by Ali Parker
Not that all those other people mattered. It was Lanie’s opinion I cared about. I wanted—needed—her to belong to me. I hadn’t had that desire in years.
In fact, my whole life, there was only one other woman I felt that way with, and I’d sealed that deal by putting a ring on her finger.
Yes, I thought as I dressed and quickly ran a comb through my hair. Get ready, Lanie Jacobs.
21
Lanie
I slowed my car down as the houses became larger and farther apart.
“This neighborhood is super nice,” I quietly said into the phone.
“Where did you expect him to live?” Erica responded.
I shrugged, though she couldn’t see me.
On her end, Matt’s muffled voice said something.
“What are you guys doing?” I asked.
“His friend has some house party tonight, so we might swing by that. Unless your new boyfriend wants us to come over and crash your dinner party.”
I smiled to myself, deciding not to correct her use of “boyfriend.” It had been three days since I woke up in a hotel bed with one of the most amazing men in the universe, and I’d spent every second since then burning to see him.
Gone was the belief that a couple of fun evenings would be enough. I wanted more from Andrew. Though I was worried about putting an exact label on what I desired, the truth was I simply wanted him around. I loved it when he was with me, and I didn’t want that ever to change.
For the last three days, it had been nonstop texting. Sometimes flirty. Sometimes not. When Andrew had invited me over to Friday night dinner, I jumped at the opportunity. It wouldn’t be as intimate of a night as Monday had been, but it would give me a chance to hang out with Raven as well, a situation that made my stomach twist with nerves.
According to Andrew, Raven had taken the news of us dating pretty well. Still, that didn’t assuage my worries. The chance that she would feel differently after seeing us together was real.
My GPS interrupted the conversation, telling me I’d arrived at my destination.
“I’m here,” I announced, slowing down alongside a tall, white wall with a wrought-iron gate entrance.
“Yay! Text me.”
“Okay. Have fun tonight.”
We hung up, and I edged the car up to the keypad and entered in the code Andrew had texted over earlier in the day. The gate slowly swung open, and I instantly felt fancy just driving through.
The parking lot was wide with lots of foliage and trees on the sides and solar lights illuminating the way. As the drive ended in a circle, I leaned forward over the steering wheel to take in the mansion before me.
White. Lots of pillars. Windows for days. A garage that could probably fit ten cars.
Now I saw why the walls went so high.
Parking to the right of the house, I self-consciously climbed from my car and smoothed my hair. I didn’t care that Andrew was so rich. The nice car, hotel suite, and giant house meant nothing to me. They were pleasant things to enjoy but not the be-all-end-all.
It was going to his home for the first time and having dinner with his daughter that had my heart pounding. I’d talked to Raven briefly a few times at school since the art gallery, but tonight would be different. With the truth out in the open, who knew what would happen?
Ringing the doorbell, I tried to stay still and not fidget. A couple of slow moments passed, and I lifted my hand to knock again—when the door opened.
Raven stood there, her long hair loosely swept back, and her expression closed. “Hi.”
“Hi.” I cleared my throat, reminding myself to act like a polite adult. “How are you doing?”
“Fine.” She stood aside, and I took that as my signal to enter.
The foyer was giant, as lavish as I’d expected, with a hallway going into the back of the house, a stairway leading up, and wide doorways branching off to the left and right. I wondered where Andrew was.
“Dad’s showering,” Raven explained. “He just got out of the pool.”
“Isn’t it kind of cold to swim?”
“The indoor pool.”
“Ah.”
Right. Silly me.
“He does laps every day. Usually in the mornings, though. I dunno why he had to do it at night today.” She twisted her lips, and I noticed that she wore some makeup. The mascara and gloss made her look a little older but in a nice way.
“I’m supposed to entertain you,” she went on.
I laughed. “Well, I’m not that hard to amuse, so hopefully it will be easy for you.”
She smirked a little bit, tucking some hair behind her ear. The tension was noticeable, but I didn’t get the sense that she didn’t want me there. Instead, like me, she just seemed nervous.
“I heard you redid your bedroom,” I said.
At that, her eyes lit up. “Yeah. Wanna see it?”
“Sure.”
She rushed up the carpeted stairs, and I followed close, the unease dissipating with each step. At the top, we went right, but I couldn’t help but glance in the other direction. Where was Andrew’s bedroom? Would I get to see it sometime?
Probably not that night, since Raven was around. Andrew had already made it pretty clear that he liked to keep some distance between his daughter and his romantic pursuits.
“I just finished the outlines,” she explained, opening a door.
All the furniture had been pushed to the side and covered with sheets. On the tan-colored walls, the tracings of delicate flowers were just visible.
“It’s not going to be as good as that, of course.” Raven nodded at the painting Andrew had gotten her.
The sight of it made me smile. “I just love that series,” I breathed.
Raven made a little noise of pleasure. “Me too.”
Tentatively, I stepped forward and inspected Raven’s outlines closer. She had a real eye for the finer aspects. Once the room was done, it would probably look like a professional artist had been commissioned to paint it.
“I’m staying in the downstairs guest room while I finish up in here,” she explained from behind me.
“This is really good. Hey. Did you look at any of those schools yet?” I turned back around, quickly realizing how weird I might have made things by asking. “But we don’t have to talk about that if you don’t want to,” I hurriedly added.
“I looked at them all.” She nonchalantly raked her fingers through her hair, making it cascade back down in waves. “I honestly can’t decide. I mean, I have to apply first anyway, so there’s time.” She picked at a speck of paint on the ladder next to her.
“That’s cool.” I looked for something else to say. I was quickly running out of small talk.
Maybe the time had come to acknowledge the elephant in the room.
“Hey, um, is this weird for you? Me and your dad?”
Raven looked up. “No.”
“Really?”
She thought about it a little bit this time. “Nope. Well, I guess it’s strange that he, like, is dating at all.”
“What do you mean?” I cocked my head in interest.
“He’s never had a girlfriend. Not that I know about anyway. It’s been all, like, work since my mom died.”
I opened my mouth, not sure what to address first. It warmed my heart that Raven had indirectly suggested I might be her dad’s girlfriend, though we were far from that stage.
“I’m sorry about your mom,” I ended up saying.
She shrugged. “It was a long time ago. The shitty thing was Dad disappearing because of it. But lately, it’s been better. It’s been chill.” She nodded to herself and looked away.
My whole chest warmed up. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“I know it’s because of you.” Her gaze was on me again, a mixed bag of emotions.
“Um, thank you? Or ...”
“It’s good.”
“Great,” I sighed in relief.
She wrapped her hand around the ladder and s
wung slightly on it. “Yeah, he really likes you.”
I had to bite down on my lip to stop the shit-eating grin forming there. “He’s great.”
“Raven?” Andrew’s voice called from down the hall. “Lanie’s going to be here soon.”
My heart flipped, and I turned in time to see Andrew emerge in the doorway. At the sight of me, his eyes went wide.
“Oh,” he quietly said. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I breathed.
In my peripheral vision, Raven rolled her eyes.
Andrew ignored her, his eyes still on me. “You look great.”
“Thanks.” I wanted to tell him he looked amazing—lickable, really, with his slightly-wet hair and soap smell wafting my way, but we weren’t the only ones in the room.
“Ready for dinner?”
I nodded, and Raven crossed between us, leading the way downstairs.
Leaning in close, Andrew touched my waist and put his lips right to my ear. “You’re taking my breath away,” he whispered.
I gasped in pleasure, a hot shiver going through me. Without another word, he took my hand and led me into the hall. My knees shook with every step, but somehow, I made it through the foyer and into a long dining room, where tall, french windows overlooked a dark backyard.
Raven appeared in a second doorway, frowning. “Where’s Karen?”
“It’s Friday,” Andrew answered. “She left early.”
“Oh.”
Andrew had briefly mentioned his housekeeper before, though he’d seemed embarrassed by the topic. Not that he needed to be. Working all the time as he did, it made sense that he needed someone to care for the house. In addition to being an employee, I hoped Karen was a good adult figure for Raven, as well.
“Grab the chicken from the oven, will you, Raven? Be careful. It’s hot.” Turning to me, Andrew smiled. “Wine? Or something else to drink?”
“Wine would be great. Thanks.”
I settled into the seat he pulled out for me. Though Raven took her time with the chicken, he bustled around, bringing things to the table and declining my offer to help.
“This is delicious,” I said, only a few bites into the mouth-watering meal.
“I wish I could take credit,” Andrew replied. He cut his chicken into small pieces, the silverware held so properly. Everything about him was refined and conscientious, it seemed. And yet nothing about his manner was stuck-up or patronizing. “Karen cooked it all. She always does an amazing job, though.”
Across the table, Raven checked her phone and then shoveled a few quick forkfuls into her mouth.
“You in an eating contest over there?” Andrew joked.
She scowled. “Diana is going to be here in, like, five minutes.”
Andrew cleared his throat. “We said after dinner.”
“Yeah, and I’m almost done.”
He looked like he was about to argue further, but his expression softened. “Where are you two going?”
“To that open mic. It’s, like, mostly poetry and stuff.”
“Are you going to meet Zach there?”
“What?” Raven’s mouth dropped, and her cheeks turned red. “No! Why would you say that?”
“Okay, I’m sorry.” He held his hands up in surrender, and I stifled a laugh. Multiple times, I’d imagined Andrew and Raven at home, and now I finally got to see them in action.
Judging by this one short evening, things were going well.
At the least, Raven hadn’t had any further problems at school.
“I’m glad you’re going out tonight,” Andrew said, picking up his fork and knife once more.
Raven didn’t have anything to say to that. She kept looking in the direction of the door, her fingers fiddling next to her plate.
“Lanie, what do you think of Raven’s room?”
For a moment, I couldn’t answer. Andrew’s intense gaze was that disconcerting. I worked my tongue around, doing my best to connect it to my brain. “It’s very nice. I love the outlines she drew.”
Andrew glowed, his pride evident. He took in a breath to say something, but Raven’s phone beeped, and she jumped up.
“Diana’s here,” she announced.
“Hold on.” Andrew held his hand out. “Just Diana?”
Raven’s forehead wrinkled. “Yeah,” she slowly answered.
He nodded. “Okay. What’s this place you’re going to called?”
“The Flip Side.”
“Be back by midnight.”
She was already halfway through the doorway. “Dad—”
“No,” he cut in. “Midnight. And remember the rules.”
“No drugs, no alcohol, no sex.” Raven’s eyes slid over to me as she said the last part.My whole body heated up, and I looked at the table.
Andrew cleared his throat. “Ah, that’s a little broad, but yes. Stick with those rules.”
Raven snorted. “Later.”
“Goodnight, Raven,” I called, forcing myself to look up. She was already at the front door, though. Its banging resounded through the house, leaving a slightly uncomfortable tone in its wake.
Andrew sighed, and I gave him a timid, encouraging smile.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” he admitted.
“I bet most people feel that way.”
He shook his head. “It’s good that she’s going out. She didn’t used to. But now that she’s acting normal again, I’m left with a whole new problem.”
“That of raising a teenager?”
“Exactly.” He laughed.
I lifted a shoulder. “Sorry. I wish I could be more help.”
“This is your job, isn’t it?” He reached across the table and took my hand in his. Flipping my arm over, his fingers ran up and down the delicate spot there. Pleasure danced through me.
“Um, what were we talking about again?”
Andrew smiled. “Nothing,” he whispered. “We’re finally alone.”
“Yeah,” I thickly gasped. “We are.”
For a long moment, we stayed where we were, his fingers dancing across my arm. After days of yearning for his touch, getting it made me feel so good I was afraid I’d pass out.
“Want to see the living room?” he asked after a while.
I’d already gotten a peek at it earlier but wasn’t about to say no to anything he suggested. “Uh-huh,” I nodded.
Taking our drinks, we went into the big living room and settled onto a couch. Andrew set his glass down and scooted in, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me so close, I was nearly on his lap.
I exhaled in pleasure, all the tension of the week leaving me. All it took for the rest of the world to be defunct was one touch from him. God, I hoped it always stayed that way.
A lofty dream, I knew. But who could blame me?
“I want to hear everything about your week,” Andrew breathed, gaze drifting about my face.
“Ugh.”
“That bad?” he chuckled.
“No.” I ran my hand over his broad shoulder. “I was just thinking about how when I’m with you, I forget about everything else. It’s nice.”
Andrew’s face softened. “It’s the same for me.”
“Yeah?” I couldn’t keep the happiness out of my voice.
“Mm-hmm,” he murmured, getting in closer to give me a light kiss.
Once again, I melted into his arms, my lips the only part of me still working.
“I kept wishing you were in bed with me,” he admitted, pulling back enough so we could look at each other.
My body tingled. “Don’t even tempt me right now.”
Andrew’s eyes shone. “The night is young. I guarantee Raven won’t be back until the stroke of midnight.” He kissed my forehead. “Come here. Get more comfortable.”
Curling my legs up on the couch, I laid my head on his shoulder. With his firm palm running up and down my arm, nothing else was needed. Simple as it was, this was the perfect night.
“What do you think about us, Lanie?”
The question surprised me, and I lifted my head to look at him. “I … like us. A lot.”
He thoughtfully nodded. “I do too. And we haven’t known each other for long.”
“Right.”
“But I like this. I want it to continue.”
I gulped. “I do too.”
“Good.” Andrew ran his thumb along my cheek. “What are you doing the Saturday after this one?”
“Um, let me see.” I pretended to think hard. “Nothing.”
He rolled his bottom lip under his teeth before smiling slightly, an action that made my mouth water. “Come to this fundraiser event with me.”
“I’d like that.”
“Great.”
“I wish I could see you again before that.”
“But?” I encouraged.
“Work.”
“Right. You own a company.” I shrugged. “I can imagine how it is.”
His brows furrowed slightly. “How much do you know about my job? I never talk about it.”
“Andrew. Come on.” I gave him a look. “It’s not that hard to find things out.”
“Hm. I guess not.”
“Plus, my friend knows who you are. She keeps up with business trends, or whatever you call it. Um, yeah, that part of the world I have absolutely zero interest in.”
“Maybe that’s one of the reasons I like you.” He playfully pinched my side.
“And maybe I like you because we never have to talk about work stuff.”
“Oh, I hope you like me for more than that.”
Before I could answer, he’d pulled me into his lap. With my legs on either side of his, I lowered my face and took a kiss. Warmth blossomed in my chest, spreading down between my legs and turning into a veritable fire.
As if he sensed the change in me, Andrew pressed his hand against the back of my neck and held me close to him. His tongue slipped between my teeth, its movements delicate and sweet.
I want this to continue. That’s what he’d said. My head spun deliriously at the thought. It was what I’d been wanting. I hadn’t allowed myself to get my hopes up, though. I’d done that so many times, only to be disappointed when a romance didn’t turn out the way I wanted.
