Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set

by Pineiro, Charity

  With a deep breath and a slightly dazed expression, he started the car and pulled back onto the road. Melina leaned back in her seat and smiled. No one could ever accuse her of being anything other than a fast learner.

  * * *

  Rhys was so aroused by the gentle pressure of Melina's hand on his thigh that he was afraid he was going to pass out. As he pulled up to the property, however, his nerves somehow managed to overshadow his lust.

  He tried telling himself he was being ridiculous. He'd never brought a woman here, true, but it wasn't like he was trying to impress Melina with the house. There was nothing grand about it. It wasn't even on the lake, although the water was just a few short minutes’ drive away. The house was pre-manufactured, but it had been in such sorry shape that Rhys had had to rebuild about a third of it. Given his touring schedule, he didn't have all that much time to devote to it, but when he did, he worked with utter devotion. He loved puttering around this place. It was as much of a home base as he'd had since he was a kid. He just didn't get here nearly often enough. And while he sometimes called on Max or Rod to help him out with a job or two, for the most part he enjoyed being by himself.

  Today, however, he'd felt compelled to show it to Melina. Like it or not, he was nervous to see what her reaction would be.

  He needn't have worried.

  “Oh, Rhys,” she breathed when she caught sight of the little house on an elevated lot at the end of a dirt driveway. “It's wonderful.” She got out of the car and turned slowly in a circle, taking in the view of redwood trees and hills. “What a beautiful setting.”

  He could tell she loved it. The wonder on her face was genuine and closely mirrored the way he'd felt when he'd first seen the land. “Thanks. I like it.”

  “How did you find it?”

  “Rod and I have been friends for a while, ever since Max and I rented a houseboat on the lake years ago. I mentioned that I wouldn't mind having some vacation property up here, and he gave me a call when this lot became available.”

  She smiled, a broad, carefree smile that made his breath catch. “Will you show me around?”

  He laughed. “There's not much to see, but sure, I'll give you the grand tour.”

  About thirty minutes later, he rubbed his palms together. “So let's go for a picnic by the lake. Take a swim.”

  She frowned. “But what will I do for a swimsuit?”

  A grin split his face. He'd liked the underwear she'd worn last night. He was hoping she had on another set just like it. “I think we can come up with something.”

  She hesitated, then lifted her chin. “Okay. That would be nice.” She moved toward the guest bedroom, stopping when Rhys called out.

  “We'll be sharing the bed in the master bedroom, Melina.”

  She blinked and blushed. Her eyes darted nervously to the open doorway, where his big bed was clearly visible. “Oh. Sure.” Changing course, she stepped into the master bedroom and shut the door.

  When the bedroom door opened, Melina came out wearing baggy sweat shorts and an oversized tee. Although the clothes did nothing for her figure, Rhys didn't sweat it. Even if he couldn't talk her out of her clothes, water did wondrous things to a white tee.

  “I'm ready,” she said softly, sounding far less sure of herself than she had when she'd placed her hand on his thigh. Once he'd gotten over the shock, he'd recognized the satisfaction his response had given her. Melina definitely liked a challenge, and he was about to give her the biggest one so far.

  “Great. I’ll be right back.” He went into the bedroom and swiftly changed into shorts and an open button-down shirt.

  When he walked out of the bedroom, Melina smiled and turned toward the front door. “Wait,” he called. “There's something I need to do first.”

  “What's that?”

  He gently clasped her arms and she tilted her head back, her eyes wide, her lips parting slightly. “I need to give you your first pop quiz.”

  Chapter Seven

  Dalton's Magic Rule #8: Encourage active participation.

  The idea of a pop quiz obviously wasn't something that turned Melina on. She pulled away from him and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes immediately reflecting her discomfort. “I'm not really big on pop quizzes.”

  Amusement tipped up one corner of his mouth. No, she wouldn't be. Melina liked to prepare. Research. Have the answers in hand so she could control the situation. Lucky for her, he was here to nudge her out of her comfort zone. “There's no wrong answer to the question I'm about to ask.”

  She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Then it's not really a pop quiz. A quiz implies by its very nature that there's a right answer or a wrong answer.”

  A huge grin split his face now. “What about multiple-choice questions? Haven't you ever answered a question with D, all of the above?”

  “Well, sure,” she began hesitantly. “But—”

  “There is no 'but,'” he said softly. “Not in this scenario.”

  Looking like she wanted to argue some more, she simple shrugged and said, “Fine. There are no wrong answers.”

  “Good. The other thing about this question is that you don't answer it right away. You just think about it. And you answer when you're ready.”

  “So what's the question?”

  “What would you do to have me?”

  She stared at him blankly. “Excuse me?”

  Reaching out, he rubbed his thumb against her bottom lip, loving the way her eyelids suddenly grew heavy. “That's the question for you to think about. What would you do to have me? Sexually, of course.”

  Her brows furrowed. “I'm not sure I understand the question. In the context of our…our agreement, I suppose I'll do whatever you tell me pleases you.”

  “So that's how you plan on handling the next man in your life? Letting him have carte blanche? Anything goes?”

  “Well…”

  “Bondage?”

  Her eyes rounded. “I guess it depends…”

  “Sex toys?”

  She glanced away, blushing to the roots of her hair. “I-I don't have a problem with—”

  “How about multiple partners? Two women? Two men?”

  Her eyes snapped back to his. “No. I'm not having any luck keeping one partner satisfied. I don't need an extra person in my bed to worry about.”

  “How do you know that's your stopping point? Have you ever tried it?”

  “No. I've never tried eating worms, either, but I know that's never going to happen.”

  “Okay, so you have a definite sense of what you wouldn't do. Not so much of what you would.”

  “Why don't you just tell me what you want, and I'll let you know if it's something I'm not comfortable with.”

  His expression grew serious. “And is that where your willingness to learn ends? With the obvious answer?”

  She reacted just as he expected she would. Challenge Melina's thirst for knowledge and complexity, and expect her to sit quietly and take it? No way. Hands on hips, she thrust her chin out. “Just what are you getting at, Rhys?”

  “You know as well as I do that sometimes the key to learning is figuring things out for yourself. Why wouldn't that apply in this situation, as well?”

  She came very close to pouting. “Seems to me this is a trick question.”

  He laughed. “It can't be, because the answer is what it is. If you're willing to do what I ask and nothing more, then that's the answer.”

  “You're talking in circles,” she cried. “I don't want to guess what I need to do. I want to know. That's the whole reason I asked Max for help. I don't want to play the game just to fail again.”

  His heart skipped as he saw the real distress in her eyes. “Baby, you're not going to fail. There's no way that's possible.”

  She just shook her head, biting her lip until he wanted to take her in his arms and hold her close. So that's what he did. He pulled her in for a hug and rocked her. She let him hug her but didn't return the favor. Soon, she p
ulled away.

  “I'm sorry. I obviously can't even do this right. I think I should just leave.”

  “Is that what you really want?” he asked quietly to mask his own desperation. “To quit before we even get started?”

  “No. But I don't understand why you're making this so complicated.”

  “Because despite what you obviously think, men are complicated. Pleasure is complicated. It's not just a matter of telling someone what I like. It's about you figuring it out. Reading the signs. Learning to trust your instincts. And then acting even though it makes you uncomfortable. Because you know that in the end, the pleasure's going to be worth it.”

  She looked unconvinced. Hell, she practically rolled her eyes, which sure told him something about the degree of pleasure her lovers had been giving her. She was obviously going to need more convincing before she'd willingly agree to his lesson plan.

  “Okay, so let's go back to our conversation in the car. You said men wanted overt. An arrow painted with red lipstick falls into that category, right?”

  She frowned, obviously not happy with thinking about that little message again.

  “Well, things aren't always so black and white—even when the shade is Shanghai Crimson. When you say men like the overt, you're oversimplifying.”

  “Really. And how's that?”

  “What that woman did…it wasn't a turn-on because she sat down across from me practically naked—”

  She snorted and he paused, glaring at her.

  “Sorry,” she muttered.

  “It was a turn-on because she went for it. Whatever her reasons, she wanted to have sex with me that much. Not me, necessarily. I could have been Max or any other successful magician, but she was going to get what she desperately wanted, one way or another. Have you ever wanted anything like that, Melina? Because, believe me, I have. And I never thought I had a chance in hell of getting it. Not until I walked into my hotel room last night and found you waiting for me. Not until I realized I'd do anything—run down the Vegas strip naked with lipstick all over my body—to have just one taste of you before you came to your senses and left.”

  She was breathing hard, her eyes wide and dazed, staring at him as if she'd never seen him before. And she hadn't. Not really. He'd never let her see the passion he harbored for her, not so clear and out in the open. But he was letting her see it now, if she bothered to look.

  “Have you ever felt that way about any of your lovers, Melina?”

  Slowly, she shook her head.

  “Then if your exes found you wanting, it wasn't because you lacked skill. It was because they knew you didn't feel that passion for them. That doesn't mean you don't have the passion inside you.” I should know, he thought. She'd given him the taste he'd been craving, and it had almost blown his mind.

  She shook her head, and her eyes cleared and narrowed. “I don't believe you,” she murmured. “What's that old saying? All cats look alike in the dark? A woman without inhibition, a woman who cares only about her own pleasure, makes demands. Her focus isn't on the man. Sure, it's an ego boost to have a woman crazy for him, but in the end the man's going to want his. I'm not the most passionate person, but if I have the skill, that's what's going to matter most.”

  “I didn't say the woman would only care about her own pleasure the whole time. Great sex is about making a connection, even if it's just on a purely chemical level. It's about give-and-take. It's about someone wanting you for everything you are and aren't, regardless of measurements, wealth, or background. Which is why that woman's forwardness turned me on, but only to a point. She didn't want me. She wanted my stage persona. Who she thought I was.”

  Their gazes locked before she took a deep breath.

  “But what you're talking about…it almost sounds like you're describing emotion. Love.”

  He shrugged, wanting to push the conversation in that direction but knowing that would just scare her. And him, too. He was fortunate to have this weekend. He couldn't get carried away and expect more. “It does, doesn't it? As I said, it's not black and white. Very few things are. This weekend is about experimenting. Learning each other's likes and dislikes. Playing and petting. But it's also about pushing each other to our limits. Finding out what drives us. How far you'll go to have me. That's how you'll learn what pleases a man, Melina. Not by me showing or telling you. By being motivated to figure it out on your own.”

  “And you think you can motivate me?”

  Saying nothing, he shot her a wicked grin. That's all it took to have her blushing. To her credit, however, she didn't go down without a fight.

  “So let me get this right. You're saying that instead of giving me clear instructions as to what a man likes, you're going to make me figure it out on my own?”

  “I promise to give you lots of feedback. But what I like might not be what another man does. Doing it this way strengthens not only your confidence, but your instincts, too.”

  “Or it just makes me look like a fool again. And probably leads to a lot of frustration for you.”

  “If you're willing to take the chance, I think I'll be able to stand it.”

  She pursed her lips, thinking about it. “I don't know, Rhys. Maybe this just isn't—”

  “What do you say we compromise?”

  She took a step back, clearly not trusting him. “How?”

  “I'll agree to tell you what I like. What most men like. But each time I do, you need to try something on your own.”

  “And what if I do something you don't like?”

  “Then you win and you won't have to do it again.”

  “You're that sure of your theory?”

  “I'm that sure of you. You can stand there and do nothing and I'll be turned on. You actually do something, anything, to me?” He growled, making her eyes widen.

  “In all fairness, how would you know if you win?”

  “It's a win-win situation for me, isn't it? I tell you what pleases me, you do it. You try something I like, it pleases me. You try something I don't like, we're back to me telling you what I like. Right?”

  She squinted, as if trying to make sense of his convoluted reasoning. “I guess.”

  “Good. Now, we should probably get going if we want to get in the water before it's cold.” He handed her a basket with a blanket and paper goods. “What do you say we play a game on the drive there?”

  “A game?”

  “Yes. That's something most guys like, too. Teasing. Playing with their partner. Not just physically either. Last night, I pushed you a little to talk to me. To tell me what you like. You ever play the alphabet game?”

  She followed him out to the car. “I'm familiar with it.”

  “Good. Then let's start with that. I was going to propose we start in alphabetical order. Food first. Then the lake. But then I realized I've never really heard you talk dirty before.” At the car, he opened the driver's side door and turned to her with one raised brow. “So what do you think, Melina? Can you talk dirty to me? Tell me some of your favorite sex words. And just for kicks, why don't you alphabetize them for me?”

  * * *

  Melina didn't know why, but something about Rhys's request rankled her.

  She got into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. As Rhys started the engine and pulled out of the driveway, she glared at him. “You don't think I'll do it, do you?”

  “Why would I think that? You're very good at following instructions.”

  She felt her temper spike, still not sure why she was so riled. All she knew was that he seemed too calm and controlled for her liking, especially since she felt anything but. “Meaning what? You don't think I have the creativity to be a good lover? Well, you're right. I don't. But if there's one thing I'm good at, it's words.”

  “Why are you mad?”

  She stared out the windshield and crossed her arms over her chest. “I-I don't know. Maybe because this seems to be one big joke to you.”

  He braked so suddenly that she jerke
d forward against her seat belt. Bracing one hand on the wheel and the other on the headrest behind her, he glared at her. “Tell me one thing I've done to make you think this is a joke to me.”

  “It's obvious, isn't it? You're trying to make me uncomfortable by drawing things out. Poking fun at my intellectual side.”

  “I'm not poking fun. I love your intellectual side. Would you rather we just strip and do it a few times to get the nerves out?”

  “Yes,” she snapped.

  “Well, that's not what you need, and it's not what you're going to get from me. If you don't like my methods, I can drive you back home. I'm sure you can get Max to meet you with one phone call.”

  With that, he shifted in his seat until he again faced forward.

  She pressed her lips together, trying not to cry. “I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. And I don't want to call Max.” I want you, she thought. It's always been you.

  He sighed and started driving again. “There's nothing wrong with you. You're just feeling out of your element. But at some point, for us to go forward, you're going to need to trust me. Trust that I want only the best for you.”

  She laughed humorously. “So it's my sweet sixteen all over again. You call the shots, and I just wait for you to make your move. Is Trisha James going to make a surprise appearance, too?”

  His jaw tightened. “If you want to discuss that night, we can. Frankly, I don't think you're ready to hear what I have to say.”

  No doubt about it, his words spiked her curiosity. What could he say besides he was sorry? She bowed her head. “No, let's not go there. And I do trust you, Rhys. With this, with me, I trust you.”

  He said nothing. The mood in the car had grown so serious, and she had only herself to blame. Her one chance to be with Rhys, and what had she done? She'd blown it, all because he hadn't thrown her on the bed as soon as they'd walked into his cabin. Thinking fast, she blurted out, “Afterglow.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “That's my first word. In alphabetical order. Afterglow.”