6. Chapter 4

Iwake up to find myself in an empty bed. I search to see if Keith"s clothes are there but there"s nothing. He left. Without saying goodbye. I don"t know what I expected, and I berate myself for having hoped for more. I was the one who established the parameters. One night.

As soon as I try to move out of bed, I feel a lot of sore muscles. Last night was intense, and it might be better that it ended like this. I get up and go to the shower. I step under the cold water and let it cleanse my soul. Last night was something I had dreamt of for years, and it came true. The water soothes me, and I stay under the spray longer than intended. I hear some noise in the room and panic. Maybe it"s just the cleaning crew.

I reach for the towel, dry myself, and put on the terrycloth robe they provided with the suite. We seriously need to thank Hailey"s father for all this luxury. I open the door only to find that Keith is taking things from a cart and putting them on the dining table.

"Hey, you"re finally awake." He says.

"I thought you"d left."

"Without saying goodbye? I wouldn"t do that to you, Princess."

"What"s all this?" I come closer and take a peek at the food.

"You wouldn"t budge when I tried to wake you, so I assumed I tired you out last night."

He smiles, that wicked smile of his, and I can"t help but be annoyed. I don"t know what"s the matter with me, but seeing him all happy and smug is pissing me off. No matter that, just minutes ago, I was grieving for the loss of him.

He moves from the side of the table to where I stand and holds my arms.

"You seem upset, Princess."

"Wow, you catch on quickly. What are you still doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"We agreed on only one night. That night has passed."

He hooks a finger under my chin and makes me look up at him.

"Last night was very special to me, Julie. I was hoping it meant something to you as well."

His sexy voice is playing tricks on my mind, making me swoon for him.

"I…"

"Come on," he pulls me towards the chair at the table, "let"s sit down and have some breakfast. We can talk about it after I"ve fed you and taken care of you."

I follow like a pet who"s been trained to follow its master. Why is he being so sweet and attentive, damn it? He serves me coffee and puts in the exact amount of milk and sugar I like. Then he fills my plate with eggs, some bacon, and a croissant. A bowl of fruit follows, and I"m completely speechless.

"I…" I start once again.

"Eat, Princess." He urges me on with a fork in his hand.

He eats his food with gusto, and every once in a while, he looks at me to check that I"m eating. The food is delicious, but I need to know where we stand. I just thought we"d go our separate ways and see each other in another ten years or so. After I eat half of what"s on my plate, I put my fork and knife down and clean my mouth with the cloth napkin. I take a deep breath and decide to address the matter at hand.

"Keith, why are you still here?"

"I don"t want this to be a one-night-only deal. I want more."

"What about Mike?"

"I haven"t talked to him in months. I…" he hesitates, "I"ve always regretted ending things back then. I don"t want to make the same mistake again."

"Would we have to sneak around? Wait, I don"t even know if you live in New York anymore."

"I"ve been back in New York for about three years. We can make this work, princess."

He takes my hand in his, and the warmth of his touch makes me tremble. This is too much, too soon, and I don"t like the fact that I"d probably have to lie to my brother about who I"m dating.

"We wouldn"t have to keep it a secret, Jules. I"m ready to fight for you."

"You know Mike is the only family I have left. I try my best never to disappoint him."

He squeezes my hand. "I know you have a special bond with your brother and that you always defer to him, but this goes beyond that. Don"t you think?"

I pull my hand back and look at his handsome face. He"s really serious about this, but I don"t think I can do it. I have too much to lose. Think, Julie, think. I pull my hands to my lap and clasp them nervously, looking for some strength.

"I"m sorry, Keith."

Tossing my napkin on the table, I get up and get my clothes so I can change in the bathroom. I close the door behind me and hope he"s gone when I come out. But no, he"s there, waiting for me and looking a tad agitated.

"I thought we could spend the day together." He approaches me.

"I"m meeting Meghan and the girls in a few minutes. You should go."

I give him my sternest look and try to remain as strong as possible because he looks like he wants to fight my decision.

"Princess…"

"Just go, Keith." I manage to say.

"I"ll go, but this isn"t over, Jules. I"ll see you in New York."

He grabs hold of me and gives me a passionate kiss that makes my toes curl. Suddenly, I"m relieved that I said no because I don"t think I can handle a relationship with a dominant man like Keith Matthews. Without another word, he lets go of me and walks out of the suite.

I find Meghan waiting for me in the lobby of the hotel. I look around to see if any of our other friends are with her, but she"s completely alone and looking a bit miserable.

"Meg, what"s going on? Where"s everybody?"

"Hey, Jules. I"m not really sure. I think Hailey and Alice are already on a plane back to New York."

"What? But we"re not done celebrating Hailey"s birthday!"

"Amber and Gemma are around, but otherwise engaged. It"s just you and me, kid."

"Well, can we go sightseeing or something? I need to talk—somewhere away from here."

"Sure thing, we"ve got plenty of time, let"s go."

Meghan hooks her arm around mine, and we leave the hotel and head for the Strip. The day is warm, but it"s bearable.

"So, last night I ran into someone from my past." I start.

"That"s interesting. I ran into someone from my present."

"You did? Wait, is that why you look off today?"

"A little bit. But let"s talk about your someone first. I might be out of order, but you, young lady, look like you won the jackpot last night."

"Meghan, we"re only six months apart. Stop treating me like a kid. I swear you remind me of my brother, always babying me."

"So who was it?" She asks.

"My brother"s best friend."

"And you have a history together?"

"Sort of. We had a one-night stand about nine years ago. I"ve always been infatuated with him, but when it happened, I thought for sure we would be in a relationship. Except, he dumped me the next day, saying that he couldn"t hurt my brother like that. That we were not supposed to be together."

"So what happened last night?"

"Everything. We spent the night together. He just left my suite. The thing is, this time, he wants more, and I"m having a hard time dealing with that."

"Men are clueless." Meghan blurts out—something very unusual for her to do.

"Oh yeah? Who"d you see last night?"

"My mentor."

"Dr. Richards? The one you have the hots for?"

Meghan"s cheeks turn red at my comment, and that makes me smile. I hope she went for it. Meghan"s too reserved to tell me about any escapades she might have participated in, but I"m rooting for her. She works too hard and has no life of her own. It was a miracle she was able to come with us on this trip.

"Tell me more about the best friend."

"I thought that I had put him up on a pedestal and that my memories lied to me when I remembered that one night. Boy, was I wrong. That man is a god in bed. We had sex all night long, and he kept giving me orgasm after orgasm."

"And this is bad because?" Meghan asks.

"Expectations."

"His or yours?"

"Both, I think. I expected him to drop me like a hot potato today, but he did the exact opposite. He treated me to breakfast and wouldn"t stop being nice to me or saying he wanted a future together. It"s a little disconcerting."

"How did you leave it?"

"I told him to go, and he told me he"d see me in New York. I don"t think he"s lying."

"Maybe you could see this as a new opportunity. Get to know him better. I mean, you were very young back then and idolized him. You need time to find out who the real man is. Is he someone you could build a life with?"

"But, my brother…"

"Your brother doesn"t own you, Julie. You can make your own decisions. Whether they are right or wrong, they are yours to make."

Meghan"s words kept going round and round in my head throughout the day. We had a nice lunch, and we had to be at the airport by 6 pm, so we took it easy and kept each other company. When I got off the plane in New York, I had almost convinced myself that I would never see Keith Matthews again.

Boy, was I wrong.