Hardpressed (7 page)

A twinkle of acknowledgement passed over his features. He was calculating to a fault, and he knew how jealous I could be. Sure, I was completely overreacting, but Risa got the picture.

He returned my knowing smile and stepped away slowly, giving her a polite nod on his way past.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t—” Risa was wide-eyed, her jaw agape.

I immediately regretted the choice. This was her first day, after all. “Don’t be. I wanted to ask you something actually.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“We’ve got tickets to the Spirit Gala on Friday night. Would you be interested in going and representing the company? You could bring a date, of course.”

“I’d rather not.”

I lifted my eyebrows.

“I mean, I’d love to go. I’d rather not bring a date. Networking is easier that way.”

“Oh, right. That’s fine. Let me know if you change your mind.”

“Great, I can’t wait.” She smiled broadly and glanced down at the notebook she was holding. “Alli and I got through most of my questions, but she wanted me to run a few things by you that she wasn't sure about. Do you have a minute?”

“Sure. Have a seat here. I'll be back in a minute.”

I left her there to find Alli, who was looking as restless as she had this morning, checking her phone at the conference table.

“You guys done?”

She nodded. “I think so. If you don't mind, I might head back to the apartment. I need to pack and catch up on some things for work.”

“You're on vacation, you know.”

“Not with this gig, unfortunately.”

“All right, I'll see you tonight. We can grab dinner with Blake later if you're up for it.”

“Sounds good.” She rose to give me a quick hug, waved goodbye to Sid, and left.

*

Alli and I sat at a cocktail table in the open air bar, sipping pear martinis while we waited for Blake to join us. The weather was perfectly mild. The sun was setting and a warm breeze blew over us. Days like today made the long winter worth enduring. Everything felt possible. I only wished Alli felt the same way. She looked better, a little more rested, but something was still off.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving already. I feel like you just got here.”

Alli had made the choice to work in New York while I chose to stay in Boston. Now our lives were taking root. I wanted to urge her to come back. With the business funded, she could. She knew that as well as I did, but I kept those thoughts to myself. She didn't need any more confusion, or worse, guilt, on top of everything else she was dealing with right now.

“I know. I don’t feel ready to go back either.”

“Maybe I can visit soon.”

She brightened. “I would love that. I want you to see my new place.”

“Me too. We’ll see how things go, I guess. Work will probably be intense for a little while until everyone gets settled and we get into a routine.”

“Right.”

“What do you think of Risa?” We hadn't had a chance to catch up about her replacement at the company since the marketing powwow that morning.

She took another sip of her drink. “She’s smart. She seems driven, like you. I think she’ll do well.”

Her matter-of-fact description made me wonder if she might be a little jealous. I had anticipated that she might be, but Alli was good-natured, and at the end of the day, she’d support any decision that was good for the business.

“I’m glad you think so. She's no Alli Malloy, but she seems passionate. I’m hoping after her crash course this afternoon she’ll hit the ground running and take us to the next level.”

“Hopefully. How do
you
like her?”

I caught her grin and knew immediately what she was aiming for. “I know what you're thinking, and no, I'm not going to freak out on her for ogling Blake. I’d be in for a lifetime of misery if I started doing that now. I swear, if I had a dollar for every time some woman stared a little too long, I wouldn’t need angel funding.”

“A lifetime, eh?”

I frowned. “Whatever. It’s an expression, Alli.”

She started laughing, then stopped abruptly. Her focus had shifted away from me. She paled.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh my God,” she breathed.

I twisted in my seat, and my gaze quickly fixed on Blake walking side by side with none other than his brother.

Alli looked like she was seeing a ghost, except Heath was healthier than I’d ever seen him, with ruddy cheeks and bright eyes that never left hers. Something in the air shifted. I became as transfixed on the two of them as they were on each other.

Alli’s color returned. She slid off the stool and pushed her hair back behind her ear with a shaky hand. She took a few cautious steps in his direction, and he took two long lunges in hers, scooping her up and into his arms. She squealed, and a broad smile crossed his face as he lifted her off the ground and into his embrace.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling him there as he held her close. They stayed like that for what seemed like several minutes. When Alli pulled back, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She pulled Heath close for a kiss, and he met her with equal fervor, as if he had been starved.

We shouldn’t have been there—or they shouldn’t have been there—but the fact that we all were didn’t seem to matter to either of them. I nudged Blake and he nodded.

“Let’s go see if the table’s ready,” he murmured.

We left them and checked in with the hostess who sat us promptly. I was still reeling.

“What just happened?” My adrenaline was still pumping. I was thrilled for Alli, but my head was spinning from how this had come about so quickly.

“He’s back,” Blake answered simply.

“For good?”

“As long as he stays out of trouble.”

I looked across the restaurant to where the couple still stood. Alli was laughing and brushing tears away while Heath peppered her with kisses. They looked so incredibly happy. In a matter of moments, the cloud of doubt and misery hovering over my dearest friend had passed over. The joy I felt for her overwhelmed the concern that still lingered regarding their relationship.

“How was he able to leave so early?”

“I spoke to the judge and worked it all out. He got on the first plane back.”

They joined us then, their energy palpable. Alli seemed like a new person. They both did.

“Erica, it’s great to see you.”

I stood and gave Heath a hug. He hugged me back, hard, then stepped back and gave me a half smile, as if he were trying to communicate something to me without words. Maybe he was sorry for shredding Alli emotionally for the past few weeks. I smiled back, suddenly unable to entertain any emotional reservation in the presence of their contagious joy.

“How have you been?” I cringed inwardly. Was that the wrong question to ask someone fresh out of rehab?

“Awesome. Never better.”

The enthusiasm and confidence in his reply quelled my concern, and we all settled down at the table. He seemed so different. Not just healthy, but more real, more genuine somehow.

We ordered drinks and our meal. Heath stuck with water. I felt immediately guilty for wanting a second martini.

“Let’s toast,” Heath said as soon as the drinks arrived, true to form.

“Absolutely,” I agreed.

“What should we toast to?” Alli asked.

“To new beginnings…” His gaze shifted to Alli and she looked back at him, starry-eyed.

“To new beginnings,” she murmured.

That was it. Any question there may have been about their relationship status post-rehab had just been answered. I only knew two other people so hopelessly in love, and I didn’t even want to think about how destroyed I’d feel if I had to spend weeks away from Blake. I’d be a puddle of romantic goo just like these two.

“Well, this is timely,” I said. “Alli heads back to New York tomorrow. Maybe you could travel together.”

Heath coughed a little and rested his elbows on the table. He looked quickly to Blake and then to me.

“Actually, I’m going to be staying in Boston for a while.”

Alli paled again and looked to him.

“What? Why?”

“The court situation. Blake got me back early, but I need to stay here for the rest of the time I would have been at the center in L.A. so I can finish the treatment here.”

“But…” Alli cut herself off.

There were no “buts” about his options. He was lucky to be this close now.

“I didn’t realize that.” Alli faced forward, shifting her body away from him for the first time since they’d sat down together.

“We’ll figure it out, okay?” His voice was quiet as he reached for her hand and cradled it in his own.

After a moment she swallowed and nodded. “Okay.” Her spark came back with a small smile.

The rest of the evening passed without incident. We made small talk, catching up and sharing stories. Heath asked me questions about the business that revealed how much Blake had already told him. That he’d spoken of me to Heath, despite the distance and circumstances, meant something to me. That he’d made this whole reunion happen meant even more.

Weeks ago, the four of us sitting here had seemed impossible. Blake hadn’t wanted me associating with Alli, let alone Heath, with all the trouble he’d brought into her life. Now he’d gone out of his way to bring them back together. I couldn’t make sense of it, but I was genuinely happy he’d done it.

Alli and Heath walked ahead of us on the way home. Alli giggled and leaned into him. I was half expecting them to break out into a sprint toward the nearest bedroom. Last time I was with the two of them, I could barely stomach it. This was different. I wasn’t going through withdrawals from Blake like I had been in New York, and somehow their love just amplified ours. I leaned into Blake, and he circled my shoulders with his arm. I slid my hand around his waist and hooked my thumb on his belt loop, loving how we fit.

“Thank you,” I said.

Things weren’t perfect, but Alli was happy, I was happy, and Blake was the reason why.

*

I slipped far down into the tub. Another centimeter and my nose would have been submerged. I moaned into the warm water, letting waves of relaxation wash over me. Blake’s fingers kneaded the soles of my feet with expert care. I wasn’t sure what I’d done in a previous life to deserve this utterly perfect moment, but I was loving it.

When I’d been thoroughly massaged, I slipped out of his grasp. I repositioned myself on my knees, settling my legs snuggly on either side of his muscular thighs.

I followed the sharp line of his jaw with my fingers, appreciating every God-given feature that made me so impossibly attracted to him. “You’re too good to me.”

“No such thing,” he murmured, planting a soft kiss on my lips.

“But you spoil me.”

“You deserve to be spoiled.”

I softened at his words. His face was relaxed, happy, a reflection of the moment. I almost felt undeserving of it, though I wasn’t sure why.

Because of my mother’s inheritance, I’d been given opportunities that most people had only dreamed of. But I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt spoiled, doted on by someone who held such affection for me outside of Marie. A little part of me couldn’t completely accept it.

“How do you know if I deserve it?” I tried to read his beautiful hazel eyes. He flashed a megawatt smile, and my brain short-circuited.

“I know everything.”

I cocked my head to the side and studied him with a grin. “How could I forget? Master of the universe.”

He kissed my throat, taking advantage of the position. “Now you’re catching on.” His warm breath sent gooseflesh over my damp skin.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?”

I twisted a strand of his hair around my fingertip.

He nodded. We shared concern about Alli and Heath’s future, though they were probably disturbing the peace in Blake’s spare bedroom as we spoke.

“What will he do now?”

“He’ll stay with me for a little while to start, until we figure out his next move. In the meantime, I’ll be getting him more involved at work. He needs to finally take the business seriously. He’s been screwing around too long because I’ve let him. But responsibility is probably what he needs more than anything right now—something or someone to be accountable to other than his own superficial needs.”

“I can’t believe you did this for them. You didn’t seem very optimistic about things before.”

“I wasn’t.”

“What changed?”

He shifted beneath me and I sat back a little, sensing he needed space for what he wanted to say. He drenched the fine strands of his hair with the soapy bath water. I traced my hands over the hard curves of his pectorals. There was nothing sexier than wet Blake.

I tore myself away from the mental inventory of Blake’s sexiest qualities to press him. “Talk.”

He sighed. “I don’t know. I guess I became more sympathetic to his position. Not the drug thing. Obviously I can’t relate to that. But the desperation in his voice when he talked about Alli. Like he couldn’t breathe without her, like anything he had left in him that was keeping him going, which probably wasn’t much, was draining by the day not being near her.”

He paused, dropped his hands into the water, and stroked my hips with his thumbs, tightening his hold possessively.

“He loves her.” I finished his thought, as convinced as ever of what they shared.

“I know he does. The way he sounds when they aren’t together, that’s how I feel every time you run away from me. And I couldn’t wish that on anyone else.”

My heart shattered. All the times I’d pushed him away, out of fear, self-preservation, and pure, justifiable rage. But every time I did, my heart ached for him, a bone-deep pain that weakened me at the very core. A part of me wanted to keep that line drawn between us, keep him at a safe distance from my professional life. But fighting it so hard left me in pieces.

“I’m sorry.” My voice was heavy with emotion.

He hushed me and pulled me closer so our bodies were flush. Wet, we slid against each other. His skin on mine, his arms wrapped around me, we were so close. Awareness simmered low in my belly, coiling slowly with every touch, but our motions were careful and deliberate as we caressed each other with infinite care. I was overwhelmed, racked by the potent emotions that had taken over in his presence.