She slipped out the other side of the booth and stood. Should she shake his hand or kiss him? She leaned over and placed a peck on his cheek. “You are a nice man, Mitch Dawes.”
He clasped his hands around her waist. “I’ll show you nice.”
Before she could say anything, he stood and his lips captured hers. All of her common sense told her to push him away, but her body wanted him. Need exploded and she pressed her chest against his. His arms encircled her and the comfort prompted her to take one last taste. She was the one to demand entrance, and he obliged. She darted in and tried to capture his essence, and even help remove the long-ago ache. Their breaths tangled as their tongues danced to a rhythm they both seemed to have in their head.
As if they both knew that prolonging the kiss would only lead to heartache, they leaned back at the same time, their breaths ragged. His lips were slightly swollen and his eyes heavy-lidded. Mitch Dawes never looked sexier.
She lowered her gaze at the same time he stepped back. He then grinned. “Just so you know, darlin’, I am a competitor. Once I decide I want something, I go after it.”
Her ribs seemed to press the air out of her. “Mitch, I wish there was a way I could enjoy all three of you, but one, I’m leaving at the end of the month, and two, Trevor is a stubborn man.”
“Don’t I know it.” The smile that had graced his face evaporated. “I’ll walk you out.”
So this was it. She liked the man for a ton of reasons. Besides him being a great tennis player, she’d wanted to find out more about his writing.
That can never be. You’re too weak and would succumb.
She collected her bag and walked as slowly as she could back to her car to delay leaving him. He pulled open her door and she scooted in.
What am I supposed to say to a person I’m terminally attracted to yet know I can’t be with?
“Thanks for the match.” Lame, really lame.
“I’m always up for a rematch.” He winked, and she knew he wasn’t talking about the game of tennis.
Before she did anything she regretted, she slipped the key in the ignition and left. The ride back to Mandy’s seemed a long one. She parked and hoped to get inside before Mandy saw her wet hair and guilty face.
Fortunately, she made to her room where she stripped and jumped in the shower. Lisa needed time to figure out just want she wanted to do. If what Mitch said was true for most ménage relationships, then if Trevor didn’t want to be with her, neither would Dante.
The hot water poured down her body, but the heat didn’t help her breaking heart. In a crazy kind of way, she didn’t want to wash off Mitch’s scent, but it was the right thing to do. She had to forget him.
But I want him.
Shit. Maybe she should pack up now, drive back to Denver, and forget about these enticing men. The job loss must have seriously screwed with her head.
I can’t leave.
She wished like hell that her conscience would leave her alone.
Lisa dripped the soap onto her palm and began scrubbing. She was furious with herself for even agreeing to play with Mitch. “What were you thinking?”
She should have read the signs. A handsome man, who happened to be quite famous, didn’t just invite her to play tennis then swim in his pool unless he expected something in return. She’d been so taken with the way he seemed to want to get to know her that she’d missed those very clear signs.
When she saw Dante next, she’d come clean, and tell him that she might be too weak for him, even though she’d never had this problem before. In Denver, no man excited her like these three men.
Before she ran out of hot water, she dunked her head and washed her hair. Determined to right the wrong, she finished showering, dried off, and dressed. She debated locating Mandy and getting her opinion, but she might be biased. After all, Trevor was her brother-in-law. Hoping Beth had a few minutes, she called her good friend.
The constantly busy wedding planner actually answered on the first ring. “How’s it going? I want deets.”
Hearing Beth’s voice did wonders for her. Lisa walked over to the bed and dropped down and settled back.
“Great and confusing.” Beth was already up to speed with her sexual exploits with Trevor and Dante, so for the next half hour she detailed meeting Mitch and finding out he was a famous author. “When he invited me to play tennis I had to go.”
“I would have, too.”
Beth would have. “He let me win two games. Then we went swimming and it ended in a kiss.”
“What is wonderful?”
Beth was such a romantic. “Yes, but that’s not the point. I considered myself with Trevor and Dante, so I stopped.”
“Oh, no. Then what?”
She detailed everything from him saying he needed to talk with her to the final kiss. “So when Sabrina chose Mitch over Trevor, their relationship broke.”
“So what are you going to do?” Her voice dripped with concern.
Lisa sighed. “That’s why I’m calling you. I was hoping you could help.”
“Like I have any experience? Jeez, girl. I’m lucky to go out once a month. Now you have three to juggle. No wonder you’re confused.”
Actually, she wasn’t confused. Not any more. “The problem is that I want all three.”
Beth’s loud whistle rang in her ear, forcing Lisa to pull the phone away. When the whistling stopped, she returned. “I know it’s wrong, but I can’t get any of them out of my—”
“It’s not wrong.” Beth’s answer came back quick and decisive.
“It is when two of the men hate each other. It’s not going to work.”
“I’ve known you for many years and you are not a quitter.”
This wasn’t about winning or losing. “I don’t have a say so.”
“Girl! You are so wrong. Tell you what. Dante seems to be the levelheaded one of the group. Talk to him. Tell him how your heart is breaking and see what he says.”
That sounded all well and good, but was it worth the mental pain? She’d hurt him for sure. “Remember, I’m leaving soon.”
“You don’t have to.”
“You going to buy my condo for what I owe?”
The silence said it all. “You’ll figure it out.”
Lisa wasn’t so sure. Her only hope would be if Dante became an ally, even if it was only for a little while.
Chapter Twelve
Dante couldn’t wait to get back to Intrigue. While the home show in Denver had provided a lot of great contacts, he missed his woman. Sure, Trevor was being an ass, but if Lisa would commit to moving to Wyoming, he was convinced they could make a go of it.
It was after dinner when he returned home, but he wasn’t surprised Trevor wasn’t home. First thing Dante wanted to do was shower off the grime. Then he’d call Lisa. During the drive home he’d figured out a nice romantic place to take her to make up the time he’d been away. No matter what it took, he wanted to make sure that when her month was up, she’d want to be here with them.
Her condo was an issue he had yet to figure out, but where there was a will there was a way. He dumped his duffle on the bed, stepped into the bathroom, and undressed, wishing Lisa was here right now. Oh, what he would do to her body. While the blow job had been wonderful, he yearned to sink his cock into her sweet pussy, and his hands itched to touch her luscious breasts.
He moaned just thinking about her, and his cock hardened. By the time he stepped under the water, he was fully erect and with no woman in sight. This bites. Dante couldn’t remember the last time he’d had it this bad.
As quickly as he could, he scrubbed then rinsed. Once dry, he pulled on some loose sweats and went into the kitchen. He popped a frozen pizza in the oven, grabbed a beer, then settled back to speak to the woman of his dreams.
Lisa didn’t answer until the fourth ring, but he refused to think she was avoiding him. “Hey, beautiful. I’m home.”
“Hey. How did the conference go?”
There was a slight edge to her tone, but he chalked it up his to being tired, hungry, and horny. “Good. Made a lot of contacts and decided what to order for the coming year. But enough about me. I want to hear what you did.”
She hesitated. “I met a friend of Trevor’s.”
Trevor didn’t have a lot of friends, other than the doctors he worked with. “Who?” He worked to keep his voice light.
“Mitch Dawes.”
Relief washed through him. He had nothing against the guy, but if he’d been Trevor, he’d be in a rage. “Oh, yeah? How did that go? You two talk about your passion for books?” The two would be a good fit as they both were into the writing thing.
“At first. He invited me to play a game of tennis at his house.”
His knuckles turned white from clutching the phone, but he didn’t want to jump to any conclusions. “Knowing what a great player he is, I imagine the outcome didn’t match your expectations.”
Now she chuckled, and he breathed a sigh of relief. “Dante?”
The worry in her voice caused a knot in his chest. “What is it, Denver?”
“It’s late and I’m tired, but I can see you tomorrow? I really need to see you.”
He crossed his feet at the ankles and stretched back. “Funny you should ask. I was thinking about going on a picnic.”
“Don’t you have to work?”
“Work? Bah. I own the store. I’m taking a much-needed vacation day.” The timing sucked since he’d been gone for so long already, but if Lisa needed to see him, then he wanted to be there for her.
“Okay.”
“You want to talk about it now?”
“No.” This time she didn’t hesitate.
“How about I pick you up at eleven? I’ll call Vince tomorrow to see about using his horses.”
“Sounds great.”
He liked that there was a bit more pep in her voice. “I’ll bring everything.” Not wanting to upset her further, he delivered a kiss over the phone and disconnected.
“Well, shit.”
* * * *
“Stop pacing.” Mandy shifted Josh from her left shoulder to her right, and fortunately the baby didn’t wake.
Here she’d come to watch her child in order to give Mandy a break, yet her friend seemed to have everything under control.
“You sure you don’t need me today?”
“Lisa Ann Brightner. What has gotten into you?”
As much as she didn’t want to dump on Mandy, she couldn’t keep it to herself. “I was tempted to sleep with Mitch Dawes.” There, she’d said it.
Mandy leaned back and laughed. “Good for you.”
Her reaction was so not what she expected. “Shh. You’ll wake the baby.” One glance told her he wasn’t about to wake soon. “What do you mean good for me? Last time we talked, you didn’t like the idea of me ‘cheating’ on your brother-in-law.” Not that she had, but she’d been tempted.
“I was concerned, that’s all, that you’d get in too deep.”
She already was in too deep. “I like Dante. And Trevor, so I can’t like Mitch, too.”
Mandy swiveled on her chair and walked to the side of the kitchen where she placed Josh in his carrier. “Why not?”
“Don’t you remember? Mitch and Trevor and Sabrina? Trevor won’t even return Mitch’s calls. I have to give him up.”
“So the issue is not whether you want them, but whether they are willing to share?”
“Yes.”
Mandy returned to her seat. “What does Dante say?”
“He doesn’t know.”
Now Mandy’s eyes widened. “You are going to tell him, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Hopefully today unless I lose my courage.” The doorbell rang. “That’s him.”
Mandy pressed her lips together and hugged her. “Good luck.”
Inhaling, she slipped off her stool. “Thanks for letting us use the horses.”
“That’s what they are for.”
Dante knocked as if he was impatient to see her. As soon as she opened the door, all thoughts of the ménage not working disappeared. Her grin came out genuine.
“Babe!” He stepped in, lifted her, and kissed her hard. “I have missed you something fierce.” He set her back down.
His dramatic overture thrilled her. Here was a man she absolutely adored, and she made a promise to do nothing that would jeopardize what they had. “I’ve missed you more.”
“Oh, yeah? Wanna show me?”
“You bet.” She looked behind her. “Maybe we need someplace more private.”
“I have just the spot.” Dante grabbed her hand and together they sauntered to the barn.
“So where are we going?”
He grinned. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
She dropped back her head and laughed. This was where she needed to be. It would be time enough later to tell him about almost straying. When they entered the barn, Dante already had two of the horses saddled.
“Wow. You’ve been busy.”
“Anything for you.” Was he sweet or what? He moved in close. “No one’s looking.”
Before she could figure out what he meant, his hands plastered on her breasts and his lips captured hers. Even though her body wildly responded, she wasn’t about to have sex right here. She planted her palms on his shoulders. “We can’t. Not here.”
“Okay, but you owe me a lot of kisses.”
She cocked a brow. “What are you going to do to earn it?”
He sucked in his cheeks as if he needed to control his laughter. “You have no idea.” He nodded to the horse. “Need help up?”
“I’m good.” Though having his hands on her body would have been nice.
With little effort, she mounted. She’d been a little surprised that they hadn’t gone over to Trevor’s parents’ house and asked to use their mounts, but maybe Vince’s property had a nicer spot for a picnic.
Instead of taking off, he walked the horse across the range. She nudged her filly next to his quarter horse. “You planning on getting there before dark?” She was hungry, not only for food but for his kisses.
“You know what I love about you?”
He loved something about her? “No, what?”
“You’re tenacious and aggressive and sassy. You’re also hot in bed, though I can’t be positive since I’ve yet to sample you.”
“Sample me? You think of me as a platter of food?” Teasing Dante was so much fun.
“When I start licking your pussy, you’ll know what sampling means.”
Why did he have to say that? She wiggled in her saddle to stop the pulses from racing up her body. She failed. He could turn her on just by talking about having sex with her. Maybe three days was too long to go without satisfaction. If this craziness didn’t stop, she’d be rushing back to that sex store for a vibrator.
“You up for a little speed?” he asked.
She’d been so lost in thought that she’d forgotten how slow they were going. Not only did she like to play tennis, she loved to ride. Too bad, she hadn’t had much time to do so in the last few months. “I’m a little rusty, but I’m game.”
“How about you pace us and I’ll follow?”
He was too good for her. “You got it.” She nudged the filly’s flanks and her horse took off.
Lisa leaned forward and inhaled, loving how the wind blew through her hair. To hell with keeping it straight. Today was all about pleasure and no worries. Because she had no idea where she was going, when they reached a line of trees, Dante moved in front and she trailed a little behind. Watching his fine thighs hug that horse almost made her want to switch places with the beast. She tightened her own thighs and held on tight. Within five minutes, he pulled to a stop under a shade tree. He dismounted, tied off his horse in seconds, and came over to her.
“Let me help you, babe.”
As she swung her leg over the side, Dante’s strong hands clasped her waist and guided her down. When her feet hit the ground
, her body continued to hum. “It’s been too long since I’ve ridden.”
He took the reins and led the horse next to his and tied her off. “You did great. I’m impressed.”
“Thanks.”
He lifted the saddlebags from the back of his horse and slung them over his shoulder. “Come on. There’s a real pretty spot not far from here.”
Excited to go on an adventure with Dante, she traipsed alongside, admiring the thick pines and quaking aspen. The rich smell of loam mixed with the fresh air and filled her lungs with hope. “It’s glorious here.”
Dante looked down at her. “I agree. There is no place on earth that I’d rather be than in Wyoming.”
The path began to rise slightly, then leveled off. When they came to a ridge, he held her hand and led her down the narrow path. The sound of rushing water reached her before she saw the stream that fed into a small pond surrounded by trees.
“Welcome to Callen land. I like to think that on this spot, Grandfather George Callen decided to put down roots. From what Trevor told me, George’s two brothers were given the opportunity to stay in Wyoming, but one chose to move east and another to Washington state.”
“Their loss.”
He unburdened himself of his saddlebags, squatted down, and pulled out a blanket, four hard tins, and a bottle of wine. “It ain’t fancy, but it’ll fill your belly.”
“You’re such a cowboy.”
Dante took off his cowboy hat and slapped his thigh. “Aw, shucks.” He spread out the blanket and she knelt on it to help even out the creases.
She popped open the first tin. It contained strawberries. “Oh, yum.”
He smiled. “Came from Nicole Callen’s garden.”
She lifted one to her lips, bit the tip, and groaned. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Dante shift as if his cock had hardened and was now uncomfortable. Wasn’t this fun? She closed her eyes and ran her tongue around the strawberry a few times before drawing it into her mouth. She bit into the fruit halfway down, and the tangy juices dripped down her chin. Feeling someone’s breath near, she opened her eyes.
Competing for Lisa [The Callens 11] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 11
