends, another begins, and I cringe. It’s
Lonely Soul
by Nash.

As in Leo Nash.

As in,
my Leo.

He and I wrote this song together right before he left for LA. Leo had been over at my place, hanging out with me and listening to me bitch about school and this guy I went out with twice and never called me again after I slept with him.

Hence, the three-date rule.

I could tell that he wanted to track the idiot down and pummel him, but he listened and drank beer with me, made me laugh. It wasn’t like I was crying over the asshole, but venting to the only brother I’d ever known helped to put things in perspective. And he gave me the best advice he’d ever given me that night.

“Meg-Pie,” he said seriously, “we teach people how to treat us. If you don’t put up with shit, and don’t settle for anything less than respect, that’s what you’ll get. But if you let the douche bags walk all over you and treat you like you’re disposable, then that’s what you’ll always get. You’re too good for that.”

I miss him.

 “I love
this
song!” Sam exclaims and sings along loudly.

“This is a great band,” Jules agrees and winks at me.

I just shrug back at her and sing along in my head.

It really is a great song.

***

“Tell me about Sylvia.”

Will and I are back in his car, heading to his house, and the nerves have kicked in. This is it. Tonight is the night.

I really, really wish I’d had something to drink.

“Sylvia doesn’t matter.”

“She’s your mother.”

“Trust me, genetics don’t make someone a mother.”

“Tell me.” He looks over at me, his face unreadable, and I sigh.

“Why?”

“Because we have to talk about something or I’ll pull this car over and take you on the hood. And the date isn’t technically over until I get you inside the house. So talk.”

“Okay.” I clear my throat. “But can we do the fucking-on-the-hood thing sometime soon?”

He glares at me, and his hands tighten on the steering wheel. He’s not touching me.

“Yes. Talk.”

“I was taken away from her when I was twelve.”

“Why?” he asks, deceptively softly.

“Because she sucked as a parent. Drugs. A revolving door of men.”

“Did any of them…?” He can’t finish the sentence.

“No. She made me go in my room and lock the door when the men were around. Mostly, she just neglected me. Forgot to buy food, forgot to send me to school. Eventually, a teacher took an interest, and I was taken away.”

“What happened then?”

“I got shuffled around. Ten foster homes in four years.”

“And then you found a family to stay with until you turned eighteen?” he asks.

“No, then I got cut loose. The system couldn’t afford me anymore.”

“You were on your own at sixteen?” he asks, shocked and angry.

“I had Leo. He had already come to Seattle to go to school, so I followed him and stayed with him. He made me get a job, finish school, enroll in college. He’s really like a brother to me.”

“How did you meet him?” Will’s voice is softer, but he still doesn’t sound happy.

“The first foster home. He was there, too. We had music in common. He taught me to play the guitar, and he had a job, so he got me a cell phone so I could stay in contact with him.”

“I’m glad you had him,” he mutters.  “Why do you even still talk to your mother?”

“I send her money every month.” Damn it. I shouldn’t have said that.

“What?!” Now he’s really, really angry. “Why the fuck do you send her money?”

“Because I feel guilty.” I look down at my hands and feel ashamed. “Because she would probably starve without it.”

“She would have let
you
starve, Megan.”

“I don’t need the money. She does.” I shrug. “And if I send her money and keep her in Montana, maybe she won’t ever come here to ask me for anything.”

The last part is a whisper. I’ve never told anyone this before. Not ever.

We pull into Will’s drive.

“What’s the code?” he asks me with a smile.

“051877,” I respond, and he nods happily, inputs the code and drives us to the house and into the garage.

We climb out of the car, and he leads me into the house. The garage enters into a mudroom, and then into a gorgeous kitchen. It’s open to a dining space and family living area, with floor-to-ceiling windows covering one whole wall, showing off the sound.

“I really love this space,” I murmur and walk over to the windows, taking in the view. It’s dark out. Lights twinkle from homes and businesses on the island across the water.

“I really love having you in this space.”

Will’s voice is soft. He’s standing a few feet behind me. I see his reflection in the dark window. His hands are in fists at his sides, and he’s breathing quickly.

His eyes are running up and down my back. I slip the shrug off my shoulders and let it fall to the floor. The red sundress has spaghetti straps and flows down around my hips to midthigh. His gaze meets mine in the glass, and then he closes his eyes tightly and exhales roughly.

“Will?” I ask as I turn to look at him.

God, he’s so gorgeous. He’s wearing a gray button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearms. He’s in black jeans, and he already took his shoes off, so he’s just in black socks.

His blue eyes are hot on mine.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Is this date over?” I ask.

“I believe so, yes.”

“Thank God.”

Chapter Nine

I jump into Will’s arms, wrap my arms around his neck, thrust my fingers into his hair and kiss him like I’m dying. He grips on to my ass as my legs circle his waist and groans.

“Let’s do this right here, on the kitchen counter,” I mumble and kiss his neck.

He chuckles and carries me up the stairs toward his room. “No way. Bed first, kitchen later.”

“Okay,” I agree. I lean back, completely confident that he won’t drop me, and unbutton his shirt.

He sets me on my feet at the edge of the bed, turns on a sidelight and grabs the hem of my dress and pulls it over my head in one swift move.

I immediately reach for his shirt, but he backs out of my grasp.

“Come here, I want you naked.”

“Let me look at you,” he murmurs, bringing me to a stop.

“No, you’ve seen me. Let me see you, babe. Seriously, I’m gonna die if you don’t get naked like thirty seconds ago.”

His eyes burn over my body as he quickly shucks his jeans and shirt, leaving just his tight, white, short boxer-briefs.

I allow myself the luxury of standing and staring at him. Dear God, he’s physically perfect. The muscles in his arms, chest, abs and legs are defined. He’s sporting that sexy V down his hips, disappearing into those sexy-as-fuck underwear. His body is so well taken care of, it’s almost intimidating.

“So this is what you do when you’re off training every day.” I realize I must have said that out loud when Will smirks. “You’re just…wow.”

And cue the self-consciousness. I’m not too fat, not too thin, I’m just an average girl. I’m not terribly toned. I don’t run. I work a demanding job that keeps me on the go, so I don’t work out often.

I start to cover myself, but Will quickly lifts me in his arms and gently lays me down on his bed, covering me with his large, hard body.

“No covering up this amazing body, sweetheart.”

I smirk and try to look away, but he grips my chin and forces me to look him in the eye. “You. Are. Amazing. Meg, I love a woman who looks like a woman. I don’t want to be worried that I’ll snap you in half, and when I lie on your stomach, I don’t want your ribs poking me in the face.”

He braces himself on his elbows at the sides of my head, buries his fingers in my hair and kisses the dimple in my cheek and then down to my neck.

“You smell good. Like fresh air.” His lips travel down my neck to my collarbones and then down my sternum. I brush my hands over his arms and shoulders, up through his soft hair, and then down his shoulders again.

“Will…”

“Shh. Let me enjoy you.”

“You’ve already enjoyed me. It’s my turn,” I whine, and he smiles against my stomach.

“You’ll get a turn, trust me, babe. But first I want to kiss this delicious body all over.”

I wiggle beneath him, impatient.

“We’ve waited long enough. Can’t we fuck fast first and then make love after?”

He moves up me quickly, lowers onto me so I’m cradling his pelvis between my thighs. His eyes are on fire, and he’s panting.

“We aren’t going to fuck, Meg. Even when it’s hard and fast or a little rough or a lot dirty, I’m not fucking you. In the kitchen, in the bedroom, on my car, or any damn where I want to take you, will not be fucking. Fucking is for strangers or people who don’t give a shit about each other.” He circles his hips, pushing his erection against me, and I bite my lip to stifle a moan.

“Okay,” I whisper and close my eyes.

“Open your eyes.” I comply. “You’re not a fast fuck for me. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I think so.”

“We haven’t spent all this time together, getting to know each other, driving each other crazy, to have a quick fuck and go our separate ways. You need to understand, Megan, that once I make love to you, you’re mine.”

I feel my eyes go wide and jaw drop, and I just stare up at him in shock. Did he just say that?

And why doesn’t it scare the living hell out of me?

He’s looking at me, waiting for a reaction, and suddenly, I feel…happy. This is who I want. This is where I’m supposed to be.

“Say something, darlin’, ’cause I’m dying here.”

I run my fingers through his hair and cup his face in my hands, drawing him down to me so I can kiss his lips gently. I brush over them once, twice, my eyes never leaving his.

“You are
so
mine,” I whisper and watch with satisfaction as his eyes dilate and the breath he’s holding escapes him.