Authors: Lynn LaFleur
“You
always
read something hot and
sexy,” Alaina said as she stood.
“Erotic books are more fun.”
Chuckling, Kelcey followed her friends to
the cash register. As long as she had Alaina and Emma in her life, she could
handle anything. Even unrequited love.
* * * * *
Dax leaned over the pot of chili and took a
deep sniff. His stomach rumbled loudly. “Man, that smells good. Isn’t it done
yet?”
Griff chuckled. “Soon. You have no
patience, Dax.”
“Not when it comes to food and my empty
stomach.”
“Why don’t you finish looking at those
paint samples Emma picked out while I finish lunch?”
“You’re making cornbread too, right?”
Griff pointed toward the door that led out
of the kitchen and into the family room. “Out of my kitchen, Dax!”
“Sheesh. A guy can’t even make a request
around here.”
Stepping into the family room, Dax found
Rye sprawled in the recliner, studying a spreadsheet on his open laptop.
“Problem, bro?”
“No. Just doing some figures on the work at
Alaina’s place. I promised her a final bill by next Saturday.”
Dax flopped down on the couch across from
Rye. “I can’t believe you’re charging her for our work. She’s gonna be your
wife, man. Charge her what’s necessary to pay our guys and cover supplies, but
not for what you, me and Griff did.”
“She insisted I charge her what I would
charge any other customer.” He looked over the laptop and grinned at Dax. “She
doesn’t know about the fiancée discount.”
Dax returned his brother’s grin. “You
sneaky devil.”
“Gotta take care of my lady wherever I
can.”
Rye’s words had an image of Kelcey flashing
through Dax’s mind. He remembered her lying on his massage table as he’d worked
on her. He enjoyed giving massages, knowing they helped his friends feel
better. With Kelcey, it had been more. He’d
needed
to help her, to ease
her pain any way he could. Whenever he saw her wince in pain, a little part of
him died inside. He wanted to hold her until she didn’t hurt any longer.
“Where are you, Dax?” Rye asked.
Dax looked at his brother. “What?”
“I asked where you are. I lost you.”
Dax spread his arms wide. “I’m right here.”
“Maybe in body, but not in mind. What’s
up?”
“Cornbread’s in the oven.” Griff stepped
into the room, wiping his hands on a dishcloth. “We’ll eat in about twenty
minutes.” He looked from Dax to Rye. “What’s going on?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out from
Dax.”
“Nothing’s going on! I was thinking. A guy
isn’t allowed to
think
?”
“What are you thinking about?” Rye asked.
“Or maybe we should ask
who
.” Griff
sat on the other end of the couch from Dax. “I’m guessing Kelcey.”
“No.” The lie tasted sour on his tongue.
Better that than catching grief from his brothers. “Why would I be thinking
about Kelcey?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Rye said. “Maybe
because you love her.”
The automatic denial almost came out of
Dax’s mouth. He stopped before he uttered it. He honestly didn’t know how he
felt about Kelcey. He wanted to be with her, he knew that. Their lovemaking was
incredible, yet he didn’t need sex to be happy to be with her. He enjoyed her
company more than any woman he’d ever been with.
“No arguments?” Griff asked. “No telling us
we don’t know what we’re talking about?”
“Not this time.”
“What’s going on between y’all?” Rye asked.
“Nothing. Unfortunately.”
“She spent Monday and Tuesday nights with
you.”
“Yeah, but she had that car accident
Monday. That’s why she was at my house. And then I asked her over for a massage
Tuesday. I swear I didn’t plan to seduce her.”
“Alaina told me
Kelcey
seduced
you
.”
Of course Rye would know that because
Alaina would’ve told him. And Griff probably knew too, since Alaina would’ve
told Emma and Emma would’ve told Griff. Dax wondered if there was anything
those three friends didn’t discuss. “Well, yeah, she did, Monday. I started
things on Tuesday.”
Griff stretched one arm along the back of
the couch. “But she didn’t fight you.”
“No. It was consensual.” Dax leaned
forward, clasped his hands together between his knees. “It was consensual
Wednesday too, but then she told me she doesn’t want to see me anymore, that
she doesn’t want to be just another sex partner.”
“How do you feel about that?” Rye asked.
“Hell, I don’t know.” Dax ran one hand over
his face. “And the fact that I’m talking to y’all about
feelings
is
completely wrong.”
Griff tossed the dishtowel at Dax. “Afraid
you’ll lose your membership in the Macho Club?”
Dax chuckled. “Something like that.”
“There’s a simple way to figure out how you
feel about Kelcey,” Rye said. “Think about the women you usually date. Do you
give any of them another thought once you’re away from them?”
Easy question to answer. “No.”
“Do you think about Kelcey when you’re away
from her?”
Dax nodded. “Yeah.”
“Do you want to be with her all the time?”
“Yeah to that one too.”
“Can you imagine your life without her?”
It hurt deep in his gut at the possibility
of not having her in his life. “No.”
“Sounds like love to me,” Griff said.
Dax blew out a breath. “So what the hell am
I supposed to do about it?”
“Tell her how you feel.” Griff punched him
on the arm. “You’ll only choke up a couple of times before you get the words
out.”
“Gee thanks, bro.” Dax scowled at his
brothers when they laughed. “I fail to see the humor in this. How does a guy
grovel and keep his balls at the same time?”
“It ain’t easy,” Rye admitted.
“But worth it,” Griff said. “Every minute
with the woman you love is precious. Don’t waste too much time before you talk
to Kelcey.”
Dax rubbed his hands together. “Shit, my
palms are sweaty.”
His brothers laughed again. This time, Dax
joined them.
The timer on the oven rang. Dax jumped up.
“Hot damn! Food’s done.”
Rye set his laptop on the small table
beside his chair. “I guess that means serious talk is over.”
“Damn straight.” Dax headed for the doorway
into the kitchen. “Let’s eat.”
* * * * *
He sipped his coffee as he scrolled through
the information on his laptop, searching for any new evidence of where Kelcey
might be. At least the sun shone through the window of his hotel room, unlike
the clouds that had filled the sky the last few days. It would be much more
pleasant to be outside in the sunshine, should something appear to give him a
clue where she might be.
Two credit card transactions caused him to
stop scrolling. Kelcey had done some shopping and eating out yesterday. Jotting
down the names of the businesses where she’d used her card, he opened another
window on his browser. A quick search showed him both businesses were located
in a town called Lanville. Another search and he discovered Lanville had a
population of around 3,000 and was about an hour’s drive away.
He smiled. It was a perfect day for a
drive.
* * * * *
Trying to decide how to talk to Kelcey kept
Dax awake most of the night. He considered calling her at least a dozen times.
He even considered walking over to Rye’s place to see her. The uncertainty of
what to say to her kept him in his house.
The first football game would start in
fifteen minutes. His dad or one of his brothers would call if he wasn’t at his
parents’ house by noon to watch the game with them. Kelcey would arrive with
Alaina and Emma shortly to help prepare the big Sunday family dinner. If he
didn’t show up for that, his mother would demand to know why he wasn’t there.
He couldn’t claim sickness or she’d show up at his house with soup and a
thermometer.
Being a coward sucked big-time.
Walker looked up at him with an
it’s-time-to-go look. Even his dog wouldn’t let him put off going to his
parents’ house. “You’re supposed to me on
my
side.”
Tilting his head, Walker let out a soft,
“Woof.”
“Yeah, yeah, you just want to see Kelcey.”
The mention of Kelcey’s name had Walker
running to the back door and releasing a more forceful bark. Knowing he
couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer, he walked to the back door and let
Walker out in the sunshine. The dog ran off into the trees, probably to chase a
small animal. By the time Dax made it to his pickup, he knew Walker would be
there to jump up in the back for the two-mile ride to Dax’s parents’ house.
All the vehicles parked in front of his
parents’ house proved to Dax that he was the last to arrive. He didn’t see
Kelcey’s car, but assumed she’d ridden over with Rye and Alaina. Taking a
breath for courage, he climbed out of the pickup. Whistling for Walker, who had
already taken off to explore, he headed for the back door.
The kitchen was chaos, as usual. The four
women scurried around the room, preparing the feast that would be served in
three hours. The scent of roasting beef already filled the air. Dax’s gaze
snapped to Kelcey and his heart seemed to swell in his chest. She stood at the
counter, peeling potatoes. She looked beautiful with her hair pulled up on top
of her head. Faded jeans covered her legs, a short-sleeved blue T-shirt that
matched her eyes flowed over her breasts.
Walker passed him and went directly to
Kelcey. Smiling brightly, she dried her hands, dropped to her knees and buried
her fingers in his fur.
“Hey, Walker.” She laughed when he swiped
his tongue over her cheek. “Emma’s cooking her famous prime rib. I’ll make sure
you get a nice big piece.”
Still petting the dog, she looked up at
Dax. He frowned. She moved her neck much too slowly.
“Dax, you’re here. It’s about time.” Emma
grabbed Kelcey’s arm and tugged her back to her feet. “You have to work on
Kelcey’s neck. She can barely move it.”
“Emma, I’m fi—”
“Don’t you dare tell me you’re fine when I
know better.” Grabbing Dax’s arm with her free hand, Emma tugged them both down
the hallway to his parents’ bedroom. “Your dad set up your mom’s massage chair
in here. The massage oil is on the nightstand.” She pointed a finger at each of
them. “I don’t want to see either of you out of this room until Kelcey is better.
Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Dax said.
Emma left, closing the door behind her.
Dax blew out a breath. “She’s like a
tornado, isn’t she?”
“Definitely.” Kelcey stared at the purple
contraption in the middle of his parents’ bedroom. “What is that?”
“It’s a massage chair. You sit down, kneel
on the leg rests, lay your hands on the arm rests and place your face in the
hole. My mom bought it and usually keeps it in her craft room. After
scrapbooking for a while, her neck gets really stiff. I come over once a week
or so and work on her.”
“It’s better than your table?”
“It’s different than my table. Sometimes
Mom gets a full-body massage, but I usually just work on her neck here.”
“Oh.”
She looked very uncomfortable, and Dax
suspected her discomfort wasn’t completely due to her neck hurting. She
obviously didn’t want him touching her again. “I just want to help you,
Kelcey.”
She looked into his eyes. “I know that.”
“You’ll need to take off your shirt, but
that’s all.”
Despite the intimacy they’d shared, a blush
crept into her cheeks. Wanting to give her a little privacy, Dax jerked his
thumb toward his parents’ private bathroom. “I’ll wash my hands while you get
ready.”
He came back into the bedroom to find
Kelcey on the chair as he’d instructed. She’d removed her blouse, but left on
her pale blue bra. It looked feminine and sexy against her ivory skin. A flick
of his thumb and he could have it unsnapped in a few seconds…
You’re here to help her, not try to
seduce her.
Dax squirted a generous amount of oil into
his palms and laid them on Kelcey’s shoulders. She tensed beneath his touch.
“Take a deep breath and relax. Trust me.”
“I do trust you.”
“I hope so, because I would never hurt
you.” He ran his thumbs up and down the back of her neck. “How long has your
neck been hurting?”
“Off and on since Friday.”
“This should help you for now, but I’d like
to get you back on my table again.”
She remained silent for several moments.
“That isn’t a good idea, Dax.”
“Why not?”
“You know why not.”
“Tell me anyway. Refresh my memory.”