“They know each other, Bill,” Lucy said with an exaggerated eye roll.
David’s voice seemed to drop an octave when he said, “David Dylan.” The handshake, so close to my face, was firm and lasted uncomfortably long. I watched as David studied him with drawn lips. Bill had heard David’s name in conversation, but I doubted that he remembered. Still, his hand tightened on my shoulder. Or is it my imagination?
“Thanks again, Mrs. Greene,” David said, causing Lucy to titter into her hand. “You are a vision, and the ceremony was beautiful. Well done.”
“Oh.” She waved him off exaggeratedly, but she blushed.
“Are you driving back tonight?” My voice was thick, and I immediately regretted speaking when David looked directly at me.
Lucy gasped. “You’re staying! We have room. Er, Dani has room.”
I stilled under Bill’s hand.
“No, thank you. I don’t have anything with me.”
“Who cares? You can borrow stuff. Dani, come here!” Lucy’s hand flapped exaggeratedly, and she almost fell over.
“Easy,” I said.
Her eyes widened. “We can play board games. Dani, shouldn’t David stay the night?”
“Yes,” Dani agreed quickly. I looked at the ground when I felt my cheeks heat.
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable – ”
“Oh David, you’re such a gentleman,” Lucy said, swatting his arm. “We’ll give you your own room, I was just teasing. John was supposed to stay the night, but he’s not. You can take his room.”
Dani’s mouth fell open, but David nodded his agreement before she could protest. “Great!” she said instead. “Come on.” She walked toward the house and then looked over her shoulder. “David, come on. This way.” He looked anxious, but took a step backward before pivoting to follow her.
I watched their retreating figures until Bill stepped around in front of me. “Did you have some cake?”
“Yes.” I’d had a bite, so it wasn’t a lie. My stomach was far too distressed for something so sweet, though.
“Good. Let’s get the hell out of these clothes,” he said, resting his hand on my upper back and leading me up the steps.
“I’ll be right up,” Lucy called loudly.
Bill laughed and shook his head. “She’s wasted.”
“Was it fun being a groomsman?”
“Yeah, actually. I didn’t think I would like it, but I had a good time.”
When we entered the house, I searched furtively for David or Dani, but neither was in sight. I groaned inwardly. Was this really happening? Maybe tonight he would finally make his move. She’d be thrilled about it, I thought bitterly. But could I really blame her? Just let it go. Let him be happy. Isn’t that what I want ultimately? For everyone to just be happy, myself included? I nodded.
CHAPTER 6
BILL’S HAND SLID DOWN my shoulder. With a quick kiss, he pulled softly on my dress strap until it fell. I stood watching him as he backed away and undressed.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing.” I pulled my dress off the rest of the way and tried to shake David’s lingering touch from my back. I tugged Bill by the waistband of his boxers, and he stumbled to me.
His lips found mine with a deeper kiss. I grabbed his hand roughly and put it around me, trying to erase any hint of David. I recognized the softness of his tongue and the smell of his soap, but the kiss was flat. My hair came free when I pulled on it, and he brushed it from my neck. Behind closed eyes, I remembered David’s expansive hand sliding down to my lower back, his fingertips alone driving me wild. I moaned into Bill’s mouth, and he became instantly hard.
I scolded myself. I needed to forget David and to remember what Bill felt like. I had done this to us, and now I had to make things right. Or had we always been this way? I dashed away the thought and fell back on the bed, splaying out my arms. “Come on, Bill,” I said gruffly. I arched my back, offering my breasts. “Fuck me.”
“What?”
“You heard me,” I said. When he didn’t move, I huffed and sat up to grab his arm. “Get over here.”
He aligned himself with the edge of the bed, and I wrapped my legs around him. Replace the memories, Bill. Now. Let’s make it right. Now, now, now –
“The other night you said – ”
“I don’t care what I said, just do it.” I needed him to take me because he couldn’t resist me another moment, because he was overcome with desire. I squirmed on the bed as I fought off the memory of David cornering me in the stairwell and proving that he couldn’t, wouldn’t, wait another second.
“Okay.” Tentatively, he moved my thong aside and pulled down his boxers. He ran his hand over himself once and licked his fingers before touching me.
“Yes,” I moaned loudly.
He bent his knees and entered me slowly.
“Oh, yes, Bill, come on.” I bucked my hips and used my heels to urge him deeper, trying to recapture the insatiable need that I’d felt with David. He grimaced. “What?” I asked.
His chest deflated with a loud exhale. “Nothing.”
It wasn’t nothing. He was still holding the base of his penis, but I felt him softening inside of me. “You can’t . . . ?”
“I had a lot to drink,” he snapped. “And you’re . . . yelling at me,” he said as he pumped his fist over himself.
“Do you need help?” I sat up and reached out, but he pulled back.
“Don’t.”
“Okay.”
“And stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I can’t get it up.”
I searched for something else to look at, because I didn’t think I could not look at him that way. After a few moments, I sighed. “It’s fine, babe, let’s go see what the others are doing. We can try again later.”
“No, I can do it,” he said, panting.
I slid off the bed and kissed his shoulder. “It’s no big deal.” I was secretly relieved. Seeing David again had freshened the memories. It was unfair that I’d be thinking about him instead of Bill.
I pulled on my striped pajama shorts and matching camisole before yanking a brush through my tangled hair.
Bill groaned behind me. “I can’t fucking believe this,” he uttered, squatting to rummage in his suitcase.
“Babe, it happens. Don’t worry. Lucy said it happened to Andrew a few weeks ago.”
“What?” he exclaimed. “I did not need to know that.”
“Um, don’t repeat that, seriously.”
“What am I going to say, ‘Hey, dude, heard you can’t get it up either?’”
“You’re fine. One time does not mean anything. Come on, get dressed.” When my hair was in a presentable state, I wrapped myself in the red robe Lucy had given us.
Bill was close behind as I padded down the stairs. We found the group seated around the fire, surrounded by glasses of wine and bottles of beer.
“Where have you two been?” Dani asked, arching an eyebrow in our direction. David sat barefoot and cross-legged on the floor next to her in a pajama set that looked small. He looked like a Greek statue, eerily still as he stared into the fire.
“Just changing,” I said quickly, and Bill shot me a glance.
“Liar,” Dani chimed. “We’ve been down here for twenty minutes already.”
“I need a beer,” I muttered, leaving to the kitchen.
“Bring a few,” Andrew called after me. I loaded up my arms and returned to the room to distribute drinks. I had one extra, so I offered it to David, who accepted it without looking up.
“We were just telling Lucy that if she gets knocked up, she might have to move to the ‘burbs,” Gretchen said as I settled by Bill’s feet against the base of the couch.
Lucy groaned and fell over onto Andrew’s lap. “You won’t make me do that, will you?”
Andrew just burped into his fist and shrugged. “Everyone’s doing it.”
“Truth,” Bill said, pa
tting my head. “Liv and I looked at a real fixer-upper in Oak Park on Friday.”
David sputtered suddenly and coughed into his hand. Dani patted his back softly while he cleared his throat.
“What’s it like?” Gretchen asked.
I closed my eyes and envisioned the house. “It’s really . . . amazing.”
“Well,” Bill chortled, “I’m not sure ‘amazing’ is the right word.”
I opened my eyes, and the image evaporated. “It’s not, you’re right. It’s a mess, but it has this really charming aura that sort of encompasses you when you’re near it.”
“That sounds nice,” Lucy said sleepily.