by Joanna Blake
“What am I missing?”
We exchanged greetings and kissed each other’s cheeks.
“Where’s Pate?”
“She’s in your guest room, putting down the baby for a nap next to Delaney.”
“Good, because this is not for children’s ears.”
Kelly glared at me, but it was too late. I was laughing my ass off. Sweet Michelle looked back and forth at us, confused. She was so nice. She would never laugh at Kelly the way I was doing.
“What?”
“Kelly had a date with Cain and he wouldn’t fuck her. Said he respected her too much.”
Michelle’s jaw dropped and Kelly’s eyes were like laser beams.
“Nice, Cass.”
“What? You would have told her anyway.”
“True, but still, you didn’t have to say it like that. I would kick you if you weren’t holding that innocent child,” she said sweetly.
We all laughed at that.
Mason popped his head out, his eyes glued to his wife, as usual. The man was whipped and loving every minute of it.
“You want another drink, babe?”
She shook her head.
“No, thank you.”
He nodded and told us dinner would be ready soon. Then he went back inside.
“He wants me to enjoy tonight.”
“Why?”
“I want to try for another one.”
Kelly and I exchanged a worried look.
“Already? I thought the doctor said it was risky.”
She shrugged, but her face was glowing with happiness.
“The second trimester was hard, but the last trimester and the birth were a breeze. I guess it’s always a risk, isn’t it?”
“But . . .”
“Mason loves kids. And he is weirdly into my body when I’m pregnant. Well, he’s like that all the time, but it’s even more when I’m all fat!”
I pretended to be shocked.
“TMI, Michelle!” Then I leaned in. “Connor is the same way. Still, I think you should really think about it. We need you healthy!”
“I have. This is what I want, Cass.”
She put her hand on mine and I bit my lip. If that’s what she wanted, there wasn’t much more I could say. I would definitely be talking to Mason about it though!
“Well, here’s to lots of unprotected sex then!”
We all laughed, but I caught the sadness in Kelly’s eyes. She was too young to worry about settling down, but it didn’t mean she didn’t want to. After all, I had married early and I couldn’t be happier.
I pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“You’re next, Kellbelle. I just know it!”
Chapter Nine
Kelly
I belted out the words to a silly pop song on my way home from work. I was feeling good. Not only did I have a date tonight, but I was riding high on good karma.
My matchmaking had paid off.
I sighed happily, imagining wedding bells for the elderly couple. I would be invited, of course, and given a seat at the table reserved for family. As the guest of honor, I would be able to bring a date.
I closed my eyes, trying to picture Cain in a tux. We had met at a wedding. A biker’s wedding, so no tux, but he had looked sharp. It had a sort of poetry that we would go to another one together now that we were finally together.
Of course, I was getting ahead of myself. But that was sort of my specialty these days. My imagination really got away from me sometimes.
Speaking of imagination . . .
I shivered, wondering what he had in store for me tonight. I had pictured so many different scenarios, all them involving actual nudity. I hoped he kept his promise to take things further this time. I would definitely not be mentioning any rules again. I had learned that the hard way.
Unless the rule is that he has to be naked and giving me unspeakable pleasure at all times.
I giggled in breathless excitement. The man did things to me . . . things I could have never imagined. He was skillful and intense and he touched me in a way that was hungry and dark and sweet all at the same time.
I knew I was falling for him. Had fallen, all those years ago. Now, I was falling the rest of the way. I hurried into the house and showered, taking my time and shaving carefully until my legs were silky smooth. I even plucked my eyebrows, but not too much. I wasn’t going for mega-brow but I liked the slightly thicker look that was in with all the models and Instagram fashionistas.
Cassie might love her reality shows, but I loved beauty and fashion magazines. I even made my own clothes when I had time, with my mom’s help. She was the best seamstress, but I was the idea person. I was inspired by the high-end looks I saw online. I loved florals and stripes, sometimes even together. French style was my favorite, even if I wasn’t a toothpick like most of those French ‘it’ girls I followed on Instagram.
Tonight, I was going very French. Black lace lingerie, simple red heels, and a vintage navy silk blouse I had scored at a thrift store. It was so French that it didn’t even have buttons at the top. It just started at the perfect place to show a classy, but significant, amount of skin.
Skin . . . maybe I’d actually feel my skin against Cain’s tonight. I sighed dreamily. I had to. I needed to feel him against me!
I was practically humming as I applied a sheer layer of makeup, mascara, and red lipstick. Another look I’d adopted from my favorite fashion icons. The lipstick stained your lips, so even after eating and drinking, you’d still have some color.
And kissing. Definitely want to look good after kissing.
Pick a feature, play it up. That was the extent of my beauty routine. Tonight, that was my lips. The rest of my outfit subtly picked up the color of my lipstick. Red shoes, red flowers on the skirt I wrapped around my waist. I liked wrap skirts. They were easy enough to make and still fit if you gained or lost a few pounds.
Easy to take off too.
I perfected the bow on the dark floral wrap skirt I’d made from a 1970s McCall’s dress pattern my mom still had in her sewing room. It was somehow very right now and utterly classic. I actually had a few of them. Every time I found a pretty fabric, I took over the kitchen table with mom’s sewing machine and tried to make as much as I could out of it. I’d even taken apart some vintage clothes, just for the fabric.
I ran a brush though my hair and nodded. I was ready. Tonight, with any luck, I was finally losing my V card.
It was about damn time that got punched, too!
I grabbed my purse and headed to the front door. Cain was picking me up tonight, according to the last text I’d gotten. He clearly didn’t want me taking my own routes anymore. I was surprised to see my mom waiting by the front door, wearing a dark green dress and heels.
“You look so pretty tonight, Mom!”
“So do you, sweetheart. You are such a pretty girl.”
“Aww, stop. Where are you going, anyway? Do you have a date?”
She fluttered her eyelashes at me with a big smile, as if she knew something I didn’t.
“You don’t know?”
I shook my head slowly. I was starting to get a weird feeling. Like something was going on behind my back. I didn’t like that feeling.
I didn’t like it at all.
The doorbell rang and she gave me a wink.
“You’re about to find out!”
A liveried driver was waiting outside. I blinked. This is not what I was expecting. I glanced over his shoulder and saw a limo parked on the street.
What. Was. Happening?
He tipped his hat.
“Ladies, if you will come with me.”
“Both of us?” I asked incredulously.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
I frowned a little at being called ‘ma’am’ but took the arm he offered. Mom locked the door and took his other arm. We walked sedately down the front steps to the street like we were in an old movie and a musical number was about to start. He opened the door and Mom ges
tured me inside.
“You first.”
I looked at her and shrugged, climbing in.
There were champagne and two small bouquets of roses waiting inside.
“What the?”
“Scoot over!”
I slid across the seat to make room for Mom and the door was shut behind her.
“What is going on?”
“I think your new boyfriend is trying to impress us.” She picked up a bouquet and took a deep whiff of it.
“Us?”
“Well, he has to get Mama’s approval, doesn’t he?”
I looked at her, then back at the interior of the limo.
“Cain? Cain did all this?”
She nodded.
“He said he wanted to formally meet me and asked me to have dinner with the two of you.”
I stared at her.
“Big guy. Motorcycle. He asked you?”
“Well, it was all over the phone, dear. Does he really ride a motorcycle? I’m not sure I approve of that.”
I laughed, the tension I was feeling immediately dissipating. She was the least strict mother alive. But she did get protective about certain things. Apparently, motorcycles were one of them.
Boy, was she in for a surprise.
As soon as we crossed the edge of town, they surrounded us. This time it was four bikers. I squinted and realized I didn’t see Cain or his giant bike. He must already be at the mystery location. I wondered where they were taking us this time.
Twenty minutes later, I had my answer.
The limo pulled down a long driveway and stopped. I looked out the window and laughed. This time, I was glad to see he’d thought ahead, but only because I’d made it clear I was expecting the real deal for our second date.
We were at a different fancy hotel in a different town.
He really was sure of himself.
Only this time, he had the right idea. Well, other than the fact that my mother was here too! He’d better have an idea for how to be alone later or I was going to be pissed.
Really, really pissed.
Maybe not mad enough to skip having sex with him, but still, pretty close. Angry sex was a thing, right? Well, if he didn’t have sex with me, I was going to be really mad!
I was finally ready. It was time. Past time! I wanted to wake up tomorrow a mature, sexually experienced woman, dammit!
I’m wearing my red shoes, for crying out loud! There had better be some sex tonight!
I glanced at my mom, relieved she couldn’t hear my illicit thoughts. She would have been shocked! But I was old enough to be sexually active and make my own decisions. Plus, my mom was not a prude. She’d dated lots after our dad passed. I was fairly certain she put out a lot faster than I did!
The driver opened the door for us and helped us out. I looked up to see Cain standing a few feet away. He was wearing . . . a suit. It was meticulously cut and fitted to his powerful frame.
My eyebrows shot up.
Goodness gracious, the man looks good in a suit.
“Good evening, Alicia.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek and nodded to me. “Kelly.”
My eyebrows shot up even further, all the way to my hairline. He was trying to impress her. It was kinda sweet, but he was practically ignoring me in the process! I glared as he took my mother’s arm and then offered me his. He stared at me until I placed my hand on the substantial fabric of his jacket. Then he guided us into the hotel.
The maître d' whisked us to a seat by the windows without a word. There was a gorgeous swimming pool outside, with fountains and palm trees. The window was open and I caught a whiff of jasmine.
“This is lovely, Cain. Thank you for inviting me.”
My mother gave me a pointed look when I said nothing. I knew she thought I was being rude. But I was a little freaked out by what was happening.
“Thank you,” I muttered in response to the kick she gave me under the table.
A waiter brought champagne and poured us each a glass. I noticed that Cain didn’t even take a sip of his other than the toast. He didn’t drink or womanize, according to Cass. He did invite my mom on our date, though! I still wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I was planning on getting down and dirty tonight, not getting critiqued on my table manners!
“I wanted you to know exactly where your daughter was and that she’s in good hands.”
She nodded, clearly under his spell.
“Thank you. I feel extremely comfortable with this.” I rolled my eyes as my mom giggled. Giggled! “The champagne might be helping with that.”
“It is a lovely place.” I said, looking around. It was elegant, with cream-colored curtains and dark wood furniture. The high ceilings were set off with ornate trim and several chandeliers. “I’ve never been here before.”
“I’m glad you like it. We are booked for the next three days.”
My jaw dropped. Literally dropped.
“What?”
“Cain told me you two were ready to take your relationship to the next level.”
I stared at my mom, then back at Cain. She had signed off on this? This . . . love nest? There was no doubt what we would be doing in that hotel room. I swallowed, suddenly feeling very warm.
“The limo will take you home after dinner. With an escort, of course.”
She smiled and nodded.
“I am not familiar with motorcycles, but your men did seem like responsible drivers.”
“They are, at least when there are ladies present.”
The first course came and my mom started grilling Cain. He didn’t even bat an eye as she leaned on her folded hands, watching him intently.
“So, Cain, what do you do?”
“I was in the service. Marines. I specialized in tactical operations, led my own team. Now I run the club and I have a security firm. Most of my employees are ex-military, and lots of them are in the club.”
I looked at him. I hadn’t realized he owned his own company. I had to admit it, I was impressed. I felt a bit guilty about it too.
Like I was using him for his body.
“I want you to know my intentions toward your daughter are serious.”
I almost dropped my salad fork.
“That is very good to know.”
“I have a steady income and a solid house, though I am happy to move if Kelly wants something different.”
I was staring at him in shock. Cain looked at me with the hint of a smirk and took a sip of his champagne. I was at the bottom of my glass and he’d had two sips. Meanwhile, he was planning our life!
“I take it you don’t believe in marriage?” I said in a challenging tone.
Yes, I was testing him. If he was going to go this far, I might as well take a poke at him. See if he would seriously tell my mom he just wanted to shack up with me.
“It was never on my radar before. Now, it’s clearly the best course of action.”
Wait, what?
I choked on my champagne. Cain patted my back and handed me a glass of water when I finally stopped sputtering.
“Your mother suggested that we wait a few months to make any formal arrangement.” I stared at the two of them in shock. Cain was smiling benignly at the look of utter stupefaction on my face. “Otherwise, I would have taken you to Vegas this weekend.”
He wants to marry me? He wants to marry me right now?
“I thought you would enjoy planning your own wedding, sweetheart. That takes time. And I know I would love to have a say in it as well!”
Cain nodded at my mother and looked at me.
“I’ve agreed to wait. But I won’t wait long.”
There was a warning in his voice. I heard it clear as day. What the heck did that mean, exactly? He was going to leave me if I didn’t put on a white dress? Or . . . more likely, he’d just swoop in and drag me to the altar?
He knew I was ready to sleep with him. Was he planning on throwing me over his shoulder and forcing me to marry him like the character out of some
sort of historical romance novel?
I saw Cain in a suit of armor, galloping over green hills with me.
I was slung over his saddle as he rode through the countryside. I wore a full-length blue wool gown with one of those funny Conical hats and long braids. I winced as the horse jumped over a fallen tree and my funny hat fell into the dusty road.
Yeah, no.
I huffed out a breath in annoyance that sent my bangs fluttering. Mom was too busy with her champagne and dinner to notice, but Cain did. He noticed everything.
He took my hand under the table and squeezed it.
“Are you okay?”
I looked at him and all the steam went out of me. I couldn’t stay mad at him. He was just being straight with me about what he wanted. I hadn’t been expecting marriage talk so soon, but it was what I ultimately wanted. Especially if things kept going well.
I wasn’t going to give in that easily though.
It was best to make a man work for what he wanted. Just a little bit. Any woman worth her salt knew that.
My sister-in-law had told me the same thing. Cass had told me that I’d better make Cain beg next time. Judging from the way she had Connor wrapped around her little finger, well, I trusted her say in the matter.
The truth was, Cain’s words made my heart sing. I’d just been hoping for a little more romance. Love words. And sex. I wanted the big man to give me some sex. I was a little nervous about it still, but I knew it was time.
I was ready for Cain. I hoped. I had no idea what I was doing. I was more nervous about doing something wrong than about the pain. I knew he would take good care of me.
“It’s just . . . this is a lot to take in.”
He nodded and squeezed my hand. We finished our meal, including a rich chocolate cake for Mom and chocolate-covered strawberries for me. Cain paid and walked us back out to the limo.
He pressed a kiss to Mom’s cheek and she sighed and pressed her hand to her cheek. I rolled my eyes at that. She gave me quick hug goodnight, whispering, “I like him!” in my ear.