The Wrong Billionaire's Bed (11 page)

“Someone who was up at dawn with Cade and knew he wasn't in the house when the bet was made,” she said dryly.

He gestured at himself in mock surprise, then flashed her a naughty—oh so naughty—grin. “I told you I'd do whatever it takes when it comes down to winning.”

“You certainly proved that today,” she told him, forcing her voice to be utterly bland. “Way to go. You won yourself a skinny-dip with Daphne Petty's unattractive twin sister. Congratulations.”

He gave her an odd look. “You're making it rather hard to gloat.”

“What's there to gloat over?”

“The fact that I won a hot night of skinny-dipping with a lush, sexy redhead?”

She snorted. “You're just gloating because you won. No more, no less. You don't have to lay it on so thick.”

“Suit yourself,” Reese said, then glanced out at the pond. “You want to go now?”

“In broad daylight?” She looked scandalized.

“An hour from now?”

She considered it, then shook her head. “Daph and Cade will still be awake. I don't want them knowing about this little bet of ours.”

“Heaven forbid anyone have fun while at this cabin,” Reese said dryly.

Fun for you
, she thought with a dark frown. “Midnight.”

“You chickening out on me, Petty?”

“Don't be ridiculous. I just don't want everyone knowing our business.”

“Midnight it is, then,” he conceded. “But if you try to bail on me—”

“I'm not going to bail!” God, he was irritating. God, she wished that flutter in her belly would go away.

“Good.” After a moment of silence, he turned and walked back into the house.

Apparently she now had a midnight date for skinny-dipping.
Hell.
Audrey sighed. Why was it that when she'd pictured this cozy weekend in the cabin with Cade, she'd imagined snuggling up with him by firelight while Daphne slept and they got to know each other all over again? Instead, the bad twin had the undivided attention of the hero and the good twin seemed to be making all kinds of crazy, ridiculous bets with the local miscreant.

Wasn't the good twin supposed to be the one who was rewarded at the end of the day? Somehow it didn't feel like it.

Chapter Five

The hours ticked past agonizingly slow. Dinner was awkward, with Daphne refusing to eat again. Reese made burgers for Audrey and Cade, and when he'd claimed it was her recipe for the delicious burgers, she'd done the dishes as a thank you. He was still pulling his weight when it came to this charade, after all. Now if he'd only quit giving her such knowing looks, she'd possibly quit blushing.

Citing exhaustion, Audrey went to bed early that night. She dug through her clothing, looking for a bra and panty set that would be as close as possible to a swimsuit. No dice. Unlike all the romance heroines she read about, she didn't wear pretty, sexy underwear just because she could. Audrey liked function and utility in all her clothing, right down to her undergarments. Her serviceable nude-colored bra and matching bikini panties would have to do.

And then she laid down and tried to sleep for a few hours, but that was impossible. The butterflies in her stomach had somehow turned into something the size of ponies, and her pulse was pounding so loud in her ears that she was surprised the crashing wasn't bringing the others running.

She was . . . nervous. This wasn't something that sensible Audrey Petty, good twin extraordinaire, did. Daphne might, but Daphne also liked mind-altering drugs and booze.

When her twin came in a few hours later, Audrey feigned sleep. It didn't matter. Daphne immediately dropped onto her side of the bed, adjusted her pillows, and was sound asleep within moments. Audrey waited a few minutes more anyhow, then glanced over at the clock on the bedside.

Eleven thirty.
Damn.
Another half hour to go.

She lay in bed waiting, stiff with anticipation, watching the clock tick down toward midnight. She prayed Cade was fast asleep and she wouldn't wake him up when she snuck out. How utterly mortifying would that be?

All too soon, it was time. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and paused, waiting for Daphne to stir. Her twin was sound asleep, though, and after a moment's hesitation, she got out of bed entirely.

No response.
Well, that was good.

Audrey pulled on a pair of jeans over her sleep shirt and then dragged her hair into its usual tight bun. She padded down the hall, wincing with every creak the floorboards made.

Reese was waiting by the back door of the lodge, leaning against it and checking his watch. He was dressed in those sleep pants he seemed to live in and another one of Cade's too-tight T-shirts. He grinned at the sight of her, his gaze moving back to her tight bun. “All armored up, I see.”

“Just shut up and let's do this already,” she told him in a hushed voice.

“Wait here a second,” he told her, and disappeared into the hall. He returned a minute later with a pair of fluffy towels.

For some reason, the sight of those towels made her stomach drop.
Oh, God.
She was really, really going to do this. Panic flashed through her, and she forced it down. She'd get this over with as quickly as possible and head back to bed. No one needed to know about it. No big deal. Guys like Reese probably went skinny-dipping with women all the time.

She plucked a towel from his hand and opened the back door, stepping outside.

The night air was brisk. No, more than that. It was chilly. She gave a small shiver as she stepped out, feeling the wind cut through the thin fabric of her clothing. “Can't we do this some other night when it's not this cold?”

“Would you rather use the hot tub?”

Visions of Reese naked in the hot tub with the heiress flashed through her mind, and she frowned at the reminder. “Absolutely not.”

He chuckled, his hand going to the small of her back. “Come on, then.”

The walk down to the shore of the lake seemed to take forever. Reese was murmuring something but she wasn't paying attention. The butterfly in her stomach seemed to have taken up permanent residence, and she walked in a fog, the only thing soaking through her mind the strong, warm hand at the small of her back. For some reason, she liked that hand.

And then they were at the end of the dock. Audrey stared down at the dark water lapping against the wood and then looked dubiously at Reese. “I just want you to know that I hate you.”

Reese chuckled, setting his towel down on the dock a safe distance away and then putting his hands on his hips. “So, you ready?”

“Of course not.” She tossed her towel down on top of his. “I'm not going in first, either.”

“Yeah, you are. You're the one who lost the bet.”

“Am not,” she told him. “How do I know you won't just run back to the house once I jump in the water?”

“Because I'm a man of my word?” He gave her a playful leer. “Plus, I relish the thought of seeing you naked.”

“The feeling's not mutual,” she said in a prim voice, though his words sent excitement coursing through her veins.
Oh, Lord.
She was going to see Reese naked again. She hadn't been paying attention to how he'd looked that first day that she'd caught him in nothing but a Speedo in the hot tub. Now, her mind was flashing vivid pictures over and over again, trying to pull together the full package of his, ahem, package.

She had to admit she was curious to see that. Not that she would ever tell him such a thing. Never.

“Fine, if you're going to be a chicken, I'll go first.” Reese casually reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. She watched his muscles flex in a gorgeous fashion as he stripped the shirt off, all lovely, gleaming skin and perfect muscle. Then, he turned and winked at her, as if knowing that she watched him.

It made her blush . . . but she didn't look away.

He tossed the shirt onto his towel, and then his hands went to the waist of his pants. In a flash, they were down around his ankles and she was staring at naked hips, the curve of perfect, naked ass, and a cock that was already swelling with excitement.

Her mouth went dry. He was gorgeous. She wanted to reach out and run her fingers along that smooth skin, feel the curve of his ass. Touch the cock nestled in the hair at his groin. Kiss him all over again and see how his body responded to her touch. But she didn't. She stood there, frozen, as he tossed the pants onto the discarded pile of his clothing. Then he stretched his arms over his head, casually, as if about to head into a swim meet.

Her eyes narrowed at him. “You're enjoying this, aren't you?”

“Immensely.” He grinned at her and then stepped off the dock.

There was a small splash of water and then a small intake of breath that made her freeze up. “Cold?”

“Not too bad,” he admitted. She was sad to see that he was entirely covered up by the water. Only his shoulders and his head were above the ripples of the lake. “Now your turn.”

She hesitated.

“You gonna go all scaredy cat on me, Miss Goody Two Shoes?”

Audrey scowled at him, tossing her towel down on the dock next to his. The fire in her belly had returned, somewhat stoked by the sight of him so naked and gorgeous. She refused to think about how her pasty white skin and too full figure would look in comparison to his. He'd asked for this, and she'd give it to him. With that fire encouraging her on, Audrey pulled her own sleep shirt off and then unzipped her jeans, letting them pool at her feet as she daintily stepped out of them. Now she was just in her plain bra and panties.

“Take your hair down,” he called out.

“Not hardly,” she told him, reaching for the clasp on the back of her bra. She hesitated a moment, her bravado slipping away a bit under the heat of his gaze. He was watching her, waiting for her to strip naked. Could she do this? Not that she had much of a choice. Biting her lip, Audrey closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the ground. Without opening her eyes to see his reaction, she shimmied out of her panties, kicked them aside, and then took that last step off the dock before she could second guess herself.

The water was like ice.

As soon as it hit her skin, it sucked all the air out of her lungs and she let out a yelp of surprise. Her eyes had been closed and she hadn't judged how deep the water was, and the next moment, her head went under. She'd never felt anything so cold. She bobbed back to the surface, her eyes flying open. Immediately, her teeth began to chatter. “Oh, my God! C-c-cold!”

He grinned at her, then raised a finger to his lips to indicate that she should be silent.

She splashed water at him. “Don't you sh-sh-shush me. I'm fucking freezing! You should have told me!” He'd been so casual about the water.
It's not too bad.

He was such a liar.

“If I had told you, you wouldn't have jumped in and you'd have deprived me of my sweet win and a chance to see you naked.” He grinned, and she noticed that his lips were a little blue.

“You suck!”

“Audrey, hush or you're going to wake everyone up,” he told her in a low voice, swimming a little closer. His grasped her arm.

She gasped at how warm his hand felt against her skin even in the cold water. Automatically, she reached for him and pressed her naked body up against his, wrapping her arms around his neck. She moaned at how warm he felt against her. It was like she was in a vat of ice and holding onto a space heater. “God, you feel good.”

His arms went around her, his hand sliding to her ass and tugging her closer. A small groan escaped his throat. “Ditto.”

Audrey shivered against him, her body plastered to his. One of her legs went around his hips, drawing him closer to her. It was an intimate, slick embrace but all she cared about was warmth. “Exactly how long do we have to stay in here?”

“I don't feel like moving,” he told her, and squeezed one of her ass cheeks in response. His voice had gone low and husky.

She was about to protest that she did and she wanted to move ASAP, but her face was pressed against his cheek, her breasts pushed on his chest. He wasn't mauling her, either. He was just more or less standing there and letting her climb all over him—well, except for the hand squeezing her ass. And as she clung to his warmth, she realized that his body felt good against hers. All hard planes and delicious muscle and skin. Her mouth was exceedingly close to his ear, and he twitched every time she breathed out.

And the impulsive, fiery Audrey she tried so hard to clamp down came to the forefront. She leaned in and nibbled gently at his earlobe, taking it between her teeth.

Reese groaned and his hands clenched against her, and his other arm locked around her back, pushing her against him, hard.

She liked that response. So she took his earlobe in her mouth and began to gently suck on it.

His hips worked against her own, bucking a little. That hand clenched against her ass clenched all over again, as if he was trying to control himself and failing mightily. “Ah fuck, Audrey. That feels incredible.”

She nipped at his ear again, and then moved to his jaw, sliding her lips along his mouth. He turned his head and his mouth moved to capture hers, even as he hauled her other leg around his hip.

Audrey moaned, clinging to him as his tongue began to thrust into her mouth, her hips bearing down against his cock. He slid between her legs, pressing hard against her sex, and then held there. No penetration, just the sheer pleasure of skin against skin. She tightened her legs around him and deepened the kiss, clutching at his shoulders.

It was not a soft, easy exploration of mouths like before. This kiss was hard, furious, and deep. It was uncontrolled and wild, and her teeth were chattering, lips shivering, and neither of them cared. Teeth clashed and tongues thrust with abandon.

His hand slid along her side in the icy water, a spot of warmth in the chill. When he slid between them and cupped her breast, she whimpered. He felt so good against her. He growled low in his throat at her response, his thumb grazing over her nipple, stroking the already tight peak over and over again. “Been wanting to touch these since the first day I saw you,” he panted into her mouth.

“Liar,” she said with a soft moan, her teeth tugging at his lower lip. She enjoyed his groan of response.

“Not lying,” he told her, pinching the nipple between two fingers and rolling it, his gaze on her to see her response. “Knew that underneath all that proper do-gooder Audrey there was the fiery girl. Fucking love bringing her out to play.”

She moaned, burying her face against his neck as sensation coiled through her. “God, your fingers.”

“You like that, firecracker?” His hand slipped away from her breast and she whimpered a protest. It slid between their bodies and she felt him brush against the curls of her sex under the water. “Like it when I use my fingers on you?”

Her fingernails dug into his skin, unable to respond. Instead, she just licked at his neck and bit at his collarbone, trying to show him how much she liked his touch after all. This was wild and wicked and she was out here with a man who was all wrong for her.

And she was loving every damn minute of it.

His hot fingers slipped between her folds and she cried out as he brushed her clit, biting down on his shoulder. Reese chuckled low, the sound almost guttural with need. “There's my fiery girl,” he groaned, circling a finger around her clit, making her body shiver with need. “Want me to make you come?”

She buried her face against his skin, her mouth pressing hot and sucking at his flesh. Her hips bounced against his fingers, working against him, and letting that speak for her. She sucked on his skin, and then moved to another patch of skin, biting and licking and nibbling and sucking again, unable to help herself. All the while, she moved her hips against his fingers. She needed this so bad.

“Say my name, fiery girl,” he murmured as her movements became more frantic, water splashing between the two of them. When she didn't respond, his fingers stopped their torturous circles.