“I’ve had a lot of practice. Are you ready to try skating on your own?”
Her independent streak took over. “Sure.”
“I’ll be right here if you need help.”
How nice of him. He let go, and for a second she wobbled but managed to keep from falling. Once she realized she could skate without support, she gained more confidence. Soon they were skating side by side. “I really like this.”
“You aren’t too cold?”
Because the wind was still and she was exercising, she was quite warm. “No.”
They passed someone who looked familiar. The lady skated alongside them. “Hi, Matt. It’s Robin, right?”
“Yes.” Even though she’d skated down the same Miami streets on the weekends, no one ever stopped to talk to her.
The woman smiled, and only then did she recognize her as the lady who’d sold her both pair of boots.
“How are you liking Pleasure?”
“It’s been wonderful so far.” She looked up at Matt and smiled. He reached over and squeezed her waist.
“Stop in the store anytime. We’re always getting in new shipments.” The nice woman waved and took off.
As soon as the storeowner was out of earshot, Robin told Matt how impressed she was with the friendliness of Pleasure.
“Small towns are like that, but Pleasure is particularly welcoming.”
They continued to skate. “I want to try going backward.”
“You sure?” She nodded, and he took her hands while she turned around. “Keep your feet parallel and make and S.”
“Show me.”
Instead of him performing for her, he went around her back and clasped onto her waist. She really liked when he did that. Together they went backward. The concept clicked in her brain and she smiled. “I got it!”
He let go and moved in front. She faltered a bit, and Matt immediately reached out to steady her. Once stable, she worked a bit on the backward maneuver. When she felt confident with that trick, she turned around and tried to balance on one leg. That was a mistake. One minute she was standing, and the next she was on her butt. She’d veered off to the right, just out of Matt’s reach.
He rushed to her side. “Are you hurt?”
“Only my pride.”
He helped her up. “You want to quit?” The worry on his face made her realize that Matt was a very special man.
“No way.” She was no quitter. “I’ve had my share of spills on the sidewalk, and yet I keep going. It’s the only way to get good.”
He smiled. “I like your attitude.”
She dusted herself off and tried again. This time, she was able to glide on one leg for at least ten feet.
Several of the kids had left the lake, and soon they were one of the only ones left. Matt swung behind her and placed his hands on her waist. “Let’s go into the middle.”
When they got there, he stopped and pulled her close. As she looked into his face, her pulse raced. The existing lights rimmed the lake, and the middle was quite dark. The stars backlit the sky as the snow silently fell.
The tension in his lips softened, and his mouth slightly parted. His eyelids lowered as he leaned over and kissed her. Her breath hitched. The man radiated passion. When his hips pressed against her, she could feel a hint of his bulge even through her jacket.
To keep from slipping, she wrapped her arms around his back, but her gloved hands lost purchase. Laughter bubbled up when she her skates slid forward.
He broke the kiss and grabbed her. “Got ya.”
“Maybe it is time to head back.” And maybe end up in your bed.
“Good idea.”
They skated to the bench where they removed their skates and put on cold boots. When she stood, her legs were a bit unsteady. “I need to get my land legs back.”
He grinned. “I’ll make sure you get home safely.”
That was Matt. He seemed to be the caregiver, always worrying about either his brother or her. The sense of warmth he exuded got under her skin. Here was another man who could steal her heart if she let him.
Chapter Seven
Robin tried not to let her disappointment show when Matt pulled up to the front of Bella’s house instead of his own. She could always be forward and ask him to take her to his place, but maybe he wasn’t ready to have sex with a woman who would be leaving soon.
“I can’t thank you enough for taking me out.” She no longer believed he’d asked her out to fulfill an obligation. Matt liked her.
“My pleasure.” He reached across the seat and stroked her cheek with his knuckle. “I’d ask you over, but not only is Clay there, but I’m worried about Storm Front. She’s due to foal any day now, and she was a bit agitated yesterday.”
“I understand. I really appreciate you taking the time to teach me to ice-skate.”
He shoved open his door and raced around to her side. By now, she understood that the Pleasure men seemed to like being gentlemen. He opened her door and held out his hand.
Like a high school prom date, he walked her to the door. She hoped that Hawk or Raven wouldn’t come out of the shop and interrupt them. She planned on getting her kiss one way or another.
He wrapped his arms around her. “I enjoyed our night together.”
“Me, too.” She inhaled, waiting for him to lean in again and capture her lips like he had on the pond. Aw, hell. She pulled down his head and kissed him.
She inhaled his fresh scent, and her pussy took notice. Not being on skates during the kiss, she didn’t have to worry about balancing. Now she could focus on the fullness of his lips and how well their mouths fit together. Their lips separated at the same time, and his tongue danced in to explore. Matt seemed to like being in control, yet was tentative until he was certain about her willingness.
She was willing all right. She debated reaching under his coat and grabbing his cock, which she suspected was harder than the ice they’d skated on, but she knew he really wanted to see to his horse.
To leave him wanting, she pulled away. “Another time.” She didn’t want to be specific but needed to let him know that she wanted him.
The wind chose that moment to pick up. It blocked out what she thought was a moan.
He licked his lips as if to further taste her. “We’ll be in touch.”
Please do. She waited until he got to his truck before going in.
When she entered the house, Bella was seated on the sofa alone. She clicked off the television.
“You waited up for me?”
“I had to find out what happened. This is entering monumental territory. I love gossip, and you know it.”
“I’ve missed you so.”
Bella patted the sofa. “Come sit.”
She shed her coat, gloves, and hat. She couldn’t believe how warm she’d gotten. “I had a fabulous time, but no, we didn’t have time to have sex.”
Bella burst out laughing. “I’m that transparent?”
“Yes.”
“Why not?”
“Matt is worried about Storm Front. She’s about to give birth.”
She nodded. “He’s a real good man. You could do worse, you know.”
Robin had been wondering when her plea would begin. “You know I have a great job, a condo that I love, and warm weather that’s to die for.”
“That may be, but people here care about each other. I’m from Miami, too, remember?”
Bella had been the queen of the Miami socialites, and yet she seemed so happy with this very different lifestyle. “I know, but I’m not sure I’m ready to give up the glitz. Besides, if I even thought I’d like it up here, what would I do for work?”
She patted her belly. “This kid will eventually make an appearance, and once that happens, I won’t be able to take care of the Internet café. The tenant who lives upstairs is moving out at the end of the month. You could live there and run the café for me. I’d even let you keep a percent of the profits.”
Her mind raced. “A
s tempting as that sounds, I make a lot of money in Miami and have a good life.”
Bella waved a hand. “You have so much stress that it’ll kill you if you let it.”
Some days she’d thought the same thing. “That might be true.”
“What about love? Doesn’t that count for something?”
Everyone wanted love. “There’s no guarantee that I’ll find love.” She held up a hand. “Yes, Clay and Matt seem interested, but I’ve seen how some of the other men treat women. A few like a girl to be full-bodied, but a lot ogle the pretty thin women, just like they do in Miami.”
Bella’s mouth opened and her hand rushed to her stomach. Her friend grabbed her hand and placed it on her belly. “Feel that?”
“Yikes. She’s a kicker, that’s for sure.”
“I’ll be the first admit that no one will be happier once this kid is born.”
Robin stood and held out her hand. “Let me help you up. You need to get to bed.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Bella let her help. “I was waiting for Hawk and Raven to finish working, but sometimes they get so carried away, they’ll stay in the shop for hours.
“Are you sure you’re okay? I can go get them.”
“I can ring them if I need something.” Bella headed down the hall. “Please say you’ll give some thought to what I said.”
“I will.”
* * * *
The next morning, Robin’s phone woke her. She hoped it was Clay or Matt asking her to do something exciting. Instead it was her assistant. “Hello, Brian.”
For the next ten minutes he pummeled her with questions about a few of the accounts she was handling. “Just look in my computer. All the information is there.”
“I looked and couldn’t make any sense of it.”
If he couldn’t figure out the details of the account, then he wasn’t much of an assistant. “I’ll try to write something up and send it to you.”
“Thanks. Oh, and Randall wants you to look over another proposal. It’s for a huge client.”
“I’m on vacation.” And having the time of my life.
“I’m sorry. Clients don’t care about our staffing needs.”
“Fine. E-mail it to me. I’ll look at it when I can. She had all of her programs on the computer and could always do a quick mock-up for him.”
After she finished the conversation, it was no wonder she’d been promoted. Half the staff had a hard time working autonomously.
Long after she disconnected, the issues from work still rattled in her brain. She did love her job, but it was times like these that she wished she could toss it in the Atlantic Ocean.
After she dressed and came out to the kitchen, Bella and all three of her husbands were at the table eating. The domestic scene wasn’t lost on her. They were laughing over something Bella had said. She tamped down the hint of jealousy.
“Good morning.”
Bella smiled. “Morning, sleepyhead.”
“I’ll have you know, I’ve been up and on the phone to work. They don’t seem to understand the concept of my vacation.”
“I thought you took care of that issue with that energy company yesterday.”
They wanted to change the layout. Again. “This was something else. It never stops.”
Bella shook her head. “Today, I want to show you my store.”
It would do Bella some good to get out of the house. “That would be great.”
“I hope you don’t mind driving. It’s kind of hard to get behind the wheel.”
Her friend seemed to have grown in the last four days. “You sure you aren’t having twins?”
“Just close your mouth. One is enough.”
Clete grinned. “For now.”
Bella rolled her eyes. “Have some breakfast so we can enjoy relaxing Pleasure.”
“I’m not sure I know how to relax.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Bella pushed away from the table, and all three men rushed to her aid. She swatted away their hands. “I can do it.”
The love in the men’s eyes made her dream of having someone as devoted to her. With the way she worked, that would never happen.
After Bella got ready, they headed off to town. The roads were cleared, so driving wasn’t a problem. Bella directed her to the back of the café.
“Parking can be a problem, so I like to come in the back way.”
“You are the owner.”
When they got inside, Robin couldn’t get over how cute the place was. People sat in most of the available tables. Half were working on their laptops, and the rest were drinking coffee and munching on sweets.
“This is wonderful.”
“I love it in here, but when the baby comes, I want to be able to stay home with her.”
“Who’s in charge now?”
Bella nodded to a tall man with broad shoulders. “That’s Alex Porter. He has his degree in business, but I’m not sure if he wants to stay with me long-term.”
“You’re only talking four months or so, right?”
“I know, but if I told him you were going to take over, I bet he’d be happy. I think he’s just doing me a favor. Actually, he wants Clete to hook him up with his own business.”
“Interesting.”
They sat at one of the empty tables. Bella’s coloring didn’t look good. “What you do want me to get you?” Robin stood.
“I’ll have a Moroccan Mint hot tea and an English scone.”
“Coming right up.”
When she got to the counter, the hot manager came over. “You’re Bella’s friend from Miami, right?”
She guessed everyone knew everything around here. “Sure am.” Everyone being aware of what was going on could be a good thing, or it could be very bad.
She mentally shook her head. There was no way he could know she’d slept with Clay. She ordered the tea and scone for Bella and a latte and a cookie for herself.
“I’ll bring it right over.”
Robin returned to the table. “He seems nice.”
“He is. No, he’s not taken, but I think Matt and Clay are the right ones for you.”
She laughed. “You have my life all mapped out, don’t you?”
“I’m just looking out for you.”
Once Alex delivered their drinks, they relaxed and sipped on their drinks and ate their sweets. They’d been there for no more than ten minutes when two women came in and made a beeline to Bella. One was married to the sheriff and deputy, but Robin had forgotten her name. The other one was Tammy, the woman whose skates she’d borrowed.
“How did the skating go?” Tammy asked.
“It was great. Thanks for the loan.”
“Anytime. That’s what neighbors are for.”
Bella nodded to the package Tammy was carrying. “Is that more jewelry?” She motioned the women join them.
“I’m about to bring my newest creations over to Mr. Nester.” She unwrapped her package.
The beautiful turquoise belt buckle was stunning as were the necklaces and matching earrings. “You made that?”
Tammy smiled. “Yup. I love coming up with new designs.”
Bella regaled Robin with how Tammy had gotten her start in the jewelry world. “So you see, with a little bit of ingenuity, a woman can be very successful.”
Bella had proved that as well.
The women stayed long enough to order a drink to go then said their good-byes. Since Bella’s coloring seemed to getting worse, Robin insisted they head back.
“I’m fine. I want to show you a few more stores. Come on. I don’t get to see you often enough, so humor me.”
She never could say no to Bella’s pleadings. “Okay.”
After another hour of shopping, Robin admitted she was tired. Finally, Bella agreed to go back. As soon as they pulled up in front of the house, Hawk came out from the shop. The moment he saw his wife, he frowned and escorted her inside. “Go lie down. I’ll bring dinner in to you.”
He looked ov
er at Robin. She thought she caught a bit of censure. “I’m sorry, Hawk. I really did try to bring her home earlier, but she insisted on showing me everything.”
He placed a comforting hand on her arm. “I know. Bella insists on constantly being in motion.”
“That’ll be a good trait once the baby comes.”
He winked. “I know.”
Hawk disappeared into the kitchen, and she figured she should take the time to do some work. Her phone indicated five e-mails. Christ. If the company needed her that much, they should pay her even more.
She went into the bedroom and fired up her computer. She wasn’t even aware that an hour and a half had gone by. She probably would have continued to work had someone not knocked on her door.
“Robin, dinner’s ready.” It was Hawk.
“Coming.”
She growled at all the remaining work she needed to do. Staying in Pleasure was looking better and better.
Only Hawk and Clete were at the table. “Where’s Raven?”
“He took his meal into the garage to work.”
This was one industrious family. She liked that Bella’s men were so devoted to not only her, but their jobs as well. Everyone seemed to have a passion and didn’t have to sacrifice it for the sake of the others.
She enjoyed sharing her day with the men. Finally it was Clete who asked about Clay and Matt.
“Do you like them?”
There was no reason to lie. “Very much.”
“You know Bella would love it if you moved here.”
She laughed. “Am I being double-teamed now?”
“You caught me. Seriously, though. If you want to move and work here, I’m sure you can come up with something that strikes your fancy. Bella found her niche with the café.”
“I’m a marketing person.” So was Bella, though.
“There’s plenty of need for that. Pleasure is a growing community.”
Hawk leaned forward. “You know Matt might not have put the moves on you because he knows you’ll be leaving town.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Is nothing sacred around here?”
Hawk shrugged. “I’m just saying. While you’re here, you ought to try out the ménage lifestyle. It might appeal to you.”
Luring Robin [Pleasure, Montana 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 7
