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Jake smiled. He’d known Caley for years and what you saw with her was what you got. Even now, he imagined that she was just as stubborn and opinionated and determined as she’d been as a kid. God, he’d always admired her. She was the only girl he’d ever met who challenged him.
Her hand moved down his back, her palm warm against his skin, then slipped beneath the waistband of his boxers. He held his breath as she moved her fingers forward, to his hip. Though he hadn’t woken up to a morning erection, he’d managed to remedy that situation in quick order by kissing her.
He pulled her beneath him, his fingers still tangled in her hair and molding her mouth to his. Her hips rubbed against his, his shaft hot and hard between them. There was something so exciting about touching her, something almost forbidden.
“Jake,” she whispered.
The sound of his name on her lips was like fuel on a fire. His desire surged and his kiss deepened, his tongue plunging into her mouth hungrily.
This was Caley, the girl he’d known all his life, the girl he’d so carefully avoided. But she could be his, here in this bed. There was nothing to stop them. In the past, the time had never seemed right, but now, every instinct in his body screamed that the time was perfect.
As he kissed her, he found himself caught up in a fantasy that he’d lived a thousand times in his dreams. He slipped his hand beneath her T-shirt and gently cupped her breast, rubbing his thumb across her nipple through the silky fabric of her bra.
She shuddered, then arched against him, but still her eyes were closed. An uneasy feeling came over him and for a moment, he thought she might be asleep and dreaming. Jake drew back and stared down at her face, watching her as he continued to caress her breast. “Caley?”
“Jake?” she murmured.
“Open your eyes.”
Her lashes fluttered. She looked at him, at first with a blank stare and then with growing confusion.
“Morning,” he murmured.
Caley frowned and rubbed her eyes with her fists. A cry of alarm slipped from her lips and then, in a rush, she pushed away from him, tumbling backward onto the floor, her bare legs tangling in the comforter. “Wh-what are you doing in my bed?”
“I think the more appropriate question would be, what are you doing in my bed?”
“Not your bed. This is Emma’s room. It’s her bed.” She blinked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “And you’re not her.”
“Emma’s staying at the inn in town so she can have a little peace and quiet. Our house was full, so your mother offered me the last empty bed.”
Her phone rang again and Caley looked around the room, then crawled across the floor to retrieve her purse. She watched him warily as she flipped open the phone. “Hello?”
Jake grinned at her, letting his gaze take in her long, naked legs and the lacy black panties. Yes, the gangly teenager was gone, replaced by a long-limbed, incredibly sexy woman.
“Yes, John. I understand. No, I’ll get right on it. You’ll have it by the end of the day. All right. You, too. Goodbye.” She closed the phone.
“Boyfriend?”
“Boss,” she murmured. “You were in this bed last night. With me?”
Jake nodded. Oh, hell, she had been asleep. “Yes. But I wasn’t with you. Not in the biblical sense. We were just next to each other. And then, well, then you woke up.” The last thing he needed was Caley to go running downstairs, accusing him of being a pervert. “Hey, it was an honest mistake. It was dark. I looked like your sister. How could you have known?”
A frown wrinkled her forehead. “Then we weren’t just … I wasn’t … Nothing happened, right?”
Jake winced. “Well, there was a little something, but that was an honest mistake, as well. I just kind of assumed you’d crawled in bed with me for a reason, so—”
She touched her lips. “You kissed me?”
“But you kissed me back. And there was some localized touching going on, but only through the clothes. Except you did put your hand down my boxers.”
Her phone rang again. Caley opened her mouth and snapped it shut, then looked at the caller ID. This time, she decided not to answer. Instead, she grabbed the corner of the comforter and pulled it off the bed to cover herself, leaving him in nothing but those boxers. She watched him warily, waiting for him to make the next move.
“Did you think I was someone else?” he asked.
“Yes,” she snapped. But from the guilty look on her face, he could tell she was lying.
“Some other guy named Jake?”
“Yes. I happen to know three or four other Jakes.”
He grabbed a corner of the comforter and pulled it over his lap. It would be hard to sell the “nothing happened” story with a raging hard-on pressing against the front of his boxers. Jake cleared his throat and forced a smile. “So, how have you been? It’s been a while. How long? Eleven years?”
She nodded, clutching the comforter to her chest. Her cheeks were flushed and her breath was coming in quick gasps. And her hair, thick and wavy, was tumbled about her shoulders. She’d never looked more beautiful. Jake’s gaze drifted down, stopping at the perfectly painted toes peeking out from under the blanket. She’d always had really pretty feet. He’d spent a lot of time looking at her feet when he was younger, simply to avoid looking at her breasts, which were also pretty incredible.
“Your mother said you wouldn’t be arriving until this morning,” he commented.
“I decided to drive directly from the airport. When did you get in?”
“Yesterday,” he said. “So, what have you been up to?”
“Not much,” she replied. “Just working. I’m still with that public relations firm that I joined right out of college. I was made partner last month. What about you?”
“I have my own design firm now. I’m doing mostly residential architecture. I kind of specialize in vacation homes based on classic camp designs.”
“Interesting.” She drew in a sharp breath, impatient with the idle chitchat. “What are you doing home? Why would you want to come to my parents’ anniversary party?”
A slow realization dawned. Emma hadn’t told her what was going on. Jake wondered if he ought to be the one to break the happy news or if she should hear it over the breakfast table. For now, it might prove a distraction from what had just happened. “This isn’t an anniversary party,” Jake said. “It’s Emma and Sam.”
She frowned at the mention of Jake’s youngest brother. “Emma and Sam?”
“They’re getting married.”
At first she gasped, then regarded him with disbelief. This was the Caley he remembered. She always found a way to disagree with him, even if he was only claiming the sun rose in the east and set in the west. “Not funny.”
“It’s the truth,” Jake said. “That’s why we’re all here. It’s going to be a small wedding at the Episcopal Church in town on Valentine’s evening. She’s got the dress and they’ve got the license.”
“They aren’t even dating,” Caley said.
“I guess they have been. They’ve been secretly seeing each other for the past three summers. They didn’t want anyone to know. You know how our mothers are and how they’ve dreamed about making a match between the Lamberts and the Burtons. They got engaged on New Year’s and decided to get married right away, before Fran and Jean could plan a big event.”
“But they’re only twenty-one,” Caley said. “That’s too young. What do they know about marriage?” She drew a ragged breath and stared at him, as if she were taking a moment to digest the news. Then, her eyes slowly dropped, first to his chest and then his legs. She pulled the comforter up beneath her chin. “Do you think maybe you could get dressed and—”
The door to the bedroom swung open and Caley’s youngest brother, Teddy, stuck his head inside. “Hey, Jake. Are you going to want some—” His words died in his throat as he took in the scene in front of him. “Hey, Caley. You’re home.” He glanced over at Jake, then forced a smile. “Yeah, okay. Breakfast,” he murmured as he closed the door.
“Oh, no,” Caley moaned, scrambling to her feet. “No, no, no. Now he’s going to go downstairs and this is going to be the subject of breakfast conversation. The two of us, in our underwear, in the same bedroom.”
“And in the same bed,” he said. “We could always crawl back under the covers and really mess with their heads,” Jake offered. She sent him a withering look and he held up his hands in mock surrender. “Bad joke. Sorry.”
With a low growl, Caley scrambled to her feet and tossed the comforter aside. “You haven’t changed at all, Jake Burton. Everything is always a joke to you. You never take anything seriously.”
Jake watched as she searched for her pants. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. I’ll explain the mistake. Although I’m not going to give them all the details.”
“The state of my panties is none of your business. And I don’t remember any of the details. Why? Because I was asleep.”
Jake laughed. To think he’d dreaded seeing her again, knowing how uncomfortable it might be. But they’d slipped right back into their normal dynamic. Jake swung his legs over the side of the bed, fighting the urge to grab her arm and pull her back on top of him, to remind her of her reaction to his kiss.
There had always been a heat between them, an attraction that he’d been reluctant to act upon. She’d always been too young, too naive. And he’d known she was in love with him, so it could only end badly. He’d thought he’d done the honorable thing that night so long ago, the night she’d offered up her virginity for his taking.
His rejection obviously still stung. If not that, what else could she possibly be angry about? “If you’re still angry about—”
Caley gasped, then threw a shoe at him. “I’m not angry about that. Just forget about that. I was young and stupid and I’ve slept with plenty of men since then and all of them much better lovers than you could have possibly been. Some women might find you attractive, but not me.”
Her phone rang for a fourth time. Jake jumped off the bed and caught her arm, then pulled her against him. Without a second thought, he brought his mouth down on hers and kissed her, deeply and thoroughly. He felt her soften in his arms and when her knees buckled, Jake grabbed her waist to steady her.
When he finally drew back, her face was flushed and her eyes closed. He felt his own reaction in his boxers, the desire returning immediately. This was going to be one helluva week if this was how they were starting, he mused. There had always been a sexual curiosity between them. Maybe it was time to satisfy it.
“Are you going to answer that?” he asked.
“It can wait,” Caley replied breathlessly.
“Yeah,” he murmured, “that’s what I thought.” Nothing had changed. He wanted her just as much as he always had.
Caley opened her eyes and stared at him, a sigh slipping from her lips. “I-I’d better get dressed. Everyone is going to be expecting us at breakfast.” She quickly grabbed her overnight bag and rushed to the adjoining bathroom, then slammed the door behind her.
Jake sat down on the bed and smiled. This was a start and maybe that was all he could hope for. He glanced around the room, grabbed his jeans from the bedpost and tugged them on. He found a clean T-shirt in his duffel and pulled it over his head. He’d find a way to continue what they’d begun later in the day.
When he got downstairs, the huge kitchen was filled with people. Caley’s mother, Jean, was busy at the stove, preparing pancakes for her family. Her eldest, Evan, was just a year older than Jake, but already had a wife and three children. After Caley came Adam and Emma, followed by Teddy, who would graduate from high school in June. Evan was reading the sports section and discussing the Bulls game with Jake’s younger brother Brett.
“Good morning, everyone,” Jake said, taking the first empty spot at the huge table.
“Sausage or bacon, dear?” Jean called.
“Bacon,” Jake said. A moment later, a plate was dropped in front of him. He reached out for the lazy Susan, which held utensils, napkins, butter and syrup.
The Lambert house was so much like his own that he felt at home at their table. He couldn’t remember the number of meals that he’d eaten in their kitchen, usually with several of his siblings. Jean and Jake’s mother, Fran, never bothered to sort out their respective children at mealtime. Whoever was sitting at the table at the beginning of a meal got fed, no matter which family they belonged to.
Jake had just dug into his pancakes when Teddy walked in the back door, covered in snow and carrying an armload of firewood. He sent Jake a knowing smile, then dropped the wood next to the door. “Morning, Jake. How’d you sleep?”
“Teddy, I want you to take some firewood over to Ellis and Fran’s house,” Jean said. “Load a bunch in the back of your truck. We have plenty. Jake can help you load it.”
Teddy grinned. “Oh, I think he might be too tired to load firewood, Ma. So didja get much sleep last night, Jake?”
“I’ve been meaning to get a new mattress for that bed,” Jean said. “It wasn’t too lumpy, was it?”
“Not lumpy,” Teddy said. “Maybe a little crowded.”
Caley’s mother scowled. “Teddy, what are you talking about?”
The entire group turned to hear Teddy’s response. “Caley was sleeping with Jake.”
Jean gasped. “Caley’s home? When did she get in?”
“At about three in the morning.”
They all turned again, this time to Caley, who stood in the doorway of the kitchen. She was dressed in a bulky wool sweater a shade of blue that complemented her eyes. Faded jeans hugged her long legs and slender hips.
“I thought I was crawling into bed with Emma,” she explained. “It was a mistake. And nothing happened.”
“Emma’s staying at the inn,” Jean said, bustling over to give her daughter a huge hug. She stepped back. “That’s right, you don’t know the big news, do you?”
“Jake told me,” Caley replied. “Sam and Emma. Who would have thought?” She cleared her throat and looked at the curious gazes of her siblings. “Nothing happened. It was a mistake.”
“Of course nothing happened,” Jean said. “You two are like oil and water.” She kissed Caley’s cheek and smiled at Jake. “How could you possibly mistake Jake for Emma?”
“He had the covers over his head,” Caley explained.
“Well, since I don’t have to worry about you two getting cozy, maybe I should just have you bunk together for the rest of the week,” Jean teased. “Oh, and Emma is going to ask you to be her maid of honor, darling. I hope you’ll say yes. Bacon or sausage?”
“I’ll just have the pancakes,” Caley said, glancing across the table at Jake. “And you don’t have to worry about me. I booked a room at the inn.” She paused. “I’ll be able to help Emma out. Since I’m her maid of honor. And Jake can have Emma’s room all to himself.”
Caley searched for a spot at the table and Adam moved his seat to make a space between himself and Jake. Caley reluctantly retrieved a chair and sat down. Her mother put a plate down in front of her and Jake picked up the pitcher of orange juice and poured her a glass. He held it out and she hesitantly took it and set it beside her plate.
They ate in silence, the both of them pretending to listen to the conversation around them. Jake’s foot brushed against hers and she coughed on the orange juice she was drinking.
It was so nice to be able to touch her, Jake mused.
He felt her hand push his leg away and he reached beneath the table to grab it, weaving his fingers through hers. Her eyes grew wide as his thumb rested on her wrist, just over her pulse point.
“What’s the schedule for today?” Caley asked, her voice cracking slightly.
“Emma’s chosen a dress for you at the bridal shop in town and you need to go try it on this morning. The snow is getting deep. Adam will take you in his truck.”
“I’ll take Caley into town,” Jake volunteered, giving her hand a squeeze. “I have some errands to run anyway.”
“I can drive myself,” Caley said, tugging her hand from his.
Jean smiled at Jake. “Thank you, dear. I knew I could count on you.” She folded her hands in front of her, then looked back and forth between Jake and Caley. “It’s so nice to see you two together again. How long has it been?”
“Eleven years,” Caley said. She grabbed her plate and stood up. “I’ve got to make some calls. And I can drive myself to town. I have to check in at the inn before I go to the fitting.” She sent Jake a cool look, then stalked out of the room.
Jake stood and carried his plate to the sink. “Not much has changed. Come on, Teddy, let’s get that firewood loaded.”
As they grabbed their jackets and walked out the back door, Teddy chuckled softly. “Oh, I think a lot has changed.”
“And I’m not so sure you need help with the firewood,” Jake replied.
“Sorry,” Teddy murmured.
Jake used to be able to hide his feelings for Caley. But from the moment he woke that morning to find her wrapped around his body, Jake knew he wanted to explore those feelings. He and Caley weren’t teenagers anymore, they were adults. And there were no rules keeping them apart. Now that there was time to test their attraction to each other, he planned to take full advantage of it.
2
THE GENTLE SNOWFALL increased in intensity throughout the early morning. Caley watched it from the window seat in her father’s den. She’d been trying to work, making calls back and forth to the office and trying to send a report via a dial-up modem. She decided to wait until she had better Internet access at the inn and sent a text message to her assistant in the meantime.
Trying to concentrate on work had been impossible. Her mind kept returning to the bedroom upstairs and to the kiss that she and Jake had shared. A shiver skittered down her spine and she rubbed her arms to quell the goose bumps. It was usually so easy to focus on work and now just one silly kiss—two, really—had completely consumed her thoughts.
She closed her laptop and gathered up her things; she would check into the inn right after her fitting. But right now she had to concentrate on getting to her car, which was probably buried. She remembered Jake’s offer of a ride, but thought it best not to tempt fate. It had been far too easy to kiss him. Given another chance, who knows what they might do?
Caley found a hodgepodge of winter outerwear in the hall closet and pulled on a jacket, boots, mittens and a cap. She tucked her phone into her pocket and trudged outside to shovel. She was glad for the distraction, for something productive to occupy her thoughts.
Other things had happened in that bed and she searched the haze of her memories for details. There had been a long, delicious dream in which Jake had finally succumbed to her charms. She’d spent most of her teenage years fantasizing about that moment when he’d pull her into his arms and kiss her, so it was no wonder that back in North Lake those thoughts had invaded her sleep again.
Yes, he’d kissed her. But the heavens hadn’t opened and the angels hadn’t sung. All right, a small chorus had made an appearance. After all, she’d have to be made of ice not to react.
As she started to shovel, she remembered the desire that had bubbled up inside of her the moment his lips touched hers. Caley had wanted him to continue, to make the kiss a beginning rather than an end. She’d longed for him to brush aside her clothes and kiss her naked skin, to pull her back to the bed and seduce her until she trembled at his touch.
She’d once fantasized that Jake was her Prince Charming, pure and noble. Now, she saw him as a man with a killer smile and an incredible body and a way of looking at her that made her tingle all over.
She stepped back from her task and drew a deep breath, trying to calm her racing pulse. It probably wouldn’t be difficult to let nature take its course. Jake had clearly seemed interested that morning—more than interested, if what was going on beneath his boxers was any indication. And it wasn’t as though she’d be seducing a complete stranger. She’d been so curious for so long, now why not enjoy Jake while she could?
She’d left New York with her life in turmoil, searching for the key to her happiness. Sleeping with Jake might make her happy for the short term. Though she’d insulted his prowess in bed, Caley suspected that she’d thoroughly enjoy being seduced by him. He was different now. A shiver skittered down her spine. He was definitely a man—a very sexy, handsome, powerful man.
She sighed, her breath clouding in front of her face. Her rational mind told her she didn’t need to add any more complications to her life. But sleeping with Jake might not be complicated so much as exciting and dangerous and wildly satisfying. Closing her eyes, she took another deep breath. Was it really Jake that she wanted or just someone—anyone—who made her feel better about her life?
Caley had nearly cleared one wheel of the car when Jake pulled up in an SUV. He beeped the horn at her, then rolled down the window and grinned. “Get in,” he said. “I’ll take you to town. You’ll never get that car dug out by yourself.”
Caley held her breath as she stared at him. He’d looked handsome that morning, dressed in only his boxers, his hair mussed by sleep and a scruffy day-old beard darkening his jaw. Now, he looked almost irresistible. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and she wondered when she’d kiss him next. Caley turned back to her shoveling, afraid that she hadn’t the power to resist him. “I—I can drive myself.”
“Come on, Caley. You’re not going to get the car out in any kind of reasonable time.”
She glanced over her shoulder, ready to concede defeat on both the car and her immunity to his charm. Jake jumped out of the SUV, grabbed the shovel, stuck it into a snowdrift and held out his hand. “Come on.”
Caley stared down at his fingers, long and tapered. A memory drifted through her mind, hazy but real. He’d touched her that morning. It hadn’t been part of her dream. His fingers had danced over her skin and his touch had made her body come alive.
Hesitantly, she placed her hand in his and he led her to his SUV. He opened the passenger-side door and helped her inside, then circled around to get in behind the wheel. In the end, she really didn’t want to drive into town on her own, especially along curvy West Shore Road. All it would take was a skid into the ditch and she’d have to listen to Jake’s repeated “I told you so.”
“Buckle up,” he said.
Caley turned to him. “I think we need to get one thing clear. I’m not in love with you anymore. Any crush I might have had as a teenager is long gone. So don’t act like you have me wrapped around your little finger, because you don’t.”
Caley turned to stare out the window, embarrassed by her sudden outburst. She was usually so careful about her choice of words. What was it about Jake that made her act like a petulant teenager? Why did he always have to challenge her?
Jake threw the truck into gear and headed up the hill to the end of the driveway. The SUV easily handled the deep drifts and the slippery conditions. But she wasn’t about to give Jake the satisfaction of being right.
“You were in love with me?” he asked. “When exactly was that?”
“Years ago,” she murmured. “For about a week. It’s all a very vague memory.”
“So you aren’t even slightly attracted to me now?” A grin quirked at the corners of his mouth.
“No,” she lied.
He considered her answer for a long moment. “Too bad. Because I’m still kind of attracted to you. Yeah, I know. Surprising, right?”
“Still?” Caley asked, stunned by his admission.
“Yeah, still. Hey, I always thought you were hot.”
Caley laughed out loud at the audacity of his comment. “Please,” she said.
“No, I did. I do. Come on, Caley, look at yourself. A guy would have to be crazy to think otherwise. You’re beautiful and sophisticated and smart.”
She wasn’t sure whether he was teasing her or telling the truth. But it did make her feel better. Caley smiled.