“Hmm?” Lucy sighed, her eyes shut.
Andrew put his finger over his lips and rolled his eyes. He mouthed, “She’s sleeping.”
“So much for wedding night sex,” Dani said under her breath, and everyone laughed. I caught her lusty glance at David and I inadvertently ripped the label from the bottle.
“I’m tired, too,” I said suddenly, getting up.
“Oh, okay.” Bill went to stand.
“No, it’s fine. Have fun.” I waved at him to stay seated, and he fell back on the couch. “Goodnight, everyone.”
I rubbed the tip of my nose and sniffed as I ascended the stairs. If Dani and David were going to sleep together, I definitely didn’t want it flaunted in my face. I had enough to deal with as it was.
When Bill returned to the room, I feigned sleep. I smelled cigar on his breath as he climbed in and kissed me on the cheek. Gripping my pillow, I willed away my insomnia.
But long after Bill had drifted, I lay staring at the ceiling, trying not to think of Dani and David. Of David and me. Of our dance. His wandering hands, stern words, and glances.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when I finally got out of bed and went to sit in the bay window. Drawing my knees to my bare chest, I looked over at Bill in the faint moonlight. He exhaled and flipped onto his back. The quiet and peaceful backyard out our window was a stark contrast to the bustling city I was used to. Even in perfect stillness, I had trouble sleeping.
Who was I kidding? It wouldn’t have mattered where I was. David and Bill in the same house had my mind buzzing. David said he’d come to the wedding to see me. But why? Why make things harder than they already were? And he looked so handsome. He possessed every woman within his proximity. Why did he have to be so damn irresistible? So exceptionally gorgeous in his urbane tuxedo?
I scanned the lawn below. And why did he hold a permanent place in my thoughts?
Bill coughed, and I looked back at him. “Come back to bed,” he mumbled.
I nodded, but I didn’t move. When his breathing evened again, I stood and fumbled for my robe in the dark. I slipped into the hallway and ran a hand through my hair before tiptoeing downstairs.
There was a soft, single light on in the kitchen. I hesitated and looked back over my shoulder, then again at the doorway. At three in the morning, it could’ve been anyone. But my brain caught on quickly to what my heart already knew—in that kitchen, I would find David.
7
Something dark filled the shallow glass in David’s hand. As I walked into the kitchen, he looked up at me with hooded eyes, leaning casually against the counter.
I stopped in the doorway. “I got thirsty,” I said finally. “Water.”
He straightened and grabbed a glass from a cupboard behind his head. I walked toward him to get it, but he turned and opened the refrigerator.
“Can’t sleep?” I asked while he retrieved a pitcher of filtered water.
“Not at all,” he said.
There could be many reasons why, but only one came to mind. Not unusual considering it had been bouncing around my head all night.
David filled my glass, then handed it to me and set the pitcher on the island behind me. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “You’re glaring at me.”
“You can’t sleep—because you and Dani have been up? Together?”
“Oh . . . no.” He resumed his casual lean against the counter opposite me. “I just have a lot on my mind.”
“So you didn’t . . . with her?”
He shook his head. “I have my own room.”
“Hmm.” I sipped my water.
“What about you?”
“I can’t sleep, either.”
