“I don’t mean physically. I mean emotionally. Damn it, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be.” He got up from the bench, tucked his hands in his pockets, and paced around. “From the moment I saw you in the airport, when you handed me my coffee, I felt this incredible pull towards you. I dismissed it as you being another beautiful woman whom I didn’t have time for because I had a plane to catch and walked away. Then, you were there again, on the plane, sitting in the seat across from me. I wanted you sexually, and I knew you wanted me too.”
“That was very presumptuous of you.” I arched my brow at him.
“Yeah, well, if I wasn’t one hundred percent sure, I wouldn’t have taken you to the bathroom. I don’t do anything unless I’m sure, so don’t try to deny it.”
“I’m not denying anything,” I spoke.
“After we had sex, there was a part of me that wanted to ask you out while you were staying in New York, which never happens, but you were there to see your sister in Swan Lake and I didn’t want to disrupt any plans that you already had. It was true that my sister wanted to go, and after you told me you were going to be there, I bought the tickets with the hopes that I’d get a chance to see you.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Just let me finish. To say the least, I was shocked when you told me off and didn’t let me get a word in edgewise, and as much as I wanted to run after you and tell you that Sammi was my sister, I let it go because I thought I’d never see you again. Hell, I didn’t even know your name. I couldn’t stop thinking about you that whole night or the next day. Then Monday morning, when I opened my office door and saw you standing there, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought maybe you found out who I was and came to my office to finish telling me off. When you told me who you really were and why you were there, I used it to my advantage to keep you in New York as long as I could.”
“So, you had already made up your mind at that point that you were granting me the interview?” I asked.
“Yes. Because I knew that I would be able to spend some more time with you. Those few days with you were some of the best times of my life, Laurel.”
“Then why didn’t you want to take me to the airport? And why did you wait to say goodbye at the last minute as you were leaving for the office? You could have woken me up and we could have spent that morning together before I left.”
“Because I didn’t want to say goodbye, and I knew once you boarded that plane, it was over. So, I just had to let you go as quickly as possible. I was protecting myself because things were happening inside me that weren’t very clear to me. After you left, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. My days and nights became very lonely, and I knew if we stayed in contact, it would only make things worse.”
“Well, I’m glad one of us was protecting themselves,” I spoke with an attitude.
He stopped pacing and took a seat beside me on the bench.
“I needed to be sure about you,” he spoke. “I needed to be one hundred percent sure of my feelings, and the longer I went without seeing you and talking to you, the surer I became. But still, we were faced with the distance. Me in New York and you in Seattle, so I knew I needed to put a plan into action. Timeline Publications was going under and fast, so I bought them with the plan of bringing Daily Fusion to New York. That morning we ran into each other, I was signing the final paperwork with the lawyer.”
“At a restaurant?”
“Yes. We met halfway because she had another meeting right around the corner and it didn’t make sense for her to come all the way to my office.”
“How the hell did my brother’s engagement party come into play?” I asked.
“To be honest, I have no clue. Your father just called me up and invited me. I wasn’t going to go because I thought you wouldn’t attend. But when your sister said the two of you were driving there, I knew it would be my chance to talk to you. I was going to tell you how I felt and about my plans for the magazine that night, but then all that shit went down with your family. When you refused to call me back, I called Eric and he told me you were taking a month-long personal leave of absence and going to Thailand. I flew out to Seattle and made the VPs of the magazine division an offer they couldn’t refuse. I also convinced them that combining the paper and magazine in one company wasn’t a good idea. I needed to act quickly while you were gone.”
“Oh.” I looked down. “How did you know that I would accept the job and move here? That was huge risk you took, Wyatt.”
“I know, and trust me, that thought plagued me every day. But I knew how close you were to Eric and George. He did nothing but sing your praises and tell me how important you were to him when we met. And even though he was your boss, I sensed you considered him family too. So, if I could get them to come, I knew you’d follow. Plus, I checked into Eric and I think he’s an incredible asset to the magazine, as well as you and George.”
“You’re telling me that Eric and George knew about all of this prior and I didn’t?”
“Only Eric did, not George. I told him that everything stayed between us. I was afraid if you caught wind that I was the one behind it all, you wouldn’t come.”
“So, you two deceived me? Why not? Everyone else in my life seems to.”
“God, Laurel. No. I mean, I guess I can see where you’re coming from. I needed to make things right with you and I was planning on doing that at your parents’ house, but you wouldn’t let me. I wanted to comfort you and tell you that everything was going to be okay.”
I didn’t know what it was I felt at that moment. It was a mixture of all kinds of emotions that were all banging into one another like a pile up on the expressway. I got up from the bench.
“And you thought it would be okay to just disrupt my life and uproot me from Seattle because YOU needed to make things right?” I shouted as I pointed at him.
“What other fucking choice did I have?” he shouted back as he got up from the bench and threw his arms out. “You refused to talk to me!”
“Because you broke my heart!” I yelled as tears filled my eyes. “And I knew if I let you explain, I’d fall for you all over again and I couldn’t let that happen. That night I had the panic attack, it was because of you. Because all these feelings for you came out of nowhere and it scared the fuck out of me. Then when I left, you acted like you didn’t care, and that was something I had to deal with alone.”
“But I did care, and I need you to understand why I did what I did.” He took a few steps closer to me. “Laurel, we’re both fucked up. Neither one of us would open our hearts to anyone. Then we were thrown together by some sort of fate and we both kind of got blindsided. You know I’m right because you just admitted your feelings for me sent you into a panic attack. You didn’t come to New York to fall in love and I sure as hell wasn’t looking for anything. But something between us happened and it’s something neither of us could deny, no matter how hard we tried.”
I sighed as I covered my face with my hands and sat back down on the bench.
“I never said I fell in love,” I softly spoke, even though I had.
“Maybe it’s too early for that.” He sat next to me. “But I sure as hell know, without a doubt in my mind, I need you in my life and not long distance either. I need to see you every day. I need to see your smile and hear your laughter. I need to know you’ll be there when I’m having a bad day and all I want to do is wrap my arms around you and hold you tight. This is all new to me, Laurel, and I’m expressing it as best I can. I’ve never had such strong feelings, or any type of feelings for any woman as I do you. Do you remember at the ballet when you said to me that one day I’ll actually love someone, and they’ll hurt me and it’ll break my heart, and when that day comes, you hope I’ll think of you?”
“Yes, I remember.” I pulled my hands away from my face and stared at him.
“Well, it happened, and I did think of you because you’re the one that broke it. It broke my heart when you left New York.”
I was cryin
g on the outside, but on the inside, I was relieved and happy. He did love me, but what kind of person would I be if I just jumped into his arms and forgave everything he did right away. For God sakes, he bought a company so he could move me to New York. Who does that? It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. Was it wrong to go behind my back and not discuss it with me first? Yes. Could I forgive him for that? Eventually. But he had to learn that just because he was a billionaire, he couldn’t get everything he wanted with the snap of his fingers.
I wiped the tears that fell down my face.
“I need time to process all this and to think.”
“I understand.”
“Can I ask you a question? I need you to be very honest with me, even if you think it might hurt me.”
“Of course.”
“How many women have you slept with since I left?”
A small smile crossed his lips as he brought his hand up to my cheek.
“None. The last time I had sex was with you the night before you left.”
“How is that possible?” I narrowed my eye at him.
“Well, let’s just say my hand hurts like a bitch. How about you? How many men have you slept with since you left?”
“None. I was too heartbroken.”
“I’m sorry.” He stroked my cheek and I wanted to rip his clothes off right there and have sex on the bench. “Will you forgive me, Laurel?”
“Like I said, Wyatt, I need time.”
“How much time are you thinking?”
In my head, I was thinking as much time as it took to drive him insane.
“I don’t know yet. If it’s okay, I’d like to go home.”
“Of course.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
George thought I was crazy. Veronica told me it was all about girl power. Eric pretty much hid from me for a couple of days because he was scared, and Craig laughed and said he wasn’t surprised by me keeping Wyatt waiting.
A week had passed since our talk, and we hadn’t seen each other at all. My choice. But to be honest, I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out. Teaching him a lesson was also hurting me. We’d text quite a bit during the day and talk on the phone for at least two hours every night. I finally called Bella and told her that I moved to New York. She was happy and promised not to tell our parents. The same parents whom I hadn’t heard a word from since that night.
It was three o’clock on a Friday and I was standing outside my office talking to George and Eric going over some edit copies when I looked up and saw Wyatt coming down the hallway. My heart started racing, for I had no clue why he was here. He walked up to me, and Eric and George stepped out of the way.
“Wyatt—”
He placed his hand on each side of my face and smashed his mouth against mine.
“You’ve punished me enough,” he said after he broke our kiss.
He leaned down, placed his hands under my legs, and swooped me up in his arms.
“What are you doing?” I smiled.
“Taking you out of here for the weekend. She won’t be in on Monday, Eric,” he spoke as he carried me down the hallway.
“Whatever you say, boss. Have fun, Laurel!”
My arms stayed securely around his neck as our lips kept touching.
“And where are we going?”
“To the ranch, where nobody will disturb us for a few days. It’ll just be me and you, baby.” He smiled.
****
He hovered over me, thrusting in and out like a wild beast while sweat encased our bodies. We were both out of breath, but we didn’t care. We kept going at it like it was our last day on Earth.
“Holy shit!” he exclaimed as he poured himself inside me for the third time and then his body collapsed on mine.
“Holy shit is right. I still feel like I’m orgasming.”
He lifted his head up and smiled as he pressed his lips against mine.
“Good. I want you to feel that way forever.”
“I want to feel this way forever.” I brought my hand up and ran it through his hair.
He rolled off me and onto his back as I snuggled against him. It felt so good to be back in his strong arms again.
“There’s something I feel like I should tell you,” I spoke.
“What is it?”
“The night I left Boston, I flew to Los Angeles to see Craig.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s a good friend of mine and I needed to talk to him.”
“Okay. Did the two of you sleep together? Because you told me that you hadn’t slept with anyone since you left New York.”
Shit. I knew he was going to ask me that.
“I didn’t sleep with him that night. But I did sleep with him before.” I sat up and looked at him.
“Why are you telling me this?” he asked.
“Because I don’t want there to be any secrets between us.”
“I see. Well, what you did before we met is none of my business. It sounds like the two of you are close.”
“We are.” I smiled. “As friends. Actually, he had some relationship issues that I helped him with.”
I explained the whole story to him and he lay there with a smile on his face.
“Why am I not surprised at all by what you told me? But I will admit, I’m a little shocked that you followed him to the cemetery and hid behind other people’s gravestones. I always figured you for a stalker.” He smirked.
I smacked him with the pillow.
“He wouldn’t tell me what was going on, so I had to find out for myself.”
“Well, I’m happy you helped him out. I can’t even imagine what he was going through. This is why I love you. You just do and say what’s on your mind without a care in the world. You’re strong, sassy, beautiful, caring, and you don’t take shit from anyone, including me.” His brow raised.
“Did you just say you loved me?” I smiled as I cocked my head.
“Yes, I did.” He grinned. “But I didn’t say it to you properly, so let me say it again. I love you, Laurel Holloway. I didn’t just fall in love with your beauty, I fell in love with your soul.” He brought his hand up to my cheek and softly stroked it.
Tears filled my eyes and I swallowed hard.
“I love you too, Wyatt Coleman.”
I leaned over and brushed my lips against his as his arm wrapped around my waist.
****
Eight Months Later
Wyatt and I were as happy as two people could be. I honestly didn’t think that people could be that happy. I ended up publishing the articles on Craig and Wyatt for the magazine with a six-month update on both their statuses. The two of them became good friends after we flew out to California to spend some time with him and Maddy. Wyatt was trying to convince him to open up a restaurant in New York, which he was seriously considering. The two of them talked more than Craig and I did.
About three months after I moved to New York, Wyatt suggested that I move in with him. I spent pretty much ninety-nine percent of my time at his place as it was, and the one percent I wasn’t there, or he wasn’t at my place didn’t feel right.
It was a Saturday morning and I awoke to the sound of the shower on. Climbing out of bed, I walked into the bathroom, opened the glass door and stepped inside, wrapping my arms around Wyatt’s neck.
“Good morning.” He smiled as he kissed my lips.
“Good morning. Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because you looked so beautiful and peaceful. You should sleep in. It’s Saturday.”
“I can’t sleep when you’re not in bed with me.” I pouted as my finger lightly ran down his chest.
“I know the feeling.”
He grabbed the bottle of shampoo, poured some into his hand, and worked it through my hair.
“I wish you didn’t have to go in to the office today,” I spoke.
“I know, but I’ll be home early. This deal is almost done. What are you going to do today?”
&nb
sp; “I need to go find a dress for Craig and Maddy’s wedding.”
“Are you going alone?”
“Yes. I don’t want to be gone all day. In and out.” I smiled. “One store only.”
“Good luck with that. Now turn around.” He grinned, and I felt the forceful thrust of his cock inside me.
Wyatt left for the office and I headed out the door and over to Fifth Avenue. Four stores so far and nothing.
“Hello there, sexy.” I smiled as Wyatt’s face appeared on the screen.
“Any luck finding a dress yet?”
“No.” I pouted. “I’m heading over to Chanel now to see if they have something.”
“I’m sure you’ll find something there. I just wanted to say hi. I love you and I miss you. I need to get back to my meeting.”
“I love and miss you too. See you later.”
I approached the Chanel store, and when I stepped inside, a tall gentleman with blonde slicked-back hair approached me.
“Good day, Madame,” he spoke with a French accent. “How can I assist you today?”
“Good day. I’m looking for a dress for a wedding I’m attending next month.”
“Ah, we have a wonderful selection. Follow me. My name is Francois and you are?”
“Laurel Holloway.” I smiled.
He took me to over to the selection of dresses and pulled out what he thought would look best on me. As I was looking the dresses over, I froze when I heard a familiar voice in the distance.
Oh hell no.
I slowly turned around and saw my mother walking my way with another sales associate.
“Francois.” I grabbed his arm. “You need to hide me, now!”
“Excuse me, Madame?”
“No time to explain.” I ducked behind a display, pulling him down with me.
“What is going on?”
“That woman over there is my mother and I can’t let her see me.”
“Oh. Why?” He gave me a confused look.
“Long story, but we haven’t spoken in almost a year. I knew when I moved here I’d run into her eventually.”
“The fitting rooms are right behind us. Come with me and I’ll quickly get you into one.”