The Right Bed?: Your Bed or Mine?

“Do you take that thing with you everywhere?”

“I need to be available. People are counting on me.”

“The rats would continue to race even if you weren’t running alongside them. Take a break. You’re supposed to be on vacation.”

“Partners don’t ever really go on vacation,” she said. Still, she tucked the phone back into her pocket, leaving the message unfinished.

A question nagged at Caley’s brain, a question she never thought she’d have the nerve or the opportunity to ask. But it needed to be answered. “If you were so attracted to me, then why did you turn me down that night?”

He smiled, but kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead. “You’d just turned eighteen. I was almost twenty. I didn’t think it was the right time. It was your first time and I figured that should be perfect. I wasn’t sure I would be able to do that for you.” He glanced over at her. “I did you a big favor, Caley. I didn’t want you to regret your first experience.”

Caley sat back in the seat and stared out the window. Though his words did a bit to soothe the memory of her humiliation, she had a hard time believing Jake was that noble. “I was devastated,” she said.

He reached over and slipped his hand around her nape. Her pulse quickened and Caley felt a rush of desire as his fingers tangled in her hair. “I’m sorry,” he replied, gently forcing her to look at him. “But, if it will make you feel better, I’d be glad to do the job now.”

She saw the wry grin on his face and Caley couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll let you know.”

“Hey, I’ve been told I do an admirable job in the sack.”

“That’s because all the women you sleep with are too blinded by your pretty face. They’d say anything to keep you in their beds.”

Jake pulled the truck over to the edge of the road and threw it out of gear. “My charm worked pretty well on you this morning.”

“I was asleep.”

“You said my name.”

She shrugged, trying to maintain a cool facade. It wasn’t working. Her hands were trembling and she felt a little light-headed. “Well, it won’t work anymore. Go ahead. Kiss me. You’ll see, I won’t have any reaction.” It was a feeble challenge and she knew he could see right through it. But she didn’t care. She wanted to kiss him again and she couldn’t wait any longer.

To her surprise, he accepted her challenge. Before she could even take a breath, he grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her. At first, the kiss was full of frustration. But then, he softened his touch and slipped his tongue between her lips.

Caley grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him toward her, until he was sprawled across the console, his hands furrowed through her hair. They couldn’t seem to get close enough, tearing at each other’s clothes, searching for something more to touch. Though she knew she ought to put a stop to it, the taste of him, the feel of his body against hers was exhilarating, like some crazy carnival ride that frightened her and thrilled her all at once.

He slipped his hand under the waist of her pants and clutched her backside, pulling her hips against his. He was aroused and Caley enjoyed the fact that he couldn’t resist her any more than she could resist him.

“What the hell are you doing to me?” he murmured, his breath warm against her ear. “You have a boyfriend. You’re living with him.”

“We broke up,” she murmured, nuzzling her face into the curve of his neck.

Jake grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back, staring down into her eyes. “Don’t play games with me, Caley.”

“I’m not. I swear, we broke up. It’s over.”

Jake dragged his thumb over her bottom lip. “Can we just stop pretending then? I’m man enough to admit that I want you. And I think you want me, right?”

“Maybe,” Caley murmured.

“Not maybe,” he said, shaking his head.

“All right. I’ll admit that there is an interesting attraction between us.”

“So what are we going to do about it?”

Caley frowned. “I don’t know. It could be complicated.”

He drew back, then grinned. “When you figure out what you want, you let me know,” he said.

Caley gasped softly. Was that it? Wasn’t he supposed to pull her into his arms and kiss away all her doubts? Or seduce her without any regard to her reservations? He wasn’t supposed to drop the ball back in her court!

“I will,” Caley said softly.

Jake straightened, sliding back behind the wheel. “We should probably get going.”

When they reached the small bridal shop in the village, Jake parked, then hopped out and circled around the front to open her door. The Burton boys had always had impeccable manners.

“Watch out,” he said, as he grabbed her waist. “It’s slippery beneath this snow.” His hands lingered on her hips as his gaze fell to her mouth.

They stood there for a long moment, frozen in place, their breath clouding between them. Then Caley pushed up on her toes and touched her lips to his. “I’m not playing games with you,” she whispered. “I just felt like kissing you again.”

“I know how that feels,” he replied. His arms slipped around her waist and he pulled her body against his. Jake brought his hands up to her face and gently cupped her cheeks as he returned the kiss. But the sound of laughter brought an end to their momentary pleasure. Caley turned to watch two teenage girls in the midst of a snowball fight.

“It’s no one,” he whispered, his breath warm against her ear.

“If we do this, we can’t let anyone know,” she said.

“I never kiss and tell,” he said.

“I’m serious. It has to stay just between us. And it has to be just sex. Nothing more.”

“Friends with benefits?” he asked.

She nodded. “I’ll be right back,” she said, glancing over at the bridal shop.

“I’ll come in and wait,” he said.

“Is that wise?” she asked.

“I’m not going to seduce you in a public place,” he said. “And I don’t think Miss Belle is going to go running to our parents to tell on us.”

He followed her to the door, then pulled it open for her, placing his hand on the small of her back as she stepped inside. It was a simple gesture, but Caley realized that Jake was taking any opportunity offered to touch her.

The owner of the shop, Miss Belle, greeted them both, then drew Caley along to the fitting rooms in the back. She stopped and turned to Jake, motioning to him. “Are you coming, too?”

“Oh, no,” Caley said. “He’s not my—well, he’s just a—I don’t think he’d be interested.”

“I’ll come,” Jake said, sending Caley a playful grin. “I’m very interested.”

Caley took the dress into the fitting room and slipped out of her clothes. Though the dress didn’t look like much on the hanger, when she put it on it was another story. The silky fabric clung to every curve of her body; the modest neckline plunged to a deep V in the back; the long sleeves fitted to her arms. She slipped out of her bra and then turned to examine the rear view. Emma had gotten the sizing perfect and had chosen a dress that would look stunning for an evening wedding.