From Temptation to Twins

by Barbara Dunlop

  “She freely chose Bert over Felix.” Of that, Caleb was certain.

  “Yeah, well I’m not so sure she was a prize.”

  “That is my grandmother you’re talking about.” It didn’t take a genius to feel the conversation going way off the rails, but Caleb felt honor-bound to defend his grandmother, Nadine.

  “Your grandmother agreed to marry the first who made his fortune.” The disdain in Jules’s tone was clear.

  “Maybe she couldn’t decide between them,” he offered.

  “A woman can always decide.”

  “You’re an expert?”

  “I’m a woman.”

  “Yes, you are definitely that.”

  She took a swallow of her wine. “I’m saying, if she let money make the choice for her, then she wasn’t in love with either of them.”

  “Maybe she was in love with both of them.”

  “That’s not possible. You can love two men, but you can’t be in love with two men.”

  “I saw my grandparents together. They seemed very happy.”

  Jules’s smile was cynical. “I’m sure they were very comfortable together what with the mansion and the Rolls-Royce they bought after your grandfather swindled my grandfather.”

  “I’m sure that’s the way you heard it.”

  “That’s the way it happened.”

  Caleb knew it had been emotionally complicated, but the business deal was straightforward. “Your grandfather bought my grandfather’s half of the Crab Shack.”

  “For twice what it was worth.”

  “They had it appraised.”

  “They’d made a gentleman’s agreement a year before the appraisal, when the property value was lower, after your grandfather stopped putting in any effort to build the business.”

  Caleb took a drink of the wine. It was crisp and tart. A shot of alcohol was exactly what he needed right now. It was easy to see how the difference in perspective had caused so much bad blood. But he didn’t want to fight about it.

  “We’re not all bad guys, Jules.” He hated that her low opinion of his family included him.

  “The facts seem to show otherwise.”

  “How can I change your mind?”

  “Easiest thing in the world for you to do.” She let the statement hang.

  She didn’t have to finish it. If he capitulated, she’d believe he was a nice guy.

  “You saw Neo,” he said instead. “You saw what I can do, what I can build. I can help you with the Crab Shack.”

  “But you won’t, Caleb. You won’t help me. You’ll only help you. Of all the chances I might take in this life, trusting a Watford is not one of them.”

  “I know my father’s not a nice guy, but I’ve never done anything to hurt you.”

  She gave a sad smile and set her napkin on the table, rising. “I should go.”

  “Don’t.” The last thing in the world he wanted her to do was go.

  “I’m not sure what you expected out of this, Caleb. But this date thing is not going to work. No amount of fine food and fancy wine is going to change my mind.”

  Caleb rose with her. “I wish we could go back.”

  “Back to what? When were we ever in a good place?”

  He closed in. “Back to the part where you wanted to run away with me.”

  Her expression turned calculating. “Are you saying you’d walk away from Neo?”

  He laughed softly at himself. “You’re too quick for me, Juliet Parker. I can’t even hope to keep up.”

  “You know that’s not true.”

  “It’s entirely true.”

  She pushed back her damp hair. “The truth is, you’re more cunning than I could ever hope to be.”

  “I’m not cunning.” He completely lost his edge around her.

  Her tone softened on a sigh. “You’re dangerous, Caleb.”

  “The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

  She started to say something, but seemed to stop herself.

  He touched his index finger to the bottom of her chin, tipping her head ever so slightly. “Can this date at least end with a kiss?”

  “Caleb.” She sounded sad.

  “I really want to kiss you, Jules.”

  The silence stretched.

  Her blue eyes blinked once. “You know what’s going to happen if you kiss me.”

  “I’m going to want you so bad it might kill me?”

  The defensiveness slipped away from her expression. “We step over that line, we can’t control ourselves.”

  He didn’t have a counter to that. He knew she was right. Still, he didn’t care. This was too powerful to let slip away. “And what does that tell you?”

  Her shoulders relaxed an inch. “We have chemistry.”

  “We have chemistry. That’s not a crime. It’s not going to hurt anybody. It’s just you and me, Jules, maybe for the one and only time.”

  The silence stretched again.

  “If we do this,” she said.

  Anticipation nearly burst through his chest.

  “What happens in this hotel room has to stay in this hotel room. We can’t talk about it. We can’t think about it. We can’t ever, ever do anything like this again.”

  He didn’t hesitate. “Deal.”

  Her head tilted to the side. “Did we just agree on something?”

  “We did.”

  “You don’t have a counter, a caveat, a condition?”

  “None.”

  She moved her hand, and their fingertips brushed together. A small smile curved her lips. “Then what are you waiting for?”

  He stopped waiting.

  * * *

  Caleb’s kiss nearly buckled Jules’s knees. A rational part of her brain told her this was a bad idea. But there was a more powerful part loving the feel of Caleb’s strong arms around her. She leaned into his body, leaned into his kiss, let the fear and uncertainty of the night, of their circumstances, of her world slip completely away.

  She pressed her palms on his arms, sliding them up over his muscled shoulders, along his back until she’d wrapped herself around him. She opened to his kiss, tasting the sharp wine, inhaling his musky scent, feeling the power of his heartbeat thud right through her skin.

  His kisses grew deeper. His hands slipped down her back, finding the seam between her pants and her T-shirt. When his fingertips feathered along her skin, she shivered. He wrapped his hands around her shirt, drew back and slowly peeled it over her head.

  Coming out of the shower, she hadn’t bothered with her bra, so her breasts were bare to his gaze.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered under his breath.

  She pulled off his T-shirt, smiling as she gazed at his broad chest, his perfect pecs, the strength in his arms and shoulders.

  “Beautiful,” she told him in return.

  He smiled at that. “I like the way we’re agreeing on things.”

  She trailed her fingers along his washboard stomach. “It’s better when we get along.”

  “Much better.”

  “Let’s see what else we can agree on.”

  “We’re overdressed,” he said.

  She found herself grinning. She playfully hooked her thumbs under the waistband of her pants.

  He did the same, and they both stripped off the last of their clothes.

  “Better,” he said, his gaze feasting on her.

  “Better,” she agreed, doing a visual tour of his magnificence.

  “You’re too far away,” he said, taking her hand and drawing her to him.

  “I can agree to that.”

  “You’re talking too much.”

  “I don’t think that’s a—”

&n
bsp; His lips descended on hers again.

  Okay, she’d give him that one. The kiss bloomed between them, and she sank deeper into his embrace. His skin was hot against hers. She reveled in the feel of his contours, the dips and hollows, the bulges fitting so neatly against her own.

  “You’re so soft,” he muttered.

  “You’re so hard.”

  He coughed out a surprised laugh.

  “I didn’t mean it that way.” She paused, desire ramping up inside her at the feel of him. “Okay, maybe I did.”

  “We’re still agreeing,” he said. “I am hard, very hard, and I want you very much.”

  “I want you, too.” She drew back to look into his eyes. “Very much.”

  He kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, her cheek, then her temple, then he moved his way down her neck. “You smell amazing. You taste amazing.”

  She let her hands roam freely, covering him from his shoulders to his thighs, touching everything in between, while her heart rate sped up, her breathing accelerated and her skin heated in the breeze from an open window.

  The traffic below was a steady hum. Caleb’s breathing rushed past her ear. His phone pinged, but they both ignored it. The outside world meant nothing right now.

  He took her hand, led her the few steps to the bed and swept back the covers.

  She sat down on the crisp sheet, and he gently eased her back.

  “Oh, this is going to be good,” she said.

  “I so agree.”

  His hot, heavy body covered hers. His hand closed over her breast, and the most intense, exquisite sensation zipped from her nipple to her abdomen.

  She gasped.

  “Good?” he asked, and he did it again before waiting for her answer.

  She gave a small moan, and her hand clenched his shoulder, holding on to him as an anchor while the world began to spin around her.

  Her hips arched, and she pulled him to her, watching his expression as their intimacy increased.

  “Oh, Jules.” His gray eyes darkened to pewter, and his free hand moved to the small of her back, tipping her to him.

  Her entire world shifted to the touch of his body. He was hard and hot, and tantalizingly close. Nothing mattered. Nothing existed. Her primal brain clamored for the release he could bring.

  She flexed, and he groaned, and their bodies melded together in perfect unison. He didn’t pause in his motion, sliding in and out, gaining speed, then slowing down, then speeding up again.

  She clung tight, letting him take her higher. Her legs wrapped around him. Her mouth sought his. And when they finally had to breathe, she kissed his neck, licking, tasting, drinking in the complex flavors that were Caleb.

  Her hands gripped his back. He covered her breast. He kissed her mouth, probing deeply with his tongue while his thrusts grew harder and faster.

  She felt herself float, go disembodied, beyond controlling her actions and reactions. She let it go, curled against him, felt the rush of desire hit a crescendo. Then she cried out his name, and his body stiffened. His guttural rasp echoed in the room as convulsions of pleasure overtook them both.

  It took long minutes for Jules to spiral down. Caleb’s weight felt good. The warmth of his body was comforting. His breathing was raspy. She liked it. She also liked the solid beat of his heart that seemed to sync with her own.

  “Should I move?” he asked, twirling his fingers through her hair.

  “Not yet.”

  There was a smile in his voice. “I have to say, we’re batting a thousand here.”

  “Maybe we should hold really still and stay quiet.”

  He chuckled. “Before we can mess anything up?”

  “That’s what I was thinking.”

  “There’s absolutely nothing I want to fight with you about.”

  “Good.”

  He cradled her face and gave her a tender kiss.

  She couldn’t help but think that this was perfect. They were perfect in this moment, and all was right with the world.

  “Can we just stay here forever?” she asked.

  “It’s worth a shot.”

  * * *

  Holding Jules in his arms, Caleb had lain awake for a long time. For a while, he’d actually hoped she’d have a change of heart, and this could be the start of something between them.

  But eventually, he’d fallen asleep, and in the morning she was gone. The door between the two rooms was closed tight.

  On the drive back to Neo, he’d tried to broach the subject of their night together, but she’d cut him off, citing the terms of their deal. It was obvious, even now, three hours later, that she intended to stick to her guns.

  He’d managed to retrieve her purse and cell phone. That, at least, earned him a smile.

  She scrolled through her messages. “Six calls from my dad.”

  She pressed a button and put the phone to her ear.

  Caleb knew he should walk away and give her some privacy. But his curiosity won out. While the engineers combed through the building, and the electricians and gas fitters readied their gear to get to work, he stayed put.

  “Hi, Dad,” she opened.

  There was a pause.

  “She did? She didn’t need to call you.” Jules glanced Caleb’s way. “Everything turned out fine.”

  Caleb could easily guess the other side of that conversation.

  “On business. I came here on business.”

  The voice on the other end was indistinct, and Caleb couldn’t hear any words, but the tone was obviously impatient. Part of him wanted to take the phone and tell Roland Parker to back off already. Roland might be bitter about his upbringing and want to forget all about Whiskey Bay, but Jules didn’t. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She was an adult, and she didn’t have to explain herself to him.

  “Checking out the competition.” She looked at Caleb again, her expression appearing decidedly guilty this time.

  “It doesn’t matter. The important thing is I’m fine.”

  She paused again.

  “I am. There was some damage to a few businesses, but it’s all repairable.”

  Caleb’s gaze moved to the front of Neo. He sure hoped it was repairable. Although he supposed anything was repairable. It only depended on time and money.

  “I’m going home today,” she said.

  Roland started talking again, or maybe it was shouting from the expression on Jules’s face.

  “Did she tell you that? Then she is. No, we’re not coming home.”

  Jules pressed her lips tightly together as she listened. “Dad. Dad, stop. It’s our money.”

  Caleb was itching to grab the phone again.

  “We’ve been through all that.” Jules turned her back on Caleb, but she didn’t walk away. “We both know how you feel about it, but nothing has changed. We’re doing this. Goodbye, Dad.”

  A pause.

  “Yes.”

  Another pause.

  “No.”

  She turned back, shaking her head and gritting her teeth.

  “Maybe soon. Goodbye.” She ended the call.

  “Everything okay?” Caleb asked.

  “It’s fine.”

  “It didn’t sound fine.”

  “That’s just the way he is. Sometimes he frets. He’s convinced I was hurt worse in the earthquake than Melissa admitted, and that I’m glossing over it.”

  “You want to send him a quick photo to show you’re healthy?”

  “Of me in front of Neo? Yeah, that’ll throw gasoline on the fire.”

  “You should stop in and see him.”

  “When?”

  “Now.”

  She frowned. “He’s in Portland, Caleb.”

&n
bsp; “You’re about to fly home.”

  “That’s Olympia. I don’t have a spare day to drive down to Portland. Are you trying to delay construction at the Crab Shack even more? Is that what last night was about?”

  He gave her a hard look. “Last night had nothing to do with the Crab Shack or Neo or anything else related to business. And I sure didn’t plan the earthquake. Hell, if I could do that, I wouldn’t need Neo or anything else to make money.”

  She had the grace to look embarrassed. “Sorry.”

  He moved closer. “Don’t be sorry. Last night was complicated.”

  “Which is why we agreed not to talk about it. I was wrong to bring it up.”

  “But now that you have...” He fought an urge to reach for her hands. He wanted to touch her. He felt like he had a right to touch her.

  “No,” she said sharply. “I didn’t. I shouldn’t. I won’t do it again.”

  He regrouped, knowing this wasn’t the time or place. “Obviously, I’m going to be here awhile, maybe a couple of days. You can take a cab to the airport and get the plane. I’ll tell them to expect you. The jet will stop in Portland, and you can see your dad for an hour.”

  Her expression was incredulous. “The jet will stop in Portland?”

  “It’s on the way.”

  “So, what, we’ll just pop down and land.”

  He fought a smile. “That’s exactly how it works.”

  “And how do I explain it to my father?”

  “Tell him you had a stopover. You don’t have to go into detail.” He fought an urge to ruffle her hair. “You know, you’d be the worst covert operative ever.”

  “And you’d be the best. That’s one of the things that scares me about you. I can never tell what you’re up to.”

  He softened his tone. “I like it that way.”

  “Don’t.” She meant don’t get intimate.

  “I won’t. I’m sorry. I’ll call you a cab. You don’t have to wait around here any longer.”

  Much as he hated for her to go, she had to get back. And he had to get started assessing the damage.

  Seven

  Jules had practiced her lie over and over on the short taxi ride from the Portland airport to her father’s town house. He was obviously baffled when he opened the door to find her on the porch.