Let It Ride

by Vivian Arend

  “Have a seat. We’ll be with you in a minute,” Katy announced, waving a hand.

  Meanwhile, Anna Thompson had tugged Mitch to one side. Mitch looked worried as hell. He spoke softly, but loud enough the family at the front overheard.

  “What’s wrong?” he demanded.

  “Nothing.” She glanced at the family then leaned closer to Mitch. “Would you like to get married today?” she asked.

  A murmur of voices had risen over the entire reception hall as people waited to find out what was happening, but at the front of the room the echoing silence was broken only by Tanner’s childish laugh.

  Mitch’s mouth opened and shut a couple times, but no words came out.

  “Planning our wedding has become a madhouse,” Anna confessed, “so I asked Katy and Gage if they’d be okay with us crashing their party, and they said sure.”

  Mitch pulled it together, glancing into the hall. “Is that why your family is here?”

  Anna nodded. “They don’t know specifics, though, so it’s your call. Instead of wasting more time planning, we can make it short, sweet, and to the point. You ready to do this thing?”

  He flashed a smile at Anna that was cocky, dangerous, and one hundred percent possessive. “Hell, yeah. Good with me.”

  A buzz had built through the room as rumours flew. Mitch looked a little shell-shocked but his grin was real as he turned to his family. “You guys ready to do this all over again?”

  Katy slipped over to offer him a kiss on the cheek before straightening his collar and tie. “I’m glad we can share this day with you. You should check if your father-in-law wants to give his daughter way.”

  “Shit, good idea,” Mitch muttered. He glanced at Anna. “Hell, why not the whole family?”

  Delight shone on her face.

  “Are we good to go?” the Justice of the Peace asked. “I already have your paperwork in place. Once you’re organized, we’ll get started.”

  Mitch turned to the room and cleared his throat.

  “Big favour to ask. Stick around for a little longer.” He faced Anna’s family who sat to one side of the room. “Anna and I are getting married. You want to come up here and be our witnesses?”

  Controlled bedlam ensued.

  There were so many people standing up that, in the end, everyone grabbed their chairs and rearranged the room. Friends settled in one corner while the Thompson and Coleman clans gathered in the other, and then everyone listened as Mitch and Anna off-the-cuff made up their vows.

  It was no accident Clay ended up standing next to Maggie who was grinning just as hard as the rest of the witnesses. She linked her fingers around his arm and squeezed tightly.

  Clay held his breath, not wanting to spook her away.

  Mitch caught both Anna’s hands in his as if he needed to keep her from bolting. He shook his head, his expression a mix of disbelief and sheer utter happiness. “It’s going to take a million fucking years to figure you out, Anna Coleman, and I’m going to have a blast every minute, of every fucking day.”

  Her smile widened, but she didn’t say anything.

  “I swear I’ll be there for you, no matter where we live, or what life hands us. It’s you and me, babe, rock-fucking solid. And if I ever get stupid, you just handcuff me to some immovable object until my brain comes back online.”

  The JP cleared his throat, but didn’t interrupt.

  “I can’t fucking believe that you love me, but I’m glad. So damn glad. And you’re never going to regret this, I swear.”

  The longer Mitch went on, the more Anna’s lips twitched until she gave up, her small snickers blooming into full-out laughter. “Only you, Mitch Thompson. Only you.”

  Mitch raised a brow. “Are those your vows? Because, fuck, that’s all I need to hear. That’s all I’m ever going to need.”

  Joy bubbled inside Maggie, for the first time in a long time, as she witnessed the surprise double wedding. The final vows said, the JP turned to the gathering.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m proud to present your newlyweds: Gage and Katy Jenick, and Mitch and Anna Thompson.”

  Maggie released her grip on Clay’s arm to add her applause to those around her. It felt as if the room was filled with sparkling air and sunshine, but it wasn’t just the beams of light coming in the windows. There was so much love expressed in the faces around her…

  Suddenly she couldn’t breathe. While everyone was cheering and stepping forward to offer congratulations, Maggie slipped away, moving through the crowd as quickly as she could toward the back rooms.

  At the end of the hall, she found an unlocked door. She snuck in and discovered a nursery with toys in neat boxes along one wall, and rocking chairs tucked behind a small freestanding wall. She headed toward the window, looking for something to concentrate on other than the flood of emotion that had rushed in far too quickly.

  Sorrow was the wrong word. That was there as always, but now some other emotion was squeezing her heart. And when understanding hit, the truth shocked her.

  As happy as she was for Katy and the others, she was jealous.

  Maggie leaned her hands on the top of the small bookcase and stared out the window at the piles of snow covering the lawn of the community hall. She picked up the bundle of confusion inside her and methodically pulled apart.

  It wasn’t even that they were a couple, and she no longer had Cameron. That pain was easing, as unbelievable as it seemed. She missed him like hell, but he wasn’t coming back. She knew that, accepted it, but there were other parts of having a relationship she missed so much. Having someone always there to smile with, someone to share her life with.

  She was straight-up envious of the new couples’ joy, and that was no one’s fault. Or maybe…

  No. It was no one’s fault, period. But it was time for change. Time for her to allow happiness into her life again.

  Laughter spilled down the hall. She retreated to the far corner of the room, hoping no one would interrupt her while she worked this out.

  Her wish didn’t work. The door swung open and someone came in. Someone swore—a familiar voice—the word muttered softly in the room behind her.

  Footsteps rang across the floor and Maggie retreated farther, tucked behind the barrier. She wasn’t sure why she was hiding, but even as she decided to come forward a low, masculine voice rumbled, and she froze on the spot, wondering why Clay was there.

  “You’re a fucking tease, Nicole.”

  “Maybe you just don’t know how to solve the puzzle that is me,” a soft, feminine voice taunted back.

  Something crashed to the floor followed by heavy breathing. Maggie’s heart rate accelerated. There was no way she could step out, but she was completely confused.

  What was Clay doing?

  “Oh, hell yes,” Nicole whispered. “Do it. Right now.”

  “You’re not calling the shots anymore,” he said. “Put your hands against the wall and keep them there.”

  Maggie couldn’t stand it any longer. She leaned forward and peered through the miniscule gap in the fabric barriers separating her from the rest of the room.

  It wasn’t Clay, it was Troy, and she would spend more time dwelling on the similarities in their voices later, but she was too busy keeping silent as he leaned against Nicole, pressing her to the wall with his body as he took her lips in a hungry kiss.

  Nicole lifted her hands to his shoulders, and he growled at her, catching her wrists in one hand then pressing them over her head. The position stretched her, arching her into him as he caught her chin with his other hand.

  “Don’t move your hands,” he commanded.

  From where Maggie stood, only a thin slice of Nicole’s face was visible, and the other woman’s eyes widened, cheeks flushing as she obeyed and caught hold of the only thing above her head—the end of the curtain rod.

  This time Troy hummed in approval. “There we go. If you keep them there, I’ll give you a present.”

  Nicole licked her
lips. “Is it a nice present?”

  “One of the very best,” Troy promised.

  Then he kissed his way down her body, hands sliding along her waist. As he knelt before her, Nicole tilted her face toward him, her breathing unsteady.

  Maggie covered her mouth with a hand. She should look away. She should let them know she was there, no matter how embarrassing that would be.

  But what she should do, and what she wanted to do were polar extremes at that moment. She couldn’t tear eyes away as Troy set Nicole squirming, his hands and lips bringing forth the most amazing sounds from her lips.

  And when he knelt in front of her, bunching up her skirt to press a kiss over her mound, Nicole’s eager anticipation was clear. Arms stretched overhead, she waited until he’d pulled down her panties and pantyhose then stepped her legs apart. “Please…”

  Troy traced a finger down her belly, slowly sliding over her sex. “So pretty. You’re so pretty down here.”

  “Don’t you dare tease me,” Nicole whispered. “We have to be back out for the reception in just a few minutes. “

  “You’re not calling the shots,” Troy reminded her.

  But when she would’ve protested, he leaned forward and put his mouth to her, tongue flicking against the apex of her sex. Nicole moaned in approval, widening her stance and pressing her hips forward.

  Troy worked quickly, his tongue and fingers teasing over Nicole’s body. Maggie’s temperature rose as well, a feeling of longing competing with other unsatisfied urges.

  Damn it. She twisted away, facing the wall, no longer spying. But every sound, every moan, every thing played out in her imagination as if she’d been watching on a high-definition screen.

  It seemed only seconds later Nicole uttered his name, followed immediately by another throaty cry of pleasure. Troy echoed the sound, and a curious thumping noise began.

  Oh God. Maggie clenched her fists together and stared at the wall in front of her, pulling in her strength. Refusing to look even though it was very clear exactly what was taking place in the room behind her.

  “So fucking good,” Troy gasped. “So. Fucking. Good.”

  Each of his final words was punctuated with a solid bang, and Nicole spoke, just above a whisper but as loud as a shout in Maggie’s ears. Troy joined her then all but their heavy breathing faded. Low, murmured laughter followed as they got themselves together. Vanishing from the room as if they’d never been there.

  Only from the pounding in her heart and the ache centered low in Maggie’s belly, there was no doubt that the couple had impacted her world.

  Was she jealous of joy?

  She was definitely jealous of pleasure.

  It was time. It was time for her to begin to live.

  Maggie leaned her shoulders against the bookcase and waited for her breathing to return to normal, but nothing would ever be the same.

  It might take courage to deal with this new reality, but the truth was, in a way she felt she’d been preparing for this moment for a long time.

  She wanted passion in her life? She didn’t have to look far to know who she wanted to turn to for help.

  Not today. Not this moment, but soon. Very soon.

  If he was interested—

  Chapter Eight

  April trundled in slowly. Winter clung tightly to the foothills with a new dump of snow followed by a cold snap. Clay worked in the shop and teased Gage and Mitch, both of whom wandered around as if they were giddy-drunk half the time. Mitch especially—he and Anna had gotten away for a week to Hawaii as a wedding gift from the Coleman clan, and he hadn’t stopped grinning since he got back.

  Seeing his rebel of a brother absolutely beaming with happiness gave Clay a great deal of satisfaction, and a twinge or two of jealousy.

  He watched over Maggie from afar damn near every day, and he was over at her place a few times a week, but lately she’d seemed distracted, even twitchy in his presence. It was hard not to take her reactions personally, even though it had to be because she was going through a tough time. She refused to say anything, though, and he didn’t want to make things worse by poking where he wasn’t wanted.

  All his protective instincts were at war. Charge in or hold back and keep silently looking out for her?

  The evening of the gala rolled around, and he had no answer other than waiting to see what came next.

  He dressed with moderate enthusiasm. Even if he had to wear a suit and tie, and even if he was going to be in pain all night, he still got to be with her and hold her while they danced…

  At this point he’d take any damn crumb he could.

  She opened the door in answer to his knock, and Clay nearly swallowed his tongue. “Holy shit.”

  Maggie pirouetted in front of him. “You like? Katy helped pick it out.”

  Didn’t matter who had helped, it was the end result that had him in instant severe lust. Deep green fabric clung to every curve of her body, wrapping around her breasts and hips before coming to a stop mid-thigh. The material drew him forward, and the desire to touch shot skyward.

  Hell, he wanted to stroke his hand over her shoulders, down her waist. Pull her against him until there wasn’t a lick of air between them. And after they’d spent the evening dancing with every inch of them rubbing together, he’d take her home, strip her out of the dress and put them back into that same position until the sun came up.

  That was what raced through Clay’s mind.

  What managed to escape his lips was a casual, “You look great.”

  She smiled, pleasure trailing across her face at his faint praise. “I’m ready to go,” she said, slipping on her coat before he could offer to help, his brain numb from fighting to control his body’s reaction.

  Helping her into his truck only compounded his problems as he was confronted with the long line of her smooth thighs, her dress riding up. She tugged the edge downward, but the meager inch it moved was no help.

  Maggie laid a hand on his arm. “Wait, I forgot the prize bags.”

  She wiggled toward the door, exposing more of her thighs all over. God almighty. Clay jerked up a hand to stop her. “I’ll get them.”

  The time in the cold night air should have helped him regain control, but it wasn’t long enough to completely cool him off. It only took a couple of minutes before he returned to the driver side of the truck, intending to put the bags between them.

  Instead, Maggie took them from his hands and placed them on the passenger seat. “I thought you were going to open the side door, so I’m already buckled in the middle.”

  The shot of adrenaline that raced through him was wrong in so many ways. Clay got behind the wheel and deliberately focused on every task one by one. Seatbelt. Start the engine. Vehicle in gear. Back out of the driveway.

  It was no use. Every action was instinctive which gave him plenty of time to daydream about accidentally moving his hand until it rested on the curve of her thigh—

  Dammit. He silently kicked his own ass. He’d lasted until now; he would wait however long he had to. It was only April, for fuck’s sake. That said, he needed to control himself far better than this, or he would freak her out.

  Clay cleared his throat. “We’ll be at the restaurant in a few minutes.”

  She shivered, leaning toward him. “I didn’t realize how much the temperature had dropped. I should’ve worn a warmer coat.”

  He was already moving before he realized he was asking for trouble. There was no alternative—he draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Her warm, feminine scent filled his head, and his entire body tightened into one mass of need.

  The fucking evening was going to fucking drive him to the fucking madhouse.

  She sat quietly, and he wondered if he’d let slip some of the dirty thoughts rolling through his brain. But when she spoke it was on a different topic altogether.

  “I just realized something. I don’t think I’ve danced with you. Or at least, not since high school Phys Ed.”
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  He knew they hadn’t. If they had, the memory would’ve been etched into his brain and driven his anticipation higher. “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”

  Her hand rested lightly on his leg, and he pinned his lips together to keep from growling in frustration. A few inches to the left and she’d get an unwelcome surprise, his cock pressed hard to the front of his dress pants.

  “I’m not worried about dancing.” A small laugh escaped her, and fuck it all, if she didn’t sound slightly nervous. “You did turn off your phone, though, didn’t you? Because I don’t think I can handle being interrupted by your harem while we’re on the dance floor.”

  Damn dating service. Clay groaned. “Stop teasing about that. You know how long it took for me to get the access codes out of Troy.”

  “You were one second away from wringing his neck.” She squeezed his leg and set off another round of fireworks along his nervous system. “Next time, you let me talk to him. I’ll intimidate him. Make him see the error of his ways.”

  “Ha, there’d better not be a next time.” He pulled into the parking lot and smiled at the thought of Maggie lecturing his little brother. “Hell, you’re right, there’ll be another time. This is Troy we’re talking about.”

  “He’s not that bad. I can handle him.”

  Clay snickered as he found a spot in the nearly empty restaurant parking lot. “You go right ahead. Make sure you let me know when you plan to start so I can watch.”

  “You don’t think I’d do it,” Maggie said, her eyes sparkling.

  “Don’t know why you would.”

  She didn’t say anything but her expression grew more determined, and Clay wondered what on earth was going on. Then he was distracted as some of the committee met them at the door and took the bags from their hands.

  Allison Coleman stepped forward as the others retreated. “Thanks for picking Parker’s Timberline Grill for the event. If you need anything, let me know. I’ll be around all night to troubleshoot.”

  “Do you know if Daniel is here already?” Clay asked.

  Allison gestured toward the back of the restaurant where there was a large banquet room. “He and Beth are checking everything’s in place. The rest of your committee headed back to their tables in the restaurant to wait for the guests to arrive.” She smiled. “I opened the bar already, so they’re happy.”