by DRAYER, GINA
“Well that changes things.” He let out a deep breath and relaxed, relief evident in his posture. “We’re both adults. What happened that night was consensual. But I do have to warn you, Peter and I have been friends since grade school. If you decide to start dating him, I’ll have to tell him about us.”
“Dating him? Why would I want to do that? I’m not looking for a relationship.” She stopped, realizing how her words must sound after what had happened between them. God, Simon must think she went around sleeping with random men all the time. “I just came out of a bad relationship and I’m not ready to start a new one. I told Megan before she invited you guys out that I didn’t want to be set up. But you know her. Once she gets an idea, she doesn’t let it go.”
“She’s notorious for trying to play matchmaker.”
Julia wondered what would have happened if she’d agreed to let Megan set her up with Simon before Christmas when she’d first suggested the idea. Would they have hit it off? Started dating? Would she be here with him this weekend, enjoying lazy morning sex? God, she really needed to stop going down that road. It wasn’t going to happen again.
“You know, you’re right. We can just pretend nothing happened. What happened was nice.” Julia almost choked on that word. What they had done wasn't nice. It was primal. Mind-blowing. Life-changing. Any number of words would work better, but she needed to stop thinking about it that way. “Neither of us expected anything more than what happened. Like you said, we’re adults. We can handle this.” She picked up the clothes she’d laid out for the day and started toward the bathroom. “I’ve got to get ready. I promised Megan I’d join her for lunch.”
As she walked past, Simon reached out and grabbed her arm. “Julia, wait.”
His touch sent a jolt of desire through her. But just as fast as he’d grabbed her, he let go as if burned. Simon looked down at his hand and rubbed his fingers.
“I’m glad we had this talk,” he said, finally pulling his gaze away from his hand to meet hers. “What happened that night was between us and we don’t have to get Megan involved. I know you’re important to her. She doesn’t have a lot of friends, and I don't want to make this weekend awkward for anyone.”
Well, that ship had already sailed, but Julia smiled and nodded. “Me, either. We can just pretend like nothing happened.”
She continued on to the bathroom, not waiting to see if Simon had left her room. After shutting the door, Julia collapsed on the vanity bench. Her hand went up to the spot on her arm where he’d touched her. The feel of his fingers still tingled there, and every nerve in her body buzzed awake, remembering his touch. Christ.
The only way she’d survive the weekend would be to have as little contact with Simon Shelton as possible.
This was a fucking disaster. He felt like punching something. Simon didn’t understand where all this anger was coming from. Sure, Julia had left before he’d gotten up. He’d had enough one-night stands in his life to understand how a night like that usually ended. Commitment wasn’t part of the deal, just because they’d had great sex. He sure hadn’t been looking for commitment that night, but it didn’t mean he hadn’t been disappointed when he woke up alone the next morning. Still, she’d just left without a word. To be honest, he half expected to find a couple of hundreds on the nightstand.
But that wasn’t the only thing bothering him. Simon’s memory of that night was cast in a new light now that he knew Julia was Megan’s photographer friend. Had Julia targeted him in that bar, like so many other girls who’d called themselves Megan’s friends? She said she’d had no idea who he was, but this was too big of a coincidence. How could she not have known?
This was the last thing he needed right now. Maybe he’d stay in the office all weekend. Even though Megan seemed thrilled to see him, she’d be just as happy to spend the weekend with Peter. The two of them had always been close. She probably wouldn't even know he was missing. Simon tossed the suitcase on the bed and started to unpack.
“What the hell, Simon?” Megan came bursting through the door without so much as a knock. “Mind explaining to me what that was about on the driveway? You practically knocked Peter down so you could get back to your work. You’ve been up here for hours. I thought you were going to spend some time with me.”
So much for Megan not missing him. She looked pissed and hurt, and Simon felt like an ass. There had to be some way for him to spend time with her and not let this thing with Julia ruin the weekend. “Meg, I’m sorry. I did come out here to spend some time with you, but I thought you wanted to set Julia up with Peter. I’d just get in the way.”
The words sat heavy and sour on his tongue. He loved his friend Peter like a brother, but the thought of him and Julia together seemed wrong. Peter liked sweet, docile women. Julia would eat him for breakfast. She was passionate and hot-blooded. Not afraid to take what she wanted. No. Julia needed someone who could match her passions.
“I asked you here to meet her, jackass,” Megan said, tossing one of his folded shirts at his head. “She’s all wrong for Peter. But you—”
“Listen,” he interrupted. “I told you I was busy, and I don’t have time for you to play cupid or whatever. I’m going to spend the day getting settled in and finishing up some work. If I can get through some of this stuff, I’ll join you for dinner.”
Hopefully by then he could face Julia without wanting to throttle her. Or drag her back to his room, like some caveman, to claim her as his.
Instead of leaving, Megan plopped down on the bed, right in his way. “You’re being an ass. Don’t spend your whole weekend with your nose in that computer. It's what Dad always did.”
Her words hit a little too close to home. Their father had spent more time working on his political career than he ever did with his family.
“If I were turning into Dad, I’d have a wife and a mistress by now.” Images of Julia’s flushed, naked body flooded his mind and he had to take a deep breath to clear the thought. Fuck, it was going to be a long weekend. “I’ll try to relax this weekend and have a good time. Promise.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
“I’m sure you will. Now, go,” he said, trying to shoo her out the door. “Have fun with your friend.”
But Megan sat on his bed playing with the zipper on the suitcase, clearly not ready to leave. “I want Julia to have a good time this summer. She deserves it. Her ex was a total dick. I have never met a more controlling, passive-aggressive asshole in my entire life. It bordered on abuse. I almost called a national holiday when she finally came to her senses and left him. I really wanted her to spend some time with you and Peter. She needs to see that all guys aren’t like that.”
Simon was having a hard time connecting the woman Megan was describing with the one he’d met at the bar. He couldn’t imagine that woman being involved with someone who’d controlled her every move. It just didn’t make sense.
“I thought taking the boat out on the lake would be nice,” Megan said. “Can you pull yourself away from work for the afternoon?"
“What?” Simon had been lost in his own thoughts and he hadn’t realized she’d asked him a question.
She rolled her eyes and hopped off the bed. “I said I want to take the boat out on Sunday. You are coming with us, aren’t you? I’m not sure I trust Peter to navigate. Not after he got us stranded that one time.”
“I’ll make time. I know there’s a lot we need to catch up on, but I’m not sure how much I can spend just hanging out with everyone else. Let me figure a few things out and I’ll let you know in the morning.”
Chapter Five
Modern Girl Tip #8: Try On A New Skin—Everyone needs a break from the routine of day-to-day life. A one-night stand is a great way to slip into an alter ego. It’s just one night. Go with the flow.
It was another hour before Julia made her way down to the living room with her best “everything is fine” smile plastered on her face. Now that she was fully clothed, makeup on, a
nd had a chance to sort out her roller-coaster emotions, she felt less vulnerable and better equipped to face the rest of the weekend.
Megan saw her coming down the stairs and rushed over to greet her. “Thank God. I was beginning to think it was just going to be Peter and me all weekend. Simon’s holed up in his room working, and then after our fight I was afraid you wouldn't come down.”
“What fight?”
“That one where I said you were hiding from the world.” Megan looped an arm around her waist, giving her a squeeze. “I'm sorry I was a bitch. You forgive me, don’t you? I had no right to say those things.”
Julia sighed and hugged her back. “Of course you did. If I can’t count on you to call me on my bullshit, who can I count on? All is forgiven. I promise to be nice and participate in all the fun activities you have planned. Just don't push about the dating.”
“Say no more. I get it. I won’t push. I just secretly hoped you’d fall madly in love with my brother and get married. Then we'd be sisters. But I don’t see that happening if the asshat won’t even leave the bedroom,” Megan yelled this last sentence up the stairs, presumably at her brother.
“How about we just work on having a good weekend?” Julia said, wanting to put Simon out of her head.
“I’m all for that.” Megan released her hold and started walking toward the back of the house, dragging Julia behind her. "Come out to the deck. We just opened a bottle of wine.”
As Julia stepped out on the deck, she took a moment to enjoy the view. The house was situated on top of a hill that offered breathtaking views of the lake. She could sit out there for hours just taking in the gradual change of color and mood as the sun traveled across the sky. Despite the shock of meeting Simon for the second time, Julia was glad she’d decided to spend the summer out here. Her creative juices were in high gear.
“Great, you’re here! I hope you’re feeling better,” Peter said and handed Megan a glass of wine. “Meg and I were just enjoying the nice weather. It’s supposed to turn unbearably hot and rain later.”
“Yuck,” Megan said, taking a sip. “I hate the way it swings from cool to blazing hot this time of year. I wish it would just pick a temperature and stay there." She reclined in the lounge chair. “You may have to take us out on the boat after all. I don’t think I can talk Simon into it. He seems hell-bent on working all weekend.”
“Sure, if the storms hold off.”
He held out a glass for Julia and she declined. Her stomach was still in knots and she didn’t want to drink anything right now. She sat down on a lounge chair opposite Megan. “So, Simon isn’t joining us?” Julia asked, trying to keep her voice casual.
“He’s too busy building his media empire. I don’t know why he bothered to come if all he was going to do was work.”
“You’re being too hard on him,” Peter said, pushing Megan’s legs aside and sitting down at her feet. “The New York buyout didn’t go as smoothly as we thought it would. Simon’s in charge of the new division and it's been hell for him. But lord knows, he’s doing a better job than I would have. I’ll see if I can’t coax him out with the promise of scotch and sailing.”
Megan talked a little more about what she wanted to do while the guys were visiting; boating and shopping made the top of her list. Peter offered a few suggestions and tried to lure Julia into the conversation with leading questions about what she wanted to do over the holiday weekend. But she was in a real funk and lousy company. At this point, there was only one thing that would help. Julia needed to grab her camera and get lost for an hour or ten.
“Sure you don’t want something? I can get you a soda or some water,” Peter asked when he got up to get another bottle of wine.
“A water would be great,” Julia said. While he was gone, she turned to Megan. Keeping her voice low, she asked, “You’re making a lot of plans. What about your book? Wasn’t that the whole purpose of coming out to the lake?”
Megan kept her writing a secret. She’d gone from writing literary women’s fiction to, as she termed it, smut. She wrote under a pen name so her family and friends wouldn’t find out. Her father, the esteemed Senator Richard Shelton, would have a stroke if he knew his daughter was a bestselling erotica author.
“This is my weekend to blow off before I really start working. I’d like you to read my current draft. I could really use another set of eyes before I start editing. Why don’t I download a copy for you and you can give me some feedback?”
“I’m not sure I’ll be much help. Your stuff is a little outside my comfort zone.”
Megan sighed and leaned closer. She obviously didn’t want Peter to hear, so Julia leaned in conspiratorially. “I promise it won’t burn your virgin eyes. It's just sex. Please read it and let me know what you think. I trust your opinion.” As Peter strolled back to the chairs, Megan raised her voice. “I’d like to have some fun this weekend. Peter and I haven’t had a chance to just hang in forever. I want to hear everything you’ve been doing since Christmas.”
Megan and Peter started exchanging random funny stories from their lives in a stunning display of one-upmanship, totally forgetting Julia was even there. Not that it bothered her. As a matter of fact, she saw it as an opportunity to slip away.
Following the deck as it wrapped around the house, she scoped out the landscape. There was a lot to work with, and she started to catalog the list of photos she wanted to try.
Megan might want to take the weekend off, but Julia had to start working tonight. They were only here for two months and she was planning some photos of the full moon over the lake. She looked up into the clear blue sky, and decided tonight would be her best opportunity. Who knew what the weather would be like in July.
She thought long and hard about what she wanted to show at the gallery. She thought about doing some artsy tilt-shift photos of the small lake town, but it seemed too gimmicky. So instead she settled on a series of night photos of the lake and possibly a few nature shots.
Julia had really wanted to do some portraits, but that could wait until her next gallery showing. And there would be a next, she was sure about that. Luke hadn’t outright told her to quit her “hobby,” as he called it, but he’d been one of her biggest critics. He’d always found fault in her work, until Julia finally decided she wasn’t good enough to be a professional artist. It was Megan who’d sent her work to the gallery. And much to Julia’s surprise, they had offered her a showing. Megan believed in her, and Julia wasn’t about to let her down.
After coming up with a good plan for the next few weeks, Julia realized she was starving and headed back to where the others were still engrossed in conversation. “I’m going to throw together some sandwiches. Have any special requests?"
“Oh, you have to make your grilled cheese. You know, the one with the apples. I made sure to get everything you’d need.” Megan turned back to Peter, a gleeful light in her eyes. "Julia is a brilliant cook. She makes this white cheddar, apple, and caramelized onion grilled cheese that’s to die for. It’s the best thing you’ll ever put in your mouth. Almost orgasmic.” With her eyes hooded, Megan made a soft moan in the back of her throat.
Peter watched her intently, a soft flush covering his cheeks. He licked his lips and it looked as if there was something more there than friendship. Coming back to himself, Peter glanced back to Julia and gave her a sheepish grin, shrugging. She couldn’t tell if he was apologizing for Megan's behavior or his response to her display.
Julia smiled back, enjoying his embarrassment. Julia rolled her eyes and played along with Megan. “I finally understand the real reason you asked me out here this summer. You’re using me for my food.”
“Don’t you know it, baby,” Megan said, wagging her eyebrows. “Now get in the kitchen, woman, and make me a sandwich.”
Julia devolved into snorting laughter and headed inside. From the porch she could hear Megan cajoling Peter. “Go help her. Tell her some nice things about Simon.”
So much for Megan
not being pushy.
The sound of laughter had filled the office, drawing his attention. But instead of ignoring it and returning to work, from the window Simon watched them enjoying the warm summer day, feeling a bit like a stalker. And that he wasn’t out there enjoying the afternoon too irritated him more than it should.
He had planned on working part of the weekend. Julia’s presence had nothing to do with that fact. Besides, she seemed willing to forget about what had happened, so why couldn’t he?
This sort of thing happened. In the past, he’d run into one-night stands in social settings and managed to be civil. But something about Julia got under his skin.
For one thing, she wasn’t like any of the other women he’d had affairs with. She displayed a raw honesty that was rare in his world. It was what prompted him to follow her upstairs that night, and it’s what had had him spying on her now.
He tried to imagine what they were talking about. Had Peter turned on his charm? Did she like his attempts at seduction or did she immediately see through his game?
He watched as Julia silently left Peter and Megan huddled on the lounge chair, totally oblivious. Without being noticed, she wandered to the side of the house and stared longingly at the lake, lost in her own world. She had that intense set to her face he’d noticed at the bar when they’d played that silly guessing game. Something had caught her eye.
He stared at the lake, but for the life of him, Simon couldn’t figure out what was she looking at. He searched the horizon, seeing nothing unusual. It was the same view he’d seen hundreds of times. Sure it was nice, but nothing that required that level of scrutiny.
He glanced back down to the deck, but she was gone.
