“Speaking of your brother . . .”

She frowned. “What about Gray?”

“He doesn’t know about you and me. At least I haven’t said anything to him.”

“Well, he hasn’t heard about it from me. That would be . . . complicated.”

“Yeah. That’s what I was thinking.”

“And really, what is there to tell? It’s not like we’re dating or anything. We’re just—”

He gave her a look. “Just what? Fucking?”

Her gaze shot to the stairs. “Drew.”

“I could take you out, you know. If you’d let me.”

She shook her head. “I don’t have time for a relationship.”

He let out a short laugh. “Isn’t that what we’re having? A relationship?”

“No. We’re doing exactly as you said.” She paused, then whispered—“Fucking.”

“Okay. Call it what you want. I just don’t want to complicate things by letting Gray know we’re doing whatever it is we’re doing.”

She nodded. “I agree. So you should probably keep your distance while you’re here.”

He didn’t like the direction this conversation was going. “So you want me to just hang out with Gray and ignore you.”

He could tell she didn’t like it anymore than he did, which made him feel at least a little better.

“I guess that’s probably a good idea.”

He stood. “Done.”

“Where are you going?”

“To bed. I’m tired.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“You want me to help you upstairs with your bags?”

“No. I’ve got them.” She got up, grabbed her boots and shoved them under her arm, then started wrangling all the shopping bags.

No way was she going to make it in one trip.

He grabbed the majority of them.

“Lead the way. I’ll follow.”

“All right.” She headed up the stairs, Drew a couple steps behind, which gave him a stellar view of her butt encased in those very tight jeans.

Ignore her, huh? Yeah, like that was going to be possible if she kept wearing jeans that looked like they’d been sewn on her ass. His dick twitched just thinking about the other night when he’d had her bent over, his c**k sliding in and out of her hot, wet pussy.

And then he went fully hard.

Shit. He swallowed and counted the number of steps up to the second floor, hoping his erection would be gone by then.

No such luck, because Carolina had a natural sway to her h*ps that made him groan.

She gave him a look over her shoulder. “Are you okay back there?”

“Fine,” he said through gritted teeth.

“It’s just down the hall here.” She’d dropped her voice to a whisper, no doubt not to disturb anyone.

She opened the door to her room and flipped on the lights. It was spacious, with a big bed he could already imagine seeing her n**ed on.

Which wasn’t helping his pounding dick. He needed to erase those thoughts.

He laid the bags down. “Nice room. Has this one always been yours?”

“Yes. And thanks. Is your room okay?”

“It’s fine. I don’t need much, and my room here is plenty big enough.”

“I’m glad. Which one did they put you in?”

He leaned against the wall. “Why? Thinking of paying me a midnight visit?”

She rushed over and pulled him inside, then shut the door. “Why don’t you broadcast to the entire family? I thought we agreed we were going to be discreet?”

“Yeah, well, that was before you walked ahead of me up the stairs. He palmed his dick through his jeans, and Carolina’s gaze went right there, which only made him rub his erection more.

“Drew.” Her tone was a warning, but she looked torn herself.

“I can’t help it, Lina. You make me hard.”

She shuddered out a breath. “We can’t do this.”

But she didn’t back away, and she didn’t open the door for him to leave.

“Okay. We can’t do this.”

He waited. And she came closer.

“Drew.”

He slid his fingers in her hair. “Yeah.”

She rose up on her toes and brushed her lips across his. He swept his arm around her back and flipped her, pushing her back against the wall next to the door. Then he kissed her, taking what he’d wanted since she walked in tonight—a deep, soul-shattering kiss, pressing his body full-on against hers, letting her feel what she did to him.

She moaned against his lips and he wrapped his tongue around hers while letting his hand roam along her back and lower to cup her butt. He pulled her in, driving his shaft against her.

He wanted her naked, wanted to sink inside her, the need for her driving his desire to a primal level that left him mindless.

She reached for his shirt and pulled it up. He released her lips and tugged the shirt over his head, then grabbed her sweater, doing the same. He undid the clasp of her bra and removed it, her br**sts spilling into his waiting hands. With relentless need, he bent and took each bud into his mouth, sucking until she whimpered, pulling at him, kissing him with the same fevered hunger that drove him.

He stepped back and undid the button on his jeans, kicking his shoes off at the same time he shucked his jeans and boxers to the floor. Carolina was already reaching for his cock, dropping to her knees and putting her mouth on him.

He groaned when she took him between her lips, and as he watched his shaft disappear into her hot, wet mouth, he propped a hand against the wall for support, because his legs shook. He pumped his c**k into her mouth, then partly withdrew. She lifted her gaze to his and cupped his balls, gently squeezing as she propelled her lips forward and squeezed his c**k between the roof of her mouth and her sweet tongue.

He was going to come if she kept doing that, and he wanted inside her pussy. He pulled out and lifted her, undoing her jeans and helping her as she wriggled out of them.

“I’m going to f**k you up against this wall,” he said.

“I have condoms.” She dashed over to her bedside and reached into the drawer, pulling one out and hurrying back.

He smiled at the thought of her bringing condoms. Maybe she’d wanted this as much as he had. “So did I.” He took the condom from her and sheathed himself, then pushed her back against the wall, lifting her arms over her head and capturing her wrists. He took her mouth in a hot, sweet kiss as he spread her legs and buried himself inside her.

She bit down on his lip when he entered her. He tasted blood, and that fueled the fire that raged within him. He needed her, wanted her like he’d wanted no other woman before her. That need drove him as he pumped into her, hot and fiery as he ground against her, listening to her rapid breaths, feeling the way she arched against him and begged for more.

He released her hands and grabbed her butt as she slid her fingers into his hair and yanked on it, hard. The pain fired his pleasure and his lips slid across hers, both of them in a frenzied haze of passion and need as he rolled his h*ps across hers, giving her the friction she needed to come.

And when she moaned against his lips and her pu**y tightened around his cock, he knew she was cl**axing. He thrust hard and fast into her and his orgasm rocketed through him. He met her cries with groans of his own as he emptied into her, sweat pouring down his back as his lips stayed molded with hers and he rode out this incredible cl**ax that left him spent and breathless.

He held on to Carolina, bracing her against the wall with the last ounce of strength he had left. They were glued together with sweat, Carolina’s hands roaming over his back while he kissed her neck, both of them sawing out breaths as if they’d run a marathon.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yes. God, Drew, what you do to me.”

“Yeah.” He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. “So, anyway, I guess I’ll ignore you while I’m here.”

She let out a soft laugh. “That’s a good plan.”

They disentangled and he went into her bathroom to straighten up and get dressed. She followed him in, still naked, her skin marred from his kisses and the rough way he’d handled her.

He touched the marks on her butt and her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I was a little rough.”

She sighed, then smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his neck. “I don’t recall complaining.”

He pulled her against him and kissed her, this time gently. His dick quivered to life again. “I’d better get out of here or I’ll still be here in the morning.”

She laid her hand on his chest. “Yes, you should.”

“Good night, Lina.”

She leaned against the sink and gave him a look he couldn’t quite fathom. Regret, or wistfulness?

“Good night, Drew.”

FIFTEEN

IT WAS A GOOD THING THAT TODAY WAS CHRISTMAS Eve, and Carolina was too busy wrapping and baking and doing a million other things, so she didn’t have time to think about last night with Drew.

So much for maintaining their distance and keeping things impersonal between them.

She ached from last night. Parts of her were tender. And she wanted more.

How was she going to survive the next two days with him in the house? How was she going to keep her family—mainly Gray—from finding out about the two of them?

She wasn’t certain how Gray would react if he knew there was something going on between her and Drew. Gray and Drew went way back, all the way to their wild partying days at college. Gray knew Drew as well as anyone, knew how Drew was with women. There was something about guys not wanting their best friends to date their little sisters, some unwritten code or honor or some ridiculous man-code bullshit like that.

“Is it safe for me to enter?”

She looked up from her spot in the family room, where she had a wide swath of wrapping paper and shopping bags. She smiled at Evelyn. “I wrapped your presents an hour ago. Come on in.”

“Great. I’ve been wrapping for two hours straight and I needed a break.”

“Ditto.” Carolina stood and stretched. “Have you seen my mom?”

“Yes. She hightailed it out of here about an hour ago with your dad. They were going to a neighboring ranch—something about seeing some old friends?”

“Oh, right. The Nelsons. How about we hit the kitchen for some tea?”

“That sounds like a great idea. I don’t know about you, but my back is killing me.”

Carolina laughed as they crossed the foyer and went down the hall toward the kitchen. “Mine, too. And did you notice when the word ‘wrapping’ is mentioned, all the men are suddenly scarce?”

“Yes. Gray said something about them going to the lodge to play golf since the weather is so nice today. I think they were just trying to escape having to wrap presents.”

“Or maybe they’re doing last-minute shopping.”

They entered the kitchen and Carolina poured two glasses of iced tea.

“God, I hope not. I’d like to think Gray had the presence of mind to have done his shopping weeks ago.”

They took a seat at the table. “Seriously, Evelyn? He’s a man. They never think ahead.”

Evelyn sighed. “You’re right. They’re probably at the mall now, along with every other guy in town, with that deer in the headlights look they all get because they’ve waited until the last minute to do their shopping.”

“Which means you’ll get a toaster for Christmas. Or gloves.”

“Or kitchen towels or something equally hideous. Ugh.”

Carolina laughed. “Which makes me glad I don’t have a man in my life. See? This way I’m not disappointed in gifts.”

“What about Drew? Surely he’ll give you something.”