Читать книгу The Right Bed?: Your Bed or Mine? - Kate Hoffmann, Jule Mcbride - Страница 8

“WHERE ARE WE GOING?”

Jake glanced over at Caley and smiled.

After their rocky start that morning, Jake wondered whether he and Caley were doomed to spend their time revisiting the past.

They’d been such good friends growing up, doing everything together, climbing trees and exploring the lakeshore, fishing and swimming. But once they’d started to see each other as more than just good buddies, their relationship had grown strained. Though they’d still spent the majority of their time together, they had often been locked in a battle of wills, each of them trying to one-up the other.

Caley had used the stubborn determination he’d fostered and made a success of herself in a highly competitive field. He, in turn, had internalized her absolute confidence in him and used it to build his own business from scratch.

He’d never really thanked her for being such a good friend. But he didn’t want to do that now. Instead, he wanted her to look at him as something more than a friend. He wanted to get back to that place, to that day right before they’d started looking at each other with teenage lust in their eyes. If he took them back, then maybe they’d be able to turn things in a different direction.

“I’d just like to know what this thing you’re going to show me is.”

“A surprise,” Jake said. “Are you always this impatient? Or do you just hate surprises?”

“Both,” Caley said.

“You’re going to have to relax. You’re not in the big city anymore. Take a breath, chill for a while. Enjoy the beautiful day.”

Caley’s phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket, but before she could answer it, Jake grabbed it from her hands. “You can talk to them later,” he said, taking a quick glance at the caller ID.

“I have responsibilities,” Caley said. She took her cell phone back. “Don’t you have a cell phone? Don’t people from your office need to talk to you?”

“They don’t have my number. I don’t want anyone calling me so I don’t give it out. When I leave the office, I’m done. Whatever they need can wait or they can figure it out for themselves. I’m not that important that I have all the answers. Are you?”

Caley frowned as if perplexed by his question. “Well, yes. That’s how you get to be the boss. By having all the answers.”

“Maybe you should trust the people you work with a little more. If you don’t, you’ll drive yourself crazy.”

Jake knew from experience that it was best to take a more relaxed approach to work. When he first opened his own architectural firm in Chicago, he’d spent months of sleepless nights worrying about all the horrible things that might befall him professionally. And then, once he was sure they weren’t going to come and repossess the office furniture, he stopped worrying. He didn’t want to be a millionaire or appear on the cover of some glossy architecture magazine. He wasn’t going to be the next I. M. Pei. He’d do his job well, he’d make a decent living and his clients would be happy with his work. That was enough.

“I work better when I’m crazy,” Caley said. She flipped open the phone. “Give me your number. I might have an emergency sometime.”

“I’ll only give you my number if you promise that you’ll use it,” he said.

“For what? A booty call?”

“Maybe. Or a little bit of drunk dialing. Or when you get stuck in a snowbank on the side of the road.” He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out his own phone, then handed it to her. “Put your number on my memory dial. I might have an emergency of my own some night.”

Jake carefully watched the side of the East Shore Road, looking for the weathered wooden sign that hung from an old maple tree. Havenwoods. When he saw it, he turned sharply into the woods, steering the truck down a snow-covered drive.

Caley looked around. “What is this? It said private property on that sign. We shouldn’t drive down here.”

“Relax,” Jake said. “The owner hardly ever uses it in the winter. No one has been here for a while.” Caley was silent and Jake looked over at her. “It’ll be all right, I promise.”

They wound through the woods and finally came to a clearing in the trees. An old log house stood on the rise above the lake. A ramshackle porch, supported by a stone foundation, surrounded the house and three fieldstone chimneys broke up the roofline. Every time Jake saw it, he couldn’t help but be amazed that it was finally his.

“Oh my God,” Caley murmured, peering through the windshield. “It’s the Fortress.” She glanced over at Jake, a wide smile on her face. “I haven’t been here in … years. It still looks exactly the same.” She frowned. “But smaller.”

“It’s called Havenwoods,” Jake said, “and I found out it was one of the first summerhouses built on this lake, back when the industrialists called their summer homes camps and North Lake was just a pretty fishing hole in the middle of a forest. It was built in 1885 by a railroad tycoon from Chicago who owned the entire lake and the surrounding property. It was designed by William West Durant,” Jake continued. “Durant was the first to design in the Great Camp style in the Adirondacks.”

“Someone is home,” she said. “The porch lights are on in the middle of the day.”

He shook his head. “The lighting is triggered by a sensor on the driveway. When you come from the lake side, the lights don’t go on.” He turned off the car. “You want to go inside?”

As kids, they used to come across the lake by boat and tie up at the rotting dock. They’d explored every inch of the property and had spent many rainy days inside the house, gaining entrance through a first-floor window with a broken sash lock.

“We can’t go inside. That’s trespassing. And breaking and entering.”

“We used to do it all the time. No one will care,” Jake said. “And I know where the key is so we won’t have to break in.” He jumped out of the truck and circled around, then helped her out. “If Officer Winslow catches us, you can just smile at him and he won’t arrest us.”

Caley’s gaze was fixed on the facade as she walked closer. “You brought me here on my fifteenth birthday. And you gave me that arrowhead necklace. I wore that thing all year. My girlfriends in school thought it was the ugliest thing, but I thought … well, I thought it was special.”

“Do you still have it?”

“I do. It’s in my closet back in New York. The leather string broke, but I kept it. Along with everything else you gave me.” Caley smiled. “I’ll have to get that box and go through it.”

“What else is in it?”

“Silly stuff. Mementos of our grand love affair. There’s a piece of bubblegum you gave me. I was sure it meant that you wanted me. I used to take it out and touch it because I knew it had been in your pocket.”

“That’s a little scary,” Jake teased.

“I know. I was a teenage girl hauling around a huge torch. Everything meant something.”

They climbed the snow-covered steps and Caley walked to the window, peering inside, her hands around her eyes. “It looks the same. I’d imagine this was a beautiful place to visit in its day.”

Jake walked along the outside wall until he reached the second set of windows, then bent down and pulled a stone from a spot beneath the sill. Beneath it, he found the keys.

“How did you know about that?”

“I was here alone one summer and the caretaker showed up. I saw him get the keys. After that, I could get in whenever I wanted.” He grinned and grabbed Caley’s hand and pulled her along to the corner of the house. “See this. These logs were hand-notched so they fit really tight. Durant always used materials from the surrounding forest.”

Jake unlocked the three locks on the front door, then opened it. He stepped aside, waiting for Caley to enter. “It’ll be all right. I promise.”

They stood in the entry hall, an old deer-antler chandelier hanging above their head. The furniture was tattered and dusty, but he’d managed to clean up most of the mess left by the leaky roof and broken windows.

“Wow,” Caley said. “This place needs a lot of work. It seemed like a palace when we were kids, but now I see it for what it is.”

“Look beyond the surface,” Jake said. “Can you see what it could be again?”

“I can,” she said. She walked over to a low bench made of branches and twigs. “But it would take someone with a lot of time and a lot of money.”

“I used to walk through this house and memorize all the details. This is why I decided to become an architect. I wanted to design houses like this. Summerhouses. Places where people relax and have fun.”

Jake felt her take his hand and weave her fingers through his. It was a simple gesture, but he instantly knew she understood. He wasn’t sure anyone else would. But Caley would. It seemed right that he share this with her again. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

Though he hadn’t kissed her or even touched her in an intimate way, Jake felt as though they’d suddenly become so much closer. This was who he was now, not the boy she’d known. And the woman standing beside him understood what it all meant.

They wandered aimlessly, Caley taking in all the details silently, as if caught in her memories of the past. Dust motes swirled around them in the light that filtered through the windows. When they passed through a shaft of sunlight, Jake gently pulled her into his arms and kissed her, his mouth searching for a familiar taste he’d come to crave.

“I need you,” he murmured, his lips warm against hers.

Caley looked up at him, her gaze fixed on his mouth. “Show me the rest of the house,” she murmured.

They walked slowly through each of the six bedrooms, Jake pointing out the architectural details that made Havenwoods so special. By the time they got back to the entry hall, Jake was almost desperate to kiss her. But he waited, hoping that this place would work its magic.

It was a great wreck of a house, but it was part of their history together, part of who he’d become. It deserved better than to be consumed by the elements and left for some errant campfire spark to take hold of and burn down.

He’d mortgaged his future to buy it, cashing in his investments, selling his sports car to buy a secondhand SUV. He’d even sold his house in Wicker Park and took up residence in a tiny one-bedroom in a seedy neighborhood, just so he could afford the mortgage and taxes.

It left little for renovations, but Jake felt it was worth the risk. Although, he still hadn’t told a soul he owned it. His father would probably blow a gasket and his mother would never understand. But he had an ally in Caley.

“There are only two things I ever really wanted in my life. And this was one of them,” Jake said.

“What was the other?” Caley asked.

“You,” he said with a devilish grin.

JAKE LOCKED THE FRONT DOOR behind them and returned the key to its spot beneath the window. Caley watched him, her mind flooded with memories of their childhood. She couldn’t count the number of days they’d spent at the Fortress. It had been a magical place, a place all their own.

It was sweet of him to remember, she mused. Even when things had been difficult between them, Caley had been able to count on Jake. As teenagers, they’d argue and pout, but he’d always be the first to come back with an apology—a gift of something he’d found in the forest or a plan for a brand-new adventure or just a silly joke that would make her laugh.

It wasn’t difficult to understand why she’d been in love with him all those years ago. When she was with him, she felt as if she were the most important person in his world. And she felt that way now. There was an honesty between them, a respect that she’d never felt with any other man.

When he stepped back to her side, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pushed up on her toes, dropping a soft kiss on his lips. “Thank you,” she said.

“For what?”

“For bringing me back here.”

Jake slipped his hands around her waist and drew her closer, his mouth covering hers. The kiss was quiet and gentle, his tongue caressing hers in a slow, seductive way.

It was as if they both finally knew that being together was inevitable. There was nothing stopping them anymore. All day she’d been thinking about this, about what even one kiss would do to her. If a kiss could devastate her defenses so easily, what would a night in bed do?

Suddenly, Caley wanted to find out. She didn’t need to weigh the consequences of what she was about to do because she didn’t care anymore about consequences. All she cared about was sharing herself, completely, with Jake.

“Would you like go back to the inn?” she asked.

“I thought we could walk down to the lake,” Jake said. “There’s something else I want to show you.”

“I want to go back to the inn,” Caley said. “With you.”

He stared down into her eyes, an odd expression on his face. Then a slow smile curved the corners of his mouth. “We don’t have to go back there,” he murmured.

“We don’t?”

He pulled her along the porch, circling the house until he’d reached the side that faced the lake. She saw the small log building about thirty yards from the house, connected by a covered walkway. They’d called it the Guardhouse when they were kids, but now Caley knew what it really was—a summer kitchen. When they reached the front door, Jake pulled out his keys and unlocked the padlock.

“You have your own key?” she asked.

Jake opened the door. “Yeah. It comes in handy since I own the place,” he murmured.

Caley gasped, not sure that she heard him right. “You own this cabin?”

“No, I own the whole thing. The house, the property, the rotting dock and the roofless guest cabins. The musty furniture and that old moose head over the fireplace. It’s all mine.”

Caley glanced around the small cabin. A drafting table was set up near the window and a small cot stood in front of the fireplace. She walked over to the table and stared down at the yellowed plans spread out there, recognizing the facade of the main house. They were covered with yellow sticky notes in Jake’s handwriting.

Caley felt her heart warm, suddenly understanding the deeper reasons for their visit. This was his home. And he wanted her approval. “I can’t believe this is all yours,” she said. “How did you get it?”

“I was in New York for a seminar and I decided to look up the lady who owned it. I had the name from the tax records. We had tea and I told her about how much I loved the place and how I used to sneak in here. And she agreed to sell it to me, with the provision that I bring it back to what it was in her childhood. I made a promise and I intend to keep it. And when it’s finished, she asked that I invite her grandchildren to stay now and then.”

“Why did you bring me here?”

“It’s our place,” Jake said. “I thought you should see it again. Because you’re my oldest friend and you’d appreciate it.”

Caley slowly unzipped her jacket. “I don’t want to be your friend right now,” she said, dropping the jacket on the rough plank floor.

He reached out and rubbed her arms through her shirt. “Maybe I should start a fire.”

Caley sat on the edge of the cot and watched as he crumpled newspapers up beneath the grate in the old stone hearth. He tossed some smaller logs on top, then grabbed a match and started the fire. They both stared into the flames as they licked at the dry logs. Soon, a gentle heat was radiating through the room.

“Do you stay here often?” she asked.

“When I come out from the city,” Jake said. “It’s harder in the summer since my folks are in town. Then, I have to stay with them. In the winter, no one knows I’m here. I work on the house. It’s quiet and I get some of my other work done, too.”

“I’m used to having so many people around,” she said. “I can’t imagine getting anything done with all this silence.”

“Sometimes silence is nice,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her.

She reached for the buttons of her shirt, and Jake drew a ragged breath. Pressing her hand to his chest, she felt his heart pounding beneath her fingers. Caley was breathless, as if the anticipation itself was exhausting.

“Are you sure you want to do this here?” he asked. “Conditions are a little rough.”

“This is perfect,” Caley said. In truth, she’d always dreamed that it would happen this way with Jake, in some secret spot where no one would ever find them, in the back seat of his beat-up Cutlass or on a secluded beach in the middle of the night.

Jake reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his wallet, then retrieved a condom. “I guess we’ll need this,” he said.

“Are you nervous?” Caley asked, reaching out to grab the front of his jacket and pull him down on top of her.

“No,” he said with a grin. “Well, maybe a little. God, I feel as if we’re in high school and this is my first time.”

“I know. Me, too.” She tugged on his jacket, drawing it down over his arms, then tossing it aside. “It makes it more exciting, don’t you think?”

Caley got up on her knees and shoved her shirt off her arms, dropping it on top of his jacket. Jake rubbed his thumb over her nipple, bringing it to a peak beneath the silky fabric of her bra. “Sweetheart, getting naked with you would be just as exciting if we did it in the middle of Main Street with all of North Lake watching.”

They tugged and tore at each other’s clothes, their hands frantically skimming over each inch of naked skin. The air was still chilly and his touch raised goose bumps. But it only made each sensation more acute, exciting her so much that she trembled with each caress. Caley felt alive with anticipation, scared and nervous and aroused all at once.

When they were both down to their underwear, they stopped and stared at each other. Caley giggled softly. “Now what?”

“I’m the virgin here,” Jake teased. “Maybe you should show me what to do.”

Caley reached out and ran her finger over his lower lip. He was giving her control, letting her set the pace. This time, she would seduce him, like she’d tried to do all those years ago. And this time, she’d succeed.

She slid her hands along his body and hooked her fingers in the waistband of his boxers, then pulled them down. After that, she quickly took care of her own underwear. His body radiated heat, more than the fire burning on the hearth. He pulled her against him and his warmth became hers.

Stretched out on top of him, Caley reveled in the feel of their naked bodies pressed against each other. He ran his hands over her back, along her hips. She could feel his desire, hot and hard, between them.

She’d wanted to take everything slowly, to savor each moment. But she was impatient, desperate to experience it all at once. She’d waited for so long and now that she’d made the decision to have him, there would be nothing stopping her. She drew back, pressing a line of kisses to his chest, moving lower and lower until she reached the soft hair on his belly.

Caley knew the power of his touch on her body. Now, she wanted to test her power over him. She stroked him, wrapping her fingers around his hard shaft. Jake closed his eyes and groaned, his breath coming his short gasps. He arched into her touch and when she looked up again, his eyes were open and he was watching her every move.

“I don’t think my first time felt this good.”

Caley smiled, then dipped lower and took him into her mouth. Her touch was like shock to his body and he jerked, sucking in a sharp breath. “Am I doing it right?” she teased, smiling up at him.

“Oh, yeah. Oh, that’s so nice.”

Caley continued to caress him with her tongue and her lips, carefully gauging his reaction and drawing him away from the edge again and again. And when she suspected that he wouldn’t last much longer, she moved back up along his body, until his swollen shaft rested between her legs.

She rocked above him, his erection sliding against her sex, the friction sending wonderful waves of pleasure through her body. In the past, sex had always been filled with nagging disappointments. She’d never really felt the kind of passion that she’d wanted to feel, that she knew she could feel.

This time, it would be different. Caley felt as if she could surrender by simply closing her eyes and letting herself go. She was so close already and he hadn’t even touched her. An urgency drove her forward, toward something that she’d never experienced yet knew she wanted. Caley reached out and took the condom from Jake’s hand, then unwrapped it.

“Wait,” he murmured. “Slow down.”

“I’ve been waiting eleven years,” she said. “I can’t wait any longer.” She sheathed him, then straddled his hips, moving above him until he probed at her entrance. Then, with a deep sigh, she sank down on top of him.

The sensation of him filling her was a revelation. It was perfection and paradise, absolute intimacy. They were closer than they’d ever been before and yet it seemed so natural, as if their bodies had been made for this all along.

Jake began to move inside her, his gaze fixed on hers, his fingers tangled in hers. Caley leaned forward and ran her tongue along the crease of his mouth. He reached out and drew her into a deep, desperate kiss, his lips and tongue communicating his need without words.

This was sex, but it was more than that, Caley thought to herself. It was passion and instinct, a need that had burned inside them for years. It was the past and the present, it was the two of them drowning in a world of pleasure. Now she understood why it hadn’t happened all those years ago. She wasn’t ready—they weren’t ready—for the intensity of their joining.

Jake reached between them to touch her, but Caley grabbed his hand again and pinned it at his side. She was already just a heartbeat away and his touch would send her over. Instead, she increased her tempo, rocking faster and faster and feeling the tension tighten inside her. She ached to let go, but knew that if she waited just a bit longer, it would be all the more intense. She wanted to come, but she wanted it to be the most powerful release she’d ever experienced.

Jake wasn’t content to play a passive role anymore. He sat up and wrapped her legs around his waist, impaling her until she could feel him deep inside her. When he began to move again, she knew she was lost. Every stroke was exquisite torture.

Caley felt herself reaching for ecstasy, her release so close she could almost touch it. And then it came down on her like a waterfall, washing over her until her whole body tingled with sensation. She cried out as spasm after spasm shook her, her body reacting uncontrollably.

And then, suddenly, Jake was there with her, driving into her one last time before joining her. He pressed his face between her breasts as he moaned, his hands clutching at her shoulders, driving her down onto him again and again until he was completely spent.

When their shudders had subsided, they collapsed into each other, Jake gathering her in his arms. It had happened so quickly and yet Caley felt complete and utter exhaustion. Her body, so tense just moments before, was almost boneless. “Oh, my,” she murmured.

“Why did we wait so long?” he asked, pressing a kiss beneath her ear.

“It wouldn’t have been this good eleven years ago,” she said.

“I’m not talking about then. I’m talking about the past two days.” He raked his hand through her tangled hair, then gently tugged back until she met his gaze. “This changes everything.”

Caley frowned. “It does?”

“How am I supposed to be around you now? How can I keep from touching you and kissing you? I want you in my bed. Tonight. Tomorrow night. For as long as you want me.”

“I guess this won’t count as a one-night stand?”

“No,” Jake said, shaking his head. “I don’t think there’s a chance of that. You can’t resist me.”

“And you can’t resist me,” she countered with a satisfied smile.

“Why should I even try?”

Caley snuggled up against his warm body. “We can stay here tonight. I know the guy who owns the place.” She pressed her lips to his chest, then sighed.

“No one is expecting us back,” Jake said.

“Except for Emma. But she can wait.” Caley pushed up on her elbow and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. “So we could do it again?”

“Yeah,” Jake replied. But then his smile faded and he cursed softly. “No. I only had one condom.”

“There are other things we could do,” Caley suggested.

“Really? I always loved your sense of adventure,” he replied, grabbing her waist and pulling her beneath him.

His mouth came down on hers and Caley lost herself in his kiss. There were a lot things she’d never tried in the bedroom. But with Jake, all her inhibitions seemed to dissolve at his touch. She didn’t feel vulnerable with him, she felt powerful. She didn’t have to worry about what he wanted or needed because he wanted nothing more than to give her pleasure. She could let go and enjoy his body without sacrificing a part of herself.

They had been friends first and now they were lovers. There would be no going back.

“NO, DON’T GO,” Jake said, pulling Caley back into his arms. “Not yet. Stay a little longer.”

Caley glanced over her shoulder at him, snuggled beneath the covers of his bed in the boathouse. They’d officially been lovers for twenty-four hours and the sneaking around was already wearing thin.

After dinner at the Lamberts’, Caley had offered up some silly story about working on their toasts for the wedding. They walked down to the boathouse and the moment the door closed behind them, they were tossing aside clothes and tumbling into Jake’s bed.

Jake had spent last night in Caley’s bed at the inn, sneaking out in the early morning hours so that he could get back to the boathouse before anyone noticed him missing. They were two adults and yet there were moments when Jake felt as if they were teenagers.

“Don’t you think it’s odd?”

“What?” Caley asked as she continued to dress.

“What we’re doing is perfectly legal. Between consenting adults. And we have a variety of locations to choose from. We shouldn’t have to worry about getting caught.”

“It would complicate things,” Caley explained. “There would be questions and speculation and expectations. I just want this to be about you and me and not our families, all right?”

Jake nodded. “So do you want me to sneak into your bed tonight?”

Caley grabbed her jacket and reached into the pocket, then withdrew a key, dangling it in front of his face. “I got you your own. Just don’t let Emma see you come in. She’s been going to bed early, so come over as soon as you can get away.” She gave him a quick kiss, then pulled her boots on. “Are we agreed on our plan?”

Over the course of the past day, he and Caley had come up with a strategy to test Sam and Emma’s commitment to each other. They’d discussed all the pitfalls and problems that couples encountered on the path to everlasting love and had put together an obstacle course for Sam and Emma to navigate. “Operation Wedding Trashers is ready to go.”

“We’re not trying to trash their wedding,” Caley said. “We’re just testing the depth of their feelings. Nothing more sinister than what a good marriage counselor would do.”

“Except we have absolutely no professional qualifications or practical experience in marital matters.”

“No. But we do have relationship experience,” Caley said. “That should count for something.” She sat down on the edge of the bed, now fully dressed in all her cold-weather clothes. “So tomorrow night I’m going to take Emma to Tyler’s with me. There are always lots of single guys there to dance with and I’ll make sure she drinks plenty of cocktails.”

“And I’m taking Sam out for some fun. There’s a strip club out on the interstate. I figured we’d go there.”

Caley’s eyes went wide. “Really? Is it one of those clubs where they take off all their clothes?”

“Almost,” Jake said. “Just G-strings, shiny poles and lots of dollar bills.”

“So you’ve been there before?”

Jake shook his head. “No. But I’ve heard about it. Brett and a bunch of his college buddies went there for his twenty-first birthday. Does it bother you that I’ll be looking at naked women?”

“Of course not,” Caley said.

“Because it would bother me if you were out looking at naked men.”

“Maybe I should see if I can find a strip club for Emma and me to go to. There has to be one somewhere,” Caley said.

“There’s only one body I’m interested in seeing naked,” Jake said. “And that would be yours. You don’t have to worry. After what we’ve had together, a hundred naked women aren’t going to get me excited.”

“Good answer,” Caley said. She lay down on top of him and gave him a more thorough kiss. “Later.”

“I’m counting on it,” he said.

She walked to the door, sending him a smile before she slipped out. Jake listened to her footsteps on the stairs. He crawled out of bed, wrapping the comforter around his naked body, then peered through the curtains to watch her run across the lawn toward the Lambert house.

The boathouse was now a cozy little haven. The heater had been running all day and though it was a bit chilly inside, it was comfortable. His mother had given him a down comforter and Brett had turned on the water so the bathroom was functioning. The accommodations were almost perfect, and almost completely private.

Jake flopped back down on the bed and closed his eyes. He’d made love to his fair share of beautiful women and each time he’d searched for that connection, that spark that might prove he’d found the right one. In the past twenty-four hours he’d realized that it was there with Caley. Maybe it had always been there.

But what did that mean? They lived in different worlds, lived different lives. Though he wanted to believe that love would conquer all, Jake certainly knew the realities of a relationship. Caley had made it clear that their affair would end when she went back to New York. Though he planned to do everything in his power to convince her otherwise, Jake had to prepare himself for the probability that it would be over at the end of the week.

He had known it would be difficult before, but now that they’d become lovers, it would be impossible. Surely, it wouldn’t be easy for her, either. Her desire for him ran just as deep and Jake sensed that with every touch, every kiss, the bond between them grew stronger.

And if Caley left him, if things between them ended, he didn’t think there would ever be another woman to take her place. In the back of his mind he’d always compared the women he met to Caley. He hadn’t been aware of that fact until now. They’d been smart, but Caley had been smarter. They’d been beautiful, but she had beauty they’d never possess. He’d grown up wanting her and only her. Now that he’d had her, he was left to deal with the fear of losing her.

Jake threw his arm over his eyes and cursed softly. A knock sounded on the door and he sat up, surprised that she’d returned so quickly. He waited for her to come in, but she knocked again. Jake grabbed his boxers and pulled them on, then crossed the room and opened the door. But Caley wasn’t standing outside. Sam was.

His brother peered inside. “Can I come in?”

“Sure,” Jake said, stepping back to allow Sam to pass. “What’s up? It’s late.”

Sam began to pace the width of the room, his shoulders tense, his expression grim. Then, he sat down on the edge of the bed and nervously twisted his fingers together. “I did like you told me. When I drove Emma back to the inn tonight, I told her it was time we were honest with each other. I said we needed to have sex before we got married.”

“And she refused?”

“No,” Sam said. “No, we had sex.” He shook his head. “And it was pretty bad.”

Jake frowned. “Bad? Like how bad?”

Sam flopped back and covered his face with his hands. “About as bad as it could get. She was so excited and so was I—at first. I wanted it to be romantic and special, but everything I did seemed so forced. And then, I—I couldn’t—you know.”

“Get it up?”

“More like, keep it up,” Sam said. He turned and looked at Jake. “You don’t think I need Viagra, do you?”

Jake chuckled softly. “You haven’t had any problems before, have you?”

“No! Never. But I was never marrying any of those other girls. What if this is the way it is with Emma? What if I can’t … perform?”

“This happens occasionally. To every guy.”

“Did it ever happen to you?”

“Well, no. But I was never under the kind of pressure you are. When I encouraged you to have sex with her, I didn’t mean that you should do it just to get it done. It’s not like mowing the lawn or changing the oil in your car. There’s more to it than that.”

“Like foreplay,” Sam said. “I know, I tried that, but she was in such a hurry. I started out thinking I’d have to convince her, but she was completely on board. I guess Caley told her it was important to be sexually compatible with your husband.” Sam paused. “I think Emma said crucial. That was the word. Or maybe it was critical. And that’s when I started to get really nervous.”

“Yeah, I can see how that could happen,” Jake said.

Still, he couldn’t really relate. With Caley, there was a need there that seemed to overwhelm all rational thought. When they were intimate, he didn’t worry about the mechanics, it just happened. It was raw, primal instinct that aroused him. And the fact that it always ended with incredible pleasure was nature at work.

Jake sat down beside his brother and patted him on the back. “This doesn’t mean it will happen that way every time.”

“What if it does? I wouldn’t want to marry me.”

“It’s just a temporary thing,” Jake said. “Believe me. The next time, you’ll be fine.”

“It’s not like I didn’t want to,” Sam said. “I mean, Emma is hot. She’s got this great body and the way she kisses me just gets me going. You know what that’s like, right?”

Jake bit his bottom lip and forced a smile, his mind rewinding back to the afternoon he’d spent with Caley. “Yeah, I know what that’s like,” he muttered.

“She and Caley are going out tomorrow night,” Sam said. “Girl’s night out. I know I don’t have to worry about that. If Caley is there, nothing is going to happen to Emma. But what if Emma starts looking around for a guy who can … do it?”

“Maybe we should go out,” Jake suggested. “Take your mind off of your troubles. Just the best man and the groom, some male bonding.”

“Yeah,” Sam said. “I’m twenty-one now. I can get into any bar.”

“And I’ve got just the place.” Jake stood and grabbed his jeans from the floor. “Listen, you can hang out here tonight. There’s sheets and blankets for the sofa bed in the closet. I’m just going to run back up to the house and get us something to drink and then we can talk. We’ll get this all sorted out.”

“Thanks,” Sam said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Maybe, someday, when you get married, I can return the favor.”

Jake slipped into his shirt, then pulled on his socks and boots. “I’ll be back,” he said as he headed for the door. “Just relax.”

He jogged down the stairs, then walked across the lawn toward his parents’ house. Jake pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Caley’s number. She didn’t answer, her voice message picking up at four rings.

“Hey, there, it’s me. Listen, I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. Sam stopped by the boathouse after you left and he needs some company. Man problems. So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” He paused, holding back the next words he wanted to say. “Sleep tight,” Jake finished.

The sentiment had almost come out without a second thought. Love you. That’s what he’d wanted to say, what he’d meant to say. But at the last moment, Jake had censored himself, wondering if it was too much too soon. The words didn’t always have to have such a serious meaning, did they? He did love Caley, but those feelings had changed and the words had now taken on a much deeper significance.

Being with Caley again had brought back a piece of his life that had been missing. She made him believe it was possible to find a best friend and a lover in one person. And it wasn’t a stretch to add wife to that list.

Jake shook his head. He’d never thought much about marriage. Maybe he always knew in some secret corner of his mind that there was only one woman for him. He stopped, then cursed softly. Was it supposed to be this easy? He’d always assumed that it would take forever to fall in love and even longer to figure out whether that love could survive marriage. But suddenly, it all seemed so simple.

Jake’s phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket and squinted at the caller ID. He smiled when he recognized Caley’s number.

“Hey,” he said. “Did you get my message?”

“Yes. What’s going on? What are man problems?”

“A couple days ago, I told Sam if he wanted to have sex before he and Emma were married, he should just tell Emma and they should do it. I guess it didn’t go so well.”

“How did it not go well? Did Emma refuse?”

“No. She jumped at the chance. She agreed and then they tried and Sam couldn’t perform.”

“Oh,” Caley said. “That’s got to be a little scary. I mean, she was holding out, hoping it would be the most wonderful thing in the world and then …” She drew a deep breath. “Thank God this didn’t happen on their wedding night. Can you imagine what a disappointment that would have been?”

“So I guess this plays into our plan,” Jake said. “They’re obviously both having doubts right about now.”

A long silence came from the other end of the line and for a moment, Jake thought the call had been dropped. “So we should continue?” she finally asked.

“I guess so,” Jake said. “What do we know about their relationship? Hell, we can’t even figure out what’s going on between us.”

“Sex,” Caley said. “Lust. Curiosity.”

“And that’s all?”

“What else would there be?” she replied.

He cursed the fact that they were discussing this over the phone instead of face-to-face. He couldn’t read her expression, couldn’t look into her eyes for the truth of her words. “You tell me.”

“I don’t know. What do you want me to say? I don’t know what’s going on any more than you do. When the week is over, I guess we’ll have to figure it all out.”

“Right,” Jake said. He glanced over his shoulder. “I should go back to Sam. He’s going to want to talk and I told him I was going to grab some beer from the house.”

“Emma and I are driving into Chicago tomorrow morning,” Caley said. “She wants to check on the cake and some friends of hers are throwing a wedding shower. So I guess I’ll see you sometime tomorrow night. Enjoy the strip club.”

“Are you jealous, Caley?”

“No! I don’t care if you look at naked women. Why would that bother me?”

“Because it would be nice if you were a little jealous. I’d like to think that you care enough about me to be worried.”

“Maybe I’ll have to give you a lap dance the next time I see you,” she said in a teasing voice.

“Thanks for the image,” he murmured. “Now I’m never going to get to sleep.”

“Good night, Jake.”

“Good night, Caley.” He waited until she hung up before he switched off his phone. This was a strange, new feeling, Jake mused. They were almost acting like a … a couple. And even more surprising was that Jake didn’t mind it at all. He wanted Caley to feel possessive and jealous and worried. Whether she was willing to admit it, she cared about him, maybe loved him a little bit. And maybe he loved her a little bit, too.