I’d forgotten how much work a newborn could be. The cold brewing in Meg when she’d gone into labor had turned into a full-on case of the flu. Chest congestion, fever, coughing, and body aches kept her in bed and miserable while Kevin and I tended to baby Eddie and set up the nursery. The doctor encouraged her to continue breastfeeding and that task took all her energy, so I was teaching Kevin how to change diapers and bathe and dress his new son. In between, we finished the painting and decorating in the baby’s room. Despite limited contact with his ill mom, Eddie was a thriving, happy newborn and already cooing and cuddling at only a few days old.
I’d been sleeping on their sofa for several days and longed for a real bed, so when Meg finally started to feel human again, I came back to the hotel for some much-needed solitude. Almost too tired to move, I dragged myself up long enough to yank back the bedspread, drop my clothes on the floor, and fall on to the crisp white sheets. More than anything I wanted about ten hours of uninterrupted sleep. But I’d barely closed my eyes when someone tapped on my door.
What the hell? It’s after ten.
All I could think was something had happened to Meg or the baby. But why hadn’t Kevin simply called?
Naked, I padded to the sofa and ransacked my suitcase for my short white robe. “Who’s there?” I called, pulling it on and tying the belt.
“The big bad wolf,” a deep familiar voice answered. “Open up.”
Will!
I yanked the door open to find him grinning at me, one elbow resting on the doorjamb, and a duffle in his other hand. Blond hair tousled, five-o’clock stubble on his cheeks, and clothes slightly rumpled, he looked fabulous. Instinct took over and without even thinking, I launched myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck. Dropping the duffle, he enveloped me in a hug as he shoved the door wider and kicked the bag into the room ahead of us. My feet dangled a couple of inches above the carpet when he swung me around, while at the same time, using one foot to slam the door shut.
Like long-lost lovers, we clung to each other before Will’s mouth found mine. His tongue probed, and I willingly opened my lips to him. All clear thought vanished. Dear God, I’d forgotten the magic of the man’s kisses, the delicious male scent of him. I was a woman possessed, tugging at his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders. He shrugged and it fell to the floor even as I began unbuttoning his shirt.
Releasing me, he yanked it off, heedless of the last couple of buttons popping onto the carpeted floor. I wanted him naked, to feel his big body against mine, so my fingers worked on his belt buckle while he slipped out of his shoes and socks. Cursing my fumbling hands, I tried to unbuckle his pants, but he took over, dropping his pants and knit boxers in one swift movement. His erection jutted out at full attention.
Somehow, everything slowed down. Will’s blue eyes darkened in the dim light of the room. Shadows danced from the city lights outside the curtained window. He reached for me, letting one hand slip under the belt of my robe, pulling me closer. Silently, he untied the sash and slid one hand inside, stroking the skin of my waist. Dropping his head, he pushed the robe aside and explored my neck and shoulder with his lips. A shiver of sensation raced through me as I ran my hands over his chest and then around to the muscles of his broad back.
I pressed my lips to his neck, inhaling the warm skin there, teasing with my tongue. Will responded with a growl, letting his own tongue trace a wicked path down to my breast, sucking hard, driving me right to the edge with his tongue circling my nipple.
The robe went the way of his clothes as he suddenly scooped me up and laid me on the bed. “Don’t move.” The first words he’d spoken since I’d opened the door were soft and husky.
An unnecessary admonition if there ever was one—I had no intention of moving, not when ecstasy was only moments away. My body was on fire, every nerve tingling. I needed him inside me. The zipper of his duffle sounded loud in the dim quiet of my room, and in no time, he was next to me again and his hands cupped my breasts, his blond hair tickling my chin. Thrusting my fingers into his hair, I pressed his head to my flesh, encouraging him to take me into his mouth.
He obliged, sucking and tonguing first one hard nipple and then the other while I squirmed underneath him. Reaching between us, I wrapped my hand around his erection, savoring the silky taut skin. I tugged slightly and opened my thighs, but Will was in charge. He slid down my body, dropping warm lingering kisses over my stomach and lower as I released him.
A moan escaped as he kissed the inside of my thigh, the back of my knee, my ankle, and made his way back up the other leg. Hot, sexy kisses left me breathless, unable to contain the sounds of pleasure. When he moved higher, when he found that special place between my legs, when his tongue stroked there, I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Tension wound tighter in me as Will’s fingers gripped my thighs and his lips worked magic. My fingers splayed in his hair. Fire licked at my nerves and my hips rose to meet his hungry mouth. Then everything inside me exploded in a kaleidoscope of sensation. I clutched his shoulders and whimpered.
Before I had a chance to fall back to earth, Will rose over me. Scarcely aware of the faintest sound of foil tearing, I kept my eyes closed until he came into me, hard and hot. When I opened them to his passionate gaze, I clutched.
Oh, God, this man owns me. He owns me.
It was my last coherent thought before his lips came down on mine and flames seared through me. His kisses tasted of mint and whiskey and me. The combination intoxicated my senses as I wrapped my arms and legs around him.
His movements were gentle at first, long strokes inside me, pulling away oh-so-slowly while his blue eyes stayed locked on mine. Aware of every inch of his skin, I touched him shamelessly, stroking his back, sliding my heels up over his thighs to his butt, arching into him. I couldn’t get close enough even though we were as close as two human beings could be. Heat flared again between my legs, radiating out as he filled me. With a groan, he moved faster and faster still. Sensation washed over me as I clung to him, riding out his climax before mindless ecstasy claimed me again.
Will’s naked body shivered now and then—probably more from post-orgasm aftershock than from the cool air—as I lay curled against him, my head resting on his chest. His heart pounded under my cheek. We still hadn’t exchanged so much as a hello.
At last, he tipped my chin up to look into my eyes. “Hi, I’m Will. I’m with the hotel.” That earned him a smile, so he continued. “I actually only stopped by to see if you needed anything. Extra towels? Another packet of coffee? Perhaps a toothbrush?”
“So you make the rounds with a duffle bag full of condoms each night?” I played along, loving how his blue eyes twinkled in the sparse light from the French doors.
“Well, we here at—” he grabbed the courtesy card off the nightstand and squinted at it, “—um… ah, the Dragonfly, always put our guests’ needs first. Our mission is to make sure you’re comfortable… and satisfied.”
“Mission accomplished.” I rose up to press my lips to his.
He kissed me gently. “How’s it going, beautiful?” he whispered as I pulled back to gaze into his face.
Beautiful? How easy would it be to fall in love with this guy?
I gave him a grateful smile. “I’m okay. Really tired.”
Snuggling back in his arms again, I told him about Meg’s illness and how Kevin and I had taken over newborn duty. “She’s finally strong enough to be out of bed, so I came back here to try to get some rest.” I finished around a giant yawn.
“And I came and disturbed you. Sorry about that.”
Tendrils of my hair clung to his stubbled chin, so I smoothed it away. “Honey, you can disturb me like that anytime, but”—another yawn—”I do need some sleep. I don’t think I’ve slept more than about three hours at one time in a week and a half.”
“Go to sleep.” He stroked down my arm and tugged me closer before tucking the sheet and blanket more snugly around us.
“But… but…�
� My eyes closed and I struggled to open them again. “I wanted to… to talk.”
“We’ll talk in the morning.” He pressed a kiss on the top of my head “Goodnight, love.”
Love…
I was too sleepy to respond.
* * * *
Morning brought a chill and little fingers of fog through the open balcony door of my hotel room. Will slept soundly. Not even the clanging of the cable cars bothered him. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, I saw that it was after eight. I hadn’t slept in that late since I’d arrived in San Francisco, thanks to little Eddie. Another cable car clattered by, causing Will to roll over, clutch the blanket, and murmur in his sleep. Cautiously, I slipped out of bed and shut the French doors to the balcony, pausing behind the drapes to peer out into the busy street below.
The city was waking up. Business people strode up Powell, a line wound out the door of the coffee shop across the street, and the fog lent weird auras to the streetlights. Naked, I padded across the Oriental rug to the bathroom, waiting to switch on the light until I’d shut the door.
The hotel was old-fashioned and charming—a throwback to the early nineteen hundreds but with twenty-first century amenities such as central heat and air, small sitting areas, king-sized beds, and en suite baths with huge showers. As I washed my face, cleaned my teeth, and ran a brush through my hair, I recalled the last time I’d stayed at this hotel… with Charlie. Will and I had made it our own last night, but still, I wanted to find a place that was ours—not some place that might always remind me of him.
Slipping back under the covers, I curved my body around Will’s, laying one arm across his hip, and pressing my breasts to his back. He sighed and rolled over, but didn’t wake up. His arms slid around me, and he tugged me close with a satisfied moan. I buried my face in his chest hair, letting the warm masculine scent of him fill my nostrils, then ran one finger down his body to his navel.
Is this man my destiny?
He was wonderful, but I didn’t know if I was ever going to be open to love again with so much anger inside me. Even lying here in his arms, the rage began to drop a red veil in my mind. I simply had to get past it. Find a way to forgive Charlie, and move on—whether it was with Will or someone else or all alone. This anger would turn me into a bitter old lady, and I didn’t want to be that person. I’d come too far in the past few weeks.
But how could I ever let it go?
FIFTEEN
The scent of freshly brewed coffee pulled me from sleep and when I opened my eyes, Will stood over me with a cardboard tray from the coffee shop across the street. A waxed paper bag dangled from his other hand, no doubt some delectable treat from the shop’s bakery.
“Rise and shine, beautiful. You damn near slept the morning away.” He put the tray on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed to open the bag and wave it under my nose. “I’ve got raspberry croissants and hot coffee to get you started. Once you’re showered, we’ll find brunch somewhere.”
“You’re one of those chipper pain-in-the-ass guys in the morning, aren’t you?” I grumbled, rising up on one elbow to accept a container of coffee and sniff it.
White chocolate mocha!
The man was my hero. I pulled back the tab and took a sip. Delicious.
“Hi.” I gave him a smile.
Holding the bag out, he leaned in for a kiss. “Hi.”
“I’m so glad you’re here.” I took another sip. “Want to spend the day in bed with me?”
“Sounds perfect, but…” Will’s serious expression sent a chill down my spine. “… um…we need to talk.”
What on earth did he need to talk to me about? Could he be done with me already? Surely he wouldn’t have made a trip halfway across the country to tell me he no longer wanted me. A phone call would’ve taken care of that. Besides, last night, the passion in his eyes left no doubt about his feelings. No, it was something else, something he was worried about, something he knew I didn’t want hear.
Oh shit, he’s going to tell me he’s serious. He’s going to ask me to move in with him.
My heart dropped to my metaphorical socks.
“Will…” I sat up and tucked the sheet around my naked body, trying to think of a way to tell him I wasn’t ever going to make another commitment, not after what the last one had gotten me.
Memories had assaulted me most of the time I’d been with Kevin and Meg, watching the tender way my son took care of his wife and new child. Remembering Charlie’s caretaking of me when Kevin was born and then again with the twins had brought a sharp stab of pain, even as I rocked baby Eddie.
And it was all a lie.
No. No more marriage for me. I’d been a fool for too many years. All I wanted from now on were easy, fun, no-strings relationships. Marrying so young, I’d missed those. Friends with benefits sounded just about right.
“Wait.” Will handed me a croissant on a napkin. “I have something I need to say, so eat and listen, okay?” Perched on the edge of the bed, he was obviously nervous, as he took a long pull of his coffee and shredded, rather than ate, his pastry.
I waited, nibbling on my croissant. Whatever it was, he was having a hard time getting started, and my heart sank even further. It couldn’t be good news if he was having such difficulty spitting it out.
“I did something you’re not going to like,” Will said at last and when he met my gaze, his blue eyes were dark with emotion.
“What?”
“I… I went into your laptop and read Charlie’s emails.”
“You what?” I dropped the pastry next to my coffee on the nightstand. Anger boiled up. “What the hell, Will? When? You had no right to do that. I—”
“Wait.” A jerk of his head indicated the laptop open on the table across the room, exactly where I’d left it several days earlier. “I did it just now. I was only going to check the Asian markets, honest. But, there it was, and I’ve been worrying about why you wanted to bring his laptop along after you told me to throw it out. I know you, Julie. You’re going to try to figure out who she is, aren’t you?” It all came out in one long breath.
“So what if I—” I bit back the question before I said something I might regret—a rant was imminent. I was so pissed I wanted to smack him.
“Will you just listen before you blow up, please?” Fists clenched, he gazed at me steadily.
Too late!
Through gritted teeth, I agreed with a short nod, but I was seeing red. I couldn’t imagine what possible explanation he could have for invading my privacy. Snooping into things that were absolutely none of his business.
“I read them because I could tell you were curious about that woman, and I thought maybe I could figure out her identity. And if I found her and you knew more, you could sorta resolve things in your head.” When I didn’t respond, he went on. “I thought I could figure out what was going on.”
“I fucking know what was going on.”
“Listen!” Will’s voice hardened. “He was cheating on you, that’s a fact. But there’s more to this than simply Charlie’s being unfaithful.”
“And how do you know that, Dr. Phil?”
He was getting irritated too, but I honestly didn’t care. At the moment, I had no more use for Will Brody than I had for Charlie Miles. Was he trying to defend him?
Men suck.
I was done. I tossed the covers off, rose, and stalked around the bed to grab my robe off the floor next to Will’s big feet. When I’d tied the belt snug around my middle, he took my arm.
“Come on. Sit and listen. Please.” The words were measured and quiet, his expression intent.
Against my better judgment, I agreed and tossed myself down on the loveseat—no way was I going to sit on the bed next to him. I needed space. “Okay, I’m listening.”
“First of all, I didn’t read all the emails, but it was obvious this woman wasn’t just his lover, she was his friend. And from what I could tell, they’d been friends for a very long time—years.�
�
“Oh, great. So he was screwing around on me for years. There’s good news. Thanks for sharing.”
“Julie, shut up. I’m trying to tell you—”
“What? Don’t tell me to shut up. You’re the one who’s out of line here, not me.”
He sat quietly for a few moments and then said, “Please, listen.” His calm was more irritating than if he’d fought back.
I was mad—furious, actually—and about six seconds from kicking his ass over the balcony. “Why? What does any of this have to do with you anyway?”
With a sigh, he rose and came to kneel next to me. “Julie, you’re beautiful and warm and smart and full of life and goodness. But now there’s a dark angry place in you. You have every right. But if you don’t deal with it, it’s gonna grow into a twisted ugly thing, and eventually it could destroy all the joy in your life.”
Damn him.
He was right. He said exactly what I’d been thinking less than twelve hours earlier, but that didn’t assuage my anger. This was something I had to work out, and Will was getting too close. Charlie’s infidelity was something so personal I hadn’t even talked to Carrie about it yet.
“This isn’t any of your business.” I bit my lower lip to keep the tears at bay. Crying was how I’d always handled anger.
Out of the blue, it occurred to me that Charlie had known that and used it to his own advantage too many times in our marriage.
Well, those days are over.
This was a new Julie Miles—no tears. Pissed was pissed and I could rant or scream if I wanted to. Nobody was going to jolly or cajole me out of it, not even a charmer like Will Brody. It didn’t matter what he had to say. “You should just stay out of it, Will.”
Sex and the Widow Miles (The Women of Willow Bay) Page 10