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“I’ve met Spence and Pax.” I made myself take a casual sip of champagne. “I don’t need to re-meet them.”
Will’s lips twisted in a snort. A warm hand cupped my elbow. “Andie, how are you? How’s work? Are you still living with Meg and Emily?”
Something deep inside me clenched, then melted at seeing a flicker of realness inside Will. Asking questions, caring about the answers. Like a person. And that person was almost buried. Enough time with Madeleine Platt, and the job at his dad’s company, and it would be sealed off forever.
“Work’s going really well.” More champagne fizzed down my throat. Will’s hand was an anchor on my arm, worlds away from the toying touches he’d given me at the garden party a year ago. “I’m still rooming with Meg and Emily. Meg says—“
Madeleine Platt shook her head impatiently. She’d clearly decided I wasn’t worth bothering with.
“Spencer! Paxton!” Her voice cut through the crowd. She curled one shapely tanned arm in an invitation they couldn’t refuse, beckoning them in. “There’s an old friend of yours here. You remember Will’s cousin. Take care of her for us, okay? Someone needs to show her a good time tonight.”
“No, Maddie,” Will murmured. “Andie’s fine.”
“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Behind her laughter, her blue eyes hardened. Sharp annoyance flashed across Will’s face. It all happened so quickly that I barely registered it. The next second, she had my cousin’s face in her hands, pulling him close for an intimate whisper. “I like to see everybody happy, baby. You know that.”
Will looked toward me, his green eyes unreadable. I wanted to drag him out of his own party, into the woods or back to my apartment or somewhere that wasn’t here. I knew what I wanted now, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Touching his jacket sleeve, I stepped back as Spence and Pax swaggered up, eyeing me like I was one of the tasty morsels on a passing hors d’oeuvres plate.
“Congratulations again,” I said quickly.
Before Will could answer, I turned and threaded through the crowd, putting distance between us. I ate some brie and crackers. I stuck to talking with people my aunt and uncle’s age, and probably made contacts that were more valuable than I could guess. I took everyone’s business card. Every so often, I glanced toward the center of the tent. Will, drinking champagne; laughing with his friends; kissing Maddie; watching me.
My feet took me out of the tent and onto soft grass. I crossed the manicured lawn, following the path of lanterns in the dark — not to the tall oaks, rustling on the border of the woods and flashing with fireflies, but to the big house.
I recognized the security guard outside the back door. He’d been here last summer, and he’d pretended not to notice, gazing steadily in the other direction, whenever Will and I crossed his path after coming out of the woods.
“Hi, Brian,” I greeted him. “Okay if I go inside? I just— want to see my old room from last summer.”
He frowned.
“Please,” I said softly. “It would mean a lot to me.”
“All right. Go ahead, miss.” He spoke into his radio, letting security know I was coming in. It was hard to believe, this life.
Inside, I noticed changes. An enormous oil painting here, a lush new rug there. A mirror, moved. Everything still soft, glowing, and opulent. I took my chances hurrying through my aunt and uncle’s bedroom to stare at the shining black marble tub in the adjacent bathroom. My old room sat untouched, as perfectly arranged as if I’d never slept there, or Will, or anyone.
Will’s bedroom looked the same. I flipped through the stacks of books on his heavy desk, ran my hand over the bumps on the antique globe, and traced the silver-framed pictures on his mahogany dresser. The pictures had changed since last summer: a beaming college graduation photo, surrounded by other guys, with those same shadows under his eyes; another posed swimsuit picture with Maddie, looking like a magazine cover; and a picture of me.
My heart thudded when I saw it. A picture of us, really. I’d had no idea he’d framed it; the picture hadn’t been here last summer. Our hair was messy in the wind. The smiles on our faces were real.
Either Maddie had never been in Will’s bedroom at home, or she’d been too busy undoing his zipper with her teeth to notice the picture.
Will’s huge bed still smelled like him: crisp, clean, light. Kicking off my high heels, I curled up under the snowy white comforter and buried my face in a thick pillow.
I’d come for comfort, but lying in my cousin’s bed was drawing moisture between my legs, coaxing my nipples to taut peaks. I shouldn’t be here. I definitely shouldn’t take my clothes off, but my hand was already reaching for my zipper, just to release the aching mounds of my breasts from my tight dress…
A heavy tread sounded in the hall and stopped in front of the partly open door. I froze, then scrambled out of Will’s bed, frantically smoothing the sheets and my dress.
“Andrea.” Sleek male bulk stood inside the doorway. My uncle Richard raised his eyebrows at me. “What are you doing in here?”
My heartbeat sped up. I’d hoped it was Will, though that wasn’t his walk. A security guard would have been embarrassing, but manageable. But Richard—
“I just wanted to see the house. I have a lot of memories from last summer.”
Richard glanced at the unmade bed, then back at me. Quickly, I stepped into my shoes, the heels giving me a few extra inches of height. But I still felt very short.
“I see.” My uncle’s eyes flicked over my rumpled dress and loosened hair. Awkwardness pricked my skin. “It was nice of you to make the trip out tonight. No doubt it means a lot to Will.”
