Playing for Keeps (13 page)

“Grace—” He cursed. “This isn’t the place to talk about this but I don’t trust myself to take you to my apartment.”

Picturing what could happen in his apartment, the two of us alone after that dance, I downed after my beer trying to cool myself off.

“Grace. The kiss was all me. I wanted to kiss you.” ” He pulled me closer. His voice lowered another decibel but I was right against him so I had no trouble hearing him over the noisy club. “I was dying to kiss you.”

My heart stopped beating. “You were?”

He brushed my hair back from my face. “Why do you find that so hard to believe?”

“But you can’t.”

“Why not?”

I was so confused. “Why are you here?”

“You didn’t really think I’d let you hook up with some other guy when I’ve been waiting for you for so long, did you?”

My heart jumped. He’d been waiting? “But you dated Nell.”

“Three dates, Grace, and we never even got to first base.”

“Really?” I gasped. Was Nell an idiot? I would have been all over Pete.

“Would I lie to you?” he asked.

He had a point there. “Still,” I said.

“Still what?”

“Still, it wouldn’t be right.”

“I can’t think of anything more right.”

At the moment I couldn’t either. “Not past first base?”

He snaked his hand through my hair to massage the nape of my neck. “It wouldn’t have been right. Not when all I could think of was that I was dating the wrong sister.”

I took a deep breath, trying to keep from hyperventilating. He pulled me into him—

“Wait!” I pushed against his chest.

“What is it?”

“We can’t do this.”

He sat back. I couldn’t help feeling disappointed that he didn’t try harder to convince me that we could.

“Can you concede the point that Nell and I dating isn’t an issue?” he finally asked.

“I suppose. But—”

“Then there’s your family. You feel like you need to take care of them still. What if I promise you I won’t get in the way?”

“You won’t?”

He shook his head. “I won’t. Without resentment.”

“Is that possible?”

“I don’t think they need you as much anymore, but if you feel you need to be there, I’d never stand in your way, Grace. You know that.”

I nodded. “Okay, but—”

“You’re afraid becoming intimate will compromise our friendship.” He turned over my hand and kissed my palm. “I can’t promise anything, but I can tell you I don’t want to lose you. I’ll work my hardest to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Well, he sure effectively knocked down my excuses. Except for—

“I know you’re scared.” He kissed my wrist. “I am too. But if we don’t try, won’t living with the regret be worse?”

He had a point. So I grabbed his T-shirt and kissed him.

It was like a floodgate had burst open. My heart felt like it was going to explode and my body felt like it was going to combust. I roamed his shoulders and pecs. Construction gave him a
great
body.

He slid a hand under my butt to pull me closer, but soon it moved up to my waist, my rib cage, right below my breast. Then one of his fingers reached up and rubbed over my nipple.

Great big bolts of lightning shot down my body, straight to where no man had gone in a long time. I moaned into his mouth.

Someone cleared their throat. Loudly.

Panting, Pete and I looked up to find Celeste watching us with bright interest. Behind Celeste there was a man with that hopeful maybe-this-is-my-chance-for-a-foursome expression on his face.

Celeste raised her brow at me. I did the logical thing: I flushed crimson.

Pete tugged me out of the booth. “Celeste, Grace and I are taking off.”

She smiled deviously. “Yes, you are.”

Sometimes I wish I didn’t know her so well. I
knew
she was picturing us taking clothes off, which made me picture it. Which then made me picture myself naked with Pete kissing me madly all over, and him naked with me kissing him.

I fanned myself.

“Will you be okay?” Pete eyed the cretin Celeste picked up.

She smirked. “I think Gracie needs you more than I do.”

Pete smiled slow and sexy. “I think you’re right.”

He slung his arm around my waist and led me out of the bar. When we got to our cars—he’d parked next to me—we faced each other under the bright parking lights.

Silence.

I wanted to rip the clothes off his magnificent body and lick chocolate off every square inch, but as we stood there something in me froze. Suddenly, I was standing with my best friend, Pete, again—not the hottie from the dark bar.

I cleared my throat. “Maybe I should head home.”

A light in Pete’s eyes died and I wanted to weep because it was my fault. “Are you okay to drive?” he asked.

“Sure.” If you don’t count the mental tizzy I was in.

He brushed my hair over my shoulder and trailed his hand down my arm. He caught my hand and brought my knuckles to his lips.

I gulped. Maybe he was more like Hot Pete from the bar than I thought.

He took a step closer. “There’s just one thing before you go.”

“What?”

He let go of my hand, pulled down my tank top to uncover one nipple, and latched onto it with his mouth.

Instinctively I closed my eyes and threw my head back. Color exploded behind my lids and for a moment I thought I was going to pass out.

Just as quickly as he started sucking he stopped. I opened my eyes, panting, and gaped at him.

Oh my God.

He gave me a half smile as he rearranged my top. “I’m waiting, Grace. When you’re ready.”

I slumped against my car, watching him get into his and take off. Wondering if playing it safe had just cost me the best thing that had happened to me ever.

Chapter Ten

The most important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.

—Sun Tzu, The Art of War

In the next two weeks, I didn’t see or talk to Pete once, and I felt like someone had carved a piece out of my heart.

Okay, I didn’t try to contact him. In the light of day, what we’d done (because despite his insistence that he was the one who initiated it, I had to admit I wasn’t exactly an innocent bystander) seemed a huge mistake. Only it was a mistake I couldn’t correct because our friendship was already a casualty.

The first week after that night at The Flamingo passed in a numb haze. If asked how I spent the week, I wouldn’t be able to answer. I remembered the second week but wished I didn’t because it hurt so badly.

Celeste called me several times but I avoided her calls. I didn’t want to talk about it. I was afraid if I let it out, I’d start crying and never stop.

Needless to say, I didn’t get much done in regards to the wedding. Not that Nell was beating down the door trying to get at me. She was as scarce as Pete was. Not to mention my dad and Chloe.

The only people who were constantly underfoot were Fawn and Leif. Yes, they were supposed to only be in town for a few days before they headed off for Mexico. But a few days turned into a week, and a week turned into two, and now they were firmly entrenched in our household.

At first, I hadn’t minded. In fact, I enjoyed having them around. Now, I was getting ready to call the exterminator.

I dragged my carcass out of bed, determined to stop moping and get on with life. I showered, dressed, and followed the delicious aroma of Leif’s coffee into the kitchen.

Fawn and Leif sat at the table, drinking coffee and holding hands. They both looked up when I walked in. Leif smiled at me, his gaze concerned.

But Fawn spoke for the two of them. “We were wondering when you’d be down. How are you feeling today, dear?”

“Good.” If I said it emphatically enough, I might even start to believe it.

“Hmm.” Fawn studied me, head tilted. Then she nodded. “I think you may be coming out of your funk.”

Funk
didn’t seem to capture the agony of my heartache, but I smiled politely at her and poured myself a cup.

I froze. Was that bacon I smelled?

Shaking my head, I decided I had to be wrong. Daddy only likes bacon on Sundays and Chloe can’t boil water without spoiling it, much less fry bacon. My nostrils had to be malfunctioning, because Leif and Fawn surely didn’t make it.

I kept buying ham and bacon and it kept disappearing, leaving me with the impression that there was a pork thief in the house. I didn’t mind except there was never any around when Daddy wanted some, and no one would fess up. I’d either figure it out eventually or Daddy’s mutterings about his supply line being cut off were going to drive me insane.

I joined them at the table, hoping Fawn would take pity on me and leave me alone.

It was too much to hope for. “You know, I’ve been thinking about the wedding.”

I looked up.

She smiled. “I know you reserved a place for it already, but I really think having it on the beach would be better.”

“Oh?” I mentally patted myself on the back for my restraint.

“Yes. It’d be much more romantic. More in line with who Nell and River are, too.”

Nell and River seemed like capitalist pigs to me but, hey, what did I know?

“Now you”—she waved her hand toward me—“you’re the reception hall type, so I can see how that would appeal to you.”

“I am?”

“Plain as day, dear.”

Leif nodded in agreement.

“Not that that’s a bad thing,” Fawn assured me quickly. “Takes all kinds in this world.”

“Have you talked to Nell about this?”

“Of course, dear. I wouldn’t dream of mentioning it otherwise.”

Why didn’t Nell tell me herself? Frowning, I got up. “I need to get to work. Can we talk about this later?”

“Of course, dear.” She smiled at me. I had the feeling it was the same smile she’d give a chicken as she beheaded it.

I rinsed out my practically untouched coffee and hustled out the door. The first thing I did when I go to the studio was call Nell.

“Nell Connors.”

“It’s me.”

“Gracie, I’m super busy right now. Can I call you later?”

I looked at the time and realized she must be furiously working the stock market. “No, we need to talk now.”

I wasn’t sure if she sighed or growled. “I’m working. Can’t it wait?”

“Fine.” See, I could be reasonable. “Pick me up this afternoon for lunch.”

“Fine.”

I’d barely set the receiver down when it rang again. “Connors Kung Fu Studio.”

“Where the hell have you been?”

“Nowhere, Celeste.”

“I’m hurt. I’ve been waiting
two weeks
to find out what happened with Pete that night and you didn’t even have the courtesy to call me to fill me in.”

“Nothing happened.” I rubbed the tightness in my chest.

“As if. This is me you’re talking to. I saw the way you guys were sucking face. If I’d arrived a second later you would have been naked and sprawled across the table.”

I wish. “Really. Nothing happened.”

Celeste’s silence was deafening. Then she groaned. “Tell me you didn’t fuck this up. You did, didn’t you?”

I refused to answer.

“Gracie.” She sighed. “Are you okay?”

“Yep.” Other than the piercing pain every time I thought of Pete, sure. “Listen, I have to go.”

“Will you call me if you want to talk?”

“Sure.”

She knew me too well to believe me. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” I hung up before she could get sappier. Sap I didn’t need.

Nell showed up slightly before two, right as I was about to start gnawing on my arm from hunger. “About time,” I said as I climbed into her car.

“I was busy. The market was effing crazy today.”

George leaned over the back of my car seat and panted on me. He had a severe case of doggy halitosis.

“Gross.” I shoved his head away. “Can’t you wash his mouth out or something?”

Nell shot me a dirty look and laid rubber as she tore off.

“Jeez.” I hurried to strap myself in. “No wonder George gets carsick.”

She gave me an evil look. “I’m assuming Nonna’s is okay.”

It was a good assumption on her part. “Nonna’s has the best lasagna.”

“And Chianti by the jug.”

There was that. A jug of wine seemed just the thing today. I kept that forefront in my mind so I wouldn’t think about Nell’s crazy driving, and in no time we were pulling into the parking lot.

Whenever I stepped into Nonna’s I expected to see a table full of men in dark suits and ties who all talked like Marlon Brando. It was stereotypically Italian, down to the red-checkered tablecloths and the humungous wheel of Parmesan that sat on a table in the middle of the room.

The hostess smiled. “The usual table, ladies?”

“Yes, please.”

“Right this way.” She ushered us to our usual booth, close to the window for a view of the street but still out of the way enough to be secluded. “Mario will be right over to take your orders. Can I interest you in a glass of wine?”

Nell beat me to the punch. “I think we’ll need a half carafe.”

“Certainly.” She scurried off to do Nell’s bidding.

Nell leaned over to check on George, who was tied to a tree outside the window. “Okay, so what’s going on this time?”

“We need to talk about the wedding. Specifically where it’s going to be hosted.”

“Is there something wrong with the Pavilion? They didn’t cancel our reservation did they?” She sounded appropriately panicked.

I relaxed for the first time all day. “No. But I was talking to Fawn this morning and she said you’d decided to go with the beach theme after all.”

“Oh. That.” Nell waved her hand and almost clipped the hostess as she set our wine on the table. “Sorry.”

The hostess smiled, poured our wine, and left us.

Nell took a long sip. “I figured you’d straighten Fawn out.”

My jaw dropped open. “So you’re making
me
out to be the bad guy in this?”

She shrugged. “She’s not going to be your mother-in-law.”

I sputtered. I’d liked to think I would have given Nell a piece of my mind if Mario hadn’t arrived to take our order.