Are we going to dance?
Youre the maid of honor and Im the best man. I think its a rule than we take at least one turn around the floor.
Miss Belle hurried up and studied Caley critically. Well bring the sleeves up a bit. Id assume you plan to gowithout? She pointed to Caleys chest.
Do I have a choice? Caley asked.
Well, we have the stick-ons.
Can we see some of those? Jake asked, a worried expression on his face.
Caley shook her head. This will be fine.
Miss Belle held out a shoebox. Try the shoes so I can check the hem.
Caley grabbed a shoe from the box and tried to put it on, but couldnt keep her balance in the long dress. Jake slipped his hands around her waist and steadied her as she put on the dyed-to-match pumps.
Perfect, the shopkeeper said. Ill be right back. Miss Belle hurried off to answer the phone, leaving Jake and Caley alone at the rear of the shop.
Perfect, Jake repeated.
Stop saying things like that to me, she murmured. Sometimes I feel like youre playing with me.
He shook his head. Its how we are, Caley. Its how weve always been.
She turned and walked back to the fitting room, and Jake followed close on her heels. When she stepped inside, Caley tried to close the door behind her, but Jake slipped inside, then leaned back against the door.
In all the time that Ive known you, have I ever lied to you? Jake asked.
Caley stared at her fingernails. Until that night of her eighteenth birthday, Jake had been the one person she knew she could count on for unadulterated honesty. I dont think so.
Who told you to take the toilet paper out of your bra the night of the Fourth of July dance at the park? Who told you you looked like a giraffe when you started wearing those platform shoes? Who told you not to go out with Jeff Winslow because all he wanted to do was feel you up?
You did, Caley said. But I went out with Jeff Winslow anyway. Of course, he did try to feel me up.
See?
Just because you never lie to me doesnt mean that you dont have the capacity to hurt me.
He took a step toward her, then reached out and touched her cheek. Does that hurt?
Caley drew a shaky breath. It felt so good to have him touch her, his fingertips leaving a warm imprint on her skin. She shook her head. This time she wouldnt make it so easy for him. This time shed resist him.
Jake took another step closer and kissed her softly on the forehead. How about that? Tell me it feels good.
She swallowed hard, then sighed deeply as he kissed her temple. Did she have the strength? And was it wise to try and resist? It really didnt seem worth the effort. Yes, she said. It feels good.
He hooked his finger beneath her chin and tipped her gaze up to meet his. And then he kissed her, his tongue teasing at her lips before gently invading her mouth. But it wasnt like the kiss in the truck. This kiss was slow and sensuous, meant to melt all her resolve. Caley wrapped her arms around his neck and surrendered, enjoying the rush of heat that coursed through her body.
His hands slid down her waist to her hips, then circled to smooth over her back, left bare by the cut of the dress. Caleys mind whirled as she tried to remember every detail of the kiss, forcing herself not to slip into some hazy state of desire. But in the end, it was impossible to maintain her composure. Jake seemed determined to prove that he was quite possibly the best kisser in the entire world.
When his hand moved to her breast, she moaned softly. He grazed his thumb across her nipple, bringing it to a hard peak, sending a wild wave of pleasure coursing through her. When he finally drew back, Caley was dizzy with excitement. Her breath was coming in quick gasps and her pulse was pounding in her head.
If that ever stops feeling good, you just let me know and Ill stop, Jake whispered. He kissed the tip of her nose, then walked out of the fitting room, closing the door behind him.
Caley stumbled back until she leaned against the mirrored wall for support. Her trembling fingers touched her lips and she felt a smile growing there. After all these years, it was hard to believe that all her fantasies about Jake might just come true.
There was something powerful pulsing between them and it didnt look like either one of them had the capacityor the willto stop it. And that made it all the more excitingand dangerous.
THE BURTBERT SNOW BOWL begins in fifteen minutes! Brett called.
Jake and Sam looked over their shoulders at their brother and gave him a wave. Well be ready, Jake shouted.
They sat on the stairs that, in the summer, led down to the dock and the beach they shared with the Lamberts. The lake was frozen over and covered with snow, but Teddy Lambert had cleared an area big enough for skating or a pick-up hockey game.
Jake stretched his legs out in front of him and watched the last of the snowflakes drift lazily through the air. The storm was over and everything was covered with a sparkly powder. So youre getting married.
Sam smiled as he traced a pattern in the snow with a stick. Thats what I hear.
I gotta tell you, Sam, I was surprised when I heard you were engaged to Emma. But then when I heard you were getting married so quickly, I was kinda shocked. A month and a half is a pretty short engagement, dont you think?
Maybe.
How much time have you two really spent together?
Sam shrugged. Three summers, here at the lake house. And then I visited her in Boston over Thanksgiving and we got together during Christmas break in Chicago and we just decided we didnt want to be apart anymore.
Why not live together then? Jake asked. Give yourself some more time.
Because Emma wants to get married, Sam said.
What do you want?
Why so many questions? Sam asked, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice.
Thats my job as your best man. To be sure youre making the best choices.
I want what Emma wants. I want to make her happy, Sam said.
Jake hadnt been thrilled when he heard about his little brothers plans to get married, but he chalked that up to surprise. But now that he had a chance to spend some time with Sam and talk to him, Jake realized that twenty-one was far too young to take such a giant step.
Hed spent the last ten years working his way through a variety of females, trying to figure out what made them tick, enjoying the full spectrum of pleasures in their beds. But it was only in the past year that hed really come to understand what he needed in a relationship and the kind of woman he wanted to spend his life with. Sam hadnt even started on that journey and already he was tying himself down. How could anyone know they were in love at that age? Neither Sam nor Emma had experienced anything of the world yet.
Youre not even finished with college, Jake murmured.
Emma graduates in the spring and shes just got a few independent study courses, so shell be spending more time in Chicago. Ill finish at Northwestern at Christmas next year and then Im thinking about law school. If we get married, we can start planning our lives togetherand she can support me while Im getting my law degree.
You can do all that without getting married, Jake said.
Sam groaned, then leaned back on his elbows, staring out at the wide landscape of the lake. Maybe I should have asked Brett to be my best man. Or Emmas brother Teddy.
Marriage is a big step, Sam. You have to get married for the right reasons.
What reasons would those be?
Because you cant imagine living without her. Because every time you look at her, you have to touch her, just to make sure shes real and shes yours. Because shes the first thing you think about in the morning when you get up and the last thing you think about before you go to sleep.
Jake drew a deep breath. This was the sum total of his knowledge about living happily ever after. It was what hed decided it would take to tempt him into settling down for the rest of his life. And oddly enough, Caley seemed to meet all those requirements.
A shiver skittered down his spine. Women were supposed to confuse lust and love, not men. Still, Jake couldnt ignore his feelings. Things werent the same as when they were kids. There was something deepersomething stronger drawing them together now.
He glanced over at Sam. Id hate to think youre doing this to please Mrs. Lambert and our mother. All that Burtbert shit is really silly. We can still be one big family, even if we arent technically related.
Its not about that, Sam said.
What is it, then?
We just want to start our lives together.
I know it seems like youll never get enough of her, but that kind of desire doesnt last. Its not all about sex, Jake said. There has to be something more.
Oh, we havent had sex, Sam said. Emma wanted to wait until we got married.
Jake gasped. You havent I mean, not even a little?
Well, a little. But not the whole way.
Jake groaned and buried his face in his hands. How can you possibly make a decision about the rest of your life when you dont even know if youre compatible in the bedroom?
Lots of people wait, he said. And its not like I havent done it. And Emma has, too. We just havent done it together.
Well, maybe you should, Jake said. Just to make sure. Hell, hed never even tried to regulate his own desires for womenand since Caley had arrived back in town, Jake didnt even feel in control of his libido. How did a guy just put those feelings on the back burner? Wasnt it scientifically proven that abstaining wasnt good for the male body?
He took a deep breath. Why not just wait a little longer? It couldnt hurt.
I love her, Sam said. And she loves me.
I love Emma, too, Jake said. And Caley and Teddy and Adam and Evan. The Lamberts are like our family. Jake sighed softly, searching for another argument that made sense. Who was he to try to explain what went on between a man and a woman? Hell, he couldnt begin to fathom his obsessive attraction to Caley. All he knew was that it felt good when he was with her, so good that he never wanted to let her go.
He pushed to his feet and offered his little brother a hand. Come on. If I know Brett, hes going to want to strategize before we get the game going. The last time we played football with the Lamberts, they beat us bad. Theyve got Evans wife now and shes gone through natural childbirth three times. Shes no wuss.
And Caley plays like a guy, Sam said.
Dont worry about Caley, I can handle her. You just take care of Emma.
Sam grinned. Until were married, shes still a Lambert. And the enemy.
They walked up to the lawn, now covered in a foot of powdery snow. After a few minutes, all the players were congregated at the center of the field. When Jake saw Caley, he gave her a wave and she returned his greeting with a hesitant smile. She looked so cute bundled up against the cold that it didnt take more than a moment for his mind to begin a fantasy of slowly peeling off all those layers of clothes. Jake drew a sharp breath and closed his eyes. Now was not the time to think about getting naked with Caley!
Once everyone was gathered, Brett raised his hand. Welcome to the first, and possibly only, Burtbert Snow Bowl. In the tradition of our annual summer Toilet Bowl football game, we have decided to bring back the time-honored trophy. He pulled a toilet plunger from behind his back and everyone laughed and clapped, surprised to see the trophy after so long.
The last time this was awarded was eleven years ago last summer and, according to the inscription, it was won by the Lamberts.
On a touchdown run by Caley, Jake said. He looked at her. Remember? Adam threw you the ball and you just took off down the field. No one could catch you.
She gave him an odd look. I dont remember that.
Jake shrugged. I do. It was a great play.
He slowly walked around the perimeter of the crowd as Brett went over the rules, stopping when he stood behind Caley. His gaze fixed on Sam and Emma. They look happy, he murmured. What do you think?
Caley glanced over her shoulder at him. Yes, she replied.
Brett pointed to the list of winners, written on the wooden handle with a marker. Our captains today will be Sam and Emma. By my count, weve got even teams with Evans wife, Marianne, and Anns husband, John, so no one has to sit out.
Teddy disagreed. We have three guys and three girls and youve got four guys and two girls. You call that even?
John just had knee surgery last year, Brett said. And Marianne played college soccer. Id say its even.
The coin was flipped and the game began. Brett played quarterback for the Burton team and when he went out for a long pass to Ann, Caley stepped out in front of her and snagged an interception.
She started off down the sideline and Jake took off after her, making up the distance between them in a few seconds. He grabbed Caley around the waist and picked her up off her feet, then fell into the snow near the goal line, taking the impact with his body.
Theyd played in this rough-and-tumble fashion when they were kids and back then it had been fun. But now, lying beneath Caley, her body stretched out on top of his, the game had taken on a sexual element.