“I could have a disease.”
That cocky grin spread across his face again. “You? Miss Proper? Miss Not a Hair Out of Place? I imagine you’d be Ms. Safety in the bedroom.”
He made her sound so boring. For some reason, it bothered her. “You don’t know what I’m like in the bedroom,” she blurted. A split-second later, she was horrified that those words had come out of her mouth.
“I’d like to learn,” Reese told her, leaning close. His warm, musky scent filled her nostrils and her breathing started to speed up as he moved in. She thought for a moment he was going to kiss her, or touch her, or something, and that fluttering in her belly went wild with need, her pulse pounding at a spot between her legs that made her entire body ache.
But all he did was offer her a hand to help her down from the counter. She took it, hopped down, and then looked up at him in confusion.
“Bacon’s burning,” is all he said, turning back to the stove. “Why don’t you set the table? Less chance to injure yourself.”
And when he gave her his back—and that tight butt—she found she wanted to kick him all over again. Preferably in that tight butt.
***
Breakfast was incredible. By the time Audrey had finished setting the table, Reese had arrived out of the kitchen with a plate full of perfectly cooked bacon—burning, her ass—a stack of fluffy pancakes, and the most perfectly cooked scrambled eggs she’d ever seen. There was a plate of dry toast and a pot of coffee on a potholder, and everything looked and smelled amazing. Audrey was impressed. How did such an arrogant, good-looking jerk turn out to be such a domestic when it came to the kitchen? He put her attempts to shame. She’d have to find out; there was more going on beneath the surface than she’d realized when it came to Reese Durham.
She forgot all of that, however, when Daphne and Cade appeared in the doorway. Her twin looked greenish beneath her pale skin and her hair was a tangled mess. Daphne’s mouth was pressed tight, and without the thick fake lashes and heavy eye makeup, she looked wan and tired and far too old for her age. Audrey immediately rushed to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist. “How are you feeling?”
Daphne pushed her away irritably. “I’m fine. Leave me alone. Christ, you’re hovering.”
Hurt, Audrey took a step backward and glanced at Cade, who seemed tired but gave her a gentle smile. “Thanks for cooking breakfast, Audrey. You really outdid yourself.”
“Oh, I—”
Before she could finish her protest, Reese came up behind her and smacked her on the shoulder. “She did a terrific job, didn’t she? I woke up this morning and there she was, hard at work, slaving over the stove.”
Audrey cast him a withering look, but he only grinned down at her. Now what was he up to?
Daphne slumped into the nearest seat, then pressed a hand to her mouth. “I can’t eat any of this. It’s making my stomach turn.”
“You should eat something,” Audrey protested, anxiousness stirring through her. Daphne did look rather ill.
“I’ll eat once I get my next pill,” Daphne said, and gave Cade a hopeful look.
He checked his watch, then shook his head. “Not for another twelve hours. Sorry.”
Daphne’s mouth twisted and she pushed the plate in front of her away. “I’ll eat in twelve hours, then.”
“Daphne,” Audrey began.
“You’re not my mother, Aud. Shut up already.”
Reese stepped forward and, to Audrey’s surprise, he plunked down a mug in front of Daphne and filled it with black coffee. He tossed two pieces of dry toast onto her plate and pointed at it. “I’m not your mother, either, but you’re going to eat that.” He pointed at the coffee. “And you’re going to drink that. And you’re going to shut up about it.”
Silence filled the room, and then Cade cleared his throat. “Well, the rest of us can eat, at least.” He pulled out the chair next to Daphne.
Reese patted the chair next to where Audrey hovered, on the opposite side of her twin. “Why don’t you sit here next to Audrey, Cade? She’d probably like that.”
Audrey glared at Reese. God. Why not be totally obvious about her crush?
Cade grinned at her. “I was thinking she’d probably want to sit next to you, Reese.”
Oh, my God. Surely he didn’t think she was interested in Reese. That was her worst nightmare come to life. “I can assure you that sitting next to Reese is the last thing I want.”
“In that case,” Cade said, pulling out Audrey’s chair for her. She sat and gave him a radiant smile. He was such a wonderful man.
Daphne snorted and picked up one of the wedges of dry toast, nibbling on the corner and giving Reese a hateful look as he sat down next to her.
And that was how their first meal together at the cabin proceeded. Daphne picking at her food, Cade seated next to Audrey and keeping up the bulk of the conversation, expertly involving all parties so no one would feel left out, and Reese sitting across from her and giving her smug smiles as she ate the delicious breakfast he’d cooked and claimed she was responsible for.
It was a rather messy dynamic, Audrey thought to herself. And she imagined it was only going to get messier.
***
Out of guilt, Audrey stuck close to Daphne’s side all day. She helped her twin take a shower since Daphne felt too weak to stand up on her own, and when Daphne took a nap and then threw up on their shared blankets, Audrey immediately changed the bed and did the laundry without a word of protest. Daphne, on the other hand, was surly and unpleasant to Audrey at all times, which only made Audrey want to try harder to please Daphne. She knew this was hard on Daphne, and she was there to help her get through it.
So she picked up after Daphne, and made her twin toast when she needed it, and read a book in the room while Daphne was sleeping. When Daphne was awake and throwing up, Audrey changed out her bucket, wiped her brow, and unpacked their things, keeping busy.
In a word, she hovered.
It wasn’t that she thought Daphne would appreciate it. She didn’t. It wasn’t that Daphne needed her. She didn’t, really. It was guilt, pure and simple, that kept her glued to Daphne’s side.
She felt guilty about a lot of things. She felt guilty that Daphne was so sick and she’d pawned her off on Cade last night. She felt guilty that Daphne resented her. She felt guilty that she should have been concentrating on getting her twin better instead of her crush on Cade.
And she really, really felt guilty about last night’s kiss with Reese. Or this morning, when he’d lifted her onto the counter and then licked her finger. She felt horribly guilty about how turned on those two simple things had made her.
She was in love with Cade. She was here for Daphne.
So why was she so utterly focused on Reese Durham? She didn’t even like the man. He was a jerk and a player—two things that she despised. He was her opposite in every way. He’d blackmailed her into kissing him, for pete’s sake.
But . . . when he was around, she felt alive. And a bit wild and carefree. And incredibly, incredibly aroused.
And all of that was bad. She was the good twin. She was here for her sister. She was here because Daphne needed her, and Audrey was here because she wanted time with Cade.
Reese did not play into any of that.
So she hovered and mothered Daphne until her twin was slapping her hand away every time Audrey tried to put a damp towel on her forehead. And she continued to try to be helpful until Daphne screamed for her to fuck off. Cade arrived a moment later, pill and glass of water in hand, and Daphne had melted like putty in his hands.
And that just made Audrey feel worse. So she’d gone downstairs with her book, intending to spend a little time away from her twin. She’d automatically looked around the lodge to talk to Reese, but he’d been out taking a walk, and she told herself that the disappointment she felt was stupid.
She’d laid down on the couch in front of the fireplace and started to read, but had quickly drifted off to sleep. W
hen she woke up later, it was dark, the fire out, and someone had put her book on the ground and covered her with a blanket. Tucking the blanket around her, Audrey headed back up the stairs and into the room she shared with Daphne. Her twin was huddled under the blankets, her barf bucket close at hand, and sweat covered her brow. The sheets were soaked with it.
Maybe the couch hadn’t been such a bad idea after all. She returned to it and curled up with the blanket, imagining that Cade had seen her sleeping and lovingly tucked it around her. But for some reason, she kept seeing Cade’s face with a smirky, un-Cade-like smile framed by a wicked goatee, and in her mind, the blanket smelled like Reese.
***
The next morning, she woke up to the quiet clank of pots and pans in the kitchen. Audrey yawned and rubbed her eyes, then crawled out from under the blankets and headed for the kitchen.
Sure enough, there was Reese, stirring a large pot on the stove, the smell of fresh-brewed coffee in the air. She appreciated the sight of his tight buns for a moment, then cleared her throat to announce her presence.
He turned and gave her a lazy smile. “Morning, sunshine.”
For some reason, that look of frank appreciation in his eyes made her feel warm and fuzzy. Ugh. Hormones, nothing more. She was just thrilled someone had said something to her that didn’t involve cursing and begging for pills. She leaned over the stove and peered into the pot. “What am I cooking for breakfast this morning?”
“You decided to make a big batch of oatmeal since it’ll be easy on your sister’s stomach,” he said easily, sprinkling some brown sugar on top of the thick mix. “Good call.”
“I’m an amazing cook,” she said dryly. “Care to tell why you told everyone it was me?”
“You’re trying to snag yourself a man,” he said easily. “Wouldn’t hurt to let Cade think you’re a domestic goddess. He likes traditional women.”
“Does he?” She filed that bit of information away. “Thanks, I guess.”
He shrugged and glanced at her hair. “Rough night?”
Her brows drew together. “What makes you say that?”
“Your bun is askew.”
Audrey’s fingers flew to her hair. Sure enough, it was lopsided and puffy on one side. “Damn it.”
Reese set down the spoon and turned to her, reaching for her hair. “Here, I’ll fix it for you.”
She frowned but stood still, dropping her hands. “That’s very domestic of you.”
“Nah. I mostly wanted to see what this looks like when it’s not in a grandma style.” And he reached forward and snipped the band with a pair of scissors.
She yelped, pulling away even as he ran his fingers through her hair, making it puff out into a halo around her head. “You asshole!”
“Look at that! All that loose, untamed hair!” He teased, even as he tried to run his fingers through it again. “It’s like you’re a wild woman. What will people think?”
She gave him a light punch in the gut, trying to get him away from her. “I hate you so much!”
“All that red, luscious hair,” he teased, massaging her scalp, undeterred by her declarations of hatred. “You want to get a man, you need to wear it down instead of dressing like a spinster schoolmarm.”
“I am not a spinster schoolmarm,” she huffed, twisting away and slapping at his hands when he reached for her hair again. “You’re just saying that because you have a secret fetish for schoolmarm hair.”
“You think so?”
“I think that’s why you wanted me to kiss you so bad,” she snapped. “I—”
“Hey, Cade,” Reese said quickly, staring over her shoulder.
She gasped and whirled around to see.
No one was there.
That jerk. Audrey turned and smacked Reese’s arm with her open palm, ignoring his mischievous grin. “You are such an asshole.”
“And you are totally transparent.” He gave her hair one last look of approval and then picked up his wooden spoon again, stirring the oatmeal. “Why not just tell the man you’re in love with him? He’s going to figure it out the way you keep fawning over him.”
“I do not fawn over him,” she said in a curt tone, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
“You do,” he said. “Any man can tell that you’ve got the hots for him. What’s it about him that jerks your chain? Is it the white knight thing? Blond hair? The money?”
She snorted, not bothering to dignify that with a real response.
“It’s the money,” he said smugly. “I knew it.”
“Not the money,” she gritted between her teeth. “Cade’s different than most men, that’s all.”
“Different how? Because he’s not trying to look up your skirts?” He gave her another appreciative look, his gaze lingering on her wild hair. Was that . . . attraction in his eyes? God, he was such a pig. And God, why did it make her want to preen a little? She was just as bad as he was.
“Cade’s a gentleman,” she said. “I don’t know why I have to explain to you why I like Cade, but it’s everything about him. It’s the way he puts others before his own needs. It’s the way he’s always been so protective of us. It’s the way he’s friendly and polite to everyone. He’s smart and successful without compromising his integrity. I’ve met few men like that.” She cast him a sideways look and blew on her coffee a moment before adding, “Most men seem willing to use people just to push themselves ahead.”
“You mean like me with the heiress in the hot tub? You can come right out and say it. It won’t hurt my feelings.”
“I mean exactly like that,” she told him in a crisp tone. “It’s not something that a man like Cade would do.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, and then turned to face her. He didn’t look offended. If anything, Reese had that challenging gleam in his eyes as he studied her. “You want to know the difference between me and a man like Cade, though? I’ll actually get what I want. Cade’s too polite to admit what he wants, and he’s going to end up unhappy. Me? I go after what I want and fuck it all if people don’t like it. You can’t live your life trying to please everyone but yourself, because you’re going to end up the only person unhappy.”
“And how do you know what Cade wants?”
“I’m his friend. It’s obvious to me.”
“And I’m not his friend?”
He shrugged. “I think your feelings for him—or what you think your feelings are for him—get in the way of what you really want.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know what my feelings are for Cade, thank you. I don’t need you telling me otherwise.”
“Oh, I’m not. So how good of a kisser is he?”
Her mouth opened, and then closed immediately. “That’s private information.”
“You’re blushing and you’ve got that prissy tone in your voice again. You haven’t kissed him, have you?”
“He’s kissed me before,” she said blandly, thinking of the time he’d kissed her cheek when she was younger.
“On the cheek doesn’t count,” Reese said, as if reading her mind.
She was silent.
“Huh.”
Okay, now that was irritating. “What’s that little ‘huh’ supposed to mean?” she asked Reese.
“Nothing.”
“It’s not nothing.”
“I was just curious how you haven’t kissed the man you’re in love with, but you’ll kiss me just because I dared you.”
“There’s a difference between a dare and blackmail, thank you. I would never have taken a dare like that.”
“Too chicken?”
Audrey gritted her teeth. “I’m not a chicken.”
“You’re too chicken to kiss Cade, it seems. How would I know if you’re too chicken to do a dare? Seems to me like Little Miss Perfect isn’t up for it. Too daring for her blood.”
For some reason, his joke about her being “Little Miss Perfect” really bothered her. He made it sound like it was a bad thing to be a good person. “I’d kiss Cade if
I wanted to. I just don’t want him to know that I’m in love with him just yet.”
“Chicken.”
“I’m not a chicken.”
“Then prove it.” Reese’s eyes gleamed. “You up for a little dare?”
She felt cornered. Cornered, and yet that butterfly was back in her belly. It felt like it was thundering when Reese gave her that sly look, too. “What sort of dare?”
“If you kiss Cade by sunset, I’ll leave.”
Her eyes widened. “That sounds almost too good to be true. Kiss Cade and get rid of the biggest thorn in my side? Where do I sign up?”
He clutched a hand to his chest. “You wound me, Audrey. You wouldn’t miss me?”
“Not in the slightest,” she said tartly, but that butterfly in her stomach begged to differ. “So all I need to do is kiss Cade and you’ll pack up and leave? Challenge accepted.”
“Hang on there,” he said, putting down the spoon and turning off the stove. He moved the oatmeal to a back burner and then turned to face her. “Not so fast. You have to kiss Cade in front of me, where I can see it. None of this ‘oh, I kissed him’ and have it be a bullshit story you’re making up just to get rid of me. I need to see it.”
“Fine.”
“On the mouth, tongue and all. Shouldn’t be too hard since you’re in love with the man.” His grin widened. “Just kiss him like you did me last night.”
Hot fire scorched her cheeks. “Fine. You might as well pack your bags, then.”
“Oh, I’m not packing up so soon,” he said, studying her. “I don’t think you’ll go through with it. And if you don’t . . .”
She raised an eyebrow, anticipating what he’d say next. More kissing? Heat curled in her stomach at the thought. Strangely, she wouldn’t be averse to more kissing when it came to Reese, which was dirty and wrong.
“We go skinny-dipping. Tonight.”
Audrey’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”
He moved across the kitchen and loomed over her, planting a hand on each side of the counter. “Did I stutter?” he asked with a grin. “You. Me. Naked. In the lake. Tonight. But that’s only if you don’t go through with this. If you do, well . . .” He shrugged. “I’ll be gone by dawn. Promise.”