Modern Girl's Guide to One-Night Stands

by DRAYER, GINA

  “And spell what?” Julia whispered. “I’ve never heard of that word before.”

  “Trust me. This word is going to win us the game.”

  With a shrug, Julia placed the word. “Figging.”

  “I challenge that,” Peter said. “Even if that is a legit word, it’s not a sexy word. And don’t pull that crap about feeding each other food. If I couldn’t use bath as a sexy word—which I still argue can be used to describe any number of sexual acts—you can’t use fig as one.”

  “It’s not fig,” Megan said, leaning over the board to get closer to Peter. "It’s figging. Do you want me to define that for you?”

  “Let me guess. It’s stuffing something with figs. Gross, but not sexual.”

  “Just let her have the word,” Simon said. “She’s got that look. I don’t think I want to know.”

  Megan grabbed Peter’s shirt and pulled him close so she could whisper in his ear. Whatever she said had an instant effect. Peter turned beet red and pulled away.

  “Holy shit. How do you know that word?”

  “I have a very extensive vocabulary,” she said in a low, husky voice. “You’d be surprised by the things I know. I have even—”

  Peter stood up and backed away from the table with his hands up. “Nope. I don’t want to know. Never repeat that word again. I’m going to go bleach my brain."

  Megan leaned over and said to Julia, “See, I told you that word would win us the game. I learned years ago that all I have to do is play a really perverted word and one of the guys would quit. It’s usually Peter. He still treats me like I'm a little girl.”

  “What does figging mean?” Julia asked, wishing immediately that she could take back the words. By Peter’s reaction, she was pretty sure she didn't want to know.

  “It’s when you use a peeled ginger root as a butt plug,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone. “It can be used as punishment or pleasure, depending on how you swing.”

  “Okay. I’m going to pretend like I didn’t hear that. I need some fresh air now.” Simon stood up and stretched. “Julia, want to join me for a walk?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Modern Girl Tip #21: Take Things Further—If something clicked during your night of passion and now you'd like to take things further, it would be wise to proceed with caution. Talk about it outside of the bedroom. Leave your number. Arrange a lunch date. See if you click.

  Simon walked with Julia down to a small path that wound through the woods. It was nice to have her all to himself again. He loved his sister and his friends, but right now he didn’t need the added stress of socializing. Not when Julia had that frightened bunny look in her eyes again.

  “I’m not sure that night could have been any more awkward,” he said after they were a good distance from the house, hoping the admission would lighten the mood.

  “It wasn’t that bad. Well, until that Scrabble game. But what was up with that? It’s almost like she was going out of her way to get under Peter’s skin.”

  “It’s just her way of getting back at us. Meg’s always tagged along and my friends have adopted her. She takes great pleasure in playing the brat.”

  “I don’t know. That seemed more like foreplay than teasing,” she said with a shrug. “Are you sure there’s nothing going on between the two of them?”

  “Foreplay? I don’t think so. Peter and Meg have always been really close, but they both deny that anything's going on. I gave up trying to figure them out a long time ago.”

  “Well, that game got really awkward toward the end.”

  “I really am sorry. I know they can be a lot to handle. I tried to talk to Megan this afternoon, and she promised to be on her best behavior, if there is such a thing. You know, it’s because she likes the idea of us together.”

  “Simon, you don’t have to apologize for her. I knew the second Megan found out about us, things would be weird. We’re friends and you’re her brother.” She reached over and grabbed his hand, weaving her fingers around his. The gesture surprised the hell out of him, but not as much as her next words. “Megan and I talked. She swore she was fine with us seeing each other. So as far as I’m concerned, it’s fine.”

  “That’s it?” Simon said with a shake of his head. “I’m almost disappointed. I came out here prepared to spend the rest of the night talking you back into my bed. Trust me, I was willing to do anything I had to.”

  “You might still have to do that,” Julia said and looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. “Now that she knows, I’m not sure I can do anything with her just up the hall. Maybe we should keep it platonic until we get back to Chicago.”

  In another woman the gesture would seem fake, but Julia was genuinely embarrassed to be talking to him about sex, even after everything they’d shared. She really was fucking cute when she got all shy. “And you think that’s going to work? We’ve done so well keeping our distance.”

  “I’m not sure the whole sleeping together under the same roof as your sister is going to work for me.”

  “You’re right.” Simon tightened his grip and pulled her into his arms. He pressed a kiss on top of her head, enjoying the feel of her. He might understand her trepidation, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try to change her mind. “I think we’ve both had enough of her mouth for one night. And I for one don’t want to face that first thing in the morning. So I have a proposal.” He pulled back and tipped her chin up so she was looking right at him. “Why don’t we spend the night at the boathouse again? We can grab clothes this time and you can bring your gear, so you can leave from there in the morning.”

  “I don’t know. They’re going to assume—”

  “Don’t you think they’re going to assume that anyway? Besides, even if we didn’t touch each other for the next week, do you really think Megan won’t make a big deal about that? I almost think it would be worse if she thought we stayed away from each other for modesty's sake.”

  “God, you’re right. Damned if we do, damned if we don’t.” Julia let out a deep breath. He was pretty sure he’d won her over when the tension left her shoulders and she tucked her head back under his chin. “Last night was pretty amazing, and the boathouse is private.”

  “Why don’t we grab our clothes?” he said, turning back to the house. “And maybe the rest of that pie. For later.”

  The house was quiet when they got back. They were in and out without having to explain what they were doing. When they made it down to the lake, the anticipation was palpable. But this time, when he pulled the door shut behind him, Simon made sure to lock it.

  The next morning Julia was on cloud nine. Last night had been perfect and waking up in Simon’s arms this morning—especially the things he did to her after they woke up—was well worth any awkwardness with her friend.

  Julia loaded her gear onto the boat, humming softly to herself, and Simon headed to the house to start breakfast. Julia thought the morning couldn’t get any better as she headed to the main house to join him. Hell, she was even optimistic about her shoot today.

  Julia peeked in the sliding door, hoping to avoid any awkward run-ins this morning. But just her luck, Megan was standing on the upstairs landing, conspiring with Peter.

  She wasn’t sure what they were up to but when she caught sight of Julia, Megan grabbed Peter and retreated down the hall. She was just about to go in when an arm slipped around her waist, stopping her.

  “I wouldn’t get involved, if I were you.” Simon’s voice whispered into her ear.

  “What’s going on? What are Megan and Peter up to?”

  “I’m not sure, but the second they saw me this morning, they both stopped talking until I left the room. They’re plotting something, I can feel it.”

  “Paranoid, much?”

  “You don’t even know the half of it. Why don’t we go into town and grab a bite to eat?”

  “Let me see if Megan needs anything.”

  “Fine.” He gave her a quick kiss and shoved her toward th
e door. “But it’s your funeral. If she tries to enlist you, just say no. I don’t want another trip to the ER. I’m going back to the safety of the boathouse.”

  Simon turned and headed down the stairs without so much as a glance back. It really couldn’t be that bad. Could it?

  She cautiously entered the house, and was surprised to find Peter’s bag by the front door. He was supposed to stay a few more days, and now Julia was worried that something more serious than plotting was going on. And while Julia didn’t want to miss another morning of shooting at the house, she needed to make sure Megan was okay first.

  Heading upstairs, Julia found Peter outside Megan’s room, leaning against the wall. “Is everything alright?”

  “Yes,” he said, looking every bit the guilty child. “I was just going to help Megan with her bag.”

  “Bag? What’s going on?”

  “I had an important meeting come up and need to go back to Chicago right away.”

  Julia lifted a brow, not buying the story. “And Megan?”

  “Um.” Peter shifted uncomfortably and looked down the hall. “A last-minute conference?” He said it more as a question than a statement.

  “Really? I thought those things were planned months in advance.”

  “Listen, this was Megan’s idea and we didn’t have a chance to get our story straight. She wants to give you guys some time alone, and if she’s not going to be here, I’m not going to stick around like a third wheel while you guys fu—hang out.”

  “What’s wrong with hanging out?” Julia tried to hide her smile, deciding to give him a taste of his own medicine. “Isn’t that what you and Megan do all the time?”

  “No,” he practically shouted the word.

  The man doth protest too much.

  He sighed and pushed away from the door. “I’m going to leave now, before I say something I’ll regret. Tell Megan she’s on her own for the luggage.”

  She knocked on the door, and when there wasn’t an answer, she tried the knob. “Megan?”

  There were two suitcases on the bed and Megan was stuffing in clothes.

  “Last-minute conference?”

  Megan looked up and grinned. “Yeah. It’s a thing. My agent wanted to know if I could be a last-minute fill-in at a writers’ convention in California. Since you’re going back home at the end of the week, and Simon’s here to keep you busy, I called her this morning and said yes.”

  “And Peter has to leave too?”

  “What? You’ll thank me later.”

  “Megan, you’re an awesome friend.”

  “It’s nothing. Listen. If I’m going to make the plane, I need to be packed and out of here in the next hour. I’ll call you next week and we can do lunch. Just keep the details to yourself. I still need to bleach my eyes from the other morning. Now, help me with my bags.”

  Julia never came back down to the boathouse, so he went to the house after her. Whatever Peter and Megan were plotting would have to wait. He wasn’t going to let his sister’s games ruin what little time he had to figure this thing out with Julia. They had less than a week to either let this attraction run its course or make a plan for what they were going to do after.

  But after seemed so far away. Right now, his mind couldn’t think past today, and a repeat performance of last night. He’d waited long enough for Julia, and decided to go get her. But when he went back inside the house, those plans went right out the window. His stomach twisted in knots as he watched Julia carry a heavy bag down the stairs.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, hoping his desperation wasn’t evident in his voice.

  “Don’t get your panties in a twist,” his sister yelled from down the hall. “I’ll be out of your hair in a few minutes. Then you’ll have Julia all to yourself to do… Let’s just pretend you’re going to play board games for the rest of the week. I really don’t want any more visuals.”

  “I’m lost. Who’s going where? Where’s Peter?”

  “Peter left about thirty minutes ago and Megan…” Julia sighed and dropped the heavy bag. “Megan’s leaving now.”

  Thank God. They’d have the house all to themselves. It was as if all his prayers had been answered. “Megan…”

  “Don’t bother with a halfhearted attempt to get me to stay. I’ve made up my mind,” Megan said, saving him from the effort.

  Julia threw her hands up in the air in defeat and pulled the bag to the door. Megan pointed in his direction and mouthed “You owe me one” before following her out the door.

  Damn right he did. And Megan wouldn’t let him forget it.

  “Do you think we should have tried to talk her into staying?” Julia asked when she came back inside.

  “She seemed pretty determined. I know Meg. She’s matchmaking,” he said. “Just be lucky she didn’t decide to lock us in the boathouse.”

  “I could totally picture her as a crazy cupid version of Kathy Bates from ‘Misery.’”

  “See what you made me do?” he said, imitating Megan. “Now you guys need to kiss and don’t stop until I tell you to stop.”

  Simon swept Julia up in his arms and kissed her until she was breathing hard. If he didn’t stop now, she wasn’t going to get any work done. She broke their connection, and he immediately mourned the loss.

  “I hate to be like this, but I have to get some work done. I know Megan’s not going to be here, but I can’t miss these last few days of shooting.”

  “I promised I wouldn’t get in your way. I have some things to keep myself busy.” Simon kissed her hard then spun her around to face the door. “Go. So you can get back,” he said and gave her a little push.

  “Gee, way to make a girl feel wanted,” she said and picked up her bag.

  He went down to the office and sorted through his work, but fuck if it wasn’t the longest seven hours of his life. By five he was pacing the deck, waiting for the boat to come into sight.

  When she finally did come up the stairs from the dock, he was ready to do the caveman thing and throw her over his shoulder and haul her to his bed. And the way she looked just drove his lust. Her hair was messy and falling from the loose braid, and there were smudges of dirt smeared across her cheeks.

  “I need to grab a quick shower, and then we’ll do dinner.”

  He almost told her fuck dinner and fuck the shower. All he wanted to do was find a soft bed and get lost in her, but this week was all about spending time together and getting to know one another. Maybe some distance from a bed was in order.

  “Since it’s just the two of us tonight, why don’t I take you out for dinner?”

  “I don’t know.” She ran a hand over her messy hair and tried to flatten the tangled mess.

  Her frown deepened, and Simon was worried she’d changed her mind about spending time with him. Again.

  “We’ve got a kitchen full of food. I already had something planned for dinner. By the time I get a shower, it will be late. Let me just make us something.”

  “You don’t need to go to all that trouble,” he said.

  “If you haven’t picked up on it yet, I love to cook. So it’s no trouble. Do you have any special requests?”

  Simon was pretty sure asking to join her in the shower wasn’t what she meant. Ever since that night at the inn he couldn’t get the sight of her naked, wet body out of his mind. He’d been dreaming of taking her against the shower wall for almost a month.

  Fuck. He needed to stop. Dinner. Maybe a walk. They needed to spend time outside of a bed to find out if what they had was more than physical. “I’m open for anything,” he finally said. But he was definitely putting long showers on the list of things he wanted to do this week.

  She gave him a shy smile and looked down at the floor as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. “I won’t be long. You said you liked Indian food, right? Do you like it spicy or sweet?” she asked.

  Was she teasing him or asking a serious question? The confusion must have shown on his face, because Julia raised
a brow.

  “Um, sweet?” he said.

  “Good. I’ve got this recipe I’ve been dying to try. It’s sweet and sticky. I think you’re going to love it.”

  He still wasn’t sure if she was flirting with him or not. As he watched her go up the stairs, Simon could have sworn she threw a little more swing in her hip than before. Christ, now he needed a cold shower.

  Not one for waiting around, Simon went into the office to check his email. The same whining and complaints from the New York staff. There were a few personal invitations to functions, and one from accounting with last quarter's figures. He answered what he could and shelved the rest for later. By the time he was done, Julia was already in the kitchen.

  And what he found in the kitchen was wholly unexpected. Like a chameleon, Julia had slid once again into an entirely different persona. Her wet hair was pulled back into a tight bun, exposing her long neck. She was dressed in an old tank top and a pair of faded jeans that hugged her curves so close, they were almost pornographic. And the whole ensemble was topped off with a frilly fifties housewife apron.

  She was humming and swaying her hips to some internal music while she cooked. That little shimmy of hers was sexier than any strip club he’d been to in his life, and Simon was transfixed. He could get used to this sight.

  She turned around to grab something off the island and caught him ogling her ass. “I know you guys had staff that did all the household stuff, but you’re staring at me like you’ve never seen someone cooking before?”

  “If any of our staff looked like you, I would have learned to cook years ago.”

  “Why don’t I give you a lesson? Come on in and give me a hand.” She smiled, and he could have sworn that smile promised more than a lesson on Indian cuisine.

  “I’m not sure if you want me in there right now. You look like the main course in every wet dream I’ve had for the last month.”

  She glanced down, taking in her attire, and frowned. “Really? In this?” She popped a hip and waved a hand down the length of her body.