Carter was already sitting at the dining room table, a giant steaming cup of English breakfast tea in front of him while he perused the paper on his tablet.
“Good morning, Lydia,” he said without taking his eyes from what he was reading.
“Good morning, Carter.”
She bounced into the kitchen, grabbing a toasted bagel off the tray and selected a spread for it before sitting back down at the table. A carafe of fresh squeezed orange juice and a chilled metal pitcher of milk sat in the middle of the table. The place settings were already out for their meal, seeming to magically appear in the middle of the night.
“It’s kind of nice to be rich, isn’t it?”
“It has its perks.”
He set the tablet down and closed the screen, watching her over the rim of his mug while he sipped his tea.
“I guess I’m not used to my breakfast magically appearing and the table being set and ready when I wake up.”
“If you think that’s magical, you’re in for so many surprises.”
He smiled at her, his gaze lingering on her sleep swollen lips and the soft lines of her face.
“You can have an easy life here, if that’s what you want. We can even build you your own guest house here. Whatever it takes for you to feel like you’re your own person.”
“That’s nice,” Lydia sighed. “But I don’t think this life is for me. You both are great, and I’m really happy right now. But I’m not meant for a pampered life and I can’t stay here that long.”
“So, you’re planning to leave right after the wedding?”
His voice was light, free of judgment and accusations, but there was a touch of sadness he couldn’t hide.
“I might stay a little longer. Winter is coming and it might be better if I stayed close until the weather was good. I was hoping to get to Florida and get settled before winter in Georgia hit. But now that I’m here until the end of the month, I don’t know if I’ll get out of here before the first snow.”
“You’ll have a car, though. You won’t be on foot anymore, so you can make it wherever you’re going in a few days.”
“That’s the other. I’m so excited about the car, but I don’t know how to drive.”
“You can learn.”
“True. But it isn’t like I’ll be ready to drive in anything but ideal driving conditions and it’s almost November.”
Lydia was surprised. She thought Carter would be happy. Instead, it was almost like he was trying to change her mind about staying. Maybe she’d seen something in him that wasn’t there.
His gaze held hers for a moment; jade green eyes boring into the depths of her soul. Lydia wanted to turn away, but she didn’t dare. As kind as they’d been, she’d learned long ago to never show any weakness.
His tender smile broke the tension, fingers running through his coal black hair in a gesture that Lydia had come to realize was a nervous habit. He probably wasn’t even aware that he did it.
“Look, Lydia, I’m not trying to convince you to leave. I just want you to know that there are options for you. We want you to stay, but only if you want to.”
“Thank you.” Her face still looked stricken and Carter kicked himself mentally for saying what he did. “I won’t stay longer than I’m welcome. So if you ever feel like I’m a burden, please let me know so I can find other accommodations. I wouldn’t want to wear out my welcome after you’ve both been so kind.”
She stared down at her hands, tears threatening. She didn’t know why she was so upset, and she didn’t want to admit that his words had stung. What had she expected, she wondered? Relief that she was sticking around a little longer than planned? Or maybe for them to beg her to stay.
Anything but Carter explaining to her that she didn’t have to stay.
Carter stood quietly, moving behind her and wrapping his arms around her.
“I would love it if you never left, and that’s the truth. I know that Jareth feels the same. We just want to make sure that you don’t ever feel pressured into something you don’t want.”
“Like a marriage?”
Carter chuckled at her sarcastic tone. He felt the same way she did. Well, maybe less upset by the marriage if he was honest. The more he was around Lydia, the more the thought of letting her go tore him up inside.
“Believe me, it’s no walk in the park for us either. And since it’s a poly marriage, there’s a lot more to the ceremony than a standard marriage.”
He pulled her closer and rested his cheek on her head.
“Lydia, if we had any choice, we wouldn’t force the marriage issue. But Gavin is ruthless and he’s not exaggerating when he claims that he doesn’t care if you marry us or die. It’s all the same to him, though I have a sneaking suspicion he’d rather you had died with the rest of them.”
“I got that impression, too.”
Lydia’s body relaxed and Carter planted a quick kiss on her cheek before taking his place beside her once more. He watched her delicately pour herself a glass of orange juice and place it beside her plate. She pulled her legs up off the floor to sit cross-legged in the chair and Carter was struck once again by her innocence.
Lydia was like no other woman he’d ever met.
Carter was about to remark on it when Jareth shuffled into the kitchen, blindly seeking out the coffee maker, his brown hair in haphazard spikes and swirls.
“I see you’ve decided to grace us with your presence,” Carter quipped.
“Coffee,” Jareth ground out, not even responding to Carter’s light-hearted teasing.
It was obvious that Jareth wasn’t a morning person by any stretch of the imagination.
Lydia giggled at them, covering her pretty mouth with her hand in a failed effort to stop herself.
“What’s so funny?” Jareth ground out.
“You two. You bicker like brothers. And you. You’re like a giant grizzly bear, stomping around the kitchen. ‘Me need coffee’.”
She impersonated his voice with startling accuracy before dissolving into fresh giggles.
“Ever heard the expression ‘don’t poke the bear’ Lydia?”
“Ever heard the expression ‘all bark and no bite’?” Carter retorted.
Jareth grumbled something under his breath and leaned against the counter, sipping his coffee and trying to gear himself up for the day. A day full of shopping had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that he’d dragged himself out of bed so early for the one hour drive to the nearest good-sized city, he wasn’t so sure he was up for it. It was supposed to be his day off. Watching Carter and Lydia delight in teasing him made him think that work might be less trouble than driving these two around.
“Come on, Lydia, let’s leave Jareth to finish waking up. I want to show you a few cars and get a sense of what you’re looking for so we don’t spend all day driving to every dealer in town.”
Carter led her to his private office to the right of the drafting room. He pointed out Jareth’s office on the left of the drafting room.
“What about that room in the middle?”
“That’s the drafting room. We keep that locked at all times. There are a lot of people coming and going and our clients trust us with their secrets. A secret room or passageway doesn’t remain a secret if we don’t keep our plans locked away from prying eyes.”
Lydia nodded. “That makes sense.”
She followed him into his private office, surprised to see that his computer had three full-sized screens secured to the wall in front of the keyboard.
“It should be pretty easy to compare them this way. We can narrow down the type of car and then search the inventory before we leave so we have a general idea of what you want.”
Carter looked at her and smiled.
“So what kind of car do you think you’d like?”
Lydia shrugged, “I don’t know. A blue one sounds nice.”
***
It was just after lunch when they pulled into the third dealership the
y’d visited that day.
“This is the last one, Lydia,” Jareth said, a slightly annoyed edge to his voice. “If you don’t pick a car at this dealer, I’m going to pick one for you.”
Carter hopped out of the SUV, flagging down a salesman and leaning in to talk to the guy quietly before Lydia and Jareth got out.
“Don’t talk about prices, just help her find the car she wants and we’ll worry about cost later, understood?”
The salesman flashed a smile.
“Are you saying ‘the sky’s the limit’ for a car for the lovely lady?”
“I’m saying, if we walk off this lot with a car after looking all day, I don’t care how much it costs.”
The man, nodded his understanding and stood beside Carter as Jareth and Lydia walked up to them.
He held out his hand to Lydia. She took it and gave it a good shake.
“I hear you’re in the market for a good car.” He said. “My name is Eric. Let’s start with what you’re thinking about.”
“Well, Eric. I’m thinking about a green car.”
Eric face twisted as he tried to control his laughter. The effect was an ugly grimace of sorts that made the poor man look like he was about to succumb to a heart attack.
“Did you say there was a coffee bar inside?” Jareth asked.
“Yes, there is,” Eric replied, looking a little flustered.
“We’ll see you in a few, Lydia. Make sure you let Eric know exactly what you want.”
Carter laughed at his own joke, waving to a panicked Eric as he and Jareth headed to the luxury lounge complete with a massive flat screen and comfy recliners.
“We should’ve come here first,” Jareth said as he settled into a leather recliner and propped up his feet.
“Definitely. We’ll know that for next time.”
“Oh, man. I hope there isn’t a next time. I’m having a hard enough time dealing with this time.”
They’d both dozed off when Lydia bounded into the room, followed closely by the harried looking salesman.
Jareth glared at the man, daring him to say that he hadn’t been able to find a car for her. But the man managed a weak smile. Jareth looked at his watch, astounded by the amount of time that had passed.
It was almost three o’clock.
“Two hours goes by much faster in here,” Carter remarked, stretching languidly before he stood up to take the paperwork Eric handed him.
He looked at Jareth, a single, slightly raised eyebrow the only thing that passed between them. Jareth snorted. In the end, they’d split it 50/50 as they had agreed. But for now, this was going on Carter’s credit card. By the looks of it, Carter’s hundred thousand dollar limit was going to be cutting it close today.
Carter smiled at Lydia.
“Do you like it?”
“Like it?” She was breathless with excitement. “I love it!”
Eric smiled again, but he’d clearly worked harder for this sale than he had in a long time.
“In that case, let me meet with Eric to finish up while you show Jareth your new car.”
She bounded out of the lobby, not even waiting to see if Jareth was following her. Parked in front of the doors was a metallic blue BMW X5. Jareth didn’t have to see the paperwork to know that this had been an expensive purchase.
She opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, wiggling on the supple leather seat, her face beaming.
“Can you believe it? Isn’t it the best thing you’ve ever seen?”
“It is pretty spectacular.”
“And, Eric said it’s fully-loaded, with all the extras. There are things I’ve never even heard of in here.”
Her joy was infectious, and Jareth didn’t have the heart to tease her about the price. He could tell that she had no clue what a vehicle like this cost, and if he was honest, he would have spent ten times that to see that look on her face. It was money well-spent.
Jareth walked around the car when Lydia jumped out, listening to her excited chatter as she described each extra feature. She’d gone almost full-circle around the car when she stopped abruptly.
“What? Why are you smiling like that?”
“You. It’s been so long since I felt the joy of my first big purchase that I’d really forgotten what it was like to see the world through fresh eyes. Everything you have, everything we give you, you are so appreciative. Even dinner. You still always thank us for that, even though that’s a basic need that we think nothing about.”
“But you worked really hard for those things, and you’re just giving them to me with no expectations.” She reached out and laid her hand shyly on his arm. “You have no idea what it’s like to finally have someone treat me the way you do, the way you both do, without any shame or guilt trips.”
He pulled her into his arms, surprising her with his embrace. She stood for a moment, unsure of herself and begging her body not to betray her before finally sliding her arms around his waist and letting him hold her.
“Life shouldn’t be so hard. You’re an amazing woman. I just want to give you everything you’ve ever wanted. From the first birthday where you didn’t get that pony until the day before we met you, I want to give you everything you never had, if only to see you happy.”
His voice caught and Lydia leaned back, surprised by the emotion she heard in his voice.
“You have no idea how much you and Carter have changed my life. I feel like a princess.”
“You deserve to be treated like a queen.”
Jareth leaned towards her, unsure if his next move was too forward, but afraid to let the moment pass.
When Lydia responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and moving towards him, he knew that she was as ready as he was.
He captured her mouth with his, gently at first, then following her lead as she slowly deepened the kiss. She was hesitant, but he could tell that he wasn’t the only one that had been thinking about the feel of his lips on hers.
The sound of a throat clearing behind Lydia pulled them out of the haze and back to reality.
“I see. I buy the car, Jareth gets the kiss.”
Carter’s voice was light, and obviously teasing, but Lydia immediately blushed. She turned to Carter and stepped into his arms, planting a soft, quick kiss on his lips and resting her head against his chest when his arms slid around her to hold her close.
“If I had known all I had to do to get a kiss was ask, I would have done it days ago.”
Lydia punched him playfully in the arm.
“Don’t be silly. You have to ask for a kiss after you buy me a seventy thousand dollar car. Geez, I’m not giving these kisses away.”
She laughed at the look that passed between the two men. Maybe she wasn’t oblivious to the actual cost of things after all. Jareth shrugged, his mouth spread in a wide grin.
“I can see by your sudden knack for sarcasm that you’ve spent way too much time with Jareth. I think I’ll drive you to the store and Jareth can follow us in the SUV.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Carter threw the keys to him and Jareth caught them in mid-air. He stole a quick kiss on Lydia’s cheek and jogged to their SUV, turning the engine over and driving out of the parking lot. Carter watched him for a moment, noting that he turned right instead of left.
“Where is he going?”
“I would imagine that he’s going home. It doesn’t take two men to take you clothes shopping.”
“It might.” She winked at him, giving him another impromptu hug before she slid into the passenger seat and buckled the seatbelt.
“That’s fine. I have more than one credit card.”
Lydia’s smile faded and for a brief moment, she was serious.
“I have no intention of taking this car when I leave. It was nice of you to offer, and I had a great time picking it out, but I really can’t accept such a gift.”
“It’s too late for that, I already had it put in your name.”
“But I don’t even
know how to drive.”
“That’s alright, I’m looking forward to spending a little time alone with you.” He clicked his seatbelt on and pushed the keyless start on the ignition. “Even if it puts my life in danger.”
Carter winked at her and smiled.
“I’m looking forward to getting to spend a little more time with you alone, too.”
She reached her hand out and put it on his leg. He covered her hand with his, loving the feel of her soft skin against his.
“I mean, if we’re going to be married-even if it’s just until Gavin moves onto something else-we might as well get to know each other, right?”
She looked at him, and he smiled at her.
“You’re right,” he said. “We’re all in this together.”
Pulling her hand to his lips, he brushed a light kiss across her knuckles, turned her hand and did the same to her palm. She closed her fist and smiled at him.
Carter put the car into gear, wondering to himself exactly what kind of person he was for not telling her about the mandate from Gavin that would throw a massive wrench into their plans.
He was an asshole, he decided. His reasons for keeping it a secret were entirely selfish ones.
CHAPTER FIVE
The following day, Lydia awoke refreshed and feeling decadent in her soft pajamas. Carter had ignored her insistence that she didn’t need anything fancy and had taken her to a high-end clothing store before stopping at Target to get whatever essentials she needed that they didn’t have already. She made quick work of filling her cart with what she needed, exhausted from the long day and ready to be home.
The fact that she’d thought of it as home wasn’t lost on her, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. The more time she spent with Jareth and Carter, the more she was having second-thoughts about leaving. Maybe the marriage was just a front, but who said she had to leave?
And who said she couldn’t fall in love with them, in spite of herself?
She’d lain in bed most of the night, trying to remember why she’d felt so compelled to leave in the first place. Lydia was more certain than ever that she was truly safe here. She toyed with the idea of staying through the winter as planned, then never leaving. Daydreaming in her massive bed, closet filled with a wardrobe that she’d only dreamed of and bathroom stocked with every essential she could imagine, she wondered what it would be like to live out her life in Jasper.
The Tigers Shared Mate Page 5
