Caroline's Seduction (Montgomery Family and Friends) (11 page)

“Mr. Wakefield,” she greeted with a voice that wasn’t quite steady. 

Kyle arched an eyebrow and smiled.  “Ms. Johnson,” he drawled in that sexy southern accent.  “I didn’t know you’d be here tonight.  We could have ridden together had I known.”

Caroline felt her toes curling at the delicious sound of his voice.  She had to grab on tight to her thoughts to keep them from wandering to areas best left alone.  “Actually I’m not going back tonight.  I’m staying at a hotel.” 

“What a coincidence, so are we.”  And the look he sent Caroline warned her that had been his point all along.

She ignored his comment and focused her attention on Sarah.  “Have you met Jay’s Uncle Matt yet?  He was kind enough to make sure I was able to get the tickets and backstage passes for your birthday.”

Sarah shook hands with both Matt and Aubrey.  “Thank you so much!  It was the best birthday present ever.  Jay talks about his family all the time and of course we meet briefly at the family barbeque at Mrs. Blake’s home!”

Caroline listened to Sarah’s continued conversation with Matt and Aubrey.  Her concentration slipped away from them when she felt Kyle step in behind her.  He was so close she could feel the heat of his body seep into her.  Her body wanted nothing more than to let go and relax into him, but she didn’t give in to the desire drowning her senses.  Instead she straightened her spine and moved instinctively closer to the Montgomery sisters.  Sometimes there was indeed safety in numbers.

Kyle watched in amazement at the unspoken look that passed between the three sisters.  They immediately closed rank around Caroline.  He should have been irked that they thought she needed protection from him.  Instead he was relieved that she had such great friends to look out for her.  It wasn’t going to keep him from pursuing her however.  On that one goal his mind was firmly set.  Winning back Caroline was going to be a challenge, but he was up to the task!  Seducing Caroline back into his bed for the duration of his stay in Florida was going to be well worth the effort.

Nine

Caroline clutched the plastic cake container that housed her precious sour cream pound cake.  The homemade sugared cranberries and a white chocolate glaze were balanced on top.   She managed to wiggle a finger free to push the doorbell.  Then she waited to see who would open the door to Joyce Montgomery’s large two-story home.  Spending the holidays with the Montgomery family last year had been very special.  She loved the way they made her feel like one of the family.  This year however was going to be different.  This year Kyle and Sarah were included.  And there was no way for Caroline to get around that.

The once budding friendship between Jay and Sarah was now going strong.  The two teens were almost inseparable.  When given the choice of going back to Atlanta to see old friends or spending the holidays with the Montgomery’s, Sarah had chosen Jay and his family hands down.  So Caroline found herself forced to share the holidays with Kyle.  She’d thought about backing out and spending the holidays in her apartment alone, but that had lasted for about one miserable second.  Abigail had threatened to take the entire Montgomery family including Kyle and Sarah Wakefield and Mason’s brother Brian to her apartment.

Yeah like that was going to happen.  There was no way all of those people would fit inside her tiny apartment.  It was okay enough for a single teacher that lived alone, but holiday dinner for ten adults, two teens, and four children?  No way!  So Caroline had relented and now here she stood on the front porch of the Montgomery matriarch.

Caroline smiled at Abigail when she opened the door.  She wanted to salute her friend, but her hands were full.  Instead she sent her a winning smile, “Caroline Johnson reporting for duty.    Now you don’t have to bring the masses to my place.”

“Thank God,” Abigail teased back.  She grabbed the cranberries and glaze before they could fall.  “The people might have fit, but all of mom’s food?  No I don’t think so.  She’s gone overboard again as usual.  We have an extra guest too, Evan Scott.  He used to be a professor at the local university, but he took a job in South Carolina a couple of years ago.  He worked on a joint field project with Annabel and Jonathan about three years ago.”

Caroline shrugged her shoulders.  One more guest didn’t really matter and it might be a good thing.  Maybe he’d give her something to concentrate on other than Kyle.  “The more the merrier I guess,” she said to Abigail.  “What’s he doing visiting over the holidays?”

“Well I believe he was in town to finish up a long term project he and Jonathan have been working on.  They co-wrote an article for an environmental journal and it’s ready for publication now.  It sure does make for a very interesting day.  My mouth about dropped to the floor when Annabel told me they had invited him to the family dinner.”

Caroline was confused by Abigail’s frank confession.  She’d never known the Montgomery’s to be inhospitable to anyone.  “Why is that?”

Abigail’s eyes got really big and then she covered her mouth with one hand.  She quickly dropped her hand so she could talk.  “Oh that’s right!  I forgot you weren’t here during the Evan years and his name is almost taboo around here.”

Now it was Caroline’s turn.  Her eyes became blue saucers in her face.  “What do you mean, taboo?”

“Well,” Abigail drawled out the word for a more dramatic effect.  “Let me get you up to speed on that branch of the Montgomery family gossip.  He and Aubrey dated off and on for over a year.  As a matter of fact she and Matthew almost didn’t happen because of Evan Scott.”

“Wow!  I find that really hard to believe,” Caroline confided in her friend.  “I’ve seen Aubrey and Matthew together on several occasions and they are still so much in love it’s ridiculous.”

“I know right, tell me about it.”

Caroline narrowed her eyes.  “Like you have room to talk, the exact same thing can be said for you and Mason.  Abigail and Jonathan too come to think of it.  The three of you must be the luckiest women on Earth.”

“I will agree with that.  I’m just saying mom would do well to keep Matthew and Aubrey on opposite ends of the table from Evan.  There are knives at the table and children will be present.  I’d hate for things to get ugly.  Actually maybe you should sit across from Evan.  Both of you are dateless and Kyle is closer to Aubrey’s end of the table anyway.”

Caroline caught the sudden uplift in her friend’s manner.  She’d bet a week’s salary that Abigail was up to something.  She would appreciate some space between her and Kyle however so she agreed.  “I’d like that.  If Evan and Jonathan work together, he’s got to have some kind of science background.  We can talk about his job if nothing else.”

Abigail smiled a wicked smile that confirmed her friend’s suspicion that she was up to no good.  “I put Mason’s brother Brian on your left.  Having you surrounded by two very gorgeous, very eligible men should definitely drive Kyle insane.”

Caroline didn’t want to drive Kyle insane.  She just wanted him to leave her alone.  She started to tell her friend just that, but Abigail was already making a run for the kitchen.

****

Caroline delicately wiped her mouth with her linen napkin before putting the napkin back in her lap.  She had thoroughly enjoyed dinner.  Brian and Evan were excellent conversationalists and both were very charming as well.  The only bumpy part to the entire dinner had been when Caroline who was working overtime to ignore Kyle had laughed just a little too loud at something Brian had said to her.  Conversation on the other end of the table had stopped and Caroline glanced down to see Kyle glaring at her.  She’d quickly looked away and focused on Brian and Evan. 

She felt comfortable with Evan and Brian.  Maybe it was because they didn’t share a past or maybe it was because even though they were both very good looking men she felt no physical chemistry with them.  Her traitorous body only reacted to one man, Kyle Wakefield.   She heard Evan say her name and she turned her attention to him.

“I expected any glares I got to be coming from Hampton.  He’s not too fond of me, never has been.  So why am I getting glares from the football player instead?”

Caroline smiled at his reference to Kyle’s athletic physique.  She shrugged her shoulders.  “He’s my ex-boyfriend, but we are no longer an item.  I have no idea why he’s glaring at you.”

Evan let out a low whistle, “your ex huh?  How did you both manage to land an invitation to a Montgomery family holiday dinner?”

“Abigail and I have been really good friends for over a year.  The Montgomery’s have kind of adopted me.  I attend most of their family functions now.  Kyle’s daughter Sarah who’s over at the children’s table is best friends with Abigail’s son Jay.  Kyle and Sarah have only been in the area for a few months so Abigail did the neighborly thing and invited them to dinner too.”

“If it’s any consolation you’re hiding your angst well.”

Caroline’s eyes opened wide at the perceptiveness of his words.  She quickly regained her equilibrium.  “I’m sure you’re mistaken.”

It was Evan’s turn to shrug.  “Maybe, but I think I know a kindred spirit when I see it.  I know what it’s like to want someone you can’t have and then be pushed into their company on occasion.”

“Oh!”  She glanced toward Aubrey who was sitting at the opposite end of the table. 

“Not even close,” he confided.  “There will always be a special place in my heart for Aubrey, but we were never really in love with each other.  My tormentor is a couple of states away, which is why I accepted Jonathan and Annabel’s invitation to stay with them during the holidays.”

Caroline relaxed.  She liked Evan much more now that she knew he didn’t pose a danger to Aubrey and Matthew.  And he was right, they were kindred spirits.  A person could never have too many friends and she was comfortable in the knowledge that friendship was all Evan wanted from her.

Kyle tried to avoid the other end of the table, but his eyes always seemed to return to Caroline.  He watched as she leaned closer to the man in front of her as they engaged in what looked like an intense and private conversation.  He couldn’t stop the frown that covered his face.

Abigail leaned toward him from across the table.  “Don’t worry about Evan.  He’s harmless.”

Aubrey who was seated directly across from Kyle and next to Abigail agreed.  She patted Kyle’s hand in a sign of support.  “Evan is harmless.  We were involved for a long time and it took me forever to realize that his heart belongs to someone else.  Trust me he’s not a threat to you or Caroline.”

“I’m not worried,” and he wasn’t.  Caroline was too guarded to let a stranger like Evan into her heart.  He did feel his body relax after the sisters’ reassurances, which told him that the sight of Caroline flirting with a stranger had a much bigger effect on him then he wanted it to.

****

After dinner the women helped Joyce with the cleanup while Sarah and Jay kept an eye on the children and the men watched football in the family room.  Caroline was thinking about excusing herself and going home early, but Abigail put an end to that.  “We’re almost done in here.  I say we challenge the men to a game of charades.”

“I’ll keep score,” Joyce volunteered.  “That will make for an even number of players and you can play in pairs.”

“I like that idea,” Abigail was quick to jump on the bandwagon.  “Come on ladies let’s grab a partner.” 

Caroline watched Abigail and the other women excitedly rush to the family room.  She followed a few steps behind.  She knew Abigail was up to something and she probably wasn’t going to like it.  She was right.  Kyle gave her a big smile when she finally joined everyone else. 

“Looks like we’re partners,” he informed her.  “I hope you’re good at games, since I play to win.”

“Well then I’m sure we’ll leave the other groups in the dust.”  She gave him a hard stare.  “If there’s one thing I know about you Kyle Wakefield, it’s that you’re very good at games.”  He looked like he wanted to reply, but Joyce called everyone to attention and the game began.

A couple of hours later Annabel and Jonathan called for the last round.  They wanted to get their young children home and in their own beds for the night.  Caroline had been having more fun then she’d thought possible.  The game was close.  She and Kyle were tied for first place with Annabel and Jonathan, and Matthew and Aubrey.  Abigail and Mason, and Brian and Evan were only one point back.  Once she and Kyle both competitive by nature had become absorbed in the game the animosity and awkwardness had faded into the background.  They really worked well together at charades anyway.  Too bad they didn’t mesh so well in the rest of their lives.  She had to remind herself that no matter how much she might want him, Kyle was not the man for her.  There was too much water under that bridge and even though she’d slipped up once she couldn’t let him back into her life. 

She was so intent on her inner thoughts that she couldn’t concentrate when it was their turn.  Kyle did a great job acting out the clue, but her mind couldn’t grasp what he was trying to show her.  She made a few wild guesses and then Joyce called time.  They sat next to each other on the couch while Aubrey and Matthew took their turn in the game. 

“You made us lose on purpose,” Kyle accused.   “You knew how much I wanted to win and we were doing so well too,” he shook his head in disbelief.

Caroline leaned in closer, “still willing to think the worse of me, I see.”  She was interrupted when Annabel and Jonathan’s time ran out and Aubrey and Matthew claimed victory.  Caroline looked back at Kyle.  “You know Kyle, I really did have a good reason for trying to contact you after we broke up, but that reason’s gone now and I’m not going back to that place ever again.” 

She got up from the couch without giving him time to reply and made her way across the room to Joyce Montgomery.  She hugged the older woman and relished the hug back she received.  It was times like this that she really missed her own mom and her Aunt Lucinda.  “Thank you Joyce for including me with the rest of the family.  I had a great time, but I should really be heading home now.”  She made a general goodbye to everyone in the room and almost wept in relief when Evan volunteered to walk her out to her car.  His presence would keep Kyle at bay, which is exactly what she wanted.  So why did she feel so empty on the drive home?