Beauty Blooming [Bonding Camp 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (7 page)

Rachel reached up and trailed her fingertips down his cheek. The slight stubble rasped against her skin. “I am a bit sore and maybe a little achy. You and Rodgers sure gave me a workout this evening.”

“Well then,” he said, tucking one arm beneath her legs and the other around her waist. He stood, lifting her. “We should get you all nice and tucked in for the night, so you can get some sleep. I want you bright-eyed and raring to go tomorrow, so we can spend some quality time together.” He carried her around to the side of the bed and gave her a quick kiss. Then he dropped her on the bed with a bounce.

“Hey!” she said then giggled when the towel that had been wrapped around her at the waist flew across the bed.

“Hey what?” He gave her a wide-eyed innocent look. Two seconds later, he bent over and started tickling her ribs.

Rachel laughed, long and loud, as his fingers played her ribs like she was a banjo. She kicked and slapped at him playfully. “Stop, Joe. Stop!”

“I’m not quite ready to stop yet.” He grabbed her foot and began tickling the bottom of it.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Rachel lashed out with her other foot, connecting with his rib cage.

Joe let out an
ommph
, let go of her foot, then rolled off the bed and landed on the floor with a thud.

“Oh my gosh. Joe?” Rachel leaned over the bed, her heart thumping.

He lay there, one hand over his heart, his eyes closed and breathing through his mouth.

“Joe, are you okay?” She touched his thigh.

“Rowllll…” he growled, jackknifing to a sitting position.

“Oh—
you
,” Rachel said, rolling up onto the bed. She flopped on her back, her smile so wide it actually hurt her cheeks.

“What are you smiling about, Miss Rachel?” Joe grasped her wrists and pulled her up to stand beside the bed then he drew down the covers.

“I’m smiling because…” Rachel blinked, realization shocking her into silence. The reason she was smiling had just bloomed in her mind like a rosebud opening to the sun. She looked at Joe, meeting his gaze levelly. “I’m smiling because I don’t think I’ve ever been happier in my life.”

Joe’s impish grin developed into a soft smile. “I’m glad.” He kissed her tenderly then took her by the waist and sat her down on the edge of the bed. He lifted the covers he had turned down a moment ago. “Come on, let’s get you in bed.”

Rachel lay back, slipping her legs beneath the covers. The bed felt welcoming, her body settling into the pillow top mattress. She stifled a yawn, weariness almost overtaking her.

Joe sat on the edge of the bed beside her. She lay still, watching his eyes search her face as he smoothed her hair back from her forehead. Rachel bit the inside of her lip, wondering why such a look of seriousness had come over his sparkling eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asked, unable to figure out if she had done something wrong.

One corner of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile. “I want to ask you something,” he said quietly.

Her stomach clenched, nervous. “Ask.”

He wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger then looked her directly in the eye. “You and Rodgers…is there a thing going on between you two?”

He’s jealous.
The thought made her want to smile, but she held it in. “We’re coworkers and friends. Why?”

“There’s nothing
romantic
between you?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “You do know that almost everyone who works for the firm has been here at bonding camp, and they bond by sharing intimacy, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Joe, even though Rodgers and I know each other pretty well, this was my first time sharing myself with him. We are friends who share. Nothing more.”

A smile lit up his face. “Good to know.” He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. “And I’m finding out I’m kind of into this sharing thing. Now, get some sleep. You’re going to need it.”

Rachel awoke the next morning with a smile on her face. She stretched languidly, arms above her head and toes curled, before throwing back the covers and rising from the bed to greet the day. Today was Saturday, and she was looking forward to it. Joe would be here all day, not scheduled to leave until tomorrow. Rodgers, of course, was here as always. And Justice would arrive by afternoon to continue with her bonding camp. It was going to be an amazing day. She threw open the curtains, letting the first glimmer of sunlight into her room.

Grinning, she headed for the shower, not at all upset about her muscle aches and pains.

Two hours later, Rachel was washing the breakfast dishes in the kitchen when Rodgers appeared, bringing her a water glass she had missed when she cleared the table.

“You look awfully happy this morning,” Rodgers said, placing the glass on the countertop beside the sink. “You have such a nice bloom to your cheeks. I think all the bonding we did yesterday was good for you.” He leaned against the counter beside her and crossed his arms, smiling.

She glanced up at him, her hand underwater making slow circles with a cloth over a plate. “I am happy. I didn’t know what I was missing.” She lifted the plate out of the water and rinsed it, then placed it in the dish drainer on the other side of the sink. She turned to him, her hands clasped over the sink. “Rodgers, I want to thank you for not pushing me into bonding when I wasn’t ready. It means a lot to me. Your friendship means a lot to me.” Her eyes began to sting. The last thing she wanted to do was cry. She turned back to face the sink, busying herself with washing a glass and blinking fast to keep the emotional tears at bay.

Rodgers placed a hand on her back between her shoulders and leaned close to her. “I’m glad you’re my friend, too,” he whispered then kissed her temple.

Rachel bit the inside of her cheek, her vision growing blurry. She really did care about Rodgers. He was basically her best friend.

He gave her a pat on the back and moved toward the back door. “I’ve got to clean up the bonding room before Justice gets here. I’ll see you after lunch.”

Rachel nodded and smiled at him, her lips quivering a bit. He walked out the door, disappearing into the sunlight. Rachel let out a shuddering sigh and went about finishing the dishes. She had to ready Justice’s room before he arrived in a couple of hours.

As she moved about the house taking care of her daily chores, she thought about last night. After Joe had left her, she had fallen asleep fairly quickly and dreamed of how Joe had made love to her. Rachel had actually surprised herself yesterday when she had let Joe take her on the kitchen table, and then she didn’t bat an eye when Rodgers had joined in the activities. It had been decadent and wanton and so much fun.

She snapped the crisp, white linen sheet then let it float down onto Justice’s bed. As she tucked in the corners, she wondered what it would be like with three men at once. Would she be able to handle it? Her face grew hot at the thought. And the bondage—she had really enjoyed that part of it.

Fluffing the pillows at the head of the bed, Rachel couldn’t wait until one o’clock. That was when she was to meet them at what Rodgers called the “bonding room.” It was where most bonding camp sessions took place, mainly because that was where all their equipment was kept.

Rachel walked down the hall, carrying a laundry basket full of soiled linens toward the laundry room.

“There you are,” Joe said, turning into the hallway from the main foyer.

Rachel’s heart did a little flip, and she immediately felt lighter. Smiling widely, she met his gaze. “Yep, here I am. What have you been up to?” She moved forward, and he fell in step beside her.

“I have been enjoying the beautiful grounds and the trails in the woods. This place is wonderful. I love being outdoors.” He grabbed the laundry basket from her. “Let me carry that. I don’t want you using up all your strength doing housework.”

She looked up at him and took note of the smoky look in his eyes and his serious expression. Heat crawled through her, causing her to lick her lips.

Joe stopped, turning to face her. “Listen, I know we’re doing the bonding thing again this afternoon with a group sex session and—don’t get me wrong—I’m loving it, but I’d really like for you and I to spend some time alone.”

“I’d like that, too.” Rachel felt all sorts of emotions flow through her, excitement, satisfaction, happiness, and even hope that Joe felt the same way about her as she did about him. This feeling she had for him was leaning more and more toward love. She’d heard of whirlwind romances and love at first sight, but she never pictured herself falling in love so quickly. But that’s what it felt like—love.

“What do you say tomorrow we have a picnic for lunch? Somewhere out in the woods. All by ourselves.” He raised an eyebrow.

“That sounds like a plan. I’ll fix us a nice lunch, and we can sit and talk, away from the others.” She smiled up at him.

A grin broke over his face. “I am really, truly beginning to love this place.”

They turned and continued walking toward the laundry room. Once there, Joe helped her sort the laundry and load the washer. They talked about nothing in particular, but every so often, their hands would brush against each other, making contact that Rachel felt sizzling to her core with each light touch. She was flabbergasted about how natural spending time with Joe felt, even while doing a simple chore like laundry. It amazed her how easy their relationship was, how like it was as if they had known each other for years.

She found herself laughing easily, always looking him in the eye when he spoke. A warmth bloomed in her heart every time he smiled.

She was lost, and she was in love.

She just wasn’t sure what she was going to do about it.

Pushing the button to start the washer, they both turned to leave the laundry room when a voice in the hall stopped them in their tracks.

“When I sent you up here to attend bonding camp, I didn’t expect you to bond so closely that you began to do housework, Joe.” Justice Cane stepped in front of the door, blocking their passage. “Rachel, you look freshly satisfied. And I missed your first time bonding.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “We’ll have to remedy that very soon,” he said when he straightened.

Heat rushed through her yet again. She was embarrassed about being caught with Joe helping her with housework, even though he was a guest. Add the fact that she would soon become intimate with Justice Cane, one of the partners of the law firm that owned this compound and also was her boss, and she was surprised that she didn’t just burst into flames on the spot.

“I was just helping Rachel,” Joe said, slipping his arm around her waist. It felt sort of like he was either protecting her or claiming her. Or both. Either way, it made Rachel feel cared for.

Justice glanced at Joe’s arm, noticing the movement, a small smile gracing his mouth. “I can see that.”

“She didn’t ask me to or anything. I wanted to spend time with her, that’s all.” Joe tensed beside her.

Justice laughed. “You don’t have to defend yourself to me,” he said, raising his hands palms forward. “I was just jerking your chain.”

Rachel let out the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. For a moment there, she thought her job might be in jeopardy for allowing a guest to tend to her menial job. Now she could see the sparkle in Justice’s eyes that clued her in to his real state of mind, and it was obvious he had been teasing.

“I just finished getting your room ready if you’d like to lie down for a nap before lunch,” Rachel said, looking up into Justice’s playful, hazel eyes. She could truly see why Lauren had fallen so fast and so hard for him during her bonding camp experience. Lauren Brooke, Justice’s wife, had come to the compound when the partners had hired her as an associate lawyer. It hadn’t taken long for her and Justice to fall madly and deeply in love.

Just like I’m falling for Joe.

That thought made her blink and swallow hard at the same time.
Careful, girl. Don’t let your heart override your head. He hasn’t really told you how he feels about you yet. You may end up getting yourself hurt.

“Since Lauren couldn’t come with me this time,” Justice said, “I think I will take a short nap before lunch. You’ll wake me?” He raised his eyebrow again.

Rachel nodded.

Justice looked at Joe. “Lauren wanted me to tell you she’s very sorry she couldn’t attend your first bonding session. She’s been looking forward to it ever since she hired you.”

Rachel looked at Joe. His cheeks were slightly flushed. Was he embarrassed? His arm tightened around her waist, pulling her closer.

“I’m very flattered, but to be honest with you, I’ve sort of got my hands full here with Rachel,” Joe said then smiled.

“Really?” Justice grinned at Rachel. “Now I’m really looking forward to bonding camp.” He clapped his hands together and bowed slightly at the waist, then straightened. “I’ll let you two get on with what you were doing, and I’ll see you later.” He turned and walked down the hall, heading toward the bedroom area.

Rachel brushed her hair back from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. “I was a little worried for a minute there,” she said, moving into the hall.