by Sophie Oak
She didn’t have a future. The truth beat at her at the most inopportune times.
“This place is weird.” Gemma took a long drink of her vodka tonic. She still wasn’t sure she understood this place, and she didn’t like the feeling.
Naomi sighed and looked around. “I don’t know. I like it. It’s so different from Chicago. It’s softer here somehow.”
Chicago. Her mom had spent more time in Chicago than anywhere else, but it wasn’t home. Gemma didn’t have that one place where she could always go. Her whole life had been a blur of small towns and big cities and those years on the Renaissance Faire circuit. Lynn Wells had only been in Chicago to visit a friend, but she’d been forced to stay for two rounds of chemo before she’d gone into remission. And then she’d told Gemma she wanted to come home. To Bliss. This was where her mother felt safe. Gemma wasn’t sure she would ever have a place like this.
Silly name, Bliss. A misnomer since there was no such thing. She’d figured that out long ago.
But she was wondering if there wasn’t such a thing as an orgasm. Cade had asked her if it all had to be so serious. Why did it have to be? Because Jesse said so?
She glanced behind her. Cade was gorgeous. She really wanted to see him in his full glory. She wanted to see him walking around without a stitch of clothes on.
And Jesse. Jesse smiled and the whole damn world lit up. She’d tripped over her heels the other day going to lunch, and Jesse had thrown his body down so she would fall on him and not the concrete.
Patrick hadn’t noticed when she’d had her gallbladder out. She’d taken a cab from the hospital. Somehow she didn’t think Jesse or Cade would have allowed their woman to do that. Of course, they also seemed like men who would use the phrase “my woman.” Neanderthals. Really ridiculously wretched hot Neanderthals.
The jukebox wasn’t that far away.
“Damn, that’s a serious face.” Naomi leaned in, a smile on those beautiful lips. Maybe if she looked more like Naomi she would already be over at the jukebox. Maybe if she hadn’t let herself go, she would feel comfortable enough to walk over and just take control, but she’d indulged for six months. She’d gained ten pounds and lost most of her designer wardrobe. She’d left it behind in New York because she didn’t need it. Her hair was back to its normal color, and it brushed her shoulders, though she usually just shoved it in a ponytail.
Gemma shrugged. “Not really. It was just a passing thought.”
Naomi leaned forward. “Why passing? Look, Gemma, if you want them, I think you should go for it. You need to have some fun.”
She wasn’t sure she knew what fun was. Zane picked up a bottle of gin in front of her, his hands working to pour the proper amount. Family, huh? If they were “family,” then he could answer a couple of questions. “Zane, what do you know about those two guys at the table behind me?”
He looked straight at her. “There are five tables behind you. I know all the guys.”
Asshole. She rolled her eyes, biting back a grin. “The one right behind me.”
He sighed a little, staring out over the bar. “There are two men at that table, Gemma. Cade Sinclair and Ty Davis. If you’re the least bit interested in Jesse, I sincerely hope you’re asking me about Cade Sinclair.”
She hadn’t even noticed there was another man in the booth. “Black hair. Doesn’t like to wear a shirt.”
Zane slapped at the bar, his enthusiasm apparent. “That’s Cade. Excellent choice. The other one’s a man-whore. Seriously, he’s a walking venereal disease. Jesse’s good people. I don’t know as much about Cade, but I know they’re close. And Nate said they’ve been sniffing around you.”
She didn’t really care about how “good” he was. Well, she did, but she didn’t. And she probably shouldn’t get anywhere near him. “Nate needs to stop gossiping.”
“Ain’t happening, Gemma. Get used to it.” Zane went back to work.
Naomi leaned over. “Uhm, uhm. Those two men are practically eating you up, Gemma. What are you going to do about that?”
Nothing. She wouldn’t do a damn thing. Except she really wanted to. Every nerve in her body longed for touches and caresses. She was only human. And she’d completely ignored the need to be skin to skin for so long it was becoming a real problem. She craved it. She worried that if she ignored it long enough, it might go away, and she would spend her life without arms around her.
Four arms around her. Two mouths kissing her. Legs entangling.
She forced herself to stop thinking about it. She couldn’t. She needed to worry about the asshole who’d sent her a heart in a box. She’d narrowed it down to three cases. Nate and Cam were checking into it. It was weird to give up control like that.
“So how is your job going? Is it as bad as you thought?” Naomi asked.
“It’s okay.” She was a little shocked to find out that she meant that. It was kind of fun. In the week she’d spent on the job, she’d talked a woman down from a tree, overseen the installation of a new vending machine, calmed Nate down when the aforementioned vending machine stole his money, learned how to tie a fly fishing lure, and enjoyed a batch of cookies from the woman she’d previously talked down from a tree. Cassidy Meyer was a little crazy, and she’d taken to the tree when she’d learned her half-alien children were marrying a woman who didn’t like beets. After a long talk on a cell phone with a man named Leo, she’d coaxed Cassidy down. The wedding was months away. Her future daughter-in-law had plenty of time to prove her humanness.
Another wedding. She hated weddings. Even alien ones.
Naomi continued on. “Can you see yourself there long term? I mean, shouldn’t you try to find a job with a law firm? Have you thought about what you really want to do?”
Had she thought about it? Lots. She’d also thought about the fact that anyone who looked her up on the Internet would likely find the words “Midtown Meltdown” and read about how she’d been discovered by the NYPD wrestling with Christina Big Tits. Yeah, law firms across the country would go crazy over her. They might like her as a client, but not as a member of the firm. “I just want to spend time with Mom for now.”
There was a long sigh from her friend. “I know your mom is thrilled to spend time with you, but she wants you to be happy, too.”
Happiness was a chimera. It didn’t exist. Happiness was a fairy tale. She’d watched her mother and father do everything right. They had loved the people around them. They’d been the least materialistic people in the world. Being a good person hadn’t stopped cancer from striking her mother. “I’m fine, Naomi. I just need a little time.”
Yes. She needed time, not another set of problems. She wasn’t going to indulge herself. It would only bring more heartache. She didn’t really have anything to offer them. She wasn’t terrifically good at sex. She had a bad reputation around town. Jesse wanted someone polite. Cade called to her, but she knew better than to answer.
She didn’t have anything to give to a lover, much less two.
Her phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number. It could be the cabin. Her mom had a cell phone, but there was also a landline in the cabin, and Gemma hadn’t put the number in her phone yet. She picked it up. “Hello.”
“Gemma? Gemma, babe, god, it’s good to hear your voice. It’s been so damn long.”
She closed her eyes. Patrick? Her whole body clenched as though she’d taken a blow to her gut. He called her the night before their almost wedding? Motherfucker. “What do you want, Pat?”
Naomi started beside her. “Patrick?”
His voice came over the phone line. “Sweetie, I want to talk to you. I need to talk to you.”
Did they need to talk? Really? Maybe he was moved by the fact that this should have been the night before their wedding. Did he need closure? She didn’t. Not over him. She hadn’t loved him. She hadn’t even liked him most of the time. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine, Pat. I’m fine.”
He stopped. “It’s not fine.”
> She felt the beginnings of a headache. “Patrick, what’s going on? You don’t call me for six months and then you decide to get in touch the night before our wedding was supposed to happen? “
“Was that tomorrow?” He laughed a little. “Shit.”
The asshole had forgotten the wedding she’d paid for? “Good-bye, Pat. Don’t call again.”
“Don’t hang up. I can get you your job back, babe.”
She stopped. Damn it. It was the one reason he might be able to give her that was a bit compelling. The partners seemed to be blackballing her.
Her job. It had been her obsession for so long that she couldn’t flick her finger over the hang up button the way she should.
His voice came over the line, cajoling, tempting. “I can make it happen, Gemma. All you have to do is give me a little of your time. We can talk this out.”
“Fine, talk.” She wouldn’t stay. She would stay just long enough to restore her reputation and then she would find another job. And she wouldn’t have anything to do with Pat. The very idea made her a little nauseous. Especially now that she’d seen Jesse and Bare-Chested Ape Man. Cade. Cade was a man. Pat was a nice suit with overdone hair.
“Not on the phone. I want to meet with you.” He was using his flirtatious voice, a perfect example of a nasally whine.
It was deeply easy to ignore. “Not happening, Pat. I can’t come to New York.”
“It’s okay, babe. You don’t have to come to New York. I’m coming to Colorado. I’m at LaGuardia right now. I can be there by morning. Is there a Hyatt out there? Could you make me some reservations? And I need you to pick me up in Denver. How far away is this Bliss place?”
“I’m not picking you up.” She wasn’t going to drive for hours. “And it’s a long way. You should rent a car or better yet, forget it. I don’t want to see you.”
There was a long sigh. “Gemma, you know that’s not true. Babe, I am coming. I have a few things to talk about and they’re serious. But I have some personal stuff to talk about, too. I didn’t love Christina. Look, I made a terrible mistake with her, but I’m just a man. Our sex life wasn’t very satisfying. She was excellent in bed. I think we need to sit down and talk. Sex isn’t everything, right? We can get a class for you or something.”
Humiliation washed over her. “Fuck yourself, Patrick.”
She hung up the phone. He wanted something, but it wasn’t to help her out. He was playing an angle.
“Wow. That sounded rough.” Naomi shook her head. “Why would he call?”
Because he needed something and she wasn’t going to give it to him.
A throaty laugh filled the air, and she couldn’t help but turn and look their way. Jesse and Cade were laughing, talking to each other and that messenger her landlord had sent the other day. They were relaxed and happy and perfect.
She was a mess. But maybe she could have just a night. Patrick needed something from her, but she needed something he’d never been able to give her. If she hadn’t made him feel like a man, then maybe she’d never really felt like a woman. She needed to feel wanted.
One night. Was it too much to ask? She glanced back at the jukebox, its lights blinking their invitation. All she had to do was walk over to that jukebox and wait. Then she could show those two men that she could please them. She could take a little pleasure for herself.
Naomi looked back at the booth and then to Gemma. “Are you sure?”
Was she sure? Nope. Not at all. But she wanted to try.
Naomi gave her a little hug. “Go for it, sweetie. You need to stop worrying and live in the moment for a little while. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Naomi gave her a wink and left. She was on her own. And she had two men to take down.
Chapter Six
Jesse felt like pouncing. Maybe if he just jumped her, he would feel better, but he simply took another sip of beer and watched as Gemma stepped up to the jukebox. Her booted foot tapped against the hardwood floor and that heart-shaped ass swung back and forth.
She was there. She knew what it meant, and she was standing there.
“You’re drooling.”
He shrugged. He didn’t care if Cade caught him drooling. She was droolworthy. She was also a puzzle. He liked puzzles—interlocking pieces that individually meant nothing at all but as a whole created something lovely. He stared at Gemma the same way he would an engine that wasn’t functioning properly. A woman was like a car. She could look beautiful on the outside, but if she hadn’t been taken care of, she wouldn’t run properly. Someone hadn’t taken care of Gemma Wells. “She’s alone now.”
Cade’s eyes slid off Gemma and back to his beer, his fingers tightening around it. “Yes, she is.”
Fuck. He could feel Cade pulling away. Gemma was standing there. He didn’t have time to discuss Cade’s problems. If he didn’t get a move on, Gemma might think he’d set this up as some sort of joke. “We need to go in.”
Her friend had left, and Gemma was all by her lonesome, listening to some music, waiting for him. She was ripe, and he would really like to pluck her.
Cade stared at her. “I don’t know. I don’t have much to offer her. You were right about that.”
Jesse kept his cool. “I was merely talking about the way you’ve been up to this point. And here’s the deal, you were right, too. This doesn’t have to mean we end up married to her. Let’s just take this one day at a time. She’s standing right over there. She’s saying yes.”
“She’s saying yes to you. She always kind of frowns my way. Maybe she’s just putting up with me to get to you.”
Jesse nearly groaned. There weren’t many women in the world who were so crazy about one man that they would take on his crabby best friend, too. Gemma was interested in them. She was interested in ménage. Jesse figured if he ended the night with his cock up Gemma’s pussy, then it meant she was okay with his lifestyle choice. And if she wasn’t, then he would just have to show her. With his tongue and his fingers and his filthy mouth. He just needed to get Cade on board. “You kind of called her a bitch.”
Cade nodded toward Gemma. “She still calls me Ape Man from time to time.”
Ty tipped back his beer. “Half the women I sleep with call me something different. I just say yes.”
Jesse was pretty sure he shouldn’t take relationship advice from Ty. “What can it hurt? We ask her to dance.”
Cade’s eyes widened. “What can it hurt? Ask Max Harper.”
Jesse slid out from his seat. “I’m going in. I’m not afraid of her. I’m faster than Max Harper. I intend to evade her Taser and any other weapons she might have on her person. And if we leave her there for too much longer, she’ll likely walk away. I won’t let that happen.”
Those weapons might be plentiful. She was deeply prickly, but he’d seen some softness underneath her sarcasm. He’d seen the hurt in her eyes when Cade had talked about her. She’d put on a good front, but she couldn’t hide it all.
He had to treat her with real care and patience. And he had to make her comfortable enough to bring Cade in. If he had to, he would take care of her on his own and then try to work Cade in. She wouldn’t wait. If he backed off now, he could lose her, and he didn’t want to lose her. Over the last week he’d grown addicted to her sass and sarcasm. When he’d walked in and seen her grinning at Cameron Briggs, he’d wanted to plant his goddamn fist through the man’s face. He wasn’t possessive. Or at least he hadn’t been before. He’d had no problem with women coming and going, their effect on his life as transitory as his existence seemed to be.
But Gemma had roots. Gemma needed them. And he intended to provide them.
He walked up to the jukebox, keeping a decent distance between them when all he wanted to do was cuddle against her backside and sway to the music.
“Hey, Gemma.”
She smiled, her lips curving up in a little satisfied grin that told him she hadn’t been unaware of him. “Hi, Jesse.”
She’d sent her friend aw
ay. She was standing at the jukebox. He should put an arm around her and lead her out of the bar. They could go back to her place, and he could be inside her before midnight. And still he had a hard time walking out and leaving Cade behind.
“Can I buy you a drink?” Jesse asked. What he wanted was to buy a little time.
“No.” Gemma turned to him. “But I can buy you one.”
There it was. He smiled, catching on to what she was doing. She wanted to control the situation. He could go along with that for the time being. “I would like that.”
She turned and walked back to the bar, simply expecting him to follow. Again, he could do that for the time being. He hopped up on the seat beside her.
“Zane, could you get my friend a drink? I’ll take another one, too.” Her voice was completely steady. She looked like quite the seductress. Sexy smile on those gorgeous lips. Honey-blonde hair flipped back.
And her hands were shaking.
Yes, someone had damn straight not taken care of Gemma Wells.
He put his hand over hers, curling their fingers together. She looked up, a little startled at the contact, but she relaxed, her hand still in his. “How’s your momma doing, Gemma?”
He could see plainly that she hadn’t expected that, either. She seemed to fumble for a moment. Had she expected him to hit on her with tired, old pickup lines and easy come-ons now that they were getting down to the nitty-gritty?
“She’s good.” The husky seduction was gone the minute she talked about her mother. “She’s so happy to be back here. I guess I never really thought about it, but she considered this home all these years. I wonder why she stayed away for so long.”
Zane slid their drinks in front of them, breaking the oddly intimate moment. Her hand slid out of his and reached for that vodka like it was a lifeline.
“But I’m sure you don’t want to talk about that. Let’s talk about you.” She laughed. He would adore that throaty sound if he thought it was really directed at him. But he could see it for what it was, an act meant to bring about a reaction in him. “Is it just the two of us then? I guess I scared the Ape Man away.”
