Whose Bed Is It Anyway? (14 page)

‘This is your first time to New York?' James' dad asked Caitlin.

James glanced at her as she admitted it was.

‘What's been your favourite thing so far?'

‘Oh, now that's impossible, I've seen so many amazing things,' she answered diplomatically. ‘James has been an amazing tour guide.'

‘James has?' his mum asked.

Inwardly he winced as he saw the stunned expressions in his parents' eyes. Even Jack looked up from his phone and sent him a sideways glance.

‘Um...yeah.' Caitlin picked up on the prickle in the atmosphere and sent him a beseeching look. An apology? Uh huh. Too late she'd remembered he hadn't wanted to come home. That he'd told his family he was busy. She didn't yet know why he was so reluctant to be here, yet she was still sorry she'd dropped him in it.

He forced a grin, wanting to let her know it didn't matter. He didn't want her to feel awkward. ‘I couldn't leave her alone to face the streets of New York,' he explained with a lazy shrug. ‘Had to lead her through it. Wolves make the best guides, right?'

‘That they do.' George chuckled.

‘How nice.'

With a sinking heart James saw the interest and amazement in his mother's widened eyes. Oh, hell—what was she thinking now? That he was about to settle?

Never gonna happen, Mum. Sorry.

Damn. He listened as his mother pumped Caitlin for details on where he'd taken her in Manhattan. He knew he shouldn't have come back for this visit. And he should never have brought Caitlin. He was only ever going to disappoint them.

All of them.

He glanced over the table, willing the meal to be over so he could escape. Part of him just wanted to haul Caitlin off to his room. He ached to be near to her again. Touch her. Hear her laughter. It made him feel good when he made her laugh.

But it wasn't fair of him to use her as his distraction. It wasn't fair of him to avoid talking about anything other than work or safe travel topics with his family.

He knew he needed to try harder, but all he really wanted to do was run. He didn't know that he was ever going to be able to stare down the ghosts and memories that haunted him here, when he was with his family. When he was at work, it was easy. He loved to work.

Caitlin smiled her way through the amazing food and wine in the relaxed, stunning setting. His parents kept conversation flowing and were polite enough to explain and include her in on the little family jokes that peppered the conversation. The topic turned to adventures further abroad. She figured it was inevitable given they published travel guides. Jack was the current head of the family company—and a serious globetrotter. George, a venture capitalist, travelled widely looking at different projects to pump his money into. And then James travelled a different kind of route—to disaster-hit cities and remote villages. Two out of the three brothers, and their parents, entertained her by regaling her with their worst travel exploits.

She was conscious of James' silence, of him watching her too closely. His gaze wandered a little too far south of her face every so often. He really shouldn't send her those smouldering looks when she was talking to his parents. She glared pointedly back at him but only got a wicked smile in return.

And she couldn't help feeling that they were all playing it ‘safe' somehow. Especially James. She had the feeling she was his shield. That her presence kept the conversation perfectly light. More than ever she wondered what the leashed undercurrent within him was all about.

‘I can't wait to get you alone,' he muttered as she helped him carry dishes inside after the meal. ‘You owe me, you know.'

Yeah but she had to be polite first. And so did he.

Back on the deck, as the setting sun splashed the sky in red and gold, she studied him and his brothers. Jack was wholly different from the twins—not quite as tall, but more solidly built and with blue eyes that pierced in a slightly unnerving way. She wasn't sorry he was apparently welded to his mobile phone. Now she knew James so well she saw the scar was nothing on the real differences between him and George. James' lips curved as he saw her looking from him to George and back again. His eyebrow flickered.

‘Did you use to trick people when you were younger?' she asked.

‘The people closest to us always knew. But we liked to try it on with new teachers.'

‘Girls?'

‘Never. We've always had different tastes when it comes to women. Well,' he corrected as George wandered closer, ‘George just has gluttonous tastes, while I'm more discerning.'

George lifted his shoulders negligently. ‘I see no reason to put limitations on myself. I love to love women. Lots of women.'

Caitlin chuckled.

‘Don't encourage him,' James said drily. ‘He'll only start to flirt.'

‘What do you mean start?' George asked. ‘I've been working on it all evening.'

‘Flirt away,' Caitlin laughed. ‘You'll get nowhere.'

‘You've not decided to become a nun?' George asked, appalled.

‘Hard as this may be to believe, I'm simply not interested.'

George blinked. ‘Impossible.'

‘Give it up, brother,' James roasted him. ‘You have to face the fact that your usual technique has failed.'

‘What's his usual technique?' Caitlin asked.

‘Superficial.' James smiled, basically baring his teeth.

‘Cruel, James,' George jibed.

‘But accurate.'

‘Come out with me, Caitlin,' Jack interrupted. ‘There's no contest as to who's the most fun...'

‘You guys have always been this competitive?' Caitlin asked.

‘Ignore them, Caitlin,' Irene said calmly. ‘They're fools. And no, Jack, you're not going out. This is the first night you've both been home in ages. You're to stay right where I can see you.'

‘All right.' George winked at his mother, then turned back to eye Caitlin. ‘I'll have to prove my superiority with the Scrabble board.'

‘Scrabble?' Caitlin choked. Wow, they really were into the happy family scene here.

‘Hell no,' James groaned. ‘Not Scrabble.'

‘You don't think you can handle it?' George teased.

‘I'm actually quite good at Scrabble,' Caitlin said smugly. ‘I'm pretty tough to beat.'

‘
You're
up for Scrabble?' James stared at her.

‘Absolutely.' She could see what he wanted but she was not diving away for an early night. It would be obvious to everyone what was going on.

She caught the glint in his eye as he replied, ‘All right then, Scrabble it is. Jack, you in?'

‘No.' Jack shook his head. ‘I'm in the pool.'

Caitlin glanced at Jack for a moment as he cast off his shirt, dived into the pool in his boardshorts and proceeded to swim length after length. Yeah, they were a bunch of competitive sports types. Well, she couldn't compete with either the tennis or the swimming, but with Scrabble? She had half a chance. She pulled her chair closer to the table as James and George set out the board and pieces.

She'd endured hours of Scrabble as a young teen, it had been the on-set tutor's way of trying to beat the boredom of waiting for scenes. Caitlin hadn't exactly loved it, but now she took the game on fiercely. She planned on beating these boys. And twenty minutes later she was doing exactly that—
just
. She and James had leapt ahead of George who, it was fair to say, didn't seem to have his heart in it.

‘There was me thinking you were all about sequins.' James frowned as she put down an eighty-seven point word by using a triple points square.

‘I'm all about designing patterns,' she said primly. ‘Oh, look at that,' Caitlin murmured, putting down another set of winning point letters.

George threw his hands in the air. ‘I retire. You're too good for me. Couple of geeks,' he muttered under his breath.

James laughed. ‘Jealous brother. You never could cope with me winning.'

‘You haven't won yet,' Caitlin pointed out calmly, putting her last piece, an ‘a', above another ‘a' already on the board.

He stared at it. ‘There's no such word as “aa”. Acronyms aren't allowed in our version of the game.' He grinned gleefully.

‘Actually “aa” is a form of solidified lava,' she said. ‘Feel free to look it up if you need to, but I think you'll find I'm right. And that I've just won by a point.'

‘Solidified lava, huh?' he asked.

‘Yes.'

‘That's right.' She tilted her chin. ‘If you're up for it, you can always challenge me to a rematch.'

James' eyes narrowed. ‘All right. But it has to be speed Scrabble.'

Thirty minutes later she chuckled. ‘Did you want to try for best of three?'

‘No, thanks. I concede the Scrabble crown to you.'

‘And now, if you'll excuse me, I think I might retire.' Caitlin smiled, somewhat embarrassed.

She looked over at James' parents happily relaxing with all their sons home. Even if one of their sons hadn't been remotely relaxed.

She really shouldn't be intruding on this. Yet they'd made her welcome. She'd just been Caitlin again—with no cloud of doom hanging about her. Fitting in had been fun.

‘Thanks so much for having me to stay,' she said. And meant it.

Ten minutes later there was a knock on her door and he slipped straight inside.

‘What was with the delay?' he growled, pulling her close and spinning her to push her against the door. ‘We could be on our third round by now.'

‘I needed to flash my Scrabble skills.'

‘Flash me some other things,' he muttered, his hands sliding over her dress. ‘Fast.'

She laughed. ‘But I won.'

‘And I'm your prize.' He bent his head. ‘I need to be in you. Now.'

His impatience was an incredible turn on. But there was something more that drew her to please him—that hint of raw.

‘I never knew Scrabble could be foreplay,' she mused, teasing him as she began to unbutton his shirt.

‘I've been waiting so long.' He looked into her eyes. ‘I need this.'

Why?
When they'd just had a perfectly pleasant night. But he kissed her before she could ask.

Sex
. She reminded herself as she leaned into his kiss. It was just sex for him. It wasn't her he'd been waiting for. But the ecstasy, the physical release.

‘You've been laughing all night,' he said, pressing kisses across her jaw line. ‘Your laugh turns me on. I want to capture it. Capture you.'

‘You have me,' she breathed, confessing the truth in a tease. ‘Any way you want me.'

‘Every way.'

Passion filled her. She needed to kiss him, touch him everywhere. Feel him. The thrill of being near him had never lessened. Chemistry was an incredible thing. She laughed now with the delight of it. Quickly he cupped his palm over her mouth.
Hard
.

Oh. Wicked excitement flamed inside her.

He smiled at her widened eyes. ‘Can't have your sexy screams keeping everyone awake,' he whispered.

She twisted her head, lifting her mouth free of his muzzle. ‘I don't scream.'

‘Yeah, you do,' he taunted with a wicked smile. ‘But first you sigh, then you pant. The panting gets quicker and louder. Then you scream.'

‘I'm that predictable?' she asked, already breathless.

‘Pretty much.'

‘Keep your hands off my mouth,' she ordered in defiance. ‘Your lips off mine. I can be quiet.'

‘Can you now?' he dared.

Oh, hell, she wanted him so badly. ‘You won't hear a peep. Promise.'

‘But what if I were to do this to you?'

She jumped. Just slamming her lips together in time to stifle the yelp as he cupped her sex with an invasive hand, his thumb working in circles around her already swollen, pulsing clitoris.

His smile widened and he stepped in closer, bracing his other hand on the wall beside her head. ‘You're really going to stay silent?'

Slowly she nodded, knowing they were in a game now. The thing about James was that he liked a challenge. Well, so did she.

‘You think you're so tough,' he said softly. ‘A tough nut to crack.' His mouth curved again and he leaned close to nip her lips. ‘Like a macadamia. Delicious. But so hard to break into.'

‘I'm not a nut,' she whispered furiously.

He chuckled loudly.

‘If you don't want people to hear us, then
you
need to whisper,' she hissed.

Suddenly he moved, bending to pick her up. In three strides he deposited her on the bed. Coming down hard on top of her. She gritted her teeth to hold back her groan of delight. She loved taking his weight.

But then he lifted away and started to torment her. His hands feathered over her skin in horrendously slow, delicious strokes. He carefully lifted her dress, exposing her to him inch by inch. Touching, tasting every part of her as he revealed it. He slipped the dress from her shoulders. Pressed kisses along the edge of her bra as he worked to unclasp it. Then he went to work on removing her knickers.

Slowly, teasing. Sending her insane.

She reached for the pillow, bit down on the corner of it, clenching down on the torture. So close to coming. But she couldn't squeal.

‘That's cheating,' he reproved, pulling the pillow out from her teeth.

Her jaw snapped. She breathed hard. ‘Bastard.'

‘Insulting my mother when you're in her home?' he chuckled. ‘Bad girl.'

‘And you're the bad boy for sneaking around to have sex with one of the guests on the sly?'

‘You were the one who wanted this to be clandestine.' He gazed down her body as he slid his fingers along her slick sex. ‘So let's have a silent orgasm then.'

He bent and added his mouth, his tongue to where his fingers already played. His mouth was hot and wet and wicked. His tongue skilled, his fingers fast.