Page 11 of Trade It All (The Barrington Billionaires 3)
Lance’s hand clenched around his napkin. He wanted to tell Willa she couldn’t take the job, but he knew he didn’t have that right. He wanted to feed the napkin to Clay, but out of respect for Dax he wouldn’t do that either. In what he hoped was a calm voice, Lance said, “I can’t imagine Willa being happy for long with something that wasn’t art related. My project includes designing murals for the community center. I was serious with my earlier offer, Willa. I could use your input.”
Willa pressed her lips together briefly, then asked, “Because I know what average people like?”
Ouch. That comment hadn’t taken long to come back and bite him in the ass. “Regular people,” he corrected. “And I meant it as a compliment.”
Clay coughed to cover a comment that was still audible. “Not better.”
Kenzi leaned toward Willa. “What Lance is trying to say is that you have a style that appeals to a great number of people.”
A pink flush crept up Willa’s neck. “I appreciate that, but as Clay said, I have a job.”
Pushing the subject further would have put everyone at the table in an awkward position. What he wanted to say to Willa wouldn’t first be voiced in public. He decided to move onto another subject that was occupying his thoughts. “Something happened at my office this morning.” He shared the story of the woman who had posed as his secretary and the odd card she’d left.
Dax frowned. “How the hell did she get by your security?”
Lance grimaced. “I never needed that much. I’m an architect. I don’t have enemies.”
When Dax arched an eyebrow, Lance added, “No offense.”
“None taken,” Dax said easily. “I assume you’ll be making major changes.”
“I’m having IDs checked and looking into what happened with the video cameras.”
“That’s not enough. I’ll make a few calls,” Dax said firmly.
“That won’t be necessary,” Lance countered.
“I disagree,” Dax said, sounding uncomfortably similar to Lance’s older brothers. He took out a phone and sent a text.
Lance almost told Dax where he could shove his phone then he saw his sister reach for her fiancé’s hand and thank him. She’d found someone who truly made her happy. For her, he’d put his irritation aside.
Sounding as if he was repeating his question, Clay asked, “What’s in the journal?”
Lance shrugged. “Kenzi read more of it than I did.”
Kenzi’s expression turned apologetic. “I didn’t get through much.” She looked at Dax, her eyes glowing in a way that made Lance look away. “I’ve been busy.”
He turned his attention to his future brother-in-law. “Did you find anything, Dax?”
Although he didn’t answer, the look he gave Lance said, “Are you fucking serious?”
“What happened to all of us reading it?” Even as Lance voiced his complaint, he knew he couldn’t blame them. He hadn’t been able to get past the third page.
“I’ll look at it if you want,” Willa interjected. “I love to read.”
Lance’s eyes flew to hers. He was wise enough to know that sometimes life handed a person an opportunity. He wouldn’t have become successful in his career if he didn’t recognize and capitalize on them. “Perfect. It’s in my office. Why don’t I drop by your place tonight? We can look it over together.”
Willa opened her mouth to say something, then shut it. He could tell she wanted to retract her offer, but Kenzi was already thanking her. “No need to go out of your way. I can pick it up on my way to work tomorrow.” She turned to Clay. “Did you want me to start tomorrow?”
“Sure,” Clay said with a flash of a smile. “How about noon?”
“Noon? Really? Where should I meet you?” Willa asked, looking confused.
“At my hotel. You could come earlier, but I’ll still be in bed.” He winked.
That’s it. Lance’s hand clenched into fists. Between gritted teeth he said, “Since you’ll be consulting on my project, Clay, we should all meet at my office. I’ll go over the plans with you before we tour the proposed buildings.”
With a lift and drop of a shoulder, Clay answered in a bored tone, “Sounds tedious, but I did agree to help you.”
In the same authoritative voice he’d used earlier, Dax said, “You’ll need a base in Boston, Clay. I have several empty offices in my building. Conduct the rest of your business there.” His tone had a warning edge to it.
Clay agreed with an amused nod.
Lance looked back and forth between the two men. Did Dax know his friend was a douche? If so, why had he allowed Clay to offer her a job in the first place?
Kenzi was staring up at Dax with blatant adoration. He appeared just as smitten with her. It was a bit much to stomach.
Lance glanced at Willa and lost his train of thought when their eyes met. There was a spark of something in her eyes that he hadn’t seen in a long time. Desire? Excitement?
He couldn’t say or do much while they had an audience.
But they wouldn’t the next morning.
Chapter Six
The next morning, a half-dressed Willa stood in the hallway of her apartment, wavering between her bedroom and Lexi’s. Lexi hadn’t come home the night before, but she’d texted that she was staying at Tessa’s apartment. Willa had responded that she’d taken the job with Clay. Lexi had sent back a thumbs-up. It wasn’t a fulfilling exchange, but at least they were talking.
She hadn’t said anything about seeing Lance that morning. He was still too volatile a subject with them. It was killing Willa to not be able to ask Kenzi for her advice, either. Willa had other friends, but none as close. None she would call before work and ask something like this.
What do I wear on my first day of work at a job without a clear description? And to see Lance? I shouldn’t care what he thinks of how I look.
But I do.
She thought about the comment Clay had made about giving her a wardrobe budget and sighed. She headed into Lexi’s room. She does have excellent taste.
Willa tried on what looked like a simple blue dress. It was sleeveless and from the front it had a classic, demure neckline. Her eyes popped, however, when she spun and caught a glimpse of the back of the dress in the mirror. The material clung to her curves and the hemline was short, but not indecent. She frowned. The dip in the back of the dress, however, made underwear tricky. She stripped it off and tossed it on Lexi’s bed.
She chose a cream skirt and peach blouse next. The skirt fit her well, but the blouse showed too much cleavage and made Willa want to safety pin it closed. It certainly wasn’t appropriate for a work setting.
It would certainly get Lance’s attention.
Shaking her head, Willa took it off. I don’t want that.
Do I?
Her body tingled with the memory of how he’d looked at her the night before. She remembered that look—that hunger. A much younger Lance had looked at her the same way, and she’d spent years trying to forget where it had led.
Memories flooded back. She was eighteen again, standing before a mirror indecisively. She’d spent the most amazing day with Lance. He’d taken her out on his jet ski then stayed with her most of the day. They’d played volleyball, sat next to each other during lu
nch, and taken a long walk together. Willa remembered the first time he reached for her hand. A light exploded within her—a joy beyond what words could express.
Still in their bathing suits, they walked to the end of the beach and found themselves temporarily away from the others. For what felt like an eternity they simply stared into each other’s eyes. Desire clearly burned in Lance’s eyes, but something held him back.
“Are you seeing anyone?” Willa asked and held her breath while waiting for his answer.
“No, you?”
“No one.” She didn’t think being that happy was possible—at least not for her. The man she’d spent two years dreaming about was looking down at her as if he felt the same about her.
He cupped her face between his hands. “You’re so beautiful.”
In that moment Willa felt beautiful. She was also beyond choosing her words carefully. “You, too.”
His chuckle was the sexiest thing she’d ever heard. His expression turned serious. “We shouldn’t do this. I told myself I wouldn’t. I’m a junior in college, Willa. You’re barely out of high school.”
Do what? Hold hands? Date? Be seen together? His comment stung. She pulled away from him. “If you don’t want to be with me, then don’t be with me.”
His expression turned tormented, and he pulled her into his arms. Their first kiss. It blew away anything she’d experienced before. It was bold, sexual, and an expression of his hunger for her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, arched against him, and gave herself over to how good kissing him felt. His hands ran over her, as demanding as his kiss and just as pleasurable. His bare chest was heaven beneath her hands. She’d dated boys in high school. A few of them had gotten overly excited from kissing, and she found their lack of control scary.
It wasn’t like that with Lance. Her brain spun as every nerve ending in her body was overwhelmed and pulsed a request for more—more Lance. She didn’t feel like a virgin. She felt like a woman drowning beneath wave after wave of her own desire. Kissing him felt as essential as air.
When he pulled back, she felt the loss with confusing intensity. She stood there, with one hand on her mouth, simply staring up at him as they both fought to catch their breath.
