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“I’ve never done anything like that,” he says, his voice a bit rough. I laugh at his words.
“Safe to say you’re not the only one,” I say, pouring coffee and raising it to toast him.
“I mean, any of it.” Raleigh’s not laughing now; in fact, he’s avoiding my eyes. I frown.
“Raleigh, did you lie to us last night? Are you a virgin?” God, wouldn’t that just be the cherry on top right now.
No pun intended.
“No,” he says vehemently, his eyes coming back up to meet mine. “I swear. But… I don’t have a lot of experience. Last night—” he takes a shuddering breath, “last night was pretty much the wildest thing I’ve ever done.”
I lean over to squeeze his hand briefly.
“I’ll tell you a secret,” I stage whisper. “That was the wildest thing I’ve ever done, too.”
“Yeah?” he asks.
“By far,” I say. His grin returns, and I can’t seem to stop myself from smiling back. I’ve known him all of twelve hours, maybe, and I’m already trained.
We talk about smaller subjects as we eat. He tells me about his parents and their flight over here from New Haven—another first for him. Raleigh asks about Hale House, and I manage the Reader’s Digest version without going into all the deep dark drama about my parents and how Finn and Sully and I grew up.
“Sully,” he says. “Is that another brother I missed?”
“My cousin,” I say, sipping slowly. The coffee here is excellent. “He’s back in New Haven, working. He’s always around, though. You’re bound to meet him sooner or later.”
It doesn’t register, what I’ve said, until it’s too late to take it back. And by the time I’ve sloshed too-warm coffee on my robe, Raleigh is smiling widely, telling me he’d love to. Then he makes me laugh with stories about him and his friends and their antics, and I’m having a better morning than I’ve had in months.
This is good. I like Raleigh. I want more time with him. He actually seems to want more time with me, too. It proves I’m not doomed to want only West forever like I’ve wondered for so long. For the first time in a year or more, I think I’m going to be okay.
As long as my brother doesn’t find out about last night.
10
Raleigh
The wind coming off the ocean is almost brisk this early in the day, but I suppose you have that on the beach in winter. It’s not too cold yet, but it makes me grateful for the warmth of the coffee cups I’m holding as I make my way up the front steps of the house. House? Hotel? Airbnb? Resort, maybe. Whatever we’re supposed to call it. The place we’re staying for the wedding. A doorman lets me in—what kind of Airbnb’s have doormen? So it’s a hotel, right?—and I thank him, making my way to one of the sofas arranged just so around the small lobby area.
I’ve seen bellhops coming and going now and then. Which means it’s not a house. Probably. Somebody has to manage all these people.
I let my thoughts wander while sipping my coffee. I’m wondering how it is that somebody opens a beach resort that might be a house and might be a hotel, when someone clears their throat.
I look up and choke on my coffee.
West is standing next to me.
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” he says. He doesn’t grin, but his lips twitch. He looks like hell, but also… not. “What?” he asks.
I’ve been staring. I feel my face warm and look down at the tray of coffees on the table in front of me.
“Nothing,” I say. “Sit down. If you want.”
We might as well still be back up in his suite, West standing fully clothed while he orders Callahan and me to strip and touch each other. I set down my coffee cup before I inhale any more of it.
Callie didn’t talk about that part. I didn’t want to pry too much; she and West obviously have something between them. But they both mentioned her brother a few too many times for me to miss it. It sounds like he’s the biggest obstacle as far as they’re both concerned. Whatever the hang-up, I think it’s a shame they can’t find a way around it all. They looked damn good together.
Maybe it’s a weird thing to think about the woman you slept with last night, and the guy who… facilitated things. Whatever. Cas says everything happens for a reason. Today I’m willing to roll with it and exercise a little faith.
It’s amazing what some high-level orgasms will do for your mindset.
