"Hey." Lisa padded down the stairs seven hours later, wearing a towel. She'd slicked her wet hair back and her tattoos were displayed to perfection, defining her lean torso and arms. There was a lot of skin on show. The woman was a visual feast. I made a conscious effort to keep my tongue inside my head. Keeping the welcoming grin off my face was beyond my abilities. I'd planned to play it cool so as not to spook her. That plan had failed.
"What'cha doing?" she asked.
"Nothing much. There was a delivery for you." I pointed to the bags and boxes waiting by the door. All day I'd pondered the problem of us. The only thing I'd come up with was that I didn't want our time to end. I didn't want to sign those annulment papers. Not yet. The idea made me want to start puking all over again. I wanted Lisa. I wanted to be with her. I needed a new plan.
The pad of my thumb rubbed over my bottom lip, back and forth, back and forth. I'd gone for a long walk up the beach earlier, watching the waves crash on the shore and reliving that kiss. Over and over again, I'd played it inside my mind. The same went for our conversations. In fact, I'd picked apart every moment of our time together, explored every nuance. Every moment I could remember, anyway, and I'd tried damn hard to remember all of it.
"A delivery?" She crouched down beside the closest package and started tearing at the wrapping. I averted my eyes before I caught a glimpse up her towel, despite being wildly curious.
"Would you mind if I used your phone?" I asked.
"Jen, you don't need to ask. Help yourself to whatever."
"Thanks." Rosé and my folks were probably freaking out, wondering what was going on. It was time to brave up to the butt-picture repercussions. I groaned on the inside.
"This one's for you." She handed me a thick brown-paper parcel done up with string, followed by a shopping bag with some brand I'd never heard of printed on the side. "Ah, this one too by the look."
"It is?"
"Yeah. I asked Jisoo to order some stuff for us."
"Oh."
"Oh? No." Lisa shook her head. Then she kneeled down in front of me and tore into the brown package in my hands. "No 'oh'. We need clothes. It's really simple."
"That's very kind of you, Lisa, but I'm fine."
She wasn't listening. Instead she held up a red dress the same thigh-baring length as those girls at the mansion had worn. "What the fuck? You're not wearing this." The designer dress went flying and she ripped into the shopping bag at my feet.
"Lisa, you can't just throw it on the ground."
"Sure I can. Here, this is a little better."
A black tank top fell into my lap. At least this one looked the right size. The thigh-high red dress had been a size-four joke. Quite possibly a mean one, given Jisoo's dislike of me back in LA. No matter.
A tag dangled from the tank. The price. Shit. They couldn't be serious.
"Whoa. I could pay my rent for weeks with this top."
In lieu of a response she threw a pair of skinny black jeans at me. "Here, they're okay too."
I put the jeans aside. "It's a plain cotton tank top. How can this possibly cost two hundred dollars?"
"What do you think of this?" A length of silky green fabric dangled from her hand. "Nice, huh?"
"Do they sew the seams with gold thread? Is that it?"
"What are you talking about?" She held up the blue dress, turning it this way and that. "Hell no, it's backless. The top of your ass will probably show in that." It joined the red dress on the floor. My hands itched to rescue them, fold them away nicely. But Lisa just ripped into the next box. "What were you saying?"
"I'm talking about the price of this top."
"Shit, no. We're not talking about the price of that top because we're not talking about money. It's an issue for you and I'm not going there." A micro-mini denim skirt came next. "What the fuck was Jisoo thinking ordering you this sort of stuff?"
"Well, to be fair, you do normally have girls in bikinis hanging off you. In comparison, the backless dress is quite sedate."
"You're different. You're my friend, aren't you?"
"Yes." I didn't entirely believe the tone of my own voice.
Her forehead wrinkled up with disdain. "Damn it. Look at the length of this. I can't even tell if it's meant to be a skirt or a fucking belt."
Laughter burst out of me and she gave me a hurt look, big blue puppy-dog eyes of extreme sadness and displeasure. Clearly, I had hurt her heart.
"I'm sorry," I said. "But you sound like my father."
She shoved the micro-mini back into its bag. At least it wasn't on the floor. "Yeah? Your dad and I should meet. I think we'd get along great."
"You want to meet my father?"
"Depends, would he shoot me on sight?"
"No." Probably not.
She just gave me a curious look and burrowed into the next box. "That's better. Here."
She passed me a couple of sedate T-shirts, one black and one blue.
"I don't think you should be selecting nun's clothing for me, friend," I said, bemused at her behavior. "It's vaguely hypocritical."
"They're not nun's clothes. They just cover the essentials. Is that too much to ask?" The next bulging bag was passed to me in its entirety. "Here."
"You do admit it's just a tiny bit hypocritical, though, right?"
"Admit nothing. Adrian taught me that a long time ago. Look in the bag."
I did so and she burst out laughing, whatever expression I wore being apparently hilarious.
"What is this?" I asked, feeling all wide-eyed with wonder. It might have been a thong if the makers had seen fit to invest just a little more material into it.
"I'm dressing you like a nun."
"La Perla." I read the tag then turned it over to check out the price.
"Shit. Will you not look at the price, please? Jen." Lisa dived at me and I lay back, trying to make out the figures on the crazily swaying tag that was bigger than the scrap of lace. Her larger hand closed over mine, engulfing the thong. "Don't. For fuck's sake."
The back of my head hit the edge of a step and I winced, my eyes filling with tears. "Ow."
"You alright?" Her body stretched out above mine. A hand rubbed carefully at the back of my skull.
"Um, yeah." The scent of her soap and shampoo was pure heaven, Lord help me. But there was something more than that. Her cologne. It wasn't heavy. Just a light scent of spice. There was something really familiar about it.
The tag hanging down in front of my face momentarily distracted me however. "Three hundred dollars?"
"It's worth it."
"Holy shit. No, it's not."
She hung the thong from the tip of a finger, a crazy cool smile on her face. "Trust me. I'd have paid ten times that amount for this. No questions asked."
"Lisa, I could get the exact same thing for less than a tenth of that price in a normal store. That's insane."
"No you couldn't." She balanced her weight on an elbow set on the step beside my head and started reading from the tag. "See, this exquisite lace is handmade by local artists in a small region of Northern Italy famous for just such craftsmanship. It's made from only the finest of silks. You can't get that at Walmart, baby."
"No, I guess not."
She made a pleased humming sound and looked at me with eyes soft and hazy. Then her smile faded. She pulled back and scrunched the thong up in her hand. "Anyway."
"Wait." My fingers curled around her biceps, keeping her in place.
"What's up?" she asked, her voice tightening.
"Just, let me …" I lifted my face to her neck. The scent was strongest there. I breathed her deep, letting myself get high off the scent of her. I shut my eyes and remembered.
"Jennie?" The muscles in her arms flexed and hardened. "I'm not sure this is a good idea."
"We were in the gondolas at The Venetian. You said you couldn't swim, that I'd have to save you if we capsized."
"Yeah."
"I was terrified for you."
"I know. You hung onto me so tight I could barely breathe."
I drew back so I could see her face.
"Why do you think we stayed on them for so long?" she asked. "You were practically sitting in my lap."
"Can you swim?"
She laughed quietly. "Of course I can swim. I don't even think the water was that deep."
"It was all a ruse. You're tricky, Lisa Manoban."
"And you're funny, Jennie Kim." Her face relaxed, her eyes softening again. "You remembered something."
"Yes."
"That's great. Anything else?"
I gave her a sad smile. "No, sorry."
She looked away, disappointed, I think, but trying not to let it show.
"Lisa?"
"Mm?"
I leaned forward to press my lips to hers, wanting to kiss her, needing to. She pulled back again. My hopes dived. "Sorry. I'm sorry."
"Jen. What are you doing?"
"Kissing you?"
She said nothing. Jaw rigid, she looked away.
"You're allowed to kiss me and cuddle me and buy me insanely priced lingerie and I can't kiss you back?" My hands slid down to hers and she held them. At least she wasn't rejecting me totally.
"Why do you wanna kiss me?" she asked, her voice stern.
I studied our entwined fingers for a moment, getting my thoughts in order. "Lisa, I'm probably not ever going to remember everything about that night in Vegas. But I thought we could maybe make some new good memories this weekend. Something we can both share."
"Just this weekend?"
My heart filled my throat. "No. I don't know. It just … it feels like there's meant to be more between us."
"More than friends?" She watched me, eyes intent.
"Yes. I like you. You're kind and sweet and beautiful and you're easy to talk to. When we're not always arguing about Vegas. I feel like …"
"What?"
"Like this weekend is a second chance. I don't want to just let it slip by. I think I'd regret that for a long time."
She nodded, cocked her head. "So what was your plan? Just kiss me, and see what happened?"
"My plan?"
"I know about you and your plans. You told me all about how anal you are."
"I told you that?" I was an idiot.
"Yeah. You did. You especially told me about the big plan." She stared down at me, eyes intense. "You know … finish school then spend three to five years establishing yourself at mid-range firm before moving up the ranks somewhere more prestigious and starting your own small consultancy business by thirty-five. Then there'd maybe time to get a relationship and those pesky 2.4 kids out of the way."
My throat was suddenly a dry, barren place. "I was really chatty that night."
"Mm. But what was interesting was the way you didn't talk about that plan like it was a good thing. You talked about it like it was a cage and you were rattling the bars."
I had nothing.
"So, come on," she said softly, taunting me. "What's the plan here, Jen? How were you going to convince me?"
"Oh. Well, I was um … I was going to seduce you, I guess. And see what happened. Yeah …"
"How? By complaining about me buying you stuff?"
"No. That was just an added bonus. You're welcome."
She licked her lips, but I saw the smile. "Right. Come on then, show me your moves."
"My moves?"
"Your seduction techniques. Come on, time's a-wasting." I hesitated and she clicked her tongue, impatient. "I'm only wearing a towel, baby. How hard can this be?"
"Fine, fine," I held her fingers tight, refusing to let go. "So, Lisa?"
"Yes, Jennie?"
"I was thinking …"
"Hmm?"
I was so hopelessly outclassed with her. I gave her the only thing I could think of. The only thing that I knew had a track record of working. "I think you're a really nice girl and I was wondering if you'd maybe like to come up to my room and have sex with me and maybe hang out for a while. If that's maybe something you'd be interested in doing …"
Her eyes darkened, accusing and unhappy. She started to pull back again. "Now you're just being funny."
"No." I slipped my hand around the back of her neck, beneath her damp hair, trying to bring her back to me. "No, I'm very, very serious."
Jaw tensed, she stared at me.
"You asked me this morning in the car if I thought you were scary. The answer is yes. You scare me shitless. I don't know what I'm doing here. But I hate the thought of leaving you."
Her gaze searched my face but still she said nothing. She was going to turn me down. I knew it. I'd asked for too much, pushed her too far. She'd walk away from me, and who could blame her after everything?
"It's okay," I said, gathering what remained of my pride up off the floor.
"Ah, man," she sighed. "You're kinda terrifying too."
"I am?"
"Yeah, you are. And wipe that smile off your face."
"Sorry."
She angled her head and kissed me, her lips firm and so good. My eyes closed and my mouth opened. The taste of her took me over. The mint of her toothpaste and the slide of her tongue against mine. All of it was past perfect. She lay me back against the stairs. The new bruise at the back of my head throbbed in protest when I bumped it yet again. I flinched but didn't stop. Lisa cupped the back of my skull, guarding against further injury.
The weight of her body held me in place, not that I was trying to escape. The edge of the steps pressed into my back and I couldn't care less. I'd have happily lain there for hours with her above me, the warm scent of her skin making me high. Her hips held my legs wide open. If not for my jeans and her towel things would get interesting fast. God, I hated cotton just then.
We didn't once break the kiss. My legs wrapped around her waist and my hands curved around her shoulders. Nothing had ever felt this good. My ache for her increased and caught fire, spreading right through me. My legs tightened around her, muscles burning. I couldn't get close enough. Talk about frustrating. Her mouth moved over my jaw and down my neck, lighting me up from inside. She bit and licked, finding sensitive spots below my ear and in the crook of my neck. Places I hadn't known I had. The woman had magic. She knew things I didn't. Where she'd learned her tricks didn't matter. Not right then.
"Up," she said in a rough voice. Slowly she stood, one hand beneath my ass and the other still protecting my skull.
"Lisa." I scrambled to tighten my hold on her back.
"Hey." She drew back just enough to look into my eyes. Her pupils were huge, almost swallowing the sky-blue iris whole. "I am not going to drop you. That's never going to happen."
I took a deep breath. "Okay."
"You trust me?"
"Yes."
"Good." Her hand slid down my back. "Now put your arms around my neck."
I did, and my balance immediately felt better. Both of Lisa's hands gripped my butt and I locked my feet behind her back, holding on tight. Her face showed no sign of pain or imminent back breakage. Maybe she was strong enough to carry me around after all.
"That's it." She smiled and kissed my chin. "All good?"
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
"Bed?"
"YES."
She chuckled in a way that did bad things to me. "Kiss me," she said.
Without hesitation I did so, fitting my mouth to hers. Sliding my tongue between her lips and getting lost in her all over again. She groaned, her hands holding me hard against her.
Which was when the doorbell rang, making a low, mournful sound that echoed in my heart and groin. "Nooo."
"You're fucking joking." Lisa's face screwed up and she gave the tall double doors the foulest of looks. At least I wasn't alone. I groaned and gave her a tight full-body hug. It would have been funny if it didn't hurt so much.
A hand rubbed at my back, sliding beneath the hem of my tank to stroke the skin beneath. "It's like the universe doesn't want me inside you or something, I swear," she grumbled.
"Make them go away. Please."
She chuckled, clutching me tighter.
"It hurts."
She groaned and kissed my neck. "Let me answer the door and get rid of them, then I'll take care of you, okay?"
"Your towel is on the floor."
"That's a problem. Down you hop."
I reluctantly loosened my hold and put my feet back on firm ground. Again the gong-like sound filled the house. Lisa grabbed a pair of black jeans out of a bag and quickly pulled them on. All I caught was a flash of toned ass. Keeping my eyes mostly averted might have been the hardest thing I'd ever done.
"Hang back just in case it's press." She looked into a small screen embedded beside the door. "Ah, man."
"Trouble?"
"No. Worse. Old friends with food." She gave me a brief glance. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll be hurting too."
"But—"
"Anticipation makes it sweeter. I promise," she said, then threw open the door. A hand tugged down the front of her T-shirt, trying to cover the obvious bulge beneath her jeans. "Tyler. Pam. Hey, good to see you."
I was going to kill her. Slowly. Strangle her with the overpriced thong. A fitting death for a rock star.
A couple about my parents' age came in, laden down with pots and bottles of wine. The man, Tyler, was tall, thin, and covered in tats. Pam looked to have Native American in her heritage. Beautiful long black hair hung down her back in a braid, thick as my wrist. They both wore wide grins and gave me curious glances. I could feel my face heat when they took in the lingerie and clothing strewn about on the floor. It probably looked like we'd been about to embark on a two-person orgy. Which was the truth, but still.
"How the hell are ya?" Tyler roared in an Australian accent, giving Lisa a one-armed hug on account of the crock-pot he held in the other. "And this must be Jennie. I have to read about it in the damn paper, Lis? Are you serious?" He gave my wife a stern look, one brow arched high. "Pam was pissed."
"Sorry. It was—ah, it was sudden." Lisa kissed Pam on the cheek and took a casserole dish and laden bag from her. She patted Lisa on the head in a motherly fashion.
"Introduce me," she said.
"Jen, this is Pam and Tyler, old friends of mine. They've also been taking care of the house for me." She looked relaxed standing between these people. Her smile was easy and her eyes were bright. I hadn't seen her looking so happy before. Jealousy reared its ugly head, sinking its teeth in.
"Hello." I put out my hand for shaking but Tyler engulfed me in a hug.
"She's so pretty. Isn't she pretty, hon?" Tyler stepped aside and Pam came closer, a warm smile on her face.
I was being a jerk. These were nice people. I should be profoundly grateful not every female Lisa knew rubbed their boobs on her. Damn my screaming hormones for making me surly.
"She sure is. Hello, Jennie. I'm Pam." The woman's coffee-brown eyes went liquid. She seemed ready to burst into tears. In a rush, she took my hands and squeezed my fingers tight. "I'm just so happy she found a nice girl, finally."
"Oh, thank you." My face felt flammable.
Lisa gave me a wry grin.
"Okay, enough of that," Tyler said. "Let's let these lovebirds have their privacy. We can visit another time."
Lisa stood aside, still holding the casserole dish and bag. When she saw me watching she winked.
"I'll have to show you the setup downstairs sometime," Tyler said. "You here for long?"
"We're not sure," Lisa said, giving me a glance.
Pam clung to my hands, reluctant to leave. "I made chicken enchiladas and rice. Do you like Mexican? It's Lisa's favorite." Pam's brows wrinkled. "But I didn't think to check if that was alright with you. You might be vegetarian."
"No, I'm not. And I love Mexican," I said, squeezing her fingers back though not as hard. "Thank you so much."
"Phew." She grinned.
"Hon," called Tyler.
"I'm coming." Pam gave my fingers a parting pat. "If you need anything at all while you're here, you give me a call. Okay?"
Lisa said nothing. It was clearly my decision if they stayed or went. My body was still abuzz with need. That, and we seemed to do better alone. I didn't want to share her because I was shallow and wanted hot sex. I wanted her all to myself. But it was the right thing to do. And if anticipation made it sweeter, well, maybe this once the right thing to do was also the best thing to do.
"Stay," I said, stammering out the words. "Have dinner with us. You've made so much. We could never possibly finish it all."
Lisa's gaze jumped to me, a smile of approval on her face. She looked almost boyish, trying to contain her excitement. Like I'd just told her her birthday had been brought forward. Whoever these people were, they were important to her. I felt as though I'd just passed some test.
Pam sighed. "Tyler is right, you're newlyweds."
"Stay. Please," I said.
Pam looked to Tyler.
Tyler shrugged but smiled, obviously delighted.
Pam clapped her hands with glee. "Let's eat!"