Anita's Triple Temptation [Men of Montana 4] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) (28 page)

Stepping out into the bedroom, she found Dave sitting in front of the fireplace on the throw rug she had chosen for the room. He had already built a fire and it crackled and popped within the firebox as the aroma of burning wood assaulted her senses. She always loved the smell but living in an apartment didn’t afford her that luxury. Now she had two fireplaces in her home.

Upon seeing her entering, Dave jumped up and pulled her fluffy robe from the back of the headboard where it hung. Holding it open, he waited for her to push her arms in and then from behind he wrapped her up in its warmth. He tied the ends of the belt but kept his arms around her waist instead of pulling away and he let his cheek graze against hers.

Loving the feeling of the stubble there, she rubbed her face back against him. She noticed he had showered, his face smelling like soap and the tendrils of hair that graced him around his ears were still damp. Blue jeans sheathed his lower body as a black T-shirt stretched across the massive shoulders, his biceps bulging out from under the arms of the shirt.

Still behind her, he led her over to the rug he had just vacated and helped her to sit in front of the fireplace. Sitting next to her, he reached over to the side where a bottle of wine and two glasses sat, picking up all three items and setting them down in front of him. Opening the bottle, he poured the rich red liquid into each glass and when he was finished, he handed one to her with one hand while setting the bottle away from them. Picking up his glass, he tapped his glass to hers slightly and then took a drink, watching her over the rim as he did so.

Anita watched as he moved with calculation and was at a loss for words. Never before had she been treated so softly and tenderly and she felt the pinprick of tears behind her eyes. No, she told herself, you are not going to cry.

“How was your day?” he asked, raising her free hand to his lips, and then kissed each knuckle.

A thrill ran through her and she smiled. “It was good. I got the kitchen and dining room unpacked. I had intended to get this room done, but didn’t have enough time.”

“You don’t have to do anything, darlin’.” He smiled. “You can leave it to us if you want.”

With her hand still in his, she squeezed a bit. “No. I like doing it. I just kinda got carried away and wasn’t focusing on the time. I hadn’t even realized you hadn’t come home for lunch until later.”

“Did you eat?” he asked, a disapproving look on his face.

“Some crackers.” She shrugged, surprised that he was concerned about what she ate for lunch.

Setting his glass down on the hearth, he raised his hand to her chin and held it between his thumb and forefinger. “No matter what, sweetheart, you are to eat a healthy meal. Crackers do not constitute a healthy meal. Is that understood?”

Gazing into the green pools that were his eyes, she felt she could drown in them but she blinked and submissively lowered her eyes. “Yes, sir.”

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers gently, letting them glide deliciously over hers. He was chaste with the kiss, using just his lips and nothing else which seemed to stir the embers within her as if he was being the Dom or being more passionate.

When he drew back, she glanced up to see the fire in his eyes and she knew he was holding back on her but she didn’t know why. Not sure what to do, she lifted the glass to her lips and drank a bit of the bittersweet fruity liquid. Coolness with a bit of a bite slid down her throat to land in her nearly empty stomach and now she knew one reason why she needed to eat better.

She knew the moment he had silently won that victory as a slight smile pulled on the corners of his lips and the lines on the outer edges smoothed out, giving him a younger appearance, though she knew what he was thinking.

Not wanting to argue, and since the moment was a bit more romantic than what they had had in the past, she demurely dropped her eyes and nearly whispered, “I promise I will eat better.”

“Good,” Dave said, releasing her chin and reaching for his glass again. “The boys are cooking up a great dinner, so I’m glad you’re hungry.”

Dragging in a long deep breath, Anita could smell the dinner being cooked across the house and became embarrassed when her stomach growled. Dave chuckled.

“Why aren’t you helping to cook?” Anita asked curiously. “I’ve never seen you cook, even when you came to my place before.”

“I cook, but just not that much,” he said before taking a sip of wine. “We made it a golden rule many years ago that when you start here at the ranch you cook.”

“Like an initiation?”

“Yeah, like that,” Dave responded, taking her glass from her hand, and set it along with his on the hearth. “We found out early on that neither one of them could cook so we kept making them cook until they could get it right. James actually took some cooking classes at the local junior college to help him out. Now he loves to cook.”

Relaxing, Anita laughed at the thought of James in a class whipping up a soufflé along with the ladies. “Then I look forward to eating.”

“They’ll come get us when it’s ready. For now, why don’t you scoot in here between my legs and enjoy the fire,” he suggested as he lifted her by the waist and settled her in front of him. Once she was there, he wrapped his hands around her waist and leaned his chin on the top of her head.

As long as she lived, she didn’t think she would ever get used to these men picking her up as if she was as small as a child. Relaxing, she leaned back against his chest, sighing.

He chuckled. “Did you like the bathroom now that you have been able to discover some of its goodies?”

Sighing again, she didn’t want to seem ungrateful. “You guys spent too much money on a room that I won’t use a lot.”

“Why do you think you won’t use it?”

“It’s not like I’m going to live in there. Just shower, take a bath occasionally, and wash up. What more is there to a bathroom?”

“Most women would kill for a bathroom like that,” Dave spoke into her hair. “Besides, we want to spoil you. You deserve the best, darlin’. We love to and want to give you everything.”

“That TV is something else.” She giggled. “I’ve only seen things like that in magazines or on design shows.”

Turning her head and upper body so she could look at Dave, she brought her right hand up to cup the side of his face. “Thank you. I do love it.”

He kissed her again, light and lovingly on the lips. Turning back to the fire, she again leaned back into him and relaxed. The flickering orange, yellow, and red flames dancing seductively were mesmerizing as she gazed into it. She felt as if she was engulfed in love within the house her men had chosen for her.

For the first time in her life, she felt as if she was the most important person in this odd family and she didn’t care what anyone else thought about her. Briefly, she even thought of Scotty’s words the last time she had seen him. He was happy for her and he was the one she had worried about hurting more than she did her own parents.

God, she was going to miss him.

The revelry she had silently sank into within Dave’s arms must have allowed her to doze off for the next thing she knew she was being shaken slightly. “Sweetheart?” Dave whispered in her ear. “Sweetheart, dinner is ready.”

“Oh,” she said, batting her eyes open. “I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. I’m glad you are comfortable enough to be relaxed with us,” Dave whispered. “I like how your body feels in my arms, and I hope we can do this many, many times in the future.”

Her forearms covered his, enjoying the feel of the strength that lay beneath the skin and hair. She was happy that he wasn’t like those male models that have terrific bodies but have every last bit of hair removed from them.

Squealing when he pulled his arms out from around her and grasped her hips, she felt herself being pushed up from behind. Finally on her feet, she felt Dave move behind her, standing up and then taking her hand.

As they walked out to the kitchen, she realized he wasn’t wearing boots. Except for bed, he always wore the leather items.

Stepping into the kitchen, the aroma of grilled steak, potatoes, vegetables, and fresh baked biscuits assaulted her senses. It smelled wonderful, and she was starving. She couldn’t wait to eat.

Looking around, she found James and Kevin standing in front of the table, both in jeans and white T-shirts and also, barefooted. As she stepped over to them, they separated to show her the table set with her new china and what looked like three dozen red roses in the vase that had been empty just hours ago.

Raising her hands to her face, she covered her mouth that was now a perfect “O” in the unexpected loving gesture. Tears pricked at her eyes as speechlessness stole over her.

“Baby girl.” Kevin’s voice broke into her emotional state. “Are you all right?”

Nodding her head, she was afraid her voice was going to crack. She watched as he stepped toward her, a smile on his face. He lifted her face up toward him with two fingers under her chin. “I hope you like roses.”

Finally finding her voice, she smiled. “Yes. They are very beautiful.”

“There’s one dozen from each of us,” James said, pulling a chair out and motioning for her to sit. “Let’s eat, honey.”

Kevin leaned in and kissed her gently before he put his hand on her elbow and led her to her seat. Sitting down, James pushed her in while Kevin placed a napkin across her lap. Kevin took a seat to her right while James sat to her left. Dave sat next to Kevin.

A plate sat at each chair filled with juicy steaks, baked potatoes filled with melted butter along with Brussels sprouts in a butter sauce. Biscuits sat in a basket in front of her plate as did butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, and chives along with salt and pepper. Yes, these boys really knew how to cook.

Talk was small as they all enjoyed the meal. The three men completed their meal while Anita ate most of her steak, the Brussels sprouts, and half of her potato. Pushing her plate away, her eyes met peridot-green eyes under raised eyebrows. Fearing she was in trouble for not finishing, she was amused when Dave pulled the plate toward him. Spearing the remainder of the steak with his fork, he lifted it to his mouth without even cutting it. Biting off a piece, he chewed the savory meat before swallowing it and taking another bite. Anita watched him until he finished the steak. Not once while he was eating did he take his eyes off of hers and when he was finished, he grinned at her.

Not sure what to say or do, she did what manners called for. “Thank you, guys. That was wonderful.”

“It’s a pleasure to feed you, sweetheart,” James said as he stood.

Anita followed suit picking up her plate. Kevin took it from her hand before she could protest. “I’ll do the dishes,” she said. “You guys cooked. It’s only right.”

Dave moved around the table to her side and pulled her extended hand into his. “No, darlin’, they’ll do the dishes. You and I are going to your room, if it’s all right with you and we are going to be alone. We need to each spend time alone with you and tonight is my time.”

Watching his mouth move, she heard his words while excitement built up in the pit of her stomach. But then, what about the others? Wouldn’t they be jealous?

Kevin stepped forward and she lifted her free hand to his cheek, caressing it. “Are you all right with this?” she asked.

A beaming smile appeared on his face. “Of course, sweetie. We have nothing to be jealous of as long as we know you love us. We’ll get our time with you.”

Confusion still ran rampant through her. She remembered the conversation she had with Lyndee about this, but she still didn’t understand how the guys wouldn’t get jealous of each other.

Kevin kissed her lips, plunging his tongue into her mouth when she gasped. Their tongues danced together briefly before he ended the kiss and stepped back. “I love you, Anita. Good night.”

Before she could speak, James swept in like a tornado and took possession of her mouth, kissing her as if he wouldn’t get another chance. When he pulled back, he smiled down at her. “Love you, baby. Don’t wear the old coot out too much. He does have to work tomorrow.”

Before she knew it was going to happen, a nervous giggle burst forth and she had to cover her mouth before it got worse. Glancing up at the man in question, merriment was in his eyes, but also a cold edge that made her pussy get suddenly wet. Looking up at James, she quickly replied to his statement. “And I love you, too. Both of you, I love both of you.”

Dave was unable to contain himself apparently for he began to drag her out of the room. She was backward for a few moments until she could get herself turned around and then they were through the entryway and through her bedroom door before she could really make sense of his hurry. The double doors were closed behind him as she watched the predatory look in his eyes causing the irises to turn into a dark emerald color.

Anita was uncertain whether the labored breathing she was experiencing was from the quick exit from the kitchen or was due to the fine specimen of a man standing before her. The room was large but the man standing in front of her made it seem small with his commanding presence.

Broad shoulders blocked the light that was lit in front of the bay window, giving him an intimidating aura. Large muscles on his arms attested to his work on the ranch and she had noticed that about not only her men but all the men on the ranch. Some had more muscles than others, but that all had to do with how their bodies were made and not by how much work they did or didn’t do.