7. All the Willpower

Chapter 7

All the Willpower

Leo

T here’s only so much willpower a man can have, and apparently, with Libby, it’s damn near zero. What had happened to caring about my job and my friendship with Ryker?

I’d seen her rushing toward the closet, and as much as I tried to ignore how mixed up she made me feel whenever I was in her presence, I couldn’t stop the impulse to let her see me in my towel. Now it was going to be even more awkward between us because I couldn’t keep my damn lips to myself.

I followed Libby to the spare bedroom since my clothes were there and she quickly shut herself in the attached bathroom. I hastily pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, my mind racing.

What had just happened between us? I didn’t regret it per se, but I couldn’t help worrying about how this would create even more tension between us. There was definitely chemistry, but it was volatile—one wrong move and it would implode.

And then there was what would happen if Ryker found out.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath. If he knew I’d crossed the line with his sister, he’d probably kill me, or at the very least fire my ass. I considered him one of my best friends, but it was only recently that we’d become close.

I ran a hand through my hair and sat on the edge of the bed to wait for her. We needed to talk this situation out more, and I needed to make sure she was okay. Had I pushed her too far into it where she hadn’t felt like she had a choice but to kiss me back?

Oh, God. What if we had kept going?

The thought sent a jolt of lust through me.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Libby stepped out, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. It was clear she was upset, and my heart clenched.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked softly, standing and stepping toward her.

“I’m fine.” Her voice came out shaky as she went to the dresser where her bag was and packed it. “I need to get going.”

“Libby, come on.” I reached for her arm. “Talk to me.”

She jerked away from my touch and zipped up her bag, avoiding eye contact and going to the nightstand to grab her phone and charger. “There’s nothing to talk about, Leo. I’m fine, really.” Her voice cracked on the last word, and I knew she was anything but fine.

I’d fucked up epically this time. All my hard work to change my ways and I’d thrown it all out the window. But the thing was, it didn’t feel like some random make out—it felt like more.

She looked around the room to make sure she got everything, and I moved into the doorway. “I can give you a ride instead of you taking the train. New Haven, right? It’s not a big deal.” I didn’t like that she was going to leave upset, and I hoped a car ride would give us some time to clear the air.

“You must have things to do. I don’t want to ruin the rest of your Saturday. I’ll just take the train.” Libby tried to push past me, but I didn’t budge.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “You aren’t going to ruin my Saturday. Now, tell me why you’re upset.”

She bit her lip but didn’t look away from me. “We shouldn’t have done that.” Her eyes swam with tears, and she sniffled. “Things were already... weird between us. Now it’s just going to be even more awkward and uncomfortable.”

I reached for her hand, and surprisingly, she didn’t pull away. “It will only be awkward and uncomfortable if we let it be, and I don’t plan on letting it.”

She looked to the ceiling, blinking rapidly. “I don’t know if I can.”

I probably should have thought this all through a lot better, but in the heat of the moment, I’d reacted solely on my desire for her. “I’m sorry for not having any willpower around you, but I don’t regret it.”

“But...” She bit her lip, and with how many times I’d seen her do it in just a day, I was surprised she didn’t have a hole in it.

“But what?” I squeezed her hand, urging her to tell me what was going through her head.

She pulled her hand away. “Nothing.”

“We can get to know each other better when I drive you home. It will probably be good for us... both personally and professionally.” I wasn’t above begging this woman to let me drive her.

“Can we really do that? Get to know one another and keep it non-physical?” Her voice was barely above a whisper, uncertainty laced in her question.

“Of course we can. We’re both adults, and we can handle this. I won’t kiss you again. Cross my heart.”

“What heart?” She rolled her eyes and huffed. “Fine, you can drive me. It will be faster, and I really don’t want to deal with the train anyway.”

My shoulders relaxed and I stepped around her to grab my wallet, phone, and keys. “Let’s get going then.”

We made our way down to the garage, and I led Libby to my private stall which had my SUV and car. After entering a code, the door rolled up and Libby made a squeaking noise.

“I don’t know shit about cars, but this is a really expensive one.” She walked closer to my blue Lamborghini Aventador.

“It is.” I pressed the button to open the doors. “I don’t drive it often. Just on special occasions. The SUV is my normal ride when I need it.”

She snorted. “You have a Lambo and a Kia. Interesting dichotomy.”

“Most of the time I use a car service that has their own fleet of cars. I take the SUV to the Hamptons since people usually come with me.” I popped the front trunk of the car. “Let me have your bag.”

Libby eyed the front trunk suspiciously. “If you rear-end someone, my stuff is toast.”

I gasped in mock outrage. “My driving skills are superior.”

“I’m sure everyone says that before they crash... how much did this cost?” She put her bag in the trunk herself. “Wait, that’s rude of me to ask.”

“It’s not. It was six hundred.” I shut the trunk and gestured to the passenger side.

She coughed as if she had eaten my words and choked on them. “Thousand? Are you sure this is necessary? The Kia seems safer.”

“You only live once, Libby. Plus, it’s way better than any train.” I smirked as I climbed into the driver’s seat.

Inside the car, everything was black with accents of blue that matched the exterior. I looked over at Libby, who was frowning. “What’s wrong?”

“This car costs more than a house. Two or three decent houses in some parts of the country.” She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, clearly not used to such luxury despite her brother being wealthy.

I didn’t have a response since she was correct, so I pressed the ignition button. The purr of the engine gave me an instant car boner. “Buckle up, princess.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please, no nicknames.”

“Libby is a nickname.” I fastened my seatbelt and then pulled out into the main garage.

She sighed and put her head back against the seat. “When me and my brother moved to Connecticut, there were three other Elizabeths in my class. Beth and Liz were already taken.”

I glanced over at her as I pulled out and headed for the highway. “Why not Lizzy?”

“My mom called me that.” Her voice was devoid of emotion and my heart ached for her.

As much as my mother drove me bonkers, I couldn’t imagine losing her so young. I reached across the console with my palm up, and surprisingly, she put her hand in mine. There was a jolt of electricity as our skin touched and I looked over at her again to find her eyes closed.

I gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “I’m sorry, Libby.”

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” There was a slight hitch in her voice.

Not wanting to upset her more than I already had, I let the radio and sound of the engine keep us company as I headed out of the city.

After a few minutes, Libby’s attention went back to the passing scenery. It had been so long since I’d been in a car with a woman who wasn’t keen on idle chatter that I didn’t quite know what to say.

“Are you excited about moving to Manhattan next week?”

She shrugged, her eyes still locked on the landscape. “I guess. I’ll miss the quietness and having a car.”

“I thought Ryker owned a parking space in the garage.”

“He does, but there’s not really a point to having a car in the city for us common folk.” She looked over at me with a smile. “I’ll borrow yours if I need to.”

I rubbed my hands over the leather-wrapped steering wheel. “Maybe the Kia.”

“Wow, and here I thought we were becoming friends.”

“We are.” Fuck. It wasn’t like I couldn’t buy myself another car if something happened to this one. “You can have it.”

She snorted. “You’re ridiculous. I was joking, and besides, if you were going to give me a Lambo, I’d want one that was hot pink. Or maybe orange... or I bet they could make one that was pink with orange flames.”

I made a gagging noise. “If that’s what gets you off, then I can make it happen.”

Her eyebrows shot straight to her hairline. “Interesting choice of words.”

I cleared my throat because we did not need to start flirting or spewing sexual innuendos. Especially if I wanted to keep this platonic. “Just a phrase... Anyway... are you already packed? I’m free the rest of the evening to help.” Spending more time alone with Libby was probably not the best idea.

“Thanks, but I think I can manage.” Her eyes met mine for a moment before she looked away.

In that split second, I saw the uncertainty and vulnerability in her expression, but I couldn’t tell if it was from talking about the move or from crossing the line earlier and where that left us now.

An hour later, after a mostly silent car ride, I pulled into the narrow driveway of her townhouse. It was in a quiet neighborhood and there were clusters of connected two-story houses that had one-car garages. Living in the city was going to be a big change for her.

I got out of the car and grabbed her bag from the trunk. Libby led the way to her front door, fumbling with her keys before finally unlocking it. As she stepped inside and disarmed the alarm, I hesitated in the entryway, unsure if I was invited in.

“Thanks for the ride.” She took her bag from me, avoiding eye contact.

“Anytime.”

The silence dragged on for a moment too long, and I knew I should probably leave before making things even more uncomfortable. Should I hug her? Kiss her cheek?

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her in a hug. She hesitated for a moment before hugging me back.

“I’ll see you soon, Elizabeth,” I whispered into her hair, inhaling her scent.

Without looking at her again, I turned and walked away before I did something really stupid like kiss her. As I slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine, I couldn’t shake the thought of what it would be like to hug her every day.