“Fine.”
“On the mouth, tongue and all. Shouldn’t be too hard since you’re in love with the man.” His grin widened. “Just kiss him like you did me last night.”
Hot fire scorched her cheeks. “Fine. You might as well pack your bags, then.”
“Oh, I’m not packing up so soon,” he said, studying her. “I don’t think you’ll go through with it. And if you don’t . . .”
She raised an eyebrow, anticipating what he’d say next. More kissing? Heat curled in her stomach at the thought. Strangely, she wouldn’t be averse to more kissing when it came to Reese, which was dirty and wrong.
“We go skinny-dipping. Tonight.”
Audrey’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”
He moved across the kitchen and loomed over her, planting a hand on each side of the counter. “Did I stutter?” he asked with a grin. “You. Me. Naked. In the lake. Tonight. But that’s only if you don’t go through with this. If you do, well . . .” He shrugged. “I’ll be gone by dawn. Promise.”
She paused, contemplating this. It was a wild, ridiculous bet. She totally wanted to do it. If she won this stupid dare, she’d win big in all ways. Reese would be gone, his irritating presence would be removed from the cozy lodge, and she could devote her time to Cade . . . and her twin. Plus, hello, kissing Cade. That was a reward all on its own. Audrey drummed her fingers against her lower lip, thinking.
But kissing Cade would have to be initiated by her, unless he showed more interest than he had in the past. She knew that with him she was still stuck in the safe “friend” or “little sister” zone. He’d never initiate a kiss—with tongue!—on his own. She’d have to be the one to come on to him, grab him and kiss him just like she’d done to Reese. It would require a bit of nerve.
Okay, a lot of nerve.
But if she won . . .
And yet, if she lost she’d be going skinny-dipping with this smirky, cocky oaf standing in front of her. She’d already kissed the goon, and now she was agreeing to get naked with him if she didn’t follow through?
But he’d leave if she kissed Cade. And wasn’t that what she wanted? Kill two birds with one stone. She glanced up at him. The grin on his face told her that he very much anticipated going skinny-dipping with her tonight.
He didn’t think she could do it.
Audrey held out her hand, her pulse racing. “You’re on. If I win, you leave. If you win, we go skinny-dipping.”
Reese clasped his hand in hers and they shook on it.
***
Damn it, she was going to lose. This was not fair.
Of all days for this bet to happen, today was by far the worst. Daphne woke up early that morning, sullen and dizzy. Audrey had lingered around her for a time, bringing blankets and drinks when needed. She didn’t mind helping, though she was curious why Reese moved in and out of the cabin and there was no sign of Cade, who normally was attentive when Daphne was awake.
When lunch had rolled around and Cade hadn’t made an appearance, Audrey innocently asked, “Is Cade sleeping in?”
“Oh, he went to town for some more supplies,” Daphne said. “He left super early this morning. I needed more cigarettes and Reese suggested more groceries.”
Audrey’s eyes narrowed. She glanced over at Reese. “Did he now?”
“Huh,” was all Reese said, but that know-it-all grin was on his mouth. He kicked his feet up on the coffee table and wiggled his eyebrows at Audrey.
That jerk. He’d known all along that Cade wasn’t around, and he’d still made that stinking bet with her. She hated him. She really and truly hated him.
He’d planned this simply to get her to go skinny-dipping with him. “When will Cade be back?” she asked, keeping her voice as casual as she could.
Daphne shrugged, giving her a cross look. “Why do you care?”
Not for the first time, Audrey wished that her beloved twin wasn’t going through the cranky pants portion of withdrawal. “I’m sure he’ll be back in time for your pill,” Audrey told her. Considering that Daphne took it around dinnertime each night, it made sense.
Daphne rubbed her face, groaning. “Can’t get here fast enough.”
In that, they were in perfect agreement.
The afternoon passed in a whirlwind of tension for Audrey. She read her book, finished it, then paced the living room as Daphne napped fitfully upstairs. She’d have gone with Daphne except that Daphne had finally been irritated enough with Audrey’s fussing to kick her out of the room and locked the door. Well, that suited Audrey just fine, she thought. She can clean up her own vomit. She read one of her books instead, sat on the back porch, and watched the sun sink far too close to the horizon for her own tastes.
Reese, meanwhile, chopped wood. He’d removed his shirt and, despite the fact that it was winter and somewhat brisk outside, he was covered in sweat as he placed a log on a stump and then sliced it neatly in half with the axe.
She told herself that the light on the porch was the best, and that was why she was out there. It wasn’t because Reese was half-naked and his muscles gleamed with sweat. Certainly not.
But when he tired of chopping wood and went upstairs to shower, Audrey was left alone to her own devices. She headed into the bathroom downstairs and studied her reflection thoughtfully. She’d have a limited window of time in which to kiss Cade when he got back. She had to make it happen. Had to. She was not skinny-dipping. Maybe she needed to put on some makeup and fix her hair in something other than a tight bun.
She pulled the tie out of her hair and let it fall around her shoulders. Reese had seemed to appreciate her hair soft and loose. And while she didn’t care what Reese thought about how she looked, he seemed to be a good judge of what men found attractive. Hell, he dated all kinds of women. If Reese thought she was sexy with her hair down, Cade surely would, right?
Audrey ran the brush through her hair, finger-combing the loose curls and waves that her bun had made. Her hair was shiny and soft, the natural red a pale but pleasant orangey gold. Would he find her attractive? She retrieved her purse from the living room and pulled out her cosmetics bag. Nude lipstick, nude eyeshadow, and concealer for her under-eye circles. Nothing to make her into a gorgeous woman who needed to be kissed. With a sigh, she tossed the makeup back into her purse . . . and glanced at Daphne’s battered makeup bag.