She contemplated his point even further, and then said, “You can sleep here.” Then added as a warning, “But nothing more than sleeping.”
Fantastic,he thought sarcastically, but was a good sport about it. “Don’t worry. I won’t touch you. I leave tomorrow, remember?”
She looked horrified. “My God, I forgot about that!”
“What’s the problem?”
“Dennis. Tom. Samantha. You disappear! We’re supposed to be on our honeymoon!”
“Tell them I have business in the States?”
She groaned. “I don’t want you to leave yet. Would you mind staying a few more days? At least, until they’re gone?”
There was only one answer to that question.
Chapter 23
Torture.
That was the only word Chantelle could think of to describe the next couple of nights she spent sharing her bed with Dustin. True, it was a massive California king, so there was ample space between. After dinner was over and she and her siblings said their goodnight, Chantelle and herhusbandput on the huge performance of eagerly returning to the privacy of the master bedroom, as all honeymooners do.
She was even happy when Minerva plopped herself down on the bed between them, stretching her long body out to claim a sizeable portion of the linen-covered real estate for herself. The more barriers separating her from this man at night, the better.
But despite all this, they ended up tangled with each other in the morning. The knowledge that he was there, just a couple of feet away from her, and that if she so much as crooked a finger in his direction, he’d get the hint and gladly comply.
Over and over in her mind, she reviewed that shocking moment when she’d finally discovered what the fuss over orgasms was about. And she was only mildly irritated that it had takenhimto show her how it felt.
Secretly, she’d attempted to replicate the sensation twice when she was alone in the shower. After all, the manufacturers of showerheads made the streams adjustable for a reason. She discovered to her chagrin that it had actually worked. The part of her that was pleased was as big as the part of her that mildly resented him for having opened her eyes to this fantastic new feast for the senses. And damn him. Whenever she stepped out of the shower into their now shared bedroom, she could have sworn he gave her a knowing look. The possibility that he might have guessed what she was up to in there made her skin flush hot.
And hot looked guilty.
On the third morning since their arrival, dressed in jeans and a light green blouse, she walked out to the landing to look down into the sunroom, where she discovered Samantha and Dustin having breakfast. It was a lovely day, so no wonder that they preferred to eat in there than in the more formal dining room.
She stood, watching and listening, feeling a little like she was snooping, even though it was her house. Admiring the easy way Dustin had of getting people to like him. As she listened, she realized that Dustin was weaving a story about how they had met.
“It was an amazing thing,” Dustin was saying. “The way your day just starts getting worse and worse, and only long after you realize that all those bad things came together to create one good thing.”
Samantha said, “So both Chantelle’s limoandher replacement limo broke down?”
“Yup. And lucky for her—and me—that I just happened to be nearby when she called for an Uber. She was frantic, because she was running late for a board meeting. I promised I’d get her there in half the time—”
“Even in rush hour traffic?”
Dustin shrugged with a show of modesty. “I know a few shortcuts.”
Samantha rested her hand on her chin, intrigued, longing to hear the rest. Chantelle felt the tiniest twinge of jealousy at the idea that this man had sucked her sister-in-law in so completely. Nevermind he was lying through his teeth about their first meeting. Weirdly, she also felt territorial over Samantha. While Chantelle and her brothers did lock horns frequently, Samantha often stepped in and chided Dennis about being too harsh on her. It was good to have another woman on her side.
Now that Samantha and Dustin were looking so chummy, Chantelle was beginning to feel like she was left out of her own clique. She wanted each member of the new clique for herself.
“And then?” Samantha demanded.
“And thenmycar broke down.” Dustin laughed softly, shaking his head in wonder. “I guess that’s when she decided to give it up. She called ahead, canceled her meeting, and agreed to have a drink with me while we waited for the tow truck.”
“And voila,” she breathed.
“Voila,” Dustin echoed.
Chantelle decided it was time to make her presence known. She continued down the stairs and walked into the room as those two lifted their heads in greeting.