Liam gripped my shoulder. “What’s the deal, man?”
I forced my gaze away from Amanda for just a minute. “No deal. Just curious. She seeing anyone? Boyfriend?”
He shook his head. “She was dating someone, but they broke up a while back. Nothing bad, just going in different directions, I think. But Ava might know more. They’re pretty good friends, and you know how girls talk.”
I snorted. “Uh, no. This isn’t the kind of thing you want to ask your sister about. I’ll take your word for it.” When I allowed myself another glance at her, I realized Amanda was looking back at me, her eyes wide and interested, and her lips slightly parted. I didn’t drop my gaze.
Liam, standing next to me and studying my face, wore a curious expression. I gave him a light punch on the arm. “Hey, good party, man. If I don’t see you again tonight, thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay. See you around, Vince,” Liam called, but I didn’t bother acknowledging him. I was too intent on making my way through the guests to reach the woman in red.
She didn’t look away from me, and that made me even more interested. She wasn’t playing coy. Next to her, Giff said something and kissed her cheek before he and Jeff hustled away. God bless them.
I reached her side just as she laughed and called out to Giff. I knew I probably shouldn’t do it, but I’d never been accused of being smart about women. I laid one hand on the bare skin of her back, between her shoulder blades.
She was warm and smooth, and I swore I could feel the thrum of her pulse beneath my fingers. The minute I touched her, she stopped moving and stood perfectly still.
“Hey.” My voice was hoarse, and I cleared my throat, and then fuck if I could figure out what to say next. “Uh, hey. You’re Amanda, right? Liam’s friend?”
She turned around to face me, and I dropped my hand from her back. My heart stuttered when the tip of her tongue darted out to swipe over her lips. “Yes, I am. And you’re Ava’s brother, Vincent.” She paused. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
Shit. That was a loaded question. I was almost positive we’d never really met. Almost positive.
“It was a couple of years ago.” Her mouth tipped up into a slight smile. “At Liam and Ava’s housewarming party, when they moved into the condo. You were setting out cannoli, and I asked if you were the pastry chef. You lit into me for assuming that you were ‘just’ the pastry chef. You told me that making pastries was something you did—it wasn’t who you were. And then you accused me of being an elitist snob, only seeing those who provided services as what they could do, not as real people.”
I winced. “Ouch. That must’ve come across as really rude.” Bending my head closer to her, I lowered my voice. “I’ll tell you a secret. I have an evil twin brother . . . uh, Vincenzo. It must have been him you met that day. He can be a real pain in the ass.”
“Oh, really?” Amanda tilted her head, and both her smile and her eyes showed a little more amusement. “That’s odd. I know Ava well, and she’s never mentioned a third brother. Pretty sure she usually talks about the two over-protective, domineering lunkheads who think they know it all about everything and treat her like she’s twelve.”
“Yeah.” I nodded, feigned regret all over my face. “That sounds just like Carl and Vincenzo. Doesn’t she ever talk about her enlightened, sensitive brother? That would be me.”
“Doesn’t ring a bell.” Her lashes swept down as she lowered her eyes. “And I don’t know much Italian, but isn’t Vincenzo the Italian version of Vincent?”
“My parents aren’t the most creative people,” I whispered. “But I am. Creative, that is. In so many ways.”
Her nostrils flared slightly. If I hadn’t been standing so close, I might not have noticed. “Creativity is an underrated trait. I, for one, appreciate it.” She lifted the glass she was holding and then frowned when she realized it was empty.
“Let me get you a refill.” I closed my hand around the glass over her fingers. “What’re you drinking?”
“Scotch, neat.” Her voice held a hint of a challenge, as if I might mock her choice of alcohol.
“You don’t mess around, do you?” I made sure she heard only respect, nothing else. “Most women I know drink red wine.”
“I grew up in politics. We drink the serious stuff.” She shot me a challenging glance as we made our way to the bar.
“They served kids hard liquor? That explains a lot about the state of politics today.”
Amanda laughed. “They didn’t serve it to us. But it was all around us, all the time, with most of the adults slamming them back. It was impossible not to be influenced at least a little.”
“Huh.” I stepped up to the bar and ordered Amanda’s scotch along with a beer for me. After I’d tipped the bartender, we wandered away, both of us moving together toward a quieter corner of the room as though we’d planned it.
“So . . . law school, huh?” I took a long pull of my beer. “That’s impressive.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t say anything else about it, but I didn’t miss the tiny frown between her eyes. “Will I get my head bit off again if I ask if you’re still making pastries?”
I chuckled. “I told you, that was my evil twin. I’m completely cool with what I do. I own it.” I paused. “I’m also the best fucking pastry chef in South Jersey, so there’s that.”
“And so modest, too,” she noted wryly.
“Hey.” I spread out the fingers of the hand not holding my beer. “There’s nothing arrogant about telling the truth. And false modesty is a crock of shit. I know I’m good at what I do. I worked hard to get where I am, and I still work damn hard every day. I put in the hours, and I know my craft.”
“I wasn’t saying otherwise.” She sipped her drink. “I guess I’m just not used to being around men who are so . . .” She hesitated.
“Cocky?” I supplied.
“No.” She shook her head. “So sure about the value and quality of their work. Cocky, I’m familiar with. Arrogant, I totally understand. But that’s different. It’s annoying, because when they do it, it’s like they’re putting down other people to make themselves look better. Does that make sense?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know those types, too. They’re assholes.”
Amanda tossed back her head and laughed, a low, throaty sound that raced down my spine, straight to my dick. I wanted to see her make that move again. And I wanted to be buried balls-deep inside her when she did.
Yeah. It was like that.
“Hey.” I wrapped my fingers around her upper arm, my fingers just barely skimming her warm skin. “Are you single? Are you seeing anyone?”
Her cheeks went pink. “Not that it’s any of your business—”
“I want to make it my business tonight.” I swallowed, my throat tight with want. “Listen, I don’t like to play games. I don’t do relationships. I don’t do girlfriends. If I want that kind of drama, I only have to hang out in my kitchen. But I don’t fuck women who belong to other men, either.”
Her eyes widened, and her lips parted as she stared up at me. “I don’t belong to anyone but myself.”
“Good.” I loosened my hold on her arm. “I also don’t force myself on women who aren’t interested. So if you’re not, just say the word, and I’ll walk away. No harm, no foul. No hard feelings.”
“And if I am?” Her gaze didn’t waver, but I saw the slight quiver of her full lower lip.
“If you are, then we can have another drink, maybe eat some of the food . . . try some of my very excellent cannoli or the pignolo or biscotti. And then we’ll get out of here and find some place where we can be alone—” I paused. It had just occurred to me that I was supposed to share a hotel room with Carl and Ange and the baby tonight. My parents had insisted that we all stay at a local hotel, since they were still firmly in denial that Liam and Ava slept in the same room, in the same bed, in the condo they’d shared for over two years. Thus none of us ever admitted to staying in my
sister’s guest room when we were in town.
“Does the look of dismay on your face tell me that you’ve hit a road block in your plan?” Amanda sounded amused.
“Not unless you have an issue with sleeping in the same room with my brother, my sister-in-law and my baby nephew.”
The expression of horror on Amanda’s face made me double over laughing. “I’m kidding. I can probably get my own room. I’ll call the hotel right now and see.” I reached to pull my phone out of my back pocket.
“Or . . .” Amanda laid a hand on my forearm. “We could go to my apartment, which is twenty minutes away, across the bridge.”
I studied her, considering. “You’d be all right with that?”
“I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t.”
“Do you have a roommate?”
She smiled a little. “No, I don’t. What I do have is a huge king-sized bed.” When I cocked my eyebrow, she added, “And privacy. Because I have a feeling if we’re spotted together at the hotel where the rest of your family is staying, it might not go over well.”
Amanda was right, of course, but I was slightly surprised that she had thought about it—and that she seemed to be on the same page as me. Most of my random hook-ups wanted to be seen with me, or at least didn’t care if anyone saw us. The fact that Amanda was as concerned as I was about being discreet should’ve made me feel relieved. It did, but at the same time, I was a little taken aback. I wasn’t used to a woman wanting to hide her association with me.
“Yeah, you’re right,” I agreed. “The hotel isn’t that big. And my mother would inevitably find out that I wasn’t staying with Carl and Ange, and she’d hunt me down like a dog if I were anywhere in the place. She’s got this crazy sixth sense about all of her kids.”
“Then I guess we’re going to my apartment.” She drained her glass. “I can call us a ride. If you’re ready now, I mean.”
“I have my own car here. I drove down after everyone else, because I was bringing the desserts. So you don’t have to call for anything. Just . . .” I ran one hand over my hair. “Let me tell Carl not to wait up.”
“Vincent.” She spoke my name so softly that I might have missed it if I hadn’t been tuned into her. “This . . . what we’re talking about doing. It’s a one-shot deal, right? Just tonight.”
She took me by surprise again, and when I didn’t respond immediately, she rushed on to elaborate. “I don’t mean to sound . . . but yeah. It’s just that I don’t really have time in my life right now for anything complicated. You know? I’m buried with my classes, and my job is kind of challenging.”
“Yeah, I get it.” I did. It was just that it was usually me giving the let’s-keep-it-casual speech. “Like I told you, I don’t do relationships or girlfriends. Maybe this is a bad idea, you and me tonight, but we’re both adults, and we both know what we’re doing. So why not?”
“As long as we’re on the same page.” Amanda nodded. “And I don’t want this getting back to Liam, got it? Or to Ava.”
“Jesus, no.” I shuddered. “The last thing I need is my family deciding you and I are some sort of couple or whatever. No. These lips are sealed, I promise.”
“Good.” She squared her shoulders. “Then I’m ready when you are.”
“Okay, then. I’ll tell Carl I’m going out after, so he doesn’t worry when I don’t show up.”
“Be subtle.” She set down her glass on a nearby tray. “I’ll thank Mrs. Bailey and plead a headache and lots of work at home. I’ll meet you in front.”
I watched her ease away, her hips swaying gently under the subtle shifting of her red dress, and I wondered if I knew what the hell I was doing. Part of me did; that part was already straining at the zipper of my dress pants as I took in the way her legs went on forever. The thinking, semi-intelligent remainder of me suggested that I was certifiably insane.
One thing I knew, though. I wasn’t backing out. I might be a lunatic, but I was a lunatic who’d been working so hard in the past two months that I hadn’t gotten laid in way too long. I knew my family considered me something of a man whore, but the truth was slightly less exciting. I didn’t troll bars for women often. I didn’t have time. Most of my one-night stands were with people I met through my job, which was slightly complicated, since I worked at my family’s restaurant.
I was careful never to hit on anyone younger than me by more than a year or so. The truth was that I preferred slightly older women who didn’t have starry eyes and expectations. I’d slept with suppliers who came around to make sales calls or occasionally, customers who were in town for a short time. If the pickings were lean, as they were from time to time, I’d drive up the coast and hang out at a bar where no one knew me.
Still, that didn’t happen often. I wasn’t an idiot, and I knew how to keep it in my pants when there were more important issues in my life, or when the restaurant was so busy I didn’t have time to think, let alone flirt with a pretty girl. The problem was that I’d been reluctantly celibate for too long now, and although I hadn’t expected to meet anyone tonight, the combination of my attraction to Amanda and her easy availability made this too good an opportunity to pass up.
She was still talking to Liam’s mother and Ava, I noted, so I threaded my way between groups of people until I found my brother, who was holding a plate of food and staring off into space.
“Carl? You okay, buddy?”
He startled at the sound of my voice, frowning at me, and I wondered if he’d been somehow sleeping standing up, with his eyes open. “Oh, Vince. Good. I was just about to come looking for you. The baby’s real fussy, so Ange and I are heading back to the hotel now. I wanted to give you a key, so you can get in.” He began hunting through his pockets, looking for the key, I assumed. “But listen, be quiet coming in. In case the baby’s asleep. Because if he is, and you come barreling in and wake him up, I’m pretty sure Angela will strangle you. If she doesn’t, I might.”
“Dude, don’t sweat it.” I gripped my brother’s shoulder. “I’m not going to stay with you guys after all.”
He squinted at me as though I was speaking in a foreign language. “Are you crashing at Ava’s?”
“Ah, no. I’m, uh, going to . . .” I tried to think of something that would throw Carl off the scent, but I came up with nothing. Lying on the fly had never been my strength. “Um, there’s this chick—”
“Dude, you picked up some woman at your sister’s engagement party?” Suddenly Carl’s fatigue-dulled eyes were awake again. “Who is she?”
“I don’t want to say. It’s not a big deal, Carl. It’s just a one-time thing.” Unbidden, my gaze strayed over to where Amanda was hugging Mrs. Bailey and clearly saying good night.
“No fucking way.” Carl spoke furiously, under his breath. “Amanda? Liam’s best friend? That’s the girl you’re nailing tonight?”
“Be quiet,” I ground out. “This isn’t something I want getting around the family. I’m telling you, it’s no big deal. We’re just going to go . . . uh, get a drink. Or something.”
“Yeah, or something.” Carl shook his head. “Vince, this is not a good idea, even for you. She isn’t just some woman you met at a bar. She’s Liam’s friend. She’s Ava’s friend. It’s not cool.”
“I’m not kidnapping her and carrying her off to my cave. For fuck’s sake, Carl. You’re not my father, and I don’t need you giving me morality lectures.” I clenched my teeth. “She’s clear about where I stand. Hell, she’s the one who made me promise this is only for a night. So stop worrying about her and about me and just take care of your own shit.” I drew in a deep breath and forced myself to speak calmly. “You’ll have the room to yourself tonight. Get the baby to sleep and spend some time with your wife. I think you both need it.”
He snorted. “If we manage to get him down, the only thing either of us wants to do in bed is sleep.” My brother exhaled long. “Okay, Vince. I hope you know what you’re doing, but it’s your life to fuck up. I won’t say an
ything.”
“Thanks, bro.” I punched his shoulder. “I’ll try to be back for breakfast at Ava’s, but in case I don’t make it, just tell Ma I got up early and decided to drive back home. I’ll see you there.”
“I’m not lying for you, Vince. I said I won’t tell Ma or Pop, and I won’t, but if Ma asks me where you are, I’m not going to lie. If she asks if you slept in our room, I’m not going to tell her you did, and I’m sure as hell not going to ask Ange to lie.”
“Fine. Just don’t bring it up. I’ll figure something out.” Worst case, I’d leave Amanda’s apartment early enough to get back to the hotel and hang out in the lobby. I’d tell my parents that I hadn’t wanted to risk disturbing Carl and Ange. No one would think twice about that sentiment. “See you later.”
“Vince.” Carl called after me. “It’s not that I think any less of you. You know that, right? I just want you to think about this. Be smart.”
“Always.” I winked and gave him the same corny salute we’d been sharing since we were little boys playing in the backyard together. And then I walked toward the exit, eager to get outside before anyone else could make me second-guess what I was about to do.
The evening was sticky and warm, but the quiet outside was a blessed relief to my ears. As I stepped through the door, I caught sight of Amanda, scanning her phone, her bottom lip snagged between her teeth.
She didn’t see me at first, so I had a moment to look at her, to watch her . . . and to re-think this. Tonight. Us. I’d jumped head-first into dragging her off for what I hoped would be a night of mindless fucking, a way for me to get my rocks off and find a little peace. I knew I wasn’t coercing her; from what Amanda had said, she seemed to live her life on the same terms that I did. She had a busy and demanding career, and she wasn’t looking for any more than just this one night together.
Just Roll With It (A Perfect Dish Book 4) Page 3