SWNOVELS Acts of Atonement: Chapter 4
I TOSS AND TURN but sleep eludes me. My body is still humming from the contact with William earlier today. I have never experienced anything like that before. Sure, I’ve been attracted to other men and my body has done the typical indicative of arousal, but never to the extent of what happened with William. My whole body came alive under his touch, reacting as if it were a live wire and his hands the conductor.
Why? Why does my body want someone so completely off-limits?
Unable to sleep, I decide I need to scratch the itch William has spurred on. Making sure the boys are asleep and Dad is in his room, I begin getting ready for a night out and shoot my friend Cassie a text.
BELLA: You down for the hunt tonight?
Not two seconds later, Cassie replies.
CASS: You know it, biatch!!! Whoop Whoop! ?
I can always count on Cass to be my wing woman. She is no drama and always down for fun. Opening my closet, I survey the options, selecting a tried and true little black dress paired with a slim black clutch and a gorgeous pair of Jimmy Choo stilettos.
Moving on to my hair, I take it down from the sloppy bun that is my signature hairdo, and add in some fresh waves with a styling wand. Spraying the roots with dry shampoo for volume, I fluff and tease until I’ve reached the desired height. The bigger the hair the closer to God. Though I’m pretty sure God wants nothing to do with my activities tonight.
I decide on a smoky eye, soft blush, and glossy nude lips to finish off my look. I’m ready. Ready to get rid of this burning need within me and get over whatever it is I feel for William.
Looking down at my phone, I see Cass texted she was on her way to Uptown and would meet me there in ten. Perfect. I grab my keys, stick them in my clutch, and tiptoe out to the car.
Spotting Cass up at the bar, I make my way toward her, surveying the crowd as I walk.
“Hey, hot chica. I’m so jealous of your hair. I wish I hadn’t chopped mine off.” Cassie reaches out and tugs at the ends of my long black hair.
“Shut it. You know your long bob is hot as fuck.” I roll my eyes and wave my hand toward her face. “And don’t they say blonds have all the fun?”
“Whatever. You know that between the two of us it’s you who’s having more fun.” She swirls her index finger in her martini glass, fishing out the olive. “So, are you going to share what has us out on a Monday night? Kind of early in the week to get a fix, no?”
I call out to the waiter and order a glass of bourbon, neat. “Long story short, an interaction earlier left me wanting, and the man who caused it is off-limits.”
“Innnnteresting. Do I happen to know who this gentleman is, or is that information off-limits too?”
“No, you don’t. It’s my uncle’s best friend, my dad’s business partner, and the father of the little girl I’m nannying.” I take a slow sip from the tumbler placed in front of me and hand the bartender cash, telling him to keep the change.
“Holy shit!” Cassie whisper-shouts. “Talk about cliché, Bella. No judgment here, though.”
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and nod. “I’ve had a crush on him for as long as I can remember, but he’s always been just that—a crush.” Turning toward the room, I scope out the scene once more. “Until today… he hadn’t touched me. I swear there was something there. It was pure electricity when he grabbed me by my hips… but what do I know? I could have just imagined the whole thing.”
“When was the last time you hooked up with someone?” Cassie’s brows furrow inquisitively.
“It’s been about a month. The boys starting summer vacay has really put a kink in my extracurriculars, and not the good kind.” I see a guy sitting in the VIP area, making an obvious point of checking me out. “I think I’ve found tonight’s tribute,” I sing-song. “Don’t look now, but he’s sitting to the right of the VIP section, white button-up, black slacks, and blond hair.”
Cassie waves a cross in front of me, sending me off with her version of a blessing. “Vaya con Dios.”
I throw my head back and laugh, reminding her God wants nothing to do with my clandestine activities.
William
My mind is far away, reliving the memory of having Bella between my hands. The memory of her skin coming alive at the slightest touch leaves me wondering what else I could make her body do. Would she be a responsive lover? Would she taste as sweet as she smelled?
Enough. I’m sure my recent obsession with Bella is nothing more than just having a thirst that needs to be quenched. I haven’t gotten laid in six months. I’m no cheater, and things with Heather stopped being physical when I suspected she was letting someone else take a dip in what was now a communal pool. I’m not a jealous man but there was no way I was risking a venereal disease just because Heather was convenient and I was horny.
My boy Ren snaps his fingers in front of my face. “Earth to William. Where the hell’d you go?”
Slowly blinking my eyes, I turn to face him. “Yes, I’m here, asshole. Just have a lot on my mind.”
“Mmhmm. Well, like I was saying, there is a hot blond at the bar. I’m going to head over if you don’t want to call dibs.”
“She’s all yours. Not my type.”
“Since when are blonds not your type?” Ren rolls his eyes as he steps toward the bar.
Since your hot little niece walked into my home.
Gazing back toward the other side of the VIP area, a flash of long black hair catches my attention. I’ve found my girl for the night, and she is perfect. Wavy black tendrils cascade down to a juicy round peach of an ass—an ass I’d love to bite—long defined legs peek out from under her little black dress—I can picture those legs wrapped around me as I… wait… that is my girl. The very girl I came here to escape.
What in the hell is she doing here? Is that a drink in her hand?
Before I know it, my feet are carrying me toward her. Just as I’m about to reach her, a man who looks to be about my age reaches out and pulls her toward him. As if in slow motion, the man wraps his arms around Bella’s waist and causes her to stumble into his chest.
I. See. Red.
“Get your filthy hands off her.” I growl, barely sounding human.
Immediately, Bella spins around and stares at me with wide eyes and a perfectly pouty mouth shaped in an O of surprise.
“Hey man, she came up to me. Why don’t we let the lady decide who she wants to go home with tonight?” A sleazy smile spreads across the man’s face as he squeezes Bella’s waist tighter.
I’ve seen enough.
Reaching out and taking a fist full of the man’s shirt, I pull him toward me, effectively breaking his hold on Bella. “She’s off-limits and if you value your life, I suggest you turn around and forget you ever saw her.” I push him off me and toward a booth where he sits his ass down, like the coward he is. Grabbing Bella’s hand, I turn us around and steer her toward the rear entrance of the bar, not stopping until we’ve reached the valet.
I hand the attendant my ticket and we wait in silence as he pulls up my SUV. Both of us are clearly in shock, neither of us wanting to be the first to break the silence. As soon as the car pulls up, I move to open her door, closing it once she’s inside and rounding my way to the driver’s side to tip the valet.
Once we’re in the car, we sit in silence. Not knowing what to do, I pull out onto the road and drive. About five minutes into our self-imposed silent stand-off, the floodgates open and words come pouring out of both of us.
“What the hell were you doing there, Bella?” I say at the same time she speaks, “Don’t tell my dad.”
Nervous laughter follows what could only be described as an awkward moment.
“Before I promise you anything, you need to answer my question first. Last time I checked, you were eighteen and clearly not old enough to get into that bar. How in the hell did you get in?”
“Fake ID. Are you going to tell my dad?” Bella looks up at me with those gorgeous gray eyes I can’t say no to.
“I won’t tell him as long as you promise you won’t do this again. How long have you been doing this, and what were you hoping to accomplish?” I pull over into the parking lot behind Buzz Brews, an all-night diner.
“That’s two questions.” She raises an eyebrow and smirks. “I’ve been doing it for a little over a year. What were you looking to accomplish tonight?”
“You smell like you bathed in whiskey.” I redirect her last question, not wanting to answer the real reason I was there tonight.
“I spilled my drink on myself when you pulled that guy off of me. It’s my drink of choice, and nice try but you can’t change the subject. You still haven’t answered my question and now you owe me two. Why were you at the bar and where is Harper?”
“I was looking for something you can’t offer, and therefore shouldn’t concern yourself with.”
Bella audibly sucks in a shallow breath upon hearing my words, but I continue, needing to make this invisible line that much clearer.
“Harper is with Hudson and his girlfriend. They stopped by after you left and offered to babysit.” I chuckle, remembering how Hudson awkwardly held Harper. “Angie, Hudson’s girlfriend, has baby fever. She thinks that spending time around Harper might make him see the light. Besides, who am I to deny free childcare with someone I trust.”
“That was nice of them.” Her sweet smile slowly transforms into a wicked one, making those perfect plump lips all the more tempting. “How funny… I was also there for something you can’t offer and therefore shouldn’t concern yourself with. Now that we’ve cleared that up, we can both go our separate ways.”
She starts to open the car door, but I grab her wrist and pull her toward me. I must have pulled harder than I thought because suddenly she’s up against me, both palms splayed across my chest. My gaze drops to where her body meets mine, watching her hands rise and fall in sync to the beat of my desire. I wrap my arms around her and notice Bella’s half-lidded eyes are searching mine, for what, I don’t know. Perhaps the answer to whatever the hell it is we’re doing here.
As if she’s heard my thoughts, she whispers, “What are we doing?”
I raise one hand, cupping the back of her neck and bring her face closer to mine. Light shines through the window, illuminating her face and causing her eyes to turn the most mesmerizing shade of silver—a gray so pale it resembles the moon’s surface. Absolutely stunning. My eyes flicker back and forth between the two magical orbs and I lean in a fraction closer, hovering my lips over hers as I whisper, “What we shouldn’t…”
Mustering every ounce of willpower I possess, I breathe her in one last time and gently push her back into her seat. Reaching over her warm little body, I pull on her seatbelt and click it into place. “I’m taking you home, where you should be at this hour of night,” Bella begins to protest but before she can say anything I brush the pad of my thumb across her lips and continue, “Don’t worry about your car. Someone from the team will be picking it up.”
Bella nods in agreement while I quickly place both hands on the steering wheel in an attempt to keep them off of her. Having her this close and alone is almost too much to bear and having my hands anywhere near her is asking for trouble.
Willing my cock to stand down, I shift my car out of park and pull back onto the road. It’s time to take little miss temptation home.