All I'll Ever Need

by J. P. Bowie

  Edward sighed. “That’s a relief. I kept thinking they might just get off with probation or something.”

  “No way. Mark said they’d get years in jail.”

  “Well, thank God we can finally put all that behind us.” He and Troy smiled at one another then Troy put his arms around Edward and they hugged.

  “Yeah,” Troy said softly. “Out of all that crap came something worthwhile. You and me got to be real friends…”

  “And you got a hunky detective in your life,” Edward added.

  “Right. Life is good.”

  Edward had to agree.

  * * * *

  The restaurant Alex had chosen was one Edward hadn’t been to before and from its opulent exterior, he could tell it was going to be very expensive. One of the things Edward had insisted on when he and Alex went out was that they go Dutch. After some argument Alex had given in, but tonight… Wow, Edward thought, this is going to strain the budget.

  “Uh, Alex, this looks a bit extravagant,” he said as Alex valet-parked his car.

  “Don’t worry, you’re a guest tonight.” He got out of the car and paused to slip on his dark blue blazer.

  “But—”

  “Just relax and enjoy yourself,” Alex whispered. He helped Edward put on his jacket then passed his keys to the valet attendant.

  “But we agreed that we go fifty-fifty on dinners,” Edward argued as they entered the restaurant’s lobby. “Omigod, Alex, this place is—is unbelievable.” Now he understood why Alex had said ‘wear a jacket’. Everyone was dressed to kill, the ladies in fashionable evening dresses, all the men in suits or sports jackets and slacks, a few even in tuxes. Edward couldn’t help gaping. He felt as if he knew some of these people… They looked familiar. Was he hallucinating?

  Beside him, stunning as always, Alex greeted a couple who approached them, smiling. “Alex”—the man extended his hand—“good to see you again.”

  “Likewise.” Alex shook the man’s hand and received a kiss on the cheek from the tall woman by his side. He turned to Edward and took his hand, drawing him closer. “Keith, Nicole, this is my friend Edward.”

  Edward’s knees almost gave out when Keith Urban shook his hand and gave him a friendly clap on the shoulder. “Nice meeting you,” he said in his distinctive New Zealand drawl, while Nicole Kidman gave Edward a pretty smile.

  “So, are you here for the big announcement?” Nicole asked.

  “Uh…” Edward didn’t have a clue what the beautiful star was talking about.

  “Yes, we are,” Alex said.

  “Good, so we’ll see you later inside.” They drifted off and Alex took Edward’s arm and led him over to the lobby bar. “You look like you need a drink.”

  “I just met Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, you bet I need a drink. And they acted like you’re all friends together—and there’s, oh my God, there’s Zachary Quinto, on his own. I thought he was dating someone…”

  Alex laughed. “I thought you weren’t interested in celebrities.”

  “Well, I pay more attention since I met you—but Zachary Quinto is Spock in Star Trek. That’s huge!”

  “What would you like?” Alex asked as the barman hurried toward them.

  “Oh, anything.”

  “How about champagne?”

  “Isn’t that more for a celebration?”

  “This is a celebration. You don’t remember? Edward, I’m hurt.”

  Edward stared at him in a panic. What had he forgotten? A holiday? Alex’s birthday? No, he knew that was in May and his own wasn’t until September. What then?

  “What is it?”

  “It’s exactly thirty-two days since we met at the Rockin’ Bar.”

  “Oh.” He watched as Alex’s somber expression morphed into a big smile. “Oh right, that definitely calls for champagne.”

  Alex ordered two glasses of champagne and they watched quietly as the barman popped the cork and poured the bubbling brew. Alex handed him a glass and touched his lightly to Edward’s. “Cheers.”

  “Cheers.” Their eyes met over the tops of their glasses. “Thirty-two days,” Edward murmured after his first sip. “Wow, we’re like an old married couple already.”

  Alex raised an eyebrow and Edward cursed mentally. Shit, why did I say something dumb like that? “Hey, I forgot to tell you…” He figured a quick change of subject was a good idea right about now. “Troy was making dinner when I got home—for Detective Mark and himself. Candlelight and wine, Troy said. Seems like things are getting serious.”

  “Yes, it does.” Alex chuckled. “I wonder if the good detective knows what he’s getting into.”

  Edward grinned. “I think if anyone can handle Troy, it’s Detective McLennan. Troy looks at him like he’s a god on earth.”

  They were interrupted at that moment by a maître d’ who asked if they were Mr. Martinez and Mr. Conway.

  “That’s us,” Alex told him, winking at Edward.

  “Your table is ready, sirs. Please follow me.”

  Edward couldn’t resist glancing left and right as they were led through the crowded restaurant. Everywhere he looked he recognized faces even if he couldn’t put a name to some of them.

  A table for two in this place? Alex must have some pull…

  However, the table the maître d’ conducted them to was not just for them. A large party was already seated. Everyone seemed to know Alex, who introduced Edward to them, but the long list of names was too much to digest all at once, especially as there was so much chatter and ‘air kissing’ going on. After they were seated Edward noticed there were still two empty seats opposite them.

  “Where’s the happy couple?” someone asked.

  “Heading this way, even as we speak,” a man with a sour expression said in reply.

  “That’s Jeff Harding,” Alex whispered, his lips tickling Edward’s ear. “Lena’s agent. He and I don’t get along.”

  “This may seem like a silly question,” Edward whispered back, “but why am I here? I feel like a party crasher or something.”

  Alex slipped a hand under the table and squeezed Edward’s thigh. “You’re not. You were invited. Believe me, I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t been.”

  Edward could see the sincerity of that remark in Alex’s warm brown eyes and he relaxed enough to cover Alex’s hand, still on his thigh, with his own. He heard a ripple of applause behind them. He turned to look and recognized Lena Miles and Ryan Hart as they walked down the center aisle of the restaurant, acknowledging the waves and cries of greeting from the diners. It was like he imagined a royal occasion to be, and in a way it was— Hollywood royalty. Lena was, without a doubt, a beautiful woman. Her statuesque figure, auburn hair that cascaded round her shoulders, and the slight Asian cast to her eyes gave her an exotically different appearance from the usual blonde and bland Hollywood type. Edward was very much in awe when Lena, ignoring everyone else at the table, ran into Alex’s open arms and hugged him tightly.

  “Thank you,” she said, and kissed his cheek. Then she turned and smiled. “You must be Edward. I’m Lena and this is my fiancé Ryan.”

  Edward’s hand was taken in an over-the-top hearty handshake by the handsome movie star. “Glad you could make it, Alex… Edward.” He turned his attention to the woman who had been sitting next to Edward. “Hi, Mom…”

  Lena finally waved to everyone else at the table then she and Ryan took their seats. Waiters descended on them, champagne bottles at the ready, and the man Alex had called Jeff Harding stood and proposed a toast to the ‘happy couple’.

  As soon as he’d finished, Lena piped up, “And I want to thank my best friend Alex for agreeing to give me away and making my wedding day complete.” She blew Alex a kiss and everyone applauded, except her agent, and Edward couldn’t help but notice that Ryan Hart’s enthusiasm was half-hearted at best.

  Alex grinned at him. “Do I have lipstick on my face?”

  “Just a smidge.” Edward chuckled. “So, I’m guess
ing that you giving Lena away isn’t popular with everyone—including the groom?”

  Alex sighed. “Yeah, my being buddies with Lena is a sore point with Jeff and Hart. Once they’re married it’ll settle down. There are already plans for Lena and him to do some big epic together. Most of the filming will be done in New Zealand so it’ll give them time to really get to know one another.”

  Edward nodded, but he couldn’t help thinking that perhaps ‘getting to know one another’ should come before the marriage.

  The rest of the evening went by in a welter of champagne, too much food and a constant stream of well-heeled men and women coming by the table to wish Lena and Ryan all happiness. Sitting opposite Lena, Edward could tell she was over it, while Ryan Hart appeared to be lapping up the attention. At one point Edward and Lena’s eyes met and he gave her a sympathetic look, which she acknowledged with a little smile.

  “Ready to go?” Alex must have been reading his mind.

  “Whenever you are.”

  “That would be now.” Alex stood, and, taking Edward’s hand, he led him to the other side of the table to say goodnight to Lena.

  She looked up at him and managed a tired smile. “The wedding rehearsal’s on the nineteenth, darling,” she told Alex. “And bring Edward, too.” After hugs and goodnights from Lena and several others at the table, they made their way to the exit.

  The cool evening air outside as they waited for the parking valet to bring Alex’s car was a relief from the crowded and noisy restaurant.

  “So, what d’you think?” Alex asked.

  “Lena’s lovely,” Edward replied, “and underneath that fragile façade I got a hint of quite a determined woman.”

  “Very observant of you. You think you could get used to this kind of shindig?”

  “Once in a while would be all right. I don’t know if I could handle that kind of crowd every night. Why d’you ask?”

  Their car arrived in front of them and Alex waited until they’d climbed in and he’d pulled away from the restaurant before continuing. “Well, I was thinking that since I introduced you to some of my clients and associates tonight, they’ll be expecting to see you with me the next time I’m invited to dinner or some kind of function. In fact, eventually I expect to see your name attached to the invitation.”

  Edward glanced at Alex’s profile to see if he was joking. “Are you serious?”

  “Very serious. In factbut damn, I’m not going to ask you while we’re in this car.”

  “Ask me what?”

  “You’ll have to wait ’til we get to my place.”

  “But that’s a good twenty minutes’ drive. C’mon, Alex…” He leaned over and nuzzled Alex’s neck. “Tell me what it is you’re going to ask me. If it’s sex, you know you don’t have to ask.”

  “It’s not sex. Well, yes, it is that too, but there’s something else, and I want us to be face to face when I ask.”

  “I could sit on your lap.”

  Alex laughed. “I want to get us home in one piece, or two pieces, really. Can you wait? I’ll go as fast as I can.”

  “But don’t get stopped by a cop. That would just add to the torment of waiting.”

  * * * *

  The moment they were inside Alex’s house, he grabbed Edward and held him in a hard embrace. He peppered Edward’s face with soft, teasing kisses before taking Edward’s lips with an intensity that stole Edward’s breath from his body. Edward wrapped his arms round Alex’s neck and kissed him back with a fervor to match Alex’s. Alex’s kisses were always thrilling. The man could do things with his tongue that Edward had never thought he would ever experience. And yet this was even more awesome, and if Edward had his way it would never end.

  Alex jerked his head back suddenly and stared into Edward’s eyes. The look was compelling and Edward shivered with anticipation. “What?” he whispered.

  “Do you love me, Edward?”

  They were still so close, their mouths only centimeters apart. Alex’s warm breath fanned Edward’s lips and drew him in, seeking another kiss.

  “Of course I love you,” Edward said before closing that tiny, tantalizing gap and tasting Alex’s lips again.

  Alex tightened his arms around Edward and the kiss they shared completely overwhelmed Edward’s senses. A soft, warm moistness stole into his mouth as Alex’s tongue once again slid between Edward’s parted lips, caressing the inside of his mouth and setting every nerve ending in his body on fire. A long, low moan of complete desire and surrender escaped from his throat.

  Alex leaned back a little, and again those deep brown eyes were fixed on Edward’s. “I love you too, Edward. Thirty-two—no, make that thirty-three days as of midnight—isn’t a long time, but it’s long enough for me to know I’d like you to move in with me and share my life. Will you, Edward?”

  When Edward didn’t answer, Alex continued, “I know tonight was crazy and maybe a little hard to deal with, but it’s just a part of my job. Lena’s my friend but she’s also a client of Scott’s agency…”

  Edward put a finger over Alex’s lips. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, I will move in with you and share your life. There is nothing I want more than that. I want to be with you—craziness and all.”

  “I just wanted you to see what you might have to put up with—not every night, of course, and you can pick and choose which shindigs you want to go to.”

  “Alex, it’s okay. Just being with you is enough. All I’ll ever need…is you.”

  Alex held him tighter. “So you’ll move in right away?”

  “Well, I have a couple more months on the lease—and I don’t want to leave the guys in the lurch.”

  “Right, but you can stay here too?”

  “You know,” Edward gave him a quick kiss on the lips, “I know of a much better place to have this conversation.”

  Alex nuzzled Edward’s neck. “And where would that be?”

  “One guess.”

  Instead of answering, Alex picked him up and charged into the bedroom where he flung Edward onto the bed then jumped on top of him.

  “You know what?” he growled into Edward’s ear.

  “What?” Edward squirmed under him, tugging at Alex’s shirt.

  “I think we’re done talking.”

  Edward sighed. “Good, I’ve always heard it’s rude to talk with your mouth full.”

  Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:

  Paris Connection

  J.P. Bowie

  Excerpt

  Chapter One

  Jay Harrison had always been a dreamer. His mind was usually far away from where he actually should be at any particular moment. When he was a kid, his mother had called it flights of fancy, his teachers would sigh and ask him to pay attention, while his friends would just grin, roll their eyes and chuckle at Jay’s faraway expression.

  “He’s gone again.” Blake Tucker nudged his partner Ryan Bryson and nodded toward Jay who was sitting opposite them at their kitchen table.

  Ryan laughed and waved his hand in front of Jay’s eyes. “Hello, anybody home? Where are you today, apart from ignoring the waffles I slaved over after you invited yourself for breakfast?”

  “Huh?” Jay forced himself to focus on what Blake was saying as his friend’s words finally penetrated his mind. “Oh, sorry…I was in Paris.”

  Blake groaned. “Not again. Ever since we went to see that darned movie—”

  “That great movie,” Jay said, correcting him with a smile. “I know, I’ve become obsessed with the idea of Paris at midnight, walking in the rain—”

  “Take a trip to Seattle. It’s always raining there, and it’s a lot closer. Eat your waffle.”

  “I’ve been to Seattle.” Jay paused to fork a piece of waffle covered in maple syrup then shove it in his mouth. “It’s nice,” he mumbled, “but Paris…is most beautiful in the rain. They said that in the movie.”

  “Trouble with Paris, from what I’ve read,” Ryan said, “is you have to put up with
the Parisians.”

  Blake nodded. “Yeah, they’re rude, especially to Americans.”

  Jay’s eyes widened. “You’ve been?”

  “Uh, no… But everyone who’s been there says so.”

  “Funny thing.” Jay popped another piece of waffle into his mouth. “I’ve heard that said about people here in Los Angeles. Anyway, I’ve always dreamt of going to Paris, and seeing that movie just clinched it for me.”

  “You’ve dreamt of a hundred million things over the years we’ve known you,” Ryan said, his tone affectionate rather than mocking. “What you need, my friend, is to get laid.”

  “Excuse me?” Jay gave Ryan a haughty look. “And how do you know I haven’t been laid?”

  Ryan winked at Blake. “Notice he said ‘haven’t’—as in have not.”

  “My sex life, or lack of it rather, isn’t the topic of discussion here,” Jay said tartly. “Now, Paris—”

  “Why don’t you have a sex life?” Blake demanded. “You know, one iffy relationship doesn’t have to mean a lifetime of aloneness—”

  “Blake!” For a moment Jay considered an angry retort, but then he realized his friend wasn’t being intentionally mean. He replied casually, “For goodness’ sake—how long have you known me, and how many times have I told you I’m not interested in having another boyfriend? And as I won’t do one-night stands, my sex life is by effect…uh, limited.”

  “But why?” Now Ryan joined in the inquisition. “You’re a good-looking guy. You have that wholesome, all-American blond, blue-eyed look and as innocent as you sometimes appear to be, you must have needs.”

  “Honestly!” Jay felt his face grow hot. “Why has this turned into something I am not comfortable talking about? I came over here to spend quality time with my friends, and—”