been so nervous her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. Now, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world, to crave his touch, to offer him more.
Jake smiled as he reached out and cupped her breast in his hand, teasing at her nipple with his thumb. And then, in one easy motion, he sat up, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his mouth against her neck. He trailed kisses from her collarbone to her breasts as he unhooked her bra. Finally, he drew the hard nub of her nipple into his mouth.
She arched back, holding her breath as he pulled her back down with him. Caley remembered how fascinated she’d been with his body, watching it change from summer to summer as he slowly became a man. She was as desperate to touch it now as she had been then. Grabbing the front of his shirt, she worked at the remaining buttons, then brushed it off his shoulders until his chest was completely bare.
She drew back, staring at him as she tossed aside her bra. Her fingers lazily following the line of hair that ran from his collarbone to his belly. Now he was fully formed, his shoulders broad, his body lean and hard, a body only a woman could appreciate.
Caley bent forward and pressed a kiss to his chest, then gently sucked on his nipple. What began as curiosity had now taken on a very intimate feeling. He groaned softly, then murmured her name. A shiver skittered over her exposed skin. Her breath caught in her throat.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“No,” she lied.
He chuckled softly, grabbing her by the waist and pulling their bodies together in a warm embrace. They kissed for a long time, hands touching, mouths tasting. It was everything she’d always thought it would be, yet more. It wasn’t just about sex, it was about … trust.
He ran his hands through her hair, then pressed his forehead against hers. “Spend the night with me.”
“Not here.”
“Where then?”
“At the inn. We’ll have more privacy there.”
“What about Emma?”
“Her room is on the second floor and mine’s on the third. There’s a back stairway. I’ll let you in and no one will know you’re there.”
Jake kissed her forehead, his lips warm and damp. “Have you talked to Emma yet? I mean, about the wedding.”
Caley shook her head. “No. I told her I’d meet her for lunch tomorrow and I thought we’d have some time then.”
“What do you think about this marriage? Do you think they’re ready?”
“No!” Caley frowned, pushing up on her elbow. “Not at all. They’re so young. I thought I was the only one who had concerns. Everyone is just so thrilled that our families will finally be related. But no one is even thinking about what will happen if the marriage doesn’t work.”
“I agree,” Jake said. “I don’t think they’re ready.”
Caley crossed her arms over his chest and stared into his eyes. “You started that fight between them on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Someone has to shake some sense into them.” He paused. “We need a plan. A coordinated effort between the two of us. If we go at it from both sides, maybe we’ll be able to convince them to wait.”
“I don’t think they’ll consider waiting. Everything is moving so fast and I’m sure they feel they’d be disappointing the families.”
Jake reached out and brushed her hair away from her temple, his gaze skimming over her face. “I talked to Sam this afternoon and he’s just going along with what Emma wants.”
Caley gasped. “You think she talked him into this?”
“Maybe. I can’t imagine he really wants to get married. What guy in his right mind would want a wife at twenty-one?”
“Well, he’s the one who asked her,” Caley said. “If he didn’t want to get married, why did he ask?”
“She probably pressured him,” Jake said.
Caley pulled out of his embrace and sat up, stunned by his comment and eager to defend her sister. “Emma wouldn’t do that.”
“I’m just saying that usually women are the ones who press for the wedding,” Jake said.
“And you come by this knowledge how?” Caley asked. “Have you been manipulated into an engagement recently?”
“No, just the opposite. Every woman I’ve ever met has had marriage in the back of her mind. Come on, even you’ve thought about it. Wondered what it would be like if you and I … you know.”
Caley scrambled off the bed. Marrying Jake was the last thing on her mind! And if he thought she had any designs on his future, he was sadly mistaken. “I think this was a mistake,” she murmured, crawling off the bed. She searched the floor for her bra and T-shirt.
“Come on, Caley, don’t be mad. I didn’t mean to imply that—”
“No, I understand,” she said as she pulled the shirt over her head. “You just assumed I wanted more than just … sex.” She drew a ragged breath, shoving her bra in her back pocket. “See, that’s why we shouldn’t do this. Unless we’re agreed on the reasons, it’s bound to get very messy.”
“Is it?” he asked.
She snatched up her sweater from the floor and tugged it back over her head. “I have to go.”
Jake sat up and reached for her, but she avoided his grasp. “Caley, come on. I was just teasing. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
She shook her head. “I do agree about Emma and Sam. They’re too young. You and I don’t even know what we want. How would they?”
Jake grabbed her hand. “I know what I want,” he said.
She stared down at their fingers, intertwined so tightly that she couldn’t tell his from hers. Caley fought the temptation to strip off her clothes again and just forget her fears. But if she jumped into bed with Jake tonight, there would be no going back. “I’ll talk to Emma.”
“When will I see you again?” Jake asked.
“You’re going to see me all week.”
“You know what I mean.”
Caley bit her lower lip. “I don’t know. Maybe we ought to forget this. It just makes things too complicated.”
“I’m not sure I can,” he replied.
“Try, Jake,” she murmured. Caley walked to the door, then turned back to look at him. “Try really hard.”
3
JAKE STEERED HIS SUV around a sharp curve on West Shore Road, his mother’s grocery list clutched in his hand. He had an appointment for his tux fitting and then his mother wanted him to buy three “nice” chickens. He wasn’t sure what qualified a chicken as nice, but he’d figure it out when he got to the grocery store.
The truck skidded and he took his foot off the accelerator, startled out of his thoughts. He’d gotten about two or three hours of sleep last night. The rest of his time in bed was spent trying to figure out just how he’d managed to screw things up with Caley.
Maybe the forces of the universe were sending him a message—don’t mess with Caley Lambert. But though he’d considered heeding the message, his body didn’t want to listen. Every time he came within ten feet of her, he found himself lost in another sexual fantasy.
This was his penance for keeping all his desire bottled up so long ago. It had increased over the years, like pressure in a simmering pot, until he was left with a need for Caley that threatened to boil over. He wanted to kiss her and touch her, to strip off her clothes and enjoy the