Harlequin E Contemporary Romance Box Set Volume 2: Maid to CraveAll I HaveThe Last First DateLight My Fire

by Rebecca M. Avery

  Loving Seth was so different from anything she’d ever experienced. As handsome as he was, he was still just Seth and nothing that she did or said changed that. Unlike with Lucas, any attempts she made to pleasure Seth in return were met with his declaration that he couldn’t take it and that maybe the next time he would have more control. Making love had been all about pleasing her, not the other way around.

  The experience had been far from awkward. She had enjoyed every touch, every kiss, and every look they had shared. Being Seth’s friend made it easier to relax and allow him to show her what he wanted and to show him what she wanted in return. As amazingly satisfied as she was, a part of her wanted him again…wanted to be with him as much as possible.

  “Okay, I will go if Kayla’s going,” she replied.

  He kissed her mouth, grinned at her and then whispered, “Do you want to go get Zach from school or do you want to clean up the mess we made in the kitchen? I don’t think we can serve the berries and dip. We have to keep that just for us and make something else, like extra cupcakes since we have to make some for Zach’s party anyway.”

  Sighing, she could only smile back. “I completely forgot about the cupcakes. You distracted me. I will go get Zach and I can hopefully start on the cupcakes when I get back.”

  After grabbing a shower, she headed to the school to pick up Zach while Seth started cleaning up the kitchen. She smiled the entire trip to the school and the entire drive back home. After dinner was over and Zach’s reading and homework were done, the three of them spent time making and icing cupcakes. There was no weirdness between her and Seth…nothing but the same friendship they’d had before. The relief she felt was palpable.

  The following morning as she made her way into Zach’s classroom with the box of cupcakes, her cell phone rang. After handing off the box to the teacher, Tori noticed it was Tim’s boss calling. She walked out into the hallway after explaining to Zach’s teacher that she had to take the call.

  “Hi, Tori, it’s Mike Reynolds. I understand that you and Tim Silver were able to get the last of the data migrated over, is that correct?” he asked when she answered.

  “Yes, we did,” she replied nervously. Though she had really been the one who had not only started and finished the migration, but had done most of the work, she needed this job. She was not opposed to riding on Tim’s coattails to keep it.

  “I also understand that congratulations are in order on a personal level as well, is that right?” he asked.

  The engagement. As much as she hated to lie, knowing full well she would never marry Tim, the fact that Mike even brought up the issue made her feel an awkward apprehension she was unused to.

  “Yes, and thank you,” she finally replied.

  He was quiet for a long moment. She tried not to let anxiety cause her to ramble or give away the charade that she and Tim were now involved in. If she hadn’t just purchased a home in the area, and finally got Zach settled in a good school, she would have started looking for another position. Now she was tied down to the house, the job and Tim whether she liked it or not.

  “Well, I’d like to see about setting up a meeting in the office for next week to finalize the last few items for this project and put it to bed,” he said. “Let me check my schedule when I get back to the office and I’ll send you an email.”

  “Sounds good,” she replied, trying to sound confident.

  By Saturday, when Seth and Caleb showed up with a load of their things for the basement, she could no longer ignore the angst she felt over falling in love with one man while the rest of the world believed her to be marrying another. When she had finally arrived home the previous day from Zach’s school party, Seth had already been gone. Unable or unwilling to call around looking for him for fear of appearing desperate, she’d instead spent the majority of the evening and most of last night worrying about the whole situation.

  After getting Caleb settled in with Zach, she and Seth unloaded his car. When they were done and Addie arrived, they left for Cincinnati. Tori was completely relaxed by the time they arrived at the arena. An hour alone with Seth during the car ride was all it had taken to make her forget the issues with her job…at least for a little while.

  She and Seth managed to find Kayla and Ronnie sitting in folding chairs near the ring. Rusty Hawkins sat next to Ronnie while two other women sat next to Kayla. She and Seth sat in chairs beside Kayla and the two women. Looking around, Tori didn’t see Ian, but smiled when Kayla waved at her from a few chairs away.

  One of the women she didn’t know held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Jess. I am a friend of Ian’s, and this is one of my college professors, Courtney Wells.”

  Tori shook hands with the two women and after Seth, Ronnie and Rusty decided to go find Ian, Kayla moved over and sat down next to Tori. “Okay, now that Seth is gone…what is going on?”

  “What do you mean?” Tori replied.

  “They have been hanging out a lot lately and I get the impression they are up to something, I’m just not sure what. I did catch your name a couple of times last night, though, before Seth left for…work,” Kayla said. “Is something going on between you two?”

  Where to start? As much as Tori wanted to spill her guts to Kayla about how messed up her life had suddenly become, now was not the time. Glancing at the two women, she then looked back at Kayla and said, “It’s a long story.”

  Jess looked at Courtney and said, “Now is as good a time as any for you to meet Ian and maybe ask him some of your questions. Why don’t we follow the guys and go find him?”

  Jess and Courtney wandered through the crowd forming around the perimeter of the fighting ring. Looking back at Kayla, Tori said, “Tim asked me to marry him and I said yes, but not because I love him or actually want to marry him. Tim is trying to help me hang on to my new job. He thinks that if our boss is under the impression they stand to lose him, too, by axing my position, they will find a position for me and keep me on as an employee. Once things settle down, we can conveniently break up. He also thinks that I might change my mind and decide to marry him for real. That was the drama from last weekend. Then the day before yesterday, I slept with Seth.”

  “What? Oh, my God! Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Kayla asked hesitantly.

  “It was…wonderful. The bad part is that I think I’m falling for him. I know. I know he’s like an enhanced version of Lucas with his looks and…everything. My brain keeps saying that, but when I look at him my heart says it is just Seth, shopping partner extraordinaire, sock war champion and snuggle companion. Now I am just all screwed up. I’m in love with one man and engaged to another. I barely slept last night wondering how this whole thing would play out,” she replied.

  Kayla looked thoughtful for a moment. “How does Seth feel about you?”

  “I don’t know, other than he promised that he would always be my friend. I realize I’m not the most experienced woman when it comes to relationships, but the fact that things didn’t get weird after…makes me wonder where we go from here. With Lucas, it became weird as soon as he found out I was pregnant, and with Tim, it has never been anything but weird. Seth knows that I am engaged to Tim, but other than asking if Tim threatened my job to get me to accept his proposal, Seth hasn’t said much else about it,” she replied.

  “I tried to get Ronnie to spill his guts about what they are up to and he just said it wasn’t for him to tell. I’m sorry I can’t be more help. Maybe you should just ask Seth. Ask him what he wants from you, where he sees this thing going,” Kayla said.

  “I know you are right, but a part of me is afraid to find out. I like everything about him…not just how he looks. He is funny, smart and he keeps me on my toes. I thought if I found someone who met me on an intellectual level that would be enough. Seth is every bit as smart as I am, just in a different way…and in some ways he’s smarter. He makes me think of things I’ve never really paid attention to before. I enjoy every minute we are together. If he backs out, if he l
eaves now…” A lump formed in her throat.

  “Love is scary sometimes, isn’t it?” Kayla asked, putting an arm around Tori’s shoulders and hugging her.

  “Yeah, don’t say anything to Ronnie, though, please. If you do, it will eventually make its way back to Seth and I just need a little time to figure out how to get myself out of this mess,” she said.

  Kayla smiled and hugged Tori again. When the guys returned with Jess and Courtney, Kayla moved back to her own seat. As the group approached, Seth sat down right next to Tori and held her hand. Jess was talking to Courtney about what a good fighter Ian was and Courtney appeared surprised at the revelation.

  As the first fight started, Tori couldn’t help but cringe at the sound of one man’s fist hitting the other man. The few times she’d watched the fights on television, they hadn’t appeared like anything more than a highly technical way of wrestling. Being seated as close to the ring as they were now she could see the brutality…and hear it.

  By the time it was Ian’s turn to fight, she was really worried for him. Ian was a good man and not that much younger than her. The other fighters were mean and angry, and some of them were considerably younger than him. As he stepped inside the ring, she felt as though she was looking at a different person…not the same man who playfully cringed whenever she came near him as though she meant to do him bodily harm. This new Ian looked equally as mean and intimidating as any other fighter. Gone was the playful man who bench pressed her son whenever he thought she wasn’t paying attention.

  Ian’s opponent was around the same size as him, but it was clear within moments who would be the victor. Listening to the cheers coming from the crowd, it was clear that Ian was a favorite. Tori was surprised at how quickly Ian could move, considering his overall size. He was also quite flexible, and the brutal punches and kicks he took from time to time only seemed to make his own hits that much more effective. Rather than hurting Ian, the hits he took made him more focused…even after his opponent drew blood.

  Before she realized what she was doing, she was shouting along with the crowd. Encouraging brutality was not something she would have considered before, but it suddenly became important to her that Ian win. Ian was fast becoming a friend and that earned him her support. By the end of the second round, even she could tell that Ian was dragging out the fight and could end it easily if he chose.

  She found herself chanting along with the other spectators for Ian to finish the fight. She could see Seth grinning at her. This was so unlike her. She wasn’t normally into sports of any kind, but Ian’s fight seemed to bring out an aggression she would never have expected. When the third round began, she was again absorbed into the unfolding violence. Ian finally ended the fight with some form of submission move, and she found herself jumping up and down in her excitement. When the announcer acknowledged that Ian was in fact the winner, she hugged Seth, who smiled and laughed at her.

  Leaning down to her so she could hear him, Seth said, “Basketball and baseball put you to sleep, but watching two men beat each other senseless you enjoy. I would never have guessed.”

  Her face flushed with embarrassment at her behavior. Jess grabbed Seth by one arm and Ronnie with the other, and led them toward a black curtain that Ian had disappeared behind. Once they were gone from sight, Courtney moved over closer to where Tori sat while Kayla and Rusty went in search of drinks.

  “So I have to ask, since the majority of the spectators are men…how long have you been coming to these types of fights?” Courtney asked her with a shy smile.

  “Actually this is my first time…ever. I am so sorry for my behavior. I don’t know what got into me. I am usually very quiet…calm,” she replied.

  Courtney looked thoughtful and then asked, “You and Ian are friends?”

  “Yes, I met him through my…through Seth,” she said. She’d almost called Seth her boyfriend.

  “Are you dating him then?” Courtney asked, looking a little shocked.

  Tori wanted to claim Seth as hers, but wasn’t sure what to say. “Seth and I are…we are…”

  How could she explain to a stranger about her unusual relationship with Seth? He was an attractive man, so it was no wonder other women would ask about him. Courtney was Seth’s type, too—long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was very pretty and obviously sweet-natured.

  Did Tori have a claim on him?

  “No, I meant Ian. The way you were cheering for him, I thought maybe…” Courtney said.

  “Oh! No. No, Ian is just a friend. I love Seth,” she blurted out the explanation before she could stop herself.

  Courtney’s shy smile returned. Tori could only hope that she wouldn’t say anything to Jess, who would then tell Ian. If that happened, Seth would know how she felt by the end of the night.

  Chapter Twelve

  “You drew out that fight with all the drama and finesse of a teenage girl at cheer camp,” Jess scolded as they approached Ian.

  Ian laughed lightly. “Is that true, Ronnie?”

  Ronnie gave Ian a sarcastic grin, but didn’t reply. Being the cheerleading coach for his stepdaughter Addie’s high school team, Ronnie had recently become the butt of many jokes. Seth had been teased because he was a male dancer who could dress up a room as well as any professional decorator. It was nice to share the teasing with the oversized, Southern man who would never admit that he liked being a coach for high school sports…especially cheerleading.

  “You need to get him a real fight, Jess,” Ronnie said in deflection. “He could have finished this one halfway through the first round. These small fights are not what will get him noticed.”

  “I’m working on it,” Jess replied defensively.

  “Speaking of work…I have a favor to ask you, Jess,” Seth said.

  “That’s funny because I have a favor to ask of you, too.” She smiled. “Ian tells me you can work a dancing pole pretty good for such a big fella.”

  Ronnie and Ian laughed for almost a full minute. Seth would take their crap if it meant helping Tori get away from Tim Silver. He needed a way to show Tori that the man was no good. The woman should have used her dad’s money to pay down on her house rather than paying Caleb’s medical bills so she didn’t have to work for the bastard.

  Now that she had spent the money, though, Seth would just have to find a way to pay her bills until she found another job. Even more pressing than her job situation was the idea of Tim explaining away his association with prostitutes and convincing Tori that he was a better man for her than Seth. That thought brought about a fear that made Seth desperate…desperate enough to perform whatever dancing favors Jess might ask of him. He really would try pole dancing like a chick, if that’s what it took.

  Seth hadn’t asked Tori about the sex part of her relationship with her boss partly because he was afraid to find out, and partly because the idea of her being with another man…

  Jealousy like he’d never experienced before seized him at the mere thought of Tori sharing herself with anyone. Action was needed now to make sure her being with another man, especially one like Tim Silver, was never a possibility.

  “I’ll show you my dancing talents if you agree to make a man think you’ll sleep with him,” Seth replied.

  “In your dreams, buddy,” Jess scoffed. “I only roll one way. Why don’t you offer him a dance and a little something extra afterwards?”

  “No, you are taking it wrong. I need your help. Tori needs your help. She just doesn’t know it,” he quickly replied.

  “Listen to the man, Jess. Just hear him out,” Ian said. “You saw Tori! She’s puny and she’s engaged to one very undeserving son of a bitch.”

  Eyeing Ian thoughtfully, Jess finally looked back to Seth. “Okay, spill, and make it good. If you can spark my interest, I might help you out as long as you agree to do a private party for my friend Courtney out there in return.”

  “Your college professor is getting married and you want to hire a stripper for her bachelorette part
y?” Ian asked with a look of disappointment on his face. “Aside from being ready to marry one man, while wanting a dance from another, she’s a teacher! Isn’t that frowned upon at her job?”

  “No. What she does on her own time is her business. Not to mention she’s a college professor, not a regular schoolteacher. Besides, the dance would be because she’s having a baby, Mr. Nosy,” Jess replied.

  “Well, if she’s having a baby then she should be getting married…not having Seth bump and grind with her. That’s probably what got her in trouble in the first place,” Ian replied with a look of distaste.

  “You know what,” Jess said to Ian defensively. “Never mind, that’s what. One of these days you are going to learn the hard way that life isn’t black and white. Life is made of hues of grey. Some parts are darker than others, but there is no definitive line for you to cross. Or in your case, not cross.”

  “Kids, focus,” Seth interrupted. “Tori’s fiancé is also her boss and a connoisseur of local prostitutes. He’s already been busted twice.”

  “What? Does she know?” Jess finally stopped glaring at Ian long enough to focus on what Seth was trying to tell her.

  “I seriously doubt she has any idea and I can’t bring myself to ask her about it. I also don’t think she knows that he pays well for the services of the women he picks up because he isn’t just your average John. I like a little kink from time to time myself, but this guy’s appetites are…weird.”

  “So if I’m getting this right, you want me to offer my own ass for sale to see if boss man takes the bait? How is that going to prove to your girlfriend that her man is anything other than a cheater?” Jess asked.