Until a strong hand pulled me loose. Ian grasped my arm and led me out of the hot, packed club to a car waiting outside. Unsteady on my heels, I blinked at him on the pavement. He opened the car door, glowering at me. “Get in.”
“What if I was having a good time in there?” I protested. I hadn’t been, particularly. Now that I was out in the fresh air, I realized I was feeling really groggy and out of it. Bed would be my friend. “Anyway, you weren't interested in spending time with me,” I grumbled.
“Is that what you think?” He leaned into me with dark intensity in his eyes. But then he took my arm and guided me into the car. “Make sure she gets back to the hotel safely,” he said to the driver.
“You're not coming?” That came out sounding too plaintive. I’d had too much to drink and it had loosened my tongue.
“This isn't over,” he told me cryptically before slamming the door shut.
Late the next morning, after a shower and some coffee, I packed my suitcase and made it down to the lobby to a waiting chauffer. He would take me to my next destination, a Friday night event simply listed on my itinerary as TBD, To Be Determined.
Climbing into the back of the limo, I assumed I’d be sharing the ride over with Deirdre. Ian sat there instead.
“Oh, hello.” I tugged my skirt down. It had ridden up a bit as I’d slid onto the leather seat. My words from last night came rushing back to me, remembering how I'd asked him if he weren't coming with me. I was sure he could tell from the tone in my voice I had hoped he was. “Are we going to pick up Deirdre?”
“No, I believe she’s spending the weekend with some friends.”
“Not with us?”
“Not with us.” He paused as the driver pulled out into thick city traffic. “How has your week been?”
“Okay. Busy.” Was he not going to tell me what was up? “So, where are we headed exactly?”
“Well, Annie, that's up to you.”
My heart started beating rapidly. “It is?”
“There’s an event this weekend that I’m hoping you’ll attend with me. But you can decide.”
“Is that the semi-formal company event?” I remembered that throwing me for a loop on the itinerary, wondering what to pack.
“Yes, but it’s not exactly a company event. It’s a wedding.”
“What?” I nearly gasped.
“A friend is getting married. On Naugatuck.”
This was crazy. The man had barely spoken to me over the last few weeks and now he wanted me to spend the weekend with him at a wedding? “Ian, this is sudden.”
“I was hoping you’d see it as a romantic gesture.”
“A romantic gesture,” I repeated, stunned. Had I been reading him wrong? What was happening? “Whose wedding is it?”
“My friend Jax.”
“He was on the boat with you.” I remembered his name from the story of that awful night.
“He was on the boat with me.”
“And the wedding’s on Naugatuck? That’s where you got injured.”
“That’s right.” His strong jaw tensed. “You don’t have to come. I can have the driver take you to any hotel you want. You can spend the weekend exploring the city, going to museums, shopping in SoHo and Fifth Avenue, anything you want at my expense. But I’m hoping you’ll come with me.”
My head swirled. I was so filled with mixed emotions about him already, and now as I sat in the backseat with him he offered a whole weekend together. The man who'd always been such a mystery to me was inviting me to join him and his closest friends and family. We sat so close I could feel his body heat, his leg almost touching mine. I probably shouldn't do it. It would be a lot smarter to say no.
“I’ll come,” I told him.
“Good.”
The car took us to a private airfield where we boarded a chartered plane. If I'd been impressed in first-class, I now had a whole new level with which to compare that luxury.
“I apologize,” Ian murmured to me as he had to take call after call. It appeared a funder had fallen through, but a new one had surfaced and required immediate attention. I didn't know how his phone worked up in the sky, or even exactly what he was talking about, but I actually felt grateful for a little adjustment time.
I felt so stunned—a whole weekend together. Back at a place that meant so much to him, with all his closest family and friends. Had I had questions I wanted answered about him; he was giving me the keys to the kingdom. But I hadn’t entered yet. I still felt bewildered. Why had he asked me? What did this all mean?
I kept sneaking peeks at him as we flew, that handsome profile so strong. The way he stood up and paced while on the phone, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to walk. The last time I'd seen him at his estate, he'd been muddy and bruised, sprawled on his couch drugged and drunk. He looked like a new man. But I could still see my Ian underneath. As much as his new powerful persona intrigued me, it was the old Ian I knew and still loved. And now we’d get to spend the weekend together.
Naugatuck was a gorgeous little island. Once we landed and got into another car, Ian got off the phone and started playing tour guide. “This is the downtown.” Outside the car I took in the cobblestone streets, the gas lamps, flowers blooming on every storefront. “They have great ice cream there,” he pointed to a local shop with a big cow out front.
“It’s so pretty!” I'd lived in a quaint little village for most of my life, and even I found it charming. The car took us to a bed and breakfast in a historic gray shingled home with white trim and giant blue and purple hydrangeas outside.
“Doesn't your family have a house on the island?” I'd remembered him telling me about it, and how many summers he'd spent living there as a child.
“We’re staying here,” he answered simply. I figured he had his reasons, and perhaps at some point along the course of the weekend he would tell me. We had adjoining rooms, separate but connected through a door. I didn't know whether that made me feel relieved or frustrated. It continued to keep whatever was between us extremely ambiguous.
The wedding rehearsal was at three, with dinner right after. We barely had half an hour to freshen up and change. I was glad I'd brought that silver dress. It would be perfect for the wedding tomorrow. For the rehearsal, I pulled out a pale pink shift dress I'd already worn once with a jacket in New York. It would serve double duty for the rehearsal.
The drive was short and I could tell Ian felt tense, not saying much as we headed over. My mind was filled with unspoken thoughts and questions as well. We turned onto a long driveway on a large property with a beautiful home near the street, and another, smaller one on the waterfront. “This is Liam's family’s home,” he explained. “He grew up here. Now he and my sister Sophie live in the big house, his mom in the cottage.”
“It’s gorgeous.” The bright blue sky with puffy white clouds looked serene and cheerful over the sparkling blue ocean beyond.
“The ocean’s friendly on a day like today.”
He must be thinking of the day over 15 years ago when the ocean turned enemy. I reached out and took his hand. Startled, he looked at where we touched, then up at me. “Thank you for coming, Annie. It means a lot to me.”
“Of course,” I answered. Didn't he know I would do anything for him? All he had to do was ask. Then he dropped my hand and we headed out to meet everyone and anyone that meant anything to Ian.
“There he is!” A younger, female version of Ian came running toward us, slender and graceful, throwing her arms around him.
“Easy there,” Ian chuckled, giving what I assumed was his sister a hug.
“Is this her?” The woman turned to me, tears of genuine joy in her eyes. I liked her immediately.
“Sophie, I'd like you to meet Annie.”
I stuck out my hand, feeling somewhat shy, but she was having none of it.
“It's so great to finally meet you! I've heard so much about you!” She gave me a giant, friendly American hug.
&
nbsp; Ian coughed loudly over my confused response as I asked, “You have?”
“You made it.” A big, tattooed guy made his way over to us.
“The groom,” Ian responded, giving him a bear hug.
“And here's the one we have to thank?” Jax turned toward me.
“This is Annie.” Ian introduced me again to the growing group of people who seemed to already have heard all about me. I was soon surrounded by excited greetings and hugs, men and women of all ages welcoming us to the festivities. Ian rustled the hair of a gorgeous little girl about seven years old, his niece. I'd forgotten he had an older sister, too. He introduced her as Margot.
All of the wedding party got hustled away to rehearse. The ceremony would be held at a breathtaking point overlooking the ocean. I found a seat and a tan, fit blond woman maybe a few years older joined me.
“Are you with Ian?” she asked with excitement, seeming to almost burst at the seams with enthusiasm. I introduced myself and she exclaimed over everything, my Scottish accent, my adorable dress, how excited everyone was that Ian had found someone like me.
“We've all been so worried about him,” she confided in me.
“Sorry, who are you?” My head was spinning hard. I literally had no idea who she was.
“Oh, sorry. You must think I'm a nut. I'm Emma, Chase's wife. Ian and Chase go way back, but Ian couldn't make it to our wedding a couple years ago because…” She trailed off, not finding the polite way to say that Ian had been too drunk and depressed to get on a plane back when they had gotten married.
“He's doing much better now,” I said. She hadn't sounded critical of Ian, but I felt a slightly defensive reaction rise up in me. Ian had struggled with so much. I hope they understood that.
Ian stood up with the other groomsmen, and Emma explained who they were. Chase was up there and he looked a lot like she did, fit and blond with a chiseled jaw. I remembered Ian had told me he was a professional athlete, and from his build alone, I believed it. Next to him stood a handsome, smiling man with twinkling blue eyes. “That's Liam,” she pointed at the firefighter, who’d also been on the boat with them. I guessed that accident had forged lifelong friendships. That was maybe the one good thing to come out of that horrible night.
“And who's he?” A slightly shifty looking, heavily tattooed man stood at the end of the line.
“A friend of Jax’s from California.” She leaned in closer to whisper, “Jax hasn't always walked the straight and narrow like he is now with Sky.”
Sky, the bride, looked bursting with joy as she stood there at the rehearsal. She kept having to wipe a happy tear from her cheek. Jax held her hands, with eyes only for her.
After rehearsal, the party assembled under a large white tent strung up with little white lights. More people hugged me than I could ever remember, telling me how happy they were to meet me, how thrilled they were that Ian and I were able to make it. Ian stayed by my side, occasionally bringing a hand to my lower back, or asking me if I wanted something else to eat or drink. I felt surprised and so confused I barely knew what I was saying to anyone.
“I want you to meet my mother,” Ian said as middle-aged couple approached us. “You already know my father, of course.”
“Good to see you again, Annie.” The elder Mr. Douglas shook my hand, none of the pomposity or superiority that he'd displayed when he'd hired me on as caretaker. Now he seemed happy and relaxed. “You've worked wonders on our Ian. We’ll forever be in your debt.”
His mother looked as if she was barely holding it together. She reached out and took my hand in hers, swallowing back tears. “You brought back Ian to us.” She started crying. Looking down she added, “I promised I wouldn't cry.”
I had no idea what people were talking about. Stunned, I merely stood with a slightly frozen smile on my face, trying to make sense of it all.
Sophie came and joined us, beaming. “You know what my favorite part is about you two? The program you started at Kensington. I think that's so wonderful.”
“The program?” I asked, blankly.
“The special needs—”
“Sophie.” Ian frowned, shaking his head to silence her. Jaw officially dropped, I stared at Ian in shock. What was she talking about? Did he have something to do with the new special needs program Brian was in?
“If you'll please excuse us.” Ian took my elbow and led me across the lawn to a waiting car. I followed him in a confused daze, climbing in as he gave the driver the name of our bed-and-breakfast.
“I don't understand. What's…?” I rubbed my head. I seriously felt like I had woken into a dream, or dreamed about being awake. I’d been so unprepared for everything I’d just seen and heard.
“I'll explain everything, I promise.” At the inn we got out and headed up to our room. He poured me a glass of water and we sat down together at the edge of his bed.
“What did Sophie mean?” I asked after taking a shaking sip. “Did she mean Brian’s program at Kensington?”
“She did.”
My eyes widened. Mum had mentioned an anonymous donor who started the special needs program. It honestly had never occurred to me that the anonymous donor might be Ian. “Why?”
“You,” he replied simply. “You told me how your brother was suffering in his current school, and how your mother couldn't make ends meet. I knew you felt obligated to help and it was holding you back. So I made a donation.”
I was speechless. “You created the special needs program at Kensington?”
He nodded. “I hope that's all right. I didn't want to tell you because I thought you might think it was too much. Or tell me not to do it.”
“I can’t believe it.” Tears formed in my eyes as I pictured how happy Brian had been when I’d last seen him. In the new program, Brian had friends and people who cared about him and helped him grow and learn. I brought my hands to my face as I couldn’t help starting to cry. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“Shh,” Ian comforted me, wrapping an arm around me. “Was it too much?”
“Yes, I’m bloody well sure it was too much!” I half laughed, half cried, unable to even start imagining how much something like that must have cost. “How much did you donate to the school?”
“Don’t worry about that.” He rubbed my back. “It’s not really my money, anyway. It’s the Douglas family money I happen to have access to. And my father was happy to do it. It’s his Alma mater, you know.”
“I did not know that.” I sipped my water, increasingly aware of his physical presence. I couldn’t stop shaking, this new news rocking me to my core. I’d already felt overwhelmed by all the emotion and affection I'd seen at the party.
“Ian, does everyone at that wedding think we’re a couple?”
“I haven't told them anything that's not true.” His body stiff, his voice held an edge of defensiveness.
Looking at him, I asked, “Then what have you told them?”
“I told them that I love you.”
My eyes filled with tears all over again. He took my hand in his, stroking it with his thumb. “Don't cry, Annie. I never want to make you sad again.”
“I'm not sad,” I sobbed, wiping away a tear.
“Then why are you crying?”
“You said you loved me.”
“I do.” He leaned down and brushed away the tears on my cheek. “I love you so much.”
Smiling through my tears, I had to ask, “Don’t you think you should have told me first before you told all your friends and family?”
“I've never done things the way I should.” He shook his head and stood up, seeming to grow agitated. “The thing is, Annie, I'm in love with you. I fell for you last year and I’ve never gotten over you.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because I was such a shit to you. I wanted to show you I’ve changed, not just tell you.” He joined me back on the bed, caressing my cheek, looking into my eyes. “I wanted you to see me now and know you ca
n trust me when I tell you I love you.”
I threw my arms around his shoulders, kissing him with everything I’d held back for way too long. “I love you, Ian. All I’ve ever wanted was you.”
He embraced me, the two of us coming together like churning surf, tumbling together back onto the bed as we touched and wrapped around each other, me rolling onto him, him onto me as we kissed and repeated the words we’d both felt for so long but hadn’t been able to say.
I broke away for a moment, feeling his bicep. ““You're so big! What have you done to yourself?”
“I got healthy,” he smiled, not stopping touching me even for a moment, his hands on my waist, my back, my arms.
“That doesn’t begin to describe what you’ve done.”
“I’ve wasted so much time.” He brought both hands to my face, cupping me, looking down with such love it stole my breath away. “I should have told you I loved you the moment I saw you in the office last month.”
“That might have made the meeting awkward.”
“But I shouldn't have waited.”
“Then let’s not wait any more.” I kissed him, trailing a hand down his chest, stroking his abs through his T-shirt.
“It’s been torture.” He swept his palm down my low back, cupping my ass, grinding me against his thigh.
“Torture,” I agreed, grabbing his hip and pulling him against me. I could feel him through his pants, hard and long as he pressed into me, close but not close enough. His hands running down my back, into my hair, we kissed lips, throats with desperate fire. Touching the top button on his dress shirt, I looked up into his eyes.
“Ian,” I began, unfastening it. “I want...” Without a word, he sat up and removed his dress shirt, leaving just his short-sleeved T. He grasped my dress and I stood so he could bring it up and over my head in seconds, tossing it to the floor. We fell back to the bed, a tangle of hands and limbs. I mashed myself against him, grinding, all shyness gone, everything I’d wanted over so many months finally in my grasp.
He slid his hands over my ass, moving along the lace, teasing me with his strong fingers. I brought my hand to the base of his shirt, wanting to touch his skin. He’d never let me before. I wanted to show him how good he felt to me, how sexy I found him, no matter what scarring he had.
All I Need: Ian & Annie Page 21
