She’s not happy to see me. Of course she isn’t. After all, the last time we spoke, I dumped her. I hurt her, which is why I have to apologize and make amends.

  I’m determined to.

  “Can I come in?”

  Claire’s eyebrows furrow. “Why? Why should I let you in after you threw me away like trash?”

  “Because you’re not trash,” I tell her. “And I never should have treated you as such. I’m sorry.”

  “So you think that if you say sorry, I’ll forgive you? Do you think I’m that easy?”

  “I don’t think you’re easy. I think you’re amazing, so you deserve someone amazing.”

  “And that’s you?” She taps her fingers on her elbow. “What makes you think I don’t deserve someone better than you?”

  “There’s no one better than me.”

  Claire’s eyebrows arch. “Really?”

  “No one knows you better than me.”

  “Is that so? Tell me one thing you know about me that no one else knows.”

  “I know you once used food coloring to paint your nails,” I blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind.

  Claire snorts. “I was six then. Tell me something you know about the current me.”

  I pause, then lower my voice. “You like hot in red lingerie.”

  Her eyebrows furrow. “Do I?”

  I whisper in her ear. “And you like it when I thrust deep inside you.”

  Claire’s eyes widen. Her cheeks grow red. Then she steps back and shakes her head.

  “You think I’ll forgive you if you talk dirty?”

  She tries to close the door in my face, but I stop her.

  “No one wants you more than I do, Claire.”

  “I think I’ve heard that before,” she says. “Besides, I think you want my brother more than you want me.”

  “Not true. I don’t want to lose my best friend, but I want you more.”

  “Really?” Claire doesn’t look convinced. “And you’re ready to tell Joel that?”

  I nod. “I will tell him about us after the wedding. I promise.”

  “After the wedding?”

  “I thought we agreed that Joel and Natalie deserve a perfect wedding,” I explain. “And for that to happen, Joel needs his best man and his sister.”

  Claire falls silent.

  “Joel can hate me all he wants after his wedding. He can get rid of his best friend if he wants, but he deserves a best man. I’m not going to take that away from him, Claire.”

  Still, she says nothing.

  I draw a breath. “If you don’t want to be with me until after the wedding, until after I tell Joel, I understand, but I want you to know that I do want to be with you.”

  Still nothing. Well, at least she knows how I feel.

  “There’s something else I came to let you know,” I tell her.

  She meets my gaze. “What is it?”

  I look into her eyes and smile. “I know what I want to do. I want to establish the Hawthorne Foundation and travel the world looking for communities to help.”

  Claire gives me a puzzled look. “There isn’t a Hawthorne Foundation already?”

  I shake my head. “No. We have a Director of Philanthropy, but frankly, I can do a better job. I want to do the job, and I want to do it more independently.”

  Claire nods. “And you’ve told your father and your brothers?”

  “Not yet. I’m still drawing up the plans. I want them to be really detailed so I can present them well.”

  “Okay.”

  Okay? So she approves?

  “What do you think of it?” I ask her outright.

  She shrugs. “I think… it’s something you should have thought of before.”

  “I know. But it’s not too late, right?”

  She doesn’t answer.

  “I believe there are people out there whose lives I can still help improve, whose dreams I can still help them achieve,” I tell her. “Actually, I know it. You know how? Because I’ve already done my research on the first organization the Hawthorne Foundation will help. They help feed a lot of people in Nepal and Cambodia.”

  Claire’s eyes grow wide. Her jaw drops as she lets go of the door.

  Yup. I thought that would get her attention.

  “You’re going to help the organization I worked with?”

  “Worked with?” I give her a questioning look. “I thought you helped establish it.”

  She gasps. “You mean it?”

  I nod. “I do. I’d like to make your cause my cause, too, if that’s okay with you.”

  For a moment, Claire just looks at me with wide, teary eyes. Then she throws her arms around me.

  I smile as I wrap my arms around her as well and hold her tight. I bury my face against her neck and breathe in the sweet scent of her soft hair.

  I guess I should have started with that bit of news.

  “You’re going to help so many people,” Claire tells me in a tone of wonder and appreciation. I see it in her eyes as she pulls away. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” I reply. Then I glance past her. “So, can I come in now?”

  Claire takes a few steps back. Her lips curve into a wide smile.

  “I have something better. You can kiss me now.”

  My heart leaps at the words. I step into her apartment, kick the door shut behind me and kiss her. Claire’s arms come up to wrap around the back of my head. Her fingers stroke my hair. I run my hands along her sides as I slip my tongue inside her mouth and kiss her over and over. She moans. The sound ignites a fire inside my stomach.

  Fuck. I don’t know how she does it, but she just stirs me up in the most incredible way.

  I lift Claire off her feet and she gasps. I carry her to the dining table and set her down on it.

  “Whoa.” She sits up and leans back on her arms. “Are you going to eat me up?”

  I take off my coat and drape it over a chair. Then I loosen my tie.

  “I’m definitely going to have my fill of you.”

  I capture her mouth and push her down on top of the table. Her hands go back to my hair as her tongue rubs against mine. I grab the hem of her shirt and roll it up over her skin. My fingers brush against one of her nipples and she moans.

  She’s not wearing a bra? Damn.

  I move my mouth to her ear as I cradle both of her breasts. My thumbs rub against the soft peaks and they grow firmer. Claire gasps. My cock hardens inside my briefs.

  I drag the tip of my tongue along the edge of her earlobe and suck on it. Then I start a short trail of kisses from her ear to her neck. I suck on her soft skin as I pinch and twist her nipples. Her fingers tug at my hair.

  I start a new trail of kisses from her neck to the valley between her breasts, over her shirt that’s rolled up to her armpits. Then I lick one of her nipples. She shudders. I use the tip of my tongue to trace a circle around it as I continue rubbing the peak of her other breast. Then I capture it between my lips and tug. Claire gives another gasp. I suck on her breast and she moans. Blunt fingernails dig into my scalp.

  I give her other breast the same treatment, then I drag my lips over her skin, over the soft curve of her abdomen and past her navel to the waistband of her pants. I plant a kiss on her belly button before pulling them off along with her underwear.

  After I toss the garments aside, I grab Claire’s thighs and pull her body towards the edge of the table so her hips are hanging. Then I kneel on the floor between her legs and dig into my feast. I rub her sensitive nub with my tongue and her back arches. I lick the sweet-smelling substance oozing out of her and she trembles. My cock leaks.

  I bury my tongue inside her heat. It spreads throughout my mouth, down to my chest and to my crotch. My cock strains against cotton. I ignore it and stroke her with my tongue. Her hips jerk. Her fingernails rake the surface of the table as sounds spill from her lips.

  I close my eyes and savor the sounds as I relish my treat. Suddenly, I feel a hand on the top of my head.

  “That’s enough,” Claire says as she pushes me away. “I want to get my fill, too.”

  She pulls me up to my feet, grabs my tie and kisses me. As she tastes herself on my mouth, her hand drops beneath my waist. Her palm presses against the bulge in my crotch and I groan before pulling away.

  Okay. If that’s what she wants, I’ll give it to her.

  I take a step back so I can remove my belt and unzip my pants. Carefully, I take my aching cock out of my briefs.

  Claire looks at it with a grin. Then she jumps off the table. She kisses the tip reverently before trapping the head between her lips. I draw in a breath. She sucks and I gasp. I grab her shoulder and push her away.

  If she wants it, she’s going to get it properly.

  As I put a rubber sheath on my cock, Claire turns around. The sight of her supple ass sends ripples of excitement through my veins. I give it a playful squeeze before gripping her waist. Then I clench my jaw and enter her slowly.

  Immediately, she clings to me. I hiss. I don’t know how much further I can go in when she’s this tight.

  So I pause. I brush her hair aside to plant kisses on her back. The passage around me opens up.

  I have an urge to fill her with one thrust but I hold it back. I summon every ounce of my self-control as I continue to push my cock in, slowly until it’s halfway in. Then I grip her waist and shove the rest in.

  Claire lets out a cry of pleasure. My self-control shatters. I grunt as I pound into her. The table shakes. Claire claws at the wood as she trembles.

  I move faster, feeling my own pleasure rising. Suddenly, Claire grabs my hands. I stop as she pushes her hips against me and lets out another cry. The passage around me quivers and tightens.

  I keep my gaze on her arched, shaking back and give her a few seconds to ride her orgasm. Then I grip her wrists and continue pounding into her. She’s tight but so wet I can almost hear something splashing inside her each time I thrust. Heat stirs in my balls.

  I grip Claire’s elbows as my cock bursts. I let it explode deep inside her as I rest my forehead on her back. I grunt against her skin.

  She stays still as her body milks me of every drop, every breath, every ounce of strength. I take a moment to recover some of it before pulling out.

  Claire sinks into a chair, blushing and breathless and with her shirt still rolled up. The sight of her exposed breasts nearly makes me hard again, but I calm myself down. As much as I want to spend the rest of the evening having sex with her, I want to reconnect more than our bodies. I want to talk.

  After I get rid of the used condom and get my pants back on, I pull out the chair beside her. She turns to me, her shirt back in place but still without underwear. I pull my gaze to her face and keep it there.

  “You really think the Hawthorne Foundation is a good idea?” I ask her.

  She nods. “And I really think you’ll make a great deal of difference with it.”

  I reach for her hand and stroke it as I speak. “I was thinking we could travel to Nepal together, you know. You can introduce me to your organization. I’ll write the check. We’ll climb Mount Everest.”

  Her eyebrows arch. “Climb Mount Everest?”

  “Well, not all the way to the top, but yeah. Maybe I can get us an audience with the Dalai Lama, too.”

  Claire shakes her head. “You’re crazy.”

  I touch her cheek. “You’ve made me crazy.”

  She grins and leans forward to press her lips against mine. I kiss her back. She pulls away.

  “Before we can do all that, you know we have a wedding to go to first, right?”

  “Right.”

  “And a wedding shower to plan?”

  “I know. We can talk about it if you want. I know you have ideas.”

  “Yeah, I do, but…”

  Just then, her phone rings. Claire puts up a finger.

  “One second.”

  She grabs her phone from the kitchen counter and goes into the living room to take the call. As I wait for her, my phone beeps.

  I take it out of my coat. The screen shows a message from Joel.

  This time, I no longer feel a stab of guilt, only a tinge of fear, which passes. I open the message.

  Are you free tomorrow lunch? Nat wants us to talk about something important.

  My eyebrows crease. Something important?

  “Hey,” Claire says as she comes back into the kitchen. “That was Natalie. She said we…”

  She stops as she sees the phone in my hand.

  “Is that Joel?”

  I nod. “He wants to see me tomorrow noon. He said it was important.”

  “Natalie said the same thing. She said she and Joel have an important announcement to make. I tried to make her tell me, but she wouldn’t.”

  I put my phone down and shrug. “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow, then.”

  “And I guess we’re meeting for lunch.” She walks towards me and touches my cheek. “Don’t worry. Joel won’t find out about us yet. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

  I wasn’t worried about that, actually, not until Claire mentioned it.

  I take her hand and kiss it. “Thank you.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Claire

  So far, so good.

  We’re in a cozy Italian restaurant and we’ve just placed our orders. Ryker and I are seated next to each other around the table. We’ve smiled at each other, done some small talk, and Joel doesn’t suspect a thing. Same with Natalie, but maybe that’s because I told her I was seeing someone else. I guess it’s a good thing I did.

  “So…” I clasp my hands on the table. “What’s this important announcement? You’re not going to make us wait until we’re done with dessert, are you? Because frankly, I don’t think I can eat until I know.”

  “And I have to go back to work after lunch,” Ryker says. “So I think now is the best time to spill the beans.”

  Natalie looks at Joel and places her hand over his. “You tell them.”

  He nods and turns to Ryker and me. He draws a deep breath.

  “We… have decided to move our wedding.”

  My eyebrows furrow. “What do you mean? You’re going to postpone it?”

  “No.” Natalie shakes her head.

  The excitement on her face gives me another idea.

  “You’re not getting married tomorrow, are you?”

  I haven’t even picked a dress yet.

  “No,” Joel answers this time. “We’re moving our wedding somewhere else.”

  “Somewhere else?” I’m still confused.

  “The idea of this big, white church wedding here in Chicago is just too much,” Natalie explains. “Joel and I talked about what we really want our wedding to be and we realized we don’t want much. We just want our friends and loved ones to be there and we want all of us to have fun.”

  “So no big, white church wedding?”

  “We’re having a beach wedding,” Joel finally announces. “In Jamaica.”

  My jaw drops. “No way.”

  This is a major, major change in plans.

  “Good choice,” Ryker says. “I’ve been to Jamaica a few times. The beaches are lovely.”

  I suddenly get an image of Ryker and me sitting on the beach at midnight, listening to the waves, staring at the moon, burying our feet in the sand, kissing, having sex. It makes all my anxiety vanish.

  “I think it’s a great idea,” I say.

  Natalie beams and gives me a hug. “Oh, I knew you’d say that.”

  I pat her back. “You know me. I always love a good change of plans. And some adventure.”

  She whispers in my ear. “You can bring your hot date if you want.”

  I blush.

  “It’s your wedding,” Ryker says. “You should have it however you want it. We’ll still be there.”

  “Thanks, bro.”

  Joel extends his arm. Ryker takes his hand and the two bump their shoulders. Then Ryker pats Joel’s back.

  “You know I’m always here for you.”

  I frown. Ryker isn’t going to change his mind and dump me for Joel again, is he?

  I clear my throat. “Yup, I’ll be there. I have to rethink my dress, though.”

  I touch my chin.

  “Maybe I’ll wear a red bikini underneath so I can jump into the water after the ceremony.”

  Ryker says nothing. He just grabs his glass of wine and takes a long sip. Yup. He’s thinking of me in that red bikini, which means I win.

  “Behave, Claire,” Joel tells me.

  I make a face at him. “I’m always on my best behavior.”

  I turn my head.

  “Isn’t that right, Ryker?”

  He sets down his glass and meets my gaze with narrowed eyes.

  “I wouldn’t say always.”

  Uh-oh. Did I go too far?

  “Anyway, we’re still having the wedding shower here in Chicago,” Natalie says. “And the two of you are still planning it. You don’t have to change a thing, either, except maybe make things a bit more grand. After all, the wedding itself is going to be pretty simple, and some people aren’t going to make it to Jamaica so the shower will be their only chance to celebrate with us.”

  I give her a puzzled look. “You want the wedding shower to be grander than the wedding?”

  “Yes,” she answers like it’s no big deal.

  It is a big deal, though. Now, Ryker and I really have to get serious about planning this thing. It’s a good thing we’re getting along again.

  “Can you handle it?” Natalie asks.

  “Yes,” I answer before glancing at Ryker. “Right, best man?”

  This time, he nods. “Sure.”

  Of course we can. Ryker and I are a great team. We can come up with something grand. In fact, I already have a few ideas.

  ~

  “What do you think of a pool party?” I ask Ryker as we enter his apartment. “You know, they’re getting married on a beach, so the shower is around a pool. Beach. Pool. See the connection?”

  “I don’t mind if there’s a pool.” Ryker shrugs off his coat. “But I don’t think I like guests being in the pool. I don’t think they’ll like it, either, what with the cold weather and all.”

  Right. Maybe we should forget about doing anything outdoors. The wedding is going to be outdoors anyway.