“What’s your interest?”
Her heart dropped to her stomach. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly that. You seem to like him. It’s why you come into my office, and it’s why you’re here.”
Busted. “That’s not true. I need help with my class.”
He grinned. “I agree, but you sought me out because of Randy. Am I right?”
If she was to reach her goal of having both men, she needed to confess. “True, but he’s not the only one I like.”
Heat raced up her face faster than Fleet of Foot left her in the dust.
He studied her face. “Okay, then. I’ll let you in on a little secret, but don’t let on to Randy that you know.”
“Okay.” Her pits moistened thinking about learning what made Randy Stark tick.
“The short version is that when Randy was ten and I was eight, he came to live with us. He was a foster child.”
“Dear Lord.” That explained a lot. He’d probably never found love, and that was why he appeared withdrawn.
“Randy was always driven. I was a different sort. Between the ages of maybe eight until I was maybe sixteen, I was skinny and geeky.” He chuckled. “I’m still geeky, but I’m not scrawny anymore.”
“You most certainly have muscles now.” A smile stole across her face.
“We’ll leave the geeky reference for another time. Anyway, we both wanted to be able to defend ourselves against bullies, so we took martial arts classes together.”
“Ah. That eventually led him to cage fighting.”
“Yes. I went to college when I turned fourteen, so I needed any advantage I could get.”
“That must have been tough.”
“I survived.”
The banging stopped, and the water in the shower ran. She couldn’t help but think about what Randy looked like naked. She bet his body had ripples even where ripples shouldn’t be. “I saw on the Internet that Randy was quite successful and lived in a really nice home.”
“That’s true.”
Something wasn’t quite making sense. “Why would he move to Intrigue when he had a nice life in Denver?”
Blake glanced off to the side as if he was debating how much to tell. “We like to be together.”
Oh, shit. Her hand raced to her heart. “I didn’t know.” How could she be such a fool? They both were so hot that she assumed they were straight.
Blake leaned his head back and laughed so hard, his eyes watered. She found nothing funny about the situation. When he composed himself, he clasped her hand. Sparks shot up her arm, through her heart, and straight down to her pussy.
“We’re not gay if that’s what you’re thinking. Far from it. I know everything there is to know about Randy, and he feels safe being around me.”
Safe? “Is someone after him?”
Footsteps pounded on the hardwood floor.
“What’s she doing here?”
April jerked her attention to the large man in the hallway. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and nothing else. Her pussy shot into overdrive. She’d never seen anything tastier in her life. His hair was wet and sticking out in all directions, but his gaze was focused only on her. The look was not one of joy.
Blake stood, acting as if he needed to protect her from the wrath of Randy. Oh, boy. “Maybe I should be going.”
She attempted to stand, but Blake gently pressed down her shoulder. “I’m tutoring her.”
Randy took a minute before responding. “In what? Randy Stark 101?”
* * * *
Blake was getting tired of hiding Randy’s issues. If his roommate had made it clear that he didn’t want her here, Blake would have found someplace else to tutor the sexy lady. Her intelligence turned him on, which, as a child prodigy, was a trait hard to find.
He was tired of walking on eggshells every time Randy turned moody. Since April seemed interested in both of them, he wanted her to understand the dynamics.
“Yeah. You got a problem with that?”
“No.” Randy’s anger had diffused faster than April could close her physics book.
She reached up and touched Blake’s arm. “Look, I need to go.” Her fingers on his arm turned his cock hard.
Blake shot Randy a glance. Without a word, his roommate spun around and headed down the hall. Good riddance.
“Don’t mind him. I think he’s just horny.” He hoped that would be an icebreaker.
She laughed. “I can tell you this, he has no interest in letting me get close enough to light his fuse.”
God, she was a wonder. “Can we see each other again?”
“I’d like that, but with my midterm tomorrow and buying furniture for my new apartment, I’m a bit busy.”
“I’ll help.”
“Help with what?”
“With buying the furniture. If I took your midterm, I think we’d both be kicked out of the University.”
She laughed then looked around. “Somehow I don’t think we have the same taste.”
None of this was coming out right. While he was good around most women, when he met someone this special, he lost his touch. “Most of this is Randy’s. His name fits him. I know what you’re thinking, that the place lacks warmth. I agree. It is stark. If he hadn’t let me pick out the paintings, we wouldn’t have any color in here.”
She twisted her lips to the side, and he wanted to kiss her.
“I do suck at decorating. If you have an eye for these things, I’d love to have you come along.”
Yes! “What about Thursday then? Your midterm will be over, and you can relax a bit.”
She grinned. “Works for me.”
As he walked her to the door, he inhaled, enjoying her feminine scent. “Excuse Randy. He was pretty even-keeled until you came into his life.” He wanted her to know that Randy wanted her. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time Randy cared about anyone.
“Me? You’ve got that wrong. He only tolerates me because my father told him he had to teach me to ride.”
“If Randy hadn’t wanted to help you, he would have said no.”
“My father might have let him go.”
“Randy has more money than most. He doesn’t need the job. If your father had fired him, he would have gotten another job at a Home Depot or something.”
She pressed her lips together as if trying to figure Randy out. Good luck with that!
He knew it was probably too soon, but he gently ran his hands down her arms. “Give him a chance. I want him to be happy.” He glanced to the ground, trying to figure out how to broach the topic without scaring her off. One of the reasons he’d accepted the offer to be in Intrigue was because of the town’s open acceptance of ménage marriages. “We come as a package deal, just so you know.”
Tension rippled up her arms. She blew out a breath. “I figured.”
“Are you okay with that?” God, the invisible red light was blinking in his brain, telling him to slow down or he’d ruin any chance of being with her, but every cell in his body told him she was the one.
“Can I think about it?”
He wanted to kiss her, hug her, then jump up and down for joy. Instead, he put on his most serious face. “I fully expect you to.”
“Good. What time on Thursday?”
“How about noon? We can catch a bite to eat then shop till we drop.”
She chuckled. “Works for me.” She told him where her apartment was located.
“I’ll meet you there, and I’ll bring a tape measure. Having the dimensions before we shop will save us a lot of grief.”
She tapped his chest. “You are one smart man, Blake Danforth.”
“So everyone tells me.”
He wanted to lean over and ravish her, but if he started, he might not be able to stop. Instead, he walked her to her car and watched her drive away.
He and Randy needed to have a talk—one that involved some behavior modification
on Randy’s part. When he got inside, his roommate was at the piano pounding away. It was his way of banishing the demons that ravished his soul.
As soon as the piece finished, Blake placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let me get you a beer.” It was his way of getting Randy to cool off. He nodded.
He retrieved a beer for Randy and poured another glass of wine for himself. “We need to talk about April.” He didn’t hear the groan, but from the way Randy’s shoulders temporarily sagged and his jaw loosened, he had inwardly shown his disapproval.
“You like her?” Randy said.
“Yes.”
“You’ve only seen her a few times.”
“I know, but I like the way she handles herself. She’s confident but tentative at the same time. There’s a purity about her that I like.” The fact that Randy didn’t get up and leave was a good sign. “I don’t know why you’re being a dick all of a sudden. What happened to your cool persona?”
He drank half the beer. “I’m cool.”
“You’re full of shit. Just being around her sets you off. This wall you’ve built around yourself is self-defeating.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. April is a pest, that’s all. A harmless pest at that. I can take her or leave her.”
Blake was getting tired of him being in denial all the time. “Why can’t you tell that she sees who you really are?”
He slammed the bottle down on the table. “She knows I’m a cage fighter who’s past his prime. So what?”
“You’re more than that, and she wants a piece of you.”
He waved a hand. “She’s a spoiled rich kid. She’s not for me.”
“You’re rich, too. What are you talking about?”
He shrugged then finished off the rest of his beer. Blake was a bit surprised he hadn’t stormed back into the weight room, which was his safe haven. “Look. I muck stalls and take care of the horses. That’s all. She’s well educated.” He closed his mouth and widened his eyes. “I get it. You want her.”
Blake didn’t lie to himself. “Yes, but I also like to share, and right now you’re fucking things up for me.”
“I’ll do her if she wants.”
He blew out a breath. “She’s not that type. I don’t see her as the one-night-stand type. She comes from a stable family where they have long, loving relationships. While she didn’t say so, I can tell she admires a man who achieves. A man who lives up to his potential.”
Randy laughed. “What are you saying?”
“You could be famous if you chose.”
“You are so full of it.”
“We both know you’re a musical genius.”
“If I pursued music, I’d be poor and miserable.”
He was getting nowhere with the same old conversation. “As they say, try it, you’ll like it.” He waved a hand. “I’m not worried. I have faith that April will change your mind. Mark my words, the three of us will be in a ménage relationship by year’s end.”
Randy smiled and cocked a brow. “You going to put a wager on that?”
“Resistance is futile, my friend. Just name your price.”
Chapter Six
The next day, April paced her empty apartment. She stopped, and with her arms wide, spun around. “It’s mine!”
Now that her midterm was over, she could focus on her independence. She wouldn’t hear the test result until next week, but after class, she and Darlene had discussed their answers, and she felt confident she’d done well.
She walked into the kitchen and ran her hand over shiny countertops. She’d miss her mom’s cooking and having meals with her folks, but it was time she got a place of her own. Her two brothers, Ian and Max, who lived on the other side of the property, had helped move her boxes over from the house this morning. Now all she needed was furniture.
As she was trying to imagine what she needed, the doorbell rang. So excited to greet her first visitor, she almost tripped over a box. Once she composed herself, she pulled open the door.
Blake held a bottle of wine and handed it to her. “A housewarming gift.”
“That is so thoughtful. Thank you.” She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.
He didn’t say anything for a second, and she thought maybe she’d overstepped her bounds. When he touched his cheek and smiled, she knew things between them would only get better.
“I brought a tape measure so we can see what furniture will fit.” He pulled out his iPhone. “I’ll measure the rooms and save the dimensions.”
The man thought of everything. “Great.”
“I can see you need a lot.”
“That I do.” Besides a bed and a sofa, she could use a dining room table and some chairs.
He spent the next ten minutes stepping off each room. Since the whole apartment was less than eight hundred square feet, it didn’t take long before he was done.
He shoved the tape measure back in his pocket. “Tell me about your style.”
Her style. Did she even have a style? “I think you know I want something warm and cozy. Things don’t have to match. They just have to be comfortable.”
“In other words, the opposite of my place.”
She scrunched up her nose. “Kind of, but I didn’t mean I didn’t like your place. It’s just that it isn’t—”
He held up a hand and chuckled. “No offense taken. You ready to navigate the world of furniture buying?”
“Absolutely.”
Their first stop was Pier 1 Imports. She loved that store. “How about if we split up? We can cover more that way.”
He tapped her on the head. “Good thinking. We’ll reconvene in fifteen minutes.” He furrowed his brows. “How does that sound, Captain?”
He made her laugh. “Works for me. Grab anything you think I could use, from plates to glassware.”
He cocked a brow. “How about if you handle the small stuff, and I’ll check out the furniture?”
“You’re right. Did anyone tell you you’re smart?”
“Nope.” He smiled and headed off to a different part of the store.
As she looked over the silverware and stemware, she forgot to tell him her budget. It might be embarrassing to tell him they’d have to do her house on a teacher’s salary more or less. Her dad had given her a housewarming check, but most of it would go to buying a washer and dryer. Who knew moving would cost so much?
After she’d picked out inexpensive but functional dishware, her allotted fifteen minutes was up. Now she needed to find Blake. After weaving her way through the aisles, she located him at the back of the store talking with a cute staffer. When he spotted her, he broke into a grin and waved her near.
“What did you find?” He was standing in front of a cloth-covered taupe sofa that looked really comfortable.
“This sofa and matching chairs are on sale.”
She bent over and picked up the price tag. “These are really nice, but I think I want to look around.”
His smile didn’t dim. Maybe he realized that her father wasn’t picking up the tab. “Sure.”
Her bill was already quite high, and she’d barely bought anything. When they got to the car, she wanted to explain. “I think I need to look at a secondhand store. My budget isn’t high-end like Randy and yours.”
“I get it. That’s not a problem. Any suggestions?”
He’d only lived here a few weeks and wouldn’t know his way around. “There’s a really nice consignment shop a couple of blocks from here.”
If she’d been him, she would have dropped her off at her apartment and headed home. “You know what we forgot to do? Eat lunch.”
“You’re right, and I am starving.”
She directed him to a small café that served sandwiches. She was impressed with how she could talk about any topic, and Blake seemed interested. He certainly knew his way around a ranch, but his extensive trips abroad gave him such a cosmopolitan air. After lunch, the
y hit three secondhand stores. While they didn’t always agree on what might look good together, she sometimes thought his suggestions were better than hers and sometimes they weren’t. By the time they got home, she was exhausted. Either the store had agreed to deliver the furniture, for a fee, or Blake said he could pick up a few of the pieces on Saturday using Randy’s truck. Blake said he didn’t mind picking up the smaller pieces, but the sofa and bed would have to be delivered because of their size.
He helped carry her purchases. “How about some wine to celebrate?”
“I’d like that. As it so happens, I have wineglasses. Help me find the dish soap. My mother packed a kitchen starter kit for me. I didn’t feel guilty taking anything because she has more kitchen equipment than Williams-Sonoma has pots.”
While she pried open the box that was labeled kitchen, Blake opened the wine. Good thing he had the foresight to bring a corkscrew. She found the soap and dish towels and washed the glasses.
“Here ya go.”
He poured the wine and handed her a glass. She ambled into the living room and, with her back to the wall, slid to the carpet. “I can’t wait for the furniture to be delivered.”
“I’m good with minimalism.”
She laughed. “You mean empty.”
“What’s in those boxes?” He nodded to the five that were stacked against the opposite wall.
“That’s mostly clothes, books, and CDs. I’m not even sure why I brought them. I have a Kindle and an iPod now, so I don’t really need the physical items anymore, but I like to have them around.”
“I totally get where you’re coming from. Books make a place cozier. It says that a person lives here.”
He got it. “Yes.”
They sat in silence and drank their glasses of wine. Just as she’d finished, he lifted his glass. “To your independence.” He grinned.
“To my independence.”
“Since you’re not quite set up, would you be interested in going out to dinner? I bet it will be hard to cook and have no place to sit.”
She hadn’t planned on spending the night here, but she wasn’t one to turn down an invitation. “That sounds great.”
Secret Temptation [The Callens 3] (Siren Publishing M?nage Everlasting) Page 5