Mr. Insatiable (3 page)

Kit was the only one who hadn’t dated anyone in their group. It had been a determined effort rather than a coincidence. Kit thought the world of his friends, and he would never do anything to jeopardize the safety and security he’d built up around himself over the years. The thought of dating one of the girls only to have them refusing to speak to him if they split up made him go cold.

So what was he doing kissing the little Celt?

He stood in the doorway to the hall. She was at the top table helping the bride arrange her dress and train. Enya had been striking as a child with her mop of red curls, and over the years she’d grown into a stunning beauty, tall and slender but with a surprisingly generous bust. Graceful and determined, she was also resolute and incredibly courageous considering what she’d gone through in her teens. As she’d grown into a woman, Kit had carefully maintained his brotherly role. He’d not been blind to her beauty, but in spite of that, he’d refrained from letting himself dwell on her as a potential partner. As Tristan’s sister, he’d considered her out of bounds and fought the natural attraction that sparked whenever she was close.

Something had popped inside his head, however, when she pressed herself against him, sending his sensible thoughts out of the window and all the blood in his body to his groin. But it had been a blip, hadn’t it? He didn’t think of her in a sexual way.

She bent over to do something with the skirt of Lisette’s wedding dress and he got a perfect view of her butt, and he sighed as he remembered sliding his hands over it and pulling her toward him.

Okay, yes. He was attracted to her, very much. Who wouldn’t be?

Why had she broken up with Andy? Was the guy nuts? Who would pass up the chance to have Enya O’Donnell in his bed every night? The thought of having her naked beneath him–or on top of him, he wasn’t fussed–nearly made him cross-eyed with lust.

But that didn’t mean he would act on it.

“Don’t go there,” his father had said, and no doubt he spoke sense. Regardless of whatever secret John refused to tell him, starting something up with her wouldn’t end well. Firstly, she’d split up with Andy and was therefore on the rebound, never a good idea. And secondly, as one of his closest friends, if it went wrong, he couldn’t bear to lose her friendship.

But her passionate reaction to what had started as an attempt at comfort had somehow lifted the familial barrier that had previously existed between them, and suddenly he couldn’t see her as anything other than a young, sexy, incredibly hot woman. She’s no different to your sister, he thought desperately as she moved around Lisette’s chair and bent forward to pick something up. But the reaction he got when her breasts nearly popped out of her low-cut bodice was
not
brotherly in the slightest.

“Crap.” He gave a heavy sigh as Tristan spotted him and beckoned impatiently, and he walked toward the table. This was going to be more difficult than he’d thought.

* * * *

Enya finished sorting out Lisette’s dress and circled the bride’s chair to find her place at the large circular table. It was only then that she realized what an idiot she’d been. She’d completely forgotten about the seating cards, and of course, Lisette had put her next to Andy. “Shit.”

She watched her ex make his way over to the table. Andy Hart had attractive blond hair and, as tighthead prop for the local rugby team, his wide and heavy build drew most girls’ eyes. As he approached the table, he saw her and slowed, meeting her gaze warily.

Enya bit her lip. She’d been determined not to spoil Lisette’s day–and Tristan’s, for that matter. She’d told Andy to keep their breakup–and the reason for it–a secret until after the bride and groom had left for their honeymoon, but now she wished she hadn’t been so noble about it. She was going to have to sit for hours through the wedding breakfast with him by her side, playing over that fateful moment in her head when she’d finally realized her first long term relationship had come to an end. She didn’t want to do it, but she clenched her teeth and lifted her chin. She was doing it for her best friend and her brother. Surely she could survive the few hours until the end of the night?

At that moment, however, Kit leaned across her and picked up Andy’s nameplate. He put his in its place, walked around the table, and put Andy’s on the other side where he’d originally been seated. Andy walked forward, about to say something to her, but Kit stepped in front of him. He didn’t give the impression of bulldog strength like Andy, but she couldn’t help noticing that he topped her ex by several inches, and his shoulders were as wide as Andy’s in his black tux.

“Problem?” Kit said to him.

The two men stared at each other. She knew they weren’t good friends and had suspected in the past that Kit didn’t like him much, although he’d never say so. But she saw from the glint in his eye that he wasn’t joking when he refused to step aside. In spite of his gentle demeanor and carefree manner, she knew he saw himself as the alpha of their group, probably because he was the oldest by six months. She studied him, equally interested and annoyed by his aggression.

Andy held up his hands. “No worries.” Without looking at her, he walked to his new place, sat and poured himself a glass of wine.

Kit turned to look at her, and she glared back at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Keeping the peace.” He poured her a glass of red wine and handed it to her. “Get that down your neck–you look like you need it.”

She met his gaze coolly and accepted the glass. “I don’t need rescuing, Kit.”

A frown flickered across his brow, and he looked at the floor for a moment. When he looked back up, his eyes were reflective, troubled. “Fair enough. Sorry.” He glanced over at Andy and said to her, “You want me to change it back again?”

She shook her head. Truth be told, she was relieved she didn’t have to sit next to Andy, and causing a fuss to make a point seemed childish. “No, it’s okay. Let’s get on with the meal.”

* * * *

Enya worried what Lisette would think when she saw the place settings had been swapped. And she worried about the fact that she’d kissed Kit–the best male friend a girl could have–and given him a hard-on when he was her brother’s best mate. And she worried what John thought and whether he’d be angry and consider her a loose woman for kissing his son when she’d only just split up with another of their circle. She worried for about half an hour, and then she realized Lisette was too busy enjoying her wedding to notice where Andy sat, and John hadn’t even looked over at her, and Kit was his normal teasing self. So she finally relaxed and decided that
que sera, sera
and she was going to get drunk and dance until she fell into a coma.

“Are you trying to get hammered?” Kit commented when she poured a third glass of wine. The dessert had arrived, and she pinched a strawberry from his helping of pavlova before taking a sip from her glass. He didn’t protest, she noticed.

“Absolutely.”

“Fair enough. I think I’ll join you.” He held his own glass out for her to fill.

She did so, but couldn’t help adding, “Don’t you think you should wait until
after
the big event before you get wasted?” Kit was in charge of the special fireworks presentation that evening. He and Tristan ran a fireworks company called Catherine’s Wheel that put on shows at weddings, New Year’s Eve parties, and other formal occasions.

“That would be a good point, except I’m renowned for having an exceptional ability to hold my drink.”

“Normally I’d agree with you, but I seem to remember the last time you told me that you blew up a rather nice marquee.”

“How long are you going to bring that up for? That was five years ago.”

“Oh, I don’t think that story will ever go out of fashion.” She grinned at him, and he smiled. She’d seen that smile a hundred thousand times, and knew it intimately–the way his eyes crinkled at the edges and how white and even his teeth were. But this time when he smiled at her, shock rippled through her and her heart gave an unexpected thump. She blinked, confused by this sudden turn of events. Their gazes met and locked.

Something had changed.

The kiss had been an irreversible chemical reaction, like burning paper, and instinctively she knew they weren’t going to be able to go back to the way they’d been, brotherly-sisterly, even if it had been superficial. She was sad but also excited, and to her surprise, she saw an echoing interest in his eyes when his lips curved with amusement.

“Kit,” her brother yelled from a few places along the table. “Speech time.”

“Okay.” Kit sighed. “Game on.” He got to his feet and tapped on his glass to get everyone’s attention.

Enya sat back in her seat, prepared to enjoy herself. Kit was an accomplished public speaker, and she’d heard him speak confidently at several formal functions, captivating everyone within a few sentences. This evening he didn’t disappoint, and by the time he finished relaying the anecdotes he’d dredged up from Tristan’s past, she had tears rolling down her face and a stitch in her side.

He let his audience quiet down before saying, “I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but that’s enough embarrassing stories about Tristan.” He smiled as someone cheered for more, making everyone laugh. “We’re here tonight to celebrate the marriage of two of my best friends. I’ve known Tristan and his family for eleven years now, and we became best mates the first day he started school. We’ve both known Lisette the same length of time, and I’m thrilled the two of them are getting married. It’s always good when a relationship is founded on a great friendship.”

He cleared his throat, looking down at his glass for a moment, and Enya stared at her plate, hoping her cheeks weren’t going scarlet.

After a few seconds, he carried on. “As you know, Tris and I own
Catherine’s Wheel
, and we’ll be putting on a display for you shortly. Before that, I’d like to read you a poem I’ve written for this occasion. It’s called
Fireworks.
”

A poem? Enya looked up at him, surprised. He winked at her before turning to the bride and groom, reciting it from memory.

“They kiss in the garden, surrounded by flowers

Dahlias burst in orange and pink showers

He holds her face, strokes her hair for hours.”

Cheers echoed around the hall. He smiled and held up a hand as he continued, posing like a Shakespearean actor.

“Scarlet peonies explode in bright pairs

He caresses her cheek, wipes away her tears

Her wedding ring glitters with crimson stars.”

Lisette blinked away tears, and Kit reached out and held her hand as he read the third verse.

“Fish meander through the flickering shallows

Chrysanthemums sparkle in greens and yellows

Pale blue embers descend from the willows.”

By now, everyone was listening and the place had fallen quiet. His voice was low, almost mesmerizing.

“The diadem of stars frames her pale face

The spider spins fragile gold like lace

Time rains silver, dazzling their embrace.”

He kissed Lisette’s hand before lifting his glass to the happy couple, and everyone toasted them, cheering after they’d sipped their champagne. She’d listened to him and Tristan talk about fireworks since she was ten, and knew enough about them to recognize the effects in the poem like ‘wedding ring’ and ‘time rains.’ She thought she knew everything about him, but she didn’t know he wrote poetry.

But then there were things about her he was unaware of, she reminded herself. No two people could know each other completely. It intrigued her, though. What else was there about him she didn’t know?

He held up his hand to still the clapping. “And if you’re not keen on that, perhaps you’ll prefer the following joke by Tommy Cooper. Police arrested two kids yesterday. One had eaten battery acid, the other had eaten some fireworks. They charged one and let the other one off.” There were roars of laughter and he bowed and sat down.

“Smooth,” Enya said.

He winked at her and sipped his wine. “I have many hidden talents.”

“Mm.” She thought about the way he’d kissed her.

He met her gaze, the look in his eyes hot and amused. “Stop it.”

“What?”

“You know perfectly well what.”

She went to protest, but Tristan stood up to speak, and she bit her lip. She only half concentrated on her brother’s speech while her flustered mind played on what had happened up on the balcony. Kit had kissed her. And she’d enjoyed it. And
he’d
enjoyed it too, judging by how his body had responded. What did it mean? Was it something they could–or should–act on? Or should she pretend like nothing had happened?

Glancing up, she caught Andy’s eye, although he looked away immediately. Her gaze fell back to her plate and she pushed the dessert away, half eaten. She’d hoped for comfort, that was all. Her breakup had left her unsettled and insecure, and she’d wanted reassurance that she was still attractive and not fatally flawed, as Andy had implied. Kit had been convenient, and that was hardly fair to him. They were good friends, and losing that would be devastating.

Also, she was hardly Kit’s type. He’d kissed her because she’d thrown herself at him–he was a red-blooded male after all. But he usually dated gorgeous blondes, often models, women who obviously knew a thing or two about what to do in the bedroom and had a myriad ways to keep him entertained. He’d never made a secret of the fact that he enjoyed sex, and liked women who enjoyed it too.
Insatiable
. The term continued to fascinate her, but she knew she was far too naive and clueless to keep him interested.