As they drove up to it, Abby couldn’t help but laugh. “You call that a cottage? It’s bigger than my house!”
Pierce grimaced. “Yeah, it’s big. That’s how my great-grandfather designed the whole place—both the main house and the guesthouse. He wanted room for a lot of people. Apparently, he loved a good party. He probably also wanted to flaunt his newfound wealth.” He pulled into a curved driveway. “I mean, yeah, the mansion is huge, even growing up as one of four kids. My parents had their own wing, and the kids had their own wing. And this cottage? Tess has three guest rooms besides her master bedroom. Eat-in kitchen, four bathrooms, a living room, a den, and a sunroom. That’s my favorite room in her house, it’s got a killer view of the Sound.” He cut the ignition and turned off the lights. “I love staying here. Well, that, and of course because it’s staying with her. She should still be home, you’ll get to meet her.”
“This is our final destination?” Abby asked, a bit surprised.
“Yes.” He shifted in his seat to face her. “I was going to take you out and show you off to the world. But . . . every time I start kissing you, I don’t want to stop.” His eyes went to her mouth as a sensual grin curved his own. “So since tonight, we’ve agreed that we don’t have to stop, I wanted to be someplace private. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s fine,” she said with a smile.
He slowly drew the pad of his thumb across her lips, making her blood start to race in her veins. “There’re three guest rooms here . . . with nice big beds . . .”
She met his smoldering gaze. The desire she saw there sent electricity skittering over her skin and raised goose bumps. Her heart stuttered in her chest. “So for once, you planned ahead?”
He chuckled. “I did. Guess you’re rubbing off on me.” He leaned in for a kiss, brushing his lips against hers, sipping, tasting. “I ordered in dinner for us. It’s so nice out, we can eat outside by the pool. The night’s ours.” Another kiss, deeper this time. “And I got the biggest box of condoms I could find. ACME-sized, Coach. It’s all good.”
She burst out laughing, and he smiled with her.
He kissed her once more. “Come on.” He pulled back and got out of the Evoque.
Abby quickly ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm her thumping heart. She was already so turned on it was ridiculous. But she was equally surprised, in a good way. He’d planned a nice evening for them. Given it thought and effort. And yes, set a scene of seduction. A little thrill rolled through her at that, she had to admit it. She’d said yes to the date, she’d basically said yes to sex, and now that she was here, she just had to get out of her head. But she also felt stirrings of nervousness about meeting his beloved, probably perfect sister. Abby hadn’t expected to be introduced to anyone in his family. Was Tess staying for dinner too? Abby guessed she’d find out soon enough.
Pierce opened her door, reached for her hand, and pulled her out of the car, yanking her against him to steal a few more sultry kisses. In his arms, Abby heard the pounding of her own pulse in her ears along with the chirping of crickets on the warm night air around them. Desire surged through her as his tongue swept into her mouth, tangling with hers. His hard body was warm against hers, radiating sinful heat.
With a soft, hungry groan, Pierce pulled back from her embrace, grinned at her, straightened his crisp white shirt, then took her by the hand and led her to the front door. As soon as he opened it, a small white dog rushed up to them, barking and spinning around in happy circles at their feet.
“Easy, Bubs, easy!” Pierce laughed and bent to pet the dog. He lifted the Maltese into his arms. “This is Abby. Say hi, Bubbles. Eeeasy, girl.” The dog’s tail wagged wildly and she yipped out a hello.
“Bubbles, huh?” Abby smiled, let the dog sniff her hand, then ran both hands along the dog’s soft fur. “Aren’t you cute? Yes, you are. You sweet girl.”
“Yes, she is,” came a voice from farther inside the room. A strikingly beautiful woman crossed the foyer to meet them. Dressed simply in gray yoga pants and a red T-shirt, the woman smiled at Abby as she leaned down to scoop up the dog into her arms. “Bubbles loves her uncle Pierce, don’t you, baby?”
“Abby McCord, this is my sister, Tess.” Pierce introduced them even as he reached out to stroke the dog’s back again.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Abby said with a friendly smile. She quickly took in Tess’s high cheekbones, full mouth, long, curly, brown hair, and brilliant blue eyes—astonishingly beautiful, and features so similar to Pierce’s they could have been twins. Tess was tall, had to be five-ten easy. Her long, thin arms and legs rivaled those of runway models. But the willowy beauty’s bright eyes sparked with obvious intelligence. Christ, the whole package was intimidating. “Pierce talks about you a lot,” Abby said. “He adores you.”
“And I adore him, too.” Tess grinned at her brother, then freed a hand to shake Abby’s. “Pleasure to meet you, Abby. Please come in.”
The three of them went farther into the house. Abby marveled at the decor: tasteful and elegant, with warm, earthy colors and textures. Pierce had been right; despite the size of the house, and the obvious wealth reflected in the impeccably chosen pieces, it felt welcoming. He placed his hand at the small of Abby’s back to usher her into the living room. She felt a little thrill at the intimacy of the gesture.
“Did the food get here yet?” he asked his sister.
“Yup, maybe five minutes ago,” Tess said. “Your timing is perfect. It’s all in the kitchen. I didn’t know where you wanted to have dinner, inside or out back, or I would’ve set a table for you.”
“Not necessary, Tessie. I got this. But thank you.” Pierce flashed his sister an appreciative smile. “I think we’re going to eat outside. Won’t be able to do it much longer, once fall kicks in, so why not.”
“Absolutely,” Tess agreed. “Beers and white wines are in the kitchen fridge, but if you want red, they’re in the basement, in the wine rack. Take whatever you want.” She moved to the edge of the room and slipped her feet into red flip-flops. “I’ll be going in a minute. Just let me get my things.” With a smile, she strode from the room, Bubbles yipping at her heels.
“God, Pierce,” Abby whispered, “she is seriously gorgeous. Yeesh.”
“Yeah, she is,” Pierce agreed. “She looks just like our mother did at her age, except much taller. The tall gene comes from the Harrison side.”
Something occurred to Abby and her eyes flew wide. “Wait a minute. She’s leaving. Like, we’re having our date here, so we’re making her leave her own house?”
He flashed a grin. “No! Look, I’m staying here. This is my home base for now. When I told her I wanted to have you over here, she’s the one who volunteered to get scarce.”
Abby groaned in distress. “Now I feel like a slut on top of a jerk.”
“What? No, no, don’t.” His hands ran gently up and down her arms. “She’s just walking across the yard to the main house. She’s having dinner with our father and has one of sixteen bedrooms to stay in. Believe me, it’s no hardship. It’s fine. She’s brill.”
“I love when you use British slang,” Tess announced as she swept back in. “Like most Americans have a clue what you mean half the time. You’re not in England anymore, sweetie.”
Pierce chuckled and nodded in slow agreement. “You’re right. Sorry.” He told Abby, “I meant like, awesome. Brill is short for brilliant.”
“He’s right. I am.” Tess grinned mischievously.
He stepped back from Abby and slung his arm around Tess’s shoulders as he stage-whispered, “Abby’s horrified because she thinks I threw you out of your own home. Tell her it’s not true.”
The blush started on Abby’s chest and rose into her face.
Tess shook her head and lightly punched her brother in the arm.
“Hey!” he yelped.
“Don’t embarrass her, you dope.”
“I didn’t mean to!” he protested, rubbing his arm. “
Abby, I—”
Cutting him off, Tess looked at Abby and said, “He’s staying here, and I want him to be able to have privacy whenever he needs it. I’m just going to my dad’s, it’s fine! You’re not throwing me out. I’m leaving of my own accord.”
Abby choked out a laugh. “Um . . . that’s very nice of you.”
Tess waved a dismissive hand. “Go eat your dinner, enjoy yourselves.”
“Right.” Pierce looked at Abby and raked a hand through his dark hair, tousling it further. Abby loved his hair. She loved running her fingers through it. “I’m going to quickly set up dinner out back. You stay here, okay? Give me two minutes.”
“Um, sure,” Abby said. “Okay.”
“I’ll keep her company while you do that,” Tess said.
Pierce cast his sister a long glance, one brow lifting curiously, before heading to the kitchen. Bubbles barked and followed him.
“Sit down, please,” Tess said, motioning to her huge, lush couch. “Make yourself comfortable.”
Abby sat on one end and Tess sat at the other, tucking her long legs beneath her.
“So . . .” Tess started with an amiable smile.
“I can’t get over how much you and Pierce look alike,” Abby blurted out, trying to make small talk. She cringed inside; she must’ve sounded like an idiot.
“We do,” Tess agreed. “We all look like our mother. She came from a strong gene pool, I guess.” Bubbles trotted back in and hopped up into her lap. With a smile and some cooing, Tess stroked Bubbles lovingly. Then she fixed Abby with a look and said, “Pierce really likes you, you know.”
Abby blinked and felt her cheeks warm. “I . . . don’t know what to say to that.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I’m just telling you, in case you were unsure.” Tess’s eyes sparkled as her grin widened. “He wanted me to meet you. He’s never introduced me to anyone he’s dated, Abby. Ever. So yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. I’m happy to vacate.” She continued to pet her dog, but her eyes stayed on her guest. “Whatever you may have read about him on the Web, don’t believe most of it. Did he party too much in his twenties? Absolutely. Were there a lot of women? Yeah, but he doesn’t do that anymore. The bad boy thing? Most of it’s bluster. It’s a front.” Her eyes pinned Abby and she leaned in a drop. “I know him better than just about anyone. He’s got a heart of gold. He just doesn’t show it to many people.”
Abby only nodded. Taken off guard, she felt foolish and at a loss for words.
As Tess studied her, her head cocked to the side a little, the same way Pierce’s did when he contemplated something. “He’s gone through a lot lately,” Tess said quietly. “And he’s changed. He really has. I’ve seen proof of it in the short time he’s been here. So . . . give him a chance to show you his heart of gold. It’s there, under all the scar tissue.” Her gaze and smile softened. “I’m not saying my brother’s perfect. No one is. But he’s so worth taking a chance on. I promise.”
Abby nodded again, blindsided by Tess’s open and surprising words. She had no idea what to say. But not wanting to seem careless or brainless, she finally said, “I like him too. More than I should.”
Tess’s smile morphed into a smirk. “He’s hard not to like.”
“That’s funny,” Abby said. “He said the same exact words about you.”
“What’d I say?” Pierce came back into the living room, a glass of golden liquid in each hand.
“That you adore your sister,” Abby said, looking up to him.
“That’s a given.” He gave one glass to Abby and said, “Thanks again, Tessie.”
“Have a lovely night, you two,” Tess said with a smile. She scooped the dog gently to the floor and got to her feet. “I’m going to take Miss Bubbles here for a walk, then go up to the house.” She stood on tiptoe to hug her brother. She whispered something to him. He hugged her tighter and whispered back.
“It was really nice to meet you,” Tess said as she turned to smile at Abby. “I hope I’ll see you again.”
“You will,” Pierce said.
Abby felt a jolt at his words, but said, “It was really nice to meet you, too. And . . . thanks.”
“My pleasure.” Tess crossed the room to retrieve a long dog leash from the end table drawer and called out, “Let’s go, Bubbles! Time for a walk! Come on, now.”
Like a snowball thrown through the air, the dog rushed back into the living room in a white blur, yipping happily. Tess bent to quickly attach the leash to Bubbles’s collar, smiled once more at the couple, and made her exit.
Anticipation started to hum softly through Abby’s veins. She met his gaze, saw the spark of promise there, and her heart began to beat a little faster. “Well, it was lovely to meet your famous Tess. She’s intimidating, but she’s sweet.”
“Intimidating, really?” Pierce asked. “How so?”
“Um, hello, she’s like a six-foot-tall gorgeous Amazon princess warrior,” Abby said. “With obvious brains in her head. She’s so together.”
“Yeah, she’s all those things. Five-foot-ten, though, not six feet.”
“And she loves you.”
“She has excellent taste.” Still holding his glass of wine, Pierce’s grin widened as he gestured. “Come with me.”
He led her through the kitchen, which was modern and stunning and made Abby want to explore every inch of it, to sliding glass doors that led outside. Lights cast a glow over the backyard. Tall, thick bushes lined the yard, which included an in-ground pool and a long glass table with seating for eight. On the table, Pierce had arranged two place settings, lit some candles, and spread out what looked like an exorbitant amount of sushi.
“You did all this?” she breathed. It was romantic and lovely and again he’d surprised her with his thoughtfulness. If he was playing her and this was all an act, he was putting a hell of a lot of effort into it.
“Yeah, I did,” he said. “I wanted it to be nice for you, since I asked you to dress up but didn’t take you out to some fancy restaurant.”
Abby’s heart fluttered, and her insides went warm and liquid. She turned to him, careful not to spill the Riesling in her glass, and put her other hand on his chest. “This is so much better, Pierce.” She moved her hand up to his chin, grasped it, and pulled him down for a sweet kiss. “This is perfect. Thank you.”
He smiled and held her close for another kiss, long and slow. “Come on, sit down. I didn’t know what kind of sushi you liked, so I just ordered a bunch of things.”
“Thank you.” Abby gaped at the tremendous round platter before them as she took her seat. “Um . . . I think you might have gone a little over the top here.”
“Haven’t you heard the stories about me?” he asked, eyes dancing as he sat down across from her. “I excel at over the top. It’s one of my special gifts.”
Chapter Fifteen
When dinner was over, Abby insisted on helping clear the table. With the two of them working in tandem, it was done in five minutes.
Pierce leaned against the marble counter and refilled both their glasses, emptying the bottle. Her cheeks had the lightest pink tinge to them. He smiled at her and she smiled back, their eyes locking.
“Thank you so much for dinner,” she said. “That was wonderful.”
“You’re very welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.” His eyes traveled over her. She’d ditched the cardigan and her shoes during dinner. Standing close enough that he could smell the sweet florals of her shampoo, he slowly ran a fingertip from the top of her bare shoulder down the length of her arm. She shivered and bit down on her bottom lip, her smile soft and sweet. The gesture made his blood heat and start to race.
God, he wanted her. He wanted to touch her, kiss her, hold her, make her do that little thing where she whimpered into his mouth when she liked something. That sound undid him every time.
“Come with me,” he said, taking her hand. “I want to show you my favorite room in the house. It has the best view, even at night.”
They had entered a sunroom, and the entire back wall was made of glass. It curved up over their heads, revealing the starry sky above the majestic Long Island Sound in the not-too-far distance. With the moonlight glimmering on the water’s surface, Abby could make out the expanse of it. One bright security light shone across part of the great back lawn, but the rest of the property lay in darkness.
Pierce hadn’t turned on a light, and the dim room felt cozy. The only source of illumination was the beam from the security light that streamed across the backyard. Pierce’s tall, lean frame was a silhouette as he turned to her, but she could make out the expression on his face when he stepped closer, focused on her with quiet intensity. Her heart rate started to rise, thumping in slow, thick beats against her ribs.
“You should see this view in the daytime,” Pierce said, nudging Abby to sit on the soft, wide sofa with him.
“I bet it’s breathtaking,” Abby said. “I mean, you’re right on the Sound up here.”
“Yup. It’s why my great-grandfather picked this property. He loved the water, he loved to sail. So the story goes, anyway.” Pierce took a sip of wine. “You can see the Sound from the main house, too, the back windows and all. It’s quite striking, I have to say. On a bright, sunny day, when the sunlight hits the water . . . beautiful.”
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