In Bed With The Devil

Eight

Meri came downstairs and found Andrew waiting for her in the living room and her team hard at work in the dining room. The choice should be simple. Work or the man who had traveled so far to see her.

She debated, then ducked into the kitchen, found the phone book in the pantry and made a couple of quick calls.

“We’re taking the afternoon off,” she announced as she walked in on her team.

“Oh, good,” Andrew said, coming up behind her and putting his hand on her shoulder. “Alone at last.”

“Not exactly,” she said with a grin. “Everyone, the shuttle will be here shortly to take you back to your hotel. I want you to put on bathing suits and beach clothes. Plenty of sunscreen.”

Donny grimaced. “You’re going to make us be outdoors again, aren’t you?”

“Uh-huh.”

There was a collection of grumbles, but everyone knew better than to argue.

“At least we’ll get it over with,” someone said. “Then we can work.”

“You’re taking them to the lake?” Andrew asked when the team had left. “Are you sure about this?”

“They can swim,” she told him. “They might not be great at it, but they can. It’s not healthy for us to sit in this room day after day. Being outside clears the mind. Physical activity is good for them.”

He pulled her close. “You’re good for me. Haven’t you missed me, Meredith?”

“Yes, but maybe not as much as I should have,” she told him honestly.

His blue gaze never wavered. “So I left you alone for too long. I knew I shouldn’t have listened to you when you said you wanted to take a break.”

“I had some things I had to do.” Things she wasn’t comfortable thinking about with an actual boyfriend in the wings.

She braced herself for his temper or at least a serious hissy fit. Instead he touched her cheek. “I guess I’m going to have to win you back.”

Words that should have melted her heart-emotionally if not physically. Because the temperature required to melt a body part would cook it first, and that was gross, even for her twisted mind. So what was wrong with her? Why wasn’t Andrew getting to her?

A question that seriously needed an answer.

An hour later they were down at the edge of the lake. Meri counted heads to make sure no one had ducked out of what she had planned and was surprised to see Jack had joined them.

“Colin told me I wouldn’t want to miss it,” he said when she approached.

“He’s right.” She had a little trouble speaking, which was weird but possibly explained by how great Jack looked in swim trunks and a T-shirt. He was tanned-mostly all over, she remembered from the previous night.

Bad memory, she told herself. Don’t think about making love with Jack. Think about Andrew and how sweet he is. Although sweet Andrew had chosen not to show up for her afternoon of fun on the lake.

“So what are we doing?” Betina asked. She wore shorts and a bikini top.

Meri was momentarily distracted by amazing curves a couple of hours of surgery hadn’t begun to give her. And Betina’s assets were all natural.

“Um, that.” Meri pointed out to the water, where four guys rode toward them on Jet Skis.

“Nerds on water,” Colin muttered. “What were you thinking?”

“That you’ll have fun.”

“I’ll get a sunburn.”

Jack moved close. “I like it,” he said. “Will they give them lessons?”

“Yes. And make them wear life jackets. It will be fun.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Do you always bully them into some physical activity?”

“Pretty much. I’m not athletically gifted either, but I try. We can’t spend out whole lives inside. It makes us pasty. This is better.”

“Last year she made us ski,” Colin said absently as he eyed the Jet Ski. “Norman broke his leg.”

“It’s true,” Betina said. “To this day, the man walks with a limp.”

Meri put her hands on her hips. “But he had fun. He still talks about that day, okay? We’re doing this. Don’t argue with me.”

Jack liked the way she stood up to everyone and how they reluctantly agreed. Meri was an unlikely leader, but she was in charge.

“So where’s Allen?” he asked.

“Andrew,” she corrected. “He doesn’t like group sports.”

“Not a team player?”

“He plays tennis.”

“I see.”

She glared at him. “What does that mean?”

He held up both hands. “Nothing. I’m sure he has a great backhand.”

“He belongs to a country club. He nearly went pro.”

“Afraid of messing up his hair?”

She sniffed. “No. He wanted to do something else with his life.”

“Oh. He couldn’t make the tour.”

“He came really close.”

“I’m sure that brings him comfort.”

“Look,” she said, poking her finger at his chest. “We can’t all be physically perfect.”

He liked baiting her and allowed himself a slight smile. “You think I’m perfect.”

“You’re annoying. And you’re not all that.”

“Yes, I am.”

She turned her back on him. He liked getting to her almost as much as he didn’t like Andrew. Jack was still waiting on Bobbi Sue’s report on the man. His gut told him it wasn’t going to be good news. Would Meri listen when he told her the truth?

He refused to consider that Andrew might be an okay guy.

The instructors rode their Jet Skis to the shore. “We’re looking for Meri,” the tallest, tannest and blondest one said.

“I’m here.” She waved. “This is my team. They’re really smart but not superathletic. Sort of like me.”

She grinned and the guy smiled back. He looked her up and down, then whipped off his sunglasses and moved toward her.

Jack stepped between them. He put his hand on the other guy’s shoulder. “Not so fast.”

Surfer dude nodded and took a step back. “Sorry, man.”

“It’s fine.”

Meri raised her eyebrows. “You’re protecting me from a guy on a Jet Ski. It’s almost romantic.”

“I was impressed,” Betina said. “He could have carried you off to the other side of the lake. We might never have seen you again.”

He eyed them both, not sure of their point.

“You overreacted,” Betina said in a loud whisper. “She could have handled him herself.”

“Just doing my job.”

“Sure you were,” Betina told him with a wink. “You’re not subtle. I’ll give you that.”

“Didn’t know I was supposed to be.”

Meri sighed. “While this is lovely, let’s get on with the activity. You’ll take people out with you and make sure they know what they’re doing before setting them loose with the moving equivalent of a power tool, right?”

“Sure thing,” surfer dude said.

Jack grabbed Meri by the hand and led her over to one of the Jet Skis. “You can go with me.”

“Are you being all macho and take-charge? It’s unexpected-but fun.”

Now she was baiting him. Which was fair, he thought as he put on a life jacket, pushed the Jet Ski back into the lake, then straddled it. If she had been anyone else, he would have thought they were a good team. But he wasn’t interested in being on a team, nor was he interested in Meri. Not that way.

She stepped into the lake and shrieked. “It’s cold.”

“Snow runoff and a mile deep. What did you expect?”

“Eighty degrees. I’ll freeze.”

He gunned the Jet Ski. “You’ll be fine. Hop on.”

She slid behind him, put her feet on the running board and wrapped her arms around his waist.

When she was settled, he twisted the accelerator and they took off across the water.

They bounced through the wake of a boat, then settled onto smoother water. Meri leaned against him, her thighs nestling him. The image of her naked, hungry and ready filled his mind. For once, he didn’t push it away. He let it stay there, arousing him, making him want to pull into shallow waters and make the fantasy real.

He didn’t. Instead he headed back to the beach, where her friends were being shown the right way to board a Jet Ski.

There was also a new addition to the group. A dinghy had been pulled up on the beach, and Andrew stood slightly to the side, staring at Meri.

“How about something with a little more power?” he said, pointing to the twenty-five-foot boat anchored offshore.

She climbed off the Jet Ski and pulled off her life jacket.

“I need to stay here,” she told him. “This was my idea.”

Andrew glanced around. “The nerd brigade will be fine.” He grabbed her hand. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

Jack wanted to step between them the way he had with surfer dude. But this was different. This was the guy Meri thought she wanted to marry. And until he, Jack, had proof that Andrew was only in it for her money, he couldn’t do a damn thing to stop her.

“Go ahead,” he told her, consciously unclenching his jaw. “I’ll take care of them.”

“We don’t need taking care of,” Colin protested, then shrugged. “Okay. Maybe we do.”

Meri looked at Jack. “Are you sure?”

“Go. We’ll be fine.”

She nodded slowly, helped Andrew push the dinghy back into the water, then climbed on board. Andrew started the engine and then they were gone.

Colin stared after them. “I hate it when he takes her away. It’s never the same without her.”

Jack hated that he wanted to agree.

Meri scraped the dishes into the garbage disposal, then stacked them on the counter by the sink. She was pleasantly full from the Mexican food they’d brought in for dinner and just slightly buzzed from the margarita. Hmm, her team had had liquor twice in a week. If she wasn’t careful, they were going to get wild on her.

She smiled at the idea, then caught her breath as someone came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her first thought was that it was Jack, who’d mostly ignored her all afternoon. But then she inhaled the scent and felt the pressure of the body behind her and knew it wasn’t.

“Andrew,” she said as she sidestepped his embrace. “Come to help me with the dishes?”

“No. You don’t need to do that. Let someone else clean up.”

“I don’t mind. I was gone all afternoon.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Didn’t you have fun with me?”

“Sure.”

They’d taken the boat to the middle of the lake, dropped anchor and enjoyed a light lunch in the sun, then stretched out for some sunbathing. What was there not to like?

She would ignore the fact that she’d kept watching the shore to see what was going on there. To make sure her friends were all right, she reminded herself. She hadn’t been looking to see if Jack stuck around. Even though he had.

“Too bad about the cabin onboard,” Andrew said.

“Uh-huh.”

It had been small and cramped, and when Andrew had tried to take her down below, she’d nearly thrown up. The combination of confined spaces, movement on water and her tummy wasn’t a happy one.

“Let’s go have more fun,” he said, reaching for her hand. “Back at my hotel.”

She sidestepped him. “I need to stay here.”

“Why?”

“I was gone all afternoon.”

“They survived. Meredith, you’re not their cruise director.”

“I know, but I’m responsible for them.”

“Why? They’re adults.”

True, but they were her team. “Look, I want to stay here.”

He stared into her eyes. “How am I going to win you back if you refuse to be alone with me?”

An interesting point. Did she want to be won back?

Of course she did, she told herself. This was Andrew, the man she’d thought she might marry. She’d slept with Jack; she was over him and ready to move on with her life. She could emotionally engage now. Why not with Andrew?

“I have a great suite,” he told her. “With a view. If you don’t want to go back to my room, we could go to a casino and go gambling. You know how you like to play blackjack.”

It was true. She didn’t actually count cards, but she had a great memory and there were usually only a half dozen or so decks in play at any one time. How hard could it be to keep track of three hundred and twelve cards?

Jack walked into the kitchen. He smiled pleasantly at Andrew. “You’re still here?”

Andrew stepped close to her. “Trying to get rid of me?”

“I’ll let Meri do that herself.” He turned to her. “We’re about to play Truth or Dare. I know it’s your favorite. Want to join us?”

“We’re going to state line to the casinos,” Andrew said.

Meri glanced between the two men. They were both great in their own ways. Different but great.

“I’m tired,” she told Andrew. “I’d really like to stay in tonight.”

His. expression tightened. “I’m not interested in hanging out here. I’ll go to the casino without you.”

She touched his arm. “You don’t have to do that. You could stay.”

He glanced toward the dining room, where she could hear Colin arguing theoretical equations.

“No, thanks,” Andrew told her. He started for the door.

She turned to Jack. “This is all your fault.”

“What did I do?”

She huffed out a breath, then hurried after Andrew.

“Don’t be like this,” she told him on the front porch.

“Like what? Interested in spending time with you alone? I haven’t seen you in weeks. The last time we talked on the phone, you said everything was fine. But now I find out it isn’t. Were we taking a break, Meredith, or were you trying to break up with me? If that’s what you want, just say so.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it. Andrew was perfect for her in so many ways. He was exactly the man she was looking for. Added to that was the fact that she’d had him investigated and there was nothing in his past to indicate he gave a damn about her inheritance. Men like that were hard to find.

Six months ago she’d been almost sure. So what was different now?

Stupid question, she thought. Jack was different. Being with Jack was supposed to make things more clear, and it hadn’t.

“I’m not trying to break up with you,” she told him. “I’m glad you’re here. I just need some time to get used to us being a couple.”

“Hard to do when we’re apart.”

“So stay.”

“Come back to my hotel with me, Meredith.”

“I can’t.”

“You won’t.”

She wouldn’t. He was right.

“Andrew…”

He walked to his car. “I’ll be back, Meredith. I think you’re worth fighting for. The question you need to answer is, do you want me to keep trying?”

She watched him drive away. The front door opened and Betina stepped out next to her.

“Man trouble?” her friend asked.

“When does my romantic life flow smoothly?”

“Practically never. You’re always interesting, I’ll grant you that. So what has his panties in a snit?”

Meri looked at her. “You never liked him. Why is that?”

“I don’t mind him. I think he’s too impressed with himself. But he’s good to you and he passed your rigorous inspection, so that’s all I need to know.”

“But you don’t like him.”

“Do I have to?” Betina asked.

Meri shrugged. “Do you like Jack?”

“Are you doing a comparison?”

“No. I’m just curious.”

Betina considered the question. “Yes, I like Jack.”

“Me, too.” Meri held up her hand. “Don’t you dare start in on me that you knew I would fall for him, blah, blah, blah. I haven’t fallen for him. It’s just different now.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing. Jack and I are friends. The bigger question is, what do I want from Andrew?”

“How are you going to figure that out?”

“I haven’t got a clue.”

She followed Betina back inside, where everyone sat around on the oversize sofas. Two bowls filled with pieces of paper stood in the middle of the coffee table. They would be the “truth” and “dare” parts of the game.

Meri had learned not to mess with dare with this group. Not when they wanted things like mathematical proof that the universe existed. Answering personal, probably embarrassing questions was a whole lot easier.

As Jack was new to the game, they let him go first.

He pulled out a question and read it aloud. “Have you ever gone to a convention in any kind of costume?”

He frowned and turned to her. “This is as wild as you guys get?”

She laughed. “It’s not a big deal for you, but-trust me-there are people in this room with guilty Star Trek secrets.”

Jack put down the paper. “No.”

Colin groaned. “You weren’t supposed to get that question.”

“Which means there’s another one in the bowl about doing it with twins,” Meri told him with a grin.

She reached into the bowl and pulled out a paper. “Have you ever been stood up?”

The room seemed to tilt slightly. She remembered being eighteen, wearing her prettiest dress, although a size eighteen on her small frame was anything but elegant. She’d had her hair done, actually put on makeup and gone to the restaurant to meet a guy from her physics lab. She’d waited for two hours and he’d never shown up.

The next day he’d acted as if nothing had happened. She’d never had the courage to ask if he’d forgotten or done it on purpose or for sport.

Jack leaned over and grabbed the paper from her. “She’s not answering the question. This is a stupid game.”

“I don’t mind,” she told him.

“I do. I’ll tell them about the twins.”

All the guys leaned forward. “For real?” Robert asked. “Twins?”

She shook her head. “Jack, it’s okay.”

“It’s not. What happened is private.”

What happened? How could he know she’d been stood up? He’d been gone for months. Actually, the nondate had gotten her to think about changing. She’d joined a gym the next day.

She started to tell him that, then found she couldn’t speak. Her throat was all closed, as if she had a cold…or was going to cry. What was wrong with her?

“Excuse me,” she said and ducked out of the room. She hurried into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

It was stress, she told herself. There was too much going on.

She heard footsteps and turned to find Colin entering the room.

“You okay?” he asked. “I’m sorry about the question. It wasn’t for you. I was hoping Betina would get it.”

Something inside Meri snapped. “I’ve had it with you,” she said. “Look, you’re a grown single man interested in a woman who obviously thinks you’re hot. For heaven’s sake, do something about it.”

He opened his mouth, then closed it. “I can’t.”

“Then you don’t deserve her.”