Crash (12 page)

The kissing gate in front of the cottage was ensnared with vines and flowers, almost as if it was guarding something secret. I drew little, circular avatars of the kissing gate, the cottage with a little river wrapped around it, the mill, the green pastures and moody skies. William and his team could decide which ones they wanted. Then I began the website banners, and there I could incorporate every detail that I loved about the Cotswolds and this bed and breakfast.

“Nice work.”

“Shit!” I was so immersed that I didn’t hear Will creep up behind me.

Will smirked as he took a seat on the bed. “Too bad all that work will probably be for nothing.”

“Why?” I said, aghast.

“I’m just not sure this place lives up to the Pardini brand. People who go to our hotels expect excellence. Luxury. This…” he shook his head as he gazed at the ceiling, his eyes focusing on the chips of paint here and there.

“Oh, come on. This is affordable, isn’t it? And it’s a cottage. It’s going to be cramped and small.”

He shrugged. “This isn’t what I had in mind.”

Giving up, I returned back to my drawings. No matter what, I would put all of my effort into them.

The next day, we bid farewell to Mary and gathered Tom back into his cage to drive to the next destination: Bath. Will offered to drive, but I shot him down with a look.
No freaking way
. I was a lot less nervous driving than yesterday, so it wasn’t catastrophic.

Back at Cheltenham, we returned the car and took the train to Bath Spa. We found ourselves on a hill, with rows and rows of yellow and beige houses. The train tracks ran straight through the suburbs. Fantastic green hills surrounded us, but it was clear that we were far away from all the attractions.

“Why couldn’t we call a cab?”

“Because we’re here to experience England like everybody else. Or something like that.” He smiled at me.

“Did you go to boarding school too?”

“Nope,” he said, sounding proud of that. “I went to private schools in Chicago with my brothers. Mom didn’t want to send us away.”

I wondered about his upbringing. I knew that his cousin, Luke, was bitter about being sent away to a boarding school. Was he better off?

“So did you grow up getting everything you wanted?”

“Yeah. I was a spoiled little shit. When I grew up, I became an asshole. I was just drunk on the power of being really rich and able to get literally anything I wanted. Then…” his face darkened.

And then you got into a car accident, and it changed you.

The pain twisted his face. “I didn’t really become a human being until a few years ago.”

It was such a strange thing to say, and yet I understood what he meant perfectly. Up until that point, Will had lived like a wild animal; taking what he wanted and devouring every opportunity without a thought of how it would affect anyone else. Then he changed. He developed thoughts and feelings that contributed towards a desire to help other people, breaking free of the crazed, hedonistic drive of adolescence.

How old was I when I “became human?”
I think it was when I escaped my parent’s clutches and was able to think for myself for once in my life. When I was outside of their influence and when I learned that not everything they told me was true, it was like a door opening in my mind. One I never knew existed. I remembered all the strange lies they told me, like how everyone who used paper plates must be worthless white trash. That was what Mom always said and we only had ceramic dishes in our house. It was ridiculous to think about.

That was one thing Jessica couldn’t ever understand. What it was like to grow up with parents telling you what to do and what to believe in all the time—and suddenly having that ripped away. And feeling lost. Utterly lost.

William learned that lesson the hard way. “I’m scared of that part of me. I almost completely disappeared. I was the only one of my brothers to go off the deep end. So that’s why I try to avoid relying too much on my wealth.”

Because that’s when bad things happen?

“Life shouldn’t be easy.”

And that, apparently, was why we were dragging our luggage up a steep hill. “No, but it sure is nice sometimes.” I gave him a sly smile. “Never know when you’ll need to bribe someone.”

He chuckled. “Luke called me to bitch about that. Apparently, the guy was irate. The bank almost called the cops on him.”

I shook my head. “You guys behave like children. Why do you hate Luke so much?”

Will made a face. “I don’t hate him. I just think he’s an arrogant bastard. Telling me to stay away from you, like I’m a toxic person.”

We finally had the bed and breakfast in sight. “I think he’s angry with you because your dad tried to sell the shares in his trust.”

He wheeled around. “What?”

My heart jumped. “Didn’t you know that? Luke is suing your dad.”

“Holy shit,” he moaned. “I can’t believe he’d do that.”

I could see Will’s mind boiling with what I said the whole day. We finally found the bed and breakfast, which was owned by a cheery man with an affinity for country music.

Designing the logo for the Bath location was easy; the Roman baths were the main attraction and it was easy to draw a quick sketch of the yellow pillars and the green, bubbling pool. Below the room, I heard Will grilling the owner about his profits. I heard his heavy footsteps climbing the stairs and I braced for the moment when he would burst inside the room.

He had a habit of violently opening doors and scaring me to death. Sure enough, seconds later, the door swung open and nearly banged the opposite wall. He scowled when he realized there was no bathroom attached to the room. And there was still only one queen bed.

“We can share the bed. It’s no big deal.”

Will removed his jacket, watching me carefully as if I was up to something, but he was too tired to argue. Both of us were exhausted from walking to and from the Roman baths and exploring the abbey.

My hands were feeling a bit stiff and I swiveled in the chair, wringing my fingers.

“Take a break for God’s sake. Watching you work is exhausting.”

I set the stylus down and sighed, leaning into the chair. My eyes widened when Will took the hem of his white t-shirt and lifted it over his head. It was like being injected with adrenaline. Suddenly, I felt much more awake.

“What are you doing?” Shut up, idiot! Let him take his clothes off!

“I’m just getting ready for bed. You don’t have to stare, you know.”

I was unable to look away. Under his t-shirt was a carved abdomen. His defined chest and shoulders made my mouth water. My eyes raked up and down, taking note of the small dark patch of hair on his chest and the faint line dipping below his belly button. He caught me staring at him and smiled. “Like what you see?”

Of course, I do and you know it.

Then he yanked his jeans down and my breath caught in my throat. “Jesus.”

A pair of tight, black briefs hugged his ass. I wanted to bump against him and run my hands all over him, but he merely slid into the bed and closed his eyes, smiling slightly.

Now what? Do I join him? He said he had no interest in me, but he kissed me.

I already wore my pajamas, which were just a loose t-shirt and flannel pants, with no bra. I walked to the bed, cursing the loud noise of my feet creaking the wood floorboards. Peeling back the comforter, I got a nice view of his body and simultaneously felt like a pervert. I slid inside and joined his warmth, shaking with nerves.

But Will showed no sign that he was aware that I was in bed with him. His eyes remained closed. God, I felt like a complete idiot. Will wasn’t interested in me. I was only setting myself up to be rejected. Again.

I turned away from him and listened to the sound of him breathing and his legs moving under the sheets.
How strange it is to be in bed with someone I’m not sure I’m allowed to touch.

There was another movement under the sheets and I felt the pad of one finger running a line down my neck, over my shoulder and body, over my bony hip. His other fingers joined to stroke my upper thigh.

Heart racing, I turned into his body. His heat spilled all over me and he kept his hand anchored on my hip. His eyes opened, revealing red-rimmed exhaustion, and yet his gaze was rigid.

There was a strand of black hair in his eye and I reached for it with my fingers to push it behind his ear.

“You surprised me today. I thought you had no sense of humor.”

“I thought you were a bastard.”

He grinned and squeezed my hip. “And now?”

“You’re still one.”

I sought his pouting, bottom lip and sucked it into my mouth. He sighed, and I ran my hands down his neck to stroke the broad muscles of his chest, stopping here and there to squeeze. His hands slipped under my shirt and slid up my back. He moaned when he realized that I wasn’t wearing a bra.

We both gasped when his thumbs slid around, stroking the sides of my breasts. My nipples hardened under my t-shirt and he slid his fingers around, teasing the sensitive flesh. Then his hot hands outright groped my breasts and I kissed him harder, burying him in the bed. He seized the two hard nubs and pinched them between his thumb and forefinger. Our lips finally parted and both of us breathed as though we ran a marathon.

I sat up and lifted the shirt from my head, fixing Will with a smoldering look.

“Jesus.”

Smiling, I lay on top of him and relished the contact of his naked chest. I could hear his breath thick with desire, going mad with my half-naked body on top of him.

He gave me a pained look. “No, I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”

But even as he said it, his arms refused to let me go. My back shivered as he ran his hands down and gently squeezed my ass. “Why not?”

“Because if we keep going, I’m going to fuck you.”

“So?”

He gave me a half-frustrated, half-smoldering look. “I don’t want to be a one-night stand.”

“What are you talking about?”

His fingers weaved through my hair and pulled slightly. “And when I’m with someone, I want them to be thinking of me and only me.”

I was lost.

“You’re not over your ex yet. I like you, Natalie. I like you more than you probably realize, but I want a real chance with you.”

Something hot shot up my legs when he said that. I looked at his heavy-lidded eyes, his slightly flushed, hollow cheeks and the downy black hair and I couldn’t understand why the hell he thought I pined over Ben while I was in bed with him.

“That’s a really sweet thing to say.”

His smile widened. “I know. Now, kiss me.”

I sank to my elbows and grabbed his hair, kissing him harder than I’d kissed anyone in my life. His mouth was soft against mine, barely able to keep up. I played with his ears, running my fingers over them lightly because I knew that it would drive him crazy. He suddenly got up on his elbows and flipped me onto my back. Will groaned as he sat back, admiring the view of my body. His erection dug into my hip and I felt a leap of excitement.

Looking disgusted with himself, Will got off my legs and turned away from me.

“Okay,” I said to his back. “We can wait if you want.”

He turned around, his eyebrows lifted. “Okay?” He sounded disappointed.

I leaned over and pecked his mouth, trying not to smile at his floored expression. “Good night.” Smirking, I turned around in the bed. I could feel his confusion, but I knew what I was doing. I wanted him chasing me again—I wanted his hands running up my hips when we were out in public.

“Tease.”

The bed bounced as he left the bed to go to the bathroom. I smiled to myself.

Chapter 7

So how is he? Is he behaving?

Sort of. I’m having the time of my life! How’s Luke?

Her next text was a bit troubling:
Not so good. Can’t tell you on text.

I frowned to myself and glanced at Will, who was passed out on the train we were taking to Monterosso al Mare, Italy. His cat slept on his lap.

She must be referring to the lawsuit with Will’s father. I chewed my lip, feeling bad for Luke, but what could I do about it?

I told Will about the lawsuit and he is going to see his father in Chicago.

She texted back quickly:
Really? Wow.

William reacted with anger and disappointment towards his father whenever I mentioned the lawsuit. He might not be a friend to Luke, but he did not approve of his father’s actions. I could tell that he was itching to go back to Chicago.

I returned to the sketch on my tablet. Over the last week, I sent dozens of designs to the marketing department and the feedback so far was overwhelmingly positive. Though, who knew if any of them would be actually used? I had a vague understanding of where we were going, only that it was on the Italian Riviera. Occasionally, the train would leave a tunnel and I would catch a glimpse of a deep, blue ocean crashing on a green coast, and my heart soared.

We left the damp isles of the UK and took a plane to Èze, France, a gorgeous, coastal town with breathtaking views. Will had assured me that the next stop would be even more spectacular: Cinque Terre. It meant “five lands.”

It didn’t even really matter whether this job amounted to anything. I was having an incredible time with Will exploring all these places. Throughout the week, Will had been able to keep his hands to himself. There was still the occasional, hot make-out session, but nothing more. It was really frustrating.

Will twitched and moaned in his sleep. Recognizing the signs, I leaned forward and shook his shoulder hard. His eyes shot open and he nodded, thanking me.

I wanted to ask him about it, but every time I did he shut down. My mind flooded with doubts about continuing this—whatever this was between us. There was a deep sadness within him that I just couldn’t reach and I felt myself drifting further away from him.

“Wow,” I said when we disembarked the train.

‘Wow’ was the only appropriate response I could think of. A small, white beach gleamed under the bright sunshine, sparkling, deep blue water crashing on the shore. Behind the train station was the tiny cliff-side village of Monterosso. Pastel-colored, cramped buildings sat on top of each other. Vineyards filled the green hills, spiraling around and around. We walked along the beach with our luggage and the sounds of accordion music lifted me up.