Tingle All the Way (10 page)

Praying that no one had seen their show of
affection, her hopes were dashed when she saw the Allreds and Charles Buckman
looking their way. Barry’s mother grinned. His father had a
you-go-boy
expression. And Mr. Buckman stared at her as if she had just grown two heads.

And maybe she had. Because Kayla was acting
so far out of her character she didn’t even know who she was anymore. This
dress wasn’t her. Kissing in public wasn’t her. Emotions she had never felt
before came rising to the surface, almost choking her.

She whipped her gaze about. “I need to use
the restroom.”

Barry pointed. “Up the stairs to the
right.”

“Excuse me.”

Kayla didn’t wait to make her escape. Her
heels clicked against the marble floor with each step she took. Breathlessly,
she locked the door behind her and stared blindly at the stranger in the
mirror. Unfathomable tears rose, one rushing down her cheek followed by
another.

“Please, Kayla, don’t cry.” Hector parted
several strands of her hair, gazing at her with such sorrow. “You are strong,
intelligent and beautiful. But you protect your heart like Fort Knox guards its
gold.” He softly patted the left side of his chest with his right hand. “It is
time to listen to what
this
is telling you. You care for this man
deeply. Admit it. It is okay to do such. He is a man who can be trusted with
your heart and your secrets.”

“Can I? Trust him? Or will he leave me like
everyone else has?” God. She sounded like a child.

Hector shook his head. “No one knows what
the future holds,
señorita
. But remember Tennyson’s words, ‘’Tis better
to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’.”

Through misty eyes, she felt a tug at the
corner of her mouth. “You know, you’re not all that bad.”

He shrugged. “I’m an acquired taste.” Then
he grinned before disappearing back into the folds of her hair.

“
Hector,
” she growled. “You are
not
hanging around in my hair all night.”

A masculine chuckle rang in her ear.

As she let herself out of the bathroom,
Kayla thought about what Hector had said. Maybe she needed to trust herself
before she trusted another.

Barry felt his chest tightening as Kayla
came down the stairs. Something about this woman moved him. When she had
confirmed that she was his girl, he had nearly burst with happiness. Yet
something niggled in the back of his mind. Had she meant it or did she say it
for Stan’s benefit? As she grew closer, he frowned. It might be just his
imagination, but her eyes appeared a little red, swollen. Had she been crying?

“Everything okay?”

“Absolutely,” she replied nonchalantly. “I
should probably say hello to Buckman before the night is over. I’m told he
usually doesn’t stay long at parties because of his wife’s health. Would you
join me?”

“Certainly.” He offered her his arm and she
took it without hesitation.

Charles Buckman was a shrewd man and knew a
good attorney when he saw one. He probably compensated Kayla handsomely to keep
her with his firm. As they approached, he turned and eyed her with curiosity,
probably because it wasn’t the Ice Queen who stood by Barry’s side, but a beautiful
woman. It was in the way she walked, the way she held herself.

Surprising Barry, she openly smiled at the
elderly man as she held out her hand to him. “Good evening, Mr. Buckman.”

“Miss Jones, what a pleasure to see you
here. You missed the company party.”

“I’m afraid that was my fault,” Barry
inserted, providing no more details.

“No worries, boy.” Buckman shook his hand.
“So what do you think of our girl here? I heard she gave you a whoppin’
yesterday.”

She stiffened, but Barry squeezed her hand
reassuringly and pulled her closer. “I returned the favor later that night.”

Kayla’s eyes grew as large as saucers.
“Barry!” The prettiest coloring dotted her cheeks.

Buckman chuckled. “No worries, Miss Jones,
this whippersnapper has been known to spin a yarn or two. When are you going to
join us on the dark side?”

“You know I can’t do that.”

The older man shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt to
keep asking. Maybe Miss Jones can sway you. You know she’s pretty good in an
argument.”

Kayla’s color deepened.

“Well, it’s time for me to be off. Mrs.
Claus has something special scheduled for me tonight.”

“How is Barbara?” Barry asked, even though
he knew the woman was fighting a losing battle with diabetes.

“She’s doing better. Thank you.” Buckman
shook both his and Kayla’s hands again, and then he sauntered off.

Barry didn’t realize it, but his palms had
been rubbing up and down Kayla’s bare arms. He needed to touch her so badly he
couldn’t stand it. “Dance with me.”

They danced that dance and the next one as
well. As he swept her across the floor, he couldn’t believe how right she felt
in his arms. It was as if they were an extension of each other, moving in
perfect harmony.

Later that night, Kayla danced with his
father and again with Stan. When he returned from the restroom she was dancing
with a man he had never met. A sudden tinge of jealousy rose from out of
nowhere to surprise him.

Mine
, rang
possessively through his head. Barry must have been frowning because when Stan
walked up, he gave him a funny look.

“You okay?” Stan’s gaze followed Barry’s,
which was on Kayla in the arms of the other man. “You didn’t tell me that you
had feelings for this woman.”

“So?” Why try to deny them? Kayla had
captivated him the moment he set eyes on her.

“Is that going to be a problem tonight?”

Yes
was the
first response that came to his mind, but he said the opposite, adding, “It’s
Kayla’s fantasy.” Barry would give her this fantasy, and then by God, no man
would ever touch her again.

When she waltzed off the floor with the man
following her, Barry curled his fingers into fists. “Having fun?” He managed to
speak without allowing his anger to slip through.

“I am.” She took a deep breath and her
breasts caught the eye of her dance partner. “Samuel Darwin, meet Barry Allred
and Stan Keller. Sam is a nephew of one of the other guests attending tonight.”

Barry ground his teeth at Stan and then he
shook the young buck’s hand. “Darwin, it’s a pleasure to meet you, but we were
just leaving.”

“Uh. Oh, okay.” Kayla hesitated, before
adding, “Thank you for the dance. Perhaps our paths will cross again.”

“I’ll make sure of it.”

Over my dead body
, perched on the tip of Barry’s tongue, but he remained silent.
Instead, he placed a palm in the small of her back and escorted her to gather
her wrap and purse.

As they stepped outside, he realized the
night had turned chilly. Barry activated the automatic starter on his key ring,
heating the car as they approached it. Kayla pulled the stole tighter around
her shoulders. “I can’t believe how cold it is.” The way the moonlight fell
over her, she appeared ethereal—his angel.

“Come home with me tonight. I’ll warm you
up.”

Shadows moved over her eyes as she climbed
into the car. “Tomorrow is Christmas—it’s a special time. Your family’s
expecting you to join them.”

He opened his door and slid behind the
wheel. “Mom expects you to come with me. Of course, that is if you haven’t
already made plans.”

“No plans. But your mother was just being
nice.”

Barry huffed. “That was mom’s way of
telling—not asking. If she didn’t want you to attend she would have kept her
mouth shut. And I want you by my side.”

“You do?”

“Yes. But I also want you in my bed
tonight.” He steered the car into traffic. “Besides, I have a Christmas present
for you.”

“No, Barry, I couldn’t possibly accept a
gift. I don’t have anything for you or your family.”

“I’ve taken care of my family’s presents.
And you probably need to see what I have for you before you turn it down. Now
come over here and give me a kiss and say you’ll go home with me.”

Kayla leaned over the console, her wrap
slipping from her shoulders as she pressed her lips to his, whispering, “I’d
love to go home with you.”

The clock in the car struck midnight as
they pulled into the garage and the large door dropped with a whine. Barry got
out and hurried around the car to open her door.

“Let’s get out of this cold.”

They both rushed to the door leading to his
kitchen and slipped inside. Barry heard footsteps just before Stan sauntered
through the doorway with a glass of scotch in his hands.

And he was stark-assed naked.

His friend leaned casually against the
counter, raising his glass. “Merry Christmas, Kayla.”

Chapter Eight

Kayla froze, her feet suddenly growing
roots were she stood.

Mistrusting her own eyes, she blinked. For
the briefest of moments she resisted the urge to laugh, because it wasn’t
possible that Barry’s best friend was relaxing against the counter toasting her
while sporting one of the largest hard-ons she had ever seen.

And acting as if it were completely normal.

Although she was shocked beyond words, she
felt an unexpected stirring in her nipples. Oh Lord. Was it his lack of
clothing or his cockiness that aroused her? When she could finally find her
tongue, Kayla took a deep, calming breath and wished the ache tightening in her
belly would go away before asking, “What’s going on here?”

Stan gave her a roguish grin. “I’m your
Christmas present?”

“My what?” Kayla shrieked. She couldn’t
help it.

“Your multiple-partner fantasy,” Barry
cautiously clarified. “I told you I could make all your fantasies come true.”

“But—” Her mouth closed as tight as a clam.
For the love of God, Barry had taken her words to heart. Kayla stared between
the two men, wagging her head as if she were one of those silly dashboard dogs.
“Uh. Do you two do this often?”

Barry remained silent as Stan casually
shrugged. “In college. More recently the opportunity hasn’t arisen.”

“And I’m that opportunity?”

“
No!
” Barry’s Adam apple wobbled up
and down. “It’s not like that. I thought you wanted— Uhm. I mean—”

Holding up a hand, palm outward, she
stopped him. “Give me a minute.”

Kayla tried not to look at Stan, but it was
impossible. The man was hung like a horse. His firm, lean physique would drive
any woman wild. It was sure doing crazy things to her, if the slickness
developing between her thighs was a gauge. The thought of being sandwiched
between this man and Barry set her pulse going double time.

In a desperate attempt to put things in
perspective, she aimed her sights on Barry. “I need to speak with you. Alone.”
Not waiting for him to follow, she walked out of the kitchen into the living
room. When he joined her, she turned and faced him. “I’m afraid I’m at a loss
for words.”

“Baby, I’m sorry.” He closed the distance
between them, taking her into his arms. “I thought it was something you
wanted.”

“Yes. No. It is—was. Hell, I don’t know.
Can Stan be trusted?”

“I trust him with my life.” Barry paused,
growing quiet. The intensity in his eyes felt almost menacing. “Kayla, I have
to make something clear before we go any further.” He stopped again, as if
weighing his next words carefully. “I’ve fallen for you.”

Kayla’s mind went momentarily blank. Did
Barry just say he had fallen for her?

“But you need to know that after tonight I
won’t share you with another man, and that includes Stan.”

“So you’re saying I should—I mean, we,
should do this?”

One arm around her waist, he stabbed his
fingers through his hair. “Damn. I think I’m as confused as you.” He pressed
his forehead against hers. “Baby, I don’t want you ever to think you are missing
out on something. And if I’m being completely honest, I have to admit that a
threesome is something everyone should experience at least once. It will blow
your mind.”

“Does Stan realize this is a one-time
opportunity?” she asked.

“No. But I’ll make damn sure he does. So
does that mean it’s a go?”

The moment of decision was upon her. After
deliberating the pros and cons, all she could do was nod.

“Oh. You should probably know that Stan is
an expert with floggers.”

An image of Stan holding a whip popped into
her head. Her nipples tightened even more as her pulse took on a life of its
own.

Releasing the air out of her lungs, she
whispered, “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”

After Barry explained the playing field to
Stan, they joined Kayla in the bedroom. He had given her specific orders not to
undress and was pleased to find her fully clothed, staring wide-eyed at the
toys Stan had brought. His friend had gone overboard, but this type of play was
more mental than physical. The mind was a wonderful sexual tool.