Indigo Nights: A Sexy, Contemporary Romance

by Louise Bay

  “The train?”

  “Yes. Are you so spoiled that you can’t take the Heathrow express?”

  “Spoiled? Maybe I just wanted you to myself.”

  “I think you need to see how the rest of London travels. Come on.” She grabbed my hand and started pulling me away from the car.

  “I’m sorry,” I said to the driver. “I’m not going to need you, just charge my account all the same.” Beth pulled me toward a sign that said Trains. There weren’t many women who could persuade me onto public transport.

  As we stood on the edge of the platform, Beth’s hand in mine, I wanted to ask her a thousand questions about her brother. I knew she was close to him, so it was important that I made a good impression. “Are you nervous about me meeting your brother?”

  She glanced at me and moved closer so her body was pressed up against mine. “A little.”

  “Because you don’t trust your judgment yet?”

  I could almost see the filter in her brain start to organize her words. She didn’t want to hurt me. She knew she was one of the only women who ever could.

  “You can be honest, Beth.”

  She smiled and the train interrupted us. We climbed on board, stowing my luggage and finding a pair of seats. As we sat, she flung both her legs over my knee and brought my hand to her lap. I stroked her stocking-covered legs, wishing we were going to be alone soon.

  “I didn’t realize that that’s what I was nervous about, but I think you’re right. It’s just that Jake has been part of my world, part of my sobriety, for so long that sometimes I forget that I’m separate from him. I’ve depended on him for so much. It’s like the baking. That’s something for me, and if it’s a success then that’s all on me. It’s good, but scary. With you, you’re my choice, too. I’m not used to making so many choices that don’t involve my brother. So I guess I just want him to think I’ve done well. Especially because I’m invested.”

  I lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, but didn’t say anything. I wanted her to tell me how she was feeling.

  She leaned back onto the window and stared at her lap. “I didn’t expect it to be like this between us. It feels so good between us, as if it’s …” It. Forever. I wanted her to finish the sentence. I wanted her to feel the same way I did.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just want him to like you. It’s important.” She smiled at me. “But no pressure.”

  There was a lot of pressure. Because I’d not spent time with Jake and Beth together, I wasn’t quite sure of the hold he had over her. If he didn’t like me, what would this mean for us? She said she was invested, but I wasn’t convinced that we’d survive if Jake and I didn’t hit it off.

  Sweat beaded at my brow. Fuck, I could have done with a night alone with Beth before this introduction. She calmed me, made me realize what was important. I needed that. Work was increasingly stressful. The Redux deal was a huge challenge, particularly as Raf and I were so far away. Almost all the projects we’d been involved with were domestic. Managing a company in another country was proving to be a challenge. On top of everything, I didn’t want to fuck things up with Beth. Businesses could be rebuilt, but time and experience had told me women like Beth came along once in a lifetime. I didn’t want what was happening at work to impact my introduction to Jake.

  “So tell me about him. Does he like sports?” Would I have anything in common with this guy?

  My phone rang. Damn, I should have turned it to silent when I switched it back on. I reached into my pocket for my cell and cancelled the call.

  Alicia had been calling on and off since the gala. I’d not answered any of her calls. I kept meaning to work out how to block her, but hadn’t quite managed it. I didn’t want to keep anything from Beth, now just wasn’t the right moment.

  “You can take it.”

  “It wasn’t anything important.” My stomach churned. I should probably tell her that it had been Alicia. But I didn’t want to spoil our moment together or have another discussion about my ex just as we were arriving to meet her family. If the situation upset Beth, I didn’t want those feelings written all over her face when I met Jake for the first time.

  There was a loud crash from behind the door as soon as Beth pressed the doorbell to her brother’s house.

  “They’ve probably just dropped the baby on her head. No biggie.”

  I chuckled.

  A beautiful blonde woman answered the door wearing a fantastically wide grin. She glanced at me, pulled Beth into her arms, and squealed. “So glad you’re here. Jake’s just dropped a bottle of wine.”

  “Dylan, this is Haven.”

  “You’re just as hot as Beth described,” Haven replied and pulled me into a hug. I didn’t quite know how to respond, so just hugged her back.

  “Get your hands off him.” Beth pushed us apart.

  “Nice to meet you, Haven,” I said.

  “And you, Dylan. Come inside. Don’t be put off by the stocks and rack we have set up back here. It won’t hurt as much as you think it will.”

  I glanced at Beth but she was laughing nearly as hard as Haven. So this was going to be an interrogation. Something a good night’s sleep and some naked time with Beth would have made more bearable.

  We turned left into a huge open-plan living space running the length of the house. It would have been nice if it hadn’t looked like they’d been robbed. Jesus, there was baby stuff everywhere.

  Two guys stood in the kitchen. I recognized Jake from the airport but if I’d not seen him before, I would have known he was Beth’s brother because of his reaction.

  He strode toward me and held out his hand. “Dylan. Thanks for coming.”

  As we shook it felt as if we were locking horns. He made it clear that I needed to prove I was good enough.

  I nodded. “Thanks for inviting me.” We looked each other in the eye in a way that was almost primal. He was sizing me up, trying to get the measure of me. But his expression was as blank as I knew mine was. Business had made me the ultimate poker player, and I knew better than to let my nerves show.

  “I’m not sure you’re going to be saying that in a couple of hours.” A process of elimination told me it was Ash who provided the warning and welcome interruption. She walked over, a baby on her hip, and kissed me on both cheeks. “Ignore Jake, his bark is worse than his bite. This is Maggie.” She lifted up the baby’s hand and made her wave.

  I chuckled, the muscles in my neck loosening after my introduction to Jake. She was a cute kid. “Hi, Maggie. Nice to meet you, and you, Ash.”

  “Beer?” Luke asked, lifting Maggie from Ash. He offered me his hand. “I’m Luke.”

  “Good to meet you.”

  I would have been less nervous if we were all out at a late supper, in public, where at least I knew what to expect from my surroundings. I didn’t see my brother often, and we were totally different kinds of people. We saw each other when we collided at our parents’ house, not because we wanted to spend time together, but these guys seemed to genuinely like each other.

  “Did you want that beer?” Luke asked again.

  I glanced at Beth. Did they drink around her? She wasn’t looking at me so I turned back to Luke. “No, thanks. Can I get some water?”

  Beth snaked her arm around my waist, instantly calming me. “You don’t want a beer?”

  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a drink. I was pretty sure that I’d not had one since I’d met Beth. “No. I have to concentrate later.”

  Even though we hadn’t been together long, when we were in each other’s company, I felt as if I knew every part of her. She was so unguarded; she shared everything so freely with me. Being here with her and her family reminded me how much I still needed to know.

  She smiled at me, her hand rounding my ass, bringing me back to why I was there. Why it was worth being with her. I couldn’t think of anything I wouldn’t do for her. I was going to nail this thing with her brother. By the end of the evening, he�
��d know I was as invested in our relationship as Beth. I’d make sure of it.

  Beth

  It was great seeing Dylan amongst my family, but my palms were still a little sweaty. My gaze kept flitting between Jake and Dylan. As much as I wanted Jake to like Dylan, to support my decision to be with him, I also wanted Dylan to like Jake. If the two of them got along, then our group of five could expand rather than fracture.

  The testosterone was clearly flowing, but Haven and Ash helped lighten the mood and Luke made a real effort to make Dylan comfortable.

  I’d never hidden anything from Dylan, but introducing him to my family made me feel closer to him, as if he was seeing the whole of me, right from the beginning. And that’s what I wanted. I wanted to be as close to him as possible.

  “Why don’t you boys go play pool?” Haven suggested, pulling me toward the sofa under the window at the front of the house.

  “Does that mean you want to talk about penises?” Luke asked. He didn’t stop for an answer, just grabbed his beer and headed out.

  Dylan looked at me. Was he worried about what we were going to say? He bent toward me and kissed me briefly on the lips. I wanted to grab him by the collar and mount him. It had been too long since I’d run my hands across his hard body and felt him between my thighs. He frowned and pulled away, following Jake and Luke.

  I turned toward my friends. Ash’s hand was covering her throat and Haven was grinning.

  “He’s so hot,” Haven said, collapsing back onto the sofa.

  She was right about that, I thought as I sat down next to her.

  “And so into you,” Ash added, sitting on the floor in front of us, holding baby Maggie out in front of her.

  “You look so good together. He’s so hot.” Haven pulled me into a hug.

  “It’s so good to see him.” I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed him until I saw him at the airport.

  “It’s like the air buzzes around the two of you. You can see the chemistry.” Ash grinned at me.

  I laughed. “That’s just because I haven’t been laid in two weeks.”

  “It’s more than that,” Ash said.

  It felt like more than that. Physical attraction was where it had started, and I couldn’t imagine ever getting to a place I wasn’t floored by his handsome face every time I looked at him, but it was his sweetness, his honesty, and his kindness that made me miss him. “I think so.”

  “Are you in love with him?” Haven asked.

  A small voice inside my head had been telling me I was in love with Dylan for a while now, but I’d been ignoring it. It felt stupid to admit it. Scary. He was the first guy who I’d even kissed sober. It was almost as if I was declaring my love for my high school boyfriend. I didn’t want people to think I was being naïve, and I didn’t want to have gotten it wrong. Did I know him well enough to love him? Had I seen the real him or just what I wanted to see?

  “We’ll take that silence as a yes,” Ash said.

  “I think I am,” I replied.

  “Think?” Haven raised her eyebrows at me.

  “It feels soon, and maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I’m just grateful that he’s nice to me and has a great ass. I don’t have an awful lot to compare him to.”

  We all laughed, which made Maggie laugh and so we all laughed again.

  Ash grabbed my hand. “I don’t think it’s that. You are the best judge of character I know.”

  “You think I’m a good judge of character?” I asked. “What about Louis?”

  “Everyone has bad ex-boyfriends. You lost your mother and were dealing with your alcoholism. You’re not that same person. I’ve always known you as thoughtful and wise; you really see through any bullshit that people throw at you.” Haven grabbed my hand and squeezed.

  I was still getting used to the Beth that Haven knew. And I still had all the same memories of the old Beth, which kept holding me back.

  Looking at the baby, I made my confession. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I think that it’s the first time I’ve ever really been in love.”

  “I think that’s just fantastic,” Ash said.

  Haven released my hand. “You deserve to be in love, and have someone love you back.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” I laughed. “He doesn’t love me back. From his side, we’re having some great sex and that’s okay.”

  “Just because you’re having great sex doesn’t mean he can’t love you.” Haven prodded me in the thigh. “There’s no way a guy meets a girl’s family if he’s not serious.”

  I bit back a grin. Dylan had shown no reticence about meeting Jake. Things weren’t just sex between us, but I wasn’t sure what it was as far as he was concerned.

  “I swear to God, sex is going to be this little girl’s first word,” Ash said, grinning at Maggie.

  “Should I ask where my niece is?”

  Haven shrugged. “She’s somewhere around here.” The look of horror must have shown on my face because she said, “I’m kidding. She’s napping.”

  “Back to the sex,” Ash said. “He has the look in his eye I saw Jake wear the first time I met him.”

  Haven frowned. “You were drunk the first time you met Jake, and besides, he was with another woman.”

  “Okay, that’s true. The second time I met him, then. It’s the same look. That’s all I’m saying.”

  My heart clenched. The thought that Dylan might love me was overwhelming. I needed to go find him. I wanted him to tell me if it was true or not. I should confess to him how I was feeling, how happy he made me, how I was, even now, dreading him going back to Chicago. Within weeks he’d become a huge part of my life.

  “I need to take it slow,” I said, mostly to myself, in an effort to try to calm the jittery vibrations skirting across my skin.

  “Not like Ash’s version of slow,” Haven said.

  Ash slapped her on the knee. “Hey, it worked out with me and your brother. It just took a little time.” She turned to me. “I think you should go with what you feel, Beth. If it feels good to go fast, go fast. As long as you’re sober and having fun. Isn’t that the most important thing?”

  “I’m not really used to having to remind myself to put my sobriety first. Do you know what I mean?”

  The girls shook their heads.

  “It’s just, when I’m with Dylan, it’s easy to forget I’m an alcoholic.” I paused, trying to think how best to say it. “I’m not saying I’ve had the urge to drink, just that not drinking isn’t my focus when I’m around him.”

  Haven nodded. “Well, that sounds like he’s a man who might just deserve you.”

  “You think that’s a good thing?” I asked. I was pretty sure that the way he shifted my focus had been one of the reasons I’d been ignoring that I was in love with Dylan. If he made me forget I was an alcoholic, would that mean I was more likely to drink?

  “It’s a great thing. You keep telling me that you want sobriety to be at the center of your life and not alcoholism.”

  I nodded. That was true. Being with Dylan didn’t make me want to drink. It made me forget to think about drinking in the first place.

  Ash tilted her head and smiled. “I told you you were next.”

  Perhaps Ash had been right. Maybe it was my time to find my Prince Charming.

  A piercing screech of a smoke alarm bled through our conversation and Haven leapt to her feet. “Shit. So much for Sophia’s nap.” She grabbed a broom and poked at the alarm.

  The door started to open. “Okay, stop talking penises, we’re coming in,” Luke shouted just as the alarm stopped.

  The boys filed in, laughing and chatting as if they’d all been friends for years. Dylan’s gaze immediately found me. It was so good to have him here. I just hoped he felt the same.

  About everything.

  We finally took our seats around the table, everyone making room to ensure that Dylan and I sat next to each other. Dinner was Jake’s responsibility, which normally meant we got some kind of stew,
but today we had lamb tagine.

  “So you all have dinner together every week?” Dylan asked as he passed his plate to Jake, who was dishing up food.

  “Most weeks. We live just around the corner, and Beth’s not far away,” Ash said.

  “And you three have known each other since—”

  “Forever,” Luke interrupted.

  Dylan kissed me on the temple. I was surprised at how demonstrative he was. I reached across his lap and he grabbed my hand, clasping his fingers through mine.

  As I looked back at the table, I locked eyes with Haven.

  “When you boys were off playing pool, we told Beth how together you two look,” Haven said to Dylan.

  He nodded. “I guess that’s how it feels, for me at least.”

  I squeezed his hand and smiled up at him.

  “So, you’re serious about her?” Jake asked.

  “Jake. No,” I said.

  Dylan kissed my head again. “It’s okay, Beth.” He looked toward Jake. “Yes, I’m serious about your sister. It didn’t start out that way. To be honest, it’s taken me a little by surprise, but in my experience, sometimes the best things in life are the ones you least expect.”

  My stomach flipped and tumbled, but Dylan wasn’t done.

  “I think you’re very special.” He brushed his thumb across my cheekbone. I knew how special I was to him. But did that mean he loved me?

  Being with Dylan made me realize what I should have waited for. I wished I’d just been patient in the knowledge that he’d come to me rather than waste time on people who didn’t deserve my love.

  “I think you’re special, too.” My voice was small and my words few. I worried if I said more I’d lose it and ask him if he loved me.

  His smile reached his indigo eyes and I craned my neck to receive a kiss from him. As much as I wished we were alone, it was nice to share this moment with my family. Hopefully Jake would lay off a little now.

  I took a breath; Dylan’s kiss affected me like a muscle relaxant. “But just because I’m special doesn’t mean the hot sex has to mellow, right?”

  He chuckled. “Give me a break, darlin’, I’m meeting your family for the first time. You can’t be saying shit like that.”