Holy shit, just stop!
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch what you wanted.” Dane was looking at her as if she’d lost her mind and she was beginning to think she actually had. Now Chris had her muttering to herself, for heaven’s sake. This had to stop. She needed to concentrate on Dane and being charming and attractive.
“Just a glass of white wine, please.”
The words came out more strangled than she’d planned but Dane dutifully crossed the room to the bar where Seb and Chris were playing bartender. A tap on her shoulder pulled her from the men and made her whirl around.
“Aren’t you the party girl,” Tracy, one of the other bridesmaids, gushed. “First Chris and now Dane. Lucky, lucky. What’s your secret?”
That was a good question. Susie had no idea why Dane was paying any attention to her tonight.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” she said instead. “Dane and I just walked downstairs together. Nothing more.”
Tracy, a stunning brunette, waggled her eyebrows. “If you say so. Oh, here he comes with your wine.”
Dane was back at her side, handing her a glass which she thanked him for. He nodded and then gave Tracy a dazzling smile.
“You certainly look lovely tonight, Tracy. Your boyfriend is a fortunate man.”
Susie frowned up at Dane. He hadn’t said anything about how she looked which wasn’t a good sign. Tracy, on the other hand, was exactly his type. Tall, slim, with long dark hair, she was exactly the kind of woman he liked on his arm.
Tracy fluttered her lashes, her lips curved into a coquettish smile. Susie couldn’t have pulled off that look if her life depended on it.
“Funny you should mention Brad. He and I broke up a few weeks ago,” Tracy said, her voice breathless and sexy.
Are you kidding me?
“How sad for you, but his loss is my gain,” Dane replied so urbanely that Susie wanted to stomp on his foot or kick his shin. Since when did Dane do “suave” or “debonair”? “I was just headed out to watch the sunset. Would you care to join me?”
With a giggle from Tracy as his answer, the two disappeared outside leaving Susie standing there all by herself and feeling distinctly stupid. She’d thought Dane was interested but he’d probably only been doing Seb and Amanda a favor by fetching Susie from her room.
“You can’t avoid me all day.”
Susie’s fingers tightened on the stem of her wineglass at the deep, rich tones of that voice. Last night it had sent shivers up her spine and sent honey dripping from her pussy as he’d commanded her to come for him. Even in the bright light of day, hours later, she couldn’t stop the trembling of her hands as images of their lovemaking raced through her mind. Her nipples peaked behind the lace of her bra and her knees turned to jelly as his warm, male scent wafted past her nostrils.
Dammit.
“I wasn’t trying to.” She congratulated herself on not sounding choked despite the lump that had taken up residence in her throat.
Chris chuckled and effectively blocked her view of the others with his wide shoulders. “I think you were. I also think we need to talk. Just the two of us.”
The last time they’d been alone her panties had fallen off. Melted away under his golden gaze and she wasn’t about to let it happen a second time. Their friendship was probably ruined as it was but if they ended up in bed together a second time it would certainly be destroyed forever. At least now there was still some hope they could get back to what they had.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she countered, having a hard time getting a full breath. “It happened and it’s over. We should just forget about it.”
He bent his head close to her ear and she could feel his warm breath on her skin. “Can you forget about it? Because I can’t. We will talk, Susie Q.”
Before she could tell him not to call her that he turned and walked back across the room, leaving her shaking in her strappy, fuchsia-colored Jimmy Choo sandals. It wasn’t fair that he could make her feel this way with barely any effort on his part. He looked sexy, he smelled good, and she couldn’t shake the memories of how he’d made her scream his name when she climaxed. Friends weren’t supposed to do that.
Stiffening her spine, she marched over to where Amanda was talking with Seb. She wasn’t going to let a one night mistake ruin the week she had planned. She was here to have some of the fun she’d missed out on and no one was going to stop her.
Least of all herself.
*
Chris’s gaze lingered on the generous swell of Susie’s breasts in the halter top of her flowered sundress as she chatted with Amanda and Tracy, who had joined the group after watching the sunset with Dane. Susie’s waist looked so tiny he wanted to reach out and span it with his hands, pulling those curves against his own body.
Down, boy.
As he’d expected and feared, she’d managed to build up a fortress of protections against him and what they’d shared last night. She could build the damn Great Wall of China if she wanted to; he wasn’t going to be deterred from showing her how it could be between them. She was just so damn stubborn. He knew what she was going to say, all the reasons she’d thought up as to why they shouldn’t be together. She’d talk about their friendship and how it would be ruined. She would not talk about her crush on Dane but they both knew it was there, although Chris wasn’t afraid of it. He wouldn’t be much of a man if he couldn’t woo the woman he wanted out of a teenage fantasy. Once she realized that she was much more suited to Chris than Dane she’d give up the past and embrace the future.
Hopefully.
He’d had fun with her today. She’d loved the zip lining and frankly, so did Chris. Smiling and bubbly, she’d thrown herself headlong into the activity just as she did with everything in her life. Every time she’d brushed past him she’d smelled like coconut, vanilla and sunshine.
Perfect. Susie Langtree was one hell of a woman. The more time he spent with her the more sure of that he became.
“So I walked her downstairs and then abandoned her to watch the sunset with Tracy. You owe me big for this. That girl didn’t waste any time. She’s already trying to get her talons into me since she lost her meal ticket in Brad.” Dane twisted off the cap of his longneck and tossed it in the trash.
“Tracy comes from money,” Chris reminded Dane. He always thought a woman was after him for his wealth. “I don’t think she needs a meal ticket. Maybe she just wants you for yourself.”
Dane had the decency to look uncomfortable. “Maybe. I doubt it.”
“You two are off on your own over here,” Seb interjected, sliding up next to them. “That always makes me nervous. Are you plotting something? If not, why don’t you ask the ladies to dance or something? That includes you, Dane. Be friendly. Don’t be an asshole to my fiancée’s best friends.”
There was a warning in Seb’s tone and Dane stiffened in response. This was normally Chris’s cue to intervene and smooth everything over…but fuck it, he wasn’t in the mood tonight. He was tired of playing mediator between his two friends. They could work it out themselves for once.
This week seemed like a good opportunity to begin encouraging Seb and Dane to deal with each other in a more direct fashion. He knew the men loved each other like brothers. They’d never do anything to hurt one another on purpose. But Chris had been enabling the behavior and in the long run it wasn’t doing them any favors.
“I’m not acting like an asshole.” Dane scowled and looked over at Chris who had his attention firmly on Susie instead of the back and forth between his best friends.
“Not yet. So prove it and go ask one of the women to dance,” Seb encouraged. “I’ll even let you ask Amanda to dance.”
“I don’t have any issues with anyone nor do I have anything to prove, but if it will make you happy and get you off my case tonight? Fine.”
Dane stalked to the other side of the patio where Susie was laughing with her friends. Chris couldn’t help the tightening in his gut as Da
ne leaned down to ask her to dance. She looked surprised but nodded and Dane pulled her into his arms to sway to the smooth jazz emanating from the hidden speakers.
He had to remind himself that he wanted Dane and Susie to spend time together. He wanted her to see what she would be getting if she stuck with Dane.
“You don’t look too damn happy,” Seb observed. “Is something wrong?”
Chris dragged his gaze from the couple. He didn’t have the right to be upset. At least not yet. “Nothing. I just can’t stand hearing you two argue.”
Seb sighed and shook his head. “I know. I’m not fond of it either. I noticed you didn’t jump in between us and I think that was the right thing to do. Dane and I have depended on you too long. It’s almost as if we’ve forgotten how to communicate.”
Chris leaned against the bar and smiled. “I wasn’t sure if you would notice. I don’t mind mediating every now and then but I’m done with it as a career.”
“Your talents are better used elsewhere. Now tell me about what happened last night. You and Susie disappeared after looking pretty intimate. Now she’s hanging around with Dane. What gives?”
“I thought it would be a good idea if they spent some time together.”
Seb looked over to where Dane and Susie were dancing, their heads close together. “Have you lost your mind? Dane eats sweet little girls like Susie for breakfast.”
“They’ll be none of that,” Chris laughed. “We all know Susie’s had a crush on Dane for years. I thought she should get to know him.”
Seb broke into a grin. “It could backfire on you. She might like him even more. You’re taking quite a risk, but then you always were the gambler of the three of us.”
Chris didn’t think of this as a gamble. He was giving Susie a clear choice. Hold on to Dane and the past or move forward with Chris into something new and uncharted. With her spirit of adventure he couldn’t imagine her not being drawn to it.
“If she really and truly wants Dane, I’ll shake his hand and wish them both luck. All I’m asking for is a fair shot to show her who I am.”
“And how do you intend to do that?” Seb asked. “Kidnapping is illegal. Or at least I think it is. We are on a private island so you might be able to get away with it.”
“I think I’ll save kidnapping for if I get desperate. I thought I’d start with romance and work from there. Yesterday I told her I’d take her to the rifle range on the other side of the island. She’s learning to shoot.”
“That girl has more energy in her little finger than I have in my whole body. I’m tired just listening to all the things she does. Did you know she’s learning to hang glide?”
He didn’t know but it sounded like her.
“No, but that sounds like a hell of a hobby. I may have to try that myself.”
He couldn’t help his gaze from zeroing in on her again. She and Dane were still dancing but Tracy and Amanda had joined in as well. Chris could hear the tinkling of Susie’s laughter. Her head was thrown back and a smile was spread across her pretty face. She looked happy and carefree.
“I’m surprised you haven’t tried it already.” Seb slapped Chris on the back. “Now let’s get over there before Dane runs off with all the women.”
No way was Chris going to let that happen.
Chapter Four
‡
Chris punched his pillow and stared at the ceiling of the luxurious room he’d been given in the mansion. It had been a frustrating day trying to keep his distance from Susie. She’d needed her space to deal with last night…but not too much space. Just enough to get her to drop her defenses against him and act more like the two good friends they were.
Watching her with Dane hadn’t been any easier just because it was Chris’s idea. When they were dancing close together it was Chris that wanted to be near her, touching her. But there seemed to be only one cure for Susie’s crush. Since time hadn’t done the job¸ proximity was the next best remedy. Seb thought it was a gamble but to Chris it was the only thing he could do. Even if he and Susie started dating, he would always wonder if part of her still wanted Dane.
This way there would be no question.
But all the unanswered queries didn’t make it easy to get any damn sleep. What he needed was heavy physical exertion to wear out his body and hope his mind would follow. A few laps in the pool might tire him in addition to throwing off the mantle of stress and worry. Tossing back the sheet, he jumped out of bed and quickly donned his swim trunks. He grabbed a thick towel from the bathroom and headed straight for the pool. He’d be quiet so he wouldn’t wake anyone.
Padding across the paved deck, he paused as something flitted across the top of the serene water and then disappeared. Had a family of ducks decided to take a moonlight swim? He smiled and stepped closer only to see that it was a human form gliding effortlessly under the surface.
And what a form it was.
The black one piece bathing suit clung to an hourglass figure while long copper colored hair floated ethereally around her head. Chris couldn’t believe his luck.
Susie. Apparently she’d had as much trouble falling asleep as he did.
Good. It was the first flicker of hope he’d had all day.
She surfaced in the middle of the pool, droplets of water glistening on her skin in the moonlight.
“I thought everyone was asleep.”
His voice sounded loud in the silence and she froze in the water, pushing her tangled hair away from her face, sputtering slightly.
“Chris. Geez, you scared me.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” He tossed his towel on a lounge chair and stepped into the warm water until it lapped at his thighs. “Seriously, I thought everyone was asleep. It’s almost one in the morning. What are you doing out here?”
“I couldn’t sleep.” Her hands crossed over her ample chest as if she didn’t want him to look down her bathing suit top which amused him. What she didn’t realize was that she was pushing up her breasts and bringing even more attention to them. “So I thought a swim might clear my head. What’s your excuse? Did you follow me out here?”
Her brows were pulled down into a scowl that he wanted to kiss away.
“You have a suspicious mind. No, I didn’t know you were out here. I’m here because I’m suffering from the same malady. I’m too keyed up to sleep. Thought I might do some laps and try to wear myself out.”
She didn’t need the moonlight to look beautiful but it gave her a soft, almost unearthly look. It made her hair even more lustrous, her eyes a deeper green, and her ivory skin luminescent.
Susie chewed nervously on her full lips. “I guess I should be going in then.”
She moved toward the steps but Chris blocked her way. “Stay awhile. Talk to me. You’re not scared, are you?”
She was as competitive as he was so challenging her would have a magical effect. As he’d hoped, her little chin lifted and her eyes sparkled.
“Of course I’m not afraid. I guess I could stay for a few more minutes.” She didn’t seem to know what to do. At first it looked like she was going to lever herself up so she was sitting on the side of the pool, but then changed her mind and ducked down in the water so it licked her shoulders. Chris had a very clear vision of his tongue lapping at each tiny drop until she was mindless with pleasure.
He settled himself on the pool steps which gave him a terrific view of everything she was trying to cover. “So how about the rifle range tomorrow? I know you want to go so don’t bother making up a bunch of excuses.”
Susie’s mouth tipped up at the corners. “Then I won’t make any up. I’ll just say it straight out. I don’t think it’s a good idea, Chris.”
That’s what he adored about this woman. Straight from the hip and almost no fear. “We were friends before we were lovers, Susie Q. Good friends.”
She took a few urgent steps toward him, her expression somber. “Exactly. I don’t want to lose that.”
Chris shook his head
. “We won’t lose it but we can’t go backwards and pretend that nothing has happened. It doesn’t work like that. What we can do is try and figure out where we go from here.”
“Where do you want to go?” She spoke so softly he barely heard the question. The answer “to bed” was on the tip of his tongue but that wasn’t going to go over well. She’d run scared, fast and far away. It was better to tell the simple truth.
“I want us to spend some time together. See what happens.”
“What if nothing happens? Will you be okay with that?”
Susie had obviously never dealt with a determined man. When Chris put his mind to something and went all out, he rarely failed. If they weren’t compatible he’d admit it and let her be, but everything inside of him was saying that they would be dynamite together – in and out of bed. His instincts were rarely wrong.
“If after spending time together we find that there’s no spark, I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong,” he conceded. “But I don’t think I am.”
“Spoken like a true alpha male,” she giggled. “So damn cocky and sure of yourself.”
An idea popped into his brain. Susie was as competitive as he was and it sounded like she wouldn’t mind taking him down a peg or three.
“How about this? A little bet. If I win, we go out on a date. If you win, we forget last night ever happened.”
Her expression was skeptical, a brow lifted in question. “Just what kind of bet did you have in mind?”
“You are suspicious,” he chuckled. “How about we burn off some the excess energy that’s keeping us awake? A race to other end of the pool and back.”
Her chin lifted in challenge. She was going to say yes.
“I’m planning to win, just so you know,” she shot back, getting into position with one hand on the pool deck and her legs on the wall ready to push off. “You shouldn’t be so sure of yourself. I was on the swim team in high school.”
Diamonds and Revolvers Page 3