Page 20 of Had To Be You

But this woman has gotten under my skin with her smart mouth and sexy curves. The playful banter and innuendo between us have become an obsession. It’s the sexiest form of foreplay I’ve ever experienced. It makes it hard, pun intended, not to think about what she’d be like in bed. Is she as wild as I think she might be? Would she like it fast and hard or slow and soft? I hate that I want her so badly.

Threading my hands through my hair, I ask myself why I’m still thinking about her when I have a million other things I need to be working on. Instead, I’m wondering where she is and what she’s doing. Is she making somebody smile with her crazy jokes, is she thinking of me? I resolve to push all thoughts of Ellie out of my mind. I have a long day ahead of me and I need to get some work done.

I try to return my attention to the case on the desk in front of me. It’s just one of many. I currently have more clients than I can handle, and my workload just keeps on piling up. Straightening in my chair, I open the file. A junior assistant catches the corner of my eye passing my door, nodding her head in hello. Her long brown hair is down and about the same length as Ellie’s. My thoughts wander to Ellie on my dining table looking hot as fuck, to the feel of her soft hair running through my fingers. Already it seems like it was a futile attempt to concentrate on the work I should be doing. Just fucking great.

Shaking memories once again from my mind, I get to work.

I can do this.

I can go an afternoon without thinking about Ellie.

I hope.

* * *

It’s seven o’clock when I pull up in front of my parents’ house, cut the engine and head towards their front door. I open the door to the 10,000 square foot estate I grew up in, greeted by the sounds of chatter coming from inside. I recognize the voices - Jules, Olivia, Olivia’s sister Kate. And Ellie. WTF.

I walk through the foyer and head for the kitchen at the back of the house where my mom typically spends most of her time. Sunlight streams through the wall of glass windows, and there’s country music playing lightly through the surround sound speakers. It’s Mom’s new favorite genre of music, thanks to my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Olivia.

My mother greets me in the hallway with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, always happy when one of her kids comes over to visit. “Hey, honey. Your dad told me you might stop by tonight. How’s my baby?”

“I’m good, Mom. What’s going on in there?” I nod in the direction of the laughter coming from the back of the house.

“The girls are in the kitchen. They met Olivia here, and I talked them into staying for a drink before they head out on the town. You should go say hello. Parker is here too.”

I nod. No, this isn’t going to be awkward at all. I’ve thought about Ellie all damn day long, but I haven’t tried to contact her. Instead, I fantasized about all the ways I would take her if I ever got another chance, my personal favorite being the on-the-kitchen-counter scenario. Up-against-a-wall is a close second. On-my-lap-in-the-backseat-of-my-Porsche also made it into the highlight reel spinning through my mind today.

“Did you eat? Knowing you, you worked right though dinner. Am I right?” My mom cocks her head to the side, her eyes meeting mine. Smiling, I shake my head, both in answer to her question and to shake the dirty thoughts from my mind.

“I ate, but nothing as good as your cooking. I’ll eat whatever you’re offering.”

“Good.” She pats my cheek, then turns towards the kitchen. I follow behind. “Liam’s here,” she announces to the room. The four girls are perched around the large marble island in the center of the kitchen, drinking wine and nibbling on cheese and olives from a charcuterie board.

Olivia slips off her stool and wraps her arms around me in a hug. I’ve learned over the last year that Olivia is a hugger and although I’m not one for touchy-feely stuff, I like her too much to not return the embrace. There’s no doubt my brother found “the one” in Olivia and seeing them so happy has made me start to wonder if there might one day be room for a relationship in my life too. Jules doesn’t get up, but mumbles a hello through a mouthful of finger food, while Kate smiles and tosses a hello my way. And Ellie, well, she avoids eye contact all together. Her lips are curved in an awkward smile, and she seems pensive. Or maybe just annoyed? I can’t read her expression, and it frustrates the fuck out of me. This is a woman who typically wears her emotions on her sleeve, but right now I can’t tell what she’s thinking. Her big blue eyes drift around the room, looking at nothing in particular. Definitely not looking at me, which I think is the point.

“Have a seat, honey,” Mom says, standing in front of the stove, preparing me a plate of something that smells of garlic. “I made homemade sauce this morning. You’re in luck.”

I take a seat on a barstool at the opposite end of the island from the girls, and my mom hands me a beer and slides a bowl of steaming hot pasta on the counter in front of me. It’s Bolognese, and nobody makes a sauce like my mom. I twist the noodles around my fork and blow before taking a heaping bite. Meanwhile, the girls are talking about The Bachelor and who they decided is the king of last night’s episode. Their conversation makes absolutely no sense to me, but they seem totally engrossed in it. They all burst out in laughter at something Ellie said, but it’s her laugh that fills the room. It’s her smile that makes me never want to tear my eyes off of her.

I watch her. I can’t look away. Everything about Ellie is a massive turn-on. She feels like danger, like lust. I take a long pull of my beer and try to clear my head. I can be in a room with Ellie Reeves and control myself.

“Where’s Parks?” I ask, winding my fork thorough my pasta.

“He’s watching football with Dad in the living room,” Jules answers. I nod, my mouth too full to respond. It’s official: My mom makes the best damn sauce on the planet.

“Speaking of Parker,” Olivia says through a playful grin. “I should quickly go say goodbye to him. We should probably get going, hey girls?”

“Yes, we should. We all need dates for the wedding, and we aren’t going to find them here in Mrs. B’s kitchen,” Kate says. That is enough to get me to stop eating, my fork hovering in mid-air over the bowl. A jolt of jealousy pounds its way through my chest. I can feel my mom’s stare burning a hole through the side of my face, but I refuse to meet her eyes. I steady my gaze into the pasta dish, intent on looking anywhere but in Ellie’s direction. I feel like a ticking time bomb. We haven’t talked about what happened yesterday or where things between us stand. And I know that she’s not mine and I’d be a dick to tell her what she can and can’t do. But the thought of someone else with Ellie? I’m not okay with it. Not at all.

The girls get up from their stools and make their way to the door. Ellie rounds the edge of the island giving me, for the first time, a full view of her outfit. She’s wearing fitted jeans and a low-cut, tight white sleeveless top. There is a sliver of her tanned, toned stomach on display. I have a perfect view of her cleavage: not too much, but just enough to make me wonder what she’s wearing under that fabric. Is it the bright pink bra I saw yesterday? Shit, I’m practically drooling as I look at her because I’m a man, and Jesus… tits.

She lifts her goddess eyes to meet mine for a split second before looking away. That’s all I can take. I’m out of my chair so fast, the motion catches her eye. I mouth the words “we need to talk” and when her eyes go wide, I add, “now” so she knows I’m dead serious. She tells the girls she needs to quickly use the washroom and she’ll meet them outside. Her voice raspy, but convincing.

She hurries down the hall and when everyone else is out of the room, I follow close behind her. What the hell am I doing? I should be keeping her at arm’s length but instead I’m chasing her down. She stops in front of the washroom at the far end of the hall, turns, and shoots me a confused look. Lowering my voice, I come right out and say it.

“Are we really not going to talk about this? Are we just going to fucking pretend nothing ever happened?” The air is so hot between us it crackles. A riot that feels impossible to quiet rages in my chest. I want to run my fingers over the exposed skin above her jeans. Drag my tongue down the dip of her cleavage. I want her so badly right now I think I might actually die.

“Do we really need to do this now? Jesus, Liam. We are in your parents’ home and I’m leaving right now to go out with your sister and your sister-in-law,” she hisses, keeping her voice quiet. “Now is not the time.”

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