“I’ve got a hell of a lot of that.”
She reached for him, guiding him inside.
He filled her completely. She had to stretch to take all of him and she was more than willing for that to happen.
He pushed in again, then groaned. “I have to do this. I’ll go slow next time.”
She smiled. “Go for it.”
He grabbed her hips and pumped into her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the ride, the steady rhythm of how he moved in and out of her. Her body began to tighten in anticipation. She parted her legs more, drawing him in.
Closer, she thought in surprise. She was getting closer. His fingers tightened, warning her he was getting closer, too. She could hear his rapid breathing, feel the tension in his body. All of that aroused her, pushing her toward the edge.
He moved one hand between them and rubbed her center. It was enough to send her over the edge.
She gave herself up to her second orgasm, reveling in the sensation of him filling her as she contracted around him. Then he groaned again and was still.
They managed to both settle on the sofa, his arm around her, her head on his shoulder. She felt good. Better than good. She felt like she could fly.
“I’ve never had a sex kitten before,” he said. “I give it a big thumbs-up.”
“Me, too.”
He leaned over and kissed her. “I wish I could stay here with you but I have to get back to school soon.”
“That’s okay. I can relive the moment…all afternoon.”
“I’ll be doing that, too. When do you want to start showing me off in public?”
She hadn’t thought that far ahead. “This weekend?”
“It’s a date.”
He kissed her again and then started untangling their limbs. She watched him dress, thinking that male perfection made for fabulous eye candy.
After he left, Nicole went upstairs and showered, then dressed back in her jeans. Despite everything that had happened, she felt much better about things. Healed even. A feeling she was going to hang on to.
“I’VE FELT REALLY GOOD, right until this second,” Nicole muttered as she and Claire stood in front of a run- down apartment building.
“You need to talk to her,” Claire said.
Nicole sighed. “You being the voice of reason is really getting old. Just so we’re clear on that.”
“I know. I’m sorry. But she’s your sister.”
Jesse was also a lying, cheating bitch, but Nicole didn’t mention that. Bad enough that she had to be here. She didn’t want to fight with Claire, too.
They took the stairs to the third-floor apartment. Nicole found herself hoping her sister was gone, but Jesse opened the door when Claire knocked.
If she was surprised to see them, she didn’t show it.
“May we come in?” Claire asked.
Jesse shrugged, then stepped out of the way. Nicole followed Claire inside.
The apartment was small and dark, a studio with water-stained walls and a smell of dampness. Nicole braced herself against any feelings of sympathy. She’d tossed Jesse out when she’d discovered her in bed with Drew. If Jesse hadn’t screwed up big-time, she would have still been living in the house. Her kid sister had done this to herself.
Claire looked around and tried to smile. “Everyone has to start somewhere,” she said cheerfully. “This is nice.”
“Sure. Whatever.” Jesse folded her arms across her chest. “Why are you here?”
Her sullenness made Nicole want to leave. Unfortunately she didn’t have a phone number for Jesse anymore, so she couldn’t just call her.
“I’m dropping the charges,” she told Jesse. “Not because I want to, but because my attorney is concerned about how our case will play in court. I’ve already wasted enough money on you. I don’t want to keep doing that.”
Despite her best intentions, her gaze slipped down to her sister’s midsection. There was a slight bulge. Nicole couldn’t decide if proof of the pregnancy was good or bad.
Jesse looked confused. “I don’t understand.”
“You’re pregnant,” Nicole said coldly. “That might make the jury sympathetic.”
Jesse took a step back. “How do you know?”
“My attorney mentioned it.”
“But I told him in confidence. He promised not to say anything. What about attorney-client privilege?”
Nicole rolled her eyes. “
At that moment, Jesse looked painfully young and unsure of herself. “I didn’t realize.”
Claire stepped between them. “Jesse, I hope you appreciate the opportunity Nicole is giving you. You won’t have to worry about going to court.”
“For taking what’s half mine?” Jesse asked, the moment of weakness gone.
“Here we go again,” Nicole muttered, grateful for her encounter with Hawk yesterday. Their powerful sexual experience had made her stronger somehow. At the very least it had given her something to think about other than Jesse and Drew and being humiliated.
“Our father left half the bakery to me,” Jesse said loudly.
“In trust until you’re twenty-five,” Nicole reminded her.
“You could buy me out. That’s all I want. I didn’t steal the cake recipe. I can’t steal what’s half mine.”
Nicole felt her temper rising. “You went behind my back. You built an Internet site that looked exactly like the one we already have and you sold cakes. What would you call it?”
“Doing what I had a right to.”
“And Drew? Did we share him, too?”
Jesse turned away. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“Imagine how much I don’t care about what you want.”
“I didn’t sleep with him,” Jesse whispered.
Nicole wanted to throw something. “I saw him in your bed. You were naked. He was kissing you. What would you call it?”
“Don’t be like that. Why can’t you try to understand?”
Nicole tasted fury. “Oh, so this is
Claire stepped between them. “Stop. Both of you.”
“She won’t believe me,” Jesse whined.
“She’s a known liar.” And worse, Nicole thought.
“I don’t lie.”
“You leave things out. Omission is just as bad.”
“Stop it.” Claire glared at both of them. “We have to work this out.”
“No, we don’t,” Nicole said quietly. “Some things can’t be forgiven.”
Jesse spun back to face them. “That’s right. Nicole only wants me punished.”
“At last you’re making sense,” Nicole said.
Jesse glared at her. “You know what’s so funny about all this? The baby isn’t Drew’s. It’s Matt’s.”
Nicole wasn’t surprised Jesse would go there. “How can you be sure? You were sleeping with both of them.”
Her baby sister flushed. “That’s what you think, what you’ll always think. That’s why you told him about Drew. You wanted to hurt me as much as you’d been hurt. Congratulations. He hates me, too.”
Nicole refused to feel guilty. “As always, your flare for the dramatic overrides any need to tell the truth. I didn’t tell Matt about you and Drew. I told his mother, who came over to talk to you, that you were no longer living with me.”
