Love, Lust & Liam by Sandi Lynn
Love, Lust & Liam
(Wyatt Brothers, Book 2)
Sandi Lynn
Love, Lust & Liam
Copyright © 2015 Sandi Lynn
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used factitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover Design by Cassy Roop @ Pink Ink Designs
Photography by Sara Eirew @ Sara Eirew Photography
Models: Michel Giroux Fashion & Fitness Model and Tanya Cvitkovic
Editing by B.Z. Hercules
Books by Sandi Lynn
If you haven’t already done so, please check out my books. They are filled with heartwarming love stories, some with millionaires, and some with just regular everyday people who find love when they least expect it.
Millionaires:
The Forever Series (Forever Black, Forever You, Forever Us, Being Julia, Collin, A Forever Family)
Love, Lust & A Millionaire
His Proposed Deal
Lie Next To Me (A Millionaire’s Love, Book 1)
When I Lie with You ( A Millionaire’s Love, Book 2)
A Love Called Simon
Then You Happened
Second Chance Love:
Remembering You
She Writes Love
Love In Between (Love Series, Book 1)
The Upside of Love (Love Series, Book 2)
Table of Contents
Books by Sandi Lynn
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
About The Author
Prologue
Age 11
“I thought you liked me, Scott.”
“I did, Avery, but now I like someone else. Sorry.”
Age 14
“But you kissed me.”
“Sorry about that, Avery. You’re a nice girl, but I’m not interested in you.”
Age 16
“I lost my virginity to you! You said you loved me.”
“I think we need to see other people and see what happens.”
Age 18
“I thought we had something special.”
“It’s not you, Avery. It’s me.”
Age 19
“But, you said—”
“I’m just not ready for a relationship right now. But if I was, I’d surely pick you.”
Age 20
“I don’t understand.”
“I don’t have time for a relationship right now and you shouldn’t either. Between our studies and my job, I just can’t give you the attention you deserve.”
Age 21
“But I love you and I thought you loved me.”
“Avery, you can do so much better than me. I’m letting you go so you can see that.”
Age 22
“You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?”
“I’ve just got this fear of commitment. Believe me, babe, it’s not you. It’s me. I just can’t be tied down. You did nothing wrong.”
Age 23
“How could you sleep with her? I thought we were exclusive!”
“Did we ever really agree to that? Listen, Avery, I think it’s best we don’t see each other anymore. I’m sorry. I didn’t know how to tell you and I don’t want this to make things at the office awkward between us.”
Chapter 1
Avery
As I stepped out of the cab and onto the dry pavement of East 71st Street, I stood there with my suitcase in my hand and looked up at the twenty-three-story building.
“Good day, ma’am,” a man spoke as he opened the building door.
“Oh, hello,” I nervously spoke as I walked towards him.
“May I help you with something?”
I gave him a gentle smile. “I’m moving into apartment 20B. My name is Avery Lewis.” I set down my suitcase and extended my hand to him.
“Welcome, Miss Lewis. My name is Davis and I’m the doorman here.” He shook my hand with a smile. “Is that all you have?” He pointed at my suitcase.
“Yes. My furniture and boxes were delivered this morning.”
“No.” He slowly shook his head. “There have been no deliveries here today.”
“The movers were supposed to be here at nine o’clock this morning,” I said with a calm tone.
“Sorry, Miss Lewis. It is ‘Miss,’ correct?”
Those words were like a stab in the heart. Of course it was Miss. I was going to be Miss Lewis for the rest of my life.
“You are correct. It’s Miss.” I gave a small smile.
“I’m sorry, but like I said earlier, no deliveries came through here yet.”
I sighed as I grabbed the handle of my suitcase. “Thank you, Davis, and please call me Avery. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going up to check out my new apartment.”
“I’m sorry, Avery.”
“Not your fault, Davis.” I waved as I walked to the elevator and took it up to the twentieth floor.
Opening the door to apartment 20B, I rolled in my suitcase and stood in the empty space. A space that was supposed to be filled with boxes and furniture. I walked into the small open kitchen with the cherry cabinets, white Corian countertops, and black ceramic tiled floor. One of the reasons I jumped on this apartment was because it had all stainless steel appliances, including a microwave and dishwasher. I rolled my suitcase across the oak wood floor to the bedroom. According to the realtor’s description, this was a king-size bedroom with ample closet space. The two very narrow closets that sat on one wall were hardly ample, but I guess considering the price of the rent for the Upper East Side, in my opinion, it was a fantastic deal, the bedroom itself was king-size. I stepped into the bathroom and flipped the light switch. It was small and very white. White walls, white ceramic tile, white Corian countertop, white tub with glass shower doors and, of course, a white toilet. I was definitely going to have to put some color in here to make it look less sterile.
I pulled my phone from my purse and called the furniture company that was supposed to have my furniture here by nine a.m.
“Hi, this is Avery Lewis and I was supposed to have a furniture delivery today at nine a.m. and I’m here at my apartment, there’s no furniture, and it’s now four o’clock.”
“Hold on, Miss Lewis, and let me check with our delivery truck.”
She put me on hold so I could listen
“Thank you for holding, Miss Lewis. Unfortunately, the delivery truck that your furniture was on has broken down and it needs to be towed. We are sending another truck out there immediately and your furniture should be delivered some time tomorrow. Is the phone number we have on file a good one to reach you at?”
I sighed. Of course the truck broke down. That was the kind of luck I had. “Yes, that number is fine. Thank you.” Click.
On to the next call. “Hi, this is Avery Lewis, and you were supposed to deliver my boxes to my new apartment in New York City this morning. I’m here and there are no boxes!”
“I’m sorry, Miss Lewis, but according to our records, we have your delivery scheduled for tomorrow, not today.”
Now I was getting really pissed off. “No. No. No. I told you that I was moving in today and I even have the email confirmation stating that my boxes would be delivered today!” I snapped.
“Oh dear. Yes, I do see that now. I’m very sorry, but someone wrote the wrong date on the delivery manifest.”
I paced around the living room holding my phone out and did a little angry dance, stomping my feet like a child. Why couldn’t anything ever go right?
“Okay, listen to me very carefully. I signed a contract with your company stating that my boxes would be delivered today. You failed to honor that contract so therefore you will not charge me for the delivery.”
“Oh, I’m afraid we can’t do that, but I will give you a ten percent discount for the inconvenience.”
I took in a long sharp breath. “Excuse me, may I ask your name?”
“It’s Babbie.”
“Okay, Babbie, listen up. Your company is in direct violation of a signed agreement. Now, I’m a lawyer, and a damn good one in fact, and I will sue the ass off that company if I am charged a penny. And guess what? It’ll be free because I can do things like that myself. So it won’t cost me a cent to sue, but it will cost your company up the ass in legal fees when I’m done with you! Got it!”
“Ah...Ah...yes, Miss Lewis. Your boxes will be delivered tomorrow at no charge to you. I’m terribly sorry this has happened and I will be finding out who made the error and see that they are reprimanded.”
“Thank you.” Click.
I sat down on the floor with my back up against the wall, legs stretched out and phone in my hand. I dialed my friend, Willow.
“Avery! Are you in New York yet?” she asked with excitement.
“I’m here, in my apartment, with no furniture or any of my stuff from back home.”
“Oh no. Delivery issues?”
“To say the least.”
“Well, since you can’t get settled, come on over. I’m making dinner and Cam will be home soon.”
I could hear Kinsley screaming in the background and Hensley crying in her arms. “Sounds like fun,” I spoke hesitantly.
“Great. You have the address, right?”
“Yep. I have it in my phone. I’ll grab a cab now and head over.”
“I can’t wait to see you!”
I got up from the floor and went into the bedroom where my suitcase was. I pulled my hairbrush and makeup bag from it and went into the bathroom to freshen up. Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw my once bright blue eyes looked dull and tired. Touching up my eyeshadow and running a brush through my long, blonde, wavy hair was just what I needed. Being here in New York was a decision I didn’t make lightly. I was desperate to get out of Danbury, Connecticut, and when Finn, Muir, & Abernathy, one of the largest and most successful law firms in the country offered me a position, I had to really think about if it was the right choice. I hoped I made the right decision.
I took the elevator down to the lobby and tried more than a handful of times to hail a cab. None would stop. Finally, Davis walked out and got one for me.
“Thanks, Davis.” I smiled. “Where I come from, I had my own car and always drove myself around, so I’m not used to this yet.”
“No worries, Avery. You will get used to it soon enough.”
I climbed in and he shut the door. “473 Broadway, please.”
Chapter 2
Liam
“Good evening, Wyatt clan.” I smiled as I kissed Sophie and Delilah on their cheeks and took a seat next to Oliver.
“Hi, Uncle Liam.”
“Well, big brother. I closed the deal on the townhouse today. It’s officially mine at a cool $6.9 mil.”
“Is that the one that was foreclosed on? The one over on East 71st Street?” Oliver asked.
“Yep. I bought it for half of what it’s worth and I can’t wait to get started on the remodel.”
“Are you keeping the apartment?” Delilah asked.
“Nah. I’ve got that up for sale. I already have an interested buyer.”
Oliver shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re going to fix that place up yourself. You know there are people that can do it for you.”
“You know I love to get my hands dirty.” I smiled.
“It’s going to take you forever to get that place done.” Oliver smirked.
“No it won’t. All I’m doing is painting some of the rooms, replacing the hideous floor in the foyer, and remodeling one of the bathrooms. The point is that I’m doing it myself and, once it’s done, I can take pure pride in it.”
“Very good, Liam. I like the way you think. If you need any help, let me know. You know Oliver won’t be able to help, but maybe I can.”
“What’s that supposed to mean, sweetheart?” Oliver asked.
“Nothing, darling. Eat your dinner.” Delilah gave me a wink and Sophie giggled.
After finishing a great dinner, we went up to the family room for a drink. As soon as Delilah got Sophie ready for bed, she joined us.
“How was your date last night?” Oliver asked as he handed me a glass of bourbon.
“It was okay. Nothing special. She wants to see me again, but I don’t know.” I took a sip of my drink.
“Why? What was wrong with her?” Delilah asked.
“I don’t know. Nothing I guess. There just wasn’t a connection.”
“It sounds like she had a connection with you if she wants to see you again,” Oliver spoke. “Did you fuck her?”
“OLIVER!” Delilah exclaimed.
“What? It’s a perfectly reasonable question.”
I sighed. “Yeah, but still no connection on my end.”
“Did she say she wanted to see you again before or after you fucked her?”
“OLIVER!”
“What?”
“After,” I replied.
“Good job. You reeled her in with your dick. Once they’ve had a Wyatt man, they want more.” Oliver winked.
“OLIVER!” Delilah exclaimed again.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Relax, sweetheart. I’m only teasing.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m giving up my search for the right girl. With the townhouse and everything else I’ve got going on, I don’t have time for a relationship. My main focus from now on is getting the townhouse done and the company.” I got up from the couch and set my glass down on the bar. “Thanks for dinner and the drink. I better get going. I have to start packing up the apartment.”
I heard Oliver sigh. “They have people that can do that for you.”
“I know. I know.” I waved my hand as I walked out the door.
****
As I was getting ready for bed, a text message from Dani, the girl from last night, came through.
“Hey there, sexy guy. I had a great time last night. How about we have dinner again tomorrow night?”
I climbed into bed and sat up as I texted her back.
“Hey, Dani. I already have plans tomorrow night with my brother. Maybe another time.”
I hated lying to her, but I didn’t want to make her feel bad. She was a nice girl and I didn’t want to hurt her.
“Okay. Let’s set a day
Oh shit. She wasn’t giving up.
“I’ll check my calendar and get back with you. I just bought a townhouse and I’m going to be moving soon, so I’m going to be pretty busy packing and stuff.”
“Whatever, asshole!”
I rolled my eyes. I guess she kind of got the hint. I didn’t respond. My problem was that I could have any girl I wanted. But I just didn’t want any ordinary girl. I wanted The One. The one who would make my heart beat faster every time I was near her. The one who didn’t want me for my money or for the status I could give her. The one who would brighten up my day with a simple hello. The one who could make me laugh without even trying. The one who wasn’t fake or phony, but natural and who wasn’t afraid to be herself. And finally, the one who wasn’t perfect, but to me, she was. I’d had my fun with women over the years and I never wanted to be tied down. But now that I was twenty-nine years old, I couldn’t help think that I needed some stability in my life. But now that I’d bought the townhouse and embarked on a new adventure, that kind of stability would have to wait.
Chapter 3
Avery
“Oh my God, look at this place!” I spoke as I stepped inside Willow’s apartment.
“Welcome to New York!” She gave me a tight squeeze. “Kinsley, come say hello to Auntie Avery.”
Kinsley shyly walked over to me as I knelt down in front of her. “Look at you. You’re growing up so fast.” I smiled as I hugged her. “The last time I saw you was a year ago and you barely had any hair. Look at these beautiful curls.” I smiled.
“And this is Hensley.” Cam walked over and kissed my cheek.
“Hi, Cam.” I smiled as I took Hensley from him. “Oh my gosh. She’s gorgeous just like Kinsley.”
Cam and Willow were from my hometown in Danbury, Connecticut, they were two years older than me, and both were my best friends. They’d been together since they were fifteen years old. As soon as Cam and Willow graduated college, Cam was hired by one of the top real estate companies in New York City selling million-dollar properties. They got married, moved to the city, and Willow got pregnant shortly after. She was now a stay-at-home mom and loving every minute of it.
“This place is gorgeous,” I spoke as I looked around the apartment that was more than twice the size as mine.