by Rita Sawyer
He grabbed Karen’s arm and tugged her into another aisle and, in a softer tone, continued. “If that wasn’t enough, after falling down in the shower, I needed you to help me up. If I can face you, then you can face my sister.”
She shook her head, and he got the feeling she was about to end things between them. Blue wasn’t ready for that to happen. He closed the distance between them and scooped her up into his arms, ignoring her initial squeal and demands for him to put her down. Blue carried her all the way to the frozen-food section. He spotted his sister and her friends and made a beeline for them. Karen let out another squeal as he lowered her to her feet a little roughly, but he found putting her down and still holding onto one arm so she couldn’t bolt a little bit awkward.
“Explain to her that you understand she’s not using me for sex,” he demanded, maybe a little too loudly, since other shoppers looked their way.
Her friends were smart enough to hide their snickers behind their hands or turn around completely. His sister’s face and ears were redder than he’d ever seen. And Karen was trying to burrow into his chest. Fuck! He’d screwed this up, royally. How the heck was he supposed to know how to deal with something like this? He locked gazes with Amy, silently begging her to come to his rescue. Either she could read minds, or she decided to take pity on him.
“Ladies, I think we need to use the powder room.” Amy looked from Lainey and Dianne to Tanya, who nodded in agreement.
The women linked arms with Tanya. The three of them walked away, leaving him with just Karen and Amy. Karen leaned back and looked up at him. For a second or two he thought she might cry or swear at him. Instead, she just stood there.
“Blue, you have to let her go.” Amy laughed and looked down to where he had Karen’s jacket fisted in his hand.
“I’ll be at the little snack court,” Blue said and Amy nodded as she and Karen walked away heading for the bathroom where their friends were waiting.
Blue took the stuff from Amy’s cart and added it to his and walked to the registers. He paid for both orders, not even looking at totals. If Amy could straighten this mess out, it was worth whatever it came to. He ordered himself a coffee and sat down on one of the benches. It was hard to believe that with three sisters he was so out of practice at dealing with women. Karen was a special circumstance since she had the ability to fry his circuits, but damn it, he should have handled the situation better.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called his brother, needing to talk with someone else who had testosterone coursing through his veins. He got Lyle’s voice mail, which was getting more and more common. That was something else he needed to deal with sooner rather than later. Lyle was getting sucked into the garage and needed to come up for air. Since Blue was doing such a stellar job with his own personal life, maybe he should let Tanya bully Lyle into taking a break.
Fifteen minutes passed, and Blue was ready to storm the ladies bathroom to find out what was going on. Not wanting to cause a bigger scene, he decided to give them another five minutes, which turned into ten. Finally they all came out. Blue let out a sigh of relief. Whatever Amy said had worked, because they were all smiling as if nothing happened. Well, they were until Karen locked gazes with him. Her smile didn’t exactly fall or waver, it just simply dimmed. He lurched to his feet, forgetting about the coffee in his hand, which he almost spilled on himself.
“I’m going to ride back to your place with you and Tanya. You can drive me home later.” He nodded, realizing it was probably best if he didn’t open his mouth so he couldn’t stick his foot in it again.
“I got your stuff, but the ice creams have probably melted a bit.” He motioned to the cart.
“They’ll refreeze,” Lainey said.
“What do I owe you?” Amy asked.
“We’re good.” He handed her the receipt, just in case she needed to return anything.
“You don’t have to do that.” She reached for her wallet, and he shook his head. “See. I told you all he was sorry.”
“I am. Really, really sorry.” He tried not to look at his sister, who was trying not to laugh.
“Blue, you’re not in trouble.” Karen walked over and laid her hand on his chest. “We just need to talk.”
“Ask any man, I bet ninety percent of the time when a woman says, ‘We need to talk,’ it never turns out well for the guy.” He finished with a shrug, since it had been a long time a woman needed to talk to him.
Karen didn’t give him a hint either way. “Let’s go. We can talk at your place.”
* * * *
Karen spent the ride back to Blue’s talking with Tanya. Blue was pretty much silent. Back at the store after they had worked out Tanya’s fears about Blue, Karen hoped she might have a new friend in Tanya, and it was looking really good. Even though she was younger than Karen, Tanya seemed to understand that Karen wanted to take things slow, mostly because that’s just who she was, and also because her position as a teacher required her to be a role model. Karen had explained that her boss was a curmudgeon and that he liked to point out anything that he could find that might possibly be misconstrued as an impropriety.
Once they got to the bar, she was going to have to sit down and explain things to Blue. The biggest problem lay in the fact that though she had been grateful for Blue’s sudden appearance, she also knew Donald had loose lips. The man couldn’t keep a secret. By the time they went back to school tomorrow morning, everyone he knew was going to know Karen had a boyfriend, whether they wanted to or not. If he’d caught any of Blue’s comments at the store, it was going to be a lot more involved than her just having a boyfriend. People were going to ask questions. Her and Blue needed to decide on the answers before anyone asked.
She needed to make sure Blue understood a few things about her life before this went any further. She’d told him her boss was very proper, but she hadn’t told him it was to the point of being prudish. Karen wasn’t the only single teacher Mount Grishold had, but it did seem the female faculty was watched more carefully. She had known it was going to become an issue long before meeting Blue. Karen needed Blue to know that anything that came out of this really had nothing to do with him. Well, okay, maybe it had a little to do with him. She may not have been willing to stand up against the principal if she didn’t have a good reason.
Then there was the other problem they had. No, that Blue had. He’d taken their relationship to a whole new level, and she wanted to know exactly what he thought that was. Making his bizarre comments in front of complete stranger put them both on display. Karen didn’t know if she was as comfortable with it as he seemed to be. She really liked him, and it might grow into more, given time, but they had agreed to take things slow.
Karen wasn’t stupid. She knew having sex wasn’t exactly taking it slow. But by not flaunting the fact that they were having sex, she’d kind of been able to pretend they weren’t. God, it was just sex after all. She knew there was nothing wrong with two consenting adults enjoying each other’s company with or without clothes. Whoever’s issue it turned out to be, they needed to work it out together.
Blue stopped in town at a nice little house and let Tanya out. “She lives here with my other sisters. My parents left the house to all of us, but my brother Lyle and I wanted them to have it.”
“Where does Lyle live?” She looked out over the immaculate yard and saw that they kept the place in good repair.
“He has a three-bedroom apartment in town over the garage. It saves him time from driving to and from work, but really I think he just didn’t want to be the only guy living with three women.” Neither of them said anything else while Blue drove to the bar.
Karen helped him unload the truck then followed him up to his apartment. The silence between them was pissing her off, but since she’d told him they would talk when they got there, she couldn’t really complain if he took her literally. Karen took her sneakers off and sat on the couch, tucking her feet under her. Blue walked into the kitchen
instead of joining her. It didn’t take a nuclear physicist to know she tweaked his feelings a bit, and he might not want to talk just yet, but Karen had a stubborn streak, and she could wait him out.
He came back into the room carrying two drinks. She smiled and took the one he held out to her. Instead of taking a seat next to her, he chose to sit in the chair across from her.
Karen wasn’t in the wrong here, and she wasn’t going to let him punish her by putting so much space between them. “Are you angry with me?”
“No.”
“Then why don’t you come over here and sit with me?”
He shook his head. “You said you wanted to talk. Us being that close together usually leads to our bodies doing the talking.”
Karen laughed, leaning forward to put her glass on the coffee table. If he thought he was going to get off that easily, he was sorely mistaken. She got up and walked over to where he sat. Blue didn’t move at first, but when she lowered herself to his lap, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her in place. She wiggled her ass on his lap, making him groan.
“I just thought we should discuss how things have changed since you outed us.” She pushed against his chest until he was leaning back in the chair.
“I said I was sorry.”
“I know, but I thought about it, and you shouldn’t be. I’m not mad. I was a little humiliated about what your sister thought of me. But you were right there, too. She said you explained everything, and I had absolutely no reason to be embarrassed.” She thought Blue looked so cute when he was confused.
“So you’re okay with that guy telling everyone you have a stud back home at the ranch just waiting to fulfill your every desire?”
Karen laughed along with him, which she figured was his goal.
“Yeah, he can shout it from the rooftops if he wants to. During our little girlie powwow in the bathroom, I realized my boss has no right to say anything about me dating, let alone insinuate what he thinks is acceptable behavior. Actually, I’d been thinking about this even before I met you.”
“So I’m not just some catalyst that brought out the naughty side of you that you’d buried away?”
“Well, no other guy has gone as far as you to get my attention.”
“Do I have it now?”
“Undivided, but before we take this where we both want it to go, I need you to define exactly what’s happening here.” She turned in his embrace so that she was straddling his lap.
“Well, I think we’ve definitely moved beyond casual dating into boyfriend-girlfriend status. You okay with that?”
“If you are. Exclusive?” She didn’t plan on seeing anyone else, but it would be good to make sure he didn’t either, not that she thought he was the type.
“Damn straight!” His arms tightened around her.
“Don’t get testy. It’s the scientific part of me that needs labels and definitions.”
“Well.” He got to his feet with her still wrapped around him and carried her to his bed. “Let me take this opportunity to point out and describe in detail every part of you that is mine and only mine.”
Karen laughed as he dropped her onto the bed and started stripping her clothes off, naming each body part he uncovered and kissing or nibbling it. His teasing didn’t last long, and soon they were both naked and rolling beneath the sheets.
Blue managed to get her pinned beneath him. His cock rubbed against her opening, and she knew this could get out of control fast if someone didn’t think with their head instead of their raging lust. Calling upon what little bit of sense she still had, she slapped a condom against his chest. Blue didn’t ask where she got it from. He just tore it open and got it on. Karen reached between them and guided him to where she wanted him. Her pussy was so wet and ready that he slid right in.
She raised her hips to meet his thrust. Any gentleness was lost when she wrapped her legs around the back of his thighs, refusing to let him go. Blue reached down between them and parted her curls, exposing her clit. With his thumb, he rubbed it as he kept plunging in and out of her. She writhed beneath him, making the connection even more intense. He groaned and dropped his head to her shoulder as she called out his name. Her body shook in the aftermath of the most intense orgasm she’d ever had. She was afraid making love to Blue was becoming addictive.
Chapter Seven
Blue called Karen every day over the next week, sometimes twice a day. She was just as bad, calling him just because she felt like hearing his voice. They talked about everything and nothing and made plans to spend the entire weekend together. Saturday and Sunday. Of course, he wanted to stick close to the bar at night, but she understood his need to protect his sisters. Even if they claimed they didn’t need it.
“So he’s got you tangled in his net, huh?”
Karen turned to Sadie, unsure how to respond. “Maybe I’m the one who’s got him?”
“Oh, honey, if you have to ask, I’m pretty sure he’s got the upper hand.” Sadie laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound.
“There’s nothing wrong with her having a steady boyfriend.” Lainey placed a tray of cookies on the table.
“Yeah. The sex alone makes up for them leaving the toilet seat up.” Dianne snatched a cookie and dunked it in her milk before biting into it.
“I think the point Sadie is trying to make is, you all failed.” Jillian flipped the page of the dancewear catalog she was going through.
“Excuse me?” Amy and Dianne said together.
“What?” Jillian looked up from the book to them. “The dare said find a guy and enjoy him, not fall in love. I’m not going down as easy as you bleeding hearts. When I find my guy, I’m going to screw him three ways to Thursday and cut him off just as quick.”
“Damn. Tell us how you really feel.” Amy’s quick retort earned her a glare.
“I know what I want out of life. I want my own studio filled with kids. How is me getting hooked up with some guy gonna help me get that?”
“Maybe he’ll be rich and powerful.”
“Which translates to demanding and unyielding. No, thank you.” Jillian waved her hand in the air. “I want a guy that oozes sex appeal and is dumb as a rock.”
“Sadie, what the hell have you done to her?” Dianne waggled a cookie in Sadie’s direction.
“Me? I didn’t say anything. As a matter of fact, I was thinking about bowing out myself.” Every one of them stopped what they were doing, even Jillian, and just stared at her. “I’m too busy and too damn old to play games like this anymore.”
“What the fuck has gotten into you two?” Lainey’s curse made Karen and Amy laugh.
“You’re the one who issued this stupid bet. Isn’t it enough that it has brought down three of your best friends? No, you won’t be happy until we’re all out of circulation.”
“What are we, books?” Karen was getting tired of, and irritated by, the conversation. “I haven’t been brought down like some animal on safari either. I found a guy who makes me happy.”
“How happy, and for how long?” Jillian asked, turning another page. “If it all falls apart, whose shoulder will you be able to cry on? I’m sure Jace, or Gage, maybe even Slade will let you use their wives if they aren’t.”
“Jillian! That was a shitty thing to say.” Dianne threw the half-eaten cookie in her hand at her. “We will always be there for one another. Besides, aren’t you jumping the gun?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Jesus. Amy and Karen have boyfriends. That doesn’t necessarily lead to a walk down the aisle.” Dianne shook her head and laughed.
Jillian tossed the cookie at Amy. “You haven’t told them?”
“I haven’t had the chance. I planned to do it once everyone sat down.” Amy popped the cookie in her mouth.
Since Lainey was the only one standing, she dropped into her chair. “We’re sitting. Talk.”
Instead, Amy kept chewing and held up her hand, where a gold band with a large diamond sat on her ring finger. The squ
eals that filled the air were close to eardrum-shattering decibels. The engagement ring didn’t surprise Karen. She’d seen this coming, but that didn’t explain Sadie and Jillian’s hostility. Then again, maybe it did. Were they feeling like they might lose them all?
“It’s beautiful.” Karen hugged Amy.
“Thanks.” Amy pressed her mouth close to Karen’s ear and whispered, “Don’t let all this scare you. You and Blue haven’t even had a chance to settle into being a couple yet. Just relax and enjoy it.”
“So have you guys considered having a double wedding?” Jillian asked with a deceptively sweet smile.
Amy looked at Dianne, who shrugged. “Nah, Dianne would be one of those fairy princess wedding types. I want something less formal.”
Lainey wasn’t ready to let Jillian and Sadie off the hook just yet. “You know we could make this much worse on you two.”
“How?” Sadie quipped, but Jillian was wise enough to keep her mouth shut.
“Hmmm…What color bridesmaid dresses are you guys thinking?” Lainey asked Amy and Dianne.
“Wait a second, she was the evil one.” It was kind of fun to see Sadie, the one who never backed down from a fight, start backpedaling. “I just said I wasn’t sure I wanted to stick with the bet.”
“You two are going to tell us what’s going on right now or I’m going to choose the most god-awful dresses I can find.” Amy would do it, too.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been swamped with work, and my boss dumped Kimber’s next two assignments on me, because she’s out on maternity leave.” Sadie’s explanation was good.
“Yeah, well, at least your studio isn’t being sold out from under you.” Jillian slammed the catalog on the table, rattling everything.
“What?” they all said in unison.
“Right now it’s just a rumor, but Mrs. McCastky already said she can’t afford to move or pay more rent. I’ll tell you this, if someone does try to put us out of business, I’ll gouge their eyes out with a pair of ballet slippers.” It was hard not to laugh at the image Jillian’s threat brought to mind.
