Lily White Lies(76)

“But I do!”

He laughed. “He’s crass, obnoxious, sarcastic and just downright mean most of the time, but he’ll come around. As much as he’s capable.”

“Even if my last name is Embry?”

“According to my grandmother, our grandfather’s were once friends, until their father’s found out and put a stop to it.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “From what I hear, there’s quite a history between them.”

“It sounds that way.” I thought a moment and then asked, “Aren’t you just a little curious as to what happened between them?”

“To tell you the truth, I got a little tired of hearing the stories over the years.” Flashing me a smile, he added, “Until I met you.”

I ignored the tingle that inched its way up my back. “Well, give me a day or two to recover from this visit and we’ll see.”

He drove a little further down the road and asked, “How about dinner?”

I looked at my watch to see that it was already past six o’clock. I never made it to my grandparent’s or to the nursing home and it was obvious I wasn’t going to make it to either place today.

“Sure, but how about take-out at my place. Brian’s having my things delivered and I really should be there.”

He lightly squeezed me about halfway between my knee and the top of my leg, sending a rash of chills racing through me.

“Sounds great, you pick.”

I turned my head toward the window and thought ‘to hell with the food,’ but asked, “How about Chinese?”

He said, “Chinese it is,” as he pulled my head to his shoulder.



The deliverymen who brought my things rang the bell only minutes after the food arrived and Con helped them cart the boxes up the stairs. This was the final phase of my relationship with Brian and I felt relieved that it had gone as well as it had. I wasn’t looking for an immediate involvement once Brian and I were through, but it's been said that that’s when you’re most likely to find one. Gram says, ‘there’s a reason for everything but sometimes the reason is the last thing you figure out’ and as usual, she’s right.

Surveying the piles of boxes strewn around the apartment, Con teased, “You don’t travel light, do you?”

“I never realized how much stuff I had until seeing it boxed up like this. I must have inherited it from my grandmother. Gramp says she’s a pack-rat.”

Relaxing into the couch, he said, “Speaking of your grandparent’s, when do I get to meet them?”

Re-runs of our meeting with his grandfather flashed through my mind. After witnessing first hand the acrimony that Joker directed toward the Embry’s, I was certain that my grandfather’s reaction would rival Joker’s in animosity.

“You know what; I think we should see my grandmother alone first... you know, test the waters. She understands my grandfather’s way of thinking a lot better than I do.” Considering what she had already told me about my mother, behind my grandfather’s back, I added, “Besides, she’d be more likely to answer my questions.”

He extended his hand and motioned for me to join him on the couch. Before I reached him, I knew that we were entering into a situation that could easily become out-of-control. His code of ethics played through my head like a mantra, friends-romance-love-sex, but I didn’t trust myself to follow it. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anyone and it wouldn’t take more than a few of his enticing kisses for me to show him just how much I wanted him.

I hesitantly lowered myself, trying to keep space between us, a comfort zone to aid me from crossing the line from no to yes, but before I was seated, he slipped an arm around my back and pulled my into him so that the length of our thighs touched all the way to the knee. One to ten on the aroused scale, I was at four on a fast track.

Was he testing me? Or was he teasing me? He was the one who put stipulations on the course of our relationship and now he seemed to be pushing me into crossing the predetermined lines.

“Let’s forget about them for tonight, okay? I’ve been thinking about you all day.” His voice was low and seductive.

“Oh God...” I tried to lift myself from the couch to no avail. I did manage to turn sideways to look at him.

“Is something wrong?”

Certain my face had already colored, I did my best to get my irrational thoughts across in rational words.

“Con, do you remember the talk we had about friendship first and lasting past the sex?”

He nodded.

“Well, I agree with you...”

He smiled. “I see a but in those pretty eyes.”