by some Reb the next time around!”
“I married your sister—” Daniel began heatedly.
“Whoa!” Jesse warned, coming to stand between them. Not only did they have an audience, Jeremy thought wryly, that audience was coming closer and closer. “Daniel, Jeremy, you made your peace about Callie a long time ago! Daniel, Jeremy fought with us to save this place. Let’s have some reason here.” He paused, then stared hard at Jeremy. “All right, McCauley. Just what the hell
are
you doing in bed with my sister? I need an explanation, and a good one!”
“There’s a damned good one,” he said lightly, addressingJesse but his eyes narrowing on Daniel. “She’s my wife.”
“Wife!” Kiernan gasped.
“Christa, is that the truth?” Daniel shot quickly to his sister.
“Yes, I—”
“You married him?” Daniel said incredulously.
Callie cleared her throat. “Daniel, it’s not so amazing that someone would marry my brother!” There was an angry emphasis on the last two words. She stared at Jeremy. “You married Christa?”
“Callie!” Daniel snapped.
Once again, Jesse stepped into the fray. “Let’s not create offense where none is intended,” he said flatly. “If we state surprise, Callie, it is merely because we never imagined Christa and Jeremy carrying on a civil conversation together, much less marrying one another. But it is the truth, right?”
“It’s the truth,” Jeremy said. “And I’m more than willing to explain it all, if you’d be so good as to excuse us long enough so that we can dress?”
“Oh! Yes, of course,” Kiernan said. She started for the door. No one else was moving. She cleared her throat. “You all! They’re naked and in bed and we’re just staring at them!” she said in exasperation. “Jesse, come on. Daniel, Callie?”
“Oh,” Jesse said quickly. Callie lowered her head and followed behind him. Daniel was the last to leave. “I’ll see you in the study—” he began. But Jesse had his arm.
“Come on, Daniel. They’ll be down in a minute!”
And Daniel, too, disappeared through the door. It shut with a small bang.
“Oh, my God!” Christa breathed. She leaned forward, burying her face in her hands. “How on earth did they all get here so quickly? Not just Jesse, not just Daniel. It will be so hard to get out of this now!” Sheleapt up, too distracted at first to realize that she was swirling around the room in all her naked glory as she searched for her clothing. The tangled fall of her hair was wild and sensual. The contrast between the rich color of her hair and the ivory of her flesh was exotic and tempting. He realized that she had two small dimples at the base of her spine, one over either buttock.
She wrenched open one of her drawers. “We’ll have to try to explain it to them,” she murmured, not even glancing his way.
Jeremy rose more slowly. He walked over to stand just behind her back. She found the pantalets she had been searching for. “I know that there’s something we can say—” she started.
But he took hold of both of her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “No.”
She shook her head. “What do you mean, no? I forced you into this, remember?”
“You forced me—and I did it. Well, now it’s done. We’re not getting out of it.”
Her breath quickened. He was gazing into her eyes, but he could see the rise and fall of her breasts with his peripheral vision. Jesu. A part of his anatomy started to rise right along in response.
Christa’s gaze slipped from his. A gasping sound escaped her and she tried to elude his hold, her chin rising, her eyes narrowing. “My brothers are home now, Jeremy. If you even think to touch me, I’ll scream!”
He could hear the grating of his own teeth, the comment made him so furious. He jerked her hard against him. “Christa, this isn’t a garden party any longer. Can’t you understand the seriousness of what you’ve done? You’ll scream?” he hissed. “Then you’ll
“I married your sister—” Daniel began heatedly.
“Whoa!” Jesse warned, coming to stand between them. Not only did they have an audience, Jeremy thought wryly, that audience was coming closer and closer. “Daniel, Jeremy, you made your peace about Callie a long time ago! Daniel, Jeremy fought with us to save this place. Let’s have some reason here.” He paused, then stared hard at Jeremy. “All right, McCauley. Just what the hell
are
you doing in bed with my sister? I need an explanation, and a good one!”
“There’s a damned good one,” he said lightly, addressingJesse but his eyes narrowing on Daniel. “She’s my wife.”
“Wife!” Kiernan gasped.
“Christa, is that the truth?” Daniel shot quickly to his sister.
“Yes, I—”
“You married him?” Daniel said incredulously.
Callie cleared her throat. “Daniel, it’s not so amazing that someone would marry my brother!” There was an angry emphasis on the last two words. She stared at Jeremy. “You married Christa?”
“Callie!” Daniel snapped.
Once again, Jesse stepped into the fray. “Let’s not create offense where none is intended,” he said flatly. “If we state surprise, Callie, it is merely because we never imagined Christa and Jeremy carrying on a civil conversation together, much less marrying one another. But it is the truth, right?”
“It’s the truth,” Jeremy said. “And I’m more than willing to explain it all, if you’d be so good as to excuse us long enough so that we can dress?”
“Oh! Yes, of course,” Kiernan said. She started for the door. No one else was moving. She cleared her throat. “You all! They’re naked and in bed and we’re just staring at them!” she said in exasperation. “Jesse, come on. Daniel, Callie?”
“Oh,” Jesse said quickly. Callie lowered her head and followed behind him. Daniel was the last to leave. “I’ll see you in the study—” he began. But Jesse had his arm.
“Come on, Daniel. They’ll be down in a minute!”
And Daniel, too, disappeared through the door. It shut with a small bang.
“Oh, my God!” Christa breathed. She leaned forward, burying her face in her hands. “How on earth did they all get here so quickly? Not just Jesse, not just Daniel. It will be so hard to get out of this now!” Sheleapt up, too distracted at first to realize that she was swirling around the room in all her naked glory as she searched for her clothing. The tangled fall of her hair was wild and sensual. The contrast between the rich color of her hair and the ivory of her flesh was exotic and tempting. He realized that she had two small dimples at the base of her spine, one over either buttock.
She wrenched open one of her drawers. “We’ll have to try to explain it to them,” she murmured, not even glancing his way.
Jeremy rose more slowly. He walked over to stand just behind her back. She found the pantalets she had been searching for. “I know that there’s something we can say—” she started.
But he took hold of both of her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “No.”
She shook her head. “What do you mean, no? I forced you into this, remember?”
“You forced me—and I did it. Well, now it’s done. We’re not getting out of it.”
Her breath quickened. He was gazing into her eyes, but he could see the rise and fall of her breasts with his peripheral vision. Jesu. A part of his anatomy started to rise right along in response.
Christa’s gaze slipped from his. A gasping sound escaped her and she tried to elude his hold, her chin rising, her eyes narrowing. “My brothers are home now, Jeremy. If you even think to touch me, I’ll scream!”
He could hear the grating of his own teeth, the comment made him so furious. He jerked her hard against him. “Christa, this isn’t a garden party any longer. Can’t you understand the seriousness of what you’ve done? You’ll scream?” he hissed. “Then you’ll
Similar Books
