by Mandy Harbin
Okay, she might be a virgin, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew Jack’s response was innuendo, but she didn’t quite know how to respond. “Er, wine?”
He pulled out a chair for her. “White or red, darlin’?”
“Red will be just fine.”
“My kinda girl,” Mikaela said as she came over and sat next to her. “Grab a bottle of merlot, Jack. We’ll share.”
“I’ll get you a glass, kitten.” Josh bent over and kissed Mikaela’s cheek before striding out of the room. When the door opened, Krista could briefly see what looked like an expansive wine room, but her eyes went straight to Jack. He’d been pulling a bottle from the shelf but had turned, giving his brother an irritated look. The door swung shut before she could see much of anything else.
“Hello, gorgeous.” Krista jumped at the voice coming from beside her and turned to look right at Rob. He’d taken the seat right next to her.
“Hi,” she breathed. Okay, this was too weird. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think these men were competing for her attention. Ridiculous. They were all tall, handsome, virile men. And she was a plain-Jane woman with a few extra pounds on her hips and no notches on her belt.
“I hope you like salmon. Jeffery is an excellent cook.” He reached up and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek, his eyes boring into her.
“Yeah, I like salmon just fine.” Unable to withstand the intensity of his stare—or his caress—she darted her eyes around the room. On her visual journey of avoidance, she saw Toby had taken a seat at the other end of the table. She was no social butterfly herself, but she figured he’d at least try to engage her more since she was the new one around here. However, when she saw the look on his face, that thought fled, and she had to stifle a gasp. He looked sad. So sad it almost seemed like longing or despair. But when their eyes met, he straightened in his seat as if he’d been slouching, which he hadn’t been, cleared his throat, and gave her a courtesy nod before grabbing his drink and taking a sip.
She frowned as she watched him study his liquor as he’d done earlier during her initial introduction. Maybe he was just shy and not as forward as his brothers. She definitely couldn’t fault him for that. She was so far out of her own comfort zone that she almost envied the reclusive brother with the sexy dimples. When Rob stroked her arm, she wished she were sitting next to Toby instead.
The door to the wine room swung open, startling her. Jack and Josh walked out, with Jack carrying a bottle of wine and Josh holding two glasses. They both walked to the table, but they had cold looks on their faces, and they both were staring at her. She trembled, not understanding the hatred, but as they stepped closer, she realized she wasn’t the intended victim of their hateful gazes. They’d been staring at Rob. When she looked over at him, he was staring back at his brothers with the same narrowed expression on his face. What was their deal? And why was Rob holding onto her arm now?
“Umm—”
“Josh,” Mikaela said quickly, and he immediately diverted his attention to his wife. His expression softened as he gave her a brief nod. Then he looked over at Jack and tugged at his arm as Krista pulled her arm free from Rob’s grasp.
“C’mon, you can sit next to me.” Josh took a seat next to the head of the table.
“Are you not going to sit next to your wife?” Krista asked incredulously. Why wouldn’t he want to sit next to Mikaela?
Josh chuckled. “I figured she’d want to visit with you, and if I sat over there, I’d be too tempted to haul her away and make her eat dinner in bed.” He looked at his wife and winked.
“Oh, you,” she said, smiling. Then she looked at Krista. “See what I have to put up with around here? Nothing but a bunch of cavemen. It’ll be nice to add some estrogen in the atmosphere.”
“Lumberjacks, kitten. No cavemen around here.”
Their banter seemed to calm the charged atmosphere, and Krista took a deep, settling breath.
The main door to the dining room suddenly opened and an older gentleman walked in. “I am terribly sorry I’m late.” He walked right up to the head of the table and started to sit but caught Krista’s eye and stood back up. “Sorry indeed. Where are my manners?” He walked over to her with his hand extended. “I’m Thomas Woods. You must be the lovely Krista Owens. Welcome to our home.”
She stood, taking his hand. “Yes, sir. Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” He withdrew his hand and headed back to his seat at the head of the table, but he seemed agitated.
“How’d it go, Dad?” Josh asked as Jeffery walked in pushing a cart of food and started serving dinner.
“Not as well as I’d hoped. That damn”—he glanced over at Krista, looking contrite—“forgive me.” He then looked back at Josh. “That Pete Caldwell is a piece of work.”
“Thomas, you weren’t over there trying to negotiate the purchase, were you?” Mikaela asked.
“Sorry, dear, but Mr. Caldwell called me over under the pretense of showing boundary lines on the southern side of his property.” Then he looked at each of his sons, saving Josh for last, and Krista figured he relied on that son more than the others when it came to business. “But actually, he told me his daughter is contesting the sale, so he’s talking to his attorney about backing out of the deal.”
“What?” Mikaela screeched. “Oh, hell no! You tell Mr. Caldwell that you two have already entered into a contract, and that—never mind.” She waved her hand dismissively. “I’ll talk to his attorney. Don’t you worry one bit, Thomas. I’ll get this cleared up.”
Thomas looked at Mikaela, and Krista could see that when he exhaled, a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. “Thank you, dear. I wasn’t sure what to tell him when he blindsided me with that.”
Without even thinking about it, Krista opened her mouth. “If Caldwell’s daughter contests the sale and she has a legitimate claim to the property, it will prolong the closing.” If the Woods are even successful with the purchase now, but she didn’t say that.
Mikaela looked at her, and she could feel her cheeks heating. Maybe she should’ve just kept her mouth closed. She was here to help Mikaela with her other workload. Not this land purchase.
“I know. But she’d have to prove she has a stake in the property for her claim to be valid.”
“There could be any number of valid claims she could make. If he’s incorporated and she’s a major stockholder or board member, if his holdings are in a trust and she’s the beneficiary, heck, even if she stands up and says her father is not in his right mind and can produce a power of attorney, anything can prolong or invalidate the sale.”
“His holdings are not in a trust. He is incorporated, but she wasn’t on the board of directors, but surely she’s one of his heirs.”
“Not that I don’t like watching two gorgeous women flex their brainpower, but what does it all boil down to?” Rob asked, then reached over and caressed Krista’s knee. She tried not to jerk away at the sudden contact. Again.
“It means,” Mikaela started, “this purchase could take much longer than I was planning on.”
Krista could read the real answer in Mikaela’s eyes. She was going to be here longer than a month. Stuck. With one man who couldn’t keep his hands off her, another who looked ready to pummel said touchy-feely brother, and another who acted like her very existence here was a major hindrance.
Great.
So, why did Mikaela look almost relieved?
Chapter Three
Toby kept his nose down, studying his drink. He was going to start eating as soon as Jeffery put his plate down in front of him because he was starving and the sooner he ate, the sooner he could get out of here. But as he stared at his salmon and asparagus, salivating, he just couldn’t seem to pick up his fork and eat. It physically pained him to try and eat, and he immediately thought about how his father had always waited for his mother to take the first bite before he’d dive in at any meal. And Josh acted the same way with Mikae
la. Hell, he’d started that shit from the first day he met her. Unable to help himself, Toby glanced at his sister-in-law as he remembered. But his eyes immediately darted to Krista.
God, she was fucking beautiful. A head full of billowy brown hair and eyes the color of the sky. And her body? He’d never envisioned a woman so luscious with curves in all the right places. His dick twitched at the sight of her ample cleavage. And her smell was downright intoxicating and went straight to his balls. His whole body tightened when she walked into the room in that killer dress. And when she opened up her mouth to speak, tingles shot down his spine. But his reaction tonight wasn’t totally physical. Listening to his brothers fight over her was making something very primal rise up in him. Too damn bad, though. He was not, was not going to get in the middle of that. She was an incredibly sexy woman with an air of innocence about her, but Toby was not going to risk his life. Or hers. Even if he felt something for her—which he didn’t, damn it—he’d be doing her a favor by not giving her more attention to deflect. His brothers were doing enough already. And it was pissing him off.
When Jack and Josh had walked out of the wine room, everyone within a five-mile radius and the ability to hear mental communication would’ve heard Jack’s mental roaring and cussing at Rob for getting close to Krista and touching her. It took everything Toby had not to snarl at Jack and Rob and inform them . . . what? He wasn’t even going to go there. It didn’t matter what he thought in the heat of the moment. Krista Owens was off-limits to him.
So, why couldn’t he pick up his damn fork and eat?
You know why.
Fuck. He wasn’t going to entertain the idea of Krista being his mate. Even if he wanted to fuck her—okay, so he wanted to fuck her. He wasn’t crazy, but even if he was going to pursue the opportunity to fuck her, it wasn’t as if he could mate with her. She was in a loving, committed relationship. So, the whole can’t-eat-before-my-female-does mentality shouldn’t apply. There was no way she could ever be his in the lifetime bonding sense.
The crushing weight of sadness that thought brought on would just have to be ignored. And apparently, he would have to ignore it for longer than a month if what the ladies were arguing about the purchase of the Caldwell land was true.
Renewing his effort, Toby stared at his fork and slowly reached for it. Feeling sweat pop up on his brow, he refused to look up. He was a fucking adult, an unmated adult, who could eat whenever he damn well pleased. As he grasped his fork, he felt a surge of victory, and when he dug in, scooping a piece of salmon and shoving it into his mouth, he couldn’t help feeling like a giddy kid. He was eating, which meant those silly thoughts about Krista and mating where just overreaction. He chewed, smiling, as he glanced up at everybody else, unable to hide the relief on his face.
Sonofabitch! She was already eating.
He fought the very childish need to drop his fork and storm out without eating. If he weren’t so fucking hungry, he’d totally do that.
You okay, man? Toby’s head snapped up at Josh’s mental question. It wasn’t like Toby could tell him what was on his mind. Everyone in this room with the ability to shift into a mountain lion would be able to hear their conversation just as if they were talking aloud. But Toby knew that he’d still keep his thoughts to himself even if only Josh could hear the conversation.
Yeah, bro. I’m good.
You don’t look it. You’d better keep your ass over on that side of the table. I have enough shit to deal with since Rob’s touching my woman. I won’t tolerate you doing it, too, Jack warned.
Dude, she ain’t yours, Rob said as his hand moved under the table, obviously touching Krista some more. She’s mine as long as she’s here.
It took all Toby’s willpower not to growl out loud, much less through their mental communication. Jack wasn’t as controlled, as the animalistic sounds vibrated through their connection.
Enough! I will not have my sons fighting over her like she’s prey. You will show her respect and allow her to make the choice. Now enough with the mental communication with Krista around. She’s a smart woman, and I don’t want her getting suspicious.
Toby looked away and went back to his meal. Getting reamed by his dad wasn’t on the top of his list of the most enjoyable activities. So, he’d just keep his focus on his food and get the hell out of here.
Toby was almost finished eating when he caught Mikaela and Krista whispering. He didn’t want to keep looking, but the distressed look on Krista’s face had his protective instincts flaring without warning. Then Mikaela stood, followed by Josh.
“We’re going to bed. Goodnight, everyone.” Mikaela smiled.
Fearing he’d be stuck here with Krista, Toby shot up. “I’m going—”
“Me, too,” Krista said at the same time, standing when he did. They both stared at each other, and Toby knew the shock he saw on Krista’s face mirrored his own. Mikaela, on the other hand, was grinning like a shit-eating possum.
“Oh, perfect. Toby, can you see Krista to her room? We’d do it, but you know we stay in one of the cabins now.”
“Er.” What the fuck was he supposed to say? Krista knew where her room was. As far as he knew, she’d already unpacked and showered. Naked. In the shower, all soaped up, rubbing her body, caressing her breasts. Whoa. Must avoid all thoughts of her in the shower.
“I’ll do it,” Jack stood.
“You haven’t finished eating. Sit down,” Thomas said, frowning.
“Then I’ll do it,” Rob said after swallowing the biggest bite of food Toby had ever seen him eat.
“Don’t be silly. Toby was just leaving anyway. Isn’t that right, son?”
Shit. Just what he needed. Another reproving look from his father. Okay, he could do this. He needed to get used to her being around anyway. If he went out of his way to avoid her at all cost, then his father would know something was up. Not that he cared if everyone knew he didn’t want to pursue Krista sexually, but if his dad thought he was being rude to her, it’d backfire. And he didn’t want to spend hours talking to his dad about Krista and engaging in more activities with her in an effort to make her feel welcome. He needed to keep his interaction with her to a minimum without overdoing it.
Throwing on a smile, he looked over at Krista. “Of course. I’d be happy to escort you.”
Then she smiled back, and he knew he was totally fucked.
* * * *
Krista felt weak staring at those killer dimples. Gawd, she was a mess. She’d just wanted to get away from the man pawing at her and the other one staring at her so hard it was as if he were trying to coax her over to him through sheer will alone. She didn’t even know how to feel about the sexy silent one. She felt like Goldilocks trying out the three bears. One brother was just too intense, the other was too forward, and the other didn’t seem to want anything to do with her. Of course that one was the one who seemed to get her engine running. Maybe it was her sense of self-preservation that drew her to him. There was no doubt in her mind if she invited one of the other two up to her room, he’d take her up on the offer. But for some reason, she felt safe with Toby. Like she didn’t have to anticipate where his unwanted hands would land or worry if he’d burn holes in her with his unnerving stare. Even though he didn’t seem too thrilled with her, she was relieved it was him and not one of his brothers walking her to her room.
“Thanks,” she breathed, stepping away from the table.
He walked around and joined her. But as they walked out of the dining room, Krista could see how rigid his shoulders were. He didn’t engage her in conversation as they walked down the hall, solidifying her theory that he didn’t want anything to do with her. After experiencing the unwanted attention from his brothers, Krista knew Toby’s behavior should’ve been flattering.
She was quickly finding out that it was not.
She was attracted to this man, but he didn’t seem to reciprocate. Maybe she should just bite the bullet and make the first move. Just the thought of coming on to
him made her feel queasy. She was not some temptress. If she made a pass, she’d probably just make a fool of herself instead.
But she wasn’t getting any younger, and all the thoughts she had before coming out here—thoughts of finally having wild monkey sex, or just having sex, period—flooded her mind. So what if she made a fool of herself? She’d never see Toby again. And if she were desperate enough to lose her virginity down here, she could always tap one of his brothers. An involuntary shiver attacked her with that ugly thought. It seemed that as soon as she looked at Toby, no other man would do. Okay, she wasn’t going to think too much on that! But she needed to get this man talking if anything was ever going to happen.
“H-How do you like working with your family?” Lame-o question. But too late to retract it.
“I like it just fine. Nothing special. I hope with the purchase of the Caldwell Tree Farm we can get more permanent help to do the labor-intensive stuff and me and my brothers can take on more of the business aspect of the operation.”
He sounded so sexy, too. And, oh Lord, his smell was something right out of a woodsman catalogue. Her hands trembled being this close to such a strong, virile man. “That’d be good. I mean being able to do more work in the office. What kind of cologne are you wearing?” she blurted out and then stifled a groan at her awkward behavior.
He paused, and she looked up at him. All the way up into those gorgeous blue-green eyes. “Um, I’m not wearing any.”
“Then why do you smell so good?” She covered her mouth on a gasp. What the hell was wrong with her? She was so not good at subtle flirting. Maybe next she should just throw her dress over her head and ask him to play with her pee-pee. Lord have mercy. At least they were standing outside her room, so she could run and hide now.
He chuckled, leaning into her space, and all thoughts of awkwardness fled, being replaced with very naughty ones. What was it about this man that made her heart go pitter-patter? She looked away, trying to rein in her raging hormones. But when she felt something against her hair and heard a soft moan, she yanked her head back in Toby’s direction just in time to see him lean away, rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes were a mixture of melt-her-panties heat and mortification. Confused, she reached up and touched her hair, feeling a slight dampness at the spot.
