Heaven in Hedonism (The Sinful Series Book 3) (14 page)

My suitcase was one of the first ones off. Mac was standing far to the side. Because it was so noisy, he had to speak louder than normal. All I heard was, “I love you too!” That was when I snapped. Taking my luggage and throwing my carry-on over my shoulder, I turned on my heels and headed out the door.

The cab ride was probably just what I needed. We were back in San Francisco anyway. Why would what was going on between us continue? It shouldn’t have started to begin with. So when I was dropped off at the apartment, I simply carried my luggage up the stairs and let myself in. It was time to do laundry and prepare for a new work week. I hadn’t been there for three weeks by now and honestly…I wasn’t missing it. Swallowing hard, I realized that just as I had returned here, so had the restlessness within me. What was I going to do?

Before I could consider that, my phone started ringing. To my disappointment after fishing it from my purse, it was Sin on the other end. “Hey, girl,” I said quietly.

“What happened? I thought you’d be so happy. You’ve just spent two weeks in Hedonism!” she squealed. “Tell me everything. Leave nothing out.”

My laugh sounded hollow even to me. I hoped she wouldn’t notice. “Not much to say, really. Mac and I had a nice time.” I swallowed hard.

After a moment of silence, she spoke, “What’s wrong, Jolie? You don’t sound right.”

“Just tired from traveling,” I responded quickly. “I’m going to finish the laundry and go to bed. Can I call you later in the week?”

“Oh, I almost forgot!” The excitement was evident in her voice. “We finally scheduled the twins’ christening. It’s Saturday at one in the afternoon. You have to be there. Bring Mac if you want. Stay over. We’re going to have a big cookout, pop a few bottles from the winery. You’re the godmother.”

“Yup,” I said, forcing myself to sound as happy as the situation would merit. “I’ll be there.”

“You know, you could come Friday after work if you want. I could use the help if you don’t mind?” There was a pleading tone in her voice I could never deny.

“Of course. I’d love to help.” That part was true. Helping her meant I wouldn’t have to think about me. It was a familiar pattern for us. Now I’d just have to survive the workweek.

*  *  *

Amazingly enough, avoiding Mac was easier than I expected. Maybe he was avoiding me too. All I knew for sure was somehow it was suddenly Friday afternoon, the office was empty, and aside from group meetings, I hadn’t spoken to him. The office was empty. With our flexible hours, most people made sure to be done by lunch the last workday before the weekend. I planned to enjoy the peace and quiet, finish up my current project before clearing out and heading to the winery. Just as I was relaxing and letting my guard down, Mac appeared at the corner of my desk.

“Oh hell,” I muttered. “What?”

“Not the greeting I had hoped for. Let’s start over.” He smiled at me warmly. Somehow, for him, it seemed that no time had passed. There was no strangeness for him at all. “Hello, Jolie. How are you?”

Leaning back in my seat, I propped my feet on the desk. “Okay,” I said evenly. “I’ll play along.” Clearing my throat, I responded to his original question with fake enthusiasm. “I’m great! How are you?”

Smirking, he squatted beside me. “I’m lonely. I miss you. I want to spend time with you.”

Leaning toward him with a raised brow, I remarked, “Oh, really. Then how is it you just now noticed I left you at the airport?”

Frowning, he admitted, “I was hoping we could just overlook that. It wasn’t my finest moment. I wanted to call, but after being gone for two weeks, I was overwhelmed with work. You were here, didn’t seem angry…rather angrier than normal. I thought things were good!” He shrugged.

Honestly, his admission made sense. I knew he was reasonably private. Most of all, I kind of missed spending time with him too. “Well, I’m busy this weekend.”

“All weekend?” He seemed shocked.

“The twins are being christened.” I explained. “I’m going there tonight, returning sometime Sunday.”

“Oh.” He was quiet. It could have been my out, but I blew it.

“Sin said you could come if you want.”
Fuck. Why did I say that?

“I can’t leave tonight. When is the actual christening? I could be there Saturday morning.” I could about see the wheels spinning.

“It’s at one in the afternoon.” Then I shut my mouth. If he was coming, he’d have to work through it. I had done all I was willing to do.

“Any chance I can stay over with you Saturday?” he asked. “Maybe after we could go swimming…or stargazing?”

Wow. He really did want to spend time with me. “Yeah. We’ll have to share a room again. I think the rest are taken.” I waited for his reaction.

Leaning in, he kissed me on the tip of my nose. “Looking forward to it. I miss sharing a bed with you too.”

“The sex was good,” I begrudgingly admitted.

Shaking his head, he sighed. “This isn’t about the sex, Jolie. I miss the intimacy. I miss holding you, wrapping myself around you while you slept and couldn’t object. I miss sharing meals together and talking to you throughout the day. At least for one night I can get that back.” Then he smoothed my hair back, stood, turned and walked away.

Though I had planned to work at least another hour, there was no way I could concentrate after that. After saving my work on the laptop, I packed up and exited the office. Mac had parked next to me. There was something so cute about seeing our vehicles together. They looked good together.

Once behind the wheel, I headed straight for Sin. She would distract me and make it all better. The drive would help.

Sure enough, an hour of thinking time had me in the perfect frame of mind for what was in store. Sin came roaring out of the house with one baby on each hip.

“What the hell are you wearing?” I asked as soon as I stepped out of the truck.

“It’s my new baby wrap.” She explained. “Do you love it? It’s the only way I get anything done. Look! I can take pictures and everything!” She pulled her phone out of her pocket, pointed it at me, and pressed the screen to demonstrate. “See?”

“Yes. Now pass me a kid. I’m not here to see you anymore.” I teased, reaching for my namesake.  “Clearly, I’m here to get my baby fix until I can have one of my own.”

“Right. You’d be lost without me,” she responded. “Hey? Where’s Mac?”

“He’s coming in the morning, but he’ll stay tomorrow night, if you don’t mind.” I tried to sound all casual, but I was more excited at spending the night with him than I cared to express.

After handing me baby Jolie, we grabbed my duffle and headed inside. “Drop your bag. We have work to do,” Sin ordered.

“Man, I’ve just arrived. It’s happy hour. I thought I’d get a glass of wine, snuggle a baby, eat some of Lucy’s amazing food, then get to work.” I winked.

“Ah, Miss Jolie! I thought I heard your voice,” the housekeeper said. The woman always had a smile on her face. It was impossible to be unhappy around her. Plus, she made the best food ever, much of it with chocolate, and made sure I had my favorites when I was around. “Come try this. We might serve it tomorrow.”

“Lucy, I love you!” I exclaimed happily, walking into the kitchen with the baby asleep on my shoulder. As soon as made it through the kitchen door, she was passing me hors d’oeuvres. One by one, I dutifully ate them. “Oh my God!” I exclaimed. “It’s like a party in my mouth. My taste buds are dancing. You are amazing. Why has no one named a building or food or city after you yet?”

“Oh, Miss Jolie,” the woman said, her cheeks coloring. “See? You make me blush.”

“Seriously. One day. Something special. I’ll name it after you.”

“Naming.” Sin teased. “There’s a lot of that going around.”

We spent the rest of the evening setting up the winery. Apparently when the parents were influential, even simple moments like christenings became big deals. There were several hundred close business associates who would be coming to the church and the party afterward. It made my stomach roll just thinking about it. I’d be sneaking off with Mac the first chance I had. Funny, that made my tummy flutter. The set-up took until close to midnight. Everything takes longer when there are babies to care for. Funny, but Sin never seemed to mind. I wondered if I’d feel the same way. I was so used to it being just me, but now I wanted more. It was a terrible thought to have haunting me as I fell asleep.

In the morning, I felt refreshed and excited. We were having brunch on the patio at ten in the morning. Though I showered, I didn’t want to get dressed for the christening yet. I had seen the twins at work. My dress could be ruined. As hungry as I was, I wasn’t known to be the neatest eater, either. So, still half asleep, I stumbled down the stairs and headed out the back door. There was so much laughter and talking, it took me a moment to process Mac was already here.

As soon as he saw me, he stood up and walked over to me. “You look beautiful,” he announced.

Looking myself up and down, I wondered what the hell he saw. “I’m in pajamas. I haven’t done my hair or makeup. What is wrong with you?”

Then he leaned over and kissed me on the lips. It had the same effect it always did, completely melting me. I felt like I was just coming up for air, blinking, when the kiss finally ended.

“Why?” I somehow managed to wonder aloud.

Winking at me, he murmured, “I was afraid of what you might say next. And I really, really missed you.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and walked me over to the table. After pulling out my chair, he gestured for me to sit. “I’ll get you some food and drink. You relax.”

Ben and Sin sat across the table from me, smiling. “What?” I asked, daring them to make some comment.

The first to crack, Ben shook his head. “Nothing,” he sputtered.

Sin, however, knew me better. She simply threw her head back and laughed. “I think Mac likes you. He thinks you’re sexy,” she announced in her singsong voice.

“I hate you. You suck,” I muttered as Mac returned to the table with a mug of hot chocolate and a plate of all my favorites. “Thank you,” I said pleasantly, looking up into his face before I started shoveling in the scrambled eggs.

An hour later, Sin and I were heading up the stairs together. She had her arm looped through mine. “Hey, just so you know, I stuck some tampons under your sink in case you forgot yours,” she commented.

“Cool. Thank you,” I responded. At the moment, I was lost in thought.

“What’s on your mind?” she asked. We were nearing my door. “You seem different.”

Nodding, I agreed. “I am. I think he makes me happy. I think being without him makes me unhappy. I just don’t know what to do about it.”

“Enjoy it!” she urged. “You deserve this. Look at how he dotes on you. He’s a special kind of man.”

Turning the handle, I grinned. “I’ll try.”

The rest of the day passed in a blur. We had the christening at the church. As nervous and unsettled as I was being in front of all those people, I made it through with Mac by my side. We all rode together in the limo. Then it was time for the party at the winery. The babies may have been the reason for the event, but the fun didn’t stop when they went down for naps. Soon it was evening and there were still people lingering. I was about crawling out of my skin, I was so eager to get away.

“You two go on,” Sin suggested. “We’ve got this. Go have some fun. It might be too chilly for a swim, but you should enjoy the hot tub and have George build a fire. Oh, and Lucy wanted to know when to have your nightly hot cocoa ready.  She knew you’d never ask, so she offered.”

My eyes teared up unexpectedly. I had to believe it was because of how wonderful Sin and her new family was, so warm and caring. “Keep it up and I’ll never leave,” I warned.

“You heard the woman,” Mac joked. “To the house. Hot tubs and hot chocolate await!”

After hugging Sin and Ben, we hopped in one of the golf carts to drive back to the house. It soon occurred to me how tired I was. “I think I worked harder this weekend than I thought. I’m not going to be your normal late night party girl,” I warned. “And if we hang out in the hot tub too long, I’ll be done for sure.”

“Whew. The hot chocolate will surely finish you off.” Mac parked in front of the garage. We stepped out of the cart and headed into the house. “We don’t have to do any of that, if you don’t want. I’ll be happy to just snuggle you and go to sleep.”

“Well, I won’t,” I grumbled.

“No?” His eyes always twinkled when he was feeling playful.

Inside the foyer, I stood on my tiptoes. “No, I won’t.” I walked behind him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and hugged him. Then my right hand started to slip below his belt.

Mac whipped around, eyes blazing with desire. “Not here,” he hissed. “Where’s your room?”

Pointing at the stairs, I was shocked when he scooped me up and carried me to the second floor. “What are you doing?” I asked, hoping for some super sexy answer.

“You aren’t fit for public consumption. We clearly need to be alone.”

“Oh.” My voice was dripping with disappointment.

At the top of the stairs, he looked both directions down the hall. “Which way?” He sounded out of breath.

“Left, then second door on the right.” I was quiet, disinterested.

As soon as he reached the door, he turned the handle and we muscled our way through. In movies, the guy is all smooth, I imagined in reality it would be far more awkward and I wasn’t far off, but at least he didn’t hit my head. He crossed the room and laid me as gently as possible on the bed. I was impressed, but I refused to show it. In seconds he had kicked off his shoes and joined me on the comforter.