Waiting for Wednesday (9 page)

“Hello,” she said, not recognizing the number, but noticing it was a local one.

“Lane,” James said.

She closed her eyes wearily and fought the impulse to close her phone. “Hi.”

“You okay, baby?” he asked and she felt anger build that he dared use a term of endearment.

“I’m fine. What do you want?”

He fell silent for a moment and she could tell she’d surprised him with her shortness. She’d never been much for confrontation or fighting, even though there had been times in their marriage when she’d practically bitten her tongue off to remain silent.

“I was calling about your grandmother’s picture.” She’d forgotten about the picture.

“Oh.”

“I was wondering if you wanted to swing by tonight to pick it up. I’ll even make you dinner.”

“James, you aren’t really asking me out on a date, are you?” She heard him clear his throat and she could only imagine how much her condescending attitude was annoying him. “Well, yeah. I guess. Why not?”

“Why not? Should I make you a fucking list of reasons why not?”

“Lane,” he said. “I don’t understand why you’re so angry. You accepted my apology.”

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. It wasn’t James’ fault she was exhausted. “I did.” She tried to force civility into her tone. “I can’t come tonight. I’m working.”

“Oh yeah, doing what?”

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“I have a job as a nurse in a private home. I’m caring for a stroke patient.”

“What about tomorrow night?”

She closed her eyes and prayed for patience. “I’m not comfortable coming by the house, James. Why don’t I just swing by your work and get it one afternoon this week?” Even through the phone, she could tell he wasn’t happy with her answer. “I’m not working right now. I got laid off.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Why don’t I bring it by
your
work?”

She remembered Mr. Collins telling her about Tristan’s response when James showed up at the bar. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Jesus, Lane. I just want to give you the picture. I was hoping to be able to make things up to you. Prove to you how sorry I really am.” She sighed. While the words sounded sincere, she couldn’t forget his face the night she’d tried to leave. She pushed that thought aside.

James was obviously trying to make amends. He’d hand her the picture and she’d send him on his way. Regardless of his apologies, she never wanted to see or speak to him after this. She’d simply make it clear that she was moving on and he needed to do the same. “I’m staying in the apartment above Pat’s Irish Pub with the Collins family.”

“Tristan Collins?” James asked, and for the first time, Lane could hear the familiar thread of anger that had tainted his voice during their marriage. Oh yeah, she’d just fucked up.

She rubbed her eyes wearily. “That’s right. I’m taking care of his father. Why don’t you call my cell when you’re in the area and I’ll come down to the pub to meet you and get the picture?”

“Fine,” he snapped.

So he was mad. She couldn’t have cared less. Maybe now he would leave her alone.

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“Goodbye.” She hung up without waiting for him to return the farewell. She went back to her bed in Riley’s room, but sleep continued to elude her as she worried about what she’d just unleashed.

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Chapter Five

Lane jerked awake, sitting upright on the couch. She jumped again, alarmed by the shadow of a man perched on the coffee table in front of her.

“Ahh,” she said, sucking in a deep breath.

“It’s me,” Tris said softly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” She placed her hand over her heart. “Give me a minute.” He remained silent for a few moments as she attempted to compose herself.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “I’m fine. You startled me.”

“What the hell are you doing sleeping on the couch?” Lane sighed. She’d been a fool to think she could keep up the illusion of sharing a room with Riley. Fact was, she was exhausted from too little sleep. Tris stared at her, waiting for an answer, and she struggled to come up with one that would appease him.

“The bed in Riley’s room hurts my back.”

“Try again.”

“I was restless tonight and I didn’t want to keep your sister up with my tossing and turning.”

“We’re probably getting closer to the truth with that one. The dark circles you’ve been carrying under your eyes the last couple days make me think this isn’t the first night you’ve moved to the couch.”

She shrugged. “I’m not a great sleeper.”

“You were crying,” he said, and her concerns about coming to stay with the Collins family came crashing down on her. Her erratic sleeping was one of the main things she 71

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didn’t want anyone—especially Tris—to know about. It was embarrassing, weird, disturbing.

“Really?” she asked weakly. “That’s strange.”

Tristan shook his head. “No, I don’t think it is. You gonna tell me about it?”

“Please don’t ask me.”

He considered her words and she felt the weight of the silence surrounding them crushing her. Then to her surprise he rose and, for a minute, she thought he was going to grant her a reprieve. She should have known better.

He bent down and picked her up from the couch as if she weighed nothing. “What are you doing?” He turned toward the stairs to the third floor, to his bedroom, and her cursed heart starting racing again.

“You don’t want to talk, so we won’t.”

His words left her speechless and he chuckled lightly when he looked down and spotted the nervousness on her face.

“Don’t worry, kitten. We’re not going to do
that
, either. We’re going to sleep. Looks like you could use about forty-eight hours of it.”

“I can’t sleep in your bed. What will your family say?”

“They’ll probably say it’s about damn time.”

She looked at his room as they entered, taking in the simple décor. His was the one room in the apartment she’d yet to see. In fact, this was the first time she’d come to the third floor. Riley had told her that—aside from the twins’ bedroom—the top floor of the building was used primarily for storage. Lane could only assume as the family had grown, so had the need for more bedrooms.

Tris placed her on the end of his bed, lightly pushing her. “Slide over.” It was a king-size bed and because his room wasn’t that big, one side of it butted up against the wall.

“Big bed,” she murmured as she moved as close to the wall as she could.

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“First thing I did when Killian left for the military was pitch the single beds and buy myself a man-size one.” He gestured to himself. “I might
be
a twin, but this body was not made to sleep on a twin mattress.”

She giggled. “Must have been a tight fit.”

“I hit my growth spurt at fourteen. For four years I slept with my feet dangling off the end of the mattress.”

“I shouldn’t be here,” she whispered when he crawled in beside her, pulling her into his strong embrace.

“This is exactly where you should be.” He turned slightly, bending to kiss her. As always, the moment his lips touched hers, she lost all sense of right and wrong and all the fight left her as she let herself be carried away by him. He surrounded her with such a feeling of peace she wanted nothing more than to wallow in it. She was through fighting, through pretending.

“Make love to me, Tris,” she whispered when his lips traveled along her cheek to her neck.

He leaned on his elbow and looked at her. “You’re tired.” She grinned. “Tired of fighting
this
. Please,” she added when she sensed he might refuse.

“You’re sure?”

She nodded.

He helped her to a sitting position, sliding her nightgown over her head. She was naked in an instant. He rose from the bed, taking off his own clothes as she watched, transfixed. He was a large man. His chest was broad, his upper arms thick with muscles. His height, rather than intimidating her, had always made her feel tiny, delicate—even though she was certainly not short.

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As he pushed his jeans over his hips, she was graced with her first look at his cock.

He was
definitely
a large man. She bit her lip, her gaze flying back to his face when he chuckled.

“Don’t look so scared.”

She watched him grab a condom from the nightstand drawer, throwing it onto the pillow beside her. “Last chance,” he warned. “If I get in that bed, we’re not stopping until I’m buried inside you.”

“Hurry,” she said, raising her arms. “For once in my life, I can honestly say this is what I want. No doubts, I promise.”

He grinned and crawled onto the bed, not stopping until he’d caged her beneath him. He hovered over her on his hands and knees and she marveled at how completely he covered her. He gave her a long, thorough kiss, not touching her with anything more than his lips. She squirmed, wanting to feel his weight on her, dying to have his skin against hers.

“Tris,” she whispered, moving away.

“Shhh.” He cupped her cheek with his hand, pulling her lips back to his. “I’ll give you what you want, kitten, but we’re doing this my way. You belong with me and I’m going to spend the rest of tonight proving that to you.”

“All I want is sex.”

He laughed. “Well, you’re going to get sex
and
a lover. This is one of those package deals.”

She trembled at the deep confidence in his voice, the word
lover
hovering between them, resonating inside and frightening her.

“Everyone already assumes we’re in a relationship, Tris. You’ve sort of made sure of that.” Tris had gone out of his way to proclaim to any man in the pub who happened to glance in her direction that she was off-limits. She had to admit, every time he thumped his chest like Tarzan over her, she felt excited, warm inside.

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“What everyone assumes and what’s true are two different things. Tonight we’re making this true.” His eyes dared her to contradict him, his hand leaving her cheek to stroke her hair. “I’ve dreamed of seeing you in my bed, just like this. Your hair flowing over my pillow.” She moved restlessly beneath him, but he didn’t acknowledge the intense need she was suffering.

His fingers stopped caressing. Instead they tangled in her tresses, directing her face toward his. He kissed her and she felt the effects straight to her core. His eyes narrowed as he pulled back and she saw his gaze travel down her body. She could feel her nipples tauten under his intense scrutiny.

“Is your pussy wet?”

She pressed her legs together, nodding, stunned by his frank question. In some ways he felt like a stranger to her at this moment. Tris, her affable friend, had never been anything less than courteous, caring, gentle. This mountain of a man felt as if he’d been ripped from her naughtiest fantasies.

“I want a taste.” His lips traveled along her jaw, down her chest. She gasped when he enveloped one of her nipples with his mouth, the suction sending a tingling current to her cunt. He was still hovering on top of her and she marveled that he could provoke so much passion with just his lips, his mouth, his teeth. He left her breast, drawing a line with his tongue from her breast to her pussy.

He pushed her legs apart, holding them open with his knees as he knelt at the foot of the mattress. The look he gave her should have had her trembling in fear. He was intent, hungry, and she realized the teddy bear had turned into the grizzly. “Feed me.” She knew instantly what he wanted and reached down as he watched, slowly dragging her finger along her wet slit. She held herself open with one hand while touching her clit with the other. Her gaze never left his face as she played with herself.

She gripped her clit, pinching it, while pushing two fingers inside her hot cunt. His eyes narrowed when she began to thrust her hips.

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He shook his head and grabbed her wrists, drawing them toward his mouth. He sucked each of her wet fingers, cleaning them thoroughly with his tongue. Then he bent forward, pressing her hands firmly into the mattress beside her head.

“Leave your hands there. The only thing they’re going to be touching from now on is my cock.”

He quickly returned to his position between her legs, his face so close she could feel his hot breath on her aching flesh.

“Please,” she whispered when he failed to move.

“I like the sound of that, Lane,” he said. “Say please again.”

“Please, Tris. Please put your mouth on me. Fuck me with your tongue.” Her voice betrayed her need.

He grinned at her naughty request. “Oh, I’m not just going to fuck you, kitten, I’m going to lap up every drop of your sweet juice—and then I’m gonna make you feel
really
good.”

The last word had barely left his mouth before he put his gorgeous promise into action. No part of her pussy was left wanting as he licked her mons, nipped her clit with his teeth and drove his tongue deep within her. His touches literally drove her out of her mind as she thrashed against the bed, desperate to drive him deeper.

“Hold still,” he said, but she couldn’t contain her motions.

“Can’t,” she gasped, shocked when he moved away and slapped two light smacks against her cunt.

She cried out at the lightning bolt of sensation his hand unleashed. He chuckled at her response, and then slapped her again. No one had ever touched her in such a way.

Her body lurched in response as she was engulfed by an orgasm she didn’t see coming.

She fought back the scream clawing at her throat, one tiny brain cell clinging to the knowledge his entire family was sleeping on the floor below them.

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She’d barely recovered from her climax when she heard Tris wrestling with the condom, felt him place his cock at the entrance to her body. Her eyes flew open as he started to push in. Her pussy was sensitive to his every move and she was afraid she wasn’t ready for this. He was far thicker than any lover she’d ever had. While her body cried out for his possession, her mind wondered if she’d be able to accommodate him.