“I wasn’t getting defensive.” She turned to Del. “What did you tell him?”
“Only what I saw.”
“Don’t pull that with me. We didn’t do anything wrong.”
“The fact that you’re proclaiming your innocence so early on suggests otherwise,” Perry snapped.
“Honestly, son, you don’t need to be so irritable about it,” Anthony said. “We were just expressing our concerns about her work. She just doesn’t seem to be able to handle criticism very well.”
“I don’t really understand what’s not to like.”
“We’re just concerned about outsiders poking their noses into our business and then writing about it. Who knows what they’ll say? Who knows if they’ll represent our town faithfully?”
“I trust her more than I’d trust some journalist. At least she’s obligated to have some sort of standards.”
“Still, we just don’t think that what she’s doing is right.”
“I think it was inappropriate for you to scare her off. She’s a sweet woman.”
“You’re not interested in her, are you?”
“Would that be a problem?”
“Oh, Perry.” Camilla sighed. “Really? You hardly pay any attention to the eligible women of Male Order, and the second some interloper waltzes in, you’re all over her.”
“I can’t explain it, especially because I’ve only known her for a few hours. Somehow, though, I know that she’s special.”
“You just think she’s special because she’s new and exciting.”
“Only time will tell. For now, though, I’d like to be able to see her without having to worry about whether or not you’re going to antagonize her.”
“You think you have a chance with her?”
“Why not?”
“She’s not interested in you as a person,” Donald snapped. “She’s interested in you as a research subject, and nothing more. Just because she wants to study menageamy does not mean she wants to practice it. Besides, it would compromise her objectivity if she decided to get involved with you. I’m sure her ethics board would not be happy to hear about that.”
Perry sighed. “Maybe you’re right. Even so, I don’t think you needed to be so hostile to her about her project.”
“We’re just looking out for our own interests. Besides, she’s going to need to get used to it. We’re certainly not the only family in town who is going to have a problem with her thesis.”
“Fine, whatever.” Perry dropped his head and focused on the food on his plate.
“You don’t need to sulk, son,” Anthony said. “You’ll find other women. She’ll be out of our hair soon enough.”
“You’re right.” Perry looked back up and forced a half-smile.
* * * *
Del stayed after Perry’s parents had gone home to help with the after-dinner cleanup.
“You sure have a lot of leftovers.”
“Yeah, I always cook too much. I can’t help it. Put the rest in Tupperware, and I’ll eat them this weekend.”
“Actually, I have a better idea. Here, hand me a plate.”
“What?”
“Just do it.”
Perry handed over a dish and watched as Del heaped leftover steak, roasted potatoes, and salad onto it, then covered it with plastic wrap.
“We’ll need to take your car as we can’t both fit on the horse.”
“What are you doing?”
“Just get your keys.”
They settled in the car. “So where are we going?” Perry asked. “Are you going to leave that horse in my yard all night?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it when we come back. Now, do you know where the Holt-Parker ranch is?”
“Sure.”
“Then get going.”
“Del, no. We are not going to visit Carissa.”
“Yes, we are. We’re going to visit her, we’re going to apologize for the way your parents acted, and we’re going to make sure she has a chance to have some of the delicious dinner you worked so hard to prepare.”
“We can’t. That’s ridiculous.”
“We can, and just because it’s a little ridiculous doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. If you want to have a chance with her, this will be a good way to let her know you’re interested.”
“You heard my parents. She wouldn’t get involved with me because it would compromise her objectivity. Besides, they’re right. Why on earth would she be interested in a guy who wanted to be menageamous? She’s an outsider interested in me from an academic perspective, and nothing more. I shouldn’t even bother. I should just focus my attention on the eligible women around town.”
“Come on, Perry. Would you really believe your parents after they ran her out of the house?”
“Just because they can be a little harsh doesn’t mean they’re stupid.”
“Why would they be wrong?”
“Would you quit having such a negative attitude? You’re driving me crazy. Let’s just go and drop the food off, and then you can drive off and never hear from her again.”
“She’ll have one of my plates.”
“If you don’t get it back, I’ll buy you a new one, okay?”
“Fine.”
They drove in silence to the Holt-Parker ranch. Del noticed that Perry looked pale as they approached the front door.
“Chill out, man. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“We’ll look like idiots?”
“Trust me, that won’t be a problem.” He rang the bell.
Carissa’s cousin Iris opened the door. “Hey, guys. What are you doing here?”
“We were hoping Carissa was home,” Del said with a grin. “Can she come out and play?”
Iris giggled. “Hold on.”
A few minutes later, Perry and Del heard two voices arguing in the hallway. “Just go,” Iris said, her voice lifting over her cousin’s. “They’re really cute, and they brought food.”
“Okay, okay, but only if you go with me,” Carissa said, and then turned the corner, gripping Iris by the wrist. Both men noticed the faint blush in her cheeks.
“Hey, guys, what’s up?” she asked. Perry thought he could detect a slight tremor in her voice. He couldn’t help but feel slightly turned on by her nervousness, her vulnerability, the fact that she was a little awkward and rough rather than perfectly polished.
“Oh, well, see, we…” he started, but faltered.
“You weren’t able to stay for dinner, so we figured we’d bring you a plate,” Del said. “Perry worked really hard to make it, and he’s an excellent cook. We didn’t want you to miss out.”
“Oh, thanks. Except that I already ate dinner with my family.”
Perry hung his head. “Of course you did. I’m sorry. This was a ridiculous idea.”
“No, no! It’s sweet! I really do appreciate it. I’ll just eat this for lunch tomorrow or something.”
Perry looked back up. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll just go take this plate and stick it in the fridge for you,” Iris said, giving her cousin a blatant wink.
“Look, I’m really sorry for the way my parents acted earlier today. I’m sorry they made you feel unwelcome.”
“You don’t need to apologize on their behalf. You didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, you were the perfect host. I’m sorry I ran out early without even saying good-bye.”
“It’s okay. I understand. It must have been really unpleasant to be in that situation.”
“I’d definitely prefer to not have to do that again.”
“Hey, at least you got the whole ‘meeting the parents’ thing out of the way, right?” Del interjected. “Now you can just enjoy the ride.”
Carissa’s expression sharpened. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“Meeting someone’s parents for the first time is arguably one of the most stressful aspects of a relationship. Now that you’ve met Perry’s, everything else will seem
easy.”
“What? Wait a second. Did you come over here to ask me out or something?”
“No, we just wanted to bring you some dinner. I promise.”
Perry could almost swear he saw disappointment flash across Carissa’s face. “Oh, okay. Well, anyway. I should probably be getting back inside. I have some interview transcriptions to do after all. Have a good night, and thanks again for the food.” She held out her hand for a handshake. Perry complied, trying not to show his dejection.
“Well, that was a disaster,” he snapped at Del as they pulled out of the driveway.
“Come on, man. You can’t expect things to go perfect every time.”
“Everything was going just fine until you busted in with that ‘meeting the parents’ business.”
“Aw, come on. Can’t either of you take a joke?”
“You scared her off!”
“I don’t think I did.”
“She practically slammed the door in our faces.”
“I think you’re exaggerating. Okay, so she got a little skittish. She’ll come around.”
“But what if she doesn’t?”
“If she doesn’t, who cares? There are plenty of lovely women around here.”
“None of them who took my breath away the first time I looked them in the eyes.”
“Man, dude, you’re in deep already. What happened to you?”
“I can’t explain it. She’s just like nobody I’ve ever met before.”
“That’s for sure.”
“Let’s just go home. I blew it. I just want to turn in early.”
“You sure? We could hit up the Boom Boom Room and grab a few drinks before you head home.”
“I just need to be alone right now.”
“If you insist. Just drop me off at my place, I guess.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Not that I know of.”
“There’s the matter of someone else’s horse on my lawn. I believe that’s the vehicle you’ll be taking home this evening.”
Chapter 3
“Do you do anything but work?” Iris asked, walking into the office where Carissa had been holed up since noon.
“Of course not. I’m a grad student working on a thesis.”
“Well, that changes now. Get dressed. We’re going out.”
“Can’t we put it off until tomorrow? I still have three hours’ worth of transcriptions left.”
“If we wait until tomorrow, you’ll find another way to get out of going. You can’t spend the summer working and not have any fun at all. Come on.” Iris snapped Carissa’s laptop shut.
“Fine, fine.”
An hour later, Iris opened the doors to the Boom Boom Room. Carissa was surprised at how busy the place was for a Wednesday night. Iris waved to a gaggle of her friends crowded around a table in the corner and started dragging Carissa over to them.
“Hey, ladies!” Iris squealed. Carissa tried not to wince. She loved her cousin, but didn’t relish spending the evening with a bunch of undergrads home for summer break. She was at least four years older than most of them and knew she didn’t have much in common with the bubbly, extroverted Iris and her equally effervescent social circle.
Before Iris had a chance to finish introducing her, Carissa felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She could smell sexy cologne before she turned around to find Perry staring into her eyes. She wasn’t surprised to find that he was just as attractive as the day before. In fact, this time, he looked even hotter in his clean-cut gray suit and dark blue tie.
“Wonderful to see you again,” he said, picking up her hand and brushing his lips across her knuckles.
Carissa struggled to keep her ankles from buckling in her stilettos as his kiss sent shivers all the way down her legs.
“The pleasure is all mine.”
“Del and I have a couch near the back. Would you care to join us?”
Carissa looked over at Iris.
“Go.” Her cousin laughed. “I’m sure we’ll find a way to have fun without you.”
Perry escorted Carissa over to the couch and sat down on one end, gesturing for her to take the middle cushion. She sat down, expecting him to wrap his arm around her, but instead, he was a model of discretion, merely resting his hand over hers. The touch of his skin was so electric that she could feel herself flush.
“Is this okay?” he asked.
“Of course,” she replied, a little too quickly, trying to conceal the smile that was trying to burst across her face. “So where’s Del?”
“I’m not sure, actually. His cell phone rang a minute ago. He just grinned and said he had to take the call.”
“Girlfriend, maybe?”
Perry snorted. “Del isn’t really the type of guy to have a girlfriend, if you know what I mean.”
“You mean he likes to play the field.”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
Carissa tried not to feel disappointed. She didn’t want to feel disappointed. She didn’t even like Del and his goofball nature. So she couldn’t figure out why she was struggling to hold back a frown.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, fine. I could use a drink, though.”
“Great idea. What’s your poison?”
Carissa was mortified to realize that her tastes for the past several years had consisted entirely of cheap beer in campus bars. She couldn’t remember the last time she’s been to a place as classy as this one.
“Why don’t you surprise me?” she asked, trying to sound playful.
Perry grinned. “You got it. I’ll be right back.”
Carissa watched him walk off to the bar, keeping her gaze focused on the way the crisp fabric of his pants clung to his perfectly formed ass.
“Well, hello.” She felt Del’s hot breath in her ear as he spoke. He trailed a finger up her neck before sitting down. Carissa tried to be irritated, but his touch was just as electric as Perry’s.
“Good to see you again, Del,” she said, again trying to contain her smile.
“I didn’t know you were coming out.”
“Well, I hadn’t planned on it, but my cousin Iris dragged me here. I ran into Perry, and he invited me to join you, saving me from an evening of mingling with college kids.”
“Well, I, for one, am glad to have your company.”
“Likewise.”
“Ah, there you are,” Perry said, walking back from the bar with a bottle of Macallan eighteen-year-old scotch and three glasses. Carissa tried not to let her eyes bug out. She couldn’t imagine drinking even a glass of something so expensive, not to mention an entire bottle.
“Perry, that’s so sweet of you, but you shouldn’t have, really. It’s so extravagant.”
“A little, yes, but I never come to the Boom Boom Room to drink cheap. I can do that at home. When I’m here, I like to step it up.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Del interjected. “Perry never drinks cheap. Nothing but the best for this guy. If he can’t afford the good stuff, he won’t drink at all. He would have been sober all through college if I hadn’t had the cash to fund his expensive taste.”
“Oh, I was under the impression that your family had money.”
Perry blushed. “They do. My parents just didn’t believe in letting me coast on my family’s hard work. I had to have a part-time job in college for pocket money, and they’ve locked my inheritance until I’m thirty-five. They wanted to ensure I got a good education and made something of myself before I could reap the benefits of my ancestors.”
“Luckily, he had me, so he wasn’t condemned to a boring college existence.”
“Yes, Del took very good care of me.”
Carissa thought she detected an edge of sarcasm in Perry’s voice, but didn’t ask about it. After the way things had gotten tense before dinner a few nights before, she could sense that they had some difficulties to work out.
Del finally broke the tension by opening the bottle and pouring out the ligh
t brown liquid.
“A toast,” Perry said, raising his glass. “To the sexiest researcher in all of Male Order.”
Carissa blushed, but clinked her glass. Trying to squelch her nerves, she took a big gulp, and then immediately began choking on the fiery sensation that filled her throat.
“Easy there,” Del said, as Perry stood up to get her a glass of water. “Macallan is smooth, but not smooth enough that you can just shoot a snifter of it down like that.”
Great, now I look like an even bigger klutz, Carissa thought, accepting the glass of water in Perry’s hand and taking a sip, being careful not to send any more liquids down the wrong pipe.
“Feeling better?” Perry asked, with genuine concern in his voice.
“Yeah, thanks. Sorry about that. I guess I haven’t learned to appreciate good liquor yet. It’s tough when you’re a broke grad student.”
“Stick with us the rest of the summer, and we’ll turn you into a perfect snob,” Del said, snaking a hand up her leg and into her skirt.
Carissa jumped. “We’re in public.”
“Ah, a proper lady,” Del said with a smirk.
“There’s nothing wrong with a little discretion,” Perry snapped. “Not that you’d know anything about that.”
“Fair enough,” Del said, failing to conceal the hurt expression on his face.
“I’ve had some great interviews the past three days!” Carissa said with a little too much pep in her voice. She was desperate to break the tension. She poured herself another hearty glass of scotch and drank carefully this time, letting the smokiness roll over her tongue. This is actually pretty good, she thought.
“Oh yeah? With whom?” Del seemed just as eager to redirect the conversation.
“I’ve actually managed to speak with all of the founding families. It was pretty exhausting, working all five of them into such a short time span, but it proved invaluable. Not only did I get a lot of good perspectives, especially from the younger adults, but I got fantastic background information that I probably wouldn’t be able to obtain anywhere else.”
“Nobody gave you any trouble about your project, did they?” Perry asked.
Jordan, Olivia - A Bride for Two Studs [Male Order, Texas] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3