“Sure, I’ll join you.” I smiled.
“We usually go golfing too, so maybe you and his wife can do some shopping or whatever.”
“Sure. Sounds fun.”
“Great. Now, turn around. I’m so hard for you. I’ve been wanting you so badly all day.”
I turned around like he asked and we had amazing sex. As I lay in bed, and with Ian’s arms wrapped around me, my mind wouldn’t stop thinking about Andrew and the things he said about him and Ian sharing women. I could feel myself retreating, just like I used to when I was a child. I was slipping back into that world of loneliness and it scared me. I was beginning to become emotionally withdrawn. I wanted more out of this relationship. I wanted him to love me like I loved him. I needed him to want more from me than just sex. A tear fell from my eye as I slowly closed them both and finally fell asleep.
Chapter 23
We were taking Ian’s friends out tonight for dinner and dancing. I was still amazed that Ian wanted me to join them. I’d been emotionally withdrawn the past couple of days and I could tell Ian sensed it. He asked me if anything was bothering me and I lied and told him no. If I did discuss my feelings with him, it would end in a terrible argument, and I wasn’t up for that yet. We still had sex every day, sometimes twice, which made it harder on me because of the emotional attachment. Every day I spent with Ian, I fell deeper and deeper in love with him.
“They’re here,” Ian said as he knocked on my door.
“Okay, I’ll be down in a second.”
I looked at myself one last time in the mirror and walked down the stairs with a smile.
“Rory, I would like you to meet Connor and Ellery Black.”
Holy shit. He was hot.
“Connor and Ellery, this is my houseguest, Rory Sinclair.”
Houseguest. Nice. He couldn’t introduce me as his friend? No, I was his houseguest.
Connor held out his hand and, with a smile, he told me how nice it was to meet me. I turned to Ellery and the two of us lightly hugged. She was amazingly beautiful and the two of them looked stunning together. We climbed in the back of Ian’s limo and headed to the restaurant. Ellery and I chatted while Connor and Ian were discussing business. Connor was interested in a piece of property that he said would be perfect for an art gallery.
“Do the two of you have any children?” I asked her.
“We have a daughter who’s six months old. Her name is Julia.”
I smiled as Ellery pulled out her phone and showed me pictures of her. She was adorable and I couldn’t help but be a little envious. When we arrived at the restaurant, Connor helped Ellery out of the limo and Ian just stood there. That was odd because he always helped me out of the limo. I noticed Ellery gave him a strange look and then looked at me. The two of them walked hand in hand inside the restaurant while Ian walked next to me. Once we were promptly seated, I ordered a cosmopolitan. The four of us talked and enjoyed a nice dinner. I excused myself, and Ellery followed me into the bathroom.
“Are you all right, Rory?” she asked as she touched up her lipstick.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Ian’s a pretty special guy.”
“Pretty special ass**le,” I accidentally let slip out.
“I’ve known Ian for a couple of years, and you’re the first woman he’s ever brought to dinner.” She smiled.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“He reminds me a lot of how Connor used to be when we first met. We can talk about that tomorrow. The men are going golfing, and I think maybe the two of us should go shopping. Julia can come with us and we’ll have a great time.”
“Julia’s here?”
“She’s back at the hotel with our manny, Mason.”
“I would love to meet her.” I smiled.
Ellery smiled back and we went back to our table. The four of us talked a bit more and then called it a night. We dropped Connor and Ellery off at their hotel.
“They’re a great couple,” I said to Ian.
“Yes, they are. They’re probably two of the nicest people I’ve ever met,” he said as he put his arm around me and tried to pull me closer. I resisted. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing. I’m just tired.”
He hadn’t shown any type of affection towards me all night and then the minute Connor and Ellery got out of the limo, he wanted to touch me.
“Why are you so tired? Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes, I’m feeling fine.”
Ian removed his arm from me and sighed. As Joshua pulled up to the house, Ian climbed out and held out his hand.
“Oh, now you want to help me out of the limo?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he snapped.
“At the restaurant, you didn’t help me at all. You just stood there.”
“I did? I didn’t realize.”
I smacked his hand out of the way and got out myself. I just wanted to go to sleep.
“Wow, Rory. You have issues,” he said as he followed me up the stairs.
“Don’t come into my room,” I spat as I slammed the door in his face.
“You need to talk to me, Rory, and tell me what’s going on with you. If you’re upset, you need to talk to me about it.”
I stood in my room in silence. “Fine, Rory. Suit yourself,” he said as he slammed his door.
****
The next morning, Ian didn’t say a word to me. Connor and Ellery came over and the men left to go golfing. Joshua drove Ellery and me around for the day.
“She’s so adorable, Ellery,” I said as I held Julia.
“Thank you. She’s our entire world. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on with Ian? I noticed that the two of you weren’t speaking.”
“I’m sorry. Things with Ian are complicated, and I don’t know how much more I can take,” I said as we walked into a little boutique.
“Ian is a complicated man. Like I told you last night, he reminds me a lot of how Connor was when we first met.”
“Really?” I said as I looked through the racks.
“Yes. Let me guess. You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Ellery asked me.
“Yes, I am.”
“Have you told him?”
Julia started to whine and Ellery took her from me. “No. He keeps saying he doesn’t do relationships. I feel like his own personal call girl.”
“Aw, sweetie. You need to tell him how you feel. If you don’t, you’ll keep arguing. When Connor finally admitted to me that he was in love with me, it changed everything. We’ve had our ups and downs and we struggled to get where we are today, but it was all worth it because it strengthened our relationship and made us realize that we couldn’t live without each other.”