I understand, Caley said.
Good night, then.
For a moment, she sensed he might have something else to say. But then, he turned and walked back to his SUV. A few seconds later, the lights stopped flashing and Caley took that as her cue to pull out onto the street. Moments later, she spotted West Shore Road and made the turn, Officer Jeff following her at a distance.
The houses along the shore were dark, most of them unoccupied in the winter, and she squinted to see the mailboxes through the snow. She passed by the sign for the Burtons driveway; the next one belonged to her parents house. A small light glowed at the end of the drive and she turned in and steered the car down the steep slope through the leafless trees, holding her breath the entire way. The SUV continued past, Officer Jeff apparently satisfied that shed made it to her destination.
She switched off the ignition and stared at the house through the icy car window. It was even more picturesque in the winter, the roof covered with snow, icicles hanging from the gutters on the white clapboard facade. Looking at the peaceful setting, Caley knew it would be impossible to get any work done while home with her family. And though she felt she needed a break from work, she knew she couldnt. So she had made a reservation, starting the next night, at the inn downtown. Between Evans three kids and the usual craziness that occurred when her boisterous family was together, Caley was certain shed need a place to hide out.
Caley stepped out of the car and grabbed her bags from the back seat. She couldnt help but glance over at the Burtons house. There was a light on in the kitchen, but the rest of the house was dark. No doubt Ellis and Fran Burton would be at the anniversary celebration. But there would be no reason for their children to be invited. Still, Caley had to wonder if there was a chance shed see Jake. And if she did, what would it be like between them. Would he remember that night on the beach? Would he pretend as if nothing had happened?
It had been eleven years. Maybe it was time to let it go, Caley mused. Shed been a kid with a crush. She hadnt seen Jake since the night before she left for NYU. Until now, the memory of that night had always brought a surge of regret and utter humiliation.
They were adults now and if he wanted to rehash her silly teenage indiscretion, then she would simply refuse to discuss it. Certainly hed made mistakes in his youth that he didnt want brought up around his family. Caley tried to think of one or two just in case she needed ammunition.
They had gotten into all sorts of trouble as kids. Even now, Caley was amazed that shed managed to avoid a life as a juvenile delinquent. But she and Jake had been a pair and shed been the only one of the Burtberts who ever accepted his dares.
She smiled. Once, theyd caught a squirrel in a live trap and let it go inside the police chiefs cruiser. Then there had been the time she and Jake had stolen a bike from the town bully. The next morning, the kid found his bike bobbing up and down on the raft just off the public beach. That trick had gained them a lot of admirers, although they never admitted to it. And then, there had been all those times theyd broken into their fortress, a deserted summerhouse on the east shore.
The house was dark and silent as she slipped inside. No one ever locked the door when the family was at home. She stood in the spacious foyer and took a deep breath, the familiar scent teasing at her nosea mix of the lake and leaves, old wood and furniture polish and the vanilla candles her mother loved to burn to take the damp out of the air. Once, shed known every inch of this house, every secret hiding place, every sun-drenched window. It had been her very own castle.
Caley slowly climbed the stairs then walked down the hall to her bedroom. But when she pushed the door open, she saw the room was already occupiedEvans kids, two in the bed and the youngest in a portable crib.
She carefully closed the door and walked across the hall. Emma would probably have room in her bed. She slipped inside her sisters room and closed the door behind her. Caley set her bag down and walked to the bed. The room was chilly and Emma had found a down comforter and was buried beneath it, her pillow pulled over her head.
Em? Caley whispered as she stood over the bed. She shrugged out of her jacket and kicked off her shoes. Emma had always been a heavy sleeper. Caley sat on the edge of the bed. She could probably find an empty couch downstairs, but she was too exhausted to search. Shed catch a few hours sleep and check into the inn for a long nap in the morning.
Caley slipped out of her jeans and crawled beneath the comforter, pulling it up to her chin. She closed her eyes, her mind drifting back to the last summer shed spent at the lake house. Jake had been home from college that summer after his sophomore year. From the moment hed arrived, Caley had been completely and thoroughly obsessed with him. He was gorgeous, lean and tanned and so incredibly sexy that Caley was sure she would die if she couldnt be with him.
The summer had passed, Caley trying anything and everything to get him to notice her. Finally, on the night of her eighteenth birthday party, she had decided to make a bold move. College was just a few days away and she didnt want to leave for NYU a virgin. So shed screwed up her courage, gotten Jake alone on the beach, torn off her shirt and asked him to make a woman out of her.
Caley groaned inwardly, pulling the comforter up to her nose. Even after all these years, the thought of her stupid offer was enough to bring a blush to her cheeks. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer that Jake wouldnt show up in North Lake until she was gone.
He was probably miles away, Caley mused. Maybe even sleeping beside another woman. She frowned at the tiny sliver of jealousy that pricked at her thoughts. The torch shed carried for Jake had been extinguished a long time ago. It wasnt jealousy. Closer to envy, Caley thought, for she had imagined Jake happy and settled and maybe even in love.
He probably had everything in life hed ever wanted. And she was still trying to figure out what she needed to make herself happy. Caley thought shed have all the answers by the time she was thirty. Now, her twenty-ninth birthday was just a few months away. There wasnt much time left.
Maybe a week away from New York and the life shed built there would give her some perspective, a quiet moment to figure things out. Caley yawned, threw her arm over her eyes. Shed have plenty of time to think about all this tomorrow. Right now, she needed sleep.
THE SOUND OF A CELL PHONE ringing dragged Jake Burton out of a deep and comfortable sleep. He groaned softly, then realized that the electronic jingle didnt belong to his phone. It was only then that Jake felt the warm body beside him.
At first he thought he was dreaming, but the weight of her leg thrown across his thighs was real, as was the citrusy scent of her hair. He tried to move his arm and found her head nestled against his shoulder.
A name, he thought to himself. He was in bed with a woman and he couldnt remember her name. Though hed indulged in a number of one-night stands in the past, hed pretty much given that up as of late.
The phone continued to ring and then stopped suddenly. Where had they met? Where had he been last night? Jake waited for the signs of a raging hangover to seep into his consciousness, but strangely enough, he knew he hadnt been drinking. If that was the case, then why couldnt he remember the woman?
The phone continued to ring and then stopped suddenly. Where had they met? Where had he been last night? Jake waited for the signs of a raging hangover to seep into his consciousness, but strangely enough, he knew he hadnt been drinking. If that was the case, then why couldnt he remember the woman?
Think, he whispered as he slowly opened his eyes. His surroundings were completely unfamiliar. But then, slowly, he realized where he was. The Lamberts lake house. Emmas bedroom. But if that was where he was, then who the hell was in bed with him? Surely not his future sister-in-law!
He pushed up on his elbow and squinted at the clock. Six a.m. He looked down at his bedmate, then carefully brushed the wavy dark hair away from her face. Oh, shit, he muttered, snatching his hand away. It had been yearseleven, to be exactbut there was no mistaking that beautiful profile, the upturned nose with the light dusting of freckles, the flawless skin and the long lashes.
She was exactly as hed remembered her, only Caley Lambert was no longer a gawky teenage girl. She was a woman. His gaze drifted down to her lips, soft and full and slightly parted. A very sexy, soft, warm woman. But what the hell was she doing in his bed?
Jake fought the urge to bend closer and touch her face. God, he remembered those urges. Funny how they all came back so quickly. Just how many times had he thought about kissing Caley Lambert over the course of his life? A hundred, maybe two hundred?
The summer shed turned eighteen it was all he could do to keep his hands off of her, from the moment hed arrived at the lake house until the moment hed left. Hed deliberately avoided her, just so he wouldnt have to think about it.
And now he had the chance. Why not take it? Why not see what hed been missing all these years? He smoothed her hair away from her face and leaned over, then touched his lips to hers. As he drew back, she stirred and her eyes fluttered. A sigh slipped from her lips and she smiled.
Jake watched her warily. She obviously wanted something to happen between them or she wouldnt have crawled into bed with him. It was a pretty bold move, considering her parents were sleeping just down the hall. But Caley had been known for her bold moves and she obviously had become bolder since hed last seen her. She lived in Manhattan. Hell, hed seen Sex and the City. He knew what single women in New York were like.
Do you want me to kiss you again? he whispered.
Umm. She snuggled closer, resting her hand on his bare chest.
Umm could be construed as a negative reply, but Jake decided that, coupled with her sleepy smile, it indicated a positive response.
He stretched out beside her, furrowing his hands through her hair and gently covering her lips with his. She seemed to melt into him, her body pressing against his as another sigh slipped from her throat. In his youth, kissing Caley had been an obsession and now that it was a reality, Jake was stunned by the sensations that coursed through his body.
It was just a kiss! But it was as if all of the pent-up desire from his teenage years had suddenly been released. And now, he could actually imagine what might happen between them.
His reaction to the kiss was immediate and intense. It had been a while since hed had a woman. During the past year, hed found himself searching for something that had been difficult to finda woman who was strong and independent and not afraid to be herself. He was through with women who were willing to remake themselves into whatever they thought he wanted.
Jake smiled. Hed known Caley for years and what you saw with her was what you got. Even now, he imagined that she was just as stubborn and opinionated and determined as shed been as a kid. God, hed always admired her. She was the only girl hed ever met who challenged him.
Her hand moved down his back, her palm warm against his skin, then slipped beneath the waistband of his boxers. He held his breath as she moved her fingers forward, to his hip. Though he hadnt woken up to a morning erection, hed managed to remedy that situation in quick order by kissing her.
He pulled her beneath him, his fingers still tangled in her hair and molding her mouth to his. Her hips rubbed against his, his shaft hot and hard between them. There was something so exciting about touching her, something almost forbidden.
Jake, she whispered.
The sound of his name on her lips was like fuel on a fire. His desire surged and his kiss deepened, his tongue plunging into her mouth hungrily.
This was Caley, the girl hed known all his life, the girl hed so carefully avoided. But she could be his, here in this bed. There was nothing to stop them. In the past, the time had never seemed right, but now, every instinct in his body screamed that the time was perfect.
As he kissed her, he found himself caught up in a fantasy that hed lived a thousand times in his dreams. He slipped his hand beneath her T-shirt and gently cupped her breast, rubbing his thumb across her nipple through the silky fabric of her bra.
She shuddered, then arched against him, but still her eyes were closed. An uneasy feeling came over him and for a moment, he thought she might be asleep and dreaming. Jake drew back and stared down at her face, watching her as he continued to caress her breast. Caley?
Jake? she murmured.
Open your eyes.
Her lashes fluttered. She looked at him, at first with a blank stare and then with growing confusion.
Morning, he murmured.
Caley frowned and rubbed her eyes with her fists. A cry of alarm slipped from her lips and then, in a rush, she pushed away from him, tumbling backward onto the floor, her bare legs tangling in the comforter. Wh-what are you doing in my bed?
I think the more appropriate question would be, what are you doing in my bed?
Not your bed. This is Emmas room. Its her bed. She blinked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. And youre not her.
Emmas staying at the inn in town so she can have a little peace and quiet. Our house was full, so your mother offered me the last empty bed.
Her phone rang again and Caley looked around the room, then crawled across the floor to retrieve her purse. She watched him warily as she flipped open the phone. Hello?
Jake grinned at her, letting his gaze take in her long, naked legs and the lacy black panties. Yes, the gangly teenager was gone, replaced by a long-limbed, incredibly sexy woman.
Yes, John. I understand. No, Ill get right on it. Youll have it by the end of the day. All right. You, too. Goodbye. She closed the phone.
Boyfriend?
Boss, she murmured. You were in this bed last night. With me?
Jake nodded. Oh, hell, she had been asleep. Yes. But I wasnt with you. Not in the biblical sense. We were just next to each other. And then, well, then you woke up. The last thing he needed was Caley to go running downstairs, accusing him of being a pervert. Hey, it was an honest mistake. It was dark. I looked like your sister. How could you have known?
A frown wrinkled her forehead. Then we werent just I wasnt Nothing happened, right?
Jake winced. Well, there was a little something, but that was an honest mistake, as well. I just kind of assumed youd crawled in bed with me for a reason, so
She touched her lips. You kissed me?
But you kissed me back. And there was some localized touching going on, but only through the clothes. Except you did put your hand down my boxers.