She should have been an adult about things and turned him away, told him to go hunt down Camilla and woo her simply because that was what he’d wanted to do. Camilla clearly wasn’t the most logical person to reason with, and if his future depended on whether or not a flighty heiress was entertained, who was she to stand in the way?
But more than that, she was genuinely bothered by several aspects of it. And more than that, she was bothered by the fact that she’d cared so much. What had happened to her “nail and bail” plan? Reese was a player. She no more expected him to take this thing seriously than she expected Camilla to come waltzing back through the door again.
So why was it that she, Audrey, was acting like this was something real? Like it was more than wishful thinking on her behalf.
She was bound to get hurt if she let herself get tangled up into things too much.
As Daphne and Cade entered the house, laughing, Audrey forced a smile to her face for her twin. Even if Audrey was troubled, there was no question that things were looking good for Daphne. Her twin’s cheeks, so sunken previously, now had color in them, and her eyes were bright and snapping once more, not glazed like they were. Another few days and Daphne could be off the Xanax entirely, Cade had assured her, and that made her happy. “How was your walk, Daph?”
“Cold,” Daphne announced, putting her hands on her cheeks as if to warm them. “What did you do while we were gone?”
Audrey held up her book in answer. “Just sat around.” And had dirty sex in Reese’s bed.
Daphne continued to smile, but her gaze turned curious as she watched Audrey. “I think I’m going to go out and smoke another cigarette. You want to join me, Twinkie?”
Audrey gave Daphne a puzzled look. Twinkie was one of their code words from when they were teenagers and developed hints to each other that only they knew. Calling her sister Twinkie meant that they needed to have a private talk. “Sure. Just let me get my coat.”
They left the men inside and headed back out, Daphne clutching the pack of cigarettes in her hand. Neither sister said anything as they headed out to the dock at a leisurely stroll. When they arrived there, Daphne pulled out a cigarette and placed it between her lips, then lit it. Audrey said nothing at all, lost in thought.
Daphne glanced over at her. “So what’s bothering you?”
“I’m fine,” Audrey said automatically.
“Uh-huh,” Daphne said in a voice that said she knew it was bullshit. “You can lie to a lot of people, sis, but not your twin. Spit it out.” When Audrey hesitated, Daphne suggested, “Is it more man trouble?”
Audrey’s smile was faint. “Something like that. You know, when I first heard we were coming out here, I thought I’d be spending all of my time with Cade and you. And I have to admit, while I was determined to get you clean, part of me was really, really excited to get to reunite with Cade.”
Strange how that seemed so low on the priority scale now as Reese was looming in her thoughts..
Daphne looked stricken. “I’ve been kind of monopolizing him, haven’t I?” She took another drag on her cigarette and then pulled it out of her mouth and stared at it thoughtfully. “I should have left him in the house with you today. I know you wanted to spend time with him.”
And then she wouldn’t have been able to have wild, crazy sex with Reese. Twice. No, it was a good thing that Daphne was keeping Cade distracted.
“I’m concerned that I gave you some bad advice,” Daphne continued. “About nailing the hot bo-hunk and then forgetting about it after the fact.”
Audrey laughed.
“I’m serious. In retrospect, I’m the last person who should be giving advice.” She grimaced. “Here I am telling you to hit it with someone else when the man you love is in the house.”
“You meant well,” Audrey said calmly. “Don’t worry about it. I’m the one who decided to nail him.”
“Yeah, but . . .” Daphne scuffed one of her sneakers along the dock. “I didn’t want to come between you and the man you’ve been dreaming about for years, you know? You and Cade would be so good together.”
“That’s kind of what I always thought,” Audrey said absently. “Because we’re so alike.” Nothing like she and Reese. Their relationship seemed to thrive on mutual antagonism that ended up in a firestorm of lust. There was something so exhilarating about being with him. He drove her absolutely crazy, and she enjoyed every single moment of it.
“Oh, Audrey.” Daphne sounded so sad. “I’ve messed this up, haven’t I?”
“No, you haven’t.” Audrey reached out and squeezed her twin’s arm comfortingly. “I’m equally to blame. It’s funny, because I have dreamed about getting so much alone time with Cade again. Dreamed about it for years. And now that we’re here, he spends all his time with you.” She grinned. “Should I be jealous?”
She’d meant it as a tease, but for a moment Daphne looked stricken. She masked it quickly, and began to smoke her cigarette again, staring out over the lake.
“Well, I’m going to fix it,” Daphne told her. “No more monopolizing Cade. I promise. He’s your friend, too.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Audrey said, not wanting to seem too eager. She couldn’t exactly say Yes, please monopolize Cade so I can continue to crawl into the playboy’s bed. “We’re here for you, remember?”
“I’m fine,” Daphne said bluntly. She glanced back at Audrey. “We’re heading into town for a few things tomorrow morning. I think you should go.”
“Town?” Audrey echoed. “Oh?”
“Yeah. More cigarettes, some soda, things like that.” She shrugged. “It’d get you some time with Cade.”
“It would,” Audrey agreed absently. But if they were gone for most of the day, she’d be alone with Reese. And since she’d won the bet, he’d have to be her servant . . .
Heat flushed through her and she began to picture all the delicious ways she could torment him. Walk around the house naked and make her lunch? Do her laundry naked? Run her a hot bath?
Better yet, massage and hot tub?
She wanted to tell her twin that she’d rather stay home with Reese, who was like her own special addiction. She knew he was bad for her and she just didn’t care. But if she told Daphne that, it’d only make her twin more determined to keep them apart.
“Tomorrow morning, then,” Audrey said, knowing full well she had no intention of heading into town.
***
Bright and early the next morning, Daphne nudged her twin. “Come on, sleepyhead. Time to go to town.”
Audrey pulled the blankets over her head and gave a pained groan. “Can’t. Migraine.”
“Migraine?” Daphne looked concerned. “You want some of my Xanax? I can get Cade to give you some.”
“Ugh, no.” She was a little concerned that Daphne was so quick to offer her heavy-duty drugs at the sniff of a headache. Maybe her twin wasn’t as broken from her habits as she thought. Such an offhand suggestion for something so important? It was worrisome, to say the least. “I’ll be fine. Just let me sleep. And leave the lights off.”
Daphne didn’t seem all that unhappy that Audrey was bailing on her. “All right. Cade and I will bring you home some chocolate or something.” Daphne quietly got dressed and shut the door behind her, all the while Audrey kept the blankets over her head and pretended like she had the worst headache known to mankind.
Total fib, of course.
The house was quiet for a bit longer, and then she heard the unmistakable sound of tires on the gravel driveway. Leaping out of bed, she peeked out the curtains and saw Cade’s car heading down the road. Perfect. With a yawn and a stretch, Audrey dressed in her favorite leggings and oversized sweater, and then brushed her hair before pulling it into a tight bun, imagining how it’d drive Reese wild.
She was just about to head downstairs when there was a quiet knock at her bedroom door. On the off chance that it was her twin and she’d decided not to go to town, Audrey dove for the bed and pulled th
e covers over her head, feeling a bit like a naughty child. “Come in.”
The door opened and there was a rattle of silverware, followed by the scent of pancakes. “I brought you breakfast,” Reese said in a low voice. “Sorry about your head.”
She pulled the blankets down and peeked out at him, unable to hide the faintly mischievous smile on her face.
“Though it’s clear to me what happened,” Reese said easily. “Your bun’s on too tight.”
She scowled and smacked him in the arm. “Not funny.”
He rolled into bed and grabbed her, dragging her against him. “Neither’s faking a headache.”
She bit lightly at his earlobe, since it was so close to her mouth. “It was the only way I could get rid of Daphne. She wanted me to go into town with her and Cade.”
“And you wanted to spend the day with me?” He seemed smugly pleased at the thought.
“Of course. You lost a bet, remember? Time for you to pay up.”
“Ah, that’s right.” His hands slid over her body, then landed on her breasts, exploring. “Your slave for a day. I guess I’m off to a good start with breakfast in bed.”
“You are,” she agreed.
“But since you’re not really sick . . .” He leaned over her and grabbed a pancake off the stack and took a bite out of it.
“Hey! Those are mine.”
“Damn, Audrey. You’re a good cook,” he told her between mouthfuls. “You’re going to make Cade a lucky man someday.”
She snorted and plucked a pancake off the stack herself, taking a bite. It was plain, but still delicious. “I am, aren’t I?”
“So what did you have in mind for your naughty slave today, O Mistress?”
She pretended to consider for a moment—like she hadn’t already figured it all out in advance. “I think I’d like a full body massage, followed by more massaging in the hot tub. Then I’d like for it to be followed up by a nice round of oral sex.”
“Demanding mistress,” he said with amusement.
“A good mistress knows what she wants and goes after it.”
“Indeed she does.” He finished his pancake and licked his fingers in a way that made her get all hot and wet just watching him. “So when should we start?”
“Whenever you want to,” she said breathlessly. They hadn’t made plans to sneak out last night, and she hadn’t realized how much she’d hungered for him. It seemed like forever since they’d last touched, but it had been less than a day.
Far too many hours.
“Mmm, after breakfast, then. I’m starving.” And he nipped at her fingers as if to prove it.
They split the pancakes, eating quietly while cuddled on the bed. It was nice to just lay in Reese’s arms and eat together, enjoying simply being together. It made them feel a bit like . . . the real deal.
Which, of course, was dangerous, since she was going to get her heart broken.
So she slowly raised one bare foot in the air and examined it thoughtfully. “It looks like it needs a massage, doesn’t it?”
“Does it now?”
“I think so,” she told him. “Time for my slave to spring into action.”
He got out of bed and, to her surprise, disappeared down the hall. She frowned and reached for her cup of coffee, sipping it as she waited for him to return. Sure enough, he did a few minutes later and flung the blankets down on the ground, then scooped her into his arms.
She clung to him. “What are you doing?”
“Your slave remembers his orders,” he said in a cheerful voice, heading out the door. “A nice full body massage in the hot tub and then oral sex.”
“A nice full body massage and then the hot tub,” she corrected, beginning to squirm when he tromped down the stairs. “Put me down.”
“I plan on it.”
“When?”
“Soon,” he said, and that mischievous look was back in his eyes.
“Reese,” she said warningly. “You’re supposed to be my servant today.”
“And I’m going to obey your orders.”
“Reese.”
He ignored her protests, opening the back door to the lodge and heading out to the hot tub.
“Reese, no!” To her horror, she saw the hot tub was uncovered and already on and bubbling. That jerk! He’d planned this.
“Into the hot tub for your full body massage, mistress,” he said in a wicked voice, and then dumped her in, fully clothed.
Audrey gave a yelp as she splashed into the water, gasping. Her body had been braced for it to be ice cold, but it wasn’t—it was incredibly warm and delicious. Too bad she was fully clothed, her favorite sweater and leggings sticking to her body. She glared up at him, wiping wet tendrils off her forehead. “You’re such an ass sometimes.”
“Most of the time,” he corrected, and then quickly stripped his own clothing off, kicking it aside. She noticed he was already fully erect, and her pussy began to throb with excitement as he climbed into the hot tub next to her. “Ready for your massage, my mistress?”
“Only if you’re going to undress me.”
His eyes gleamed. “Why, I thought you’d never ask.”
She snorted. Clearly that had been part of his plan all along.
Wet hands slid along her thighs under the bubbling water, and then she felt him push down her leggings until they pooled at her knees in a wet cluster of fabric. “Mmm,” he groaned, rubbing his hands along her ass. “This isn’t much in the way of servitude, if you ask me. I’d gladly rub your body down any time.”
“Next time I’ll have to come up with something far more diabolical, then,” she murmured, leaning back against him. She could feel the head of his cock brushing up against her backside as he curled her back against him and finished pulling her leggings off, her panties having gone with them. He fished the now-free leggings out of the water and tossed them onto the deck with a wet slap.
“Now your sweater,” he told her. “Gotta free up those nice big breasts for their massage.”
She raised an eyebrow at him but obediently lifted her arms above her head so he could tug the heavy, wet fabric over her. “Somehow I’m thinking you’re going to get more out of this than I am.”
“Oh, I intend for both of us to have a very good time,” Reese told her, dragging the wet sweater over her arms and then letting it drop to the deck. Now she was in nothing but her bra, and it clung to her erect nipples, clearly outlining them. He reached out and gave her an experimental tweak that made her body jolt, and then he was undoing the clasp and rolling her bra down her arms. “Shall I begin?”
Her body was throbbing with need already. “Please do.”
He grinned and put his hands on her shoulders, then turned her until her back was toward him. He spread his legs apart in the water and then backed her up against him, until she sat on the underwater bench, nestled between his thighs. “There we go.”
She clasped her hands in her lap and waited.
Reese’s hands slid to her neck and he began to gently knead her at the base of her skull. That felt wickedly good. She relaxed against him, suspecting that the massage was going to be less of a game than she’d anticipated. “You’re good at that.”
“I’m an expert when it comes to women,” he murmured.
That bothered her, but she ignored it. She’d known that when she’d decided to sleep with him. So she closed her eyes and relaxed against him. They were just having fun together, nothing more.
His fingers worked her neck for a bit longer, getting her loose and making her muscles feel liquid. He fanned out a bit, working his thumbs against the base of her neck and her shoulders, stroking and kneading until she was ready to purr like a satisfied cat. Dreamy with pleasure, her eyes closed and she relaxed against him.
Reese’s hands slid to her shoulders and then her arms, continuing to knead and massage. Every once in a while, his fingers would graze the sides of her breasts as he stroked her skin, sending little ripples up and down her body.
/>
And then his arms slid from her sides up to her front, cupping her breasts, and her eyes flew open. She gasped when he gently massaged their weight in his hands, squeezing and kneading like he had her arms, and heat rolled through her body. She moaned when his fingers flicked at the tips and then carefully moved away, as if he wasn’t massaging some of the most sensitive parts of her body.
“Feel good?” he asked, his mouth against her neck.
“Yes,” she breathed, arching when his fingertips slid over her nipples again. She moaned in response, feeling the score of his fingernails over the sensitive tips.
But then he continued downward, stroking his hands over her belly, rubbing at her skin, and she reached backward, curling her arm around him until she could run her fingers through his hair, clench her fingers against his scalp, and let him know how much he was driving her crazy.
His kneading fingers stroked down her belly and pulsed over her mound, sending shockwaves skittering over her. She whimpered when he kneaded her sex with his hands, wanting his fingers on her clit. Her hips rolled against him in response, but he ignored it, continuing his soothing, stroking motions as if he were massaging any part of her body.
“Feel good?” he asked again.
She moaned in response, arching her breasts. “Please.”
“A servant always tries to please his mistress,” he said playfully, and nipped at her shoulder. “I need you to move to the other side.”
She shook her head and clung to him. “No, keep touching me.”
“I intend to,” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “But I can’t do your legs from this angle.” His whisper tickled her ear, and she felt his tongue stroke the shell. “Don’t you want me to do all of you?”
His words sent another ripple of need through her, and she moaned, obediently turning in the hot tub and sitting on the bench across from him. Now she could watch him, she realized in a daze, her gaze riveted as he gently picked up one of her feet and lifted it, his fingers beginning to massage it, his gaze on her.