After I climbed into bed, I decided I would give Lucas another chance. I told myself it was time to move forward, even if my heart wasn’t entirely ready to let go of the past.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand.
I reached for it, expecting it to be Lucas again.
Will: Natalie…
What the hell? Every time I eventhoughtabout moving on, he found a way to reappear, crashing into my carefully constructed plans and scattering them like leaves in the wind.
I stared at the screen, debating whether to ignore it, to be strong and finally put my phone away.
But I wasn’t strong when it came to Will.
Natalie: Yes…
Will: Can I come over?
My heart and body screamedYES!My head whisperedno.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and let my heart win.
Natalie: Okay.
Twenty minutes later, Will was at my door.
I opened it, expecting…well, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. But it wasn’t this.
Will looked furious and frustrated, his jaw tight, his hands running repeatedly through his hair as he paced in the entryway.
“Why don’t you come sit down?” I offered softly, unsure of his mood.
“I don’t want to sit,” he snapped, still pacing. “I don’t even know why I’m here. I left a gorgeous woman in red lingerie because all I can think about isyou.”
My stomach dropped at his words. I didn’t know what to focus on, his confession or the image of Blake getting ready to seduce him.
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Will.”
“You drive me crazy,” he said, his voice rising. “I have this amazing woman who wants all of it with me.”
“Then be with her!” I shouted, the frustration bubbling up inside me.
“She isn’t you,” he said, his tone softening, as if the weight of those words alone was enough to undo him.
Before I could respond, he crossed the space between us. His hand reached out, brushing my hair away from my face, his thumb lightly grazing my cheekbone. He tilted my chin up and touched the tip of my nose, almost reverently.
Then he pulled me into a kiss.
It was deep, consuming, and filled with the kind of passion that made the world blur around us. I may have blacked out for a moment, lost in the sheer intensity of it.
When I pulled back, breathless, I didn’t say anything. Instead, I took his hand and led him upstairs to my room.
I tugged Will toward the bed and eased him down, stepping between his legs so we were eye to eye. The air was thick, charged, heavy with unspoken emotions and raw desire.
He leaned back slightly, he rested his hands on my hips steadying me as I reached out, lightly brushing my fingers along his jawline. His stubble was rough under my fingertips, a stark contrast to the tenderness in his gaze.
I leaned in, pressing a featherlight kiss to his cheek, then his ear, and finally his lips.
For a moment, his kiss was unhurried, savoring, each brush of his mouth deliberate, as though he wanted to memorize the taste of me. Then the tempo shifted, his hands slid around my waist, firm and insistent, tugging me closer until I was on his lap straddling him.
