No Holds Barred

Chapter One




Eyes wide, Caitlin set her wineglass on the granite counter and stared at her fiancé in disbelief. “You would share me? Actually share me with another man?”

Nathan chuckled as he finished washing the last pan in the sink. The sculpted muscles in his arms and back flexed beneath his T-shirt with his movements. “You make it sound like I’d give you away or something. I just meant I’d do that for you if you wanted to someday.”

Wow. She didn’t know if she was more outraged or hurt. This whole conversation had started in fun, but now she was sorry she’d brought it up in the first place. Talking after dinner was part of their routine, her time to relax. She cooked, then he cleaned up while she sat with him and enjoyed a glass of wine. But this latest turn in the conversation was like a cold dash of water in her face. Did he not understand what he’d just said? “I can’t believe you’d do that.”

Nathan arched a dark brow at her while he rinsed the pot and set it in the drying rack beside the sink. “I wouldn’t unless you wanted me to.”

“I don’t.”

“Okay. That’s fine.”

He sounded so damn calm about it. Like it didn’t matter to him one way or the other. But she knew better. She’d known all about his sexual past when she’d started dating him. Apparently he hadn’t lost that adventurous streak since hooking up with her after 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.