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Rogen poured himself a glass of the merlot and said, “The hot topic of our three-way aside, we’re not making any progress on procuring that land.”
“I don’t know,” Vin quipped. “After that bombshell you dropped on your father this morning, I’d say he might actually put some thought into how he can maneuver the deal. Still to his advantage, but I saw the look on his face when you told him his scotch was in Catalano possession.”
“Rogen.” She tsked. “That’s pushing a very explosive button.”
“What choice did I have?” he contended. “My father’s playing hardball. I’m going to deflect. Find a way to get what we want.”
Jewel smiled. Kissed him again. Softly. Sweetly. Against his lips, she said, “I love sheer determination. Turns me on.”
He groaned sexily. “Too bad you started the lasagna already.”
“Such bad timing on my part.”
He kissed her, then asked, “So you’ll stop obsessing over Holly and let us three be the only ones who give a rip over what goes on amongst us?”
“Of course not,” she said. “I always obsess over drama. You know this about me. Runs in the family. Yours, too.”
He smacked her on the butt and then went for the plates to set the table.
Turning to Vin, she asked, “Is it really wise to flaunt our relationship in public?”
“I don’t consider it flaunting. There are very few people who don’t already know, or who haven’t just recently learned—thanks to Holly—of our pasts and how close we all were growing up. So it isn’t exactly a new world order to see us together now. After all, it’s not like we’re going to be making out in a corner booth somewhere.”
“No more fucking me in a public bathroom,” she ordered.
“That I cannot guarantee.” He winked.
Jewel’s insides ignited. “You just love being wicked.”
“You didn’t exactly say no to two orgasms that day.”
“So if you’re going to break the rules, you’d better make it three of ’em next time.”
He chuckled, low and deep. Keeping the heat rushing through her veins.
“We should uncork another bottle,” she suggested. “I think we all need it.”
* * *
Later, over dinner, Jewel still pondered her parents’ reaction to the news of her, Rogen, and Vin. She said, “You know, my father didn’t go into a fit of rage that an Angelini was on one of his planes, like I sort of thought he would. For that matter, he was really more contemplative than angry about what he’d heard of the three of us. I won’t say he was the least bit understanding. He literally lost his appetite and walked away as well. I’m sure he’s got some steel-caged mental block to keep out the intimate details. But there was something about the interaction that took me by surprise. I just don’t know what it was.”
With a nod, Vin said, “I had a kernel just dying to pop in my head, too, when I spoke privately with Gian. Almost as though … there’s something about the feud we don’t really know.”
“For that matter,” Jewel continued, “it was my mother who fumed this morning, more so than my father. Shouldn’t that be the other way around? I mean, putting aside the hit to her reputation, my mother is a pretty frisky woman with her husband. She’s not exactly a prude—I’d half-expect her to want juicy tidbits. Conversely, my father should have threatened to throttle both of you for defiling his daughter.”
“Defiling?” Rogen scoffed with a pointed stare. “Who begs on a nightly basis?”
Her cheeks flushed. The corner of her mouth lifted. “Well, it’s just that you’re both so irresistible. I can’t help myself.”
“Yes,” Vin chimed in, “and our willpower is so indestructible.”
“No complaints there,” she muttered playfully into her wineglass before taking a sip.
Rogen was quiet a few moments, then added, “You know, Jewel, I got the sense my mother was worried something might be wrong at your estate when you showed up unexpectedly at the party. Which struck me as odd, because my parents were clearly disturbed by your unwelcome presence. But somehow, I feel that might have changed if you’d actually been there to deliver bad news.”
“Well, they were all best friends,” Vin stated. “For most of their lives. As the three of us have discovered, that doesn’t just go away because of time and distance.”
“I think the answer is staring us in the face,” Jewel said as she offered her glass to Rogen for him to pour more of the merlot. “It’s just a little disconcerting we haven’t been able to see it vividly.”
