Table for Two-epub (3 page)

“Not hot. Cold.”

“Huh?”

“It was cold, you big lug. It’s winter. You spent so long in my room, my uncovered skin reacted to the temperature.”

“Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“Not for a second.”

“My, my, James Elliot. What a large ego you have.”

“Are you cold now?”

“Now? Not even a bit.”

He nodded in satisfaction. “I rest my case.”

“What case?”

“Your nipples were hard because you enjoyed having me admire them.”

Whoa! His husky tone just sent a shiver down her spine.

“And,” James went on, “your nipples are every bit as hard now as they were earlier in your room.” He finally raised his gaze to grin that sexy, mischievous grin at her. “See? Proof positive that you enjoy me looking.”

Stunned speechless, Olivia stared at him.

Beneath her bra, her nipples had indeed tightened into hard beads. They poked at the lace of her black lingerie. “Y-you can see that?”

His gaze was back on her chest. “I can’t look away.”

“Forget it, Jimmy. It’s not gonna happen.”

“What’s not gonna happen?”

“You and me. Not tonight. Not ever. Friends don’t hook up with friends—no matter how hard their nipples might be.”

“Nipples aren’t the only hard body part here.”

“I haven’t forgotten my little jar of arsenic.”

“I haven’t forgotten an inch of your naked body.”

“It’s not gonna happen. I have way too much on my mind at the moment.” Talk about an understatement.

“Want to chat about it?”

“Not even a little bit.”

“Get naked for me again, pretty one. I’ll make you forget whatever’s on your mind.”

“As if you could.” Just like that, the strain and stress of the last two weeks seeped back into Olivia’s muscles, and the weight of the tension pulled at her shoulders. She wilted in her seat.

James sat upright. “Liv?” His tone changed. Gone was the smoky seduction. In its place sat James, her good friend. “You sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

She shook her head.

“Talking might help.”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry.” Nothing he could help her with anyway, so there was no point bringing him down too.

His eyes filled with concern. “Is this nothing the reason you’ve lost weight you can’t afford to lose?”

Olivia chewed on her lip. The idea of sharing her problems with someone she trusted was appealing, but she just didn’t know how. Besides, Dinner Club wasn’t the place to discuss how huge a screw-up her life had become.

“Hey.” James scooted over to sit closer to her. Close enough to take her hand in his. “You know I’m here if you need me, right?”

“Yeah, Jimmy. I know, thanks. I’ll be all right.”

“G’day, g’day,” a voice boomed from behind Olivia.

“Greg.” James shot the eighth club member a smile, but didn’t release Liv’s hand. “G’day, mate.”

“Hey, Greg.”

“Liv.” Greg kissed her cheek, rounded the table, clapped James on the back and took a seat next to him. Following on his heels were Theo and Zoey, and as soon as they’d said their hellos and taken their seats side by side, Levi, Spencer and Ava joined them.

Zoey’s gaze homed straight in on James’s and Olivia’s hands. “Anyone care to tell me what’s been going on since last time we saw you all?”

“Sure,” Ava volunteered, her eyes dancing with delight. “Let’s see. My unexpected life as a single woman continues on as usual. No change there. Greg got his hair cut.” She threw a smile his way. “It looks good, by the way. Super duper trendy.” Next, she pointed to the two men who’d been sitting at the bar. “Spence and Levi finally had sex, and we’re all just thrilled for them. James discovered Liv has boobs, now he can’t stop staring at her chest. And Liv threatened to sprinkle poison on James’s dinner tonight.” She paused. “Any questions?”

Chaos erupted. Everyone spoke at the same time. Questions and gasps of disbelief echoed through the room, and in the mayhem James lost Liv’s hand—which he was not at all happy about.

It was only when Chelsea, the restaurant owner, arrived with a tray of drinks that everyone finally shut up.

After she handed Greg his customary Black Label whiskey and poured Theo and Zoey a glass of red wine each before setting the bottle in front them, she looked at Ava with a smile. “Did I hear you say Spencer and Levi finally had sex?”

Ava grinned back at her. “You did indeed.”

“So I suppose congratulations are in order?”

“I suppose they are. What do you think?” Ava asked her.

“I think… Hmmm, I think the next time Levi and Spencer have sex, I’d like to be there to watch.”

Greg patted the restaurant owner’s hand. “I’m sorry, Chelsea. If Spence and Levi are sleeping together, this might mean you don’t get any more marriage proposals from Levi.”

Levi had made it a habit to ask Chelsea to marry him at least once during dinner—every dinner.

“Oh, it might,” Chelsea agreed. “Then again, we never know with Levi, do we?”

“Wait,” Zoey interrupted. “Av, did you say Spence and Levi finally had sex, or did you say they finally had sex
with each other
?”

“Good question, Zo.” Ava nodded her approval. “How about we ask them?”

And with that, three pairs of eyes turned to Spencer and two pairs turned to Levi. Chelsea smiled a secret smile, and James let his gaze drift across the table, back to Olivia. Her expression mirrored four others. Eyes wide, mouth open, eagerly waiting to see what happened next.

“Spencer, Levi,” Zoey addressed them. “We’d all like to know, did the two of you finally have sex with each other?”

“We’ve known it was on the cards for a while now,” Greg intoned. “So don’t feel at all shy to mention if you’ve come out of the closet.”

Although concern for Olivia and the stress she seemed determined to keep to herself worried him, James had to chuckle at the questions. No one would ever mistake Levi and Spence for a gay couple. Both men loved women. Spence favored long-term monogamous relationships, while Levi enjoyed one-night stands as often as possible. 

Levi curled his mouth in amusement. “Well, let’s see. If Spence was in the room with me while I was making love, and he was making love too—on the same bed, at the same time—would that equate to having sex with each other?”

Olivia’s eyes widened even further. “Dear Lord. You slept together.”

“Fucking hell.” Greg shook his head. “Levi and Spence naked in the same bed? I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.”

“Oh, my goodness.” Zoey gasped. “Levi and Spence naked in the same bed? I think I just had a mini orgasm.”

“Nice, Zo,” Theo murmured as he tugged her hair affectionately. “Do we need to talk about this in private?”

“No,” Zoey told him. “But the way I feel at this exact second, I wouldn’t mind doing other things in private.”

“I think you’re all missing the most important question here,” Chelsea said. She’d tucked the drinks tray under her arm.

“And that is?” James asked.

Chelsea shot a level look first at Levi and then at Spencer. “Was the sex any good?”

Spencer grinned at her. “Best. Sex. Ever.”

“And it keeps getting better,” Levi added.

“I agree,” Chelsea said, and smiled at both of them. “It gets better every time.”

It took a couple of seconds to make sense of her words, but when he did, James’s jaw dropped.

So did Olivia’s.

Ava clapped in delight.

Chelsea looked at Zoey. “If you think the idea of Levi and Spence in bed and naked together is hot, you should try making love to both of them at the same time.” She winked. “There’s nothing mini about that. I promise.”

And once again chaos erupted.

Long moments were spent
ooh
ing and
aah
ing about the newest romantic development in the group of friends, and everyone gave their hearty endorsement to Levi, Spencer and Chelsea’s relationship.

Then Levi changed the subject. “So Jimmy, mate, you discovered Liv has breasts?”

“I did,” James answered. “Pleasant surprise, I might add.”

“Pleasant for you too, Liv?” Levi asked with a teasing smile.

“
Hmmph
,” was Liv’s chatty response.

“You’re planning on poisoning him for discovering you have breasts?” Spencer asked.

“No, most men realize it at some point. I’m planning on poisoning him for his reaction to my breasts.”

“Tell us, when do you propose to poison him?” Greg asked. “Over the main course or dessert?”

The sweet smile was back on her face. “Why wait that long for either?” She gestured to the beer James held to his lips.    

“You’d poison a man’s drink?” Spencer sucked in a breath. “That’s harsh.”

Unperturbed, James took a sip.

“Uh-oh,” Theo intoned.

James toasted Liv with his bottle and sipped again.

“Wait,” Greg said thoughtfully. “Liv, if you’ve poisoned Jimmy, who’ll run his annual charity drive?”

“Oh, good point.” Zoey looked at James. “Who are you raising money for this year again?”

James ran a charity project of his choice every year, using the rugby team to promote his cause. The thousands of dollars they raised were always put to good use.

“Epilepsy Action Australia,” James said. “Seemed like a good cause, and one of the players has a niece with epilepsy, so for him it’s personal.”

“Excellent choice,” Zoey commended.

“I’m sure one of your teammates can take over the project,” Liv said. “You rope them all into it anyway. They’ll be happy to help. Especially the uncle of the child.”

“Okay, panic over.” Greg gave a nod. “Liv’s right. The drive will go on, with or without Jimmy. So, how long do you think the poison will take before it hits his bloodstream?”

“No idea.” Liv looked at her watch. “Should we time it?”

“Did you pour a lot in?” Zoey wanted to know.

“How did you manage without him noticing?” Ava asked. “He hasn’t taken his eyes off you the whole evening.”

“Would you like to order before or after the poison takes effect?” Chelsea checked, ever the gracious hostess.

“Depends if he starts foaming at the mouth,” Greg answered. “That sight could turn a man off his food.”

“Two minutes thirty-one seconds, thirty-two, thirty-three…” Liv counted.

“She has great breasts,” Levi told James. “Catching a glimpse is worth the poison.”

“Best pair I’ve ever seen,” James agreed wholeheartedly.

Liv didn’t take her gaze off her watch. “I have some arsenic left over, Lev. Happy to share it with you. Fifty-four, fifty-five…”

“Sheesh. One time. I got you into bed one time, and you’ve never let me forget it.”  

“That’s because you’re unforgettable.” Chelsea ran a finger over his cheek.

Everyone
ooh
ed and
aah
ed all over again.

“I’ll give you folks a few. Soon as the poison’s done its job, I’ll send your waitress over.” Chelsea waved to them all and went off to do restaurant-owner duties.

“You dead yet, Jimmy?” Greg asked.

“Couple of cramps, but still alive,” he responded.

Thing was, the cramps were real. Or the one cramp that twisted his gut was. While it might not have resulted from arsenic poisoning, its origin was just as unsettling.

Jealousy.

Levi and Olivia had spent a night together, years ago. It wasn’t a secret. Hell, Levi had slept with all the women at the table at least once. Before now, the jokes and references to it had never bothered James. Tonight, the idea of Levi with Olivia chafed.

James wasn’t sure what bothered him most. His envy, his unwarranted irritation with Levi or the unexpected possessiveness he felt for Olivia.

He had no right to feel any of those.

Sure, seeing Liv naked was a turn-on. But that’s all it was: a turn-on and a joke to poke fun at. Why’d he have to go getting all protective of her now? That was just bullshit.

“It’s all that muscle,” Ava said. “The arsenic must take longer to have an effect than it would for a normal guy. Give it another minute or two.”

“Nice,” he grouched. “Liv poisoned me, and all you’re worried about is how long it’ll take to kill me.”

“Oh, no, Jimmy,” Zoey was quick to assure him. “Please, don’t misunderstand us. We’re not actually worried. It’s more like…curiosity about the whole process.”

And with that, discussion erupted on how long it should take arsenic to affect an average man compared to a muscle-bound, rugby-playing, weight-training addict.

Dinner was ordered before James gave them the satisfaction of keeling over, and from then on there was barely a break in conversation. Topics changed, arsenic was forgotten, Levi and Spencer were peppered with questions, and the evening proceeded as it always did. With lots of laughter and good cheer.

While everyone else ate heartily, Olivia ordered a salad and picked at it unenthusiastically. She hardly made a dent in the greens. More concerning was her refusal of dessert. The woman never turned down waffles at Chelsea’s. Ever.

James ordered the waffles for himself.

When Ava left to use the ladies’ room, he unapologetically took her place, seating himself next to Olivia for the rest of the evening. And when dessert arrived, he cut off a good-sized piece of waffle, coated it in ice cream and butterscotch sauce and offered it to Liv.

She turned it down.

Too thin, losing weight and refusing dessert? Unacceptable.

James steeled his spine and leaned over to murmur in her ear. “Eat it, or I’m going to tell everyone about the nipple stand.”

She shot him the look of death and allowed him to feed her the piece of waffle.

“Good.” James nodded his approval. “Now eat the rest.”

“You’re forcing me?”

“Call it a little amicable blackmail.” He held up another forkful of dessert.

“No thanks.”

“It was a great nipple stand,” he murmured. “Definitely worth mentioning.”

She grabbed the fork and shoved it in her mouth.

He smiled as she chewed and swallowed.

“I’m not liking you very much tonight.”