Page 28 of The Holy Grail

Reaching a milestone

PAIGE: You and Malcom are cordially invited to dinner this Sunday night.

PAIGE: It’s non-negotiable. JULES: That’s your birthday.

PAIGE: I know. JULES: Shouldn’t you and David have special plans for it?

I passed the birthday torch to him—against my better judgement—so he better not be shirking his duties already.

PAIGE: He’s not shirking his duties. Having you and Malcom over for dinner is how I want to spend my birthday. PAIGE: So … non-negotiable.

Jules re-read the texts, eyebrows rising in amusement; her friend was becoming quite ballsy as of late.

“What’s so funny?” Malcom asked.

Jules glanced over at him, seated next to her at his kitchen island.

They had gotten into the habit of talking about anything and everything over a glass of wine while eating whatever dinner he’d prepared.

She found it both comforting and appealing—she wasn’t used to having someone other than a best friend care about how her day was or what she was thinking about .

Speaking of friends, she absolutely wasn’t going to think about Evan.

Clearing her throat, she said, “Paige invited us over for dinner on Sunday night, and it’s apparently non-negotiable.”

Malcom glanced up, chewing a bite of beef stroganoff thoughtfully. “Hmm.”

Jules took a drink of her wine, trying to read his expression. “You seem less than thrilled.”

“That’s not it. I just wasn’t expecting to reach this milestone so soon.”

“What milestone?”

“Meeting your friends.”

Every time she learned something new about dating and relationships, she realized how little she knew. “Is it too soon for you?”

“No. Is it too soon for you ?”

“I don’t think so, but I’ve never done this before, so …” she trailed off for a moment. “I assume you’ve done this, though? Meet friends?”

“A few times, yes, and it’s usually kind of a big deal.”

“Are you nervous about it?”

“A little. Their opinions will matter.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” she assured him. “You’ve met Paige already, remember, and you thought she was a sweetheart. Plus, she liked you, and that hasn’t changed.”

“What about David?”

“What about him?”

“What’s he like? I remember you saying that night at Kyoto how you thought he might’ve been fucking around with Paige, and if he had been you’d have done something to make him … sterile.”

She blinked at him while taking a bite of her own stroganoff, which was off the charts amazing.

“I have a pretty good memory,” he said.

“So do I, but apparently not as good as yours, because I don’t remember saying that. Although it does sound like something I would say, so you’re probably right.”

“I am.” Pushing his plate away, he added somewhat shyly, “It actually made me want to go over and meet you.”

She chuckled. “Really?”

“Really. ”

Jules digested that before returning to the topic of David. “For the most part, he’s a great guy,” she said.

“For the most part?”

“Yes. And the other parts are mostly in my head. I have incredibly high standards for Paige—especially when it comes to David—and in the past there were times when I thought he hadn’t lived up to them.

” She gave Malcom a rundown of David’s relationship with Ashley after the divorce from Paige, the things Ashley had done which had been attributed to him being an asshole, and Jules’ concern about his plan to get Paige back.

When Jules was done, she finished with, “So, I was mostly wrong about some things, and you really don’t need to worry about him.

I mean, it’s not like he’ll be grilling you about what your intentions are with me. ”

Malcom’s lips tilted up in a smile. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

Jules texted Paige back.

JULES: Thanks so much for the kind invitation. JULES: What time would our presence (and presents) be required? PAIGE: How about 7:00 p.m.? PAIGE: And no presents. I’m not ten years old.

Jules looked at Malcom. “Does 7:00 p.m. work for you?”

He nodded. “That works for me.”

JULES: Okay. We’ll see you then. PAIGE: Yay!

!! JULES: Jeez, calm down a little bit. PAIGE: No can do!

PAIGE: It can’t be overstated how much I’m looking forward to this!

JULES: Just so you know, your borderline creepy enthusiasm is actually making me second-guess coming over for dinner.

Even if it is your birthday. PAIGE: That was mean.

PAIGE: My enthusiasm isn’t at all creepy—thank you very much—and don’t you dare think about coming up with some lame excuse and canceling on me at the last minute.

PAIGE: It is my birthday, after all. JULES: I would never do that.

JULES: It is your birthday, after all. PAIGE: Sure you wouldn’t.

PAIGE: But if you do … PAIGE: I. Will. Cut. You.

Jules shook her head at the threat; in real life her friend wasn’t very intimidating, and was even less so via text.

JULES: Jeez, no need for threats. Especially since you can’t carry them off. JULES: I’ll see you Sunday night at 7 p.m. JULES: And don’t you dare make it weird. PAIGE: I would never do that. JULES: Sure you wouldn’t.

“It’s all set,” Jules said, then set her phone down and added dryly, “She’s really looking forward to it.”

“Me, too,” Malcom agreed, even though he was feeling slightly anxious about the dinner date, mainly because it was happening faster than it had ever happened before, and he knew friends held a lot of influence.

Jules was trying to assuage his apprehension, but nothing was certain until after the dinner.

And if it somehow didn’t go well, he would be crushed if Jules ended their relationship.

They were still in the very beginning stages and therefore not on solid footing, which made him wish this invitation hadn’t been issued for at least another month.

He reached over to take Jules’ hand in both of his. “I know we haven’t been going out very long, but this feels really good,” he told her softly.

“I agree.”

“You do?”

She nodded. “This is all new to me, but I’m really enjoying it.”

Just hearing her say she was ‘enjoying’ what they had going on—in that smoky drawl of hers—was enough to send all his blood flowing south, and as his cock began to harden with a purpose, he pulled her toward him so he could kiss her.

It seemed like he couldn’t kiss her enough, and he was gratified she seemed to feel the same way.

Seconds later, she was straddling one of his legs, her hands in his hair, holding him in place as she devoured his lips.

He had started to notice she was a little aggressive, sexually speaking, and he really liked it. He’d liked it with his ex-wife, too, in the beginning, before it turned into something dark and … off-putting.

Low moans vibrating in Jules’ throat diverted his thoughts away from Gwen (thankfully), and he lost himself in the taste of the beautiful woman rubbing against his leg, her breasts crushed against his chest. His hands slipped under her shirt and around to her back, intending to unhook her bra so he could feel her up properly, only to discover she wasn’t wearing one.

She must have registered his surprise, because she pulled away from his mouth long enough to murmur, “I hardly ever wear one because my tits are small.”

“That’s fantastic.”

“That my tits are small?”

“That, too, but I was really referring to you hardly ever wearing a bra. I’m going to enjoy that a lot.”

“Which means I will, too.”

He nodded knowingly. “So, would you like to take this—”

“Hell, yes, I would.”

“You don’t even know what the rest of that sentence was going to be.”

“It better be the location of where we’re going to engage in some sweaty, needy, mind-blowing sex.”

He gazed into her dark blue eyes, heavy with desire. “You get straight to the point, don’t you?”

“I do, especially when I really want something. And I’ve wanted to engage in some sweaty, needy, mind-blowing sex with you since our first date,” she told him.

“Really?”

“Yes, really. And if you bring up the fact I sat on my ass for a year—”

“It was actually fifteen months.”

“—then you won’t be allowed to pick the position.”

Silence hung between them for several seconds, and even though he’d already pointed out her timeline discrepancy, he acted like he hadn’t and pretended to zip his lip.

“Smart man,” she said.