“What!” Rafe thundered as he glared at his best friend.
“Before you attempt to kill me, let me explain. We didn’t exactly spend the night together…” he hedged.
“You have about five seconds to explain before I toss you from a moving vehicle, then have the driver run you over.”
“Look, Lia and I were at the same fundraiser a few months ago and we got together for dinner and drinks. We both ended up drinking a few too many glasses of the exquisite wine and then decided to have a couple more glasses in my room before calling it a night. We passed out. Nothing happened.” When a deathly silence filled the car, he added, “I swear!”
“Dad, open the door – I think I'll throw Shane out anyway,” Rafe thundered.
“You’re such a damn hypocrite. I didn’t even touch your sister – I treated her with nothing but respect. I love your family too much to violate Lia. However, you treat women like they’re nothing more than used gum on the bottom of your shoe and you’re going to sit back and judge me. I love you, Rafe, but when it comes to women, you’re a certified ass**le,” Shane said with a glare.
“Ha! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. When’s the last time you’ve spent two nights in a row with the same women. At least I’m responsible in my affairs. I stay with the same person for a minimum of three months,” Rafe replied like it was something to be proud of.
“You think you deserve sainthood because you treat your relationships like another business merger.”
“There’s nothing wrong with having strict guidelines to follow.”
“I think we should just drop this Rafe.”
“You’re probably right. I’d rather we didn’t say something that can’t be taken back.”
Rafe looked around, having forgotten for a moment that his parents were sitting across from him. He didn’t like the look of censure in his mother’s eyes or the thoughtful expression on his sisters faces.
The rest of the ride to the restaurant was silent as Rafe sat there brooding. The complications with Ari continued to pile up. He needed to be alone so he could figure out where everything had gone so wrong. At the moment, he could almost admit that he was in over his head.
When the limo stopped, Rafe nearly sighed with relief. He wanted out of the tension filled space. It didn’t help that his sisters seemed to be communicating silently with each other. Since they were little, the two of them had formed a way of speaking without saying a single word. More often than not, it had led to trouble. He had a feeling times hadn’t changed just because they’d all aged.
As his family was seated he noticed the tension between Shane and Lia. He needed to take his friend aside soon and find out exactly what was going on there. He and Shane were cut from the same cloth – both messed up when it came to women. Rafe didn’t want Lia mixed up in that. Rafe didn’t think his friendship could survive it.
*****
“Are you going to refuse to meet my eyes, now!”
Shane stood there trapped by the bathroom door. He hadn’t thought Lia would follow him. Rafe had to be even more suspicious now. He’d barely escaped Rafe’s questions, but knew his friend was going to confront him privately soon. If Rafe found out the vivid dreams Shane was having about Lia, his best friend would kill him.
When several awkward seconds passed, Shane finally met Lia’s eyes. The worried expression and defensive stance didn’t help him feel any better.
“Lia, this is a mistake. I shouldn’t have kissed you that night. Rafe’s my best friend. I don’t know how it happened.”
“I’m not a little girl anymore, Shane. I can kiss guys all I want without my big brother’s permission. As a matter of fact, I can even have sex with them, too if I want,” she said boldly, making Shane want to punch a wall. He didn’t even want to think about Lia ha**ng s*x – unless it was with him.
“If you’re trying to get a reaction, you are doing a damn fine job – and you’re not going to like the results,” he threatened.
“A reaction? Oh, that couldn’t possibly happen. There can be nothing but stiff formality and indifferent looks from the mighty Shane. You know what? I don’t care. I think I’ll just head to the bar and pick up someone who isn’t ashamed to look at me,” she stormed as she turned away.
Like hell she would!
Frustration taking over his good sense, Shane gripped Lia’s arm and swung her back around to face him. The surprise in her eyes was quickly overtaken by desire as he pulled her up against him. Knowing it was a mistake, but still not managing to stop, Shane gripped her head while he captured her lips.
All thoughts fled as he tasted her sweet mouth. There was no slow exploration. He felt like a starving man finally finding food. Pushing Lia up against the wall, pinning her body with his own, his hand moved down her neck, then roamed the front of her shirt while he consumed her mouth.
When she cried out as his hand brushed her breast, his body went solid and he pressed his arousal against her, trying to seek relief.
She greedily accepted all he was giving, encouraging him to take her right there. His hand slid beneath her shirt as he reached for her bra. He needed to feel her bare skin.
“Well, isn’t this interesting? I can see there’s nothing going on between the two of you.”
Shane froze at the sound of Rachel’s voice. He pulled back from a very flushed Lia, horrified at how he’d been violating her in public.
“I’m sorry,” he said before turning and making a quick exit from the back hall of the restaurant.
“That is one great bathroom break,” was the last thing he heard Rachel say as he went straight outside. He’d call Rafe later and make up an excuse of why he’d had to cut out early. Rafe would take one look at him right now and have no doubt about what he’d just been up to.
Guilt ate him as he hailed a cab and fled the scene. When his phone rang five minutes later, he ignored it. He knew he’d have to face the music sooner or later, but he wasn’t ready to go there yet. Rafe was his best friend – his family. If he lost that friendship, he didn’t know what he’d do.
The situation was impossible because the bottom line was that even fleeing to a third world country hadn’t rid his mind of Lia. He was falling hard for her, and he knew a relationship with her was impossible.
In the long run, he knew he’d just hurt her because he wasn’t capable of having a long-term relationship. An affair with her wasn’t worth losing his best friend. Now, if only he could convince certain parts of his anatomy of that, he’d be just fine.