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  It was her sister’s wedding, after all. Whatever made her happy.

  Jessica smiled. “I know you think I’m neurotic,” she began, and Renee didn’t disagree, “but it’ll all be worth it, I’m sure.”

  With that, Jessica gestured toward the door. “Come on. You two have spent all day in this barn. Let’s go back to the house and relax a bit.”

  She led the way out. The moment Jessica was past the door, Jeremiah leaned in close to Renee and murmured, “That woman must have a spidey sense or something. If that’s going to happen all week, I don’t think I’ll survive.”

  Renee nodded and followed her sister, trying not to feel too disappointed.

  6

  JEREMIAH WATCHED RENEE walking ahead of him, captivated by the way her jeans hugged her butt. He didn’t think his body could take much more of this.

  In the house, Jessica pulled Renee into the living room, binder in hand. Renee gave him one last glance before disappearing from view, and then she was gone. He didn’t think Jessica expected him to follow, but he was going to do it anyway, when Aaron walked out of the hallway and came toward his friend. “Thanks for all the help today. I think getting all that done eased Jessica’s mind some. You must’ve been really bored to want to come by today and work on wedding stuff.”

  Jeremiah didn’t trust himself to respond. Aaron knew him too well, and he was worried that anything he said might sound suspicious.

  Aaron didn’t notice. He said, “Well, tomorrow the girls are going into town so Renee can do a dress fitting and cake tasting, so you’re off the hook for wedding stuff.”

  Jeremiah tried not to let his frustration show. The week was just getting started and he was already down a day, and for no good reason. Really, the only good reason would be something along the lines of saving puppies or getting a limb amputated, and even then he was pretty sure he could work around it. But there was nothing he could do. It wasn’t like he could say anything.

  He hated secrets.

  “I thought you and Jessica had decided your cake flavors already,” he responded, for lack of anything else to say.

  “We did, a month ago, but Jessica wants to be sure that we made the right choice. And she wants Renee to try them so she can get input from someone who would tell her honestly if the flavors we picked are good.”

  “And that’s not you?”

  “With cake, I’m completely honest, but I guess my bar is set too low or something because I thought we should order every flavor they make. Seriously, we should buy wedding cakes from this shop as a weekly thing.”

  Jeremiah couldn’t do anything about that day, then, but he wasn’t about to lose any more of them. “Well, think of something for me to do on Monday. The wedding will be here before you know it.”

  “Actually, I have to go pick up the rings on Monday. Want to go with me? You’ll be holding on to them anyway.”

  “Sure. How about I come over for breakfast and then we can go.”

  Aaron smiled at his friend. “You want free food out of this deal?”

  “Hey, a man’s got to eat,” Jeremiah replied, but he wasn’t thinking about the food.

  The more time he spent in their house, the more time he got around Renee and the more chances he had to be alone with her. If he could come up with a plausible reason, he’d live there for the next seven days. With Renee right across the hall...well, they would definitely be able to come up with a few fun ways to spend their nights.

  Since that didn’t seem feasible, he would take what he could get.

  * * *

  RENEE WAS SITTING with her sister on the couch reviewing the menu when Jeremiah and Aaron walked in. Aaron sat beside Jessica in a space so small that she was nearly sitting on his lap—which he didn’t seem to mind in the least—and Jeremiah grabbed a chair nearby.

  She wished she could be sitting in his lap at the moment, but instead had to fight to hide the way her body reacted the moment he walked into the room. This fun idea of secretly indulging in her fantasies was rapidly becoming torture, but she didn’t see any way around that if she wanted to have her cake and eat it, too. And Jeremiah was the most addictive cake she’d ever seen.

  “Does everyone think corn bread is the right choice over sweet rolls?” Jessica asked, looking around at the small group.

  “Corn bread matches the whole Texas country theme you’ve got going on,” Renee answered, trying not to sound amused.

  Jessica seemed relieved by Renee’s answer, which just made it harder for Renee to keep a straight face. Jessica had only been in Texas for two years, but she seemed to have jumped on the country bandwagon wholeheartedly as soon as she and Aaron started living together.

  “I love corn bread,” Jeremiah answered. “In fact, if it’s really great corn bread, I might end up eating way too much of it, leaving your other guests to starve and making myself sick in the process, effectively ruining the entire—Ow!”

  Jeremiah rubbed the spot on his bicep where Aaron had just punched him. He and Renee shared a grin as Aaron settled back into his spot on the couch.

  Aaron wrapped his arm around Jessica, pulling her tight against him. “The corn bread will be great,” he said, kissing her temple.

  Jessica gave her fiancé that dreamy smile again, then turned to Jeremiah. “No joking allowed about anything wedding-related,” she told him pointedly.

  “I never agreed to that,” Jeremiah responded, flashing Renee another grin that made her weak in the knees.

  Jessica saw the smile and wheeled on her sister. “And don’t you start conspiring with him, Renee.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Renee answered, holding up her hands in innocence.

  “Let’s keep it that way,” Jessica retorted, crossing her arms and snuggling back into Aaron’s chest, trying to look as serious as she could. “I can still un-bridesmaid you, you know.”

  Jeremiah grinned. “She’s stuck with me because I’m the only groomsman, but she’s still got Cindy if she kicks you out. You’re expendable.”

  Jessica nodded in agreement and Renee laughed.

  “No conspiring,” Renee promised.

  It wasn’t precisely true, Renee thought, but not in the way Jessica was thinking, so there was no reason to say anything about that.

  * * *

  THE REST OF the afternoon passed in much the same way, with Jessica trying to get serious answers and Jeremiah and Renee alternating teasing her. Finally, Renee set a hand on the binder. “It all sounds perfect, Jessica. You did a great job.”

  Jessica took a deep breath and closed the binder, to Renee’s relief. She had come up with a way to get Jeremiah alone again, and been waiting nearly an hour to implement it. She stood and stretched, glancing sideways at Jeremiah. “I think I need to take a walk.”

  Right on cue, Jeremiah jumped up. “Me, too. I can show you around the property.”

  Excitement welled inside Renee as she imagined them out under the trees together. It was a little cool out, but she was sure they could think of ways to stay warm.

  “That’s a great idea,” Jessica said. “We have some time before we need to start getting dinner ready. Let’s all go for a walk.”

  Renee bit her lip in frustration. Her sister was going to be the death of her. Either that or she would be the death of her sister.

  Jessica and Aaron led the way out of the room. Renee looked over at Jeremiah, who was shaking his head in disbelief. Without a word, they followed the other two out of the house and across a wide expanse of lawn. Jessica started talking about the acreage and features of the property like a motivated real estate agent, but Renee only half listened. Most of her mind was focused on Jeremiah walking beside her. She could almost feel him, like an electric charge that was building up, about to explode.

  She wondered if it
was possible to burst into flames from sexual frustration.

  When they were nearly at a paddock full of horses, Jeremiah grabbed her hand and pulled her behind a tree. The moment they were out of sight, she leaned in for a kiss. It was hardly any privacy, but at this point beggars couldn’t be choosers.

  Jeremiah leaned away, though. In answer to the look she gave him, he said, “Sorry, but if I get any closer to you I won’t be able to control myself, and I’m pretty sure Jessica would notice if we started having sex up against this tree.”

  Renee’s attention shifted to the tree. Maybe if they were really quiet...

  She couldn’t believe she was even considering that. She needed to get laid. Bad.

  Jeremiah continued, his voice husky with pent-up desire, “It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to see each other tomorrow—” the tree was looking better and better—“but I’ll be here Monday, and I will come up with a way for us to get alone that afternoon. Several ways, just in case your sister pulls something like this again. Because I don’t know if I can take much more of this.”

  Renee nodded, and Jeremiah pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, leaving a trail of fire where his fingers touched her skin.

  Monday. She could probably survive until then.

  After one last long look at each other, they broke apart and came out from behind the tree, walking casually up to where Jessica and Aaron stood fifty feet away.

  “Where’d you disappear to?” Jessica asked when they approached.

  “I was telling Renee about the trees on the property,” Jeremiah answered.

  Jessica nodded and turned back to the horses. She began telling Renee about them, giving each one’s name and breed. Renee tried to pay attention, but her mind was too distracted for her to care much about horses.

  When they got back to the house, it was time to start dinner. Renee didn’t even dare to hope that she and Jeremiah would have some time to themselves, and she was right. “Jeremiah, can you make your sauce for the pork chops?” Jessica asked the moment they stepped in the door.

  “What should I do?” Renee asked when she realized she’d be sitting alone in the other room if she didn’t volunteer to help.

  Since Renee didn’t have any actual cooking skills, she was given salad duty. In no time, the four of them were sitting around the table, one or the other occasionally going to check on something as dinner cooked.

  Once everything was nearly ready, Renee set the table, making sure that she and Jeremiah would be sitting beside each other. If that was the only way she was going to get close to him, by God, she was going to take advantage of it.

  * * *

  AFTER WASHING HIS HANDS, Jeremiah walked back to the table that was now prepared for dinner. He paused for only a moment when he realized that Renee had placed them next to one another, then went to his spot with what he hoped was nonchalance. They would be under the gaze of Jessica and Aaron the whole time, but at least he could hope for some opportunities to brush against Renee’s arm, even touch her hand under the table. At least it would be something.

  And then Renee slipped her hand into his lap, rubbing against his upper thigh, obliterating any chance Jeremiah had of staying under control.

  “Are you okay, Jeremiah?” Jessica asked, looking concerned.

  No surprise there. He probably looked like he’d choked on his own tongue, which had very nearly happened when he realized what Renee was doing. Her hand inched higher ever-so-slightly, and it took everything he had not to react.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, hoping his voice didn’t sound as weird to them as it did in his ears. “I just swallowed wrong.” He coughed to give his story credibility and prayed the couple didn’t notice he hadn’t eaten anything yet.

  Jessica went back to her food and Jeremiah relaxed a little bit, giving Renee a quick glance out of the corner of his eye. She had her water glass up to her mouth, but he could tell by the tilt of her lips that she was having difficulty suppressing a laugh.

  Two could play at that game.

  Luckily, the table was big and solid, large enough to fit twice as many people, and high enough to hide any activity going on below. He intended to take complete advantage of it. As he leaned forward to grab the butter for his roll with one hand, the other rubbed suggestively against the denim of Renee’s jeans—first on her thigh, then moving quickly to her center. He knew the pressure had hit home when a tiny gasp burst from her. It was his turn to hide a smile behind a water glass.

  Jessica and Aaron were fortunately so absorbed in conversation—he had no idea what they were talking about, but whatever it was clearly interested them—that they didn’t notice anything odd about what was happening on the other side of the table. And it was a good thing for him, too, because Renee answered back with a foot riding so far up his leg she had to be double-jointed or something.

  That thought made the room feel much too warm. He needed air, but there was no way he’d be getting up from that table. Not while Renee was still doing things that might make him implode.

  By the end of dinner, he was so hot and bothered that it took several minutes before he was able to stand.

  Long past dark, Jeremiah left, his body aching for release. He didn’t know if that woman was sent from heaven or hell, but either way, all he could think about was the next time he’d be able to get her alone. All the things he wanted to do to her, should the opportunity come up, raced through his mind as he eased himself into his truck for the long, lonely ride home.

  * * *

  THE NEXT MORNING, Renee stood under the spray from the showerhead, splashing the hot water on her face. She knew she had to pull herself together—she and Jessica would be tasting cake in two hours—but she felt terrible. Her night had been restless, her brain conjuring fantasy after steamy fantasy of Jeremiah. If she wasn’t able to fulfill some of them soon, she was pretty sure her body would seize up and send her to the hospital out of spite.

  She still couldn’t believe she’d been so brazen during dinner the night before. What had she been thinking, playing footsie like that, with Jessica right there?

  She hadn’t been thinking at all, plain and simple. Jeremiah was so damn sexy that being near him made her brain shut off.

  And the worst part was, she couldn’t regret one moment of it. Just thinking of his hand sliding up her thigh sent her blood pressure skyrocketing, and she couldn’t wait for him to touch her again. Whenever that would be.

  Rinsing her hair, she pictured what it would be like to have Jeremiah in the shower with her. Soapy. Wet. Naked. So very naked.

  She bit her lip in frustration. How much more of this could she take?

  One day, she told herself. If she survived today, Jeremiah had promised that the next one would make up for it. In the meantime, though, she would need to do something to get her through the day.

  Her hand slid down her body, edging through the dark thatch of curls covering her sex, her finger sliding over her clitoris as she allowed her mind’s eye to return to the picture of Jeremiah in the shower with her.

  Her body was so ready after all the sexual torment of the past few days that it only took a couple of minutes for her to shudder as an orgasm shot through her. The tension in her body eased, but didn’t disappear entirely. She had a feeling she would need Jeremiah in the flesh, and only the flesh, in order to completely satisfy her.

  By the time she got downstairs, she had cooled down enough to face her sister and the day before her. The sexless, Jeremiah-less day.

  At least there would be cake.

  * * *

  RENEE STOOD IN front of the mirror, taking one last look at her dress. She had gotten it tailored weeks before, but Jessica had asked her to try it on one last time at her bridal boutique, so here she was. The seamstress, a plump, grandmotherly, silver-haired woman, studied th
e satin dress carefully. “It’s a perfect fit,” she declared at last, “and quite lovely on you, dear.”

  Renee glanced at her reflection. To her surprise, the color didn’t seem to contrast quite as terribly with her hair as she had first thought. And all the cake they’d eaten that morning hadn’t attached itself to her hips quite yet. She didn’t look bad at all.

  “I told you it was fine,” Renee called to her sister, who was hidden from view by a large curtain.

  “It never hurts to check,” Jessica called back, her voice muffled.

  The seamstress smiled at her. She was clearly familiar with Jessica. The curtain slid back and her sister stepped out of the dressing room, and their attention shifted to the woman in the beautiful white wedding dress.

  The lace halter of the dress showed off Jessica’s tan skin, the bodice hugged her curves and the skirt flowed to the floor in waves of fabric. Renee felt a pang of jealousy for her sister’s height and perfect proportions. She was certain no wedding dress would ever look that good on her.

  Not that she was anywhere near needing or wanting one, she reminded herself. There was too much to do before that even became an issue.

  Jeremiah’s easy smile flashed through her mind, but she pushed it away. Thinking about sexy flings while in a wedding shop was a definite no-no.

  Jessica stood in front of the mirror. “What do you think?” she asked her sister.

  Renee wanted to hug her, but was afraid of wrinkling the dress, so she made do with a squeeze of her hand. “You look so beautiful.”

  Jessica sighed and ran her hands across the silky skirt, that dreamy look back in her eyes. The one she had whenever she looked at Aaron. Renee had that feeling in her gut again, the not-jealousy one.

  “It looks like it’s ready to take home,” Jessica said, turning her back to the mirror and eyeing the train.

  Renee nodded. Jessica did one last thorough check, then started moving back toward her dressing room. “I better get this off before something happens to it,” she said.