BTW I Love You

by Heidi Rice

  The long-forgotten memory of pain and humiliation rose back to the surface as she continued to listen to him reason coldly with his sister.

  ‘It’s too late now,’ Cal argued, his voice devoid of emotion.

  He sounded like a stranger, the flat, dismissive tone nothing like the relaxed, charismatic man she had thought she knew. How could she have been so wrong about him?

  ‘I’m up to my eyes in work,’ he added, the brittle excuse nothing short of brutal. ‘I can’t make it this weekend.’

  Ruby straightened, pushing away from the doorframe. That was a lie. Why was he lying? Then she knew and a tidal wave of guilt assailed her. He hadn’t been busy with work. He’d been busy with her.

  She walked silently back to the bedroom, tuning out the conversation she’d overheard—and wished she hadn’t—hideously disappointed not just with Callum now, but also with herself.

  She hadn’t just been wrong about him, she’d also been wrong about the situation she’d happily flung herself into.

  Sex always came with complications. Even the wild weekend fling kind.

  ‘Look, Maddy, I’ll think about it. Okay?’

  ‘Please come, Cal. It’s been months since we’ve seen you,’ Maddy said with a weary lack of expectation. ‘We’ll hold dinner for you.’

  ‘I’ll call you back and let you know.’ Cal slapped the phone back into its cradle and rubbed his hand across the nape of his neck where the muscles had tightened like a vice. He wanted to punch his fist through a wall. How did she always do this to him? Make him give in when they both knew it would do no good.

  Perching on the edge of the sofa, he crossed his legs at the ankles, sank his chin onto his chest and buried his hands in his pockets. It wasn’t an emotion he was particularly proud of, but he let the mix of frustration and regret that conversations with his sister always caused wash over him. And then cursed softly.

  He and Maddy were different people. They wanted different things out of life and she’d never been able to understand that. So why the hell should he feel guilty about avoiding seeing her and her family? Visiting his sister, seeing the way she and her husband Rye looked at each other, made him uncomfortable and the adoration of their daughter Mia—which made no sense to him at all—only made the discomfort more intense.

  He lifted his head and stared at the ceiling, let out a heavy sigh.

  Stop sulking, Westmore. You’ve only yourself to blame for this mess.

  He’d been monumentally stupid. Stupid to forget Mia’s birthday party. And even more stupid to forget to phone Maddy with a decent excuse well in advance.

  The thought of Ruby lying in his bed, her beautiful body all soft and scented and flushed with afterglow, had some of the guilt and tension easing out of his shoulders—but none of the frustration.

  He didn’t like visiting Maddy at the best of times. But, damn it, he had other plans now.

  If he’d paid more attention he could have spent the rest of the weekend availing himself of Ruby Delisantro’s considerable charms. But now he was forced to make a choice between doing what he wanted or doing what he felt obliged to do—which would mean a six-hour drive down to Cornwall and then spending the rest of his weekend off getting bombarded with relationship advice he didn’t want from his sister.

  He pushed off the couch, pulled his hands out of his pockets and rubbed his palms down his face.

  ‘Damn it! ‘

  He loved his sister, and, however suspicious he might be of the new, improved and blissfully happy Maddy—and however much he might hate getting pushed into doing something he didn’t want to do—he’d heard the plea in her voice.

  He made his way down the corridor. Realising there was another problem.

  If he left for Cornwall, what did he do about Ruby?

  He caught her scent as he passed the open bathroom door and the memory of her full lips on his erect flesh brought a pulse of heat so intense, the problem came into sharp vivid focus. He still wanted her. And not just in bed. She’d captivated him today while they were on the Heath. She was bright, beautiful and remarkably forthright, her mental agility challenging him every step of the way. And best of all, she’d been quick to agree with him that she wasn’t looking for anything more than great sex and good company.

  She still wasn’t his type. She was far too unpredictable for that. And as much fun as they’d had together he doubted she’d settle for being his playmate for long. Sooner or later she would have expectations. But that didn’t alter the fact that he didn’t want to let her walk. Not while she was still willing to play.

  He glanced at the clock on the wall. Two o’clock. If he decided to go, he had an hour before he would have to leave. Question was, did that give him enough time to finesse Ruby into agreeing to another wild night when he got back? A slow grin lifted his lips. With her naked and in his bed, and given his superior powers of persuasion, the odds had to be in his favour.

  Thrusting open the bedroom door, he came to an abrupt halt, the grin flat-lining. What was she doing out of bed, with her clothes mostly on, her hair damp and her shoulders twisted as if she were trying to contort herself into a pretzel?

  Seeing him, she huffed and dropped her arms, then gathered the wet strands of hair into a bunch, flicked them over her shoulder. ‘Could you zip me up? I’d have to dislocate a shoulder to do it myself.’

  ‘You’re dressed,’ he said, dully. ‘And you’ve had a shower.’ He knew he was stating the obvious, but … What the hell was going on?

  ‘I’ve got to shoot off.’ Her voice was frigid, the sultry, sexy warmth of ten minutes before gone.

  ‘Since when?’ he asked, not liking the feeling of confusion—or the way his heart had kicked up a beat.

  She bent to wiggle her toes into her shoes. ‘Since now.’ She dipped her head to her shoulder. ‘So could you please do the honours?’

  He stayed where he was. He could hear irritation and frustration, but there was something else beneath it. He didn’t like that either.

  ‘Is there a problem here?’ he asked. ‘Because if there is I’d like to know what it is.’

  ‘The problem is I’m leaving and I can’t do it with my dress half off. So do you mind?’

  He crossed to her, pulled her round to face him. ‘Yeah, actually I do. You’re pissed off. And I’d like to know why.’

  Was she annoyed that he’d left her to go answer the call to his sister? The reaction seemed petty and childish and nothing like the woman he’d spent the day with. But then, how well did he really know her?

  ‘I’d like to leave, please.’ That wasn’t just impatience he could see in her eyes, it was accusation.

  ‘Why? You were pretty damn keen to stay a few minutes ago. What’s changed?’

  ‘You have.’ Her eyes narrowed and he saw temper and disappointment. ‘You’re not the man I thought you were.’

  ‘I beg your pardon?’

  ‘You heard me.’ She marched past him, obviously giving up on her dress.

  He took her arm, hauled her back. ‘Humour me. I want an explanation.’ No way was he letting her walk off without one.

  ‘Fine.’ She jerked her arm out of his, pushed her chin up. ‘I don’t like the way you talked to your sister. It was unnecessarily cruel. I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to be rejected like that by someone you love. And believe me, it’s not pleasant. So in the interests of sisterly solidarity, I’m leaving.’

  ‘Sisterly …?’ He was so stunned at the outburst, he had to grab her again before she got out of the door. ‘Hang on a damn minute.’

  ‘Let go of my arm.’

  ‘For one,’ he said, tightening his grip, ‘she’s not your sister. In fact, you don’t even know Maddy. So why the hell do you even care how I talk to her?’ He could have added it was none of her business and she shouldn’t have been eavesdropping in the first place, but he decided to let that pass. Seeing the mutinous expression on her face, he was more interested in knowing where the hell th
is was all coming from.

  ‘I could hear how upset she was on the phone.’ She tried to shrug him off; he held firm. ‘You brushed her off. I thought better of you than that. But I can see I was wrong. Clearly it was more convenient for you to spend the weekend seducing some woman you’ve only just met than keeping a promise you made to your sister. That’s not something I want to be a party to.’

  He wanted to shout at her, frustration warring with temper, but beneath the accusation and self-righteous indignation in her voice he could hear the distress. So he resisted the urge to roar.

  ‘You know, if you’re going to eavesdrop on private conversations you should at least do it properly and listen to the whole thing.’

  ‘I heard enough. I heard you tell her you couldn’t come. That you were too busy with work. When we both know work had nothing to do with—’

  ‘I prefer not to talk to my sister about my sex life. If that’s okay with you,’ he interrupted, letting sarcasm drip. ‘And I didn’t forget to go deliberately. I got a little sidetracked by a certain woman who has been happily seducing me right back.’

  ‘Even so, you’re not going, when you should—’

  ‘I am going,’ he interrupted, the sharp words stopping her in mid-rant. ‘In fact, I’m leaving as soon as I can get packed.’ Or he was now. ‘Even though it’s going to be a pain in the backside. Maddy and her family live in Cornwall, for God’s sake. It’s a six-hour drive and you and I both know I didn’t exactly get a whole lot of sleep last night.’

  ‘You’re going? Really?’

  ‘Yes, I am.’ Quite why he’d made up his mind on the spur of the moment, he didn’t know. But he was stuck with the decision now. ‘My sister may drive me nuts most of the time, but I wouldn’t deliberately set out to disappoint her or my niece.’

  Her arm went limp in his grasp, the colour riding her cheeks like a beacon as the tension drained out of her. ‘I didn’t … I thought you were …’ Her voice trailed off, the guilty flush heating.

  ‘See what I mean about the eavesdropping?’ he said.

  She dipped her head. When her gaze lifted back to his, he saw contrite and embarrassed. Not a look he would ever have associated with her. But then she’d never been predictable.

  He always made a point of not delving too deeply into a woman’s motivations, because that way lay madness. But the itch of discomfort wasn’t doing a damn thing to halt his curiosity. Why had she flown off the handle like that? She’d mentioned being rejected by someone she loved. And he suddenly wanted to know who. And why.

  ‘I shouldn’t have butted in. Or jumped to conclusions,’ she added. ‘I’m really sorry.’

  ‘You know, you owe me,’ he said, the solution to his problem popping into his head with startling clarity. ‘You made assumptions about me that weren’t true—and you should make it up to me.’

  She’d forced his hand, made him agree to visit Maddy when he hadn’t properly weighed up the options. He deserved some payback for that.

  ‘How?’ she asked blankly.

  Cal silenced the little voice in his head telling him to stop and think this through. So what if he was using whatever it was that had caused that passionate reaction against her? And so what if the urge to keep her with him was unprecedented? This solution would make the trip to Maddy’s a lot more bearable, and give them both the chance to finish this thing once and for all.

  ‘I want you to come with me.’

  CHAPTER NINE

  RUBY gave a half-laugh, sure he had to be joking, but Cal didn’t laugh back. In fact, he didn’t even smile. ‘You’re not serious? I don’t know your sister,’ she spluttered.

  ‘That didn’t bother you a moment ago.’

  He couldn’t possibly be serious. The idea was preposterous. But even more preposterous was the fanciful little bump in her heartbeat at the determination in his voice.

  ‘You’ll like Maddy,’ he said, as if that were even relevant.

  ‘But this is a family affair, and I’m a stranger. Why would you even want me there?’ she said. She’d made a foolish mistake, not just jumping to conclusions, but getting worked up about what she’d overheard in the first place. How he behaved towards his sister—or anyone else—shouldn’t have mattered to her in the slightest.

  His gaze roamed over her, making heat curl and twist in her abdomen. ‘You mean apart from all the obvious reasons.’

  ‘Yes, apart from those.’ She crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to let him sidetrack her—even if her hormones were dancing a jig again at the sight of his naked chest. ‘Sex isn’t a good enough reason to introduce a woman you barely know to your family.’

  ‘I think we’ve got to know each other pretty well, actually,’ he said.

  She shivered as his thumb stroked across her collarbone.

  He laughed, the sound rough with arousal. ‘See what I mean?’

  She batted his hand away, colour rising to her cheeks at the quiver at her core, the quick-fire response making her feel oddly vulnerable. ‘You’re going to have to do better than that. It’s not like we can spend the whole time we’re there in bed. I’ll have to talk to your sister.’ She threw up her hands. ‘How are you going to introduce me? I’m not even a proper girlfriend.’ How could she have forgotten that a moment ago?

  Placing a hand on her hip, he tugged her easily towards him. ‘I’ll tell her you’re a friend. She’ll be so excited to see you she won’t delve too deeply.’

  Ruby’s brow creased. ‘Why would she be excited to see me?’

  He dipped his head, touched her forehead to his before giving a hefty sigh. ‘All right, I’ll come clean. Ever since Maddy’s got married, had a child, she’s made it her mission in life to find me that special someone. So I can be as blissfully happy as she is.’

  Beneath the amusement, Ruby heard the sharp edge of cynicism. ‘And you don’t like that?’

  ‘I hate it. I’m not the love and marriage type,’ he said, making it sound like an affliction. ‘But she won’t take the hint. Maddy’s a fixer. She always has been, ever since we were kids. If she sees a problem, she tries to fix it. Even if the problem doesn’t exist.’

  ‘Maybe she just wants you to be happy,’ Ruby said, finding it sad he didn’t appreciate having someone who cared that much about him.

  He shot her a rueful look. ‘You are such a girl.’

  ‘How observant.’

  He smiled. ‘The point is I am happy. Or I would be if I could visit my sister without getting the third degree about my love life.’ He touched her cheek. ‘But now I’m thinking, with you there … as a very sexy distraction … things could be a whole lot easier.’

  Ruby forced out a laugh, determined to be amused instead of insulted—or hurt—by the suggestion. This was good. He had a logical reason for wanting her along. She should be logical back. ‘So I’d be, like, your stunt girlfriend?’

  He nodded, not looking remotely ashamed at the ploy to fool his sister.

  ‘That is so like a guy. Why can’t you just be honest with her? Tell her you’re not ready for that sort of commitment yet.’

  ‘Believe me, I’ve told her I’ll never be ready for that sort of commitment. But Maddy won’t buy it. She’s convinced herself her marriage is perfect, and it’ll always be that way, despite all the evidence to the contrary.’

  Again she heard the note of cynicism, sharpened by bitterness—and wondered what had made Cal so sure his sister’s marriage was doomed to failure.

  ‘Plus you have no idea how persistent Maddy is,’ he added. ‘So you have to come with me. And protect me from her.’

  ‘So now who’s the sissy?’ she teased, pretty sure Callum Westmore had never needed anyone’s protection.

  But she could feel her resolve weakening.

  The man had charm to spare and he knew how to use it. But more than that, she was oddly flattered by his persistence. And desperately curious. Seeing someone in their home environment was always revealing. And there were so many
things about Cal that she wanted to know.

  ‘And Cornwall’s incredible at this time of year.’ His lips lifted in an assured smile and her pulse slowed.

  She laughed at the temptation in his eyes. ‘Oh, all right, then, Counsellor. I’ll come,’ she said, determined to ignore the panicked flutter of her pulse. They were fine, they were back to where they were supposed to be. Shallow and sexy, right where they’d been before she’d overreacted and made a twit of herself over the phone call.

  ‘Great.’

  Warmth spread through her system at the approval turning his irises to a rich emerald.

  ‘But only if we stop by my flat so I can pack an overnight bag,’ she finished, not wanting to be a complete pushover.

  ‘You’re on.’

  He tugged her close, his lips covering hers in a lazy kiss. She opened her mouth, making the warmth shoot to blazing heat—and burn off all her lingering doubts.

  As they sped down the motorway in Cal’s flashy Italian convertible, with the roof up and two hastily packed overnight bags stowed in the back seat, Ruby stared at the not altogether sumptuous scenery of the M4 corridor and tried not to let the doubts resurface.

  Callum Westmore was dangerous. But she could handle him and this ‘thing’ between them just fine, because it was nothing more than a straightforward mix of heat and curiosity.

  She’d never be foolish enough to get serious about someone as dominant as Cal, because she liked to be the one in charge too much. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t satisfy the heat. And the curiosity.

  Leaning forward, she turned down the soulful ballad blaring out of the car speakers from the golden oldies radio station he’d chosen.

  ‘What did you mean,’ she asked, shifting in her seat to look at Cal, ‘when you said “despite evidence to the contrary”?’

  ‘Sorry?’ He sent her a cursory glance as he flipped up his indicator to swing into the fast lane.

  ‘You said something about your sister, believing her marriage was perfect, despite evidence to the contrary. What did that mean? Do you know something she doesn’t? Is her husband cheating on her?’ The thought depressed her. She wouldn’t wish that kind of heartache on any woman—or man, for that matter.