No Holds Barred by Callie Croix Page A

all. Part of her had secretly feared this would happen.
    Her stomach pulled tight. “Are you…bored with us? In bed, I mean?”
    Wiping his hands on a dish towel, he gave her a bland look. “Right. That’s why we still have sex at least five times a week even though we’ve been living together for six months. Because I’m bored.”
    She didn’t appreciate his sarcasm. This was serious. If he wasn’t happy with their sex life, she’d prefer to know about it now so they could fix things before it was too late. And before the wedding. But what if he wanted a married life that included threesomes to keep things exciting? She didn’t think she could handle it. She loved him, but she could never do that. Not even for him. “You’d tell me if you weren’t happy, right?”
    He frowned and closed the distance between them, grasping her hips to pull her to the edge of the island and settling between her jean-clad thighs. “You know I would.” His long, strong fingers slid into her hair, tipping her head back. “Baby, I love you, and I’m more than happy with our sex life.”
    Okay. So why didn’t it feel like he was being completely honest with her? She sensed he was holding part of himself back, had been for a long time. “Tell me the truth.”
    “That is the truth,” he whispered as he bent to kiss her. His warm lips settled over hers in a tender caress, those long fingers rubbing against her scalp. “God, Cait, I still get hard whenever you walk into the room. Here, feel.” He reached down to grasp her hand and pulled it between his thighs, where his erection bulged against his jeans.
    Cait cupped him through the denim, feeling rather possessive when she stroked her palm over him. He gave a rumble of pleasure as his tongue feathered over her lower lip. Her nipples hardened in helpless response, and she sighed into his mouth. If he was trying to distract her, he was doing a damn good job. Too good.
    She broke the kiss and leaned back, frowning. “Does this conversation have anything to do with Liam arriving tomorrow?” He and Nathan had been buddies forever, since college, and had served in the Marines together. But they’d shared a hell of a lot more than time in the military.
    His deep gray eyes stared into hers. “No. You asked me if there was anything we hadn’t tried that I wanted to.” He shrugged. “I saw the book you’re reading, and if you ever wanted to try it, I’m okay with that, provided it’s someone I’d trust with you.”
    “Like Liam.” She couldn’t keep the accusation out of her voice.
    “I’d trust him, yeah. Because I know he cares about you and would treat you right.”
    “How do you know he’d even be interested?” she shot back.
    He snorted. “Trust me, he’d be interested.”
    The conviction in his voice took her off guard. Liam had never made a move on her or done anything to suggest he was remotely interested in her that way. God, why was she even thinking about this? There was a big difference between enjoying a steamy book and climbing into bed with a third party. Let alone a good friend of theirs.
    Had she thought about it? Hell, yes. It was easy enough to imagine, considering how sexy Nathan and Liam were. But the few times she’d begun to fantasize about it she’d stopped herself. It made her feel too guilty. Depraved.
    “Just because I fantasize about something doesn’t mean I would actually want to do it.” If she did, what would happen afterward? She already knew the answer to that one. It would put a definite strain on their friendship with Liam, and worse, possibly ruin her relationship with Nathan. Not a risk she was willing to take.
    “Okay,” he said easily and kissed the tip of her nose. “Just wanted you to know I’d do it if it was something you wanted to try.”
    When he stepped away, she felt cold all of a sudden. She rubbed her arms, unable to shake the feeling of dread curling inside her. Maybe to him it was that simple. Just another