As Ren escorted her up the steps to the front door, he said, “You didn’t have to dress up, but I’m not complaining. That dress is perfect on you.”
“Thanks.” Maybe she was dressed a little too formal for what he said was a casual affair, but neither man was a slouch when it came to dressing. Both had on collared dress shirts as well as slacks. Eve hadn’t missed the pull of fabric over Ren’s heavily muscled thighs either as he had walked up the steps. His body screamed power.
The distraction caused her to stumble a bit, but Ren saved her as he tightened his grip on her arm. “You okay?”
“Perfect.”
He led her up the final steps and into the house. As they stepped into a large open room with a two-story ceiling, she was impressed. The house was the right combination of rustic and classy. People swirled around the room socializing, talking, and laughing. She caught a glimpse of Cole speaking to Logan Reed in one corner, while Ty White stood next to Quinn at a table packed with hors d’oeuvres. Ty was patiently holding a plate for Quinn as she filled it up. He had a hand on the small of her back, rubbing it as she moved along the table.
Ren steered her in their direction. “Hungry?”
Eve shook her head. “Not yet. Maybe later.”
Ren greeted Quinn and Ty. Quinn was busy putting food in her mouth as well as on the plate. Actually Eve thought most of the hors d’oeuvres never saw the plate.
Ty warned, “Never get in between food and a pregnant woman.”
Quinn laughed and said, “I feel as though I’m feeding an army.” She turned to face Eve. “I’m glad to see that Renny brought a date!”
“She’s the one who paid all that money for me the other night.”
Quinn made an O with her mouth and Ty looked at her a little closer. He asked, “Why would you do that?”
Eve raised her bare shoulders slightly and laughed. “You don’t think he’s worth it?”
Ty looked at her with a serious face. “No, he’s definitely not worth it.”
Ren fake punched Ty’s gut. “Bullshit. I’m worth every penny.”
Quinn snorted. “You better make it worth her while,” she said to Ren. To Eve she shrugged and said, “I don’t get it. But to each his own. Sorry that I didn’t recognize you as being the winning bidder, but we were sitting in the back.”
“And she was too busy stuffing her face and protecting her plate of food like a starving cheetah to pay much attention,” Ty joked. He got an eye roll from Quinn as a response.
“What time is the ceremony?” It seemed Ren wanted to change the subject and Eve was fine with that. She wasn’t in the mood to field questions about why she not only spent the large sum of money on a single date, but bid on two men. She wanted to keep that information to herself at this point.
Quinn looked at Ty’s watch. “Shit. Soon. I need to eat first!”
Ty rolled his eyes at her this time. “You’ve been eating!”
Ren put his palms out in front of him. “Ooo. Never piss off a pregnant woman.”
Eve sidled up to Quinn before she belted Ty. “Quinn, do you mind taking a few minutes later to speak with me. I have some questions for you.”
Quinn’s eyebrows knitted. “Sure. Is it about business concerning House to Home?”
Eve stepped between the men, blocking their view of her face. She nodded her head, but at the same time she mouthed no.
“Uh. Sure.” Quinn opened her mouth to say something else, but jerked in pain. “Damn, this kid is going to be an NFL kicker.” She rubbed her belly with her food-free hand.
Ty stepped around Eve to place a hand along Quinn’s belly, feeling for kicks. “That’s my boy! Future NFL star.”
Eve studied the loving couple as Ty escorted Quinn away.
The look of pride on the man’s face was unmistakable—even if he wasn’t sure who the biological father of Quinn’s baby was. It seemed he could care less, and Eve hoped that attitude continued once the baby was born. She wondered if it was truly possible that two men could be fathers to one baby and not have any issues with it. She supposed if it was possible, those three would be able to achieve it. She had read online that they already knew it was a boy and would name him Preston Reed White, the perfect combination of all their last names.
“Hello? Are you in there?”
Eve realized she had been caught up in her own thoughts, and turned to the handsome man next to her. “Sorry.”
“Where did you go?”
She shook her head. “They have a beautiful home. Do they all sleep in the same bedroom?”
“That’s where you went? Damn! I like a woman who thinks about the important stuff.” He laughed at his own teasing. “But yes, Ty told me once they did.”
“So you had asked too?”
“Of course I did! I’m only human.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, giving her a broad smile. He had a beautiful smile and it was infectious. “Do you want to go sneak a peek?”
Heat filled Eve’s cheeks. “No! I don’t want to intrude on their privacy.”
Ren waved a hand at her, like it was no big deal. “Fine. Let’s go out and find a seat. Seems like everyone is starting to head that direction.”
They followed the stream of people out to the back deck and down steps to the backyard. There seemed to be no end to the well-tended grass, as the backyard was bordered by fields of turf. It was common knowledge the three of them ran a very successful turf business and some of their biggest customers were football stadiums—high school, college, and even professional.
Plenty of decorated folding chairs were set up, all facing a beautiful trellis archway, covered in ivy, flowers, and twinkling little white lights. It was very romantic, and Eve felt a pang of longing. She wanted a relationship as solid and loving as this trio had.
Ren found them seats and before she was even settled in hers, Cole came from her right to sit down beside her.
“Hi.”
She looked at him and returned his smile. “Hi.” He was an extremely beautiful man. It was hard to look at him and not smile. She had to adjust a bit in her chair as both men’s broad shoulders took up some of her personal space. Not that she was complaining. Who in their right mind would complain about being sandwiched between two such masculine men?
Her nostrils flared, catching Ren’s delicious scent as he leaned over her to address his friend. He definitely smelled good enough to eat. “You are going to have to wait your turn, Dix.”
“Oh, this is your official date tonight?” he teased Ren. “Are you sure?” Cole winked at her.
She fought back a giggle over the playful competition between the two. “You better not think that this is considered your date as well,” she warned Cole.
“Oh, believe me, I don’t. Tonight’s only a bonus for me. I look forward to our date. I promise it’ll be more private.”
Ren gave him a sharp glance and it looked as though he was going to respond to the other man, but the violinist started to play and he settled back in his chair.
By the end of the short and sweet service, none of the three involved in the commitment ceremony had dry eyes. But when Quinn and her men turned to face the small audience, despite the tears, they all wore larger-than-life smiles and appeared extremely happy. Very content.
They had committed themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. They might never be able to legally marry each other as a threesome, but it was close enough. They had ended up exchanging infinity rings instead of plain wedding bands, and Eve thought it was a perfect touch.
The rest of the evening included a bonfire and music, lots of food, and celebrating. Ren was a complete gentleman…for the most part.
During the ceremony, he kept touching Eve. Her arm, her knee, her elbow. Touches that could be considered gentlemanly, but lingered a tad longer than was necessary. Each brush of his fingers invoked a quick shiver, or goose bumps, or even a tightening of her nipples.
He knew exactly was he was doing to her. And she c
He placed a hand on her elbow as he now guided her around, saying hello to other guests, and again to steer her away when Cole came close.
“Are you normally this hands-on with your auction dates?”
He chuckled and shook his head, the diamond studs in his ears reflecting the lantern lights strung around the immense deck at the back of the house. “No. Usually I’m the one fighting the women off. They feel as though they paid for me so they get to do what they want. You seem to be…different.”
Maybe not so different after all. If he only knew what she was thinking, what she was planning. Maybe he might end up fighting her off also.
“Cole told me you bought him that night too.”
Bought. It sounded just…wrong.
“I was the highest bidder, you mean,” she corrected him.
“Bought. Highest bidder. Same shit. Prettier words.” He studied her for a moment. “Were you just feeling generous that night or—”
“Maybe I’m merely lonely.”
“I doubt that.”
Eve shrugged in response, but was relieved he didn’t push her for answers.
He put a hand on her back. The width of his hand practically spanned the small of her back. Strong, big hands were needed to hold and throw a football with accuracy. She caught herself looking down at his shoes.
So did he. “Size thirteen.”
She closed her eyes and at least had the decency to blush before meeting his gaze. “I wasn’t…”
He gave her a broad smile. “Oh yes, you were.”
He led her toward the other side of the deck, his hand firmly steering her toward the small bar set up in a corner.
“Let me buy you a drink.”
“It’s not a cash bar.”
“Humor me. What do you want?”
“An extra dirty martini.” She added a quick, “Please.”
“You hear that?” He asked the bartender, a fresh-faced young man who didn’t look much older than twenty-one. “She’d like a martini. But she likes hers extra dirty.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Landis. And for you?”
“Whatever you have on tap.”
Once they had their drinks in hand, they wandered away to a quieter corner.
“So, are you a lady’s man?”
He glanced over to the crowd, scanning it, before his gaze landed back on her. He tilted his head slightly as if to read her mind. He broke eye contact and stared over her shoulder once again. She turned slightly to look; she saw nothing out of the ordinary. “Oh, I like the ladies.” He took a sip of his beer. “But they tend to not like me after a while.”
“I’ve seen some of the gossip magazines. Hard to miss them at all the grocery store checkouts. They tend to be a bit ‘in your face.’”
“Don’t believe everything you read.”
Eve murmured, “That’s good to hear.” She didn’t want to admit she’d bought one—or two—in the past when he’d been on the cover. Usually with a gorgeous model on his arm. Or at a club. Or in one of his expensive cars.
She thought of all the online research she had done on him. Anything they could dig up on him, they did. Paternity tests. Punching a photographer. Ditching a famous date at a busy night club.
“This is supposed to be a date, not an exposé. Are you a reporter?”
“Me?” She laughed. “Oh no. I’m a pretty private person, so I tend to respect other people’s privacy as well.”
“Then why the interest?”
Eve lifted a shoulder. “Simply getting to know you.”
“Why? You get one date.” He looked harder at her, as if he was trying to peel away her layers to get to the truth. “After tonight, we’ll go our separate ways.”
She didn’t answer him. She didn’t know what to say, or even how to say it if she did.
“Look, I’m not looking for anything long term. That’s usually why I end up in the gossip columns.”
“Me neither. I was married for over ten years.”
“Was. Divorced?”
She looked away. It was her turn to be fascinated by something she couldn’t see. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, absently.
“Got it.”
She noticed him looking at her left hand. She didn’t hide the fact she still wore her diamond wedding band. He didn’t ask about it though. It brought him up a notch with her. She liked people who respected other people’s privacy, as she did. She was sure he got tired of being constantly in the public eye, under scrutiny. Especially since some of the reported stories were false. Or exaggerated.
She spotted Quinn heading into the house through the sliding glass doors.
“Sorry, do you mind if I go talk to Quinn for a couple minutes? I have some business to talk to her about.”
He didn’t answer her at first, and she didn’t want to be rude, but she was anxious to speak with Quinn.
He finally said, “No, go ahead. I’m on your dime.”
Eve didn’t know him well enough to figure out if he wasn’t happy about it and merely being shitty, or he truly didn’t mind. Either way, he was right. He was on her dime. “I promise I won’t be long.”
As she turned, he caught her hand and lifted it to his lips. He kissed the back of her left hand, right above her wedding ring, before letting her go. “I’ll be waiting.”
She didn’t remember anyone ever kissing the back of her hand before, and had never expected such tenderness from a football player. She remembered the jocks from high school and college, and thought they had all acted like meatheads. Maybe it had to do with their age. Either way, she found it curious. She shook her head and followed Quinn into the house.
AS REN WATCHED her walk away, he couldn’t help but watch those hips move in a dress that hugged her luscious curves. Her hips were what his grandmamma used to call “baby-making hips.” She was not what he would call skinny, impossible with all those curves. Her hips weren’t fat, but just soft enough to give him something to hold on to.
He judged her to be a few years younger than him, maybe thirty or so. She appeared classy, but not overly sophisticated. Definitely not stuck up.
She was maybe about a foot shorter than his six foot two. But those curves. They were perfect for her stature. Damn.
And her eyes, lined with thick lashes, were gold one minute, green the next, rimmed in a dark brown. Those eyes kept him guessing. If he wasn’t careful, he could get lost in them.
Her breasts were full. Nothing unnatural about them as her luscious cleavage was revealed through the diamond cutout of her dress. Luscious. Luscious hips. Luscious breasts. The word described her to a T.
He could not stand fake anything on a woman, be it nails, tits, ass, eyelashes, or hair. He wanted a woman who was the old phrase, WYSIWYG. What you see is what you get. No surprises.
Her hair was long. He had noticed the length at the auction where she wore it down, and it fell to her mid-back. Tonight, she had it pulled up, with a few sexy reddish blonde tendrils falling down around her shoulders.
Her skin was like ivory, and with that color hair, he bet under her makeup was a sprinkle of freckles over her nose. With her hair in a ponytail and no makeup, she would look like the all-American “girl next door.”
He could live with that.
With her hair up as it was tonight, she would only need a pair of glasses and a pencil tucked behind her ear to look like a naughty librarian, exuding sex. Though none of the librarians he knew as a kid ever looked like that. But if she was one, he’d be making a racket in her quiet library so she’d be forced to chide him. Maybe even give him some well-deserved punishment.
His cock twitched. He had a damn chubby because of that little fantasy. Double damn!
After talking to her for most of the evening and listening to her talk with other guests, he concluded she was smart. Extremely. She could hold her own in any conversation she was included in.
Looks, body, and a brain. Now all she had to be was a little wildcat in bed and she’d be perfect.
Every woman who tried to hook claws in Ren in the past had been missing at least one of his requirements. Maybe that made him sound like an ass. He had been called that plenty of times, and much worse. But, hell, a woman had to “do it” for him to be more than simply a fuck. He had to be able to spend time with the woman, actually be able to have a worthwhile conversation with her. He didn’t want to feel like he was only a trophy or a wallet to them, or for them to be eye candy on his arm. Those types were a dime a dozen. He wanted a woman with substance.
Maybe he was too picky. Maybe that’s why he had never been in a relationship for any length of time.
They would have bits and pieces of what he was looking for, but never the complete package.
And Eve had a very nice package.
The night wasn’t even over yet, and, surprisingly, he already knew he had to see her again. Even though he had already made clear it would only be one date.
My bad.
* * * *
It was no surprise when Eve found Quinn at the buffet table.
Quinn laughed. “You caught me grazing again. I never thought I could eat this much.”
“Well you are eating for a future NFL star, right?”
Quinn laughed again. “So Ty thinks. And thank you for not making me feel so guilty.” She sobered and looked at Eve seriously. “You wanted to talk to me?”
“Yes, if you don’t mind.”
“By the way you asked earlier, I assume it’s nothing you want Renny to know about? That means it should be in private?”
“Yes. Again, only if you don’t mind.”
“Can I get you to massage my feet while we talk?”
Eve opened her mouth, but no sound escaped.
Quinn laughed again and patted Eve on the arm. “Eve, I’m kidding. But seriously though, I wouldn’t complain if the boys hired me a full-time massage therapist. If one of those men had to carry this kid, you had better believe we’d have at least one masseuse on staff.” She finished filling a small plate with veggies and dip. “Follow me.”
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