He called Tom.
“What?” Tom answered, sounding like the call had woken him but also alert. It must have been the years in law enforcement.
“Lily’s missing.” Jake tried not to sound like an alarmist, but he was alarmed.
“What do you mean, missing?” Even the trace of fatigue in Tom’s voice was gone now.
“She’s not home. She wasn’t home last night either. Is she at your house?”
“No.” Jake heard the sounds of Tom dressing. “Did you check at Derek’s apartment?” Tom sounded pissed.
“No,” Jake barked. “Why would she be there?”
“Fuck, Jake. I don’t know. I didn’t think Derek would betray our friendship by sleeping with my little sister but we need to find out. If she’s not there, I’ll have to see if I can put a BOLO out on her.”
Jake jumped into his truck and headed toward Derek’s house. He heard Tom get into his car. He pulled up in front of Derek’s house, right behind Lily’s car. “It looks like she’s here,” Jake said.
Tom sucked in a breath. “Fucking bastard,” he muttered. “I’ll be right there. Don’t go inside.” Then he hung up.
Jake waited, leaning against his truck. He clenched his jaw so tight he thought he’d crack one of his molars. On one hand, they hadn’t discussed being exclusive. On the other hand, she had been a virgin just two days ago. He’d never thought she’d have sex with him then jump right into another guy’s bed. Besides, wasn’t she supposed to be too sore to be with him for a few days?
Jake suddenly felt ashamed. Maybe he had really hurt her, and she went to Derek for sympathy.
And maybe he’d given her more than sympathy.
Jake was pissed again. By the time Tom pulled up behind him, Jake had a silent head of angry steam on him.
Without a word, the two men walked up the outside stairs to Derek’s apartment. Although they both had a key, neither bothered to go for it. Derek always forgot to lock his door.
Not even trying to be silent, Jake stalked in. He found them on the couch. Derek was behind Lily, his face buried in her soft, fragrant hair, his hand on the strip of skin revealed between her sweatshirt and her jeans. While they watched, Derek stretched, his hand flexing on Lily’s abdomen.
Tom punched Derek on the shoulder. After a jaw-popping yawn, he opened his eyes. “Hey, guys,” he mumbled. “Fuck, my head hurts.”
At his grumbling, Lily also woke up. When she saw Jake and Tom looming over them, she blinked owlishly and said, “What’s going on?”
Tom crossed his arms over his imposing chest. He was glaring at Derek. “That’s a good question, Lil. What the fuck is going on?”
Lily sat up and pushed her curls out of her eyes. “We fell asleep.”
Derek sat up as well. “Not surprising since I think we killed two bottles of wine.” He cracked his neck, wincing at the sound.
Lily got up. “Hey, Derek,” she called. “Do you have any ginger ale and V8?”
“No,” Derek said with a shudder. “I don’t have it and wouldn’t drink it even if I did.”
Lily said, “I’ll find something,” and headed for the kitchen.
Jake followed her.
In the kitchen, Jake grabbed Lily’s arm. “What are you doing?”
“Just getting something for my hangover. Really, Jake, what do you think I’m doing?” She turned to look him directly in his eyes, daring him to say something stupid.
Jake immediately realized he could be making a huge mistake. If he didn’t want to screw this up, he needed to go slowly. “I was worried that you didn’t come home last night.”
“I had too much to drink to drive home, obviously.” Lily leaned against the counter. “Did you think I would have sex with Derek the night after sleeping with you? Did you really think that, Jake?”
She sounded so hurt.
“No,” Jake said, reaching for her. “Of course not. It’s just that we didn’t talk about the ground rules of this type of relationship.” He looked over his shoulder and let her go. “And now’s not the time.”
“No,” she said. “Now’s not the time.”
She started to walk toward the refrigerator then whirled. “Just for your information, we got drunk and fell asleep. We didn’t have sex, touch inappropriately, or do anything else. We may not have discussed the ground rules of our ‘relationship’”—she made air quotes with her fingers when she said the word—“but I don’t have any intention of having sex with anyone but you until we’re done with each other. For health reasons, if for nothing else, I expect the same from you.”
Jake pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry if I seem like I don’t trust you. I just didn’t expect to find you here. You have such an”—he paused looking for the right word—”intimate relationship with Derek. I don’t understand it, so it makes me wary.”
He was laying it on the line for her. Despite the fact they’d both said this wasn’t the time, Lily squeezed him. “I don’t want to be with Derek in that way. He’s my best friend.” She paused. On one hand, she didn’t want to betray Derek’s confidence. On the other hand, she needed to put Jake’s fears to rest. She decided on a partial truth.
“Derek is in love with someone else. He would never jeopardize that relationship or betray our friendship by hitting on me.”
Before Jake could ask, Lily said. “And no, I won’t tell you who he’s in love with. He’ll tell you if and when he’s ready.”
* * * *
Derek just sat on the sofa, holding his head in his hands, trying to stop the throbbing.
“What the fuck are you doing with Lily?” Tom asked in a furious whisper.
“Nothing.” Derek’s voice was flat. “We were sleeping off a lot too much wine.”
“Bullshit,” he said. “You had your hands on her.”
Derek got to his feet. If he were going fighting with Tom, he’d do it standing up. “I had my arms around her so she wouldn’t fall off the couch.”
It seemed to him the only way to push through Tom’s anger was to directly address what Tom obviously thought had happened. “We didn’t have sex.”
Tom didn’t seem to hear him. “I don’t want you having that kind of a relationship with Lily. I know what you like, and I don’t want her with somebody like that.” Tom was clenching and unclenching his hands at his sides.
Derek felt his face flush hot then go totally pale. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means you share women with other men. You like to fuck them up the ass. You like to touch…” He stopped abruptly. “I just don’t want her with someone like that.”
“You hypocrite! You do all those things just like I do.” Derek purposely ignored his last comment about touching. He also felt himself get hard at the reference to what he and Tom liked to do together.
“Yeah, and would you want me fucking your sister?” Tom retorted.
“Let me just say this once,” Derek replied hotly. “I am not fucking Lily. I will never fuck Lily. I love her, but not in that way.”
“Are you trying to tell me you don’t want her?” Tom said, pointing to the erection Derek was obviously sporting.
Derek flushed but hardened further at the hot look Tom gave his crotch.
Tom continued. “I talked to Lily yesterday, and she implied she knows about what you like sexually.”
“What did she say?” Derek asked, shocked.
“She said she knows more about you than I do.” Tom’s voice sounded a little hurt.
“She does,” Derek said, thinking of what he’d told her the night before.
He didn’t even see the fist coming.
* * * *
When a loud crash sounded, Lily sprinted for the living room. She found a lamp broken and Derek half sprawled on the side table. He was holding a hand to his mouth.
“I’m not going to fight you, man,” Derek was saying. He stood up with his arms by his sides.
Tom pulled his arm back as though to punch him again, and Jake stepped in front of him. “What the fuck, Tom? Since when do you hit someone who isn’t fighting back?”
Lily started toward Derek, and Tom grabbed her arm and yanked her back.
At her gasp, Jake tried to push him away. Tom was holding her arm so tightly that his backward step pulled her farther away from Derek.
“Let her go,” Jake said in a voice Lily had never heard from him. The tone must have gotten through because Tom let go of her arm.
He rubbed his hand over his face. “I’m sorry, Lily. Did I hurt you?”
Lily didn’t rub her arm like she wanted to. “Of course you didn’t hurt me.” Almost in a challenge, she plucked a tissue from the box and stepped to Derek’s side. She started to blot his bleeding lip.
Derek stopped her by stepping back. “It’s fine, Lily.”
Lily stood in front of Derek and turned to her brother and Jake. “I’m telling you right now that Derek and I don’t have the type of relationship you think we do,” she said, looking at both of them but speaking primarily to Tom.
“Evidently you are under the misapprehension that I cannot make sexual choices for myself.” She saw Tom wince and Jake’s jaw tighten. “I know that none of you are choir boys. You have no right to judge me for who I choose to sleep with.”
“I’m not judging you, sprout. I just don’t want you getting hurt.” Tom sounded weary.
“Are you saying I would hurt her, Tom?” Derek stepped around Lily and stood directly in front of Tom. He stood intimately close.
Jake looked at Lily sharply, shock and realization in his eyes.
Tom didn’t even seem to notice how close Derek was standing. “Not on purpose. You just need more than I think Lily can give you.”
Maybe Tom wasn’t as clueless about what Derek felt as Lily thought he was. He seemed to be aware of Derek’s sexuality.
Derek sucked in a sharp breath.
“And Lily needs someone gentle,” Tom finished.
Jake winced.
Lily had a bad feeling that, if she didn’t stop this, Tom was going to talk Jake out of being with her. Not that his intention was convincing Jake. “I’m not fragile,” Lily said hotly, breaking the spell and causing Tom to step back.
Tom sent her a condescending look. “Lily, you’re just a sprout. Someday you’ll find someone who treats you special.”
Lily purposely didn’t look at Jake. She put both hands on her hips. “I’m twenty-six years old, Tom. I hope you don’t think I’ve waited for some sweet vanilla guy to come along.”
Tom flushed hotly and looked at Derek again. “Not him, stupid,” Lily snapped.
Tom didn’t even look at Jake. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad. “Who?”
“Do you really want to hear about my sexual experience, Tom?” Lily said sarcastically. “If so, then I guess you’ll have to share yours as well.”
“No.” It was all Tom said.
“I didn’t think so.”
It had been three days and Lily hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Jake. She’d expected him to at least come by to work on the house like he had been. It finally occurred to Lily that Jake might be trying to end things simply by avoiding her.
It’s not that Lily sat around waiting for him. She spent one day helping her mother get ready for her time in the hospital. She helped get the house ready and got her mother packed. Although Joyce said she wasn’t nervous, she still chatted away a mile a minute.
The next day Lily had lunch with Trish and went shopping for baby clothes. Trish had just found out she was having a boy this time and wanted to indulge in all the little boy clothes. Lily couldn’t resist buying him little onesies and jumpers.
By the third day with no contact, Lily was well and firmly pissed. To add to her anger, she was worried about her mother’s surgery. She cleaned her house like a fiend, trying not to think about the conversation she’d had that morning when she stopped by her mom’s house to check in.
“Lily,” she’d said, “I know everything is going to be fine, but I want you to know where everything is just in case.”
Her mom had sounded completely relaxed, but the words made Lily tense.
Joyce had led her into her walk-in closet where she had a fire safe in the back corner. The key was in the lock. She opened the safe and took out a folder titled “just in case.” Taking the file, Joyce walked
out to the dining room and put it on the table. She calmly sat down and opened it.
Lily had followed behind her mother, dragging her feet. “Mom, I don’t want to talk about this. Everything is going to be fine tomorrow.” She’d tried to keep her voice calm and firm, but a slight tremor had broken through.
“I know, honey, but I’ll feel better if I know you have the paperwork.” She opened the file and took out the top envelope. “This is my life insurance policy. I’ve already contacted the agent to tell him what was going on.”
She’d moved it aside and took out a sheaf of papers. “These are the instructions for my funeral and the account with the money I put aside for it. Don’t spend more than what is here. I did the research so you wouldn’t have to.”
Lily had stood mutely behind her mother, her eyes and her stomach burning. She firmed her lips to keep the trembling at bay.
“My will is in here and a few letters I’ll want you to mail for me. There are a couple of letters for you and your brother as well.” For the first time, her voice had shaken a bit.
Then she’d said with forced cheer, “It’s all in here so you don’t have to worry about a thing. I’ll just put it back in the safe so it’s out of the way.” Without looking at Lily, Joyce walked back into the bedroom.
By the time she’d returned, Lily had willed back the tears that threatened. Joyce’s eyes had been bright, but she kept the tears at bay. She put her arm around Lily and said, “I feel better going into this tomorrow knowing I’ve prepared you for what to do if something goes wrong.”
Lily had hugged her mother fiercely.
Lily tried to put the memory of that folder out of her mind as she scrubbed the bathroom floor.
“Well,” Jake drawled from behind her, “isn’t that a pretty sight?”
Lily didn’t even look over her shoulder. “Get lost, Jake.”
“What’s the matter, baby?” Jake said, patting her ass casually.
Lily stood up abruptly and turned on him. “I mean it,” she said. “Fuck off.”
Seeing the unshed tears in her eyes, Jake straightened. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She stormed out of the bathroom and headed for the bedroom.