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  "I don't know. I have to think about it," I say, before taking two gulps of my cold beer.

  "While you're thinking, can I ask a favor?"

  I nod and he pulls a crumpled sheet of paper from the back pocket of his jeans. He hands it to me, but then blocks my hand before I can open it.

  "I wrote a new song, but the lyrics...I don't know, there's something not right. Would you take a look? You know, let me know what you think? Not now, though."

  He wants me to read the lyrics of one of his songs? Not even Jessica is authorized to hear new songs before they're perfect and now he wants my advice?

  "Sure." My voice is low as I look down at his fingers, lightly brushing against mine. I tighten my grip on the piece of paper and wait for him to let go. Instead, he strokes my knuckles, lightly, quickly. Instinctively, I glance up, straight into his bright green eyes. They're the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen.

  He smiles, a smile full of self-confidence, and finally lets go, then runs his hands through his perpetually tousled hair. "Thanks. Now, let's watch this damn movie."

  We're less than ten minutes in when he starts with the questions.

  "So, what is it about this movie that you like so much?" His bored tone makes me smile.

  "Mr. Darcy," I respond drily.

  "The rude guy with the Frankenstein hair and the psycho eyes?"

  "Yup," I sigh loudly, deliberately. "Rude, bad-mannered, and extremely sexy."

  "Really? Are you serious?" he asks, turning to look at me and taking a couple of sips of his beer. "I would have thought Mr. Bingley was more your type. A Prince Charming, always says yes, never argues. Calm, easy-going, manageable..."

  I shrug: guilty as charged. "I mean, look at him," I reply, pointing at the screen, at Mr. Darcy in one of my favorite scenes. "That is sexy."

  "This is ridiculous! Just when I think I've got you figured, I find out you prefer anti-social introverts." He licks his lips again and looks at me like he's never done before.

  "Oh, sorry. Perhaps I wasn't very clear. I don't like crabby, anti-social hermits; I said I liked Mr. Darcy. He's the exception because the man I marry will be Prince Charming."

  Ben rolls his eyes and focuses on the movie again. "If I fall asleep, feel free to kick me."

  "Then don't fall asleep."

  But he does, at least three times, and each time I have to shake him awake. "Ben, you have to watch the movie or it will be even harder to read the book."

  "Blondie, you're killing me." He stretches, yawning loudly. "I have to change positions."

  "Good idea." Or, rather, I thought it was, until I see what he meant. He takes my arm and pulls me against him. I'm as rigid as a broom and about as graceful as a hippo. I let out a shriek but he doesn't move.

  Then he lies down on the couch, pulling me along with him, and I find myself with my back against his chest, his muscular arms wrapped around me, over my breasts. He leans his head on my shoulder and I remain here, motionless, like an idiot.

  Is that how he manages to get all those girls into bed? Stuns them with banal excuses then forces them to stay there, in his arms? Of course, if I wanted to get up, I could, but my body, evidently, refuses to respond to the messages my brain is sending.

  "That's much better," he whispers into my hair, which makes the hairs on my body stand on end, from my toes right up to the last hair on my head.

  "Yeah, but like this I can't see if you fall asleep," I reply sarcastically, closing my eyes in ecstasy, knowing he can't see me.

  "I won't fall asleep, I promise."

  We remain in that position forever. I'm not following the movie now, either. The only thing I'm focused on is my breathing and the rhythm of his heart against my back.

  I'm the one who could fall asleep, wrapped in his arms, with his warm breath on my neck which excites me with every breath.

  "You asleep?" Ben whispers, leaning forward slightly, his hips brushing against my ass for the first time. I stiffen even more.

  "No," I mutter, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

  He laughs and the movement of his chest as it rises and falls against my back gives me a powerful electric shock that hits me right between the legs.

  "Why are you laughing?" I ask when I finally regain the power of speech.

  "I missed the last twenty minutes of the movie."

  I turn my head. Bad decision. His handsome face is one inch away from mine and the asshole is biting his bottom lip in a heart-stoppingly, sexy way. "Did you fall asleep?" I ask suspiciously, lifting my head an inch or so.

  "Nope, but how can I concentrate on the movie when you're so close?"

  That's it. My heart has officially stopped. With one swift movement he's on top of me. His hips aren't quite touching mine, but his face is dangerously close. He looks me straight in the eye, perhaps trying to gauge my reaction.

  Good question. If he’s waiting to see what's going through my head we could still be here tomorrow morning. Or maybe I'll just eliminate the space between us by wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing his lips off.

  Whatever I'm thinking and whatever Ben's intentions are, we'll never know. A suspicious click comes from the front door and we both hold our breath.

  With all the strength I have, I shove him off me and the poor guy almost falls off the couch. He sits back down and I lean nonchalantly on the arm of the couch. We both sit here stiffly, on opposite ends of the couch, our eyes glued to the screen.

  Ben grabs his beer from the coffee table in front of the couch and casually turns his head. "Shouldn't you be at a party?" he asks his brother, irritated.

  I can't see Mark, but I recognize his footsteps as he enters the kitchen. "And shouldn't you be at home? Casey was outside, I let her in."

  My soul freezes over as soon as I hear that girl's name mentioned and I feel terribly guilty.

  "I didn't know she was coming over." He looks over at me but I'm too busy pretending to watch the movie to pay any attention to him.

  "I called you twice, where's your cell? What on earth are you watching, anyway?"

  The movie is still playing undisturbed and I finally look up at Mark. Making sure my color is back to normal and trying to assume an innocent expression, I dare to open my mouth. "'Pride and Prejudice'. Or, rather, we're trying to. Ben keeps getting distracted and I'm losing the plot, too."

  I don't mean my comment to sound so ambiguous, but Ben evidently misunderstands it and has to cough a couple of times to hide his laughter. He thinks it’s funny? Not funny. Non funny at all!

  "Yeah, well, you'll have to finish tomorrow because his girlfriend's at home waiting for him," Mark replies huffily. That single comment is enough to dim the magic of the moment and kill the butterflies in my stomach dead. My head is spinning. What the hell am I doing? He has a girlfriend...and more importantly, I have a boyfriend!

  Ben reluctantly gets to his feet. "Okay, so we'll pick up from here tomorrow, Blondie?"

  For once, common sense gets the upper hand over instinct and makes me do the right thing. I stand up and take the DVD out of the player, slide it into its box, and hand it to Ben. I stand here, my hand outstretched, but he doesn't seem to want to take it. I move a step forward and wave the plastic box in his tense face. "Don't worry. You can borrow it."

  His disappointed expression is like a punch to the stomach. It's like seeing a wall going up between us, but I can't help it. We were there on the couch, so close and getting closer, and if Mark hadn't walked in we would have kissed and probably gone much further and all the time his girlfriend's outside waiting for him.

  I feel stupid and dirty.

  "Cat, okay if I sleep here tonight?" It's not really a question and Mark heads down to my room before I can answer.

  Ben pops his cell in his pocket and tosses his keys from one hand to the other, watching me rearrange the cushions on the couch and turn off the TV.

  "Everything okay?" he asks cautiously.

  Of course not, asshole! I've got
the mother of all crushes on you and months of your striptease shows in the kitchen have done nothing to improve my self-control, but what's your excuse for trying it on with me?

  "Sure. Make sure you lock the front door when you leave. You have your keys, right?" It's a rhetorical question and I'm not expecting a reply. I flick the lock on the patio door and walk past him on my way to my bedroom, close enough to brush against his shoulder, but without looking at him.

  Mark’s kneeling on the bed, peering out the window, trying to peek into Ben's room. I turn off the light and kneel on the mattress next to him. Now we’re both spying on his brother's room.

  Ben comes into view and Casey runs over to him, practically leaping into his arms before he can open his mouth. She doesn't ask questions or demand explanations, she just throws her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately.

  I feel for Mark's hand in the dark and wrap my fingers around his closed fist. How can he be in love with her? She peels off her top then pulls Ben's off. That's it, I've already seen far too much. "Mark," I whisper, trying to get him to move.

  "You know what she said when she saw me at the front door? ‘If I was drunker then, maybe tonight, you’d do.’"

  Bitch!

  He shakes his head and squeezes my hand.

  "Mark, that’s enough!" I gaze at him imploringly but he never takes his eyes off the window. Meanwhile, over the driveway, the jeans are off and Ben picks Casey up and pushes her against the wall opposite the window, burying his mouth in her neck, all the time holding her up as if she only weighs a couple of pounds. It's like watching a porn movie, the only difference is, seeing Ben making out with that stupid girl turns my stomach. Mark closes the curtain and the room becomes dark. He slowly takes off his t-shirt and shorts. His breathing is heavy and I stroke his cheek in the dark.

  "I’m done," he whispers softly. "As of now, I'm through with Casey."

  "Jessica was right. She's a slut."

  He throws himself down onto the mattress, dragging me down with him. I stroke his hair softly. I know I should tell him what was about to happen with Ben, but I don't want to upset him even more, not tonight. I'll tell him tomorrow when he's calmed down.

  Mark pulls the sheet up and wraps his legs around mine, like he always does. His touch is almost morbidly reassuring.

  11

  Her hair smells of exotic fruits and her skin is smooth and velvety. She has her arms folded across her chest, but I can still see how full her breasts are. I have to be careful not to get too close, because there's no way I can hide my erection.

  I close my eyes for a few seconds. My heart's racing and I'm praying she doesn't notice. I never thought I'd get away with it. I thought she'd punch me in the face then kick me out. But she didn't. She's right here next to me, letting me get my way.

  When I can't take it any longer, feeling her in my arms, as we lie here in silence, I get nervous and say the first thing that pops into my head.

  "You asleep?" I lean forward and my dick bumps up against her ass and I quickly pull away.

  "No." Her voice is tense and I try to hold back a mischievous laugh. Does that mean she doesn't mind the situation, after all? "Why are you laughing?" she asks.

  "I just missed the last twenty minutes of the movie." That's not quite true. I actually missed the whole thing.

  Her beautiful face is right in front of mine, just a few inches away, and it takes all my self-control not to nibble her lips and stick my tongue down her throat. I furiously bite the inside of my cheek, hoping the pain will distract me. It doesn't. Things are taking a turn for the worse.

  "Did you fall asleep?" She moves her head back and, in the dim light of the TV, those green and yellow eyes seem to shine. Shit! She's so perfect it hurts to look at her.

  "No, but it's not easy to concentrate on the movie when you're so close."

  Her eyes open wide but she doesn't move. They light up with a strange glow and I lose it. I want her, like I've never wanted anyone before. I've wanted her since the first day I saw her. I want her every single time we sit in front of each other at that goddamn kitchen table and she makes funny faces while she's studying. I could study at mine. It would be easier to concentrate and it would take half the time, but those afternoons in the kitchen are my favorite part of the day.

  That's the only time I get to talk to her, the only time I get her all to myself, watching her while she tells me about her life. Nothing in the world would make me give up our afternoons together.

  Without stopping to think, I move on top of her, trapping her under my body. She lets out a surprised 'ooh' and looks at me, her eyes round, her mouth slightly open, and the only thing I can think about is sticking my tongue in her mouth.

  Slowly, I lower my head and she begins to gasp. Shit! She's going to let me kiss her and my throat's all dried up.

  I couldn't have found a better excuse to be alone with her in the dark, on the couch.

  I think she knows how much I want her, how beautiful I think she is, just by looking at my face. I move closer, then almost jump out of my skin when I hear the front door opening behind us.

  She pushes me away so hard I lose my balance and I've no idea how I manage to hold onto the couch without falling off. She sits up and scoots over to the arm of the couch without moving, like a statue.

  I sit back, too, then lean forward and grab my beer, just to have something in my hands, to hide the way they’re trembling from the adrenaline racing through my body. I turn toward the kitchen and my asshole of a brother suddenly appears, a fierce look on his face. Now what's wrong?

  I adopt what I’m sure is my most nonchalant tone and ask what he's doing here, when what I really want to do is to fire my beer at his head. What shitty timing. The same goes for Casey, too.

  Apparently she was waiting outside for me and he just let her in. Since when does she turn up unannounced?

  "I didn't know she was coming over,” I say, all in one breath, as if I've been caught doing something wrong. Blondie's ice-cold eyes don't even flinch.

  "I called you twice, where’s your cell? And what the hell are you watching, anyway?"

  How do I know? What do I care. My phone's on the table, on silent because I didn't want to be disturbed. I take a mouthful of beer without replying.

  "We're watching 'Pride and Prejudice', or rather, we're trying to. Ben keeps getting distracted and I've lost the plot, too."

  Yeah, sure. I keep getting distracted and disturbing the film she's just dying to see, poor thing. She's got some nerves! It makes me laugh and I have to cough to hide my laughter.

  I was lying on top of her and was just about to kiss her and, more importantly, she was about to let me.

  "Yeah, well, you'll have to finish tomorrow because his girlfriend's at home waiting for him." Mark looks at Blondie but speaks to me. He looks furious and I hate it when he calls her my girlfriend. He knows she's not my girlfriend and I hate it even more now that he's said it in front of Cat. Her cheeks are bright red, though she's trying hard to hide it, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out she's half pissed and half disappointed. Whatever it is, I guess I’m not her favorite person right now.

  I get up from the couch, taking my beer with me. I want to stay here with her. I want to run over to Casey, give her some half-ass excuse, and come back and curl up on the couch next to Cat's warm, smooth body, but somehow I doubt she'll want to pick up where we left off.

  Dammit, I was so close...

  "Okay, so we’ll pick up from here tomorrow, Blondie?" I know she's going to say no, but I can't hold my tongue. Yet, when she slides the DVD out of the player it hurts.

  She said she'd help me and when I realized what her plan to make me enjoy the book was, it was almost diabolical. I didn't run back home for beer with the intention of seeing the move, but that doesn’t mean I don't need her help anymore.

  "Don't worry. You can borrow it."

  Shit!

  I hesitate before taking it. I don't want to bo
rrow it, I don't want to watch it on my own. I swear, this time I'm going to kill Mark. Why the hell did he have to come home early?

  "Cat, okay if I sleep here tonight?" Mark doesn't even look at me as he walks out of the kitchen heading for Cat's bedroom, which drives me crazy with jealousy. I know they're not together, I've asked him a million times and I know he'd never lie about something like that, but knowing he sleeps in the same bed as her fucks with my head. I also know why he never sleeps at home when Casey’s there, but I don't want to think about that because I'd be forced to have a serious talk with my brother and it's never the right moment for certain discussions.

  I grab my phone from the coffee table and casually scroll through Casey's three missed calls. I really don't want to see her tonight, not after being so close to kissing Blondie.

  Cat pretends she's rearranging the cushions and refuses to meet my gaze. I don't know if she's expecting me to say something but I know I should. "Everything okay?"

  "Sure. Make sure you lock the front door when you leave You have your keys, right?" she replies coldly.

  My sharp-clawed wildcat is as calm as anything, as haughty as only she knows how. She leaves me alone in the kitchen, feeling like a total jerk.

  Casey's in my room and she jumps on me as soon as I pop my head around the door. She's drunk, I can taste the tequila on her lips and my stomach turns. She doesn't waste time, she kisses me wildly, tossing first her shirt onto the floor and then mine.

  "What are you doing here?" I ask breathlessly as she pulls my pants down.

  "I need to be fucked, now!" I try to push her away but it's useless, she's completely out of control. Her makeup is smudged and her eyes are bright. "You okay?" I ask.

  She grabs my dick, startling me. "I am now."

  Her scent, her skin, they're nothing compared to Blondie’s. Fuck! Only five minutes ago she was in my arms. For a couple of months now, each time I close my eyes, her beautiful, sexy body materializes in front of me, and that's all I need to get me excited. I lift Casey up and she wraps her legs around my waist. I push her up against the wall and hold her there at hip height, rubbing myself up against her like an animal.