“He won’t sleep with me. He has some code of honor. I don’t know. It’s stupid. Probably something to do with my brother.”“Lord, spare us from men who think they know better than we do.” She rolls her eyes and takes a healthy gulp of wine.“Exactly what I said.” I tilt my head to check that I’ve app
Jody smiles. “It’s pretty cool. I travel the world, appraising private wine collections and then importing them for sale.”“Whoa. That is cool.” And I have no frame of reference for why people would buy wine at auction, but I guess that’s something rich people do.“Do you live in New York? Isn’t tha
LillyMichael isn’t anywhere in the event space or the lobby. He’s not answering his phone, either. I hesitate by the elevators. Is he up in the room? Did he have too much to drink and decide to go to bed? That seems unlikely. It’s not even that late. We haven’t had dinner yet, and I know he’ll want
His eyes flick away guiltily.“I knew it. You can’t bury it all deep inside you and expect to feel better eventually.” I twist my arms to reach my zipper and tug it down.“You’re right.” He shoves a hand through that hair. “I’ve grieved a little. Mostly when I’m alone. What are you doing?”I step ou
He’s silent when he finishes, and my chest feels like I’m sitting at the bottom of the ocean. All that pressure is enough to make me cry. So this is why he’ll never love. The full, awful picture makes a sick kind of sense, I suppose. Michael has a huge heart. So instead of hurting someone, he’ll hur
MichaelI catch Lilly easily, even with the wine in my veins and the heaviness of my heart. She’s a decent swimmer, but I’m better. It feels good to do this again, like riding a bike. I catch her right as we near the shore and scoop her into my arms. She’s laughing and pounding at my chest as I haul
“Michael. Your tux.” She bites her lip.“I don’t care.” And then I lay down and pull her on top of me.She runs her hands over my jaw, my shoulders, my abs, until she gets to my groin. Her hand stills, and she traces the muscles there. Her lips are parted and swollen, and I want to drive up into whe
“More, Michael. Please.”I pull her up so she’s nearly flush against my chest, and I grip her throat with one hand, just to remind her I’m there. As my fingers close around her jaw, she arches back.“You like that?” My voice is rough in her ear, and she shudders and nods.“It’s never been this good.