My arms were around his neck. “What’s wrong?”
He was breathing hard. Both of us were panting from this single kiss.
“Nothing.” He shook his head.
I brought my fingers down to stroke his jaw, his skin rough with stubble. “Aren’t you a decent guy too?” I asked.
He blinked at that, his eyes roaming my face with intensity. “No… I’m not.”
And then his mouth came crashing onto mine again.
Chapter Fourteen
~ Philip ~
I wasn’t a decent guy. In fact, I was a serious dick.
There was no other explanation for stealing my cousin’s girl. Okay, I knew Claire wasn’t actually Doug’s, but he was in love with her, which was close enough.
When he’d asked me to help him win her heart, kissing her senseless probably wasn’t what he had in mind.
Of all people, I never thought I’d be in competition for a woman with Doug.
Claire moaned softly in my arms. Warm like the night around us, she tasted sweet and sensual. A small, curvaceous package. I wanted to take her back to that little fairy-tale house of hers, to that wicked bed, and do wicked things.
Except she was already coming to her senses. Hot kisses were one thing, but she wasn’t offering more.
“I should go,” she whispered.
“You should.” My voice was low, rumbling, as I slid one hand down to her voluptuous ass. “But stay here and be bad with me.” I put my lips to her throat and heard her intake of breath. I liked that sound. The hard-on pushing against my zipper liked it too. I remembered that fantasy I’d had the first day I met her. The one with the white string bikini.
I groaned. God, I’d love to see that.
Her fingers were on my scalp while I lightly bit her neck. I wondered if there was some way to make that fantasy and all the other ones I’d had about her a reality.
“Philip.” She sighed, and I could tell it wasn’t so much a ‘take me home and let’s get naked’ sigh as a regretful, ‘we should stop now’ one.
So I pulled my mouth away from her skin, away from her feminine scent, and away from her soft body. As I tried to catch my breath, it became clear my hard-on wasn’t going anywhere, so I started thinking about the numbers from that real estate portfolio, the meeting tomorrow—anything but Claire.
Her arms unwound from me, and she slid her hand down to my chest with her palm directly over my heart.
“I can’t take this any further between us,” she said softly. Her eyes met mine. “I’m sorry.”
And even though her words weren’t the ones I wanted to hear, I liked that she was straight with me. No games.
“Okay.” I nodded, then grinned. “Rain check?”
A snort of laughter escaped her, and I felt inordinately pleased. I was like a high school kid trying to impress a girl. Every joke I cracked during that Monopoly game had been for her benefit.
I knew her ex-husband had done a number on her. The guy was obviously an ass. I honestly couldn’t imagine how he’d married a woman like Claire to begin with. The fact that he was stupid enough to lose her said it all.
A wave of protectiveness came over me. She deserved far better than what she’d had to deal with. I knew quality, and Claire was quality all the way through.
As we walked along the water toward her house, I wished I could reach for her hand but sensed it would scare her off even more.
“You must know this beach pretty well,” I said, making conversation.
“I do. I’ve lived on it my whole life. I have a lot of good memories.” I listened to her lilting voice, the way it carried into the night as she told me how her dad and stepmother used to throw a big beach party every summer. “It coincided with the Pirate Days celebration the town puts on. There were games, a barbecue, big bonfires all along the water.”
“Sounds like fun.” It reminded me of Gavin’s family. They liked to throw big crazy parties too.
“My dad used to be mayor, so everybody came.”
I glanced at her. “Your dad used to be the town mayor?”
“Mmhmm, for a number of years.”
I took in this new information with interest. “I didn’t know that.”
“He was popular. The whole town came to his funeral.”
“It sounds like you two were close.”
“Yes,” she murmured softly.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet him.”
She nodded, and then we were both silent.
My gaze went out to the harbor, to the way the moonlight reflected on the water. I tried to imagine what it was like for her living here her whole life. So different from my childhood.
“I grew up in the city,” I told her. “Nothing like this. Just a small house, but I had some good memories there too.” It was strange to think back to that old house, the one my mom moved us into after my dad left. She made it a real home, despite everything that happened.
“It’s the people that make a place, don’t you think?”
“Definitely.”
She laughed a little. “Though I have to admit I loved growing up on the water. I know every secret spot on this beach. I used to pretend there was buried treasure in each one.”
“Yeah? You should show me some of them.”
She glanced over. “Aren’t you leaving soon?”
“No, I’ve decided to stay and help Doug a little longer.”
“Oh?” She sounded surprised. “I didn’t know that.”
We reached what appeared to be the gate behind the main property of her house, within a tall white fence that ran along the edge.
“Well, thanks for walking me home.” She searched through the small purse she wore at her side. “I know I have my key in here.”
“I take it the gate’s kept locked.”
She nodded, still searching through her bag.
Meanwhile, I was standing there feeling guilty as hell again. Not that it was going to stop me.
“Claire,” I said, my voice low.
Her head was still down as she rummaged through her purse. I sensed she was purposefully avoiding my eyes. “It has to be here somewhere.”
“Look at me.”
“I found it.” She pulled it out in triumph, and I wondered if she would unlock the gate and disappear inside without a backward glance.
I didn’t want that. “Don’t go yet.”
The urgency in my voice must have given her pause, because she finally looked at me. “I’m sorry, but I have to get up early. My first cli—”
I stole another kiss. I couldn’t help myself. I meant it to be a short one, but then I lingered. Her lips were so lush.
“Good night,” I whispered, gently stroking along her cheek with my thumb. There was a surprising rush of emotion in me, a mix of desire and tenderness.
“Good night,” she said when I pulled away.
I stood there as she unlocked the gate, waiting to make sure she got inside safely because, despite that stolen kiss, I was still a gentleman. Just before she went in, her eyes found mine. It was dark, but I still saw her smile, and a thrill went through me because I knew she felt something too.
That little dimple gave her away.
Smitten. I was officially smitten.
Seriously though. Was that a word I’d ever used before in my life?
It sure as hell wasn’t something I’d repeat out loud, and I could only imagine the kind of shit Gavin would give me if he heard me describe myself that way. I sounded just like Doug.
Fuck it.
I was smitten.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Claire. Retracing our steps on the beach a thousand times. Sitting on that log stroking her leg, her skin so soft. I imagined stroking up her thigh. I could picture the two of us out there under the moonlight in a lot of ways, all of them erotic, and all of them ending with her cries of ecstasy.
Damn.
I needed a cold shower.
I needed to pull myself together and
stop this torture.
And then there were those hot kisses. We had chemistry. That curvy little body pressed right into mine. Her ass felt fantastic through the fabric of that dress. I wished I could have slipped that dress off her, or better yet, I wished she’d slipped it over her head and offered herself to me, right there under the night sky.
I groaned inwardly. That fantasy would be my new favorite.
This attraction wasn’t just physical either. That was why it was so powerful. It was because I understood her. She was tough. All the crazy shit with her family, and the way she was trying to build her business, giving it her all—I totally got it. I’d been there myself. When I looked at the women I’d dated over the years, it was like I was finally waking up. This was the missing element all along. I never understood those women. They were like Martians.
Unfortunately, there was a big problem.
What the hell did I say to Doug?
Not to mention Claire herself, who had made it plain that she wasn’t offering more. Somehow, I needed to convince her to go out with me again.
“Ow!” There was a stinging sensation on the side of my face. “What the hell are you doing?” I rubbed my skin where Gavin had just flicked me with a rubber band.
“I’m trying to get your attention. I said your name three times.”
“What do you want?”
“I just got an email from the CEO of Drink Virtue. They’re still working on a few of the flavors but have come up with some new names. I forwarded the list to you.”
I opened the email and quickly scanned through it. Every single name had the word fizz in it. “This whole fizz beverage trend is overdone. They’ll be lost in a sea of them.”
“Yeah, I agree. It needs something else.”
I leaned back in my chair and thought it over. We were both set up at the dining room table with our laptops in preparation to teleconference with the real estate group later. “What about a play on the word doctor? Since their drinks are infused with minerals and herbs.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
We tossed some phrases back and forth for a while, with Gavin googling each one of them to see if they were taken. As usual, a surprising number were already in play. He started a list of the ones we liked and were available. Gavin and I always worked great together like this, just spitballing ideas.
Eliza came into the dining area, watching us as she munched on an apple. “What are you guys doing?”
“An apple a day,” I said, motioning to the fruit in her hand, “keeps the doctor away.”
“Dr. Apple?” Gavin asked.
“Dr. Apple’s Ale.”
Gavin grinned and typed into his computer. “It’s not in use. Maybe it could change with each flavor. Cherry and plum, et cetera, but keep the ale.”
I nodded, envisioning ideas for the ad campaign. Something fresh but with a hint of nostalgia. “I agree. Definitely add those to the list.”
“What do you think?” Gavin asked my sister. “We’re trying to come up with ideas for those fizz drinks.”
She nodded. “I like that a lot better, but doesn’t the company choose the name?”
I started an email to a market analyst we worked with about setting up a consumer survey to test some of the ideas. “Not if we’re investing large amounts of money and don’t like it.”
“It seems weird that you can just change it like that.” She bit into her apple and chewed. “How much money are you guys giving them?”
“Enough to bring their little company out of obscurity and into every grocery store chain in the country.”
“There’s always a risk,” Gavin told her. “If we back an entrepreneur and they go under, we take a financial hit and so do our investors. As a result, we do everything we can to help them be successful.”
“But there are also ways to evaluate a company that help us determine which risks are worth it.” I explained some of the math to her, the way we used a scorecard method to calculate the variables, but I could already see her eyes glazing over.
“Enough. Please.” Her face took on a dramatic expression. “This is starting to hurt.”
I shrugged. “It’s fun if you really get into the numbers.”
“Speaking of fun”—she turned to Gavin and smiled—“I rented us bikes for this weekend. Is that cool?”
I watched the way Gavin smiled back and told her that was great. Did I imagine their eyes lingering on each other? “Hey, why wasn’t I invited bike riding?” I liked to ride and went biking often in the city.
The pest looked at me. “You want to come with us? Mom told me you were headed back to Seattle.”
“No, I’ve decided to stay longer.” The perfect notion came to me then. Solid gold. “In fact, we should probably invite Claire biking.”
“Awesome idea.” She paused, considering me. “Are you still trying to help Doug?”
“Of course.”
What the hell else could I say? That I was a devious asshole? That I’d already decided my cousin wasn’t good enough for Claire? That if anyone was going to have her, it would be me?
No, I wasn’t going to say all that.
After she left, I could feel Gavin’s eyes on me. Ignoring him, I answered an email from that firm in Canada. There was another message from a guy I was in frequent contact with, an angel investor for tech start-ups who regularly sent me info about ones that were doing well and were looking for venture capital.
“What?” I finally asked.
“You were out on the beach awfully late last night.”
“So?”
“So what the hell happened? Did you and Claire get together?” He grinned at me. “Some midnight wango tango?”
I chuckled and shook my head.
“Come on, spill it.”
“Why do you think something happened?”
“Because, dude, you were staring at her all night. You’re obviously into her.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
Gavin snorted. He went silent then, studying me. “You must really like this woman.”
I didn’t respond right away, still typing. “Yeah, I like her.”
“And?”
“My cousin’s in love with her.”
“So that’s going to stop you?”
“Shouldn’t it? Doug’s family.”
Gavin went quiet. He knew all about family obligations. His family wasn’t screwed up like mine, but they were intense and always in each other’s business. It wouldn’t exactly go over well if he dated a woman one of his brothers was interested in.
But I didn’t have any brothers. Just this one pathetic cousin who was almost like a brother, and I’d promised to help him, not stab him in the back.
“Maybe you should let this one go.” Gavin sighed. “I mean, you only just met her.”
I nodded, knowing he was right. I should let her go.
We started our meeting with Atlas, the commercial real estate group we were considering partnering with. They laid out all their ideas and how much money they needed, which was a sizable amount. I could see there was money to be made, possibly a lot, but I couldn’t help thinking about Claire and everything she’d said about her hometown. How the changes wouldn’t be for the better. After hearing the group’s proposals, I honestly couldn’t say whether she was right or wrong.
Afterward, I told Gavin I was out. We both agreed from the moment we’d started NorthStone Capital that if either of us didn’t green-light a project, we’d move on.
“Are you sure?” he asked. “We could table it for now and come back to it in a couple weeks. There’s still time.”
“It doesn’t sit right.”
He held a pen in his right hand, clicking it as he studied me. “This isn’t about the dinner conversation last night, is it? The one where all the women talked about how this town is so cute?”
“No, of course not.” I closed my laptop. “We’ve never invested in real estate on this scale before. This project is massive. I
think we’re out of our depth.”
Gavin shrugged. “It could be a new area for us.”
“I prefer to stick with what I know and understand.”
He stopped clicking and put his pen down. “I do think there’s money to be made. We could always look at a smaller opportunity, something to get our feet wet.”
I nodded. “Maybe.”
Later that afternoon, I got a phone call from Doug. I was tempted not to answer it, but instead I stepped out onto the back deck so I could talk in private.
“How’s it going with everything?” he asked. His voice was low, and I suspected he was hiding in the bathroom the same way I was hiding out on the deck. What a pair we’d become.
I described another job I might have lined up for him and how two of the recent bids came back with a thumbs-up. “I’ve put them on the schedule. The first one starts next week.” I told him about the individual contractors I’d hired to step in and do the actual work.
“Gosh,” he said. “That’s… really great. Except that’s not why I was calling.”
A flash of irritation ran through me that I was making money for Doug, yet he barely seemed to care.
He lowered his voice. “I was calling about Claire.”
I took a seat in one of the deck chairs. The sun was setting, and the sky was a stunning mix of orange, blue, and gold. To be honest, I already knew why he was calling.
“It’s going fine with Claire,” I said.
“It is?”
“Sure.” I studied the kaleidoscope of colors above me.
“Because when I talked to her yesterday, it sounded like she was trying to back out of our movie date.”
“Was she?” My mind drifted back to last night, to the way she felt in my arms. To that kiss that left us breathless.
“Have you been telling her all the great things about me?”
And then there was the kiss. How that dimple appeared when she smiled at me before closing the gate.
I could hear Doug breathing into the phone. Could feel his expectation of me. The weight of it. He didn’t doubt I would come through for him like I did for everyone in my life.
Gavin was right. I should let this whole thing go. I should step aside and give Doug a great piece of advice. I should tell him if he wanted Claire, he needed to get back here and make the effort, because that was how you grabbed a woman’s attention. I should tell him I was done helping, that I was out, the same way I was out with that real estate investment.
Truth About Men & Dogs Page 17
