Page 44 of Whatever Lola Wants (Odyssey #2)

Grant opened his mouth to protest, and she held up a hand.

“ Not negotiable. Now , you two go on up and unpack—take this dog with you—and hang up your clothes up so the wrinkles shake out. The rehearsal is at seven o’clock.

Simon , I’ve put you in the first room at the top of the stairs on the right, and Grant , you’re in the attic.

” She stretched up to kiss her son’s cheek, sent Simon a warm smile, then bustled off to talk to the caterers currently hard at work in the kitchen.

Grant shot Simon a glare. “ Don’t even say it.”

Simon hefted his bag and followed Henry , who was already galloping up the stairs. “ I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Keep it that way,” Grant muttered. He cast a wary eye over the small army of workers running back and forth throughout the house. “ I’m beginning to think we should have just gone to Vegas .”

Simon snorted. “ You’d never have gotten her on the plane. And if you’d ordered her to do it, you’d never eat another decent meal in your life.”

Grant started up the stairs beside him. “ She’d probably poison my pie.”

Simon shook his head. “ That’s a dangerous woman you’re marrying, friend. Sure you don’t want to make a run for it?”

Grant grinned as they topped the stairs. “ I’m sure. But if my mother thinks I’m not sneaking into Anna’s room tonight, she doesn’t know me as well as she thinks she does.”

“I heard that,” a voice called from down the stairs. Grant started, shooting a guilty look over his shoulder as Simon snorted out a laugh.

“Your mom’s a little scary.”

“Tell me about it. Listen , when you get settled in, meet me downstairs in the parlor. We’ll get a drink before the hoopla starts.”

Simon nodded, then opened the door to his room. Spacious , with a large fourposter bed piled high with pillows and an en suite bath, the room managed to be airy and cozy at the same time.

He set his suitcase on the bed, unpacking with the speed and efficiency of a veteran traveler.

He hung his tuxedo in the closet, making a note to borrow a steamer from Grace if the wrinkles hadn’t shaken out by tomorrow morning.

He had no doubt she had one on hand—and if she didn’t, then Anna would.

He took a few moments to freshen up in the bath, and by the time he emerged from his room and wandered downstairs, he felt nearly human again. He wandered into the dining room, noted the table was already set for dinner, and turned to find the parlor.

And saw Lola .

She stood in the doorway, her small form dwarfed in a voluminous white robe. Her skin glowed, and her feet were bare.

He wanted so badly to reach out and grab her that he shoved his hands into his pockets. “ Lola .”

“Hello, Simon .”

She smiled at him, but her eyes were somber, her voice subdued. “ Did you just get here?”

He nodded, unable to take his eyes from her face. “ Not too long ago.” He cleared his throat. “ How are you?”

Her smile turned a little rueful. “ I’m fine. And you?”

“Fine.” He stood there, miserably awkward. She was so close, and he couldn’t touch her. “ Listen , I wanted to say…”

She held up a hand when he trailed off. “ You don’t have to say anything.”

“I do,” he insisted, his voice low and fierce.

She tucked her hands into the pockets of her robe. “ Okay .”

He drew a deep breath, searching for the right words, but all he could see was her face, her eyes. It was the first time he’d seen her eyes without any spark in them. “ I never meant to hurt you,” he began, then his mind went blank at the sight of her sad smile.

“I know. I know that.” She sucked in a breath. “ Simon , I’m not mad at you. Well , I guess I’m mad at you for lying to me, but not for the rest.”

“Anna is,” he put in, and the spark of humor that lit her eyes made his knees weak.

“She is,” she said with such relish he wanted to laugh. “ You’ll have to deal with that on your own.” Then she sobered. “ But I’m not. Really . You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I should’ve been honest with you.”

She nodded. “ Me , too.”

He frowned slightly. “ You were.”

“No, I wasn’t. I knew you were still thinking about your perfect submissive, and I should’ve asked you about it. I should’ve initiated that conversation, but I was afraid I wouldn’t like the answer.” She shrugged. “ So , I didn’t ask.”

He understood that. “ I should’ve initiated the conversation, too.”

“We kind of forgot some of the rules, huh?”

He smiled. “ I guess so. So , we’re okay?”

Her smile faded slightly. “ We will be. It’s just going to take some time.”

He nodded. “ Yeah . Okay .”

“Well. I should get back upstairs. Anna wanted some help getting dressed.”

“Okay.” He watched her walk to the stairs. “ Hey , Lola ?”

She turned, one hand on the banister. “ Yes ?”

“Grant seems to know about Ginger and the stun gun incident. Any idea how that might have happened?”

A sly smile curved over her mouth, lighting her eyes, reminding him painfully of how things used to be. “ No idea.”

“Right.” He watched her disappear up the stairs, wishing with everything in him he could follow.

Grant strolled in, checking his stride when he saw Simon . “ Hey . You coming for that drink?”

“Yeah.” Simon tore his gaze away from the empty staircase. “ Yeah , let’s have a drink.”

He followed Grant into the parlor, wandering to the wide window to look out onto the backyard. A small army of workers were setting up chairs, draping a white arbor with flowers.

“It looks nice.”

Grant glanced up. “ Yeah , Mom really went all out. She and Anna have had their heads together, talking on the phone almost every day. Thank God they get along.”

Simon’s lips twitched. “ They’ve probably compared notes on you, you know.”

Grant’s eyes widened, and he actually went a little pale. “ Okay , let’s pretend that’s not true.”

Simon chuckled, accepting the glass Grant held out. He raised it slightly. “ To a long and happy marriage.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Grant enthused, and clinked his glass against Simon’s .

“Can I ask you something?” Simon asked.

“Sure.”

“Do you think I did the right thing?”

Grant didn’t pretend not to know what he was talking about. He looked at Simon over the rim of his glass. “ I can’t answer that.”

Simon tamped down on frustration. “ You must have an opinion.”

“Yeah. But my opinion isn’t what matters.”

“I’m asking you for your opinion.”

Grant shook his head. “ Nope . You’re not pulling me in to this.”

“Grant.”

“I can’t tell you if you did the right thing or not. It’s not my call to make. But if you want an opinion, I’ll give you this one. I’ve seen you with a lot of women over the years, and I’ve never seen you with one that made you as happy, as content, as you were with Lola .”

Simon stared into his glass, his gut in knots. “ She made me happy.”

“Yeah, she did. So , I’ll ask you again; why do you think someone else will make you happier?”

He set his glass down on a side table. “ I don’t know.”

“Well, when you figure it out, you’ll know if you did the right thing.”

* * *

Lola stood at the arbor, the early evening sun in her eyes. The rehearsal was under way, the minister walking Anna and Grant through the vows they’d say tomorrow. She stood at Anna’s left, and Simon stood at Grant’s right in the positions they’d take during the ceremony.

It was hard not to look at him.

The sunlight hit his hair, burnishing the rich chestnut with gold and deeper hints of red. He was watching the minister with a little smile on his face, his golden eyes glowing with warmth.

Then he turned and met her gaze.

She tried to look away, but something in his eyes, the way he was looking at her, wouldn’t let her. She couldn’t hide the hurt; she was too tired, her emotions too close to the surface. Her camouflage wouldn’t work now. She felt the hitch in her breathing, the stab of pain just under her heart.

He’d probably do this someday. Get married. He was a very traditional man, and when he found his perfect mate, his ideal submissive, they’d stand up in front of a minister and promise to love, honor and obey. Well , she’d promise to obey. He’d probably promise to protect, or something like that.

That she could see it so clearly just made it hurt all the more, and finally gave her the strength to tear her gaze away.

And just in time. The minister was sending Grant and Anna back down the aisle behind Henry , who was thoroughly enjoying the attention he was getting as ring bearer.

Following her cue, Lola fell in behind them, Simon at her side.

He offered his arm to escort her, and knowing it would look odd if she didn't, hooked her hand on his elbow.

She tried to ignore the warmth of his arm under her hand, the subtle flexing of hard muscle. She smiled blindly at the people that milled about in the garden, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. As soon as they were inside, she could let go.

But he laid his hand over hers and leaned down, his lips next to her ear. “ We have to talk.”

Her smile felt like it was pasted on her face. “ No , thank you.”

“Yes, Lola .” He was using his don’t-fuck-with-me voice, firm and low, confident she’d obey. Goddamn him.

“This is not the time,” she said under her breath.

“I don’t care.” His voice was so low she had to strain to hear it.

She felt a quick burst of anger. He didn’t care? “ Well , I do. And we are not doing this now.”

He was silent for a long moment, and she allowed herself a sigh of relief. But when they reached the end of the aisle, he growled, “ Don’t make me carry you out of here over my shoulder.”

Her head whipped up, shock and anger burning away all the pain and sadness.

She yanked her hand off his arm. “ Don’t you fucking threaten me, Hastings .

I’m not some little girl you can intimidate and I’m not yours to order around, so you can take your threats and your demands and shove them up your ass. ”

“Lola,” he said, his tone full of warning, and reached for her.