Caught in the Act: Book Two: Independence Falls (5 page)

“No.” She ran her hand up his leg, wanting to touch him anywhere she could reach from her forward-facing position on his lap.

“Oh yes, honey.” His free hand captured her wrist, holding tight, preventing her from wandering and exploring.

“First, I’d strip off your clothes,” he continued, his voice a low growl. “I’m dying to see every inch of you. Touch you. Taste you. And make you scream. I want to hear my name on your lips over and over.”

“Liam,” she gasped. The way he held, preventing her from touching him, pushed against the limits of her self-control.

“And I bet that cabin over there has a bed,” he continued. “Some of my wildest fantasies involve lying you down on top of soft sheets, licking you from head to toe.”

“Fantasies?” she repeated. That one word pulled her out of the teasing game. Her reasons for saying yes to dinner had everything to do with the deal to buy her family’s company. And his? She’d suspected he was targeting her as a way to get to her brothers, mistakenly believing she was the weakest link, a way to learn more about pending contracts and unsigned deals. But if he’d been dreaming about her . . .

He released her wrist and his hand captured hers, interlacing their fingers. “This time,” he whispered, “I’ll be soft and sweet.”

As she stared at the calm surface of the lake and the cabin in the distance, images of moments she’d never forget flashed before her.

Her hands held behind her back, not because he’d bound them together, but because he’d told her to keep them there . . . the feel of Liam taking her as if he couldn’t wait, as if he needed to make her his. . .

She didn’t want soft and sweet from Liam. Not then and not now. “Trying to make amends for the past?” she asked.

“I want to give you new memories.” He nipped her ear.

Oh God, she was going to melt into a puddle of take-me-now desire if he did that again. “And if I like the old ones?”

“We’ll get there too,” he said.

“Umm, sorry to interrupt,” the waiter said.

Katie jolted upright on Liam’s lap, feeling her face heat. If she had a mirror, she knew she would see bright red cheeks staring back at her. Her bottom still pressed against Liam’s lap, she glanced at the young man, probably close to her age, holding a second set of menus.

“Can I interest you in dessert?” the waiter added.

Liam squeezed her hand. “What do you say? Still hungry?”

“They don’t have what I want on the menu.” Slowly, she rose from Liam’s lap and walked past the wide-eyed waiter to her side of the table.

“Just a check,” Liam said. “We need to hit the road.”

Katie sank into her chair. The motorcycle. An hour with her body pressed up against his, the large machine vibrating beneath her. How was she going to survive the ride home? She stared at the man across the table. She wasn’t. Not without a kiss, a touch—maybe even an orgasm right here in the Ale House parking lot.

L
IAM TOOK HER
hand, leading her through the maze of parked cars and pickups to his bike. He needed to get her back to Independence Falls and safely seated in her wagon, heading home to her brothers. His jaw set, his teeth grinding together, he held on to that plan. He was determined to do this right, damn it. When they got down and dirty, there would be nothing holding them back. She would know that she was
his
.

Now wasn’t the time and place. She’d asked if he was trying to make amends for the past, and in a way, he was. He’d been too stupid and afraid to fall for her back then. He wouldn’t repeat that mistake.

Moving too quickly, taking the fleeting pleasure she offered over a supposed business dinner, would only lead to a dead end. He’d traveled that road, and the sign where the pavement ended? It read “FAILURE” in big red letters. And that wasn’t an option for him.

He stopped beside his bike, quickly handed her the spare helmet, and threw one leg over his ride. Hell, his jeans were too tight. And having her holding on to him for the next hour would be hell. When he got home, he was headed straight for a cold shower. Alone.

Liam sat upright, hoping she wouldn’t notice that he’d left the restaurant still at half-mast. Before he could stop her, Katie put her foot over his, sliding her leg across his lap. That bold move had him reaching for her. It didn’t matter that they were in a parking lot, the sun still peeking over the coastal ranger. Katie Summers stirred something inside him. Knowing he should end their evening with a simple kiss didn’t change his desire to take more. Perched on the front of his bike, the handlebars at her back, she pressed up against him.

“Now how am I supposed to drive like this?” he murmured, his hands gliding up her slim waist, teasing the breasts he was dying to touch and taste.

She inched closer. Her fingers brushed the nape of his neck, working their way up to his hair. “You’re not.”

“Katie.” He heard the hint of desperation in his voice.

She touched her mouth to his skin, running her lips, her teeth, her tongue, over his jawline. Liam closed his eyes. Now would be a damn good time to stop, but he couldn’t do it. She drew her body flush against him, rising up until her breath brushed against his ear.

“My turn,” she said, her voice low and heavy with need. “If I took you to that cabin, I’d give you a night you would never forget. I would tease you until you begged. This time, I want you screaming
my
name, begging
me
for more. After all that, if you’re ready for round two in the bed, you’d better be ready and willing to bind me to the bedposts.”

His pulse raced at the image of Katie tied to his bed. He wanted that and so much more.

“I remember what turns you on. What makes you lose control,” she added, running her hand down his chest, pressing her palm against his erection. “And I liked it.”

He grabbed her wrist and drew her teasing fingers away from his crotch before he came on his damn bike. “Katie,” he growled. “We’re in a parking lot.”

“I know. And I’ll play by your rules.” She shifted back willingly, allowing him to see the wicked gleam in her green eyes. “I’ll wait until you’re ready to give me everything. No holding back.”

Liam closed his eyes. He felt her slide off the bike and move to the rear seat. He’d never held back. Not with her. But letting her in, showing her what he wanted, that was his biggest regret.

“I need to take you back to your car. Now,” he said, his voice low and rough. Opening his eyes, he glanced over his shoulder. “Put your helmet on.”

She smiled. “I always liked it when you made demands.”

“Katie,” he said, facing forward. “I think I liked you better with curly hair.”

He revved the bike knowing that was a lie. He liked Katie Summers just the way she was and always had.

Chapter 6

K
ATIE WIGGLED HER
freshly painted toes. The pink paint sparkled in the sunlight. She had a mountain of paperwork waiting for her, but Georgia had called and suggested that they meet at the nail salon to talk while Nate was at preschool. Liam’s little sister might have shifted roles from former soldier working as a live-in nanny to fiancée, but she had no intention of finding a new caregiver for the three-year-old. Katie had to admire her friend’s steadfast dedication to a child who’d lost his parents.

The back door to Ariel’s Salon slammed. Katie spotted Georgia slowly making her way to the backyard nail drying area, a glass of lemon water in one hand and a notebook in the other. She claimed a seat on the bench beside Katie, facing the stunning view of the distant mountains.

“You know, this place is pretty,” Katie said. “I bet Ariel would let us have your bachelorette party here. We could bring in the champagne, have some girl time.”

Georgia shook her head, her brown hair falling into her face. “After touring through the vineyards, I’ve decided I want something more daring.”

“We’re not doing anything that involves jumping out of a plane.” Katie knew her friend had returned home from Afghanistan with a burning desire to live her life to the fullest, but Georgia had calmed down since she had fallen in love with Eric—or at least she’d stopped her wild, risky stunts.

“Eric said the same thing. But there is a difference between skydiving and wine tasting. I went online and made a list.” Georgia opened her notebook and withdrew a sheet of paper.

Katie scanned the five potential party venues. “A country bar with a mechanical bull? Is there one in town?”

“Not in Independence Falls. But there must be one nearby. I also added nightclub to the list. Number two. Eric’s afraid it will be too crowded for me. I’m still having a hard time with large groups of people. But I’d love to go dancing again.”

Hearing the wistful note in Georgia’s voice, Katie made a mental note to include dancing in their plans. “We don’t have to go to a nightclub for that.”

“True,” Georgia said. “And we might have to knock clubbing off the list unless we can find one that allows dogs.”

Katie looked up from the paper. “Why are we bringing a dog with us?”

“It wouldn’t be much of a party with just you and me. And I don’t have a lot of girlfriends left in Independence Falls. So I invited Lena. She’s in my veterans’ therapy group, the one that gets together each week in Portland. She is the only other woman who is about our age. I don’t know her well, but I get the sense she’s been struggling to reconnect with her friends. Recently Lena received a service dog trained to help with her PTSD. Wherever Lena goes, the dog goes.”

Katie nodded. This was Georgia’s party. If she wanted to bring dogs, they would find a way to make it possible.

“I’m eliminating the sleepover at Eric’s beachfront condo,” Katie said. “It will be too cold in a few months to go to the coast and swim in the ocean, even in wetsuits.”

“Which brings us back to dancing all night or numbers four and five,” Georgia said.

Katie tried to picture their merry group—one former soldier recently returned from the Middle East, a second woman with PTSD, a service dog, and herself—at a nightclub. That plan had disaster written all over it.

“First, we need to expand the guest list. I’ll come up with a few names. Add some friends from high school who are still in town.”

Georgia nodded. “OK.”

“And I’ll look into four and five,” Katie promised, scanning the list. “Wait, what is a boudoir photo shoot?”

Georgia’s eyes lit up. “I read about this online. They recommended using a hotel suite, but I thought maybe we could add our own twist. Rent a cabin in the woods by the lake and do the photo shoot there.”

Katie heard the word “cabin” and thought of Liam, whispering in her ear the things he wanted to do to her. How could he infuriate her and turn her on at the same time? It didn’t seem fair. But when it came to Liam Trulane, fair wasn’t part of the picture.

“The photographer comes to our selected location,” Georgia continued. “He said we can wear as much or as little as we want, and afterward we each have a collection of intimate pictures to share with whomever we want.”

“I think your fiancé might have some objections,” Katie said. “Starting with the fact the person taking the pictures is a he.”

“Eric might love the final product.” Georgia studied her toes. “We could do the girls’ getaway at the cabin without the photographer, I guess. But this sounded fun and different. A twist to the traditional hiking and camping routine.”

“I’ll look into it.” But talking about cabins—and thinking of Liam—she knew she had to tell Georgia about last night.

“I had dinner with your brother.”

Georgia’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Just dinner, or did you stay for a sleepover?”

“It was a business dinner. Sort of. I went home.” After that kiss on his bike . . .

“I love my brother,” Georgia said. “But he’s not exactly boyfriend material. You know that, right? I can’t recall his last serious relationship.”

“I’m not looking for long-term. Not here in Independence Falls.”

“You’re taking the job?”

“I haven’t received an offer yet,” Katie said. “My interview is set for Thursday.”

“They’ll make an offer. And you should take it.”

“My brothers said the same thing. And I want to say yes, but it’s complicated. Now doesn’t feel like the right time to leave.”

Georgia raised an eyebrow. “Because of my brother?”

“No.” Katie shook her head. “
No.
I’m not interested in a relationship with Liam.”

“Does that have anything to do with the fact that your brothers don’t like him very much?”

“Maybe a little.”

Georgia nodded. “Now that he is negotiating the deal for your company, things could get complicated.”

“They already are.” She wasn’t about to tell Georgia her plan to seduce Liam and send the small-town rumor mill into a frenzy that would inevitably make its way back to her brothers. But the history? She had a feeling that would rise to the surface soon. “We had a fling. Liam and I.”

Georgia shifted on the bench, turning to face her. “When? While I was deployed?”

“Before that. The summer before I went to college. You’d already left for school.”

“Let me guess, it ended when your brothers found out and started throwing punches.”

“That was part of it.” Betrayal, coupled with the way he’d taken her love and handed it back to her, ended things.

“Are you going to see him again?” Georgia asked.

“Yes. But whatever happens, however it ends—” Given her plan, she knew it wouldn’t end well. “I hope it doesn’t change our friendship.”

“As long as you two are still speaking when it comes time to stand up at our wedding, we’ll be fine.”

Katie nodded. But she had a feeling that in a few days, Liam Trulane would have every reason to never say another word to her.

F
OUR MILLION DOLLARS.

Liam stared at the paper the receptionist had handed him. Brody Summers had dropped off their counteroffer while Liam had been out on a job site. But Liam didn’t have the first clue what to make of that number. He’d known their initial bid was low, but to counter with freaking four million dollars?

He walked past the closed door to his own bare office and stood at Eric’s door. Knocking once, he waited for Eric to call him in—just in case Georgia had stopped by.

“Just the man I wanted to see.” Eric stood and went to the mini-fridge in the corner of his office. “Georgia pushed up the date of the wedding. She’s thinking Valentine’s Day. Claims she doesn’t want to wait until spring.”

“A holiday wedding, huh?”

“I’d marry her tomorrow, but she wants to do this right. I spent my morning looking at wedding venue sites online and setting up appointments to see them.” Eric tossed him a water bottle. “So if you’ve got a crisis, you’re going to have to handle it.”

“Not a crisis.” Not yet. But shit, if the Summers brothers knew where their sister wanted to take their dinner last night—one wild night of no-holds-barred sex—Liam had a feeling this deal would blow up in his face. Or maybe they’d caught wind and the counteroffer was a form of payback? No, they’d come looking for him with their fists if they found out that Liam was trying to start something with their sister, not send a piece of paper.

“I have the counter from Brody,” Liam said. “They’re asking for a helluva lot more.”

Eric sat at the edge of the desk. “What are the trucks worth?”

“About two hundred thousand apiece. They own ten in good working order. And their crew is top-notch. They also have agreements with some of our competitors to haul their timber. Smaller operations than yours, no major competitors on the list.”

“Ours,” Eric said.

Liam nodded. That word still felt tenuous, as if his claim to Moore Timber would dissolve if he didn’t close this deal.

“They’re worth something,” Liam said, handing Eric the offer. “We’ll need more information to find out how much. But I know it doesn’t add up to this.”

Eric frowned. “Brody gave every indication that they were facing hard times. But this number says otherwise.”

Liam ground his teeth together, glancing around at the office walls. A few weeks ago, he’d sat here and agreed to take an equity stake in Moore Timber in exchange for helping out on the business side of things. But now he couldn’t escape the feeling that failure was nipping at his heels. Give him a chainsaw and a tract of land that needed to be harvested and he’d tackle it in a heartbeat. Out in the forest, he knew which trees to cut when, how long they needed to be when they hit the landing, and how to manage his crew. Buying companies, reviewing financials—this was a different world.

But he hated the idea of walking away. His father had spent his entire life working in the forest. And in the end, he’d had nothing to show for it but a pile of medical bills from a swift-moving cancer. Liam wanted to prove he was worth more, that he deserved his empty office down the hall. He had to find a way to close this deal.

“We need to talk to the Summers brothers,” Liam said.

“You’re right.” Eric handed him back the piece of paper. “Have Leah set something up for Monday. We have to finish the thinning over on that piece of BLM land this week and complete the clear-cut for Wilson’s widow. I need you on those jobs while I find a place to marry your sister.”

Liam nodded; the image of Brody, Chad, and Josh sitting around the conference table, staring him down, formed in his mind. And the night before, Liam had his hands all over their little sister. Again. If Liam had his way he would take it further.

But he had to close this deal first. He couldn’t blow this chance to cement his future.

He couldn’t allow his friendship with his business partner to disintegrate either. And it might, if Liam didn’t come clean. Reaching for the door, he turned to Eric. “I took Katie out last night. We planned to talk about the deal. She was feeling left out of the conversation. But it turned into more.”

His best friend frowned. “Do her brothers know?”

“No. And I don’t plan to tell them. I’ll leave that up to Katie.” He didn’t have to tell his friend why. Eric knew how things ended last time.

“Brody, Chad, and Josh might find out anyway. You may want to hold off on seeing her again until after we close this deal.”

Liam shook his head. “I can’t. Not if she plans to take that job in Montana.”

“You’re trying to give her a reason to stay?”

“I can’t let her go again. The timing stinks. I know that, trust me. But I can’t stay away any longer. Katie, she is . . .” Liam ran his hand through his hair. There was only one word running through his mind.
Mine.

Eric crossed over, slapping him on the shoulder. “I get it, man. Believe me, I do. But do us both a favor and find a way to tell Katie before we sit down with her brothers.”