Rebound (Tryst Island Series) (5 page)

The two men—one who’d had the foresight to arrive first and snag the best room, and the other, who owned the house and therefore always got the master—shook their heads in tandem.

Drew chuckled. “It was worth a shot.” He fixed his attention on Cassie. “Did you bring Big Bertha?”

“No,” Cassie growled. It was no secret how much she hated being teased about Big Bertha. That’s probably why they did it every chance they got.
 

“Excellent.” Drew and Holt high-fived. “At least we won’t have to listen to her practice into the wee hours.”

Kristi couldn’t hold her tongue. Not at this. “I love the cello, Cass. You can play for me anytime.”

Cam sent a scorching glower at Drew, but Kristi knew it was completely in jest. When it came to teasing Cassie, Cam was one of the worst. “How dare you make fun of Big Bertha?”

“Stop calling her that!”

The guys all dissolved into laughter. Lane wheezed, “
Her
. Did you hear? She called it
her
.”
 

Cassie crossed her arms over her chest and put out a lip. “Just for that, I
will
keep you up all night.”

The banter continued, with everyone chiming in, but Kristi completely lost the thread of the conversation, because Cam brushed her knee. Then trailed higher, drawing a sizzling line up her thigh. Her mouth went dry. Her vision blurred. He inched closer. And closer. And closer.

Had her clit ever thrummed that hard? That fast?

Just when she thought he was going to do it, just when she thought he was going to cup her tingling slit—
right there under the table in front of everyone
—he reversed his path. She nearly groaned in frustration. She shot him a frown and he grinned like a monkey.

Bastard.

And then it occurred to her. What was good for the goose…

He wanted to play tease the pussy? Oh, she could play.

She shifted in her seat and hooked his ankle with hers. Slowly, she drew it closer, spreading his legs. He stiffened when she surreptitiously dropped her hand into her lap, then swallowed a gulp as she walked her fingers onto his thigh.

It was an odd angle and hardly comfortable, but Kristi didn’t care. She leaned back in her chair so she could reach—

Holy Hannah. He was hard.

Again.

Already!

She froze when she encountered that stiff pike. Then moved into action again. Forcing her features into an intent expression, making a determined effort to laugh when everyone else laughed, nod when they nodded, she traced his length with a feather-light touch. He shivered. She glanced at him. His jaw was set, muscles bunched, as though his teeth were clenched. He turned his head and their gazes clashed. The intensity rolling off him made her belly flip.

He leaned closer and whispered, “You’re gonna pay for this, Ms. Cross.”
 

She bit the inside of her cheek and whispered back, with a devious squeeze, “I hope so, Mr. Jackson.”

Something flared in his eyes. Something primal and raw. She had the sense he was on the verge of wrenching her against him and taking her mouth in a savage kiss—despite their audience.

And she wouldn’t have cared. Because whatever beast lurked in him, prowled within her as well. She needed him, in that moment, the way she needed air.

“So, Kristi…”

Her name sounded like a claxon across the table; it occurred to her that Holt hadn’t needed to speak quite so sharply.

Of its own accord, her head swiveled toward him and her questing hand dropped away. Cam took it though, and held it against his thigh. She focused on Holt’s expression. Had that been displeasure on his face, just before he’d settled back into his slick, urbane, blasé persona?
 

“Um, yes, Holt?”

“I was just wondering where Rolf is.”

Rolf
? It took a moment for her to remember who Rolf even was. “Ah.” She looked down at the table. “We, um, kind of broke up today.” The chorus of exclamations rounding the table surprised her. She didn’t even bother to sort them out. “It’s been a helluva day.” In oh so many ways.

Cassie tipped her head to the side. “Sweetie. What happened?”

“Savannah.”

“No shit,” Drew muttered.

“Umm hmm. In the stock room. Lucy and I went back to check on a shipment of Arabica and there they were.”

“Son of a bitch,” Lane muttered, though he had no room to talk. Lucy had walked in on him doing exactly the same thing. Not with Savannah, but it hardly mattered. No one mentioned it. But surely they were all thinking it.

Holt leaned forward, bracing his arms on the table. “So…temporary or permanent?”

“Permanent.” Definitely permanent. Wangdoodles in strange va-jay-jays were kind of a deal breaker for her.

“Good.” Something in Holt’s tight tone snagged her attention. Or maybe it was the way he narrowed in on her, as though he was pinning her, fixing her in his sights. As though he was a hunter and she a hapless deer.

Cam noticed his friend’s heightened attention as well, and stiffened. Well, bristled, really. Kristi gave his leg a little squeeze. Holt was one hot piece of man flesh, but they all knew of his…proclivities. As attractive as he was, Kristi had never been tempted to so much as encourage him. His appetites were far too dark for her liking.

“Now maybe you can date a
real
man.” This Holt said with a steamy glance. There was no doubt which man he had in mind.

A vision of herself strapped to a St. Andrew’s cross being lashed mercilessly as she called him “Master” and “Sir” flickered through her mind and she laughed. She couldn’t help it.

As if.

Playing “pirate captive” was about her kink speed. Holt needed a woman who could meet him halfway. Maybe more than halfway.
 

She was not that woman.

 
“Well, I for one will be delighted to see the north end of Rolf going south,” Bella said. “So will Dad. He was scared to death you’d marry him and end up supporting his lazy ass for the rest of your life.”

Kristi frowned. “I don’t think I would have married him.”

“People tend to drift into relationships. Very few actively
choose
.” Her gaze snapped back to Holt. Why was it everything he said seemed to be a
double entendre
? “You want to be one of the ones who chooses, Kristi.”

Cam’s fingers tightened on hers at the way Holt said her name, but she didn’t think it was intentional. It was probably annoyance. Holt had said it slow and tender, like a caress.

She had the distinct impression he was seducing her.

Really?

After years in an emotional desert, she was being showered with attention? From two super-hot guys? In the same night?

There was only one she wanted of course.

The one she’d always wanted.

And just had.

She wanted him again.

She glanced at him and smiled slowly, running a thumb over the rough material of his jeans. He moved imperceptibly closer.

Cassie yawned. “Woof, I’m tired as a Dawg.”

“Woof. Woof,” the guys responded, harkening back to their college days. Woof was their code word for
let’s blow this pop stand
.

“Yeah. I’m heading for bed.” Drew stood, triggering a great scraping of chairs as they all followed suit. “It’s been a rough week.”

“Oh?” Bella asked, carrying her glass to the fridge and filling it with water. “Lots of fires?”

Drew snorted. “I wish. At least fighting a fire is exciting. This week we broke in a new recruit. I swear. I don’t know where they dig up some of these guys.”

Lane clapped him on the shoulder. “Ah, the younger generation.”

“Shut the fuck up, you ass. We’re hardly geezers.”
 

“Aren’t we? It’s not ten o’clock and we’re all going to bed. On a Friday night.” Lane quirked a brow and headed for his room, the only one on the main floor. “Night y’all.”

“Night,” everyone chorused.

While they were all focused on Lane, Cam leaned in and whispered, “Come to my room tonight.”

Kristi blanched. “I can’t!” she burbled. “Cassie and Bella will find out.”

“Wait ‘til they fall asleep. Come on, Kristi. Don’t leave me like this.” He pressed her hand against his erection and surged into her for good measure.

She smirked. “You started it. What were you thinking, teasing me like that? That I’d just sit back and take it?”

“The thought crossed my mind.”

She pursed her lips and repeated his snarky words from earlier. “Well, that’s what you get for thinking.”

He hooted with laughter. He was about to respond when Holt, who’d been heading for the stairs, called back, “Aren’t you coming, Kristi?”

Cam’s teeth came together with an audible click.

“In a minute,” she said and then, just to placate Cam, who looked like he was about to pop a gasket, she added, in an undertone, “I’ll try to come.”

“Try hard,” he growled.
 

She shot him an impish grin. “You can play with yourself while you wait.”

Judging from his glower, he didn’t appreciate the suggestion in the slightest.

Chapter Four

It took Cassie and Bella forever to fall asleep.

Just when Kristi thought they’d dropped off, one of them would say something and the other would respond and a muted, sincere conversation would ensue—despite Kristi’s deliberate snoring.

How rude of them.

Chattering away as though someone in the next bed wasn’t trying very hard to pretend to be asleep.
 

They finally drifted into silence. Kristi strained to listen to their breathing, only stirring when she was certain they were asleep. She eased off her covers and tiptoed from the room, glad she’d brought her full-length nightie so she didn’t have to flit through the house in her teddy. Although Cam might have enjoyed that.

Of course, when she packed, she had no idea she’d be plotting an illicit tryst. Or she might have tossed the teddy in.

It seemed like every stair creaked as she made her way down to the great room. She winced with each step. The room was dark, cloaked in shadows. While she did enjoy the stillness of the night, she didn’t appreciate stubbing her toe on the coffee table. Thankfully she thought to muffle her curse.

Her yelp—when a dark form stirred and rose from one of the easy chairs—was a different matter entirely.

Holt’s low chuckle resonated through her.

“Shit, Holt. You scared me to death.”

“I was wondering when you’d come down.”

She frowned at him through the gloom.
 
“What made you think I’d come down?”

He stepped closer. “I’m not blind.”

“Blind?”

“Yeah, I saw what was going on between you and Cam. I figured you’d make your way to his room sometime.”

“And you waited up—why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“No.” It was annoying. That’s what it was. All she wanted was to continue her journey into the bowels of the house and slip into the bed of the man who was waiting for her. And hard for her. And—

“I meant what I said, Kristi. About choosing. But in order to choose, a woman has to know she has a choice.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Us.” The clouds broke just then and a faint shaft of moonlight sighed into the room. The look on his face was alarming.
Hungry
.

Her mouth went dry. “Holt, there
is
no us.”
 

“There could be. God damn it, if I’d known you were coming this weekend, that you’d finally given that smarmy ass his walking papers, I’d have been here waiting for you. Instead, Cam got the opening I’ve been hoping for.”
 

She shook her head. “No, Holt.”

“No, what?”

“Just no. It’s always been Cam for me. Always. Ever since…well, always.” She set her hand on his arm, just to comfort him.

Big mistake.

He caught her wrist in a tight cuff and yanked her against him. He was big and strong and held her in a vise. “Maybe this will change your mind.”

His mouth settled on hers, hard and demanding.

If she’d been any other woman, she would have been moved. She would have been seduced. He knew what he was doing and kissed like the very devil.

But he wasn’t Cam.

She let him finish, just so he could tell himself he’d tried. But she didn’t respond. Sometimes apathy spoke more powerfully than resistance. When he lifted his head with a hopeful expression she smiled. Sadly. “Nope.”

“Shit Kristi…that was a damn good kiss.”

“It was very pleasant.”

“Pleasant?” he squawked.

She shrugged. “Sorry, buddy.” She probably shouldn’t have emphasized the word, but she needed to make a point.

Clearly, he missed it.