excited for the family to be together. Even though excitement wasn’t the first thing that came to mind when thinking about the Foster clan, this was a good opportunity to spend time with her niece and nephew that she barely saw.
Cathy did one more not-so-subtle perusal of her room. “Will Cole be joining us?”
Penn wanted to say yes. But she didn’t have any expectations where Cole was concerned. He was here to help her win the cup, which meant she only needed him for the scavenger hunt. Although last night they’d agreed to explore a new facet of their relationship. One she was hoping she could explore once more before she had to leave for breakfast.
Wrapping her arm around Cathy’s shoulders, Penn guided her toward the door. “I’ll meet you downstairs in the lobby.”
With one foot out the door, Cathy turned, inhaling a deep breath as if she was going to speak.
But Penn beat her to it. “Good-bye, Cathy.”
With a heavy sigh, she closed the door and rested her forehead against the wood. She was going to have to be more careful about the time she spent alone with Cole. She couldn’t risk her family seeing them together. She couldn’t risk having to justify that her potential promotion had been earned on her own merits, and not because she was sleeping with Cole.
She jumped when his voice sounded behind her. “There’s an itinerary?”
When she turned to face him, amusement sparkled in his eyes.
“Harold Foster leaves nothing to chance.” She pushed off the door and made her way to the living area. “He likes when we’re all forced to spend as much time together as possible.”
When she reached him, his gaze lowered to the floor. “I’m sure you want to spend time with your family. I’ll stay out of your hair until the scavenger hunt.”
She didn’t want to push her luck. For as much as she wanted Cole as a buffer between her and her family, she wasn’t going to force him into mandatory family time. But she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want him there. For all of it. Every dinner. Every activity. Every dumb conversation.
“You mean playing volleyball with my family isn’t number one on your to-do list?”
She’d never admit this to his face, but she needed him this week. She didn’t relish having to face the wolves alone.
“Well…” He threaded his hand through his beautiful brown hair. He was standing only a breath away now. Somehow they’d gotten closer to each other, close enough that she could see his erratic heartbeat pulse in his neck. “I don’t have anything better to do.”
Suddenly, the air around them changed. The fear, the nervousness that had overwhelmed her moments ago, had vanished and was replaced with lust. That sinful feeling that poked at her libido every time she was with Cole. Especially now, with the way his eyes, like heated lasers, burned up every inch of her body.
“You started something that afternoon in the bathroom when you kissed me.” He swallowed hard.
“I kissed you?” She laughed. Cackled was more like it. “You kissed me.”
It didn’t matter who kissed first. He’d solidified it last night when he let her put his hand between her legs in the bar.
She poked her finger into his hard chest. His pec rippled under her touch. Fuck, that was hot. If she pressed into another spot, would he do it again? She forced herself to focus. “You look at me like I’m the only item on your breakfast menu and you haven’t eaten in weeks.”
“Such a selective memory.”
“I remember perfectly.” She gulped down a breath. “You loomed over me. Talking about soft hands and touching my mouth.”
He reached out, his finger doing exactly what he’d done yesterday, sliding across her bottom lip. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Like this?”
She swallowed hard, then nodded as a soft, “Yes,” escaped her lips. “And then you—”
He attacked her mouth. His lips moved over hers in perfect synchronization. Warm, wet tongues clashed against each other. The sex last night had been hot. But this kiss, this kiss was scorching.
Her heart thundered. This kiss laid all their cards on the table. Because it was acknowledging that they both wanted this. That they were both ready to drop the gloves and go ten rounds in the bedroom. And then win that trophy.
She snaked her hands up his chest at the same time his hands traveled down and slid under the fabric of her robe to cup her bare