Oh, good lord, woman. What are you gonna do next? Stick out your pouty lip? Pull up your big-girl panties. You can’t help what he does or doesn’t do, but you can control how you react.
“What’s got you frowning?” Grace looked at her with mild concern in her eyes.
Margot shrugged and bit her lip. “Just a crappy day, I guess.”
“Everything okay with Jake? You seemed in good spirits when you got here tonight.”
“I guess it’s just stress from work and my usual moody crap.”
Grace shook her head. “You know, you don’t normally strike me as the moody type. We get along fabulously, and customers love you. The moodiness seems to come out when you’re around that big hunk of man over there.”
Margot sighed wearily. “Jake brings out the bitch in me, doesn’t he? I’ve been worried lately.”
Emma tilted her head a little. “About what?”
Margot looked away for a few seconds, but then met Emma eye to eye. “Worried that he’s going to get tired of our relationship dynamic. No man wants a woman who is ‘up in the air harping’ over something all the time.”
And Jake wouldn’t want a woman who asked for a ménage, so just forget about it.
Grace chuckled gently and gestured at Rosemary and Evan Garner, who were on the dance floor, about as close to each other as they could get. Evan’s brother, Wes, Rosemary’s other husband, wasn’t there that evening and must’ve been giving them some alone time. “I beg to differ. Evan adores Rosemary. I promise you she keeps him on his toes. Some men like a woman with a fiery spirit.”
“Is that code for bitch?” Margot asked with a snort.
Grace leaned closer. “Could it be that you’re using your temper as a means to keep him at arm’s distance?”
Was she? Most of the time, Jake seemed amused by her moodiness and need to be in control of her world. But she knew there was a point where he might grow tired of her anal-retentiveness and seek a woman who was easier to get along with. The thought made her heart ache.
“Or that he picks at you because he enjoys being with a woman who has a temper?” Emma pointed out, but her reasoning was too simplistic, and Margot wasn’t that lucky. No, they were a ticking time bomb that would one day explode and leave behind a big, painful mess to clean up. Despite the volatility of their relationship, she loved him very much and couldn’t stand the thought of him not being a part of her life.
Emma’s eyes shifted to over Margot’s shoulder, alerting her to Jake’s presence behind her. Somehow she’d overlooked it when Jake had risen from the other table and come to theirs. His warm arms wrapped around her shoulders and he kissed the sensitive spot under her ear. The tickle of his light beard sent shivers tingling over her flesh. “Ready for a dance, sugar britches?”
Gil joined them at the table, and smiled at her, most likely because he knew how she felt about the kooky pet names Jake used. Normally, that so-called endearment pissed her off, but tonight all it did was increase the weight in her heart. She’d even miss him calling her sugar britches if he ever left her for a less cantankerous woman.
She held his arms in place for a second, schooled her features, and quelled the tears that stung behind her eyelids. He leaned in and gazed at her with those sexy, light-brown eyes and she let him help her from the chair. Gil caught her eyes before she turned away, and she knew he could tell something was bothering her. Gil was pretty intuitive at times.
Jake drew her close on the dance floor as “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do” by Brantley Gilbert began to play. Biting her lip, Margot tried to tune the lyrics out so she didn’t become a blubbering idiot on the dance floor. She was unsuccessful as the vocalist lamented the loss of the woman he counted as his best friend.
Fucking Hell! She and Jake were volatile as a couple, but besides her sister, Jake was her best friend. She had lots of great girlfriends, but no one else knew her like he did. He knew she hated almonds and coconut, but for some strange reason loved Almond Joy candy bars. He knew that her favorite color was purple, that her favorite flowers were white roses, and what kind of bra she preferred. The bra preference he knew because he’d had to replace one that he’d cut off of her in the heat of passion.
Why can’t I just be easy to get along with like Grace, Emma, or Maya?
She caught a glimpse of Rosemary and Evan who were still on the dance floor. Evan gazed down at Rosemary as though his whole world was wrapped up in his arms. Was Grace right? Was she keeping him at arm’s length with her temper?
Jake turned on the dance floor, and Ethan Grant made eye contact with her and nodded with a smile. Grace had told Margot once that she sometimes felt like Ethan read her mind. The understanding look in his eyes just then made Margot wonder if he was reading her mind as well.
* * * *
Margot was tense in Jake’s arms, but he couldn’t pinpoint the cause. She’d been more cantankerous lately, and he’d worried that she was trying to find a way out of their relationship. What relationship they had, anyway. He’d never slept all night at her house, and she’d never slept at his. The sex was very satisfying, but it had proven impossible to burrow under the wall she always put up the moment it was over.
He’d also wondered if she felt unfulfilled, especially since she was always around her sister, Summer, and her men, Ace Webster and Kemp Whittier. The idea that had been germinating in his mind came to the forefront again. He glanced at Gil and wondered if he could prevail on him. Was it worth the risk to their friendship?
She’d seemed out of sorts when he’d approached the table and put his arms around her. Uncharacteristically, she missed a step in the dance.
“Sugar britches?”
“Hmm?” Her reply sounded distracted as she gazed across the dance floor.
To test the theory, he said, “Guess what I’m going to do when I get you home tonight.”
“Hmm?” A statement like that always got her attention, but she just kept her eyes focused across the nightclub.
“I’m going to tie you up and drizzle honey all over you and then lick it off.”
Margot sighed distractedly. “Uh-huh.”
Jake stopped dancing and looked in the direction she was staring, which seemed to startle her. On the other side of the room was a table full of familiar, single cowboys, several of whom he knew worked at The Divine Creek Ranch. Two of them nodded when he made eye contact. Jake had heard Buck Turnsell and Chad Jordan were in the market for a ménage but not the permanent type.
Margot looked befuddled. “Why did we stop?”
“Is there someone here who you’d rather dance with than me?”
At first, her face registered shock, and then her blonde eyebrows drew together and the hurt in her eyes was like a punch to his gut.
Way to be insecure, Redman.
The hurt quickly changed to anger.
“If I wanted to dance with someone else, Jake Redman, rest assured I would. I’ve had plenty of opportunity while the four of you were gabbing like a bunch of old spinsters. Let go of me.” She tried to yank her hand from his and turned to leave. “Fucking asshat.”
He refused to let go and pulled her back against his chest. “I’m sorry. You were distracted and I thought you were eyeing someone else.”
Or more than one “someone else.”
Margot’s shoulders sagged as he started the steps with her again. “Jake, I can barely keep up with you. Where would I get the energy for dealing with someone else?”
Jake scoffed softly. Margot might profess to not have the energy for dealing with another man, but Jake had seen otherwise. Her stamina was unbelievable, and he loved being on the receiving end of it.
If she was just overworked and needed to relax, a massage might help. He recalled Ethan’s words about the squirting orgasm. He’d said that a massage beforehand would help the woman to relax enough to allow it to happen. Jake sighed, recalling the rest of the instruction, thinking that he liked his balls right where they were.
“Me too. You’re not really an asshat. I was looking at Rosemary and Evan. They seem so happy.”
Jake glanced at them and nodded. Yeah, Rosemary was really happy…in a ménage with two brothers.
Redman, it’s been on your mind for a while. Why not just ask?
He wasn’t sure it was worth the risk. Hell, what he was contemplating scared even him.
Just as he took a breath to voice the question on his mind, Gil surprised him by tapping his shoulder as the song changed. It didn’t irritate him that his friend wanted to cut in like it would’ve if any other man had. He trusted Gil with Margot, but this was the first time he’d ever asked to dance with her.
Test the waters, Redman.
He looked into Margot’s eyes. Would she want to dance with Gil? He raised an eyebrow, silently asking her if it was okay. She nodded and looked up at Gil as he held out his hand.
Jake waited for the territorial feelings to surge as she went into his friend’s arms and…nothing happened. But it wasn’t a lack of feeling that he noted, as if he didn’t care. What he felt bordered on approval as he watched Gil smile down at her and speak softly. She nodded, glancing at Jake, before they moved away on the dance floor.
Jake went to the bar and ordered another beer. As he took a sip, Ethan Grant leaned back against the bar. He spoke quietly so those standing nearby couldn’t hear him. “Could I make a friendly observation?”
Releasing a sigh, Jake tipped the bottle to his lips again. Shit, is it that obvious? “Sure.” He respected Ethan, so he’d hear him out.
“You’re not receiving the signals she’s been sending.”
“Not sure I follow, Ethan.”
Ethan turned to face the bar and smiled at Camilla as she passed him a soft drink. “I don’t know how many times I’ve heard you say you’re not the sharing kind. Is that really true?”
“I suppose it is. I guess.”
“Do you say that just to get her riled, or do you really mean it? What if Margot wants what she sees her sister enjoying, only she wants it with you?”
Jake looked down at the toes of his Tony Lamas. The way Ethan asked the question made Jake wonder if he came off as an arrogant ass to everyone. “I suppose I do it mostly to get a reaction from her. She’s never said anything to me about wanting a ménage.”
“Maybe because she believes you’d never agree to it?”
Shit. “I’m not opposed to giving her whatever she wants. I love her but I can’t read her mind.”
“That’s why I said I think you’re missing her signals. I think there’s other vital information you’re missing as well. Look.” Ethan gestured with a subtle tilt of his chin at the dance floor.
The song Margot and Gil were dancing to came to an end. Gil smiled at her as they stopped swaying to the music and most everyone around them kissed. Margot darted a glance toward the tables and then slid her arms around Gil’s waist and hugged him tight. She bit her lip as she did so.
Jake knew that look. He’d wondered on occasion if Margot had a thing for Gil. He’d caught Gil gazing at her every now and then, giving a hug that lasted a little longer than normal, but he’d never gotten the impression that there was something going on between the two of them.
The most telling sign of all was the way Gil returned the hug. He bent down to press his lips against the top of her head, and his eyelids slid closed as he did so. Jake recognized the expression on Gil’s face and waited for the sucker punch to his gut as his eyes confirmed what he’d intuitively known. His best friend was in love with Margot too. Margot’s hands slid across Gil’s back and balled into small fists, a sign of an internal struggle.
Ethan gave him a sideways grin. “She’d never say or do anything that would hurt you. She’s a good woman, but it’s clear she’s not satisfied. Give her what she needs and you’ll all be happy.” With those words, Ethan pushed away from the bar and moved off into the crowd.
* * * *
The song ended and Gil escorted Margot back to the table. As she took her seat, Gil noticed Jake wave him over to the bar. “Be right back, Margot.”
Margot nodded and sipped her drink.
Gil made his way over to where Jake leaned casually at the bar. The look in his eyes was unreadable as he gestured with his chin at the beer Camilla had just opened for Gil. The petite strawberry blonde smiled at him as he nodded his thanks and faced Jake once more.
“I know you’re in love with Margot.”
The relaxed feeling he’d had since dancing with Margot vaporized in the wake of an adrenaline rush. He looked Jake in the eye, trying to discern if he was about to get his ass kicked or not.
Jake gestured toward the foyer, and Gil followed him warily. He hoped he wasn’t about to lose his best friend, and contact with a woman he cared for deeply. He glanced toward the tables and cursed his lack of control as Margot watched the two of them move toward the entrance in apparent confusion.
Gil exited the nightclub and stepped out into the humid evening air. He’d known it was stupid to hug Margot close and kiss her head like that, but he hadn’t been able to resist. She’d felt so good in his arms, and he’d given in to the fantasy.
Jake stood there with his thumbs hooked in his pockets, looking like he was trying to gather his thoughts. He chewed his lip for a second and finally said, “Look, I’m not mad about it. I guess I’ve known a while. What if…” Gil frowned and waited for him to find the words. He’d fully expected the ass-kicking to have started by this point. “What if…Margot wanted a ménage?”
“What?” Gil refused to grasp at the hope that flickered to life.
“What if she wanted both of us?”
“You’ve always said—That’s not possible. She—”
“I’ve been good at seeing what I want to see. But Ethan opened my eyes tonight.”
“What did he say?”
Jake chuckled. “I’m so glad I wasn’t the only clueless one. He thinks she wants a ménage…with us. I don’t mean a fling, either.”
“I didn’t think that’s what you meant.” Margot wasn’t the type to go for casual affairs.
“Are you in love with her?”
Gil frowned at Jake’s direct question. It was like going from zero to sixty in two seconds and he needed a moment to catch up, but Jake didn’t seem in the mood to pussyfoot around. “Since the day I met her.”
“Good. Can you share?”
Holy fucking hell, he’s serious! Gil nodded without hesitation. “What do we do?”
Jake beckoned him and turned on his heel. “We talk to Margot. Find out once and for all what she really wants.”
* * * *
Margot watched as Jake and Gil appeared in the entryway and returned to their table. Both men’s gazes were so intense they set her on edge.
Oh hell, what did I do now?
Jake smiled as he took his seat, and Gil stood right beside him. If she was in trouble, she didn’t want it to go down at the nightclub. She glanced at her watch and laid her hand on his upper thigh. “I have an early-morning appointment. Would you take me home?” His curly, jet-black hair peeked out from beneath his black cowboy hat, in need of a trim again, and her fingers itched to run through the silky strands.
“Sure, but we need to talk once we get there. You mind if Gil comes along?”
Margot looked from one man to the other but couldn’t gauge what was going on, so she nodded. “Sure. Am I in trouble?”
Jake gave her a devilish grin. “Now, darlin’, what would make you think you’re in trouble?”
Gil smiled at her, but there was something else in his expression that she couldn’t pinpoint. “We just want to talk, that’s all.”
Turning to Gil, Jake said, “Leave your truck here. We’ll get it later. That way we can talk on the way.”
Confused, Margot looked from one man to the other. “No, really. Am I in trouble?”
The gleam in Jake’s eyes set her on alert. “Define trouble.”
Chapter Two
Margot said her good-nights with her heart palpitating and both men walked her out to Jake’s truck. She glanced at Gil out of the corner of her eye, but his expression gave nothing away. Once the truck was started and the air conditioning was blasting, she looked at Jake, who was in the driver’s seat, and Gil, who sat directly behind him.
“What the hell is going on? You’re both scaring me!”
Jake held her gaze steadily as he put the truck in gear. “Would you tell me what your favorite fantasy is?”
Margot felt certain it wasn’t a good look for her when her eyes bugged from their sockets. She jerked her head back to look at Gil, disbelieving that Jake would ask her such a personal question in front of him.
“Sorry. Let me rephrase that. Grace is a writer. What would she say is her readers’ most common fantasy?”
Margot pressed her back against the seat and crossed her arms. “Ménage lovemaking. More than one man being in love with a woman. Why?”
Softly, Jake asked, “Is that your fantasy?”
Oh, shit. Why does he want to know? Why is Gil in the truck for this question-and-answer session? He wants to know this now, with everything else we have going on? If this is a joke, I’m going to rip his head off and—
Gil placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and her breath caught in her throat. “Breathe, honey. I want to know the answer too.” His hand slid down her upper arm until his fingertips rested in the bend of her elbow, and stayed there. A white-hot thrill of desire raged through her like she’d suddenly been set ablaze.
She turned her gaze to Jake. He wasn’t joking. “Yes. It is. But not if it means risking what I have with you, Jake.”
Jake grasped her hand and, in a tender gesture, pressed it to his lips. “I want to give you what you need, Margot. I know I’ve always said I wasn’t the sharing kind but…with Gil I’d make an exception. Tell her what you told me, Gil.”
She turned her gaze back to Gil and smiled at the put-on-the-spot look on his face as he murmured, “I fell for you the moment I met you last year. I’d give you whatever you wanted, Margot. Including what Jake’s offering.”
-->
