Nailed - Opal Carew Page 0,52

uh…” She shrugged.

“Partners? I’m not sure how that’s awkward.”

“No, I mean…” She gazed his way, and bit her lip. “I know that you and Kane … that you’re … more than just business partners.”

His stomach clenched. “You mean friends?” But he was sure that wasn’t it.

She shook her head.

“What do you mean, River?”

“I mean that you two are … lovers.”

He sighed and sat back in the chair. How the hell did she know?

“Did Kane tell you?” he asked.

Kane had told Will that he didn’t want her to know. That it would make things awkward between all of them.

“No, he didn’t say a thing. I … well, it was an accident, but … I found a video on Kane’s computer.” She gazed at him with wide eyes. “I wasn’t snooping. I just wanted to watch a movie and…”

“It’s okay. I don’t think that. I … Ah, fuck, River. We didn’t want you to know. We didn’t want it to be awkward for you.”

She nodded and sipped more of her wine. “It’s just strange. The idea that he’s having sex with me and that you two are still…” She trailed off.

“What? No. We aren’t still together like that.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “When he told me he was going after you again, he ended it with me. You are his full focus. He is totally and completely dedicated to making things work between you.”

* * *

River stared at Will, the warmth of his hand surrounding hers comforting.

“Really?” she asked, elated.

“Of course. He will be totally faithful to you.”

“I…” But she choked up. She sipped her wine again and cleared her throat. “But what about you? Do you still love him?”

“I want him to be happy. And our friendship will always be sound. I think the only thing that could threaten that is if you decide you don’t want me around.”

Her heart ached as he said the words. “You really think he’d shut you out of his life if I didn’t like you?”

Will nodded. “His personal life, yes. If it made you uncomfortable. We’d still run the business together, but he might go so far as to ask me to relocate. Then we’d run business meetings over Skype.”

She couldn’t believe she’d have so much power over Kane’s life.

She squeezed Will’s hand. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize your friendship with Kane. I promise.”

* * *

After their conversation, River felt more relaxed around Will.

He was a good friend to Kane. She couldn’t believe that he would put his friend’s happiness ahead of his own that way. But then, people did that kind of thing for the people they love.

Was Will in love with Kane? The thought broke River’s heart. That he was in love with Kane and couldn’t be with him.

If she hadn’t accepted this business proposal with Kane … to be his wife in return for building her business … would he have stayed with Will?

But she knew in her heart that Kane would never be willing to make his relationship with Will public. Kane would want a marriage that his friends and family would find acceptable, and that was her role.

She and Will cleared the table, and then they did the dishes together. After that, they settled into the living room with another bottle of wine. Will popped the cork and filled her glass.

Will was a good-looking man. Sexy and charismatic. And she felt safe and comfortable around him. She was sure they could become good friends. And she was amazed that he didn’t resent her. Or if he did, he hid it well.

They chatted and laughed. And drank more wine.

“I love how engaged you are when you’re mixing your nail polish,” he said. “You so clearly love it.” He smiled. “And you’re very talented.”

She shrugged off the compliment. “As you saw, there’s no real magic. I just mix the ingredients together.”

“I’m not letting you get away with that. It’s your unique creativity that allows you to combine everything just so to make something beautiful.”

Elation filled her at his encouragement.

She rested her head against his shoulder. “That’s nice of you to say.”

He slid his arm around her. She was sure he sensed that she didn’t get much encouragement. Of course, he knew how people had viewed her in college. They didn’t call her creative. They just called her strange.

She gazed at his beautiful hazel eyes, so thoughtful and full of warmth. A tingling started deep inside her, followed by a coiling heat.

“What are