A Sip of You (The Epicurean Series) (17 page)

We reached my apartment, and William circled, looking for a parking place. There was a cab idling in front of my building, and I frowned at it when it was still there after William’s second circle. He found a place, parked, and came around to open my door. The cab was still there as we walked down the block toward my condo.

I felt a shiver of apprehension, though there was no reason. Anyone could have called for a taxi. We crossed the street and passed the cab, and just as we reached the steps to my condo, the cab’s door opened.

“Cat!”

I stiffened and turned. A guy slammed the car door behind him and started for me. Oh fuck.

It was Jeremy Ryder.

A sound very much like that of a freight train thundered in my ears and the ground seemed to rush up at me. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and tried not to panic. Panicking would be bad. I had to breathe. I had to stay calm.

Jeremy. Here in Chicago. And William here too.

Oh my God. This couldn’t be happening. I forced myself to breathe again.

I glanced at William, and he was looking at me expectantly. Shit. He must have asked me something. I had to get it together even though I was majorly freaking out. And now Jeremy was waving and coming closer.
Shit, shit, shit!

“I’m sorry. What?” I asked William

“I asked if you know that man, but I can see that you do.”

Was it that obvious? Oh, wait. Maybe he knew because Jeremy was waving at me.
Calm down, Cat
.

Jeremy was close enough to hear us now, close enough to require an introduction, though I would have given anything to run the other way. I let out a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding. “William Lambourne, this is Jeremy Ryder, my brother-in-law.” I probably should have said
ex-brother-in-law
, but it was too late now.

In any case, Jeremy completely ignored William and pulled me into his chest for a hug. I stumbled against him then jumped back as though burned as soon as he released me. I could feel the heat of William’s stare against my back. Jeremy stuck out his hand. “Hey, nice to meet you. William, is it?”

William took his hand, but he didn’t smile or offer a return greeting. The two of them stood like that for a long moment, my past and my present linked together. And then they broke apart and Jeremy looked at me again. William looked at me too, his face carefully neutral and his eyes a hard clear blue. I wished a hole would open up in the sidewalk and suck me down into a cold, quiet darkness. Anything would be better than the nightmare that was unfolding right in front of me.

“Jeremy, what are you doing here?” I asked. My voice sounded forced and weird, like I was speaking from one end of a long, metallic tunnel.

“Legal conference,” he said. “The associate who was supposed to come came down with the flu this morning, so they sent me instead. I didn’t have time to make a hotel reservation. I was hoping I could crash at your place. I would have called first, but I didn’t have your cell number. I had your address, though.” He grinned at me. “Come on, it’ll be just like old times.”

I hesitated. I had no doubt Jeremy could have found a hotel room downtown, if he’d wanted one. After what he’d said at the airport in San Francisco about wanting us to get back together—not that we had ever really been
together
together—I should tell him he couldn’t stay. But I was still wrestling with my secret, and wouldn’t me telling my former brother-in-law to go seem sort of suspicious to William? Jeremy was family. “Of course,” I said, feeling more trapped than ever. “Come on in.”

I led the way up the stairs to my condo, my thoughts racing. It had been such a fantastic afternoon and evening and now it was turning into a complete clusterfuck. My heart sank. William and I had been so connected, but now there was a weird tension again, and all because of Jeremy, who kept turning up like a bad penny. I could already tell William didn’t like him. Maybe it was some male sixth sense that kicked in when a rival was near, but William was cool and aloof and watching him with a predatory acuteness.

I unlocked the door and greeted Laird, then turned on lights while William and Jeremy stood in the small entry that opened into my living room. Jeremy said, “This is great, Cat.”

As soon as Laird heard Jeremy’s voice, his ears pricked and he let out a frantic
woof
and practically attacked Jeremy with doggie kisses.

“Laird, down!”

Jeremy just laughed. “Hey, Laird. I missed you too, boy.”

My commands had no effect on Laird, but smelling Jeremy must have. Slowly, he dropped back to all fours. I realized what had happened, and Jeremy said it before I could. “He thought I was Jace.” Jeremy crouched down. “Sorry, boy. I know you miss him.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Come on in and get comfortable. I’ll go make up the guest room.” Reluctantly, I headed to the spare bedroom to pile boxes in the corner and put sheets on the bed. I had thought my dad would be my first real houseguest, but apparently it was going to be Jeremy.

I didn’t like leaving Jeremy and William alone, but I didn’t have much choice. I could hear them speaking but couldn’t make out what they were saying. The conversation was stilted with long pauses and short bursts of sound. It was awful, truly awful. I couldn’t have imagined a worse scenario and I hoped and prayed that Jeremy would keep his fucking mouth shut and not let anything slip. The worst part wasn’t even the awkwardness or the fact that I was so nervous I couldn’t stop my hands from trembling; it was the incredible disappointment. Tonight had been so amazing—the conversations with William I’d wished for so many times had finally happened. It was like this giant weight on my shoulders had just vanished. After Abigail’s surprising revelations and then being with William in the coach house, I was done with holding back. I was ready and I was absolutely all in. I’d wanted to make love with William tonight, slowly and tenderly, and show him with my body everything I was feeling.

I halfheartedly stuffed a pillow into a case and threw it on the bed. I’d never made a bed so quickly in my entire life, and it was obvious Martha Stewart didn’t live here.

“Okay, all done!” I said, rushing out of the guest room and finding them both seated in my living room. Jeremy was sprawled on the couch, Laird sitting at his knee, as though he belonged there. William sat stiffly in the armchair. Neither was speaking, and William looked up at me, his face stoic and impassive. Laird was the only one thrilled Jeremy had stopped by, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for William, since Laird had never showed him much favor.

“Thanks, Cat,” Jeremy said. “I thought I’d be crashing on the couch.”

“We’re too old for that now.” I moved to stand beside William, not certain what to say or do. “Um, do you want to watch some TV? Unless you’re tired. You have an early day tomorrow probably.”

“Nah. I’m on California time. It’s early.”

“Can I get you a drink? Something to eat?”

“That would be great.”

I looked at William. I assumed he’d be going home, leaving me to handle my unexpected guest on my own. Now would be the time for him to say goodbye, but instead he settled back in the chair, resting his ankle on top of one knee. “Would you like a glass of wine, William?” I asked.

“Thank you.”

I headed to the kitchen, glad for something to do to get me out of that room. I could have choked on the testosterone. I pulled out some crackers and cheese, laid them on a platter, and poured three glasses of red wine. I drank half of mine, then filled it again. “Okay, Cat, you can do this.” I felt as though I needed a pep talk and maybe a shot of vodka. The pep talk would have to suffice for now.

William was staying. Jeremy was staying. We’d all be together under one roof tonight. It was a disaster, but it was only one night. I could get through one night. I carried the wine and snacks to the living room, then settled on the arm of William’s chair. There wasn’t really room for me, but I couldn’t stand or choose to sit with Jeremy over William. I was desperate to make some connection with him, but he didn’t touch me.

“Great wine,” Jeremy said.

“Thank you,” William answered.

Jeremy cocked his head, looking at me. I filled him in. “It’s from William’s vineyard in Napa.”

“Oh, so that’s why you were in California. When you said you were seeing a friend, I didn’t realize it was your boyfriend.”

This was getting worse and worse. “I thought I mentioned William.”

“Nope. Hey, why don’t you come sit on the couch? There’s plenty of room.”

Seriously? Why couldn’t I wake up and realize this was nothing but a bad dream?

“Okay.” I stood and crossed to Jeremy. The atmosphere was tense enough without me making it worse by refusing to sit beside my guest.

“So you own a vineyard?” Jeremy asked William.

“Among other things,” he answered.

“Yeah? Like what?”

William shrugged. “This and that.”

This was going to be a long night if I allowed them to carry the conversation. “So, Jeremy, you’re getting married soon, right? How are the wedding plans coming along?”

Jeremy had always liked to talk, just like Jace, and he launched into some of the details. Then I turned the conversation to Chicago’s best attractions. Jeremy tried to talk about the past, but I brought us back to the present by mentioning Beckett and segueing into our work together for Fresh Market. I saw Jeremy looking at the photos I’d used to decorate the condo, but he didn’t say anything about the lack of surfing pictures or the absence of pictures of Jace. Finally, it was late enough to go to bed. After a few awkward “Goodnights” and a strained hug, William and I went to my room. Jeremy went to the guest room.

I closed the door behind me and slumped against it. I had made it. Jeremy hadn’t said anything too revealing, and William had been polite enough, though he obviously wasn’t very happy about the situation. My shoulders felt like a wire was stretched taut between them. I was completely exhausted and just wanted to collapse on the bed. Something slinked along my waist, and I jumped.

“Did I scare you?” William asked. He’d wrapped his arms around me. After his lack of affection in the living room, I hadn’t been prepared for him to touch me.

“No. I mean, yes. A little.” I moved away, so on edge I knew I was hardly making sense. I tried to think what I needed to do and ended up pulling my clothes off and tugging on an old T-shirt and sweats. William stood across the room, one eyebrow raised.

“Interesting choice, but you won’t be needing that get-up tonight.”

Oh my God. He could not possibly want to
do it
—I was reverting back to my college mindset—with Jeremy in the guestroom. My condo wasn’t
that
big.

“William…” He crossed to me and took me in his arms, leaning down to kiss my neck. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Give me a minute. You’ll change your mind.” His hands skimmed down my sides, then under my T-shirt to cup my breasts. I jumped back.

“William, we can’t do this,” I hissed.

He crossed his arms. “Why not?”

“He might hear.”

William reached for me again. “I’ll be very, very quiet.” He brushed a hand over my nipples. “I’ll keep my mouth occupied and yours too.” He took my hand and placed it on the front of his trousers. He was definitely hard and ready. I pulled my hand away and stepped back.

“You know I won’t be quiet enough.”

He shrugged. “So he hears. I don’t care.”

“I do.”

“Why? What difference does it make if he knows I fuck you, if he knows you like it when I fuck you? Maybe it will turn him on. We can all get off tonight.”

The idea of Jeremy hearing William and me having sex made my chest tighten. I just couldn’t do it. I’d never said no to him before, but I had to say it tonight. I had to have some sense of decency. He reached for me again, and I skipped back. “I don’t feel comfortable with Jeremy here.”

The tightness in William’s face seemed to relax slightly. “Then just let me hold you. Tonight…at my aunt and uncle’s house…showing you those pictures. I want to hold you.”

How could I resist that request? I wanted to hold him too. I wanted to keep the feeling of closeness we’d shared. “Alright.” I moved toward the bed, but he shook his head.

“You’re not wearing that.”

I rolled my eyes. “What does it matter what I wear? Nothing more than cuddling is going to happen.”

I watched as William began to remove his clothes, his powerful well-muscled body moving with an easy grace as he stripped. “Fine, but at least give me some little thrill. Take that off and let me feel you against me.”

I gave him a wary look. I wasn’t sure if I trusted him—or myself—if we were nude in bed together. But as he dropped his boxer briefs, I found myself pulling my T-shirt over my head. I wanted to feel his big hard body against mine. My breasts were achy and heavy in anticipation of rubbing against his chest, but I tamped that feeling down. Nothing was going to happen. I turned off the light, dropped my old sweats, and climbed naked into bed. A moment later, the mattress dipped, and William was beside me.

He gathered me in his arms and pulled me flush against him, my soft curves folding perfectly into his hard contours. His breath was soft and warm in my ear. “You feel so good.” I dropped my chin to his chest and sighed with pleasure. His hand brushed along my back, making me shiver slightly. But he didn’t attempt to touch me any more than that. There was just the hypnotic feel of his hand circling the sensitive flesh on my back.

“I’m sorry he showed up,” I whispered. “I wanted tonight to be special.”

“It was,” he murmured. “I’m sure it was the first of many times we’ll visit with my aunt and uncle. It felt right having you there, Catherine.”

“I liked being there,” I said. “I liked seeing that side of you.”

“I wanted you to see it.” His voice was a deep rumble against my ear. “I want you to know every side of me.” He kissed me lightly, his mouth seeking but not demanding. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. There was such a dreamy intimacy when we kissed like this, caressing each other’s mouths and exploring with our tongues. It felt so good to linger on his lips, to press against his body, and I savored every moment.

I felt the evidence of his arousal hot against my belly and I realized my nipples were sensitive and hard. “William,” I said, breathless. “We can’t.”

“I can’t help the way I react to you,” he said. “It just happens. You’re beautiful.” His hand skimmed down my back again. “And your soft breasts are pushed right up against me, and the points of your nipples are driving me crazy.”

“I’m not trying to tease you.”

He moved his hips, emphasizing his hard cock. “I’m not either. But it’s always been this way when we’re together. I always want you. I can’t get enough.”