Can't Take My Eyes Off You, page 23
He’s leaning into me, his hands on my hips, his face inches from mine as he stares at me. Hesitantly, I reach up, rest my hands on either side of his neck then press my lips to his. He gasps like he didn’t expect it, then kisses me back like a soldier home from war. God, I missed him. He guides my legs around his waist, pulling me closer. The power plant from the karaoke bar just flipped back on. Full power. Sweet Lord, I wanna do the hell out of him right now. And I can. I’m suddenly single. He’s single. Sure, I’ve got a building full of monsters downstairs, but the one kissing me desperately seems to have come to his senses. I’ve never seen him so present. No phone. No distractions. Just him and me, like he’s suddenly grown up and knows what he wants. Me. Finally.
His fingers in my hair send shivers down my spine, practically knocking the breath right out of me. I haven’t kissed him in a long time, and it feels nothing like I remember. It’s… better? Like electricity is indeed surging through me to him. A moan leaves my lips, and he takes this as his cue to move down my neck, kissing softly to my collarbone then back to my ear.
‘Oh my God, please just do me,’ I say.
He laughs, lifting me from the counter, his hands on my ass and mine around his neck. He never removes his lips from mine, just carries me backward towards my room, ramming me into the door frame in our anxiousness to get there.
‘Oh, shit,’ he says with a laugh, touching the back of my head. ‘You alright?’
‘Very, very alright,’ I say.
‘Maybe we should do this with our feet on the floor,’ he suggests, setting me down, then shoving me against the door, kissing me so hard I’m weak in the knees.
He pulls away, suddenly glancing into my room. ‘Am I allowed in here again? I don’t want to ruin the demon-purging séance you mentioned.’
I giggle, shoving him onto my bed. ‘I’ll allow it.’
‘Whoa,’ he says, scooting back and extending a hand for me. ‘You’re sure you want to do this now? ’Cause if we have sex, I’m going to be under the impression that we’re getting back together. That’s why I’m here, Berkley. To be your boyfriend again. You sure you don’t want to torment me a touch longer? I’m sure I deserve it.’
‘I’m sure,’ I say, crawling over him and straddling his hips. I grind my pelvis into his, watching him close his eyes, letting out a groan he can’t contain, his hands on my hips immediately. I like being able to do this to him. I lean down, kissing his neck to his jawline before looking him right in the eye. ‘This is the most important makeup sex you’ll ever have and you’ve got a lot to apologize for.’
‘Yes, I do,’ he says. ‘I promise you will not be disappointed.’
And I’m not. No after-show solo bathroom trips needed – he just sends me to heaven and back again. Multiple times.
It’s the slamming of my front door that wakes us up the next morning.
‘What is it?’ Will sits up suddenly, practically yelling the words as he throws an arm over me, probably to protect me from whatever the intrusion is but instead nearly throwing me from the bed in the process.
‘Ow,’ we both groan.
‘Oh, babe.’ He reaches for me.
‘Why “ow” for you? What’s wrong?’
He shakes his head. ‘It’s nothing. Just my back. Having sex all night kind of… fucked my back,’ he says, waggling his eyebrows. ‘I knew partway through and soldiered on. Totally worth it.’
‘You two did not!’ Olivia hollers from my bedroom doorway.
‘Shit,’ I moan. ‘My mom caught us.’
‘Olivia, get the hell outta here,’ Will says, tossing a pillow in her direction with a laugh. ‘You two have zero boundaries.’
‘You seduced him? On night two!? You temptress!’
‘Temptress?’ I ask. ‘You’ve been spending way too much time with Gunner.’
They aren’t dating. They’re flirting. Obnoxiously so, for far too long. Olivia even joined one of his reading groups, so now they speak a secret fantasy/sci-fi language I don’t. I will get them together, if only so Liv will stop having larger-than-needed reactions to whatever this is that Will and I’ve got going on. The heart wants what it wants; who am I to tell it no?
‘I didn’t seduce him. It just happened.’
‘Right…’ she says, with disbelief. ‘I have so many follow-up questions that we’ll get to later. For now, I’d like to start with the most pressing one. Why is our store full of Adlers?’
‘Ugh,’ I groan, dropping back against my headboard. ‘I forgot about them.’ My gaze snaps to Will. ‘Oh. My. God. Do you think they heard us?’
He laughs. ‘Without a doubt, but probably less than they heard you get off for Alex a few hours prior.’
‘Pardon me?’ Olivia asks with a ridiculous British accent.
‘Liv…’ I pull my sheets across my chest tightly, turning towards her as I cross my legs beneath me. Will’s now sprawled out in front of me, his hand on my thigh under the blankets and even that send shivers through me. I explain the situation with Alex. Every humiliating detail. A smile grows on Olivia’s face as I speak, her eyes darting to Will, who nods to confirm.
‘So then yesterday was a real bad day for you,’ she says before laughing.
‘Real bad, so I turned to my ex,’ I say, with a guilty grin.
But I don’t want him to be my ex anymore. I never actually did, but last night decided it. And it’s not the sex. It’s him. The way he looks at me. The way he touches me. I see my Will in there that I’ve spent so long missing and he’s all I want, still.
‘I don’t regret anything,’ I say.
Will has that stupid adorably crooked grin on his face with my words. He sits up, kissing my shoulder, holding his lips there for a moment, glancing at me with only his eyes. That look is what I’m talking about. I haven’t seen this in so long.
‘The twat-waffles downstairs – they’re Berkley’s prisoners,’ he says to Olivia.
‘You kidnapped them? I assumed they fluttered in from the underworld as demons do.’ She laughs at her own joke. ‘What am I supposed to do with them? It’s like a zoo down there. They’re asking me to feed them and you know I’m not an animal person. I don’t even like chasing Pokémon. Why are they here and asking me for food?’
‘Because they’re suddenly broke,’ Will says, now fishing his underwear from the floor with his foot and flawlessly pulling them on without ever flashing either of us. Liv and I exchange curious glances, then watch him nod like he’s proud of this feat. ‘That’s a little trick I eventually learned after being on television for years.’ He waggles his eyebrows, grabs the rest of his clothing from my floor, and heads out to the living room.
Olivia follows, drilling him about his family as I put on some clothing while she’s distracted. Obviously him being half-naked on TV for years has her a little too comfortable fighting with him while he’s in his underwear. They’ve known one another forever but it’s still a sight to see.
‘How do you go from multi-millionaire to broke overnight?’ she asks, as I walk into the front room now clothed.
‘By fucking over the IRS,’ Will says. ‘I’ll take care of them. I need to go take a shower and change. I’ll bring them with me.’
‘No!’ I blurt, crossing the room to him as he pulls on his jeans. ‘They need to think you’re broke. If you waltz them into Hotel Deluxe, they’re not leaving until you’ve bought the place for them. Stay in character. You’re broke.’ I walk to my purse, pulling out some cash. ‘You’re paying for breakfast with the cash Berkley gave you, got it?’ I coach him.
‘Why would you pay?’ Liv asks.
‘We’ve convinced his parents that Will is broke too.’
She stands before us, a blank stare on her face. ‘Just kick them all out. This is our store, no Adlers allowed, remember?’
I heave a sigh. ‘Yeah, so, remember Frank calling to announce he’s selling the store?’
‘Yes…’ Olivia says curiously.
‘It sold,’ I say nervously. ‘To Will.’
‘A freaking Adler got involved in our business?’ she snaps, glaring at Will as he pulls his shirt over his head.
‘His family bid against him hoping to put us out of business.’
She seethes. ‘Estúpidos jodidos Adlers.’
‘I understood two words of that and I agree,’ Will says. ‘Don’t worry, everything is going in Berkley’s name. This is you girls’ store, not mine.’
‘And I’m just supposed to accept that my livelihood is now owned by an Adler?’
Will shrugs. ‘If Berkley forgives me, isn’t it best friend law or something that you have to as well?’
Liv rolls her eyes, a sly smile on her face. ‘Isn’t it boyfriend law that you don’t continually act like a moron?’
He sits down on the couch, putting on his shoes. ‘So, we’re at war?’
‘You ran away like a coward while I was the one to make sure she was alright through all this while you lived your life as a professional party boy whose longtime girlfriend waited in the wings for you to pull your head from your ass. So, until I see you wavin’ a white flag, yes, we’re at war.’
Will stands from the couch, nodding his head until he finally sighs, shoving his hands in his pockets as he approaches her.
‘You’re absolutely right. Thank you for picking up where I failed. I let down all my real friends for people who made me miserable because I thought it would get me somewhere in life. Turned out that place was heartbreak island and rehab. I promise, Liv, I’m not here just to make up with Berkley. There’s you, Bryce, Bianca and even Gunner. I’m sorry I was a dick.’
She wants to be pissed; I can see it on her face. ‘Damn it, he is charming isn’t he?’ she says to me. ‘But I’m watching you, Adler.’ She motions from her eyes to his. ‘Consider yourself on probation.’
‘Deal,’ he says, glancing back at me. ‘I’m gonna go. Change. Shower. Grab something for breakfast I know they won’t enjoy, maybe something partially frozen?’ he suggests.
There’s my Will. ‘That’s perfect!’
‘We’ll have a chat with them when I get back and get them settled into their new positions. Liv, you can handle the store for a few today while we deal with this, right?’
‘That depends,’ she says.
‘On what?’ he asks.
‘I have some questions that need answering first.’
Of course she does.
Will sits on the edge of the couch next to me like we’re back in the principal’s office in trouble and headed to detention together. Which has previously happened more times than either of us would like to admit.
‘Does the night of love-making mean you’re back together?’
I grimace. ‘You know I hate that word.’
‘Answer the question.’
Will and I exchange a glance. ‘You said no last time I asked but I’m not too proud to ask again. Go on a date with me?’ he asks me, right in front of Olivia.
‘What?’
‘That plan I mentioned, it begins with a start-over date. So, please, go on a date with me tonight?’
Like I’m going to say no. ‘Um – sure. Let’s start over,’ I say.
He grins, the tiny lines at the edges of his lips appearing as he rests a hand on the side of my neck, sliding his thumb down my jawline, planting a kiss on my lips.
‘You two do realize I’m still here, right?’ Liv asks.
He pulls away, heading towards my room. ‘I’ll be back. Stay away from the animals, take a shower, whatever; I’ll be back in an hour at most.’ He grabs the things he offloaded from his pockets in my room. ‘Liv, you want anything?’ he says on his way to the front door.
‘A gift certificate to the BMW dealership? Preferably one with five digits ahead of the decimal,’ she says with an actual straight face.
‘Ha!’ He laughs. As he exits he does his thing, pointing to his heart then to me, causing me to swoon like it always did.
‘Look at you!’ Olivia says as soon as the door clicks closed. ‘You’re already smitten with him. I can’t believe you caved so soon.’
‘I didn’t cave. I just…’ I sigh. ‘I tried to hate him, and I couldn’t. I don’t know how to explain it. With him here, it’s like I can breathe again.’
‘You’re just going to trust him?’
‘No,’ I say quickly. ‘There is one thing, though.’
‘What?’
‘I feel a little insecure. Like at any moment, he’ll just be gone. I’ll wake up, and this will all be a stupid dream pining for what I can’t have.’
‘Insecure?!’ She balks. ‘You bagged Alex Donovan and Will Adler. You’re like the queen of boning famous men of Portland.’
‘It’s felt a little more flaw than skill, but here we are.’
‘Well, nothing is without flaws. We’re human.’
I stand from the couch, hugging her around the neck tightly. ‘You are the best friend ever, you know that?’ I ask. ‘I promise, Liv, I’m being careful.’
31
WILL
We’re sitting in Berkley’s apartment because the store is open and busy already. I have a feeling this might get loud. She thought this place needed an exorcism before? Ha!
I bought the breakfast I knew my family would hate, but Berkley would love. McDonald’s pancake platters. Fake processed sausage patties, pressed deep-fried potatoes, warmed frozen pancakes, and so much butter and syrup you could save some for later.
My parents sit uncomfortably at the bar while Mike is on Berkley’s couch, his eyes on the television.
‘How’d you guys sleep?’ I ask. ‘I know I slept great. Better than I have in years.’
‘You slept? ’Cause had it been quieter, maybe I could have,’ Mike says, shooting both Berkley and I the stink-eye.
I laugh. ‘Not even a little bit sorry.’
‘Please, Mike,’ Berkley says. ‘You’re the biggest sleaze here; no doubt you recorded it. Maybe tonight you put in headphones?’
She’s thinking about tonight? Good to know I didn’t disappoint her with my performance and she wants a repeat. The last thing I wanted was the speech Alex got.
‘I take it you two are back together? You can’t seem to keep your eyes off each other,’ Mom says.
That seems like a sweet statement, unless you factor in the horrified face she said it with.
‘Um…’ Berkley says the word that started the implosion of my world, a flash of regret on her face.
‘There’s a lot I need to fix before we label it, but yeah, we’re getting there.’ I take the heat, seeing how uncomfortable she is to admit the thing my parents have fought against for years.
‘We don’t care,’ Dad says flatly. ‘You’ve let her torture us for a night; now cut the crap and loan us some money.’
My smile fades as my gaze moves to my father. I hate that this man can turn me into an insecure little boy so easily. I don’t get it. Is he disappointed I exist or that I’m not a carbon copy of him?
‘Don’t be a dick to him,’ Berkley snaps before I can speak. ‘If you want to treat him like shit in your home – which is really dick-ish by the way – go ahead. But you’re in our home now, and you will not disrespect him while you’re here.’
Dad raises his eyebrows. ‘Our home?’
Of course he catches it. I caught it. I glance over at her. ‘Can you guys give us a second?’ I ask, motioning for her to follow me to her room. I can’t just blow by this. I need to know what she meant.
She walks into her room behind me, her plate of food still in her hand, and she looks nervous. I close the door, turning to her slowly.
‘Our home? You haven’t said that since—’
‘Since we called it that during the remodel, before I knew Royals was a thing? It sort of just slipped out. I wasn’t sure you’d even notice it.’
I nod. ‘I might not have if it hadn’t stood out like a tiger in a grocery store. Berx, this is all I ever wanted. Since the day I made the decision to do the stupid show I’ve been searching for home, and this is the only place that makes me feel like I’ve found it.’
‘Really?’ she asks, like she didn’t already know.
‘Really.’
She blows out a relieved breath. ‘Good. Because all I could think about last night was us being back together “officially” and what that could mean. Ya know? You did just buy the place, so technically, it’s all yours.’
‘It’s all ours, Berx. I want to do this with you. I used to be good at the bookstore gig. I’ve got a way with words,’ I remind her. ‘I’m sure I could fall back into it. Let’s do this, finally.’
She laughs nervously, shoving a forkful of pancakes into her mouth, probably hoping to give herself time to think.
‘Are you seriously not thinking what I’m thinking?’
She swallows hard. ‘I am,’ she says. ‘But then I look back and you’ve been back two days, Will. Two days and I’ve dumped my sort of “boyfriend”, slept with you, and now your entire family is living here. This isn’t exactly how I expected this to all go down. Isn’t this too fast after all we’ve been through? Liv thinks I should torture you for a while.’
Of course she does. ‘You should torment me. But us living together will only make that easier. You can flush while I shower. Dye all my whites pink. Control the remote. Make me do the dishes. Buy me an assless chaps butler uniform and I’ll be at your beck and call with a smile on my face.’ I can feel the goofy grin on my face as I suggest ways for her to torment me.
‘You’d like that last one way too much; no waiting would be done and definitely no butlering…’ She laughs.
‘We’ve been together off and on for ten years. We were barely adults when we broke up. Now we’re actual grown-ups in our mid-twenties and we can do anything we want. Fuck what anyone else things. My parents included. The only people we need to make happy are us. Let’s do this, Berx. Let’s live the life we planned so long ago.’
‘You’d be moving in as my boyfriend?’
As her boyfriend. Final-fucking-ly. Part of me never thought this would happen. I could give her the ring right now, ask her to be my wife as opposed to my girlfriend and it’d probably go over exactly as I’d hoped. But she deserves more than a last-minute proposal in her bedroom with my family in the next room.
