A Sinful Trap

by R. G. Alexander

  “What do I think you are?”

  Entitled. Selfish. Controlling. He supposed in some ways he was all of those things. He did what he had to do for his family. For Davide.

  “I think you still see me as Boot Boy,” he answered with a rueful smile. “And I haven’t been putting my best steel toe forward. But I’m trying.”

  For you.

  There was a moment when he thought she’d accept his invitation, but then her frown turned regretful. “I can’t tonight. I promised Ava we’d have our first official dinner together, and she wants to make something special. You’re welcome to stay.”

  He had a feeling strategic retreat was the only way forward, no matter how much he wanted to stick to her side or how desperate he was to touch her. He was playing a longer game now, one with confusing rules and a possible extra player.

  That didn’t mean he couldn’t give her something to think about.

  “I’ll leave you to it tonight. Davide will need some hand holding after his encounters with the beyond, and you need time to reconsider me.”

  Cam dragged her back into his arms and brushed his lips lightly over hers. Asking. “One kiss,” he said, praying she’d give him that much. “Please, Bailey.”

  Her “Yes” was an exhalation anyone else would have missed, but he heard it and took immediate advantage, ducking his knees and bringing her up on her toes so he could reach her mouth.

  The first taste sent a shot of pure adrenaline and lust through his veins. Fuck, she tasted like sunlight and life and Davide. He wanted to claim and consume more than he wanted his next breath, but he let her come to him, his mouth open and his tongue teasing hers. Inviting her in.

  The wolf who’d been straining at his leash was patient now, wanting to gentle her. To give her this small submission to make up for what he’d be taking in return when she accepted what a true mating entailed.

  Her arms were around his neck, her full breasts rubbing against his chest, making him moan. She was his and all he wanted in the world was this. Just this. Touch Bailey. Kiss Bailey.

  Bailey. Bailey. Bailey.

  Only the memory of what he’d seen on his lover’s face, and the way she’d backed away from him, doubting, allowed him to finally let her go.

  “Tomorrow,” he promised against her mouth, turning to leave before he could change his mind.

  Davide was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, half a sandwich in his hand.

  “Ready for that talk now?” Cam asked, putting a firm hand on the small of his back and guiding him toward the door before he could answer.

  “See ya, Davide!” Mr. Olyphant shouted from the kitchen doorway. “I’ll be ready with that EMF detector when you get back. Ava’s showing me how to order it online.”

  Davide waved back at him and Cam walked faster. “You aren’t—”

  “No, of course not. He’s bored, that’s all.”

  Cam steered them toward the car he’d borrowed from Bunny. “And what was today about?”

  “Not what I expected. At all.”

  “It’s not possible.”

  “You think I don’t know that? How did the call go this morning?”

  “It didn’t cover this.”

  “I didn’t think it would. Which is why we need to call in one of those favors they owe you in Colorado.” Davide glanced back at the inn, his expression of yearning impossible to hide. “As soon as possible.”

  Cam had been thinking the same thing. The Colorado alphas had been through multiple land disputes over the years that he’d resolved for them with a few monetary transactions, lawyers who knew their loopholes, and large amounts of paperwork. The packs might not like his methods, but he got the job done.

  Right now, those decisions were looking like a damn good investment. The shifters in Colorado were the official record keepers of his kind, accumulating centuries of information about everything from births and deaths to pack laws and wars. If there were answers to be had regarding this inexplicable connection between Cam, Davide and Bailey, they were in Colorado.

  “Hell. I didn’t want to get on a plane again for a while.”

  He didn’t want to leave Bailey even for a day. But they needed answers and time was not on their side. How the hell could two different shifters be mated to the same human?

  Chapter Seven

  Don’t you love her madly?

  Want to be her daddy?

  “Five more minutes, Jim Morrison,” Bailey groaned into her pillow.

  When the Doors lead singer wouldn’t stop crooning, she reached out blindly for the phone blaring from her bedside table.

  “Hello?” she mumbled.

  “Did I wake you?”

  That voice. Bailey pressed her hips into the mattress reflexively, still half asleep and half aroused from the dreams she’d been having all night about Cam and Davide. “Whattimeisit?”

  Cam laughed and she bit her lip to hold in her moan. “Around seven-thirty.”

  “Seven-thirty?” She shot up to her knees, fumbling the phone before bringing it to her ear again. “In the morning?”

  She never slept this late. But the sun shining through her small window told her he wasn’t joking. “Damn it, the muffins.”

  The coffee and tea bar should already be set up on the trolley she kept in the kitchen. Muffins in their basket and the breakfast burritos needed to be set in the warming tray she’d gotten as a present from Liam.

  Jumping off the bed, she reached for her jeans.

  “Relax, Bailey. I spoke to Ava before I called you, and she’s agreed to keep those muffins coming to give the guests options. She’s drawn the line at the breakfast burritos, I’m afraid. She swears hers are better.”

  Bailey sank down onto of edge of the bed. “Oh, thank God.”

  She’d completely forgotten the inn had a cook now. And housekeeping. And sexy roofers. This was going to take some getting used to. “Everything’s fine.”

  “Better than fine,” he assured her. “How’s your head?”

  The scrape from the other night had all but disappeared, but her temples were throbbing. And she was tired, despite sleeping in. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think she’d gotten drunk and danced all night instead of spending her evening worrying about what had happened the day before.

  Kissing Cam. Coming for Davide. Ghost hunting guests.

  No wonder she had a headache.

  “I’m good,” she told him. “But if you tell me you’re already here while I’m slacking off, my humiliation will be complete. I’m really not putting my best foot forward here. I swear I’m usually up before the sun.”

  “I didn’t sleep well either. And you’ve been dealing with a lot of changes,” he said sympathetically. “I wish I were there for what’s coming today, but I’m not yet. Neither is Davide. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. We had to leave for Colorado last night. An unexpected but important meeting.”

  “Oh.” Since he hadn’t mentioned it when he invited her over for dinner, it really must have been unexpected. They were both gone?

  Bailey fought the urge to crawl back under the covers. The profound sense of loss surging through her was totally out of proportion to the situation. “Thank you for filling me in. I should let you get back to your meeting.”

  “Bailey, don’t hang up yet.” He sounded as disappointed as she was. “We’re trying to make it back as fast as we can. It’s only a two-hour flight and we’d already be in the air, but the pilot says there’s a delay.”

  Likely story.

  “You don’t need to explain anything to me, although that’s an oddly short business trip. You left last night and you’re already finished? Checking out a new property already?” And did she really want to know if he was?

  “It was nothing like that. This was old business. Old, frustrating business.”

  She could feel his frustration over the phone. She was tempted to ask him about it. She wanted to make him feel better. To comfort him.<
br />
  That’s not why he called, Bailey.

  She made a face at herself. Thank God they weren’t video chatting. “Sorry to hear that. You said something was coming today? Is that why you’re in such a hurry? Are there any deliveries I should be on the lookout for?”

  She heard Davide’s laugh in the distance, followed by Cam’s warning growl. Was she on speakerphone?

  “I’m in a hurry because we have a date for dinner.”

  He remembered.

  “Date?” Infused with new energy, Bailey slid off the bed again, throwing on her jeans and grabbing a fresh towel from her laundry basket. She was never this late. Hopefully the bathroom was free. “I don’t think anyone used that word, Mr. Locke. I would have remembered.”

  “It was implied,” he said darkly, making the unsubtle Davide laugh again.

  “Maybe assumed is a better word,” she said as she left her bedroom and walked down the hall. “And you know what happens when people assume.”

  She’d nearly reached her bathroom when she saw a man and woman carrying a gorgeous teal sofa with a colorful flower pattern toward the front desk. “What the…?”

  “Bailey? What is it?”

  This was what he was expecting today? Her dream sofa?

  “We’re being the opposite of robbed,” she whispered into the phone, still in shock. “Very attractive people are carrying things into the inn. I should be mad that you didn’t consult me again, but I’ve wanted that particular loveseat for a while now. For the guests, you understand.”

  “That’s one of the reasons I was calling you. I know you don’t appreciate surprises. You like it?”

  He had to know she did. Pikeson must have handed over all his files, including the one she’d made on redecorating ideas in case he ever decided to get rid of the twenty-year-old couch she’d re-stuffed twice and hidden with brightly colored quilts and throw pillows. “I love it.”

  “She loves it,” he murmured. “I was hoping you would say that.”

  He was killing her with that voice. He probably gave fantastic phone sex.

  And she needed to stop thinking about that right now. “We should hang up because I slept late and I need to shower before I can go meet your entourage and the new furniture.”

  “Shower.” He groaned and she swore it felt as if he’d grabbed her ass and squeezed. “You in the shower. Right. Good. I’m going to go put the pilot in a headlock to try and get him to speed things up. Davide wants me to tell you he’s sending you a text. We’ll be back soon.”

  She wanted to ask him to promise, but that would be way too clingy, way too soon. “Later.”

  “Bailey?”

  “Yes?”

  “What do you mean by ‘very attractive people’? Who do you think is attractive?”

  She hung up without answering and her phone instantly dinged with Davide’s text.

  Davide: Have a nice shower, sweet. Think of me doing dirty things…but don’t kiss Bunny while we’re gone. Is she the one you think is attractive? Asking for Cam.

  She smiled. Now dirty things were all she’d be thinking of, but that was better than the alternative—this ache in her chest at the temporary absence of men she barely knew. A few days ago, she hadn’t been looking forward to their first meeting. How was it she was already so attached?

  And who was Bunny?

  ***

  Bunny was a goddess, she thought, not for the first time as she walked past all the souvenir shops, restaurants, statues and art that cluttered Uptown Sedona. She was too early for her lunch with Dani and Kaya, but she’d needed to get away from the inn for a while.

  The last few hours had been interesting. After her shower, she’d been on her way to greet Ava in the kitchen when she ran into Bunny. The Amazonian Black woman was dressed in paint-spattered overalls, looked and carried herself like a runway model, and her confidence and humor had put Bailey instantly at ease. Now she understood why Davide had warned her not to kiss this woman. If she hadn’t met him and Cam first, she would be tempted.

  As if they’d received some silent signal, the rest of the entourage had all wandered into the kitchen, one or two at a time, to greet her. Aaron was a big sweetheart. Deter was intense. Lena and Muhammad appeared to be together, and Wags had enough energy that Bailey could guess why he’d been given his nickname.

  They weren’t anything like she’d imagined, though they were all tall and gorgeous enough to make her wish she’d taken a little more time with her appearance—and that high heels and makeup were appropriate for working in the garden. But otherwise she could find nothing wrong with them. They were smart and interesting and ready to work.

  And boy, did they. While she’d actually done more watching than gardening, they’d installed new lightweight, environmentally friendly composite tiles with jaw-dropping efficiency. Candle Joe and a few other neighbors had stopped by just to marvel at their speed, since people in Sedona rarely did anything in a hurry.

  They were nearly done with roof by the time she left. Plus, all the windows sparkled and the common room and empty guest rooms were almost entirely refurnished with beds and dressers directly out of her wish file. Practically overnight, she had the inn of her dreams.

  Yesterday, Cam’s command decisions had felt like an overstep. Today she was unusually Zen about it. Unusually being the operative word. Maybe it was a side effect of sleeping in, the smell of bacon, the sight of happy guests and the arrival of pretty furniture you could sit on without being stabbed in the ass. The Enchanted Inn was finally living up to its name.

  If you were enjoying the changes so much, why did you run away?

  Bailey frowned, passing her favorite pottery gallery without even peeking through the windows. Her fluctuating emotional state and new obsession with all things Cam and Davide still worried her. She couldn’t stop thinking about them. She’d actively tried, but she kept reliving Cam’s kiss, and couldn’t resist responding to Davide’s silly texts and random pictures of Cam’s ass labeled with titles like “My job” or “I’m watching it.”

  She was trying not to romanticize it, because the reality was, she was being pursued by two men who were already in love with each other. She was the third in this scenario. A temporary third.

  They didn’t even have a home base, according to Aaron, who’d been envying her garden when he gave her that tidbit. They never stayed anywhere longer than six months. Maybe eight, if they were lucky. It sounded like an exhausting way to live. There were places she imagined seeing, and she was sure money could buy a lot of comfort and excitement in those places, but wouldn’t existing as an eternal tourist get old after a while?

  Cam clearly didn’t think so, which made it unlikely that they would stay in Sedona long enough to want anything real. Why would they, when the life they’d chosen was perfectly suited for them?

  It didn’t stop her from wanting them, or wanting to know more about them. So when the temptation to grill Bunny and the others grew too strong to resist, she’d decided to phone a friend instead. Luckily, that friend was Kaya the psychic, and she and Dani were already planning to have lunch with her. Because psychic.

  Bailey loved her people.

  When she got to the café, she slapped a reserved sign on a patio table with a wink at Flora, the smiling waitress, before going inside to visit with the owner. As always, the sight of palm trees and the sound of The Beach Boys playing on the jukebox made her grin. For a grumpy sourpuss of a fry cook, Benny was unapologetic about the things he loved. And he loved The Beach Boys, Buffett, and everything associated with the ocean that Sedona was nowhere near. He also loved his life partner, Kashi, who was currently playing folk songs on his guitar for the tourists down the street.

  A wolf whistle from the bar made her change course with a smile. Dani’s man Liam, his friend Jace and Jace’s roommate Nick were holding down a trio of barstools.

  “Hey boys,” she said brightly. “What are you three up to?”

  What were they doing here?
There was no way Kaya had invited them to lunch.

  “Just having a friendly drink,” Jace said, in a defensive way that made her believe there wasn’t anything that friendly about it. “We didn’t know you were gathering here for a ladies-only lunch. Or that you dressed up for it. That outfit is really something, by the way.” He threw her a flirty lift of eyebrow.

  “Thank you.” Bailey did a twirl, fluffing her skirt and pretending to blush when they clapped. “I was in a mood.”

  She did love this dress. It was pink with black polka dots and a black underskirt. A bit much for an afternoon at the café, but after spending the morning with the Top Model brigade, she needed the boost.

  “Where’s Dani?” she asked Liam.

  “On her way. She’s walking over with Kaya.” The handsome chef sounded cheerful, but when he turned his back on his friends to face her, he mouthed a wide-eyed Help me.

  Message received. She inserted herself between Nick and Liam, elbows on the bar. “If you’re here for a drink, what are we drinking to? Is Sedona’s favorite Odd Couple celebrating an anniversary?”

  Nick gave her a quelling look.

  She ignored it, of course. “Are you two fighting again? It’s Jace’s fault, isn’t it?”

  Jace looked outraged. “What?”

  Nick and Liam nodded.

  “I knew it,” Bailey informed them sagely. “It usually is.”

  She wasn’t sure how or why those two were friends, let alone roommates. Jace was a hot but sadly commitment-phobic troublemaker who worked with Liam in the resort kitchens. He was also Kaya’s nemesis—or so she claimed. Bailey knew the real reason for her animosity was good old-fashioned lust. She wanted the loud, outspoken, idiot, and bickering was obviously their way of venting all that unresolved sexual tension.

  Nick, meanwhile, was a beefy, ginger-bearded geoarchaeologist—Bailey still had no idea what that entailed—who didn’t date anyone in town, male, female or nonbinary. The only person she’d seen him show any interest in was Kaya, and by interest Bailey meant she’d caught him staring at her. He didn’t talk much, so it was doubtful he’d made any actual moves.