Sweet on You (The Wilde Sisters #1)

by Marianne Rice

  Rayne

  “You did not!”

  “Did too.”

  “And he didn’t say anything?”

  “Sage, I didn’t give the man a chance. I slammed the door in his face, cried my eyes out, and called you.”

  “He didn’t knock on the door? Break it down? Sweep you off your feet and screw you senseless?”

  “Sage!”

  “Damn. Is the guy like Fifty Shades or something?”

  “Um, bad analogy. Fifty Shades is all about sex. This guy doesn’t want it.”

  “With you. Oh, ouch. I didn’t mean it that way. I mean, you told me he dripped sex. That he doesn’t do relationships, just sex. Isn’t that why you said what you said?”

  “Yeah, except he doesn’t want to have sex with me.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  Rayne rolled over in her bed, hugging her pillow tight and switched her phone to speaker. “Yeah, I know that. He made it clear on the Fourth, remember?” She sure couldn’t forget. That kiss lingered for hours. It’s all she’d thought about for days. The reason she gave him an indecent proposal. With her past relationships, there had never been the strong chemistry, the tug at her heart, the desire to strip down naked and pounce on a man. She’d been searching for kind and nice and father material, not sex. Even Kevin with his bulging biceps, quads so big he could crush a guy between them, hadn’t turned her on like Trent. Underneath Kevin’s muscle there was a kind man. Not too smart, but a nice enough guy before he cheated. Hot sex was not part of the package she’d been looking for. Until now.

  If Trent’s lips could work that kind of magic, what could his hands do? The rest of his body? God, she desired him in the worst way. But she also had so much fun with him. He was perfect relationship material, he just didn’t know it. And, yeah, she kind of lied to him. She was already head-over-heels in love with him. And he liked her a lot. That she knew. All she had to do was convince him to take their relationship to a sexual level and ta-da! Relationship in disguise.

  Yeah, right. Who the hell was she kidding?

  ***

  Trent

  Trent stood outside her apartment for hours. Or at least if felt like it. She spooked the shit out of him. Sex? Rayne Wilde wanted to have sex with him? No-strings sex? And he was standing outside her door contemplating it like a freakin’ idiot? What the hell was there to contemplate?

  Everything.

  Trent was no fool. It was a relationship that she was after, and she thought having sex with him would change his mind. He shook his head in disbelief and dragged his feet—and his aching groin—to his SUV. Sex with Rayne was not something to rush into.

  Hell, he’d known the woman for two months. Longer than any woman he’d dated in the past. And that was why he couldn’t jump into her bed. He had to be sure. They’d talk about it in a few days when she had time to come down from her disappointing visit with her parents.

  And if he did this, if he did have sex with Rayne, he’d have to be straight-up honest. More honest than he’d ever been with any other woman. Damn. How did his life turn so complex?

  ***

  Rayne

  Normally Rayne didn’t answer her iPhone while she was running, but she’d been waiting for a call from Trent for three days. She slowed and glanced at the number. Not him, but close enough.

  “Hey, Claire.”

  “Rayne! How are you? I’m sorry we didn’t get to spend much time together on the Fourth. I’m hoping you’ll come up to the lake with me on Saturday? Stay the weekend?”

  “Um, I don’t know. I have to teach a class in the morning…”

  “I wasn’t planning on leaving until ten or so. I’d like to drive up during Faith’s morning nap. Does that work for you? A day on the lake, floating or boating, whatever you prefer. I don’t know about you but I could really use some girl time.”

  Girl time. Yeah, that did sound good. And no Trent. Yeah. She could do that.

  “Sounds wonderful. Should I meet you at your place?”

  “That would be great!”

  “What can I bring?”

  “Whatever your drink of choice is and maybe some snacks? I’ve got the fridge pretty well stocked. Brian and I were up last weekend opening up the camp. A little later than usual, which seems to be my life now with Faith.” She laughed.

  “Sure. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  They chatted for a few minutes before hanging up. It wasn’t the person she had hoped to spend the weekend with, but maybe a few days with Trent’s sister would give her some insight on him. A girls’ weekend. Just what she needed.

  “Oh, this is beautiful, Claire,” Rayne said as they pulled into a small dirt driveway on Saturday afternoon. A cluster of large pines surrounded the A-frame camp, and the grassy backyard was wide open, leading to a long dock where a boat bobbed up and down against the small waves.

  “Thanks. It’s been in Brian’s family for years. We live the closest, so we’ve sort of accepted responsibility of opening and closing, but that also means we get to use it more often.” Claire smiled as she unhitched the infant carrier from the backseat of her Tahoe.

  “Where does Brian’s family live?”

  “You’ve met his mom, Marie. She lives outside of Portland, but since Brian’s dad passed away a few years ago she only comes to camp for family gatherings. His brother married a few years ago and they moved to Texas. His other brother is in D.C. and he has aunts, uncles, and cousins scattered around the Midwest who make it out here every so often.”

  “That’s nice,” Rayne said as she unloaded a cooler from the back.

  “Come inside. I’ll show you around.”

  Claire led her into the small kitchen. The refrigerator and stove looked like they were at least fifty years old but they fit in the barely-accessible space.

  “Not a lot of counter space, but we manage.”

  The kitchen, eating area, and living room were all open to each other. The walls were covered in dark brown clapboard and decked out with trophy fish and family photos. She’d have to check those out later.

  “Here’s the bathroom.” The door opened to a tight space just large enough for a toilet, sink, and super-snug shower. “Brian and I usually sleep in the loft because it’s more open and has a great view of the lake, but we’ll take this back bedroom in case Faith wakes up in the middle of the night.” Claire shifted the baby to her right hip.

  Huh?

  “Trent will sleep wherever. The couch, the other bunk in the loft, or…”

  Oh no! “Trent’s coming?” she whispered.

  “Yeah, the boys are coming tonight after Bri’s shift. We’ll get some girl time in today and tomorrow morning while they’re out fishing. Actually, now that I have you to keep me company, Brian will probably try talking Trent into going out fishing tonight as well.”

  “Oh.”

  “Rayne, is everything all right? I thought you two had smoothed things over since the Fourth.”

  Claire obviously had no idea about the indecent proposal she laid on Trent last week or the fact that he hadn’t talked to her since.

  “It’s just that…well, Trent and I aren’t really talking anymore.”

  “Oh dear God.” Claire laid out a quilt on the living room floor and set Faith down with some toys. “What has that ass done now?” She tugged Rayne over to the sofa and gently pushed on her shoulders. “Do we need drinks for this conversation? Yes, by the look on your face, we do. I’ll give the baby a bottle when she’s hungry, so I can have one drink. White or red? Or something harder?” Claire bustled to the fridge.

  “White’s good.” God, what should she tell Claire? The woman was sweet, adorable, and definitely good friend material, but she was also Trent’s sister. A little awkward.

  “Here. Drink first, then spill. Don’t hold back. Just because we share blood doesn’t mean I’ll take Trent’s side. I have a feeling I’m going to side with you. I like you a lot more than him right now.”


  “You do? Why? What else has he done?”

  “You look like you’d rather swim across this lake than face him. The snide ass. And he never said anything when I told him about this weekend.”

  “You told him I’d be here?”

  “Of course. He thought it was a great idea.”

  “He did?” Maybe he was too afraid to face her alone and he felt he could hold off her sexual prowess with others around. Great. No action for me.

  “So, spill.”

  Oh, yes. How much should she say? “Well, he didn’t actually do anything. That’s sort of the problem. I told him I was interested in being more than friends, and he hasn’t talked to me since. It’s been a week.”

  “What did he say when you told him this?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?”

  “I sort of closed the door in his face and didn’t give him time to react.” Rayne went through the story again, explaining her embarrassing proposition.

  “Hmm,” Claire said, tapping her lip with her finger. “Probably a good thing. If he needs time to think about this and didn’t quickly pounce in your bed, I’d say that’s an improvement.”

  “I’d say it’s rejection,” Rayne mumbled and finished off her wine.

  Claire quickly refilled the glass. “No, this is good. He likes you. Respects you. He’s not going to use you like he has other women.”

  Feeling a bit braver after the second glass of wine she accidentally guzzled, Rayne confessed some more. “I wouldn’t mind if he used me.”

  Claire snorted her wine and covered her mouth as she laughed. “Oh, you’re in deep.”

  “I know. That’s the problem. I do commitment, he does not. He was quite clear on that from the beginning. I know it has to do with your mother and father…sorry.”

  “Oh, don’t apologize to me or for Trent. We grew up in the same house and had the same crappy mother and father. I chose to learn from them and their mistakes and look at me.” She beamed. “I have an amazing husband and the most wonderful daughter in the world.” She turned her tender gaze toward Faith, who chewed on her toes and cooed. “So perfect. Trent can take his sour attitude and shove it. He probably believes all relationships are doomed. And if he does, well, then Brian and I take that personally.”

  “He’s only said wonderful things about the two of you. He sees you as the exception to the rule. He doesn’t say much about your parents or his childhood. All I know is it has caused him a lot of pain.”

  Claire sighed and tucked her feet under her legs. “Yeah. His childhood pretty much sucked. He did everything possible to please our dad. Once he hit junior high, he started hanging around with some pretty tough kids. Got into a lot of fights but Dad didn’t seem to care. All Dad talked about was Mom. He’d take off for days, weeks actually, in search of her, and Trent had to take care of me.”

  “Did your father ever find your mom? Did she ever give any reasons for abandoning you?”

  “Yeah. In a nutshell, she said we cramped her style. I was pretty young when she left us and never had much of a relationship with her anyway, so I didn’t miss her. Trent spoiled me and took care of me. I grew up believing that was normal. I don’t think he ever loved or missed our mom. His anger is more selfless. He wanted me to have a mom. And he wanted a dad to notice him. I guess that’s why he turned into an overprotective brother.”

  “He loves you a lot. I always wanted a brother, but Sage inherited that role. She meddles in my and Thyme’s business and scares the boys away.” Like last week when she hit on Trent. Rayne was used to her sister doing things like that and trusted Sage completely.

  Claire laughed. “I’d like to meet her. You’ll have to invite your sisters up next time.”

  “I’d like that.” Only if there was a next time. It would all depend on Trent’s decision.

  “Well, my brother is an ignorant ass but I do love him dearly. I hope he can let go of the past and not ruin things with you. Let’s start on lunch and finish off that bottle of wine. I have a feeling you’re going to want to be nice and buzzed when my idiot brother shows up.”

  Oh, she loved Trent. And his sister too.

  Two hours later, the idiot brother gave Rayne a shy smile and a quick, “Hey,” and continued unloading his SUV. So much for keeping things normal or falling at her feet. She’d settle for either. Preferably the latter.

  Of course her shy, “How’s it going?” didn’t inspire any titillating conversation either. “Can I give you a hand?”

  He barely made eye contact before sticking his head in the back of his vehicle. “Sure. I’ve got some groceries in the back seat.” So much for a brush of his arm against her chest as he passed her something from the trunk. No, she’d schlep to the front of the vehicle and carry the damned bags. Ripping open the car door a little more forcibly than necessary, she snatched up the three reusable bags—he cares about the environment! Gah! One more thing to drool over!—and used her hip to close the door.

  She took only two steps before a tree root totally jumped in front of her, causing her to trip and drop one of the ridiculously heavy bags.

  Umph.

  “Whoa. Quite the digger. You okay?” Trent knelt down and picked up the bottle of maple syrup and pancake mix that fell from the bag.

  “Uh, yeah. Sure fine. Just sort of…you know, tripped. Didn’t see that one coming.” Damn fourth glass of wine! He didn’t offer her a hand or help her to her feet, not that she would have allowed him to anyway. Attempting to keep—or regain—her dignity, Rayne brushed off the pine needles on her knees, snatched the bag Trent reloaded, and marched into the cabin.

  Walking in on Brian and Claire playing tonsil hockey in the kitchen was not what she needed to see, but she didn’t dislike the couple for their obvious signs of affection. It actually made her soften inside and whimsical for the HEA—The Happily Ever After that would probably never come.

  Rayne cleared her throat but they seemed not to have heard her.

  “God! Get a room!” Trent hollered from behind her.

  That seemed to goad Brian even more. He pulled his wife in closer and dipped her back. Claire shrieked, which startled Faith, who then started crying.

  “Trent!” Claire scolded her brother.

  “Hey, don’t blame me. You’re the one who scared the poor kid. She’s probably scarred for life. I know I am after seeing those pathetic moves,” he teased Brian.

  “Dude. I’ve got the magic down—”

  “Brian Robert Smart! You shut your mouth right now!”

  Trent barked out a laugh that was quickly interrupted.

  “Trent Owen Kipson, if you know what’s good for you you’ll bite your tongue as well. You boys are stupid and immature,” Claire said, rolling her eyes and fighting a grin. “Now, who’s ready to go tubing?”

  Claire insisted on driving while Trent put his life jacket on and jumped out to the oversized tube. Rayne was comfortable holding Faith, who was cocooned in a life jacket as well, and sat up front. Brian let out the line as Claire gunned the engine.

  “Geesh, Claire. Go easy.”

  “Easy, my butt,” she grumbled, barely loud enough for Rayne to hear her. Rayne shielded the baby’s eyes from the wind and turned to watch the man of her dreams hold on for dear life. Claire didn’t slow the boat down as she weaved in and around, making waves in their wake. Trent’s body was taking a beating every time the tube jolted over another crest, but his muscular shoulders and forearms held on.

  It became too obvious to Rayne that Claire was being rough on Trent for her benefit, and she gave her new friend a knowing smile. She finally slowed the boat when Trent fell off.

  “You’re crazy, Claire. Payback’s a bitch. Your turn.” Trent smiled as he climbed up the ladder and dried off with the towel Brian handed him.

  “As if. Rayne and I are going together. One of you will need to hold the baby.” She stood and held out her hand to Rayne. “You said you wanted a turn, right?”

  “Yeah
, but you can go first.”

  Brian put a hand on her shoulder and whispered loudly in her ear. “My wife thinks if you’re on the tube with her, Kipson won’t retaliate. You gotta go with her or risk my poor daughter losing her mother at such a young age.”

  “Oh, well, for Faith then.” She patted Brian’s hand and winked at Claire. Rayne didn’t look at Trent but could feel his gaze on her as she pulled off her cover-up and stood in her turquoise bikini. See what you’re missing? She heard his breath hitch and her lady parts started quivering.

  Their tubing adventure was fun and nowhere near as death-defying as Trent’s. Rayne accepted Trent’s hand as she climbed up the ladder and delayed wrapping herself in the large towel. She wiped down her face, hair, arms and lastly, her legs, knowing she was putting on a show and enjoying watching Trent squirm. He’d shifted his body a dozen times in less than a minute before pulling a towel over his lap.

  “Damn, woman. Put this on already.” Trent shoved her cover-up at her and looked away. Brian started to laugh but stopped when Claire jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

  Rayne refused to acknowledge Trent and sat up front, pulling her knees into her chest and wrapping her arms around them, facing the lake instead of the sexy man with beautiful green eyes she continued to get lost in. The lake was so calming, so peaceful, even with the occasional jet ski or water-skier passing by them.

  “Some hot-shot football player has a place in the cove over there.” Claire pointed to the opposite side of the lake. “Maybe tomorrow we’ll sneak up and try to get a peek at him.”

  The men talked football while Rayne’s mind worked like a hamster on its wheel, churning and churning but never going anywhere. Her relationship with Trent had obviously changed, whether she or he wanted it to. And it was all her fault. No more walking on eggshells. They needed to talk.

  Chapter Eight

  Trent

  “Seriously. I don’t think I’ll ever eat again.” Trent pushed his chair back and stretched out his legs, cautious not to rub them against Rayne’s. “That was awesome, sis.”