The Right Bed?: Your Bed or Mine?

“I’ve been waiting eleven years,” she said. “I can’t wait any longer.” She sheathed him, then straddled his hips, moving above him until he probed at her entrance. Then, with a deep sigh, she sank down on top of him.

The sensation of him filling her was a revelation. It was perfection and paradise, absolute intimacy. They were closer than they’d ever been before and yet it seemed so natural, as if their bodies had been made for this all along.

Jake began to move inside her, his gaze fixed on hers, his fingers tangled in hers. Caley leaned forward and ran her tongue along the crease of his mouth. He reached out and drew her into a deep, desperate kiss, his lips and tongue communicating his need without words.

This was sex, but it was more than that, Caley thought to herself. It was passion and instinct, a need that had burned inside them for years. It was the past and the present, it was the two of them drowning in a world of pleasure. Now she understood why it hadn’t happened all those years ago. She wasn’t ready—they weren’t ready—for the intensity of their joining.

Jake reached between them to touch her, but Caley grabbed his hand again and pinned it at his side. She was already just a heartbeat away and his touch would send her over. Instead, she increased her tempo, rocking faster and faster and feeling the tension tighten inside her. She ached to let go, but knew that if she waited just a bit longer, it would be all the more intense. She wanted to come, but she wanted it to be the most powerful release she’d ever experienced.

Jake wasn’t content to play a passive role anymore. He sat up and wrapped her legs around his waist, impaling her until she could feel him deep inside her. When he began to move again, she knew she was lost. Every stroke was exquisite torture.

Caley felt herself reaching for ecstasy, her release so close she could almost touch it. And then it came down on her like a waterfall, washing over her until her whole body tingled with sensation. She cried out as spasm after spasm shook her, her body reacting uncontrollably.

And then, suddenly, Jake was there with her, driving into her one last time before joining her. He pressed his face between her breasts as he moaned, his hands clutching at her shoulders, driving her down onto him again and again until he was completely spent.

When their shudders had subsided, they collapsed into each other, Jake gathering her in his arms. It had happened so quickly and yet Caley felt complete and utter exhaustion. Her body, so tense just moments before, was almost boneless. “Oh, my,” she murmured.

“Why did we wait so long?” he asked, pressing a kiss beneath her ear.

“It wouldn’t have been this good eleven years ago,” she said.

“I’m not talking about then. I’m talking about the past two days.” He raked his hand through her tangled hair, then gently tugged back until she met his gaze. “This changes everything.”

Caley frowned. “It does?”

“How am I supposed to be around you now? How can I keep from touching you and kissing you? I want you in my bed. Tonight. Tomorrow night. For as long as you want me.”

“I guess this won’t count as a one-night stand?”

“No,” Jake said, shaking his head. “I don’t think there’s a chance of that. You can’t resist me.”

“And you can’t resist me,” she countered with a satisfied smile.

“Why should I even try?”

Caley snuggled up against his warm body. “We can stay here tonight. I know the guy who owns the place.” She pressed her lips to his chest, then sighed.

“No one is expecting us back,” Jake said.

“Except for Emma. But she can wait.” Caley pushed up on her elbow and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. “So we could do it again?”

“Yeah,” Jake replied. But then his smile faded and he cursed softly. “No. I only had one condom.”

“There are other things we could do,” Caley suggested.

“Really? I always loved your sense of adventure,” he replied, grabbing her waist and pulling her beneath him.

His mouth came down on hers and Caley lost herself in his kiss. There were a lot things she’d never tried in the bedroom. But with Jake, all her inhibitions seemed to dissolve at his touch. She didn’t feel vulnerable with him, she felt powerful. She didn’t have to worry about what he wanted or needed because he wanted nothing more than to give her pleasure. She could let go and enjoy his body without sacrificing a part of herself.

They had been friends first and now they were lovers. There would be no going back.

“NO, DON’T GO,” Jake said, pulling Caley back into his arms. “Not yet. Stay a little longer.”

Caley glanced over her shoulder at him, snuggled beneath the covers of his bed in the boathouse. They’d officially been lovers for twenty-four hours and the sneaking around was already wearing thin.

After dinner at the Lamberts’, Caley had offered up some silly story about working on their toasts for the wedding. They walked down to the boathouse and the moment the door closed behind them, they were tossing aside clothes and tumbling into Jake’s bed.

Jake had spent last night in Caley’s bed at the inn, sneaking out in the early morning hours so that he could get back to the boathouse before anyone noticed him missing. They were two adults and yet there were moments when Jake felt as if they were teenagers.

“Don’t you think it’s odd?”

“What?” Caley asked as she continued to dress.

“What we’re doing is perfectly legal. Between consenting adults. And we have a variety of locations to choose from. We shouldn’t have to worry about getting caught.”

“It would complicate things,” Caley explained. “There would be questions and speculation and expectations. I just want this to be about you and me and not our families, all right?”

Jake nodded. “So do you want me to sneak into your bed tonight?”

Caley grabbed her jacket and reached into the pocket, then withdrew a key, dangling it in front of his face. “I got you your own. Just don’t let Emma see you come in. She’s been going to bed early, so come over as soon as you can get away.” She gave him a quick kiss, then pulled her boots on. “Are we agreed on our plan?”

Over the course of the past day, he and Caley had come up with a strategy to test Sam and Emma’s commitment to each other. They’d discussed all the pitfalls and problems that couples encountered on the path to everlasting love and had put together an obstacle course for Sam and Emma to navigate. “Operation Wedding Trashers is ready to go.”

“We’re not trying to trash their wedding,” Caley said. “We’re just testing the depth of their feelings. Nothing more sinister than what a good marriage counselor would do.”

“Except we have absolutely no professional qualifications or practical experience in marital matters.”

“No. But we do have relationship experience,” Caley said. “That should count for something.” She sat down on the edge of the bed, now fully dressed in all her cold-weather clothes. “So tomorrow night I’m going to take Emma to Tyler’s with me. There are always lots of single guys there to dance with and I’ll make sure she drinks plenty of cocktails.”

“And I’m taking Sam out for some fun. There’s a strip club out on the interstate. I figured we’d go there.”

Caley’s eyes went wide. “Really? Is it one of those clubs where they take off all their clothes?”

“Almost,” Jake said. “Just G-strings, shiny poles and lots of dollar bills.”

“So you’ve been there before?”

Jake shook his head. “No. But I’ve heard about it. Brett and a bunch of his college buddies went there for his twenty-first birthday. Does it bother you that I’ll be looking at naked women?”

“Of course not,” Caley said.

“Because it would bother me if you were out looking at naked men.”

“Maybe I should see if I can find a strip club for Emma and me to go to. There has to be one somewhere,” Caley said.

“There’s only one body I’m interested in seeing naked,” Jake said. “And that would be yours. You don’t have to worry. After what we’ve had together, a hundred naked women aren’t going to get me excited.”

“Good answer,” Caley said. She lay down on top of him and gave him a more thorough kiss. “Later.”

“I’m counting on it,” he said.

She walked to the door, sending him a smile before she slipped out. Jake listened to her footsteps on the stairs. He crawled out of bed, wrapping the comforter around his naked body, then peered through the curtains to watch her run across the lawn toward the Lambert house.

The boathouse was now a cozy little haven. The heater had been running all day and though it was a bit chilly inside, it was comfortable. His mother had given him a down comforter and Brett had turned on the water so the bathroom was functioning. The accommodations were almost perfect, and almost completely private.

Jake flopped back down on the bed and closed his eyes. He’d made love to his fair share of beautiful women and each time he’d searched for that connection, that spark that might prove he’d found the right one. In the past twenty-four hours he’d realized that it was there with Caley. Maybe it had always been there.

But what did that mean? They lived in different worlds, lived different lives. Though he wanted to believe that love would conquer all, Jake certainly knew the realities of a relationship. Caley had made it clear that their affair would end when she went back to New York. Though he planned to do everything in his power to convince her otherwise, Jake had to prepare himself for the probability that it would be over at the end of the week.

He had known it would be difficult before, but now that they’d become lovers, it would be impossible. Surely, it wouldn’t be easy for her, either. Her desire for him ran just as deep and Jake sensed that with every touch, every kiss, the bond between them grew stronger.

And if Caley left him, if things between them ended, he didn’t think there would ever be another woman to take her place. In the back of his mind he’d always compared the women he met to Caley. He hadn’t been aware of that fact until now. They’d been smart, but Caley had been smarter. They’d been beautiful, but she had beauty they’d never possess. He’d grown up wanting her and only her. Now that he’d had her, he was left to deal with the fear of losing her.

Jake threw his arm over his eyes and cursed softly. A knock sounded on the door and he sat up, surprised that she’d returned so quickly. He waited for her to come in, but she knocked again. Jake grabbed his boxers and pulled them on, then crossed the room and opened the door. But Caley wasn’t standing outside. Sam was.

His brother peered inside. “Can I come in?”

“Sure,” Jake said, stepping back to allow Sam to pass. “What’s up? It’s late.”

Sam began to pace the width of the room, his shoulders tense, his expression grim. Then, he sat down on the edge of the bed and nervously twisted his fingers together. “I did like you told me. When I drove Emma back to the inn tonight, I told her it was time we were honest with each other. I said we needed to have sex before we got married.”

“And she refused?”

“No,” Sam said. “No, we had sex.” He shook his head. “And it was pretty bad.”

Jake frowned. “Bad? Like how bad?”

Sam flopped back and covered his face with his hands. “About as bad as it could get. She was so excited and so was I—at first. I wanted it to be romantic and special, but everything I did seemed so forced. And then, I—I couldn’t—you know.”

“Get it up?”

“More like, keep it up,” Sam said. He turned and looked at Jake. “You don’t think I need Viagra, do you?”

Jake chuckled softly. “You haven’t had any problems before, have you?”

“No! Never. But I was never marrying any of those other girls. What if this is the way it is with Emma? What if I can’t … perform?”

“This happens occasionally. To every guy.”

“Did it ever happen to you?”

“Well, no. But I was never under the kind of pressure you are. When I encouraged you to have sex with her, I didn’t mean that you should do it just to get it done. It’s not like mowing the lawn or changing the oil in your car. There’s more to it than that.”

“Like foreplay,” Sam said. “I know, I tried that, but she was in such a hurry. I started out thinking I’d have to convince her, but she was completely on board. I guess Caley told her it was important to be sexually compatible with your husband.” Sam paused. “I think Emma said crucial. That was the word. Or maybe it was critical. And that’s when I started to get really nervous.”

“Yeah, I can see how that could happen,” Jake said.

Still, he couldn’t really relate. With Caley, there was a need there that seemed to overwhelm all rational thought. When they were intimate, he didn’t worry about the mechanics, it just happened. It was raw, primal instinct that aroused him. And the fact that it always ended with incredible pleasure was nature at work.

Jake sat down beside his brother and patted him on the back. “This doesn’t mean it will happen that way every time.”

“What if it does? I wouldn’t want to marry me.”

“It’s just a temporary thing,” Jake said. “Believe me. The next time, you’ll be fine.”

“It’s not like I didn’t want to,” Sam said. “I mean, Emma is hot. She’s got this great body and the way she kisses me just gets me going. You know what that’s like, right?”

Jake bit his bottom lip and forced a smile, his mind rewinding back to the afternoon he’d spent with Caley. “Yeah, I know what that’s like,” he muttered.

“She and Caley are going out tomorrow night,” Sam said. “Girl’s night out. I know I don’t have to worry about that. If Caley is there, nothing is going to happen to Emma. But what if Emma starts looking around for a guy who can … do it?”

“Maybe we should go out,” Jake suggested. “Take your mind off of your troubles. Just the best man and the groom, some male bonding.”

“Yeah,” Sam said. “I’m twenty-one now. I can get into any bar.”

“And I’ve got just the place.” Jake stood and grabbed his jeans from the floor. “Listen, you can hang out here tonight. There’s sheets and blankets for the sofa bed in the closet. I’m just going to run back up to the house and get us something to drink and then we can talk. We’ll get this all sorted out.”

“Thanks,” Sam said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Maybe, someday, when you get married, I can return the favor.”

Jake slipped into his shirt, then pulled on his socks and boots. “I’ll be back,” he said as he headed for the door. “Just relax.”

He jogged down the stairs, then walked across the lawn toward his parents’ house. Jake pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Caley’s number. She didn’t answer, her voice message picking up at four rings.

“Hey, there, it’s me. Listen, I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. Sam stopped by the boathouse after you left and he needs some company. Man problems. So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” He paused, holding back the next words he wanted to say. “Sleep tight,” Jake finished.

The sentiment had almost come out without a second thought. Love you. That’s what he’d wanted to say, what he’d meant to say. But at the last moment, Jake had censored himself, wondering if it was too much too soon. The words didn’t always have to have such a serious meaning, did they? He did love Caley, but those feelings had changed and the words had now taken on a much deeper significance.

Being with Caley again had brought back a piece of his life that had been missing. She made him believe it was possible to find a best friend and a lover in one person. And it wasn’t a stretch to add wife to that list.

Jake shook his head. He’d never thought much about marriage. Maybe he always knew in some secret corner of his mind that there was only one woman for him. He stopped, then cursed softly. Was it supposed to be this easy? He’d always assumed that it would take forever to fall in love and even longer to figure out whether that love could survive marriage. But suddenly, it all seemed so simple.

Jake’s phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket and squinted at the caller ID. He smiled when he recognized Caley’s number.

“Hey,” he said. “Did you get my message?”

“Yes. What’s going on? What are man problems?”

“A couple days ago, I told Sam if he wanted to have sex before he and Emma were married, he should just tell Emma and they should do it. I guess it didn’t go so well.”

“How did it not go well? Did Emma refuse?”

“No. She jumped at the chance. She agreed and then they tried and Sam couldn’t perform.”

“Oh,” Caley said. “That’s got to be a little scary. I mean, she was holding out, hoping it would be the most wonderful thing in the world and then …” She drew a deep breath. “Thank God this didn’t happen on their wedding night. Can you imagine what a disappointment that would have been?”

“So I guess this plays into our plan,” Jake said. “They’re obviously both having doubts right about now.”

A long silence came from the other end of the line and for a moment, Jake thought the call had been dropped. “So we should continue?” she finally asked.

“I guess so,” Jake said. “What do we know about their relationship? Hell, we can’t even figure out what’s going on between us.”

“Sex,” Caley said. “Lust. Curiosity.”

“And that’s all?”

“What else would there be?” she replied.

He cursed the fact that they were discussing this over the phone instead of face-to-face. He couldn’t read her expression, couldn’t look into her eyes for the truth of her words. “You tell me.”

“I don’t know. What do you want me to say? I don’t know what’s going on any more than you do. When the week is over, I guess we’ll have to figure it all out.”

“Right,” Jake said. He glanced over his shoulder. “I should go back to Sam. He’s going to want to talk and I told him I was going to grab some beer from the house.”

“Emma and I are driving into Chicago tomorrow morning,” Caley said. “She wants to check on the cake and some friends of hers are throwing a wedding shower. So I guess I’ll see you sometime tomorrow night. Enjoy the strip club.”

“Are you jealous, Caley?”

“No! I don’t care if you look at naked women. Why would that bother me?”

“Because it would be nice if you were a little jealous. I’d like to think that you care enough about me to be worried.”

“Maybe I’ll have to give you a lap dance the next time I see you,” she said in a teasing voice.

“Thanks for the image,” he murmured. “Now I’m never going to get to sleep.”

“Good night, Jake.”

“Good night, Caley.” He waited until she hung up before he switched off his phone. This was a strange, new feeling, Jake mused. They were almost acting like a … a couple. And even more surprising was that Jake didn’t mind it at all. He wanted Caley to feel possessive and jealous and worried. Whether she was willing to admit it, she cared about him, maybe loved him a little bit. And maybe he loved her a little bit, too.

5

“I DON’T SEE WHY we had to leave. I was having a good time,” Sam complained, his words slurred by all the beer he’d drunk.

Jake glanced over at his little brother. He’d never expected Sam to enjoy himself as much as he had. In truth, Jake had thought they’d spend an hour at the club and then head over to Tyler’s to find the girls. Jake had finally convinced Sam to drag himself away from the dazzling charms of Tiffany Diamond and check up on his fiancée.

Though Caley might be worried about his night with naked women, Jake had much more cause to worry about her. He knew how he felt. She was the one who’d just dumped her boyfriend and tumbled into bed with the first man who tried to seduce her. Although Jake would like to believe Caley only had eyes for him, a few fruity drinks and some male attention could do a lot to a girl’s memory.

“You know those girls were only being friendly to you because you were buying them champagne. They get a cut of everything you spend on them.”

“But they were nice,” Sam said. “Especially that Tiffany. She’s going to meet us at Tyler’s.”

“You invited a stripper to meet us?” Jake shook his head. This was in addition to the Wedding Trasher plan. Stripper and fiancée meet. Jake wasn’t sure any relationship could weather that particular event.

“Tiffany Diamond. Do you think that’s her real name?”

He was actually beginning to feel a bit guilty about the evening, but this was ridiculous. If his little brother was this naive about strippers, then he had absolutely no business getting married. There were certain things a guy needed to know and Sam’s education had obviously fallen woefully short. “Have you ever been to a strip club?” Jake asked.

“Sure,” Sam mumbled, resting his head on the cold window. “But never one where the strippers were so nice. Do you think Emma would mind if I invited Tiffany to the wedding?”

“No,” Jake said. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. And Mom would be thrilled to meet her, too. Maybe she could wear that little outfit that she danced in.”

“You know, she doesn’t want to be a stripper all her life,” Sam said. “She actually wants to be a professional cheerleader. Or a dancer in Vegas.”

“Please tell me it’s the liquor talking,” Jake murmured.

“Yeah, it’s the liquor talking,” Sam said. “But I’m moving my own lips.”

The next time Jake glanced over at Sam, he was asleep, his face smashed against the frosty window, his breath creating a tiny clear spot. Jake had to wonder about the sense of this plan that he and Caley had set in motion. When booze was mixed into the equation, there was every chance that things could go bad very quickly. Add a stripper to the mix and disaster was guaranteed. Were he and Caley really ready to deal with the fallout from this evening? Jake wondered. And would this be a true test of the commitment between Sam and Emma or just a blatant manipulation?

When he reached Tyler’s Roadhouse, Jake pulled into a far corner of the parking lot. But instead of waking Sam up, he decided to go inside and find Caley and call this whole thing off. They’d gone far enough and it was time to put this wedding back in Sam and Emma’s hands. He didn’t want to spend the rest of their week together thinking about Sam and Emma. He wanted to focus on Caley.

Jake quietly slipped out of the truck and locked the door behind him. Though it was cold out, Sam could survive for the five minutes it would take to grab Caley and Emma and convince them to go home.

Jake paid the cover charge at the door, then pushed through the crowd, squinting in the dark to locate the Lambert sisters. He immediately saw Emma on the dance floor, dressed in a shockingly sexy outfit of skintight jeans, a sheer blouse and some kind of underwear beneath it.

She was dancing with a scruffy-looking young man in a backward baseball cap, the two of them laughing and waving their arms along with a Bruce Springsteen song. Jake’s gaze continued to skim the crowd and he saw Caley standing near the edge of the dance floor. He cursed softly when he saw Jeff Winslow standing next to her.

Jake felt his fingers clench into a fist. Why did that guy get on his nerves so much? It was obvious from the way they were standing that there was nothing going on between them. But still, he’d never liked competing for Caley’s attention, even when they were kids. And he liked it a lot less now that they were adults.

He wove through the patrons until he stepped up beside her. “Caley,” he shouted. She jumped at first at the sound of his voice, but when she turned and saw him, Caley gave him a smile of relief. “Hey, Winslow,” he said, giving the cop a nod.

Jeff smiled. “You two better take that girl home,”

he said, pointing at Emma with the neck of his beer bottle. “I think she’s had enough.”

“Where is Sam?” Caley shouted.

“In the car. Drunk and asleep.” He took her hand and pulled her along toward the door. When they got there, he glanced back at Jeff Winslow. The guy didn’t look happy, but he hadn’t tried to stop Caley from leaving. Then he looked at Emma. “She looks like she’s having a little too much fun.”