Something Moore (Forever Moore Book 1) Read online

  Something

  Moore

  Forever Moore Series

  Hunter J. Keane

  Kindle Edition

  Copyright © 2017 by Hunter J. Keane

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Riley

  Some people think I’m strange. I’m not like other females. I don’t form attachments to men and start planning my wedding the second I meet them. I don’t need to have a lot of people surrounding me to feel validated. I don’t even use social media. I would rather spend my time focusing on things that truly matter to me– my career, the few friends that still put up with me, and having fun living my life. Everything else is just wasted time and energy.

  That’s why it wasn’t surprising when my friend Alexis said, “You realize that if you keep up this kind of lifestyle, you’re going to die alone, right?”

  I shrugged.

  We were three drinks into our girls’ night at Club Extreme. I had just finished explaining why I wasn’t interested in a relationship with one of our acquaintances, Miles.

  Miles had skirted around the edge of our inner circle of friends for years, never quite breaking through the barrier completely. He was a classical nice guy. Held doors, paid for drinks, and actually listened when you talked. He also happened to be in love with me. I had been trying to dissuade him since the very beginning, but he was relentless.

  “I’m sorry, I’m just not interested in Miles that way,” I said, not actually feeling all that sorry. I felt that I was doing the right thing by being honest about my feelings. I didn’t want to hurt the guy, but wouldn’t it be worse to lead him on? “You know Miles. He’s looking for a wife, not a flake like me. In the end, he’d just end up disappointed. I’m protecting his fragile heart.”

  “You’re probably right about that.” Alexis flagged down the bartender for another round. “What’s the longest relationship you’ve ever had?”

  “Six months,” I stated proudly.

  “Adult relationship. Junior high doesn’t count,” she clarified knowingly.

  Alexis was my oldest– and best– friend. She’d been putting up with my crap since we were kids. She was the closest thing I had to family.

  “Two weeks,” I said with a frown. “I’m just not relationship material.”

  I realized that to an outside observer, that probably sounded bad. Like I was a man-eating slut. But that really wasn’t the case. In fact, I was so busy focusing on my career that I rarely had time for a man. Being a lawyer at the second biggest firm in Chicago kept me busy.

  But on occasion, I gave into my hormones. And when that happened, my friends all crossed their fingers that this would be the one. That I would finally decide I wanted something more than just a casual fling. So far, that hadn’t happened.

  “You can’t become relationship material if you refuse to be in a relationship.” Alexis almost sounded bored as she scolded me. This wasn’t our first time having this conversation. “Just promise me you will stop spending so much time at work. I’m worried about you.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me. I actually like my job, remember?” The long hours didn’t bother me. I wasn’t even thirty yet, but I was easily on the partner track at the firm.

  She sighed. “Did you even think at all about Tucker’s job offer?”

  One of our good friends, Tucker Stark, had asked me to come work for his non-profit. They needed someone to help with grants and lobbying efforts. When I had entered law school, I’d done so believing that I would get a job like that after graduation. But when I started looking for jobs in my second year, I saw the six-figure number attached to a big firm job, and the rest was history. Now that my hefty loans were paid off, Tucker had thought I might be interested in a change.

  “I did think about it,” I admitted. His company helped abused and neglected kids. How could anyone not think that was a good cause? “I just don’t think this is a good time to leave the firm. We are about to take on a couple of really high profile cases.”

  “Which means even longer hours?” Alexis shook her head. “Sounds like the perfect time to leave if you ask me.”

  “Well, I didn’t ask you,” I snapped.

  She looked like she was about to snap back, but then something over my shoulder caught her eye. “Whoa.”

  Instinctively, I turned.

  The bar was packed and that made it hard to see what had caught her attention. But then the crowd parted and I saw him.

  “William Moore?” My jaw dropped slightly.

  William Moore was the most popular bachelor in the city. Just five years earlier, he had been an entrepreneur with a moderately successful software company. Now, he was a multi-millionaire with a company of over 500 people. He was also disgustingly attractive.

  “That smile…” Alexis breathed. “Those eyes.”

  “He’s probably a total jerk,” I decided, turning back.

  “A jerk that’s headed this way.” Her eyes widened and she made herself busy taking a sip of her drink. I noticed that her hand was shaking.

  “Old Fashioned,” a smooth voice said.

  I could feel him at my back even though he wasn’t touching me. It was like a magnetic charge between us.

  As Alexis set her drink on the bar, it slipped and fell over. Pink martini sloshed over the bar and into my lap.

  “Shit,” I muttered.

  “Here.” William quickly snagged a stack of napkins and tossed them on the spill. Immediately, they turned pink. “You ladies should really be more careful.”

  “We were doing just fine until you showed up,” I quipped.

  Using clean napkins, I dabbed at my wet lap. In my head, I decided that the satin dress was probably ruined.

  “I’d offer to help, but I should probably know your name before I make a move like that.” His voice was undeniably sexy.

  “Smooth.” I smirked at him. “Most guys would just ask for my name, not hint at it in such a non-subtle way.”

  “Did it work?” His smile was crooked and his blue eyes sparkled.

  I didn’t realize that I was going to tell him my name until it slipped from my mouth. “Riley.”

  “I’m William.” His eyes held my gaze longer than I liked.

  Alexis cleared her throat loudly.

  “This klutz next to me is Alexis.”

  He smiled and nodded at her. “It’s hard to believe two pretty women like you would be here alone.”

  “Wow.” I looked him dead in the eye. “You are really bad at this.”

  After a stunned second, he laughed. “If you’re such an expert at this, why don’t you help me out?”

  “You could start by offering to buy us a drink,” I suggested, giving him a small smile.

  “Good plan.” He cleared his throat and started over. “Could I buy you ladies a drink?”

  “What a wonderful offer!” Alexis proclaimed with mock enthusiasm.

  The bartender was flagged again and another round of drinks was ordered. Mentally, I made a note that this should probably be my last one. I needed to be up early in the morning to finish a brief for work.

  “I would try the ‘do you come here often’ line, but I’m pretty su
re you’ll make fun of me if I do.” William smoothed down his tie.

  Every man in the bar was wearing a suit, but I could tell from the way he kept messing with his tie that it wasn’t something he wore on a regular basis.

  “I’d wager that you have never been here before,” I guessed. For some reason, I was comforted by that fact. The guys that usually hung out in places like this weren’t guys I had much in common with. I’d only come because Alexis had begged until I said yes.

  “This isn’t really my scene,” he admitted, looking relieved when a fresh drink was placed in front of him. He picked it up with long fingers wrapping around the glass. “Though if it’s the only place to run into women like you, I might have to rethink my usual scene.”

  “That was better,” I said with a laugh. “You might not be a helpless flirter after all.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  A second man appeared, this one looking much more comfortable in his expensive-looking suit. “William. How did I know I would find you by the hottest girls in the bar?”

  “Scott.” William flinched as the guy’s hand slapped him on the back. “Your timing is impeccable.”

  “Everything about me is impeccable,” Scott said with a wide grin.

  It was true– he was darn near perfect. Perfect smile, perfect hair, and perfectly tailored suit. Perfectly unattractive to me. I would take William’s crooked smile over Scott’s perfect grin any day of the week. Any night, too.

  That last thought sent a thrill of warmth down my body. Was I attracted to William Moore? It certainly seemed like I was.

  “Introduce me,” Scott said, eyes roaming over Alexis first, then me.

  William waited several seconds before making introductions. “Alexis, Riley,” he said, pointing to each of us. “Ladies, this is my former friend, Scott.”

  “Former friend?” Scott put an offended hand over his heart. “That hurts, Moore.”

  “We had a good run,” William took a long drink.

  “William’s always had a twisted sense of humor,” Scott explained to us. “I think it’s because he was an awkward teenager. Had to be funny to get the girls to pay attention to him.”

  “We can’t all be blessed with a delightful personality like yours,” I said.

  William just barely hid a smile.

  “Sassy.” Scott raised an eyebrow at me. “I like sassy.”

  “Too bad for you, I don’t like smarmy.” I winced as Alexis elbowed me in the side.

  I knew what she meant with that outburst of violence. She was warning me that my bad attitude was going to chase away two perfectly acceptable dating opportunities. You see, unlike me, Alexis was desperate to be in a relationship. She wanted me to shut up.

  William didn’t seem as offended by my snarkiness. “What do you like, Riley?”

  “The unexpected,” I said, staring him down. “What do you like, William?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Right now, I think I like you.”

  My heart jumped, but I remained skeptical. “You’re getting better at this. I almost fell for that one.”

  Scott rolled his eyes. “You two are adorable. If you don’t mind, I’ll think I’ll just move over there.”

  He headed in Alexis’ direction and she sat up straighter on her bar stool.

  “He’s delightful,” I said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Should I be worried about letting him get so close to my friend?”

  “He’s harmless. For the most part,” William said before correcting himself. “Okay, he’s kind of a player, but he’s not a bad guy.”

  “And you? Are you a good guy?” I lowered my head just a fraction and looked at him through my lashes. When I caught myself in the act, I realized that I had turned on my flirting game.

  “I am when I’m with the right girl.” His hand brushed my leg and his touch was electric. I just barely held back a shiver.

  “But isn’t it more fun to be with wrong girl?” I asked in a sultry voice. That was the moment I realized that I wanted to be with William Moore.

  This time his hand stayed on my leg, slowly moving up my thigh. “Maybe if she’s the right kind of wrong.”

  Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the touch of a handsome man, but I was ready to throw caution to the wind. It had been almost a year since my last sexual encounter. Just one of the many challenges with being a complete workaholic. But now I was ready for that to end, and William seemed like just the man to break the streak.

  “I don’t play games, William.” I moved my legs apart and leaned closer to him, letting him step between my legs. “If you were planning to make a move, now’s the time.”

  “Do you want to get out of here?” he asked, his hand now slipping beneath the hem of my dress. “Or is that too cliché of a pickup line for you?”

  “It’ll do,” I said. “But only because I already decided to go home with you.”

  William quickly threw a stack of cash on the bar and offered me his hand. I slid mine inside and slipped off the bar stool.

  I turned to tell Alexis that I was leaving, but she was deep in conversation with Scott. So deep that she didn’t even notice as I moved toward the door.

  “We’re really doing this?” William asked once we were outside.

  “I wouldn’t have come this far if I didn’t want to do this.” I felt a smidge sober after a few breaths of fresh air, but I didn’t change my mind. “My place or yours?”

  “My place is two blocks away,” he said, looking down the street.

  I smiled. “Perfect. Take me home, William Moore.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  William

  What had started as a normal night was quickly becoming much more promising. I had a nice buzz underway, a stunning woman on my arm, and a guarantee of getting laid very soon. But as enticing as all that was, I was more intrigued by the woman walking next to me.

  She was beautiful and funny, and I loved that I couldn’t guess what she might say or do next. It was clear that she had a confidence a lot of women lacked. She didn’t seem to care what her friend would think of her for going home with a man she just met. Nor did she seem to care what I thought of her for being so direct about her intentions for the rest of the night. The truth was, she had captivated me and I still couldn’t quite believe that she was coming home with me.

  “Do you like living in this neighborhood?” she asked, a surprisingly normal question that took me by surprise.

  “It’s fine.” I had moved to the area about a year earlier. Just a few blocks north of the river, it was close to my office. Since I spent a lot of late nights there, I liked the proximity.

  “It’s fancy,” she said with a smirk. “You must be loaded.”

  I found myself laughing again. Her directness was startling, but also refreshing. A lot of girls that suspected I had money pretended that they didn’t care, only to later request expensive dates and luxurious presents.

  “I do alright for myself,” I replied.

  The odds were good that Riley already knew the truth about my finances. Ever since my company had taken off as a top business in Chicago, I’d lost a lot of personal privacy.

  “What do you do for a living?” I asked, not just to change the subject. I was genuinely interested in Riley.

  “I’m an attorney,” she replied easily. “Feel free to skip over whatever lawyer joke you are planning. I’ve heard them all.”

  Beautiful, funny, and smart. She was turning out to be even more interesting than I had expected. “Do you like it?”

  “I do.” She sounded like she almost believed that. “It’s respectable work.”

  “I’m sure your parents are very proud.”

  She pulled her hand away. “Is this it?”

  I watched her look up at the building we had stopped in front of. The building lights bounced off her face, making it look like her skin was glowing.

  “Home sweet home,” I said, holding open the door.

  We walked
to the elevators in silence. I punched the button for the top floor and Riley whistled.

  “Top floor? I picked the right guy to go home with tonight.” The side of her body pressed against mine.

  I fought very hard against the urge to push her up against the wall and take her right there. Then it occurred to me that she probably wouldn’t mind. Before I could make a move, the elevator doors opened.

  “We’re here,” I said lamely. It was strange that I felt nervous all the sudden.

  As if she sensed my discomfort, Riley smirked. “Getting cold feet?”

  “You’re not as intimidating as you think you are,” I lied as I led her the five feet to my condo door. Being the only resident on the floor meant that we didn’t have to worry about privacy. That was good because Riley didn’t wait for me to unlock the door.

  She turned me around and backed me up against the door. Her hands pushed hard on my chest as her lips covered mine. Her aggressiveness surprised me at first, but surprise quickly turned to pleasure as her hands moved down my body.

  “I have four bedrooms on the other side of this door,” I muttered when her lips moved to my ear.

  “Why wait?” she breathed.

  “I’m not saying I’m against this, but there are building security cameras in the hallway.” I laughed when she abruptly pulled away. “There’s a chance that no one is watching right at this moment.”

  “Maybe another time.” Riley eyed the camera suspiciously.

  I hurried to unlock the door and pushed it open.

  Riley entered slowly, her heeled footsteps echoing on the wood floors. “Okay, I’m officially impressed. The place is amazing.”

  As she walked, her hips swayed tantalizingly. I remembered the smoothness of her skin and the floral scent of her hair.

  “I’ll grab us some drinks,” I said, tossing my keys onto the glass table near the door. Riley was already deep inside the condo. I unbuttoned my suit coat and tossed it on a nearby chair before making my way to the kitchen.

  Normally, I was reluctant to bring anyone back to my place. It had been a bit of an impulse purchase. After working hard to get my company off the ground, we’d been fortunate to become extremely profitable. As such, I’d suddenly found myself with an embarrassing amount of disposable income. I’d bought a place that was too big and too flashy for one bachelor.