Going all the Way

by Carly Phillips

  Serena shot David a steely-eyed glance, which was frighteningly impressive, considering she had eyes the color of mouthwatering chocolate.

  “Well,” he said, backpedaling, “Serena introduced us. Obviously I didn’t discover Craig, since he’s already had some showings in the Atlanta area, I just meant that I personally have only recently discovered his talent.”

  “Will he be at the auction?” Penny wanted to know. “I just love meeting new artists. I keep hoping that creative spark will rub off on me.”

  They talked for a while about the art scene at large, a topic David knew Serena could contribute to, but she remained uncharacteristically silent as the meal progressed, only really coming to life over dessert, when Lou asked for an update on the charity banquet. She described everything with verve, but when it was time to go, her expression became shuttered again. Penny and Donna had gone to the ladies’ room and Lou was finally talking some business with Nate Filcher.

  David leaned over to his date, keeping his voice low. “All right. I’m going to ask again and please tell me the truth this time, what’s wrong?”

  “I just…have a headache.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze.

  How could this withdrawn woman be the same outspoken friend he’d always known, the same seductress who had boldly tempted him over the phone a few nights ago? “It’s like you’re two different people.”

  Her head jerked up at that. “Maybe you just don’t know me as well as you thought. But I bet that never occurred to you, that maybe you were wrong about something.”

  Taking a deep breath, he counted to ten. Arguing with her wasn’t likely to make him look good in front of the men he wanted to impress. “We can just talk about it later tonight.”

  “Or tomorrow. I think I’m going to go home, take some aspirin.”

  “Go home?” His tone was louder than he’d expected, but he was stunned by her announcement. He’d had big plans for her tonight, for them. “But we—”

  “Have a wedding to attend tomorrow.” She stood, smiling toward Lou and Nate. “It was a pleasure meeting you both, but I’m afraid I need to head out. Thank you for a lovely meal.”

  Both men stood and shook her hand. But David wasn’t about to sit back and watch her walk away with no idea why things had taken a turn in such an abysmal direction.

  “I’ll see you out,” he informed her, silently daring her to object.

  She didn’t, until they reached the restaurant’s posh lobby. “You should be back at the table doing business with the others, David. That’s where you belong.”

  “Not until you tell me what the hell’s going on. It’s fine that you’re pissed at me—it’s not the first time—but I’d like at least to know why.” As they stepped outside, he asked, “Do you have your valet ticket?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I parked myself. And I wasn’t lying, I do have a headache. I’ve had this blinding pain in my temples ever since I opened that box.”

  “What box?”

  “With the dress. That you sent. Your gift.” Each word had the same distinct snap as someone’s neck being broken in an action movie.

  “So my being thoughtful made you cranky?” Her expression actually caused him to take a quick step backward.

  “Thoughtful? That you wanted me to be more like them?”

  At what point in this conversation should he have any idea what she was talking about? “Them?”

  “Donna Innes. Tiffany. My roommate you were attracted to, the same type of woman you’ve dated since I’ve known you! The type who owns little black cocktail dresses and knows just what to say at corporate dinner parties. The kind of woman who would fit in with your family, senators and all. The kind who wouldn’t worry about your leaving her when the novelty wore off.”

  His heart constricted as he blinked rapidly. He still didn’t quite understand the way the female mind worked, but he was starting to get a clearer picture here.

  “Serena, I—”

  “I’m sorry. That was a bit of an overreaction, even for me. But you get the idea.” She turned toward her car and unlocked the door.

  He couldn’t let her drive off like this. “Hey. There’s nothing wrong with who you are.”

  “Aw.” She scowled at the affirmation. “I feel so warm and fuzzy now. Thanks for your approval.”

  Faced with her sarcasm, he threw his hands up in defeat. “You know, that first semester I knew you in college, I thought you were one of the most free-spirited and light-hearted people I’d ever met, a breath of fresh air—”

  “And it turns out I’m just as neurotic as everyone else?” Her wan smile was tinged with compassion, as if she understood his frustration and regretted causing it. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “It’s been a rough night for me. Maybe we can…spend some time together after the wedding, okay? I’ll pick you up around two.”

  He nodded, suspecting he would make things worse if he said the wrong thing right now. Watching her drive off, he decided she was only half right. She might be neurotic, but she wasn’t like everyone else. There was only one Serena, and, for better or worse, that was the woman he wanted.

  CHAPTER 13

  “FOR BETTER, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish…” Serena listened as the minister worked his way toward the end of the ceremony in the ornately decorated sanctuary. If Serena ever got married, she’d want it to be on a beach somewhere, or in an arboretum—Whoa! Had she just imagined one day being able to face her wedding? That was a first. Despite David’s mocking the sky-diving service she’d organized last week, she’d actually thought that hurtling thousands of feet was an adequate metaphor for marriage. Only, in her version, there was no parachute. She risked a glance at David now. He looked great in the dove-gray suit. Between his delectable appearance and the encouraging smiles he’d been giving her from the moment she was within a hundred feet of Meredith, Serena had never wanted so much to kiss him. Why hadn’t she just made the most of the time she could have had with him last night? They’d already lost practically a whole week! She’d freaked out because of the dress, the dinner, the news that he was insinuating himself even deeper into her life by hiring Craig, but none of that—

  Thunderous applause echoed in the church, and Serena blinked, realizing people around her were standing. Since she was prominently seated in one of the front pews, she should probably get to her feet, too. David had already taken her hand and was lifting gently. Her zoning-out must have been pretty obvious.

  She clapped and smiled along with everyone else as her father escorted the beaming bride past. Meredith was resplendent in a pale bronze dress with ivory and rose embroidery work and a headpiece of tea roses slid into her smooth blond chignon. Despite the woman’s anxiety attacks in the last few months, she made a beautiful bride. She even pulled Serena into a tight hug in the receiving line a few minutes later.

  “Wasn’t the ceremony spectacular?” Her new stepmother gushed. “You have no idea what a pain all the planning was, but it was all worth it. And you look lovely today. Your father and I both think so. And your date. I’m impressed. He’s the type of man even my Eliza would have been lucky to have. I think David will be very good for you.”

  Serena wasn’t sure how to respond to the insulting praise, but it didn’t matter. Meredith had moved on to accepting congratulations from the many guests. It was the biggest “second wedding” Serena had ever attended. Actually, today’s ceremony was bigger than any first weddings she’d attended.

  But she was relieved it was over. No more panic-stricken calls to field or worrying what she should wear to the darn thing. She’d settled on a sunny yellow A-line dress this morning that she’d hoped would boost her mood. Or, barring that, make her look as though she had malaria, giving her a good excuse for being grumpy.

  “How are you holding up?” David asked later, as they stood to the side at the posh reception, nursing glasses of champagne. Their seat assignments were at a table of honor with Meredith’s offspring, but Seren
a thought small doses were the key to maintaining a decent relationship with her step-siblings.

  She dragged in a cleansing breath of fresh honeysuckle-scented air. “Great.”

  “Just thought I’d check. I know you can be…sensitive when it comes to your dad.”

  “Sensitive?”

  He grinned boyishly. “You know, so screwed up that even your issues have issues.”

  His observation startled a laugh out of her. “Well, thanks a lot.”

  He set his empty champagne flute on a white column topped by a bowl of flowers and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. “It wasn’t a criticism. All right, maybe it was, but I love you, anyway.”

  She stiffened abruptly. I love you? His tone had been light, not at all thick with the emotion of a man making a major declaration. But it was tough to know how to take such an announcement when it came from someone you were sleeping with. Could he seriously…?

  Her heart jolted in her chest as if she’d been electrocuted. David came on strong—persuading her to go to dinner, to work for him, to explore their attraction—but he had to know she wasn’t ready for this. Especially not today.

  A moment of awkward silence passed before they were interrupted by, of all people, her father. “Serena?”

  She twisted away from David, not daring to look into his eyes. “Yes?”

  “I just thought…well, it is my wedding reception. Is a dance with my daughter out of the question?” The slight hesitation was incongruous with the formidable image James presented in his costly tux. Although, now that she looked closely, Serena realized he didn’t look nearly as austere today as usual, probably a combination of his happiness to be with Meredith and the several glasses of champagne he’d had.

  She darted a glance to David. “If you’ll excuse me?”

  He nodded, taking her glass from her.

  Serena didn’t have a great deal of practice waltzing, but it wasn’t too difficult to follow her father’s lead, even if he did stumble once or twice.

  He gave her a gruff smile. “Thank you for coming today.”

  “Well. You’re my father.”

  He cleared his throat. “Yes. And as such, I’m…well, Merri and I are very proud of our children.”

  All right, so he hadn’t been able just to say the words I’m proud of you, Serena gave him high marks for effort. You didn’t bridge a gap this size with one waltz. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Just wanted you to know. So you didn’t feel you had to—well, that boy for instance.”

  She followed his worried gaze. “David?”

  “Exactly. I suppose he’s the type of guy I always said I wanted for you. It was good of you to bring him to my wedding. But you should be with whoever makes you happy. He’s obviously not your type.”

  But he would have been for someone like Eliza? Serena stiffened. How was it that whenever her father tried to help he made her feel worse? “You don’t think I could make it work with someone like him, do you?”

  James faltered, staring at her with eyes that took a moment to focus. “It’s just that I would hate to see you make the mistake I did, spending too long with someone who isn’t a good match, making each other miserable. Life’s too short.”

  She blinked against the burn of sudden tears. James meant well, he really did. He probably thought he was giving her permission to go after what she really wanted. The song ended, and she turned away.

  At the last moment, though, she looked back over her shoulder to ask the question she’d never asked either of her parents. Today, her emotions were riding close to the surface, and her curiosity was bolstered by Dom. “Did you ever love Mom?”

  James sighed. “I don’t honestly know. What I remember vividly is the fear that I’d made a terrible mistake, that she’d leave for someone more colorful, that she’d damage my career somehow. She got more provocative all the time. Maybe she was scared, too. I don’t think it ever would have worked between us. You can’t grow closer to someone when panic is dividing the two of you. You’ve seemed edgy today, Serena, and you should find someone who fits in your life.”

  Not him, James added silently with a pointed glance at David.

  She walked away from the dance floor, almost blindly into David’s waiting embrace.

  “Everything go okay?” he asked, kissing the top of her head.

  His cologne and the familiar welcome of his body pushed back the despair she was feeling and she tried to cuddle even closer.

  “You want to dance?” he offered. “It would keep you free from having to talk to anyone.”

  “No. I want to get out of here, get you alone.” She wanted the oblivion of making love with him and temporarily forgetting everything James had just said, words she very much feared were true.

  * * *

  DAVID TURNED in the passenger seat to face her as he unfastened the seatbelt, looking pensive.

  Serena frowned. He was making no move to open the door or get out. They were at his apartment, and the entire drive here, she’d been focused on the promise of being with him, losing herself in the passion they created. “Don’t you want to go upstairs?”

  “No, not yet.” He ran a hand over his jaw. “If we do, I’ll probably end up jumping you.”

  Her palms went sweaty. “Exactly. Look, I really am sorry about how last night turned out. Or didn’t. But I want to make up for it. I want you.” She hadn’t realized she’d have trouble getting him into bed.

  The car could work. She was flexible.

  “Serena, don’t look at me like that.”

  She leaned over the gearshift, threading her fingers through his dark hair. “Like what? Like I want to tear your clothes off? Because I do. I’m not sure how I could look at you any other way right now.”

  He shoved gently against her shoulders, his breathing growing uneven. “Play fair.”

  Straightening in her seat, she said, “I thought it was about playing to win. Since when have you been above overbearing tactics to get your way, David?”

  “You know me well.” He sighed. “After I got home last night, alone, I had hours to think. About what I want, about what you’re afraid of, and after sitting through that ceremony today, about what it means to commit yourself to someone. I let you brush aside what I said earlier, but the truth is, I do love you.”

  She sucked her breath in. Oh, God. What was he doing? “David, don’t. We agreed—”

  “Not really. You offered. I took. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I never agreed I’d stop having feelings for you by the end of next week. I won’t. And I don’t think you can, either. I think you love me.”

  Dammit, why was the man so mulishly aggressive? Was he determined to wreck their friendship? “I want you. I care about you.” Until recently, she’d trusted him, too, but he was pushing her so hard.

  “If your feelings didn’t run deep, you wouldn’t be putting silly time limits on something so good.”

  “That’s your problem,” she snapped at him. “Calling it silly. You pooh-pooh my reasoning, but that doesn’t make my concerns invalid, it only makes you insensitive. You just have to accept that you don’t always get your way.”

  “This isn’t about me. It’s your fear that you could never fit in as a Savannah Grant.”

  Did the man not hear the condescension in his own voice? “First of all, you presumptuous ass, I’d keep my last name—”

  “When you meet them next weekend, you’ll see that they’re really very nice.”

  “When I what?” She’d never seen herself as a violent person before, but perhaps she could change.

  “My family. Well, my parents. They’re coming up to see my new place, go to the banquet. I told you that the other day.”

  “You did no such thing!” She definitely would have remembered. “You’re big on the strategy of springing things on people. Bam, I love you, Serena. Bam, my parents will be here in a few days, Serena. Bam, I hired Craig to paint the freaking mural.”

&nb
sp; “Hey, you’re always wanting to help Craig—I thought you’d be happy I hired him. It was the whole reason…part of the reason…” He quickly added, “He is incredibly talented. Even if AGI wouldn’t go for him doing one of his nudes for the building.”

  Of course not, they’d have him paint something safe and unobjectionable. “Why did you hire me?”

  “You’re talented, too.” But he glanced away, a flush climbing in his chiseled cheeks.

  “Thank you. I appreciate the vote of confidence. And I appreciate the word of mouth for my company. But are you sure you didn’t hire me at least in part to try to get your way, to convince me we should be more than platonic friends?”

  “Well, it worked, didn’t it?” he muttered unapologetically.

  It must be nice to live in David Grant Land and have the budget and power to orchestrate things to your will. If she weren’t inexplicably crazy about him, she would have wrung his neck years ago. “Stop. Stop trying to change my mind. And you wonder why I’d worry about your ever trying to change me.”

  “That’s not fair.” He scowled at her. “I love you the way you are. You’re the one who worries about not being—”

  “It isn’t a case of low self-esteem, David. I like myself. Most of the time, I like you. What I don’t like is the idea of us as a couple.” A bittersweet image flashed in her mind and she admitted part of her liked the idea very much…but she couldn’t stomach the thought of the likely wreckage that would follow. “It could be a disaster.”

  The last few days certainly hadn’t been a picnic.

  He looked shocked at the suggestion that he might not be able to make something work. “A few little differences—”

  “You’re doing it again,” she said from between clenched teeth.

  “All right, so we have some differences. Those are healthy.”

  “Right. You hear about so many couples breaking up over irreconcilable similarities.”

  “This new sarcastic streak of yours is really unattractive.” He inhaled deeply. “Or would be, if anything could lessen my attraction to you. You’re as stubborn as I am, and I need that in a woman. I need you.”