"Oh, come on. This is affordable, isn't it? And it's a cottage. It's going to be cramped and small."
He shrugged. "This isn't what I had in mind."
Giving up, I returned back to my drawings. No matter what, I would put all of my effort into them.
The next day, we bid farewell to Mary and gathered Tom back into his cage to drive to the next destination: Bath. Will offered to drive, but I shot him down with a look. No freaking way. I was a lot less nervous driving than yesterday, so it wasn't catastrophic.
Back at Cheltenham, we returned the car and took the train to Bath Spa. We found ourselves on a hill, with rows and rows of yellow and beige houses. The train tracks ran straight through the suburbs. Fantastic green hills surrounded us, but it was clear that we were far away from all the attractions.
"Why couldn't we call a cab?"
"Because we're here to experience England like everybody else. Or something like that." He smiled at me.
"Did you go to boarding school too?"
"Nope," he said, sounding proud of that. "I went to private schools in Chicago with my brothers. Mom didn't want to send us away."
I wondered about his upbringing. I knew that his cousin, Luke, was bitter about being sent away to a boarding school. Was he better off?
"So did you grow up getting everything you wanted?"
"Yeah. I was a spoiled little shit. When I grew up, I became an asshole. I was just drunk on the power of being really rich and able to get literally anything I wanted. Then … " his face darkened.
And then you got into a car accident, and it changed you.
The pain twisted his face. "I didn't really become a human being until a few years ago."
It was such a strange thing to say, and yet I understood what he meant perfectly. Up until that point, Will had lived like a wild animal; taking what he wanted and devouring every opportunity without a thought of how it would affect anyone else. Then he changed. He developed thoughts and feelings that contributed towards a desire to help other people, breaking free of the crazed, hedonistic drive of adolescence.
How old was I when I "became human?" I think it was when I escaped my parent's clutches and was able to think for myself for once in my life. When I was outside of their influence and when I learned that not everything they told me was true, it was like a door opening in my mind. One I never knew existed. I remembered all the strange lies they told me, like how everyone who used paper plates must be worthless white trash. That was what Mom always said and we only had ceramic dishes in our house. It was ridiculous to think about.
That was one thing Jessica couldn't ever understand. What it was like to grow up with parents telling you what to do and what to believe in all the time-and suddenly having that ripped away. And feeling lost. Utterly lost.
William learned that lesson the hard way. "I'm scared of that part of me. I almost completely disappeared. I was the only one of my brothers to go off the deep end. So that's why I try to avoid relying too much on my wealth."
Because that's when bad things happen?
"Life shouldn't be easy."
And that, apparently, was why we were dragging our luggage up a steep hill. "No, but it sure is nice sometimes." I gave him a sly smile. "Never know when you'll need to bribe someone."
He chuckled. "Luke called me to bitch about that. Apparently, the guy was irate. The bank almost called the cops on him."
I shook my head. "You guys behave like children. Why do you hate Luke so much?"
Will made a face. "I don't hate him. I just think he's an arrogant bastard. Telling me to stay away from you, like I'm a toxic person."
We finally had the bed and breakfast in sight. "I think he's angry with you because your dad tried to sell the shares in his trust."
He wheeled around. "What?"
My heart jumped. "Didn't you know that? Luke is suing your dad."
"Holy shit," he moaned. "I can't believe he'd do that."
I could see Will's mind boiling with what I said the whole day. We finally found the bed and breakfast, which was owned by a cheery man with an affinity for country music.
Designing the logo for the Bath location was easy; the Roman baths were the main attraction and it was easy to draw a quick sketch of the yellow pillars and the green, bubbling pool. Below the room, I heard Will grilling the owner about his profits. I heard his heavy footsteps climbing the stairs and I braced for the moment when he would burst inside the room.
He had a habit of violently opening doors and scaring me to death. Sure enough, seconds later, the door swung open and nearly banged the opposite wall. He scowled when he realized there was no bathroom attached to the room. And there was still only one queen bed.
"We can share the bed. It's no big deal."
Will removed his jacket, watching me carefully as if I was up to something, but he was too tired to argue. Both of us were exhausted from walking to and from the Roman baths and exploring the abbey.
My hands were feeling a bit stiff and I swiveled in the chair, wringing my fingers.
"Take a break for God's sake. Watching you work is exhausting."
I set the stylus down and sighed, leaning into the chair. My eyes widened when Will took the hem of his white t-shirt and lifted it over his head. It was like being injected with adrenaline. Suddenly, I felt much more awake.
"What are you doing?" Shut up, idiot! Let him take his clothes off!
"I'm just getting ready for bed. You don't have to stare, you know."
I was unable to look away. Under his t-shirt was a carved abdomen. His defined chest and shoulders made my mouth water. My eyes raked up and down, taking note of the small dark patch of hair on his chest and the faint line dipping below his belly button. He caught me staring at him and smiled. "Like what you see?"
Of course, I do and you know it.
Then he yanked his jeans down and my breath caught in my throat. "Jesus."
A pair of tight, black briefs hugged his ass. I wanted to bump against him and run my hands all over him, but he merely slid into the bed and closed his eyes, smiling slightly.
Now what? Do I join him? He said he had no interest in me, but he kissed me.
I already wore my pajamas, which were just a loose t-shirt and flannel pants, with no bra. I walked to the bed, cursing the loud noise of my feet creaking the wood floorboards. Peeling back the comforter, I got a nice view of his body and simultaneously felt like a pervert. I slid inside and joined his warmth, shaking with nerves.
But Will showed no sign that he was aware that I was in bed with him. His eyes remained closed. God, I felt like a complete idiot. Will wasn't interested in me. I was only setting myself up to be rejected. Again.
I turned away from him and listened to the sound of him breathing and his legs moving under the sheets. How strange it is to be in bed with someone I'm not sure I'm allowed to touch.
There was another movement under the sheets and I felt the pad of one finger running a line down my neck, over my shoulder and body, over my bony hip. His other fingers joined to stroke my upper thigh.
Heart racing, I turned into his body. His heat spilled all over me and he kept his hand anchored on my hip. His eyes opened, revealing red-rimmed exhaustion, and yet his gaze was rigid.
There was a strand of black hair in his eye and I reached for it with my fingers to push it behind his ear.
"You surprised me today. I thought you had no sense of humor."
"I thought you were a bastard."
He grinned and squeezed my hip. "And now?"
"You're still one."
I sought his pouting, bottom lip and sucked it into my mouth. He sighed, and I ran my hands down his neck to stroke the broad muscles of his chest, stopping here and there to squeeze. His hands slipped under my shirt and slid up my back. He moaned when he realized that I wasn't wearing a bra.
We both gasped when his thumbs slid around, stroking the sides of my breasts. My nipples hardened under my t-shirt and he slid his fingers around, teasing the sensitive flesh. Then his hot hands outright groped my breasts and I kissed him harder, burying him in the bed. He seized the two hard nubs and pinched them between his thumb and forefinger. Our lips finally parted and both of us breathed as though we ran a marathon.
I sat up and lifted the shirt from my head, fixing Will with a smoldering look.
"Jesus."
Smiling, I lay on top of him and relished the contact of his naked chest. I could hear his breath thick with desire, going mad with my half-naked body on top of him.
He gave me a pained look. "No, I'm sorry. I can't do this."
But even as he said it, his arms refused to let me go. My back shivered as he ran his hands down and gently squeezed my ass. "Why not?"
"Because if we keep going, I'm going to fuck you."
"So?"
He gave me a half-frustrated, half-smoldering look. "I don't want to be a one-night stand."