‘Hard as this may be to believe, I’m simply not interested.’
George blinked. ‘Impossible.’
‘Give it up, brother,’ James roasted him. ‘You have to face the fact that your usual technique has failed.’
‘What’s his usual technique?’ Caitlin asked.
‘Superficial.’ James smiled, basically baring his teeth.
‘Cruel, James,’ George jibed.
‘But accurate.’
‘Come out with me, Caitlin,’ Jack interrupted. ‘There’s no contest as to who’s the most fun...’
‘You guys have always been this competitive?’ Caitlin asked.
‘Ignore them, Caitlin,’ Irene said calmly. ‘They’re fools. And no, Jack, you’re not going out. This is the first night you’ve both been home in ages. You’re to stay right where I can see you.’
‘All right.’ George winked at his mother, then turned back to eye Caitlin. ‘I’ll have to prove my superiority with the Scrabble board.’
‘Scrabble?’ Caitlin choked. Wow, they really were into the happy family scene here.
‘Hell no,’ James groaned. ‘Not Scrabble.’
‘You don’t think you can handle it?’ George teased.
‘I’m actually quite good at Scrabble,’ Caitlin said smugly. ‘I’m pretty tough to beat.’
‘You’re up for Scrabble?’ James stared at her.
‘Absolutely.’ She could see what he wanted but she was not diving away for an early night. It would be obvious to everyone what was going on.
She caught the glint in his eye as he replied, ‘All right then, Scrabble it is. Jack, you in?’
‘No.’ Jack shook his head. ‘I’m in the pool.’
Caitlin glanced at Jack for a moment as he cast off his shirt, dived into the pool in his boardshorts and proceeded to swim length after length. Yeah, they were a bunch of competitive sports types. Well, she couldn’t compete with either the tennis or the swimming, but with Scrabble? She had half a chance. She pulled her chair closer to the table as James and George set out the board and pieces.
She’d endured hours of Scrabble as a young teen, it had been the on-set tutor’s way of trying to beat the boredom of waiting for scenes. Caitlin hadn’t exactly loved it, but now she took the game on fiercely. She planned on beating these boys. And twenty minutes later she was doing exactly that—just. She and James had leapt ahead of George who, it was fair to say, didn’t seem to have his heart in it.
‘There was me thinking you were all about sequins.’ James frowned as she put down an eighty-seven point word by using a triple points square.
‘I’m all about designing patterns,’ she said primly. ‘Oh, look at that,’ Caitlin murmured, putting down another set of winning point letters.
George threw his hands in the air. ‘I retire. You’re too good for me. Couple of geeks,’ he muttered under his breath.
James laughed. ‘Jealous brother. You never could cope with me winning.’
‘You haven’t won yet,’ Caitlin pointed out calmly, putting her last piece, an ‘a’, above another ‘a’ already on the board.
He stared at it. ‘There’s no such word as “aa”. Acronyms aren’t allowed in our version of the game.’ He grinned gleefully.
‘Actually “aa” is a form of solidified lava,’ she said. ‘Feel free to look it up if you need to, but I think you’ll find I’m right. And that I’ve just won by a point.’
‘Solidified lava, huh?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’
‘That’s right.’ She tilted her chin. ‘If you’re up for it, you can always challenge me to a rematch.’
James’ eyes narrowed. ‘All right. But it has to be speed Scrabble.’
Thirty minutes later she chuckled. ‘Did you want to try for best of three?’
‘No, thanks. I concede the Scrabble crown to you.’
‘And now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I might retire.’ Caitlin smiled, somewhat embarrassed.
She looked over at James’ parents happily relaxing with all their sons home. Even if one of their sons hadn’t been remotely relaxed.
She really shouldn’t be intruding on this. Yet they’d made her welcome. She’d just been Caitlin again—with no cloud of doom hanging about her. Fitting in had been fun.
‘Thanks so much for having me to stay,’ she said. And meant it.
Ten minutes later there was a knock on her door and he slipped straight inside.
‘What was with the delay?’ he growled, pulling her close and spinning her to push her against the door. ‘We could be on our third round by now.’
‘I needed to flash my Scrabble skills.’
‘Flash me some other things,’ he muttered, his hands sliding over her dress. ‘Fast.’
She laughed. ‘But I won.’
‘And I’m your prize.’ He bent his head. ‘I need to be in you. Now.’
His impatience was an incredible turn on. But there was something more that drew her to please him—that hint of raw.
‘I never knew Scrabble could be foreplay,’ she mused, teasing him as she began to unbutton his shirt.
‘I’ve been waiting so long.’ He looked into her eyes. ‘I need this.’
Why? When they’d just had a perfectly pleasant night. But he kissed her before she could ask.
Sex. She reminded herself as she leaned into his kiss. It was just sex for him. It wasn’t her he’d been waiting for. But the ecstasy, the physical release.
‘You’ve been laughing all night,’ he said, pressing kisses across her jaw line. ‘Your laugh turns me on. I want to capture it. Capture you.’
‘You have me,’ she breathed, confessing the truth in a tease. ‘Any way you want me.’
‘Every way.’
Passion filled her. She needed to kiss him, touch him everywhere. Feel him. The thrill of being near him had never lessened. Chemistry was an incredible thing. She laughed now with the delight of it. Quickly he cupped his palm over her mouth. Hard.
Oh. Wicked excitement flamed inside her.
He smiled at her widened eyes. ‘Can’t have your sexy screams keeping everyone awake,’ he whispered.
She twisted her head, lifting her mouth free of his muzzle. ‘I don’t scream.’
‘Yeah, you do,’ he taunted with a wicked smile. ‘But first you sigh, then you pant. The panting gets quicker and louder. Then you scream.’
‘I’m that predictable?’ she asked, already breathless.
‘Pretty much.’
‘Keep your hands off my mouth,’ she ordered in defiance. ‘Your lips off mine. I can be quiet.’
‘Can you now?’ he dared.
Oh, hell, she wanted him so badly. ‘You won’t hear a peep. Promise.’
‘But what if I were to do this to you?’
She jumped. Just slamming her lips together in time to stifle the yelp as he cupped her sex with an invasive hand, his thumb working in circles around her already swollen, pulsing clitoris.
His smile widened and he stepped in closer, bracing his other hand on the wall beside her head. ‘You’re really going to stay silent?’
Slowly she nodded, knowing they were in a game now. The thing about James was that he liked a challenge. Well, so did she.
‘You think you’re so tough,’ he said softly. ‘A tough nut to crack.’ His mouth curved again and he leaned close to nip her lips. ‘Like a macadamia. Delicious. But so hard to break into.’
‘I’m not a nut,’ she whispered furiously.
He chuckled loudly.
‘If you don’t want people to hear us, then you need to whisper,’ she hissed.