On the Verge of I Do

by Heidi Betts

  “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I have a proposition for you.”

  She raised a brow. “Another one?” Hadn’t she been compromised enough for one day, one weekend, one lifetime?

  The corner of his mouth hitched higher. “Yeah. Another one, I guess.”

  She waited, her stomach taking only minor dips at the thought of what foolhardy endeavor he might suggest next, but it took him just a beat or two to fill in the blanks.

  “Stay the week with me.”

  Kara’s eyes widened in surprise, and Eli was glad he was currently lying on top of her, holding her in place. Otherwise, she might have already exited stage left. As it was, she went statue-still beneath him, and he found himself holding his breath, waiting for her eventual, full-blown response.

  The tip of her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and a stab of heat hit him center mass. They were in the middle of a conversation that needed to be finished, but there was no way she could miss his growing arousal. And if she was even a tenth of a percent willing to do something about it, he knew every coherent thought he possessed would be driven from his head in the blink of an eye, possibly never to be heard from again.

  So he needed to hold his ground, grit his teeth and bear it until she answered him—preferably with the response he was looking for.

  “I don’t understand,” she said. “I’m already staying with you through the weekend. More than I ever intended.”

  “I know, and I appreciate it,” he responded, nudging her slightly beneath the sheets and waggling his eyebrows. Thankfully, she giggled, which let him know she wasn’t on the verge of screaming bloody murder and hitting him over the head with the bedside lamp just to get away.

  “I’m talking about staying the whole week, though. So you can do what you came here to do, and we can still have time to be together without a clock hanging over our heads.”

  “But what about Prestige? What about my family?”

  He didn’t gloat, even though he wanted to. The fact that she was questioning him, posing dilemmas he’d already mapped out solutions for, meant she was considering his invitation.

  “You are Prestige,” he pointed out, schooling his features and warning himself not to go too far too fast. “And the only event you’re working on at the moment is unraveling my no-longer-upcoming wedding. No one would expect you to be in the office or pick up new events until after that would have taken place.”

  He purposely avoided mentioning Laurel—her name had been spoken too many times in this bed for his peace of mind, as it was. The fewer reminders of Kara’s sister while he was trying to convince her to spend a decadent, illicit week with him, the better.

  “As for your family…you know how I feel about that. We don’t owe them any explanations. But if you’re set on sharing the most intimate details of your life and coming clean about something you shouldn’t feel guilty over in the first place, well then, I would think you’d welcome an extra week’s reprieve before that particular confrontation.”

  He shrugged, shifting so that his forearms aligned on either side of her upper body and his hands could frame the heart shape of her beautiful face.

  “We’re already here, in a spot a lot of people would say comes close to Paradise. We’re obviously enjoying ourselves…or at the very least, I am,” he teased, rubbing against her again in case she’d somehow forgotten that she had a heavily aroused man lying on top of her. “Let’s stay here, continue to enjoy ourselves. Reality will intrude soon enough, believe me.”

  Rather than tense beneath him and try to push him away, or launching into a second round of arguments, her features softened, and he felt her release a sigh.

  “Have you ever heard the term ‘silver-tongued devil’?” she asked.

  A question that didn’t require an answer, but one side of his mouth hitched upward all the same. Her lips twitched in return.

  “I think I’ve just met him,” she confessed. “You’re a very smooth talker, even for a Southerner.”

  “Only when I’m properly motivated,” he told her, slipping into an even deeper Carolina drawl. “And you, darlin’, are very proper motivation.”

  Lowering his head, he covered her mouth, going for a drawn-out kiss meant to persuade. The downside being that attempting to turn her soft and pliant had the exact opposite effect on him. He went hard and ready, and it was all he could do not to slide into her right that minute, bringing them both to an almost immediate climax.

  But he’d been careless once, and owed her better than that next time around.

  Pulling away—reluctantly—he leaned across her, careful not to crush her, and dipped into the top bureau drawer. He came out with the box of condoms he kept there just in case, though he’d never before had reason to use them.

  “I promise to be more careful from now on, but we only have twelve of these, so I may have to run down to the gift shop and buy more.”

  “That’s rather brash of you,” she replied.

  “We’ll be together for a week. A case of condoms may not be enough.”

  She chuckled. “Now I know how you managed to build your very own hotel empire in only a matter of years—all that cocky self-confidence drove you.”

  “Of course. You don’t think I got where I am on my good looks alone, do you?”

  “Oh, and modest, too!”

  Her humor and lightheartedness were contagious, and soon they were both laughing.

  Had he ever laughed in bed before? With a woman and while he was sporting an impressive erection, that was, rather than simply sitting alone, catching up on paperwork and watching something funny on television.

  If he had, he couldn’t recall it. In his world, sex and hilarity didn’t mix. But now that he was experiencing it firsthand, he found that he liked it. He could see himself laughing in bed with Kara again and again. Even doing things purposely to amuse her so that they could.

  He would pour champagne into her belly button and noisily slurp it out…dot her nipples with whipped cream and chocolate sauce, and see how many tries it took to get the cherries to stick… With a bit of thought, he could probably even come up with a couple ideas that didn’t involve food, too.

  Of course, there was no time like the present, and he realized suddenly that he was famished—for more than just Kara, though she was definitely on the menu. But with the exception of a few nibbles of strawberry when they’d first arrived, neither of them had eaten since breakfast, so it was high time to remedy that.

  Rolling away from her, he reached for the telephone and dialed room service.

  Eli ordered appetizers, entrees and all of the ingredients for the hot fudge sundae he was suddenly craving—provided he could eat it off of Kara’s ripe, voluptuous body. Then he asked them not to deliver it for another hour. That should give him enough time to ravish her at least once without any awkward interruptions.

  “Expecting company?” Kara asked as he turned back around.

  “No, why?”

  “You ordered enough food to feed the U.S. Olympic team.”

  Shrugging that off, he said, “I’m hungry. But we have time before everything arrives to put at least one of these to good use.” He shook the box of protection as he returned to her, gathering her into his arms.

  She gave a long, exaggerated sigh. “Fine. But do me a favor—if you do have to go down to the gift shop for more of those, put on a disguise first. Bad enough everyone who works here knows I’m staying in your suite with you, I don’t need them knowing we’re having sex, too.”

  He quirked a brow. Surely she couldn’t be that naive. “Hate to break it to you, sugar, but chances are they’re already thinking that’s exactly what we’re up here doing.”

  Her mouth folded into a proper moue and she lowered her lashes in the best imitation of Scarlett O’Hara he’d ever seen.

  “Presuming and knowing are two different things,” she told him primly.

  Eli started to chuckle, then bit back the sound, doubting
she would appreciate him being amused by her modesty. He might think it unnecessary, but it was obviously important to her. And if it was important to her…

  “All right. But you may have to help me go incognito. I left my Groucho Marx glasses in my other overnight bag.”

  “That’s okay,” she said, taking the box from him, opening it, and removing a single foil square. She waggled it in front of him between two slim fingers. “I’ll lend you one of my sundresses and a pair of heels. No one will suspect a thing.”

  Snatching the foil packet away from her, he set it and the box of others aside. “I am not dressing up as a woman. Not even to protect your modesty,” he told her in no uncertain terms.

  She shrugged, feigning nonchalance when he could clearly tell she was biting back a grin.

  “Suit yourself. You’re the one who wants to extend our visit to a full week so we can stay in your suite and have hot, sweaty monkey sex. I was just trying to help.”

  For the count of twenty, he simply stared at her in astonishment. Where had this Kara come from? he wondered.

  Slapping his arm out, he grabbed the loose condom and the box of extras right along with it, dragging the entire bunch back beside them.

  “To hell with it,” he growled, ripping the corner of the first packet open with his teeth. “I’ll wear the dress.”

  Eleven

  Kara never did make Eli wear one of her dresses—not that he would have fit into it, if he’d tried. But she wouldn’t let him shop for fresh protection in his own resort’s gift shop, either. Her face flamed at the very thought of the clerk knowing exactly who he was using those condoms with, and then running off to spread the news with every other employee.

  At least this way she could still walk through the lobby with her head held high. Speak to the room-service waiters, registration receptionists and current event coordinator, Diane, with only a small spot of self-conscious color reddening her cheeks.

  Then again, she’d compromised her family loyalties, her entire belief system and a good chunk of her self-respect to spend the week with him. It was the most clandestine, illicit and guilt-ridden affair she’d ever participated in or even heard about, so as far as she was concerned, he owed her one. Or twenty.

  She owed him one, too, though. She’d come to Seabrook Island to investigate and revamp his event planning system…or at least that’s the request he’d made in order to get her down here so he could sex her up, down and sideways, the lying bastard…and she intended to do that before they headed back to Charleston. If she didn’t, she would forever know that she’d run off with her sister’s ex-fiancé for a week of sex on the beach—or darn close to it—without even the guise of doing actual work.

  Thankfully, Eli was of the same mind. Oh, he took advantage of every opportunity to sneak up behind her and kiss the sensitive spot beneath her ear…or pull her into his arms for a hot, demanding kiss…or tug at the knot of her towel just after she’d stepped from the shower, getting her dirty all over again (in the very best way) before she could dry off and dress.

  But he’d also admitted that there was some business he could attend to as long as they were at the resort. Work that, if he took care of it during their current visit, would save him another trip at the end of the month.

  So while he was off picking up protection for whatever erotic trouble he planned to start after they finished a private dinner…and taking care of his work, she’d decided to bite the bullet and sit down with Diane.

  It wasn’t that Kara was nervous, exactly, but from the moment she’d first met the woman, she’d gotten the feeling Diane Montgomery didn’t care for her. Maybe because Eli was an eligible bachelor of the rich and handsome variety and she had her eye on him for herself. Kara could certainly understand the other woman’s jealousy, if that was the case.

  Of course, if Diane had confronted her about that at their first meeting, Kara would have laughed and shrugged it off. Her own secret, long-term feelings for Eli notwithstanding, she hadn’t thought she was here to sleep with him. She probably would have handed him over on a silver platter, much as she had when she’d first noticed Eli and Laurel getting involved. Instead of jumping up and declaring her own longtime feelings for him, she’d kept her mouth shut and suffered in agonizing silence.

  The other reason Diane might have for disliking Kara on sight was that she suspected Eli had brought her here to…evaluate her work, dissect her past efforts and possibly even take over her position at the resort. Eli had never said as much, at least not within Kara’s hearing, but that didn’t mean word hadn’t gotten around that that might be his purpose.

  Which meant Kara had to be very careful about how she handled things. She needed to do right by Eli and figure out how well his on-site event planner was doing her job, but without making the woman feel as though she was undergoing an IRS audit. Something Kara should be able to handle quite easily…as long as Diane’s discomfort around her was professional rather than personal.

  As professional as Kara needed to be, she also had to keep things casual, otherwise Diane would be put off from the very start. To that end, she was wearing a simple sundress perfect for the cool spring weather, with flat, strappy sandals and no pantyhose. She’d also kept her jewelry to a minimum to avoid looking too flashy. Small, gold hoop earrings, a braided gold necklace and matching bracelet, and one filigree ring on the middle finger of her right hand.

  Crossing the wide-open lobby, she made her way down a series of tiled hallways toward a rear section of the resort where the offices were kept. She found Diane’s quickly, thanks to the clearly marked doors and Eli’s detailed directions.

  He’d offered to take her, actually, and sit in on her first meeting with Diane. To her mind, having him there could only make things worse. It would put Diane even more on edge, and make Kara feel self-conscious, as well. So she’d said thank-you, but turned him down, sending him off to do his own thing while she did hers.

  Tapping gently on the office door, she waited for the other woman to respond before pasting a wide, friendly smile on her face and walking into the lioness’s den.

  * * *

  For the second time that day, Eli caught himself whistling. Actually whistling. When he was far from a whistling kind of guy.

  But apparently, being with Kara put him in a whistling kind of mood.

  Talking her into coming down here with him had been inspired. Never mind that he’d had to bribe her with a work project and a possible future contract with his billion-dollar resort to do it…the point was, she’d come.

  And just as he’d hoped, once they were settled in, he’d been able to lure her into bed with him. It hadn’t taken long, either, a fact that caused him to preen a bit, sure, but that he was also just damn thankful for.

  With only one short weekend—now extended to one short week—to convince her that she was the Kincaid sister he wanted to be with, he didn’t have time for the usual amount of wining, dining and patient romantic wooing. Instead, he was taking more of a shock-and-awe approach.

  If he could shake her up by getting her away from Charleston, distancing her from her business and family, then he might have a chance of getting through to her. If he could bring her here, sweep her off her feet, and show her a side of himself she’d never seen before, then she might believe him when he suggested they make things permanent.

  He had to be careful, though, not to move too fast and spook her. Or smother her with his desire to keep her close, to be with her nearly twenty-four-seven.

  How pathetic was that? He thought as he walked with purpose from his office on the first floor of the resort’s main building across the lobby to the elevator. A thirty-five-year-old man who didn’t want his lover of seventy-two hours out of his sight.

  Some might call him whipped. And in a way, he supposed he was. Kara had certainly woven a mesmerizing spell around him in a very short amount of time, but it was a spell he’d walked into willingly.

  Of course, it was no hards
hip to be in her company practically around the clock. In bed with her…in the shower with her…up against the bureau with her… But also sitting across the table from her, watching her eat and enjoying sparkling conversation.

  She was witty and smart; opinionated, but not obnoxiously so. He could introduce almost any topic, and she would discuss it with him passionately and at length. Just the other night, they’d spent nearly an hour debating a handful of political issues, but rather than getting heated, he’d found her views astute and invigorating.

  The elevator dinged as it reached his floor, and he stepped off, automatically scanning the suite for Kara. He didn’t see her or hear movement from any of the rooms, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t here. In the bathroom or out on the balcony, maybe.

  “Kara?” he called. No answer.

  After checking the rest of the rooms and finding them empty, he moved to the bedroom and tossed the paper sack he was carrying on the bed. At Kara’s urging, he’d spent the afternoon taking care of resort business. There wasn’t much for him to do; he employed an excellent staff who handled most of the day-to-day running of the place for him. But he was the boss, and as the saying went, the buck stopped with him. Even if he hadn’t devised a creative pretext to bring Kara to Ocean Breezes with him, he’d have made the trip down in the next few weeks, anyway, for one of his routine inspections and overviews.

  It was good to have a lot of that finished and out of the way. Now he would be able to set aside business matters altogether and focus on what he was really interested in—seducing Kara. Again, and hopefully again.

  He was still wearing the shorts and summer shirt he’d put on at Kara’s urging to make his cloak-and-dagger excursion outside the resort property to the nearest gas station-slash- convenience store that carried condoms. He hadn’t had to go far, thank goodness, and he was pretty sure no one had recognized him. Especially since he’d also been wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap.

  Checking his watch, he picked up the nearest phone and called down to the kitchen to check on the progress of his earlier order. They were assuring him that everything would be ready at the appointed time when he heard the elevator bell ding again and the doors slide open.