Breathless (Less Is More Book 1) Read online

  “Seriously?” I ask.

  “What?” he says.

  “That guy is an idiot.”

  “What he lacks upstairs he more than makes up for downstairs. Truly, I think he was designed with the intention of having sex and that’s it.” Ethan stands up and wipes crumbs off his pants.

  “Sister, dear,” he says, kissing Hadley on the head.

  “So,” Hadley says, looking me in the eyes.

  “What?” I ask.

  “You seem different the past few days. Since you met Will, I mean.”

  “Is that good or bad?”

  “Good,” she says, smiling. “You’re smiling more at least.”

  “I like him,” I say. “I mean, I know I haven’t known him for very long, but I’m comfortable with him already I guess.”

  “And he feels the same way?”

  “I don’t know,” I say, laughing. “I assume since he is still talking to me.”

  “When can I meet him?” she says, tilting her head.

  “I don’t know.”

  “How about tomorrow night?” she says. “I don’t have a lot of work to catch up on so I’m completely free.”

  “I’ll ask him,” I say, pulling out my phone, “but just you. I don’t want to run him off. Plus it’s a little early in general for him to meet anyone. I now nothing about him myself yet.”

  “I can’t fucking wait!” she says and I shake my head at her.

  ***

  “Running a little late are we?” Andrew says as I sit my bag down behind my chair in the office.

  “I told you yesterday I would be coming in later.”

  I’m already annoyed with him and it isn’t even lunch yet.

  “I know,” he says, laughing. “I’m just messing with you. I have a client coming in later today to discuss possibly setting up another office on the west coast. It looks to run smoothly as long as we can find someone to go over and start the process. I’m thinking Amanda would be a good lead over there. What do you think?”

  “I think whoever you feel would be best equipped to run a whole new department on the opposite side of the country should probably have a good bit of experience and not still eat lunchables everyday at lunch.” He smirks and leans against the doorway. “Have you considered going over yourself?”

  “I agree that I would be the best one to go over.”

  Not what I meant at all, but all right.

  “I couldn’t imagine leaving everything here in the hands of someone else, though,” he says. “Honestly, I don’t know what this building would do with out me.” He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.

  “Something else you need?” I say, raising my eyebrows.

  He shakes his head no and walks out of the office. He stops at Amanda’s desk on his way back to his. The only reason he thinks she is a good fit is because he knows his dick is a good fit inside her pussy. Not that I want to go anyway, but if Andrew would take it upon himself to go, that would let the opportunity arise for me to handle things here.

  Andrew would never allow that, though. He knows I’m good at what I do and that I should be where he is.

  I look down from my computer screen to see my phone lit up.

  I’d love to have dinner with you guys. What time?

  Will’s use of a smiley face makes me smile and all the annoyance from Andrew quickly fades away.

  8? I’ll let you know where at once I talk to Hadley.

  OK. Maybe we can finish that kiss after?

  The memory pops into my head from last night. His tongue was practically down my throat and then the car alarm went off.

  I feel my pants tighten in the crotch and try to focus on something else.

  Can’t wait.

  The meeting with the client doesn’t go as Andrew had planned so the rest of the afternoon he is in a shitty mood which only worsens my mood. Having such disdain for a human being makes me feel like a terrible person myself, but I can’t help it; Andrew is the worst.

  I focus on the rest of my work and think about seeing Will again. My negative thoughts start to vanish and positive ones of Will and Will’s mouth take over.

  ***

  “So, Elliot told me you are a teacher?” Hadley says to Will, as she hands her menu to the waiter.

  Will is wearing a gray button down with an even darker shade of gray pants. The top two buttons are open and when he reaches over to grab his drink, I can make out little tufts of chest hair protruding from the opening.

  “Yeah,” he says, smiling. “I used to teach at the university itself, but they needed a department head at the off branch outside of the city, so I transferred over.”

  “I don’t know how you guys do it,” she says. “You’re basically the back-bone of the country and you don’t get paid nearly enough.”

  “Well the good ones don’t usually do it for the paycheck. But I mean it’s just like you and your career. You risk your life everyday and the pay isn’t the best.”

  “Not about the paycheck,” she says, laughing. “Knowing I’m helping people makes up for it I guess.”

  “How touching,” I say, resting my head on my hand.

  “Elliot wouldn’t understand,” she says. “He just gets paid to sit around and read books all day.”

  “And I’m damn good at it if I do say so myself.”

  Will’s grin grows and his beautiful smile makes my heart skip a beat. For a second, I get lost in his smile and then my gaze focuses on Hadley’s who is staring right through me practically with glee.

  “Here you guys go,” the waiter says, as he sets down our drinks. “Is there anything else I can get you for now?”

  “We’re good, thanks,” Will says, smiling up at him and I see the guy blush a little. Will’s looks and charm would make even the straightest man do a double take.

  Hadley notices me gazing at Will again and clears her throat. I glare at her.

  “Any plans for the weekend, Will?”

  “Yeah, actually,” he says back at her. “I’m flying down to South Carolina for a work thing Friday morning. I was actually going to see if Elliot wanted to go with me.”

  I instantly feel elated.

  “Like the beach?” I ask.

  “Yeah,” he says, laughing. “We would fly back Sunday night and I’m only busy Saturday during the beginning of the day, so we would have all weekend to do whatever. It’s all paid for by the university except for food and stuff.”

  “That sounds like a great little vacation, El,” Hadley says with a wink.

  “It does,” I say. “I’d love to go. I should be able to get Friday off. Andrew doesn’t want me there anyway.”

  “Good,” he says. “I have a crap ton of miles so don’t worry about the flight.”

  “You don’t have to—“

  “Don’t worry about it,” he says, shaking his head. “You can just pay me back with your company.”

  My mind wanders to us sitting on the beach and his bottom lip in my mouth. There’s no one around, so we are undressed and I make my way from his lips to his stomach and finally to his cock. I can feel it throbbing as my tongue touches the tip and he lets out a soft moan.

  “Elliot,” I hear Hadley say, as she brings me out of my fantasy.

  “Yeah,” I say, switching positions in my seat and I instantly turn red. Will looks at me with curious eyes and I smile at him. “What were you saying?”

  “I was telling Will about your freshman year when you and Ethan ended up in that basement at that gas station.”

  “That was awful,” I say.

  “How does that even happen?” Will asks, laughing.

  “Too much alcohol,” I say.

  “You puked all over my car that night. I hadn’t met you yet. It was your guys’ first weekend there.”

  “And the last weekend I ever blacked out again.”

  “Oh come on,” Will says. “That’s the last time you ever partied? Your first weekend of your freshman year?”

  He cr
osses his arms and tilts his head to the side, smiling.

  “I swear,” I say, putting my hands out in front of my chest.

  “It really is,” Hadley says, laughing. “From there on out it was babysitting Ethan which surprised me. I figured they’d both be a handful, but Elliot wasn’t like my brother thank God.”

  “How is Ethan by the way?” Will asks me, taking a drink of his water.

  I throw at quick glance at Hadley.

  “He’s good,” I say. “He just had a rough night all together, but he’s good.”

  “My brother doesn’t tend to make the best decisions in life,” Hadley says. “But he’s a good guy. He just needs a good guy to rein him in and keep him in check.”

  She puts her arms on the table and says, “You don’t have a gay brother by chance, do you?”

  “No,” Will says, laughing. “Sadly not.”

  Our food arrives and it’s delicious. Like she always does, Hadley beats her fork into one of my cheese-filled raviolis and moans as it slides down her gullet.

  “I’m glad you like it,” I say, shaking my head.

  “I never get the right thing when we come here. These damn Italian restaurants and their thousands of ways to cook a noodle.”

  “You always enjoy what I get,” I say. “A sane person would just get that the next time.”

  “But then I can’t try something else, Elliot. What if I like this new thing even more, but because I didn’t try the new thing, I miss out?”

  “You guys are cute,” Will says, taking a bite of his Alfredo. “This is delicious by the way.”

  “Yeah,” Hadley says, moving her fork around her plate. “Elliot got that a couple weekends ago and I loved it.”

  Will looks at me with a smile and I start laughing.

  “Two good places in a row, Elliot,” Will says. “What’s your secret?”

  “I’m trying really hard to impress you.”

  “Oh whatever,” he says, laughing.

  “My mom always said the quickest way to a man’s heart was through his stomach,” I say, resting my chin on my hands.

  “Your mom also has been divorced four times,” Hadley says.

  “Yeah,” I say, “but she is a damn good cook.”

  “That she is,” Hadley nods. “I miss your mom. She needs to come to the city so we can go dancing again.”

  “That was a ridiculous night,” I say, laughing. “Watching her grind on Ethan was something I will never get out of my system.”

  “She is obsessed with Ethan,” Hadley says. “She told me that night that she sits in bed every night just sad about the fact that he is a homosexual.”

  Will’s laughing and Hadley smiles at me as I glance from him to her. I see her look down as her phone buzzes and lights up on her lap.

  “Sorry, guys,” she says. “It’s work.” She gets up from the table and heads to the bathroom.

  “I like her,” Will says, still laughing. “She’s good people.”

  “She’s pretty great,” I say. “A lot more relaxed than I thought she would be. I figured she would be watching you like a hawk, but I think she likes you.”

  “Good,” he says, “because I don’t plan to go anywhere anytime soon.”

  He winks at me and finishes off his water and says, “You really want to come with me this weekend then?”

  “Of course,” I say, instantly lighting up. “You made my day with that offer. I haven’t been to the beach since I was little and a free mini-vacation? I mean come on.” He smiles and purses his lips. “Plus I’ll get to spend more than a few hours with you for the first time. I’d be dumb to reject that.”

  “I can’t promise I’ll be exactly gentlemanly with all this time with you alone,” he says.

  He moves positions in his chair and looks above my head as I hear Hadley making her way back to the table.

  “Sorry, guys. I have to go. This case I’ve been working on just got a lead and I’m ready to find this fucker.” She slings her coat over her arm and throws some cash on the table.

  “It was great meeting you, Will,” she says, hugging his shoulder. “Elliot, I’ll talk to you later once I’m done. You guys enjoy the rest of your night.” She smiles and turns toward the entrance practically running.

  “She really loves what she does doesn’t she?” Will asks, laughing. “I’ve never seen someone get that excited to rush into a dangerous situation.”

  “You should see Ethan when he goes to Vegas and turns on his hook-up apps. A gunshot is nothing compared to all the diseases I’m amazed he doesn’t have.”

  “What does Ethan do for a living anyway?”

  “He works with different security companies going from business to business and setting up their network systems and making sure everything is, for the most part, secure from hackers and all that. He’s a really intelligent person. He just had some bad luck in the past and it messed him up in a weird way.”

  Will shifts in his seat and his eyes focus on his plate.

  “We all have something in the past that haunts us, right?” he says.

  He smiles up at me, but it isn’t genuine and my mind instantly starts to wander into ideas of what he has in his past that is making him tense.

  “So, you’re sure about using your miles for me?” I ask, changing the subject.

  His smile this time feels genuine again and I feel less tense about the situation.

  “I’m never going to use them for myself so it’s the perfect opportunity. It will be an awesome time. I haven’t been to the beach in a while either. Once I moved here I didn’t explore much besides when I went overseas and all that.”

  “I like the beauty of the sunset and the sound of the waves in the morning,” I say. “I don’t even like swimming in the damn thing. The view is the best part.”

  “It will be a cute story to tell our kids one day,” he says.

  “Just not the whole story, right? Or are you planning to be a gentleman now once we are down there?”

  “Oh,” he says with a laugh, “right. I wouldn’t say I plan to do anything because that makes me look bad in a sense I think, but if an opportunity arises, I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself. Every time I’ve had your mouth on mine, something ends up ruining the moment and I’m left with tight jeans and a throbbing dick and it’s so uncomfortable.”

  “Same,” I say. “I guess we will just to see how things go down there, yeah?” I finish off my glass of water and lick the wetness from my lips. I focus in on his eyes. “I wouldn’t be against the fact if you did have some plans for us this weekend, though, I can promise you that.”

  Chapter Six

  Will

  “J UST BE CAREFUL, WILL,” Lydia says, rinsing off the rest of the dishes from breakfast.

  I wave my hand in front of Abbey’s face while we are sitting on the couch watching cartoons, but she is so completely zoned in to the point where I think she can see through my hand.

  “There is nothing to be careful about,” I say. I make my way to the counter top in the kitchen and sit on one of the stools. “It’s just a weekend getaway.”

  “But I can tell you like this guy and I don’t want you to jump in too quick and then be devastated if something happens.”

  “We aren’t even dating yet.”

  “You already have a life planned out with him,” she says, “don’t you?”

  “Shut up,” I say and she laughs. “Plus, you’re the one that said I need to get out and all that.”

  “I know,” she says. “Just take it slow is all I’m saying. You haven’t known him that long and you are already taking a trip to the beach together.”

  I agree with her. It probably is a bit much, but I like his company. I like him. He relives any tension I have no matter my mood and the sound of his name makes my smile grow from ear to ear, and a smile hasn’t rested on my face in awhile.

  “I’ll be careful,” I say. “How are things here?”

  “Good,” she says, dryin
g her hands off. She throws the rag to the side and makes her way to the refrigerator. “Just tired. Abbey has me exhausted and Greg is never home hardly because of work.”

  “You guys could’ve came with me for the weekend. Get a break from here.”

  “No, it’s fine. I’m glad I told you no when you asked me the other day because I’m interested in what happens with you and Elliot.”

  “I’m not going to lie, I hope something happens. I don’t mean sex really either, but that wouldn’t be so bad I guess.”

  She laughs and says, “You definitely need a good lay, baby brother. You’re so tense most of the time and I hate it. I think Elliot is good for that. I’ve noticed a difference in you since you’ve met him. Nothing major, but better still.”

  “It freaks me out,” I say.

  “What? Why?”

  “I haven’t wanted someone like this since Evan and it all feels new to me I guess. I mean other than Evan I had only dated a few guys and none of them really in too serious of a way.”

  “Don’t think like that all weekend or you’ll ruin it for yourself.”

  “I know,” I say. I run my fingers through my hair and get up off the stool.

  “What time does your flight leave tomorrow morning?”

  “I think nine.”

  “Well you should probably be sure.”

  “It’s nine. Picking Elliot up around seven-thirty. I still haven’t packed.”

  “Really?” she says. “I figured you’d have had it sitting by your door since Monday.”

  “I don’t know what we are going to do to be honest. I don’t know what to bring to wear. Besides some trunks and a suit for Saturday.”

  “Does this guy dumb you down or what?”

  I look at her confused.

  “Just pack some clothes like you normally would,” she says. “He already wants you. You don’t need to impress him anymore, Will.”

  “I know,” I say, laughing. “You’re right. Jesus, I do sound stupid. I do want to impress him though.”

  “Then just be normal. The happy version of your normal and if he doesn’t like it then you shouldn’t be with him anyway.”