"Gwen. Her name was Gwen." Might as well tell the entire truth. "Her name is Gwen. Gwen Storey."
And with that, Kinsey stopped feeling him up.
She paused, and he counted the seconds until her decision—one, two, three—a decision that had her pulling her hand from between his legs and rolling away.
He didn't want her to go, not this way, so he rolled in her direction, trapping her legs by throwing one of his across the top of her thighs.
She stared at him, her eyes wide and blinking as she digested his news. "What do you mean, Gwen Storey?"
"Just what I said. Gwen Storey."
"You're divorced?"
Funny. Even he hadn't thought that would be Kinsey's reaction. "Would it matter?"
"No. Not really. But why keep it a secret?"
"It's not a secret. I'm not divorced and, no," he hurried to add, "I'm not married, either. Gwen is my sister-in-law."
After another never-ending, heart-stopping moment he spent waiting to breathe, Kinsey waved both hands, then scooted up in bed, bracing herself on her elbows, her face inches from his. "Wait. Just wait. Could you maybe start this at the beginning? Skipping over the details of your birth."
He looked away from her face to the blanket she'd pulled up to cover her breasts. "In that case the beginning would've been when I was five. That was the year her family moved in next door. Gwen and I were inseparable from then until we graduated."
Kinsey seemed to let that settle before she went on to ask, "College? Is that when you split up?"
"I can't say when we split up." He toyed with the blanket's edge, avoiding her probing gaze. "Gwen stayed in Abilene and got her associates degree locally. I came home from Houston the Christmas of my third year at U of H to find her engaged to my brother, Adam."
"How could she be engaged to both of you?"
Doug shook his head. "She and I were never officially engaged. I didn't think we needed to be."
"And you were wrong."
She didn't stop him when he pulled the blanket down enough to bare one of her gumdrop nipples. "Apparently so."
He leaned down and sucked her into his mouth. He didn't want to talk. He wanted to bury himself in her body and forget everything but the sex.
He especially wanted to forget one of the most stupid mistakes he'd ever made. It was over and done with, as he'd said to Kinsey, and this trip down memory lane was interfering with his need to get laid.
"That's it?" she asked, though she didn't push him away. "That's all?"
He opened his mouth but spoke against her skin as he answered, "You want more?"
"Yes, I want more."
"Insatiable wench," he said, and climbed on top.
She pressed her hand to his chest. "Not that more. More of the story."
"Why doesn't that come as a surprise?" he asked, and collapsed to the side.
"Well, there has to be more than that. How did she end up with your brother?"
He shrugged. "He was there. I wasn't."
"But after all those years?"
"What can I say. Absence does not make the heart grow fonder."
"And no one said a word to you?"
"There's a reason I say that my family have their lives and I have mine."
She shook her head, rolling it back and forth on the pillow. "This isn't right."
"Kinsey, this is just the way it is. And it's history."
"It's not history if it still keeps you and your family apart."
He levered himself up onto one elbow so he could look down into her face. He didn't want to chase her away, but he'd be damned if he let her dig into and reopen wounds that had long been healed. "It's going to keep you and me apart if you don't drop it."
"Fine," she said, before she clamped her mouth shut and rolled over and away to go back to sleep.
Ah, well. Hers wasn't the first cold shoulder he'd slept with, he mused ruefully, plopping onto his back. No doubt there'd be more. And, besides. He needed to get up and shower in a minute, anyway…
"Doug?"
God, but her voice sounded so tiny and so faraway. "Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for prying. Your business is none of mine."
He sucked in a huge breath, let
And with that, Kinsey stopped feeling him up.
She paused, and he counted the seconds until her decision—one, two, three—a decision that had her pulling her hand from between his legs and rolling away.
He didn't want her to go, not this way, so he rolled in her direction, trapping her legs by throwing one of his across the top of her thighs.
She stared at him, her eyes wide and blinking as she digested his news. "What do you mean, Gwen Storey?"
"Just what I said. Gwen Storey."
"You're divorced?"
Funny. Even he hadn't thought that would be Kinsey's reaction. "Would it matter?"
"No. Not really. But why keep it a secret?"
"It's not a secret. I'm not divorced and, no," he hurried to add, "I'm not married, either. Gwen is my sister-in-law."
After another never-ending, heart-stopping moment he spent waiting to breathe, Kinsey waved both hands, then scooted up in bed, bracing herself on her elbows, her face inches from his. "Wait. Just wait. Could you maybe start this at the beginning? Skipping over the details of your birth."
He looked away from her face to the blanket she'd pulled up to cover her breasts. "In that case the beginning would've been when I was five. That was the year her family moved in next door. Gwen and I were inseparable from then until we graduated."
Kinsey seemed to let that settle before she went on to ask, "College? Is that when you split up?"
"I can't say when we split up." He toyed with the blanket's edge, avoiding her probing gaze. "Gwen stayed in Abilene and got her associates degree locally. I came home from Houston the Christmas of my third year at U of H to find her engaged to my brother, Adam."
"How could she be engaged to both of you?"
Doug shook his head. "She and I were never officially engaged. I didn't think we needed to be."
"And you were wrong."
She didn't stop him when he pulled the blanket down enough to bare one of her gumdrop nipples. "Apparently so."
He leaned down and sucked her into his mouth. He didn't want to talk. He wanted to bury himself in her body and forget everything but the sex.
He especially wanted to forget one of the most stupid mistakes he'd ever made. It was over and done with, as he'd said to Kinsey, and this trip down memory lane was interfering with his need to get laid.
"That's it?" she asked, though she didn't push him away. "That's all?"
He opened his mouth but spoke against her skin as he answered, "You want more?"
"Yes, I want more."
"Insatiable wench," he said, and climbed on top.
She pressed her hand to his chest. "Not that more. More of the story."
"Why doesn't that come as a surprise?" he asked, and collapsed to the side.
"Well, there has to be more than that. How did she end up with your brother?"
He shrugged. "He was there. I wasn't."
"But after all those years?"
"What can I say. Absence does not make the heart grow fonder."
"And no one said a word to you?"
"There's a reason I say that my family have their lives and I have mine."
She shook her head, rolling it back and forth on the pillow. "This isn't right."
"Kinsey, this is just the way it is. And it's history."
"It's not history if it still keeps you and your family apart."
He levered himself up onto one elbow so he could look down into her face. He didn't want to chase her away, but he'd be damned if he let her dig into and reopen wounds that had long been healed. "It's going to keep you and me apart if you don't drop it."
"Fine," she said, before she clamped her mouth shut and rolled over and away to go back to sleep.
Ah, well. Hers wasn't the first cold shoulder he'd slept with, he mused ruefully, plopping onto his back. No doubt there'd be more. And, besides. He needed to get up and shower in a minute, anyway…
"Doug?"
God, but her voice sounded so tiny and so faraway. "Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for prying. Your business is none of mine."
He sucked in a huge breath, let
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