Some Like It Hopeless (A Temporary Engagement) (8 page)

Christian said, “That’s what you said, remember? Just a little bit of fun.”

Shane was still looking at Cassandra. “I know. But then she smiled when she was thinking of him.”

Christian said, “Well, then, it must be just a little bit of fun. It’s not worrying until there’s some work to go along with it, a little frown that tempers the smile.”

Shane lips moved, and he turned his head to Christian. “That is reassuring on so many levels.” He said to Cassandra, “Is there any work going on between you two?”

She lifted her arms, holding them out wide to indicate her drink, the pool, the heat of the sun. “There’s not an ounce of work going on here. Not by me.”

Shane took a deep breath, then pushed himself up using Christian’s thigh. “Then I won’t worry about it. And I will go put my suit on and forget about work for a little while myself.”

Cassandra said, “Good luck with that. Christian looks like he’s going to be a lot of work.”

Christian stood, heading to the edge of the pool. “I’ll wait for you in the pool.” He dove in and swam to the other side.

Cassandra grinned at Shane. “That was fun.”

“Do you think you could be done? I don’t want him scared off.”

“Could I scare him off? And if I could, would you still think he’s the real thing?”

“Yes. I know that you’ll like him if you give him a chance.”

She sighed. “He’s it, Shane? He’s the love that will last through thick and thin?”

“You’ll see.”

She only said, “He’s in the pool. Don’t waste it.”

“I’m going to go get dressed. Or undressed.” He looked at where Christian was in the pool, too far away to hear. “That’s more fun when he can hear it. And later, you and me, we’re going to discuss Penthouse.”

“He’s only for fun, Shane. A distraction for now, when I need it. I still love only you.”

“I don’t want you to love only me. I just want veto power.”

She laughed, waving him inside. “Go get your suit on so you can play with your friend. And think about whether you want
me
to have veto power.”

He walked away, saying over his shoulder, “You do have it. I know you’ll only use it if you’re sure.”

Cassandra’s stomach clenched. She hated to agree with Christian, on principal, but he was right. Love was work. Love was a constant balance between what you wanted and what was good for the one you loved.

She watched Christian swim back and forth, purposeful and not having any fun, and finally sighed. She had some work to do.

She drained her drink and jumped into the cool water to chase after him. She swam right into his path and he stopped, his head popping to the surface.

It was Sunday afternoon, the weekenders had gone home, the business suits hadn’t arrived yet. The pool area wasn’t empty but it was sparse. They were the only ones in the pool and she’d stopped him in the deep end. They treaded water, bobbing silently.

They stared at each other, no Shane standing between them this time. She liked that he looked worried, but then she decided he probably always looked that way a little. He was a worrier.

She said, “Let me see if I have this right. You want him, you just don’t want to want him.”

“Shane?”

“No, the abominable snowman.”

He didn’t smile. “I don’t think it’s any of your business.”

“It is my business. I’m keeper of his heart, protector of his back.”

He said softly, “It must be nice to have a friend so true, a friend you can depend on no matter what. He’s a lucky man.”

And Cassandra, in that moment, hated Christian. Hated that he felt no jealousy toward her. Hated that he thought she was Shane’s friend because she wasn’t. They were soul mates. It wasn’t friendship, it was love.

It was platonic love, but still.

Their feet bumped in the water and Christian pushed himself backwards.

Cassandra said, “Do you even know you’re gay? Because you don’t act like it.”

That had been ruder than she meant. Or ruder than she normally was, at least.

His head jerked back and she waited for him to say he wasn’t. To deny it.

But he took a deep breath and raised his chin. “Because I don’t dress colorfully enough for you?”

“Because you flinch when he touches you.”

“I don’t like people touching me.”

If she was a different kind of person, she would feel sorry for him. Would wrap her arms around him until he did like it. Give him one true friend so he wouldn’t be alone.

Would let him have Shane to himself so he wouldn’t be alone.

But she wouldn’t, she couldn’t, she wasn’t.

She said, “Shane’s not people, is he?”

“No.”

Christian’s eyes flicked behind her and widened. Cassandra turned, expecting Shane in his tight-fitting swim trunks, but it was Brady, standing at the edge of the pool and watching them.

Christian said softly to her back, “I think I could love him, if I let myself. I just haven’t figured out how to do that yet.”

Cassandra swam away from him like she hadn’t heard, swam toward Brady. She rested her arms on the ledge and looked up at him. He squatted and said, “I’m going to guess that is not Shane.”

“Good guess. What gave it away?”

“You looked like you wanted to drown him.”

She tried not to smile. “You’d hide the body for me, right?”

Brady’s head tipped up to look behind her. “That bad?”

He wasn’t. Not that bad. Christian was careful and skittish, and those weren’t her favorite personality traits, but he wasn’t that bad. She just had no patience for people who could hurt Shane. Who would hurt him simply because they didn’t know how to stand tall and proud. Who would hurt him because they didn’t know how to accept what was.

It was not lost on her that the people who could fill your heart, who could give you a home, were the ones who could hurt you the most.

She ignored Brady’s question to ask one of her own. “Are you going to get your suit on?”

He shook his head. “I have a meeting. And then I thought I’d go for a drive.”

She touched his hand, her cool skin warming against his heat. “Do you want company?”

“Only if I drive.”

“It is my car now.”

He grinned down at her. “I said you could use it. To drive to work and back.”

“I don’t want to go with you if you’re going to drive. I’d die of boredom.”

It was just a little prick, to see if he would bleed, to see if his wounds were starting to scab over.

He said, “Then I guess you should stay here with your friends and enjoy the pool.”

“Or you could come back down here after your meeting and enjoy it with us.”

“I have an appointment to keep today, Cassandra.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

A loud splash alerted her that Shane had come back out. Brady lifted his head and stood. He slid his hands into his pockets and watched Shane swim the length of the pool. His eyes tracked, his smile was gone.

He murmured, “That’s who I’m a surrogate for? I think I’m overselling it.”

“Don’t make me come out of this pool and hurt you.”

He looked down at her. “I remember you saying something about my wife that made me want to chuck you down a hill.”

“And I appreciate that you didn’t. Which is why I’m warning you.”

He stared down at her a long moment and her breath came faster, her heart sped up. She thought she’d really like it if he put on a tiny little swimsuit and joined her. And it wouldn’t be because she couldn’t have Shane.

Brady looked back at Shane and Christian, gave them the same blank stare, and she knew the water would be heating up where they were, too. Could practically hear Shane’s breath getting sucked in.

Brady said, “Don’t kill anyone in my pool.”

Cassandra cleared her throat. “Shane’s here now. He’s safe.”

He looked down at her and gave her a small smile, then turned and walked away. Cassandra thought,
Lord have mercy
, then ducked her head under the water.

She swam slowly back to Shane and Christian, taking her sweet time, trying to cool down. She surfaced next to them, gulping down air.

Shane muttered, “I know why you moved into the penthouse. I’ve got tingles.”

He poked Christian in the side, making him jump, and Shane said, “Come on. Tell me that man did not make you want to take a ride on the wild side.”

Christian turned a lovely shade of purple. “He’s. . .impressive.”

Cassandra turned to watch Brady take those last few steps inside, and when he turned, she gave him a little finger wave.

She said, “Impressive? Yes, yes, he is.”

Shane sighed. “Tell me he is one of those big, hard men that loves to cuddle, and when he gets his hands on you, he is so gentle you want to choke him.”

Cassandra flicked her eyes to Christian, still purple, and said, “Gentle? He is not particularly.”

Shane groaned and whispered, “Rough? Oh, my God. I’m never going to be able to get out of this pool.”

“We’ll just have to stay in here until you’re all wrinkly and pruny.”

“Yes, that
is
how long we’re going to stay in here.” Shane held up his hand. “Only two more questions. Will he be joining us? And does he wear a Speedo?”

She shook her head. “And I don’t know what he wears. My guess would be. . .he wears nothing.”

Shane said with no heat, “Bitch,” and she laughed.

“Cool your jets, Smokey. He wasn’t that hot.”

“Right. Because your fripples aren’t telling you to pop upstairs for a quickie.”

Quite a few parts of were telling her to do that but she said, “This water is cold. Too bad that explanation doesn’t work for you.”

“Too bad the cold water isn’t working for me.”

She looked down into the water. “Perhaps Christian is on to something with those board shorts. At least while we’re in the water, we just don’t know what he thought about Brady, do we?”

Shane said, “Brady? Oh, Brady. I like it. And Christian is a red-blooded gay man. We know what he thought about Brady.”

Christian had been watching them silently but at that he said, “I already said he was impressive. What more do you want?”

Cassandra said, “We want to hear you say you’d tie that man down and have him six ways to Sunday. Or that he could tie you down. Either one, really.”

“I’m not going to say that. I wouldn’t say it about a woman; I won’t say it about a man.”

Shane sighed theatrically. “He’s going to be noble. Respectful.”

Cassandra didn’t sigh. She said, “You wouldn’t even think it, would you, Christian?”

When he shook his head, Cassandra said to Shane, “Good Mormon gay boy. You’ll just have to be catty and bitchy and lustful with me.”

Shane looked at Christian. “Good Mormon gay boy. What am I going to be with you?”

He sounded like he was honestly wondering. What was Shane going to be, who was he going to be.

Cassandra swam away. She let him wonder.

Because that was all she had.

She couldn’t veto Christian. Shane would have to do that himself.

She would be as catty, and as bitchy, and as lustful as they normally were. She wouldn’t hide it from Christian.

Because if he was going to leave, he would have to do it sooner rather than later.

And if he wasn’t going to leave, then she was going to have to like him. And she was pretty sure that would be impossible.

When they finished swimming, they went up to the penthouse and ordered from room service, just because.

Shane ate his fish with gusto and said, “I like it. I like the penthouse. I like Brady. You may continue.”

“You didn’t even meet him. You just like that he gives you tingles.”

“Yes. I don’t need to meet him. I just need to look at him.”

Christian ate his burger and fries with a little less gusto. He had asked for ketchup and mayonnaise, mixing them together to cries of horror. He dipped and ate, dipped and ate, and Cassandra and Shane just looked at each other.

Christian said, “Are you sure putting our dinners on the tab was okay?”

Cassandra nodded. “Brady will pay. He just doesn’t know about it yet.”

Shane said, “I’m sure he knows by now that you will make him pay in myriad ways.”

“He’s figuring it out. And he lets me be creative in how I pay him back.”

Shane groaned, closing his eyes. He whispered, “You are killing me.”

Cassandra flicked her eyes to Christian, wondering just how long it had been for Shane.

Christian met her eyes, and ate another fry.

Cassandra almost laughed. Almost thought he knew exactly what he was doing.

Shane said, “He pays for gas, he’s given you his car, he pays for room service. I don’t even want to know what you are doing to deserve all this.”

“You want to know.”

He leaned forward. “I do, I do. Please tell me.”

She chuckled, shaking her head.

Shane said, “I looked when you were in the bathroom and I couldn’t find any rope, no handcuffs, no sex toys.”

“We can’t keep those things out in the open. Housekeeping is in here everyday.”

Christian let out a long, loud breath. “Do you two only talk about sex?”

Cassandra looked at Shane. “Pretty sure we do.”

“What else is there?”

Christian closed his eyes. “Movies, books. Current affairs.”