The One: The Complete One Series Collection (21 page)

By: Emma J. King

To this day, and the next.

CHAPTER ONE

I was both hot and sweaty. It was the first week of October in Chicago, and the city had been under a rare heat wave for the last several days. To make matters worse, I was running late. I had lost track of time serving lunch at the women’s shelter where I was now the director, and I had exactly fifteen minutes to make it to the South Loop.

The brown line train arrived just as I reached the platform
, and I jumped into the last car, relieved when a blast of air conditioning hit my face. I settled into an empty seat and pulled out my phone. The screen showed one missed call- William. I put the phone away without calling him.

Ten months had passed since I first met William Conner at my friend’s wedding. In that time, we had hooked up, dated, broken up, made up, broken up again, re-made up and fallen in love. For a
while, everything was perfect. I had quit my job at William’s company, and the two of us had focused on developing our relationship. However, once I had gone back to work as the Director of the women’s shelter, William had recommitted himself to his company, working sixteen-hour days and leaving town for entire weeks. I wasn’t typically a complainer, but I missed my boyfriend. So I was on my way downtown to surprise him at his office with lunch, and hopefully a little dessert.

Being the type-A personality that he was, William ate lunch at 1:00 every day
, without fail. It was exactly 12:58 when I stepped through the front doors of Gravity. I waved at familiar faces and approached William’s assistant, Annie, with a wry smile.

“Is he busy?” I asked, knowing very well that William was always busy when he was in the office.

Annie returned the smile. “He’s in with Kent. They should be wrapping up soon.”

“Thanks, Annie.” I perched on the corner of Annie’s desk and waited for William’s office door to open. I didn’t have to wait long.

Kent Reid stepped out of William’s office looking dazed. His face lit up slightly when he saw me. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting, Livy. Hopefully, you can do something to improve Connor’s mood.”

“Is he grumpy today?” I teased, knowing very well how moody William could be.

Kent scoffed. “Grumpy, I can handle. Inexplicably hostile, that’s another matter.”

“I’ll take care of it.” I patted Kent on the arm as he passed me, head down and shoulders hunched.

Annie would have gladly announced my arrival to William, but I wanted to catch him by surprise. I stepped inside his office and shut the door behind me. William was seated behind his desk, hunched over his laptop. His blue dress shirt was slightly wrinkled, and he had rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. The disheveled look of his hair told me he had been running his hands through it. Even when William was in a state of disarray, he still looked perfect to me.

I cleared my throat loudly and said, “I hear you aren’t playing nicely with others today.”

William’s head shot up, a smile flashing across his handsome face. His eyes were guarded and tired, but I could detect a spark of warmth in them. “Livy,” was all he said as he stood up, and it was all I needed to hear. William said my name in a way no one else ever had.

“Hey, you,” I said softly, my playful mood slipping away. I held up the small picnic basket I had brought with me. “I brought you lunch.”

“I’d rather have you,” he replied.

“You already have me.”

William’s smile turned into a teasing smirk as he walked slowly around his desk. “Not in the way I’m thinking about right now.”

I wagged a finger at him. “You’re at work, Connor.”

“That’s never stopped us before.” William opened his arms as he approached me, and I happily stepped into them, letting the picnic basket fall to the floor.

It was hard not to get caught up in the moment. William was a fantastic kisser and his hands always managed to find just the right spot on my body. But I hadn’t spontaneously stopped by the office for a booty call, no matter how good I knew it would be. We had important matters to discuss first.

“Nice try, bossman.” With a great effort, I managed to pull away slightly. “You were almost able to make me forget that we’re having dinner with your mother tonight.”

William grimaced. “Well that’s one way to bring a man down- literally.”

“Don’t blame me. She’s your mother.” It was my turn to frown. “At least she likes you.”

“Sometimes I wonder…” William shook his head to chase away a negative thought. “If you don’t want to go tonight, I won’t blame you.”

“You won’t, but she will.” I sighed. “I’ll just sit by your sister. She tends to absorb a lot of your mother’s wrath.”

William had already moved on, or rather back to where we were. His hand had slipped beneath my dress and was quickly traveling upward. I’d had a list of things to discuss with William but when his lips closed on mine, everything slipped away except for him and his touch.

It wasn’t the first time we had gotten frisky in his office. In fact, I was pretty sure there were very few places I wouldn’t have sex with William. At church, for one. Thankfully, his office was actually quite private and I couldn’t think of one good reason not to give into his urges.

William had been out of town all week, so we had a lot of sexual tension to relieve. I could tell from the urgency of his kiss that he wanted me as badly as I wanted him. William had a couch in his office, but that was too mundane for us. Instead, he backed me up until I felt the third shelf of his bookcase pressing against the small of my back.

He slipped the straps of my dress down my arms until my breasts were exposed, perky and full in a blue push-up bra. He trailed kissed down my neck and over my breasts, and I moaned in pleasure. As his body moved against mine, he pushed me harder into the shelves, between the books.

While we kissed, I pulled at his clothes, plucking his shirt out of his waistband and fumbling to undo his button and zipper. I pushed his pants and boxers down his hips as
one, freeing his erection. My fingertips grazed over the tip, and he growled while kissing my throat. I tugged gently at his hair and pushed his face down against my breasts. His hands
worked quickly to remove the bra, and once free, he found my pert nipple, and put his mouth around it. The sensation was unbearable. My spine went rigid, and I shuddered in pleasure.

I licked and sucked my way down his neck, pulling at his shirt. It took a minute to undo the buttons without popping them, but once it was done I trapped his nipple between my teeth. He tilted my face up and kissed my eyes, then parted my lips with his tongue.

Under my dress, his hands skimmed over my panties, and he made quick work of them, tearing them from my body. Then his hands moved over my butt, and he squeezed hard while lifting me. Supported against the corner by his weight, I clasped her hands behind his neck and balanced my arms on his shoulders. I reached for his cock and William startled at the force with which I grabbed it. Did I mention he had been out of town all week?

I placed the tip of it between my legs, letting him feel my heat and readiness. The sighing noise I made was greedy and made him greedy, too. We had both been teasing and instigating, but William was ready to be in control. I was more than happy to oblige, letting him do the work. My body was more than ready for him, and he slipped inside of me quickly and easily.

He moved slowly at first while we found our balance against the bookshelf. Once I found a good foothold on a lower shelf, he was able to move more freely against me. The shelves began to creak with our movement.

“Are you okay?” he asked as the shelf shuddered rather hard when he pushed me against it. “Is this hurting you?”

“It hurts so good,” I replied with a smirk. “Whatever you do, don’t stop.”

William was unconvinced, but he proceeded. His thrusts were more tempered than usual, and I knew he was worried about hurting me.

“Harder,” I commanded, closing my eyes. I could feel the slow build beginning, but it wasn’t happening fast enough for my liking. I needed this orgasm.

Reluctantly, William picked up the pace as he thrust into
me, and I pulled him even closer, further inside. The slow build now came on as a rush, and I came first this time, stifling a cry that no doubt would’ve brought Annie running, wondering what was wrong with me. William came just seconds later, shuddering as he ejaculated inside me.

We stood rooted in place for a long time,
me pinned to the bookcase, panting and waiting for our hearts to stop racing. William kissed me tenderly on the lips, the kind of kiss that always made me fall in love with him.

“I didn’t hurt you?” he asked as he stroked my hair, searching my face for any signs that I might be in pain.

I kissed his cheek. “No. Not even a little bit.”

“Good.” He nodded in satisfaction, and loosened his grip on me so that I slid down until my feet were back on solid ground. Once he was sure that I was steady, he let go completely and we both began the process of redressing.

“I should let you get back to work. Gravity isn’t going to run itself.” I picked up my ruined underwear and tossed it in William’s face. “Let’s hope it’s not windy outside or Chicago is going to get a surprise.”

“Lucky Chicago.” William finished tucking in his shirt, and he was back to being Mr. Connor again. “I need to run to a meeting, but I’ll see you tonight?”

“Against my better judgment, yes.”

William kissed me on the forehead. “Try not to look so glum. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve got a surprise in store for you tonight.”

“A surprise?” I raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

“It’s a good surprise, I promise.” William smiled sweetly. “Trust me, Livy.”

Trusting William was easy. Putting up with his crazy family was not. Fortunately, William felt exactly the same way about them, so as soon as dinner was over, he was the one to initiate the goodbyes.

“Whatever is the rush, William?” his mother demanded as we both hurried to our feet.

“I’ve got an early morning meeting,” he said, not at all contrite about lying to his mother. “Just one of the joys of being the man in charge.”

I wrestled back a smile as we walked away. We both knew that William loved being the man in charge- in the office and in the bedroom.

The valet delivered William’s car and he drove us straight home. It wasn’t until a few hours later when I was tucked warmly into bed that I remember William’s promise of a mystery surprise. He hadn’t come to bed with me, so I ventured out of our bedroom to find him.

When I finally tracked him down on the upstairs balcony of the giant house, I was definitely surprised.

“What did you do?” I gasped.

Somehow he had managed to cover nearly every inch of the balcony in candles and rose petals. The iron table held a bottle of champagne and two empty glasses. Romantic music played in the background, coming from an indeterminate source.

William’s back had been turned and now he whirled around in dismay. “You’re not supposed to be here! Go back inside!”

“What?” I laughed at the absurdity of his command. “It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?”

William’s shoulders dropped and he looked adorably crestfallen. “This was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m more than surprised.” I took a few slow steps forward, careful not to kick over any candles. “This is beautiful, William. What’s the occasion?”

“You.” William ducked his head, suddenly very shy.

I closed the rest of the distance between us and put my hands on his chest. William jumped at my touch and couldn’t quite look me in the eye. “Hey,” I said, “it’s just me. Nothing to be anxious about.”

He laughed nervously. “Easy for you to say.”

“You’re going to have to clue me in here, Connor, because I have no idea what’s going on.” As for romantic gestures, this was one of William’s more creative attempts. He had done flowers, diamonds, and exotic trips. But this was something else entirely.

“That’s because I’m totally spazzing right now. But I’ve never done this before, so you’ll have to cut me some slack.” William took both of my hands in his, which were shaking slightly.

“Done what?” I was still clueless.

William sighed a deep, suffering sigh, and said, “This.” When he dropped to one knee, it suddenly made perfect sense to me. And that was when my hands started shaking.

I swallowed hard when William’s eyes finally locked on mine. “I had a whole speech prepared,” he started, chuckling nervously, “but for the life of me, I can’t remember any of it.”

“That’s okay.” My voice came out hoarse. “I don’t need a speech.”

“Maybe not, but you deserve one. I love you, Olivia.” William’s eyes glistened and though I didn’t consider myself to be particularly girly, I could feel my eyes begin to water. “That first night we spent together was the best night of my life. I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I’m not going to question it. I’m just going to do everything I can to keep you. So… will you marry me?”

The ring seemed to appear out of nowhere. William performed a magician’s trick and was suddenly holding a super-sized diamond. I barely noticed, because I was still staring into his eyes.