Naked Games (Hard to Get 3)

He turned in his chair, and suddenly two sets of eyes were on her at once. Catherine inhaled sharply as she saw Deanna seated across the table. “Catherine, what are you—” She stopped midsentence as her gaze moved downward. Dean, the big idiot, merely sat there staring. If Catherine didn’t miss her guess she thought the look he sent her was one of disapproval. What was that about?

Too late it registered in Catherine’s mind exactly why they both seemed shell-shocked. All she’d bothered to put on was Dean’s black shirt, which hit her midthigh. Crap.

Abruptly, Dean stood just as Catherine swiveled on her heel, ready to retreat from the weird spot she found herself in, when she felt Dean’s hand on her shoulder, halting her flight. With one sinewy arm he pulled her up against the front of him. Catherine stumbled and tried desperately to dislodge herself, but his hold only tightened. He chuckled low under his breath, and Catherine wanted to strangle him.

She turned around, ready to blast him, but Dean descended on her, kissing her in the most passionate way. Forgetting they had an audience, Catherine went up on her tiptoes and flung her arms around his neck, then sank body and soul into the kiss. In an instant, her body was ready for him. Liquid fire flowed through her veins. His hands grasped onto her arms in a rough, bruising hold. She would have even more marks on her, but she didn’t care. She wanted this. She ached for him. Catherine pressed her lips to his, enjoying the taste of him first thing in the morning. He pried her mouth open with his tongue and slipped inside the dark recess. Dean played, their tongues tangling and dueling. Unfortunately, her brain kicked in and kicked her libido to the curb. Catherine tore her mouth away from his, momentarily caught by the way he licked his lips and stared down at her as if he wanted to take their little party into the bedroom. His dark, hooded eyes sent a shiver up her spine. Dean looked determined, and despite the fact that Deanna was mere feet away, Catherine had the urge to finish what Dean had started. Another voice intruded on her wayward thoughts, forcing her back to the here and now.

“Uh, sorry to pop in like this. I honestly didn’t know Dean had company.”

Dean cursed under his breath, then slowly released her. He turned his attention to his twin, and Catherine could swear she saw smoke coming out of his ears. “You need to learn to call first, little sister.”

If the sudden burst of laughter was anything to go by, Catherine would say that Deanna didn’t seem at all fazed by Dean’s belligerent attitude. “I’m family, Dean. We get special privileges.”

Dean shoved a hand through his hair, clearly losing his patience. “How about you leave and come back later,” he muttered. “Much later.”

As the pair of siblings argued, Catherine saw her chance to slip out of the room. Standing mostly naked in the kitchen while Dean argued with his twin was simply too much for her Southern sensibilities. As she turned to go, Dean caught her arm. “Where are you going?”

“Clothes, Dean, clothes,” she shot right back.

“I’m only going to have to take them back off. May as well stay the way you are.”

Her face heated and she heard Deanna snicker. “Dean, you’re embarrassing me,” she said under her breath.

“Dean, we really do need to talk. Give Catherine a few minutes to pull herself together.”

Finally, the voice of reason, Catherine thought. Dean didn’t bother to acknowledge his sister though. The infernal man cupped her cheek and whispered, “I loved every minute of last night, sweetheart.”

Unable to form a clear thought, Catherine stammered, and before she could take her next breath, Dean swept her off her feet and into his arms. He held her against the solid wall of his chest and strode right out of the room, leaving Deanna calling his name.

Catherine looked into his eyes and witnessed his fixed expression. He was every inch the possessive male. “Dean, you can’t leave your sister out there. Think about what you’re doing.” She was mortified, but turned on too. She wanted him so badly that she was terribly afraid she wouldn’t protest if he tried to get her into bed.

“You look so goddamn good in my shirt,” he groaned as he walked into the bedroom. “Deanna has terrible timing.”

Catherine had to agree with him there. Still, things had gone too far as it was. She pushed at his chest and said, “Put me down and go back out there and visit with your sister.”

Dean blinked several times, as if coming out of his lust-filled haze, and frowned down at her. “You’re lucky she’s here.”

His arrogant words brought her feminine pride to the forefront. “Oh really?”

“Really. I’m this close to bending you over the bed and fucking you until we both cry uncle.”

Her pussy flooded with liquid desire at the coarse language. His voice, so silky smooth, held promises of sensual delights. Putty, that’s what he’d done to her. Turned her into putty. “I tend to . . . scream. It would end up embarrassing for both of us.”

Dean smiled, sending her heart into a tailspin. “I do so enjoy it when you scream.” With obvious regret, he put her back on her feet in front of the bed. “Don’t take too long.” His gaze landed on the dog. The big animal seemed completely oblivious to the turmoil going on around him. Dean quirked a brow. “Did he scar

e you?”

“At first.” She shrugged. “I figured out pretty quick that he’s something of a softy.”

Dean laughed. “He’s my neighbor’s dog. He stopped by earlier to ask if I could dog sit while he’s out of town for a few days.” He frowned and rubbed his jaw. “I should’ve warned you. Sorry about that.”

Something about the stiff way the words had come out told Catherine that Dean didn’t apologize all that often. When she leaned down to scratch the big animal behind the ear, she thought of how nice it would’ve been if she’d known they weren’t alone in the house. “I don’t mind waking up to find the dog, but walking into the kitchen in this—” She plucked at the shirt. “And finding your sister sitting at your kitchen table is not something I ever want to repeat.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t thinking.”

“I gathered that.” The dog began to snore, catching her attention once more. “This big lug and I came to an understanding. So, no harm done.”

“Oh? And what’s that?”