by Cathryn Fox
Even after his father had died of heart disease Garrett continued to let the family down, continued to show the old man there was no reason to be proud of his only son. If Garrett had of been a stand-up guy, he would have refused his last tour and stayed home to step into his father’s role and help the family, but instead he jumped at the chance to flee, running away when Jenny—who was going through a rebellious stage—and his mom needed him the most.
Brad took a shot and the sound of the balls clanging pulled him back. “So about that ring…” he began.
“Yeah, she’s special, Brad. Very special. Let’s just leave it at that.”
“Then why don’t you tell me—”
With his mood souring he said, “Why don’t you just drop it?”
Brad stepped closer, until he was straight up in Garrett’s face. Not one bit afraid of confrontation, he said, “Not until you cut the shit and tell me what’s really going on.”
Fuck.
Garrett knew better than to think Brad would let it go. The guy was a hard-assed son of a bitch who had an opinion on everything. Although when it really came right down to it, Garrett knew his childhood friend only had his best interests at heart. But Christ, sometimes he wished his comrade couldn’t read him so well, and would keep his nose out of Garrett’s business. Then again, if the roles were reversed Garrett wouldn’t drop it either, and would beat the living crap out of his friend until he got the truth.
“Okay,” Garrett said, “But this stays between us.”
A few minutes later, after Garrett explained the scam, Brad folded his arms and asked, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Brad turned his attention to Tallulah and clicked his tongue. “A sweet thing like Tallulah could easily take you down a path you have no intentions of going, and no doubt get you in to all kinds of trouble, don’t you think?”
“Not a chance. I’ve got it all under control.”
Brad gave an easy shrug. “Okay, if you say so. But if I were you, I’d get on over there and lay stake to your claim. Unless you’re up for a brawl.” Brad eyed the crowd and in a show of alliance he pushed his sleeves up. “It’s been a while.”
Garrett scanned the room and that’s when he noticed the way the single guys, and a few of the married ones, were eyeing Tallulah. “Shit,” he murmured and fisted his hands, fighting down an unwise pang of jealousy. Not about to start a brawl at his sister’s party, he said, “I’ll catch you later,” and walked to the bar. After stealing a glance at Tallulah’s drink, he ordered a beer for himself and another daiquiri for her.
With a crook of his finger, he gestured for her to come close. Without pause, she excused herself from the group of guys who had gathered at her table and crossed the room. When she reached him, he widened his legs and pulled her in between. He slid one hand around her back, and noted the way her slim body fit between his thighs so nicely. He filled his lungs with her scent, and tried not to think about how much he’d like to pay homage to the hard nipples pressing insistently against his chest.
“So what do you think, Peaches?” he asked, his gaze going to her mouth. “Do we have everyone convinced?”
She gave an edgy laugh then looked over her shoulder. “I hope so.”
He narrowed his eyes and caught her friend’s glance. “You told Kat, didn’t you?”
“I can’t keep anything from her.” She frowned, looked down and added, “Like you said, I’m an easy read.”
Something inside him softened when he glimpsed self-reprimand in her eyes. His heart pinched, and forgetting about the crowd watching, he cupped her chin and lifted it until her eyes met his. He gave her a smile and lowered his voice. “It’s not a bad thing, Tallulah. Believe me it’s not a bad thing.”
She shrugged. “It is when you’re trying to fool everyone. Even you knew that I told Kat.” She angled her head, her eyes assessing him as her glance panned his face. “I can’t keep anything from you, can I?”
“Afraid not.”
She nodded in acceptance. “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about Kat.”
“She won’t let the cat out of the bag?” he teased in an attempt to lighten her mood.
“Wow, I never heard that one before.” She laughed and rolled her eyes before adding, “Our secret is safe with her, and she gave me lots of advice.”
“Advice?” he asked.
Her eyes widened like she’d said too much. “Nothing. It’s nothing,” she answered, blinking rapidly, and while he knew there was something she wasn’t telling him, with everyone still watching he was well aware that it was time for showing, not telling, so he didn’t press.
Instead, he cupped the back of her head and drew her mouth to his for a mind-numbing kiss. When his tongue slipped inside to taste her, he briefly wondered if the kiss had more to do with him needing a nibble than convincing the crowd they were lovers.
Either way, he pulled her impossibly closer, and deepened the kiss for a more thorough taste. Her breasts felt swollen, hot against his chest, and he noticed the movement of her hips. It was slight, but a sexy, needy movement nonetheless. Heat settled deep in his groin, and everything inside him urged him to answer the demands of his body, to take her back to their room and spend the rest of the night discovering all her little secrets—the ones they hadn’t discussed on the plane.
Someone slapped him on the shoulder. “Get a room, you two.”
Garrett pulled back, Brad’s words knocking some common sense back into him before he did something he could only regret later.
He took a deep breath to get himself together. Once he could think at half capacity, he gestured with a nod toward the door. “Maybe we should get out of here. I don’t know about you but it’s been a long day and I’m ready to hit the sack.” He gave her an intimate whack on the ass for show, then climbed to his feet. Her groin bumped his as he stood, and he tried not to think about the tremor that moved through his body.
Her palm went to his chest and she made a move to pull back, but he anchored her to him, partly to keep up the charade and partly because he liked the feel of her soft body next to his. He settled his hands on her waist, and when she trembled, reacting to his touch, his desire mounted tenfold.
Brad plunked himself down on the stool next to him. “Okay, Garrett, we get it. Now get the fuck out of here before I take her from you and show her what a real man can do.”
Tallulah gave Garrett a curious glance and he confessed, “Best friend. I spilled too.” He narrowed his eyes in warning. “And stay away from him. He’s trouble.” With that Garrett grabbed Tallulah’s hand and headed for the door. They hopped into a cab and a few minutes later they found themselves back at the hotel.
He stole a glance at Tallulah as they stepped onto the waiting elevator and saw the way she worried her bottom lip. Once they reached their room, he inserted the key card, pushed open the door and guided her in.
“Show’s over,” he said in a bid to convince Tallulah, as well as himself, that they were safely behind closed doors and could end the charade. That’s when he noticed he still had her hand in his.
He quickly let it go and she glanced around the room, her gaze flittering over the furnishing before settling on the big, king-size bed.
As much as he’d like to toss her on that comfy looking bed and have his wicked way with her, he took note of her apprehension, tore off his T-shirt and dropped it onto the bed. “I’ll take the floor.”
Still standing at the door, looking like a scared church mouse ready to run she said, “You don’t have to do that.”
Garrett turned to her and froze. Her gaze slid over his naked torso. Shit, if she kept looking at him like that and…oh, God, licking her lips…he’d never be able to keep his hands off her.
“I don’t mind,” he managed between gritted teeth.
“But it’s hard.”
Oh, it was hard all right.
“I’m used to hard.” Shit, as soon as
the words left his mouth he realized how suggestive they sounded. Backtracking he said, “I mean, the ground has been my bed for years, so don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not worried about it.”
“Then what are you worried about?”
“It’s just that…well…I…uh…I forget my nightgown. You wouldn’t happen to have a spare T-shirt I could borrow, would you?” He reached into his suitcase but stilled when she crossed the room to grab the one he was just wearing. “This one will do.”
Chapter Four
Sweet Mother of God and all that was holy!
He’d never taken Tallulah as the clumsy sort—a rambler when nervous, yes, but never clumsy—which meant one thing, and one thing only. She was bending over and driving him mad on purpose.
He raked his fingers through his hair and tried not to look. But who was he kidding. Although he couldn’t quite classify what he was doing as looking. No, it was more like gawking. Wide-eyed and immobile, he stood there staring at her like some sort of voyeur who got his rocks off from spying on others.
The shirt he’d given her to wear climbed up the back of her legs, and he nearly sobbed when it almost exposed the soft curve of her ass. Jesus H. Christ, either she was trying to drive him insane, or she was hell bent on getting him into that bed with her. He clenched his jaw hard enough to grind bone, and when she dropped her novel for the umpteenth time, he stepped in to help her.
“Here, let me get that.”
He picked the book up and turned it over in his hands. When he caught a glimpse of the cover, and noticed it was that very popular book that had been all over the news for months, he cast her a curious glance, never expecting a sweet thing like her to be reading such naughty material. His mind instantly flashed to the image of her bound to the headboard, completely at his mercy, his to do with as he pleased, and his heart damn near palpitated right out of his chest.
“Thanks,” she murmured, their hands brushing as she took it from him. Shockwaves rocketed through his body, and he fought the natural inclination to give in to temptation and pin her against the wall where he could kiss a path down her body, going lower and lower until he reached the spot that his tongue craved the most.
Christ, talk about a serious reversal of roles here. This sweet and innocent girl was all kinds of contradictions, and he was intelligent enough to know that she was acting out of character, and she’d calculated this seduction, right down to borrowing his clothes. Tallulah Duncan was trying to coax him into her bed. Him. A guy who never ran away from a good fuck. Until now.
But she was different. Everything about her screamed danger. Which meant that no way, no how was he going to give in to temptation. Ever.
She stepped away, her sweet ass dragging his focus. “You don’t mind if I read for awhile do you?” she asked and perched herself on the edge of the mattress, his T-shirt riding high on her sexy thighs.
She looked so fucking sexy sitting there in his clothes, the plunging neckline on his too-big T-shirt affording him a view of her cleavage, with her nipples pressing against the thin material that it was all he could do to keep his cock in his pants.
He shifted, uncomfortable, and angled his body to hide the evidence of his raging hard on. “No, go ahead. I need a shower anyway.”
Determined to keep his shit together, Garrett made his way to the bathroom. He shut and bolted the door behind him, locking her out and him in before he did something that he’d kick his own ass for in the morning. He turned on the cold water and once it was freezing he climbed inside. A yelp crawled out of his throat as the frigid needle-like spray cooled his hot body.
He stayed under the nozzle for a good long time, and hoped that when he was done, Tallulah had finished reading that sex book of hers and fallen into a deep sleep. After turning off the tap, he towel dried, and pulled on his boxers. He grabbed his clothes from the floor and cautiously inched the door open to peek out. When he caught sight of Tallulah bent over the bed, her curvaceous ass barely covered by his T-shirt as she fluffed her pillow, he gave a low, slow groan.
The sound gained her attention. She tossed him a glance over her shoulder, her long hair spilling over her back in provocative ways that nearly rendered him senseless.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Fine,” he managed to spit out past the lump in his throat as he crossed the room. He dropped his clothes onto the chair beside the bed, grabbed a pillow and tossed it onto the floor.
She blinked at him and patted the mattress. Long lashes flashed over come-hither eyes. “It really is a big bed, and it would be foolish of me to let you to take the floor when that whole side is empty.” There was something very suggestive in her eyes when she lowered her voice and added, “Besides, sleeping together is what engaged couples do, isn’t it?”
Garrett looked at the soft bed, and the sexy woman sitting cross-legged on the other end of the mattress, his T-shirt pulled between her legs. Goddammit he knew he’d never be able to keep his hands to himself if he crawled in there with her. Even from across the room, the sweet smell of her skin drove him bat-shit crazy.
“I’ll take the floor.”
She pursed her lips and after a long thoughtful moment countered with, “I’ve been thinking. This is your room, so by rights I should be the one sleeping on the floor.”
“You’re not sleeping on the floor.”
“No, it’s only fair.” She tossed her pillow down and climbed from the soft mattress, determination etched on her pretty face.
“Look,” he began, running anxious hands through his hair as she stood there staring at him, looking like a sex-kitten that he’d do just about anything to hear purr. “I’m not going to take the bed and let you sleep on the floor. Not when we have a king-size mattress that could easily sleep five.”
A smug look came over her face. “Exactly,” she said, and he somehow felt that he’d just been duped. She blinked up at him with bright-eyed innocence as she bent over to pick up her pillow. Jesus Christ, she really needed to stop all that fucking bending!
“And don’t worry. I’ll try to refrain from touching you,” she said, tossing his teasing words back at him.
She flicked the lamp off and once she was under the covers, Garrett climbed into his side, keeping his back to her and his face toward the window. Clinging to the edge, he pulled the covers over his chest and concentrated on getting his breathing—and his hard-on—under control.
Since he hadn’t bothered to shut the curtains, moonlight poured over the bed, and he struggled to focus on something other than the woman beside him. He thought about work, his tours overseas, walking Jenny down the aisle.
Tallulah.
Goddammit. He lifted his head and punched his pillow, unable to get comfortable. Even with the slant of light, the room seemed to close in on him, the air growing heavier, more suffocating, by the minute. Silence hung for a long time, and the bed felt warm, hot even, making the tension between them that much more palpable.
She made a restless noise and shifted beside him, breaking the quiet. Garrett squeezed his eyes shut, staying still. Perfectly still.
“Garrett.”
Don’t answer. Don’t do it. Pretend you’re asleep.
“Yeah.”
Dammit.
Her voice was low, barely audible when she said, “We have the luncheon tomorrow and my entire family is going to be there.”
The worry in her voice did him in. With a sigh, he rolled onto his back. Her body heat reached out to him and fucked with his libido in ways he’d never before known. He worked to leash his control but his cock was so hard, craving the feel of her heat wrapped around it. Sweat beaded on his brow and upper lip. “And?”
“I’m a little worried.”
“What about?”
“What if we can’t pull this off?”
He shifted to his side to face her, and the second their eyes met, sparks leapt between them and nearly set the room ablaze. Her long loose curls tumbled in si
lken waves over the pillowcase, the erotic image straight out of his fantasy. Blood left his brain in a whoosh and headed south until his cock was at full attention, standing tall and erect like any good soldier ready to dive into battle head first. Head first… Ah, Jesus. He sucked in a breath but couldn’t seem to fill his oxygen starved lungs.
“It will be fine.”
“What if I blow it? I mean I blew it with Kat tonight.”
“Don’t worry about it. I told Brad too.”
“I don’t know, Garrett.” She exhaled an exaggerated breath. “We all know I’m an easy read, and what if…?”
Her voice fell off and common sense urged him to roll back over and let it go, to put an end to this conversation before it got him into a shit load of trouble. But with raw hunger overshadowing sensibility, he probed, “What are you worried about?”
“What if you touch me somewhere I’m not expecting it and I…flinch.”
His heart thundered in his chest, his body begging him to put her worries to rest by pulling her beneath him and touching her all over, with his hands, his mouth, his tongue. But he wasn’t going to. No, he understood she wasn’t a girl who took sex lightly—he’d seen it in her eyes, read it in her every gesture—and he wasn’t sure what kind of game she was playing, but he’d be damned if he was going to play it with her.
He cleared his throat. “Don’t worry. You won’t.”
“How can you be so sure? If I couldn’t fool Kat, how will I ever be able to convince my entire family we’re a real couple? I mean, just say you touch me and I flinch, they’ll know in an instant something isn’t right.”
“I touched you tonight and you didn’t flinch.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” Her voice dropped to a soft whisper when she added, “But you didn’t touch me here.”