The Right Bed?: Your Bed or Mine?

Jake nodded. “So do you want me to sneak into your bed tonight?”

Caley grabbed her jacket and reached into the pocket, then withdrew a key, dangling it in front of his face. “I got you your own. Just don’t let Emma see you come in. She’s been going to bed early, so come over as soon as you can get away.” She gave him a quick kiss, then pulled her boots on. “Are we agreed on our plan?”

Over the course of the past day, he and Caley had come up with a strategy to test Sam and Emma’s commitment to each other. They’d discussed all the pitfalls and problems that couples encountered on the path to everlasting love and had put together an obstacle course for Sam and Emma to navigate. “Operation Wedding Trashers is ready to go.”

“We’re not trying to trash their wedding,” Caley said. “We’re just testing the depth of their feelings. Nothing more sinister than what a good marriage counselor would do.”

“Except we have absolutely no professional qualifications or practical experience in marital matters.”

“No. But we do have relationship experience,” Caley said. “That should count for something.” She sat down on the edge of the bed, now fully dressed in all her cold-weather clothes. “So tomorrow night I’m going to take Emma to Tyler’s with me. There are always lots of single guys there to dance with and I’ll make sure she drinks plenty of cocktails.”

“And I’m taking Sam out for some fun. There’s a strip club out on the interstate. I figured we’d go there.”

Caley’s eyes went wide. “Really? Is it one of those clubs where they take off all their clothes?”

“Almost,” Jake said. “Just G-strings, shiny poles and lots of dollar bills.”

“So you’ve been there before?”

Jake shook his head. “No. But I’ve heard about it. Brett and a bunch of his college buddies went there for his twenty-first birthday. Does it bother you that I’ll be looking at naked women?”

“Of course not,” Caley said.

“Because it would bother me if you were out looking at naked men.”

“Maybe I should see if I can find a strip club for Emma and me to go to. There has to be one somewhere,” Caley said.

“There’s only one body I’m interested in seeing naked,” Jake said. “And that would be yours. You don’t have to worry. After what we’ve had together, a hundred naked women aren’t going to get me excited.”

“Good answer,” Caley said. She lay down on top of him and gave him a more thorough kiss. “Later.”

“I’m counting on it,” he said.

She walked to the door, sending him a smile before she slipped out. Jake listened to her footsteps on the stairs. He crawled out of bed, wrapping the comforter around his naked body, then peered through the curtains to watch her run across the lawn toward the Lambert house.

The boathouse was now a cozy little haven. The heater had been running all day and though it was a bit chilly inside, it was comfortable. His mother had given him a down comforter and Brett had turned on the water so the bathroom was functioning. The accommodations were almost perfect, and almost completely private.

Jake flopped back down on the bed and closed his eyes. He’d made love to his fair share of beautiful women and each time he’d searched for that connection, that spark that might prove he’d found the right one. In the past twenty-four hours he’d realized that it was there with Caley. Maybe it had always been there.

But what did that mean? They lived in different worlds, lived different lives. Though he wanted to believe that love would conquer all, Jake certainly knew the realities of a relationship. Caley had made it clear that their affair would end when she went back to New York. Though he planned to do everything in his power to convince her otherwise, Jake had to prepare himself for the probability that it would be over at the end of the week.

He had known it would be difficult before, but now that they’d become lovers, it would be impossible. Surely, it wouldn’t be easy for her, either. Her desire for him ran just as deep and Jake sensed that with every touch, every kiss, the bond between them grew stronger.

And if Caley left him, if things between them ended, he didn’t think there would ever be another woman to take her place. In the back of his mind he’d always compared the women he met to Caley. He hadn’t been aware of that fact until now. They’d been smart, but Caley had been smarter. They’d been beautiful, but she had beauty they’d never possess. He’d grown up wanting her and only her. Now that he’d had her, he was left to deal with the fear of losing her.

Jake threw his arm over his eyes and cursed softly. A knock sounded on the door and he sat up, surprised that she’d returned so quickly. He waited for her to come in, but she knocked again. Jake grabbed his boxers and pulled them on, then crossed the room and opened the door. But Caley wasn’t standing outside. Sam was.

His brother peered inside. “Can I come in?”

“Sure,” Jake said, stepping back to allow Sam to pass. “What’s up? It’s late.”

Sam began to pace the width of the room, his shoulders tense, his expression grim. Then, he sat down on the edge of the bed and nervously twisted his fingers together. “I did like you told me. When I drove Emma back to the inn tonight, I told her it was time we were honest with each other. I said we needed to have sex before we got married.”

“And she refused?”

“No,” Sam said. “No, we had sex.” He shook his head. “And it was pretty bad.”

Jake frowned. “Bad? Like how bad?”

Sam flopped back and covered his face with his hands. “About as bad as it could get. She was so excited and so was I—at first. I wanted it to be romantic and special, but everything I did seemed so forced. And then, I—I couldn’t—you know.”

“Get it up?”

“More like, keep it up,” Sam said. He turned and looked at Jake. “You don’t think I need Viagra, do you?”

Jake chuckled softly. “You haven’t had any problems before, have you?”

“No! Never. But I was never marrying any of those other girls. What if this is the way it is with Emma? What if I can’t … perform?”

“This happens occasionally. To every guy.”

“Did it ever happen to you?”

“Well, no. But I was never under the kind of pressure you are. When I encouraged you to have sex with her, I didn’t mean that you should do it just to get it done. It’s not like mowing the lawn or changing the oil in your car. There’s more to it than that.”

“Like foreplay,” Sam said. “I know, I tried that, but she was in such a hurry. I started out thinking I’d have to convince her, but she was completely on board. I guess Caley told her it was important to be sexually compatible with your husband.” Sam paused. “I think Emma said crucial. That was the word. Or maybe it was critical. And that’s when I started to get really nervous.”

“Yeah, I can see how that could happen,” Jake said.

Still, he couldn’t really relate. With Caley, there was a need there that seemed to overwhelm all rational thought. When they were intimate, he didn’t worry about the mechanics, it just happened. It was raw, primal instinct that aroused him. And the fact that it always ended with incredible pleasure was nature at work.

Jake sat down beside his brother and patted him on the back. “This doesn’t mean it will happen that way every time.”

“What if it does? I wouldn’t want to marry me.”

“It’s just a temporary thing,” Jake said. “Believe me. The next time, you’ll be fine.”

“It’s not like I didn’t want to,” Sam said. “I mean, Emma is hot. She’s got this great body and the way she kisses me just gets me going. You know what that’s like, right?”

Jake bit his bottom lip and forced a smile, his mind rewinding back to the afternoon he’d spent with Caley. “Yeah, I know what that’s like,” he muttered.

“She and Caley are going out tomorrow night,” Sam said. “Girl’s night out. I know I don’t have to worry about that. If Caley is there, nothing is going to happen to Emma. But what if Emma starts looking around for a guy who can … do it?”

“Maybe we should go out,” Jake suggested. “Take your mind off of your troubles. Just the best man and the groom, some male bonding.”

“Yeah,” Sam said. “I’m twenty-one now. I can get into any bar.”

“And I’ve got just the place.” Jake stood and grabbed his jeans from the floor. “Listen, you can hang out here tonight. There’s sheets and blankets for the sofa bed in the closet. I’m just going to run back up to the house and get us something to drink and then we can talk. We’ll get this all sorted out.”