A Little Harmless Ride (16 page)

She knew why she was feeling that way and she didn’t like it one bit. Being depressed over a night of fantastic lovemaking was kind of stupid, but she couldn’t seem to stop feeling sorry for herself. It had been a mistake and god…she couldn’t even imagine if they had been playing. But she knew to make sure there weren’t any complications with their arrangement—and also to protect herself. Eli St. John was just another name for heartbreak.

“
Earth to Crysta,” May said snapping her fingers at her.

Crysta shook herself out of her funk. “Sorry. I guess I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

She sipped her root beer, hoping the sugar would give her the boost she needed for the day.

“
Really?” May asked.

Crysta nodded and looked around the restaurant. It was just a bit after eleven in the morning and the place was already starting to fill up with customers. There were lots of locals but a good deal of tourists, which told her they had a solid base to work from. They’d gotten a table in the back, secluded enough they were afforded some privacy.

“
Well, if you hadn’t been sexing it up with Eli, you would have gotten more sleep.”

Crysta blinked. “What?”

“
Oh, please. Both of us can tell you had sex last night.”

She glanced at Dee. “Yeah, but I have more class than you do and I didn’t mention it.”

Crysta could feel her face heating up. “I’m not saying we did anything.”

May snorted. “Puleeeeze, you did so. And now we want details.”

“
Maylea Aiona Chambers,” Dee said.

It was May’s turn to blink. “What?”

Dee rolled her eyes. “You just asked a woman you’ve known less than twenty-four hours about her sex life.”

She shrugged. “Like you don’t want to know.”

“
Again, I point out, I have more class.”

“
And that makes me more honest.”

Crysta threw her hands up in the air. “Oh, please, stop. You’re making my head hurt.”

Dee patted her on the shoulder, much as she had the night before. “I’m sorry about that, Crysta.”

“
Yeah, sorry,” May mumbled. “I just wondered what kind of Dom he was in private.”

She glanced at both women, then gave in to the need to share. “There was no play.”

A beat of silence filled the booth. “No play? Eli just…you guys just…” Dee didn’t finish.

“
Holy cow, he
is
hung up on you,” May said.

“
What do you mean?”

“
This is a guy who never has a woman on the side. He picks his subs at Rough ‘n Ready and makes sure there are no strings attached.”

It irritated her to hear, but she knew it was true. “Okay.”

May looked at Dee then back to Crysta. “Honey, there are all kinds of reasons he shouldn’t have slept with you last night. And tonight, if he didn’t have feelings for you, he would have easily picked a sub and went off with her. But instead, he took you to bed last night.”

“
Although I hate to admit it, I have to once again agree with May here. The way he acted pissed that Devon was talking to you was fun to watch last night.”

“
Yeah, Eli tried to forbid me to show Devon around the ranch.”

May giggled. “Oh, my, the Delicious Dom is in love.”

Her heart jerked. “No, I don’t think you can say that. We’re attracted to each other.”

“
Oh,” Dee said, her voice softening. “You’re in love with him.”

“
Am not,” she said. “Oh, god, now I sound like a five-year-old. That man has dissolved all my working brain cells.”

“
Oh, wait, here comes Cynthia. Cyn, come on over. We’re having a girl’s day.”

She turned her head and saw a petite but curvy blonde walking down the aisle.

“
Cynthia, this is Crysta. She’s the one who co-owns the ranch with Eli.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh?”

“
Cynthia’s hubby owns this place. Sit down.”

Cynthia chuckled as she slid into the booth beside May. “So nice, May.”

“
Hey, I never said I was nice. And before you say anything, Chris deserved a reminder that he had morning sickness while you were pregnant. He was being a butt this morning. ”

“
How are you liking the ranch?” Cynthia asked Crysta ignoring her friend’s comments. It was easy to hear the Deep South in her voice, telling her Cynthia was another transplant.

“
I’m really enjoying it. I used to ride and compete with barrel racing, so it’s been nice to get back up on a horse.”

“
Not to mention Eli,” May said.

“
Oh my god, May,” Crysta said, her facing burning brighter than the sun at the moment.

May smiled. “I thought we should get it out in the open. See, Cynthia didn’t see him last night. He was all over her and about threw a fit when Devon showed up to dinner.”

“
Then called me later. He really wasn’t happy about that.”

May glanced at Dee. “Dee, you’ve been holding out. You gave Devon her number?”

Dee blinked in mock innocence. “Devon asked for it.” She looked at Crysta. “I hope you aren’t mad at me.”

Cynthia held up her hands. “Okay, I am lost. What is this about Eli and Crysta and why was Devon asking for her number?”

“
He met her last night at our house. He wanted her number. I gave it to him,” Dee said.

Cynthia looked at Crysta. “And Eli didn’t like this?”

May leaned closer to her friend with a small smile on her lips. “He seduced her last night.”

Crysta looked around the table and realized that she was telling virtual strangers about her personal life, but she felt strangely okay with it. Maybe there was something in the water in Hawaii. She glanced around and made sure no one had moved closer or been seated close enough to eavesdrop.

“
We sort of seduced each other,” she said.

Cynthia nodded, apparently understanding everything. “No play. And you’re a sub, not a switch or anything?”

“
She asks because both she and her husband are,” Dee said.

“
I’m a sub. I haven’t played since I broke it off with my fiancé. I really haven’t had time. My dad got sick and I moved closer to help.”

“
Oh,” Cynthia said, reaching across the table and patting her hand. “Is he doing okay now?”

She nodded. “Yeah. In fact, he practically kicked me out to get me over here. But of course, I had to come. I couldn’t let Joe’s surrogate son lose that ranch.”

“
Well, I find it interesting that Eli didn’t try to dominate you last night. Very weird,” May said.

Cynthia nodded. “I have to agree. You haven’t had a Dom in awhile?”

“
Truth is, I wasn’t sure I was made out for the life anymore. It still drew me, but my ex was my Dom. He cheated on me, so of course, I started wondering about my ability to judge character in both a mate and a Dom.”

“
That makes sense,” Dee said. “It would be a hard thing to overcome.”

“
Are you going to Rough ‘n Ready tonight?” Cynthia asked.

She nodded.

“
Yeah, he could have found someone there.” Cynthia looked at May. “What is it you wanted me to answer?”

“
I wanted to know if you think Eli is ga ga over her?”

She glanced at Crysta. “Uh, yeah. I mean, the Delicious Dom didn’t dominate you last night, lost control and slept with you? That’s a man who is smitten. Just my opinion.”

“
There’s my love,” Chris, the owner and May’s boss, said as he walked over. He was a tall black man, with a ready smile and the most amazing New Orleans accent. He kissed his wife on the cheek. Then he looked at Crysta. “Your meals should be up in just a few minutes. Oh, and May?”

“
Yeah?”

“
Medusa called. She’s looking for her snakes.”

She threw a napkin at him, but he was already laughing as he wandered off.

“
That man.”

Cynthia laughed. “You deserved that.”

Crysta blinked. “What was that about?”

“
That’s about May throwing things at him. And he says that she can give a man such a stink eye that it will shrivel…how did he put it, Cyn?”

“
Shrivel the bits and pieces near and dear to a man’s heart,” Cynthia said, giggling.

“
Oh, well…” She was trying not to laugh, but she couldn’t help it. He was probably right.

May frowned and turned to Crysta. “So, all of us need to go to Rough ‘n Ready tonight. It will be interesting to see what happens.”

Cynthia smiled at her. “I think I might even stay up for that. I think it will be worth it.”

“
Cynthia runs a bakery and has to be up before dawn and at work. It’s horrible.”

“
Believe me, I know. I work on a ranch.”

“
Now, you have something very sexy to wear tonight?” May asked. “Because I want to watch Eli suffer a little.”

* * * *

Eli looked out over the Honolulu Harbor and tried to pay attention to Conner Dillon. He’d set up the meeting to deal with possible problems at the ranch. He could have done it over the phone or videoconference, but since he was there, he figured he would check out the new offices.

“
You’re not hearing a damned thing I’m saying.”

He glanced at the former FBI agent and shook his head. “Sorry. Didn’t get much sleep last night.”

He turned and walked back over to the desk.

“
You have a good right to be preoccupied,” Conner said with a stern look.

“
What are you talking about?” And how did the man know about his night with Crysta.

“
Well, rustling here isn’t that common. We know it happens, but this looks like it was more to give you shit. And that means it’s the family. They are going to be a constant thorn in your side. Although, I’m kind of surprised that Sam could pull it off. He’s not that much smarter than his father.”

“
There’s Sean.”

“
Believe me, I’m trying to find something out on him. It’s like he’s a ghost.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
He goes over to Japan, Jakarta…hell, he’s been all over the Far East. But I have no record of what he is doing and when I look into his money, I hit roadblocks. I don’t like that.”

From the determined gleam in Dillon’s gaze, Eli didn’t want the man after him in the future. He was the epitome of the FBI man who always got his man.

“
Also, I want to start looking into the finances of your employees. I know Crysta’s clean.”

“
Clean?”

Dillon nodded looking over the paperwork. “I looked into her, Eli. I had to. You didn’t have any problems until she came around.”

“
What the bloody hell does that mean?”

Dillon leaned back in his chair and studied him for a moment. Eli didn’t like it. It made him uncomfortable. “I didn’t know you were involved.”

“
Of course we are. We own the ranch together.”

Another beat of silence. “Okay, let me say this another way. I didn’t know you were sleeping with her.”

“
I’m not.”

“
I think you need to rethink that answer.”