Beauty Blooming [Bonding Camp 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (3 page)

Joe hefted his suitcase onto the bed and dropped his backpack beside it. “Thanks.”

Rodgers moved toward the door. “I’ll come back and get you in about half an hour. I’d appreciate it if you’d wait here until then. I would tell you to go ahead and roam around, but some of the others are a bit protective of their private spaces, and I wouldn’t want you to stumble into somewhere you shouldn’t go.” He held up a finger. “Unless you’re invited, that is.”

Joe waved a hand at him. “Don’t worry. It’s not a problem. I wouldn’t mind having something to drink, though. Would that be possible?” His throat was dry after the long drive. He hadn’t had anything to drink the whole long trip.

“I’ll have something sent up.” He rested his hand on the doorknob. “Do you have a preference?”

“Cola if you have it. Any kind will do. And maybe a glass of ice?”

Rodgers smiled and nodded. “Done. Someone will be here in a few minutes. See you soon.” He left, closing the door behind him.

Joe looked around the room, pleased with his surroundings. The coverlet and pillow on the bed were a bit too feminine for his taste, but who was he to complain? If that was the only thing he could find wrong, he’d better just keep his mouth shut. He opened his suitcase and quickly put his clothes away then placed the suitcase inside the closet.

Someone knocked on the door.

Joe hurried to the door and opened it. “Come in,” he said as he swung the door wide. Then it was as if someone had sucked all the air from his lungs.

“Hello,” she said, looking up at him with emerald-green eyes and a smile that made his heart stutter.

“Who are you?” he asked, almost afraid to move in case she disappeared like a smoky dream.

“My name is Rachel.” She moved past him and entered the room, carrying a tray with a couple of cans of cola and a glass filled with ice. “I am the housekeeper here at the compound.”

Joe inhaled deeply when she passed. What was that scent? It was warm and spicy, reminding him of something, but he couldn’t quite place it.

“I was told you would like a cold drink,” she said, placing the tray on the dresser.

Joe swung the door closed and moved across the room to stand at her side so he could breathe her in. He watched her pop the tab open on the soda and pour the dark liquid over the ice in the glass.

She lifted the glass and turned to him. “Here you go.”

He had never felt so tongue-tied in his life. This girl was beautiful. He had always been partial to redheads, and Rachel was a true one. Her light-red hair matched the freckles that danced across her nose. Looking at her, he finally knew what the phrase “peaches-and-cream skin” was all about.

She tilted her head, frowning. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes. Why?” He blinked.

“Because you’re just standing there staring at me.”

“I’m sorry, I—you’re very pretty.” His face grew hot. He took the glass from her hand and drank half of it before taking a breath. This was crazy. He was acting like a teenager.

“Thank you for the compliment,” she said, her cheeks growing pink. “Are you settling in okay? Can I get you anything else?”

He shook his head. “Not right now, thank you.”

She smiled and nodded. “I’ll let you get back to unpacking then.” She moved toward the door.

His throat worked as he struggled to find the right words to speak. Giving up, he just blurted one out. “Wait!”

Halfway into the hall, she stopped with one foot still inside the room. “Yes?”

“I’ll be seeing you around, won’t I? I mean, I’d like to get to know you better.” He took a step forward, hoping he didn’t sound too much like a schoolboy.

The smile on her lips widened. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll get to know each other very well, Mr. Brown.” Then she walked out the door, closing it behind her.

Rachel shook her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she walked down the hall away from Mr. Brown’s door and toward the kitchen. For some strange reason, she hadn’t been nervous around him. She knew that soon she’d be getting to know him on a much more intimate level, and the thought of that had been plaguing her with nervousness since earlier today, but once she met him, and saw how much he acted like a young boy on a first date, she’d had the overwhelming urge to calm him and sort of take the lead and soothe his nerves. It was an unusual feeling for her.

She walked into the kitchen and ran into Rodgers. He was washing his hands at the sink. “I delivered the soda to Mr. Brown,” she said, opening the refrigerator and checking to see if the steaks had thawed for the dinner she was planning for tonight.

Rodgers turned, drying his hands on a towel. “His name is Joe. If you’re going to be joining him in bonding camp, you should probably call him by his first name.”

Rachel reached for the platter of steaks and took it from the refrigerator. Taking the platter and placing it on the counter, she smiled. “Joe. I like that name. But I’m not ready to call him that until he asks me to.” She began to gather the makings for a dinner of steak, baked potato, and salad. “Funny thing though, I don’t feel all nervous around him.” She laughed, taking three potatoes from the bin and carrying them to the sink to wash. “He seems nervous around me.”

Rodgers crossed his arms and leaned against the counter, watching her wash the potatoes. “Maybe it’s because he’s attracted to a hot redhead.”

“You’re too funny.” She rolled the potato she was holding beneath the stream of water.

“Rachel, you underestimate yourself. You are a beautiful woman.”

“Oh, come on, Rodgers. We’ve worked together for how long now? And you’ve never said anything like that to me before.” Was he just saying that because he, too, would be involved in her bonding camp and was trying to make her feel more comfortable? She had always thought Rodgers was a nice-looking man, a bit older but he had a face a woman could look at for a lifetime and never get tired of gazing at. She’d never really thought of him in a sexual way, but then, they worked together, so she always thought of him as a coworker.

“Maybe I’ve never said anything because I thought you knew it already.” He started for the door. “I’ve got to take Joe on a tour of the compound. I’ll see you at dinner.”

Rachel finished washing the potatoes and prepared them by splitting them, adding butter, steak sauce, and a slice of onion in the center then wrapped them in foil and put them in the oven. Then she began preparing the steaks, tenderizing them. Her mind began to wander as she worked.

As soon as she began thinking about bonding camp, her hands began to tremble. She shouldn’t have waited so long to tell them she wanted to join in. Why in the world was this making her so nervous? She knew everyone and shouldn’t be afraid to allow herself to let go when it came to having sex. Everyone except Joe Brown. Her hands stilled as she thought about him.

He had acted like such a young boy around her. It made her smile, thinking about how he had began to stutter and then told her she was beautiful. Heat bloomed in her cheeks. Not only were her cheeks warm, but they were starting to hurt from the wide smile she wore. She wasn’t so backward that she didn’t realize that Joe was attracted to her. And she was attracted to him, too. He looked like a California boy with his slight tan and sun-streaked hair. Standing at least six feet tall, he was just the right height for her to slip her arms around his neck and press her body against his obviously toned one.

She brushed a strand of hair back from her forehead with the back of her wrist. If she could control her nerves, she’d love to get closer to him. In a very intimate way.

She picked up a steak to turn it over and almost dropped it on the floor. “Oh!” She jerked and caught it before it was ruined. Slapping it back on the cutting board, she gave it a pound with her tenderizing hammer. “Get your mind back on your job.”

After getting the steaks tenderized and ready for the stovetop grill, she checked the potatoes and prepared the salads. Going into the dining room, she set the table for three. When the partners arrived, she and Rodgers would eat in the kitchen, but when there was only one guest, they ate with the guest so that he didn’t feel too alone. It was the partners’ idea, helping to keep the guests at the compound feeling like they were included and at their second home away from home. It helped them to get to know the staff, which was good when it came to bonding camp and having the staff participate. That way the guests knew a bit about the people they were bonding with, the ones they didn’t work with every day.

Having dinner with Rodgers and Joe might help to settle her nerves. She did want to get to know Joe. She’d like to know how such a handsome, young, athletic-looking man ended up being a lawyer. He didn’t look like a lawyer at all with his shoulder-length, tousled hair and his honest, open face. It would be interesting to find out why he chose to be a lawyer.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, Rachel finished setting the table and returned to the kitchen to put the steaks on. “Oh, hello,” she said when she entered the kitchen.

Rodgers and Joe turned to face her. “I was just showing Joe around the place. We’re not in your way, are we?”

Rachel crossed to the stove and turned on the grill section of the stove, keenly aware of Joe’s eyes following her. “No, but you men should be somewhere other than the kitchen while I’m cooking.” She really wanted them out of there. She couldn’t focus on cooking if Joe was in the kitchen. Just being near him seemed to heat her blood.

“It sure smells good in here,” Joe said. He rubbed his stomach. “I am hungry now that I think about it.”

“Dinner will be in about half an hour.” She put the steaks on the grill, sizzling filling the kitchen. Turning, she put her hands on her hips. “Now you two find someplace else to be. I’ll call you when dinner is on the table.”

Joe laughed. “Boy, this place is beginning to feel more and more like home.”

Rachel bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smiling. She had just scolded both of them as if she was the woman of the house.

“Come on, Joe. I’ll show you the pool.” Rodgers moved to the side door to the outside. “Call me on the radio when dinner is ready, Rachel.”

“I will. Now go,” she said, the smile creeping onto her lips.

Joe grinned at her and nodded before he followed Rodgers out the door.

Forty minutes later, Rachel was seated across from Joe at the dining room table. Rachel’s tummy was a little jittery, but for some reason she had the distinct feeling it wasn’t from nerves. It felt more like excitement. She couldn’t wait for these men to help her break out of her shell.

“This steak is delicious,” Joe said, knife in one hand, fork in the other. “Do you use some special seasonings or something? It’s so good as it is, I don’t even need steak sauce.” He talked while he cut his steak and then he shoved another bite into his mouth. He closed his eyes. “Mmm,” he murmured.

“As a matter of fact, I use a special spice rub on the steaks. I made it up myself.” She took a bite of potato, the melted butter and steak sauce she’d baked inside it mingling on her tongue. Joe’s compliment on her cooking made her feel warm inside. “Tell me, Joe, what made you decide to become an attorney?” She picked up her glass of wine and sipped.

“I guess I wanted to study law because I wanted to help people.” He threaded his fingers together and propped his elbows on either side of his plate. “Most people who feel like that, you know, wanting to help, go into the medical field. I just don’t have the stomach for it. I may have grown up on a farm and saw a lot when it comes to animals, but the thought of having to fix a person…” He shook his head. “I don’t think I could do it.”

“So law was the next best thing?” She loved watching his face when he spoke. His eyes were so honest, and his emotions showed in their green depths. She took a bit of her steak, feeling more relaxed.

“Yeah.” He laughed. “My parents weren’t too thrilled when I left the farm for law school though.” Joe ducked his head and focused on his dinner plate again.

Rachel chewed her bit of steak slowly, watching his face. It was obvious the subject of his parents and law school was a bit touchy. She could tell by the way he acted, it must have caused some ripples in the family and even though he followed his dream, something or someone had hurt him.

“I would think any parent would be ecstatic to have their child go to law school,” Rodgers said.

Rachel nodded her agreement and sipped her wine. She had almost forgotten Rodgers was there she had been so focused on Joe.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Joe said, raising his hand. “My parents are proud of me. I hear they brag about me all the time.” He blushed and grinned. “The problem they had with me going to law school was that they expected me to take over the farm. With me going to college, they knew that wasn’t going to happen.”

“At least they’ve come to terms with it and can brag about you now,” Rachel said, smiling at him.

His gaze met hers, and his eyes softened, then moved from her eyes to her lips and back again. “Would you like to go for a walk after dinner with me?”

“Yes, yes I would.” It would be the first time she had walked with a man after dinner since she had left home. If it were under any other circumstances, she would think she was being courted.