Deliciously Obedient (40 page)

Which
was fine with him.

Because
it was true.

Alone
was fine when it was his choice, but this wasn’t what he would have
selected for himself. Lydia’s absence made him ache. Not just his
southern brain, either. All of him. Every fiber wanted to be with
her, even as his rational mind knew that giving her space was more
important than slaking his thirst for her.

All
that needed to be said had been said by both him and Mike. Leaving
space and time for Lydia to figure this out for herself meant dealing
with uncertainty.

Which
sucked.

Sucked
bad
.

Bzzz.
A text from Mike:

Took
an earlier flight. Want to take a drive up the coast with me?

Jeremy
looked around the apartment, all grey and black and sleek, so
different from how he would decorate a place.

First,
he’d start with a cabin with exposed beams...

Yes,
he texted back.

Meet
me outside—driving up and already packed, so let’s just go.

What
if she wants more space?

Pause.
Jeremy jumped up and grabbed a couple shirts, some pants, boxer
briefs and—with a heaping dose of optimism—threw in Mike’s
unopened twelve pack of condoms and some lube.

Then
we turn around.

Reading
the reply as he stormed out of the apartment and down the hall, bag
banging against his hip, he didn’t know whether to laugh or wince.

How
about
both
?

Mike
tapped his toe against the accelerator, other foot firmly on the
brake, completely pumped with adrenaline and the constant motion of
being in action.

Finally.

Three
days back home had given him space and time that was different from
his stretch at the campground. Spending time with his mother,
visiting old haunts, and just regrouping
—
checking
in with the man he’d been long before creating his public persona,
and deciding how the next phase of his life needed to unfold had
given him a sense of purpose.

And
urgency.

Flow
.

Jeremy
practically tackled the car door and flung himself in the passenger’s
seat, to the extent that a six and a half foot form could. Breathing
hard, he twisted into a pretzel to dump a gym bag in the backseat,
whipped around for his seat belt, clicked in and turned to Mike with
eyes as excited as Mike’s.

“
Go.”

As
he guided the rented Audi out of the garage, he said dryly, “Whatever
happened to waiting until Lydia calls us?”

“
Pffft.
You were right.”

“
Say
that again.”

“
You
were right,” Jeremy said louder.

“
Again.”

“
You.
Were. Ri—oh, fuck off,” he added, laughing.

“
Just
like to hear that.”

Jeremy
looked around the car’s interior. “What about your Tesla?”

“
The
driving range is too limited on the battery.”

“
First
world problems.”

“
.0000001
percent world problems. But then again,
you’re
the
billionaire.”

“
Don’t
you forget it.”

Mike’s
jaw ground down. “Don’t worry. I never will.”

Aside
from a quick delay at a donut shop for a pit stop, some sugar fuel
and a few nasty coffees, they didn’t waver in their determination
to get to the campground, making it there just as the lights to the
registration desk went dim. In the darkness, Mike could appreciate
the place on a different level, the campground lights marring the
perfect ink with sparkles that made up the night sky.

“
Lydia
in the same cabin you guys shared?” Mike asked.

Jeremy
gave him a funny look. “How would I know?”

Oh.
Yeah.

“
Then
where should we look?”

“
We?
You are about to completely reveal yourself to Pete and Sandy
—
who
will shit bricks big enough to feed to lobsters older than you
—
and
we’re surprising Lydia. I don’t think this is a
we
mission.”

“
This
is a
we
mission.”

“
If
you want to push her away, embarrass her in front of her parents, and
destroy whatever shred of a chance we have at making this actually
work out, keep it up. Your need for control certainly hasn’t
changed.”

“
I
own my actions. It’s time to step up.” More than time. He needed
to be open and reveal all, then handle the fallout. Secrets weren’t
cutting it any more. Let the people in his life sort themselves out
by telling the truth. It was the ultimate filter.

Too
bad it took so long for Mike to figure that out.

“
Maybe
for you. Maybe you need to reveal your deception, but step back a
minute before you step up.” His heart was slamming and his
breathing a bit labored as the full reality hit him. Urgency faded as
Jeremy’s words sank in.

“
Then
how? How do we do this?” he asked, his voice angrier than he
wanted, hands gripping the wheel. The blood pumped so hard through
him he could see the veins on his wrists throbbing.

“
Let
me find her first, and then we’ll find a way for you to come into
the picture.”

“
No!”
Mike slammed his palm against the steering wheel just as a set of
headlights came up behind them.

“
Move
the car,” Jeremy ordered as Mike took the initiative and pulled up
and into a parking spot by the registration desk. The car behind them
turned off toward the a cluster of tents.

“
Mike,
be reasonable. Let’s do this in layers.”

“
Layers.”

“
Layers.
One step at a time. I’ll find her—”

“
We’ll
find her.”

“
What
about Pete and Sandy?”

“
I
don’t care any more!” Mike shouted, exasperated. “I’ll take
the hit! They’ll learn I’m Mike Bournham and not Mike Davis.
They’ll find out I lied. I’ll apologize and then can we just
fucking move on and quit living in suspended animation? My life feels
like I’m caught spinning my wheels and I’d rather be in pain and
moving forward than in pain and stuck in one place!”

The look on Jeremy’s
face was a mix of awe, confusion, and admiration. “Okay then,” he
said slowly, reaching for the car door handle. “Let’s do it your
way. You lead.”

“
Why
the change?”

“
Because
you have more to lose than I realized, but it sounds like you’re
losing every minute we don’t do this. So why not just get it over
with.”

Just
as Mike was about to respond:

Tap
tap tap.

In
the dark, the hooded character, wearing a dark sweatshirt, wasn’t
recognizable. Mike lowered the window and a very familiar voice said:

“
Hi.
Could you please move your car?”

What
the hell were they doing here? Standing outside in the dark, wearing
just a hoodie and sweatpants, her feet shoved in slip-ons as she’d
run out to see what the late-arriving “guests” might need, Lydia
shivered as much from the cold as from anticipation. Her night was
supposed to involve an intimate encounter with her tongue.

And
a pint of Triple Caramel Chunk ice cream.

These
two men were far more delicious.

“
I
assume you aren’t here to rent a cabin,” she said as the two just
grinned at her, Jeremy like a golden retriever who hasn’t seen its
owner for a few hours but acts like it’s been years, and Mike with
a half-grin that made butterflies appear in her stomach.

“
You
have one of your own?” Mike said in a low voice.

“
Yes,
I
do.” Oh, hell no. She wasn’t ready. Not. Ready. At. All.
Besides, she hadn’t shaved in days. Sleeping with her would be the
equivalent of a facial, her stubble an exfoliant better than sea salt
scrubs.

The
idea of one of their cheeks against her legs...

Or
both
.

“
But
you two can sleep in there.” She thumbed toward the outhouse.

“
Only
if you’re not planning to twirl any batons,” Jeremy said with a
smirk.

Silence.
She let the joke hang in the air, completely paralyzed.

“
Well?”
Mike asked, hand on the car door handle now, popping the metal door
open.

A
halting step back and her body zoomed with adrenaline. “Well,
what?”

“
Well,”
Jeremy said as he unfolded himself from the car. “How about a cup
of coffee? You in the same cabin?”

“
Yes.
Your phones broken?”

“
Phones?”
Jeremy stopped short and stared at her. God, she’d missed him. His
hair was wild and loose, face eager, hands at his sides and a thick
ski jacket covered him, navy and form fitting. He looked like a
snowboarder, had the feel of a man accustomed to using his body with
skill, and she held back from launching herself into his arms.

Took
a lot of self control.

And
then Mike got out of his car.

Holy
hell. She covered up the rush of arousal and her mind’s naughty
thoughts as she looked at both.

“
Yes,
your phones. You could have called.”

Mike
stared evenly at her. “If we’d done that, you’d have said no.”

“
I
have a right to say no.”

“
You
have a right to say whatever you want.”

“
And
to feel whatever you feel,” Jeremy added, coming closer. If she
took one step she could touch them both.

“
Lydia?
Honey?” Her dad’s voice crackled in the inky night, making her
jump. Jeremy’s face filled with panic with receded quickly,
replaced with a determination that almost made her gasp. This was a
reckoning, not between her and Mike and Jeremy, but between the Lydia
she wanted to be and the people who loved her.