The Best of Friends (14 page)

He sat next to her, on a low stone wall, his arm around her. She could feel the steady beat of his heart and breathe in the familiar scent of him. It had been so long, she thought, both thrilled and apprehensive about his presence. Too long.

“The whole sky is different,” he said, staring up at the clear night. “The stars. It’s freaky.”

“It’s a different hemisphere. Besides, you should be happy to see any stars at all. This is L.A. We don’t get to see the sky very often.”

“Then I’ll enjoy the view down here.” He leaned in and kissed her. “Hey, Becca Blue.”

She could so easily get lost in him. She’d done it a thousand times, giving up everything about herself in the effort to please him. Then it got to be too much, and she had to leave. The first time, she’d run clear to Italy. He’d found her, and she’d succumbed again.

And so it had been, through nearly a decade of loving and wanting, pulling back and then missing him. Until finally she’d been ready to let him win her once and for all. She’d been willing to say the words he told her he needed to hear. That she loved him. That she would marry him. That had been six months ago. Three days later he’d arrived in Italy and told her he was marrying Ariel.

Now he angled toward her and cupped her face in his hands. “God, I miss you,” he said, his voice low and tempting. “I can’t go an hour without thinking about you. I made a mistake marrying Ariel. I know that now. You’re the one for me; you always have been.”

The words eased pain in places she hadn’t realized hurt. They made her want to fly and dance and sing. Everything about her life had been off—black-and-white in a world of color. Everyone had been happy but her. Without Nigel, she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t create. But with him, she could do anything.

He leaned in and kissed her. Just a light touch at first, then deeply. His tongue plunged into her mouth.

After months of feeling nothing, of being dead inside, she came to life with a burst of passion. Hunger burned as blood raced through her. For the first time in weeks, she was alive and aching for a man. No. Not a man. For Nigel. Always Nigel.

She clamped her lips around his tongue and sucked. He responded by groaning, and the sound ripped through to her heart. They reached for each other.

She wore a short, sleeveless dress. He found the zipper and jerked it down. She pushed the fabric to her waist, he unfastened her bra. Then his mouth was on her breasts. He licked and teased, before biting on the very tips of her nipples, just the way she liked. Between her legs she swelled in anticipation. The need was so desperate, she parted her thighs, then dropped her hand to begin rubbing herself. The thin layer of her thong got in the way, and she pulled it off.

Nigel straightened. “Pull up your dress,” he demanded.

A shiver of excitement rippled through her. She did as he asked, then opened her legs wide and once again found her swollen center. Her gaze locked with his, she circled the spot, moving faster and harder, her breath coming in pants.

It took only a few seconds, then she was coming for the first time in months. She forced herself to keep her eyes open, to let him watch her experience her release. He fumbled with the belt on his trousers, unfastened the zipper, pulled out his hard dick, and shoved it into her.

She welcomed him with a moan. After wrapping her legs around his hips, she hung on for the ride as he pumped in and out of her.

The fast and steady pace was familiar, as was the man. She was close again in seconds, crying out her need, begging him not to stop.

“Never,” he promised.

On the verge of her second climax, she heard a sound and opened her eyes. Jonathan stood in the shadows, staring at her. His face was a mask of intense loathing. Then Nigel thrust in again, and she screamed out her release. Her eyes sank closed as pure liquid pleasure poured through her. She came and came, as if making up for all the times she hadn’t while they’d been apart. She barely noticed when Nigel finished. When she opened her eyes again, Jonathan was gone.

Good. Let him think about all the times he’d been unable to please her. It was what he deserved.

Nigel stepped back. She pulled up the top of her dress. Her bra was somewhere, but she wasn’t worried about it. He finished dressing and bent down to pick up her thong.

She shook her head. “Let the gardener toss it.”

Nigel grinned. “I’ll keep it then. As a memento.” He shoved it into his pocket, then took her hand and drew her to her feet. “Come back to me.”

The last bit of her world righted itself. “What about Ariel?”

“I’ll leave her. You’re the one for me. You always have been. You’re the one I want. Say yes.”

He pulled her close and kissed her. She went willingly, surrendering to the inevitable. She and Nigel belonged together. They always had.

As he kissed his way along her jaw, he murmured, “I’ll move in with you tonight. We’ll stay in L.A. for a while, then take off for anywhere you want. Just the two of us. And the blue diamond.”

Agreement hovered on her lips, then died as his words sank in. Reality was a bitch, she thought bitterly, pushing him away. She might love Nigel, but she also knew him.

“That’s what this is all about, isn’t it?” She reached behind her and zipped up her dress. “You’re not interested in getting back with me. This is all about the blue diamond.”

He shifted slightly. “I need it back. Things aren’t going well, and I have a buyer. I need the money, Becca Blue. Something you’ve never had to deal with.”

Few things hurt more than the death of a dream. It was like someone stabbed her in the gut and was now turning the knife. The pain made her nauseous.

“Would you really leave her?” she asked, already knowing the answer. “Can I buy you with a blue diamond?”

He frowned. “There’s no reason to be nasty.”

“Isn’t there? Does your wife know you’re for sale? Or is it a cool game of bait and switch? You promise me everything, get the diamond, then go back to her? How stupid do you think I am?” She held up her hand. “I already know the answer. Good-bye, Nigel.”

She lifted her head, squared her shoulders, and started toward the house. Every part of her hurt, but he didn’t have to know that.

“You know you want me,” he yelled after her. “No one can do what I do, Becca Blue. You can’t walk away from me.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “Apparently I can.”

Thirteen

“ANOTHER MARGARITA?” REBECCA ASKED, holding up the pitcher.

Jayne squinted toward the horizon. They were facing west and the sun wasn’t in view yet, which meant going for another drink this early in the day was a bad sign.

“I think I’ll hydrate,” she murmured, reaching for her bottle of water.

“I’ll do the same,” Rebecca said, “but with tequila.” She filled her glass, then took a sip. “Much better. I almost don’t care. How’s that for progress?”

“Impressive.”

“He’s a shitty little bastard,” Rebecca muttered. “I hate him.”

“He’s disgusting,” Jayne agreed. While her evening hadn’t been especially stellar, it had been a whole lot better than Rebecca’s. “At least the sex was good.”

Rebecca adjusted her sunglasses. “With Jonathan watching. Talk about a total perv.” She raised her glass. “To me. I have absolutely no taste in men.”

They were stretched out on lounge chairs on Rebecca’s large balcony overlooking the Santa Monica beach. It was about eleven Sunday morning on a perfect kind of day. Blue sky, warm breeze, lots of good-looking guys parading by on the sand below. Jayne kept telling herself there was no bad here, but she was having a little trouble believing.

“What happened last night has nothing to do with your ability to pick men,” she told her friend. “You never picked Jonathan. He was a convenient way to screw with your mother.” She winced and rubbed her temples, then pulled her straw hat a little lower over her eyes.

Rebecca sighed. “I used him, and it came back to bite me in the butt. I guess there’s a lesson there.” She took another sip. “I can almost feel bad for him. I guess I should have told him in private. But he was really pissing me off.”

“Men do that. It’s easy for them.”

“Tell me about it.”

Jayne turned toward her. “I’m sorry about Nigel.”

“Me, too.”

Rebecca wore a hat even bigger than Jayne’s. It was one thing to lie in the sun; it was another to allow actual skin to get tanned. At least nothing above the waist. They were both covered in sunscreen. Jayne wore shorts and a T-shirt, while Rebecca had on a tiny bikini that probably cost as much as a living room set.

Rebecca had called a couple of hours earlier, asking Jayne to come by. Over coffee and bagels—only Jayne had eaten the bagels—Rebecca had told her about her garden encounter with Nigel and how he was willing to sell his wife for a blue diamond. Or buy Rebecca. That part wasn’t clear.

And unlikely to get clear if she kept drinking margaritas. She gulped more water, then let the warmth of the sun soak away her pain.

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Rebecca said slowly. “He’s always been a jerk. I know that, so why can’t I get over him? Why was I so happy to see him? It took me all of fifteen seconds to start having sex with him.”

“You missed him, and then he lied to you. He took advantage of you.”

“I’m the strong one,” Rebecca said. “No one takes advantage of me. I should have sensed something was wrong. It was too easy. Nigel’s a lot of things, but easy isn’t one of them.”

“Do you think he’ll go back to Australia?”

“I don’t know how badly he wants the diamond.”

Yet another problem the average person didn’t have to wrestle with. “Do you think he’ll try to steal it?”

“Maybe, but first he has to get into my safe, and then he has to find it. I feel fairly confident that technology will win over greed.” She smiled. “He can’t even accuse me of taking it, because that would mean admitting he had it in the first place. I don’t think Ariel’s father would appreciate knowing his baby’s new husband had found and kept a prize like that for himself.”

“Not to mention his giving it to you.”

“Exactly.”

Jayne glanced at her watch.

“What?” Rebecca asked. “You keep doing that. Do you have to be somewhere?”

“I have a meeting with my real estate agent at one. I’d like to be vaguely on time and sober for it.”

“As if she’d notice.” Rebecca reached for her margarita, then turned her attention back to Jayne. “Wait a minute. Why are you meeting with her?”

Jayne hesitated. Her second call of the morning had been to set up the appointment. “Apparently I have an offer on the condo. She says it’s close to full price. The buyers are a young couple. They’re prequalified, and their parents have given them the down payment.”

Which meant there was no reason to refuse it. “I’m in shock. The condo has barely been on the market a week. But it’s in a great location, and I priced it to sell.” She was still trying to absorb the news. “The timing is slightly off. I’ll close before I’m ready to move, but that’s better than being ready to move and not being able to sell my place.”

Rebecca swung her feet to the floor of the balcony, then shifted so she was facing Jayne.

“Oh, God. You’re really leaving. I mean, I knew it, but I was trying not to think about it. I don’t want you to go.”

Jayne told herself to accept the statement in the spirit it was meant and not to get pissy because Rebecca was thinking only about herself.

“I appreciate that, but you can visit me in Dallas. There’s great shopping there. And cute cowboys.”

Rebecca pressed her lips together. “There’s nothing I can say to change your mind?”

“Not even for money.”

“Why do you say it like that?”

“Your mother and I had a moment last night at the party,” Jayne admitted, not sure she wanted to talk about it. Of course the alternative was whining about David, and that didn’t seem thrilling, either.

Rebecca leaned toward her. “Please tell me you called her a bitch and slapped her.”

“Close.”

Rebecca drew in a breath and grinned. “Tell me everything. Start at the beginning and talk slow.”

Jayne picked up her water. “She was upset about you.”

“A side benefit.”

“She wanted to know about Nigel.”

Rebecca wrinkled her nose. “What did you tell her?”

“His first name, where he was from. Her only question was whether or not he had money. I shouldn’t have been surprised. That’s very her. But I didn’t want to hear it. I just… snapped.”

“How? Did you throw anything?”

“I told her that you were her daughter and the right question was whether Nigel was good for you.”

“That must have pissed her off.”

“Pretty much. She told me I was ungrateful and didn’t know my role.”

“She didn’t!”

“Either role or place. I can’t remember. I told her I agreed, then said something about being an unpaid servant. Then I walked out.”

Rebecca grabbed her free hand and squeezed her fingers. “You’re my hero, and I love you. Thank you for supporting me.”

“A lot of cheap talk.”

“I’m so proud.”

“You’re happy I upset Elizabeth.”

“Yes, but what matters is you stood up for yourself.” She released Jayne’s hand and grabbed her margarita. “Are you okay? You and Elizabeth have one of those twisted, confusing relationships.”

“One of the reasons I’m leaving town. Maybe the main one.” She paused to consider the question. “I’m not happy. I didn’t want to have a fight with her. But I’m not sorry I told her the truth.” She thought about David. “The Worden clan is big on assumptions.”

“Meaning?”

“Because that wasn’t sucky enough, I followed it up with a fight with David. He’s still pissed that I wouldn’t be his date at his special find-a-bride party. How passive aggressive is that? He tells his mother he’s fine with the party, then wants to bring a date? Why not just tell her no, if that’s what he wants? And why me? Is this more about being the hired help?”

“Because you’re helping him find a house?”

“It’s complicated. He’s…” Charming? Handsome? Perfect in nearly every way? She sighed. The unfortunate answer was yes.

“I warned you about not getting involved,” Rebecca said.

“I know, and I’m listening. He’s the one making it difficult. We don’t have a relationship. We never will. I’m clear on that. Why isn’t he?”

Rebecca leaned forward. “Have you and David gone out?”

“You mean like to dinner and stuff? We have, but that’s not the point.”

“Then why would he…” She put down her drink and removed her sunglasses. Her blue eyes, very much like her brother’s, were wide with shock. “You’ve slept with him.”

“I hate it when you’re insightful,” Jayne muttered, and tried not to squirm. “Yes, we had sex. It didn’t mean anything to him. I’m clear on that. It just kind of happened.”

“Please, please say you told my mother.”

“No, and this isn’t about you.”

Rebecca slumped back on the lounge chair. “Where’s the fun in that? So you and David did the wild thing. By the way, thank you for not giving me details.”

“He’s your brother. You don’t want to know.”

Rebecca put on her sunglasses. “Only if he’s shaming the family name.”

“He’s not.”

“Good. So after sex, he asks you out, and you refuse. That’s playing hard to get.”

“I’m not playing,” Jayne grumbled. “He didn’t ask me out to dinner or the movies. No, he asked me to his mother’s bride-hunting party.”

“That
was
stupid. Typical guy.” Rebecca glanced at her. “You know to be careful, right?”

“You’ve already warned me. Don’t risk my heart. He’s not going to fall for anyone.” Jayne was clear on that. “I tried to explain that all to him, but it didn’t go well. I almost think I hurt his feelings.”

“I’m not sure that’s possible.”

That’s what Jayne was telling herself, and yet there was something about the way he’d acted. Something almost… defensive.

“I don’t know what to think,” she admitted. “I feel guilty.”

“You feel guilty about too much,” Rebecca told her, leaning back in her chair. “Let it go.”

Probably good advice, but somehow it didn’t sound right. “Maybe I was too harsh.”

“Not possible. You’re the nicest person I know.”

“It’s not exactly a tough competition.”

“Still. Let it go. He’s fine.”

Jayne wanted to believe that, but she wasn’t sure. Maybe her concerns about David were a twisted response to her fight with Elizabeth. Or maybe they were because she’d been a bitch. Either way, she was going to have to do something or let it go. Living in the middle was impossible. And denial, while Rebecca’s specialty, wasn’t a skill she’d ever learned.

But apologizing to David would mean offering an explanation, and she didn’t know how to do that without confessing her lingering feelings. Talk about a disaster waiting to happen.

*   *   *

David spread the samples across the table in the smaller of the two conference rooms. Some pieces he’d commissioned from local artists. Some came from inventory, three had been ordered from QVC, and the rest were from his trip to the mall.

He’d already put the two binders on the table. They contained his proposed business plan. He’d done his research, had a list of suppliers he wanted to talk to, and had several designs he’d commissioned from the same artists who’d made the samples.

He’d spent the past week working on his proposal. There had been plenty of time—he still hadn’t been given a whole lot to do around the office. His father had told him to study the books and learn about the business side of things. He could spend only so long staring at computer printouts. His evenings were quiet. Despite his mother’s not-very-subtle requests that he take out each of the women who attended his party, he wasn’t in the mood. The only woman he wanted to spend time with was Jayne, and that pissed him off.

A week after the party he was maybe, just maybe, willing to admit that he might not have thought through the consequences of taking a date to a party designed to help him find a wife. When he’d invited Jayne, he hadn’t been thinking about that. He’d been thinking that he wanted to spend more time with her. Which was the point she’d blithely ignored.

But it was her assumption that he didn’t care about their having sex that had prevented him from calling her. He knew that wanting to be right rather than working things out wasn’t something he could be proud of. But there were principles at stake here. And pride, he admitted grudgingly.

He didn’t sleep with just anyone. He’d given that up years ago. For him, the thrill was no longer about volume and much more about connecting with someone he liked. And he liked Jayne.

The mistake had been in telling his mother he was back to find the right woman and settle down. She’d taken the idea and run with it—not exactly a surprise. But finding the right person on paper was different than finding her in person. There was something about Jayne… something intriguing. He wanted to spend more time with her, but because of the great marriage hunt, there were complications.

The conference room door opened, and his father walked in. Blaine had a mug of coffee in each hand.

“If this meeting is as boring as the rest of my meetings, we’re both going to need the caffeine,” Blaine teased.

David took the mug. “I’ll have you on the edge of your seat.”

Blaine sat across from him, in front of the display of jewelry. “An eclectic collection,” he said, picking up one of Rebecca’s pieces. “This has been selling well.”

“Classic, with a fresh twist.”

“That was the marketing campaign.” Blaine leaned back in his chair. “All right, David. This is your meeting. Why am I here?”

“As you suggested, I’ve been studying the business side of our empire.”

Blaine smiled. “What did you find?”

“We do well. We have a reputation for excellence and innovation. Our clients are loyal and nearly forty percent of them make multiple purchases a year. Mothers bring daughters. Brides want to be able to tell their friends their ring is from Worden’s.”

Blaine picked up his coffee. “But?”

David pointed to one of the necklaces Élan had made. “As someone asked me recently, Does the world really need another one-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar necklace?”

“It’s our market.”

“Agreed, and it’s a good one. But what about everyone else? Do you know who is the largest jewelry retailer in the country?”

“Walmart.”

David grinned. “Go, Dad. You’re right. Walmart. Sears, JCPenney, and QVC are also in the top ten.”