by Em Ashcroft
“So I’m not like that?”
“You are not. You’re what I want. Real and warm and soft. Gorgeous.” He gave her buttocks another squeeze. “But if you want discretion, then I guess I can do that. Except you’re sharing your hotel room.” He lifted his hand and cupped her chin.
“Dana will guess for sure.” Unable to resist, she leaned her head on his shoulder. “I don’t want to share you. That’s all. Not until—” She swallowed and forced herself to say it. “Until we’re done.”
“Hmm.” His eyes were cool as he gazed at her. “I guess our time is limited, isn’t it? You and me, we don’t live in the same place.” He nodded, as if coming to a decision. “Okay, if you want to keep this on the down low, that’s what we’ll do.” He smiled as he looked at her and dropped another kiss on her swollen lips. “We’d better get back, then. How about if I come see you tonight? I can get another room at the hotel and meet you there. Dana might know you’ve been out with a man, but not who.”
Could she do this? The whole secrecy angle added a frisson to her arousal. She’d have to keep it from everybody, not look at him as if she wanted to eat him, at least, no more than everybody else was doing. She wouldn’t be able to talk too long with him or let anybody know by hint or action.
And what if they found out? They’d tease her, sure, but nobody would condemn her for it. Her main fear remained that Susie or Bianca would want him. Bianca was notorious for taking the men of other women, just because she could. While Rachel trusted Sam, she didn’t trust Bianca any further than she could throw her. Which brought a nice mental image floating before her eyes.
“What are you smiling at?” Gently, he touched her nose.
“Just wondering if you can resist Bianca. She can be awfully persuasive.”
“I bet.” He shook his head slightly. “Not a chance, not now I’ve had you in my arms, honey. You’re all I want.”
Laughing, she broke away. Lightheaded, hardly believing he wanted her, she almost skipped across the kitchen. “We should get back.”
“Okay. Give me your phone.”
She plucked it from her pocket and watched him tap her number into his phone. Then he hit call and, when hers rang, cut the call. He gave her the instrument back. “I’ll text you with the room name.”
The whole secrecy thing sent a shiver of delight through her. Nobody would care if she fucked Sam, but the act of keeping the secret would add an extra thrill to the affair. She might ‘fess up to it when she got back to New York, when Sam was safely out of the way.
At the door, she turned back. “What about CJ?”
“Ah.” Sam glanced away when he picked up his hat from the row of hooks just inside the back door. “Obviously we can’t keep this from him, but he knows when to keep his mouth shut. And the other thing?” He smiled when she swallowed. “We’ll talk about that another time, maybe. CJ and I don’t hunt in pairs, in general, if you get my drift. We go our own ways, but—” He turned his hat around in his hands nervously. “We’ll talk about that, okay?”
“Sure.” So he didn’t necessarily want to share. Then why did the thought of it soak her panties?
* * * *
Most of the group was back in the lodge, gulping water or soda. Mason explained he’d called for the buses. “We’ll head for the hotel and get some rest. We’ll start shooting properly in the morning. The costumes have arrived.” He raised a brow at Rachel. She was supposed to inform him when that happened, but he must have enquired for himself. He didn’t comment further on her omission.
Sam nodded and moved away. At once Rachel’s core temperature went down a few degrees, in line with the air conditioning in here. “Thanks for dealing with Bianca,” he added in a lower tone. “She has a date tonight, so you’re off the hook.” His mouth settled into a grim line. “It’s the least I can do in return for your work today. Bianca says you’ll do until she gets back to the city. You’re it, I’m afraid. I’d thought to swap you and Dana around, so you got the easier job at least half the time, but Susie wants to keep Dana with her. Dana’s been flattering her exactly the way she likes.”
That didn’t surprise Rachel in the least. She might have considered doing it herself if it meant she could avoid the horrors of Bianca. Maybe babysitting the model was her penance for Sam. If she looked at it that way, she might be able to bear it. “Do you want me to do both jobs?”
Mason tugged on his earlobe. “You couldn’t even if you tried. It’s not you. It’s her. She wants you twenty-four-seven, but I told her you were only on loan and entitled to downtime. That’s the best I can do. I’ve rescheduled the shoot so she does all her sessions first. Susie says she’s glad to hang with Dana if Bianca has another appointment so close. I’m guessing that she’s planning to study what Bianca does and then do it better. She can be a prima donna too, in her own way.”
“I’ve already seen some of that,” Rachel murmured.
“Are you feeling okay now?” Mason asked her. When she nodded, he patted her shoulder. “Great. There’ll be a nice fat bonus coming your way after this gig. You’re a good lassie.” Mason loved to startle people by occasionally lapsing into Scots. His accent was bone-meltingly Scottish, but he’d told Rachel disarmingly, if he tossed the occasional “lassie” and “ye ken” into his conversation, it increased his pulling power by ten.
Rachel didn’t know how he worked that out since he wasn’t exactly scary to start with. All he had to do was point those piercing blue eyes at a woman to melt her panties. Except for Rachel, and now she knew why. She’d been dreaming of somebody else. Two somebody elses to be precise. That wasn’t looking likely, especially from the way CJ’s gaze flicked from her to Sam and back. Maybe he’d guessed what had happened in the kitchen just now, or maybe Sam had told him. Rachel had little idea how breed partners worked together. She’d probably never get to know, come to that. A fling with a hot cowboy was on offer, and she’d take that with both hands and be grateful.
Mason glanced up then returned to Rachel. “Listen, Rachel. I don’t know what you’ve got going with that cowboy, and I’m not going to ask. But if you have any influence with him, ask him if we can use his house for some of the pictures. They usually keep their private residences off-limits, but a few interior shots with a rural, rustic theme would be great.”
Not to mention a scoop. If she did that for him, Mason would owe her big time. But how would the men feel about it? Would even asking offend them? She’d find out because sure as shit she’d ask. If they said no, then she wouldn’t press it, at least not at first.
“How about an incentive?”
“Extra money. If they want, a donation to the charity of their choice. Make them feel generous. Get them onside. You can do it.”
How could Mason even suspect she had an incipient thing going with either of the men? Was he particularly observant, or had Rachel given herself away? She’d think about it later. Another time, sometime after tonight. Because nothing was going to spoil whatever happened later, nothing at all. Only if Sam didn’t show up like he’d promised.
That would be depressing.
The light changed as the sun glinted off the windows of the minibus that drew up outside. People gathered their things, ready to sprint to the vehicle through the oppressive humidity. Rachel hung back. Maybe she could get a quiet word with Sam. It didn’t have to be anything important, but something that reassured her that he’d show up tonight.
People poured onto the bus. It held ten people at full capacity, and twelve needed places. Clearly some of them would have to wait for the next one.
One of the photographer’s assistants sprinted back into the lodge. “The other bus has broken down. It’ll be a while before it’s fixed. The driver said an hour at least.”
CJ spoke up from behind her. “Never mind that. We’ll give two of you a ride back.”
Mason gave him a relieved smile. “If it’s not too much trouble, we’d appreciate it.” He glanced at the youth, standing with his thu
mbs tucked in the low-riding waistband of his jeans. His T-shirt said he was a nerd of nerds, an ironic statement if Rachel ever saw one. This guy fancied himself a Narcissus of the modern age. His skin was burnished to the color of dark honey, his lashes tipped with mascara, and a small, neatly trimmed goatee decorated his chin. “You stay here, Kevin, and get a ride with Rachel and the guys. I’ll get on the bus.”
Which would probably not be improved by the presence of the two models. It was either that or wait more than an hour, and that would put up overtime. Kevin wasn’t on overtime, though. He was an intern, learning the business, fresh out of college. Wealthy parents meant his pittance of pay didn’t matter to him.
Rachel kind of liked Kevin, but not as much as he thought she did. He nudged her elbow. “Seems we’re travelling together, hmm?”
She agreed with a forced smile.
The others were soon gone, despite the protests from Bianca that she wanted her own space, especially when she learned that Rachel and Kevin were travelling back separately, but nobody offered her a ride, so she stayed on the bus, charming the pants off the photographer. Her voice drifted back to them as everybody climbed aboard. “Don’t you find Morocco adorable?”
Then the driver closed the door and climbed into his seat, and they were off in a cloud of dust.
CJ had already disappeared around the side of the ranch house. Sam, Kevin, and Rachel waited, but after ten minutes, CJ came back to them, rubbing the back of his neck. “The car won’t start.”
“What about mine?”
“Neither of them. We just have the motor bikes, and we haven’t checked them over in a while.”
Sam lifted his hands and let them slap by his side in a gesture of helplessness. “And the other vehicles?”
“Either the hands have them, or they’re being serviced. Remember, we sent them away for the annual checkup?”
Sam turned to Rachel and shrugged. “Guess you could stay over.” To his credit, only the predatory gleam in his eyes gave him away. “You’re welcome to stay with us.” He glanced at her then at Kevin. “If you want some privacy, you could stay in one of the two cabins that are still open.”
Kevin caught on to what he was saying. Maybe they weren’t as good at hiding as they’d hoped. He glanced at Rachel, then at Sam, and grinned. “Sure. I could borrow some supplies.”
CJ turned away. “House or cabin?”
“Oh, a cabin,” Kevin said. “I’d already decided to come back on vacation. That would give me a great taste of what to expect.”
“We could call for the minibus to come back,” Sam suggested half-heartedly. “It’s probably something trivial wrong with the cars.”
“Nope.” Kevin rubbed his hands together. “If you could loan me supplies, I’ll be fine. In fact I’d rather stay over tonight. I want to take some shots of the sunset. Maybe Gary will want to use them if I do something like that.”
Sam exchanged a glance with CJ, who gave a terse nod. If they had another exchange, then Rachel didn’t pick it up.
* * * *
You want her, buddy?
Sam had to fight not to smile. You fixed the cars?
No, but if I worked on them for an hour, I should be able to get at least one of them going. Yours won’t start.
Nah. How about you?
CJ’s answer came back cautiously. What are you talking about?
If she’s willing, how about starting the ménage thing? We’ve gotta start somewhere.
A pause. She might not be into it. Have you asked her?
When I talked about it, she got excited. Little sparks of interest had stuttered around her. Even though Sam had done his best not to read her empathetically, something all shape-shifters could do to a certain extent, he picked up that much. He could hardly miss it. She’d had a spurt of excitement before she repressed it. That had given him the idea. Maybe they should plunge into the scene before either CJ or Rachel got cold feet. Plus, he had to admit it, if only to himself, that the thought turned him on like it had never done before. He wanted to see CJ enjoying himself with her. Even the idea of it made his dick hard.
He appreciated CJ’s comments, too. CJ was good with engines, and if he wanted to, he could have gotten one of the vehicles started. He doubted both of them were really out of commission.
How hard did you try to start the cars?
CJ gave a miniscule shrug as he turned away.
Sam coughed to cover his chuckle. That hard, huh?
CJ didn’t reply, aloud or mind-to-mind.
Sam didn’t want to push Rachel. He was damn lucky to have gotten her to agree to accept him at all. But he wanted to give her the chance. He hadn’t imagined that shot of attraction when she’d realized they shared. Really realized it, instead of reading it online or somewhere. It was one thing to be aware, another entirely to have the opportunity of experiencing it. That was all he was doing—giving her the opportunity.
He took Rachel to the house, and Kevin followed them, trailing behind like a lost lamb. A very polished and cocky lost lamb, but the guy wasn’t very old. He was probably still learning who he was. If Sam worked at a fashion magazine, would he try out the freebies, as Kevin obviously had? Not unless they got freebies from Stetson and Lucchese, he decided.
Once in the kitchen, he turned. “We have a freezer full of food, if you want something from there. We’re a bit too far to call a delivery service unless you like your food to arrive an hour after you order it.” He went to one of the freezers and opened the door, listing what they had.
The vote went to pizza, but Kevin surprised him by saying, “I’d rather take mine to the cabin. I really want to get those pictures.”
CJ jumped in and offered to take him, so after supplying Kevin with a pizza to microwave and sorting out necessary items like toiletries, bed linens, and towels, CJ took him to a cabin cleaned and cleared for occupation, via the lodge, where they kept the keys and the controls for the electricity supply. In keeping with the old-world atmosphere, they used real keys for the cabins.
When they’d gone, Sam sauntered across the room and pulled Rachel to him, his hands around her waist. “I thought they’d never go,” he said right before he put his mouth on hers.
She melted into him as if she was always meant to be there. That was how she felt to him, too. If circumstances were different, he’d definitely want to pursue this for more than a quick affair. Maybe he could. Maybe it was possible.
She tasted of apples and freshness, and he enjoyed the fuck out of her. He spread his hands over her back and massaged gently, her muscles easing under his touch.
With an effort, he separated their mouths. He could have lingered there all night, but she needed feeding, and if he wasn’t wrong, a bit of R and R before he introduced her to the rough and tumble of his bed. The way he felt now he didn’t know if he could be gentle, so he’d tried to ensure she was rested first. He wanted her ready for their first night, not ready to sleep. Even the thought of her sleeping in his arms turned him on.
Shit, he’d gotten it bad. He wanted her so much that he ached, muscles burning, stomach cramped.
Or maybe that was just hunger. One way to find out. “You need to eat,” he murmured, touched her nose, and went to the microwaves. They had two, and he loaded them both. Although the hands tended to eat from the catering-style kitchen attached to the lodge, sometimes they came in here and they shared a meal.
“There’s wine in the refrigerator over there.” He indicated the right-hand fridge. “Pick something that goes well with pizza.”
Her laugh rang around the kitchen. “Okay.” She swung open the door and examined the bottles. “You’ve got chianti. Why did you bother asking?”
He set the microwaves to run and turned his back on them, leaning against the counter. He’d rather watch her than their meal revolving on the turntables. “I just grab the first bottle I see that’s the right color. I barely know the difference between cabernet and pinot.”
“You’re
kidding me. You must go to high-end restaurants sometimes.”
He liked that she didn’t assume he was the typical cowboy he played up in his working life. In truth, he was much the same as most other guys, with tastes and expertise in different places. Apart from the whole tiger thing, of course. “If you’d asked me about beer, now I do know my beers.”
She grinned. “But you have a rack full of wine here.”
He shrugged. “Sometimes we fancy a change. Don’t you ever like change?” He winked.
She looked so delectable standing there in her tight jeans and her top. At least she’d worn boots, but then, she’d been here before and she probably remembered that part. Plain, ordinary boots as far as he could see. She should have a fancy pair of cowboy boots, and he’d try to make sure she got some. Already he wanted to care for her, make her smile some more. He liked that smile. She didn’t use it nearly enough.
CJ opened the outer door and came back in. His gaze flicked from Sam at one side of the room to Rachel at the other. “I thought I’d find you two naked on the table.” He turned to put his hat on the pegs, so he missed Rachel’s blush, but Sam didn’t.
“We thought we’d wait for you,” he said easily. “‘Sides, we’re hungry.”
“H-how did you know?” Rachel said, so quietly that Sam could hardly hear her.
“We’re breed partners. We tend to pick up that kind of thing.”
The microwaves pinged, and Sam was glad he had the excuse to turn around. Best Rachel learned this from CJ than from him. He wouldn’t know how to explain. And if she didn’t like it, then she’d have to suck it up or leave because there was little he could do to change it.
He listened carefully while he got the plates down from the cupboard and sliced the pizzas.
