The Solitude of Passion (11 page)

“I got a group of investors to look into Townsend for you.” I give the beginning of a wicked grin. Lee has wanted to get investors involved for a while, and for whatever reason, Mitch held back. She asked me to look into it a few weeks ago, and I’ve been dying to surprise her all afternoon as soon as I got confirmation.

“You did?” Her face explodes with wonder like a kid on Christmas morning, and it warms me that I was able to supply the gift. I’d gift the world to Lee if she let me.

“I’ll put together a proposal for you,” I offer. “It’ll take a few months before they want to meet with the board. You might want to groom Colton for the occasion. Tell him there’s a six pack involved if he behaves—maybe throw in a stripper just to be safe.”

“I wish Colt was more into the working end of the business.” She pulls in tight and snuggles up to my shoulder. “Speaking of which, Mom and I just had a long conversation. She wants to be a silent partner. She said when I’m ready, she’s making me the president of Townsend Enterprises.”

Her cheeks fill in a deep shade of burgundy, her eyes electrify a clear sky-washed blue.

“Well, hello, Ms. President.” I lock my gaze over hers. “You have all the fire you need to do this. I believe in you, Lee. You’re going to make Townsend the name it was meant to be.”

“Thanks”—she lowers her lashes—“but without you, I couldn’t have paid the electric bill.” She wraps a long finger around a loose strand of her hair. “I still feel bad I’m cannibalizing so much of your time.”

There’s something honest and humble about Lee. Deep inside I know she believes in herself. Life just caught her off guard, that’s all.

I pat her on the knee. “Go to sleep. I’m going to take care of Stella for you tonight.”

“You’re spending the night?” She looks amused, but the color in her face deepens as if maybe she wants this on some level. I wish I knew. I wish I could read Lee like a book, turn the page and see what the future holds for us. Either way, I plan on being there for her as a friend.

“Right here on the couch.” I hold up a hand to demonstrate my platonic intent. Not that I wouldn’t cop to wanting her if she asked—if she wanted me, too. “I can leave before morning. I just want to give you a chance to recharge your batteries.”

Stella starts to whine and flex in my arms, so I pull her in close and dip a kiss over her tummy.

“You’ll watch her for me all night, huh? I wish, but I don’t have any bottles filled.” She takes Stella and lifts her shirt. I try not to look as Stella latches on, but I catch the low, full circle of Lee’s breast, her pale skin that’s never seen the light of day, and it stirs me. She tosses a blanket over Stella, and I relax again. “Still hurts like hell when”—she gives a slight gasp—“she starts. Everything’s so painful.” Lee lands her head back on my chest, and I readjust, so she can use me like a pillow.

This is the new norm, Lee and me. Our friendship reinstated to pre-Mitch levels. Those electric stolen moments have intensified, increased in volume and number. It still catches me off guard, though. I’ve always believed it was going to be Lee and me until Mitch injected himself into the picture, snatched her from underneath me then cut me off like I had the plague.

“You’ll never guess who I got a gift from.” Her eyes close with fatigue.

“Who?” It takes everything in me not to press a kiss over the top of her head. It feels natural. The warmth radiating from her body pulls me in until my cheek washes over her hair.

“Viv.”

A groan escapes from deep in my chest. It physically pains me to know she’s pestering Lee.

“A gift huh?” I’m more than skeptical. “Like what, firearms?”

“No,” she says, batting my stomach playfully. “Two pink dresses.” She gives a quick glance. “What happened between the two of you? Can I ask?”

“Yes, you can ask.” I take a deep breath. “She ate me for breakfast. The end.”

“Oh.” Lee suppresses a smile at the thought, most likely because she knows Viv is more than capable.

Lee and Viv were never friends. No real reason I can pinpoint other than it would be like pairing a kitten with a bear.

“So what brought you together?” Lee blinks up trying to hide her viral curiosity. “There must have been something in the beginning—you married her. Was it pure animal lust?” She bites down on her lip, but a squeal of laughter manages to bubble through.

Viv was a wrestler in bed—a dominatrix who longed to castrate someone. I got out just in time with my body and soul intact.

“Not lust.” I look down at her. Our eyes magnetize, and I can feel the powerful pull between us, inescapable as oxygen in a fire. “Lust is what I have for you,” I whisper.

Crap. It’s like I can’t control my mouth around Lee.

Heat rinses over my face, spreads throughout my body like a bona fide nuclear meltdown is taking place. Here they are—my true intentions laid out like a deck of cards, exposing my hand. It’s up to Lee to determine if it’s good or bad. I wouldn’t blame her if she kicked me out, told me to never come back.

Lee reaches up and cradles the back of my neck with her cool fingers. She pulls me down just shy of her lips and hesitates. My lips part in anticipation. I close my eyes never wanting to open them again without tasting her first. Lee brushes over me with a barely there pass of the lips. I’m not one to ignore an invitation, so I press in—sealing my mouth over hers then delving into the holy of holies and swiping my tongue ever so softly until she meets me with her own. I kiss her back, longer, much stronger than she most likely anticipated. Lee strokes her tongue over mine in smooth clean swipes that hold the flavor of strawberries and wine. She dives in deeper, probing me, telling me she loves me with the warmth of her mouth in an exchange that feels like a slow sweet eternity.

My arm glides around her waist, and I bump into Stella. I forgot she was nursing, and this arouses me on an unnatural level. I keep my lips conjoined with Lee’s. There’s no way I’m stopping. I’ve waited my entire life for this moment. All those years of worshiping at the altar of Lee Middleton and finally a victory kiss—a sober, heartfelt testament of my affection for her.

Stella kicks, and I catch her tiny cold foot, warming it in my hand. This is what it would feel like to have a family. A wife. A baby. Not just any family. Not with Viv playing the spousal role—not with her satanic spawn.

No. This is Lee.

This is heaven.

Eighteen months later

Lee

Kat and I hover over a picture of our parents—my mother with lemon-yellow hair, my father’s shock of white at forty. They wear clean, dutiful smiles. My father gazes at the camera with a daring twinkle, sharp angled cheekbones that neither Kat nor I were blessed with. My mother is stunning, almost arrogant in her beauty. She adorns herself with layers of gold glittering necklaces. Long, pink seashells dangle from her ears. My uncle managed to keep her collection intact, mostly costume jewelry. It was all tarnished and broken by the time I was twelve.

“Funny how that happens,” Kat muses, pulling out a bucket of crayons for Stella from her kitchen drawer and enough coloring books to keep her busy until she hits her freshman year in college. “Every time some big event is on the horizon that picture hooks me.”

In two weeks I’ll be married to Max. That’s the big event—the next big earthquake in our existence.

“I know,” I say, running my finger over the photo, the paper is tattered and soft as velvet. “I wish they could be here. I wish a lot of people could be here.” I flatten the tablecloth with the palm of my hand, trace the woven border with my eye. “But then I guess if Mitch showed up, there wouldn’t be a wedding.” I blink back tears.

“If Mitch showed up there would be a shootout.” Kat gives a gentle laugh while entombing our parents in the family album.

“Any news on the baby front?” I ask. Kat and Steve are in full throttle baby making mode after a long hiatus.

“I started.” She shrugs it off, pretending to pick at the chipped polish on her fingers. “It’s only been three months, and God knows I’m not in a hurry. If it doesn’t happen soon, I might take a year off. Steve and I are thinking of starting up the business again.”

I make a face at the thought of them reigniting their printing business. It was lucrative the last time they ran it, but Steve was offered a position at Global Pacific as a software consultant, and the real job won out.

“What’s the face?” Kat makes crazy eyes at me because she’s insane like that, plus she knows me too well. It’s impossible to keep my opinion to myself.

“Nothing.” I twist the napkin until it’s thick as rope. “It’s just that the last time you did this you said it sucked dry your savings and nearly cost you the house. I’m just not sure why you’d think to go in that direction again, but I’m not saying a word.”

“You, Lee Townsend, are judging me?” She raises her coffee in a mock salute.

A wry smile pinches over my lips. I knew she’d go there eventually just not so razor thin close to the wedding.

“That’s right.” I hold up my hands a moment. “Guilty as charged,” I whisper, glancing at Stella over at the other end of the table. “I’m marrying, Max Shepherd. A direction
I
never thought I’d go in, but, then again, Mitch isn’t here to protest the idea.” I slump in my seat. “Truth is, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Max. And if it weren’t for Mitch, it would have been Max.”

“You ever share this with him?” Kat leans in with her eyes as dark as a summer storm, her smile dipped in grief all for me.

I shake my head. “You know, it’s funny. Mitch and I never discussed Max. It was as if he was gone from the planet, as if their friendship never existed. And with Max, he’s sort of the opposite. He’s fine with me mentioning Mitch, and he usually matches me story for story. I don’t think Max felt the same level of hatred that Mitch did.”

“That’s because Mitch is dead.” Her expression flattens.

“Thank you for your blunt analysis.”

“No, it’s true. It’s easier to like dead people. It’s a well-known fact. Besides, Mitch probably had the threat of competition. He probably didn’t want Max hanging around trying to
steal
you. And, well, Max doesn’t have to worry about that.”

A dry laugh huffs from me. “Could be. But I don’t think Mitch was ever threatened. He just couldn’t get past what his father did. And with his dad six feet under he needed someone to blame.”

Kat taps her hands over the table. “Water under the bridge.”

“You’re right. And I think you and Steve are going to do great with the printing business.” I try to muster all the enthusiasm I can for Kat and Steve’s financial disaster in the making. “Call me if you have any problems. I’m getting pretty good at putting out fires. I’ve learned more about the administration end of business than I thought possible thanks to Max. He’s an excellent teacher. It’s what made me fall in love with him—his strong attention to detail, especially when it comes to Stella and me.”

“We won’t have a problem.” She knocks on the table. “So what’s with this exclusionary bachelorette party? Colton taking you to Vegas? Getting you smashed and bagging you himself?”

“Please. It’s an
unofficial
bachelorette party. Besides, it’s kind of nice he’s the one and only guest. We’re watching movies.”

“I know the kind of movies he likes to watch.” She rolls her eyes. Kat went through a Colt phase herself, only he wasn’t biting so it was mostly one-sided.

“The only reason I agreed to it is because Max is out of town. And, I think Colt needs help with the psychological transition. Me seeing Max was one thing, but becoming his wife is like twisting a blade in Colt’s back.”

Most likely his brother’s too but neither of us say it.

On Friday night, a full week and a day before the wedding, I gird my loins for an evening of shenanigans and madness with my once upon a brother-in-law. I’m sure there’s hard liquor and porn in the lineup—in other words, a normal night at Colt’s. I’m hoping tonight will be less blow up dolls and penis straws and more watching a chick flick with what amounts to my ex-boyfriend.