The Ties That Bond [Bonding Camp 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More)

by Christelle Mirin

  The jets of the hot tub shut off, returning to the slow, murmuring bubble that signaled it was in standby mode. Jack still held her hand, lightly tracing her fingers with his thumb. He cocked his head, his gaze travelling over her features. “You’re nowhere near as free back in the real world as you are here. In the city, you’re efficient and proper. You’re serious about your life most of the time, but once in a while someone will catch you smiling a true smile.”

  Rhonda felt almost hypnotized by his words. His tone was deep and mellow, easy to hear now that the hot tub wasn’t making so much noise. “You must have met me before. You’ve been to the offices, seen me there.”

  He shook his head. “No. I’ve been to the office to pick someone up before, but I’ve never set foot in the building. I always call the person I’m picking up on their cell to tell them I’m downstairs.” He leaned back again, releasing her hand. “What do you do at the firm? It has to be something to do with organization or scheduling. I can picture you being good at that.” He tapped the side of his head with a fingertip, obviously thinking.

  “If we’ve never met, how can you know so much about me?” She didn’t know whether to be impressed by his observations or worried that he’d been stalking her.

  “I’m good at reading people,” he said, dropping his hand back into the water. “Body language, facial expressions…little things people do that give away what they’re really thinking.”

  Rhonda crossed her arms. “So what am I thinking right now?”

  He grinned. “You’re thinking that you are attracted to me, but you don’t know if you can trust me.”

  Rhonda’s stomach tightened. She swallowed, trying to keep her expression from changing.

  Jack stood, water trickling down his body in glimmering rivulets. “You’re thinking this may turn into a very interesting weekend, and you’re a little nervous about that.” He climbed out of the hot tub and reached for a towel.

  Rhonda looked up at him, the sweet heat of sensuality coiling through her like a smoky haze as she watched him towel off then slip his swim trunks back on.

  “You’re also wondering,” he continued, reaching for the towel she had placed on the chair for herself, “if it would be safe to let me get a little bit closer to you.” He shook out the towel and held it in one hand while offering her the other hand.

  Like a woman in a trance, Rhonda rose up out of the water and placed her hand in his. He helped her step out onto the deck and gently wrapped the towel around her shoulders.

  “You don’t need to worry,” he said from behind her, his lips so close to her ear the warmth of his breath caused her to shudder. “You’ll be safe with me.”

  Chapter Two

  Jack had never met anyone like her.

  “What do you say we go see if we can scrounge up a bite to eat?” he asked, helping her into her robe after she toweled off. They had just gotten out of the hot tub, and he had slipped on his swim trunks as soon as he could without looking like he was trying to hide something. It didn’t help. There was nothing that was going to hide his arousal. He couldn’t help that he had a hard-on, but even though they had just met under circumstances that were not quite normal—both of them being naked and all—he didn’t want to have her thinking all he wanted to do was fuck her.

  Rhonda tied the sash of her robe and turned to face him, her liquid-brown eyes holding a curious expression. “What did you have in mind?” Then she smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling.

  Jack turned her, his arm around her shoulders steering her toward the exit. “I could go for just about anything right now. I’m starved.” His stomach took the opportunity to growl loudly.

  Rhonda glanced up at him sharply. “It definitely sounds like you’re hungry,” she said.

  “Sorry.” He pulled open the door to the outside and stepped back, allowing her to pass. “I haven’t eaten since lunch, and it’s what—almost ten?” He glanced up from looking at his watch. Wow. Time had sure gotten away from him while they were in that hot tub.

  He joined her on the path that led to the main house. Dim lights, low to the ground, lit their way as they walked beneath the trees. The bugs and small creatures of the night skittered in the underbrush to the sides of the path. A branch cracked loudly to their right, causing Rhonda to jump and grab his arm tightly.

  Instinctively he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Nothing is going to get you out here,” he said. “Not while I’m around.”

  She giggled, a sound he didn’t expect from her, and slapped his chest lightly. “I’ll be fine. I’m just not used to the country. I’ve always been a city girl.” She looked up at him, her face shadowed but her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “The only thing that scrambles around like that in the city are rats, and I don’t much like them either.”

  They approached the front entrance of the main house, soft light shining from the windows invitingly.

  “Well, let’s get you inside so nothing else can spook you. I’d hate to have a mouse scamper over your toes.”

  “Mouse?” Rhonda squawked, shuffling her feet in a little dance. “You didn’t see one, did you?”

  Jack threw his head back and laughed. “I can’t believe you’d be afraid of a tiny little mouse,” he said, opening the front door.

  Rhonda rushed past him into the house then whirled around and jiggled one hand at him while clutching the lapels of her robe together with the other. “Shut the door!”

  He closed the door and turned back to her, his stomach tightening. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Rhonda. Forgive me.” Damn. Had he ruined it between them so soon?

  She blinked rapidly, still tightly holding her robe closed. “I just—I have a thing about mice.”

  “But you don’t run from rats.”

  She gave him one quick nod. “Right.”

  “Can I ask why?” This was confusing.

  “Well, mice are small.” She held up one hand, her thumb and forefinger an inch apart. “They can get into places. Places you wouldn’t think of. Small things are sneaky. You can’t trust them.”

  “Okay.” He nodded, meeting her gaze levelly. Something must have gotten to her when she was young. Something had to have happened for her to have such a strong reaction to a mouse that neither one of them had even seen. “Come on,” he said softly. “Let’s go have a sandwich.” He held out his hand.

  She took it tentatively. Looking up at him with a trembling smile, she winked. “Don’t mind me,” she said. “Some things just make me go off the deep end a bit.”

  Jack only smiled and led her toward the kitchen. She was trying to find her strength again, covering up that little dip off the edge she’d just had. She had pulled herself back pretty quickly, but he would definitely like to know more about her because now, he felt the need to protect her. From what, he didn’t know, and he wasn’t even sure she would allow it.

  Once they were in the kitchen, Rhonda jumped in to help him prepare a couple of turkey breast sandwiches. He watched her hands as she efficiently layered turkey, lettuce, and tomato on one slice of bread, then smothered the other slice with mayo.

  “You’re pretty good at that,” he said, pouring them each a glass of lemonade from a pitcher he found in the fridge.

  She smiled at him and started on a second sandwich. “I’ve got three younger brothers.” In the span of a few seconds she had the other sandwich built and both of them sliced into halves, corner to corner. “My brothers ate a lot. Are there any pickles in there?” She peered past him, looking into the fridge.

  Jack couldn’t help himself. He caught her around the waist, and when she looked up surprised, he captured her mouth with his. Crushing her lips beneath his, he couldn’t believe how his body came to life. His heart rate felt like it had doubled, heat searing his insides and causing beads of sweat to well up on his skin. Jack groaned when she parted her lips and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  He slid one hand lower, cupping the roundness of her
ass and pressing her to him. She shifted, sucking at his tongue when he slipped it into the warm wetness of her mouth, and ground her hips against him.

  His cock jerked, already thick with need, and he was thankful he only wore swim trunks or he’d be in pain.

  The cool air from the open fridge door wafted against the heated skin of his back, adding a tingle down his spine to the surging sensations already running rampant through him.

  She tasted of the mellow flavor of merlot and something else he wasn’t quite sure of. Her fingers clutched at his shoulders, as if she wanted to climb him like a tree.

  Jack had to pull back. If he didn’t, he was going to take her right here on the kitchen table. He raised his head and drew in a much needed breath as soon as their lips parted. “Damn,” he said, gazing down into her heavy-lidded eyes. Her lips were kiss swollen. She parted them slightly as she struggled to catch her breath. Cheeks flushed from their lip-lock, it was still her liquid-brown eyes that sent molten lava straight to his heart. “I need to let go of you,” he said, his throat tight.

  “Okay,” she whispered. She took a careful step back, her arms slipping from around his neck.

  Jack took a step back, too, and managed to almost fall right into the open fridge. “Ouch!” He cracked his head against the top rim of the opening, stopping himself from falling into it completely.

  Rhonda took more steps backward, one hand flying to her mouth, giggling.

  Jack felt heat warm his cheeks. “Now don’t be laughing at me. It’s your fault I’m off kilter.”

  “What did I do?” She grinned at him, her eyes sparkling.

  He groaned and turned to reach for a jar of pickles. He placed the jar on the table, opening it for her. “I’m sorry I assaulted you like that. Wait—I’m not sorry—” He shook his head, exasperated. “You get what I mean, right?”

  Rhonda crossed her arms and tilted her head coyly. “First, you didn’t assault me. For goodness’s sake, remember where we are. And second, I should hope you’re not sorry. If you’re sorry about kissing me, you’re going to make me think I’ve lost my sex appeal.”

  “Hold it right now.” Jack waved both hands in the air. “Don’t even go there. You are the sexiest woman this side of heaven that I’ve seen in a long while. If I didn’t think you were attractive, I wouldn’t have been so bold as to kiss you like that. Especially when you didn’t expect it.” He reached out and grabbed one of the lapels of her robe, tugging it. “Can we both just admit we’re hot for each other and leave it at that?”

  The corners of her mouth turned up in a wicked little smile. “All right, but tell me—where do we go from here?”

  Jack’s throat felt tight, his tongue thick. Where did they go from this point? It was obvious they were going to end up having sex at some point this weekend. It was unavoidable, plain and simple. The heat between them had grown to an inferno, and they’d have to try to put it out sooner or later.

  But Jack didn’t want it to end there. For some reason he couldn’t quite put his finger on, he wanted to tread lightly with Rhonda. Even with all her sensual bravado, he could sense there was something fragile inside, almost as if there was a mercury switch buried deep within her. Tip her too much one way or the other and the silvery liquid would flow too far and set off some sort of chain reaction that would lead to an explosion. He didn’t want that.

  Looking deeply into her eyes, Jack’s heart lurched with feeling. “I’m not sure where we go from here or where we’ll eventually end up, but what do you say we enjoy the time we have together this weekend?”

  Her expression softened slightly. “Agreed.”

  Chapter Three

  Rhonda bit into her turkey sandwich, her stomach growling and anxious to be filled. She was ravenous, the massage and hot tub, not to mention her revived libido, causing her body to crave calories as if it knew she’d soon be expending them. She chewed and swallowed, then bit into her dill pickle, flavor bursting in her mouth while the fresh crunch filled her ears.

  Jack mirrored her actions from the other side of the kitchen table, silently devouring his food, his eyes trained on her mouth.

  Watching him watch her made her wet. She inserted the pickle into her mouth and closed her lips tightly around its girth then, using her fingers, twisted it while she sucked the salty, sour juice from it noisily.

  Jack froze midbite, his eyes glued to her hungry mouth. The expression on his face was even more delicious than the food.

  She bit off the end of the pickle and chewed, crunching loudly. Swallowing, she wondered just how involved he became when he attended bonding camp. She wanted to know more about this man and what better time than now, when it was just the two of them. “Tell me about yourself, Jack,” she said, after taking a swig of lemonade.

  He finished his glass of lemonade, his sandwich and pickle already gone. “What do you want to know?” he asked, setting his now-empty glass down. He laced his fingers together and rested his hands on the table in front of him. “I’m not all that interesting.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that.” She parked one elbow on the table and propped her chin on that hand. “Do you realize, other than the steamy kiss, you and I are acting a bit like old fogies here?”

  His brows drew together in a frown. “I’ve never thought of myself that way. What do you mean?”

  “Oh, the sandwiches, the glass of lemonade.” She waved her hand over her empty plate. “We should be having wine and cheese.”

  Jack blinked. “I don’t see anything wrong with what we had. And surely you don’t feel like an old fogey.”

  “I’m no young chicken.”

  “You’re no chicken—period,” he said, with a bit more conviction than she thought he needed. “You can’t be much over thirty,” he added.

  Rhonda laughed. “Thank you for the compliment, but I’m thirty-eight.”

  He sat back in his chair and scratched his chin with one hand. “I would never have guessed you to be over thirty-two at the most. You must lead a charmed life.”

  “I lead a very structured life, actually. But let’s talk about you. Since we’re on the subject, how old are you?” Rhonda was not ready to reveal all the details about her life just yet. Better to switch the focus back to him. Past experience had shown her that men normally enjoyed talking about themselves. She hoped Jack wasn’t any different.

  He dropped his hand from his chin. “I just turned thirty-five.” He shifted in his seat, getting comfortable. “Let me see now. I’m the middle child. I have an older brother and a younger brother. I married my high-school sweetheart, and she divorced me while I was in boot camp. Army, by the way,” he said, giving her a wink. “I like children, but I don’t have any. At this point in my life, I don’t see children in my future.” He looked down at his lap for a brief moment then met her gaze again. “Both my parents are dead, I talk to my brothers as often as I can, and I love my job.” He shrugged. “That’s my life in a nutshell.”

  Rhonda didn’t fail to notice the intensity in his eyes when he spoke about children. It was fairly obvious to her that he was regretting not having any, but he also admitted he didn’t see children in his future. He was only thirty-five. What would stop him from having them if he wanted? “It sounds like you’re pretty content with your life,” she said, testing him.

  “There might be a few things I’d change, but basically, yeah, I’m satisfied.”

  “That’s good.” She scooted her chair back and stood. “It’s getting late. I think I’ll toddle off to my room.” She pushed her chair back in beneath the table.

  “Are you sure?” Jack stood. “I’d love to spend some more time with you.”

  Smoky tendrils of heat coiled inside her, wrapping around her heart. She honestly wasn’t ready for the evening to end either, but she had wanted to give him a way out. “You can walk me to my room if you like,” she said.

  A smile burst onto his lips, and he rounded the table. “My lady,” he said, offering his elbow. />
  Rhonda giggled at his chivalry. “Thank you, sir.” She slipped her hand through his arm.

  They left the kitchen, and Rhonda steered him in the direction of the south wing. “I think I’ve said this before, but I wonder if anyone is coming up here for the weekend.”

  “I don’t think there’s a bonding camp scheduled,” he said. “At least I know I’m not supposed to pick anyone up.”

  Rhonda shook her head. “I know there’s no bonding camp. I’m the one who schedules everyone to attend, and I didn’t schedule one for this weekend. That’s why I drove up. I knew there wasn’t going to be a whole lot of people here.”

  They arrived at her room. “Here I am,” she said, releasing his arm. “Thank you for the companionship this evening.”

  “Let me ask you something,” he said, scratching his chin again.

  “Shoot.”

  “Since you came up here, knowing there wasn’t going to be a bonding camp, I’m assuming you want to spend your nights alone?” He raised one eyebrow.

  She tilted her chin down just slightly and looked up at him through her lashes. “Alone? Not necessarily. Did you have something in mind?” Her nipples tightened at the thought of him spending the night in her room.

  He reached out and ran his fingertip down her cheek then traced her lower lip before letting his hand drop. “Are you as free with sharing yourself as most people at the firm are?”

  She drew in a breath, feeling it waft all the way through her lungs before she blew it back out slowly. “I am—to a point.”

  Jack took a step forward, closing the distance between them. “Well, would you share yourself with me?” He leaned down and brushed a soft, sweet kiss over her lips. “Say yes,” he whispered, his breath warm against her mouth.

  “Yes,” she said, her voice cracking.

  When she tilted her head back up, his mouth descended on hers, crushing her lips in a ravenous kiss.