Ruthless Rival

"I'm glad you like it." He smiles and there's plenty more where that came from at her. "Should I keep it open?"

"No. We have a table." I slide him my credit card.

He takes it. "Happy to serve from here." He runs the card. Drops off the receipt. Shoots her another let's fuck after this grin.

She waits for him to leave. "We don't have to stay."

"I know." I'm tempted to call her bluff. I want to leave with her. I want to go straight to my place and spend the entire night in my bed.

But I want to do this with her too.

Talk to my family.

Watch the opera.

Wait until the perfect fucking moment.

"The show ends at ten thirty," I say.

"You can wait that long?"

"The balcony is private."

"Oh." She holds up her glass. "To balconies."

I raise mine. "To balconies."

I raise my glass.

She toasts. Sips. Sighs. "What do we tell them?" She looks to the group, at a long table in the middle of the room, discussing something with enthusiasm and verve. Then Opal catches her looking and whispers to Briar.

"The truth."

"What's the truth?"

"It's none of their business."

"That will make them more curious," she says. "We need to tell them something boring."

"Sex isn't boring. Not with you."

Her chest heaves with her inhale. "With someone else?"

"Yes."

"You can pretend."

"No." I slip my hand around her waist. Lean close enough to whisper. "I can't."

She leans into my touch. "They're watching."

"I know."

"We should say something."

"Your call."

She nods okay, leans into my chest, soaks in the gesture for a moment. Then she pulls back, takes her drink, turns to the table with a casual smile.

At once, all five of them look at us.

Vanessa freezes. But she pushes past it. Walks to them casually.

I pull out her chair. Place her drink on the table. Sit across from her.

Danielle studies us.

Opal whispers to Briar.

Liam looks Vanessa right in the eyes. He smiles, holds up his bright green apple martini to toast, and says, "To you and Simon fucking."

Vanessa nearly spits out her drink.

Briar clears her throat.

"What?" he asks. "You are fucking, aren't you?"

Chapter Twenty-Two

VANESSA

"It's a reasonable question," Liam says. "And we know the answer. But we can keep pretending we don't notice. And you can keep pretending you don't notice we notice."

"It's none of our business," Briar says. She's not as devil-may-care as her fiancé, but she has the same zest. The same willingness to fuck convention and go after what she wants.

"Aren't you curious?" Liam asks. "Simon is good at keeping women silent. Well, not during the act. There were a few times at the house… the walls are thick, but they aren't thick enough." Liam winks at his brother.

Simon's kid sister, Opal, rolls her eyes. "Why does everyone say young people are obsessed with sex? You're obsessed with sex."

"We're young people," Liam says.

"No. You're almost thirty!" Opal says.

Briar doubles over laughing. "She called you old."

"I'm twenty-eight," he says.

"Old." Her laugh gets louder. "Oh my god, that's perfect. Liam Pierce, creepy old man."

"Only four years older than you," he says.

"Briar is young." Opal motions to her. "Look at her hair." She turns to Briar. "Unless you want to lecture me about safe sex or intimacy. Or some other topic you all seem to think you understand better than I do."

Liam shoots Simon a that means you look.

Simon shrugs but it's not indifferent. It's I know you're trying to rile me. It's not going to work. I love you anyway.

"If you're so wise, why do you care about the details of your brother's sex life?" Opal asks. "Shouldn't you realize relationships are about more than sex." She lowers her voice. "Not that you'd know it. From talking to the three of you."

"Really? The three of us? Even Adam?" Liam asks.

"Especially Adam," she says.

"What did you say to her?" Liam asks his brother.

"Danielle and Briar too," she says.

Danielle laughs. "Sorry. I get carried away." She looks at Adam lovingly. "Love does that to you."

"Love? Or lust?" Liam asks.

Opal motions to me see what I mean.

Simon chuckles.

"You too," she says. "And you lecture me about making smart choices." She shakes her head ridiculous.

"But you are curious about Simon's boning habits," Liam says.

"Is it the alcohol?" Opal motions to Liam's bright green drink. Briar's deep red martini. The empty cocktail glasses in front of Danielle and Adam. "It must be the alcohol."

"You're right," Briar says. "We're idiots."

"She wants to know," Liam says.

"But we know how to mind our own business," Briar says.

Liam makes a show of scratching his head. "We do?"

"I'm not sure we do," Danielle agrees.

Adam interrupts them. "I'm sorry, Vanessa. They don't know how to hide their surprise. We haven't seen Simon this soft in a long time."

Liam jumps on the opportunity. "Soft, huh? Is that it? If you're having trouble rising to the occasion—"

"No one wants to hear about your dick," Opal says.