Jillian wondered where her thoughts had taken her.
I wonder what her life has been like, this woman who was such a good friend to Shirley and who is claimed as matriarch by an entire town.
Kate seemed to come out of her reverie then and gave Jillian a beautiful smile. She reached forward and patted Jillian’s hand. “You don’t have to worry about that, not ever again. You’re here now, and a part of us. No matter what the future may hold for you and those two doctors waiting for you, you belong here, Jillian Gillespie. You belong to Lusty, now—and Lusty, by damn, belongs to you.”
They chatted about other things, then, and sipped their tea. Jillian really liked Kate Benedict, and not just because she’d been such a good friend to her aunt Shirley. Kate was the most positive-thinking and dynamic woman she’d ever met.
She stood by the glass doors after their good-bye, and watched the older woman make her way along Main Street. How odd that Grandma Kate could read her as well as Robert had done. If she was the sort of woman who believed in karma and fate and predestination, she could almost believe that her life had led her to this place and this time and these people.
Of course, she wasn’t that sort, not at all. As far as she could tell, the universe had shown no particular proclivity for taking care of her in any way, shape, or form so far. Why would it start doing so now?
She stood looking out the window for just another moment. The clinic was now officially closed for the day. Of course, she knew if any emergencies came up, the doors would open. But for now, for the regular business of this clinic in this small Texas town, the business day was over.
Jillian turned the lock and headed toward the conference room, and the last little bit of work to be done in her business day.
Realizing she didn’t have her notes, she detoured to her office and selected the file folder she’d placed in her to-do tray earlier. She didn’t hear voices, and even the country music that had played on the speaker system all day had been silenced. She knew the men hadn’t left, because Robert had told her they would wait for her.
Odd how it was that she trusted them so much after such a short time, but she did.
Woman, you trusted them enough to give them command of your body
. Jillian told her inner imp to shut up. She didn’t need to have any of her doubts or foibles pointed out right now.
The conference door was closed. She felt her left eyebrow go up even as she knocked.
“Come in, Jillian.”
She’d seen them off and on all day, had chatted with them together and individually, and not once had she become aroused. She sure as hell was horny now, and couldn’t explain why now, and not then.
In her mind she was still at work, it was still her business day, even if it was nearly over.
No, she couldn’t explain it completely, but as she stepped into the room, the aura of…well of the
Dom
seemed to surround both men. Robert stood by the window that overlooked the back parking lot. He’d closed the blinds and was leaning with his back to the window, almost negligently. His eyes, however, were hot, his gaze intense, and on her.
David stood the other end of the room, near the foot of the table. Hands on the back of a chair, his gaze met hers. Gone was the playful, sometimes insouciant man she was coming to know. At this moment David Jessop was every bit as much the master as his brother Robert.
In her mind the impact seemed far greater because of his earlier demeanor.
“Close the door and lock it.”
Intrigued, she set her file folder on the table and did as he asked. Then she stood silently, waiting.
“Robert says he got the impression that you were putting us into a box—sort of like, Doctors at work, and masters at home. Is that right?”
Jillian shrugged. “If you mean I’m trying to keep business and pleasure separate, then yes, I guess that’s right. Is that a problem?”
David met his brother’s gaze. Robert raised one eyebrow, but said nothing.
“Not a problem, necessarily, unless you’re under the impression we’re not serious about you, and what’s happening between us.”
“Define ‘serious’, please.” Jillian didn’t particularly like the vibes she felt coming from these two hunky doctors. She would be the first to admit that whatever was happening between them was a bit more than a casual fling—simply because casual flings weren’t her style.
Neither was aiming for the picket fence and happy-ever-after.
“You belong to us, Jillian. At home, at work, on vacation, or anyplace in between. You belong to us, and we belong to you.”
How odd that everyone seems to be so fixated on
belonging. Jillian couldn’t prevent the tiny voice in her head that sounded wistful even if the words her imp provided were supposed to be chiding, and perhaps even a little scornful.
Jillian felt completely at sea. She didn’t know what these men wanted from her, or why she suddenly felt uneasy. “I see.”
“I doubt that, sub. But you will.”
She couldn’t help switching her gaze to Robert. Something about the way he spoke to her sometimes simply compelled her attention.
He gave her a smile, and she felt herself relax.
“Yes,” David agreed. “By the time we’re done with you, I believe you will begin to see.” He stood straight and brought his hands off the chair back. “Strip. Fold your clothes neatly and give them to Robert, and then get into your position, facing me. Do it, now.”
David was a lot more the Dom than he’d led her to believe. She understood that deep inside, because her hands set to work obeying him before her mind could even protest.
Not taking her gaze from his, Jillian began to bare her body, and understood she was also, in the process, baring her very soul.
He’d been a federal agent for more than a dozen years, and would never see forty again, two facts which
should
have assured him he’d seen it all and done it all. But as Joe Grant got out of his car and approached the door at the back of the pretty two-story house, he understood he’d missed something very important along the way, something he was only finding now.
Love.
He knocked, and when the door swung open and Michelle Parker greeted him with her sweet and sexy smile, Joe admitted to himself that he was, for the first time in his life, totally, completely and head-over-heels in love.
The marrying kind of love
.
There was, to his way of thinking, only one problem with this scenario. His woman had grown up in Lusty, Texas, a town that had earned its name by being home to many ménage families.
What if Michelle had her heart set on finding two husbands, or even
three
? He’d always believed himself the kind of man who lived and let live. Even knowing many of the families here, he knew himself to be fair-minded. It really wasn’t his business how others chose to live their lives. He had nothing against any of the folks here in Lusty and was proud to call several of them friend.
He didn’t, however, think he could share Michelle with another man—or another woman, for that matter.
“Is everything all right? You look…fierce.”
Joe pushed aside his worries, leaned in, and gave Michelle a chaste kiss. “Everything is just fine, honey. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes. I raced through my housework after you dropped me off this afternoon.”
“Complicated your schedule, did I?” He grinned and held out his hand, and felt like the tallest, strongest man in the world when she gave him hers, threading her fingers through his. He stood silent while she closed and locked her door, and then he began to lead her down her driveway to the curb, where his car waited.
“Yes, you did, but I’m not complaining. I enjoyed visiting that museum and then hiking along the trail today.”
“Good.”
“Mostly, though, I loved just spending the time with you.”
Joe stopped, turned to her, and met her gaze. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t known each other for months, for they had—even if today had been only their second official date.
He felt as if he’d waited for her forever. He didn’t think he could wait much longer.
He laid his lips on hers. The flavor of her shot straight to his cock, making him wish they were already alone someplace and he could strip her bare and bury himself deep inside of her.
Michelle responded so sweetly, her mouth opening, her tongue dancing with his. He meant this to be only a tiny little thank-you kiss. Before he could stop himself he slipped his arms around her, pulled her flush, and plundered.
He could feel her nipples harden and could smell the seductive fragrance of her arousal. God in Heaven, he was acting hornier than he had when he’d been a green teenager.
He tapered his kiss, knowing he had to pull back, but unwilling to completely let go. Finally, he said, “You short-circuit my brain, Ms. Parker, and make me want to do all kinds of carnal things with you.”
Michelle’s pretty cheeks turned pink, but she gave him that sexy grin and said, “I’m glad it’s not just me feeling that way.”
Joe laughed. “Trust me, it’s not.” He brought her hand up to his lips, kissed the back of it, and continued to lead her toward his car.
“The curtain at the front of your house just fluttered. I hope I didn’t shock your parents.”
“You didn’t.” She murmured her thanks as he saw her seated in the front seat of his Buick. He walked around the car to the driver’s side, giving himself a very stern lecture about decorum along the way.
Joe slid behind the wheel and buckled his seat belt. Michelle turned to him. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I’m not very good at playing games. Also, I don’t want you to think my parents are spying on me the way you might think they are.”
“Honey, your folks have only met me once, and that was when I brought you home from our date last night. I’d think it was strange if they didn’t spy, at least a little.”
“Oh dear.”
“What?”
“Well, now I’m worried of what you’ll think when I tell you what my mother—the town pharmacist, remember—said when I told her we were going out again tonight.”
“What did she tell you?”
“She told me to make sure I had some condoms in my purse.”
Joe couldn’t stop his grin. “Did she, now?”
“Yes. And she said it with a smile on her face.”
Joe looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He had to admire her personal courage. Her mother might have had a smile, but Michelle had a very pronounced blush.
“So she won’t mind that I just tried to tickle your tonsils with my tongue right out in plain sight, right there in the driveway?”
“I’m pretty sure she won’t.”
“Good.” Actually, Joe wanted to say a hell of a lot more than
good
. He had a plan—at least for tonight—and considering everything, had checked out of the bed-and-breakfast that afternoon. He’d be going back to Dallas the next day, because he was due back at work Tuesday evening.
He guessed he should have mentioned his plans to Michelle first. It was humbling to realize that at his age he could still be nervous.
“So, where are we going for dinner?”
Now or never
. “I’ve made reservations for us at the Brazos Grille, in Waco.”
“I don’t think I’ve heard of it. Is it new?”
“Not exactly.” He stopped the car because the light had turned red. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he turned and met her gaze. “It’s the restaurant inside of the Hilton Hotel. I got a room for the night.”
“I see.”
The light turned green, so he put his eyes back on the road. Michelle’s hands were in her lap. He reached over and took her left one in his right. She held on to him, despite the fact she was nervous enough to tremble, just a little.
“Do you think the hotel has in-room dining?”
Joe felt his heart rate pick up and his cock begin to stir. “I’m pretty sure it does. Why?”
“Well, it’s only going to take us a little while to get to Waco, and I’m not altogether certain I’ll be ready to eat dinner quite this early.”
“The dinner reservation is for nine thirty. I thought you might want to walk through the park, or do some shopping or sightseeing first before we eat.”
“There’s only one place I want to go sightseeing in Waco, Mr. Grant.”
“Is there? And where would that be, exactly, Ms. Parker?”
“Inside that room you have rented at the Hilton.”
Joe exhaled, and brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. Deciding that wasn’t enough, he checked his rearview mirror, and when he saw there were no cars following, put on the car’s signal, and eased his vehicle off the road.
In a single move that felt smooth despite his own case of nerves, he slipped the gearshift into “park,” and reached over and unfastened Michelle’s safety belt. He put his arms around her, pulled her across the seat to him, and kissed her.
She melted into him, surrendering to him so completely he had to work at restraining himself. God, he wanted to sink balls deep into her
right now
. He wanted to make love to her over and over and over again.