Stay With Me Read online

  “Look, this was just—”

  “What, Amelia? It was just what?”

  “We fucked.” I shrug and then feel shitty at the sound of the words. Because I don’t know if that’s all it was. “And it was fun.”

  “We fucked,” he agrees. “I was already intrigued by you. You can bet your perky little ass that I want to know more. So unless you already hate me, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow.”

  “I don’t hate you,” I reply and smile softly. He scoops me up into a big hug, then plants those magic lips on me again before walking out the front door, only wearing his underwear. When the door is closed, I take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  Seems Will’s joke was on me.

  He hasn’t called this morning. Not that I’m waiting for him to call. If last night was just a one-night stand, I’m perfectly okay with that. Not that I wouldn’t love to ride that train again, so to speak, but it is what it is.

  No regrets. That’s my new motto.

  In fact, it’s probably for the best if it was just a one-time thing. I have baggage. And issues.

  The doorbell rings, and I freeze. I’m not ready to see him. A phone call? Fine. But I’m not ready for him to be at my door. I’ll probably do something silly and climb him again.

  And if it’s a process server, well, I’m not prepared for that either.

  So, I do what any red-blooded woman would do. I hide in the closet.

  My phone begins to ring, startling me. “Hello?” I whisper.

  “Why are we whispering?” Jules asks, also with a whisper.

  “Because I’m in the closet. Someone’s at the door, and I don’t want to answer it.”

  “Amelia Montgomery, you’re a grown woman. If you don’t want to answer the door, you just don’t. You don’t have to hide.”

  “I’m not hiding.” I wince. “I’m totally hiding. I don’t want to see Wyatt. I’m not ready for that yet.”

  “Who the hell is Wyatt?”

  “My neighbor. The one who came over here in the middle of the night. And I totally had sex with him.”

  “What?” she screeches, just as the doorbell rings again. “Holy shit, Lia.”

  “I know, I fucked a stranger, and I feel a little slutty.”

  “As long as it was safe and consensual, why should you feel slutty?”

  “It was those things. But I feel slutty because I barely know his name.”

  “Atta girl,” Jules says with a smile in her voice. “But I still don’t think you should be hiding in the closet.”

  My phone beeps with another call trying to get through. I check it and feel the butterflies in my stomach take flight. “He’s calling through right now.”

  “Answer it!”

  “I’ll call you back.”

  “I’m staying on the line,” she says. “Just switch over.”

  I grin and accept his call. “Hello?”

  “Why aren’t you answering your door?”

  I bite my lip and consider lying, but then decide, fuck it. “Because I’m not sure that I’m ready to see you. I’m not trying to be a jerk, I’m just . . . dumb.”

  “Why?”

  “Because, I don’t know.” I roll my eyes, sounding stupid to my own ears, and then remember Jules on the other line. “Hold on, I have another call.”

  I switch back to Jules. “It’s him.”

  “And?”

  “He’s at the door and wants to know why I won’t answer it.”

  “I’m wondering the same thing, honey.” She laughs. “Go answer the door, and then call me later to give me the scoop. Oh, and I was calling to tell you that we’re doing girls’ night out Friday night. So don’t make any plans with Sexy Neighbor.”

  She hangs up, and I switch back to Wyatt. “You there?”

  “Yes. Open the door.”

  “What if I say no?”

  “I’ll go home. I won’t like it, but I’ll go home.”

  I open the closet door and peer out as if someone’s going to jump out and murder me. Which is dumb. It’s Wyatt at the door, not the process server or a serial killer. So I end the call and walk to the door, turn the knob, and pull it open slowly, expecting him to not look nearly as delicious as he did last night. It was just the heat of the moment. The lighting. The lack of sleep.

  And when I see him leaning one shoulder on the doorjamb, his sunglasses propped on his head, his hazel eyes smiling down at me, I know I was right.

  He’s not nearly as delicious as he was last night.

  He’s much, much better.

  ~Amelia~

  “Hi.” I bite my lip and silently scowl at myself. Is that the best I can come up with? God, I’m so out of practice with this sort of thing. But then he smiles, that slow, Cheshire cat smile, and I forget all about how stupid I sound.

  “You look fantastic this morning,” he says, making me grin.

  “You’re sweet, but I don’t. Not yet.”

  His eyes travel up and down my body, then land on my face again. “You look good from here. Grab your purse, I’m taking you out.”

  “Come again?” I feel silly standing in my doorway.

  “Oh, you will,” he says with a cocky smirk, and my sore lady parts pulse as I bust out laughing. “I’ll take you wherever you want to go. Unless you really are allergic to the sunshine.”

  “I love the sun. But I’m busy.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Working.” I sigh and stand back, ushering him inside the house. “I just need an hour, and then I’ll be happy to come spend the day with you. You can watch if you want.”

  That might have been a stupid move. I don’t mind when people watch me work, but maybe Wyatt has other things to do.

  “Cool,” he says simply. “Lead the way.”

  I climb the stairs to the guest room where my studio is set up.

  “More cameras,” he says. “I’m intrigued.”

  I just smile and point to a chair out of range of the camera. “You can sit there.”

  He complies, leans his elbows on his knees, and watches me intently.

  I take a deep breath while I make sure that I have everything I need for the video, then hit record.

  “Hey, Beauty Brigade, I’m Amelia Montgomery, coming at you with a new makeup tutorial. I’ve had a slight change of plans for today. I know I told you all on my Instagram yesterday that I’d be doing a video about getting glammed up for date night, but my plans changed unexpectedly. Today, I’m going to walk you through my makeup routine when I don’t have much time to get ready.

  “In fact, this whole routine usually takes me about ten minutes if I’m not going through it step by step. So, let’s get started, shall we?”

  I glance over at Wyatt, who seems to be transfixed. “I’ll edit this part,” I inform him, and reach for my face primer.

  “Okay, first—” I spend the next thirty minutes working through a simple makeup routine. It takes me longer than normal because I get tongue-tied a couple of times and have to go back, knowing that I’ll edit the video later.

  When my makeup is finished, and I’ve reminded viewers to subscribe to my page, I stop the recording, back it up a bit so I can listen to the sound, and then save everything so I can come back later for editing.

  “Okay,” Wyatt begins as I stand. “That was amazing, and I need to know more.”

  I grin, ridiculously excited that he’s intrigued and not put off by what he just saw. “I’ll be happy to answer all of your questions. But let’s talk in the car. I could use some sunshine.”

  “My pleasure.” He gestures for me to go ahead of him, opens the door to both the house and the car for me, and then sets off toward downtown. “So, you must be a YouTube vlogger.”

  “I am,” I reply with a nod.

  “How many subscribers do you have?”

  “The last time I checked, I was just under three and a half million.” I look over at him, curious how he’ll respond to that. Vinnie used to hate it.

&nbs
p; His gaze whips over to mine in surprise before returning to the road. “Wow.”

  “I mostly do makeup tutorials like the one you saw today. But I also do some fashion stuff, especially on social media. I have a makeup brand launching in a few months.”

  “Seriously?”

  I nod happily, always excited to talk about this labor of love. And the fact that he hasn’t said the words stupid or ridiculous are huge bonus points for him. “We’ll start with an eyeshadow palette and four lip glosses, then build from there. I’ve already formulated everything, the colors are set to go, and I approve the packaging later this month.”

  “That’s fantastic,” he says. “And explains all of the boxes of makeup sitting on your dining table.”

  “Yeah, I get deliveries all the time. With my following, I’m considered an influencer, so companies send me products to use in my videos, to give reviews, that sort of thing. Sometimes, I’m sent to different locations for product launches and fashion shows. And I do some modeling for my own stuff, as well.”

  “You’re busy,” he says and reaches over to take my hand. I don’t pull away.

  I don’t want to pull away.

  “It’s been a wild ride,” I agree. “But let’s be honest, I get to play with girly girl things every single day. It’s the best thing ever.”

  He smiles. “You’re a natural in front of the camera, and you’re stunning.”

  “Thank you.” I feel the blush on my cheeks, uncomfortable with the compliment, and glance out of the window, then point at a bakery called Succulent Sweets to my right. “Oh, stop here!”

  “The bakery?” he asks, pulling into a parking space out front.

  “Yes, I know the owner, and I need to send Will a thank you for the condoms.”

  I hop out of Wyatt’s Lexus and hurry into Nic’s bakery, happy to see her standing behind the case of beautiful sweets.

  “Lia,” she says with a smile and walks around to give me a hug. “I heard you were in town.”

  “Here I am,” I say with a nod and then gesture to Wyatt. “Nic, this is my neighbor, Wyatt.”

  “I’ve already heard about you, too,” Nic says, holding out her hand for his, and I scowl. Nic laughs. “Honey, news travels quickly in this family.”

  “You’re related?” Wyatt asks.

  “I’m married to Matt, Lia’s cousin,” Nic explains. “What can I do for you?”

  “I need to send some thank you cupcakes to Will. Whatever his favorite is.”

  “So, every cupcake in the shop, because Will doesn’t discriminate when it comes to food.” She rolls her eyes as she reaches for a to-go box.

  “Yeah, just throw in one of each,” I reply with a nod, then pull out my phone to text Will. Where are you? I have something for you.

  He replies almost immediately. Just leaving training. Want to meet me here?

  Perfect! Yes, give me twenty.

  I turn to Wyatt. “Do you mind if we run these over to him? He’s just leaving training camp, and he’s going to wait for us in the parking lot.”

  “Are you talking about Will Montgomery?” he asks and swallows hard.

  “Yes, he’s my cousin. Do you mind if we deliver these to him?”

  Wyatt shakes his head. “I don’t mind.”

  “He’ll love them,” Nic says as she passes the box to me.

  “How much do I owe you?”

  “Nothing. Family doesn’t pay,” she replies and waves me off.

  “You’re going to go broke,” I say and pass the box to Wyatt when he reaches for it. “Our family is too big to always give out freebies.”

  “I think I’ll be fine,” she says with a laugh. “And I’m excited for girls’ night out on Friday. I’ll see you then.”

  “Absolutely. Have a great week.”

  We climb back into Wyatt’s car. “Do you need directions to the training center?”

  “Yes,” he says with a laugh. “I don’t exactly hang out there on a regular basis.”

  “It’s easy, even I can remember how to get there, and I haven’t been there in years.” I get us off in the direction of where we’ll meet up with Will and then look over at Wyatt and grin. “Are you overwhelmed by me yet?”

  “I was overwhelmed by you last night,” he says and pulls my hand up to his lips. “I’m more intrigued today. Do you know everyone in Seattle?”

  “I’m related to almost everyone,” I reply with a shrug. “We have a big family. I have two siblings, but I have six cousins, including Will. Seven if you count Natalie.”

  “Natalie?”

  “Long story, but you’ll probably meet her eventually.” I feel my eyes widen and I cover my mouth with my hand. “I’m sorry, I’m being very presumptuous.”

  “Presume away,” he says. “Keep talking.”

  “It’s just a big, loud family. All of the cousins are married with kids, and we’ve brought their families into the fold. It’s just a lot.”

  “And what are we thanking Will for?”

  I grin. “He threw the box of condoms in my bag last night when I was at his place for dinner. He thought he was just being funny, but . . . here we are.”

  “I should have paid for the cupcakes,” Wyatt says, making me laugh. I point to the little Mustang sitting in the parking lot ahead.

  “That’s him.”

  Wyatt pulls up next to him, and I get out as Will does, reach for the cupcakes in the back seat, and join him.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “I brought you some grateful cupcakes.”

  “For what?”

  I smile and glance over at Wyatt, who has just joined us. “For the condoms.”

  Will’s eyebrows both climb onto his forehead, and then he pins Wyatt with a cold stare.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  “This is Wyatt,” I reply and roll my eyes.

  “Pleasure,” Wyatt says, holding out his hand to shake Will’s. Will’s jaw is clenched tight, and he grips Wyatt’s hand harder than necessary, making me roll my eyes again.

  “Why are you trying to look like a badass? You’re not Caleb or Matt.”

  He looks offended. “Caleb and Matt aren’t the only ones who are badass.”

  “Well, stop it. I brought you food, and Wyatt’s a nice guy.” I prop my hands on my hips. “If you didn’t want me to have sex, you shouldn’t have given me the condoms.”

  “Give me the fucking cupcakes,” he growls and then pins Wyatt with another grouchy scowl. “If you hurt her, I’ll turn you inside out.”

  “So noted,” Wyatt says with a nod.

  “Good Lord, you’re a caveman. I’m hungry, so we’re leaving now.” I pat Will’s arm. “Go eat your empty calories. And save some for Meg.”

  “Meg didn’t buy the rubbers,” he grumbles as he climbs into his car.

  “I’m starving,” I say and then laugh. “And I’m sorry for that. Clearly, we’re not dating or anything. I should have explained that to him so he’d lay off.”

  “I think if you’d have said, ‘this is Wyatt, the guy I screwed in the middle of the night, but he’s just my neighbor,’ I would be turned inside out right now. Besides, this is a date. So we’re dating.”

  “Huh.” I sit back as he pulls out of the parking lot, wondering how I feel about this.

  Turns out, I don’t feel half bad about it.

  “Where should we go eat?” he asks.

  “Do you mind if we head back toward our neighborhood and hit up Salty’s? Unless you don’t like seafood.”

  “Sounds great to me.”

  We’re quiet as we make our way back to Alki Beach, soaking in the sunshine and comfortable silence. He’s easy to be with.

  Why did I find him annoying to begin with?

  “So, tell me more about you,” Wyatt says after we’re settled at the restaurant, an iced tea sitting in front of each of us, and two salmon Caesar salads on their way.

  “No way,” I reply, shaking my head. “You know a ton about me, and I don�
��t know anything about you.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Are you an only child?”

  “No, I have two brothers, both older than me.”

  “Are they married?” I ask, sipping my tea.

  “Nope, both single.”

  “Have you ever been married?”

  “I am divorced,” he says, nodding. “How about you?”

  “The same.” I sigh and squish the lemon in my tea with my straw. “I’m sorry, divorce is tough.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s better than living with a cheater,” he says and sips his own tea. His lips are sexy wrapped around that straw.

  Am I seriously thinking about how sexy he is while we discuss something serious?

  “It’s also better than living with a jerk,” I add, and we both nod. “What do you do for a living?”

  “I’m an architect,” he says, his hazel eyes lighting up.

  “You love your job.”

  “I do,” he says. “You get to play with girly things all day, and I get to build stuff. It’s pretty cool.”

  “Did you love Legos when you were young?”

  “I still love Legos,” he says with a laugh. “Legos are my jam.”

  “Have you designed any buildings that I would know?”

  “I don’t work with a lot of commercial buildings. I mostly do private homes.”

  “That’s cool. Big ones?”

  He nods. “Yeah, the one I’m currently working on is a ten-thousand-square-foot home that will be built on the seaside.”

  “Wow. So, big and expensive.”

  “That’s right. But this particular client is a challenge.”

  “How so?”

  “She wants to change things every other day. By the time we get it the way she wants it, I’ll be retired.”

  “She just knows what she wants.”

  “That’s just it,” he replies, frustration in his voice, “I don’t think she does know what she wants, and that’s why she changes it constantly. I mean, I’m paid hourly, so it’s no big deal to me, except I have other projects to get to, and this one is taking up a lot of my time.”

  “I see. Well, it’ll work out.”

  “Are you always this optimistic?”

  “I guess.” I shrug a shoulder. “I’m pretty blunt.”